The Little Blue Reasoning Book - Brandon Royal [54]
Questions – Choose the best answer based on the previous passage.
See solution
1. The author’s primary purpose in writing this passage is to
A) Highlight major tenets in educational philosophy in the last 40 years.
B) Raise public awareness about the need for teachers with training in the liberal arts.
C) Contrast the words “schooling” and “education.”
D) Suggest that youth stands in the way of one’s becoming educated.
E) Cite the importance of reading with active discussion.
2. According to the passage, the best thing that our schools can do is to
A) Improve academic instruction at the grassroots level.
B) Advocate using the word “education” in place of the word “schooling” to better convey to adults the goal of teaching.
C) Convey to students that only through high scholastic achievement can one become truly educated.
D) Implement closely the opinions of adults who have already been through the educational process.
E) Help students acquire the skills for learning.
3. It can be inferred from the passage that the educated person must
A) Possess more maturity than passion.
B) Not be less than forty years of age.
C) Be at least a university graduate.
D) Have read classic works of literature.
E) Have traveled widely in order to understand his or her own culture.
4. Which of the following pairs of words most closely describes the author’s attitude toward adults as mentioned in the passage?
A) Uninformed participants
B) Unfortunate victims
C) Conscientious citizens
D) Invaluable partners
E) Disdainful culprits
5. How is the previous passage organized?
A) An objective analysis is put forth supported by factual examples.
B) A single idea is presented with which the author does not agree.
C) A thesis is presented and support given for it.
D) Two ideas are contrasted and a conciliatory viewpoint emerges.
E) A popular viewpoint is criticized from a number of perspectives.
APPENDIX VII – TIPS FOR TAKING READING TESTS
Woody Allen once joked: “I took a speed reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.” Well, so much for the details! This appendix is especially applicable for anyone preparing to write tests that involve reading comprehension. Reading comprehension is tested on virtually every standardized exam — including the ACT, SAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT — and even appears on job placement exams. Typically, candidates are given three or four passages (each passage being two to four paragraphs in length) and asked to answer three to six multiple-choice questions per passage. The test taker is required to choose the best answer on the basis of what is stated or implied in each passage.
Strategies and Approaches
1. Read for content, noting topic, scope, and purpose.
Understanding the purpose of each passage is fundamental. As you read a passage, keep talking silently to yourself, “What’s the purpose … where is the author going?” In other words, ask yourself, “Why did the author sit down to write the passage?”
2. Read the first sentence first, then scroll down and read the last sentence next.
A good tip is to read the first sentence of the passage and then read the last sentence of the passage, then start back reading at the top. Why? Because an author (of a passage) might conclude on the last line, and if you read this as soon as possible, you will know where the author is going with his or her discussion, and be better able to remember pertinent details.
3. Read for structure, noting important transition words as well as the number of viewpoints and relationship among those viewpoints.
Next is structure. Keep close track of transition words such as “however,” “but,” “moreover,” and “hence.” These words are important and may influence dramatically the flow of the passage. Second, think