ICAS Reading for Meaning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student reads: 'The ancient library stood silent, its shelves heavy with forgotten wisdom.' What does 'forgotten wisdom' most likely suggest?
- The books were very old and damaged
- The knowledge in the books is no longer used or remembered (Correct answer)
- The library had lost many of its books
- Wise people used to visit the library
Correct answer: The knowledge in the books is no longer used or remembered
'Forgotten wisdom' implies knowledge that once existed but is now neglected or unknown to current generations.
Question 2: Which reading strategy helps you understand the meaning of an unfamiliar word without using a dictionary?
- Skimming the entire passage quickly
- Using context clues from surrounding sentences (Correct answer)
- Counting how many times the word appears
- Skipping the word and continuing to read
Correct answer: Using context clues from surrounding sentences
Context clues—words and sentences around an unfamiliar word—often reveal its meaning.
Question 3: A passage states: 'Maria reluctantly agreed to attend the party.' What does 'reluctantly' tell us about Maria?
- She was excited about the party
- She did not want to go but agreed anyway (Correct answer)
- She forgot about the party
- She organized the party herself
Correct answer: She did not want to go but agreed anyway
'Reluctantly' means doing something unwillingly, so Maria agreed despite not wanting to.
Question 4: When identifying the main idea of a paragraph, what should you look for first?
- The longest sentence in the paragraph
- The topic sentence that states what the paragraph is about (Correct answer)
- The final sentence that concludes the paragraph
- Any words that appear in bold or italics
Correct answer: The topic sentence that states what the paragraph is about
The topic sentence, often the first sentence, states the main idea that the rest of the paragraph supports.
Question 5: Read: 'Unlike his boisterous classmates, Liam preferred the quiet corners of the school library.' What does 'boisterous' mean?
- Studious and focused
- Noisy and energetic (Correct answer)
- Shy and reserved
- Friendly and generous
Correct answer: Noisy and energetic
The contrast between Liam's preference for quiet and his 'boisterous' classmates shows they are noisy and energetic.
Question 6: A text uses the phrase 'on the other hand' to begin a sentence. What is this phrase signaling?
- A supporting detail for the previous point
- A contrasting or opposing viewpoint (Correct answer)
- A summary of what was said before
- An example of the main idea
Correct answer: A contrasting or opposing viewpoint
'On the other hand' is a transitional phrase that introduces a contrasting perspective or idea.
Question 7: What is the purpose of a subheading in a nonfiction text?
- To provide the author's opinion on the topic
- To organize the text and signal what the next section is about (Correct answer)
- To summarize the entire article in one sentence
- To list the sources the author used
Correct answer: To organize the text and signal what the next section is about
Subheadings divide nonfiction text into sections and tell the reader what each section will discuss.
ICAS Reading for Meaning 2
A student reads: 'The ancient library stood silent, its shelves heavy with forgotten wisdom.' What does 'forgotten wisdom' most likely suggest?