The purpose of passage I is to

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
When it comes to Stone Age technology, it seems, Africa and Eurasia were something of a Silicon Valley, while eastern Asia, until recently, was considered more like a Rust Belt. Human ancestors in Africa and Eurasia were making relatively advanced large stone tools like axes and cleavers hundreds of thousands of years ago. But no similar tools from that time had been found in Asia, supporting a theory that the region was geographically, and thus culturally and perhaps genetically, isolated.
That theory has now taken a pounding, after the announcement, in the current issue of the journal Science, of the discovery of large stone tools in Southern China. The tools, cobbles and large stone flakes that had been extensively chipped into cutting shapes, were dated to about 800,000 years ago. So it appears that the hominids of eastern Asia were as technologically advanced as their counterparts in Africa and Eurasia.
Still, advanced tools have now been found from only one date in eastern Asia, while in Africa and Eurasia they range over about a million years. The authors of the Science paper suggest why this might be: the hominids of the Chinese site might have been taking advantage of a change in their local environment.
Found among the sediments at the site were tektites, glassy objects that can result from a catastrophic event like a meteorite impact, as well as much charcoal. The researchers suggest that the event that created the tektites would have caused wide burning and destruction of forests, exposing cobble outcroppings. The early humans then eventually came to make use of the available stone.

Passage - II
Chinese art goes back many centuries. Early themes were developed from religious and supernatural beliefs or from the natural environment and landscape. One of the oldest and most basic forms of Chinese art is calligraphy, the painting of the Chinese characters with a brush. Calligraphy has developed as a pure art form with its own standards of excellence. Building on the tradition of calligraphy, Chinese painting developed a distinctive style that differs greatly from Western painting. It is more efficient in terms of brushstrokes and appears more abstract. Landscapes have always been a popular theme, and sometimes these appear bizarre to the Western eye. To the Chinese painter, they may represent a figurative view painted with a few swift strokes of the artist's brush. With their stress on simplicity and economy, Chinese calligraphy, painting, and poetry are closely related. In all of them, the artist seeks to express both inner harmony and harmony with the natural surroundings. Chinese poets and painters often have sought inspiration by withdrawing to isolated, mountainous areas, and these landscapes have become conventional themes of Chinese art. Similarly, Chinese architecture has traditionally aimed to convey harmony with society and nature. The magnificent life-size terra-cotta statues of men and horses, discovered in the early 1970s in the tomb of an emperor who died in 210 BC, provide some indication of the long history of Chinese sculpture. After the introduction of Buddhism into China, Buddhist subjects became dominant themes of the sculptor's art. Perhaps best known (and most copied) in the West, however, are the works of Chinese decorative artists, such as pottery, bronzes, lacquer ware, and exquisitely detailed jade and ivory carvings.

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
When it comes to Stone Age technology, it seems, Africa and Eurasia were something of a Silicon Valley, while eastern Asia, until recently, was considered more like a Rust Belt. Human ancestors in Africa and Eurasia were making relatively advanced large stone tools like axes and cleavers hundreds of thousands of years ago. But no similar tools from that time had been found in Asia, supporting a theory that the region was geographically, and thus culturally and perhaps genetically, isolated.
That theory has now taken a pounding, after the announcement, in the current issue of the journal Science, of the discovery of large stone tools in Southern China. The tools, cobbles and large stone flakes that had been extensively chipped into cutting shapes, were dated to about 800,000 years ago. So it appears that the hominids of eastern Asia were as technologically advanced as their counterparts in Africa and Eurasia.
Still, advanced tools have now been found from only one date in eastern Asia, while in Africa and Eurasia they range over about a million years. The authors of the Science paper suggest why this might be: the hominids of the Chinese site might have been taking advantage of a change in their local environment.
Found among the sediments at the site were tektites, glassy objects that can result from a catastrophic event like a meteorite impact, as well as much charcoal. The researchers suggest that the event that created the tektites would have caused wide burning and destruction of forests, exposing cobble outcroppings. The early humans then eventually came to make use of the available stone.

Passage - II
Chinese art goes back many centuries. Early themes were developed from religious and supernatural beliefs or from the natural environment and landscape. One of the oldest and most basic forms of Chinese art is calligraphy, the painting of the Chinese characters with a brush. Calligraphy has developed as a pure art form with its own standards of excellence. Building on the tradition of calligraphy, Chinese painting developed a distinctive style that differs greatly from Western painting. It is more efficient in terms of brushstrokes and appears more abstract. Landscapes have always been a popular theme, and sometimes these appear bizarre to the Western eye. To the Chinese painter, they may represent a figurative view painted with a few swift strokes of the artist's brush. With their stress on simplicity and economy, Chinese calligraphy, painting, and poetry are closely related. In all of them, the artist seeks to express both inner harmony and harmony with the natural surroundings. Chinese poets and painters often have sought inspiration by withdrawing to isolated, mountainous areas, and these landscapes have become conventional themes of Chinese art. Similarly, Chinese architecture has traditionally aimed to convey harmony with society and nature. The magnificent life-size terra-cotta statues of men and horses, discovered in the early 1970s in the tomb of an emperor who died in 210 BC, provide some indication of the long history of Chinese sculpture. After the introduction of Buddhism into China, Buddhist subjects became dominant themes of the sculptor's art. Perhaps best known (and most copied) in the West, however, are the works of Chinese decorative artists, such as pottery, bronzes, lacquer ware, and exquisitely detailed jade and ivory carvings.

What is the main idea of Passage I?

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
When it comes to Stone Age technology, it seems, Africa and Eurasia were something of a Silicon Valley, while eastern Asia, until recently, was considered more like a Rust Belt. Human ancestors in Africa and Eurasia were making relatively advanced large stone tools like axes and cleavers hundreds of thousands of years ago. But no similar tools from that time had been found in Asia, supporting a theory that the region was geographically, and thus culturally and perhaps genetically, isolated.
That theory has now taken a pounding, after the announcement, in the current issue of the journal Science, of the discovery of large stone tools in Southern China. The tools, cobbles and large stone flakes that had been extensively chipped into cutting shapes, were dated to about 800,000 years ago. So it appears that the hominids of eastern Asia were as technologically advanced as their counterparts in Africa and Eurasia.
Still, advanced tools have now been found from only one date in eastern Asia, while in Africa and Eurasia they range over about a million years. The authors of the Science paper suggest why this might be: the hominids of the Chinese site might have been taking advantage of a change in their local environment.
Found among the sediments at the site were tektites, glassy objects that can result from a catastrophic event like a meteorite impact, as well as much charcoal. The researchers suggest that the event that created the tektites would have caused wide burning and destruction of forests, exposing cobble outcroppings. The early humans then eventually came to make use of the available stone.

Passage - II
Chinese art goes back many centuries. Early themes were developed from religious and supernatural beliefs or from the natural environment and landscape. One of the oldest and most basic forms of Chinese art is calligraphy, the painting of the Chinese characters with a brush. Calligraphy has developed as a pure art form with its own standards of excellence. Building on the tradition of calligraphy, Chinese painting developed a distinctive style that differs greatly from Western painting. It is more efficient in terms of brushstrokes and appears more abstract. Landscapes have always been a popular theme, and sometimes these appear bizarre to the Western eye. To the Chinese painter, they may represent a figurative view painted with a few swift strokes of the artist's brush. With their stress on simplicity and economy, Chinese calligraphy, painting, and poetry are closely related. In all of them, the artist seeks to express both inner harmony and harmony with the natural surroundings. Chinese poets and painters often have sought inspiration by withdrawing to isolated, mountainous areas, and these landscapes have become conventional themes of Chinese art. Similarly, Chinese architecture has traditionally aimed to convey harmony with society and nature. The magnificent life-size terra-cotta statues of men and horses, discovered in the early 1970s in the tomb of an emperor who died in 210 BC, provide some indication of the long history of Chinese sculpture. After the introduction of Buddhism into China, Buddhist subjects became dominant themes of the sculptor's art. Perhaps best known (and most copied) in the West, however, are the works of Chinese decorative artists, such as pottery, bronzes, lacquer ware, and exquisitely detailed jade and ivory carvings.

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
When it comes to Stone Age technology, it seems, Africa and Eurasia were something of a Silicon Valley, while eastern Asia, until recently, was considered more like a Rust Belt. Human ancestors in Africa and Eurasia were making relatively advanced large stone tools like axes and cleavers hundreds of thousands of years ago. But no similar tools from that time had been found in Asia, supporting a theory that the region was geographically, and thus culturally and perhaps genetically, isolated.
That theory has now taken a pounding, after the announcement, in the current issue of the journal Science, of the discovery of large stone tools in Southern China. The tools, cobbles and large stone flakes that had been extensively chipped into cutting shapes, were dated to about 800,000 years ago. So it appears that the hominids of eastern Asia were as technologically advanced as their counterparts in Africa and Eurasia.
Still, advanced tools have now been found from only one date in eastern Asia, while in Africa and Eurasia they range over about a million years. The authors of the Science paper suggest why this might be: the hominids of the Chinese site might have been taking advantage of a change in their local environment.
Found among the sediments at the site were tektites, glassy objects that can result from a catastrophic event like a meteorite impact, as well as much charcoal. The researchers suggest that the event that created the tektites would have caused wide burning and destruction of forests, exposing cobble outcroppings. The early humans then eventually came to make use of the available stone.

