Free Texas Initiative Assessment Components Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the first paragraph of the attached passage, the word "incessantly" most nearly means __________.
- constantly, without interruption; going on and on (Correct answer)
- Nervously, without confidence or surety' apprehensively
- familiarly, without shyness or uncertainty; casually
- openly, without reserve on hesitation; honestly
Correct answer: constantly, without interruption; going on and on
"Incessantly" comes from the Latin for 'without ceasing,' meaning something continues constantly without interruption. The other options (nervously, familiarly, openly) describe manner or attitude, not frequency or continuity, and do not match the word's meaning.
Question 2: Imagine that you have a short stick that measure 8.7 cm, and a long stick that measures 27.6 cm. How much longer does the short sick need to be so that the long stick is exactly three times longer?
- 0.5cm (Correct answer)
- 0.8cm
- 1.5cm
- 1.8cm
Correct answer: 0.5cm
If you want the long stick to be exactly three longer without changing its length of 27.6 cm, the short stick needs to be 27.6/3, or 9.2cm long. This is 0.5 cm longer than it is now, so the correct choice is A.
Question 3: Picasso expanded the artform by breaking figures into shapes and playing with shifting perspective in his paintings. <br> Expanding the artform, …. The next words will be?
- Picasso, by breaking figures into shapes and playing
- Picasso broke figures into shapes and played (Correct answer)
- Picasso breaking figures into shapes and playing
- Shifting perspectives by breaking figures, Picasso plays
Correct answer: Picasso broke figures into shapes and played
The sentence should be rewritten "Expanding the artform, Picasso broke figures into shapes and played with shifting and played with shifting perspectives in his paintings." The past-tense verb expanded is rewritten as the gerund, expanding. In order to retain the past-tense of the original sentence, the gerunds breaking and playing become broke and played. Choices A and C are are incorrect because they both result in sentence phrasing and changes the meaning of the original sentence.
Question 4: Instrumental and tree-ring records from the southern Andres show a strong warming trend during the last 50 years coupled with a decline in precipitation. With rising temperatures, glaciers in the North and South Patagonian icefields are receding up to 100 times faster than at any time since the Little Ice Age. These trends are projected to continue in the coming decades and lead to increased moisture deficits, further ice recession, tree mortality, and greater risk of fires.
- matching the pitch of woodwind instrument
- measured by scientific instruments. (Correct answer)
- vitally important
- changing steadily
Correct answer: measured by scientific instruments.
The sentence pairs "instrumental and tree-ring records" as evidence that show warming trends in the region of the Andes in a passages about climate science. So instrumental most likely refers to the scientific instruments that would help show measurements of this warming effect. C
Question 5: The area of a square is 169 square feet. What is the length of one of its diagonals?
- 13 feet
- 13√2 feet (Correct answer)
- 2√13 feet
- √26 feet
Correct answer: 13√2 feet
Let s be a side of the square. Then, s2 = 169, and taking the square root of both sides yields s = 13. Now, if D represents a diagonal of the square, using the Pythagorean theorem yields the following: So, a diagonal has length feet. Choice A is the length of a side, not the diagonal. Choice C is incorrect because the 2 and 13 should be interchanged. Choice D is incorrect because you made an arithmetic error involving radicals.
Question 6: The long reign of Elizabeth, who became known as the "Virgin Queen" for her reluctance to endanger her authority through marriage, coincided with the flowering of the English Renaissance, associated with such renowned authors as William Shakespeare. By her death in 1603, England had become a major world in every respect, and Queen Elizabeth I passed into history as one of England's greatest monarchs.
- She did not want to diminish her power. (Correct answer)
- she did not fall in love.
- there were no suitable matches.
- she was preoccupied with the English Renaissance
Correct answer: She did not want to diminish her power.
The passage states that Elizabeth felt "reluctance to endanger her authority" and so refrained from marriage. The English Renaissance is mentioned in the passage, but not in direct connection to Elizabeth's refusal to marry.
