Reading Fiction Practice Exercises: GED Language Arts, Readings

Passage 1

Zeus, the highest of all gods, was angry with mankind because they had stolen fire from him and used it to burn sacrifices to other gods. So he created a new creature and named her Pandora. He also invited all the other gods to bring gifts to Pandora. One god gave her the gift of beauty, another gave her grace, another brought her charm—until finally Pandora was the most beautiful and delightful woman ever created.

But then Zeus gave her one last gift: a box that contained all the evils and sorrows that the world could ever imagine. He sealed the box tight and placed it in Pandora's hands; then he sent Pandora down to earth to be a gift for mankind.

The moment that humans saw her, they fell in love with the wonderful Pandora—for her beauty and charms were very great. As soon as mankind had gathered around her, they urged her to open her magical box, hoping to find yet more wonderful gifts from the gods. So Pandora opened the box that Zeus had given her—and out flew every form of evil and wickedness that the world could imagine. Death and disease and war and poverty all flew out of the box and engulfed the world of mankind. At the last moment, however, Pandora snapped shut the lid of the box, just before Hope could fly away. The only thing left inside her magical box was Hope itself.

1. Why did Zeus create Pandora?
   1. He loved people and wanted to make a nice gift.
   2. He didn't create Pandora; the other gods did.
   3. He was angry with humanity and wanted to punish them.
   4. He was lonely and created a partner for himself.
   5. Pandora created herself.
2. What is the meaning of the expression you opened Pandora's box?
   1. You have created all sorts of new problems.
   2. You have given someone a meaningful gift.
   3. You have invented a new and wonderful thing.
   4. You have done something of real merit.
   5. You have opened a path for communication.
3. This passage is an example of
   1. paradox.
   2. personification.
   3. myth.
   4. allegory.
   5. free verse.
4. What type of narrator is telling this story?
   1. first person
   2. second person
   3. There is no narrator.
   4. third person
   5. direct address

Passage 2

Six blind men left the city of Calcutta one day to walk out and beg for money. But on the way they encountered an elephant.

Now none of these men, being blind, had ever seen an elephant before, but they had heard many people speak of the creature. So each decided that he would find out for himself what an elephant looked like.

The first man walked boldly up to the elephant—but tripped on a rock. He fell and hit his head against the animal's broad flank. "Why," he cried, "the elephant looks like a big wall!"

The second man reached out and felt a tusk. "No," he cried, "the elephant is like a spear!"

The third man took hold of the trunk. "You both are wrong! The elephant is just like a snake!"

The fourth man fumbled about until he found the elephant's leg. "No! No! No! This beast is just like a tree!"

The fifth man leaped up and happened to grasp an ear. "Tree? Snake? Never! The animal is just like a fan!"

The final man was at the rear, and he discovered the elephant's tail. "You all are wrong!" he proudly declared. "The beast is like a rope!"

And so, you see, do many of us, as we speak boldly about something that we have never seen.

5. What is the main idea in this passage?
   1. Don't speak conclusively about something that you've never seen.
   2. Don't become proud of your ignorance.
   3. Live and let live.
   4. People should treat animals better.
   5. Be nice to blind people.
6. How did the blind men find the elephant?
   1. The elephant had escaped from the zoo.
   2. Someone had sent them to find it.
   3. The elephant attacked them as they were walking.
   4. They were going outside of town to beg for money.
   5. They tripped and fell into it.
7. This passage is an example of
   1. irony.
   2. novella.
   3. allegory.
   4. fable.
   5. parable.
8. What type of narrator does this story use?
   1. There is no narrator.
   2. third person
   3. first person
   4. indirect address
   5. personification

Passage 3

One hot summer's day, a fox went strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of grapes ripening on a vine. The vine was draped over a tree branch, well out of the fox's reach.

"Ah," thought the fox, "this is just what I need to quench my thirst." He jumped up and snapped at the grapes, but he could not reach them. He moved farther back, took a running start, and leaped as high as he could—and still missed the grapes. Again and again he jumped, leaping as high as he could go; but each time, his teeth snapped on thin air. He could not reach the juicy fruit no matter how hard he tried.

After a while, the fox gave up. He walked away with his nose in the air, despising what he could not reach. "I'm sure those grapes were sour anyway," he told himself.

