Reading Comprehension

Prose Passage #6

Read the following passage carefully before you choose your answers.

(5)

(10)

(15)

(20)

(25)

(30)

How shall we excuse the supine inattention of the pagan and

philosophic world to those evidences which were presented by
the hand of Omnipotence, not to their reason, but to their senses?
During the age of Christ, of his apostles, and of their first disciples, the doctrine which they preached was confirmed by innumerable prodigies. The lame walked, the blind saw, the sick were
healed, the dead were raised, demons were expelled, and the laws
of nature were frequently suspended for the benefit of the
Church. But the sages of Greece and Rome turned aside from
the awful spectacle, and, pursuing the ordinary occupations of
life and study, appeared unconscious of any alterations in the
moral or physical government of the world. Under the reign of
Tiberius, the whole earth, or at least a celebrated province of
the Roman empire, was involved in a preternatural darkness of
three hours.1 Even this miraculous event, which ought to have
excited the wonder, the curiosity, and the devotion of mankind,
passed without notice in an age of science and history. It happened during the lifetime of Seneca and the elder Pliny, who
must have experienced the immediate effects, or received the
earliest intelligence, of the prodigy. Each of these philosophers,
in a laborious work, has recorded all the great phenomena of
natureearthquakes, meteors, comets, and eclipseswhich his
indefatigable curiosity could collect. Both the one and the other
have omitted to mention the greatest phenomenon to which the
mortal eye has been witness since the creation of the globe. A
distinct chapter of Pliny is designed for eclipses of an extraordinary nature and unusual duration; but he contents hmself
with describing the singular defect of light which followed the
murder of Caesar, when, during the greatest part of a year, the
orb of the sun appeared pale and without splendor. This season
of obscurity, which cannot surely be compared with the preternatural darkness of the Passion, 2 had been already celebrated
by most of the poets and historians of that memorable age.
1
2

At the time of Christs death on the cross.

Christs suffering, culminating in the crucifixion.

1.

The use of supine (line 1) seems to imply that the inattenion of the pagan and philosophic world was
(A) completely understandable
(B) of little consequence
(C) the result of a horrified reaction
(D) only a momentary lapse
(E) the result of lethargic indifference

2.

The sentence beginning The lame walked. . . (lines 6-9) is

related to the sentence that precedes it in that it
(A) further explores an abstract generalization
(B) helps to explain what is meant by the age of Christ (line 4)
(C) provides examples to support a general statement
(D) introduces a new generalization about the age of
miracles
(E) helps to refute the logic of the preceding sentence

3.

In the context of the passage, which of the following presents

the sharpest contrast to the supine inattention referred to
in line 1?
(A) innumerable prodigies (lines 5-6)
(B) ordinary occupations of life and study (liens 10-11)
(C) earliest intelligence (line 20)
(D) indefatigable curiosity (line 23)
(E) singular defect of light (lien 28)

4.

In lines 7-9, the laws of nature were frequently suspended

for the benefit of the Church contributes which of the following
to the sentence?
(A) It reinforces the reverent tone of the sentence.
(B) It seeks to persuade the reader to believe in an age of
miracles by relating the miracles to the Church.
(C) It causes the reader to question the events described in
the first part of the sentence.
(D) It provides historical information that is of central importance
to the authors thesis.
(E) It causes the reader to doubt the sincerity of Christians.

5.

6.

7.

8.

In line 10, the awful spectacle refers specifically to which

of the following?
(A) The horrifying sight of demons and the resuscitated dead
(B) The terrible degradation of human intelligence in the pagan world
(C) Indifferent pagan philosophers
(D) Credulous apostles and disciples
(E) Miraculous Christian prodigies
The subject of appeared unconscious? (line 11) is
(A) The Church (lines 8-9)
(B) the sages (line 9)
(C) Greece and Rome (line 9)
(D) life and study (line 11)
(E) government of the world (line 12)
In the context of the passage, which of the following can be
inferred from the sentence that begins Even this miraculous
event. . . (line 15)?
(A) The author is criticizing mankind for lack of attention to
sensory evidence throughout history.
(B) The reign of Tiberius was an age of pseudo-science and
fundamental misunderstanding of history.
(C) During the age of Christ and his apostles, mankind was
singularly lacking in curiosity and in devotion to abstract ideals.
(D) Because of their lack of knowledge about Christianity,
the historians of the reign of Tiberius were insensitive
to divine evidence.
(E) If such a miraculous event had really occurred it would
have been noticed by the eminent historians and scientists
of that era.
Which of the following best restates the meaning of the word
intelligence (line 20) in the context of the passage?
(A) reports
(B) codes
(C) intellect
(D) intuition
(E) substance

9.

The clause which his indefatigable curiosity could collect

(lines 22-23) modifies
(A) Seneca (line 18)
(B) Pliny (line 18)
(C) prodigy (line 20)
(D) work (line 21)
(E) phenomena (line 21)

10.

In the authors view, the most likely reason that Pliny failed
to mention the greatest phenomenon to which the mortal
eye has been witness since the creation of the globe (lines
24-25) is that
(A) such a phenomenon never occurred
(B) Pliny was unable to make reliable astronomical observations
(C) the age of Tiberius was indifferent to scientific observation
(D) Pliny was determined not to contribute to Christian mythmaking
(E) the phenomenon occurred in a later era

11.

Which of the following is a restatement of the phrase singular

defect of light (line 28)?
(A) the greatest phenomenon (line 24)
(B) creation of the globe (line 25)
(C) greatest part of a year (line 29)
(D) season of obscurity (lines 30-31)
(E) preternatural darkness (lines 31-32)

12.

The mention of the paleness of the sun after the murder of

Caesar (lines 28-30) is used primarily to show that
(A) ancient observers were more conscious of the miraculous
quality of astronomical phenomena than are modern writers
(B) Plinys understanding of astronomy was subject to
astonishing lapses
(C) Pliny was not indifferent to astronomical prodigies
(D) Superstitition is ludicrous and potentially harmful
(E) Plinys concerns were less political than those of
other observer