Although the first internal-combustion-powered vehicle was created in 1885, automotive history did not begin until 1907.  That was the year that Henry Ford’s revolutionary assembly line began churning out his Model T automobiles.  Ford’s grand vision was to make the car an integral part of the American lifestyle, and his mass production techniques allowed him to sell his Model T at unbelievably low prices – the cost of the car was $950 in 1907 and had dropped to under $300 by $1926.  Soon, there were more cars in the United States than households.  A new era of freedom and mobility had begun.

The author of the above passage most likely views Henry Ford as _____

The evidence is growing and is more convincing than ever!  People of all agres who are generally inactive can improve their health and well-being by becoming active at a moderate intensity on a regular basis.

Regular physical activity substantially reduces the risk of dying of coronary heart disease, the nation’s leading cause of death, and decreases the risk of stroke, colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure.  It also helps to control weight; contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints; reduces falls among older adults; helps to relieve the pain of arthrisis; reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression; and is associated with fewer hospitalizations, physician visits, and medications.  Moreover, physical activity need not be strenuous to be beneficial; people of all ages benefit from participating in regular, moderate-intensity physical activity, such as 30 minutes of brisk walking five or more times a week.

Despite the proven benefits of physical activity, more than 50% of American adults do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits.  Twenty-five percent of adults are not active at all in their leisure time.  Activity decreases with age and is less common among women than men and among those with lower income and less education.  Furthermore, there are racial and ethnic differences in physical activity rates, particularly among women.  Insufficient physical activity is not limited to adults.  More than a third of young people in grades 9-12 do not regularly engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity.  Daily participation in high school physical eduction classes dropped from 42% in 1991 to 32% in 2001.

Physical activity can bring many health benefits.  People who enjoy participating in moderate-intense or vigorous-intensity physical activity on a regular basis benefit by lowering their risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, and colon cancer by 30-50 percent.  Additionally, active people have lower premature death rates than people who are the least active.

Which of the following best represents the main idea of the above passage?

The evidence is growing and is more convincing than ever!  People of all agres who are generally inactive can improve their health and well-being by becoming active at a moderate intensity on a regular basis.

Regular physical activity substantially reduces the risk of dying of coronary heart disease, the nation’s leading cause of death, and decreases the risk of stroke, colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure.  It also helps to control weight; contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints; reduces falls among older adults; helps to relieve the pain of arthrisis; reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression; and is associated with fewer hospitalizations, physician visits, and medications.  Moreover, physical activity need not be strenuous to be beneficial; people of all ages benefit from participating in regular, moderate-intensity physical activity, such as 30 minutes of brisk walking five or more times a week.

Despite the proven benefits of physical activity, more than 50% of American adults do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits.  Twenty-five percent of adults are not active at all in their leisure time.  Activity decreases with age and is less common among women than men and among those with lower income and less education.  Furthermore, there are racial and ethnic differences in physical activity rates, particularly among women.  Insufficient physical activity is not limited to adults.  More than a third of young people in grades 9-12 do not regularly engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity.  Daily participation in high school physical eduction classes dropped from 42% in 1991 to 32% in 2001.

Physical activity can bring many health benefits.  People who enjoy participating in moderate-intense or vigorous-intensity physical activity on a regular basis benefit by lowering their risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, and colon cancer by 30-50 percent.  Additionally, active people have lower premature death rates than people who are the least active.

Which of the following can be inferred from the above passage?

The evidence is growing and is more convincing than ever!  People of all agres who are generally inactive can improve their health and well-being by becoming active at a moderate intensity on a regular basis.

Regular physical activity substantially reduces the risk of dying of coronary heart disease, the nation’s leading cause of death, and decreases the risk of stroke, colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure.  It also helps to control weight; contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints; reduces falls among older adults; helps to relieve the pain of arthrisis; reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression; and is associated with fewer hospitalizations, physician visits, and medications.  Moreover, physical activity need not be strenuous to be beneficial; people of all ages benefit from participating in regular, moderate-intensity physical activity, such as 30 minutes of brisk walking five or more times a week.

Despite the proven benefits of physical activity, more than 50% of American adults do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits.  Twenty-five percent of adults are not active at all in their leisure time.  Activity decreases with age and is less common among women than men and among those with lower income and less education.  Furthermore, there are racial and ethnic differences in physical activity rates, particularly among women.  Insufficient physical activity is not limited to adults.  More than a third of young people in grades 9-12 do not regularly engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity.  Daily participation in high school physical eduction classes dropped from 42% in 1991 to 32% in 2001.

