16. Which sentence, if inserted in the blank space in the passage, would make the best sense in the context of the passage? a. The director, Peter Hall, had to beg the theater management not to close the play immedi- ately but to wait for the Sunday reviews. b. Despite the audience reaction, the cast and director believed in the play. c. It looked as if Waiting for Godot was begin- ning a long run as the most controversial play of London’s 1955 season. d. Waiting for Godot was in danger of closing the first week of its run and of becoming nothing more than a footnote in the annals of the Eng- lish stage. e. The audience and critics all completely mis- understood Beckett’s play. 17. Judging from the information provided in the paragraph, which of the following statements is accurate? a. The 1955 production of Waiting for Godot was the play’s first performance. b. Waiting for Godot was written by Peter Hall. c. The sets and characters in Waiting for Godot were typical of London stage productions in the 1950s. d. Waiting for Godot was not first performed in English. e. Waiting for Godot has a complicated plot. 18. Which of the following provides the best defini- tion of the term “avant-garde” as the author intends it in the passage? a. innovative b. unintelligible c. foreign d. highbrow e. eccentric 19. Which of the following best describes the atti- tude of the author of the passage toward the play Waiting for Godot? a. It was a curiosity in theater history. b. It is the most important play of the 20th century. c. It had no effect on theater. d. It is too repetitious. e. It represents a turning point in stage history. Answer questions 20 and 21 on the basis of the fol- lowing passage. May is National Reading Month. In conjunction with the public library, the city is offering half-fare rides to anyone carrying a library card. In order to receive the half-price fare, each passenger must show the driver his or her current library card and deposit one-half the fare in the collection box. Dri- vers will record these fares in the “special fares” sec- tion on the trip sheets for each route. 20. John and Mary Burton get on the bus driven by Operator Hudson at the corner of Sherman Avenue and West 123rd Street. John shows Hud- son his library card and deposits half-fare in the collection box. Mary deposits half-fare in the col- lection box. The couple move toward their seats. What should Operator Hudson do first? a. Proceed to the next stop without saying any- thing b. Inform Mary that she must exit the bus c. Assume Mary has a library card, too d. Inform Mary that she may acquire a library card at any branch of the library e. Tell Mary that if she does not have a library card, she will have to pay full fare –DIAGNOSTIC CBEST EXAM– 33 21. The passage implies that a. many bus passengers like to read. b. many transit employees have library cards. c. bus drivers regularly deal with special fares. d. several bus routes service the public library. e. literacy rates increase due to government intervention. Answer question 22 on the basis of the following passage. In space flight there are the obvious hazards of meteors, debris, and radiation; however, astronauts must also deal with two vexing physiological foes— muscle atrophy and bone loss. Space shuttle astro- nauts, because they spend only about a week in space, undergo minimal wasting of bone and mus- cle. But when longer stays in microgravity or zero gravity are contemplated, as in the proposed space station or a two-year round-trip voyage to Mars, these problems are of particular concern because they could become acute. 22. The most appropriate audience for the passage would be students in a. a physiology class. b. an engineering class. c. a physics class. d. an astronomy class. e. a history of science class. Answer question 23 on the basis of the following passage. Light pollution is a growing problem worldwide. Like other forms of pollution, light pollution degrades the quality of the environment. Where once it was possible to look up at the night sky and see thousands of twinkling stars in the inky black- ness, one now sees little more than the yellow glare of urban sky glow. When we lose the ability to con- nect visually with the vastness of the universe by looking up at the night sky, we lose our connection with something profoundly important to the human spirit, our sense of wonder. 