Passage - II
Chinese art goes back many centuries. Early themes were developed from religious and supernatural beliefs or from the natural environment and landscape. One of the oldest and most basic forms of Chinese art is calligraphy, the painting of the Chinese characters with a brush. Calligraphy has developed as a pure art form with its own standards of excellence. Building on the tradition of calligraphy, Chinese painting developed a distinctive style that differs greatly from Western painting. It is more efficient in terms of brushstrokes and appears more abstract. Landscapes have always been a popular theme, and sometimes these appear bizarre to the Western eye. To the Chinese painter, they may represent a figurative view painted with a few swift strokes of the artist's brush. With their stress on simplicity and economy, Chinese calligraphy, painting, and poetry are closely related. In all of them, the artist seeks to express both inner harmony and harmony with the natural surroundings. Chinese poets and painters often have sought inspiration by withdrawing to isolated, mountainous areas, and these landscapes have become conventional themes of Chinese art. Similarly, Chinese architecture has traditionally aimed to convey harmony with society and nature. The magnificent life-size terra-cotta statues of men and horses, discovered in the early 1970s in the tomb of an emperor who died in 210 BC, provide some indication of the long history of Chinese sculpture. After the introduction of Buddhism into China, Buddhist subjects became dominant themes of the sculptor's art. Perhaps best known (and most copied) in the West, however, are the works of Chinese decorative artists, such as pottery, bronzes, lacquer ware, and exquisitely detailed jade and ivory carvings.

What does the highlighted word ' Silicon Valley' in Passage I refers to?

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage - I
This old house is still in pretty good shape, but its newly rich owners wanted something bigger and better on their expensive Los Altos lot. Instead of bulldozing the house, as other newly rich Silicon Valley owners have been doing lately, they decided to give it away to the city of East Palo Alto. Roger Gaw is a Los Altos homeowner who wants to donate a house; We paid a lot of money to have the house moved here. And someone gets a home. So it works for everybody. The idea quickly caught on. A tax break for well to do home builders and a nearly free home for a needy family, add up to good business for real estate agents. Christina Luiz is a real estate agent in Silicon Valley. I personally own two homes that could be used. I talked to one of my other builders, and they said, they too, would be willing to donate the homes in perfect condition. And I said, how could I do this, and East Palo Alto told me, we're getting calls from people who want to donate for tax reasons. In no time, the city of East Palo Alto found itself with eight donated houses. Mayor Sharifa Wilson says of the situation, One of the dilemmas that East Palo Alto has is that we don't own any property. So the dilemma is what do we do with the houses that people offer us?
Over the past few decades, East Palo Alto has been an island of difficulty in a world of affluence. Poverty, drugs and drive-by shootings earned it the title murder capital, a few years back. Now it's benefiting from a trickle down effect from its wealthy neighbors. Once it figures out how to handle the windfall and share the wealth. Mayor Sharifa Wilson says, I can imagine at some point everybody will be screaming, give me the house, give me the house. This kind of thing. That's the only thing I'm a little bit leery about. For East Palo Alto, it's an embarrassment of riches. Over 1.5 billion people throughout the world do not have decent housing. There are organizations and groups trying to provide housing for the needy. One such organization is Habitat for Humanity that began in 1976 and since then, has built 90,000 homes. Although a Christian organization, Habitat works with people of all faiths. Each family receiving a home must help with the building along with volunteers from the community. Former President Jimmy Carter is Habitat’s most famous volunteer.

Passage - II
Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. HFHI was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller along with his wife Linda. It works through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses. Habitat for Humanity's work is accomplished at the community level by affiliates -- independent, locally run, nonprofit organizations. Each affiliate coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area -- fund raising, building site selection, partner family selection and support, house construction and mortgage servicing.
Families in need of decent shelter apply to local Habitat affiliates. The affiliate's family selection committee chooses homeowners based on their level of need, their willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the no-interest loan. Every affiliate follows a nondiscriminatory policy of family selection. Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families who receive Habitat houses. Donations whether to a local Habitat affiliate or to HFHI, are used as designated by the donor. Gifts received by HFHI that are designated to a specific affiliate or building project are forwarded to that affiliate or project. An ecumenical, international board of directors determines policy and oversees and guides the mission of Habitat for Humanity International. Board members are dedicated volunteers who are deeply concerned about the problems of poverty housing around the world.

In Passage I, Why is it an embarrassment of riches for East Palo Alto?

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage - I
This old house is still in pretty good shape, but its newly rich owners wanted something bigger and better on their expensive Los Altos lot. Instead of bulldozing the house, as other newly rich Silicon Valley owners have been doing lately, they decided to give it away to the city of East Palo Alto. Roger Gaw is a Los Altos homeowner who wants to donate a house; We paid a lot of money to have the house moved here. And someone gets a home. So it works for everybody. The idea quickly caught on. A tax break for well to do home builders and a nearly free home for a needy family, add up to good business for real estate agents. Christina Luiz is a real estate agent in Silicon Valley. I personally own two homes that could be used. I talked to one of my other builders, and they said, they too, would be willing to donate the homes in perfect condition. And I said, how could I do this, and East Palo Alto told me, we're getting calls from people who want to donate for tax reasons. In no time, the city of East Palo Alto found itself with eight donated houses. Mayor Sharifa Wilson says of the situation, One of the dilemmas that East Palo Alto has is that we don't own any property. So the dilemma is what do we do with the houses that people offer us?
Over the past few decades, East Palo Alto has been an island of difficulty in a world of affluence. Poverty, drugs and drive-by shootings earned it the title murder capital, a few years back. Now it's benefiting from a trickle down effect from its wealthy neighbors. Once it figures out how to handle the windfall and share the wealth. Mayor Sharifa Wilson says, I can imagine at some point everybody will be screaming, give me the house, give me the house. This kind of thing. That's the only thing I'm a little bit leery about. For East Palo Alto, it's an embarrassment of riches. Over 1.5 billion people throughout the world do not have decent housing. There are organizations and groups trying to provide housing for the needy. One such organization is Habitat for Humanity that began in 1976 and since then, has built 90,000 homes. Although a Christian organization, Habitat works with people of all faiths. Each family receiving a home must help with the building along with volunteers from the community. Former President Jimmy Carter is Habitat’s most famous volunteer.

Passage - II
Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. HFHI was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller along with his wife Linda. It works through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses. Habitat for Humanity's work is accomplished at the community level by affiliates -- independent, locally run, nonprofit organizations. Each affiliate coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area -- fund raising, building site selection, partner family selection and support, house construction and mortgage servicing.
Families in need of decent shelter apply to local Habitat affiliates. The affiliate's family selection committee chooses homeowners based on their level of need, their willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the no-interest loan. Every affiliate follows a nondiscriminatory policy of family selection. Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families who receive Habitat houses. Donations whether to a local Habitat affiliate or to HFHI, are used as designated by the donor. Gifts received by HFHI that are designated to a specific affiliate or building project are forwarded to that affiliate or project. An ecumenical, international board of directors determines policy and oversees and guides the mission of Habitat for Humanity International. Board members are dedicated volunteers who are deeply concerned about the problems of poverty housing around the world.

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage - I
This old house is still in pretty good shape, but its newly rich owners wanted something bigger and better on their expensive Los Altos lot. Instead of bulldozing the house, as other newly rich Silicon Valley owners have been doing lately, they decided to give it away to the city of East Palo Alto. Roger Gaw is a Los Altos homeowner who wants to donate a house; We paid a lot of money to have the house moved here. And someone gets a home. So it works for everybody. The idea quickly caught on. A tax break for well to do home builders and a nearly free home for a needy family, add up to good business for real estate agents. Christina Luiz is a real estate agent in Silicon Valley. I personally own two homes that could be used. I talked to one of my other builders, and they said, they too, would be willing to donate the homes in perfect condition. And I said, how could I do this, and East Palo Alto told me, we're getting calls from people who want to donate for tax reasons. In no time, the city of East Palo Alto found itself with eight donated houses. Mayor Sharifa Wilson says of the situation, One of the dilemmas that East Palo Alto has is that we don't own any property. So the dilemma is what do we do with the houses that people offer us?
Over the past few decades, East Palo Alto has been an island of difficulty in a world of affluence. Poverty, drugs and drive-by shootings earned it the title murder capital, a few years back. Now it's benefiting from a trickle down effect from its wealthy neighbors. Once it figures out how to handle the windfall and share the wealth. Mayor Sharifa Wilson says, I can imagine at some point everybody will be screaming, give me the house, give me the house. This kind of thing. That's the only thing I'm a little bit leery about. For East Palo Alto, it's an embarrassment of riches. Over 1.5 billion people throughout the world do not have decent housing. There are organizations and groups trying to provide housing for the needy. One such organization is Habitat for Humanity that began in 1976 and since then, has built 90,000 homes. Although a Christian organization, Habitat works with people of all faiths. Each family receiving a home must help with the building along with volunteers from the community. Former President Jimmy Carter is Habitat’s most famous volunteer.

Passage - II
Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. HFHI was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller along with his wife Linda. It works through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses. Habitat for Humanity's work is accomplished at the community level by affiliates -- independent, locally run, nonprofit organizations. Each affiliate coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area -- fund raising, building site selection, partner family selection and support, house construction and mortgage servicing.
Families in need of decent shelter apply to local Habitat affiliates. The affiliate's family selection committee chooses homeowners based on their level of need, their willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the no-interest loan. Every affiliate follows a nondiscriminatory policy of family selection. Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families who receive Habitat houses. Donations whether to a local Habitat affiliate or to HFHI, are used as designated by the donor. Gifts received by HFHI that are designated to a specific affiliate or building project are forwarded to that affiliate or project. An ecumenical, international board of directors determines policy and oversees and guides the mission of Habitat for Humanity International. Board members are dedicated volunteers who are deeply concerned about the problems of poverty housing around the world.

In Passage II, all of the following are criteria to select a family, except

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage - I
This old house is still in pretty good shape, but its newly rich owners wanted something bigger and better on their expensive Los Altos lot. Instead of bulldozing the house, as other newly rich Silicon Valley owners have been doing lately, they decided to give it away to the city of East Palo Alto. Roger Gaw is a Los Altos homeowner who wants to donate a house; We paid a lot of money to have the house moved here. And someone gets a home. So it works for everybody. The idea quickly caught on. A tax break for well to do home builders and a nearly free home for a needy family, add up to good business for real estate agents. Christina Luiz is a real estate agent in Silicon Valley. I personally own two homes that could be used. I talked to one of my other builders, and they said, they too, would be willing to donate the homes in perfect condition. And I said, how could I do this, and East Palo Alto told me, we're getting calls from people who want to donate for tax reasons. In no time, the city of East Palo Alto found itself with eight donated houses. Mayor Sharifa Wilson says of the situation, One of the dilemmas that East Palo Alto has is that we don't own any property. So the dilemma is what do we do with the houses that people offer us?
Over the past few decades, East Palo Alto has been an island of difficulty in a world of affluence. Poverty, drugs and drive-by shootings earned it the title murder capital, a few years back. Now it's benefiting from a trickle down effect from its wealthy neighbors. Once it figures out how to handle the windfall and share the wealth. Mayor Sharifa Wilson says, I can imagine at some point everybody will be screaming, give me the house, give me the house. This kind of thing. That's the only thing I'm a little bit leery about. For East Palo Alto, it's an embarrassment of riches. Over 1.5 billion people throughout the world do not have decent housing. There are organizations and groups trying to provide housing for the needy. One such organization is Habitat for Humanity that began in 1976 and since then, has built 90,000 homes. Although a Christian organization, Habitat works with people of all faiths. Each family receiving a home must help with the building along with volunteers from the community. Former President Jimmy Carter is Habitat’s most famous volunteer.

Passage - II
Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. HFHI was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller along with his wife Linda. It works through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses. Habitat for Humanity's work is accomplished at the community level by affiliates -- independent, locally run, nonprofit organizations. Each affiliate coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area -- fund raising, building site selection, partner family selection and support, house construction and mortgage servicing.
Families in need of decent shelter apply to local Habitat affiliates. The affiliate's family selection committee chooses homeowners based on their level of need, their willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the no-interest loan. Every affiliate follows a nondiscriminatory policy of family selection. Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families who receive Habitat houses. Donations whether to a local Habitat affiliate or to HFHI, are used as designated by the donor. Gifts received by HFHI that are designated to a specific affiliate or building project are forwarded to that affiliate or project. An ecumenical, international board of directors determines policy and oversees and guides the mission of Habitat for Humanity International. Board members are dedicated volunteers who are deeply concerned about the problems of poverty housing around the world.

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage - I
This old house is still in pretty good shape, but its newly rich owners wanted something bigger and better on their expensive Los Altos lot. Instead of bulldozing the house, as other newly rich Silicon Valley owners have been doing lately, they decided to give it away to the city of East Palo Alto. Roger Gaw is a Los Altos homeowner who wants to donate a house; We paid a lot of money to have the house moved here. And someone gets a home. So it works for everybody. The idea quickly caught on. A tax break for well to do home builders and a nearly free home for a needy family, add up to good business for real estate agents. Christina Luiz is a real estate agent in Silicon Valley. I personally own two homes that could be used. I talked to one of my other builders, and they said, they too, would be willing to donate the homes in perfect condition. And I said, how could I do this, and East Palo Alto told me, we're getting calls from people who want to donate for tax reasons. In no time, the city of East Palo Alto found itself with eight donated houses. Mayor Sharifa Wilson says of the situation, One of the dilemmas that East Palo Alto has is that we don't own any property. So the dilemma is what do we do with the houses that people offer us?
Over the past few decades, East Palo Alto has been an island of difficulty in a world of affluence. Poverty, drugs and drive-by shootings earned it the title murder capital, a few years back. Now it's benefiting from a trickle down effect from its wealthy neighbors. Once it figures out how to handle the windfall and share the wealth. Mayor Sharifa Wilson says, I can imagine at some point everybody will be screaming, give me the house, give me the house. This kind of thing. That's the only thing I'm a little bit leery about. For East Palo Alto, it's an embarrassment of riches. Over 1.5 billion people throughout the world do not have decent housing. There are organizations and groups trying to provide housing for the needy. One such organization is Habitat for Humanity that began in 1976 and since then, has built 90,000 homes. Although a Christian organization, Habitat works with people of all faiths. Each family receiving a home must help with the building along with volunteers from the community. Former President Jimmy Carter is Habitat’s most famous volunteer.

Passage - II
Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. HFHI was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller along with his wife Linda. It works through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses. Habitat for Humanity's work is accomplished at the community level by affiliates -- independent, locally run, nonprofit organizations. Each affiliate coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area -- fund raising, building site selection, partner family selection and support, house construction and mortgage servicing.
Families in need of decent shelter apply to local Habitat affiliates. The affiliate's family selection committee chooses homeowners based on their level of need, their willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the no-interest loan. Every affiliate follows a nondiscriminatory policy of family selection. Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families who receive Habitat houses. Donations whether to a local Habitat affiliate or to HFHI, are used as designated by the donor. Gifts received by HFHI that are designated to a specific affiliate or building project are forwarded to that affiliate or project. An ecumenical, international board of directors determines policy and oversees and guides the mission of Habitat for Humanity International. Board members are dedicated volunteers who are deeply concerned about the problems of poverty housing around the world.

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage - I
This old house is still in pretty good shape, but its newly rich owners wanted something bigger and better on their expensive Los Altos lot. Instead of bulldozing the house, as other newly rich Silicon Valley owners have been doing lately, they decided to give it away to the city of East Palo Alto. Roger Gaw is a Los Altos homeowner who wants to donate a house; We paid a lot of money to have the house moved here. And someone gets a home. So it works for everybody. The idea quickly caught on. A tax break for well to do home builders and a nearly free home for a needy family, add up to good business for real estate agents. Christina Luiz is a real estate agent in Silicon Valley. I personally own two homes that could be used. I talked to one of my other builders, and they said, they too, would be willing to donate the homes in perfect condition. And I said, how could I do this, and East Palo Alto told me, we're getting calls from people who want to donate for tax reasons. In no time, the city of East Palo Alto found itself with eight donated houses. Mayor Sharifa Wilson says of the situation, One of the dilemmas that East Palo Alto has is that we don't own any property. So the dilemma is what do we do with the houses that people offer us?
Over the past few decades, East Palo Alto has been an island of difficulty in a world of affluence. Poverty, drugs and drive-by shootings earned it the title murder capital, a few years back. Now it's benefiting from a trickle down effect from its wealthy neighbors. Once it figures out how to handle the windfall and share the wealth. Mayor Sharifa Wilson says, I can imagine at some point everybody will be screaming, give me the house, give me the house. This kind of thing. That's the only thing I'm a little bit leery about. For East Palo Alto, it's an embarrassment of riches. Over 1.5 billion people throughout the world do not have decent housing. There are organizations and groups trying to provide housing for the needy. One such organization is Habitat for Humanity that began in 1976 and since then, has built 90,000 homes. Although a Christian organization, Habitat works with people of all faiths. Each family receiving a home must help with the building along with volunteers from the community. Former President Jimmy Carter is Habitat’s most famous volunteer.

Passage - II
Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. HFHI was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller along with his wife Linda. It works through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses. Habitat for Humanity's work is accomplished at the community level by affiliates -- independent, locally run, nonprofit organizations. Each affiliate coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area -- fund raising, building site selection, partner family selection and support, house construction and mortgage servicing.
Families in need of decent shelter apply to local Habitat affiliates. The affiliate's family selection committee chooses homeowners based on their level of need, their willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the no-interest loan. Every affiliate follows a nondiscriminatory policy of family selection. Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families who receive Habitat houses. Donations whether to a local Habitat affiliate or to HFHI, are used as designated by the donor. Gifts received by HFHI that are designated to a specific affiliate or building project are forwarded to that affiliate or project. An ecumenical, international board of directors determines policy and oversees and guides the mission of Habitat for Humanity International. Board members are dedicated volunteers who are deeply concerned about the problems of poverty housing around the world.

The author's purpose of relating Passage II to Passage I is to

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
When it comes to Stone Age technology, it seems, Africa and Eurasia were something of a Silicon Valley, while eastern Asia, until recently, was considered more like a Rust Belt. Human ancestors in Africa and Eurasia were making relatively advanced large stone tools like axes and cleavers hundreds of thousands of years ago. But no similar tools from that time had been found in Asia, supporting a theory that the region was geographically, and thus culturally and perhaps genetically, isolated.
That theory has now taken a pounding, after the announcement, in the current issue of the journal Science, of the discovery of large stone tools in Southern China. The tools, cobbles and large stone flakes that had been extensively chipped into cutting shapes, were dated to about 800,000 years ago. So it appears that the hominids of eastern Asia were as technologically advanced as their counterparts in Africa and Eurasia.
Still, advanced tools have now been found from only one date in eastern Asia, while in Africa and Eurasia they range over about a million years. The authors of the Science paper suggest why this might be: the hominids of the Chinese site might have been taking advantage of a change in their local environment.
Found among the sediments at the site were tektites, glassy objects that can result from a catastrophic event like a meteorite impact, as well as much charcoal. The researchers suggest that the event that created the tektites would have caused wide burning and destruction of forests, exposing cobble outcroppings. The early humans then eventually came to make use of the available stone.

Passage - II
Chinese art goes back many centuries. Early themes were developed from religious and supernatural beliefs or from the natural environment and landscape. One of the oldest and most basic forms of Chinese art is calligraphy, the painting of the Chinese characters with a brush. Calligraphy has developed as a pure art form with its own standards of excellence. Building on the tradition of calligraphy, Chinese painting developed a distinctive style that differs greatly from Western painting. It is more efficient in terms of brushstrokes and appears more abstract. Landscapes have always been a popular theme, and sometimes these appear bizarre to the Western eye. To the Chinese painter, they may represent a figurative view painted with a few swift strokes of the artist's brush. With their stress on simplicity and economy, Chinese calligraphy, painting, and poetry are closely related. In all of them, the artist seeks to express both inner harmony and harmony with the natural surroundings. Chinese poets and painters often have sought inspiration by withdrawing to isolated, mountainous areas, and these landscapes have become conventional themes of Chinese art. Similarly, Chinese architecture has traditionally aimed to convey harmony with society and nature. The magnificent life-size terra-cotta statues of men and horses, discovered in the early 1970s in the tomb of an emperor who died in 210 BC, provide some indication of the long history of Chinese sculpture. After the introduction of Buddhism into China, Buddhist subjects became dominant themes of the sculptor's art. Perhaps best known (and most copied) in the West, however, are the works of Chinese decorative artists, such as pottery, bronzes, lacquer ware, and exquisitely detailed jade and ivory carvings.

One year of surprisingly high numbers prove that

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
It seemed that everywhere scientists looked this year -- especially in Monterey Bay-- they saw sea otters. “Silver headed male is coming in” says a counter.
Up and down the California coast, federal, state and private researchers turned their eyes to the water for the annual spring sea otter count. That's three resting plus one small say a counter. The results returned numbers so high that scientists believe they're misleading. The spring count this year is the highest we've ever had since 1983, said Greg Sanders of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. So that's encouraging. Two thousand five hundred and five (2,505) otters were counted in this year's census, up 17% from last year. But the count only reflects otters that were observed. Scientists say the observing conditions this year were very good and more otters have congregated in Monterey Bay, where they are easily seen. “I have no confidence that the population really is increasing now, said Dr. Jim Estes, an ecology researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey and one of the leaders of the annual count. I think it's roughly stable. On the chart, the raw numbers show this year's spike. But when the counts are displayed as a three year running average, the increase levels out.
Scientists believe a harsh early winter combined with increased food attracted many more otters close in to Monterey Bay, where they could be seen and counted. This also may explain what appeared to be a mystery in April. This spring, an exceptionally large number of dead and dying sea otters were found around Monterey Bay. There were reports that a disease carried by cat feces contributed to the deaths. But the explanation offered now is quite a bit simpler.
It's simply that there are a lot of live ones out there and thus are a lot of dead ones accumulating as a result of all these live ones, said Estes. The increase in dead otters is proportional to the increase in live ones -- meaning that the so-called unusual deaths reported in April were not unusual at all. Scientists say if the otter count shows an increase over the next several years, they'll know the downward population trend that began in the mid-1990s has actually reversed. Despite the increase this year, the 2,505 otters counted are still a fraction of the 18,000 to 20,000 believed to have lived along what is now the California coast (among about 250,000 worldwide) before they were hunted to near-extinction.

Passage – II
The story on the re-discovery of California's sea otter is well-documented. In 1938 a group of otters were spotted near Bixby Bridge along the Big Sur coast. This sighting confirmed that California's otter was, indeed, still in existence.
That was 57 years ago. For almost half of that time Friends of the Sea Otter (FSO) has worked to protect the sea otter and its habitat from a wide range of threats. And it is in large part due to FSO's efforts that the California (southern) sea otter population has grown. In 1968 when Margaret Owings, a well respected conservationist, and Dr. Jim Mattison, an avid outdoorsman, founded FSO, the southern sea otter population numbered about 650. Since that time, the population has grown in number and range and includes about 2,300 otters along the central California coastline. When FSO first began, it was operated solely on a volunteer basis; many times meetings were held at Owings' home and it was through her sheer force of will that the organization continued. She helped establish environmental policy to benefit the otter; she spoke to legislators both in Sacramento and Washington D.C.; and she used her insight and knowledge to rally scientists, conservationists, educators, and friends to embrace FSO's mission. Mattison marched along with her at every step, albeit with a different focus. He utilized his considerable medical knowledge to help in the biological research of otters; and he turned his scuba diving hobby into a treasure trove of pictures, information, and data - all about otters - for FSO. The success of FSO is well-known in the environmental community. As the only advocacy organization for sea otters in the world, in the fight to protect our marine communities. FSO is now assessing those threats facing Alaska otters - a species that was tragically affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound - for successful resolution. Additionally, FSO is investigating the plight of Russian otters which are outside the protection of both the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The most serious threat they face comes from poachers hunting for skins. What began as two people's commitment to save a single species has become an organization with a staff fully committed to ensuring not only the protection of the sea otter, but also the preservation of critical marine environments necessary to the otter's survival.

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
It seemed that everywhere scientists looked this year -- especially in Monterey Bay-- they saw sea otters. “Silver headed male is coming in” says a counter.
Up and down the California coast, federal, state and private researchers turned their eyes to the water for the annual spring sea otter count. That's three resting plus one small say a counter. The results returned numbers so high that scientists believe they're misleading. The spring count this year is the highest we've ever had since 1983, said Greg Sanders of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. So that's encouraging. Two thousand five hundred and five (2,505) otters were counted in this year's census, up 17% from last year. But the count only reflects otters that were observed. Scientists say the observing conditions this year were very good and more otters have congregated in Monterey Bay, where they are easily seen. “I have no confidence that the population really is increasing now, said Dr. Jim Estes, an ecology researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey and one of the leaders of the annual count. I think it's roughly stable. On the chart, the raw numbers show this year's spike. But when the counts are displayed as a three year running average, the increase levels out.
Scientists believe a harsh early winter combined with increased food attracted many more otters close in to Monterey Bay, where they could be seen and counted. This also may explain what appeared to be a mystery in April. This spring, an exceptionally large number of dead and dying sea otters were found around Monterey Bay. There were reports that a disease carried by cat feces contributed to the deaths. But the explanation offered now is quite a bit simpler.
It's simply that there are a lot of live ones out there and thus are a lot of dead ones accumulating as a result of all these live ones, said Estes. The increase in dead otters is proportional to the increase in live ones -- meaning that the so-called unusual deaths reported in April were not unusual at all. Scientists say if the otter count shows an increase over the next several years, they'll know the downward population trend that began in the mid-1990s has actually reversed. Despite the increase this year, the 2,505 otters counted are still a fraction of the 18,000 to 20,000 believed to have lived along what is now the California coast (among about 250,000 worldwide) before they were hunted to near-extinction.

Passage – II
The story on the re-discovery of California's sea otter is well-documented. In 1938 a group of otters were spotted near Bixby Bridge along the Big Sur coast. This sighting confirmed that California's otter was, indeed, still in existence.
That was 57 years ago. For almost half of that time Friends of the Sea Otter (FSO) has worked to protect the sea otter and its habitat from a wide range of threats. And it is in large part due to FSO's efforts that the California (southern) sea otter population has grown. In 1968 when Margaret Owings, a well respected conservationist, and Dr. Jim Mattison, an avid outdoorsman, founded FSO, the southern sea otter population numbered about 650. Since that time, the population has grown in number and range and includes about 2,300 otters along the central California coastline. When FSO first began, it was operated solely on a volunteer basis; many times meetings were held at Owings' home and it was through her sheer force of will that the organization continued. She helped establish environmental policy to benefit the otter; she spoke to legislators both in Sacramento and Washington D.C.; and she used her insight and knowledge to rally scientists, conservationists, educators, and friends to embrace FSO's mission. Mattison marched along with her at every step, albeit with a different focus. He utilized his considerable medical knowledge to help in the biological research of otters; and he turned his scuba diving hobby into a treasure trove of pictures, information, and data - all about otters - for FSO. The success of FSO is well-known in the environmental community. As the only advocacy organization for sea otters in the world, in the fight to protect our marine communities. FSO is now assessing those threats facing Alaska otters - a species that was tragically affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound - for successful resolution. Additionally, FSO is investigating the plight of Russian otters which are outside the protection of both the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The most serious threat they face comes from poachers hunting for skins. What began as two people's commitment to save a single species has become an organization with a staff fully committed to ensuring not only the protection of the sea otter, but also the preservation of critical marine environments necessary to the otter's survival.

The high number of otters counted this year were

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
It seemed that everywhere scientists looked this year -- especially in Monterey Bay-- they saw sea otters. “Silver headed male is coming in” says a counter.
Up and down the California coast, federal, state and private researchers turned their eyes to the water for the annual spring sea otter count. That's three resting plus one small say a counter. The results returned numbers so high that scientists believe they're misleading. The spring count this year is the highest we've ever had since 1983, said Greg Sanders of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. So that's encouraging. Two thousand five hundred and five (2,505) otters were counted in this year's census, up 17% from last year. But the count only reflects otters that were observed. Scientists say the observing conditions this year were very good and more otters have congregated in Monterey Bay, where they are easily seen. “I have no confidence that the population really is increasing now, said Dr. Jim Estes, an ecology researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey and one of the leaders of the annual count. I think it's roughly stable. On the chart, the raw numbers show this year's spike. But when the counts are displayed as a three year running average, the increase levels out.
Scientists believe a harsh early winter combined with increased food attracted many more otters close in to Monterey Bay, where they could be seen and counted. This also may explain what appeared to be a mystery in April. This spring, an exceptionally large number of dead and dying sea otters were found around Monterey Bay. There were reports that a disease carried by cat feces contributed to the deaths. But the explanation offered now is quite a bit simpler.
It's simply that there are a lot of live ones out there and thus are a lot of dead ones accumulating as a result of all these live ones, said Estes. The increase in dead otters is proportional to the increase in live ones -- meaning that the so-called unusual deaths reported in April were not unusual at all. Scientists say if the otter count shows an increase over the next several years, they'll know the downward population trend that began in the mid-1990s has actually reversed. Despite the increase this year, the 2,505 otters counted are still a fraction of the 18,000 to 20,000 believed to have lived along what is now the California coast (among about 250,000 worldwide) before they were hunted to near-extinction.

Passage – II
The story on the re-discovery of California's sea otter is well-documented. In 1938 a group of otters were spotted near Bixby Bridge along the Big Sur coast. This sighting confirmed that California's otter was, indeed, still in existence.
That was 57 years ago. For almost half of that time Friends of the Sea Otter (FSO) has worked to protect the sea otter and its habitat from a wide range of threats. And it is in large part due to FSO's efforts that the California (southern) sea otter population has grown. In 1968 when Margaret Owings, a well respected conservationist, and Dr. Jim Mattison, an avid outdoorsman, founded FSO, the southern sea otter population numbered about 650. Since that time, the population has grown in number and range and includes about 2,300 otters along the central California coastline. When FSO first began, it was operated solely on a volunteer basis; many times meetings were held at Owings' home and it was through her sheer force of will that the organization continued. She helped establish environmental policy to benefit the otter; she spoke to legislators both in Sacramento and Washington D.C.; and she used her insight and knowledge to rally scientists, conservationists, educators, and friends to embrace FSO's mission. Mattison marched along with her at every step, albeit with a different focus. He utilized his considerable medical knowledge to help in the biological research of otters; and he turned his scuba diving hobby into a treasure trove of pictures, information, and data - all about otters - for FSO. The success of FSO is well-known in the environmental community. As the only advocacy organization for sea otters in the world, in the fight to protect our marine communities. FSO is now assessing those threats facing Alaska otters - a species that was tragically affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound - for successful resolution. Additionally, FSO is investigating the plight of Russian otters which are outside the protection of both the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The most serious threat they face comes from poachers hunting for skins. What began as two people's commitment to save a single species has become an organization with a staff fully committed to ensuring not only the protection of the sea otter, but also the preservation of critical marine environments necessary to the otter's survival.

To continue her organization Margaret Owings did all the following, except that

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
It seemed that everywhere scientists looked this year -- especially in Monterey Bay-- they saw sea otters. “Silver headed male is coming in” says a counter.
Up and down the California coast, federal, state and private researchers turned their eyes to the water for the annual spring sea otter count. That's three resting plus one small say a counter. The results returned numbers so high that scientists believe they're misleading. The spring count this year is the highest we've ever had since 1983, said Greg Sanders of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. So that's encouraging. Two thousand five hundred and five (2,505) otters were counted in this year's census, up 17% from last year. But the count only reflects otters that were observed. Scientists say the observing conditions this year were very good and more otters have congregated in Monterey Bay, where they are easily seen. “I have no confidence that the population really is increasing now, said Dr. Jim Estes, an ecology researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey and one of the leaders of the annual count. I think it's roughly stable. On the chart, the raw numbers show this year's spike. But when the counts are displayed as a three year running average, the increase levels out.
Scientists believe a harsh early winter combined with increased food attracted many more otters close in to Monterey Bay, where they could be seen and counted. This also may explain what appeared to be a mystery in April. This spring, an exceptionally large number of dead and dying sea otters were found around Monterey Bay. There were reports that a disease carried by cat feces contributed to the deaths. But the explanation offered now is quite a bit simpler.
It's simply that there are a lot of live ones out there and thus are a lot of dead ones accumulating as a result of all these live ones, said Estes. The increase in dead otters is proportional to the increase in live ones -- meaning that the so-called unusual deaths reported in April were not unusual at all. Scientists say if the otter count shows an increase over the next several years, they'll know the downward population trend that began in the mid-1990s has actually reversed. Despite the increase this year, the 2,505 otters counted are still a fraction of the 18,000 to 20,000 believed to have lived along what is now the California coast (among about 250,000 worldwide) before they were hunted to near-extinction.

Passage – II
The story on the re-discovery of California's sea otter is well-documented. In 1938 a group of otters were spotted near Bixby Bridge along the Big Sur coast. This sighting confirmed that California's otter was, indeed, still in existence.
That was 57 years ago. For almost half of that time Friends of the Sea Otter (FSO) has worked to protect the sea otter and its habitat from a wide range of threats. And it is in large part due to FSO's efforts that the California (southern) sea otter population has grown. In 1968 when Margaret Owings, a well respected conservationist, and Dr. Jim Mattison, an avid outdoorsman, founded FSO, the southern sea otter population numbered about 650. Since that time, the population has grown in number and range and includes about 2,300 otters along the central California coastline. When FSO first began, it was operated solely on a volunteer basis; many times meetings were held at Owings' home and it was through her sheer force of will that the organization continued. She helped establish environmental policy to benefit the otter; she spoke to legislators both in Sacramento and Washington D.C.; and she used her insight and knowledge to rally scientists, conservationists, educators, and friends to embrace FSO's mission. Mattison marched along with her at every step, albeit with a different focus. He utilized his considerable medical knowledge to help in the biological research of otters; and he turned his scuba diving hobby into a treasure trove of pictures, information, and data - all about otters - for FSO. The success of FSO is well-known in the environmental community. As the only advocacy organization for sea otters in the world, in the fight to protect our marine communities. FSO is now assessing those threats facing Alaska otters - a species that was tragically affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound - for successful resolution. Additionally, FSO is investigating the plight of Russian otters which are outside the protection of both the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The most serious threat they face comes from poachers hunting for skins. What began as two people's commitment to save a single species has become an organization with a staff fully committed to ensuring not only the protection of the sea otter, but also the preservation of critical marine environments necessary to the otter's survival.

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
To the Editor:
Life is too restrictive today. There are too many too-rigid rules. No smoking, no cell phone use, parking for handicapped people only, no loitering, no skateboarding, shirts and shoes required; these signs scream out at you everywhere you go. Next, someone will be passing a law against talking in public. Things have gone too far.
Civility is all very well, but what has happened to liberty? Why can't I use my cell phone in a restaurant? Why do I have to turn off the alarm on my watch in the movie theater?

