Critical Reading Practice Test 3: Sample Questions Answers (PDF): Useful for any standardized exam in the United States You can download this practice in PDF (editable and printable) files. In addition, you can also use our Critical Reading Practice Test as a worksheet.
Critical Reading Practice Test 3
Practice Test Name | Critical Reading Test |
Test Type | Critical Reading Practice Test 3 |
Question Type | Multiple Choice |
Passage Type | Critical Reading Passages |
Difficulty Level | High School |
Printable/Editable File Available | Yes PDF & DOC |
Total Question | 15 |
Total Passages | Two |
Directions: Questions follow the two passages below. Using only the stated or implied information in each passage and in its introduction, if any, answer the questions.
Questions 1-15 are based on the following passages.
The two passages that follow are taken from recent historical studies of Christopher Columbus.
Passage 1In his history published in 1552, Francisco |
(70) after the voyages of discovery had created the Columbus they wanted to believe in and were quite satisfied with their creation. But scholars were already finding grounds for a major reassessment of (75) Columbus’s reputation in history. Passage 2Why should one suppose that a culture like |
1. In lines 18–23 of the first paragraph, the reference to the play by Lope de Vega serves to
I. give an example of Columbus’s reputation in Spain.
II. demonstrate how widespread Columbus’s reputation had become.
III. exemplify how Columbus was already a myth and symbol of the discoverer.
- A. I only
- B. II only
- C. I and III only
- D. II and III only
- E. I, II, and III
2. In Passage 1 (line 28), the word “disposed” means
- A. arranged.
- B. employed.
- C. settled.
- D. inclined.
- E. given away.
3. In Passage 1 (line 40), the phrase “romantic mold” most nearly means
- A. pattern concerned with love.
- B. idealized manner.
- C. visionary model.
- D. fictitious shape.
- E. escapist style.
4. Of the following words used in the third paragraph of Passage 1, which most clearly reveals a judgment of the modern author as opposed to that of Washington Irving?
- A. “mined” (line 39)
- B. “ambition” (line 43)
- C. “Perhaps” (line 46)
- D. “magnanimity” (lines 49–50)
- E. “palliating” (line 56)
5. The major purpose of Passage 1 is to
- A. praise the daring and accomplishments of Columbus.
- B. survey the reputation of Columbus from the sixteenth through the nineteenth century.
- C. contrast the real Columbus of history with the mythic Columbus of the nineteenth century.
- D. describe the benefits and the damage of Columbus’s voyages.
- E. reveal the unforeseen and harmful consequences of Columbus’s voyages.
6. With which of the following generalizations would the author of Passage 1 be most likely to agree?
I. The values of a historical period are usually reflected by the heroes people of that time choose to idolize.
II. What people believe about historical figures is usually what they want to believe.
III. Written history is usually a record of the truth as it is known at the time of writing.
- A. I only
- B. I and II only
- C. I and III only
- D. II and III only
- E. I, II, and III
7. The questions of the first paragraph of Passage 2 (lines 76–97) serve chiefly to
- A. raise doubts about issues that cannot be explained.
- B. defend and justify the actions of Europeans in the age of discovery.
- C. suggest areas that future historians might profitably explore.
- D. show how much easier it is to understand issues of the distant past with the objectivity given by time.
- E. reveal the author’s ideas about the nature of Europeans at the time of Columbus’s voyages.
8. In Passage 2 (lines 90–91), the phrase “unschooled in all that the Ancients held virtuous” is used to
I. reflect the European view of the American natives.
II. reveal a significant foundation of European culture in the period.
III. give a reason for the European contempt for the native Americans.
- A. III only
- B. I and II only
- C. I and III only
- D. II and III only
- E. I, II, and III
9. Which of the following does Passage 2 present as discovered and understoodby the Europeans in America?
- A. Human-centered cultures
- B. New foods and medicines
- C. Communitarian values
- D. An Indian consciousness
- E. An ecocentric culture
10. According to Passage 2, a “biological outlook on life” would be best defined as one in which
- A. the interdependence of all life forms is understood.
- B. humans are the measure of all things.
- C. the needs of rich and poor are equally considered.
- D. the economic well-being of all races is emphasized.
- E. the primary motivation is survival of the species.
11. The major purpose of Passage 2 is to
- A. describe the benefits and damage of Columbus’s discovery.
- B. present Columbus’s discovery as a tragically missed opportunity to regenerate Europe.
- C. attack the greed and cruelty that inspired the European colonization of America.
- D. defend the European colonization of America as historically determined and unavoidable.
- E. evaluate as objectively as possible the meaning of the European incursion into the Americas.
12. Of the five paragraphs in Passage 1, which one best prepares the reader for the contents of Passage 2?
- A. The first (lines 1–23)
- B. The second (lines 24–38)
- C. The third (lines 39–57)
- D. The fourth (lines 58–68)
- E. The fifth (lines 69–75)
13. Compared to Passage 1, Passage 2 may be described by all the following EXCEPT
- A. more personal
- B. more philosophical
- C. more judgmental
- D. more historical
- E. more emotional
14. Compared to that of Passage 1, the prose of Passage 2 makes greater use of all the following EXCEPT
- A. words in series
- B. rhetorical questions
- C. understatements
- D. repetitions
- E. parallel phrases
15. Which of the following aptly describes a relationship between Passage 1 and Passage 2?
I. Passage 1 predicts a reevaluation of Columbus’s accomplishments, and Passage 2 makes that reevaluation.
II. Passage 1 calls attention to the way the image of Columbus in each period reflects the values of that period, and Passage 2 presents
an image that reflects late twentieth-century ideas.
III. Passage 1 focuses on the reputation of Columbus, and Passage 2 emphasizes his unique character.
- A. III only
- B. I and II only
- C. I and III only
- D. II and III only
- E. I, II, and III
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