Reading Compreh...

[passage-header]The following passage discusses facts and speculation about a spy during the American Revolution.[/passage-header]

   Although he may not have been the first American spy, when Captain Nathan Hale uttered his famous final words, "I only regret I have but one life to lose for my country," he likely ensured that he would long be remembered as the first patriotic martyr of the American Revolution. Even today, Hale's story serves as an inspiration for others who have chosen to enter the often deadly and thankless profession of covert intelligence gathering. Yet, as it seems clear that the sacrifice Hale made in the autumn of 1776 will long be valued, relatively little is actually known about his fateful mission.

[passage-header]Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:[/passage-header]People around the world unanimously agree that gold is a valuable mineral. Gold has been seen as a precious commodity by many cultures throughout time, and Americans of the 1840s were no different. When James W. Marshall, a carpenter and sawmill owner, discovered a gold nugget in the American River, California was forever changed. News of his discovery attracted thousands of immigrants from other parts of California, as well as other places around the United States and the World.
   In the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range that runs 400 miles through California, years of erosion caused by rainfall and the downhill flow of mountain streams loosened pieces of gold that had been embedded in the solid rock formed over 100 million years ago. California is largely made of quartz previously found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Underwater volcanoes melted the quartz into magma and pushed it up towards the surface, sometimes forming islands. Due to the movements of the Earth's tectonic plates, these islands were pushed together and against the West Coast. This movement and accumulation of land over millions of years formed the area known as California. The gold that was dispersed across the sea floor became concentrated and redistribution throughout the veins of quartz in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

[passage-header]The following passage explores the history and impact of public higher education in the United States.[/passage-header]Every year, hundreds of thousands of students graduate from U.S.public universities. Many of the largest and most elite schools in the nation fall into the category of public, or state, institutions. Unlike private universities, which generally operate independently from any government influence, public higher education was established through government legislation and is sustained through state or federal involvement in various ways. 

[passage-header]This passage is adapted from Carrie Chapman Catt's 1917 "Address to the United States Congress." Catt served as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association; the closing arguments of her speech are excerpted below.[/passage-header]   Your party platforms have pledged woman suffrage. Then why not be honest, frank friends of our cause, adopt it in reality as your own, make it a party program and "fight with us"? As a party measure--a measure of all parties--why not put the amendment through Congress and the Legislatures? 57494We shall all be better friends, we shall have a happier nation, we women will be free to support loyally the party of our choice, and we shall be far prouder of our history89594.
   "77138There is one thing mightier than kings and armies"--aye, than Congress and political parties-- "the power of an idea when its time has come to move72572." The time for woman suffrage has come. The woman's hour has struck. If parties prefer to postpone action longer and thus do battle with this idea, they challenge the inevitable. The idea will not perish; the party which opposes it may. Every delay, every trick, every political dishonesty from now on will 33487antagonize the women of the land more and more, and 89420when the party or parties which have so delayed woman suffrage finally let it come, their sincerity will be doubted and their appeal to the new voters will be met with suspicion28207. This is the psychology of the situation. Can you afford the risk? Think it over.
   We know you will meet opposition. 99188There are a few "woman haters" left, a few "old males of the tribe," as Vance Thompson calls them73179, whose duty they believe it to be to keep women in the places they have carefully picked out for them. Treitschke, made world-famous by war literature, said some years ago, "Germany, which knows all about Germany and France, knows far better what is good for Alsace-Lorraine than that miserable people can possibly know." A few American Treitschkes we have who know better than women what is good for them. There are women, too ... But the world does not wait for such as these, nor does Liberty pause to heed the plaint of men and women with a grouch. She does not wait for those who have a special interest to serve, nor a selfish reason for depriving other people of freedom. Holding her torch aloft, Liberty is pointing the way onward and upward and saying to America, "Come."
   23976To you the supporters of our cause, in Senate and House, and the number is large, the suffragists of the nation express their grateful thanks33649. This address is not meant for you. We are more truly appreciative of all you have done than any words can express. We ask you to make a last, hard fight for the amendment during the present session. 40978Since last we asked a vote on this amendment your position has been fortified by the addition to suffrage territory of Great Britain, Canada, and New York24604.
   Some of you have been too indifferent to give more than casual attention to this question. 32158It is worthy of your immediate consideration--a question big enough to engage the attention of our Allies in war time, is too big a question for you to neglect16514...
   17943Gentlemen, we hereby petition you, our only designated representatives, to 37885redress our grievances by the immediate passage of the influence to secure its ratification in your own state15813, 50281in order that the women of our nation may be endowed with political freedom that our nation may resume its world leadership in democracy33481.
   45406Woman suffrage is coming--you know it. Will you, Honorable Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, help or hinder it?

