Reading Keys - Online Practice
Understanding the Terms General and Specific

Copyright 2006 © Laraine Flemming.
The right to copy this material is granted exclusively to instructors and students using textbooks written by Laraine Flemming. General distribution and redistribution are strictly prohibited.

Directions: Below each general sentence, you will find three specific sentences. Two of these make the general sentence clearer and one doesn’t. Select the one that does not make the general sentence clearer. When you are done, click the Submit button. You will receive a score and find explanations in boxes to the right of the choices.

1. General Sentence: Milk is rich in vitamins and minerals.
Specific Sentences:
a. An eight-ounce glass of milk provides 100 units of vitamin D.

b. Milk is an excellent source of calcium.
c. Milk does not contain any vitamin C.
2. General Sentence: The Navajo Nation is large and growing larger.
Specific Sentences:
a. About 220,000 people are members of the Navajo Nation.

b. The Navajos call themselves Dineh, which can be translated as "the people."
c. Navajo reservation lands are as large as the combined states of Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
3. General Sentence: Americans are developing a taste for tea.
Specific Sentences:
a. Department stores are seeing a greater demand for teapots.

b. Tea rooms are opening up all over the country.
c. Much of the tea in tea bags comes from Argentina.
4. General Sentence: First names influence the impression we make on others.
Specific Sentences:
a. Tiffany is currently a very popular name among girls.

b. One study evaluated hundreds of names and discovered that boys named "David" were rated high in intelligence.
c. Another study showed that people using formal first names ("Patricia") received more respect than those using nicknames ("Patty").
5. General Sentence: Every year, alcoholism results in death and misery for millions.
Specific Sentences:
a. Alcoholism plays a role in one out of four hospital admissions.

b. Most children of alcoholics do not become heavy drinkers.
c. Alcoholism plays a role in 46 percent of teenage suicides.

Last change made to this page: 02/28/06

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