Universidad de la amazonia

EFL Program
Advanced English II
First test
Name: _____________________________________________Date:______________ Score: _____________
This test has six sections, reading, writing, grammar, listening, vocabulary and speaking. For each section, the
reading has 25 questions and the vocabulary has six parts. Grammar will have 50 questions and listening 50.

Section I: Reading Comprehension

The word euthanasia

The word euthanasia is of Greek origin and literally means a good death. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as the act of
killing a person painlessly for reasons of mercy. Such killing can be done through active means, such as administering a lethal
injection, or by passive means, such as withholding medical care or food and water.

In recent years in the United States, there have been numerous cases of active euthanasia in the news. They usually involve the
deliberate killing of ill or incapacitated persons by relatives or friends who plead that they can no longer bear to see their loved ones
suffer. Although such killings are a crime, the perpetrators are often dealt with leniently by our legal system, and the media usually
portrays them as compassionate heroes who take personal risks to save another from unbearable suffering.

The seeming acceptance of active forms of euthanasia is alarming, but we face a bigger, more insidious threat from passive forms of
euthanasia. Every year, in hospitals and nursing homes around the country, there are growing numbers of documented deaths caused
by caregivers withholding lifesustaining care, including food and water, from vulnerable patients who cannot speak for themselves.

While it is illegal to kill someone directly, for example with a gun or knife, in many cases the law has put its stamp of approval on
causing death by omitting needed care. Further, many states have living will laws designed to protect those who withhold treatment,
and there have been numerous court rulings which have approved of patients being denied care and even starved and dehydrated to
death.

Because such deaths occur quietly within the confines of hospitals and nursing homes, they can be kept hidden from the public. Most
euthanasia victims are old or very ill, so their deaths might be attributed to a cause other than the denial of care that really killed them.
Further, it is often relatives of the patient who request that care be withheld. In one court case, the court held that decisions to withhold
lifesustaining care may be made not only by close family members but also by a number of third parties, and that such decisions need
not be reviewed by the judicial system if there is no disagreement between decision makers and medical staff. The court went so far as
to rule that a nursing home may not refuse to participate in the fatal withdrawal of food and water from an incompetent patient!

Extraordinary or heroic treatment need not be used when the chance for recovery is poor and medical intervention would serve
only to prolong the dying process. But to deny customary and reasonable care or to deliberately starve or dehydrate someone because
he or she is very old or very ill should not be permitted. Most of the cases coming before the courts do not involve withholding heroic
measures from imminently dying people, but rather they seek approval for denying basic care, such as administration of food and
water, to people who are not elderly or terminally ill, but who are permanently incapacitated. These people could be expected to live
indefinitely, though in an impaired state, if they were given food and water and minimal treatment.

No one has the right to judge that anothers life is not worth living. The basic right to life should not be abridged because someone
decides that someone elses quality of life is too low. If we base the right to life on quality of life standards, there is no logical place to
draw the line.

To protect vulnerable patients, we must foster more positive attitudes towards people with serious and incapacitating illnesses and
conditions. Despite the ravages of their diseases, they are still our fellow human beings and deserve our care and respect. We must also
enact positive legislation that will protect vulnerable people from those who consider their lives meaningless or too costly to maintain
and who would cause their deaths by withholding life-sustaining care such as food and water.

Answer the following questions by choosing the correct option.

1) The tone of the author can best be 2) In paragraph 3, the author finds starvation and dehydration induced euthanasia is to
described as be more insidious" because
A. pleading A. euthanasia is legally considered to be a criminal act
B. argumentative B. the publics attitude toward euthanasia is becoming more positive
C. compassionate C. it often involves those who cannot protest
D. emphatic D. the patient has asked to die with dignity
E. empathetic E. its perpetrators are viewed as kindly caregivers