Physical activity can bring many health benefits.  People who enjoy participating in moderate-intense or vigorous-intensity physical activity on a regular basis benefit by lowering their risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, and colon cancer by 30-50 percent.  Additionally, active people have lower premature death rates than people who are the least active.

According to the above passage, which of the following is NOT a benefit of regular exercise?

The evidence is growing and is more convincing than ever!  People of all agres who are generally inactive can improve their health and well-being by becoming active at a moderate intensity on a regular basis.

Regular physical activity substantially reduces the risk of dying of coronary heart disease, the nation’s leading cause of death, and decreases the risk of stroke, colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure.  It also helps to control weight; contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints; reduces falls among older adults; helps to relieve the pain of arthrisis; reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression; and is associated with fewer hospitalizations, physician visits, and medications.  Moreover, physical activity need not be strenuous to be beneficial; people of all ages benefit from participating in regular, moderate-intensity physical activity, such as 30 minutes of brisk walking five or more times a week.

Despite the proven benefits of physical activity, more than 50% of American adults do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits.  Twenty-five percent of adults are not active at all in their leisure time.  Activity decreases with age and is less common among women than men and among those with lower income and less education.  Furthermore, there are racial and ethnic differences in physical activity rates, particularly among women.  Insufficient physical activity is not limited to adults.  More than a third of young people in grades 9-12 do not regularly engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity.  Daily participation in high school physical eduction classes dropped from 42% in 1991 to 32% in 2001.

Physical activity can bring many health benefits.  People who enjoy participating in moderate-intense or vigorous-intensity physical activity on a regular basis benefit by lowering their risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, and colon cancer by 30-50 percent.  Additionally, active people have lower premature death rates than people who are the least active.

About what percent of Americans do not get enough exercise to obtain health benefits?

During the first decade of the nineteenth century, the geographic image of western North America began to change dramatically.  Based on the observations of the explorers Meriwether Lewis and George Rogers Clark, information gathered from native people, and Clark’s own cartographic imagination, this image evolved from an almost empty interior with a hypothetical single mountain range serving as a western continental divide to an intricate one showing a labyrinth of mountains and rivers.  A continent that had once seemed empty and simple was now becoming full and complex.

The Lewis and Clark expedition established the precedent for army exploration in the West.  Major Stephen H. Long’s Scientific Expedition (1819 – 1820) advanced that tradition, this time centering attention on the central and southern Great Plains and the Front Range of the Rockies.  For the first time, an American exploring party included professional scientists and two skilled artists.  While not every future American expedition took along such skilled observers, the pattern was set for increasingly scientific exploration.

It would take another 50 years after Lewis and Clark to complete the cartographic image of the West we know today.  Other explorers and mapmakes followed, each revealing new geographic and scientific details about specific parts of the western landscape.  But this revealing process was not a simple one.  New knowledge did not automatically replace old ideas; some notions – especially about river passages across the West – persisted well into the nineteenth century.  In the decades after Lewis and Clark, the company of western explorers expanded to include fur traders, missionaries, and goverment topographers, culminationg in the 1850s when the Army’s Corps of Topographical Engineers surveying the southwestern and northwestern boundaries of the United States as well as the potential routes for a transcontinental railroad.  By the time of the Civil War, an ocean-to-ocean American empire with borders clearly defined was a fact of continental life.

Which of the following best summarizes the above passage?

During the first decade of the nineteenth century, the geographic image of western North America began to change dramatically.  Based on the observations of the explorers Meriwether Lewis and George Rogers Clark, information gathered from native people, and Clark’s own cartographic imagination, this image evolved from an almost empty interior with a hypothetical single mountain range serving as a western continental divide to an intricate one showing a labyrinth of mountains and rivers.  A continent that had once seemed empty and simple was now becoming full and complex.

The Lewis and Clark expedition established the precedent for army exploration in the West.  Major Stephen H. Long’s Scientific Expedition (1819 – 1820) advanced that tradition, this time centering attention on the central and southern Great Plains and the Front Range of the Rockies.  For the first time, an American exploring party included professional scientists and two skilled artists.  While not every future American expedition took along such skilled observers, the pattern was set for increasingly scientific exploration.

It would take another 50 years after Lewis and Clark to complete the cartographic image of the West we know today.  Other explorers and mapmakes followed, each revealing new geographic and scientific details about specific parts of the western landscape.  But this revealing process was not a simple one.  New knowledge did not automatically replace old ideas; some notions – especially about river passages across the West – persisted well into the nineteenth century.  In the decades after Lewis and Clark, the company of western explorers expanded to include fur traders, missionaries, and goverment topographers, culminationg in the 1850s when the Army’s Corps of Topographical Engineers surveying the southwestern and northwestern boundaries of the United States as well as the potential routes for a transcontinental railroad.  By the time of the Civil War, an ocean-to-ocean American empire with borders clearly defined was a fact of continental life.

