Nelson-Denny Reading Test Reading Comprehension: Analyzing Textual Evidence 5 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage about climate policy states: 'Countries that signed the agreement saw emissions fall by an average of 18%.' Which of the following additional facts would most strengthen the claim that the agreement caused the reduction?
- The agreement was signed by 50 countries
- Countries that did not sign the agreement saw no significant change in emissions over the same period (Correct answer)
- The agreement was praised by environmental groups
- Emissions fell in at least one country that signed the agreement
Correct answer: Countries that did not sign the agreement saw no significant change in emissions over the same period
A comparison group with different outcomes strengthens causal claims by showing the reduction occurred specifically among signatories, not across all countries.
Question 2: In a Nelson-Denny passage, you read: 'The forest had been silent for yearsâno birds, no insects.' This detail most directly supports which inference?
- The forest was always quiet before humans arrived
- The ecosystem had experienced a significant disruption affecting wildlife (Correct answer)
- The author prefers forests to cities
- The forest will recover in the coming years
Correct answer: The ecosystem had experienced a significant disruption affecting wildlife
The absence of birds and insects, typically abundant in healthy forests, is textual evidence of an ecological disruption.
Question 3: A passage makes the argument that 'reading fiction builds empathy.' The strongest textual evidence to support this would be:
- A statement that people who read fiction are interesting
- A study measuring empathy scores in participants before and after a fiction-reading program (Correct answer)
- A list of popular fiction titles published in the last decade
- An author's personal belief that fiction is valuable
Correct answer: A study measuring empathy scores in participants before and after a fiction-reading program
A before-and-after study directly measures the effect of fiction reading on empathy, providing the most direct empirical support for the causal claim.
Question 4: A reader finds two passages about the same medical treatment. Passage A calls it 'highly effective' citing one small study; Passage B calls it 'inconclusive' citing ten large studies. Which passage has stronger textual evidence?
- Passage A, because it is more confident in its language
- Passage B, because it draws on a larger and broader body of research (Correct answer)
- Both passages are equally supported
- Passage A, because it reaches a clearer conclusion
Correct answer: Passage B, because it draws on a larger and broader body of research
Larger, multiple studies provide a stronger evidence base than a single small study, making Passage B's claim better supported despite its more cautious language.
Question 5: Which of the following best defines 'textual evidence' in the context of reading comprehension?
- Any opinion the reader forms while reading the passage
- Specific words, phrases, or details from the text that support a claim or inference (Correct answer)
- Background knowledge the reader brings to the passage
- The author's biography and credentials
Correct answer: Specific words, phrases, or details from the text that support a claim or inference
Textual evidence consists of actual content from the passageâwords, phrases, data, or examplesâused to justify a reading or claim.
Question 6: A passage describes a company's growth with these details: 'Revenue doubled in Year 1, tripled in Year 2, and grew 5% in Year 3.' The most accurate characterization of this evidence is:
- Consistently strong growth across all three years
- Rapid initial growth that slowed dramatically by Year 3 (Correct answer)
- Declining performance across the three-year period
- Steady, predictable growth throughout the period
Correct answer: Rapid initial growth that slowed dramatically by Year 3
Moving from doubling and tripling to 5% growth shows a sharp deceleration, which the evidence directly supports as slowing growth.
Question 7: A student wants to prove that a passage's narrator is unreliable. Which piece of textual evidence would best support this claim?
- The narrator uses informal language throughout the passage
- Events the narrator describes are later contradicted by other characters' accounts in the same passage (Correct answer)
- The narrator speaks in first person
- The narrator expresses strong opinions about other characters
Correct answer: Events the narrator describes are later contradicted by other characters' accounts in the same passage
Contradictions between the narrator's account and other verifiable accounts within the text are the most direct evidence of unreliability.
Nelson-Denny Reading Test Reading Comprehension: Analyzing Textual Evidence 5
A passage about climate policy states: 'Countries that signed the agreement saw emissions fall by an average of 18%.' Which of the following additional facts would most strengthen the claim that the agreement caused the reduction?