PASSAGE-7



My cell phone rings again. It is futile to ignore it anymore; Valerie is persistent. When Valerie wants something, she will continue to bedevil me until I acquiesce.
“Hello,” I answer.
“State Fair, Bobbie?” she asks in her singsong voice. “When are we heading out? Only two more days left!”
I abhor the State Fair. The boisterous crowds, the insanely long lines and the impossibility of finding a clean restroom all combine to make this an event that I dread
For Valerie, my best friend since the angst of middle school, the State Fair is a sign that divine powers really do exist.
“Really, Bobbie, where else can you pet a cow, ride a horse, fall ten stories, see the world’s smallest person and eat fried macaroni and cheese?” Valerie asks gleefully
“Hell?” I guess.
The fried food at the State Fair is a gastronomical nightmare on its own. I once tried a fried pickle at the fair and was sick to my stomach for hours. And a fried donut hamburger with bacon, cheese AND a greasy egg? How could that not be deleterious?
I have not seen Valerie for a good month; our schedules are both so hectic. My hatred of the State Fair becomes inconsequential compared to my desire to hang with Val.
Alas, I ignore my anti-fair bias for the umpteenth year.
“Pick me up at noon,” I say and hang up the phone.

Questions:-
1) As used in paragraph 1, which is the best synonym for futile?
A. arduous               B. enervating           C. preposterous                 D. ineffective

2) As used at in paragraph 1, what does it mean to acquiesce?
A. to give in              B. to speak kindly              C. to pay attention            D. to answer the phone

3) " I abhor the State Fair." Which of the following is the best way to rewrite the above sentence (from paragraph 4) while keeping its original meaning as used in the story?
A. I really dislike the State Fair.              B. I am bored by the State Fair.
C. I have no time for the State Fair.      D. I am uncertain about the State Fair.

4) According the passage, Valerie regards the state fair with
A. ambivalence       B. condescension              C. jubilance              D. nonchalance

5) Logically speaking, which of the following might otherwise be included in Bobbie’s description of foods to be found at the state fair?
 I. fried candy bars             II. candy apples                  III. ripe red tomatoes
A. I only                     B. I and III                 C. II and III                D. I, II, and III

6) "And a fried donut hamburger with bacon, cheese AND a greasy egg?"

Technically speaking, which of the following grammatical errors are committed in the above sentence from paragraph 8?
 I. There is no subject.                   II. There is no predicate.                         III. It is a sentence fragment.
A. I only                     B. II only                    C. II and III                D. I, II, and III

7) Why might the author have chosen to capitalize all the letters in the word "AND" when writing about the donut hamburger in paragraph 8?
A. to make sure the reader understood it was a list
B. to show that a greasy egg was the last ingredient
C. to highlight that the sentence was intentionally written incorrectly
D. to emphasize how many ingredients were on the hamburger

8) As used in paragraph 8, which is the best antonym for deleterious?
A. amicable              B. beneficial            C. fortuitous            D. pathetic

9) In paragraph 9, the word hang is used
A. as a hyperbole, meaning an exaggeration
B. as a slang expression, meaning informal language
C. as an analogy, meaning a comparison between two things
D. as a denotation, meaning the literal definition of a word

10) Near the end of the passage, what does the author's use of the word umpteenth suggest?
A. the fair has been around for a long time
B. this is the last time Bobbie will agree to go to the fair
C. Bobbie goes to the State Fair with Val frequently
D. this is the first time Bobbie has agreed to go with Val

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