23. The passage implies that the most serious dam- age done by light pollution is to our a. artistic appreciation. b. sense of physical well-being. c. cultural advancement. d. spiritual selves. e. intellectual curiosity. Answer questions 24–27 on the basis of the follow- ing poem by Emily Dickinson. Apparently with no surprise To any happy flower, The frost beheads it at its play In accidental power. The blond assassin passes on, The sun proceeds unmoved To measure off another day For an approving God. 24. Which of the following most nearly describes the author’s attitude toward nature as expressed in this poem? a. delight b. dismay c. indifference d. reverence e. deference –DIAGNOSTIC CBEST EXAM– 34 25. What is “the blond assassin” referred to in the poem? a. the flowers b. the frost c. the sun d. God e. nature 26. The poem implies that the attitude of the flowers toward the frost is one of a. fear. b. horror. c. acceptance. d. reverence. e. awe. 27. The tone of the poem implies that the speaker probably regards God as a. benevolent. b. just. c. cruel. d. angry. e. non-existent. Answer questions 28–29 on the basis of the follow- ing table. THE FUJITA–PEARSON TORNADO INTENSITY SCALE CLASSIFI- WIND CATION SPEED DAMAGE F0 72 MPH Mild F1 73–112 MPH Moderate F2 113–157 MPH Significant F3 158–206 MPH Severe F4 207–260 MPH Devastating F5 260–319 MPH Cataclysmic F6 319–379 MPH Overwhelming 28. A tornado with a wind speed of 173 mph would be assigned which classification? a. F0 b. F1 c. F2 d. F3 e. F4 29. The names of the categories in the third column, labeled “Damage,” could best be described as a. scientific. b. descriptive. c. objective. d. persuasive. e. whimsical. Answer question 30 on the basis of the following passage. James Carruthers’ recent essays attempt to redefine arts criticism as a play of critical intelligence that can take place free from the bonds of political par- tisanship. In Carruthers’ view, this play of the mind, working itself free from constraints, is the only eth- ical approach to the arts. 30. What is the best definition of the word “play” as it is used in the above passage? a. to act or conduct oneself in a specified way b. to move or operate freely within a confined space c. to pretend to be; mimic the activities of d. to behave carelessly or indifferently e. to stake or wager in a game –DIAGNOSTIC CBEST EXAM– 35 Answer questions 31–36 on the basis of the follow- ing passage. In his famous study of myth, The Hero With a Thou- sand Faces, Joseph Campbell writes about the archetypal hero who has ventured outside the boundaries of the village and, after many trials and adventures, has returned with the boon that will save or enlighten his fellows. Like Carl Jung, Camp- bell believes that the story of the hero is part of the collective unconscious of all humankind. He likens the returning hero to the sacred or tabooed per- sonage described by James Frazier in The Golden Bough. Such an individual must, in many instances of myth, be insulated from the rest of society, “not merely for his own sake but for the sake of others; for since the virtue of holiness is, so to say, a pow- erful explosive which the smallest touch can deto- nate, it is necessary in the interest of the general safety to keep it within narrow bounds.” There is __________ between the archetypal hero who has journeyed into the wilderness and the poet who has journeyed into the realm of imagina- tion. Both places are dangerous and full of wonders, and both, at their deepest levels, are journeys that take place into the kingdom of the unconscious mind, a place that, in Campbell’s words,“goes down into unsuspected Aladdin caves. There not only jew- els but dangerous jinn abide ” 31. Based on the passage, which of the following would best describe the hero’s journey? a. wonderful b. terrifying c. awesome d. whimsical e. mundane 32. The title of Campbell’s book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, is meant to convey a. the many villagers whose lives are changed by the story the hero has to tell. b. the fact that the hero journeys into many dif- ferent imaginary countries. c. the many languages into which the myth of the hero has been translated. d. the many adventures the archetypal hero has during the journey into the wilderness. e. the universality of the myth of the hero who journeys into the wilderness. 33. Based on the passage, which of the following best describes the story that will likely be told by Campbell’s returning hero and Frazier’s sacred or tabooed personage? a. a radically mind-altering story b. a story that will terrify people to no good end c. a warning of catastrophe to come d. a story based on a dangerous lie e. a parable aimed at establishing a religious movement 34. Which of the following is the most accurate defi- nition of “boon” as the word is used in the passage? a. gift b. blessing c. charm d. prize e. prayer 35. The phrase that would most accurately fit into the blank in the first sentence of the second para- graph is a. much similarity. b. a wide gulf. c. long-standing conflict. d. an abiding devotion. e. great diversity. –DIAGNOSTIC CBEST EXAM– 36 36. As depicted in the last sentence of the passage, “Aladdin’s caves” are most likely to be found in a. holy books. b. fairy tales. c. the fantasies of the hero. d. the hero’s preparation for the journey. e. the unconscious mind. Answer questions 37–40 on the basis of the follow- ing passage. Typically people think of genius, whether it mani- fests in Mozart’s composing symphonies at age five or Einstein’s discovery of relativity, as having a qual- ity not just of the supernatural, but also of the eccentric. People see genius as a “good” abnormal- ity; moreover, they think of genius as a completely unpredictable abnormality. Until recently, psychol- ogists regarded the quirks of genius as too erratic to describe intelligibly; however, Anna Findley’s ground-breaking study uncovers predictable pat- terns in the biographies of geniuses. These patterns do not dispel the common belief that there is a kind of supernatural intervention in the lives of unusu- ally talented men and women, however, even though they occur with regularity. __________, Findley shows that all geniuses experience three intensely productive periods in their lives, one of which always occurs shortly before their deaths; this is true whether the genius lives to nineteen or ninety. 