In the above passage, the word labyrinth most nearly means

During the first decade of the nineteenth century, the geographic image of western North America began to change dramatically.  Based on the observations of the explorers Meriwether Lewis and George Rogers Clark, information gathered from native people, and Clark’s own cartographic imagination, this image evolved from an almost empty interior with a hypothetical single mountain range serving as a western continental divide to an intricate one showing a labyrinth of mountains and rivers.  A continent that had once seemed empty and simple was now becoming full and complex.

The Lewis and Clark expedition established the precedent for army exploration in the West.  Major Stephen H. Long’s Scientific Expedition (1819 – 1820) advanced that tradition, this time centering attention on the central and southern Great Plains and the Front Range of the Rockies.  For the first time, an American exploring party included professional scientists and two skilled artists.  While not every future American expedition took along such skilled observers, the pattern was set for increasingly scientific exploration.

It would take another 50 years after Lewis and Clark to complete the cartographic image of the West we know today.  Other explorers and mapmakers followed, each revealing new geographic and scientific details about specific parts of the western landscape.  But this revealing process was not a simple one.  New knowledge did not automatically replace old ideas; some notions – especially about river passages across the West – persisted well into the nineteenth century.  In the decades after Lewis and Clark, the company of western explorers expanded to include fur traders, missionaries, and government topographers, culminating in the 1850s when the Army’s Corps of Topographical Engineers surveying the southwestern and northwestern boundaries of the United States as well as the potential routes for a transcontinental railroad.  By the time of the Civil War, an ocean-to-ocean American empire with borders clearly defined was a fact of continental life.

According to the above passage, which event set the pattern for scientific exploration in the West?

During the first decade of the nineteenth century, the geographic image of western North America began to change dramatically.  Based on the observations of the explorers Meriwether Lewis and George Rogers Clark, information gathered from native people, and Clark’s own cartographic imagination, this image evolved from an almost empty interior with a hypothetical single mountain range serving as a western continental divide to an intricate one showing a labyrinth of mountains and rivers.  A continent that had once seemed empty and simple was now becoming full and complex.

The Lewis and Clark expedition established the precedent for army exploration in the West.  Major Stephen H. Long’s Scientific Expedition (1819 – 1820) advanced that tradition, this time centering attention on the central and southern Great Plains and the Front Range of the Rockies.  For the first time, an American exploring party included professional scientists and two skilled artists.  While not every future American expedition took along such skilled observers, the pattern was set for increasingly scientific exploration.

It would take another 50 years after Lewis and Clark to complete the cartographic image of the West we know today.  Other explorers and mapmakers followed, each revealing new geographic and scientific details about specific parts of the western landscape.  But this revealing process was not a simple one.  New knowledge did not automatically replace old ideas; some notions – especially about river passages across the West – persisted well into the nineteenth century.  In the decades after Lewis and Clark, the company of western explorers expanded to include fur traders, missionaries, and government topographers, culminating in the 1850s when the Army’s Corps of Topographical Engineers surveying the southwestern and northwestern boundaries of the United States as well as the potential routes for a transcontinental railroad.  By the time of the Civil War, an ocean-to-ocean American empire with borders clearly defined was a fact of continental life.

According to the above passage, what group of people were most instrumental in setting the pattern for more scientifically oriented exploration of the West?

Heroes were an important part of Greek mythology, but the characteristics that Greeks admitted in a hero are not necessarily identical to those we admire today.  Greek heroes are not always what modern readers might think of as "good role models."  Their actions may strike us as morally dubious.

For example, consider the encounter between the legendary Greek hero Odysseus and the Cyclops.  The Cyclops was one of a race of giants who lived by themselves on a remove, rarely visited island.  The name Cycylops means "round eye," because these giants had only one eye in the middle of their forehead.  They lived in caves, tended flocks of sheep, and ate the produce of their fields; they were shepherds.

Odysseus visited the island as part of his exploration to look for supplies.  He brought with him a flask of wine.  Although he was regarded as an intruder by the Cyclops, he helped himself to the giant’s supplies without permission.  The Cyclops became very angry.  To ease the anger, Odysseus served him some wine.  The Cyclops enjoyed the wine and asked for more.  Later, when the Cyclops is in a wine-induced stupor, Odysseus attacks him in the eye.  Later Odysseus brages to his comrades about blinding the one-eyed creature.

