NJGPA Reading Comprehension and Textual Evidence 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student reads: 'The glacier retreated fifty meters last year alone, a rate scientists call alarming.' Which phrase from the sentence best supports the idea that this change is unusually fast?
- retreated fifty meters
- last year alone
- a rate scientists call alarming (Correct answer)
- the glacier
Correct answer: a rate scientists call alarming
'A rate scientists call alarming' is the author's explicit judgment that the pace is abnormal or dangerous.
Question 2: When an author uses a first-person narrator who misunderstands a situation the reader can see clearly, this technique is called:
- dramatic irony
- unreliable narration (Correct answer)
- foreshadowing
- hyperbole
Correct answer: unreliable narration
An unreliable narrator is one whose perception or judgment is flawed, creating a gap between what they believe and what the reader understands.
Question 3: Read: 'Maria said nothing. She folded the letter slowly, placed it in the drawer, and locked it.' What can the reader BEST infer about Maria?
- She is happy about the letter's contents.
- She wants others to read the letter.
- She is troubled and wants to conceal the letter. (Correct answer)
- She forgot what the letter said.
Correct answer: She is troubled and wants to conceal the letter.
Her deliberate, silent actions of folding and locking the letter suggest she is disturbed and hiding something.
Question 4: A passage states: 'Unlike traditional textbooks, digital platforms allow students to revisit lessons at their own pace.' The word 'Unlike' signals which type of text structure?
- Cause and effect
- Problem and solution
- Compare and contrast (Correct answer)
- Chronological order
Correct answer: Compare and contrast
'Unlike' explicitly introduces a comparison between two different approaches to learning.
Question 5: Which question would BEST help a reader identify the central idea of an informational article?
- What vocabulary words are new to me?
- What point is the author repeatedly making throughout the text? (Correct answer)
- How long is each paragraph?
- What examples does the author use first?
Correct answer: What point is the author repeatedly making throughout the text?
The central idea is the dominant point an author makes throughout a text, so tracking repeated claims leads you to it.
Question 6: In a literary text, a symbol is best described as:
- a direct statement of the story's moral
- an object, place, or event that represents a deeper meaning beyond its literal one (Correct answer)
- a comparison using 'like' or 'as'
- the sequence of events in the plot
Correct answer: an object, place, or event that represents a deeper meaning beyond its literal one
Symbolism occurs when a concrete element in a story carries a broader abstract meaning beyond its surface appearance.
Question 7: A student claims: 'The author believes technology harms social relationships.' Which piece of textual evidence BEST supports this claim?
- 'Many teenagers own smartphones.'
- 'Social media companies earn billions each year.'
- 'Studies show that heavy screen use correlates with increased loneliness among adolescents.' (Correct answer)
- 'Apps are updated frequently to add new features.'
Correct answer: 'Studies show that heavy screen use correlates with increased loneliness among adolescents.'
Only this statement directly links technology use to a negative social outcome — loneliness — supporting the claim about harm.
NJGPA Reading Comprehension and Textual Evidence 2
A student reads: 'The glacier retreated fifty meters last year alone, a rate scientists call alarming.' Which phrase from the sentence best supports the idea that this change is unusually fast?