31. The world’s first workers’ compensation law was introduced by Bismarck _______.
(A) to make industrial production safer
(B) to speed up the pace of industrialization
(C) out of religious and political considerations
(D) for fear of losing the support of the socialist labor movement

27. One of the purposes for which school officials closed classes was _______. (A) to avoid paying retirement benefits to teachers and staff (B) to draw the attention of local taxpayers to political issues (C) to make the financial difficulties of their teachers and staff known to the public (D) to pressure Michigan lawmakers into increasing state funds for local schools

28. The author seems to disapprove of _______. (A) the Michigan lawmakers’ endless debating (B) the shutting of schools in Kalkaska (C) the involvement of the mass media (D) delaying the passage of the school funding legislation

29. We learn from the passage that school authorities in Kalkaska are more concerned about _______. (A) a raise in the property-tax rate in Michigan (B) reopening the schools there immediately (C) the attitude of the MEA’s parent organization (D) making a political issue of the closing of the schools

30. According to the passage, the closing of the schools developed into a crisis because of ______. (A) the complexity of the problem (B) the political motives on the part of the educators (C) the weak response of the state officials (D) the strong protest on the part of the students’ parents

32. We learn from the passage that the process of industrialization in Europe _______. (A) was accompanied by an increased number of workshop accidents (B) resulted in the development of popular social insurance programs (C) required workers to be aware of the potential dangers at the workplace (D) met growing resistance from laborers working at machines

33. One of the problems the American injured workers faced in getting compensation in the early 19th century was that ______. (A) they had to have the courage to sue for damages in a court of law (B) different sums in the U.S. had totally different compensation programs (C) America’s average compensation benefit was much lower than the cost of living (D) they had to produce evidence that their employers were responsible for the accident

34. After 1972 workers’ compensation insurance in the U.S. became more favorable to workers so that _______. (A) the poverty level for a family of four went up drastically (B) there were fewer legal barriers when they filed for claims (C) the number of workers suing for damages increased (D) more money was allocated to their compensation system

35. The author ends the passage with the implication that ______. (A) compensation benefits in America are soaring to new heights (B) the workers are not the only ones to benefit from the compensation system (C) people from all walks of life can benefit from the compensation system (D) money floating in the compensation system is a huge drain on the U.S. economy

36. The emergence of the affluent society after World War II ________. (A) gave birth to a new generation of upper class consumers (B) gave rise to the dominance of the new egoism (C) led to the reform of the retailing system (D) resulted in the worship of consumerism

37. Apart from enormous productivity, another important impetus to high consumption is _______. (A) the conversion of the sale of goods into rituals (B) the people’s desire for a rise in their living standards (C) the imbalance that has existed between production and consumption (D) the concept that one’s success is measured by how much they consume