Reading Comprehension Flashcards

A passage states: 'The committee's recommendations were largely symbolic, offering little actionable guidance.' What does 'symbolic' most nearly mean in this context?

Answer: Meaningful in gesture only, lacking practical effect

Here 'symbolic' contrasts with 'actionable,' indicating the recommendations had no real practical impact.

An author shifts from presenting facts to using rhetorical questions in the final paragraph. This shift most likely serves to:

Answer: Engage the reader and emphasize the argument's urgency

Rhetorical questions in a conclusion are a persuasive device used to involve the reader and heighten the stakes of the argument.

Two passages address climate policy. Passage 1 focuses on economic costs; Passage 2 focuses on long-term ecological benefits. Both authors would most likely agree that:

Answer: Climate change is a significant issue requiring policy attention

Even though they emphasize different aspects, both authors engaging with climate policy implicitly acknowledge it is a serious issue.

A student claims that a passage supports the idea that urbanization always reduces biodiversity. Which finding would most directly weaken this claim?

Answer: Urban parks can support more bird species than nearby farmland

Evidence that urban parks support diverse bird life directly contradicts the absolute claim that urbanization always reduces biodiversity.

A passage describes a scientist who 'methodically dismantled each assumption.' The word 'dismantled' suggests the scientist:

Answer: Carefully broke down and refuted each assumption

'Dismantled' in this figurative context means systematically taking apart and refuting assumptions one by one.

An informational passage includes a graph showing rising global temperatures alongside increasing carbon dioxide levels. The graph primarily serves to:

Answer: Provide visual evidence of a correlation discussed in the text

Graphs in SAT passages typically reinforce or illustrate a quantitative relationship described in the accompanying text.

A narrator says, 'I had long suspected that the cheerful façade concealed something unspeakable.' This statement primarily conveys:

Answer: A sense of foreboding and suspicion about a hidden truth

'Long suspected' and 'unspeakable' create a tone of foreboding, indicating the narrator anticipates a disturbing revelation.