Reading Comprehension Test 14

The Great Hanshin Earthquake

The Great Hanshin earthquake, or the Kobe earthquake as it is more commonly known overseas, was an earthquake in Japan that measured 7.2 on the Japanese Scale. It occurred on January 17, 1995 at 5:46 am 52 seconds in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture and lasted for approximately 20 seconds. The epicenter of the earthquake was on the northern end of Awaji Island, near the cosmopolitan city of Kobe with a population of 1.5 million. A total of 6,433 people, mainly in the city of Kobe, lost their lives. Additionally, it caused approximately ten trillion yen in damage. It is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the costliest natural disaster. It was the worst .earthquake in Japan since the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923, which claimed 140,000 lives.

1. It is stated in the passage that the number of deaths in the city of Kobe ----.

A) was greater than that of Hurricane Katrina
B) was not as high as in the Great Kanto earthquake
C) exceeded that of any known earthquake
D) was extremely high for an earthquake of this magnitude
E) was small due to the type of construction

2. According to the passage, the Kobe earthquake is listed in the Guinness Book of Records because ----.

A) it has been the highest magnitude earthquake recorded so far
B) it lasted less than 20 seconds
C) it caused more financial damage than any other natural disaster in the
        world
D) the city of Kobe suffered the highest number of deaths among affected
        regions
E) its epicenter was on the northern end of Awaji island

3. We understand from the passage that the Kobe earthquake ----.

A) is internationally known as the Great Hanshin earthquake
B) didn't cause any damage in the neighborhood of Kobe
C) was the first to cause widespread and serious damage to modern
        buildings
D) is not the deadliest earthquake in the history of Japan
E) had a higher magnitude than the Great Kanto earthquake

Correctness =
Correct answers:

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