Question 1 - Reading Practice Test for the CBEST

The word erroneous, as used in the third sentence of the second paragraph of the passage, most nearly means:

“It would be erroneous to think that there was no technology in the pre-industrial revolution age. Ships brought colonists and supplies to the new world. Shipbuilders had the technical knowledge to build and sail these vessels and they had navigational aids such as the compass and charts to help them find their way. The colonists brought with them hand tools, plows, domesticated animals, clothing, and firearms—items which comprised a technical system.”

When we think of “technology” today, we tend to focus on computers, bytes, and such modern day creations. We, thus, do not consider innovations of the past to be “technologically” influenced. This is an erroneous assumption. Technical skills and knowledge were certainly involved in even ancient pursuits, such as shipbuilding. Our ancestors’ tools may not have whirred and beeped, but they were part of the very earliest technology. Compasses and charts comprised the technology they used for navigation. More early technology can be found in the hand tools, plows, and firearms of the colonists. These items formed an early “technical” system.

Retrieved from: http://www.engr.psu.edu/mtah/articles/colonial_wood_water.htm

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