16. Which sentence, if inserted in the blank space in
the passage, would make the best sense in the
context of the passage?
a. The director, Peter Hall, had to beg the theater
management not to close the play immedi-
ately but to wait for the Sunday reviews.
b. Despite the audience reaction, the cast and
director believed in the play.
c. It looked as if Waiting for Godot was begin-
ning a long run as the most controversial play
of London’s 1955 season.
d. Waiting for Godot was in danger of closing the
first week of its run and of becoming nothing
more than a footnote in the annals of the Eng-
lish stage.
e. The audience and critics all completely mis-
understood Beckett’s play.
17. Judging from the information provided in the
paragraph, which of the following statements is
accurate?
a. The 1955 production of Waiting for Godot was
the play’s first performance.
b. Waiting for Godot was written by Peter Hall.
c. The sets and characters in Waiting for Godot
were typical of London stage productions in
the 1950s.
d. Waiting for Godot was not first performed in
English.
e. Waiting for Godot has a complicated plot.
18. Which of the following provides the best defini-
tion of the term “avant-garde” as the author

intends it in the passage?
a. innovative
b. unintelligible
c. foreign
d. highbrow
e. eccentric
19. Which of the following best describes the atti-
tude of the author of the passage toward the play
Waiting for Godot?
a. It was a curiosity in theater history.
b. It is the most important play of the 20th
century.
c. It had no effect on theater.
d. It is too repetitious.
e. It represents a turning point in stage history.
Answer questions 20 and 21 on the basis of the fol-
lowing passage.
May is National Reading Month. In conjunction
with the public library, the city is offering half-fare
rides to anyone carrying a library card. In order to
receive the half-price fare, each passenger must
show the driver his or her current library card and
deposit one-half the fare in the collection box. Dri-
vers will record these fares in the “special fares” sec-
tion on the trip sheets for each route.
20. John and Mary Burton get on the bus driven by
Operator Hudson at the corner of Sherman
Avenue and West 123rd Street. John shows Hud-
son his library card and deposits half-fare in the
collection box. Mary deposits half-fare in the col-

lection box. The couple move toward their seats.
What should Operator Hudson do first?
a. Proceed to the next stop without saying any-
thing
b. Inform Mary that she must exit the bus
c. Assume Mary has a library card, too
d. Inform Mary that she may acquire a library
card at any branch of the library
e. Tell Mary that if she does not have a library
card, she will have to pay full fare
–DIAGNOSTIC CBEST EXAM–
33
21. The passage implies that
a. many bus passengers like to read.
b. many transit employees have library cards.
c. bus drivers regularly deal with special fares.
d. several bus routes service the public library.
e. literacy rates increase due to government
intervention.
Answer question 22 on the basis of the following
passage.
In space flight there are the obvious hazards of
meteors, debris, and radiation; however, astronauts
must also deal with two vexing physiological foes—
muscle atrophy and bone loss. Space shuttle astro-
nauts, because they spend only about a week in
space, undergo minimal wasting of bone and mus-
cle. But when longer stays in microgravity or zero
gravity are contemplated, as in the proposed space
station or a two-year round-trip voyage to Mars,

these problems are of particular concern because
they could become acute.
22. The most appropriate audience for the passage
would be students in
a. a physiology class.
b. an engineering class.
c. a physics class.
d. an astronomy class.
e. a history of science class.
Answer question 23 on the basis of the following
passage.
Light pollution is a growing problem worldwide.
Like other forms of pollution, light pollution
degrades the quality of the environment. Where
once it was possible to look up at the night sky and
see thousands of twinkling stars in the inky black-
ness, one now sees little more than the yellow glare
of urban sky glow. When we lose the ability to con-
nect visually with the vastness of the universe by
looking up at the night sky, we lose our connection
with something profoundly important to the
human spirit, our sense of wonder.
23. The passage implies that the most serious dam-
age done by light pollution is to our
a. artistic appreciation.
b. sense of physical well-being.
c. cultural advancement.
d. spiritual selves.
e. intellectual curiosity.
Answer questions 24–27 on the basis of the follow-

ing poem by Emily Dickinson.
Apparently with no surprise
To any happy flower,
The frost beheads it at its play
In accidental power.
The blond assassin passes on,
The sun proceeds unmoved
To measure off another day
For an approving God.
24. Which of the following most nearly describes the
author’s attitude toward nature as expressed in
this poem?
a. delight
b. dismay
c. indifference
d. reverence
e. deference
–DIAGNOSTIC CBEST EXAM–
34
25. What is “the blond assassin” referred to in the
poem?
a. the flowers
b. the frost
c. the sun
d. God
e. nature
26. The poem implies that the attitude of the flowers
toward the frost is one of
a. fear.
b. horror.

