55. I am working very hard for the same candidate that you support. You are doing it for pay. I’m not doing this for money. I’m doing it out of conviction.

a. being found guilty　　　　　 b. strong belief c. anger　　　　　　　　　　 d. a desire to eat prunes

54. “I am going to rescind the permission I gave you to use my toys!” T. J. announced angrily. “I thought you would take good care of them, but I was wrong!”

a. repeat　　 b. celebrate　　 c. continue　　　 d. cancel

53. Mr. Burke stood before his employees. They had never seen him in such a serious mood. “I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that your future with this company depends on how hard you work,” he stated firmly.

a. a girl again　　　 b. honest and trustworthy c. important 　　　　d. not responsible

52. Kim was a very good substitute teacher. She liked working with third and fourth graders most of all. She especially liked discussing important current events issues with the kids. She had expected them to be indifferent to such grown-up topics as taxes and social security. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that they were really interested in those issues and wanted to learn more about them.

a. similar　　　　 b. very unusual　　　　 c. not caring　　　 d. gross

51.Missy was usually rarely (commonly, rarely) hungry when she woke up in the morning. It took at least an hour for her to even want to think about food. She had only been awake for a few minutes when her father called, “Missy, what do you desire ____________ (want, reject) for breakfast?” “None ____________ (Nothing, Everything) that I can imagine!” Missy replied ____________ (responded, asked) as she bounded down the stairs. “Food is the last thing on my mind, Dad. I’m on my way to meet Jenny so we can go to school separately ____________ (apart, together).” “Have you told ____________ (informed, concealed) your bus driver that you won’t be here?” Mr. Vega stated ____________ (announced, inquired). “I’m sure ____________ (certain, doubtful) that I mentioned it to her yesterday. The only question is whether or not she’ll remember,” Missy answered as she left ____________ (exited, entered) her house. She smiled as the early summer sunlight chilled ____________ (cooled, warmed) her face.

50. Mary, of course you’re overweight. You eat too much junk food. Even worse, you exercise infrequently.

What does “infrequently” mean?

a. with a frown on one’s face　　　　　 b. at a gym c. while wearing heavy clothes　　　　 d. not often

Each highlighted word in the selection should be replaced by its synonym or its antonym. Use the context to help you decide which word should be used and write it in the blank. The first one has been done for you.

49. Michael is an ardent supporter of his presidential candidate. That became obvious to me when I found out how much time he’s donated to the campaign. Perhaps Michael knows what he’s doing.

What does “ardent” mean in the context of the selection?

a. old　　 b. intelligent　　　 c. foolish　　　 d. very strong

48. I want you to weigh his words carefully. He seems sincere and presents his arguments well. There is, however, something that doesn’t quite ring true about the candidate.

What does “weigh” mean in the context of the selection?

a. to measure the mass　　　 b. to put pressure on a scale c. to think about　　　　　 d. to be important

47. It was a sad and haunting strain that met our ears as we entered the old theater. There was a beauty in the voice that we’d never forget. This would be a special concert.

What does “strain” mean in the context of the selection?

a. effort　　　 b. injury　　　 c. melody　　　 d. filter

46. I think it would help our basketball team, if we allowed girls to play. I’ve seen how Patty has a knack for making the tough shots when they’re needed most. She wants to play on our team and we’d win more games with her help.

What does “knack” mean?

a. to throw or toss　　 b. a hard punch　　 c. a kind of sports bag　　 d. an ability