Fakultas …

Universitas Indonesia

English for General Academic Purposes

Mid-term Test

Name: Student Number:

_______________________________________________________________
I. READING AND VOCABULARY (50 points)
A. Read the following paragraphs carefully and answer the questions (26 points)

Paragraph 1

The civil rights, student, and antiwar movements of the 1950s and 1960s produced large
numbers of young women activists. Like the women in the earlier abolitionist
movements, these activists called attention to their own inequality in America. Thus, the
1960s saw significant adavances in the rights of women. Responding to increased
lobbying by women, President John F Kennedy, in 1961, created a Commision on the
status of women. The commisions report openly criticized the fact that the women
continued to be second-class citizens in America, and it led to the establishment of
similar state commissions. In 1966, Betty Friedan, author, of the best-seller The Feminine
Mystique, led a movement to form the first important national feminist organization in
America since Susan B. Anthony’s National Women’s Suffrage Association. The new
organization was called the National Organization for Women (NOW). Even today, it
continues to be a vocal and visible force in America on such issues as equal employment
opportunity for women. In 1967, pressured by NOW, Lyndon Johnson formally
prohibited sex discrimination in federal employment. Although the decades that followed
the sixties have seen progress in women’s rights, none quite equals the sixties.
1. What is the passage mainly about? (2 points)
About the young women activist that fight for the civil rights, student, and antiwar
movement
2. What had Betty Friedan done related to the empowerment of women’s rights? (2 points)

___she is the first female that form important national feminist organization

3. What was the role of John F Kennedy in 1960s?

_he created a commission for the status of women

4. What can be infered from the last statement on the paragraph?

__progress about womens rights that happens in the sixties

5. What does the word visible mean?
__can be seen_________________________________________
Paragraph 2

Although birth rates have declined in some countries, the world population continues to
boom. From the year 1800 to 1927, the population of the world doubled to 2 billion, and
then doubled again in less than 50 years. As of 2005, the world’s population is about 6.4
billion and increases annually by roughly 77 million. Analysts are concerned about the
additional strain population growth will put on the world’s resources, particularly in
regards to water and food. According to the U.N. World Water Development Report in
2003, severe water shortages will affect the majority of the planet within the next 50
years, which will have a strong effect on agriculture and thus the world’s food supply.
Most of the world’s population growth is taking place in developing countries , and is is
these regions that can expect to be hit the hardest by famine in the years to come.

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 1. What major problems might people face in the future?
__the population growth that might caused famine

2. What areas of the world can expect to suffer the most from these problems?

____developing countries_____________________________________________
3. Define the meaning of following words from the passage (2 points)

boom _______increasing numbers__________________

famine ____hunger________________________________
Paragraph 3

Whales are mammals rather than fish, yet they live in the world’s oceans rather than on
land. Because of the fact that they are mammals, scientists have believed for quite some
time that whales are descendants of land mammals. Some interesting evidence to support
this theory has recently been found. In Egypt, fossils have been found of a forty-million-
year-old whale leg,kneecap, ankle, footbones, and toes. It appears from the fossil
evidence that the bones were not very strong and not very large in comparison to the size
of the whale. Based on this fossil evidence, the following evolutionary path has been
hypothesized. As the whale began its evolution toward the water, its legs weakened and
decreased in size. Then, during its millions of years in the water, the legs slowly
disappeared, leaving only the front flippers today.
1. What is the main idea of the paragraph? (2 points)
___the believes that whales are descendants of land mammals_____________________
2. According to the hypothesis in the text, what happened to whales’ legs?
__the legs of the whales weakened and decreased in size._________________________
3. Identify the reasons used to support the main idea of the text? (3 points)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. The word ‘they’ in line 2 refers to?
____whales______________________________________________________________

Paragraph 4

As most parents or teachers know, boys and girls begin school with different mental and
physical abilities. Boys tend to have better spatial reasoning and hand-eye coordination
than girls, and they are usually more active and energetic. Girls tend to have more
advanced verbal and organizational skills, and they are less impulsive. Despite their
strengths, however boys are twice as likely as girls to have problems with reading and
writing. By eighth grade, boys are scoring an average of 11 points lower than girls on
standardized reading tests and 21 points lower on writing tests. This gap has been blamed
on everything from society’s differing expectations to in- appropriate teaching methods.
However, resent research has revealed that the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain
responsible for organizing complex thoughts and controlling impulses, processes
information differently in boys than in girls. Tests on eleven-to-eighteen-year-old show
that when boys are shown pictures of fearful faces, they register activity on both sides of
their prefrontal cortex. Girls, however use only one side, just like adults. By age eighteen,
of course, boys’ and girls’ brain are processing information with the same speed and
sophistication. But brain scans have revealed that the prefrontal cortex reaches its
maximum thickness in girls by age eleven. In boys, this development happens later on.

