Regents English Reading Comprehension

Question 1

Which detail from a passage best supports the central idea that the character feels isolated?

Accepted Answer

She sits alone at the edge of the playground every recess

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

provide evidence that supports a claim about environmental harm

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Problem and solution

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

using text evidence and prior knowledge to draw a conclusion

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

personification

Answer

Giving a river the human action of 'swallowing' is personification, attributing human qualities to a non-human thing.

Regents English Practice Test