SAT Reading Comprehension Test 3參考答案

　　1.Correct Answer: B

　　Explanation:

　　‘Except’ questions need careful checking. Here you are looking for something that cannot be said of Florence Nightingale’s work in the last fifty years of her life. If you re-read from line 11 "What she accomplished in those years of unknown labor could, indeed, hardly have been more glorious than her Crimean triumphs; but it was certainly more important..." you will find evidence that her work was ‘important’, ‘less well-known’, ‘less dramatic’, and also ‘rewarding’ to her. But you will not find evidence that it was ‘less demanding’, in fact it was arduous, and put a strain on her health. Therefore we choose answer B.

　　2.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　Re-read lines 11-20. You will see that the ‘fulcrum’ was the ‘stepping stone’ she was to use to advance her aims. This stepping-stone was the reputation she had earned in the Crimea. Hence, answer A.

　　3.Correct Answer: D

　　Explanation:

　　Paragraph two reveals the poor state of health of Ms. Nightingale. sat(Her heart was affected; she suffered attacks of utter physical prostration etc.). But it also shows that she never gave up and could not be put off her work.(She would not rest; there was work to be done and she would do it etc.). Hence she was physically weak but mentally indomitable. Answer D.

　　4.Correct Answer: C

　　Explanation:

　　The primary purpose of paragraph 3 is to explain what Ms. Nightingale wanted to do and why. Answer C. Note that answer D is too general - it refers to peacetime and wartime conditions but does not state that it is for the army, and so is unacceptable. Answer B is also too general - we are not concerned with hospitals in general, only the army.

　　5.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　The questions are a rhetorical device used by the author to try to give us a flavor of the thoughts that preoccupied Ms. Nightingale. Answer A. (If you re-read, you will see that they cannot be actual questions or responses.)

　　6.Correct Answer: E

　　Explanation:

　　The author is highly involved in his subject. He tries to make the matter interesting, and tries to state what Ms. Nightingale’s thoughts and reactions were. This is best covered by saying he narrates and interprets. Answer E.

　　7.Correct Answer: B

　　Explanation:

　　Ms. Nightingale was not quoting actual figures (eliminate E). She was also not concerned about conditions in hospitals in general (eliminate A) - she was concerned with military hospitals, and the conditions in the army in general. The last line tells us that her main concern was the ‘health of the army’. So her main point is that ordinary solders were living in unsanitary conditions, and answer B is best. She is not ridiculing the dangers she is pointing them out (eliminate D). She is not proving anything (eliminate C).