Chapter 11: Mastery Test 8
 
A. Read the following passage. Then choose "a. valid inference" for the five inferences that are firmly supported by the details in the passage.

Reactive or Proactive Attitudes

     1On an everyday basis, all of us deal with a set of issues and events ranging from personal issues (such as job or school stress, financial needs, and family demands) to global issues (such as world hunger and world peace).
     2Often the way we word our ideas reveals our attitudes about our own sense of power. 3According to Stephen R. Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, most of us have either a "proactive" or "reactive" attitude. 4For example, a reactive student who is constantly late with assignments might say, "I wish I could be on time with my assignments, but I just can't help it; something always comes up." 5In contrast, a proactive student thinks, "I am going to set up a schedule so that I can get my assignments completed on time."
     6A proactive individual understands that he or she must take responsibility for his or her own actions. 7For proactive people, circumstances do not dictate success—they themselves do. 8Feelings do not rule behaviors, and decisions are based on values and goals. 9A perfect example of the difference between reactive and proactive attitudes can be seen in the different ways people think of love. 10A reactive person thinks of love primarily as a feeling. 11Thus as the feelings of love diminish, the commitment to the relationship weakens. 12A proactive person, by contrast, looks at love as an act of will. 13The decision to be loyal to the commitment stays strong even if feelings diminish.
      1. A reactive person does not take responsibility for his or her actions.  

 
 
      2. Proactive people are usually more successful than reactive people.  

 
 
      3. Reactive people are more likely to be affected by circumstances (such as the weather) than proactive people are.  

 
 
      4. Most people are proactive.  

 
 
      5. "I can" is a proactive statement.  

 
 
      6. Proactive people are not affected by what others think of them.  

 
 
      7. Events do not hurt us, but how we respond to them can.  

 
 
      8. Once a reactive person, always a reactive person.  

 
 
      9. "I choose" is a reactive statement.  

 
 
      B. Read the following textbook passage; then answer the questions that follow it.

Asian Americans on the Rise

     1Asian Americans were the fastest-growing minority group in the United States at the end of the 20th century. 2In 1999, there were nearly 11 million Americans of Asian or Pacific Island descent. 3Although they represented only 3.9 percent of the total U.S. population, they were increasing at seven times the national rate. 4Experts believe that by 2050, one in ten Americans will be of Asian origin.
     5Compared to other minorities, Asian Americans are fairly well educated and affluent. 6Three out of four Asian youths graduate from high school, compared to less than one out of two for African Americans and Latinos. 7Asian Americans also have the highest percentage of college graduates, and they earn more doctoral degrees than any other minority group. 8Many Asian Americans have entered professional fields. 9As a result, the average income in 1998 for Asian American families was over $4,000 higher than the national average.
     10Not all Asian Americans have fared well, however. 11Refugees from Southeast Asia have faced both economic hardship and persecution. 12The average family income for Vietnamese Americans was $8,000 below that of whites. 13Vietnamese fishermen who settled on the Gulf Coast suffered repeated attacks on their livelihood in Texas and Louisiana. 14In the Los Angeles riots in 1992, Korean stores and shops became a main target for looting and firebombing.
     15But overall, the experience of Asian Americans has been a positive one. 16They came to America seeking economic opportunity or, as many put it, "to climb the mountain of gold." 17"People are looking for a better life," a Chinese spokeswoman explained. 18"It's as simple as that. 19And we will continue to come here."

—Adapted from Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, & Williams, The American Story, pp. 1085-86.

10. The best statement of the implied central idea for the passage is  

 
 
 
      Choose "a. valid inference" for the four inferences that are firmly supported by the details in the passage.

11. The word affluent in sentence 5 means "wealthy."  

 
 
      12. Asian Americans are smarter than other Americans.  

 
 
      13. Asian immigrants face fewer problems adjusting to life in America than other minority groups.  

 
 
      14. Asian Americans value education.  

 
 
      15. Asian Americans have a strong work ethic.  

 
 
      16. Asian Americans have a strong sense of family.  

 
 





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