İngilizce – PARAGRAPH STRATEGIES

Japan has resumed commercial whaling after a break of over three decades. Commercial whaling was banned in 1986 by an International Whaling Commission (IWC) suspension. However, Japan withdrew from the IWC in December. Japan’s government has promised all whalers will stay within 320 km from its coast. The Japanese fisheries agency set a quota for killing 227 whales every six months. In the first days of resumed whaling, whalers caught two minke whales and took them to Kushiro where the whale meat was auctioned and sold for record prices. Eager restaurant owners snapped up the meat at prices of up to $140 per kilo. Japan has engaged in the practice of whaling for centuries. A whale restaurant chef Mitsuo Tani said: “A country that does not preserve its food culture has no future.” He also promoted the health benefits of whale meat. He said: “It is five times lower in calories than beef, 10 times lower in cholesterol, two times lower in fat than chicken and it’s packed with iron.” However, Japan’s return to whaling has brought international outcry accusing Japan of starting a “new and shocking era of pirate whaling”.

What can be inferred from the passage about the Japanese?

It is understood from the passage that restaurant owners —-.

Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has a growing number of applications in the security and military areas. It facilitates manoeuvres in the field, and can save lives when things go wrong. It also boosts the performance of armies by providing robot allies to combat forces. According to some experts, Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) are creating a “Third Revolution” in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear weapons. It is time we start worrying about the day when armies of robots are capable of conducting hostilities with full autonomy, without humans to command them. Thanks to the development of computer technologies, the weapons systems of the future will become more autonomous than those currently being used. On one hand, this empowerment will undoubtedly provide valuable assistance to combatants. On the other, it could bring arms races between countries, an absence of rules and laws in combat zones, and irresponsibility in decision making. Today, many policymakers and scientists are seeking to prohibit the use of autonomous weapons systems although military authorities insist that in combat, the final decision – to kill or not to kill – will always be made by a human.

According to the passage, what is the problem regarding LAWS?

According to the passage, which of the following is true?

What is the author’s primary purpose in this passage?

Lunar eclipses have always fascinated people. In ancient times, lunar eclipses were mysterious, unpredictable and frightening. People believed that eclipses were bad omens and this superstition has often affected historical events. For instance, a lunar eclipse affected the course of history in Asia. According to an ancient belief, each Chinese dynasty starts when the previous one becomes corrupt. They believe the signs in the sky show the emperor has become unworthy. The Manchu Dynasty was a glorious one but by the 1800s, it had become corrupt. In 1851, the Taiping Rebellion took place to throw the Manchus. The rebels’ final battle was at the gate of the city. The commander of the Manchus decided to make a night attack as there was a full moon, and his troops would have enough light to see. Unfortunately, that night, there was a lunar eclipse. The troop interpreted the eclipse as an evil omen and felt defeated even before the attack. The Manchus lost the battle at that night. It is not hard to understand how ancient people believed that eclipses were signs of disaster as they did not understand their true cause.

According to the passage, ancient people —-.

According to the passage, The Manchu dynasty lost the battle because —-.

What is the passage mainly about?

A ballad is a narrative song bearing the stamp of folklore. Traditional ballads are short narratives, which tell stories in a highly characteristic way; they are dynamic and present the story in a series of rapid flashes like the technique of the cinema. They are impersonal in their attitude, and there is little comment or moralising. They are free from the rhetorical devices of most ‘learned’ poetry but possess a rhetoric of their own, using repetition and stock phrases. Their special narrative technique carries a folk-view of life, an ironic acceptance of tragedy, and a rich background of popular myth, of ghosts and fairies. The ballads, like the lyrics, were sung. It is probable that the origins of ballads lie in the medieval song- the carole. The stories of the ballads, on the other hand, have originated in a variety of ways. Some are part of the international treasury of folklore; some were drawn from Arthurian and other romances of the Middle Ages. When the images, narrative technique and the folk-tradition merge with a poet’s skill, the ballads become great poetry.

According to the passage, the ballad —-.

According to the passage, which of the following is true about the ballad?

It can be inferred from the passage that —-.