[passage-header]The following passage discusses the effects of an evolving Greek society on the content and function of poetry.[/passage-header]   The poems of the earliest Greeks, like those of other ancient societies, consisted of magical charms, mysterious predictions, prayers, and traditional songs of work and war. These poems were intended to be sung or recited, not written down, because they were created before the Greeks began to use writing for literary purposes. All that remains of these poems are fragments mentioned by later Greek writers. Homer, for example, quoted an ancient work song for harvesters, and Simonides adapted the ancient poetry of ritual lamentation, songs of mourning for the dead, in his writing.
   The different forms of early Greek poetry all had something in common: they described the way of life of a whole people. Poetry expressed ideas and feelings that were shared by everyone in a community-their folktales, their memories of historical events, and their religious speculation. The poems were wholly impersonal, with little emphasis on individual achievement. It never occured to the earliest Greek poets to tell us their names or to try to create anything completely new. In the "age of heros," however, the content and purpose of Greek poetry changed. By this later period, Greek communities had become separated into classes of rulers and ruled. People living in the same community, therefore, had different, even opposing, interests; they shared fewer ideas and emotions. The particular outlook of the warlike upper class gave poetry a new content, one that focused on the lives of individuals. Poets were assigned a new task: to celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding characters, whether they were real or imaginary, rather than the activity and history of the community.
   In the heroic age, poets became singers of tales and perfomed long poems about the fates of warriors and kings. One need study only Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey, which are recorded examples of the epic poetry that was sung in the heroic age, to understand the influence that the upper class had on the poet's performance. Thus, the poetry of the heroic age can no longer be called folk poetry. Nor was the poetry of the heroic age nameless, and in this period it lost much of its religious character.

(1) My father has an exceptional talent. (2) The ability to understand people. (3) When I have a problem that I think no one else will understand, I take it to my father. (4) He listens intently, asks me some questions, and my feelings are seemingly known by him exactly. (5) Even my twin sister can talk to him more easily than to me. (6) Many people seem too busy to take the time to understand one another. (7) My father, by all accounts, sees taking time to listen as essential to any relationship, whether it involves family, friendship, or work.
(8) At work, my fathers friends and work associates benefit from this talent. (9) His job requires him to attend social events and sometimes I go along. (10) I have watched him at dinner; his eyes are fixed on whoever is speaking, and he nods his head at every remark. (11) My father emerges from such a conversation with what I believe is a true sense of the speakers meaning. (12) In the same way, we choose our friends.
(13) My fathers ability to listen affects his whole life. (14) His ability allows him to form strong relationships with his coworkers and earns him lasting friendships. (15) It allows him to have open conversations with his children. (16) Furthermore, it has strengthened his relationship with my mother. (17) Certainly, his talent is one that I hope to develop as I mature.

Of the many forms poetry can take, triolet, ballad, ode,
and epigram, to name a few, none is quite as
briefly as the Japanese haiku.
With a $$2$$ complex history and a challenging structure, the
haiku is as popular as it is difficult to master. Composed of only three
lines and $$17$$ or fewer syllables, haiku have been written by some of the
world's most prominent poets.
3 $$[1]$$ Pre-Buddhist and early Shinto ceremonies included
narrative poems called "uta", or songs. $$[2]$$ These songs were written
about common activities like planting and prayer. $$[3]$$ The most popular
"uta" were "waka", or songs featuring $$31$$ syllables broken into five
different lines. $$[4]$$ Later, the "waka" format was distilled into the $$5-7-5-7-7$$
syllables-per-line format that is still used and recognized today.
$$[5]$$ During the same time period, writers played word games. $$[6]$$ The
syllabic $$5-7-5-7-7$$ structure would remain throughout the work, adhering
to the guidelines used in ceremonies and royal court proceedings.
$$[7]$$ They would compose lines of poetry, alternating turns, until long
strings of text called "renga were created. $$[8]$$ It was not until the $$15th$$
and $$16th$$ centuries that writers of "renga" broke with tradition and
shortened the form, writing "hokku," meaning "first verse". $$[9]$$ $$4$$ This
name changed into "haiku" over time. $$5$$
$$6$$ Previously, hokku master Matsunaga Teitoku begain teaching
renga in an attempt to ignite a classical renaissance. He founded a
writing school where he taught Matsuo Basho, who is now known as
one of Japan's most famous writers. Basho traveled throughout Japan
writing about nature and his travels.
It is through Basho's many poems that $$7$$ haiku came to be known
as being pretty tied up with nature and the seasons. $$8$$ Basho influenced
many students of verse over the course of his lifetime, and was declared
the saint of the haiku in the Shinto religion.
It was not until $$1827$$ that the hokku was renamed haiku by
Masaoka Shiki. $$9$$ Shiki was a poet, and he most famously shrank the structure of the
haiku to its current format of $$5-7-5. His work $$10$$ helped
western writers like e.e.cummings and Ezra Pound, but haiku did not
become the easily recognizable, popular type of poetry that it is today
until writers like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac popularized it.
These writers were taken by $$11$$ the brevity of the form, but it provided
them a new, challenging form of expression while enabling them
to share full ideas in such a short form. Both Japanses and American
poets continue to use the structures to create snapshots of beauty and calm.

