OSSLT Reading Book 1 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage about the Canadian Pacific Railway states: 'The last spike was driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia, on November 7, 1885, uniting a nation from sea to sea.' What is the significance of 'uniting a nation'?
- The railway was only built in BC
- It physically and symbolically connected Canada's eastern and western regions (Correct answer)
- No other transportation existed before
- Everyone immediately used the railway
Correct answer: It physically and symbolically connected Canada's eastern and western regions
The phrase refers to the railway's role in physically connecting and symbolically unifying Canada.
The CPR was both a physical transportation link and a symbolic unification of disparate regions into a cohesive nation.
Question 2: A narrator describes a character who 'pressed her forehead against the cold window of the school bus, watching the farmland blur past.' What mood is created?
- Excitement and anticipation
- Melancholy or reflective thoughtfulness (Correct answer)
- Anger and frustration
- Humour and lightheartedness
Correct answer: Melancholy or reflective thoughtfulness
The cold window, physical contact, and blurring landscape create a melancholy or reflective mood.
Authors create mood through details. Cold window suggests distance; pressing forehead suggests contemplation; blurring landscape suggests disconnection.
Question 3: A passage about wild blueberries' nutritional benefits is presented. Which question best identifies the author's purpose?
- What colour are blueberries?
- Is the author trying to inform, persuade, or entertain? (Correct answer)
- How many blueberries can one person eat?
- Does the author like blueberries?
Correct answer: Is the author trying to inform, persuade, or entertain?
Asking about the author's intent to inform, persuade, or entertain directly addresses purpose.
Asking 'inform, persuade, or entertain?' directly addresses purpose and is a fundamental reading strategy.
Question 4: A text states the Great Lakes contain 21% of the world's surface fresh water. A student claims this means 'most' of the world's fresh water is there. Is this accurate?
- Yes, 21% is most
- No, 21% is significant but not 'most' - it is about one-fifth (Correct answer)
- Yes, because they are the largest lakes
- No, because the statistic is about salt water
Correct answer: No, 21% is significant but not 'most' - it is about one-fifth
21% is about one-fifth, which is significant but not 'most' (more than 50%).
In mathematical terms, 'most' typically means more than 50%, while 21% is approximately one-fifth.
Question 5: A passage presents two perspectives on urban development. After reading both sides, what should a reader do?
- Automatically agree with the first perspective
- Evaluate the evidence and reasoning for each before forming a judgment (Correct answer)
- Ignore both and make up an unrelated opinion
- Agree with whichever uses more emotional language
Correct answer: Evaluate the evidence and reasoning for each before forming a judgment
Critical readers evaluate evidence and reasoning before forming informed judgments.
Critical reading requires evaluating the strength of evidence and reasoning on both sides.
Question 6: An author writes: 'Grandmother's kitchen smelled of cinnamon and cedar, and her voice was like warm maple syrup on a winter morning.' What literary device describes the voice?
- Alliteration
- Simile (Correct answer)
- Onomatopoeia
- Personification
Correct answer: Simile
The comparison using 'like' makes this a simile.
A simile compares two unlike things using 'like' or 'as.' Here, voice is compared to warm maple syrup using 'like.'
OSSLT Reading Book 1 2
A passage about the Canadian Pacific Railway states: 'The last spike was driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia, on November 7, 1885, uniting a nation from sea to sea.' What is the significance of 'uniting a nation'?