37. Which word or phrase, if inserted into the blank space above, best defines the relationship of the last sentence in the passage to the one preceding it? a. For example b. Despite this c. However d. In other words e. Nevertheless 38. According to the information presented in the passage, what is the general populace’s opinion of genius? a. It is mystical and magical. b. It is predictable and uncommon. c. It is supercilious and abnormal. d. It is unpredictable and erratic. e. It is extraordinary and erratic. 39. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? a. Understanding Mozarts and Einsteins b. Predicting the Life of a Genius c. The Uncanny Patterns in the Lives of Geniuses d. Pattern and Disorder in the Lives of Geniuses e. Supernatural Intervention in the Life of the Genius 40. Given the information in the passage, which of the following statements is true? a. Anna Findley is a biographer. b. All geniuses are eccentric and unpredictable. c. A genius has three prolific times in his or her life. d. Mozart discovered relativity. e. Geniuses experience three fallow periods in their lives. –DIAGNOSTIC CBEST EXAM– 37 Answer questions 41 and 42 on the basis of the fol- lowing passage. Scientists have developed an innovative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedure that reveals details of tissues and organs which are difficult to see by conventional MRI. By using this new proce- dure, which detects inert gases, scientists have taken the first clear MRI pictures of human lungs and airways. Conventional MRI, because it images water protons, provides poor images of the lungs, which are filled, not with water, but with air. Chest X rays can detect tumors or inflamed regions in the lungs but provide poor soft-tissue contrast and no clear view of air passages. Computed tomography can provide high resolution images of the walls of the lungs and its airways but gives no measure of function. 41. According to information in the passage, the MRI innovation is different from standard imag- ing procedures in that it a. distinguishes gases rather than simply distin- guishing fluids. b. can detect tumors or inflamed regions in the lungs. c. provides high resolution images of the walls of the lungs. d. provides better images of water-filled tissues. e. uses computed tomography. 42. According to information in the passage, the inability to generate satisfactory images of air routes is a deficiency of a. computed tomography. b. hyperpolarization. c. high resolution images. d. X rays. e. MRI operators. Answer question 43 on the basis of the following passage. Over the last twenty years, worldwide illiteracy rates have consistently declined. The main reason for this decline is the sharp increase of literacy rates among young women, which is the result of campaigns to increase educational opportunities for girls. For example, between 1970 and 1990, the literacy rate among women in the United Arab Emirates increased from seven percent to 76 percent. 43. Based on the passage, the author would tend to agree with which of the following statements? a. Men and women should have equal access to education. b. It has been shown that women with increased education have fewer children. c. Males traditionally have a greater need for higher education. d. Countries should be required to demonstrate increased literacy rates in order to qualify for U.S. foreign aid. e. Throughout the world, women need medical care more than the ability to read. Answer question 44 on the basis of the following passage. Jessie Street is sometimes called the Australian Eleanor Roosevelt. Like Roosevelt, Street lived a life of privilege, while at the same time devoting her efforts to working for the rights of the disenfran- chised, including workers, women, refugees, and Aborigines. In addition, she gained international fame when she was the only woman on the Aus- tralian delegation to the conference that founded the United Nations—just as Eleanor Roosevelt was for the United States. –DIAGNOSTIC CBEST EXAM– 38 . should have equal access to education. b. It has been shown that women with increased education have fewer children. c. Males traditionally have a greater need for higher education. d. Countries. sharp increase of literacy rates among young women, which is the result of campaigns to increase educational opportunities for girls. For example, between 1970 and 1990, the literacy rate among