DIRECTIONS: In the passages that follow, some words and phrases are underlined and numbered. In the answer column, you will find alternatives for the words and phrases that are underlined. Choose the alternative that you think is best, and fill in the corresponding bubble on your answer sheet. If you think that the original version is best, choose “NO CHANGE,” which will always be either answer choice A or F. You will also find questions about a particular section of the passage, or about the entire passage. These questions will be identified either by an underlined portion or by a number in a box. Look for the answer that clearly expresses the idea, is consistent with the style and tone of the passage, and makes the correct use of standard written English. Read the passage through once before answering the questions. For some questions, you should read beyond the indicated portion before you answer.
The following paragraphs may or may not be in the most logical order. You may be asked questions about the logical order of the paragraphs, as well as where to place sentences logically within any given paragraph.
Mike and his Cable TV
[1]
My best friend Mike is notorious for ignoring many of the modern conveniences that most people could not live without he’d sooner handwrite Q1 anything than sit at a computer to type. He insists that, Q2 it would be too much trouble to learn all of the functions on a word-processing program. So, I was not the least bit surprised to hear of his disappointment in his evening last Friday. Apparently, he is Q3 very excited to host some friends from work at his apartment for the first time. Within minutes of their arrival, one of them reached for the television remote and punched in a channel. Alerted by the sound of static from the TV, Mike realized immediately what was happening: the first game of the playoffs was on and he didn’t have cable service! Therefore, he Q4 asserts he has no desire to have more than a few channels to flip through, but I imagine at that moment on Friday evening, he had wished for cable service. Q5
[2]
To help my friend, I said I would look into it Q6 for him. I spoke to a sales agent with the cable company about the different packages of channels available to someone living in Mike’s apartment building. She started by describing the most premium package, so Q7 I quickly interrupted her to say she should begin with the cheapest offer. She insisted that the premium package was amazing, with many extra sports, and movie channels. Q8 I assured her that the cheapest possible option, when she told me it was only $15 per month, would more than suffice, I arranged to have it installed. Q9 I knew it would be worth it to Mike.
[3]
[1] During his first few days with cable, Mike has sat Q10 in front of his TV; when Q11 before he would have been reading a comic book or milling around the apartment. [2] He is fond of animal documentaries and can’t believe how many of them he finds every day across the 70 channels. [3] I showed him how to program Q12 his VCR to record what he likes.
[4]
[1] With this discovery of cable television, I suspect Mike might take more kindly to technology in the future. [2] Soon I hope to introduce to him to the Internet and maybe even the cellular phone. [3] I doubt he’ll turn out to be a gadget-lover like me someday. Q13 Q14