Almost no young people today know who the cartoon character Oswald the Rabbit is, but they

Almost no young people today know who the cartoon character Oswald the Rabbit is, but they certainly recognize his successor, Bugs Bunny. Oswald, Bugs, and hundreds of other characters were created by Walt Disney, perhaps the most famous cartoonist in history.

Born in Chicago in 1901, Walt Disney always wanted to be an artist. After returning from World War I, in which he drove an ambulance, Disney worked as a commercial artist. He enjoyed drawing cartoons more than anything else, and decided to try his hand at a technology that was new at the time, moving pictures.

In the 1920’s, he produced several films where he made cartoon characters move as if by magic. The technique Disney used was painstaking. He made hundreds or even thousands of repeated drawings of the same character. In each drawing, the character was changed just a bit. A film was taken of the series of drawings, and when it was shown, the characters appeared to move. The process, called animation, is still used today, although computers have made the process much easier.

In 1928, Disney created his most famous character, Mortimer Mouse, who we know today as Mickey. The mouse starred in a cartoon called Steamboat Willie, which was unusual because it involved the use of a sound track. Within the next few years, Disney invented many of his other characters.

The list of Disney’s animation successes is long and memorable. It includes Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, and Peter Pan. Perhaps his most remarkable animated film is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Created in 1937, it was an immediate success. Today, more than fifty years later, it is still one of the most popular films for children.

56. What is one of the chief differences between animation today and in Walt Disney’s early years?

A. More people like animated movies.    B. Fewer people like animated movies.

C. Computers have made the job easier. D. Computers have made the job harder.

57. Which of these words best describes Walt Disney?

A. Creative.     B. Athletic.                     C. Exciting.                    D. Quiet.

58. What makes the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs so remarkable?

A. It was a little success when created.

B. It took more than a year to make it.

C. It was made at a time when there were no computers.

D. It has remained popular for more than fifty years.

59. The author of this passage would probably agree that ______.

A. Oswald the Rabbit is well-known today

B. Walt Disney is a remarkable person

C. animation is an easy technique

D. cartoons move by magic

60. What does the underlined word “painstaking” (in Paragraph 3) probably mean?

A. Something that hurts because it involves hard work.

B. Taking a long time and involving much hard work.

C. Requiring a lot of effort, like running a marathon.

D. Requiring many fine tools, such as pens and pencils.

61. The secret of animation is to _______.

A. make drawings that are exactly the same, then film them

B. choose names for characters that make people remember them

C. combine music, voices, and sound effects with pictures

D. make a film of many drawings that change just a little