Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
Whenever individuals habitually miss deadlines or leave crucial assignments until the eleventh hour, society instinctively points the finger at a fundamental lack of willpower. The prevailing narrative paints these people as inherently lazy or highly inefficient at managing their schedules. Consequently, the common solution offered to those struggling rarely varies: purchase a sophisticated planner, download the latest productivity application, and simply force yourself to focus.
Far from being a mere time-management glitch, this phenomenon is deeply entrenched in human behavior. According to extensive psychological research spearheaded by Dr. Joseph Ferrari at DePaul University, a staggering 20 percent of adults worldwide identify as chronic procrastinators. For this massive demographic, intentionally delaying action is not an occasional lapse in judgment; rather, it operates as a consistent, lifelong behavioral trait. Such a high statistical prevalence strongly indicates that society is misdiagnosing the root of the problem.
If sheer idleness is not the true cause, what actually triggers this avoidance? Contemporary psychologists classify procrastination primarily as an emotional regulation crisis. Individuals put off duties not because they cannot track time, but to temporarily escape the intense negative feelings, such as paralyzing anxiety, profound boredom, or the dread of failure, that specific tasks provoke. While adopting strict organizational systems might seem like an intuitive remedy for poor punctuality, this mechanical approach entirely ignores the deep-seated emotional distress that perpetuates the cycle of delay. The brain simply craves immediate psychological relief, opting for trivial distractions over confronting discomfort.
Breaking free from this paralyzing loop, therefore, requires a radical shift in our intervention strategies. Instead of resorting to guilt and harsh self-criticism, individuals must cultivate emotional awareness and self-compassion to navigate their internal hurdles. Ultimately, since the core issue resides in how we process anxiety rather than how we organize our daily calendars, true productivity stems from managing our feelings, not just obsessively monitoring our clocks.
In which paragraph does the writer primarily propose solutions based on internal processes?
The word "entrenched" in paragraph 2 is CLOSEST in meaning to _____.
reversed
rooted
extended
grounded
In which paragraph does the writer provide statistical evidence about chronic procrastination?
The word "that" in paragraph 3 refers to _____.
The word "trivial" in paragraph 3 is OPPOSITE in meaning to _____.
Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 2?
"Such a high statistical prevalence strongly indicates that society is misdiagnosing the root of the problem."
The fact that this issue is so widespread proves that society has deliberately ignored the real cause.
The remarkably high rate of occurrence may point to a worldwide failure to correctly identify the underlying cause.
This issue is so statistically common that it seldom implies society has misunderstood its true origin.
Given the scale of its occurrence, it is evident that society has misidentified the underlying cause of the issue.
Which of the following statements would the writer NOT agree with?
Common beliefs tend to attribute task postponement mainly to idleness and weak self-control.
It is only an occasional mistake for those with chronic procrastination to put off their duties.
The tendency to delay tasks often stems from a desire to escape overwhelming negative emotions.
Beating procrastination calls for emotional regulation rather than strict time monitoring.
What is the author's primary purpose in paragraph 3?
To explain how paralyzing anxiety and severe boredom can completely destroy an individual's professional career over time.
To prove that strict organizational systems effectively cure the deep emotional distress caused by heavy daily workloads.
To argue that procrastination stems from a desire to escape emotional distress rather than poor time management.
To suggest that modern psychologists lack the necessary tools to understand complex human emotional regulation crises properly.
Read the following passage and choose the option that best fits each of the blanks.
In densely populated cities, rows of low-rise, ageing houses can seem like a poor use of valuable land. (1) _____. After all, a single tower can accommodate hundreds of families on a plot where only a few dozen once lived, while also offering lifts, modern wiring and proper drainage. Judged purely by the number of homes per square metre, (2) _____.
Yet this calculation leaves something out. (3) _____. Historic quarters are often precisely what visitors cross the world to see, and they preserve the collective memory of the communities that grew up in them. (4) _____. A replica may reproduce the facade, but it cannot restore the generations of daily life that took place behind it.
Nor is demolition as environmentally friendly as it may appear. A study by the US-based Preservation Green Lab found that a new energy-efficient building can take between 10 and 80 years to offset the carbon emitted during its construction. It is for this reason that a growing number of cities are opting to (5) _____. London's Tate Modern, a gallery housed in a former power station, now attracts around five million visitors a year.
