NBT Reading Comprehension 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage states: "Access to quality education remains uneven, concentrated in urban centres, while rural communities continue to face significant resource deficits." What is the central concern of this passage?
- Urban centres are too crowded
- There is an educational inequality between urban and rural areas (Correct answer)
- Rural communities do not want education
- Urban education quality is declining
Correct answer: There is an educational inequality between urban and rural areas
The passage directly contrasts "concentrated" quality education in urban areas with "significant resource deficits" in rural communities, pointing to educational inequality as the central concern.
Question 2: What is the meaning of "resource deficits" in an educational context?
- An excess of educational materials
- A shortage of necessary educational materials, staff, and facilities (Correct answer)
- Differences in teaching styles
- Rural schools that charge high fees
Correct answer: A shortage of necessary educational materials, staff, and facilities
"Resource deficits" means lacking sufficient resources — in an educational context, this includes inadequate textbooks, infrastructure, qualified teachers, and technology.
Question 3: A passage uses the phrase "despite mounting evidence." What does this signal about the author's view?
- The evidence is weak and inconclusive
- There is substantial evidence that is being ignored or resisted (Correct answer)
- The author is uncertain about the topic
- The evidence is just beginning to emerge
Correct answer: There is substantial evidence that is being ignored or resisted
"Mounting evidence" means growing, accumulating evidence. "Despite" signals that this evidence is being resisted or ignored — the author implies others are unreasonably dismissing the evidence.
Question 4: A text contains the sentence: "The report drew heavily on anecdotal accounts, which critics argued undermined its scientific credibility." Why might critics make this argument?
- Anecdotes are more reliable than data
- Anecdotes are individual stories, not representative of the broader population (Correct answer)
- Critics prefer shorter reports
- Scientific credibility does not matter in policy reports
Correct answer: Anecdotes are individual stories, not representative of the broader population
Anecdotal evidence is based on individual experiences rather than systematic data collection. Critics rightly point out that such evidence may not represent broader trends, weakening scientific claims.
Question 5: Which of the following sentences contains a relative clause?
- She studied hard and passed the exam.
- The student who studied hardest passed the exam. (Correct answer)
- Studying hard leads to passing exams.
- She passed the exam after studying hard.
Correct answer: The student who studied hardest passed the exam.
A relative clause modifies a noun using a relative pronoun (who, which, that). "Who studied hardest" is a relative clause modifying "the student."
Question 6: What is the purpose of a topic sentence in a paragraph?
- To conclude the paragraph
- To introduce evidence for the paragraph's argument
- To state the main idea of the paragraph (Correct answer)
- To provide a counterargument
Correct answer: To state the main idea of the paragraph
A topic sentence introduces and states the main idea of a paragraph. It tells the reader what the paragraph is about and guides the reader's interpretation of the supporting sentences that follow.
NBT Reading Comprehension 2
A passage states: "Access to quality education remains uneven, concentrated in urban centres, while rural communities continue to face significant resource deficits." What is the central concern of this passage?