Set 3

SAMPLE READING TEST QUESTIONS

DIRECTIONS: The passage in this test is followed by several questions. After reading the passage, choose the best answer to each question and WRITE THE ANSWER IN YOUR NOTEBOOK. You may refer to the passage as often as necessary. To have the questions open in a new browser window, CLICK HERE

After you have finished answering ALL of the questions, check your answers by clicking on the letter you have chosen. COUNT THE NUMBER OF ANSWERS YOU GOT CORRECT ON THE FIRST TRY, MARK IT DOWN, AND TELL ME THE SCORE

SOCIAL SCIENCE: This passage is adapted from the article
"Japan's Tansu: Cabinetry of the 18th and 19th Centuries" by
Rosy Clarke (©1985 by W.R.C. Smith Publishing Company).

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85

The Japanese, always pressed for room on their island empire, have long been masters at utilizing space. This is especially evident in the native handmade Japanese cabinetry known as tansu, produced from about 1750 to 1900. A prolific range of wooden tansu was created for a variety of needs, and a diverse group of pieces emerged, ranging from small, portable medi- cine chests to giant trunks on wheels.      Prior to Japan's Edo Period (1603-1867), owner- ship of furniture was limited to the nobility. Primarily, these were black-and-gold lacquered pieces of Chinese inspiration. But with the demise of Japan's feudal society and the rise of a moneyed merchant class by the mid-Edo Period, furniture in Japan took on its own personality, as craftsmen enjoyed the freedom to create original designs that combined function and beauty. Today, examples of these skillfully constructed chests tell us much about the lifestyle and accoutrements of people during the Edo Period and the Meiji Era (1868-1912).      The greatest demand was for clothing and mer- chants' chests; within these two categories, hundreds of stylistic variations occurred. Most clothing tansu were constructed with four long drawers for kimono storage and a small door compartment that opened to two or three tiny drawers for personal items. The chests were usually built in two pieces that stacked, a design that allowed for easy portability. A favorite wood used to build clothing tansu was paulownia, noted for its light weight and subtle, natural sheen. In the Edo Period, it was customary for Japanese fathers to plant a paulownia tree when a daughter was born. When she married, the tree was cut down and made into a trousseau chest.      Merchants' chests, used to store documents, writing brushes, inkstones and money, were usually constructed of thick zelkova or chestnut. Unlike clothing tansu, which were kept inside a sliding door closet in a home, a merchant's chest was in full view of customers. Thus, shop tansu was an important indicator of a shopkeeper's prosperity.      Some styles were surprisingly large, an example being the staircase tansu. Japanese homes and shops were often built with lofts, and for easy access from the ground floor, a freestanding staircase was designed by clever craftsmen who incorporated compartments and drawers throughout for maximum utility. Around six feet high, most staircase chests were made in two sec- tions that stacked, though many one-piece chests were also produced. Because of the great amount of wood needed to build a staircase tansu, steps, risers and case were made of softwood, and hardwood was used for doors and drawer fronts.      Many households, especially rural homes, kept large kitchen tansu to store food and crockery. The wood of these practical kitchen chests was rarely fin- ished, and those in original condition show a lovely natural patina developed from years of exposure to the smoke and heat of the cooking area. Kitchen tansu were designed strictly for utility with sliding door compart- ments, inner shelves and numerous small drawers. Like staircase tansu, they display a minimum of ironwork and rarely show locking drawers or doors.      After 1900, modern techniques replaced the original handcrafted construction methods. Sand-cast iron handles, for example, are common on furniture made from about 1890 to 1920. Traditional designs-- dragons, cherry blossoms and mythical personalities-- that were once etched by hand onto lock plates became simplified as machine-pressed patterns appeared. Thick pieces of wood originally used became thinner around 1900, when improved wood planing techniques resulted in mass-produced tansu of diminished quality. And the amazing range of handproduced, naturally pigmented lacquer finishes that hallmarked earlier tansu all but disappeared by about 1920. With rapid industrialization at hand, many of Japan's artisans abandoned their tradi- tional crafts.      Appreciated today for their beauty, simplicity and functionality, tansu are now showing up in homes in America and Europe. But relatively few exceptional examples of the thousands produced now remain. Those pieces available document a special part of Japanese history and culture as well as the remarkable sense of space and design of Japan's unknown craftsmen.

1.	The author states that the result of mass production techniques on the tansu was: A. diminished quality. B. thicker pieces of wood. C. renewed popularity. D. greater variety.

2.	The passage states that although handmade tansu were designed and used for many purposes, most were: F. fancy black-and-gold finished pieces. G. kitchen cabinets. H. clothing and merchants' chests. J. staircase chests.

3.	According to the passage, the original popularity of tansu resulted primarily from the: A. desire to display clothing and other personal items. B. need to make good use of space. C. need to disguise a merchant's wealth. D. desire to be different from the Chinese.

4.	According to the passage, modern production methods caused which of the following changes in the tansu?   I. Sand-cast iron handles   II. Simplification of traditional designs   III. Thinner wood F. II only G. III only H. I and II only J. I, II, and III

5.	As it is used in the passage, the word patina (line 58) most nearly means the: A. design carved in the wood of the chests. B. original finish applied to the chest. C. destruction of the wood by smoke and heat. D. surface appearance of the wood.

6.

The author claims that by studying examples of handcrafted Japanese tansu that are still available today, scholars can learn about which of the following?

I.	How mass production first began in Japan
II.	How Japanese industrialists developed shortcuts in building furniture
III.	How the Japanese lived during the Edo Period and the Meiji Era

F. II only
G. III only
H. I and II only
J. I, II, and III

7.	According to the account of tansu-making in the passage, improved wood-planing techniques resulted in: A. a need to change the types of wood used. B. the need to apply thicker wood finishes. C. the use of thinner wood. D. a renewed interest in black-and-gold lacquered finishes.

8.

The passage suggests that the Japanese tansu had changed by the mid-Edo Period in which of the following ways? F. It reflected increased creative freedom of the craftsmen. G. It became a symbol of status and wealth for the nobility. H. It became less important to the merchant class. J. It became much larger.

9.

According to the passage, the Chinese influence on Japanese furniture-making is reflected in which of the following characteristics of some Japanese furniture?   I. The use of space   II. The black and gold lacquer   III. The use of paulownia wood A. II only B. III only C. I and II only D. I, II, and III

10.	The passage indicates about tansu that they were:   I. used for aesthetic purposes only.   II. indicative of financial status.   III. hidden from view because they held important   documents. F. I only G. II only H. I and II only J. II and III only

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