Paragraph Comprehension Flashcards
The first detective stories, written by Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle, emerged in the mid-nineteenth century, at a time when there was enormous public interest in science. The newspapers of the day continually publicized the latest scientific discoveries, and scientists were acclaimed as the heroes of the age. Poe and Conan Doyle shared this fascination with the methodical, logical approach used by scientists in their experiments, and instilled their detective heroes with outstanding powers of scientific reasoning.
The main idea of this passage is
A. science fiction was not popular among nineteenth-century readers
B. scientific progress made its way into the fiction of the time
C. newspapers detailed detective work each day
D. the first detective stories were written by scientists
B. scientific progress made its way into the fiction of the time
The main idea of a passage is the most important idea conveyed by the author. Choice B pinpoints the author’s main point. Choice C distorts a detail from the passage. Choice A is not mentioned in the passage. The author states that science was extremely popular in the nineteenth century, which implies that science fiction was as well, but no direct information is given about the popularity of science fiction. Choice D is incorrect because there is no mention of Poe and Doyle being scientists.
Children have an amazing talent for learning vocabulary. Between the ages of one and seventeen, the average child learns the meaning of about 80,000 words - about 14 per day. Dictionaries and traditional classroom vocabulary lessons only account for part of this knowledge growth. More important are individuals’ reading habits and their dialogues with people whose vocabularies are larger than their own. Reading shows students how words are used in sentences. Conversation offers students the chance to ask questions about the language.
According to the passage, reading is valuable to students because
A. children learn differently than adults
B. words used in stories are generally harder
C. reading provides vocabulary clues within sentences
D. vocabulary is learned mostly through conversation
C. reading provides vocabulary clues within sentences
The answer to a detail question such as this will be a paraphrase of what you find in the passage. You are told that reading shows students how words are used in sentences, so C is correct. A is incorrect because adults are never mentioned. B also was not stated in the passage. D does not answer the question and is not necessarily true based on the information given.
The first truly American art movement was formed by a group of landscape painters that emerged in the early nineteenth century called the Hudson River School. The first works in this style were created by Thomas Cole, Thomas Doughty, and Asher Durand, a trio of painters who worked during the 1820s in the Hudson River Valley and surrounding locations. Heavily influenced by European artists, these painters set out to convey the remoteness and splendor of the American wilderness. The strongly patriotic tone of their paintings caught the spirit of the times, and within a generation the movement had grown to include landscape painters from all over the United States.
The passage is primarily concerned with which of the following?
A. the history of the Hudson River School of painters
B. American art movements of the nineteenth century
C. how American landscape painters were influenced by European painters
D. the artistic origins of nationalism in the United States
A. the history of the Hudson River School of painters
Wrong answer choices on global questions (that is, questions that ask about the passage’s topic or main idea) are often too broad or too specific. B is too broad because the passage is not about all American art movements, only the Hudson River School movement. C is too specific because the influence of European painters is just one detail mentioned, while A, the history of the Hudson River School of painters, is being described. D is incorrect because nationalism is not the focus of the passage.
Different people have different approaches to choosing a personal computer. Some people pick a new computer at random, falling victim to the latest trend or advertisement. These people often regret their decisions in the long run. On the other hand, people who do thorough research before purchasing a computer are much happier with their decisions in the long run. When you are shopping for a new computer, conducting research is an important step.
Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A. People should base computer purchase decisions on advertisements.
B. People should not base computer purchase decisions on advertisements.
C. People should conduct research to be happy in life.
D. People should conduct research before purchasing a computer.
D. People should conduct research before purchasing a computer.
This is the central idea of the passage. (If a passage begins or ends with a recommendation, that recommendation will often be the main idea.) The author does imply that people should not base their decisions on advertisements, choice B, but that is a detail rather than the main idea. Choice A is the opposite of the detail stated in the passage. Choice C is too broad. The passage is primarily concerned with computer purchase decisions, not life in general.
The painter Georgia O’Keeffe was born in Wisconsin in 1887 and grew up on her family’s farm. At seventeen she decided she wanted to be an artist and left the farm for schools in Chicago and New York, but she never lost her bond with the land. Like most painters, O’Keeffe painted the things that were most important to her, and nearly all her works are portrayals of nature. O’Keeffe became famous when her paintings were discovered in New York by the photographer Alfred Stieglitz whom she married in 1924. During a visit to New Mexico in 1929, O’Keeffe was so moved by the bleak landscape and broad skies of the Western desert that she began to paint its images.