3) As used in paragraph 3, what is the best 4) The author maintains that death by withholding care is
synonym for insidious? A. largely confined to hospitals
A. mischievous B. largely confined to the terminally ill
B. treacherous C. often requested by family members
C. seductive D. approved by living wills
D. apparent E. difficult to prove if prosecuted
E. cumulative
5) As used in paragraph 7, which is the 6) Using the passage as a guide, it can be inferred that the author would find euthanasia
best definition of abridged? less
A. trimmed objectionable in cases in which
B. curtailed I. the patients death is imminent
C. lengthened II. the patient has left instructions in a living will not to provide care
D. extended III. the patient refuses to accept nourishment
E. compressed A. I only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only
E. I, II and III
7) The main idea of paragraph 7 is that 8) In the final paragraph the author writes, "Despite the ravages of their diseases, they
A. lawyers will be unable to prosecute or are still our fellow human beings and deserve our care and respect." The main purpose
defend caregivers of this statement is to
B. no comprehensive right or wrong A. prove a previous argument
definition of euthanasia will exist B. illustrate an example
C. using a subjective standard will make C. gainsay a later statement
the decision to end an individuals life D. object to a larger idea
arbitrary E. justify an earlier statement
D. no boundary will exist between
euthanasia and care omission
E. quality of life will no longer be able to
be rigidly defined

Answer the question from 9-16 with the following text.

The average computer user

The average computer user has between 5 and 15 username/password combinations to log in to email accounts, social networking
sites, discussion boards, news and entertainment sites, online stores, online banking accounts, or other websites. For people who use
email or other internet applications at work, the number of required username/password combinations may surpass 30. Some of these
accounts demand that you use a specific number of symbols and digits, while others require you to change your password every 60
days. When you add to this list the codes needed to access things like ATMs, home alarm systems, padlocks, or voicemail, the number
of passwords becomes staggering. The feeling of frustration that results from maintaining a memorized list of login credentials has
grown so prevalent that it actually has a name: password fatigue.

Having to remember so many different passwords is irritating, but it can also be dangerous. Because it is virtually impossible to
remember a unique password for each of these accounts, many people leave handwritten lists of usernames and passwords on or next
to their computers. Others solve this problem by using the same password for every account or using extremely simple passwords.
While these practices make it easier to remember login information, they also make it exponentially easier for thieves to hack into
accounts.

Single sign-on (SSO) authentication and password management software can help mitigate this problem, but there are drawbacks to
both approaches. SSO authentication can be used for related, but independent software systems. With SSO, users log in once to access
a variety of different applications. Users only need to remember one password to log in to the main system; the SSO software then
automatically logs the user in to other accounts within the system. SSO software is typically used by large companies, schools, or
libraries. Password management software, such as KeePass and Password Safe, is most often used on personal computers. These
software programswhich have been built into many major web browsersstore passwords in a remote database and automatically
remember users passwords for a variety of sites.
The problem with both SSO authentication and password management software is that the feature that makes them useful is also what
makes them vulnerable. If a user loses or forgets the password required to log in to SSO software, the user will then lose access to all
of the applications linked to the SSO account. Furthermore, if a hacker can crack the SSO password, he or she will then have access to
all of the linked accounts. Users who rely on password management software are susceptible to the same problems, but they also incur
the added threat of passwords being compromised because of computer theft.

Although most websites or network systems allow users to recover or change lost passwords by providing email addresses or
answering a prompt, this process can waste time and cause further frustration. What is more, recovering a forgotten password is only a
temporary solution; it does not address the larger problem of password fatigue.

Some computer scientists have suggested that instead of passwords, computers rely on biometrics. This is a method of recognizing
human users based on unique traits, such as fingerprints, voice, or DNA. Biometric identification is currently used by some
government agencies and private companies, including the Department of Defense and Disney World. While biometrics would
certainly eliminate the need for people to remember passwords, the use of biometrics raises ethical questions concerning privacy and
can also be expensive to implement.

The problems associated with SSO, password management software, and biometrics continue to stimulate software engineers and
computer security experts to search for the cure to password fatigue. Until they find the perfect solution, however, everyone will
simply have to rely on the flawed password system currently in place.

9. Which of the following best describes the organization of the
passage?
A. The passage organizes ideas in order of increasing importance.
B. The author presents an argument and then uses evidence to
dismiss opposing views.
C. The author explains a problem, explores solutions, and then
dismisses these solutions as inadequate.
D. The author explains a problem and then persuades readers to
agree with his or her solution to the problem.
E. The author explains a problem, contextualizes the problem,
and ultimately dismisses it as an unnecessary concern
11. As used in paragraph 3, which is the best synonym for
mitigate?
A. predict
B. postpone
C. investigate
D. lessen
E. complicate
13. Which of the following statements from the passage
represents an opinion, as opposed to a fact?
A. For people who use email or other internet applications at
work, the number of required
username/ password combinations may surpass 30.
B. The feeling of frustration that results from maintaining a
memorized list of login credentials has grown so prevalent that it
actually has a name: password fatigue.
C. Having to remember so many different passwords is
irritating, but it can also be dangerous.
D. Additionally, recovering a forgotten password is only a
temporary solution; it does not address the larger problem of
password fatigue.
E. The problems associated with SOS, password management
software, and biometrics continue to stimulate software engineers
10. The passage discusses all of the following solutions to
password fatigue except
A. writing the passwords down on a piece of paper
B. voice-recognition software
C. Kee Pass
D. using very simple passwords
E. intelligent encryption
12. According to the passage, SSO authentication software may
be safer than password management software because
I. stolen personal computers contain passwords memorized by a
users web browser
II. if a user of password management software forgets his or her
login credentials, the user can no
longer access any of the applications protected by the password
III. hackers who access password management software can gain
access to all of the applications
protected by that password
A. l only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only
E. I, II, and III
14. In paragraph 6, the author notes that the use of biometrics
raises ethical questions concerning privacy. Which of the
following situations could be used as an example to illustrate this
point?
A. A thief steals a personal computer with password management
software and gains access to private email accounts, credit card
numbers, and bank statements.
B. An employee at a company uses a voice recognition system to
log in to his computer, only to be called away by his boss. While
he is away from the computer but still logged in, another
employee snoops on his computer and reads personal email
correspondence.
C. A computer hacker gains access to a system that uses SSO
software by cracking the password, thus gaining private access to
all linked accounts.
and computer security experts to search for the cure to password D. A company that employs fingerprint identification security
fatigue. software turns over its database of fingerprints to the local police
department when a violent crime occurs on its grounds.

E. Even when a person is on password-protected websites, an

internet browser tracks the persons internet use and collects
information in order to tailor advertisements to his or her
interests. III
15. In the final paragraph, the authors tone can best be described 16. What would be a solution to remind the password?
as A. fingerprints, voice, or DNA. Biometric
A. angry B. Remembering the password
B. resigned C. copying the password in documents
C. confused D. recognizing human users
D. hopeful E. KeePass and Password Safe
E. depressed
Answer the question from 17-24 with the following text.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that affects millions of people around the world. Individuals can
develop PTSD after experiencing any event that results in psychological trauma. Symptoms of PTSD involve flashbacks to the
traumatic event, nightmares, obsessive behavior, anger, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, and hypervigilance. Individuals who suffer
from PTSD can experience significant difficulties in social relationships, have lower self-esteem, and have trouble maintaining
employment. People with PTSD experience a higher risk of committing suicide, developing a drug addiction, and suffering from
alcoholism. Although PTSD can affect any individual, military veterans are especially susceptible to this debilitating affliction.
Furthermore, within this population, women are more than twice as likely as men to develop PTSD. Studies have also shown that
former service women who do develop PTSD experience more severe symptoms than their male counterparts. Recent changes made
by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs have improved treatment options for female veterans living with PTSD, but there
is still more that needs to be done.

Although studies investigating precisely why women are more likely than men to experience PTSD have not yet been completed,
some experts have theorized that low unit cohesion is a major factor. Unit cohesion, defined as the mutual bonds of friendship and
support among members of a military unit, is thought to be helpful in reducing the incidence of developing PTSD. According to recent
surveys compiled by U.S. Army researchers, increased unit cohesion emerged as the most important factor determining whether
soldiers developed suicidal thoughts. Women are more likely than men to experience low unit cohesion for a variety of reasons. One
of the most obvious factors is the relative paucity of females in the military; currently, women make up only 20% of the armed forces.
Pervasive male prejudice against women is another factor that can diminish unit cohesion for female soldiers. Because women are less
likely than men to experience unit cohesion while serving in the military, women are less likely to develop the social support
structures that will help prevent them from developing PTSD, depression, or other serious mental health problems.