Things reached the height of absurdity today when I was sitting in my car, waiting to pick up my girlfriend after work at Valley Hospital. There I was, parked at the ambulance entrance, listening to a Lou Reed tape on my newly installed custom sound system. I mean, I wasn't bothering anyone. But this security guard came over to me, asked me to move my car out of the way, and told me he would call the police if I didn't turn the music down! There are sick people inside the hospital, and they need peace and quiet, he whined. Sick people need good music to stir them up, I replied. And the next thing I knew, a police officer was writing out a parking ticket and telling me to move my car.
That's just one little example of my point, but I could go on and on. There are too many rules, too little liberty. Is everyone else out there as mad as I am? Let's join together and fight against restrictive rules!

Yours truly, 
Richard Sylvester

Passage – II
Dear Richard,
Various rules and regulations have been put in place to ensure that our society is peaceful and orderly. Indiscipline implies the lack of self-control and disobedience resulting in flagrant violation of rules and regulations which in turn creates disorder and chaos. Some acts of indiscipline result from lack of self-control. It accounts for immorality, bad temper and greed which in turn lead to stealing, robbery and other related crimes. In short, crimes of all kinds are perpetuations of indiscipline. Therefore, if one fights indiscipline, he or she is also fighting crime. In fact indiscipline and crime are bedfellows. It is discipline that creates productivity and wealth in a country. The economic, social and moral growth of the country and its resulting prosperity depends on discipline. If the workers of the country are not disciplined, production automatically goes down. If teachers are indisciplined, the educational system will certainly break down. Similarly, indisciplined parents or family create a breed of children who lack discipline and may turn out to be criminals. If our pastors and church leaders are indisciplined, there will be no harmony in the churches and the moral growth of the nation will suffer. Politicians who possess no discipline cannot lead the people and the end result will be chaos. Disturbances in the country may be attributed to lack of discipline on the part of the security personnel. Chiefs who are not disciplined cannot retain the confidence of their subjects and anarchy may reign in that community. Obviously, the importance of discipline in the lives of the people of any nation or society cannot be gainsaid since that nation or society can only be organised with discipline.

Yours truly,
Editor

What is the organizational pattern of this sentence?

There I was, parked at the ambulance entrance, listening to a Lou Reed tape on my newly installed custom sound system.

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
To the Editor:
Life is too restrictive today. There are too many too-rigid rules. No smoking, no cell phone use, parking for handicapped people only, no loitering, no skateboarding, shirts and shoes required; these signs scream out at you everywhere you go. Next, someone will be passing a law against talking in public. Things have gone too far.
Civility is all very well, but what has happened to liberty? Why can't I use my cell phone in a restaurant? Why do I have to turn off the alarm on my watch in the movie theater?

Things reached the height of absurdity today when I was sitting in my car, waiting to pick up my girlfriend after work at Valley Hospital. There I was, parked at the ambulance entrance, listening to a Lou Reed tape on my newly installed custom sound system. I mean, I wasn't bothering anyone. But this security guard came over to me, asked me to move my car out of the way, and told me he would call the police if I didn't turn the music down! There are sick people inside the hospital, and they need peace and quiet, he whined. Sick people need good music to stir them up, I replied. And the next thing I knew, a police officer was writing out a parking ticket and telling me to move my car.
That's just one little example of my point, but I could go on and on. There are too many rules, too little liberty. Is everyone else out there as mad as I am? Let's join together and fight against restrictive rules!

Yours truly, 
Richard Sylvester

Passage – II
Dear Richard,
Various rules and regulations have been put in place to ensure that our society is peaceful and orderly. Indiscipline implies the lack of self-control and disobedience resulting in flagrant violation of rules and regulations which in turn creates disorder and chaos. Some acts of indiscipline result from lack of self-control. It accounts for immorality, bad temper and greed which in turn lead to stealing, robbery and other related crimes. In short, crimes of all kinds are perpetuations of indiscipline. Therefore, if one fights indiscipline, he or she is also fighting crime. In fact indiscipline and crime are bedfellows. It is discipline that creates productivity and wealth in a country. The economic, social and moral growth of the country and its resulting prosperity depends on discipline. If the workers of the country are not disciplined, production automatically goes down. If teachers are indisciplined, the educational system will certainly break down. Similarly, indisciplined parents or family create a breed of children who lack discipline and may turn out to be criminals. If our pastors and church leaders are indisciplined, there will be no harmony in the churches and the moral growth of the nation will suffer. Politicians who possess no discipline cannot lead the people and the end result will be chaos. Disturbances in the country may be attributed to lack of discipline on the part of the security personnel. Chiefs who are not disciplined cannot retain the confidence of their subjects and anarchy may reign in that community. Obviously, the importance of discipline in the lives of the people of any nation or society cannot be gainsaid since that nation or society can only be organised with discipline.

Yours truly,
Editor

The following are all meanings of the highlighted word 'flagrant' in Passage II, except

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
To the Editor:
Life is too restrictive today. There are too many too-rigid rules. No smoking, no cell phone use, parking for handicapped people only, no loitering, no skateboarding, shirts and shoes required; these signs scream out at you everywhere you go. Next, someone will be passing a law against talking in public. Things have gone too far.
Civility is all very well, but what has happened to liberty? Why can't I use my cell phone in a restaurant? Why do I have to turn off the alarm on my watch in the movie theater?

Things reached the height of absurdity today when I was sitting in my car, waiting to pick up my girlfriend after work at Valley Hospital. There I was, parked at the ambulance entrance, listening to a Lou Reed tape on my newly installed custom sound system. I mean, I wasn't bothering anyone. But this security guard came over to me, asked me to move my car out of the way, and told me he would call the police if I didn't turn the music down! There are sick people inside the hospital, and they need peace and quiet, he whined. Sick people need good music to stir them up, I replied. And the next thing I knew, a police officer was writing out a parking ticket and telling me to move my car.
That's just one little example of my point, but I could go on and on. There are too many rules, too little liberty. Is everyone else out there as mad as I am? Let's join together and fight against restrictive rules!

Yours truly, 
Richard Sylvester

Passage – II
Dear Richard,
Various rules and regulations have been put in place to ensure that our society is peaceful and orderly. Indiscipline implies the lack of self-control and disobedience resulting in flagrant violation of rules and regulations which in turn creates disorder and chaos. Some acts of indiscipline result from lack of self-control. It accounts for immorality, bad temper and greed which in turn lead to stealing, robbery and other related crimes. In short, crimes of all kinds are perpetuations of indiscipline. Therefore, if one fights indiscipline, he or she is also fighting crime. In fact indiscipline and crime are bedfellows. It is discipline that creates productivity and wealth in a country. The economic, social and moral growth of the country and its resulting prosperity depends on discipline. If the workers of the country are not disciplined, production automatically goes down. If teachers are indisciplined, the educational system will certainly break down. Similarly, indisciplined parents or family create a breed of children who lack discipline and may turn out to be criminals. If our pastors and church leaders are indisciplined, there will be no harmony in the churches and the moral growth of the nation will suffer. Politicians who possess no discipline cannot lead the people and the end result will be chaos. Disturbances in the country may be attributed to lack of discipline on the part of the security personnel. Chiefs who are not disciplined cannot retain the confidence of their subjects and anarchy may reign in that community. Obviously, the importance of discipline in the lives of the people of any nation or society cannot be gainsaid since that nation or society can only be organised with discipline.

Yours truly,
Editor

The purpose of Passage I is to

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
To the Editor:
Life is too restrictive today. There are too many too-rigid rules. No smoking, no cell phone use, parking for handicapped people only, no loitering, no skateboarding, shirts and shoes required; these signs scream out at you everywhere you go. Next, someone will be passing a law against talking in public. Things have gone too far.
Civility is all very well, but what has happened to liberty? Why can't I use my cell phone in a restaurant? Why do I have to turn off the alarm on my watch in the movie theater?

Things reached the height of absurdity today when I was sitting in my car, waiting to pick up my girlfriend after work at Valley Hospital. There I was, parked at the ambulance entrance, listening to a Lou Reed tape on my newly installed custom sound system. I mean, I wasn't bothering anyone. But this security guard came over to me, asked me to move my car out of the way, and told me he would call the police if I didn't turn the music down! There are sick people inside the hospital, and they need peace and quiet, he whined. Sick people need good music to stir them up, I replied. And the next thing I knew, a police officer was writing out a parking ticket and telling me to move my car.
That's just one little example of my point, but I could go on and on. There are too many rules, too little liberty. Is everyone else out there as mad as I am? Let's join together and fight against restrictive rules!

Yours truly, 
Richard Sylvester

Passage – II
Dear Richard,
Various rules and regulations have been put in place to ensure that our society is peaceful and orderly. Indiscipline implies the lack of self-control and disobedience resulting in flagrant violation of rules and regulations which in turn creates disorder and chaos. Some acts of indiscipline result from lack of self-control. It accounts for immorality, bad temper and greed which in turn lead to stealing, robbery and other related crimes. In short, crimes of all kinds are perpetuations of indiscipline. Therefore, if one fights indiscipline, he or she is also fighting crime. In fact indiscipline and crime are bedfellows. It is discipline that creates productivity and wealth in a country. The economic, social and moral growth of the country and its resulting prosperity depends on discipline. If the workers of the country are not disciplined, production automatically goes down. If teachers are indisciplined, the educational system will certainly break down. Similarly, indisciplined parents or family create a breed of children who lack discipline and may turn out to be criminals. If our pastors and church leaders are indisciplined, there will be no harmony in the churches and the moral growth of the nation will suffer. Politicians who possess no discipline cannot lead the people and the end result will be chaos. Disturbances in the country may be attributed to lack of discipline on the part of the security personnel. Chiefs who are not disciplined cannot retain the confidence of their subjects and anarchy may reign in that community. Obviously, the importance of discipline in the lives of the people of any nation or society cannot be gainsaid since that nation or society can only be organised with discipline.

