Reading Diagnostic Test (20 Questions)

Directions: Read the following passages carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Passage 1 (10 Questions)

(1) Amelia Earhart was born in Kansas in 1897. 31 years later, she received a phone call that would change her life – she was invited to become the first woman passenger to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a plane. The flight took more than 20 hours – about three times longer than it routinely takes today to cross the Atlantic by plane. Earhart was twelve years old before she ever saw an airplane, and she did not take her first flight until 1920. She was so thrilled by her first experience in a plane that she quickly began to take flying lessons. She wrote, “As soon as I left the ground for the first time, I knew I myself had to fly.”

(2) After that flight, Earhart became a media sensation. She was given a ticker tape parade down Broadway in New York, and even President Coolidge called to congratulate her. Because her record-breaking career and physical appearance were similar to pioneering pilot and American hero Charles Lindbergh, she earned the nickname “Lady Lindy.” She wrote a book about her flight across the Atlantic called 20 Hrs., 40 Min.

(3) Earhart continued to break records and polished her skills as a speaker and writer, always advocating women’s achievements, especially in aviation. Her next goal was to achieve a transatlantic crossing alone. In 1928, Charles Lindbergh became the first person to make a solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic, the accomplishment that is the main subject of her 20 Hrs., 40 Min. Five years later, Earhart became the first woman to repeat that feat. Her popularity grew even more, and she was the undisputed queen of the air. She then wanted to fly around the world, and in June 1937, she left Miami with Fred Noonan as her navigator. No one knows why she left behind important communication and navigation instruments. Perhaps it was to make room for additional fuel for the long flight. The pair made it to New Guinea in 21 days and then left for Howland Island, a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The last communication from Earhart and Noonan was on July 2, 1937, with a nearby Coast Guard ship. The United States Navy conducted a massive search for more than two weeks, but no trace of the plane or its passengers was ever found. Many people believe they got lost and simply ran out of fuel and died.

Passage 2 (10 Questions)

(1) The destructive process of mountaintop removal mining (MTR) has caused permanent damage to Appalachia. Although the law requires that mining companies restore the mountaintops after the mining has been completed, the 1.5 million acres of mountains that have already been removed cannot be regrown, rebuilt, or replaced. The companies do secure the rock formations to prevent erosion and landslides, but their efforts cannot recreate the once-beautiful mountain landscape. Furthermore, while companies are usually vigilant about securing the rock formations, they seem less interested in restoring the native vegetation. MTR operations clear enormous tracts of forest; some experts estimate that over 2,000 square miles of forests in the Appalachian region will have been razed by mining companies by 2012. Instead of replanting the native trees and shrubs that have been cleared, many companies opt to plant cheap, fast-growing, non-native plants, such as Lespedeza cuneata, which is officially classified by the USDA as an invasive weed.

(2) Environmental hazards are not only created in preparing a mountaintop for mining, but they also continue to persist once the coal has been extracted. After the blast, the excess mountaintop – which miners refer to as “overburden” – is usually dumped into nearby valleys or streams. The overburden contains a variety of toxic substances, including explosive residue, silica, and coal dust. These substances are filled with sulfur, lead, mercury, and other chemicals. Over 700 miles of streams in Appalachia have been contaminated by this dumping. Although the mining companies have built structures known as “sludge dams” that are intended to contain the toxic runoff, these dams can burst or leak, sending thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into municipal drinking water.

(3) While the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and other environmental protection bills can theoretically be enforced to protect Appalachia, local lawmakers have been reluctant to take action for fear of upsetting those who believe that the jobs created by MTR are vital to the community. However, instead of bringing jobs and prosperity to poor Appalachian communities, MTR companies actually bring destruction and poverty. MTR does not involve the amount of human labor required by traditional sub-surface mining. __________ coal production has increased between 1950 and 2004, the human labor force working in these mines has drastically decreased. In the 1950s, there were approximately 130,000 people employed by the mining companies; by 2004, that number had dwindled to 16,000. Moreover, while the coal companies may make enormous profits from MTR, Appalachian communities located near the mines suffer increased rates of kidney cancer, brain cancer, lung cancer, chronic pulmonary disorders, hypertension, and vision problems. A variety of studies published in top medical journals link these health problems to the fact that the victims lived in close proximity to the mines.

Read the following sentences and answer Question 19.

I. the mining companies continue extracting coal from the overburden, thus putting additional pressure on the environment

II. the sludge dams are not a fail-safe containment system

III. MTR companies often dump toxic waste directly into the municipal water supply