Critical Reading

Read the passage and then choose the best answer to the question. Answer the question based on what is stated or implied in the passage.

Joseph Pilates was born in 1880 in Germany. He was a frail child and wished he could find a way to build up strength. During World War I, he worked as a nurse in the army and developed a set of exercises for patients to increase their strength. After the war, he moved to New York City and developed his method of exercise into what is known as Pilates.

According to the passage, Joseph Pilates __________.

• had both personal and professional reasons to develop exercise methods.

• used his exercise methods for his own purposes

• knew much about anatomy but had little interest in exercise.

• demonstrated great physical strength throughout his entire life.

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CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

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CCSS.RI.7.2

Read the underlined sentences, then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

Carrots and apples are very healthy foods.

Dietitians often eat these foods and recommend them to patients.

How is the second sentence related to the first sentence?

• It parrots the first sentence.

• It supports the first sentence.

• It gives a solution to the first sentence.

• It disagrees with the first sentence.

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CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

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Read the underlined sentences, then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

Jenny does not like cake.

She does not like to bake it, ice it, or eat it.

What does the second sentence do?

• It states the cause of the first.

• It provides supporting details.

• It compares the three things Jenny does not like about cake.

• It draws a conclusion about Jenny.

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CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

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CCSS.RL.8.1

Read the passage and then choose the best answer to the question. Answer the question based on what is stated or implied in the passage.

In the words of Thomas De Quincey, “It is notorious that the memory strengthens as you lay burdens upon it.” If, like most people, you have trouble recalling the names of those you have just met, try this: The next time you are introduced, plan to remember the names. Say to yourself, “I’ll listen carefully; I’ll repeat each person’s name to be sure I’ve got it, and I will remember.” You’ll discover how effective this technique is and probably recall those names for the rest of your life.

The quotation from De Quincey indicates that the memory __________.

• breaks down under great strain

• improves if it is used often

• always operates at peak efficiency

• becomes unreliable if it tires

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CCSS.RL.8.3

Read the underlined sentences, then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

When we write a check that we know is going to "bounce," we are in fact performing a criminal act.

It is a crime to knowingly write a "bad" check, one we know we don’t have sufficient funds to cover.

What does the second statement do?

• It provides a contradictory point of view.

• It restates the central idea of the first sentence.

• It draws a conclusion from the first sentence.

• It provides supporting evidence for the first statement.

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CCSS.RI.8.2

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Read the underlined sentences, then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

Most people collect Star Wars toys for sentimental reasons.

Some people collect them strictly to make money.

What is the relationship between the two sentences?

• The second sentence repeats the idea of the first sentence.

• The first sentence is the cause, and the second sentence is the effect.

• The second sentence contrasts the first sentence.

• The first sentence states an idea, and the second sentence explains that idea.

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CCSS.RI.8.2

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Read the underlined sentences, then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

Brad Taylor, the star quarterback, is injured this season.

The team does not expect to make the playoffs.

How is the second sentence related to the first sentence?

• It analyzes the first statement.

• It contradicts the first statement.

• It gives an effect.

• It gives an example.

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CCSS.RI.8.2

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Read the underlined sentences, then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

Spending time volunteering for charity is important to Kalesa PH.

Kalesa PH offers their employees paid time off to volunteer.

How is the second sentence related to the first sentence?

• It contradicts the first statement.

• It reinforces the first statement.

• It offers a solution.

• It reveals the first statement.

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CCSS.RI.8.2

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CCSS.RI.11-12.2

Read the passage and then choose the best answer to the question. Answer the question based on what is stated or implied in the passage.

Many people have owned, or have heard of, traditional “piggy banks,” coin banks shaped like pigs. A logical theory about how this tradition started might be that because pigs often symbolize greed, the object is to “fatten” one’s piggy bank with as much money as possible.

However, while this idea makes sense, it is not the correct origin of the term. The genesis of the piggy bank is the old English word “pygg,” which was a common kind of clay hundreds of years ago in England. People used pots and jars made out of this red “pygg” clay for many different purposes in their homes. Sometimes they kept their money in one of the pots, and this was known as a pygg bank. Over the years, because “pygg” and “pig” sounded the same, glaziers began making novelty banks out of pottery in the shape of a pig as a kind of joke. These banks were given as gifts and exported to countries where people spoke other languages and where no one had ever heard of pygg clay. The tradition caught on all over the world, and today piggy banks come in all colors and are made of all kinds of materials, including plastic.

This passage is mainly about how __________.

• people in England made pottery centuries ago

• people in different countries save their money

• a common term originated in a surprising way

• an unusual custom got started

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A research paper by several scientists was published in Nature (a prestigious science journal). One year later, other scientists in the same discipline discovered mistakes in the procedures used and alerted the authors. The authors agreed that they had made mistakes, which they had not recognized earlier. They could no longer be confident in their results, so they asked Nature to retract their paper, or remove it from publication.

Which of the following statements best describes this situation?

• The literature is an archive of knowledge; thus, any known mistakes should be removed.

• The authors simply made a mistake; there is no need to retract the paper.

• The scientists who found the mistakes were just being picky.

• The authors committed fraud and should be punished.

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