Reading Comprehension Flashcards
If you are a fitness walker, there is no need for a commute to a health club. Your neighborhood can be
your health club. You do not need a lot of fancy equipment to get a good workout, either. All you need
is a well-designed pair of athletic shoes.
1. This paragraph best supports the statement that
a. fitness walking is a better form of exercise than weight lifting.
b. a membership in a health club is a poor investment.
c. walking outdoors provides a better workout than walking indoors.
d. fitness walking is a convenient and valuable form of exercise.
d. By stating that fitness walking does not require a commute to a health club, the author stresses
the convenience of this form of exercise. The paragraph also states that fitness walking will result
in a good workout.
Critical reading is a demanding process. To read critically, you must slow down your reading and, with
pencil in hand, perform specific operations on the text. Mark up the text with your reactions, conclusions, and questions. In other words, when you read, become an active participant.
2. This paragraph best supports the statement that
a. critical reading is a slow, dull, but essential process.
b. the best critical reading happens at critical times in a person’s life.
c. readers should get in the habit of questioning the truth of what they read.
d. critical reading requires thoughtful and careful attention.
d. This answer is implied by the whole paragraph. The author stresses the need to read critically by performing thoughtful and careful operations on the text.
One New York publisher has estimated that 50,000 to 60,000 people in the United States want an anthology that includes the complete works of William Shakespeare. What accounts for this renewed interest in Shakespeare? As scholars point out, his psychological insights into both male and female
characters are amazing, even today.
3. This paragraph best supports the statement that
a. Shakespeare’s characters are more interesting than fictional characters today.
b. people today are interested in Shakespeare’s work because of the characters.
c. academic scholars are putting together an anthology of Shakespeare’s work.
d. New Yorkers have a renewed interest in the work of Shakespeare.
b. The last sentence in the paragraph clearly gives support for the idea that the interest in Shakespeare is due to the development of his characters
There are no effective boundaries when it comes to pollutants. Studies have shown that toxic insecticides—already banned in many countries—are riding the wind from countries where they remain legal.
Compounds such as DDT and toxaphene have been found in remote places like the Yukon and other
Arctic regions.
4. This paragraph best supports the statement that
a. bans on toxins have done little to stop the spread of pollutants.
b. more pollutants find their way into polar climates than they do into warmer areas.
c. studies show that many countries have ignored their own anti-pollution laws.
d. DDT and toxaphene are the two most toxic insecticides in the world.
a. The support for this choice is in the second sentence, which states that in some countries
toxic insecticides are still legal.
The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures.
No search of a person’s home or personal effects may be conducted without a written search warrant
issued on probable cause. This means that a neutral judge must approve the factual basis justifying a
search before it can be conducted.
5. This paragraph best supports the statement that police officers cannot search a person’s home
or private papers unless they have
a. legal authorization.
b. direct evidence of a crime.
c. read the person his or her constitutional rights.
d. a reasonable belief that a crime has occurred.
a. The second and third sentence combine to give support to choice a. The statement stresses
that there must be a judge’s approval (i.e., legal authorization) before a search can be conducted.
Mathematics allows us to expand our consciousness. Mathematics tells us about economic trends, patterns of disease, and the growth of populations. Math is good at exposing the truth, but it can also perpetuate misunderstandings and untruths. Figures have the power to mislead people.
6. This paragraph best supports the statement that
a. the study of mathematics is dangerous.
b. the study of mathematics can be both beneficial and confusing.
c. the study of mathematics is more important than other disciplines.
d. the power of numbers is that they cannot lie.
b. This answer is clearly stated in the last sentence of the paragraph.
Human technology began with the development of the first stone tools about two and a half million
years ago. In the beginning, the rate of development was slow, and hundreds of thousands of years passed
without many technological changes. Today, new technologies are reported daily on television and in
newspapers.
7. This paragraph best supports the statement that
a. stone tools were not really technology.
b. stone tools were in use for two and a half million years.
c. there is no way to know when stone tools first came into use.
d. in today’s world, new technologies are constantly being developed
d. The last sentence states that new technologies are reported daily, and this implies that new
technologies are being constantly developed.
Read the following paragraphs and choose the correct fact or detail to answer the questions.
Ratatouille is a dish that has grown in popularity over the last few years. It features eggplant, zucchini,
tomato, peppers, and garlic chopped, mixed, sautéed, and finally, cooked slowly over low heat. As the
vegetables cook slowly, they make their own broth, and this can be extended with a little tomato paste.
The name ratatouille comes from the French word touiller, meaning to mix or stir together.
8. Which of the following is the correct order of steps for making ratatouille?
a. Chop vegetables, add tomato paste, and stir or mix together.
b. Mix the vegetables together, sauté them, and add tomato paste.
c. Cook the vegetables slowly, mix them together, and add tomato paste.
d. Add tomato paste to extend the broth and cook slowly over low heat
b. See the second and third sentences for the steps in making ratatouille. Only choice b reflects
the correct order.
- Ratatouille can best be described as a
a. French pastry.
b. sauce to put over vegetables.
c. pasta dish extended with tomato paste.
d. vegetable stew.
d. The main part of the passage describes how to cook vegetables. Only choice d indicates that
vegetables are included in the dish. The other choices are not reflected in the passage.
After a snow or ice fall, the city streets are treated with ordinary rock salt. In some areas, the salt is
combined with calcium chloride, which is more effective in below-zero temperatures and which melts
ice better. This combination of salt and calcium chloride is also less damaging to foliage along the
roadways.
- In deciding whether to use ordinary rock salt or the salt and calcium chloride mixture on a particular street, which of the following is not a consideration?
a. the temperature at the time of treatment
b. the plants and trees along the street
c. whether there is ice on the street
d. whether the street is a main or secondary road
d. The passage mentions nothing about main or secondary roads.