1. What is the main idea of the text? (2 points)

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 __theres a differences between boys and girls in mental and physical abilities when they
begin school_____________________________________________________________
2. Which pattern organizes the details in the passage? ?
a) Definition
b) Comparison and contrast
c) Cause and effect

3. Mention the differences of boys and girls regarding to the following issues ! (4 points)
 Physical abilities
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 Brain issues
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. What is the function of prefrontal cortex?
__it responsible to organize complex thoughts and to control impulses_______________

B. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. (9 points)

Passage 1

Humans have struggled against weeds since the beginnings of agriculture. Marring our
gardens is one of the milder effects of weeds – any plants that thrive where they are unwanted.
They clog waterways, destroy wildlife habitats, and impede farming. Their spread eliminates
grazing areas and accounts for one-third of all crop loss. They compete for sunlight, nutrients,
and water with useful plants.
The global need for weed control has been answered mainly by the chemical industry. Its
herbicides are effective and sometimes necessary, but some pose serious problems,
particularly if misused. Toxic compounds threaten animal and public health when they
accumulate in food plants, ground water, and drinking water. They also harm workers who
apply them.
In recent years, the chemical industry has introduced several herbicides that are more
ecologically sound. Yet new chemicals alone cannot solve the world’s weed problems. Hence,
scientists are exploring the innate weed-killing powers of living organism, primarily insects
and microorganisms.
The biological agents now in use are harmless to human and are environmentally benign.
They can be chosen for their ability to attack selected targets and leave crops and other plants
untouched. In contrast, some of the most effective chemicals kill virtually all the plants they
come in contact with, sparing only those that are naturally resistant or have been genetically
modified for resistance. Furthermore, a number of biological agents can be administered only
once, after which no added applications are needed. Chemicals typically must be used several
times per growing season.

1. With what topic does this passage primarily deal? (1 point)

________________________________________________________________________
2. What is the term which the author defines in the first paragraph? (1 point)

_________________________________________________________________________

3. Which of the following statements about the use of chemical agents as herbicides would the
author most likely agree? (1 point)
a. It should be increased.

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 b. It has become more dangerous recently.
c. It is safe but inefficient.
d. It is occasionally required.

4. What are the advantages of biological agents over chemical herbicides? (3 points)

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

5. The word “those” in line 17 refers to (1 point)

_____________________________________

6. Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage? (1 point)
a. A general idea is introduced, and several specific examples are given.
b. A recommendation is analyzed and rejected.
c. A problem is described, and possible solutions are discussed.
d. Two possible causes for a phenomenon are compared.

7. What does the word “impede” mean in the first paragraph? (1 point)

___prevent/block___________________________________________________________

C. Use the context clues in the sentences to define the underlined words (5 points)

1. Born a slave during the Civil War, Wells grew up in an era when few women pursued
careers outside of the home.
What does the word pursue mean?
________chase____________________________________

2. The other reason why the tradition of arranged marriage remains strong is the belief that
romantic love can hinder the establishment of lasting partnership.
What does the word hinder mean? _________make
weakened/block___________________________________

3. Because of its violent content, Grand Theft Auto has also generated controversy.
What does the word controversy mean? ___________arguments of pro and
contrast____________________________

4. Robinson’s story illustrates how discrimination can be eradicated when people decide it
has to be.
What does the word eradicate mean?
____eliminate_____________________________________

5. While Abby tried to be friends with the girls in the popular group, her twin brother was
always trying to undermine her efforts by embarassing her.
What does the word undermine mean? _______messed
up__________________________________

D. Complete the paragraph with the correct word from the box (10 points)

spokesman inquiry discovered welcomed refinery danger

nearby borrowed lent happened company drilling

It was announced in London this morning that the British Oil Corporation has
1__discovered__________ oil under the sea near the Welsh coast. The company which has

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been 2_____drilling_________ for oil in the sea since 2001, found small amounts of oil near
Swansea last month, and since then has discovered larger amounts under the seabed 3.
_nearby_______. Last year the government 4. __lent______ over £50.000.000 to BOC and gave
permission for the company to build an oil 5. __refinery_______ and other facilities in South
Wales.
The reaction of local people to today’s news has been mixed so far. Local MPs have
already 6. _________ the news, pointing out that the oil industry will bring badly needed jobs to
the area. But local residents are worried about the 7. __danger________of pollution. Nobody has
asked us yet what we want, said Anna Griffiths, leader of the Keep Out the Oil Campaign. Look
what 8. _happened________ when they found oil in Scotland in the 1960s. The oil companies
got rich , not the local people. BOC has not told us the truth about what this is going to mean for
our people. A BOC 9. _spokesman________ later refuse to comment. Meanwhile local
campaigners have asked the government to hold an 10___inquiry____________.

