Reading Comprehension 1 Flashcards
6 cards from real PARCC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Reading Comprehension 1 flashcards as text
A narrator describes a childhood home as 'smaller than memory had kept it, the paint peeling where laughter once echoed.' What does this passage primarily convey?
Answer: The passage of time has altered both the house and the narrator's perception of it
The contrast between 'memory' and the diminished reality—plus the faded 'laughter'—signals that time has changed both the physical place and the narrator's idealized recollection of it.
A passage reads: 'Scientists once dismissed the idea; today it anchors every textbook.' What does this sentence suggest about the idea?
Answer: The idea gained credibility over time through evidence
The shift from 'dismissed' to 'anchors every textbook' shows the idea moved from rejection to universal acceptance, implying evidence ultimately validated it.
Which of the following is most likely a theme rather than a plot event?
Answer: Perseverance in the face of hardship leads to self-discovery
A theme is a universal insight or message about human experience. 'Perseverance leads to self-discovery' is an abstract idea, while the other options describe specific events.
In context, the word 'ambivalent' in 'she felt ambivalent about leaving her hometown' most nearly means:
Answer: Having mixed or conflicting feelings
Ambivalent means holding contradictory emotions simultaneously—neither purely positive nor negative—which fits the nuanced feeling of leaving a hometown.
An author opens an essay: 'Every solution we have tried has made the problem worse.' What is the author most likely trying to establish?
Answer: That current approaches are failing and a new perspective is needed
By stating that every past solution worsened the problem, the author creates urgency and signals that a fundamentally different approach—likely the essay's argument—is required.
A passage describes a scientist who 'published findings colleagues called reckless, yet a decade later those findings saved thousands of lives.' What does the passage imply about the scientist?
Answer: Premature peer rejection does not determine the ultimate value of an idea
The gap between initial criticism ('reckless') and eventual impact ('saved thousands') implies that peer consensus at one moment cannot measure the long-term worth of a discovery.