9. Why did the fox not eat the grapes, even though he was thirsty?
   1. He didn't really like grapes.
   2. He could not reach them.
   3. The grapes were sour.
   4. A farmer had set a trap that stopped the fox.
   5. The grapes were an illusion; they weren't really there.
10. What is the main idea of this fable?
    1. Don't steal grapes.
    2. Foxes can't jump very high.
    3. It is easy to despise things that are beyond your reach.
    4. Grapes turn sour in the hot summer sun.
    5. Grape vines don't grow well on tree branches.
11. What is the topic of this fable?
    1. disappointment
    2. wild animals
    3. how to grow grapes
    4. summer weather
    5. thirst
12. What is the setting of this story?
    1. New York City
    2. No setting is defined.
    3. a Thursday
    4. another planet with talking animals
    5. an orchard

Passage 4

The solution to these tax problems is very simple and straightforward: America needs to reinstitute slavery. What we did wrong the first time was that we enslaved one particular group of people, based solely upon the color of their skin. This was clearly a mistake—we were far too narrow-minded.

We need to open up the grand tradition of servitude to all races and peoples, permitting every man, woman, and child in this great nation the true joy which comes from wearing the ball and chain. This will clearly remove the burden of taxes upon the common working class, since there will be no income to tax in the first place!

Another problem with slavery was the multitude of masters. In this new scheme, we will all have the luxury of serving the same master—and that master is none other than our Uncle Sam! Imagine how good it will be to know that we are so closely related to the one who cracks the whip.

Besides, with taxes the way they are at present, we've nearly accomplished this anyway.

13. What is the narrator of this passage suggesting?
    1. that slavery is good
    2. that all Americans should be enslaved by the government
    3. that history has been misunderstood
    4. that Americans are the most free people on earth
    5. that wages should be higher
14. What clues does the author provide to let the reader know that he is not being serious?
    1. He comes out and states that he doesn't really mean what he is saying.
    2. The narrator makes statements that are absurd.
    3. Nobody would ever really suggest bringing back slavery.
    4. Uncle Sam isn't a real person, so it can't be serious.
    5. The narrator is in the third person.
15. This passage is an example of
    1. irony.
    2. fable.
    3. myth.
    4. parable.
    5. free verse.
16. What is the tone of this passage?
    1. happy
    2. hungry
    3. sarcastic
    4. sad
    5. angry

Passage 5

The suspect, James Robinson, was seen entering the store at approximately 3:15 on the afternoon of the robbery. He had no business to conduct in the store, and witnesses later testified that they were suspicious of his intentions from the moment he approached the cashier.

Robinson, of course, claims that he was merely lost and wanted to get directions, but the cashier said that Robinson's actions and appearance were threatening. Witnesses also have pointed out that Robinson's tone of voice was aggressive and threatening when he spoke to the cashier.

Robinson claims that he was only asking how to get to a certain address, and that he had to speak loudly because other people were making a lot of noise in the background. But the cashier said that other people in the store were only making noise because they were frightened by Robinson's presence in the store. They were not accustomed, the cashier maintained, to seeing men in clerical clothing in the neighborhood.

17. What is the tone of this passage?
    1. humorous
    2. ironic
    3. upbeat and energetic
    4. angry and spiteful
    5. factual
18. What is the author's opinion of Robinson?
    1. He is misunderstood.
    2. He is probably guilty of some crime.
    3. He is the innocent victim in this situation.
    4. He is a handsome ladies' man.
    5. The author's real opinion is unclear.
19. What is the setting of this passage?
    1. a store in some unnamed location
    2. the setting is not defined
    3. a strange neighborhood in some city
    4. a dark, stormy afternoon
    5. a court of law
20. In the following paragraph, what do the words and phrases suggest about the author's opinions?

Robinson, of course, claims that he was merely lost and wanted to get directions, but the cashier said that Robinson's actions and appearance were threatening. Witnesses also have pointed out that Robinson's tone of voice was aggressive and threatening when he spoke to the cashier.

1. The author is completely neutral and has no opinion.
2. The author believes that Robinson is guilty.
3. The author believes that Robinson was framed.
4. The author is trying to quote exactly what people said.
5. There is no way to be sure of the author's opinions.

Passage 6

One tree, however, was different from all the others in the forest. This one grew at the very center of the woods, all alone in an open clearing. It gave off a sweet aroma, and anyone who passed by could not help wanting to sit beneath its shady boughs and rest a while.