c. acceptance.
d. reverence.
e. awe.
27. The tone of the poem implies that the speaker
probably regards God as
a. benevolent.
b. just.
c. cruel.
d. angry.
e. non-existent.
Answer questions 28–29 on the basis of the follow-
ing table.
THE FUJITA–PEARSON
TORNADO INTENSITY SCALE
CLASSIFI- WIND
CATION SPEED DAMAGE
F0 72 MPH Mild
F1 73–112 MPH Moderate
F2 113–157 MPH Significant
F3 158–206 MPH Severe
F4 207–260 MPH Devastating
F5 260–319 MPH Cataclysmic
F6 319–379 MPH Overwhelming
28. A tornado with a wind speed of 173 mph would
be assigned which classification?
a. F0
b. F1
c. F2
d. F3
e. F4

29. The names of the categories in the third column,
labeled “Damage,” could best be described as
a. scientific.
b. descriptive.
c. objective.
d. persuasive.
e. whimsical.
Answer question 30 on the basis of the following
passage.
James Carruthers’ recent essays attempt to redefine
arts criticism as a play of critical intelligence that
can take place free from the bonds of political par-
tisanship. In Carruthers’ view, this play of the mind,
working itself free from constraints, is the only eth-
ical approach to the arts.
30. What is the best definition of the word “play” as
it is used in the above passage?
a. to act or conduct oneself in a specified way
b. to move or operate freely within a confined
space
c. to pretend to be; mimic the activities of
d. to behave carelessly or indifferently
e. to stake or wager in a game
–DIAGNOSTIC CBEST EXAM–
35
Answer questions 31–36 on the basis of the follow-
ing passage.
In his famous study of myth, The Hero With a Thou-
sand Faces, Joseph Campbell writes about the
archetypal hero who has ventured outside the

boundaries of the village and, after many trials and
adventures, has returned with the boon that will
save or enlighten his fellows. Like Carl Jung, Camp-
bell believes that the story of the hero is part of the
collective unconscious of all humankind. He likens
the returning hero to the sacred or tabooed per-
sonage described by James Frazier in The Golden
Bough. Such an individual must, in many instances
of myth, be insulated from the rest of society, “not
merely for his own sake but for the sake of others;
for since the virtue of holiness is, so to say, a pow-
erful explosive which the smallest touch can deto-
nate, it is necessary in the interest of the general
safety to keep it within narrow bounds.”
There is __________ between the archetypal
hero who has journeyed into the wilderness and the
poet who has journeyed into the realm of imagina-
tion. Both places are dangerous and full of wonders,
and both, at their deepest levels, are journeys that
take place into the kingdom of the unconscious
mind, a place that, in Campbell’s words,“goes down
into unsuspected Aladdin caves. There not only jew-
els but dangerous jinn abide ”
31. Based on the passage, which of the following
would best describe the hero’s journey?
a. wonderful
b. terrifying
c. awesome
d. whimsical
e. mundane

32. The title of Campbell’s book, The Hero With a
Thousand Faces, is meant to convey
a. the many villagers whose lives are changed by
the story the hero has to tell.
b. the fact that the hero journeys into many dif-
ferent imaginary countries.
c. the many languages into which the myth of
the hero has been translated.
d. the many adventures the archetypal hero has
during the journey into the wilderness.
e. the universality of the myth of the hero who
journeys into the wilderness.
33. Based on the passage, which of the following best
describes the story that will likely be told by
Campbell’s returning hero and Frazier’s sacred
or tabooed personage?
a. a radically mind-altering story
b. a story that will terrify people to no good end
c. a warning of catastrophe to come
d. a story based on a dangerous lie
e. a parable aimed at establishing a religious
movement
34. Which of the following is the most accurate defi-
nition of “boon” as the word is used in the
passage?
a. gift
b. blessing
c. charm
d. prize
e. prayer

35. The phrase that would most accurately fit into
the blank in the first sentence of the second para-
graph is
a. much similarity.
b. a wide gulf.
c. long-standing conflict.
d. an abiding devotion.
e. great diversity.
–DIAGNOSTIC CBEST EXAM–
36
36. As depicted in the last sentence of the passage,
“Aladdin’s caves” are most likely to be found in
a. holy books.
b. fairy tales.
c. the fantasies of the hero.
d. the hero’s preparation for the journey.
e. the unconscious mind.
Answer questions 37–40 on the basis of the follow-
ing passage.
Typically people think of genius, whether it mani-
fests in Mozart’s composing symphonies at age five
or Einstein’s discovery of relativity, as having a qual-
ity not just of the supernatural, but also of the
eccentric. People see genius as a “good” abnormal-
ity; moreover, they think of genius as a completely
unpredictable abnormality. Until recently, psychol-
ogists regarded the quirks of genius as too erratic to
describe intelligibly; however, Anna Findley’s
ground-breaking study uncovers predictable pat-
terns in the biographies of geniuses. These patterns

do not dispel the common belief that there is a kind
of supernatural intervention in the lives of unusu-
ally talented men and women, however, even
though they occur with regularity. __________,
Findley shows that all geniuses experience three
intensely productive periods in their lives, one of
which always occurs shortly before their deaths; this
is true whether the genius lives to nineteen or
ninety.
37. Which word or phrase, if inserted into the blank
space above, best defines the relationship of the
last sentence in the passage to the one preceding
it?
a. For example
b. Despite this
c. However
d. In other words
e. Nevertheless
38. According to the information presented in the
passage, what is the general populace’s opinion
of genius?
a. It is mystical and magical.
b. It is predictable and uncommon.
c. It is supercilious and abnormal.
d. It is unpredictable and erratic.
e. It is extraordinary and erratic.
39. Which of the following would be the best title
for the passage?
a. Understanding Mozarts and Einsteins
b. Predicting the Life of a Genius

c. The Uncanny Patterns in the Lives of Geniuses
d. Pattern and Disorder in the Lives of Geniuses
e. Supernatural Intervention in the Life of the
Genius
40. Given the information in the passage, which of
the following statements is true?
a. Anna Findley is a biographer.
b. All geniuses are eccentric and unpredictable.
c. A genius has three prolific times in his or her
life.
d. Mozart discovered relativity.
e. Geniuses experience three fallow periods in
their lives.
–DIAGNOSTIC CBEST EXAM–
37
Answer questions 41 and 42 on the basis of the fol-
lowing passage.
Scientists have developed an innovative magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) procedure that reveals
details of tissues and organs which are difficult to
see by conventional MRI. By using this new proce-
dure, which detects inert gases, scientists have taken
the first clear MRI pictures of human lungs and
airways. Conventional MRI, because it images
water protons, provides poor images of the lungs,
which are filled, not with water, but with air. Chest
X rays can detect tumors or inflamed regions in the
lungs but provide poor soft-tissue contrast and no
clear view of air passages. Computed tomography
can provide high resolution images of the walls of

the lungs and its airways but gives no measure of
function.
41. According to information in the passage, the
MRI innovation is different from standard imag-
ing procedures in that it
a. distinguishes gases rather than simply distin-
guishing fluids.
b. can detect tumors or inflamed regions in the
lungs.
c. provides high resolution images of the walls of
the lungs.
d. provides better images of water-filled tissues.
e. uses computed tomography.
42. According to information in the passage, the
inability to generate satisfactory images of air
routes is a deficiency of
a. computed tomography.
b. hyperpolarization.
c. high resolution images.
d. X rays.
e. MRI operators.
Answer question 43 on the basis of the following
passage.
Over the last twenty years, worldwide illiteracy rates
have consistently declined. The main reason for this
decline is the sharp increase of literacy rates among
young women, which is the result of campaigns to
increase educational opportunities for girls. For
example, between 1970 and 1990, the literacy rate
among women in the United Arab Emirates

increased from seven percent to 76 percent.
43. Based on the passage, the author would tend to
agree with which of the following statements?
a. Men and women should have equal access to
education.
b. It has been shown that women with increased
education have fewer children.
c. Males traditionally have a greater need for
higher education.
d. Countries should be required to demonstrate
increased literacy rates in order to qualify for
U.S. foreign aid.
e. Throughout the world, women need medical
care more than the ability to read.
Answer question 44 on the basis of the following
passage.
Jessie Street is sometimes called the Australian
Eleanor Roosevelt. Like Roosevelt, Street lived a life
of privilege, while at the same time devoting her
efforts to working for the rights of the disenfran-
chised, including workers, women, refugees, and
Aborigines. In addition, she gained international
fame when she was the only woman on the Aus-
tralian delegation to the conference that founded
the United Nations—just as Eleanor Roosevelt was
for the United States.
–DIAGNOSTIC CBEST EXAM–
38