ASET Reading Comprehension 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is a supporting detail rather than a main idea?
- A specific statistic showing a 20% rise in test scores after tutoring (Correct answer)
- The overall conclusion that tutoring improves academic performance
- The thesis statement of an essay about education
- The title of an article about academic support programs
Correct answer: A specific statistic showing a 20% rise in test scores after tutoring
A specific statistic provides evidence for the main idea rather than being the central argument itself.
Question 2: When a passage presents two sides of an issue without clearly favoring one, the author's purpose is most likely to:
- Inform readers about multiple perspectives (Correct answer)
- Persuade readers to take a specific action
- Entertain readers with contrasting viewpoints
- Explain a technical process step by step
Correct answer: Inform readers about multiple perspectives
A balanced presentation of two sides indicates an informational or analytical purpose rather than a persuasive one.
Question 3: What does it mean to 'summarize' a passage?
- To restate the main points briefly in your own words (Correct answer)
- To copy the introduction and conclusion verbatim
- To list every detail mentioned in the passage
- To critique the author's writing style
Correct answer: To restate the main points briefly in your own words
A summary condenses the key points of a passage into a shorter form using the reader's own language.
Question 4: A passage compares the advantages and disadvantages of online learning. Which transition word signals a contrast?
- However (Correct answer)
- Furthermore
- Similarly
- In addition
Correct answer: However
'However' is a transition word used to signal a contrast or shift to an opposing idea.
Question 5: Which of the following questions targets a reader's ability to make an inference from a passage?
- Based on the author's description of the factory's conditions, how might workers feel? (Correct answer)
- What year was the factory established according to the passage?
- How many workers are employed at the factory?
- What is the name of the factory's owner?
Correct answer: Based on the author's description of the factory's conditions, how might workers feel?
Asking how workers might feel requires drawing a conclusion not directly stated in the passage.
Question 6: What does it mean when an author uses a rhetorical question in a passage?
- To make a point or provoke thought without expecting a literal answer (Correct answer)
- To request information from the reader
- To introduce a new topic abruptly
- To end the passage with a conclusion
Correct answer: To make a point or provoke thought without expecting a literal answer
Rhetorical questions are used for emphasis or to engage the reader's thinking, not to elicit an actual answer.
ASET Reading Comprehension 2
Which of the following is a supporting detail rather than a main idea?