Question 71—80 are based on the following passage.
The fact that most Americans live in urban areas does not mean that they reside in the center of large cities. In fact, more Americans live in the suburbs of large metropolitan areas than in the cities themselves.
The Bureau of the Census regards any area with more than 2,500 people as an urban area, and does not consider boundaries of cities and suburbs.
According to the Bureau, the political boundaries are less significant than the social and economic relationships and the transportation and communication systems that integrate a locale. The term used by the Bureau for an integrated metropolis is an MSA, which stands for Metropolitan Statistical Area. In general, an MSA is any area that contains a city and its surrounding suburbs and has a total population of 50,000 or more.
At the present time, the Bureau reports more than 280 MSAs, which together account for 75 percent of the US population. In addition, the Bureau recognizes 18 megapolises, that is, continuous adjacent metropolitan areas. One of the most obvious megapolises includes a chain of hundreds of cities and suburbs across 10 states on the East Coast from Massachusetts to Virginia, including Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. In the Eastern Corridor, as it is called, a population of 45 million inhabitants is concentrated. Another megapolis that is growing rapidly is the California coast from San Francisco through Los Angeles to San Diego.
71. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. Metropolitan Statistical Areas
B. Types of Population Centers
C. The Bureau of the Census
D. Megapolises
72. According to the passage, where do most Americans live?
A. In the center of cities.
B. In the suburbs surrounding large cities.
C. In rural areas.
D. In small towns.
73. The underlined word “reside” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. fill
B. decide
C. occupy
D. live
74. According to the Bureau of the Census, what is an urban area?
A. A chain of adjacent cities.
B. An area with at least 50,000 people.
C. The 18 largest cities.
D. An area with 2,500 people or more.
75. Which of the following are NOT considered important in defining an urban area?
A. Political boundaries.
B. Transportation networks.
C. Social relationships.
D. Economic systems.
76. The underlined word “integrate” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. benefit
B. define
C. unite
D. restrict
77. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. An integrated metropolis is an MSA.
B. MSA stands for Metropolitan Statistical Area.
C. A metropolis includes at least a metropolitan.
D. An MSA refers to city and its suburbs, with over 50,000 people.
78. The underlined word “adjacent” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to _____.
A. beside each other
B. growing very fast
C. the same size
D. densely populated
79. According to the passage, what is a megapolis?
A. One of the 10 largest cities in the United States.
B. One of the 18 largest cities in the United States.
C. One of the 100 cities between Boston and Washington.
D. Any number of continuous adjacent cities and suburbs.
80. Why does the author mention the Eastern Corridor and the California coast in Paragraph 4?
A. As examples of megapolises.
B. Because 75 percent of the population lives there.
C. To conclude the passage.
D. The Bureau of the Census is located there.
