OAT Reading Comprehension 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage argues that early detection of diabetic retinopathy significantly improves outcomes. The author then cites three separate longitudinal studies supporting this claim. What argumentative strategy is the author using?
- Anecdotal evidence to personalize the argument
- Multiple empirical citations to strengthen the credibility of a central claim (Correct answer)
- A single authoritative source to establish consensus
- A hypothetical scenario to illustrate a potential risk
Correct answer: Multiple empirical citations to strengthen the credibility of a central claim
Citing multiple independent studies is a strategy to build evidentiary credibility for a central claim through convergent validity.
Question 2: In a passage about accommodation, the term 'presbyopia' is defined in a parenthetical immediately after its first use. What does this tell you about the passage's intended audience?
- The audience is assumed to already know all ophthalmological terminology
- The audience is likely a general or mixed readership that may be unfamiliar with the term (Correct answer)
- The author is uncertain about the correct definition of presbyopia
- The parenthetical definition indicates that the term is being used incorrectly
Correct answer: The audience is likely a general or mixed readership that may be unfamiliar with the term
Authors define technical terms inline when writing for general or mixed audiences who may lack specialized vocabulary.
Question 3: A reading passage concludes by stating that 'further research is needed.' This phrase most commonly signals that:
- The current study's findings are unreliable and should be disregarded
- The evidence presented is sufficient to establish definitive clinical guidelines
- The topic is not scientifically valid
- The existing evidence is suggestive but incomplete, and additional studies would strengthen conclusions (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The existing evidence is suggestive but incomplete, and additional studies would strengthen conclusions
'Further research is needed' is a standard scientific hedge indicating that current evidence is preliminary and warrants continued investigation.
Question 4: Which of the following BEST illustrates the difference between a passage's explicit content and its implicit content?
- Explicit: 'The author mentions glaucoma.' Implicit: 'The author prefers surgery over medication.' (Correct answer)
- Explicit: 'The word glaucoma appears in paragraph 2.' Implicit: 'Glaucoma is a type of eye disease.'
- Explicit and implicit content are always identical in scientific passages
- Explicit: 'The passage implies increased risk.' Implicit: 'The passage directly states incidence rates.'
Correct answer: Explicit: 'The author mentions glaucoma.' Implicit: 'The author prefers surgery over medication.'
Explicit content is directly stated; implicit content requires the reader to draw inferences beyond what is literally written.
Question 5: A passage uses a numbered list to present steps in a diagnostic procedure. What does this structural choice MOST likely indicate?
- The steps can be performed in any order the clinician prefers
- The steps must be performed in sequence, and order is significant (Correct answer)
- The list is decorative and does not affect the meaning of the passage
- The author is uncertain about the correct order of the steps
Correct answer: The steps must be performed in sequence, and order is significant
Numbered lists signal sequential, order-dependent processes in which each step follows logically from the previous.
Question 6: When reading a passage quickly under time pressure, which technique helps you locate a specific detail without re-reading the entire text?
- Read every word at normal pace until you find the detail
- Use scanning: move eyes rapidly over the text searching for key words related to the detail (Correct answer)
- Guess based on the passage's general topic
- Re-read only the final paragraph for all details
Correct answer: Use scanning: move eyes rapidly over the text searching for key words related to the detail
Scanning involves moving rapidly over text to locate specific keywords or phrases without reading every word sequentially.
Question 7: A passage states: 'The optic nerve carries approximately 1.2 million nerve fibers.' A question then asks what this statistic PRIMARILY illustrates. The BEST approach is to:
- Memorize the number and report it without considering its context in the passage
- Return to the passage and identify what argument or point the statistic is being used to support (Correct answer)
- Assume all statistics in the passage support the same main idea
- Select the answer choice that uses the exact number mentioned in the passage
Correct answer: Return to the passage and identify what argument or point the statistic is being used to support
Statistics serve argumentative functions in passages; understanding what claim a statistic supports is more important than memorizing the number itself.
OAT Reading Comprehension 5
A passage argues that early detection of diabetic retinopathy significantly improves outcomes.
The author then cites three separate longitudinal studies supporting this claim.
What argumentative strategy is the author using?