HAST Reading Comprehension 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage states that wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone and rivers changed course as a result. This is an example of what kind of effect?
- A trophic cascade (Correct answer)
- Direct habitat modification
- Climate-driven change
- Human engineering
Correct answer: A trophic cascade
When the reintroduction of a predator causes changes that ripple down through an ecosystem and alter even physical geography, it is called a trophic cascade.
Question 2: An author uses the phrase 'a sea of faces.' This is an example of:
- A metaphor (Correct answer)
- A simile
- Alliteration
- Personification
Correct answer: A metaphor
Calling a crowd 'a sea of faces' directly equates two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as,' making it a metaphor.
Question 3: A story's narrator says: 'I never trusted him, and now I know why.' This is an example of:
- Foreshadowing resolved (Correct answer)
- Flashback
- Third-person omniscient narration
- Dramatic irony
Correct answer: Foreshadowing resolved
The narrator's earlier distrust is now explained by a revealed event, showing that the earlier hint was foreshadowing now being resolved.
Question 4: A persuasive essay opens: 'Every child deserves access to quality education.' What rhetorical strategy is this?
- Appeal to shared values (ethos/pathos) (Correct answer)
- Statistical evidence
- Expert testimony
- Counterargument
Correct answer: Appeal to shared values (ethos/pathos)
Opening with a universally held value about children's welfare is a classic appeal to shared values to build agreement before presenting the argument.
Question 5: A paragraph describes the pros and cons of solar energy. What is the text structure?
- Compare and contrast (Correct answer)
- Cause and effect
- Problem and solution
- Chronological order
Correct answer: Compare and contrast
Presenting advantages alongside disadvantages is the compare-and-contrast text structure.
Question 6: The word 'benevolent' in a passage most likely means:
- Kind and generous (Correct answer)
- Strict and demanding
- Clever and cunning
- Shy and reserved
Correct answer: Kind and generous
Benevolent comes from Latin roots meaning 'good will,' and describes someone who is kind and wishes to help others.
HAST Reading Comprehension 2
A passage states that wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone and rivers changed course as a result.
This is an example of what kind of effect?