ACCUPLACER ESL Reading Skills Test 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Television has been introduced to almost every country in the world, reaching a large number of viewers on every continent. About 600 million people saw the first person walk on the moon, and a billion people watched the twentieth Olympic Games. Television has in many ways promoted understanding and cooperation among people. It does this by showing educational and cultural programs. From this passage, a reader can most reasonably conclude that the author believes that
- people spend too much time watching television
- not every country needs to have television
- television can unify people from around the world
- television is as important as schools (Correct answer)
Correct answer: television is as important as schools
The passage highlights television's global reach and its capacity to show "educational and cultural programs" that "promoted understanding and cooperation among people." By emphasizing its role in widespread education and fostering global understanding, the author implicitly places television in a foundational role for societal development and knowledge dissemination, much like schools. The sheer number of people who witnessed significant global events via television also underscores its power as a universal educator and unifier.
Question 2: People have different ways of learning. Some are better at making mental pictures of new ideas. Others are more comfortable with writing lists of things to memorize. Certain people can learn best when listening to music, while others need silence to concentrate. Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
- Mental pictures help many to learn
- Some people prefer lists to making mental pictures.
- To learn well you need to be comfortable.
- Different individuals have different ways of acquiring information (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Different individuals have different ways of acquiring information
The passage explicitly states, "People have different ways of learning." It then provides several examples: making mental pictures, writing lists, listening to music, or needing silence. Each example illustrates a distinct method of learning, directly supporting the main idea that individuals vary in their preferred and most effective approaches to acquiring information.
Question 3: If you hold a piece of copper wire over the flame of a wooden match, heat will be conducted by the copper wire to your fingers, and you will be forced to drop the wire. You will, however, still be able to hold the match because wood is a poor conductor of heat. Which of the following is implied in the passage above?
- Copper is a good conductor of heat (Correct answer)
- \t Wood and copper conduct heat equally
- Wood is an excellent conductor of heat.
- Matches should be made of copper.
Correct answer: Copper is a good conductor of heat
The passage describes how holding a copper wire over a flame will cause heat to be conducted to your fingers, forcing you to drop it. In contrast, you can still hold the wooden match because "wood is a poor conductor of heat." This direct comparison implies that copper must be a good conductor of heat for the heat to transfer so quickly and intensely to your fingers.
Question 4: Many people own different pets. Dogs, cats, birds, and fish are common household pets. Others pets are considered to be exotic animals. These include snakes, lizards, and hedgehogs. According to the passage, snakes are
- uncommon pets (Correct answer)
- likely to be found in a household with dogs
- found only in zoos
- not allowed in people’s homes
Correct answer: uncommon pets
The passage categorizes dogs, cats, birds, and fish as "common household pets." It then states that "Other pets are considered to be exotic animals. These include snakes, lizards, and hedgehogs." By classifying snakes as "exotic animals" and contrasting them with "common household pets," the passage implies that snakes are not common pets.
Question 5: Cesar Chavez was an influential leader for farmworkers. He fought for their rights and better working conditions. Chavez led many strikes that angered farm owners. Eventually he succeeded in getting increased wages and better living situations for farmworkers. The passage indicates that Chavez changed lives by
- helping to end the farmworkers’ strikes
- fighting for the rights of farm owners
- working on the farms every day
- improving the conditions for farmworkers (Correct answer)
Correct answer: improving the conditions for farmworkers
The passage explicitly states that Cesar Chavez "fought for their rights and better working conditions" for farmworkers. It concludes by saying he "succeeded in getting increased wages and better living situations for farmworkers." These statements directly indicate that his actions led to an improvement in the overall conditions for these workers.
Question 6: When cartoonist Charles M. Schulz was a boy in elementary school, other boys teased him for being small and not very good at sports, and his art teacher told him he had no talent for drawing. He had few friends and was too shy to talk to a red-haired girl he admired. Later in life, Schulz used his childhood experiences in his comic strip Peanuts: the strip’s main character, the sad and lonely Charlie Brown, represents Shulz as a little boy. Peanuts was unique at the time because it contained no adult characters. Readers fell in love with Charlie Brown, and Peanuts eventually became one of the most popular comic strips of all time. What is the main idea of the passage?
- Peanuts was the world’s most widely read comic strip.
