Core Academic Skills Assessment Reading: Key Ideas and Details 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read: 'The Dust Bowl of the 1930s was caused by a combination of severe drought and years of intensive farming that had stripped the plains of natural grasses. When the drought hit, there was nothing to hold the topsoil in place, and massive dust storms blackened skies from Texas to Canada.' Which two factors does the passage identify as causes of the Dust Bowl?
- Overgrazing by livestock and industrial pollution
- Severe drought and farming practices that removed natural ground cover (Correct answer)
- Government agricultural policies and lack of irrigation systems
- High winds from Canada and poor crop rotation techniques
Correct answer: Severe drought and farming practices that removed natural ground cover
The passage explicitly states that drought and intensive farming that stripped natural grasses together caused the Dust Bowl.
Question 2: A passage on antibiotic resistance states: 'Bacteria evolve rapidly, and overuse of antibiotics accelerates the selection of resistant strains. Each year, antibiotic-resistant infections kill approximately 700,000 people globally.' What is the most logical conclusion a reader can draw?
- Antibiotics should be banned from medical use immediately.
- Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health crisis linked to overuse of these drugs. (Correct answer)
- Bacteria are becoming immune to all medicines, not just antibiotics.
- 700,000 people died because doctors refused to prescribe antibiotics.
Correct answer: Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health crisis linked to overuse of these drugs.
The passage links overuse to accelerated resistance and then cites mortality figures, logically supporting the conclusion that antibiotic resistance is a serious, growing health crisis.
Question 3: Read the following: 'First, the researcher collected water samples from three sites. Next, each sample was tested for pH, nitrate levels, and bacterial content. Finally, the results were compared against EPA safety standards.' What is the main purpose of this passage?
- To argue that water in the studied area is unsafe to drink
- To explain the step-by-step procedure used to test water quality (Correct answer)
- To summarize the findings of a water quality study
- To compare the EPA standards to international water regulations
Correct answer: To explain the step-by-step procedure used to test water quality
The sequential structure (first, next, finally) and procedural language indicate the passage is describing a process, not presenting results or arguments.
Question 4: Passage: 'Marie Curie became the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences — physics in 1903 and chemistry in 1911. She faced significant discrimination as a woman in a male-dominated field yet continued her research until her death.' What inference is most strongly supported?
- Curie's achievements were primarily due to her wealthy background.
- Curie's scientific contributions were exceptional despite significant institutional barriers. (Correct answer)
- The Nobel committee preferred to award women scientists in the early 1900s.
- Physics and chemistry were considered equally important sciences in Curie's era.
Correct answer: Curie's scientific contributions were exceptional despite significant institutional barriers.
The passage highlights both her unprecedented dual Nobel achievement and the discrimination she overcame, supporting the inference that her work was remarkable despite obstacles.
Question 5: A student reads: 'Honey never spoils. Archaeologists have found 3,000-year-old honey in Egyptian tombs that was still edible. Honey's low moisture content and natural hydrogen peroxide prevent bacterial growth.' Which sentence provides the best explanation for why honey doesn't spoil?
- Honey never spoils.
- Archaeologists have found 3,000-year-old honey in Egyptian tombs that was still edible.
- Honey's low moisture content and natural hydrogen peroxide prevent bacterial growth. (Correct answer)
- Ancient Egyptians stored honey in sealed containers.
Correct answer: Honey's low moisture content and natural hydrogen peroxide prevent bacterial growth.
The third sentence provides the scientific mechanism — low moisture and hydrogen peroxide preventing bacterial growth — which explains why honey is resistant to spoilage.
Question 6: Read: 'While social media connects people across distances, it also contributes to increased rates of anxiety and depression among teenagers, according to multiple studies. Researchers note that time spent on comparison-heavy platforms correlates with lower self-esteem.' What is the author most likely trying to convey?
- Teenagers should be banned from all social media platforms.
- Social media has a complex impact that includes documented psychological harms, especially for young users. (Correct answer)
- Social media is purely harmful and offers no benefits to anyone.
- The research on social media and mental health is still too limited to draw any conclusions.
Correct answer: Social media has a complex impact that includes documented psychological harms, especially for young users.
The passage acknowledges social media's connecting benefit but focuses on research-backed harms for teenagers, suggesting a nuanced view of its complex impact.
Question 7: Passage: 'The wolf population in Yellowstone was reintroduced in 1995 after a 70-year absence. Wolves preyed on elk, which had been overgrazing riverbanks. With fewer elk in those areas, vegetation recovered, which stabilized stream banks and changed river flow patterns. This cascade is called a trophic cascade.' According to the passage, what was the sequence of events following wolf reintroduction?
- Rivers changed → vegetation recovered → elk population declined
- Wolves reintroduced → elk overgrazing reduced → vegetation recovered → rivers changed (Correct answer)
- Vegetation declined → wolves were reintroduced → elk moved away
- Wolves reintroduced → river banks collapsed → elk migrated south
Correct answer: Wolves reintroduced → elk overgrazing reduced → vegetation recovered → rivers changed
The passage explicitly traces this chain: wolves reduced elk grazing → vegetation recovered → stream banks stabilized → river flow changed.
Core Academic Skills Assessment Reading: Key Ideas and Details 4
Read: 'The Dust Bowl of the 1930s was caused by a combination of severe drought and years of intensive farming that had stripped the plains of natural grasses.
When the drought hit, there was nothing to hold the topsoil in place, and massive dust storms blackened skies from Texas to Canada.' Which two factors does the passage identify as causes of the Dust Bowl?