Reading Practice Test 1

1. Which word/phrase in the sentence below is redundant and can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence?Historically, in the past, politicians often inserted their religious beliefs into their positions.

2. Read the following text and answer the following question.There are many different ways to prepare hot chocolate. One way is to heat water until it starts boiling. Be careful so you do not burn your hand. Add the cocoa to your water and stir until it mixes. Then you can add a splash of milk for taste and to help cool it down a little. `Adding marshmallows gives it a creamy taste and it is fun to drink the half melted ones. Marshmallows melt quickly, so be sure to add a few extra. The hot chocolate treat is delicious.

What is the Author's Purpose?

3. The albatross is a big bird that spends most of its time flying over oceans. It is about three feet tall when it is standing, and its wingspan can get up to eight feet, which is quite a bit longer than an average‐sized man.
The albatross returns to land to breed and mates for life. The female lays only one egg, and both parents care for the baby. Most albatrosses live for around 30 years, but they can live to
be as old as 70! Albatrosses eat crabs, fish, squid, and sometimes dead penguins. They either snatch food from the water’s surface or dive for it. They have to be careful of tiger sharks, who will make a meal out of an albatross if they can catch one. The albatross is an endangered species. They often die when diving into the ocean for food because they get tangled in fishing lines and drown. Being followed by an albatross while at sea is supposed to be good luck.

How many eggs does an albatross lay?

4. Read the text and answer the question.In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.
Now the trumpet summons us again - not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are - but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation" - a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shank from this responsibility - I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

In the infamous line, "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country," what is Kennedy asking people to do?

5. The albatross is a big bird that spends most of its time flying over oceans. It is about three feet tall when it is standing, and its wingspan can get up to eight feet, which is quite a bit longer than an average‐sized man.
The albatross returns to land to breed and mates for life. The female lays only one egg, and both parents care for the baby. Most albatrosses live for around 30 years, but they can live to
be as old as 70! Albatrosses eat crabs, fish, squid, and sometimes dead penguins. They either snatch food from the water’s surface or dive for it. They have to be careful of tiger sharks, who will make a meal out of an albatross if they can catch one. The albatross is an endangered species. They often die when diving into the ocean for food because they get tangled in fishing lines and drown. Being followed by an albatross while at sea is supposed to be good luck.

What does the albatross eat?

6. Choose the main idea sentence in the paragraph below.Many years ago, my dad went to a Beatles concert and only paid $5.25 for a single ticket! These days, it's expensive to purchase tickets to see your favorite bands. You'd have to pay at least $40 in most cases just to get into the nosebleed seats. And the floor? Forget it! $300 at least! I guess my dad had it good back then.

7. Read the text and answer the question.In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.
Now the trumpet summons us again - not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are - but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation" - a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shank from this responsibility - I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

Since this his inauguration speech, JFK uses it as an opportunity to puff up himself and share all of his qualifications.

8. Which word/phrase in the sentence below is redundant and can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence?The restaurant's accountants determined that there might have possibly been a breach of security involving the restaurant's payment portal.

9. Which word/phrase in the sentence below is redundant and can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence?After a traumatic event, children often revert back to behaviors they exhibited as babies.

10. DIRECTIONS: Read each passage and identify how the information is being organized.It is possible to change how you feel about certain foods. If you want to learn to like a food that is good for you, take the following steps. First, imagine all the good things that it is doing in your body. It is making your organs healthy. It is giving you energy. It is making your muscles grow. Next, think about something that you want to be able to do. If you are an athlete, imagine scoring the winning point. If you are an artist or a poet, imagine having the concentration to do the work you want to do. Finally, keep these positive thoughts in mind the next time you try the unfamiliar food. You may not love it at first, but as you continue to tell yourself that eating this food is going to help you be what you want to be, the food will start to taste better to you.