CBEST Reading: Critical Analysis 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: 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:
- Chronological order
- Compare and contrast
- Problem-cause-solution (Correct answer)
- Spatial organization
Correct answer: Problem-cause-solution
Introducing a problem, analyzing its causes, then offering solutions is the classic problem-cause-solution organizational pattern.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the difference between a primary source and a secondary source?
- Primary sources are more recent; secondary sources are older
- Primary sources are original documents or firsthand accounts; secondary sources analyze or interpret them (Correct answer)
- Primary sources are always more reliable than secondary sources
- Primary sources are peer-reviewed; secondary sources are not
Correct 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.
Question 3: A reader comes across the word 'ephemeral' in a passage about mayflies, which live only one day. Based on context, 'ephemeral' most likely means:
- Extremely large
- Lasting only a short time (Correct answer)
- Brightly colored
- Difficult to observe
Correct 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.
Question 4: 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:
- Two different events being described
- A shift in perspective from investors to workers (Correct answer)
- A factual error in the passage
- The author's uncertainty about economic data
Correct 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.
Question 5: In a persuasive essay, the author spends the third paragraph addressing and refuting counterarguments. The purpose of this move is to:
- Weaken the author's own position
- Show that the author is unaware of other viewpoints
- Strengthen credibility by anticipating and answering objections (Correct answer)
- Confuse readers about the main argument
Correct answer: Strengthen credibility by anticipating and answering objections
Addressing counterarguments (refutation) shows intellectual honesty and strengthens the author's position by preemptively answering objections.
Question 6: 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?
- It directly contradicts the main clause
- It concedes a positive quality before introducing a criticism (Correct answer)
- It provides statistical support for the claim
- It identifies the author's political affiliation
Correct 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.
Question 7: Which reading strategy is most appropriate when a reader encounters an unfamiliar technical term and no glossary is available?
- Skip the term and continue reading without concern
- Use context clues from surrounding sentences to infer the term's meaning (Correct answer)
- Assume the term is unimportant to comprehension
- Replace the term mentally with a familiar synonym without checking context
Correct 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.
CBEST Reading: Critical Analysis 5
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: