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R EADING M INI -T EST M ULTIPLE C HOICE

Literature and Beliefs:

THE USES OF SUPERSTITION

Feature accompanying The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act I Pupil’s Edition page 791

Directions: Read the passage.Then, read each 5 According to this passage, why did the
of the following questions. Decide which is Romans scrub their Capitol with water
the best answer to each question. Mark the and sulfur?
letter for that answer.
A Because an owl had flown into it
1 In the first paragraph, the word B So the building would be clean and
revelations means— free of germs
A debates C To erase the influence of the last
emperor
B visions
D To prepare for the coming of the gods
C elections
D meetings 6 Which person would have had much
more power in ancient Rome than in
2 In the next-to-last paragraph, the word more modern times?
supernatural means—
F An emperor
F lucky
G A politician
G normal
H A fortuneteller
H miraculous
J A military commander
J beneficial
7 Which reason best explains why a Roman
3 Which animals were most important to emperor would encourage his people’s
the commanders of Roman ships? belief in spirits?
A Crows A Because such beliefs made the people
easier to control
B Eagles
B Because the emperor wanted others
C Vultures

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

to share his own superstitions
D Chickens
C Because the people could not under-
stand natural science
4 This passage is mainly about—
D Because the emperor wanted the
F daily life in ancient Rome
people to be happy and secure
G superstitions of the ancient Romans
8 What was the author’s main purpose for
H the government of the ancient
writing this passage?
Romans
F To tell stories about life in ancient
J the importance of animals to the
Rome
ancient Romans
G To explain the beliefs of the early
Romans
H To describe the buildings of ancient
Rome
J To persuade readers to learn more
about Roman history

86 Standardized Test Preparation, Texas Edition Elements of Literature

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A NSWER K EY R EADING M INI -T EST

THE USES OF SUPERSTITION

1. B [vocabulary development] 5. A [detail]
2. H [affix] 6. H [conclusion]
3. D [detail] 7. A [inference]
4. G [main idea] 8. G [author’s purpose]

TAAS DOCTOR
Item 2 asks students to apply the meanings of prefixes and suffixes to determine the meaning of
a word.
F Incorrect. Romans could have viewed an eclipse as something lucky, but the word lucky does
not fit the overall context of the sentence.
G Incorrect. Romans probably did not view eclipses as normal, for they occur so rarely.
Moreover, the word normal does not fit the context of the sentence.
H Best answer. Supernatural comes from the word parts super and natural. Super means
“special” or “out of the ordinary,” and natural means “having to do with the ways of nature
or the ways of the world.” Therefore, miraculous is the best choice because supernatural
describes something that is beyond or outside the normal ways of nature, and that is how
the Romans likely viewed an eclipse.
J Incorrect.The Romans could have viewed an eclipse as something beneficial, but the word
does not fit the context of the sentence.
Item 6 asks students to draw a conclusion.
F Incorrect. Modern emperors, like Japan’s Hirohito, have held great power.
G Incorrect. Politicians today, as in ancient Greece, hold great power.
H Best answer. Long ago many people believed and followed the advice of fortunetellers, while
few people do so today. As a result, fortunetellers held much more power in ancient Rome
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

than they do in modern times.

J Incorrect. In democratic countries, military commanders serve at the direction of popularly
elected leaders. However, they still have significant power. In less democratic countries, mili-
tary leaders generally hold even more power.
Item 8 asks students to recognize the author’s purpose.
F Incorrect.The passage does relate a few incidents about life in ancient Rome. However, the
author’s main purpose is not to tell stories, but to explain how important superstitions were
to the ancient Romans.
G Best answer. The entire passage deals with the superstitious beliefs of the ancient Romans.
H Incorrect.The buildings of ancient Rome are mentioned briefly, but only as the author makes
a larger point about the superstitious fear of owls.
J Incorrect. Although the passage may interest some readers in learning more about ancient
Rome, that is not the author’s main purpose.

Elements of Literature Standardized Test Preparation, Texas Edition 87