An association of local governments in the UK, called the LGA, has warned consumers about the use of some skin-lightening creams. They discovered that some of the whitening cosmetics they tested contained banned ingredients and were illegal. However, they were available for purchase in UK stores. These ingredients could pose a serious threat to consumers’ health. There has been an increase in the number of users experiencing health problems such as seizures, rashes and scarring after using the creams. The LGA said the creams could increase the risk of skin cancer, and liver and kidney damage. The global skin-lightening industry is booming. In 2017, it was valued at an estimated $4.8 billion and is forecast to nearly double to around $8.9 billion in the next decade. Many people use it to reduce the darkness of the colour of their skin. The LGA warned that “rogue retailers” were selling illegal skin-lightening lotions with labels omitting the illegal substances which could burn off the top layer of skin. Those lotions are very dangerous and could seriously damage health and even kill, so they should be avoided at all costs.

According to the passage, people who use skin-lightening lotions —-.

According to the passage, which of the following is true?

What is the main purpose of the passage?

Scientists say it could take at least 1,500 years before humans make contact with species of aliens, or for them to communicate with or find us. Astronomers from Cornell University combined two existing theories about the possibility of life existing on other planets to form a new equation. One of these theories is the Fermi Paradox by physicist Enrico Fermi in 1950. This states that while billions of Earth-like planets exist in our galaxy, not one has made contact with Earth yet. The other is the principle, which suggests that because there is life on Earth, it should also be on Earth-like planets throughout the universe. According to the researchers from Cornell, although we haven’t heard from aliens yet, as space is a big place, that doesn’t mean no one is out there. They think extra-terrestrials could have received signals from Earth, but propose that they would not have been able to decipher them. They would need to decode the light waves into sounds and analyse 3,000 human languages to understand any messages. They also said that signals from Earth have only reached about 8,500 stars and that the Milky Way galaxy alone contains 200 billion stars.

What can be inferred from the passage about the theories of life in space?

According to the passage, which of the following is true?

The underlined word ‘extra-terrestrials’ in the passage is closest in meaning to —-.

Many of India’s big cities are experiencing hazardous air pollution turning into “gas chambers”. The standard measurement for healthy, breathable air is set at a level of 50 according to the Air Quality Index (AQI). A level of 300 means the air is dangerous to breathe. The AQI says 300 represents a health alert and the city should be put under emergency conditions as everyone may experience serious health effects. The city of Chandrapur has reached an AQI level of 824, while the capital New Delhi is following close. Residents in the capital are being warned to wear masks, and schools are closed for three days. One big reason is the nine million vehicles that block its streets, and most of which do not conform to emissions standards. The situation has been made worse recently due to chemical pollution from nearby states, farmers setting fire to straw, and a lack of wind. To alleviate the crisis, city officials have ordered roads to be wet with water to stop dust from rising, and also banned diesel-powered electricity generators for 10 days, except at hospitals and cell phone towers.

It can be understood from the passage that according to the AQI —-.

According to the passage, which of the following is true?

Which of the following could be the main idea of this passage?

Over the past hundred years, social, economic and cultural developments have altered the institution of marriage, especially the roles of husbands and wives. Many factors contribute to this transformation. Scholars identify two primary reasons for this marital change. First, men and women have become more equal in society. Second, individuals have placed greater emphasis on love as the motivation for marriage. Throughout history, the roles of men and women within marriages have reflected their roles within society. Laws and customs traditionally restricted women’s opportunities and rights, and required them to be under the control of a man. For example, in the Middle Ages, the husband and the wife were regarded as one person—and that was the husband. Married woman lost her legal rights she had possessed before marriage. She had to obey her husband in all decisions. During the Industrial Revolution, with the development of the factory system and the growth of cities, there was the separation of work and family, which led to a sharp contrast between the roles of men and women. The concept of the man as the breadwinner and the woman as the housewife subsequently became the cultural ideal of how marriage should be.

It can be inferred from the passage that in the Medieval Ages, —-.

It is pointed out in the passage that it was the Industrial Revolution that —-.

