Reading Comprehension Reading Comprehension 2

Question 1

A passage states: 'Despite the heavy rainfall, the farmers remained optimistic about the harvest.' What does 'despite' signal in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

A contrast between two ideas

Answer

'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:

Accepted Answer

Source bias

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Use surrounding sentences to infer the meaning

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

Summarize and reinforce the main claim

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

Hyperbole

Answer

Calling the paperwork a 'mountain' is a hyperbole — an extreme exaggeration used to emphasize the large amount.

Reading Comprehension Practice Test