Reading Comprehension Questions and Answers

Answer: A

The statement that can be inferred is Lack of self control had put Luke into trouble.

The passage says Sean was reluctant to take Luke along because of his habit of euphoric exhibition of extreme excitement. At the orchard, the sight of the unlimited fruit made Luke excited and he lifted his voice, which brought the Emperor's men to him, and they beat him. His inability to control his excitement is what caused the trouble.

Option B has no support: Luke's only remark about his uncle is a curious question about how he stays well fed. Option C over-reads the text: it describes a habit of showing excitement, and shouting is a single incident, not a stated habit of speaking loudly. Option D is the opposite of what happens, since the Emperor's men treat the fruit as theirs to protect and punish the intruder.

Answer: B

The word nearest in meaning to 'reluctant' here is Disinclined.

Reluctant means unwilling or hesitant to do something. Disinclined has the same sense of not being keen to act. In the passage Sean is hesitant about taking Luke to the orchard but in the end he agrees to take him along.

Against, resistant and opposed all describe active opposition. A person who is opposed or resistant refuses and works against the plan, whereas Sean, though unwilling, gives in. That difference in strength is why Disinclined is the closest match.

Answer: C

The primary consequence the passage names is disruption of food production.

The passage says extreme weather events such as hurricanes and droughts 'disrupt food production, damage infrastructure' and pose risks to human well-being, so food production is the consequence it states outright.

'Improved weather patterns' reverses the passage, which speaks of more extreme weather. 'Reduced public health concerns' is the opposite of the 'serious risks to human well-being' it mentions. 'Stabilization of global economies' contradicts the statement that climate change influences global economics, and nothing in the text suggests stability.

In a comprehension item, pick the option the text states directly and discard any that flip its meaning.

Answer: B

The events the passage names as increasing in frequency are hurricanes and droughts.

The second sentence reads 'The increasing frequency of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts', so option B repeats the two examples the author gives.

Earthquakes and tsunamis are geological or seismic events, not weather events, and the passage never mentions them. Tornadoes and floods and volcanoes and wildfires are also absent from the text, and volcanoes are again geological. Each wrong option mixes in at least one event the passage does not name.

The passage is printed without a source, and a web search did not find one.

Answer: B

The answer is as a servant.

The first sentence of the passage reads: a poor boy 'was employed at the house of a lady of rank as a servant'.

A driver, a cook and a butler are particular kinds of household staff, but the passage names none of them. It calls him only a servant.

Answer: B

The answer is a lady.

The boy was employed 'at the house of a lady of rank'. The passage later refers to 'the lady's dressing room', which confirms whose house it was.

A shopkeeper, a baron and a knight are not mentioned. A baron and a knight are men with titles, while the passage speaks of a lady of rank.

Answer: B

The answer is a gold watch.

In the dressing room, 'a gold watch, richly set with diamonds, caught his attention and he took it up in his hand'. The wish that followed, 'Ah! if I had such a watch', shows that the watch was what attracted him.

A gold chain, bracelet or earring are not mentioned. The passage names only the watch among the beautiful things in the room.

Answer: B

The answer is a thief.

After a pause the boy says to himself, 'But if I take it, I shall be a thief'. 'It' is the gold watch, so taking it would make him a thief.

He later speaks of becoming a rogue, which is a similar idea, but the question follows the phrase 'a thief' directly. A rich man is what he would appear to be, not what the passage says he would become. A gambler and a policeman are not mentioned.

Answer: C

The answer is God.

The boy asks himself, 'Does not God who is present everywhere see me?' He felt the presence of God watching him all the time, and that is why he chose to remain poor with a clear conscience rather than keep the watch.

The rich lady was not in the room, as the passage says he perceived no one there. His mother and his mind are not mentioned in the passage at all.

Answer: B

The answer is different.

The passage opens by calling Frederick the Great 'a king with a difference'. It then explains the difference: he was extraordinary, yet he loved to mix with ordinary subjects. 'Different' restates that first sentence.

'Ordinary' contradicts the passage, which says he was extraordinary. 'Pompous' and 'aloof' also contradict it, since a king who mixes with his people in a coffee-house is neither proud in manner nor distant from them.