NJSLA Comprehending Informational Texts 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student reads a persuasive essay arguing that school lunches should be healthier. Which sentence is an OPINION rather than a fact?
- The USDA sets nutritional guidelines for school lunches.
- Students consume approximately 180 school lunches per year.
- Healthier school lunches are the most important change schools can make. (Correct answer)
- Many schools participate in the National School Lunch Program.
Correct answer: Healthier school lunches are the most important change schools can make.
An opinion expresses a belief or judgment that cannot be proven true or false; calling something 'the most important' is a value judgment, not a verifiable fact.
Question 2: A reader notices that an informational article uses bold text for certain words. What is the MOST LIKELY reason for this formatting choice?
- The printer ran out of regular ink for those words
- The bold words are key vocabulary terms that are important to understanding the text (Correct answer)
- The author wanted to make the article look decorative
- Bold words are always defined in a separate chapter
Correct answer: The bold words are key vocabulary terms that are important to understanding the text
Authors use bold text to highlight key vocabulary or important concepts, signaling to readers that these terms require special attention.
Question 3: A historical article states: 'By 1920, women in the United States had gained the right to vote.' A student asks, 'What events led to this outcome?' The student is analyzing:
- The central idea of the entire article
- Cause-and-effect relationships within the text (Correct answer)
- The author's use of figurative language
- The organizational structure of a compare-and-contrast text
Correct answer: Cause-and-effect relationships within the text
Asking what events led to an outcome reflects cause-and-effect thinking, connecting prior events (causes) to a historical result (effect).
Question 4: Which strategy BEST helps a reader monitor their comprehension while reading a complex informational text?
- Reading as fast as possible to finish quickly
- Pausing to ask questions and summarize sections in their own words (Correct answer)
- Skipping unfamiliar vocabulary words
- Only reading the first and last paragraph
Correct answer: Pausing to ask questions and summarize sections in their own words
Pausing to self-question and paraphrase helps readers check their understanding and identify sections that require rereading.
Question 5: An author writes: 'Coral reefs, often called the rainforests of the sea, support approximately 25% of all marine species.' The phrase 'rainforests of the sea' is an example of:
- A statistic
- A metaphor used to help readers visualize the biodiversity of coral reefs (Correct answer)
- A cause-and-effect signal
- A problem-and-solution transition
Correct answer: A metaphor used to help readers visualize the biodiversity of coral reefs
A metaphor compares two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'; here, coral reefs are compared to rainforests to convey their rich biodiversity.
Question 6: A student reads two texts on the same topic: one is a personal blog post and the other is a peer-reviewed scientific journal article. Which text is MOST likely to be considered more reliable for a research report?
- The personal blog post, because it is easier to read
- The peer-reviewed journal article, because it has been reviewed by experts for accuracy (Correct answer)
- The blog post, because it has more photographs
- Both are equally reliable for academic research
Correct answer: The peer-reviewed journal article, because it has been reviewed by experts for accuracy
Peer-reviewed articles are evaluated by subject-matter experts before publication, making them more credible sources for academic research.
Question 7: A student reads a passage about the water cycle and is asked to identify the CENTRAL IDEA. Which answer best represents a central idea statement?
- Water is important for living things.
- The water cycle is a continuous process in which water evaporates, condenses into clouds, and falls back to Earth as precipitation. (Correct answer)
- Clouds can form at different altitudes.
- Evaporation is when water turns into water vapor.
Correct answer: The water cycle is a continuous process in which water evaporates, condenses into clouds, and falls back to Earth as precipitation.
The central idea encompasses the whole passage's main point; a single process explained with all its stages represents the complete central idea better than one detail.
NJSLA Comprehending Informational Texts 4
A student reads a persuasive essay arguing that school lunches should be healthier.
Which sentence is an OPINION rather than a fact?