For each item, decide whether the topic listed for the paragraph is too broad, too narrow, or the
correct topic for the paragraph. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
Family composition is dynamic and is associated with critical parental and economic resources. In
2009, 70 percent of children ages 017 lived with two parents, 26 percent with one parent, and 4
percent with no parents. Among children living with two parents, 88 percent lived with two
married parents (biological or adoptive). Among children living with one parent, 79 percent lived
with their single mother (without a cohabiting partner). Among children living with neither
parent, 52 percent lived with a grandparent. Six percent of all children ages 017 lived with a
parent or parents who were cohabiting.
Family and Social Environment.
http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/famsoc.asp. 1 Sept. 2010.
Web.
Topic: Children
a. too broad
b. too narrow
c. correct topic
Ques. 2For each item, decide whether the topic listed for the paragraph is too broad, too narrow, or the
correct topic for the paragraph. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
Otto von Bismarck (18151898), the most important figure in German history between Luther1
and Hitler,2 has been the object of enormous interest and debate. A great hero to some, a great
villain to others, Bismarck was above all a master of politics. Bismarck had a strong personality
and an unbounded desire for power. Yet in his drive to secure power for himself and for Prussia,
Bismarck was extraordinarily flexible and pragmatic.3
He kept his options open, pursuing one
policy and then another as he moved with skill and cunning toward his goal.
Adapted from John P. McKay et al., A History of World Societies, Vol. II (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co,
1996), 834.
Topic: Otto von Bismarck
a. too broad
b. too narrow
c. the correct topic
Ques. 3For each item, decide whether the topic listed for the paragraph is too broad, too narrow, or the
correct topic for the paragraph. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
How much is higher education worth in cold hard money? A college master's degree is worth
1.3 million more in lifetime earnings than a high school diploma, according to a recent report
from the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. The report titled The Big Payoff: Educational
Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings reveals that over an adult's working
life, high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn 1.2 million; those with a bachelor's
degree, 2.1 million; and people with a master's degree, 2.5 million. Persons with doctoral
degrees earn an average of 3.4 million during their working life, while those with professional
degrees do best at 4.4 million.
Topic: Lifetime earnings of people with college degrees
a. too broad
b. too narrow
c. the correct topic
Ques. 4For each item, decide whether the topic listed for the paragraph is too broad, too narrow, or the
correct topic for the paragraph. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
Why do people dance? The urge springs from the same desire to express that motivates the other
arts, but the medium is the most accessiblethe human body. Dancing is in a sense body
language. We have all felt the need to express fear, sorrow, anger, love, and joy with gesture and
with movement. One can express an emotion in movement before it can be put into words and
also gesture feelings beyond the limits of words.
From Mary Ann Frese Witt et al., The Humanities, Vol. II (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co, 1997), 181.
Topic: How people express themselves
a. too broad
b. too narrow
c. the correct topic
Ques. 5Read each paragraph and then choose the letter of the correct topic.
I can accept that many people take fashion seriously, but I have never been a fashion buff. To me,
dressing in style is pointless. I can, however, accept that many people love to dress in style, but
there is one particular fashion statement that totally baffles1
me. I mean, specifically, wearing a
fashionable watch. To me, it is beyond comprehension that multitudes pay hundreds or thousands
of dollars for their watches. My watch cost me 13 .00 . It keeps accurate time, and it has a
stopwatch, an alarm, and when I want it, a very good light for telling the time in the dark. My
watch may not be stylish, but I suppose you could say it's part of how I dress in style.
Topic:
a. fashion statements
b. dressing in style
c. fashionable watches
d. watches
Ques. 6Read each paragraph and then choose the letter of the correct topic.
How can you tell when a baby will soon be walking? Most babies will start walking when they
are about a year old. Some start a little earlier, but it is also not unheard of for a baby to start
walking at 16 months. That is normal. Infants will start giving hints that they are going to be
ready very soon to strut their stuff. When they begin to crawl and scoot, they are strengthening
the muscles they will use when they begin to walk. You will also notice them pulling themselves
up to a standing position by holding on to the edges of furniture or large toys. When they master
that skill, they will try to cruise around the room by grasping on to furniture and objects until they
make their way around to where they want to go. With a bit of encouragement and love from their
parents and caretakers, they will take that first step. It is truly amazing to watch And when they
take that first step, they will want to take many more.
Topic:
a. crawling
b. how to tell when a baby will walk
c. what babies do all day
d. baby furniture
Ques. 7Read each paragraph and then choose the letter of the correct topic.
If you're like me, you probably have one or two really close friends and a lot of great
acquaintances. But that's good because that's what you need. According to Dr. John Litwac of the
University of Massachusetts Medical Center, people in modern society require a variety of friends
to meet their needs. And the variety of friends we need varies over time. What Dr. Litwac says in
a book, Adult Friendships, is that the friendships we enjoy when we are young differ a lot from
those we experience as we grow older. As we develop, so does the complexity and intimacy of
our relationships.
From Michael Osborn and Suzanne Osborn, Public Speaking (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co, 2000), 356.
Topic:
a. friendships
b. experience
c. modern society
d. complexity
Ques. 8Read each paragraph and then choose the letter of the correct topic.
Here are some reasons for attending college that you may or may not have considered. In the
courses you will take, you will be exposed to new ideas, beliefs, and ways of looking at the
world. At times, you will be excited by what you are learning; at other times, you will be
frustrated by opinions and values that challenge your own. A college education can help you
develop a flexible and open mind, sharpen your ability to think, and enrich your life. Best of all,
you may discover in yourself talents, skills, and interests that you did not know you possessed.
Adapted from Carol C. Kanar, The Confident Student, 5th ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co, 2004), 91.
Topic:
a. college courses
b. educational challenges
c. reasons for attending college
d. talents, skills, and interests
Ques. 9Read each paragraph and then choose the letter of the correct topic.
A website might be thought of as a special type of publication. In some cases, the entire contents
of an individual website are contributed by the Web author. In other instances, a website consists
of some material developed by the Web author and connections to other resources found on
computers throughout the Internet. A Web user does not have to keep track of who authored what
in the website. The user simply follows links embedded1
within the content of webpages from one
topic of interest to another.
Adapted from Mark Grabe and Cindy Grabe, Integrating Technology for Meaningful Learning (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Co, 1998), 204.
Topic:
a. publications
b. websites
c. the World Wide Web
d. links in websites
Ques. 10For each item, read the general sentence and then choose the letter of the three specific sentences
that explain or support that statement.
General Sentence: There are a few different theories about why people dream.
Wayne Weiten, Concept Charts for Study and Review to Accompany-Psychology: Themes &
Variations, 8th e
Specific Sentences:
(1) Sigmund Freud asserted that the chief purpose of dreams is wish fulfillment.
(2) Insomnia refers to chronic problems in getting adequate sleep.
(3) Other theorists argue that dreams provide an opportunity to think creatively about personal
problems.
(4) The activation-synthesis model proposes that dreams are side effects of the neural activation
that produces waking-like brain waves during REM sleep.
(5) Sleep apnea involves frequent, reflexive gasping for air that disrupts sleep.
(6) Sleeping is important to one's health.
(7) Sleep varies from one person to another.
a. 1, 2, 4
b. 1, 3, 4
c. 2, 4, 6
d. 3, 4, 5
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