THE READING COMPREHENSION TEST

This test is designed to measure how well you understand what you read. It contains 20 questions. Some ask you to decide how two sentences are related. Others ask you to read passages of various lengths. You will be asked to interpret and draw conclusions from what you have read.

In this test, you will read passages of 50 to 90 words and then answer questions based on those readings. Half of the test questions ask about information that is stated in the passage. The other half will ask you to identify the main ideas, or fact vs. opinion, or the author's point of view.

Each student taking this test will be presented with a series of 20 questions of two primary types. The first type consists of a reading passage followed by a question based on the text. Both short and long narratives are provided. The reading passages can be classified according to the kind of information processing required, including explicit statements related to the main idea, explicit statements related to the secondary idea, application and inference.

The second type of question, sentence relationships, presents two sentences followed by a question about the relationship between these two sentences. The question may ask, for example, if the statement in the second sentence supports that in the first, if it contradicts it, or if it repeats the same information.

Reading Comprehension - Sample Questions

Questions 1-3. In this group of questions, two or three underlined sentences are followed by a question or statement about them. Read each group of sentences and then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

1. John was a compassionate, sensitive, and gentle man.

His twin brother James however, was merciless, unfeeling, and cruel.

The relationship between the two sentences is best described as

A. cause and effect
B. contrast
C. repetition
D. statement and example

2. The nonfiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt was very popular

It was on the New York Times bestseller list for over 90 weeks.

How are the two sentences related?

A. The second sentence explains why the book is popular.
B. The first sentence contradicts the second.
C. The first sentence explains the meaning of the second.
D. The second sentence provides evidence for the first.

 

3. Two of the most common causes of homelessness are the lack of homes and of income with which to rent or acquire them.

 

Two million jobs are lost in industry every year and 50% of the people laid off end up in jobs that pay low wages.

How are the two sentences related?

A. The first sentence contradicts the second.
B .The second sentence presents an event and the first sentence its consequences.
C. The second sentence illustrates the point made by the first sentence.
D. The first sentence explains the meaning of the second.

 

Questions 4-6. The following questions will test how well you understand certain passages. Answer these questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.

During the 1890's in America, child labor was common in the garment trade. Textile manufacturers squeezed workers into small, cramped, poorly ventilated workplaces known as sweatshops. Factory labor had a devastating effect on children's lives. For example, children who worked six-day weeks in a candy factory refused gifts of candy. The legs of a 7-year-old girl were paralyzed and deformed because she worked "day after day with little legs crossed, pulling out bastings from garments."

4. The purpose of the passage is to present

A. a personal observation
B. a solution to the problem
C. factual information
D. opposing scientific theories

 

Questions 5-6 are based on the following passage

Research shows that young children who are read to on a regular basis will grow up to be better readers. When children sit in their parent's lap and listen to stories, they are learning about the pleasures of reading and the patterns of language. When you see children turning the pages of a book, looking at the pictures, and telling the story, often from memory, they are engaged in what is called emergent literacy. Parents can foster this early language and literacy development by talking with their children, telling them stories, reading to them every day, and surrounding them with books.

5. The writer's main point is that

A. parents should read to their children every day
B. children must learn the alphabet before they can learn to read
C. pretend reading is one of the first steps toward learning how to read
D. parents should buy their children lots of books

6. Emergent literacy is best defined as

A. the practice of pretend reading
B. reading to children every day
C. patterns of language
D. early language and reading development

 

Solutions to the READING sample questions on NCC web site:

1. B

2. D

3. B

4. C

5. C

6. D