ParaPro Reading 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student reads: 'The library was a fortress of silence, its stone walls keeping the outside world at bay.' What literary device is used here?
- Simile
- Metaphor (Correct answer)
- Personification
- Hyperbole
Correct answer: Metaphor
The library is directly compared to a fortress without using 'like' or 'as,' making it a metaphor.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the purpose of a topic sentence in a paragraph?
- To provide supporting evidence for a claim
- To summarize the entire passage
- To introduce the main idea of the paragraph (Correct answer)
- To conclude the author's argument
Correct answer: To introduce the main idea of the paragraph
A topic sentence states the central idea of the paragraph, orienting the reader to what follows.
Question 3: A passage states: 'Unlike solar panels, wind turbines can generate electricity at night.' This sentence is primarily an example of:
- Cause and effect
- Compare and contrast (Correct answer)
- Problem and solution
- Chronological order
Correct answer: Compare and contrast
The word 'unlike' signals a direct comparison between two technologies, indicating the compare-and-contrast structure.
Question 4: What does the prefix 'mis-' most likely mean in the word 'misinterpret'?
- Before
- Again
- Wrongly (Correct answer)
- Not fully
Correct answer: Wrongly
The prefix 'mis-' means wrongly or incorrectly, so 'misinterpret' means to interpret incorrectly.
Question 5: A student cannot determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word from context. What is the best next step?
- Skip the word and continue reading
- Replace the word with a synonym they know
- Look up the word in a dictionary or glossary (Correct answer)
- Ask a classmate for the definition
Correct answer: Look up the word in a dictionary or glossary
Consulting a dictionary or glossary provides an accurate, reliable definition when context clues are insufficient.
Question 6: Read this sentence: 'The results of the experiment were, to put it mildly, surprising.' The phrase 'to put it mildly' suggests that the results were:
- Slightly unexpected
- Extremely unexpected (Correct answer)
- Completely predictable
- Somewhat disappointing
Correct answer: Extremely unexpected
'To put it mildly' is an understatement signaling that the actual results were far more surprising than the word 'surprising' implies.
Question 7: Which sentence from a passage would most likely be found in the concluding paragraph?
- Researchers have identified three primary causes of soil erosion.
- First, wind carries away the topsoil from unprotected fields.
- In summary, addressing these causes requires both local and national policy changes. (Correct answer)
- Heavy rainfall is the second factor contributing to erosion.
Correct answer: In summary, addressing these causes requires both local and national policy changes.
The phrase 'in summary' and the call for policy changes signal a conclusion that wraps up the passage's argument.
ParaPro Reading 4
A student reads: 'The library was a fortress of silence, its stone walls keeping the outside world at bay.' What literary device is used here?