- Schulz was a very famous cartoonist.
- \t Schulz turned the pain of his youth into success as an adult. (Correct answer)
- The comic strip Peanuts featured children as its only characters.
Correct answer: \t Schulz turned the pain of his youth into success as an adult.
The passage details Schulz's difficult childhood experiences, including being teased, told he had no talent, and being shy. It then explains how he "used his childhood experiences in his comic strip Peanuts" and how the strip became "one of the most popular comic strips of all time." This narrative clearly illustrates how his early struggles were transformed into a highly successful creative endeavor.
Question 7: \t Money has been used for thousands of years in nearly every culture as a means of exchange. However, today, the use of cash is becoming less and less common in modern societies all over the world. Every year, a higher percentage of purchases are made online, and even in stores customers are now using credit cards more often than cash. Many people today do all of their banking on the Internet rather than going to the bank in person. The author of the passage probably assumes that
- cash will become virtually obsolete in the near future (Correct answer)
- using cash will become popular again
- paying with credit cards all the time is dangerous
- societies that do business online will struggle
Correct answer: cash will become virtually obsolete in the near future
The passage states that "the use of cash is becoming less and less common" and that "Every year, a higher percentage of purchases are made online, and even in stores customers are now using credit cards more often than cash." It also mentions online banking. The trend described strongly implies that cash is on a path towards becoming largely unused or "virtually obsolete" in the foreseeable future.
Question 8: Before giving first aid to an accident victim, you should obtain his or her consent. Asking for consent takes a simple question. Say to the victim, “I know first aid, and I can help until an ambulance arrives. Is that okay?” According to the passage, it is wrong to
- use first aid on an accident victim without medical training
- attempt to help an accident victim without permission (Correct answer)
- help a victim before an ambulance arrives
- call for an ambulance instead of helping the victim
Correct answer: attempt to help an accident victim without permission
The passage explicitly states, "Before giving first aid to an accident victim, you should obtain his or her consent." It then provides an example of how to ask for consent. This directly implies that proceeding to give first aid without first obtaining permission from the victim is the wrong action to take.
Question 9: \t Dr. Ellen Ochoa is an inventor and is also the first female Hispanic astronaut. Her inventions include technology to help robots inspect equipment in space to maintain safety and quality control on spacecraft. Before retiring, she logged more than 1,000 hours in space across several space missions. According to the passage, Dr. Ochoa is the first
- Hispanic person to travel into space
- inventor to travel into space
- woman to travel into space
- Hispanic woman to travel into space (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Hispanic woman to travel into space
The passage clearly states, "Dr. Ellen Ochoa is an inventor and is also the first female Hispanic astronaut." This sentence directly identifies her as the first woman of Hispanic descent to achieve the status of an astronaut and travel into space.
Question 10: Dogs and cats make very different types of pets. Before deciding whether to buy or adopt a dog or a cat, prospective owners need to carefully consider their own lifestyles and personalities. Dogs may make more affectionate companions, but they require more care and attention. They must be taken out several times a day and should not be left alone for more than a few hours. Larger dogs require significant exercise to remain fit and healthy. Cats are usually more independent in nature and interact less with their owners. Also, a cat can be left on its own all day, or even for several days, as long as it has food and clean water to drink. From this passage a reader can conclude that
- owning a cat requires less work than owning a dog (Correct answer)
- people who are away from home during the day should not own a cat
- people who like to play with their pets should own a cat
- owning a cat is more responsibility than owning a dog
Correct answer: owning a cat requires less work than owning a dog
The passage contrasts the care requirements for dogs and cats. It states that dogs "require more care and attention," need to be "taken out several times a day," and "should not be left alone for more than a few hours." In contrast, cats are "more independent" and "can be left on its own all day, or even for several days, as long as it has food and clean water." This comparison clearly indicates that cats generally demand less daily attention and effort from their owners.
ACCUPLACER ESL Reading Skills Test 1
Television has been introduced to almost every country in the world, reaching a large number of viewers on every continent.
About 600 million people saw the first person walk on the moon, and a billion people watched the twentieth Olympic Games.
Television has in many ways promoted understanding and cooperation among people.
It does this by showing educational and cultural programs.
From this passage, a reader can most reasonably conclude that the author believes that