The main purpose of this passage is to —-.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental disorder that can develop after traumatic events, such as warfare, traffic collisions, or threats on a person’s life. Symptoms may include disturbing thoughts, nightmares related to the events, and alterations to how a person thinks and feels. A study suggests that very stressful events affect the brains of boys and girls in different ways. Girls suffer more after traumatic events and are more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therefore, it is important that people who work with traumatised youth consider the sex differences and treat boys and girls differently during the recovery process. Due to different trauma symptoms, they might benefit from different approaches to treatment. The research focused on a part of the brain that deals with emotions and empathy, called the insula. The smaller the insula, the more likely it is that someone will suffer from PTSD. Researchers discovered that the insula was particularly small in girls who had gone through a traumatic event. It was larger than usual in boys who had experienced a distressing, shocking or frightening event.

It is pointed out in the passage that traumatic events —-.

According to the passage, which of the following is true?

What is the author’s primary purpose in this passage?

Professor Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s most renowned scientists, warned that robots and machines with the development of full artificial intelligence could one day mean the end of us all. The famous cosmologist made his warning in response to a question about an update to the application he used to allow him to communicate. Hawking suffered from motor neuron disease (also known as ALS) and needed a special voice synthesizer to talk. Soon, the application will be able to predict words ALS patients might want to use based on their previous communication. According to Hawking, AI has given many benefits to many people, but it is still in its early stages of development. When it becomes more sophisticated, it could re-design itself at an ever increasing rate and prove a threat to our existence. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, would not be able to compete. Hawking gave a more chilling warning in April 2014, saying: “One can imagine such technology outsmarting financial markets, out-manipulating human leaders, and developing weapons we cannot even understand.”

According to the passage, which of the following is true?

Which of the following can be said about AI?

What is the passage mainly about?

During the late 1500s, Scotland believed the devil was at work in the land. Locals talked about his ability to raise storms, kill livestock, and spread deadly illness. Satan sought to undermine human society from within and was recruiting secret agents to give his command. Those actors were witches, and the authorities believed they had to be eradicated for the sake of the kingdom. Scotland was not alone in falling victim to witchcraft panics in the late 16^th century and first half of the 17^th century. Witch-hunting plagued Europe, beginning in the 15^th century when the idea that witches worshipped the devil began to take hold. After the Reformation divided Europe into Protestant and Catholic in the early 16^th century, both sides hunted witches. During this period of religious reform, rulers wanted to prove their godliness. They perceived the unholy and evil as the source of unrest and disorder. Between 1590 and 1662, five intense panics erupted across Scotland and about 2,500, mostly women, were accused and executed. Scotland’s susceptibility to widespread panic over witches and witchcraft was partly determined by King James I of England who was obsessed with black magic.

What can be inferred from the passage about the rulers in Europe?

According to the passage, people believed that —-.

Which statement is true about the society in that period?

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered one of the most popularly quoted speeches in American history. It was given towards the end of the historic march in Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where nearly a quarter of a million non-violent demonstrators gathered to protest for citizenship rights for the black. The speech was known for its sweeping oratory, with a few lines standing out and quoted frequently by revolutionists around the world. Dr. King’s quotation of the ‘Declaration of Independence’ echoed the essence of the social contracts, which mused on ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ However, the statement ‘I have a dream’ is so reflective of the speech’s revolutionary nature that the speech is today known all around the world. King believed that only non-violent protest could raise the likelihood of integration in the society. Fifty-four years have passed since that historic moment, and for the most part, many of the aspects of the ‘dream’ have become reality. But to make sure that this spirit of idealism continues uninterrupted, it is absolutely vital to understand the nature of the entire speech.

According to the passage, which of the following is true?

According to the passage, King thought —-.

The main aim of the writer is to —-.

Ecotourism is a booming business that many tour operators cite as being helpful to nature. Every year, millions of people descend on protected natural areas to observe rare species. However, a new report casts doubt on the value of this form of tourism. In fact, it suggests that ecotourism is more damaging than helpful to nature. Researchers believe tourists are disrupting animals in their natural habitat. They pointed to a recent event where sea turtles in Costa Rica had problems laying their eggs because of the hordes of tourists who had gathered to watch the turtles’ nesting habits. The report says that ecotourism is making animals braver and that this could endanger the animals. A regular human presence might make animals less cautious about other animals around them, and this could put them at risk of being attacked by real predators. When animals interact in ‘benign’ ways with humans, they may let down their guard. Therefore, it is essential to develop a more comprehensive understanding of what precise conditions human exposure might put animals at risk.

