FREE EAP Reading Skills Questions and Answers

Question 1

Television has been introduced to almost every country in the world, reaching a large number of viewers on every continent. About 600 million people saw the first person walk on the moon, and a billion people watched the twentieth Olympic Games. Television has in many ways promoted understanding and cooperation among people. It does this by showing educational and cultural programs.

From this passage, a reader can most reasonably conclude that the author believes that ______________.

Accepted Answer

television can unify people from around the world

Answer

people spend too much time watching television

Answer

people spend too much time watching television

Answer

television is as important as schools

Question 2

People have different ways of learning. Some are better at making mental pictures of new ideas. Others are more comfortable with writing lists of things to memorize. Certain people can learn best when listening to music, while others need silence to concentrate.

Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?

Accepted Answer

Different individuals have different ways of acquiring information.

Answer

Mental pictures help many to learn.

Answer

Some people prefer lists to make mental pictures.

Answer

To learn well you need to be comfortable.

Question 3

If you hold a piece of copper wire over the flame of a wooden match, heat will be conducted by the copper wire to your fingers, and you will be forced to drop the wire. You will, however, still be able to hold the match because wood is a poor conductor of heat.

Which of the following is implied in the passage above?

Accepted Answer

Copper is a good conductor of heat.

Answer

Wood and copper conduct heat equally.

Answer

Wood is an excellent conductor of heat.

Answer

Matches should be made of copper.

Question 4

Many people own different pets. Dogs, cats, birds, and fish are common household pets. Other pets are considered to be exotic animals. These include snakes, lizards, and hedgehogs.

According to the passage, snakes are _______________.

Accepted Answer

uncommon pets

Answer

likely to be found in a household with dogs

Answer

found only in zoos

Answer

not allowed in people’s homes

Question 5

Cesar Chavez was an influential leader for farmworkers. He fought for their rights and better working conditions. Chavez led many strikes that angered farm owners. Eventually, he succeeded in getting increased wages and better living situations for farmworkers.

The passage indicates that Chavez changed lives by

Accepted Answer

improving the conditions for farmworkers

Answer

helping to end the farmworkers’ strikes

Answer

fighting for the rights of farm owners

Answer

working on the farms every day

Question 6

When cartoonist Charles M. Schulz was a boy in elementary school, other boys teased him for being small and not very good at sports, and his art teacher told him he had no talent for drawing. He had few friends and was too shy to talk to a red-haired girl he admired. Later in life, Schulz used his childhood experiences in his comic strip Peanuts: the strip’s main character, the sad and lonely Charlie Brown, represents Schulz as a little boy. Peanuts was unique at the time because it contained no adult characters. Readers fell in love with Charlie Brown, and Peanuts eventually became one of the most popular comic strips of all time.

What is the main idea of the passage?

Accepted Answer

Schulz turned the pain of his youth into success as an adult.

Answer

Peanuts was the world’s most widely read comic strip.

Answer

Schulz was a very famous cartoonist.

Answer

The comic strip Peanuts featured children as its only characters.

Question 7

Money has been used for thousands of years in nearly every culture as a means of exchange. However, today, the use of cash is becoming less and less common in modern societies all over the world. Every year, a higher percentage of purchases are made online, and even in stores customers are now using credit cards more often than cash. Many people today do all of their banking on the Internet rather than going to the bank in person.

The author of the passage probably assumes that _______________.

Accepted Answer

cash will become virtually obsolete in the near future

Answer

using cash will become popular again

Answer

paying with credit cards all the time is dangerous

Answer

societies that do business online will struggle

Question 8

Before giving first aid to an accident victim, you should obtain his or her consent. Asking for consent takes a simple question. Say to the victim, “I know first aid, and I can help until an ambulance arrives. Is that okay?”

According to the passage, it is wrong to _______________.

Accepted Answer

attempt to help an accident victim without permission

Answer

use first aid on an accident victim without medical training

Answer

help a victim before an ambulance arrives

Answer

call for an ambulance instead of helping the victim

Question 9

Dr. Ellen Ochoa is an inventor and is also the first female Hispanic astronaut. Her inventions include technology to help robots inspect equipment in space to maintain safety and quality control on spacecraft. Before retiring, she logged more than 1,000 hours in space across several space missions.

According to the passage, Dr. Ochoa is the first __________.

Accepted Answer

Hispanic woman to travel into space

Answer

Hispanic person to travel into space

Answer

inventor to travel into space

Answer

woman to travel into space

Question 10

Dogs and cats make very different types of pets. Before deciding whether to buy or adopt a dog or a cat, prospective owners need to carefully consider their own lifestyles and personalities. Dogs may make more affectionate companions, but they require more care and attention. They must be taken out several times a day and should not be left alone for more than a few hours. Larger dogs require significant exercise to remain fit and healthy. Cats are usually more independent in nature and interact less with their owners. Also, a cat can be left on its own all day, or even for several days, as long as it has food and clean water to drink.

From this passage, a reader can conclude that ____________.

Accepted Answer

owning a cat requires less work than owning a dog

Answer

people who are away from home during the day should not own a cat

Answer

people who like to play with their pets should own a cat

Answer

owning a cat is more responsibility than owning a dog