Read the text. Answer the questions. You can reread the text to confirm your thinking. 1
Which statement best expresses the central claim of this article?

A. The American Dream is only as powerful as it is perceived to be.
B. The effort one puts into succeeding has little to do with achieving success.
C. Barriers to individuals' achievement of the American Dream hurt society as a whole.
D. Those who are not hopeful about their opportunities in life are unlikely to ever reach their goals.
2
Which of these sentences should be included in a strong summary of this article?

A. Cezar Iordan came to the United States from Romania when he was 20.
B. The author believes that the current generation is spoiled.
C. In the state of Illinois, a person needs a business license to be a professional mover.
D. The findings of a new Journal of Poverty study are raising questions about young people’s confidence in the American Dream.
3
What piece of evidence provides the strongest support for the claim that young adults are losing confidence in the American Dream?

A. the Journal of Poverty's study of 1996
B. the Journal of Poverty's study fifteen years later, in 2011
C. the quotation that begins, "You can always work hard, but if you aren't given the opportunity..."
D. the estimate that one in every three U. S. workers needs to get permission in order to work
4
Why does the author include the evidence, “the National Bureau of Economic Research estimates that 1 of every 3 U. S. workers needs government permission before they are legally allowed to work”?

A. to explain why so many young people have decided not to start their own businesses
B. to demonstrate how many people in the United States are not allowed to work legally
C. to support her claim that government permission to work is a barrier to the American Dream
D. to provide a counterargument to the claim that the U. S. government supports people in pursuing the American Dream
5
How does the author connect the example of Cezar Iordan in the introduction to the central claim about the current state of the American Dream?

A. Iordan is a young person who has not lost faith in the American Dream, which the author believes is dying among a new, spoiled generation.
B. Iordan ran into problems starting a business because of the need for business licensing, which the author believes needs to be removed to make the American Dream easier to achieve.
C. Iordan is an immigrant who has found success in the United States, and the author is making the argument that immigrants are the most important part of the future of the United States.
D. Iordan started his business while he was also going to school, and the author is trying to convince readers that the secret to the American Dream is to pursue both educational and business opportunities at the same time.
6
What is the most likely reason that the writer includes another interpretation of the Journal of Poverty's report: that an entire generation is giving up before becoming adults?

A. to illustrate why the report's findings have been so controversial
B. to make it clear that hopelessness can have serious consequences
C. to demonstrate that there can be different ways to interpret research data
D. to explain the basis of her claim that society suffers if an entire generation dismisses the American Dream
7
Which of these quotations from the article assumes that the audience believes that hard work and efforts to succeed are valuable?

A. "On one hand, maybe some of these students are spoiled."
B. "They can't say they don't have resources at their disposal."
C. "No one ever said the American Dream is easy, or should be."
D. "If that happens, we all suffer."
8
Which statement best describes the main reason for the writer's belief that the American Dream may be dying?

A. Research shows that many fewer young people are optimistic about their future than used to be.
B. The writer believes that personal sacrifice is difficult and may be less common than it once was.
C. A third of all U. S. workers need government permission to pursue work as entrepreneurs or employees.
D. A student, who is presumably representative of those surveyed, believes that people cannot create opportunities for themselves.
9
The American Dream is mainly the idea that ...

A. all people are created equal.
B. everyone will be treated justly under the law.
C. anyone can achieve success and prosperity through hard work.
D. no one will be held back from reaching his or her individual goals in life.
10
What is the author’s purpose in writing the concluding paragraph of this article?

A. to convince readers to take action on this issue
B. to clearly state why the issue is relevant to readers
C. to summarize the most important evidence in the article
D. to leave readers with an important question to consider