EST I – Literacy Test I – December 2020 practice test

EST I – Literacy Test I – December 2020 practice online

Javascript is disabled

Javascript is disabled on your browser. Please enable it in order to use this form.

Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4

Passage I

Questions 1–11 are based on the following passage.

Opportunities in Engineering

by Charles M. Horton

Several years ago, at the regular annual meeting of one of the major engineering societies, the president of the society, in the formal address with which he opened the meeting, gave expression to a thought so startling that the few laymen (1) who were seated in the auditorium fairly gasped. (2) Surprisingly the president had said that, since engineers had got the world into war, it was the duty of engineers to get the world out of war. As a thought, it probably reflected the secret opinion of every engineer present, for, however (3) unaffected of intended wrong-doing engineers assuredly are as a group in their work of scientific investigation and development, (4) the statement that engineers were responsible for the conflict then raging in Europe was absolute truth.

I mention this merely to bring to the reader’s attention the tremendous power which engineers wield in world affairs.

The profession of (5) engineering, which, by the way, is merely the adapting of discoveries in science and art to the uses of mankind—is a peculiarly isolated one.

(6) Much to our dismay very little is known about it among those outside of the profession. Laymen know something about law, a little about medicine, quite a lot— nowadays—about metaphysics. But laymen know nothing about engineering. Indeed, a source of common amusement among engineers is the peculiar fact that the average layman cannot differentiate between the (7) men who runs a locomotive and the man who designs a locomotive. In ordinary parlance both are called engineers. Yet there is a difference between them—(8) a difference as between day and night. For one merely operates the results of the creative genius of the other. This almost universal ignorance as to what constitutes an engineer serves to show to what broad extent the profession of engineering is isolated.

Yet it is a wonderful profession. I say this with due regard for all other professions. [1] For one cannot but ponder the fact that, if engineers started the greatest war the world has ever known—and engineers as a body freely admit that if they did not start it they at least made it possible—they also stopped

(9) them, thereby proving themselves possessed of a power greater than that of any other class of professional men—(10) diplomats and lawyers and divinities not excepted.

[2] That it is a force generally exercised for good—despite the World War—I myself, as an engineer, can truly testify. [3] With some fifteen years spent on the creative end of the work—the drafting and designing end—I have yet to see, with but two or three rare exceptions, the genius of engineers turned into any but noble channels. [4] That engineering is a force fraught with stupendous possibilities, therefore, nobody can very well deny. (11)

1.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. which

C. whose

D. who’s

2. Which choice provides the most logical introduction to the sentence?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. What was said in fact was

C. The president had said that

D. What the president said in effect was that

3. Which word best fits the meaning of the sentence?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. innocent

C. unknown

D. guilty

4.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. it seems that engineers were responsible for the conflict

C. the statement disregards that the engineers were responsible for the problem

D. only engineers responsible for the conflict

5.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. engineering—which, by the way, is merely the adapting of discoveries in science and art to the uses of mankind—is

C. engineering, which, by the way, is merely the adapting of discoveries in science and art to the uses of mankind, is

D. engineering, which—by the way, is merely the adapting of discoveries in science and art to the uses of mankind—is

6.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. But

C. Since

D. And

7.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. man’s

C. mens’

D. man

8. What should be done with the underlined phrase?*

A. Keep it, because it emphasizes the previous information.

B. Keep it, because it provides a break from the formal structure of the passage.

C. Delete it, because it does not add to the sentence.

D. Delete it, because it is irrelevant.

9.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. thems

C. her

D. it

10.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. diplomats, lawyers and divinities not excepted.

C. diplomats, lawyers, and divinities not excepted.

D. diplomat, lawyer, and divinities not excepted.

11. To make the last two paragraphs logical, sentence [4] should be placed*

A. NO CHANGE

B. before sentence 1.

C. before sentence 2.

D. after sentence 2.

Passage II

Questions 12–22 are based on the following passage.

