FCTC FREE FCTC Test Reading Comprehension Skills Questions and Answers 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A memo reads: 'All staff must complete mandatory safety training by the end of Q2. Failure to comply may result in suspension of work privileges until training is completed.' Which inference is best supported?
- Employees who complete training earn a bonus
- Employees who miss the deadline may be unable to work temporarily (Correct answer)
- Safety training is optional for senior staff
- Q2 ends in September
Correct answer: Employees who miss the deadline may be unable to work temporarily
The memo states non-compliance 'may result in suspension of work privileges,' meaning employees who miss the deadline could temporarily lose the ability to work.
Question 2: A passage reads: 'The protagonist's reluctance to speak in public stemmed not from laziness but from a deep-seated fear rooted in a childhood incident.' This sentence primarily reveals character through:
- Physical description
- Dialogue
- Backstory and internal motivation (Correct answer)
- Comparison to another character
Correct answer: Backstory and internal motivation
The sentence explains the character's behavior by referencing past experience and internal emotional state, revealing motivation through backstory.
Question 3: Read: 'Despite receiving the same information, participants in the control group showed significantly different outcomes than those in the experimental group.' The 'control group' in a study is best defined as:
- The group that receives the experimental treatment
- The group used as a standard for comparison (Correct answer)
- The group with the highest scores
- The group selected randomly from the population
Correct answer: The group used as a standard for comparison
A control group serves as the baseline for comparison, receiving no experimental treatment so researchers can measure the effect of the variable.
Question 4: A passage argues: 'Mandatory voting would increase civic participation; however, compelled participation may undermine the authenticity of democratic expression.' The word 'however' signals:
- The author is about to provide an example
- A shift to an opposing or qualifying idea (Correct answer)
- A definition of democracy
- A summary of the main argument
Correct answer: A shift to an opposing or qualifying idea
'However' is a transitional word that signals a contrasting or qualifying idea is about to be introduced.
Question 5: A health department flyer states: 'Wash hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water before eating, after using the restroom, and after contact with animals.' Someone washes their hands for 15 seconds after petting a dog. According to the flyer, this person:
- Followed all guidelines correctly
- Did not follow the duration requirement (Correct answer)
- Did not need to wash hands after animal contact
- Met the guidelines because they used soap
Correct answer: Did not follow the duration requirement
The flyer requires at least 20 seconds; 15 seconds falls short of that requirement, so the person did not follow the duration guideline.
Question 6: Passage: 'The graph shows a sharp decline in newspaper subscriptions beginning in 2005, coinciding with the widespread adoption of smartphones.' Based on this passage, what can be CONCLUDED?
- Smartphones caused newspaper companies to go bankrupt
- Newspaper content became lower quality after 2005
- The timing suggests a possible relationship between smartphone adoption and declining subscriptions (Correct answer)
- People stopped reading entirely after 2005
Correct answer: The timing suggests a possible relationship between smartphone adoption and declining subscriptions
The passage notes a coincidence in timing but does not establish definitive causation, so the correct conclusion is that a possible relationship exists.
Question 7: A passage reads: 'The author's tone shifts from optimistic in the opening paragraphs to cautionary by the conclusion, reflecting the complexity of the issue at hand.' The word 'cautionary' most nearly means:
- Cheerful and encouraging
- Warning or advising care (Correct answer)
- Angry and accusatory
- Neutral and objective
Correct answer: Warning or advising care
A 'cautionary' tone warns readers or advises caution, which contrasts appropriately with the optimistic tone described earlier.
FCTC FREE FCTC Test Reading Comprehension Skills Questions and Answers 5
A memo reads: 'All staff must complete mandatory safety training by the end of Q2.
Failure to comply may result in suspension of work privileges until training is completed.' Which inference is best supported?