PART THREE
SAMPLE EXERCISE

The exercise on the next page is a sample exercise. Its purpose is to show how the information you have studied in Parts One and Two can be put to use in reading.

A second purpose of the sample exercise is to preview the 30 exercises which appear in Part Four. Reading the sample passage and answering the sample questions will help you get off to a good start.

The answers to all the questions are fully explained. Reasons are given showing why the correct answers are the best answers and where the wrong answers are faulty.

Complete the sample exercise carefully and thoughtfully. Do not go on to Part Four until you are certain that you understand the methods which make recalling facts easier.

Sample Exercise

I am going to climb on my soap box and talk. I am going to put on my work gloves and work. I am going to put on my walking shoes and walk. I am going to put on my fighting gloves and fight. I am going to kill Charlie Brown.

Wait a minute! Don't think l have flipped! I know that Charlie Brown is a comic strip character, but I am not talking about that Charlie Brown. I am talking about the Charlie Brown that is in me and the Charlie Brown that is in you. Everyone has a Charlie Brown in him. That is the Charlie Brown that I am fighting to kill.

All of you are familiar with the comic strip character, Charlie Brown. He presents a negative image. Things are always happening to Charlie Brown because of his negative image. The way to get rid of a negative image is to convert it to a positive image. That is how to kill Charlie Brown.

1. Charlie Brown is

  1. an unrealistic character.
  2. a comic strip character.
  3. an American dream.
  4. a fighting champion.

2. The Charlie Brown the author wants to kill is

  1. the comic strip character.
  2. the Charlie Brown that is in all of us.
  3. the baseball manager.
  4. the Charlie Brown that everybody loves.

3. The author wants to kill Charlie Brown because of his

  1. positive image.
  2. evil character.
  3. political rival.
  4. negative image.

4. Underline the sentence which states how a negative image can be destroyed.

Answers and Explanations

The best answer to the first question is b, Charlie Brown is a comic strip character. This is a straightforward fact.

Answers a, c, and d are wrong for these reasons:

Answer a: Charlie Brown is a very realistic character. The facts of the paragraph bear this out.

Answers c and d: No mention is made in the paragraph that Charlie Brown is an American dream or a fighting champion. The facts state otherwise.

2. The best answer to the second question is b, the author wants to kill the Charlie Brown that is in all of us. This is made clear when the author states, "I am talking about the Charlie Brown that is in me and the Charlie Brown that is in you."

Answers a, c, and d are wrong for these reasons:

Answers a, c, and d: The author does not object to the comic strip character that sometimes plays the role of a baseball manager and that is liked by everybody. The author objects to what Charlie Brown represents.

3. The best answer to the third question is d, the author wants to kill the negative image which Charlie Brown represents.

Answers a, b, and c are wrong for these reasons:

Answer a: .If Charlie Brown represented a positive image, the author would certainly not object to it.

Answers b and c: There are no facts in the paragraphs which support these answers.

4. The fourth question asks for a solution to the negative image problem. The fourth sentence of the third paragraph supplies the fact which solves the problem: The way to get rid of a negative image is to convert it to a positive image.

If you had difficulty answering these questions correctly, review the passage and questions. If, after that, you still do not understand the answers and explanations, check with your instructor before going on.