Basic to any understanding of Canada in the 20 years after the Second World War
is
the country's impressive population growth. For every three
Canadians in 1945, there
were over five in 1966. In September 1966 Canada's population
passed the 20 million
Line mark. Most of this surging growth came from natural increase. The
depression of the
(5) 1930's and the war had held back marriages, and the catching-up
process began after
1945. The baby boom continued through the decade of the 1950's,
producing a
population increase of nearly fifteen percent in the five years
from 1951 to 1956. This
rate of increase had been exceeded only once before in Canada's history,
in the decade
before 1911, when the prairies were being settled. Undoubtedly,
the good economic
(10) conditions of the 1950's supported a growth in the population, but
the expansion also
derived from a trend toward earlier marriages and an increase in
the average size of
families. In 1957 the Canadian birth rate stood at 28 per
thousand, one of the highest in
the world.
After the peak year of 1957,
the birth rate in Canada began to decline. It continued
(15) falling until in 1966 it stood at the lowest level in 25 years.
Partly this decline reflected
the low level of births during the depression and the war, but it
was also caused by
changes in Canadian society. Young people were staying at school
longer; more
woman were working; young married couples were buying automobiles
or houses
before starting families; rising living standards were cutting
down the size of families.
(20) It appeared that Canada was once more falling in step with the
trend toward smaller
families that had occurred all through the Western world since the
time of the Industrial
Revolution.
Although the growth in Canada's
population had slowed down by 1966 (the
increase in the first half of the 1960's was only nine percent),
another large population
(25) wave was coming over the horizon. It would be composed of the
children of the
children who were born during the period of the high birth rate
prior to 1957.
Questions
11. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) Educational changes in
Canadian society
(B) Canada during the Second World
War
(C) Population trends in
postwar Canada
(D) Standards of living in
Canada
12. According to the passage, when did Canada's baby boom begin?
(A) In the decade after 1911
(B) After
1945
(C)
During the depression of the 1930's
(D) In 1966
13. The word "five" in line 3 refers to
(A) Canadians
(B) years
(C) decades
(D) marriages
14. The word "surging" in line 4 is closest in meaning
to
(A)
new (B) extra
(C) accelerating (D) surprising
15. The author suggests that in Canada during the 1950's
(A) the urban population
decreased rapidly
(B) fewer people married
(C) economic conditions were
poor
(D) the birth rate was very
high
16. The word "trend" in line 11 is closest in meaning to
(A) tendency
(B) aim
(C) growth
(D) directive
17. The word "peak" in line 14 is closest in meaning to
(A) pointed
(B) dismal
(C) mountain
(D) maximum
18. When was the birth rate in Canada at its lowest postwar level?
(A) 1966
(B) 1957
(C) 1956
(D) 1951
19. The author mentions all of the following as causes of declines
in population
growth after 1957 EXCEPT
(A) people being better
educated
(B) people getting married earlier
(C) better standards of living
(D) couples buying houses
20. It can be inferred from the passage that before the Industrial
Revolution
(A) families were larger
(B) population statistics were unreliable
(C) the population grew
steadily
(D) economic conditions were
bad
21. The word "It" in line 25 refers to
(A) horizon
(B) population wave
(C) nine percent
(D) first half
22. The phrase "prior to" in line 26 is closest in
meaning to
(A) behind
(B) since
(C) during
(D) preceding
Please tally your answer with the below provided answers and
then comment here how much you got!
Answers
11. C 12. B 13.
A 14. C 15. D 16.
A
17. D 18. A 19.
B 20. A 21. B 22. D
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