Passage 1
Good sense is the most equitably distributed thing in the world, for each man considers himself so well provided with it that even those who are most difficult to satisfy in everything else do not usually wish to have more of it than the y have already. It is not likely that everyone is mistaken in this; it shows, rather, that the ability to judge rightly and separate the true from the false, which is essentially what is called good sense or reason, is by nature equal in all men, and thus that our opinions differ not because some men are better endowed with reason than others, but only because we direct our thoughts along different paths, and do not consider the same things, for it is not enough to have a good mind: what is most important is to apply it rightly. The greatest souls are cap able of the greatest vices; and those who walk very slowly can advance much further, if they always keep to the direct road, than those who run and go astray.
For my part, I have never presumed my mind to be more perfect than average in an y way; I have, in fact, often wished that my thoughts were as quick, or my imagination as precise and distinct, or my memory as capacious or prompt, as those of some other men. And I know of no other qualities than these which make for the perfection of the mind; for as to reason, or good sense, in as much as it alone makes us men and distinguishes us from the beasts, I am quite willing to believe that it is whole and entire in each of us, and to follow in the common opinion of the philosophers who say that there are differences of more or less only among the accidents, and not among the forms, or natures, of the individuals of a single species.
21. According to the author, the three elements that comprise our mind are_____.
A tenacity of thought, capacious memory, quickness of mind
B precise of wit, ease of conscience, quickness of thought
C quickness of wit, ease of conscience, quickness of thought
D promptness of memory, distinctness of imagination, quickness of thought
22. The basic idea of the first paragraph may be stated as follows .
A all persons have an equal portion of good will when they are born
B great souls are capable of great evil
C good sense, in terms of its distribution among persons, may be called co mmon sense
D good sense is the mark of the truly good person
23. About himself, the author states that ______.
A he had always sensed his mental superiority over most persons
B his awareness of his mental superiority over others was something that g rew slowly with experience
C he actually regards his own mental faculties as inferior in many ways to those of the great majority of persons
D he has never had the feeling that his mind was more than average in any way
24. The author claims that what sets human beings apart from beasts is_____.
A a sense of organization combined with the ability to create
B the ability to adapt to the surroundings
C a sense of reason coupled with a strong sense of practicality
D a sense of reason
25. According to the author the ability to distinguish between the true and the false is
_____.
A endowed by nature to all creatures
B endowed in equal measure to all persons
C more heavily present in some persons than in others
D an unnatural, cultivated trait in all persons
Passage 2
Prices determine how resources are to be used. They are also the means by which products and services that are in limited supply are rationed among buyers. The price system of the United States is a very complex network composed of the prices of all the products bought and sold in the economy as well as those of a myriad of services, including labor, professional transportation, and public utility services.
The interrelationships of all these prices make up the "system"of prices. The price of any particular product or service is linked to a broad, complicated system of prices in which everything seems to depend more or less upon everything else.
If one were to ask a group of randomly selected individuals to define "price," many would reply that price is an amount of money paid by the buyer to the seller of a product of service or, in other words, that price is the money value of a product of service as agreed upon in a market transaction. This definition is, of course, valid as far as it goes. For a complete understanding of a price in any particular transaction, much more than the amount of money involved must be known. Both the buyer and the seller should be familiar with not only the money amount, but with the amount and quality of the product or service to be exchange d, the time and place at which the exchange will take place and payment will be made, the form of money to be used, the credit terms and discounts that supply t o the transaction, guarantees on the product or service, delivery terms, return privileges, and other factors. In other words, both buyer and seller should be fully aware of all the factors that comprise the total "package" being exchanged for the asked-for amount of money in order that they may evaluate a given price.
26. What is the best title for the passage?
A The Inherent Weaknesses of the Price System.
B The Complexities of the Price System.
C Credit Terms in Transactions.
D Resource Allocation and the Public Sector.
27. According to the passage, the price system is related primarily to_____.
A labor and education
B transportation and insurance
C utilities and repairs
D products and services
28. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a factor in the complete
understanding of price?
A Instructions that come with a product.
B The quantity of a product.
C The quality of a product.
D Warrenties that cover a product.
29. In the last sentence of the passage, "they"refers to_____ .
A return privileges
B all the factors
C buyer and seller
D money
30. The paragraph following the passage most likely discusses_____ .
A unusual ways to advertise products
B types of payment plans for service
C theories about how products affect different levels of society
D how certain elements of a price "package" influence its market value
