CAHSEE Reading 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An author writes a biography about a famous inventor. The text describes the inventor's childhood, education, and major discoveries in the order they happened. What text structure is the author using?
- Compare and contrast
- Cause and effect
- Chronological order (Correct answer)
- Problem and solution
Correct answer: Chronological order
Presenting events in the order they occurred—childhood, education, discoveries—is a chronological (time-order) text structure.
Question 2: Which of the following is the BEST example of an inference a reader might make while reading a story?
- The character's name is Maria.
- The story takes place in a small town.
- Maria slammed the door and refused to speak, so she was probably angry. (Correct answer)
- The author uses descriptive language throughout the story.
Correct answer: Maria slammed the door and refused to speak, so she was probably angry.
Inferring that Maria is angry based on her actions (slamming the door, refusing to speak) goes beyond stated facts to reach a logical conclusion.
Question 3: A poem repeats the line 'the river runs deep' at the end of each stanza. This repetition most likely serves to:
- Confuse the reader about the poem's meaning
- Emphasize a central theme or idea throughout the poem (Correct answer)
- Make the poem easier to memorize for school
- Show that the poet ran out of new ideas
Correct answer: Emphasize a central theme or idea throughout the poem
Repeated lines in poetry create emphasis and reinforce the poem's central theme or message.
Question 4: Read this excerpt: 'The cafeteria was a jungle at lunchtime—students roared with laughter, stampeded toward the pizza, and marked their territory at favorite tables.' This excerpt uses figurative language to:
- Literally describe animals in a cafeteria
- Suggest the cafeteria needs renovation
- Vividly compare student behavior to wild animals (Correct answer)
- Explain the cafeteria's menu options
Correct answer: Vividly compare student behavior to wild animals
The extended metaphor comparing students to jungle animals vividly describes the chaotic, energetic behavior in the cafeteria.
Question 5: An informational article about recycling states: 'Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for three hours.' The purpose of this specific detail is to:
- Discourage readers from using aluminum cans
- Make the benefits of recycling concrete and understandable (Correct answer)
- Explain how televisions use energy
- Prove that recycling is more important than conserving electricity
Correct answer: Make the benefits of recycling concrete and understandable
Comparing energy savings to a relatable activity (watching TV) makes an abstract statistic concrete and easier to understand.
Question 6: Which sentence uses a SEMICOLON correctly to join two related independent clauses?
- She studied hard for the test; and she passed with an A.
- She studied hard for the test; she passed with an A. (Correct answer)
- She studied hard; for the test she passed with an A.
- She; studied hard for the test and passed with an A.
Correct answer: She studied hard for the test; she passed with an A.
A semicolon correctly joins two complete, related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
Question 7: A student reads a persuasive editorial that uses the phrase 'everyone knows that...'. This phrase is an example of:
- A well-researched statistic
- A primary source citation
- A bandwagon or unsupported generalization (Correct answer)
- A logical counter-argument
Correct answer: A bandwagon or unsupported generalization
'Everyone knows that...' is an unsupported generalization or bandwagon appeal, claiming universal agreement without evidence.
CAHSEE Reading 3
An author writes a biography about a famous inventor.
The text describes the inventor's childhood, education, and major discoveries in the order they happened.
What text structure is the author using?