[passage-header]This passage discusses the cane toad's introduction to and effect on the Australian environment.[/passage-header]   The cane toad, a large, brightly colored amphibian that can weigh more than around, was first introduced to the Australian continent by the sugarcane industry. The cane toad was a known predator of the cane beetle, which had been devouring the sugarcane crops since the early 1900s. Australian farmers thought that by importing these toads from their native habitats in the Americans, they could use the toads effectively to feast on pests like the cane beetle and eradicate the growing insect threat. So, in 1935, roughly 100 cane toads were carefully packed into crates and shipped to Australia. Upon their toad's arrival, the cane farmers eagerly brought them to a pond in the northeast province of Queensland. Before long, the female cane toads had laid hundreds of thousands of eggs in elongated, gelatinous strings, and the farmers waited for their new predators to be born. As the eggs hatched, the pond became filled with great clouds of squirming, wriggling tadpoles that, upon reaching maturity, were taken to the sugarcane fields and turned loose. The situation that resulted from this fateful release, however, did not coincide with the farmer's plan. Infact, the introduction of cane toads into the wild in Australia has since been deemed nothing short of an ecological disaster.
   Easily numbering well into the millions-an exact figure has been impossible to calculate the cane toads soon dominated the landscape in Queensland. Following their release, some of the toads descended as planned on the sugarcane crops and began to eat the beetles. However, they soon lost interest in their new habitat. For one thing, the mature cane beetles could fly away from their predators, forcing these slow, fat toads to work very hard for their food. In addition, the fields were hot and dry and provided little sleeping shelter for the newcomers, who generally prefer wet shade. These adverse conditions were not severe enough to kill off the toads, but instead, the toads began to look elsewhere for food and shelter. Nearby towns, full of lush gardens and well-watered lawns, were extremely inviting, and soon the toads had overrun entire residential areas. They covered the lawns, filled the gardens, found shelter under flowerpots or on porches, and even began to eat bowls of food left outside for pets like cats and dogs.
   Today, the people of Queensland hunt cane toads as if they were mosquitoes. But the toads continue to spread south and west through Australia in staggering numbers. As for the sugarcane industry, just five years after the release of the toads, an effective insecticide spray became available, and the cane beetles were easily exterminated. Scientists as well as the Australian government, however, continue to grapple with the cane toad problem.

Of the many forms poetry can take, triolet, ballad, ode,
and epigram, to name a few, none is quite as
briefly as the Japanese haiku.
With a $$2$$ complex history and a challenging structure, the
haiku is as popular as it is difficult to master. Composed of only three
lines and $$17$$ or fewer syllables, haiku have been written by some of the
world's most prominent poets.
3 $$[1]$$ Pre-Buddhist and early Shinto ceremonies included
narrative poems called "uta", or songs. $$[2]$$ These songs were written
about common activities like planting and prayer. $$[3]$$ The most popular
"uta" were "waka", or songs featuring $$31$$ syllables broken into five
different lines. $$[4]$$ Later, the "waka" format was distilled into the $$5-7-5-7-7$$
syllables-per-line format that is still used and recognized today.
$$[5]$$ During the same time period, writers played word games. $$[6]$$ The
syllabic $$5-7-5-7-7$$ structure would remain throughout the work, adhering
to the guidelines used in ceremonies and royal court proceedings.
$$[7]$$ They would compose lines of poetry, alternating turns, until long
strings of text called "renga were created. $$[8]$$ It was not until the $$15th$$
and $$16th$$ centuries that writers of "renga" broke with tradition and
shortened the form, writing "hokku," meaning "first verse". $$[9]$$ $$4$$ This
name changed into "haiku" over time. $$5$$
$$6$$ Previously, hokku master Matsunaga Teitoku begain teaching
renga in an attempt to ignite a classical renaissance. He founded a
writing school where he taught Matsuo Basho, who is now known as
one of Japan's most famous writers. Basho traveled throughout Japan
writing about nature and his travels.
It is through Basho's many poems that $$7$$ haiku came to be known
as being pretty tied up with nature and the seasons. $$8$$ Basho influenced
many students of verse over the course of his lifetime, and was declared
the saint of the haiku in the Shinto religion.
It was not until $$1827$$ that the hokku was renamed haiku by
Masaoka Shiki. $$9$$ Shiki was a poet, and he most famously shrank the structure of the
haiku to its current format of $$5-7-5. His work $$10$$ helped
western writers like e.e.cummings and Ezra Pound, but haiku did not
become the easily recognizable, popular type of poetry that it is today
until writers like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac popularized it.
These writers were taken by $$11$$ the brevity of the form, but it provided
them a new, challenging form of expression while enabling them
to share full ideas in such a short form. Both Japanses and American
poets continue to use the structures to create snapshots of beauty and calm.

The Power of the PA