In this context, the word bleak most nearly means
A. empty
B. moody
C. cold
D. vivid
A. empty
It is important on vocabulary-in-context questions not to rely on your vocabulary knowledge alone for the word in question, but instead to choose an answer that best represents how the word is being used in the paragraph. Bleak can be used to mean cold, choice C, or depressing, which might make choice B seem appealing. But only choice A does not alter the meaning of the sentences when plugged in: “the empty landscape and broad skies,”
The painter Georgia O’Keeffe was born in Wisconsin in 1887 and grew up on her family’s farm. At seventeen she decided she wanted to be an artist and left the farm for schools in Chicago and New York, but she never lost her bond with the land. Like most painters, O’Keeffe painted the things that were most important to her, and nearly all her works are portrayals of nature. O’Keeffe became famous when her paintings were discovered in New York by the photographer Alfred Stieglitz whom she married in 1924. During a visit to New Mexico in 1929, O’Keeffe was so moved by the bleak landscape and broad skies of the Western desert that she began to paint its images.
Georgia O’Keeffe’s work generally shows
A. an ability to paint something complex accurately
B. her love for Alfred Stieglitz
C. her desire for fame
D. her love of the land
D. her love of the land
Since the answer to a detail question can be found in the text, the clause “nearly all her works are portrayals of nature” would direct you to choice D. Choices A, B, and C all state things that were never mentioned in the passage, a characteristic typical of wrong answer choices to detail questions.
The four brightest moons of Jupiter were the first objects in the solar system discovered with the use of the telescope. This proof played a central role in Galileo’s famous argument in support of the Copernican model of the solar system, in which the planets are described as revolving around the Sun. For several hundred years, scientific understanding of these moons was slow to develop. But spectacular close-up photographs sent back by the 1979 Voyager missions forever changed our perception of these moons.
Which best describes the Copernican model of the solar system?
A. Planets move counterclockwise as they rotate.
B. The Sun and other planets revolve around the Earth.
C. the planets move in orbit around the Sun.
D. the four brightest moons of Jupiter used to be planets.
C. The planets move in orbit around the Sun.
The text states that the Copernican model of the solar system describes that planets are revolving around the Sun, choice C. This is contradicted by choice B. A and D are not mentioned.
As the sky opened up and sun at last rushed into the room, Toby smiled knowing that the game would proceed as planned. It had to, if only because his father would be there and it might be the last opportunity he would have to see Toby play. Now the birds began to appear here and there. Toby got out his baseball glove and ball and waited for his dad to arrive to take him to the game.
The mood of the character in the passage is
A. sad
B. careless
C. uneasy
D. eager
D. eager
Toby is smiling while he waits for his father, already holding his baseball glove and ball. He is eager, choice D, to get to the game. Choice A is distracting since it is sad that it might be the last game that Toby’s father will be able to attend, but the descriptive language of the passage supports eagerness and not sadness: the sun rushes into the room, now the birds are appearing. Toby is smiling, so there is no evidence of him being uneasy, choice C. He is anxiously waiting for his father, which contradicts his being careless, choice B.
A human body can survive without water for several days and without food for as many as several weeks. If breathing stops for as little as three to six minutes, however, death is likely. All animals require a constant supply of oxygen to the body tissues, and especially to the heart or brain. In the human body, the respiratory and circulatory systems perform this function by delivering oxygen to the blood, which then transports it to tissues throughout the body. Respiration in large animals involves more than just breathing in oxygen. It is a complex process that delivers oxygen while eliminating carbon dioxide produced by cells.
Which bodily function, according to the passage, is least essential to the immediate survival of a human being?
A. eating
B. drinking
C. breathing
D. excretion
A. eating
Since the body can survive without food longer than it can survive without B drinking or C breathing, eating is the least essential to survival. Choice A is correct. D is incorrect because excretion is not mentioned in the passage.
The media are really out of control. When the press gets a story, it seems that within minutes it has produced flashy moving graphics and sound effects to entice viewers and garner ratings. Real facts and unbiased coverage of an issue are totally abandoned in exchange for an overly sentimental or one-sided story that too often distorts the truth. Viewers need to learn to distinguish real reporting from the junk on nearly every television channel these days.
The author would be most likely to agree with which of the following?
A. Newspapers should have more editorials.
B. Flashy graphics add substance to television news reporting.
C. Objective news reporting is a dying art.
D. Television news anchors are valuable sources of information.
C. Objective news reporting is a dying art.
For inference questions you should read the entire passage, and it is often best to attack each answer choice and eliminate those that do not follow from the passage. B clearly contradicts the author’s words. You have no information about how the author feels about television anchors, so D is unsupported. A goes beyond the scope of the passage, and may or may not be true based on what you have read. The correct answer will be something that must be true based on what’s given, like choice C.
The poems of the earliest Greeks, like those of other ancient societies, consisted of magical charms, mysterious predictions, prayers, and traditional songs of work and war. These poems were intended to be sung or recited, not written down, since they were created before the Greeks began to use writing for literary purposes. The different forms of early Greek poetry all had something in common: they described the way of life of the Greek people. Poetry expressed ideas and feelings that were shared by everyone in a community - their folktales, their memories of historical events, and their religious speculation.
Early Greek poetry was which of the following?
