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?The restaurant's accountants determined that there might have possibly been a breach of security involving the restaurant's payment portal.

2. 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.

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 big is an albatross?

4. Read about the artist. Then answer the question below.

Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853. He is a very famous artist now. But during his lifetime, hardly anyone knew about him or his work. Today his paintings are among the most expensive artworks in the world. But Vincent only sold one painting while he was alive. Vincent was born in Holland, where the weather is usually dark and rainy. When he grew up, he moved to the south of France, where the sun shines more brightly and colors are more vivid. Vincent loved bright colors, and he used them boldly in all of his paintings. He used a lot of paint, and applied it in very thick strokes so that his paintings actually have texture. Vincent painted a lot of pictures of flowers in vases, and a lot of landscapes. He also painted still lifes, buildings and people. Two of his most famous paintings are called Starry Night, and Sunflowers. Most artists sign their name on their painting when they have finished it. But in 1888, Vincent painted four pictures of sunflowers. He only signed two of the paintings. Art experts believe that this is because he wasn’t happy with the other two. Today you can see his paintings in museums all around the world.

How many paintings did Vincent sell in his lifetime?

5. Read the following text and answer the following question.Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature. There is a metal that is solid until you hold it. Your body temperature causes it to melt in your hand.

What is the Author's Purpose?

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. DIRECTIONS: In the 4th century B.C., the Greek philosopher Socrates was accused of "corrupting” the youth of Athens. The passage below is from the speech he gave to an Athens jury in his defense. Read the speech, then draw inferences from it to answer the questions.

Young men of the richer classes, who have not much to do, come about me of their own accord; they like to hear the pretenders examined, and they often imitate me and proceed to examine others; there are plenty of persons, as they quickly discover, who think that they know something, but really know little or nothing; and then those who are examined by them instead of being angry with themselves are angry with me: This confounded Socrates, they say; this villainous misleader of youth! And then if somebody asks them, why, what evil does he practice or teach? They do not know, and cannot tell; but in order that they may not appear to be at a loss, they repeat the ready‐made charges which are used against all philosophers about teaching things up in the clouds and under the earth, and having no gods, and making the worse appear the better cause; for they do not like to confess that their pretense of knowledge has been detected―which is the truth; and as they are numerous and ambitious and energetic, and are drawn up in battle array and have persuasive tongues, they have filled your ears with their loud and inveterate calumnies. And this is the reason why my three accusers, Meletus and Anytus and Lycon, have set upon me; Meletus, who has a quarrel with me on behalf of the poets; Anytus, on behalf of the craftsmen and politicians; Lycon, on behalf of the rhetoricians: and as I said at the beginning, I cannot expect to get rid of such a mass of calumny all in a moment. And this, O men of Athens, is the truth and the whole truth; I have concealed nothing, I have dissembled nothing. And yet, I know that my plainness of speech makes them hate me, and what is their hatred but a proof that I am speaking the truth? Hence has arisen the prejudice against me; and this is the reason for it, as you will find out either in this or in any future inquiry.

From Socrates’ perspective, how does his influence over the young men of the richer classes compare to the influence of their own class?

8. Despite their claims, many vegans find it difficult to add enough protein to their diet.                , compare the amount of protein in a serving of meat to the amount of protein found in a serving of nuts. While the nuts offer a substantial amount of protein, it would take multiple servings to match the amount of proteins in the meat.

Which transition best connects the evidence to the claim that supports it?

9. DIRECTIONS: Read each passage and identify how the information is being organized.Nutrients are the things in healthy food that are good for your body. Foods that contain a lot of nutrients are called nutrient‐dense foods. Some nutrient‐dense foods include protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy.

 

 

10. Technology-based products top the list of most-wanted items on teens' wish lists this year.                  , the latest model smartphone was at the head of the list. It was followed by music players, laptop computers, tablets, and devices designed to be used with those products. What teens don't want? Clothes.

Which transition best connects the evidence to the claim it supports?