Reading Comprehension Reading Comprehension 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage states: 'Despite the heavy rainfall, the farmers remained optimistic about the harvest.' What does 'despite' signal in this sentence?
- A cause-and-effect relationship
- A contrast between two ideas (Correct answer)
- An example being introduced
- A sequence of events
Correct answer: A contrast between two ideas
'Despite' is a contrast signal word indicating that the optimism exists in opposition to the expected negative effect of heavy rainfall.
Question 2: An author writes a passage about climate change using only data from oil company reports. This is best described as a problem with:
- Text complexity
- Source bias (Correct answer)
- Figurative language
- Narrative structure
Correct answer: Source bias
Relying solely on reports from oil companies — which have a financial interest in the topic — introduces source bias into the passage.
Question 3: Which reading strategy is MOST useful when you encounter an unfamiliar word in a passage?
- Skip the word and continue reading
- Use surrounding sentences to infer the meaning (Correct answer)
- Stop reading and look it up immediately
- Replace the word with a synonym you know
Correct answer: Use surrounding sentences to infer the meaning
Using context clues from surrounding sentences is the most efficient strategy for inferring the meaning of an unfamiliar word during reading.
Question 4: A passage's conclusion paragraph begins: 'In light of the evidence presented...' This phrase signals that the author is about to:
- Introduce a new argument
- Summarize and reinforce the main claim (Correct answer)
- Provide a counterexample
- Define a key term
Correct answer: Summarize and reinforce the main claim
The phrase 'in light of the evidence presented' is a closing signal that the author will synthesize prior points to reinforce the central argument.
Question 5: Read: 'The report was buried under a mountain of paperwork.' The phrase 'mountain of paperwork' is an example of:
- Simile
- Personification
- Hyperbole (Correct answer)
- Alliteration
Correct answer: Hyperbole
Calling the paperwork a 'mountain' is a hyperbole — an extreme exaggeration used to emphasize the large amount.
Question 6: A student reads a persuasive essay and identifies the author's claim, evidence, and reasoning. What reading skill is the student practicing?
- Summarizing
- Analyzing argument structure (Correct answer)
- Identifying tone
- Making predictions
Correct answer: Analyzing argument structure
Breaking a persuasive text into claim, evidence, and reasoning is the core skill of analyzing argument structure.
Question 7: Which of the following is the BEST definition of 'inference' in reading comprehension?
- Restating what the text says word for word
- Drawing a conclusion based on evidence and reasoning, not stated outright (Correct answer)
- Identifying the topic sentence of each paragraph
- Counting the number of supporting details
Correct answer: Drawing a conclusion based on evidence and reasoning, not stated outright
An inference is a logical conclusion the reader draws from evidence in the text combined with prior knowledge, rather than information stated explicitly.
Reading Comprehension Reading Comprehension 2
A passage states: 'Despite the heavy rainfall, the farmers remained optimistic about the harvest.' What does 'despite' signal in this sentence?