Reading Comprehension Flashcards
7 cards from real C2 practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Reading Comprehension flashcards as text
A passage includes the sentence: 'The critics, far from dismissing the novel, lavished it with qualified praise.' What does 'qualified praise' mean?
Answer: Praise that comes with reservations or conditions
Qualified praise means praise accompanied by reservations, caveats, or limitations — not unrestrained admiration.
In a complex text, the phrase 'ipso facto' is used. A C2 reader understands this Latin phrase to mean:
Answer: By that very fact or action itself
'Ipso facto' is Latin for 'by the fact itself,' meaning something is a direct logical consequence of an action.
An author uses an extended metaphor comparing a bureaucratic system to a 'labyrinthine maze with no Ariadne's thread.' What does this imply?
Answer: The system is complex and there is no guide or solution to navigate it
Ariadne's thread helped Theseus navigate the labyrinth; its absence here implies the system has no guiding solution or aid.
A passage argues a position, then states: 'To be sure, counterarguments exist.' The phrase 'to be sure' signals that the author is about to:
Answer: Acknowledge an opposing view before reasserting the main claim
'To be sure' is a concessive phrase signaling acknowledgment of a counterpoint, typically before the author reaffirms their position.
The word 'tendentious' in an academic passage most accurately describes writing that is:
Answer: Deliberately biased toward a particular cause or point of view
Tendentious describes writing that promotes a particular cause or viewpoint in a biased or partisan way.
A reader encounters a passage where the narrator describes events with apparent calm but uses words like 'obliterated,' 'ravaged,' and 'gutted.' This tension is best described as:
Answer: Ironic understatement where the neutral tone contradicts the violent diction
The dissonance between calm narration and violent vocabulary creates ironic understatement, a sophisticated stylistic effect.
When a C2-level reader is asked to evaluate the author's 'rhetorical stance,' they are being asked to assess:
Answer: The author's purpose, audience relationship, and persuasive approach in the text
Rhetorical stance encompasses the author's relationship to their audience, their purpose, and how their persuasive strategies position them within the argument.