Practice test 2: Florida State College Basic Skills Reading Exit Test
Directions: Read the passages below and carefully answer the corresponding questions.
Passage I (Adapted from Martin, James, et al. America and Its People. 332-33)
She was born into slavery around 1797 in New York State’s Hudson River Valley, 80
miles from New York City. As a slave, she was known simply as “Isabella.” But a decade
and a half after escaping from bondage, she adopted a new name. As Sojourner Truth, she
became a legend in the struggle to abolish slavery and extend equal rights to women.
5
The youngest of some ten of twelve children, she grew up in a single room in a dark and
damp cellar, sleeping on straw on top of loose boards. For sixteen years, from 1810 to
1826, she served as a household slave in upstate New York, and was sold five times. One
owner beat her so savagely that her arms and shoulders bore scars for the rest of her life.
She bore a fellow slave five children, only to see at least three of her offspring sold away.
10 In 1843, Isabella took the name Sojourner Truth, convinced that God had called on her to
wander the country and boldly speak out the truth. Her fame as a preacher, singer, and
orator for abolition and women’s rights spread quickly and three incidents became the
stuff of legend. During the late 1840’s when the black abolitionist Frederick Douglass
expressed doubt about the possibility of ending slavery peacefully, she replied forcefully,
15 “Frederick is God dead?” Several years later, in a speech before a woman’s rights
convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851, she demanded that Americans recognize that
impoverished African-American women were women too, reportedly saying: “I could
work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear de lash as well!
And a’n’t I a woman?” And in 1858, when a hostile audience insisted that the six-foot tall
20 orator spoke too powerfully to be a woman, she reportedly bared her breast before them.
During the Civil War, she took an active role promoting emancipation as the Union
cause. When the war was over, she traveled across the North, collecting signatures on
petitions calling on Congress to set aside western land for former slaves. At her death in
1883, she could rightly be remembered as one of the nation’s most eloquent opponents of
25 discrimination in all forms.
1. Which sentence best states the main idea of this passage?
a. Sojourner Truth was a slave who was horribly abused.
b. Sojourner Truth became known as a courageous opponent of discrimination.
c. Sojourner Truth was a gifted preacher, singer and orator.
d. Sojourner Truth wandered the country and boldly spoke the truth.
2. The implied main idea of paragraph two is
a. Sojourner Truth suffered many hardships because of slavery.
b. Sojourner Truth was sold five times.
c. Sojourner Truth was a strong and courageous woman.
d. Sojourner Truth suffered the loss of her children.
3. What is the relationship between parts of the following sentence?
“But a decade and a half after escaping from bondage, she adopted a new name.”
(lines 2-3).
a. Clarification
b. Contrast
c. Addition
d. Time order
4. The author uses an overall organizational pattern that
a. suggest reasons for Sojourner Truth’s fame.
b. gives examples of Sojourner Truth’s courage.
c. provides the time line of her struggle to oppose prejudice.
d. compares and contrasts her life as a slave and free woman.
5. Based on the passage, Sojourner Truth changed her name from “Isabella” because
a. Isabella was her name as a slave.
b. she was convinced God called her to wander the country and speak the truth.
c. she wanted to be remembered as one of the nation’s most eloquent opponents
of discrimination.
d. she spoke too powerfully and was too tall to be known as a woman.
6. Identify the relationship between the following two sentences from paragraph 4.
“During the Civil War, she took an active role promoting emancipation as the
Union cause. When the war was over, she traveled across the North, collecting
signatures on petitions calling on Congress to set aside western land for slaves.” (lines
21-23)
a. Cause and effect
b. Simple listing
c. Contrast
d. Time order
7. The word emancipation (line 21) means
a. freedom.
b. self will.
c. release.
d. relief.
8. The tone of this passage could best be described as
a. nostalgic.
b. dramatic.
c. gloomy.
d. objective.
9. The author’s claim that “During the Civil War, she took an active role promoting
emancipation as the Union cause.” (line 21-22) is
a. inadequately supported by lack of factual details.
b. adequately supported by strongly held opinion.
