ELTIS Reading Social Studies Texts Practice Test 10 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read the passage: 'A time zone is a region that observes a uniform standard time. The continental United States has four time zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific. When it is noon in New York (Eastern), it is 9 AM in Los Angeles (Pacific).' How many time zones does the continental US have?
- Two.
- Three.
- Four. (Correct answer)
- Five.
Correct answer: Four.
The passage states: 'The continental United States has four time zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific.' Note that this refers to the continental US only — Alaska and Hawaii have additional time zones. The three-hour difference between Eastern and Pacific is demonstrated by the noon/9 AM example.
Question 2: Read the passage: 'The 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1920, gave women the right to vote. Before this amendment, women in most states were not allowed to vote in elections. The movement for women's voting rights is called women's suffrage.' What did the 19th Amendment accomplish?
- It ended slavery.
- It gave women the right to vote. (Correct answer)
- It lowered the voting age.
- It created new voting machines.
Correct answer: It gave women the right to vote.
The passage states: 'The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote.' Ratified in 1920 after decades of activism by suffragists, it was a landmark achievement in American democracy that doubled the eligible voting population. The suffrage movement fought for this right through protests, speeches, and legal battles.
Question 3: Read the passage: 'A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to provide shelter, food, and medical care for people who have been displaced from their homes. These camps are often managed by the United Nations or other humanitarian organizations. While intended to be temporary, some refugee camps have existed for decades.' Who often manages refugee camps?
- The military.
- The United Nations or humanitarian organizations. (Correct answer)
- The refugees themselves.
- Local businesses.
Correct answer: The United Nations or humanitarian organizations.
The passage states: 'These camps are often managed by the United Nations or other humanitarian organizations.' The UN, through its refugee agency (UNHCR), coordinates with other organizations to provide essential services to displaced people living in these camps.
Question 4: Read the passage: 'Segregation was the practice of separating people based on race. In the United States, Jim Crow laws enforced segregation in schools, restaurants, buses, and other public places. The Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.' What did the Brown v. Board of Education ruling declare?
- That segregation was legal.
- That segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. (Correct answer)
- That all Jim Crow laws were eliminated.
- That schools should be private.
Correct answer: That segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
The passage states: 'The Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.' This landmark decision overturned the 'separate but equal' doctrine and was a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement, though full desegregation took many more years.
Question 5: Read the passage: 'The water cycle describes how water moves through the environment. Water evaporates from oceans and lakes, forms clouds through condensation, and falls back to Earth as precipitation (rain or snow). This cycle repeats continuously and is essential for all life.' What is the correct order of the water cycle as described?
- Condensation, precipitation, evaporation.
- Precipitation, evaporation, condensation.
- Evaporation, condensation, precipitation. (Correct answer)
- Condensation, evaporation, precipitation.
Correct answer: Evaporation, condensation, precipitation.
The passage describes the order: 'Water evaporates...forms clouds through condensation, and falls back to Earth as precipitation.' So the sequence is evaporation (water becoming vapor), condensation (vapor forming clouds), and precipitation (water falling as rain or snow). This cycle repeats endlessly.
Question 6: Read the passage: 'The electoral college is the system used to elect the President of the United States. Each state has a number of electoral votes based on its population. A candidate needs 270 out of 538 total electoral votes to win the presidency.' How many electoral votes does a candidate need to win?
- 200.
- 250.
- 270. (Correct answer)
- 300.
Correct answer: 270.
The passage states: 'A candidate needs 270 out of 538 total electoral votes to win the presidency.' This number represents a simple majority of the total electoral votes. The number of electoral votes each state has is based on its total congressional representation (senators + representatives).
ELTIS Reading Social Studies Texts Practice Test 10
Read the passage: 'A time zone is a region that observes a uniform standard time.
The continental United States has four time zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific.
When it is noon in New York (Eastern), it is 9 AM in Los Angeles (Pacific).' How many time zones does the continental US have?