Section 1: Main Idea Select the answer choice that best represents the main idea of the paragraph.. 1. Babies use both hands. But babies use one hand more than the other. This hand may become the preferred one. How can you tell? Lay a baby on its back. Notice which side the baby faces. If the baby looks to the right most of the time, it will probably be right-handed. What does it mean if the baby faces left more often? a. how to tell right- from left-handed babies b. that babies use their hands for many things c. that there are more left-handed babies 2. Farmers in Japan have a problem. There is not much land to farm, and there are many people to feed. Some farmers cut rows in the hillsides and grow crops there. This helps a little, but many kinds of food are shipped to Japan. They can choose anything they want to eat! a. There is little land to farm in Japan; so many kinds of food are shipped to Japan. b. Growing food on the hillside in Japan is hard work. c. The Japanese like getting food from different countries. 3. Were you born after 1985? If so, how long do you expect to live? Most people born after 1985 can expect to live more than 70 years. Of course, this is just a guess based on past records. By the way, females can expect to live about six years longer than males. That s taken from past records too! a. why people live to be 70 b. how long you might expect to live c. about the health of females 4. Do you ever wonder how you taste things? You owe your sense of taste to your taste buds. We have nine thousand taste buds just on the tongue alone. There are also taste buds on the roof of your mouth. You even have taste buds on the back of your throat. a. why we can taste only sweet things b. that we taste through our nose c. where taste buds are found 5. Goldilocks had nothing to do. Her friends were busy, so she decided to take a walk in the woods alone. She noticed a house. She knew it was a stranger s house, but she still entered. There was not anyone home; therefore, she decided to eat some food and take a nap in the stranger s home. a. Walking can be an adventure. b. Goldilocks didn't follow safety procedures. c. It is okay to do the wrong things as long as it isn't hurting anybody.
Section 2: Making Inferences Reading the following passage and mark the valid inferences that can be drawn from it as "true." A famous psychology experiment conducted by Dr. John B. Watson demonstrates that people, like animals, can be conditioned trained to respond in a particular way to certain stimulations. Watson gave an eleven-month-old baby named Albert a soft, furry white rat. Each time Albert tried to stroke the rat, Dr. Watson hit a metal bar with a hammer. Before long, Albert was afraid not only of white rats but also of white rabbits, white dogs, and white fur coats. He even screamed at the sight of a Santa Claus mask. 6. Dr. Watson did not like small children. 7. Before the experiment, Albert was not afraid of white rats. 8. Albert had been familiar with rats before the experiment. 9. If he had seen a black fur coat, Albert would have screamed. 10. Albert connected the loud noise of the hammer striking the metal bar with the white rat. 11. Albert was afraid of unexpected loud noises from the beginning. Section 3: Supporting Details/Textual Evidence Read each question carefully and select the best answer. 12. In this group, one statement is the point, and the other statements are support for the point. Which is the point? A) The only character we liked was killed halfway through the film. B) The movie we saw last night was not very good. C) We were able to figure out the ending long before the movie was over. D) The most exciting scene was filmed with so little light that we could not see what was happening. 13. In this group, one statement is the point, and the other statements are support for the point. Which is the point? A) The storm flooded the creek, which filled the basements of several homes. B) The recent storm did a lot of damage to the neighborhood C) Storm winds knocked down a large tree, which broke through the roof of one house. D) The storm knocked down wires, leaving many houses without electricity for two days.
