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The Pleasure of Tea - Much has been written about the Japanese tea (September 2023 - G01)
PASSAGE III
The Pleasure of Tea
[1]
Much has been written about the Japanese tea ceremony and its sophisticated ritual. It is very beautiful, though unavailable to most people in the United States. Equally inaccessible arethe British afternoon tea in the company of friends, with its bone china, cucumber sandwiches, and outstretched pinkies. What I foundutterly pleasurable though,is my solitary microwave tea.
[2]
It is this ritual tea that has taught me to take pleasurein the familiar. Often in the past, I would find myselfwaiting for the big event, the grand finale that would solveall my problems and make everything perfect. In time Ihave come to learn that there are no fairy-tale endings: Imust find joy in the things I do every day. And my three-part ritual evening tea is special because of that.
[3]
I reach for my mug and choose the tea—will it be a Darjeeling or the special-occasion jasmine? I slowly poured the water over the teabag, set the mug in themicrowave, and punch the familiar sequence, wait for the start of the hum, and watch the carousel turn—theseare all part of that magic ceremony. Next comes the two minutes of absolute freedom, time in which I can do anything I want: listen to a bit of news on the radio, Dwash the cereal bowl from breakfast, or just lean back against the counter, close my eyes, and take a few deep breaths.
[4]
Therefore, the dingof the microwave announcing the end of the first part of the ritual and thebeginning of the next. I pull out the teabag, wring out thelast few drops, toss it into the wastebasket with a wetthwop,spoon in the sugar, stir in the milk, in the rehearsedmotions of a familiar choreography. Finally, satisfied with the bright orange-brown color that the well-made cup of tea must have, I took the mug to my couch and set it down on a marble coaster.
[5]
Now I am ready for the third and best part of my ritual: sipping the tea while I reflect on whatever takes my fancy. It is the best and most perfect way to end my day.
Questions from the Passage II
31) A. NO CHANGE B. being C. were D. is
32) F. NO CHANGE G. find H. had found J. will be finding
33) A.NO CHANGE B. pleasurable, though C. pleasurable, though, D. pleasurable, though;
34) F. NO CHANGE G. would pour H. had poured J. pour
35) Which choice best summarizes the writer’s attitudetoward this two-minute period, as described in the restof this sentence?
A. NO CHANGE
B. of complete inactivity,
C. of decision time,
D. for finishing my chores,
36) At this point, the writer is considering adding the fol-lowing clause: which my sister Chitra does not like at allbecause of the noise, Should the writer make this addition here?
F. Yes, because it introduces another character intothis essay.
G. Yes, because it provides information about thewriter’s family.
H. No, because the sudden reference to family is adigression from Paragraph 3’s primary focus.
J. No, because it does not give a complete picture ofthe writer’s family.
37) The writer wants to add a sentence here that would emphasize this sense of relaxation. Which of the follow-ing would most effectively accomplish this purpose?
A. There is nothing like a few deep breaths.
B. I can feel my tension draining away.
C. Any of these will work for me.
D. It is a slow time.
38) F. NO CHANGE G. However, H. Then, J. Nevertheless,
39) A. NO CHANGE B. was announced C. announces D. is announced
40) F. NO CHANGE G. Finally satisfied; H .Finally satisfied, J. Finally, satisfied,
41) A. NO CHANGE B. had taken C. am taking D. take
42) F. NO CHANGEG.third, and best partH.third, and, best partJ.third, and best part,
43) Which of the following alternatives to the underlinedportion would NOT be acceptable?
A. while reflecting
B. while I’m reflecting
C. as I reflect
D. as one reflects
44) F. NO CHANGE G. perfectly best H. best and perfect J. perfect
Question 45 asks about the preceding passageas a whole.
45) The writer is considering inserting the following sen-tence at the beginning of Paragraph 3:
The first part of my ritual includes severalsteps.
The writer should add this sentence because it will:
A. provide an effective transition and serve to distin-guish one part of the ritual from the others.
B. reinforce the idea that the writer’s solitarymicrowave tea is a special ritual.
C. introduce the idea that there is more than one partto the ritual.
D. further support the idea of the writer’s taking plea-sure in the familiar, mentioned in Paragraph 2.
Solution
Correct answer:
31 - D
32 - G
33 - C
34 - J
35 - A
36 - H
37 - B
38 - H
39 - C
40 - F
41 - D
42 - F
43 - D
44 - J
45 - A
Here are the subjects we can list about the text "The Pleasure of Tea":
- Valuing the simple: The text contrasts the sophistication of the Japanese tea ceremony and British afternoon tea with the pleasure found in a simple microwave tea ([1]).
- Joy in everyday life: The author defends the importance of finding joy in the things we do every day, rather than waiting for big events ([2]).
- Homemade tea ritual: The text describes the author's ritual of making and drinking tea as something special and pleasurable ([3, 4]).
Importance of the ritual: The ritual brings comfort and creates a pleasant routine for the author ([3]).
- Moments of peace: The tea ritual provides a moment of pause and relaxation at the end of the day ([3]).
- Choice of tea and preparation: The text mentions the choice of type of tea and describes the preparation steps ([3]).
- Final reflection: Drinking the tea is described as a moment of reflection for the author ([5]).
- Relaxing conclusion: The text ends by emphasizing that tea is the perfect way to end the day ([5]).
Exam Edition: September 2023 - G01
Exam Year: 2023
Related topics: Text interpretation, Reading, Grammar