Frederick Douglass

by Charles W. Chesnutt

[1] Douglass’s earliest recollections centered around the cabin of his grandmother, Betsey Bailey, who seems to have been something of a (12) privileged character on the plantation, being permitted to live with her husband, Isaac, in a cabin of their own, charged with only the relatively light duty of looking after a number of young children, mostly the offspring of her own five daughters, and providing for her own support.

[2] The real importance of his life to us of another generation lies in what he accomplished toward the world’s progress, which he only began to influence several years after his escape from slavery. (13) [3] It is impossible in a work of the scope of this to go into very elaborate detail with reference to this period of Douglass’s life, however interesting it might be. [4] Enough ought to be stated, however, to trace his development from slave to freeman, and his preparation for the platform where he secured his hearing and (14) was earning his fame.

Douglass was born the slave of one Captain Aaron Anthony, a man of some consequence in eastern Maryland, the manager or chief clerk of one Colonel Lloyd, the head for that generation of an old, exceedingly wealthy, and highly honored family in Maryland, the possessor of a stately mansion and one of the largest and most fertile plantations in the State.

(15) Captain Anthony, though only the satellite of this great man, himself owned several farms and a number of slaves. At the age of seven Douglass was taken from the cabin of his grandmother at Tuckahoe to his masters residence on Colonel Lloyd’s plantation.

(16) Up to this time he had never, to his recollection, seen his mother. All his impressions of her were derived from a few brief visits made to him at Colonel Lloyd’s plantation, most of them at night. These fleeting visits of the mother were important

events in the life of the child, now no longer under the care of his (17) grandmother, but turned over to the tender mercies of his master’s cook, with whom he does not seem to have been a favorite. (18) His mother died when he was eight or nine years old. Her son did not see her during her illness,

(19) or learn of it until after her death. It was always a matter of (20) extreme sadness to him that he did not know her better, and that he could not was one of the sins of slavery that he never forgave.

On Colonel Lloyd’s plantation Douglass spent four years of the slave life of which his graphic description on the platform stirred (21) humane, hearts to righteous judgment of an unrighteous institution. (22)As a result, it is enough to say that this lad, with keen eyes and susceptible feelings, was an eye-witness of all the evils to which slavery gave birth.

12. Which word would most likely capture Betsey Bailey’s character based on the context?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. revered

C. inadequate

D. fanciful

13. To make the previous paragraph most logical, sentence 2 should be placed*

A. Where it is now.

B. after sentence 3.

C. before sentence 1.

D. after sentence 4.

14.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. earned

C. has earned

D. was earned

15. Which option, if inserted here, best supports the previous statement on Captain Aaron Anthony?*

A. As a result, Douglass grew as a prosperous slave under Captain Aaron Anthony’s jurisdiction.

B. Notwithstanding his monetary success, Captain Aaron Anthony treated his slaves brutally and is suspected of being Douglass’s father.

C. Many people would come to Captain Aaron Anthony to either buy slaves or land.

D. The many titles only added to Captain Aaron Anthony’s social standing in the community in addition to his wealth.

16. Which choice provides the best combination of the underlined sentences?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. mother. That said, all

C. mother. However, all

D. mother. And, all

17.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. grandmother but

C. grandmother and

D. grandmother; but

18. What should be done with the underlined sentence?*

A. Keep it, because it supports the main idea of the paragraph.

B. Keep it, because it provides relevant clarification.

C. Delete it, because it repeats an assertion.

D. Delete it, because it is irrelevant.

19. What should be done with the underlined phrase?*

A. Keep it. It emphasizes the previous information.

B. Keep it. It provides a break from the formal structure of the passage.

C. Delete it. It does not add to the sentence.

D. Delete it. It is irrelevant.

20.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. excessive lamentation

C. grief

D. unjustified sorrow

21.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. humane hearts

C. humane; hearts

D. humane: hearts

22. Which choice provides the best transition?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. However,

C. Keeping that in mind,

D. OMIT the transition phrase

Passage III

Questions 23–33 are based on the following passage.