It was a very tall tree—tall as the highest spire atop any church in the world. Its leaves shone and shimmered like reflections on a pond, and its fruit was as fragrant as sweet candy. Many people who passed by merely sat down for a rest in its shade, but a few more adventurous souls took the effort to climb its branches and taste of its fruit.

For those with courage to climb, the tree reserved its richest and greatest reward: wisdom. The rest and peace of its shade was\ sufficient for most people, but to gain real, lasting wisdom, a traveler needed to expend some effort and take some risk—effort of climbing and risk of falling—for the tree did not drop its fruit to be casually picked off the ground.

21. The tree in this story might be a symbol of
    1. caring for the environment.
    2. life after death.
    3. trees and forests.
    4. learning and knowledge.
    5. the dangers of pride.
22. The phrase as fragrant as sweet candy is an example of
    1. irony.
    2. metaphor.
    3. paradox
    4. word choice.
    5. simile.
23. What is the central idea of this passage?
    1. Trees are risky to climb.
    2. Knowledge and wisdom come only with risk and effort.
    3. Most people are lazy.
    4. Life's best treasures are found in the woods.
    5. Things that seem appealing on the surface might be dangerous.

Passage 7

The following extract, from Roughing It, by Mark Twain, describes a coyote.

He is always poor, out of luck and friendless. The meanest creatures despise him, and even the fleas would desert him for a [bicycle]. He is so spiritless and cowardly that even while his exposed teeth are pretending a threat, the rest of his face is apologizing for it. And he is so homely!—so scrawny, and ribby, and coarsehaired, and pitiful. When he sees you he lifts his lip and lets a flash of his teeth out, and then turns a little out of the course he was pursuing, depresses his head a bit, and strikes a long, softfooted trot through the sage-brush, glancing over his shoulder at you, from time to time, till he is about out of easy pistol range, and then he stops and takes a deliberate survey of you; he will trot fifty yards and stop again—another fifty and stop again; and finally the gray of his gliding body blends with the gray of the sagebrush, and he disappears. All this is when you make no demonstration against him; but if you do, he develops a livelier interest in his journey, and instantly electrifies his heels and puts such a deal of real estate between himself and your weapon, that by the time you have raised the hammer you see that you need a minie rifle, and by the time you have got him in line you need a rifled cannon, and by the time you have "drawn a bead" on him you see well enough that nothing but an unusually long-winded streak of lightning could reach him where he is now.

24. What is the tone of this passage?
    1. serious
    2. angry
    3. informative
    4. humorous
    5. sad
25. Twain says that nothing but an unusually longwinded streak of lightning could catch a running coyote. This is an example of
    1. irony.
    2. personification.
    3. sarcasm.
    4. understatement.
    5. exaggeration.
26. Why does the author claim that even fleas would desert a coyote in exchange for a bicycle?
    1. He is being humorous.
    2. He hates coyotes.
    3. He hates fleas.
    4. The coyote doesn't have fleas.
    5. He is stating a scientific fact.

Passage 8

Time's cruel hand had ravaged the woman's fair face. Her eyes had been emerald gems that swam in a calm sea of alabaster; now the green fire had died, and the alabaster skin had become drawn and yellow.

But Time had been crueler still, not satisfied merely to wreck her former beauty. The grim reaper had also come, and stolen from her something far more sweet, more precious, more coveted than beauty and youth. He had stolen her heart.

27. Her eyes had been emerald gems is an example of
    1. tone.
    2. simile.
    3. metaphor.
    4. falling action.
    5. exposition.
28. The references to Time are examples of
    1. resolution.
    2. fable.
    3. parable.
    4. personification.
    5. irony.
29. What has happened to the woman in this passage?
    1. She has been robbed of her possessions.
    2. She has lost both beauty and love.
    3. She has overcome hardship.
    4. She has become a successful business woman.
    5. We are not told.
30. What is the author implying about the grim reaper?
    1. The woman has no sense of humor.
    2. The woman has been sexually assaulted.
    3. The story takes place on a farm.
    4. The woman is having a heart attack.
    5. Someone that the woman loved has died.

Answers

Passage 1

1. c.   Zeus created Pandora in order to send sorrow and suffering to humanity.
2. a.   The expression opening Pandora's box refers to doing something that will create more trouble than good. If you bring up an embarrassing or controversial topic in conversation, you might be said to be opening Pandora's box.
3. c.   This is a classical Greek myth that addresses the origins of human suffering.
4. d.   Note that the narrator, the person telling the story, is not a character within the story. The reader is not addressed directly as you, so it is not second-person or direct address.

