TSA Verbal Reasoning & Reading Comprehension 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage states: 'All successful entrepreneurs take calculated risks. Maria is a successful entrepreneur.' What can be logically inferred?
- Maria never fails at business ventures
- Maria takes calculated risks (Correct answer)
- All risk-takers are successful entrepreneurs
- Maria was born with entrepreneurial skills
Correct answer: Maria takes calculated risks
If all successful entrepreneurs take calculated risks and Maria is a successful entrepreneur, Maria must take calculated risks.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes an 'inference' in reading comprehension?
- A direct quote from the text
- A conclusion drawn from evidence not explicitly stated (Correct answer)
- A summary of the main idea
- A definition provided by the author
Correct answer: A conclusion drawn from evidence not explicitly stated
An inference is a conclusion the reader draws from implied or indirect evidence rather than from what is directly stated.
Question 3: Read this sentence: 'Despite the rain, the soccer match continued.' What does 'despite' signal?
- The rain caused the match to continue
- The match continued because of the rain
- The match continued in contrast to what the rain might suggest (Correct answer)
- The rain stopped before the match began
Correct answer: The match continued in contrast to what the rain might suggest
'Despite' signals a contrast or concession — the match continued even though rain would typically prevent it.
Question 4: A passage argues 'regular exercise leads to better mental health.' Which statement, if true, would MOST weaken this argument?
- Many people who exercise regularly report feeling happier
- Studies show exercise releases endorphins
- People with good mental health are more likely to exercise (Correct answer)
- Exercise is recommended by most health professionals
Correct answer: People with good mental health are more likely to exercise
If good mental health causes people to exercise, this reverses the causation — mental health leads to exercise, not the other way around.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of a topic sentence in a paragraph?
- To provide evidence for the main argument
- To introduce the main idea of the paragraph (Correct answer)
- To conclude the paragraph's argument
- To transition to the next paragraph
Correct answer: To introduce the main idea of the paragraph
A topic sentence introduces and previews the central idea of the paragraph that follows.
Question 6: In verbal reasoning, what does a 'synonym' test require you to find?
- A word with the opposite meaning
- A word with the same or similar meaning (Correct answer)
- A word belonging to a different category
- A word that sounds similar but means differently
Correct answer: A word with the same or similar meaning
A synonym is a word with the same or very similar meaning to another word.
Question 7: If a writer uses the phrase 'it goes without saying,' they are implying that what follows is:
- Irrelevant to the main argument
- Well-established or obvious (Correct answer)
- A controversial claim
- Difficult to verify
Correct answer: Well-established or obvious
'It goes without saying' is an idiom indicating the following point is widely understood or assumed to be obvious.
TSA Verbal Reasoning & Reading Comprehension 1
A passage states: 'All successful entrepreneurs take calculated risks.
Maria is a successful entrepreneur.' What can be logically inferred?