RLA Reading Comprehension 2 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read the passage: 'The city council voted 5-2 to approve the new park. Supporters argued it would reduce crime and improve health outcomes for residents. The two dissenting members cited budget concerns.' What is the main purpose of this passage?
- To persuade readers to support the park
- To objectively report on a council decision and the reasoning behind it (Correct answer)
- To criticize the dissenting council members
- To explain how city budgets work
Correct answer: To objectively report on a council decision and the reasoning behind it
The passage presents facts about the vote, the supporting arguments, and the opposition's concern without taking a side.
Question 2: A passage states: 'Unlike synthetic fabrics, wool is a natural fiber that regulates body temperature.' The word 'Unlike' signals what type of text structure?
- Cause and effect
- Chronological order
- Compare and contrast (Correct answer)
- Problem and solution
Correct answer: Compare and contrast
The word 'Unlike' directly sets up a comparison between wool and synthetic fabrics.
Question 3: A reader encounters an unfamiliar word in a passage. The surrounding sentences describe laboratory experiments, chemical reactions, and test results. Which strategy best helps the reader determine the word's meaning?
- Skip the word and continue reading
- Use the scientific context of the surrounding text as context clues (Correct answer)
- Look up every other word in the paragraph
- Assume the word means something dangerous
Correct answer: Use the scientific context of the surrounding text as context clues
Context clues from the surrounding subject matterâscience and experimentsâhelp readers infer the meaning of unknown words.
Question 4: An author writes: 'The new policy is nothing short of a disasterâa poorly conceived scheme that will bankrupt our schools.' This language is best described as:
- Objective and informative
- Loaded and emotionally charged (Correct answer)
- Formal and academic
- Neutral and balanced
Correct answer: Loaded and emotionally charged
Words like 'disaster,' 'poorly conceived,' and 'bankrupt' are emotionally loaded and reveal a strong negative bias.
Question 5: Passage excerpt: 'Marcus had always been punctualâarriving early to every meeting, practice, and class. So when he missed the championship game, everyone knew something must be terribly wrong.' What inference can be drawn?
- Marcus did not care about the championship
- Marcus overslept because he stayed up too late
- Something unusual happened to prevent Marcus from attending (Correct answer)
- Marcus was disqualified from the game
Correct answer: Something unusual happened to prevent Marcus from attending
Because the passage establishes Marcus as always punctual, his absence implies an unexpected problem, not a personal choice.
Question 6: Which sentence from a passage functions as a topic sentence?
- Furthermore, studies show that exercise reduces stress.
- In conclusion, these findings support the original hypothesis.
- Renewable energy sources offer three major advantages over fossil fuels. (Correct answer)
- For example, solar panels can power an entire household.
Correct answer: Renewable energy sources offer three major advantages over fossil fuels.
A topic sentence introduces the main idea of a paragraph; this sentence announces the subject (renewable energy advantages) that the paragraph will develop.
Question 7: A passage about climate change includes a graph showing rising global temperatures from 1900â2020. What is the primary purpose of including this graphic?
- To make the article longer
- To replace the need for any written explanation
- To provide visual evidence that supports the written claims (Correct answer)
- To confuse readers with data
Correct answer: To provide visual evidence that supports the written claims
Graphs and other visuals are included to provide concrete evidence and help readers understand the data more clearly.
RLA Reading Comprehension 2
Read the passage: 'The city council voted 5-2 to approve the new park.
Supporters argued it would reduce crime and improve health outcomes for residents.
The two dissenting members cited budget concerns.' What is the main purpose of this passage?