Choose the correct option for (1).
Were towers built here, the neighbourhood's charm would surely be lost
It is their low maintenance costs that planners tend to praise
Few planners, however, would dream of disturbing such quiet streets
Replacing them with towers, many planners argue, is the obvious solution
Choose the correct option for (2).
the old neighbourhood proves remarkably efficient compared with a new tower
planners have little reason to keep the old neighbourhood beside a new tower
although the old neighbourhood cannot compete with a new tower
Choose the correct option for (3).
Families rehoused in a tower often lose the sense of identity their old buildings gave them
No tower can offer the sense of place and identity that old buildings provide to their city
If designed carefully, modern towers can express a city's cultural identity just as well
A city's identity depends less on its old buildings than on the people who live in them
Choose the correct option for (4).
Tourists, oddly, often prefer rebuilt copies to originals that were demolished
Thanks to digital scanning, demolished streets can now be rebuilt flawlessly
Only by demolishing such districts can cities fully modernise them
What is lost in demolition can never be authentically rebuilt
Choose the correct option for (5).
Read the following advertisement and choose the best answer for each blank.
JOIN OUR WEEKEND PARK CLEANUP!
Let's work together to make Greenfield Park beautiful again! We are calling for enthusiastic volunteers to join our community cleanup event this Saturday morning.
Your active will make a massive difference to our local environment. We have planned plenty of activities, from picking up trash to planting new flowers. We only have gardening tools available at the community center, so we highly encourage you to bring your own .
If you want to help us get the park before noon, please arrive by 7:00 AM. We also kindly request that you register so we can prepare enough breakfast and water for everyone. Anyone is welcome to on the day, but registering early helps us tremendously.
Let’s build a cleaner and greener community!
Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
Neuroplasticity, the capacity of the brain to reorganise its structure and function in response to sustained demands, is by no means confined to childhood. Consequently, the ways in which adults keep learning may shape both their adaptability to changing circumstances and their cognitive flexibility, the ability to revise established ways of thinking.
For instance, structural change in the adult brain is far more than a theoretical possibility. Researchers followed 79 trainee London taxi drivers, who spent three to four years learning the city's layout, and compared them with 31 controls. Only the 39 trainees who qualified showed a significant increase in posterior hippocampal grey matter, although it remains unclear whether they held some biological advantage from the start. By the same token, the gain was not free of cost: earlier studies of qualified drivers found better memory for London but poorer performance on other tasks involving visual information. Specialised learning may reallocate limited cognitive resources rather than simply add to them.
Beyond this case, the conditions that support neuroplasticity are by no means limited to formal training. [I] In one mode, adults acquire a demanding new craft: in the Synapse Project, which randomly assigned 221 adults aged 60 to 90 to different activities, those who learned digital photography or quilting for around 16 hours a week over three months showed improved episodic memory, whereas groups that only socialised or completed low-demand tasks did not. [II] In a second mode, self-directed learning, adults choose their own goals, materials and pace, so retention depends on how regularly they revisit and apply what they have studied. [III] In a third mode, adults learn collaboratively, and feedback from peers exposes them to alternative strategies that encourage cognitive flexibility. [IV] Despite these differences, the shared condition is sustained effort beyond existing ability, since familiar activities offer little stimulus for change.
From this perspective, adult adaptability is best understood as a product of sustained, effortful learning rather than of age alone. Each mode of learning may involve a trade-off between the cognitive resources it demands and the flexibility it builds. Neuroplasticity therefore describes a capacity rather than a guarantee, and the incentives that institutions create for continued learning help determine how far it is used. The adult brain remains open to change, but it rarely changes without effort.
The word "reallocate" in paragraph 2 is CLOSEST in meaning to _____.
redistribute
reaffirm
reposition
reintegrate
According to paragraph 1, _____.
cognitive flexibility represents a psychological trait that matures strictly during childhood.
continuous adult education may positively influence adaptability and cognitive flexibility
Which of the following is NOT implied in paragraph 2?
Where in paragraph 3 does the following sentence best fit?
"Such autonomy carries a cost, since the learner must maintain effort without external deadlines."
Which of the following best summarises paragraph 3?
Structured group activities are the only reliable way to produce lasting cognitive gains.
Meaningful gains require exceeding established comfort zones, whichever mode is chosen.
Independent learning yields better results than group activities or crafts for older adults.