This does not mean the Greeks admitted thievery and bragging, however.  What they admited about Odysseus, in this instance, was his capacity for quick thinking.  Odysseus was also know for pulling off great feats with panache and self-confidence.

Not all Greek heroes were admired for the same reasons.  Some, such as Odysseus, were admired for their resourcefulness and intelligence, whereas others, such as Herakles, were known for their strength and courage.  Some were not particularly resourceful but depended on help to accomplish their tasks.

Whether or not a given action or quality was admired depended upon its ultimate results.  Being headstrong might succeed in one instance but lead to failure in another.  The Greeks held the characters in their legends accountable for their actions, and a hero might be punished as well as rewarded.

In the above passage, what is the meaning of the word dubious?

Heroes were an important part of Greek mythology, but the characteristics that Greeks admitted in a hero are not necessarily identical to those we admire today.  Greek heroes are not always what modern readers might think of as "good role models."  Their actions may strike us as morally dubious.

For example, consider the encounter between the legendary Greek hero Odysseus and the Cyclops.  The Cyclops was one of a race of giants who lived by themselves on a remove, rarely visited island.  The name Cycylops means "round eye," because these giants had only one eye in the middle of their forehead.  They lived in caves, tended flocks of sheep, and ate the produce of their fields; they were shepherds.

Odysseus visited the island as part of his exploration to look for supplies.  He brought with him a flask of wine.  Although he was regarded as an intruder by the Cyclops, he helped himself to the giant’s supplies without permission.  The Cyclops became very angry.  To ease the anger, Odysseus served him some wine.  The Cyclops enjoyed the wine and asked for more.  Later, when the Cyclops is in a wine-induced stupor, Odysseus attacks him in the eye.  Later Odysseus brages to his comrades about blinding the one-eyed creature.

This does not mean the Greeks admitted thievery and bragging, however.  What they admited about Odysseus, in this instance, was his capacity for quick thinking.  Odysseus was also know for pulling off great feats with panache and self-confidence.

Not all Greek heroes were admired for the same reasons.  Some, such as Odysseus, were admired for their resourcefulness and intelligence, whereas others, such as Herakles, were known for their strength and courage.  Some were not particularly resourceful but depended on help to accomplish their tasks.

Whether or not a given action or quality was admired depended upon its ultimate results.  Being headstrong might succeed in one instance but lead to failure in another.  The Greeks held the characters in their legends accountable for their actions, and a hero might be punished as well as rewarded.

Based on the above passage, why did the Greeks admire Odysseus?

Heroes were an important part of Greek mythology, but the characteristics that Greeks admitted in a hero are not necessarily identical to those we admire today.  Greek heroes are not always what modern readers might think of as "good role models."  Their actions may strike us as morally dubious.

For example, consider the encounter between the legendary Greek hero Odysseus and the Cyclops.  The Cyclops was one of a race of giants who lived by themselves on a remove, rarely visited island.  The name Cycylops means "round eye," because these giants had only one eye in the middle of their forehead.  They lived in caves, tended flocks of sheep, and ate the produce of their fields; they were shepherds.

Odysseus visited the island as part of his exploration to look for supplies.  He brought with him a flask of wine.  Although he was regarded as an intruder by the Cyclops, he helped himself to the giant’s supplies without permission.  The Cyclops became very angry.  To ease the anger, Odysseus served him some wine.  The Cyclops enjoyed the wine and asked for more.  Later, when the Cyclops is in a wine-induced stupor, Odysseus attacks him in the eye.  Later Odysseus brages to his comrades about blinding the one-eyed creature.

This does not mean the Greeks admitted thievery and bragging, however.  What they admited about Odysseus, in this instance, was his capacity for quick thinking.  Odysseus was also know for pulling off great feats with panache and self-confidence.

Not all Greek heroes were admired for the same reasons.  Some, such as Odysseus, were admired for their resourcefulness and intelligence, whereas others, such as Herakles, were known for their strength and courage.  Some were not particularly resourceful but depended on help to accomplish their tasks.

Whether or not a given action or quality was admired depended upon its ultimate results.  Being headstrong might succeed in one instance but lead to failure in another.  The Greeks held the characters in their legends accountable for their actions, and a hero might be punished as well as rewarded.

According to the above passage, what was Herakles known for?

Heroes were an important part of Greek mythology, but the characteristics that Greeks admitted in a hero are not necessarily identical to those we admire today.  Greek heroes are not always what modern readers might think of as "good role models."  Their actions may strike us as morally dubious.

For example, consider the encounter between the legendary Greek hero Odysseus and the Cyclops.  The Cyclops was one of a race of giants who lived by themselves on a remove, rarely visited island.  The name Cycylops means "round eye," because these giants had only one eye in the middle of their forehead.  They lived in caves, tended flocks of sheep, and ate the produce of their fields; they were shepherds.

