35. Helen’s attitude toward dealing with criminals has changed over the years. She used to believe that everyone can change and deserves a second chance. She now believes that some crimes are so heinous that those responsible should be shown no mercy.

a. guilty　　　 b. terrible　　　 c. accidental　　　 d. unimportant

34. I looked at the plans for your new house. This is earthquake country. You need to fortify the frame or you’ll have a disaster with the first tremor.

a. shake　　　 b. build　　 c. strengthen　　　 d. destroy

33. Prunella and Paula are sisters, but they’re very different. Just look at how they dress. Prunella doesn’t care what she wears. Paula, on the other hand, is quite chic [sheek].

a. intelligent　　　 b. stylish　　　 c. full of feathers　　 d. dressed in old clothes

32. The owner of the restaurant wouldn’t allow Samantha to walk through the door. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but you started a food fight the last time you were here. You may not have ingress to my restaurant!”

What does “ingress” mean in this selection?

a. a kind of bird that lives by the sea　　 b. any food that can be thrown c. a good price for a meal　 　　　　　d. the right to enter

31. Her cardinal rule is this: Be kind to others! She believes that everything else in life will fall properly into place if one follows that rule.

What does “cardinal” mean in this context?

a. main, or most important　　　　　　　 b. red c. like a bird　　　　　　　　　　　　 d. not worth remembering

30. “If you knew the gravity of the situation, you wouldn’t be laughing,” Mr. Farmer said quietly. He didn’t have to say more to get everyone’s attention.

What does “gravity” mean in this context?

a. a force that draws different objects toward each other　　 b. seriousness c. humor　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 d. enjoyable, or comfortable

29. The signal from the cable is too strong for our television. We’ll have to use a filter to attenuate it.

When you attenuate something, you _______________.

a. watch it carefully　　 b. take good care of it　　 c. make it be less　 d. get past it

28. Both sides battled for years. They were very far apart and could find no way to make a lasting peace. When the fighting finally came to an end, everyone was exhausted and embittered.

What does “embittered” mean?

a. very angry, resentful　　 b. sour tasting　　 c. humorous　　 d. annoyed

27. Some people believe that lawyers are always working to see that justice is done. On the other hand, some believe that lawyers only want to manipulate the legal system to get what they want. Could both sides be right?

What does “manipulate” mean?

a. control in a dishonest way　　　 b. give help c. teach about or explain　　　　 d. disagree with

26. The home team made sure that the officials were on their side. They won a close game and the championship with many questionable decisions from the officials. However, no one from any other town would accept the winners as legitimate champions.

What does “legitimate” mean?

a. real　　　 b. talented　　　 c. sneaky　　　 d. good looking