BASIC_COMPREHENSION-SET_1 (1)

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Questions 1 to 3
For a middle-aged woman - she was born in 1959 – Barbie surely is in good shape, and more than just a 
few women envy her looks. Some even go so far as to have extreme plastic surgery to have the same slim 
figure of impossibly long legs and thin waist. The first Barbie doll actually had dark hair, not the long blonde 
hair she is famous for, but just like real women, Barbie changed her hair style, make-up and clothes so as 
to reflect the fashion and trends of the times. Her skin color, however, remained the same for decades. The 
first black Barbie doll would come out only in 1985 sporting the same figure as any other Barbie. Finally, 
in 2016, in order to fix the bad image of selling super skinny dolls to girls and to increase their plummeting 
sales, Mattel introduced the Fashionista dolls, a line of Barbie dolls that features three different body types: 
tall, curvy and petite. They also introduced seven skin tones, 22 eye colors, 30 hair colors, 24 hair styles 
and 14 face models. They expect this variety to allow girls to find a doll that they can connect to.
READING PRACTICE BASIC COMPREHENSIONSET 1
 1. According to the text, how do women feel 
about Barbie?
a) They are envious of her appearance.
b) They wish they didn’t look as old as her.
c) They think she is too thin.
d) They feel they can connect to her.
 2. Which of Barbie’s features changed according 
to fashion over the years?
a) Hair color.
b) Hair color and style.
c) Hair style and clothes.
d) Skin tone and hair color.
 3. Why did Mattel start to produce Barbie dolls 
with several different features?
a) To plunge their sales.
b) To improve the company’s image and 
profits.
c) To make them look more fashionable.
d) To connect the girls.
 4. How many planets are mentioned in the text?
a) Six
b) Four
c) Two
d) One
 5. What do Jupiter and Saturn have in common?
a) They are both gaseous in nature.
b) Both of them are beautiful.
c) They each have 62 moons.
d) Scientists don’t know how they were 
formed.
 6. What can be said about Saturn?
a) It is larger and heavier than the Earth.
b) It is made of ice and rock.
c) Its days are shorter than the Earth’s.
d) Its moons are made of helium and 
hydrogen.
Questions 4 to 6
Much has been said, imagined, published and speculated about Mars, the fourth planet from the sun. 
It is even believed that we have been visited by green creatures from this heavenly body. However, it is 
the sixth planet which is considered the most beautiful in the Solar System. Like Jupiter, another of the 
four outer worlds, also known as the Jovian planets, Saturn is gaseous in nature and contains mostly 
hydrogen and helium while the rings, its most striking feature, are made of ice and rock. Scientists 
haven’t yet come to a conclusion as to how they were formed. What they do know is that its diameter is 
120,500km, almost ten times that of our planet, and that its day corresponds to approximately 10 Earth 
hours. They also know that 62 moons travel around Saturn, Titan being the largest one. This moon alone 
makes up 96 percent of the mass orbiting the planet.
READING PRACTICE BASIC COMPREHENSIONSET 1
 7. What was the purpose of the Ancient Games?
a) To please the gods and promote peace.
b) To encourage physical activities and boost 
competition between the cities.
c) To show the athletes’ performances and 
build up good relations between the cities in 
Greece.
d) To provide entertainment for all Greek 
citizens.
 8. Which of the categories below was NOT 
included in the Ancient Games?
a) Horseback riding.
b) Boxing.
c) Javelin.
d) Rowing.
 9. What CANNOT be said about the Ancient 
Games?
a) Women were not allowed to compete.
b) They were longer than the Modern Games . 
c) There were fewer competitions.
d) They started in the eighth century BC.
10. What were the winners awarded at the Ancient 
Games?
a) A palm branch and a wreath.
b) A palm branch and a red ribbon.
c) Red ribbons and olives.
d) A wreath and a medal.
Questions 7 to 10
The origin of the modern Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC, when the first Ancient Olympic 
Games were held in Olympia in honor of the Olympian gods. The aim of the games was not only to 
show the physical condition and the evolution of the performances achieved by the athletes but also 
to promote good relations between the cities of Greece. In the beginning the Games were a one-day-
event, then they were extended to three days, and by the fifth century BC the event lasted five days. 
The competitions included running, jumping, boxing, pankration, the shot put, the javelin, and equestrian 
events. While all free male Greek citizens were entitled to participate in the competition regardless of 
their social status, no women were allowed to compete. They could watch the games though, as long as 
they were not married. Another difference between the Ancient Games and the Modern Games refers to 
the award ceremony. In the Ancient Games there were two moments when the victor received an award: 
immediately after the competition, when he would receive a palm branch and have red ribbons tied on 
his head and hands, and then again on the last day of the Games. On that occasion, the herald would 
announce the name of the winner, his father’s name and his homeland, and would place the sacred olive 
tree wreath on the winner’s head.