V04-14, V04-15

Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of harmonious design, first became fashionable in the United States in the 1960s, when decorators heavily influenced by New Age sensibilities began selling Feng Shui to their clients as a chance to increase health and wealth as well as to have a more beautiful home. The Chinese practice of Feng Shui depends on directing the healthy flow of Chi, or life energy, by aligning the home itself according to the four cardinal directions and objects in the home in such a way as to receive and maintain this positive energy. In ancient practice, the most important objects in the home include the front door, or “Mouth of Chi,” where most life energy is received; the stove, which represents wealth and abundance; and the bed, whose positive position controls relationship energy. American popularized versions of Feng Shui, by contrast, show hardly any concern for directional alignment or key objects, preferring instead the excessive use of crystals, mirrors, and table-top water features, which, though perhaps entertaining, display precious little respect for the real influence of Chi.

1. Which of the following best describes the author’s tone in the passage?

(a) Both supportive and critical
(b) Alternately informative and criticising
(c) Wavering between disagreement and support
(d) Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
(e) Variously shocked and proud


2. The author most likely uses the adjective “popularized” in order to emphasize that

(a) many Americans in the 1960s used Feng Shui in their homes.
(b) directional alignment and key objects are no longer common features of Chinese Feng Shui.
(c) decorators influenced by New Age sensibilities changed the practice of Feng Shui by adding crystals, mirrors, and water features.
(d) the practice of Feng Shui in the United States was considerably more shallow than its practice in ancient China.
(e) crystals, mirrors, and water features were as popular in the United States in the 1960s as Feng Shui was in ancient China.