Dream Psychology: Psychoanalysis for Beginners

by Sigmund Freud

In the foregoing exposition we have now learnt something of the (23) dream work; we must regard it as a quite special psychical process, which, so far as we are aware, resembles nothing else. To the dream work has been transferred that bewilderment which (24) its’ product, the dream, has aroused in us. In truth, the dream work is only the first recognition of a group of psychical processes to which must be referred the origin of hysterical symptoms, the ideas of morbid (25) dread, obsessive, and illusion. Condensation, and especially displacement, are never-failing features in these other processes. (26) The regard for appearance remains, on the other hand, peculiar to the dream work. If this explanation brings the dream into line with the formation of psychical disease, it becomes more important to fathom the essential conditions of processes like dream building. It will be probably a surprise to hear that neither the state of sleep nor illness is among the indispensable conditions. A whole number of phenomena of the everyday life of healthy (27) persons— forgetfulness, slips in speaking and in holding things, together with a certain class of mistakes, are due to a psychical mechanism analogous to that of the dream and the other members of this group. Displacement is the core of the problem, and the most striking of all the dream performances.

A (28) thorough investigation of the subject shows that the essential condition of displacement is purely psychological; it is in the nature of a motive. We get on the track by thrashing out experiences which one cannot avoid in the analysis of dreams. I had to break off the relations of my dream thoughts in the analysis of my dream because I (29) find some experiences which I do not wish strangers to know, and which I could not relate without serious damage to important considerations. I added, it would be no use were I to select another instead of that particular dream; in every dream where the content is obscure or intricate, (30) I should hit upon dream thoughts which call for secrecy. (31) While, however, I continue the analysis for myself, without regard to those others, for whom, indeed, so personal an event as my dream cannot matter, I arrive finally at ideas which surprise me, which I have not known to be mine, (32) which not only appear foreign to me, but which are unpleasant, and which I would like to oppose vehemently, whilst the chain of ideas running through the analysis intrudes upon me inexorably. I can only take these circumstances into account by (33) admitting that these thoughts are actually part of my psychical life, possessing a certain psychical intensity or energy.

23. Which choice most effectively combines the sentences at the underlined portion?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. dream work, and to add we must

C. dream work in as much as we must

D. dream work, although we must

24.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. it’s

C. its

D. their

25.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. dreadness, obsessive, and illusion

C. dread, obsession and illusion

D. dread, obsession, and illusion

26. The writer wants to express a feature specific to the dream work. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. Appearance, on the other hand, is often found in the dream work.

C. When looking closely at the dream work, appearance plays the role of one shared feature.

D. Though appearance appears elsewhere, it remains an important feature in the dream work.

27.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. persons—forgetfulness, slips in speaking and in holding things, together with a certain class of mistakes—

C. persons—forgetfulness, slips in speaking and in holding things, together with a certain class of mistakes

D. persons, forgetfulness, slips in speaking and in holding things, together with a certain class of mistakes—

28. The writer suggests that a complete investigation of the subject has shown specific results. Which choice best reveals that meaning?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. underlying

C. satisfactory

D. excellent

29.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. will find

C. founded

D. found

30.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. I should upon secrecy hit upon dream thoughts.

C. should I hit upon dream thoughts which call for secrecy.

D. I should hit which call for secrecy upon the dream thoughts.

31.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. since

C. if

D. because

32. The writer wants to emphasize two main points using italics. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. which not only appear foreign to me, but which are unpleasant,

C. which not only appear foreign to me, but which are unpleasant,

D. which not only appear foreign to me, but which are unpleasant,

33. Which choice best fits the writer’s main idea stated in the previous sentence?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. revealing

C. observing

D. submitting

Passage IV

Questions 34–44 are based on the following passage.

The Elements of Geology

by William Harmon Norton

Rocks exposed to the direct rays of the sun

(34) became strongly heated by day and expand. After sunset they rapidly cool and contract. When the difference in temperature between day and night is considerable, the repeated strains of sudden expansion and contraction at last become greater than the rocks can bear, and they break, (35) for the same reason that a glass cracks when plunged into boiling water.

