Reading 06 - 05

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5 10 15 20	Staggering tasks confronted the people of the United States, North and South, when the Civil War ended. About a million and a half soldiers from both sides had to be demobilized, readjusted to civilian life, and reabsorbed by the devastated economy. Civil government also had to be put back on a peacetime basis and interference from   the military had to be stopped.      The desperate plight of the South has eclipsed the fact that reconstruction had to be undertaken also in the North, though less spectacularly. Industries had to adjust to peacetime conditions; factories had to be retooled for civilian needs.      Financial problems loomed large in both the North and the South. The national debt had shot up from a modest $65 million in 1861, the year the war started, to nearly $3 billion in 1865, the year the war ended. This was a colossal sum for those days but one that a prudent government could pay. At the same time, war taxes had to be reduced to less burdensome levels.      Physical devastation caused by invading armies, chiefly in the South and border states, had to be repaired. This herculean task was ultimately completed, but with discouraging slowness.      Other important questions needed answering. What would be the future of the four million black people who were freed from slavery? On what basis were the Southern states to be brought back into the Union?      What of the Southern leaders, all of whom were liable to charges of treason? One of these leaders, Jefferson Davis, president of the Southern Confederacy, was the subject of an insulting popular Northern song, "Hang Jeff Davis from a Sour Apple Tree," and even children sang it. Davis was temporarily chained in his prison cell during the early days of his two-year imprisonment. But he and the other Southern leaders were finally released, partly because it was unlikely that a jury from Virginia, a Southern Confederate state, would convict them. All the leaders were finally pardoned by President Johnson in 1868 in an effort to help reconstruction efforts proceed with as little bitterness as possible.
42. What does the passage mainly discuss? (A) Wartime expenditures (B) Problems facing the United States after the war (C) Methods of repairing the damage caused by the war (D) The results of government efforts to revive the economy 43. The word " Staggering" inline 1 is closest in meaning to (A) specialized (B) confusing (C) various (D) overwhelming 44. The word "devastated" in line 3 is closest in meaning to (A) developing (B) ruined (C) complicated (D) fragile 45. According to the passage, which of the following statements about the damage in the South is correct? (A) It was worse than in the North. (B) The cost was less than expected. (C) It was centered in the border states. (D) It was remedied rather quickly. 46. The passage refers to all of the following as necessary steps following the Civil War EXCEPT (A) helping soldiers readjust (B) restructuring industry (C) returning government to normal (D) increasing taxes 47. The word "task" in line 15 refers to (A) raising the tax level (B) sensible financial choices (C) wise decisions about former slaves (D) reconstructions of damaged areas 48. Why does the author mention a popular song in lines 22-23? (A) To give an example of a Northern attitude towards the South (B) To illustrate the Northern love of music (C) To emphasize the cultural differences between the North and South (D) To compare the Northern and Southern presidents 49. The word "them" in line 26 refers to (A) charges (B) leaders (C) days (D) irons 50. Which of the following can be inferred from the phrase "...it was unlikely that a jury from Virginia, a Southern Confederate state, would convict them"(lines 25-26)? (A) Virginians felt betrayed by Jefferson Davis. (B) A popular song insulted Virginia. (C) Virginians were loyal to their leaders. (D) All of the Virginia military leaders had been put in chains.
42. B 43. D 44. B 45. A 46. D 47. D 48. A 49. B 50. C