BCA Reading Comprehension 3

Question 1

In a passage, the author writes: 'The city was a jungle of steel and glass.' What literary device is being used?

Accepted Answer

Metaphor

Answer

Calling the city 'a jungle of steel and glass' is a metaphor — a direct comparison between two unlike things (a city and a jungle) without using 'like' or 'as.'

Question 2

A passage about deforestation uses phrases like 'forests are the lungs of the Earth' and 'trees breathe life into ecosystems.' What is the passage's most likely THEME?

Accepted Answer

Forests are vital to the planet's health and must be preserved

Answer

Both metaphors emphasize the life-sustaining importance of forests, consistently supporting the theme that forests are vital to Earth's health and deserve protection.

Question 3

When an author writes, 'The thunder groaned and the rain wept upon the roof,' what literary device is being used?

Accepted Answer

Personification

Answer

Assigning human qualities — 'groaned' and 'wept' — to non-human things like thunder and rain is personification.

Question 4

An author argues: 'Every student should learn coding because it develops logical thinking, and every person benefits from logical thinking.' Which flaw in reasoning does this argument contain?

Accepted Answer

It makes an unwarranted generalization

Answer

The argument makes an unwarranted generalization by assuming coding is the only or best way to develop logical thinking, ignoring many other methods.

Question 5

An author uses the phrase 'a mountain of paperwork' to describe someone's workload. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Hyperbole

Answer

'A mountain of paperwork' is a hyperbole — an extreme exaggeration used for dramatic emphasis, since paperwork cannot literally become a mountain.

(BCA) Bergen County Academies Practice Test

(BCA) Bergen County Academies Practice Test

BCA Reading Comprehension 3