Question 7: Marvin Freeman's groundbreaking new study of the plays of Henrik Ibsen will alter the course of Ibsen scholarship forever. Previously, scholars limited the areas of their studies to a particular phase of Ibsen's career, since a different scholarly approach seemed to fit each of the phases. Freeman has instead taken on the entirety of Ibsen's work. Happily, this breadth of scholarship does not diminish the depth with which Freeman explores each work. The career of Ibsen is now liberated from arbitrary divisions and stands before us as a complete picture. It will be years before we can fully appreciate the service that Freeman has rendered. <br> What is the main point of the paragraph?
- Freeman has triumphed over obstacles.
- Henrik Ibsen has triumphed over obstacles.
- Freeman's book is overly complicated, despite its scholastic value.
- Freeman's book will have lasting importance. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Freeman's book will have lasting importance.
The author has consistent tone of praise for Freeman's work, so the correct answer must be positive.
Question 8: Caused by a genetic mutation that prevents humans from synthesizing vitamin C, scurvy was inevitable in long voyages of discovery during which fresh food was hard to get, causing the body to disintegrate. One of the remarkable symptoms was an extreme receptivity to sensory impressions. Sudden sounds, such as a loud boom from a musket or a cannon blast, were known to kill scorbutic sailors. Even pleasant stimuli such as a drink of fresh water, or a long-awaited taste of fruit, could provoke a seizure and put an end to their lives.
- Fresh food could cure them of the disease.
- They would be prone to genetic mutation
- They could be easily overwhelmed (Correct answer)
- They were more likely to commit suicide
Correct answer: They could be easily overwhelmed
The author mentions that sailors could be killed from a "long-awaited taste of fruit." Therefore it is unlikely that "fresh food could cure them of the disease."
Question 9: NASA's Kepler Space Telescope has discovered a star with three planets only slightly larger than Earth. Its outermost planet orbits in the 'Goldilocks' zone---- a region where surface temperatures could be moderate enough for liquid water, and perhaps life, to exist. The star ranks among the top 10 nearest stars known to have transiting planets.
- explore the possibility of life in outer space.
- fundraise for further research
- announce the discovery of a new planet. (Correct answer)
- describe the conditions required for the 'Goldilocks' zone.
Correct answer: announce the discovery of a new planet.
The purpose of passage is to inform the reader that a new planet has been found---- one that could possibly can conclude this because of the phrase "has discovered" in the first sentence.
Question 10: The amount of time a person sits during the day is associated with a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and health, regardless of regular exercise, according to a recent study. More than one half of an average person's day is spent being sedentary---sitting, watching television, or working at a computer. Avoiding sedentary time and getting regular exercise are both important for improving your health and survival. <br> Which of the following is implied by the passage?
- Regular exercise will help counteract the negative effects of being sedentary.
- Physical activity alone may not be enough to reduce the risk for disease. (Correct answer)
- Sitting still causes some types of heart disease and cancer
- Watching television while on a treadmill is considered sedentary time.
Correct answer: Physical activity alone may not be enough to reduce the risk for disease.
The passage mentions that "regardless of regular exercise," sedentary activities can negatively impact one's health.
Question 11: At the time Paine wrote "Common Sense," most colonists considered themselves to be aggrieved Britons. Paine fundamentally changed the tenor of colonist' argument with the crown when he wrote the following: "Europe, and not England , is the parent country of America. This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty form every part of Europe. Hither they fled, not from the tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster; and it is so far true of England, that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home, pursues their descendants still." <br> <br> The main idea of the paragraph suggests that Paine?
- influenced people to migrate from England to the colonies.
- Contributed to the colonists' growing sense of group identity. (Correct answer)
- refuted the notion that most colonists emigrated from Britain.
- had come from a country other than England.
Correct answer: Contributed to the colonists' growing sense of group identity.
The passage shows that after Paine released "Common Sense," the argument of the colonists changed, and that rather than considering themselves as solely aggrieved "Britons," they now shared a larger bond in opposition to Europe as a whole.
Free Texas Initiative Assessment Components Questions and Answers
In the first paragraph of the attached passage, the word "incessantly" most nearly means __________.