Another issue at play is the stigma amongst military personnel that asking for help for mental health issues makes one weak. A
recent Department of Defense study of returning combat troops shows that only 1 in 6 veterans acknowledged themselves to be
suffering from symptoms of PTSD, and 3 out of 5 veterans were convinced that their comrades and commanding officers would lose
confidence in them if they sought treatment for mental health issues. For women, this hesitation to self-identify as a sufferer of PTSD
could be even greater; historically, female soldiers have struggled to be counted as equals to men on the battlefield. Women,
stereotypically considered to possess less emotional fortitude than men, may be unwilling to admit that they are suffering from PTSD
lest they appear to conform to this stereotype. Unfortunately for those who do not seek help, when PTSD goes untreated it is very
likely to worsen over time.
Another challenge is that until very recently, treatment for PTSD has been more difficult for women than men to obtain. Before rule
changes were enacted in 2010, only veterans who encountered direct combat experience qualified to receive disability payments for
PTSD. Because very few women are placed on the front lines, very few were eligible to receive free treatment for PTSD. However,
recent regulation changes have ended these stipulations, allowing women who serve in any capacity to be eligible for benefits.

Even if female veterans are eligible for these benefits, the quality of the care a wartime PTSD sufferer receives can vary widely. The
United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays disability benefits to service men and women who have been diagnosed with
PTSD and also provides these individuals with free health care. But while mental health counseling that comes directly from VA
doctors is completely free to veterans, there are often long waiting lists for those who need to be evaluated or treated. Therapy
provided by non-VA professionals may not be covered by health insurance. Access to Access to mental health professionals who have
been specially trained to treat wartime PTSD is often difficult for those not living near major urban centers.
Perhaps the biggest impediment to achieving quality treatment for women suffering from wartime PTSD is a lack of research. While
both the VA and independent agencies have completed hundreds of studies researching the prevention of and treatment for PTSD
amongst general military populations, there have been no studies completed that solely target women. Before adequate care can be
provided, there must be greater understanding about the root causes of this issue as it affects women specifically. On both the research
level and the policy level, more must be done to help the women who have sacrificed so much for their country.
17. The primary purpose of the passage is to 18. According to the passage, all of the following are reasons
A. explain why military veterans are more likely than civilians to why females develop PTSD more frequently than males except
develop PTSD A. women experience lower unit cohesion than men
B. persuade government officials to increase funding for PTSD B. women can face negative stereotypes in the military
treatment centers in non-urban areas C. women are more likely than men to suffer from depression
C. denounce the United States military for the way they have (CORRECT)
handled veterans mental health problems D. males in the military greatly outnumber females
D. inform readers about the likely warning signs of PTSD among E. males tend to develop stronger social bonds during their time
military veterans of service than females do
E. educate readers about the problem of insufficient treatment
available for female veterans with PTSD

19. As used in paragraph 2, which is the best antonym for 20. Based on information in the passage, it can be inferred that
paucity? negative stereotypes about women in the military contribute to
A. certainty their increased likelihood to develop PTSD in which of the
B. audacity following ways?
C. deference I. Some male members of the armed forces subscribe to negative
D. contentment stereotypes about women; this prejudice may prevent women
E. abundance from forming close bonds with their units.
II. Women may be less likely than men to admit to suffering
from PTSD because they do not want to conform to stereotypes
that portray women as weak.
III. Women are aware of the negative stereotypes that pervade
the military. This awareness may lead to a reduction in self-
esteem.
A. l only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only
E. I, II, and III

21. Which of the following statements from the passage
represents an opinion, as opposed to a fact?
A. For people who use email or other internet applications at
work, the number of required
username/ password combinations may surpass 30.
B. The feeling of frustration that results from maintaining a
memorized list of login credentials has grown so prevalent that it
actually has a name: password fatigue.
C. Having to remember so many different passwords is
irritating, but it can also be dangerous.
D. Additionally, recovering a forgotten password is only a
temporary solution; it does not address the larger problem of
password fatigue.
E. The problems associated with SOS, password management
software, and biometrics continue to stimulate software engineers
and computer security experts to search for the cure to password
fatigue.
22. In paragraph 6, the author notes that the use of biometrics
raises ethical questions concerning privacy. Which of the
following situations could be used as an example to illustrate this
point?
A. A thief steals a personal computer with password management
software and gains access to private email accounts, credit card
numbers, and bank statements.
B. An employee at a company uses a voice recognition system to
log in to his computer, only to be called away by his boss. While
he is away from the computer but still logged in, another
employee snoops on his computer and reads personal email
correspondence.
C. A computer hacker gains access to a system that uses SSO
software by cracking the password, thus gaining private access to
all linked accounts.
D. A company that employs fingerprint identification security
software turns over its database of fingerprints to the local police
department when a violent crime occurs on its grounds.

E. Even when a person is on password-protected websites, an

internet browser tracks the persons internet use and collects
information in order to tailor advertisements to his or her
interests. III
23. Based on information in the passage, which of the following
statements best reflects the authors opinion about the mental
health care provided for female veterans?
A. Although the VA has not done nearly enough, state and
independent agencies have made up for government deficiencies.
B. The government has done almost nothing to help; the way we
treat our female veterans is a national disgrace.
C. Because service women are more likely than service men to
develop PTSD, mental health care has been better for female
veterans.
D. The VA and other government agencies have attempted to
provide mental health care for female veterans, but most of them
refuse to seek treatment.
E. The amount of care provided has improved over the past few
years, but it is still insufficient.
25. In paragraph 5, the author writes: Access to mental health
professionals who have been specially trained to treat wartime
PTSD is often difficult for those not living near major urban
centers. Which of the following conjunctions, used at the
beginning of this sentence, would best clarify the sentences role B. is a mental health care professional
in the paragraph?
A. Furthermore
B. Incidentally
C. Although
D. Nevertheless
E. Therefore
Taken from: http://www.englishforeveryone.org/Topics/Reading-Comprehension.htm
24. Which of the following pieces of evidence, if true, would
best strengthen the authors argument in paragraph 5?
A. Since 2001, when operations in Iraq and Afghanistan began,
more than 230,000 women have served in the United States
Military.
B. Studies have shown that those who receive therapy for PTSD
are less likely to commit suicide and develop substance abuse
problems.
C. Women are 50% more likely to experience sexual assault
while deployed than men.
D. Although experts now argue that intensive cognitive therapy
is more effective at treating wartime PTSD than prescription
drugs, most mental health professionals are trained only to offer
pharmaceutical solutions for PTSD.
E. In addition to causing obvious mental and social health
problems for those who suffer from the disorder, PTSD can also
cost society up to $6.2 billion in the form of lost labor
productivity and welfare expenses.
26. Based on information in the passage, it can be inferred that
the author is most likely someone who
A. does not believe women should be allowed to serve in the
military
C. has conducted studies on PTSD among veterans
D. believes that advocating for others can lead to change
E. is female
 Section III: Vocabulary

Writeanantimonyinfrontofeachwords Writeasynonyminfrontofeachwords
Lease: Moveon:
Tenant: Tobestriking:
Insurance: Tobedismissed:
Liability: Loan:
Diversity: Feed:
Rolemodel: Dottedline:
Touchy: Applyfor:
Implant: Disease:
Expenses: Cosigner:
Paystub: Prospectemployee:
Utilities: Colorblind:
Overqualify: Runacompany:
Definethefollowingwords
Tomovein:
Payment:
Tobeonaloan:
Timeframe:
Earn:
Terms:
Snowball:
Afford:
Dispatcher:
Exact:
WHO(Acronym):
Writeatleastfivewordsforeachcategory
Medicalemergency Naturalemergency Biologicalemergency

Writethewordthatisdefineddown
Topaynoattentiontosomeoneorsomething
Tomoveyourthroatinordertomakefoodanddrinkgodown
Somethingyoudotoearnmoney
Ameetinginwhichsomeaskyouquestions
Anairmusicalinstrumentthatisplayedwiththemouth
Whensomeoneleavesaplace,especiallytostartajourney.
Toagreethatyouhavedonesomethingbad
Tospeakextremelyquietlysothatotherpeoplecannothearyou