Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

We get great pleasure from reading. The more advanced a man is, the greater delight he will find in reading. The ordinary man may think that subjects like philosophy or science are very difficult and that if philosophers and scientists read these subjects, it is not for pleasure. But this is not true. The mathematician finds the same pleasure in his mathematics as the school boy in an adventure story. For both, it is a play of the imagination, a mental recreation and exercise.

The pleasure derived from this activity is common to all kinds of reading. But different types of books give us different types of pleasure. First in order of popularity is novel-reading. Novels contain pictures of imaginary people in imaginary situations, and give us an opportunity of escaping into a new world very much like our world and yet different from it. Here we seem to live a new life, and the experience of this new life gives us a thrill of pleasure.

Next in order of popularity are travel books, biographies and memoirs. These tell us tales of places we have not seen and of great men in whom we are interested.Some of these books are as wonderful as novels, and they have an added value that they are true. Such books give us knowledge, and we also find immense pleasure in knowing details of lands we have not seen and of great men we have only heard of.

Reading is one of the greatest enjoyments of life. To book-lovers, nothing is more fascinating than a favorite book. And, the ordinary educated man who is interested and absorbed in his daily occupation wants to occasionally escape from his drudgery into the wonderland of books for recreation and refreshment.

(Source: http://www.importantindia.com)

What does the passage mainly discuss?

The word “it” in paragraph 2 refers to ___________

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the most suitable response to complete each of the following exchanges.

Laura is telling Bob about her exam results.

Laura: "__________"       - Bob: "That's great. Congratulations!"

The ______ high levels of pollution in the coastal areas are a matter of great concern to the government.

By 2015, it will be widely accepted that schools and pre-schools have _______ extremely important role to play in _______future of our world.

According to paragraph 1, which of the following is NOT true?                

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.

Taking piano lessons and solving math puzzles on a computer significantly improve specific math skills of elementary schoolchildren, according to a new study. The results, (36)______ were published in the journal Neurological Research, are the latest in a series that links musical training to the development of higher brain functions.

Researchers worked with 135 second-grade students at a school in Los Angeles after (37)______ a pilot study with 102 students. Children that were given four months (38)______ piano training as well as time playing with newly designed computer software scored 27 percent higher on math and fraction tests than other children.

Piano instruction is thought to enhance the brain's "hard wiring" for spatial-temporal reasoning, or the ability to visualise and (39)______ objects in space and time, says Professor Gordon Shaw, who led the study. At the same time, the computer game allows children to solve geometric and math puzzles that boost their ability to manipulate shapes in their mind.

The findings are significant (40)______ a grasp of proportional math and fractions is a prerequisite to math at higher levels, and children who do not master these areas of math cannot understand more advanced math that is critical to high-tech fields.

(Adapted from "Eye on Editing 2" by Joyce S. Cain)

The school drama club is ______ a play for the school's anniversary, which is due to take place next month.

It is firmly believed that books are a primary means for disseminating knowledge and information.

Paul noticed a job advertisement while he ______ along the street.