DAT Reading Comprehension: Scientific Passages 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage claims a correlation between two variables. A careful reader should recognize that correlation:
- Always proves causation
- Does not by itself establish that one variable causes the other (Correct answer)
- Means the variables are unrelated
- Reverses the experimental design
Correct answer: Does not by itself establish that one variable causes the other
Correlation alone does not prove causation.
Question 2: When the author uses the phrase 'it is widely believed, but recent evidence suggests otherwise,' the author's purpose is to:
- Endorse the common belief
- Set up a challenge to a prevailing assumption (Correct answer)
- Avoid taking a position
- Define a new term
Correct answer: Set up a challenge to a prevailing assumption
The phrasing introduces evidence that contradicts a common belief.
Question 3: To determine the 'tone' of a scientific passage, you should examine:
- Only the numerical data
- The author's word choices and qualifying language (Correct answer)
- The page length
- The font used
Correct answer: The author's word choices and qualifying language
Tone is inferred from word choice and qualifiers like 'may' or 'clearly.'
Question 4: A 'detail' question that asks 'According to the passage...' is best answered by:
- Using prior coursework knowledge
- Finding the specific statement in the text (Correct answer)
- Choosing the most general answer
- Inferring beyond what is stated
Correct answer: Finding the specific statement in the text
'According to the passage' answers must be directly supported by the text.
Question 5: If two paragraphs present competing theories, a question asking which the author favors is answered by looking for:
- The longer paragraph
- Evaluative language showing the author's preference (Correct answer)
- The first theory mentioned
- The theory with more numbers
Correct answer: Evaluative language showing the author's preference
Authorial preference shows in evaluative or endorsing language.
Question 6: The phrase 'for example' in a passage typically signals:
- A contradiction
- An illustration supporting a preceding general claim (Correct answer)
- A conclusion
- A change of topic
Correct answer: An illustration supporting a preceding general claim
'For example' introduces a specific instance backing a general point.
Question 7: A question asking you to identify an assumption the author makes requires you to find:
- A directly stated fact
- An unstated premise the argument depends on (Correct answer)
- The passage title
- A statistic
Correct answer: An unstated premise the argument depends on
Assumptions are unstated premises necessary for the argument to hold.
DAT Reading Comprehension: Scientific Passages 3
A passage claims a correlation between two variables.
A careful reader should recognize that correlation: