ENGH103 reading comprehension midterm practice

Ryan was looking forward to sleeping over at his friend Robert's house. Though they had been classmates for a while, the two had only recently become good friends. Ryan packed up his sleeping bag, a pillow, and a few of his favorite toys and games, and then his mom dropped him off at Robert's. Robert met Ryan on the porch and the two did their secret handshake and started playing right away. First they played pirates in Robert's tree fort. Next they played ninjas in the driveway. Then it started getting dark and they went inside of Robert's house. As soon as they walked in the house, Ryan's eyes starting getting red and itchy. He saw a big orange cat sitting on the couch. Then he started sneezing uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, Robert. It's been a lot of fun, but I have to call my mom."

What can you infer from this paragraph?

• Ryan and Robert are cousins

• Ryan is allergic to cats

• Ryan misses his mom

• Ryan and Robert’s favorite game is playing ninjas

Tony walked out of the shopping mall with his arms full of bags and the sun shining on him. As he approached his car, he started awkwardly feeling around his pockets with his arm full of bags. He did not find what he was looking for so he transferred the bags on one arm to the other arm, which already had bags. Tony had a lot of bags on one arm. He still couldn't find what he was looking for. Now he dropped the bags and plunged both hands desperately into all of the pockets on his jeans. With a look of despair, Tony ran to his car. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. Then he saw something on the passenger seat of the car. He stopped looking and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

What can you infer from this paragraph?

• Tony forgot his keys in the car

• Tony forgot his phone in the car

• Tony can’t carry all the bags by himself

• Tony was late for a meeting

Barry liked playing board games, but he hated losing. He hated losing so much that he would do whatever it took to win, even bending or breaking the rules. He'd steal money from the bank and hide it under the couch cushions. He'd skip spaces while he was moving around the board. He'd shortchange others money that they were owed and argue with them about it. Barry's techniques were effective. He did win most of the games that he played, but the people whom he played with were his friends and family, and it didn't take too long until they caught on to Barry's tricks. They tried to tell Barry to stop cheating. They said that the game wasn't any fun when he cheated, but he didn't listen. He continued with his treacherous style of gameplay, until nobody would play with him anymore. Barry may have won a lot of games, but at what cost?

What can you infer from this story?

• Barry is a good board game player

• Barry has a lot of friends

• Barry thinks winning is more important that enjoying the game

• Barry does not cheat to win his games

Marie Curie is not only the first woman to have won a Nobel Prize, she is also the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences. Most notably, however, Marie Curie discovered radiation. She was also the first person to use radiation to treat tumors. Curie experimented extensively with radioactivity during her scientific career. Unfortunately the damaging effects of radiation were not known then. Her exposure to radiation most likely was the cause of her blindness and early death. Still today her scientific papers are considered too dangerous to handle without protective equipment. These documents are stored in lead-lined boxes. Even her cookbook is radioactive. She must have made some really hot food in her lifetime.

What can you infer from this text?

• Marie Curie did amazing work with radiation that caused her health problems later

• Marie Curie loved cooking

• Marie Curie was a criminal

• Marie Curie is a man

Miya came out of the bathroom with tears in her eyes. She ran down to the cafeteria and asked the staff if they had any rice. Fortunately for Miya, Ms. Lucille did. Ms. Lucille filled a red plastic cup about half way with white rice grains and handed it to Miya. Miya pulled a damp phone from out of her back pocket and pushed it into the dry rice grains inside of the plastic cup. She sincerely thanked Ms. Lucille and then went back to class. She felt relieved, but she was still a little worried.

What can you infer from this text?

• Miya loves to eat rice

• Miya was not feeling well

• Miya dropped her phone in water

• Miya did not do well on her exam

In the last few months, I have severely neglected my health. I have ………………A……………, so I have gained a lot of unhealthy fats. When I went to the doctor, I was told that I am now at risk of getting high cholesterol. This was a turning point in my life. I have, since then, decided to……………………………... The doctor advised me to……………………………………. without cutting out any foods. My mom suggested that …………………………………, but I just can’t imagine not eating meat! 

• change my diet and start exercising a minimum of three times a week

• eat in moderation and make sure I get all the nutrients I need

• started eating way more junk food and I completely stopped exercising

• I try a vegetarian or a vegan diet

• Cut out sugar, fat, and all dairy products

In the last few months, I have severely neglected my health. I have ………………………………………, so I have gained a lot of unhealthy fats. When I went to the doctor, I was told that I am now at risk of getting high cholesterol. This was a turning point in my life. I have, since then, decided to……………B………………... The doctor advised me to……………………………………. without cutting out any foods. My mom suggested that …………………………………, but I just can’t imagine not eating meat! 

• started eating way more junk food and I completely stopped exercising

• eat in moderation and make sure I get all the nutrients I need

• I try a vegetarian or a vegan diet

• change my diet and start exercising a minimum of three times a week

• Cut out sugar, fat, and all dairy products

In the last few months, I have severely neglected my health. I have ……………………………, so I have gained a lot of unhealthy fats. When I went to the doctor, I was told that I am now at risk of getting high cholesterol. This was a turning point in my life. I have, since then, decided to……………………………... The doctor advised me to…………………C…………………. without cutting out any foods. My mom suggested that …………………………………, but I just can’t imagine not eating meat! 

• eat in moderation and make sure I get all the nutrients I need

• started eating way more junk food and I completely stopped exercising

• I try a vegetarian or a vegan diet

• change my diet and start exercising a minimum of three times a week

• Cut out sugar, fat, and all dairy products

In the last few months, I have severely neglected my health. I have ……………………………, so I have gained a lot of unhealthy fats. When I went to the doctor, I was told that I am now at risk of getting high cholesterol. This was a turning point in my life. I have, since then, decided to……………………………... The doctor advised me to……………………………………. without cutting out any foods. My mom suggested that …………………D………………, but I just can’t imagine not eating meat! 

• Cut out sugar, fat, and all dairy products

• started eating way more junk food and I completely stopped exercising

• change my diet and start exercising a minimum of three times a week

• eat in moderation and make sure I get all the nutrients I need

• I try a vegetarian or a vegan diet

I am really excited for next year! I will be graduating high school and then I will be going to study college abroad. I am very nervous and worried, but ………………A……….……. I will surely miss my room here, but …………………………... I will also miss my friends and family back home, but …………………………….. I will also miss my mom’s cooking and all the dishes she always makes! But ………………………………, and they claim it has a variety of cuisines. 

• I think it is going to be the most wonderful experience of my life

• I think I will enjoy staying in a dormitory, or maybe a flat in an apartment building nearby the campus

• I think this is my chance to develop my communication skills and learn how to socialize with other students.

• everyone keeps talking about how good the food is at the university dining hall

• I think I will be an excellent student