Reading Test 5

 

            The changing profile of a city in the United States is apparent in the shifting

            definitions used by the United States Bureau of the Census. In 1870 the census

            officially distinguished the nation's “urban” from its “rural” population for the first

 Line     time. “Urban population” was defined as persons living in towns of 8,000 inhabitants

 (5)       or more. But after 1900 it meant persons living in incorporated places having 2,500 or

            more inhabitants.

                 Then, in 1950 the Census Bureau radically changed its definition of “urban” to take

            account of the new vagueness of city boundaries. In addition to persons living in               incorporated units of 2,500 or more, the census now included those who lived in

 (10)      unincorporated units of that size, and also all persons living in the densely settled urban

            fringe, including both incorporated and unincorporated areas located around cities of

            50,000 inhabitants or more. Each such unit, conceived as an integrated economic and

            social unit with a large population nucleus, was named a Standard Metropolitan

            Statistical Area (SMSA).

 (15)           Each SMSA would contain at least (a) one central city with 50,000 inhabitants or

            more or (b) two cities having shared boundaries and constituting, for general economic

            and social purposes, a single community with a combined population of at least 50,000,

            the smaller of which must have a population of at least 15,000. Such an area included

            the county in which the central city is located, and adjacent counties that are found to

 (20)      be metropolitan in character and economically and socially integrated with the county

            of the central city. By 1970, about two-thirds of the population of the United States was

            living in these urbanized areas, and of that figure more than half were living outside the

            central cities.

                 While the Census Bureau and the United States government used the term SMSA

 (25)      (by 1969 there were 233 of them), social scientists were also using new terms to

            describe the elusive, vaguely defined areas reaching out from what used to be simple  “towns” and “cities”. A host of terms came into use : “metropolitan regions,”

“polynucleated population groups,” “conurbations,” “metropolitan clusters,”    “megalopolises,” and so on.

 

Questions

            39. What does the passage mainly discuss?

               (A) How cities in the United States began and developed

               (B) Solutions to overcrowding in cities

               (C) The changing definition of an urban area

               (D) How the United States Census Bureau conducts a census

 

            40. According to the passage, the population of the United States was

                first classified as rural or urban in

               (A) 1870

               (B) 1900

               (C) 1950

               (D) 1970

 

            41. The word “distinguished”in line 3 is closest in meaning to

               (A) differentiated                        (B) removed

               (C) honored                    (D) protected

 

 

 

            42. Prior to 1900, how many inhabitants would a town have to have before                                       bein  defined as urban?

               (A) 2,500

               (B) 8,000

               (C) 15,000

               (D) 50,000

 

            43. According to the passage, why did the Census Bureau revise the definition

                of urban in 1950?

               (A) City borders had become less distinct.

               (B) Cities had undergone radical social change.

               (C) Elected officials could not agree on an acceptable definition.

               (D) New businesses had relocated to larger cities.

 

            44. The word “those”in line 9 refers to

               (A) boundaries

               (B) persons

               (C) units

               (D) areas

 

            45. The word “constituting” in line 16 is closest in meaning to

               (A) located near

             (B) determined by

               (C) calling for

               (D) making up

 

            46. The word “which ” in line 18 refers to a smaller

               (A) population             (B) city

               (C) character              (D) figure

 

 

            47. Which of the following is NOT true of an SMSA?

               (A) It has a population of at least 50,000

               (B) It can include a city's outlying regions.

               (C) It can include unincorporated regions.

               (D) It consists of at least two cities.

 

            48. By 1970, what proportion of the population in the United States did NOT live in

                an SMSA?

               (A) 3/4           (B) 2/3        (C) 1/2            (D) 1/3

 

 

            49. The Census Bureau first used the term “SMSA” in

               (A) 1900         (B) 1950                  (C) 1969        (D) 1970

 

 

            50. Where in the passage does the author mention names used by social scientists for

                an urban area?

               (A) Lines 4-5     (B) Line 7-8     (C) Line 21-23    (D) Line 27-29

 

Please tally your answer with the below provided answers and then comment here how much you got!

 

Answer

39. C    40. A    41. A   42. B    43. A   44. B   45. D    46. B    47. D    48. D     49. B    50. D