Short Passage Flashcards
6 cards from real Reading Comprehension practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Short Passage flashcards as text
Read the passage: 'A single mature oak tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and release enough oxygen to support two people.' What type of relationship does this passage describe?
Answer: A cause-and-effect or input-output relationship
The passage describes what the oak tree takes in (CO2) and what it produces (oxygen), establishing an input-output or cause-and-effect relationship between the tree's processes and their results.
Read the passage: 'Before the invention of the compass, sailors relied on stars, wind patterns, and the flight paths of birds to navigate open oceans.' What inference can you draw?
Answer: Early navigation required careful observation of natural phenomena
Using stars, wind patterns, and bird flight paths for navigation required keen observation skills and knowledge of the natural world, showing that early navigation depended on reading natural phenomena.
Read the passage: 'Honey never spoils. Archaeologists have found 3,000-year-old honey in Egyptian tombs that was still perfectly edible.' What is the purpose of the second sentence?
Answer: To provide evidence supporting the claim made in the first sentence
The first sentence makes a claim (honey never spoils), and the second provides a remarkable real-world example (edible 3,000-year-old honey) as evidence supporting that claim.
Read the passage: 'The cheetah can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just three seconds, making it the fastest land animal. However, it can only maintain this speed for about 30 seconds before overheating.' What contrast does the passage establish?
Answer: A contrast between the cheetah's impressive speed and its limited endurance
The passage first highlights the cheetah's extraordinary speed, then uses 'However' to introduce the limitation (only 30 seconds), creating a contrast between speed and endurance.
Read the passage: 'Scientists once believed that the ocean floor was flat and featureless. Deep-sea exploration has revealed underwater mountains taller than any on land, trenches deeper than Mount Everest is tall, and volcanic vents teeming with life.' What is the main idea?
Answer: Deep-sea exploration has shown that the ocean floor is far more complex and dramatic than previously thought
The passage contrasts the old belief (flat, featureless) with discoveries (mountains, trenches, volcanic vents), and the main idea is that exploration revealed a dramatically more complex ocean floor than expected.
Read the passage: 'A smile is understood as a sign of friendliness in most cultures. However, in some East Asian cultures, a smile may also be used to mask embarrassment or discomfort.' What does this passage primarily teach?
Answer: Facial expressions can carry different meanings across cultures
By showing that a smile means friendliness in most cultures but can mean something different in others, the passage teaches that the same expression can carry different meanings across cultures.