Reading Comprehension — Shorter Passage
Sample Questions
Questions 1 to 3 are based on this passage:
Policymakers must confront the dilemma that fossil fuels
continue to be an indispensable source of energy even though burning
them produces atmospheric accumulations of carbon dioxide that
increase the likelihood of potentially disastrous global climate
change. Currently, technology that would capture carbon dioxide
emitted by power plants and sequester it harmlessly underground or
undersea instead of releasing it into the atmosphere might double the
cost of generating electricity. But because sequestration does not
affect the cost of electricity transmission and distribution,
delivered prices will rise less, by no more than 50 percent. Research
into better technologies for capturing carbon dioxide will undoubtedly
lead to lowered costs.
Multiple-choice Question — Select One Answer Choice
1. The passage implies which of the following about the
current cost of generating electricity?
- (A) It is higher than it would be if better technologies for capturing carbon dioxide were available.
- (B) It is somewhat less than the cost of electricity transmission and distribution.
- (C) It constitutes at most half of the delivered price of electricity.
- (D) It is dwelt on by policymakers to the exclusion of other costs associated with electricity delivery.
- (E) It is not fully recovered by the prices charged directly to electricity consumers.
The correct answer is choice
C (It constitutes at most half of the delivered price of
electricity).
Multiple-choice Question — Select One or More
Answer Choices
Consider each of the choices separately and select all
that apply.
2. The passage suggests that extensive use of sequestration
would, over time, have which of the following consequences?
- (A) The burning of fossil fuels would eventually cease to
produce atmospheric accumulations of carbon dioxide.
- (B) The proportion of the delivered price of electricity
due to generation would rise and then decline.
- (C) Power plants would consume progressively lower
quantities of fossil fuels.
The correct answer is choice
B (The proportion of the delivered price of electricity due to
generation would rise and then decline).
Select-in-Passage Question
3. Select the sentence that explains why an outcome of
sequestration that might have been expected would not occur.
The correct answer
choice is the third sentence (But because ... 50 percent).