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CBEST-Section-2-Reading – California Basic Educational Skills Test - Reading

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Showing 7–9 of 10 questions

Question 7

By using tiny probes as neural prostheses, scientists may be able to restore nerve function in quadriplegics and make the blind see or the deaf hear. Thanks to advanced techniques, a single, small, implanted probe can stimulate individual neurons electrically or chemically and then record responses. Preliminary results suggest that the microprobe telemetry systems can be permanently implanted and replace damaged or missing nerves. The tissue-compatible microprobes represent an advance over the typical aluminum wire electrodes used in studies of the cortex and other brain structures. Researchers accumulate much data using traditional electrodes, but there is a question of how much damage they cause to the nervous system. Microprobes, which are about as thin as a human hair, cause minimal damage and disruption of neurons when inserted into the brain. In addition to recording nervous system impulses, the microprobes have minuscule channels that open the way for delivery of drugs, cellular growth factors, neurotransmitters, and other neuroactive compounds to a single neuron or to groups of neurons. Also, patients who lack certain biochemicals could receive doses via prostheses. The probes can have up to four channels, each with its own recording/stimulating electrode.

On the basis of above passage please answer the following question

The initial function of microprobe channels is to

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    create pathways.
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    disrupt neurons.
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    replace ribbon cables.
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    study the brain.
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    induce sight and hearing in the blind and deaf.
Question 8

Rhesus monkeys use facial expressions to communicate with each other and to enforce social order. For example, the “fear grimace,” although it looks ferocious, is actually given by a __________ monkey who is intimidated by a __________ member of the group.

On the basis of above passage please answer the following question

Which pair of words or phrases, if inserted into the blanks in sequence, makes the most sense in the writer’s context?

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    calm . . . aggressive
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    dominant . . . subordinate
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    confident . . . fearless
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    subordinate . . . dominant
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    high-ranking . . . low-ranking
Question 9

1) The Woodstock Music and Art Fair—better known to its participants and to history simply as “Woodstock”—should have been a colossal failure.

2) Just a month prior to its August 15, 1969 opening, the fair’s organizers were informed by the council of Wallkill, New York, that permission to hold the festival was withdrawn. 3) Amazingly, not only was a new site found, but word got out to thepublic of the fair’s new location. 4) At the new site, fences that were supposed to facilitate ticket collection never materialized, and all attempts at gathering tickets were abandoned. 5)Crowd estimates of 30,000 kept rising; by the end of the three days, some estimated the crowd at 500,000. 6) And then, on opening night, it began to rain. 7) Off and on, throughout all three days, huge summer storms rolled over the gathering. 8) In spite of these problems, most people think of Woodstock not only as a fond memory but as the defining moment for an entire generation.

On the basis of above passage please answer the following question

Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for this passage?

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    Woodstock as Metaphor
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    Backstage at Woodstock
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    Woodstock: From The Band to The Who
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    Remembering Woodstock
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    Woodstock: The Untold Story