Memory retention decreases at the same rate across all learning methods as independence increases.
The word "it" in paragraph 4 refers to _____.
the capacity for neuroplasticity
the incentive offered for continued adult learning
the trade-off between cognitive demand and flexibility
the guarantee for neuroplasticity
What conclusion can be drawn from paragraph 4?
Institutional incentives are the primary factor behind whether plasticity is realised.
Any adult who learns effortfully is assured of gaining greater cognitive flexibility.
Having the capacity for plasticity does not guarantee that real change occurs.
All learning methods yield identical improvements in cognitive flexibility.
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
Taxi drivers who gained spatial memory did worse on other visual tasks.
Socialising alone produced memory gains equal to learning a new craft.
Self-directed learners retained material equally well regardless of review frequency.
Collaborative learning outperformed craft-based learning in every study cited.
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
Adults over the age of ninety are entirely excluded from any form of neuroplasticity.
Once an adult becomes proficient in a new skill, continuing to practise it would still be expected to produce the same gains.
The trade-off observed in the taxi drivers is likely to be smaller for adults who learn mainly through peer collaboration.
Low-demand groups in the Synapse Project likely lacked activities challenging enough to test existing abilities.
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each blank.
SAVE WATER, SAVE OUR HOME
Do you know that everyday habits drain our city’s water supply? Our community is facing an extremely dry summer, and we need your help! wasting water by leaving the tap running, let's take immediate action to preserve our most vital resource.
We you to fix leaky pipes and shorten your daily shower time. unaddressed, a single dripping faucet can waste thousands of liters of water annually. You might think your individual effort is just a in the ocean, but collective action creates a massive impact on our environment. Conserving water must be top priority this summer to prevent severe shortages. There is very time to waste if we truly want to secure our future. Act now, save water, and protect our beautiful home!
Choose the best way to rearrange the following sentences in order to make a meaningful conversation.
a. Jane: Awesome, I can't wait to get out of the city and see some wildlife!
b. Tom: Hey, are we still going on that eco-tour to the national park this weekend?
c. Jane: Yes, absolutely! I've already booked our bus tickets and the guided forest walk.
Choose the best way to rearrange the following sentences in order to make a meaningful conversation.
a. Mr. Davis: I haven't, actually. What makes you think our project would qualify for it?
b. Ms. Carter: The reason is that they prioritize initiatives that provide educational spaces for local youth.
c. Mr. Davis: That makes sense. I'll start drafting the grant proposal this afternoon.
d. Mr. Davis: I've been reviewing our budget, and I'm not sure how we can fund the new community center project.
e. Ms. Carter: Have you considered applying for the regional development grant?
Choose the best way to rearrange the following sentences in order to make a meaningful letter.
Dear Alex,
a. Furthermore, incorporating a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables will naturally boost your energy levels during the day.
b. To start improving your health, I highly recommend prioritizing a consistent sleep schedule over late-night studying.
c. Should you need more specific meal plans, please do not hesitate to reach out to my clinic.
d. It has become increasingly common for young adults like you to neglect their physical well-being due to heavy study loads.
e. I am writing in response to your email asking for advice on building a healthier daily routine.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Robert Evans
Choose the best way to rearrange the following sentences in order to make a meaningful text.
a. Supporters highlight that online shopping offers unparalleled convenience and lower prices for consumers globally.
b. All things considered, traditional retailers must integrate online platforms into their business models if they hope to survive.
c. A clear example of this is the recent bankruptcy of several legacy department store chains that failed to adapt digitally.
d. The rapid expansion of e-commerce has sparked a fierce debate about its long-term impact on the retail sector.
e. On the other hand, critics warn that this digital shift is causing the mass closure of traditional brick-and-mortar stores.
b – a – e – d – c
Choose the best way to rearrange the following sentences in order to make a meaningful text.
a. Following this success, she established the world's first secular nursing school at St Thomas' Hospital in London.
b. Horrified by these conditions during the Crimean War, she implemented strict hygiene protocols and organized trained nursing staff.
c. Before Florence Nightingale revolutionized modern nursing, hospitals had been unsanitary places where infections spread rapidly.
d. Her pioneering work not only saved countless lives but also transformed nursing into a highly respected medical profession.
e. As a result of her relentless efforts, the mortality rate at her military hospital plummeted from forty percent to just two percent.