Core Academic Skills Assessment Core Academic Skills MCQ 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage states: 'Most experts agree that exercise improves mood.' Which type of evidence would most strengthen this claim?
- A personal anecdote from an athlete
- Meta-analyses of multiple randomized controlled trials (Correct answer)
- An opinion piece in a fitness magazine
- A celebrity endorsement
Correct answer: Meta-analyses of multiple randomized controlled trials
Meta-analyses synthesizing randomized controlled trials provide the highest quality scientific evidence.
Question 2: Choose the correctly punctuated sentence.
- She loves cooking her family, and her dog.
- She loves cooking, her family, and her dog. (Correct answer)
- She loves cooking her family and, her dog.
- She loves cooking her family and her, dog.
Correct answer: She loves cooking, her family, and her dog.
The Oxford comma after 'family' correctly separates three list items and avoids the ambiguous reading that family and dog are being cooked.
Question 3: If a car travels 150 miles in 2.5 hours, what is its average speed in miles per hour?
- 50 mph
- 55 mph
- 60 mph (Correct answer)
- 65 mph
Correct answer: 60 mph
Speed = distance ÷ time = 150 ÷ 2.5 = 60 mph.
Question 4: A pie chart shows that 25% of a school budget goes to athletics. If the total budget is $800,000, how much is allocated to athletics?
- $180,000
- $200,000 (Correct answer)
- $250,000
- $160,000
Correct answer: $200,000
25% of $800,000 = 0.25 × 800,000 = $200,000.
Question 5: In an argument, a 'premise' is best described as:
- The conclusion the author wants you to accept
- A statement offered as evidence to support a conclusion (Correct answer)
- A rhetorical question used to engage readers
- A counterargument the author refutes
Correct answer: A statement offered as evidence to support a conclusion
A premise is a supporting statement or reason given to justify the argument's conclusion.
Question 6: Simplify: (4² + 3²) ÷ 5
- 5 (Correct answer)
- 7
- 25
- 3
Correct answer: 5
(16 + 9) ÷ 5 = 25 ÷ 5 = 5.
Question 7: Which sentence uses the subjunctive mood correctly?
- If he was taller, he could play center.
- If he were taller, he could play center. (Correct answer)
- If he is taller, he could play center.
- If he has been taller, he could play center.
Correct answer: If he were taller, he could play center.
The subjunctive 'were' is used for hypothetical or contrary-to-fact conditions in formal English.
Core Academic Skills Assessment Core Academic Skills MCQ 3
A passage states: 'Most experts agree that exercise improves mood.' Which type of evidence would most strengthen this claim?