Passage II( Adapted from Smith, Robert Leo and Thomas M. Smith. 2000. Elements of
Ecology, 4th Ed. p 397)
5
At one time grasslands covered about 42 percent of the land surface of Earth. In the
Northern Hemisphere great expanses of grassland covered the mid continent of North
America and extended across the central part of Eurasia. In the Southern Hemisphere
grasses covered much of the southern tip of South America and the high plateau of
southern Africa. Today grasslands probably occupy less than 12 percent, for most of
them have been plowed under for cropland and degraded by overgrazing. Humans have
foolishly broken up grasslands with the plow and converted the most productive of them
into the breadbaskets of the world.
All grasslands have in common a climate characterized by rainfall between 250 and 800
10 mm (too light to support a heavy forest and too great to result in a desert), a high rate of
evaporation, and periodic severe droughts. They share a rolling to flat terrain. Grazing
and burrowing species are the dominant animals. Most grasslands require periodic fires
for maintenance, renewal, and elimination of woody growth.
Grasses have a mode of growth that adapts them to grazing and fire. The grass plant
15 consists of leafy shoots called tillers. Each shoot has a leaf-like blade or lamina, the base
of which has a tube-like sheath. These tillers grow from short, underground stems, which
grow upward only when the plant begins flowering. Tillers that group closely about a
central stem and buds make up a bunch or tussock grasses. Species that spread lateral
buds on underground stems, producing a sod, or turf grasses are associated with
20 grasses, a variety of legumes and composite plants.
10. Which sentence best states the main idea of the passage?
a. Grasslands share common characteristics.
b. Grasslands have a mode of growth that adapts them to grazing and fire
c. Grasslands, shrinking in size, are characterized by rainfall, inhabitants, and
vegetation.
d. In the Northern Hemisphere, great expanses of grassland cover the midcontinent of North America and extend across the central part of Eurasia.
11. The author’s primary purpose is to
a. describe the general features of grasslands.
b. classify the types of grasslands.
c. explain the development of grasslands.
d. discuss the forms of life unique to grasslands.
12. Identify the relationship of parts within the following sentence.
“Today grasslands probably occupy less than 12 percent, for most of them have been
plowed under for cropland and degraded by overgrazing.” (lines 5-6)
a. Contrast
b. Cause and effect
c. Comparisons
d. Addition
13. Identify the relationship between these sentences from paragraph three.
“The grass plant consists of leafy shoots called tillers. Each shoot has a leaf-like blade
or lamina, the base of which has a tube-like sheath.” (lines 14-16)
a. Comparison/contrast
b. Cause and effect
c. Definition
d. Listing
14. In this passage, the author shows bias in favor of
a. diminishing grasslands for croplands and grazing.
b. Periodic fires
c. Grazing and burrowing species.
d. The beauty of the grasslands.
15. What is the overall tone of the passage?
a. Ambivalent
b. Neutral
c. Persuasive
d. Reflective
16. “Humans have foolishly broken up grasslands with the plow and converted the most
productive of them into breadbaskets of the world.” (lines 6-8)
The above sentence is a statement of
a. fact.
b. opinion.
17. A conclusion that can be drawn from the first paragraph is that
a. grasslands are essential to human existence.
b. grasslands still cover much of the southern tip of South America.
c. farming and ranching have contributed to the reduction of grasslands.
d. at one time grasslands covered 42 percent of the Earth’s land.
18. Throughout the passage, overall, which type of support is offered to describe the
characteristics of the grasslands?
a. objective
b. emotional
Passage III (Adapted from Devito, Joseph A. Messages: Building Interpersonal
Communication Skills, 4th Ed. pp. 5-6)
Interpersonal communication is communication that occurs between two persons who
have a relationship between them. It occurs when you send or receive messages and when
you assign meaning to such messages. Interpersonal communication is always distorted
by noise, occurs within a context, and involves some opportunity for feedback.
5 Interpersonal communicators are conscious of one another and of their connection with
one another. They’re interdependent, what one person thinks and says impacts on what
the other thinks and says. Interpersonal communication includes the conversations that
take place between an interviewer and a potential employee, a son and his father, two
sisters, a teacher and a student, two lovers, and two friends. Even the stranger asking for
10 directions from a local resident has a relationship with that person.
In early theories, the communication process was viewed as linear. In this linear view of
communication, the speaker spoke and the listener listened; after the speaker finished
speaking, the listener would speak. Communication was seen as proceeding in a
relatively straight line. Speaking and listening were seen as taking place at different
15 times; when you spoke, you didn’t listen, and when you listened, you didn’t speak.
This linear model was soon replaced with an interactional view in which the speaker and
the listener were seen as exchanging turns at speaking and listening. For example, A
spoke while B listened, and then B (exchanging the listener’s role for the speaker’ role)
spoke in response to what A said and A listened. Speaking and listening were still viewed
20 as separate acts that did not overlap and that were not performed at the same time by the
same person.
A more satisfying view and the one held currently sees communication as a transactional
process where each person serves simultaneously as speaker and listener. At the same
time that you send messages, you’re also receiving messages from your own
25 communications and from the reactions of the other person. At the same time that you are
listening, you’re also sending messages. In a transactional view, each person is seen as
both speaker and listener, as simultaneously communicating and receiving messages.
Also in a transactional view the elements of communication are seen as interdependent
(never independent). Each exists in relation to the others. A change in any one element of
30 the process produces changes in the other elements. For example, you’re talking with a
group of friends, and your mother enters the group. This change in “audience” will lead
to other changes; perhaps you’ll change what you say or how you say it. Regardless of
what change is introduced, other changes will be produced as a result.)
19. Which sentence best states the main idea of this passage?
a. Interpersonal communication occurs between two people who have a
relationship.
b. Three theories about interpersonal communication, giving meaning to messages
sent and received, have evolved over time.
c. Communication processes are viewed as varied.
d. Interpersonal communication is always distorted by noise, occurs within a
context, and involves some opportunity for feedback..
20. The interactional view of communication sees the sending and receiving of
communication as
a. existing in a simultaneous relationship to each other.
b. existing in a straight line, taking place at different times.
c. exchanging turns at speaking and listening.
d. existing independently of each other.
21. The overall pattern of organization for this passage is
a. listing.
b. cause and effect.
c. classification.
d. spatial order.
22. The primary purpose of this passage is
a. give the history of communication processes.
b. analyze the importance of communication processes.
c. detail the positive and negative aspects of interpersonal communication.
d. describe the characteristics of a few theories of interpersonal communication.
23. What is the relationship of the parts within the following sentence?
“They’re interdependent; what one person thinks and says impacts on what the other
thinks and says.” (lines 6-7)
a. statement and clarification.
b. cause and effect.
c. contrast.
d. time order.
24. As used in line 3, the word distorted most nearly means
a. misused.
b. altered.
c. interrupted
d. distracted.
25. The tone of this passage is
a. objective.
b. humorous.
c. informal.
d. clinical.
26. “Even the stranger asking for directions from a local resident has a relationship with
that person.” (lines 9-10)
The above statement is a statement of
a. fact.
b. opinion.
27. “For example, you’re talking with a group of your friends, and your mother enters the
group. This change in “audience” will lead to other changes; perhaps you’ll change what
you say or how you say it.” (lines 30-32)
What is one conclusion that could be drawn from paragraph five, based on the
above statement?
a. Many people do not want to share information with family members.
b. Many mothers demand proper respect.
c. Some people may shield their mothers from information
d. Many people do not see their mothers as friends.
Passage IV (Adapted from Martin, James, et al. 2000. America and Its Peoples. Pp. 1000-01)
Ho Chi Minh was born roughly 9000 miles from America, but he might as well have
come from a different planet. Ho was a tiny, frail, thin splinter of a man. He was gentle,
and in public always deferential. Even after he had come to sole power in North Vietnam,
he steadfastly avoided all the trappings of authority. Instead of uniforms or the white
5 sharkskin suit of the mandarin, Ho favored the simple shorts and sandals worn by the
Vietnamese peasants. He was sure of who he was – certain of his place in Vietnamese
history – and he had no desire to impress others with his position. To his followers, he
was “Uncle Ho,” the kind, bachelor relative who treated all Vietnamese citizens like the
children he never had. But in the pursuit of Vietnamese independence and the realization
10 of a Communist nation, Ho could be cold-blooded and ruthless.
Ho was born in 1890 in a village in a central province of the French colony of Vietnam
and was originally named Nguyen Sinh Cung. In 1912 he left Vietnam and began a
generation-long world odyssey. Signing on as a sailor aboard a French freighter, he
moved form one port to the next. For a time he stayed in the United States, visiting
15 Boston, New York City, and San Francisco. He was amazed not only by America’s
skyscrapers but also by the fact that immigrants in the United States enjoyed the same
rights as American citizens. He was also struck by the impatience of the American
people, their expectations of immediate results. (Later during the Vietnam War, Ho
would say to his military leaders, “Don’t worry, Americans are an impatient people.
20 When things begin to go wrong, they’ll leave.)
In 1941 Ho returned to Vietnam. The time was right, he believed, to free Vietnam from
colonial domination. During the early part of World War II, the Japanese had won control
of the country from the French; now Ho and his followers would force out the Japanese.
Ho allied himself with the United States. Working alongside American Office of
25 Strategic Services (OSS) agents, he proved his mettle. He impressed the agents with his
bravery, intelligence, and unflagging devotion to his cause. On September 2, 1945,
borrowing passages from the American Declaration of Independence, Ho declared the
independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and became its first president.
28. Which sentence best states the main idea of this passage?
a. Even after he came to sole power in North Vietnam, he steadfastly avoided all
trappings of authority.
b. In the pursuit of Vietnamese independence and the realization of a communist
nation, Ho could be cold-blooded and ruthless.
c. A seeming unlikely leader, Ho Chi Minh’s unassuming nature, world travels
and fierce loyalty prepared him for his place in Vietnamese history.
d. Ho Chi Minh established Vietnam as an independent country and served as its
first president.
29. According to the passage, during World War II
a. the French won control of Vietnam from the Japanese.
b. the Japanese won control of Vietnam form the French.
c. Ho Chi Minh and his followers won control of Vietnam form the French
d. Ho Chi Minh and the United States entered into war with each other.
30. According to the passage, Ho Chi Minh
a. traveled as a sailor aboard an American freighter.
b. admired the American’s expectation of immediate results.
c. was amazed that immigrants had the same rights as American Citizens.
d. traveled to the cities of Boston, New York City, and San Antonio.
31. The author’s primary purpose is to
a. praise Ho Chi Minh as an admirable worldwide figure.
b. describe Ho Chi Minh’s accomplishments as sole leader of Vietnam.
c. persuade the reader to sympathize with Ho Chi Minh’s cause.
d. explain the background of Ho Chi Minh, a leader of world significance.
32. What is the relationship between the parts of the following sentence?
“Even after he had come to sole power in North Vietnam, he steadfastly avoided
all the trappings of authority.”(lines 3-4)
a. Summary
b. Listing
c. Contrast
d. Cause/Effect
33. As used in line 4, the word steadfastly most nearly means
a. wearily.
b. forever.
c. positively.
d. persistently.
34. The author shows a bias in favor of
a. Ho Chi Minh's commitment to his cause.
b. Ho Chi Minh's world travels.
c. America’s treatment of immigrants.
d. Ho Chi Minh's appearance.
35. “He was sure of who he was - certain of his place in Vietnamese history – and he had
no desire to impress others with his position.” (lines 6-7)
The above sentence is a statement of
a. fact.
b. opinion.
36. What does the following sentence from the first paragraph suggest about Ho Chi
Minh?
“Ho Chi Minh was born roughly 9000 miles from America, but he might as well
have come from a different planet.” (lines 1-2)
a. He was despised by Americans.
b. His cultural values were in direct contrast to American values.
c. He misunderstood American culture.
d. He was a misfit and social outcast.
Answers
Passage I
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
b
a
d
c
b
d
a
b
a
Passage II
10.
c
11.
a
12.
b
13.
d
14.
b
15.
b
16.
b
17.
c
18.
a
Passage III
19.
b
20.
c
21.
c
22.
d
23.
b
24.
b
25.
c
26.
b
27.
c
Passage IV
28.
c
29.
b
30.
c
31.
d
32.
c
33.
d
34.
a
35.
b
36.
b