14. Which group of information supports this point: "Neil is a hypocrite, often saying one thing but meaning another." A) He spent forty-five minutes talking and laughing with someone yesterday, then later confided to me, "I can't stand that guy!" He lectures his son about the dangers of drug addiction, then sits down to watch the ball game with a case of beer and a carton of cigarettes. B) He waits until December to put in the winter storm windows, and his Christmas tree is still up in March. He usually pays his bills a few days after they are due, and he does not get his car's 10,000-mile checkup until the car has gone 25,000 miles. C) After thirty-seven years of marriage, he still writes love letters to his wife. He took early retirement so that he could stay home and care for her when an illness left her bedridden. He never leaves the house without bringing her back something special. 15. Which statement can be textual evidence for this point: Scientists have some evidence that religious faith is good for one's health. A) Studies show that religious people are more intelligent than nonreligious people. B) Medical science rejects the idea that religion can help people. C) Today, many hospitals encourage people to express their religious feelings openly. Section 4: Validity & Reliability Read each situation and determine whether the concern is related to validity or reliability. 16. We have had problems using arm circumference measures as an indicator of nutritional status because it is difficult to train health care workers to measure arm circumferences accurately and in the same way each time. 17. We were not satisfied with the conclusions of the evaluation of the pre-schools. For example, the evaluators tested the children for verbal aptitude using a test in English rather than their local language. 18. In developing "stages of moral development" in children, Kohlberg studied boys' moral development, developed a scale, and then applied it to both boys and girls. As a result, he concluded that girls were slower in developing a sense of morality than boys. 19. In Sri Lanka, villagers were asked to evaluate their own progress in maintaining their irrigation scheme using a standardized feedback form. Initially, we did not have confidence in their reports. However, over time, when people realized the benefit of truthful responses, these feedback forms became very useful measures of farmer progress.
Section 5: Cause & Effect Read each question carefully and select the best answer. 20. What is the EFFECT in the following sentence: The mother bird gathers dried grass to build her nest. A) mother bird B) build her nest C) gathers dried grass 21. What is the CAUSE in the following sentence: The tree fell in the middle of the road because of the high wind. A) the high wind B) tree fell C) in the middle of the road 22. Select the best CAUSE for the following effect: cut her finger A) washing dishes B) playing outside C) picking up broken glass 23. Select the best EFFECT for the following cause: Ashley loved to read A) she had good grades B) she joined a book club C) she needed a new bookshelf 24. What word or words indicated a CAUSE/EFFECT relationship in the following sentence? When the fire alarm sounded everyone walked out of the classroom in a quiet line. A) everyone walked B) when C) sounded D) walked out 25. What clue word or words identify a CAUSAL relationship in the following sentence? Mom made lemonade so that the kids could have something to drink. A) made B) so that C) could have D) to drink Section 6: Topic Select the answer choice that best represents the topic of the paragraph. 26. The rain forest is home to many creatures. Monkeys, toucans and macaws live in the rain forest. Blue Morpho butterflies and anteaters also live in the rain forest. A) creature homes B) different animals C) the rain forest
27. Basketball players learn many skills when playing basketball. They learn how to dribble and pass the ball. They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score. Most importantly, they learn how to work together with their teammates. A) team work B) sports C) basketball players 28. There are many fun things to do at the beach. Swimming is one thing that can be done at the beach. Snorkeling is another thing that can be enjoyed. Playing beach volleyball can be a lot of fun. It is also fun to look for shells. Some people simply like to sunbathe. A) swimming B) beach activities C) having fun 29. Passing fears are common in early childhood. Many 2- to 4-year-olds are afraid of animals, especially dogs. By 6 years, children are more likely to be afraid of the dark. Other common fears are of thunderstorms, doctors, and imaginary creatures. A) passing fears B) childhood C) the dark 30. There are gender differences in adolescents' satisfaction with their bodies. Compared with boys, girls are usually less happy with their bodies and have more negative body images. Also, as puberty proceeds, girls often become even more dissatisfied with their bodies. This is probably because their body fat increases. In contrast, boys become more satisfied as they move through puberty, probably because their muscle mass increases. A) body fat changes B) muscle mass changes C) gender differences on body image Section 7: Meta Questions (questions about questions) 31. Topic is what a text is generally about and main idea is what the author says about the topic. 32. Which is better to use if you have access to both? A) Primary Source B) Secondary Source 33. If you were writing a research paper on ebola, which would be your best (they are all good, but which is the best) source? A) an encyclopedia, because it is reliable B) a medical doctor, because they are a primary source C) an article, because it is valid 34. Which word does NOT show a causal relationship? A) suggests B) therefore C) since 35. Which words represent cause and effect (in that order)? A) thus, because B) if, then C) consequently, as a result
36. What is the first step when making an inference? A) Make an observation B) Analyze clues C) Draw a conclusion 37. Textual evidence is the same as observational evidence except it deals with reading, where observational deals with observations. 38. Supporting details are an example of textual evidence. 39. Which is the best support for main idea? A) a picture in the text B) the first sentence C) the title 40. Reading strategies are important to understand a text. A)True