Yours truly,
Editor

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
To the Editor:
Life is too restrictive today. There are too many too-rigid rules. No smoking, no cell phone use, parking for handicapped people only, no loitering, no skateboarding, shirts and shoes required; these signs scream out at you everywhere you go. Next, someone will be passing a law against talking in public. Things have gone too far.
Civility is all very well, but what has happened to liberty? Why can't I use my cell phone in a restaurant? Why do I have to turn off the alarm on my watch in the movie theater?

Things reached the height of absurdity today when I was sitting in my car, waiting to pick up my girlfriend after work at Valley Hospital. There I was, parked at the ambulance entrance, listening to a Lou Reed tape on my newly installed custom sound system. I mean, I wasn't bothering anyone. But this security guard came over to me, asked me to move my car out of the way, and told me he would call the police if I didn't turn the music down! There are sick people inside the hospital, and they need peace and quiet, he whined. Sick people need good music to stir them up, I replied. And the next thing I knew, a police officer was writing out a parking ticket and telling me to move my car.
That's just one little example of my point, but I could go on and on. There are too many rules, too little liberty. Is everyone else out there as mad as I am? Let's join together and fight against restrictive rules!

Yours truly, 
Richard Sylvester

Passage – II
Dear Richard,
Various rules and regulations have been put in place to ensure that our society is peaceful and orderly. Indiscipline implies the lack of self-control and disobedience resulting in flagrant violation of rules and regulations which in turn creates disorder and chaos. Some acts of indiscipline result from lack of self-control. It accounts for immorality, bad temper and greed which in turn lead to stealing, robbery and other related crimes. In short, crimes of all kinds are perpetuations of indiscipline. Therefore, if one fights indiscipline, he or she is also fighting crime. In fact indiscipline and crime are bedfellows. It is discipline that creates productivity and wealth in a country. The economic, social and moral growth of the country and its resulting prosperity depends on discipline. If the workers of the country are not disciplined, production automatically goes down. If teachers are indisciplined, the educational system will certainly break down. Similarly, indisciplined parents or family create a breed of children who lack discipline and may turn out to be criminals. If our pastors and church leaders are indisciplined, there will be no harmony in the churches and the moral growth of the nation will suffer. Politicians who possess no discipline cannot lead the people and the end result will be chaos. Disturbances in the country may be attributed to lack of discipline on the part of the security personnel. Chiefs who are not disciplined cannot retain the confidence of their subjects and anarchy may reign in that community. Obviously, the importance of discipline in the lives of the people of any nation or society cannot be gainsaid since that nation or society can only be organised with discipline.

Yours truly,
Editor

Which statement from the passage is an example of an invalid argument?

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
To the Editor:
Life is too restrictive today. There are too many too-rigid rules. No smoking, no cell phone use, parking for handicapped people only, no loitering, no skateboarding, shirts and shoes required; these signs scream out at you everywhere you go. Next, someone will be passing a law against talking in public. Things have gone too far.
Civility is all very well, but what has happened to liberty? Why can't I use my cell phone in a restaurant? Why do I have to turn off the alarm on my watch in the movie theater?

Things reached the height of absurdity today when I was sitting in my car, waiting to pick up my girlfriend after work at Valley Hospital. There I was, parked at the ambulance entrance, listening to a Lou Reed tape on my newly installed custom sound system. I mean, I wasn't bothering anyone. But this security guard came over to me, asked me to move my car out of the way, and told me he would call the police if I didn't turn the music down! There are sick people inside the hospital, and they need peace and quiet, he whined. Sick people need good music to stir them up, I replied. And the next thing I knew, a police officer was writing out a parking ticket and telling me to move my car.
That's just one little example of my point, but I could go on and on. There are too many rules, too little liberty. Is everyone else out there as mad as I am? Let's join together and fight against restrictive rules!

Yours truly, 
Richard Sylvester

Passage – II
Dear Richard,
Various rules and regulations have been put in place to ensure that our society is peaceful and orderly. Indiscipline implies the lack of self-control and disobedience resulting in flagrant violation of rules and regulations which in turn creates disorder and chaos. Some acts of indiscipline result from lack of self-control. It accounts for immorality, bad temper and greed which in turn lead to stealing, robbery and other related crimes. In short, crimes of all kinds are perpetuations of indiscipline. Therefore, if one fights indiscipline, he or she is also fighting crime. In fact indiscipline and crime are bedfellows. It is discipline that creates productivity and wealth in a country. The economic, social and moral growth of the country and its resulting prosperity depends on discipline. If the workers of the country are not disciplined, production automatically goes down. If teachers are indisciplined, the educational system will certainly break down. Similarly, indisciplined parents or family create a breed of children who lack discipline and may turn out to be criminals. If our pastors and church leaders are indisciplined, there will be no harmony in the churches and the moral growth of the nation will suffer. Politicians who possess no discipline cannot lead the people and the end result will be chaos. Disturbances in the country may be attributed to lack of discipline on the part of the security personnel. Chiefs who are not disciplined cannot retain the confidence of their subjects and anarchy may reign in that community. Obviously, the importance of discipline in the lives of the people of any nation or society cannot be gainsaid since that nation or society can only be organised with discipline.

Yours truly,
Editor

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
To the Editor:
Life is too restrictive today. There are too many too-rigid rules. No smoking, no cell phone use, parking for handicapped people only, no loitering, no skateboarding, shirts and shoes required; these signs scream out at you everywhere you go. Next, someone will be passing a law against talking in public. Things have gone too far.
Civility is all very well, but what has happened to liberty? Why can't I use my cell phone in a restaurant? Why do I have to turn off the alarm on my watch in the movie theater?

Things reached the height of absurdity today when I was sitting in my car, waiting to pick up my girlfriend after work at Valley Hospital. There I was, parked at the ambulance entrance, listening to a Lou Reed tape on my newly installed custom sound system. I mean, I wasn't bothering anyone. But this security guard came over to me, asked me to move my car out of the way, and told me he would call the police if I didn't turn the music down! There are sick people inside the hospital, and they need peace and quiet, he whined. Sick people need good music to stir them up, I replied. And the next thing I knew, a police officer was writing out a parking ticket and telling me to move my car.
That's just one little example of my point, but I could go on and on. There are too many rules, too little liberty. Is everyone else out there as mad as I am? Let's join together and fight against restrictive rules!

Yours truly, 
Richard Sylvester

Passage – II
Dear Richard,
Various rules and regulations have been put in place to ensure that our society is peaceful and orderly. Indiscipline implies the lack of self-control and disobedience resulting in flagrant violation of rules and regulations which in turn creates disorder and chaos. Some acts of indiscipline result from lack of self-control. It accounts for immorality, bad temper and greed which in turn lead to stealing, robbery and other related crimes. In short, crimes of all kinds are perpetuations of indiscipline. Therefore, if one fights indiscipline, he or she is also fighting crime. In fact indiscipline and crime are bedfellows. It is discipline that creates productivity and wealth in a country. The economic, social and moral growth of the country and its resulting prosperity depends on discipline. If the workers of the country are not disciplined, production automatically goes down. If teachers are indisciplined, the educational system will certainly break down. Similarly, indisciplined parents or family create a breed of children who lack discipline and may turn out to be criminals. If our pastors and church leaders are indisciplined, there will be no harmony in the churches and the moral growth of the nation will suffer. Politicians who possess no discipline cannot lead the people and the end result will be chaos. Disturbances in the country may be attributed to lack of discipline on the part of the security personnel. Chiefs who are not disciplined cannot retain the confidence of their subjects and anarchy may reign in that community. Obviously, the importance of discipline in the lives of the people of any nation or society cannot be gainsaid since that nation or society can only be organised with discipline.

Yours truly,
Editor

The following are all characteristics of Chinese paintings and art, except

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
When it comes to Stone Age technology, it seems, Africa and Eurasia were something of a Silicon Valley, while eastern Asia, until recently, was considered more like a Rust Belt. Human ancestors in Africa and Eurasia were making relatively advanced large stone tools like axes and cleavers hundreds of thousands of years ago. But no similar tools from that time had been found in Asia, supporting a theory that the region was geographically, and thus culturally and perhaps genetically, isolated.
That theory has now taken a pounding, after the announcement, in the current issue of the journal Science, of the discovery of large stone tools in Southern China. The tools, cobbles and large stone flakes that had been extensively chipped into cutting shapes, were dated to about 800,000 years ago. So it appears that the hominids of eastern Asia were as technologically advanced as their counterparts in Africa and Eurasia.
Still, advanced tools have now been found from only one date in eastern Asia, while in Africa and Eurasia they range over about a million years. The authors of the Science paper suggest why this might be: the hominids of the Chinese site might have been taking advantage of a change in their local environment.
Found among the sediments at the site were tektites, glassy objects that can result from a catastrophic event like a meteorite impact, as well as much charcoal. The researchers suggest that the event that created the tektites would have caused wide burning and destruction of forests, exposing cobble outcroppings. The early humans then eventually came to make use of the available stone.

Passage - II
Chinese art goes back many centuries. Early themes were developed from religious and supernatural beliefs or from the natural environment and landscape. One of the oldest and most basic forms of Chinese art is calligraphy, the painting of the Chinese characters with a brush. Calligraphy has developed as a pure art form with its own standards of excellence. Building on the tradition of calligraphy, Chinese painting developed a distinctive style that differs greatly from Western painting. It is more efficient in terms of brushstrokes and appears more abstract. Landscapes have always been a popular theme, and sometimes these appear bizarre to the Western eye. To the Chinese painter, they may represent a figurative view painted with a few swift strokes of the artist's brush. With their stress on simplicity and economy, Chinese calligraphy, painting, and poetry are closely related. In all of them, the artist seeks to express both inner harmony and harmony with the natural surroundings. Chinese poets and painters often have sought inspiration by withdrawing to isolated, mountainous areas, and these landscapes have become conventional themes of Chinese art. Similarly, Chinese architecture has traditionally aimed to convey harmony with society and nature. The magnificent life-size terra-cotta statues of men and horses, discovered in the early 1970s in the tomb of an emperor who died in 210 BC, provide some indication of the long history of Chinese sculpture. After the introduction of Buddhism into China, Buddhist subjects became dominant themes of the sculptor's art. Perhaps best known (and most copied) in the West, however, are the works of Chinese decorative artists, such as pottery, bronzes, lacquer ware, and exquisitely detailed jade and ivory carvings.

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
It seemed that everywhere scientists looked this year -- especially in Monterey Bay-- they saw sea otters. “Silver headed male is coming in” says a counter.
Up and down the California coast, federal, state and private researchers turned their eyes to the water for the annual spring sea otter count. That's three resting plus one small say a counter. The results returned numbers so high that scientists believe they're misleading. The spring count this year is the highest we've ever had since 1983, said Greg Sanders of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. So that's encouraging. Two thousand five hundred and five (2,505) otters were counted in this year's census, up 17% from last year. But the count only reflects otters that were observed. Scientists say the observing conditions this year were very good and more otters have congregated in Monterey Bay, where they are easily seen. “I have no confidence that the population really is increasing now, said Dr. Jim Estes, an ecology researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey and one of the leaders of the annual count. I think it's roughly stable. On the chart, the raw numbers show this year's spike. But when the counts are displayed as a three year running average, the increase levels out.
Scientists believe a harsh early winter combined with increased food attracted many more otters close in to Monterey Bay, where they could be seen and counted. This also may explain what appeared to be a mystery in April. This spring, an exceptionally large number of dead and dying sea otters were found around Monterey Bay. There were reports that a disease carried by cat feces contributed to the deaths. But the explanation offered now is quite a bit simpler.
It's simply that there are a lot of live ones out there and thus are a lot of dead ones accumulating as a result of all these live ones, said Estes. The increase in dead otters is proportional to the increase in live ones -- meaning that the so-called unusual deaths reported in April were not unusual at all. Scientists say if the otter count shows an increase over the next several years, they'll know the downward population trend that began in the mid-1990s has actually reversed. Despite the increase this year, the 2,505 otters counted are still a fraction of the 18,000 to 20,000 believed to have lived along what is now the California coast (among about 250,000 worldwide) before they were hunted to near-extinction.

Passage – II
The story on the re-discovery of California's sea otter is well-documented. In 1938 a group of otters were spotted near Bixby Bridge along the Big Sur coast. This sighting confirmed that California's otter was, indeed, still in existence.
That was 57 years ago. For almost half of that time Friends of the Sea Otter (FSO) has worked to protect the sea otter and its habitat from a wide range of threats. And it is in large part due to FSO's efforts that the California (southern) sea otter population has grown. In 1968 when Margaret Owings, a well respected conservationist, and Dr. Jim Mattison, an avid outdoorsman, founded FSO, the southern sea otter population numbered about 650. Since that time, the population has grown in number and range and includes about 2,300 otters along the central California coastline. When FSO first began, it was operated solely on a volunteer basis; many times meetings were held at Owings' home and it was through her sheer force of will that the organization continued. She helped establish environmental policy to benefit the otter; she spoke to legislators both in Sacramento and Washington D.C.; and she used her insight and knowledge to rally scientists, conservationists, educators, and friends to embrace FSO's mission. Mattison marched along with her at every step, albeit with a different focus. He utilized his considerable medical knowledge to help in the biological research of otters; and he turned his scuba diving hobby into a treasure trove of pictures, information, and data - all about otters - for FSO. The success of FSO is well-known in the environmental community. As the only advocacy organization for sea otters in the world, in the fight to protect our marine communities. FSO is now assessing those threats facing Alaska otters - a species that was tragically affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound - for successful resolution. Additionally, FSO is investigating the plight of Russian otters which are outside the protection of both the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The most serious threat they face comes from poachers hunting for skins. What began as two people's commitment to save a single species has become an organization with a staff fully committed to ensuring not only the protection of the sea otter, but also the preservation of critical marine environments necessary to the otter's survival.

If both the passages are combined what would be the heading of the combined passages?

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
It seemed that everywhere scientists looked this year -- especially in Monterey Bay-- they saw sea otters. “Silver headed male is coming in” says a counter.
Up and down the California coast, federal, state and private researchers turned their eyes to the water for the annual spring sea otter count. That's three resting plus one small say a counter. The results returned numbers so high that scientists believe they're misleading. The spring count this year is the highest we've ever had since 1983, said Greg Sanders of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. So that's encouraging. Two thousand five hundred and five (2,505) otters were counted in this year's census, up 17% from last year. But the count only reflects otters that were observed. Scientists say the observing conditions this year were very good and more otters have congregated in Monterey Bay, where they are easily seen. “I have no confidence that the population really is increasing now, said Dr. Jim Estes, an ecology researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey and one of the leaders of the annual count. I think it's roughly stable. On the chart, the raw numbers show this year's spike. But when the counts are displayed as a three year running average, the increase levels out.
Scientists believe a harsh early winter combined with increased food attracted many more otters close in to Monterey Bay, where they could be seen and counted. This also may explain what appeared to be a mystery in April. This spring, an exceptionally large number of dead and dying sea otters were found around Monterey Bay. There were reports that a disease carried by cat feces contributed to the deaths. But the explanation offered now is quite a bit simpler.
It's simply that there are a lot of live ones out there and thus are a lot of dead ones accumulating as a result of all these live ones, said Estes. The increase in dead otters is proportional to the increase in live ones -- meaning that the so-called unusual deaths reported in April were not unusual at all. Scientists say if the otter count shows an increase over the next several years, they'll know the downward population trend that began in the mid-1990s has actually reversed. Despite the increase this year, the 2,505 otters counted are still a fraction of the 18,000 to 20,000 believed to have lived along what is now the California coast (among about 250,000 worldwide) before they were hunted to near-extinction.

Passage – II
The story on the re-discovery of California's sea otter is well-documented. In 1938 a group of otters were spotted near Bixby Bridge along the Big Sur coast. This sighting confirmed that California's otter was, indeed, still in existence.
That was 57 years ago. For almost half of that time Friends of the Sea Otter (FSO) has worked to protect the sea otter and its habitat from a wide range of threats. And it is in large part due to FSO's efforts that the California (southern) sea otter population has grown. In 1968 when Margaret Owings, a well respected conservationist, and Dr. Jim Mattison, an avid outdoorsman, founded FSO, the southern sea otter population numbered about 650. Since that time, the population has grown in number and range and includes about 2,300 otters along the central California coastline. When FSO first began, it was operated solely on a volunteer basis; many times meetings were held at Owings' home and it was through her sheer force of will that the organization continued. She helped establish environmental policy to benefit the otter; she spoke to legislators both in Sacramento and Washington D.C.; and she used her insight and knowledge to rally scientists, conservationists, educators, and friends to embrace FSO's mission. Mattison marched along with her at every step, albeit with a different focus. He utilized his considerable medical knowledge to help in the biological research of otters; and he turned his scuba diving hobby into a treasure trove of pictures, information, and data - all about otters - for FSO. The success of FSO is well-known in the environmental community. As the only advocacy organization for sea otters in the world, in the fight to protect our marine communities. FSO is now assessing those threats facing Alaska otters - a species that was tragically affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound - for successful resolution. Additionally, FSO is investigating the plight of Russian otters which are outside the protection of both the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The most serious threat they face comes from poachers hunting for skins. What began as two people's commitment to save a single species has become an organization with a staff fully committed to ensuring not only the protection of the sea otter, but also the preservation of critical marine environments necessary to the otter's survival.