Core Academic Skills Assessment Reading: Key Ideas and Details 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read: 'The term 'gaslighting' originated from the 1944 film Gaslight, in which a husband manipulates his wife into doubting her own perception of reality. Today, the term is widely used in psychology to describe a form of emotional abuse where one person causes another to question their own memory and sanity.' What is the main purpose of the first sentence?
- To provide a psychological definition of gaslighting for clinical use
- To give the historical origin that explains where the modern term comes from (Correct answer)
- To argue that gaslighting is only a fictional concept from film
- To compare 1940s marriage dynamics to those of today
Correct answer: To give the historical origin that explains where the modern term comes from
The first sentence traces the term to its film origin, providing historical context for how the modern psychological term developed.
Question 2: Passage: 'Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor but support approximately 25% of all marine species. Rising ocean temperatures cause coral bleaching, a stress response that can lead to coral death if prolonged. Scientists estimate that half of the world's coral reefs have been lost since the 1950s.' What is the significance of the statistic about reef coverage versus species supported?
- It shows that coral reefs are too small to affect global ecosystems.
- It establishes how disproportionately vital coral reefs are to ocean biodiversity. (Correct answer)
- It proves that all marine life lives in coral reef environments.
- It suggests that 75% of marine species can survive without coral reefs.
Correct answer: It establishes how disproportionately vital coral reefs are to ocean biodiversity.
The contrast between 1% coverage and 25% of species shows that coral reefs support marine biodiversity far beyond what their size would suggest.
Question 3: A passage reads: 'Although the results were promising, the study had significant limitations. The sample size was only 40 participants. All participants were college students, limiting generalizability. Furthermore, the study lasted only two weeks.' What is the overall function of this paragraph?
- To argue that the study should be repeated with new methods
- To present the key findings of the study in detail
- To identify the weaknesses of the study's design and scope (Correct answer)
- To compare this study with other similar research
Correct answer: To identify the weaknesses of the study's design and scope
Each sentence identifies a design flaw — small sample, limited population, short duration — making the paragraph's function to describe the study's limitations.
Question 4: Read: 'In 1854, Dr. John Snow mapped cholera deaths in London and traced them to a contaminated water pump. Though germ theory had not yet been established, his geographic analysis provided strong evidence that cholera spread through water, not air.' What can be inferred about Snow's method?
- Snow proved that germ theory was unnecessary for understanding disease.
- Snow used spatial data to identify a disease source without needing a biological explanation. (Correct answer)
- Snow's map was rejected because it contradicted existing scientific knowledge.
- Snow discovered the cholera bacterium through microscopic analysis.
Correct answer: Snow used spatial data to identify a disease source without needing a biological explanation.
The passage shows Snow used mapping (spatial/geographic data) to identify the water pump as the source, doing so without germ theory — demonstrating evidence-based inference.
Question 5: Passage: 'The author uses vivid sensory details throughout the first chapter: the metallic smell of rain, the hiss of tires on wet asphalt, and the cold blue light of streetlamps. These details establish the setting before any character is introduced.' What is the primary role of sensory details in this passage?
- To reveal the personality of the main character
- To create the atmosphere and establish the physical setting of the story (Correct answer)
- To foreshadow the major conflict of the novel
- To provide factual information about the city where the story takes place
Correct answer: To create the atmosphere and establish the physical setting of the story
The passage explicitly states that the sensory details establish the setting before characters appear, confirming their role in creating atmosphere and place.
Question 6: Read: 'The phrase 'correlation does not imply causation' is central to scientific reasoning. For example, ice cream sales and drowning rates both rise in summer, but ice cream does not cause drowning — both are linked to hot weather.' What key idea does this example illustrate?
- Ice cream is a risk factor that should be studied for its health effects.
- Two variables that move together in data are not necessarily in a cause-and-effect relationship. (Correct answer)
- Scientists should avoid using examples when explaining complex concepts.
- Seasonal trends are not useful in scientific research.
Correct answer: Two variables that move together in data are not necessarily in a cause-and-effect relationship.
The ice cream/drowning example shows that two correlated variables (both rise in summer) share a third cause (heat) rather than causing each other.
Question 7: Passage: 'Early computers filled entire rooms and could perform only basic calculations. Over decades, transistors replaced vacuum tubes, integrated circuits replaced transistors, and microprocessors emerged. Today's smartphones contain more computing power than the computers that guided the Apollo moon missions.' What is the best summary of this passage?
- Apollo moon missions used less advanced technology than modern consumers do.
- The transition from vacuum tubes to microprocessors happened very quickly.
- Computing technology has undergone dramatic miniaturization and increased capability over time. (Correct answer)
- Smartphones were invented as a replacement for early room-sized computers.
Correct answer: Computing technology has undergone dramatic miniaturization and increased capability over time.
The passage traces a progression from room-sized machines to pocket devices with enormous power, with the central idea being the dramatic advancement and miniaturization of computing over time.
Core Academic Skills Assessment Reading: Key Ideas and Details 5
Read: 'The term 'gaslighting' originated from the 1944 film Gaslight, in which a husband manipulates his wife into doubting her own perception of reality.
Today, the term is widely used in psychology to describe a form of emotional abuse where one person causes another to question their own memory and sanity.' What is the main purpose of the first sentence?