A. mainly an oral form
B. a departure from poetic traditions in other societies
C. widely thought to be an act of the gods
D. usually about lost love and sadness
A. mainly an oral form
This is a detail question, which means that you can look up the answer in the text. The poems “were intended to be sung or recited, not written down,” so they were mainly an oral form, choice A. B, which states that Greek poetry was unlike those of other societies, contradicts the passage. C and D are not mentioned.
In computer design, the effectiveness of a program generally depends on the ability of the programmer. Still, remarkable progress has been made in the development of artificial intelligence. This progress has scientists wondering whether it will eventually be possible to develop a computer capable of intelligent thought. When a computer defeated Garry Kasparov, considered by many the greatest chess player of all time, it was taken to be a vindication of the claims of the strongest supporters of artificial intelligence. Despite this accomplishment, others argue that while computers may imitate the human mind, they will never possess the capacity for true intelligence.
The main idea of this passage is
A. computers can never learn to think
B. chess is a game in which computers are superior
C. great strides have been made in artificial intelligence
D. artificial intelligence is a scientific miracle
C. great strides have been made in artificial intelligence
The correct choice for a global question will express what the author believes. The passage states that remarkable progress has been made in artificial intelligence, so choice C is correct. While the author discusses the difference of opinion between those who believe that there will eventually be a computer capable of intelligent thought and those who do not, she does not assert the truth of either statement, so choice A is incorrect. Be wary of answer choices such as D that use extreme language. Chess is not the main focus of the passage, so choice B is incorrect.
Coral reefs are created over the course of hundreds or even thousands of years. The main architect in coral reef formation is the stony coral, a relative of the sea anemone that lives in tropical climates and secretes a skeleton of almost pure calcium carbonate. Its partner is the green alga, a tiny unicellular plant that lives within the tissues of the coral. The two organisms form a mutually beneficial relationship, with the algae consuming carbon dioxide given off by the corals, and the corals thriving on the abundant oxygen produced photosynthetically by the algae. When the coral dies, its skeleton is left, and other organisms grow on top of it. Over the years, the mass of coral skeletons together with those of associated organisms combine to form the petrified underwater forest that divers find so fascinating.
Which of the following best describes what this passage is about?
A. the varieties of animal life that live in coral reefs
B. the formation of coral reefs
C. the life and death cycles of coral reefs
D. the physical beauty of coral reefs
B. the formation of coral reefs
This is a global question, so either the correct answer will make so much sense you will want to pick it, or you can eliminate wrong answer choices because they are too broad, too specific, or otherwise don’t properly describe the passage. Here the correct answer choice does make a lot of sense. The passage describes how coral reefs are created, so choice B, the formation of coral reefs, describes the passage well. Choice A is out because “varieties” of animal life are nowhere described. C is wrong because “death cycles” of coral reefs are never touched upon. And D is far too narrow; there’s only the barest reference in the passage to “the physical beauty” of coral reefs.
Coral reefs are created over the course of hundreds or even thousands of years. The main architect in coral reef formation is the stony coral, a relative of the sea anemone that lives in tropical climates and secretes a skeleton of almost pure calcium carbonate. Its partner is the green alga, a tiny unicellular plant that lives within the tissues of the coral. The two organisms form a mutually beneficial relationship, with the algae consuming carbon dioxide given off by the corals, and the corals thriving on the abundant oxygen produced photosynthetically by the algae. When the coral dies, its skeleton is left, and other organisms grow on top of it. Over the years, the mass of coral skeletons together with those of associated organisms combine to form the petrified underwater forest that divers find so fascinating.
The relationship between the coral and the algae is best described as
A. parasitic
B. competitive
C. predatory
D. cooperative
D. cooperative
For this detail question, you just want to pick the answer choice that best paraphrases the relationship between the coral and algae as described in the passage. The passage states that the “two organisms for a mutually beneficial relationship”; in other words, the relationship is cooperative, choice D.
For do-it-yourself types, the cost of getting regular oil changes seems unnecessary. After all, the steps are fairly easy as long as you are safe. First, make sure that the car is stationary and on a level surface. Always use the emergency brake to ensure that the car does not roll on top of you. Next, locate the drain plug for the oil under the engine. Remember to place the oil drain pan under the plug before you start. When it is drained fully, wipe off the drain plug and the plug opening and then replace the drain plug. Next, simply place your funnel in the engine and pour in new oil. Be sure to return the oil cap when you’re done. Finally, run the engine for a minute, and then check the dipstick to see if you need more oil in your engine.
After draining the old oil from the engine, you should
A. replace the oil cap
B. run the engine for a moment and check the dipstick
C. wipe off and replace the drain plug
D. engage the emergency brake
C. wipe off and replace the drain plug
For correct sequence questions, look up the answer in the test. According to the passage, when the engine is fully drained, you should wipe off and replace the drain plug, choice C.