[1] In cooling in the evening the surface shell suddenly contracts on the unyielding interior and in time is forced off in scales.

(36) [2] Rocks are poor conductors of heat,

(37) and hence their surfaces may become painfully hot under the full blaze of the sun, while the interior remains comparatively cool. [3] By day the outer (38) layer expands and tends to break loose from the mass of the stone.

[4] Many rocks, such as granite, are (39) made in grains of various minerals which differ in color and in their capacity to absorb heat, and which therefore contract and expand in different ratios. In heating and cooling these grains crowd against their

(40) neighbors, and tear loose from them, so that finally the rock disintegrates into sand. The conditions for the destructive action of heat and cold are most fully met in arid regions when vegetation is wanting for lack of sufficient rain. The soil not being held together by the roots of plants is blown away over large areas, leaving the rocks bare to the blazing sun in a cloudless sky. The air is dry, and the heat received by the earth by day is therefore rapidly radiated at night into space. There is a sharp and sudden fall of temperature after sunset, and the rocks, strongly heated by day,

(41) are effected and now chilled perhaps even to the freezing point. (42) In the cooling and crystallization process, magma undergoes a physical process that ends in igneous rock. (43) This could result in many disadvantages for future vegetation.

In the Sahara the thermometer has been known to fall 131 degrees F. within a few hours. In the light air of the Pamir plateau in central Asia a rise of 90 degrees F. has been recorded from seven o’clock in the morning to one o’clock in the afternoon. On the mountains of southwestern Texas there are frequently heard crackling noises as the rocks of that arid region throw off scales from a fraction of an inch to four inches in thickness, and loud reports are made as huge bowlders split apart. Desert pebbles

(44) is weakened by long exposure to heat and cold have been shivered to fine sharp- pointed fragments on being placed in sand heated to 180 degrees F. Beds half a foot thick, forming the floor of limestone quarries in Wisconsin, have been known to buckle and arch and break to fragments under the heat of the summer sun

34.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. become

C. was became

D. had became

35. Which choice would best be logically placed here to represent the assertion made in the paragraph?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. although sometimes they remain intact.

C. and this can be viewed in other materials.

D. taking into consideration the fragility.

36. Where in this passage should the underlined sentence be placed?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. after sentence 2

C. after sentence 3

D. after sentence 4

37.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. and yet

C. and so far

D. and henceforth

38. Which word choice is most in line with the paragraph?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. shell

C. covering

D. armor

39.*

A.NO CHANGE

B.made with

C.made up of

D.under made

40.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. neighbors and tear

C. neighbors, and, tear

D. neighbors and, tear

41.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. effected

C. affect

D. are affected

42. Which choice offers the most accurate interpretation of the data in the chart that accompanies this passage?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. Sediment is formed as a result of the process of weathering and erosion.

C. Heat and pressure affect only one form of rock.

D. The processes all center around the transformation of rock.

43. Which choice best concludes this paragraph and transitions to the topic of the next paragraph?*

A. NO CHANGE

B. The soil needs to be, then, properly examined.

C. The effect on the rocks is highly substantial.

D. The exchange in temperature and its effect on the rocks, therefore, depends on the area.

44.*

A. NO CHANGE

B. weakens

C. weakened

D. are weakened

Your form has been submitted

Thank you %NAME% for taking the quiz/survey/feedback.
We have received your answers. You can view it anytime from this link below:
%TRACK_LINK%
We have also attached a copy of your submission.

Server Side Error

We faced problems while connecting to the server or receiving data from the server. Please wait for a few seconds and try again.

If the problem persists, then check your internet connectivity. If all other sites open fine, then please contact the administrator of this website with the following information.

TextStatus: undefined
HTTP Error: undefined

Processing your request

Error

Some error has occured.

Online EST practice

Find us on Facebook

Prepared to you by : MR Mohamed EL-Kirsh

EST is a registered trademark of the Egyptian ministry of education , which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.