Odysseus visited the island as part of his exploration to look for supplies.  He brought with him a flask of wine.  Although he was regarded as an intruder by the Cyclops, he helped himself to the giant’s supplies without permission.  The Cyclops became very angry.  To ease the anger, Odysseus served him some wine.  The Cyclops enjoyed the wine and asked for more.  Later, when the Cyclops is in a wine-induced stupor, Odysseus attacks him in the eye.  Later Odysseus brages to his comrades about blinding the one-eyed creature.

This does not mean the Greeks admitted thievery and bragging, however.  What they admited about Odysseus, in this instance, was his capacity for quick thinking.  Odysseus was also know for pulling off great feats with panache and self-confidence.

Not all Greek heroes were admired for the same reasons.  Some, such as Odysseus, were admired for their resourcefulness and intelligence, whereas others, such as Herakles, were known for their strength and courage.  Some were not particularly resourceful but depended on help to accomplish their tasks.

Whether or not a given action or quality was admired depended upon its ultimate results.  Being headstrong might succeed in one instance but lead to failure in another.  The Greeks held the characters in their legends accountable for their actions, and a hero might be punished as well as rewarded.

What is the major idea in the above passage?

Anyone who pans for gold hopes to be rewarded by the glitter of colors in the fine material collected in the bottom of the pan. Although the exercise and outdoor activity experienced in prospecting are rewarding, there are few thrills comparable to finding gold.  Even an assay report showing an appreciable content of gold in a sample obtained from a lode deposit is exciting.  The would-be prospector hoping for financial gain, however, should carefully consider all the pertinent facts before deciding on a prospecting venture.

Only a few prospectors among the many thousands who searched the western part of the United States ever found a valuable deposit.  Most of the gold mining districts in the West were located by pioneers, many of whom were experienced gold miners from the southern Appalachian region, but even in colonial times only a small proportion of gold seekers were successful.  Over the past several centuries the country has been thoroughly searched by prospectors.  During the depression of the 1930s, prospectors searched the better-known gold-producing areas throughout the nation, especially in the West, and the little-known areas as well.  The results of their activities have never been fully documented, but incomplete records indicate that an extremely small percentage of the total number of active prospectors supported themselves by gold mining.  Of the few significant discoveries reported, nearly all were made by prospectors of long experience who were familiar with the regions in which they were working.

The lack of outstanding success in spite of the great increase in prospecting during the depression of the 1930s confirms the opinion of those most familiar with the occurrence of gold and the development of gold mining districts that the best chances of success lie in systematic studies of known productive areas rather than in efforts to discover gold in hitherto unproductive areas.  The development of new, highly sensitive, and relatively inexpensive methods of detecting gold, however, has greatly increased the possibility of discovering gold deposits which are too low grade to have been recognized earlier by the prospector using only a gold pan.

In the above passage, the word pertinent means _____

Anyone who pans for gold hopes to be rewarded by the glitter of colors in the fine material collected in the bottom of the pan. Although the exercise and outdoor activity experienced in prospecting are rewarding, there are few thrills comparable to finding gold.  Even an assay report showing an appreciable content of gold in a sample obtained from a lode deposit is exciting.  The would-be prospector hoping for financial gain, however, should carefully consider all the pertinent facts before deciding on a prospecting venture.

Only a few prospectors among the many thousands who searched the western part of the United States ever found a valuable deposit.  Most of the gold mining districts in the West were located by pioneers, many of whom were experienced gold miners from the southern Appalachian region, but even in colonial times only a small proportion of gold seekers were successful.  Over the past several centuries the country has been thoroughly searched by prospectors.  During the depression of the 1930s, prospectors searched the better-known gold-producing areas throughout the nation, especially in the West, and the little-known areas as well.  The results of their activities have never been fully documented, but incomplete records indicate that an extremely small percentage of the total number of active prospectors supported themselves by gold mining.  Of the few significant discoveries reported, nearly all were made by prospectors of long experience who were familiar with the regions in which they were working.

The lack of outstanding success in spite of the great increase in prospecting during the depression of the 1930s confirms the opinion of those most familiar with the occurrence of gold and the development of gold mining districts that the best chances of success lie in systematic studies of known productive areas rather than in efforts to discover gold in hitherto unproductive areas.  The development of new, highly sensitive, and relatively inexpensive methods of detecting gold, however, has greatly increased the possibility of discovering gold deposits which are too low grade to have been recognized earlier by the prospector using only a gold pan.

According to the above passage, which of the following is true?