It is pointed out in the passage that ecotourism —-.

According to the passage, tourists in protected natural areas —-.

The main purpose of this passage is to —-.

Watching sad movies can sometimes be just what the doctor ordered. A new study reveals that watching distressing movies may boost our tolerance to pain. Researchers say that such movies can increase the amount of endorphins released by the brain. These are our body’s natural painkillers – chemicals that make us feel better after physical or psychological pain. Dr Robin Dunbar explained that: “Maybe the emotional distress you get from tragedy triggers the endorphin system. Physical and psychological pain are both handled in the same part of the brain.” His team conducted a series of tests to determine the effect of tragic stories on us. They made an experiment on 169 people. One group watched a traumatic drama about a disabled man battling homelessness and drug addiction. Another group watched a documentary on the geology of Britain. The results showed that on average, the pain tolerance of those who watched the traumatic drama increased by 13.1 per cent. This compared to an average decrease in pain threshold of 4.6 per cent for the latter group. For Dunbar, one reason we like watching sad movies is the natural rise of the endorphins.

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

According to the passage, the increase in the amount of endorphins —-.

According to the experiment carried out by Dr. Robin Dunbar and his team, —-.

It is believed that asthma, which has doubled in children recently, is due to air pollution. Certainly, the symptoms of wheezing and shortness of breath can be worsened by exposure to traffic fumes; however, the risk of getting asthma is highest in the least polluted parts. Seeing air pollution as a cause of asthma would seem to be common sense, but actually, there is no relationship between the two. In our modern hygienic world, people are no longer exposed to the bacteria that helped build the immune system in previous generations. As with asthma, there are two other allergic conditions- eczema and hay fever- that are twice as common as they were 25 years ago. These conditions run in families and tend to be “ailments of the advantaged”. That is, they occur more likely in small rather than large families, where there are fewer germs passing from one sibling to another. The rise in these conditions since the war years coincides with the sharp decline in major childhood diseases, like polio and measles. They are thus presumably the “price” that has to be paid for modern medicines and better social conditions.

According to the passage, which of the following is true?

According to the passage, it is understood that allergic diseases —-.

What can be inferred from the passage?

Kleptomania, first described in 1816, is classified in psychiatry as an impulse control disorder. It means mania for stealing things afflicting any age group. Some of the main characteristics of the disorder suggest that kleptomania could be an obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder, but also share similarities with addictive and mood disorders. The disorder is regularly associated with other psychiatric disorders, particularly anxiety and eating disorders, and alcohol and substance abuse. Patients are typically treated with therapies in other areas due to the comorbid grievances rather than issues directly related to kleptomania. There is a difference between ordinary theft and kleptomania. Ordinary theft is deliberate and is motivated by the usefulness of the object or its monetary worth, whereas with kleptomania, there is the failure to resist impulses to steal items though they are not needed for anything. Some kleptomaniacs steal things and then have no memory of the theft afterwards. Having a conviction for stealing things can cause terrible damage to a person’s future and also embarrassment. Sometimes psychiatric treatment cures it, but in general there are no permanent solutions. There are only few who have succeeded in defeating the illness completely.

According to the passage, which of the following is true?

According to passage, it is understood that kleptomania —-.

It is pointed out in the passage that kleptomaniacs —-.

One of Britain’s most thought-provoking artists has said taking children to art galleries is “a total waste of time”. Jake Chapman made his controversial comments in an interview that might anger parents, child development experts, and children. He accused parents of being arrogant for thinking children could understand modern art. He said to show a child a painting by the American artist Jackson Pollock was an ‘insult’ to the artist because Pollock pioneered the style of art known as abstract expressionism. Chapman explained that it is like telling the artist his work is “as moronic as a child” as children are not human yet. Chapman’s comments have created a stir in the art world. Many other artists disagreed stating that art is not to be understood, but to be experienced and felt since feeling comes before understanding. In fact, children benefit a great deal from visiting art galleries and museums. It widens their horizons. Critics of Chapman claimed that his comments were designed to manipulate the media to get more attention for his exhibition and promote ticket sales.

According to the passage, which of the following is true?

According to critics, Chapman made such a remark because —-.

What can be inferred from the passage?