PRAXIS Core Academic Skills: Reading Informational Texts 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage about urban gardens lists benefits, then says 'Critics argue, though, that maintenance costs are high.' This sentence functions to:
- Introduce a counterargument (Correct answer)
- Restate the main idea
- Provide a concluding summary
- Define a key term
Correct answer: Introduce a counterargument
Signaling what critics argue introduces an opposing view, a counterargument.
Question 2: Which is the most reliable way to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word in an informational text?
- Guess based on how the word sounds
- Use surrounding context clues and sentence logic (Correct answer)
- Assume it means the opposite of a nearby word
- Skip it entirely and ignore the sentence
Correct answer: Use surrounding context clues and sentence logic
Context clues within and around the sentence are the most dependable strategy for inferring word meaning.
Question 3: An author repeats the phrase 'we must act now' three times in a passage about pollution. This repetition primarily serves to:
- Create a sense of urgency (Correct answer)
- Provide statistical evidence
- Define pollution
- Establish a timeline of events
Correct answer: Create a sense of urgency
Repeating a call to action emphasizes urgency and pushes the reader toward immediate response.
Question 4: A reader wants to verify a statistic cited in an article. The best source to check is:
- A comment posted below the article
- The original study referenced by the author (Correct answer)
- A personal blog summarizing the topic
- A social media reaction to the article
Correct 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.
Question 5: In the sentence 'The policy was ostensibly designed to help, but it harmed many,' the word 'ostensibly' most nearly means:
- Secretly
- Apparently or supposedly (Correct answer)
- Permanently
- Accidentally
Correct answer: Apparently or supposedly
'Ostensibly' means apparently or as stated outwardly, often implying the appearance differs from reality.
Question 6: A passage's first paragraph states a problem and each following paragraph offers a solution. This organizational pattern is:
- Cause and effect
- Problem and solution (Correct answer)
- Compare and contrast
- Chronological order
Correct answer: Problem and solution
Stating a problem and then presenting solutions is the problem-and-solution structure.
Question 7: Which detail would best support the claim that 'public transit reduces traffic congestion'?
- Buses come in many different colors
- Cities with expanded rail saw a 20% drop in car commutes (Correct answer)
- Transit stations are often located downtown
- Some riders prefer listening to music
Correct 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.
PRAXIS Core Academic Skills: Reading Informational Texts 3
A passage about urban gardens lists benefits, then says 'Critics argue, though, that maintenance costs are high.' This sentence functions to: