NBT Academic Literacy Comprehension 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A table shows student pass rates across five years: 61%, 64%, 63%, 67%, 70%. Which conclusion is best supported by this data?
- Pass rates declined in every year
- Pass rates showed an overall upward trend with minor fluctuation (Correct answer)
- The pass rate in year three was the lowest recorded
- The data proves the teaching method is effective
Correct answer: Pass rates showed an overall upward trend with minor fluctuation
Despite a slight dip in year three, the overall trajectory from 61% to 70% represents an upward trend.
Question 2: An author frequently uses passive voice in a scientific report. The most likely reason is to:
- Make the writing more personal and engaging
- Shift focus from the researcher to the actions and results (Correct answer)
- Avoid using technical vocabulary
- Indicate that the results are uncertain
Correct answer: Shift focus from the researcher to the actions and results
Passive voice in scientific writing depersonalizes the text, emphasizing methods and results over the researcher.
Question 3: Which of the following is an example of an inference rather than an explicit statement from a text?
- The study was conducted over six months.
- Forty participants were recruited from local universities.
- The author's tone suggests skepticism toward the government's claims. (Correct answer)
- The control group received no treatment.
Correct answer: The author's tone suggests skepticism toward the government's claims.
Identifying the author's tone requires reading between the lines, making it an inference rather than a stated fact.
Question 4: The term 'peer-reviewed' in the context of academic sources means:
- The article was written by a student's classmates
- Experts in the field evaluated the work before publication (Correct answer)
- The source is freely available online
- The research was funded by a government body
Correct answer: Experts in the field evaluated the work before publication
Peer review is a quality control process in which other experts evaluate research before it is published.
Question 5: A passage ends with: 'Whether these interventions will translate into sustained behavioral change remains to be seen.' This sentence functions as:
- A definitive conclusion supporting the interventions
- An acknowledgment of ongoing uncertainty (Correct answer)
- A recommendation for future policy
- A criticism of the research methods used
Correct answer: An acknowledgment of ongoing uncertainty
The phrase 'remains to be seen' signals that the question is unresolved, acknowledging uncertainty.
Question 6: In a reading passage, the first paragraph introduces a debate, the middle paragraphs present two opposing views, and the final paragraph offers a synthesis. The author's purpose is most likely to:
- Persuade readers to adopt one side of the debate
- Demonstrate that both perspectives have merit and find common ground (Correct answer)
- Describe the historical origins of the debate
- Refute both viewpoints with new evidence
Correct answer: Demonstrate that both perspectives have merit and find common ground
A structure that presents both sides and then synthesizes them indicates the author seeks balanced evaluation, not one-sided persuasion.
Question 7: Which transition word would best fill the blank: 'The new curriculum was expensive to implement; ________, it produced measurable improvements in student outcomes.'
- consequently
- nevertheless (Correct answer)
- similarly
- in contrast
Correct answer: nevertheless
'Nevertheless' signals contrast, indicating that despite the cost, positive results were still achieved.
NBT Academic Literacy Comprehension 3
A table shows student pass rates across five years: 61%, 64%, 63%, 67%, 70%.
Which conclusion is best supported by this data?