Reading Comprehension Flashcards
7 cards from real Crossover Aptitude Test practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Reading Comprehension flashcards as text
Read the passage: 'In 2023, electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for 18% of all new car sales globally, up from 4% in 2020. While EV adoption is accelerating, challenges persist: charging infrastructure remains sparse in rural areas, and EV prices average $10,000 more than comparable gasoline vehicles. Government subsidies in several countries have helped bridge the affordability gap.' What inference is best supported by the passage?
Answer: EV adoption is growing rapidly but faces infrastructure and cost barriers
The passage shows rapid growth (4% to 18%) while also noting infrastructure gaps and a $10,000 price premium, supporting an inference about growth coexisting with barriers.
Read the passage: 'The placebo effect occurs when a patient experiences genuine improvement after receiving an inactive treatment — such as a sugar pill — because they believe they are receiving real medicine. Remarkably, even when patients are told they are taking a placebo, studies show many still experience improvement. Researchers believe the ritual of taking medicine itself may trigger healing responses in the body.' Which conclusion is most strongly supported by the passage?
Answer: The belief in treatment and the ritual of taking medicine can produce real physiological effects
The passage shows improvement occurs even with informed consent to placebo use and attributes it to belief and ritual, supporting the conclusion that these factors produce real effects.
Read the passage: 'The Renaissance, spanning the 14th to 17th centuries, was a cultural and intellectual movement that originated in Italy before spreading across Europe. It marked a shift from the medieval focus on religious authority toward humanism — a philosophy emphasizing individual potential, reason, and the study of classical Greek and Roman texts.' The passage suggests that humanism represented a shift AWAY from which of the following?
Answer: Religious authority as the primary focus of intellectual life
The passage states the Renaissance marked a shift 'from the medieval focus on religious authority toward humanism,' directly indicating a move away from religious authority.
Read the passage: 'A meta-analysis of 52 studies found that listening to music while studying has mixed effects on learning. Lyrical music consistently impairs reading comprehension and writing tasks, while instrumental music has little to no negative effect and may enhance mood. The effect depends heavily on the individual's personality and the type of task being performed.' According to the passage, when is listening to music MOST likely to hurt studying?
Answer: When performing reading or writing tasks with music that has lyrics
The passage specifically states that 'lyrical music consistently impairs reading comprehension and writing tasks,' making option C the most clearly supported answer.
Read the passage: 'Behavioral economics studies how psychological factors influence economic decisions. Unlike classical economics, which assumes people always act rationally to maximize their self-interest, behavioral economics shows that people are prone to cognitive biases — such as loss aversion, where losses feel roughly twice as painful as equivalent gains feel pleasurable.' How does behavioral economics differ from classical economics?
Answer: Behavioral economics acknowledges that psychological biases affect decision-making, while classical economics assumes pure rationality
The passage contrasts classical economics' assumption of rationality with behavioral economics' recognition that cognitive biases affect human decisions.
Read the passage: 'The Mars Curiosity rover has been exploring the Gale Crater since 2012, analyzing soil and rock samples for signs of past habitability. It has detected organic molecules and seasonal variations in methane levels — findings that suggest Mars may have once supported microbial life, though no definitive evidence of life has been found.' What is the most accurate summary of the rover's findings regarding life on Mars?
Answer: The rover found indirect clues that Mars may have once been habitable, but no direct evidence of life
The passage states findings 'suggest Mars may have once supported microbial life' but explicitly notes 'no definitive evidence of life has been found,' making option C the accurate summary.
Read the passage: 'In recent decades, the average attention span has become a topic of intense debate. A widely cited statistic claims humans now have a shorter attention span than goldfish — 8 seconds versus 9 seconds. However, researchers have criticized this claim, noting that the goldfish figure is a myth and that human attention is highly contextual: people can focus for hours on engaging tasks while struggling to maintain attention for minutes on dull ones.' What is the author's primary purpose in this passage?
Answer: To correct a popular myth and present a more nuanced view of human attention
The author debunks the goldfish statistic as a myth and replaces it with a contextual understanding of attention, making the primary purpose correction and nuanced explanation.