II. WRITING (25 points)

A. Write a topic sentence in the space provided for the following paragraph (3 points).

_maybe to remind that women is like a storms, U.S always named a storms with a female
name._________________________________________________________________________
_It was started with the use of a woman’s name for a storm in the 1941 novel Storm by George
R. Stewart. In it, a weatherman amused himself by naming storms after beautiful women he
knew. He named one Maria. The story describes how Maria grew and developed, and how she
changed the lives of people when she struck the United States. The naming of hurricanes
continued when the United States Army and Navy weathermen who studied weather conditions
over the Pacific Ocean also named hurricanes after women during World War II. One their duties
was to warn American ships and planes when a storm was coming. Whenever a storm was
spotted, they gave it a female name.

B. Identify the sentence that does not fit in the paragraph by underlining it (1 point).

One of the first problems on the Saint Lawrence Seaway construction was moving the people
who lived nearby the canals and lakes. They had to move because the area had to be flooded to
provide sufficient depth and power pools. That made them lost their houses. The Canadian side,
which was densely populated, presented more problems since the flooding of this section
involved the movement of 6,500 people to other towns. But, unlike the situation on Canadian
side, the American side did not present much of the relocation difficulty because of its thin
population.

C. Write a supporting sentence that fits in the paragraph below (3 points).

There is a little warning of a tsunami’s approach. When a train of tsunami waves approaches a
coastline, the first indication is often a sharp swell. __the sharp swell and waves hit the offshore
for a couple of time________________________________. It often exposes offshore areas as
the first wave ditch reaches the coast. After several minutes, the first huge wave crest strikes,
flooding the newly exposed beach and rushing inland. Generally, the third to eighth wave crests
are the largest.

D. Write a suitable concluding sentence for this paragraph in the space provided (3 points)

How can we save electricity? At home, we should be careful regarding the electric apparatus
used by us. Fans, lights, air conditioners, refrigerators, water heaters should be used properly.

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Television sets should not be on when we do not need them. We should use lights and bulbs that
consume less power____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

E. Write a paragraph about 8-10 sentences or approximately 150 words about one of the
following topics. Remember to start your paragraph with a topic sentence and end it
with a conclusion (15 points).

1. What type of power plant would you most like to see in your hometown or city?
2. What is the strongest advantage that technology can bring us?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a working mother?
4. How can MRT/LRT solve transportation problems in Jakarta?
5. Nuclear power is the most sensible energy option in the future.

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III. LISTENING (25 points)

A. Complete the news below by filling in the blank spaces with one word. (4 points)

Scientists in _______________ (1) are warning that large parts of Great Barrier Reef
could die within few _______________ (2) because it’s suffering from one of the
_______________ (3) ever episodes of coral _______________ (4).

B. Complete the news below by filling in the blank spaces with one word. (5 points)

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 Ukraine has been holding ceremonies to mark the 30th anniversary of Chernobyl, the
world’s worst _______________ (1) accident. A meltdown in the plant’s
_______________ (2) in April 1986 blew off the roof and sent a cloud of
_______________ (3) material across Ukraine’s borders into ________________ (4)
Belarus and across a swathe of northern Europe. Relatives of those who died held
________________ (5) vigils at several churches.
C. Listen to each of the conversations and answer the questions below. 16 Points

Conversation 1 (8 points)

1. What are the students talking about?

_______________________________________

2. What information surprised the man?2 points

__________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. Where did the woman get the information?
__________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

4. Is it TRUE or FALSE that babies sleep about thirteen hours a day?

________________
5. What is the man’s age group? ____________________________________________
6. How many hours of sleep do people in his age group need?
______________________
7. Approximately how many hours of sleep per night do fifty-year olds require?
_______

Conversation 2 (8 points)

1. What are the man and the woman discussing in this conversation? 2 points
____________________________________________________________________
2. When will the students give the presentation?
________________________________
3. How much time do they have to prepare for the presentation?
____________________
4. What is the topic of the presentation? ______________________________________
5. What will the man and the woman discuss during the presentation? 1 point each
a. the man will discuss: _________________________________________________
b. the woman will discuss:
_______________________________________________
6. When do they next plan to meet?
__________________________________________

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