Passage 2

5. a.   The topic of this passage is ignorance, and the main idea is that we're all like blind men in some areas.
6. d.   At the beginning of the story, the narrator states that the blind men were walking out of town in order to beg for money.
7. e.   This passage is not an allegory, because the characters within the story (the king, the servants, and so on) are realistic people, not two-dimensional representations of human character traits.
8. b.   The story uses a third-person narrator. The narrator is not a character within the story, nor does he refer to himself as I.

Passage 3

9. b.   The fox was very thirsty, and did want the grapes, but no matter how hard he tried they were beyond his reach.
10. c.   Aesop is teaching that we should not speak badly of things that we cannot do. Even today, this attitude is often referred to as a sour-grapes attitude.
11. a.   The topic of the fable is disappointment. Other elements, such as wild animals and thirst, are used in the parable, but they are used to develop the topic—they are not the topic itself.
12. e.   The setting of this story is an orchard. Another element of the setting is that it was a hot summer's day—all of which is stated in the first sentence.

Passage 4

13. b.   The narrator is suggesting that all Americans should become slaves to the government—personified here as Uncle Sam. The writer himself, however, is not actually suggesting this; he is using irony to make his point: If taxes get any higher, Americans will become slaves to the government.
14. b.   The author provides clues to the reader that the narrator is not really saying what the author believes. One such clue, for example, is the statement that wearing the ball and chain—traditional symbols of slavery—will bring Americans true joy. This is a very subtle clue, and it requires that we be careful readers.
15. a.   This passage is an example of irony. The narrator is saying the exact opposite of what the author really believes. Notice, however, that the author expects the reader to discover this fact—he does not come out and openly state his true opinions.
16. c.   The tone of this passage is sarcastic. Remember that sarcasm is a form of irony: saying the opposite of what we really mean.

Passage 5

17. e.   The tone of this passage is factual. The author is attempting to describe some event, and is including the opinions and observations of those present. Notice, however, that even though the tone is factual, the content of the passage may still be very opinionated.
18. b.   The author makes her opinion of Robinson obvious in this passage—without ever coming out and stating that she thinks he is guilty. Her choices of wording and sentence structure convey a tone of suspicion and doubt.
19. a.   The setting of this passage is a store in an unspecified town. The event that is described—James Robinson entering a store to ask for directions—is taking place within the store itself, even though the testimonies of witnesses and others might have been given later.
20. b.   Notice the choices of words and phrases that the writer has used in this passage: Robinson, of course, claims while witnesses have pointed out. The writer is being subtle, but she is still hinting at her own opinion by choosing words and phrases suggesting that Robinson is lying, and therefore, guilty.

Passage 6

21. d.   The tree symbolizes both the attractiveness of knowledge and the fact that gaining knowledge is hard work.
22. e.   A simile compares two or more objects, using the word like or as.
23. b.   The passage makes it clear that the real treasure to be gained from the tree is the fruit—which requires that a person take some risk and do some work to gain it.

Passage 7

24. d.   The tone of this passage is humorous. The author is describing coyotes in a way that will amuse a reader, rather than trying to inform us of scientific facts.
25. e.   The author is not literally suggesting that fleas can ride bicycles, or coyotes can outrun lightning; he is deliberately exaggerating the coyote's speed in order to be funny.
26. a.   The author is being humorous. This is another example of an author using a narrator to say something outrageous, depending upon the reader to recognize that the author himself isn't really suggesting that fleas can ride bicycles.

Passage 8

27. c.   This is a metaphor. Remember that a simile uses like or as to compare things, while a metaphor does not actually compare the objects—it says that one object is another object. In this case, the metaphor tells us that the woman's eyes were green gems.
28. d.   The reference is an example of personification. The writer is discussing the abstract concept of the passage of time, but he is treating time as if it were a living human being with hands and cruelty and so forth.
29. b.   The woman has lost her beauty over time, and in her past she has also lost love—either the ability to love, or a person that she loved—or both.
30. e.   The author is implying someone that she loved has died. We know this because the image of the grim reaper is another example of personification, in which death is represented as a living creature that walks around with a huge scythe to reap the souls of men and women.