Reading: Critical Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real CBEST 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: Critical Analysis flashcards as text
A passage's first paragraph introduces a problem, the middle paragraphs discuss causes, and the final paragraph proposes solutions. This structure is an example of:
Answer: Problem-cause-solution
Introducing a problem, analyzing its causes, then offering solutions is the classic problem-cause-solution organizational pattern.
Which of the following best describes the difference between a primary source and a secondary source?
Answer: Primary sources are original documents or firsthand accounts; secondary sources analyze or interpret them
Primary sources provide original evidence (diaries, speeches, data), while secondary sources interpret or analyze those originals.
A reader comes across the word 'ephemeral' in a passage about mayflies, which live only one day. Based on context, 'ephemeral' most likely means:
Answer: Lasting only a short time
The context of a creature that lives only one day signals that 'ephemeral' describes something fleeting or short-lived.
An author describes the same economic recession as 'a painful correction the market needed' in one paragraph and 'a catastrophe for working families' in the next. This most likely reflects:
Answer: A shift in perspective from investors to workers
The contrasting characterizations reflect how the same event is experienced differently depending on one's economic position.
In a persuasive essay, the author spends the third paragraph addressing and refuting counterarguments. The purpose of this move is to:
Answer: Strengthen credibility by anticipating and answering objections
Addressing counterarguments (refutation) shows intellectual honesty and strengthens the author's position by preemptively answering objections.
A passage contains this sentence: 'The law, though well-intentioned, has had unintended consequences for small business owners.' What does the subordinate clause 'though well-intentioned' accomplish?
Answer: It concedes a positive quality before introducing a criticism
The concessive clause acknowledges the law's good intentions before pivoting to critique its actual effects, a common rhetorical move.
Which reading strategy is most appropriate when a reader encounters an unfamiliar technical term and no glossary is available?
Answer: Use context clues from surrounding sentences to infer the term's meaning
Context clues — definitions, examples, or contrast in surrounding text — are the most reliable strategy for inferring unfamiliar terms in context.