Language Proficiency Reading Comprehension 4

Question 1

A passage states: 'The committee tabled the motion after lengthy debate.' In American English, this most likely means the committee:

Accepted Answer

Postponed discussion of the motion

Answer

In American English, 'tabled' means to postpone or set aside, unlike British English where it means to bring forward.

Question 2

When an author uses italics to emphasize a word in a passage, a reader should:

Accepted Answer

Recognize the word carries special stress or importance

Answer

Italics signal that the author wants to draw attention to that word's particular significance in context.

Question 3

A passage's final paragraph begins: 'In light of the evidence presented, one can only conclude...' This phrase signals:

Accepted Answer

The author is about to state their main conclusion

Answer

'In light of the evidence...one can only conclude' is a classic signal phrase indicating the author's final logical conclusion.

Question 4

A reader encounters an unfamiliar word in a technical passage. The most reliable strategy to determine its meaning is to:

Accepted Answer

Look for context clues in the surrounding sentences

Answer

Context clues in surrounding sentences are the most reliable in-passage strategy for inferring an unfamiliar word's meaning.

Question 5

A passage describes a scientist who 'doggedly pursued her hypothesis despite years of failed experiments.' The word 'doggedly' most nearly means:

Accepted Answer

Persistently

Answer

'Doggedly' means with tenacious, stubborn persistence, as implied by continuing despite repeated failure.

Language Proficiency Practice Test