aReading Comprehension 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student reads: 'The sky darkened and thunder rumbled. Maria grabbed her umbrella.' What can the reader infer?
- Maria is afraid of the dark
- It is about to rain (Correct answer)
- Maria is going to school
- The power went out
Correct answer: It is about to rain
Dark skies and thunder are classic clues that rain is coming, making the umbrella a logical response.
Question 2: A passage compares dogs and cats as pets. Which text structure is the author most likely using?
- Chronological sequence
- Problem and solution
- Compare and contrast (Correct answer)
- Cause and effect
Correct answer: Compare and contrast
When a text examines similarities and differences between two subjects, it uses a compare-and-contrast structure.
Question 3: Which aReading comprehension task requires a student to go beyond the literal text to form an interpretation?
- Locating a date stated in the passage
- Restating a definition provided in a glossary
- Determining a character's motivation not directly stated (Correct answer)
- Reading a caption beneath a photograph
Correct answer: Determining a character's motivation not directly stated
Inferring motivation requires interpreting clues in the text rather than finding information that is explicitly stated.
Question 4: A student is asked: 'What is the author's purpose in this passage?' The passage gives step-by-step instructions for making a sandwich. The best answer is:
- To entertain with a funny story
- To persuade readers to eat sandwiches
- To inform readers how to make a sandwich (Correct answer)
- To describe the history of sandwiches
Correct answer: To inform readers how to make a sandwich
Step-by-step instructions are written to inform or explain how to do something.
Question 5: What does it mean when an aReading question asks a student to 'summarize' a passage?
- Copy the passage word for word
- List every detail from the text
- Restate the most important ideas briefly in their own words (Correct answer)
- Identify all the vocabulary words
Correct answer: Restate the most important ideas briefly in their own words
Summarizing means condensing the main ideas of a text into a brief, student-generated restatement.
Question 6: In a story, the problem is introduced, events build tension, and then the conflict is resolved. This story structure is called:
- Expository structure
- Narrative arc (plot structure) (Correct answer)
- Argumentative structure
- Descriptive structure
Correct answer: Narrative arc (plot structure)
Stories typically follow a narrative arc: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Question 7: A passage states: 'Unlike cold-blooded reptiles, mammals regulate their own body temperature.' A comprehension question asks how reptiles and mammals differ. This assesses:
- Identifying figurative language
- Compare-and-contrast comprehension (Correct answer)
- Understanding narrative point of view
- Recognizing rhyme scheme
Correct answer: Compare-and-contrast comprehension
The question asks students to identify a difference between two subjects, which is a compare-and-contrast comprehension skill.
aReading Comprehension 3
A student reads: 'The sky darkened and thunder rumbled.
Maria grabbed her umbrella.' What can the reader infer?