Core Academic Skills Assessment Reading: Key Ideas and Details 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read the passage: 'Photosynthesis converts light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose. Chloroplasts, found in plant cells, contain chlorophyll that absorbs sunlight. Water and carbon dioxide are the raw materials, while oxygen is released as a byproduct.' Which sentence best states the central idea?
- Plants produce oxygen through a process involving chlorophyll.
- Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert light into stored chemical energy. (Correct answer)
- Chloroplasts absorb sunlight and release oxygen into the atmosphere.
- Carbon dioxide and water are essential to plant survival.
Correct answer: Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert light into stored chemical energy.
The passage describes photosynthesis as converting light energy into chemical energy, which is the central idea encompassing all other details.
Question 2: A passage states: 'Urban heat islands occur when cities absorb and retain more heat than surrounding rural areas. Dark surfaces like asphalt and rooftops absorb solar radiation. Reduced vegetation limits cooling through evapotranspiration. Waste heat from vehicles and buildings also contributes.' Which detail is NOT explicitly stated?
- Dark surfaces absorb solar radiation.
- Cities retain more heat than rural areas.
- Urban heat islands cause drought conditions. (Correct answer)
- Reduced vegetation limits cooling.
Correct answer: Urban heat islands cause drought conditions.
The passage never mentions drought conditions; all other options are directly stated in the text.
Question 3: A paragraph concludes: 'Therefore, regular exercise is essential not only for physical health but also for cognitive function.' What is the role of this final sentence?
- It introduces a new argument about cognitive science.
- It summarizes the main idea of the paragraph by restating the central claim. (Correct answer)
- It provides a counterargument to the paragraph's evidence.
- It offers a specific statistic to support the paragraph's claims.
Correct answer: It summarizes the main idea of the paragraph by restating the central claim.
A concluding sentence introduced by 'therefore' typically restates or synthesizes the paragraph's central claim.
Question 4: Read this excerpt: 'Despite its reputation as a desert wasteland, Antarctica receives less annual precipitation than the Sahara, technically classifying it as a polar desert. Yet it holds about 70% of Earth's fresh water.' The word 'yet' signals what relationship between the two sentences?
- The second sentence provides a cause for the first sentence.
- The second sentence contradicts or contrasts with what the first sentence implies. (Correct answer)
- The second sentence repeats the information in the first sentence.
- The second sentence gives an example that supports the first sentence.
Correct answer: The second sentence contradicts or contrasts with what the first sentence implies.
'Yet' is a contrast signal word, indicating that Antarctica being a dry desert contrasts with the surprising fact that it holds vast fresh water.
Question 5: A student reads a passage about ocean acidification. The passage says: 'Since the Industrial Revolution, ocean pH has dropped from 8.2 to 8.1.' Which inference is most directly supported by this detail?
- The ocean will become completely acidic within 50 years.
- Human industrial activity has contributed to measurable changes in ocean chemistry. (Correct answer)
- A pH of 8.1 is harmful to all marine organisms.
- Ocean acidification only occurs near industrial coastlines.
Correct answer: Human industrial activity has contributed to measurable changes in ocean chemistry.
The detail links the pH drop to the Industrial Revolution, directly supporting the inference that human industry has changed ocean chemistry.
Question 6: Passage: 'The printing press, invented by Gutenberg around 1440, made books affordable and accessible. Literacy rates rose across Europe. Ideas spread faster than ever before, fueling the Renaissance and Reformation.' Which statement best summarizes the passage?
- Gutenberg invented the printing press and became famous throughout Europe.
- The printing press reduced the cost of books significantly in the 15th century.
- Gutenberg's printing press accelerated literacy and the spread of ideas, transforming European society. (Correct answer)
- The Renaissance and Reformation were caused entirely by advances in printing technology.
Correct answer: Gutenberg's printing press accelerated literacy and the spread of ideas, transforming European society.
The best summary captures the cause (printing press) and its broad effects (literacy, spread of ideas, societal transformation), as described across all three sentences.
Question 7: Read: 'Many historians argue that World War I was caused by a complex web of alliances, nationalism, imperialism, and militarism. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the spark, but the underlying powder keg had been building for decades.' What does the 'powder keg' metaphor suggest?
- The war began suddenly without any prior warning signs.
- Explosive materials were used as a primary weapon in the war.
- Tensions in Europe had been accumulating and were ready to erupt before the assassination. (Correct answer)
- Franz Ferdinand's death directly caused all the underlying political problems.
Correct answer: Tensions in Europe had been accumulating and were ready to erupt before the assassination.
A powder keg is an explosive container; the metaphor implies that European tensions were built up and primed for conflict before the triggering event.
Core Academic Skills Assessment Reading: Key Ideas and Details 2
Read the passage: 'Photosynthesis converts light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose.
Chloroplasts, found in plant cells, contain chlorophyll that absorbs sunlight.
Water and carbon dioxide are the raw materials, while oxygen is released as a byproduct.' Which sentence best states the central idea?