Rose English Fantasy

101. The range of the New York canal system was still further extended when the states of Ohio and Indiana, inspired by the success of the Erie Canal, provided water connections between Lake Erie and the Ohio River.
The word "extended" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) increased
(B) constructed
(C) deepened
(D) measured

102. The answer lay in a resource that unknowing Americans had trampled underfoot in their haste to cross the "Great American Desert" to reach lands that sometimes proved barren. In the eastern parts of the United States, the preferred grass for forage was a cultivated plant.
The word "barren" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) lonely
(B) dangerous
(C) uncomfortable
(D) infertile

103. In the eastern parts of the United States, the preferred grass for forage was a cultivated plant. It grew well with enough rain, then when cut and stored it would cure and become nourishing hay for winter feed.
The word "preferred" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) ordinary
(B) available
(C) required
(D) favored

104. They were not juicy like the cultivated eastern grasses, but had short, hard stems.
The word "hard" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) firm
(B) severe
(C) difficult
(D) bitter

105. Nevertheless, most domestic architecture of the first three-quarters of the eighteenth century displays a wide divergence of taste and freedom of application of the rules laid down in these books.
The word "divergence" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) description
(B) development
(C) difference
(D) display

106. New England still favored wood, though brick houses became common in Boston and other towns, where the danger of fire gave an impetus to the use of more durable material. A few houses in New England were built of stone, but only in Pennsylvania and adjacent areas was stone widely used in dwellings.
The word "durable" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) attractive
(B) expensive
(C) refined
(D) long-lasting

The word "dwelling" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) houses
(B) towns
(C) outbuildings
(D) rural areas

107. Doorways were larger and more decorative. Fireplaces became decorative features of rooms. Walls were made of plaster or wood, sometimes elaborately paneled.
The word "elaborately" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) done in great detail
(B) put together carefully
(C) using many colors
(D) reinforced structurally

108. Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces surprises. A chance conversation with stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions. People are engaged in education from infancy on.
The word "chance" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) unplanned
(B) unusual
(C) lengthy
(D) lively

109. Education, then, is a very broad, inclusive term. It is should be an integral part of one's entire life.
The word "integral" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) an equitable
(B) a profitable
(C) a pleasant
(D) an essential

110. For example, the edge of the Pacific Ocean has been called the "Ring of Fire" because so many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes happen there. Before the 1960's, geologists could not explain why active volcanoes and strong earthquakes were concentrated in that region.
The word "concentrated" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) allowed
(B)clustered
(C) exploded
(D) strengthened

111. In the United States in the early 1800's, individual state governments had more effect on the economy than did the federal government. States chartered manufacturing, banking, mining, and transportation firms and participated in the construction of various internal improvements such as canals, turnpikes, and railroads.
The word "effect" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) value
(B) argument
(C) influence
(D) restraint

112. The states encouraged internal improvements in two distinct ways: first, by actually establishing state companies to build such improvements; second, by providing part of the capital for mixed public-private companies setting out to make a profit.
The word "distinct" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) separate
(B) innovative
(C) alarming
(D) provocative

113. Finally, state governments experimented with direct labor and business regulation designed to help the individual laborer or consumer, including setting maximum limits on hours of work and restrictions on price-fixing by businesses.
The word "setting" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) discussing
(B) analyzing
(C) establishing
(D) avoiding

114. Although the states dominated economic activity during this period, the federal government was not inactive. Its goals were the facilitation of western settlement and the development of native industries. Toward these ends the federal government pursued several courses of action.
The word "ends" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) benefits
(B) decisions
(C) services
(D) goals

115. What forms of life were able to make such a drastic change in lifestyle? The traditional view of the first terrestrial organisms is based on mega fossils-relatively large specimens of essentially whole plants and animals.
The word "drastic" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) widespread
(B) radical
(C) progressive
(D) risky

116. It turns out that some fossils can be extracted from these sediments by putting the rocks in an acid bath. The technique has uncovered new evidence from sediments that were deposited near the shores of the ancient oceans-plant microfossils and microscopic pieces of small animals.
The word "extracted" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) located
(B) preserved
(C) removed
(D) studied

117. The technique has uncovered new evidence from sediments that were deposited near the shores of the ancient oceans-plant microfossils and microscopic pieces of small animals. In many instances the specimens are less than one-tenth of a millimeter in diameter.
The word "instances" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) methods
(B) processes
(C) cases
(D) reasons

118. In many instances the specimens are less than one-tenth of a millimeter in diameter. Although they were entombed in the rocks for hundreds of millions of years, many of the fossils consist of the organic remains of the organism.
The word "entombed" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) crushed
(B) trapped
(C) produced
(D) excavated

119. Citizens of prosperous, essentially middle-class republics --- whether ancient Romans, seventeenth-century Dutch burghers, or nineteenth-century Americans --- have always shown a marked taste for portraiture.
The word "marked" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) pronounced
(B) fortunate
(C) understandable
(D) mysterious

120. In 1839 the daguerreotype was introduced to America, ushering in the age of photography, and within a generation the new invention put an end to the popularity of painted portraits. Once again an original portrait became a luxury, commissioned by the wealthy and executed by the professional.
The phrase "ushering in" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) beginning
(B) demanding
(C) publishing
(D) increasing

The word "executed" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) sold
(B) requested
(C) admired
(D) created

121. Local crafts people-sign, coach, and house painters-began to paint portraits as a profitable sideline; sometimes a talented man or woman who began by sketching family members gained a local reputation and was besieged with requests for portraits; artists found it worth their while to pack their paints, canvases, and brushes and to travel the countryside, often combining house decorating with portrait painting.
The word "sketching" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) drawing
(B) hiring
(C) helping
(D) discussing

122. Both the number and the percentage of people in the United States involved in nonagricultural pursuits expanded rapidly during the half century following the Civil War, with some of the most dramatic increases occurring in the domains of transportation, manufacturing, and trade and distribution.
The word "domains" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) fields
(B) locations
(C) organizations
(D) occupations

123. The development of the railroad and telegraph systems during the middle third of the nineteenth century led to significant improvements in the speed, volume, and regularity of shipments and communications, making possible a fundamental transformation in the production and distribution of goods.
The word "fundamental" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) possible
(B) basic
(C) gradual
(D) unique

124. To be sure, there were still small workshops, where skilled craftspeople manufactured products ranging from newspapers to cabinets to plumbing fixtures.
The word "skilled" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) hardworking
(B) expert
(C) well-paid
(D) industrial

125. And there were factories in occupations such as metalwork where individual contractors presided over what were essentially handicraft proprietorships that coexisted within a single building.
The words "presided over" in line 20 are closest in meaning to
(A) managed
(B) led to
(C) worked in
(D) produced