PRACTICE PASSAGE
(Line 1) The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the
Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest
and northernmost state in the United States, ending at
a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from
(Line 5) where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely
complicated to operate.
The steel pipe crosses windswept plains and endless
miles of delicate tundra that tops the frozen ground. It
weaves through crooked canyons, climbs sheer
(Line 10) mountains, plunges over rocky crags, makes its way
through thick forests, and passes over or under hundreds
of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in diameter, and
up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million gallons) of crude
oil can be pumped through it daily.
(Line 15) Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents," long
sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high
above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of
sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the
surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline's up-and-
(Line 20) down route is determined by the often harsh demands
of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of
the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or
permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more
than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground.
(Line 25) The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet,
depending largely upon the type of terrain and the
properties of the soil.
One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost
approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest.
(Line 30) and most expensive construction project ever
undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single
business could raise that much money, so 8 major oil
companies formed a consortium in order to share
the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to
(Line 35) particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid
into the pipeline-construction fund according to the
size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous
problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment
breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous
(Line 40) terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and
even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed
and is operating.PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. The passage primarily discusses the pipeline’s
(A) operating costs
(B) employees
(C) consumers
(D) construction
Reason: the beginning of the text discusses the construction of alaska pipes
2. The word “it” in line 5 refers to
(A) pipeline
(B) ocean
(C) state
(D) village
Reason: it refers to the text which is about the alaska pipe from line one
3. According to the passage, 84 million gallons of oil can travel through the pipeline each
(A) day
(B) week
(C) month
(D) year
Reason: the answer is in line 14 that the contents of crude oil can be pumped every day
4. The phrase “Resting on” in line 15 is closest in meaning to
(A) Consisting of
(B) Supported by
(C) Passing under
(D) Protected with
Reason: the word "resting" can also mean be placed or supported so as to stay in a specified position
5. The author mentions all of the following as important in determining the pipeline’s route EXCEPT the
(A) climate
(B) lay of the land itself
(C) local vegetation
(D) kind of soil and rock
Reason: in the text in lines 21, 22 and 23 there is no mention of local vegetation
6. The word “undertaken” in line 31 is closest in meaning to
(A) removed
(B) selected
(C) transported
(D) attempted
Reason: the meaning is done in words done by private industry which means that the company chooses project construction to mean undertaken can mean selected
7. How many companies shared the costs of constructing the pipeline?
(A) Three
(B) Four
(C) Eight
(D) Twelve
Reason: refer to the text in line 32-33
8. The word “particular” in line 35 is closest in meaning to
(A) peculiar
(B) specific
(C) exceptional
(D) equal
Reason: due to the distribution of specific land rights between each company
9. Which of the following determined what percentage of the construction costs each member of the consortium would pay?
(A) How much oil field land each company owned
(B) How long each company had owned land in the oil fields
(C) How many people worked for each company
(D) How many oil wells were located on the company’s land
Reason: refer to the text in line 35
10. Where in the passage does the author provide a term for an earth covering that always remains frozen?
(A) Line 4
(B) Line 15
(C) Line 23
(D) Line 37
Reason: refer to the text in line 23
Note: answers based on my own opinion
