Stanford Achievement Test Stanford Achievement Reading Comprehension 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage reads: 'The wolf howled at the moon, its lonely cry echoing across the empty valley.' What literary device is used in this sentence?
- Simile
- Hyperbole
- Personification
- Imagery (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Imagery
The description of the howl 'echoing across the empty valley' creates a vivid sensory picture, which is the literary device of imagery.
Question 2: A student reads: 'First, the settlers built shelters. Next, they cleared land for farming. Finally, they established a trading post.' What text structure is this?
- Problem and solution
- Cause and effect
- Chronological order (Correct answer)
- Compare and contrast
Correct answer: Chronological order
Signal words like 'first,' 'next,' and 'finally' indicate events arranged in time order, which is chronological structure.
Question 3: Read this passage: 'The rain hammered the roof all night. By morning, the river had flooded the lower fields.' What is the relationship between these two sentences?
- The second sentence compares two events
- The first sentence is a solution to the second
- The first sentence is the cause of the second (Correct answer)
- The sentences describe two unrelated events
Correct answer: The first sentence is the cause of the second
The heavy rain caused the river to flood, making this a cause-and-effect relationship.
Question 4: A passage about renewable energy ends with: 'Solar and wind power together could meet most of America's energy needs by 2050.' This sentence most likely serves as the passage's:
- Hook to grab attention
- Concluding claim or thesis (Correct answer)
- Counterargument
- Definition of a key term
Correct answer: Concluding claim or thesis
A statement summarizing what the passage argues or predicts at the end functions as a concluding claim.
Question 5: The word 'arid' is used in this sentence: 'The arid desert received less than two inches of rainfall each year.' What does 'arid' mean?
- Extremely cold
- Very dry (Correct answer)
- Highly populated
- Deeply forested
Correct answer: Very dry
The clue 'less than two inches of rainfall' indicates that 'arid' means very dry.
Question 6: A story describes a girl who secretly returns a wallet full of cash she found. What theme does this action most likely support?
- Money is the most important thing in life
- Honesty and integrity are valuable qualities (Correct answer)
- Finders keepers is the best policy
- Wealth leads to happiness
Correct answer: Honesty and integrity are valuable qualities
Returning found money demonstrates honesty, supporting a theme about the value of integrity.
Question 7: A student reads: 'The committee approved the proposal, but three members abstained.' What does 'abstained' most likely mean?
- Voted strongly in favor
- Voted against the proposal
- Chose not to vote (Correct answer)
- Left the meeting early
Correct answer: Chose not to vote
In a voting context, 'abstained' means members chose not to cast a vote either for or against.
Stanford Achievement Test Stanford Achievement Reading Comprehension 3
A passage reads: 'The wolf howled at the moon, its lonely cry echoing across the empty valley.' What literary device is used in this sentence?