Core Academic Skills: Reading Informational Texts Flashcards

A passage about urban gardens lists benefits, then says 'Critics argue, though, that maintenance costs are high.' This sentence functions to:

Answer: Introduce a counterargument

Signaling what critics argue introduces an opposing view, a counterargument.

Which is the most reliable way to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word in an informational text?

Answer: Use surrounding context clues and sentence logic

Context clues within and around the sentence are the most dependable strategy for inferring word meaning.

An author repeats the phrase 'we must act now' three times in a passage about pollution. This repetition primarily serves to:

Answer: Create a sense of urgency

Repeating a call to action emphasizes urgency and pushes the reader toward immediate response.

A reader wants to verify a statistic cited in an article. The best source to check is:

Answer: The original study referenced by the author

The original cited study is the primary source and the most authoritative place to confirm a statistic.

In the sentence 'The policy was ostensibly designed to help, but it harmed many,' the word 'ostensibly' most nearly means:

Answer: Apparently or supposedly

'Ostensibly' means apparently or as stated outwardly, often implying the appearance differs from reality.

A passage's first paragraph states a problem and each following paragraph offers a solution. This organizational pattern is:

Answer: Problem and solution

Stating a problem and then presenting solutions is the problem-and-solution structure.

Which detail would best support the claim that 'public transit reduces traffic congestion'?

Answer: Cities with expanded rail saw a 20% drop in car commutes

A measured drop in car commutes after transit expansion directly supports the congestion-reduction claim.