ELA Reading and Comprehension 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student reads a passage and notices the author uses the word 'however' to connect two sentences. What does this signal?
- The second idea contrasts with the first (Correct answer)
- The second idea supports the first
- The second idea repeats the first
- The second idea explains a cause
Correct answer: The second idea contrasts with the first
'However' is a signal word indicating contrast or an opposing idea.
Question 2: Read the sentence: 'The old lighthouse stood as a sentinel, guarding the rocky shore.' What does the word 'sentinel' most likely mean?
- A decorative tower
- A guard or watchman (Correct answer)
- A dangerous obstacle
- A weathered building
Correct answer: A guard or watchman
A sentinel is a guard or watchman, and the context of 'guarding' confirms this meaning.
Question 3: Which question is best answered by skimming a text?
- What is the exact definition used on page 12?
- What are the three main topics covered in the article? (Correct answer)
- What evidence does the author use for claim two?
- How many times does the author quote the study?
Correct answer: What are the three main topics covered in the article?
Skimming is best for identifying main topics and general structure, not fine details.
Question 4: An author writes a biography of a scientist but includes only positive achievements. This is an example of which bias?
- Confirmation bias
- Selection bias (Correct answer)
- Cultural bias
- Anchoring bias
Correct answer: Selection bias
Selection bias occurs when an author cherry-picks only certain facts, omitting others that might change the reader's view.
Question 5: In a persuasive essay, a writer states: 'Nine out of ten doctors agree.' Without citing the source, this is best described as:
- A strong logical appeal
- An unsupported statistical claim (Correct answer)
- An effective emotional appeal
- A valid counterargument
Correct answer: An unsupported statistical claim
Statistics without a cited source cannot be verified and are considered unsupported claims.
Question 6: A passage describes a character who 'clenched her jaw and stared at the floor.' What can the reader infer?
- The character is excited
- The character is frightened
- The character is frustrated or upset (Correct answer)
- The character is confused
Correct answer: The character is frustrated or upset
Clenching the jaw and avoiding eye contact are physical signs typically associated with frustration or suppressed anger.
Question 7: What is the primary purpose of a topic sentence in a paragraph?
- To provide supporting evidence for the thesis
- To introduce the main idea of that paragraph (Correct answer)
- To summarize the entire essay
- To transition to the next paragraph
Correct answer: To introduce the main idea of that paragraph
A topic sentence states the main idea of its paragraph and sets up what the rest of the paragraph will discuss.
ELA Reading and Comprehension 2
A student reads a passage and notices the author uses the word 'however' to connect two sentences.
What does this signal?