CHSPE Critical Reading 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage compares two approaches to reducing traffic congestion: expanding highways and improving public transit. This structure is best described as:
- Cause and effect
- Problem and solution
- Compare and contrast (Correct answer)
- Chronological order
Correct answer: Compare and contrast
When a passage examines similarities and differences between two subjects or approaches, it uses a compare-and-contrast structure.
Question 2: Which of the following is the best example of an inference?
- The passage states the character is 12 years old.
- The passage says the story takes place in Chicago.
- Based on the character's nervousness, the reader concludes she is about to perform. (Correct answer)
- The author writes that it was raining outside.
Correct answer: Based on the character's nervousness, the reader concludes she is about to perform.
An inference is a conclusion drawn from evidence rather than directly stated; nervousness suggesting a performance is not stated but reasoned from clues.
Question 3: Read the passage: 'Despite years of research, scientists have not found a single cause of autism. Studies suggest a combination of genetic and environmental factors.' What conclusion is best supported?
- Autism has one known genetic cause
- Environmental factors alone cause autism
- Autism likely results from multiple interacting factors (Correct answer)
- Scientists have stopped researching autism
Correct answer: Autism likely results from multiple interacting factors
The passage explicitly states no single cause exists and that both genetic and environmental factors are involved, supporting a multi-factor conclusion.
Question 4: An author writes: 'Critics call the film a masterpiece; others find it unwatchably slow.' What technique is the author using?
- Providing only one viewpoint
- Presenting contrasting perspectives (Correct answer)
- Expressing personal opinion
- Summarizing the film's plot
Correct answer: Presenting contrasting perspectives
By including both positive ('masterpiece') and negative ('unwatchably slow') views, the author presents contrasting perspectives.
Question 5: A reader notices that a health article is published on the website of a company that sells vitamins. Why is this important to consider?
- Health articles are always unreliable
- The source may have a conflict of interest that could bias the information (Correct answer)
- Company websites are the most accurate sources
- It means all the information is false
Correct answer: The source may have a conflict of interest that could bias the information
A company with a financial interest in vitamins may present biased information to encourage purchases, creating a conflict of interest.
Question 6: The phrase 'buried under a mountain of homework' is an example of:
- Simile
- Personification
- Hyperbole (Correct answer)
- Alliteration
Correct answer: Hyperbole
Hyperbole is extreme exaggeration for emphasis; no one is literally buried under homework, so this is a figurative exaggeration.
Question 7: A passage describes the problem of food deserts in cities and then explains how community gardens could address the issue. This is an example of which text structure?
- Chronological order
- Compare and contrast
- Problem and solution (Correct answer)
- Cause and effect
Correct answer: Problem and solution
The passage identifies a problem (food deserts) and proposes a solution (community gardens), which defines the problem-and-solution structure.
CHSPE Critical Reading 5
A passage compares two approaches to reducing traffic congestion: expanding highways and improving public transit.
This structure is best described as: