TOEFL >> Reading >> In the reading part of the TOEFL exam, Passages require understanding of rhetorical functions such as cause-effect, compare-contrast and argumentation. Students answer questions about main ideas, details, inferences, essential information, sentence insertion, vocabulary, rhetorical purpose and overall ideas.
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TOEFL Reading - Worksheet 21
Read the passage and choose the best answer to each question.
1. The word deity in the passage is closest in meaning to
- ruler
- creator
- god or goddess
- sovereign
2. The word dethroned in the passage is closest in meaning to
- thrown out
- executed
- imprisoned
- removed from power
3. All of the following statements are completely accurate EXCEPT
- His brothers alone helped him dethrone their father
- Zeus was the son of Kronos and Rhea
- Zeus had five brothers and sisters
- Zeus appointed Poseidon to rule over the sea
4. The passage supports which one of the following statements?
- Zeus was named Jupiter by the Romans, which means "father of the light"
- Zeus was considered by his siblings to be intelligent
- Zeus appointed Hestia to rule over the social life of mankind
- Zeus was jealous of the world established under him as chief
5. The word wielding in the passage is closest in meaning to
- throwing
- using the power of
- holding
- threatening
Zeus
Zeus was the chief deity of the Greeks, the sovereign ruler of the world, the father of gods and men, the mightiest of the gods, and to whose will as central, all must bow. He was the son of Kronos and Rhea. With the help of his brothers and sisters, he dethroned his father, seized the sovereign power, and appointed them certain provinces of the universe to administer in his name - Hera to rule with him as queen above, Poseidon over the sea, Pluto over the nether world, Demeter over the fruits of the earth, Hestia over social life of mankind. To his dynasty all the powers in heaven and earth were more or less related, descended from it and dependent on it and he himself was to the Greeks the symbol of the intelligence which was henceforth to be the life and light of men, an idea which is reflected in the name Jupiter given him by the Romans, which means "father of the day". He is represented as having his throne in heaven, and as wielding a thunderbolt in his right hand, in symbol of the jealousy with which he guards the order of the world established under him as chief.
Source: The Nuttal Encyclopaedia
