Question

Read the following paragraphs to answer the next four questions (Questions 16 - 19).
Among predatory dinosaurs, few flesh-eaters were bigger, faster and nastier than the
"tyrant lizard" of popular imagination, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. At least, that is what we
have been led to believe.
Now research suggests that, far from being the Ferrari of dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus Rex,
whose ferocious reputation has fascinated generations of schoolchildren, was in fact a
cumbersome creature with a usual running speed of twenty-five kilometres an hour. This
is a mere snail's pace compared with modern animals such as the cheetah.
Unlike some of the predators of today's African savannah, which can change direction
almost immediately, the dinosaur would have had to turn slowly or risk tumbling over. And
while a human can spin forty-five degrees in a twentieth of a second, a Tyrannosaurus
would have taken as much as two seconds, as it would have been hampered by its long
tail. Thankfully, however, all its prey, such as triceratops, would have been afflicted with
the same lack of speed and agility.
The findings were reached after researchers used computer modelling and biomechanical
calculations to work out the dinosaur's speed, agility and weight. They based their
calculations on measurements taken from a fossil dinosaur representative of an average
Tyrannosaurus and concluded the creatures probably weighed between six and eight
tonnes.
Calculations of the leg muscles suggest that the animal would have had a top speed of
forty kilometres an hour, which is nothing compared to a cheetah’s one hundred
kilometres an hour. It is sobering to reflect, though, that an Olympic sprinter runs at about
thirty-five kilometres an hour, not sufficient to outrun a Tyrannosaurus, should Man have
been around at that time!
Question 16
Being known as the ‘Ferrari of dinosaurs’ means Tyrannosaurus Rex:
A: wore shoes.
B: was a quick and agile creature.
C: was a hunting machine.
D: was the most ferocious of dinosaurs.
E: None of these.
Question 17
In turning, a Tyrannosaurus would have been hampered by:
A: its weight.
B: its bulky leg muscles.
C: its overall size.
D: its tail length.
E: All of the above.
Question 18
In calculating the size, speed and agility of Tyrannosaurus Rex, scientists used:
A: examination of fossils.
B: biomechanical calculations and computer models.
C: comparisons with modern animals.
D: A and B together.
E: B and C together.
Question 19
The overall theme of the passage is:
A: Because it was cumbersome, Tyrannosaurus Rex was lucky to survive.
B: Tyrannosaurus Rex’s speed and agility were still superior to those of other dinosaurs.
C: Tyrannosaurus Rex’s fierce reputation is now laid to rest.
D: Compared to modern predatory animals, Tyrannosaurus Rex was slow and cumbersome.
E: None of these.

Answer 1

Explanation:

16) D: was the most ferocious of dinosaurs.

17) E: All of the above.

18) D:A and B together.

19) B: Tyrannosaurus Rex’s speed and agility were still superior to those of other dinosaurs.