Accuplacer Reading Comprehension – Exercises & Tips
The Accuplacer reading comprehension practice tests on this page are up-to-date for the new exam.
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Accuplacer Reading Comprehension – Part 1 (Informational Text)
Einstein’s Last Request
In the mid-twentieth century, Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell, along with many other world famous scientists and philosophers, issued a heartfelt plea to humankind. The Russell Einstein Manifesto was Einstein’s final public act before his death. The two great thinkers were greatly concerned about the perils that have arisen as a result of the accelerated development of weapons of mass destruction.
These scientists understood that people have different nationalities, ethnic backgrounds, and religious views. They asked the people of the planet to identify themselves in a less limited and more accurate way as a global family. They challenged each human being to set aside superficial differences and consider themselves only as members of a biological species which has had a remarkable history, and whose disappearance none of us can desire.
These wise elders of the planet saw that the dangers we face call for more than just another arms treaty. They put the question in its most basic form: “Here, then, is the problem which we present to you, stark and dreadful and inescapable: Shall we put an end to the human race or shall mankind renounce war?”
It has been over half a century since the world heard this challenge. As usual we have been distracted by lesser issues, instead of focusing on the big questions of life. We haven’t put an end to war, and if we don’t do so, we will not have the time, energy, resources, or international cooperation to solve all the other pressing social and environmental problems our species is facing. We need to evolve beyond war and the mentality that leads to war. Violence is no longer a viable option for resolving human conflicts.
On a practical level these scientists realized that science and technology alone could never pave the road to peace. They concluded that there was only one hope for a positive peaceful future: “We have to learn to think in a new way.”
Let’s not let another half century go by. People are suffering, and the planet is suffering. Each one of us can do our part to create the kind of world we want to live in and that we want our children to live in. We can learn to think in a new way. We can change our thinking from toxic thought patterns that create stressful conflicts within our own mind and with other people. We can cultivate inner talk that leads to inner peace and to finding solutions to the problems in our lives from the personal to the planetary.
Questions 1 to 3
1. Which of the following (from paragraphs 2 and 3) is intended to express disapproval?
(a) ‘accelerated’
(b) ‘less limited’
(c) ‘more accurate’
(d) ‘global’
(e) ‘remarkable’
2. According to the writer, what is the main difference in the future envisaged by Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell and the half century that passed after the Russell Einstein Manifesto?
(a) They placed faith in science, but we search for alternatives to technology.
(b) They were concerned about weapons of mass destruction, but we regard such weapons with ignorance.
(c) They believed in continual progress in happiness, knowledge and wisdom, but we believe in a new way of thinking.
(d) They proposed solutions for a peaceful global community, but we have failed to repudiate war.
(e) They focused on the ‘planetary’, but we focus on the ‘global’.
3. The tone of the text is:
(a) pompous
(b) aggressive
(c) opinionated
(d) scientific
(e) supplicating
ANSWERS
1. The correct answer is A. The word ‘accelerated’ from paragraph 2 is intended to express disapproval because it is describing the ‘development of weapons of mass destruction’, which could be used to obliterate the world. Paragraph 3 talks about a positive view of humanity, so the tone of the words in paragraph 3 is approving.
2. The correct answer is D. The main difference in the future envisaged by Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell and the half century that passed after the Russell Einstein Manifesto is that they proposed solutions for a peaceful global community, but we have failed to repudiate war. The clue for this answer is in the paragraph 6, which states: ‘We need to evolve beyond war and the mentality that leads to war’. In other words, if we need to ‘evolve beyond war’ then we have failed to renounce or repudiate war. The penultimate paragraph states that Einstein and Russell ‘concluded that there was only one hope for a positive peaceful future: “We have to learn to think in a new way”’, so we know they proposed solutions for peace.
3. The correct answer is E. The tone of the text is supplicating because it is begging or entreating the reader to think in a new way.
Accuplacer Reading Comprehension – Part 2 (Literary Text)
Do You Reap What You Sow?
Do you believe in the saying, “You reap what you sow”? I never used to until I decided to set up my own business. This old adage may mean nothing to some people, but to me, a new business owner on the verge of going under even with an innovative product, it seemed to be foreboding advice.
Of course, no business can start making money without investing some money first. Businesses also need to get licenses. A website needs to be set up. Supplies need to be purchased. Money is needed just to establish a business, from the planning down to the last details. And even if a business is already established in the market, still, it will need money to invest in new product and technology development.
Many business owners run to their family, relatives, or friends when the going gets tough. Others turn to financial institutions such as banks or lending companies. As much as these funding sources can help new businesses, they may be inadequate, and banks usually charge high interest rates, which, in turn, put a financial risk on a fledgling business like mine.
You may not have known that the government is willing to support these types of businesses. In fact, the government devotes approximately $100 billion each year towards subsidizing business development and corporate welfare. The US government has a program that seeks to help businesses that, in spite of their limited resources, seek to develop innovations and launch them into the marketplace. By doing so, the government believes that inventive products like mine can help to develop and expand the economy. That is the unstated subtext of the program.
Don’t get yourself into a dire situation like mine before you seek help. It takes strength of character, as well as money and planning, to make a business successful. In the words of James Cash Penney, the founder of JC Penney, “Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.”
4. The main problem that this text addresses is that new US small businesses:
(a) are crippled by the cost of securing licences.
(b) often fail to plan the small details that are necessary for their success.
(c) lack the money they need to devote to product and technology development.
(d) need money in order to make more money.
(e) sometimes need to turn to friends and family members for financial assistance.
5. Which one of the following is not used to advance the writer’s main argument?
(a) Of course
(b) Hence
(c) Generally
(d) For this reason
(e) For example
6. Which one of the following comes closes in meaning to ‘That is the unstated subtext of this programme.’?
(a) The funding is undertaken to advance the development of industry and technology.
(b) That is why the programme is popular.
(c) That is why the US government wishes to obscure the true reason for technological advancement.
(d) That is why the US government is willing to help those kinds of businesses.
(e) That is why certain businesses have limited financial resources to devote to the research and development of technological innovations.
ANSWERS
4. The correct answer is C. The main problem that this text addresses is that new US small businesses lack the money they need to devote to product and technology development. The main idea of the text is expressed in the thesis statement, which is the last sentence of paragraph 1: ‘And even if a business is already established in the market, still, it will need money to invest in new product and technology development’. Answers A and B are not supported by the text. Answers D and E are specific points, not main ideas.
5. The correct answer is E. The phrase ‘for example’ is not used to advance the writer’s main argument. The majority of the text advances the argument that it is advantageous for a US business to get money from the US government for its R&D costs. The statement ‘For example, the Department of Defense has a specific Small Business Innovation Research Programme specifically dedicated to small businesses that have R&D projects’ is from the last paragraph. This statement explains a particular aspect of the Department of Defense, rather than providing general information about business R&D financing.
6. The correct answer is D. The paraphrase ‘That is why the US government is willing to help those kinds of businesses’ comes closes in meaning to ‘That is the unstated subtext of this programme’ from paragraph 6. You know that ‘unstated subtext’ means a hidden reason for doing something, so you may be tempted to choose answer C, but this is a trap because the government only wishes to obscure the reasons for their provision of funding for technological advancement, rather than obscuring the reasons for technological advancement per se.
Accuplacer Reading Comprehension – Exam Format
The Accuplacer Next Generation reading test includes:
– 1 literary set with 4 questions
– 1 informational paired set with 4 questions
– 12 discrete informational questions
– 20 total questions
Get the Next Generation Reading Practice Tests
The Next Generation exam has reading questions on:
– Information & ideas
– Rhetoric
– Synthesis
– Vocabulary
Exam SAM’s Next Generation Reading Download
Exam SAM’s Next Generation Reading Practice Tests help you learn the skills that you need to answer all of the types of questions on the Accuplacer Reading Test.
The set contains 5 complete Accuplacer reading practice tests with answers and detailed explanations.
The material is new and up-to-date for the new Accuplacer.
The tips and hints in the tests help you learn the skills and tricks you need to ace the test.
The practice tests are in the same format as the actual exam.
The practice tests also cover all of the skill categories on the actual reading test.
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Accuplacer Reading Comprehension – Question Types and Tips
Reading Comprehension Question Types
The questions on the reading test generally fall into four different categories:
1) Main idea of the passage
2) Specific details in the passage
3) Implication or indirect references in the passage
4) Application questions
Since questions on the main idea and specific points are the most common, we would like to offer you some tips on these types of questions.
Accuplacer Reading Tip 1:
For main idea questions, you have to determine the primary purpose or overall point of the passage.
To answer these types of questions correctly, you should identify the thesis statement of the text.
The thesis statement is normally located in the first or last sentence of the first paragraph.
Accuplacer Reading Tip 2:
Specific detail questions normally begin with the phrases “according to the passage” or “the passage states that.”
Questions in this category rely on your ability to search through the passage and find a specific piece of information.
Now keep these tips in mind and continue to the free Accuplacer online exam for reading comprehension.
Classic Accuplacer Exam
The old version of the exam was phased out in January 2019.
Information on the sentence relationship part of the Classic test
Go to the Classic Exam exercises:
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Official Reading Sample Questions
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