ISAT - International Student Admissions Reading Comprehension: Main Idea 2

Question 1

A passage discusses how ancient Roman aqueducts used gravity to transport water over long distances, incorporating gentle slopes and arched bridges to maintain flow up to 100 kilometers. What is the main idea?

Accepted Answer

Roman aqueducts demonstrated remarkable engineering by using gravity and precise gradients to deliver water across vast distances

Answer

The main idea centers on the engineering achievement of aqueducts using natural forces and precise construction.

Question 2

A passage explains that deep-sea hydrothermal vents support ecosystems using chemosynthesis rather than sunlight, including unique species found nowhere else. Scientists study these as models for extraterrestrial life. Main idea?

Accepted Answer

Vent ecosystems demonstrate that complex life can thrive without sunlight, expanding our understanding of where life can exist

Answer

The central theme is that these ecosystems challenge the assumption that life requires sunlight.

Question 3

A passage describes how the printing press enabled mass book production, reduced costs, increased literacy, and democratized access to information previously controlled by elites. Main idea?

Accepted Answer

The printing press fundamentally transformed European society by democratizing knowledge and challenging existing power structures

Answer

The passage traces how the printing press changed knowledge and power dynamics in European society.

Question 4

A passage discusses honeybee waggle dance communication: direction relative to sun, duration indicates distance, precise to within a few degrees. Main idea?

Accepted Answer

Honeybees have evolved a sophisticated symbolic communication system conveying precise spatial information through dance

Answer

The main idea is about the sophistication of bee communication encoding complex spatial information.

Question 5

A passage examines antibiotic resistance: overuse in medicine and agriculture accelerates resistant bacteria evolution. Without effective antibiotics, common infections could become deadly. Researchers explore alternatives. Main idea?

Accepted Answer

Antibiotic resistance poses a serious threat requiring urgent development of alternatives to prevent regression to the pre-antibiotic era

Answer

The main idea encompasses the threat, its cause, consequences, and response.

ISAT - International Student Admissions Test Practice Test

ISAT - International Student Admissions Test Practice Test

ISAT - International Student Admissions Reading Comprehension: Main Idea 2