Reading Comprehension Flashcards

A passage includes two studies with conflicting results on sleep and memory. The author concludes that 'further research is needed.' This conclusion suggests the author:

Answer: Acknowledges uncertainty and avoids overreaching conclusions

Calling for further research is a hallmark of scientific caution when existing evidence is inconclusive or contradictory.

A passage uses the word 'pedestrian' to describe an argument. In this context, 'pedestrian' most nearly means:

Answer: Ordinary and unoriginal

When used figuratively to describe writing or arguments, 'pedestrian' means dull, commonplace, and lacking originality.

An author describes a policy using mostly neutral language but includes the phrase 'ill-conceived scheme.' This phrase reveals that the author:

Answer: Has a negative view of the policy despite otherwise neutral language

'Ill-conceived scheme' is strongly negative diction that signals the author's critical attitude toward the policy.

According to a passage about the industrial revolution, factories required workers to adopt entirely new rhythms of life. Which of the following best illustrates this claim?

Answer: Workers shifted from seasonal agricultural schedules to fixed daily clock-based shifts

Moving from seasonal farm rhythms to rigid clock-based factory schedules directly illustrates the change in workers' life rhythms.

A paired passage set has Passage 1 arguing for stricter environmental regulations and Passage 2 questioning their economic feasibility. Compared to the author of Passage 2, the author of Passage 1 is more likely to:

Answer: Accept higher economic costs as justified by ecological benefits

An author advocating for stricter environmental regulations implicitly accepts that ecological benefits outweigh associated economic costs.

A narrator observes a scene and thinks: 'Nothing here had changed, yet everything felt different.' This statement is best described as:

Answer: A paradox reflecting how the narrator's inner state transforms perception

The statement is a paradox illustrating that the narrator's changed emotional perspective makes an unchanged setting feel new.

An SAT Reading passage asks you to identify 'the most reasonable inference.' An inference is:

Answer: A conclusion drawn from evidence not explicitly stated in the passage

An inference goes beyond what is explicitly stated, using textual clues to reach a logical conclusion.