Regents English Reading Comprehension 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which detail from a passage best supports the central idea that the character feels isolated?
- She smiles at every passerby
- She sits alone at the edge of the playground every recess (Correct answer)
- She wins the class spelling bee
- She borrows books from the library
Correct answer: She sits alone at the edge of the playground every recess
Sitting alone at the edge of the playground directly shows physical and social isolation.
Question 2: In a non-fiction passage, the author's purpose in listing statistics about pollution is most likely to:
- entertain readers with surprising facts
- provide evidence that supports a claim about environmental harm (Correct answer)
- define the term pollution for readers
- describe the history of industrial development
Correct answer: provide evidence that supports a claim about environmental harm
Authors use statistics as evidence to strengthen and support a specific argument or claim.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes the structure of a passage that moves from problem to solution?
- Cause and effect
- Chronological order
- Problem and solution (Correct answer)
- Compare and contrast
Correct answer: Problem and solution
A problem-solution structure first identifies an issue and then proposes a way to address it.
Question 4: When a reader makes an inference, they are:
- restating exactly what the author wrote
- using text evidence and prior knowledge to draw a conclusion (Correct answer)
- summarizing the plot in their own words
- identifying the author's biography
Correct answer: using text evidence and prior knowledge to draw a conclusion
An inference combines clues from the text with the reader's own knowledge to arrive at an unstated conclusion.
Question 5: A passage states: 'The river had swallowed the town whole.' This sentence is an example of:
- literal language
- simile
- personification (Correct answer)
- alliteration
Correct answer: personification
Giving a river the human action of 'swallowing' is personification, attributing human qualities to a non-human thing.
Question 6: The main idea of a passage is best described as:
- the first sentence of each paragraph
- the most important point the author wants to communicate (Correct answer)
- a specific detail that supports an argument
- the title of the passage
Correct answer: the most important point the author wants to communicate
The main idea is the overarching message or central claim that the entire passage develops and supports.
Regents English Reading Comprehension 1
Which detail from a passage best supports the central idea that the character feels isolated?