HESI A2 Reading Comprehension Practice Test 2024: Question Answers – Enhance your exam preparation with our online HESI (Health Education Systems, Inc.) A2 Admission Assessment practice test. Read through carefully selected passages and respond to subsequent questions designed to test your comprehension skills.
This resource is perfect for those preparing for the HESI A2 exam. Download our free printable PDF to access the practice test designed for the 2024 HESI A2 exam preparation. This practice test is an excellent tool for assessing your reading comprehension and readiness for the exam.
HESI A2 Reading Comprehension Test 2024
Provides reading scenarios in order to measure reading comprehension, identify the main idea, find the meaning of words in context, passage comprehension, make logical inferences, etc. Recommended time: 60 minutes.
| Test Name | HESI A2 Test Prep |
| Subject | Reading Comprehension Practice Test |
| Question Type | Multiple Choice |
| Test Type | Sample Practice Test |
| Total Passage and No. of Question | Basic |
| Passing Score | 70% or higher |
| Printable PDF | Available |
| Number of options | Four |
Read the passage and answer the following questions.
Each year, more and more “baby boomers” reach the age of 65 and become eligible for Medicare. As of July 2009, according to the Census Bureau, approximately 13% of the population in the United States is 65 years of age or older. It is projected that this group will increase to 21% of the population by 2050. As health care costs go up and needs increase with age, Medicare is especially important to seniors. Medicare Part A provides assistance with inpatient hospital costs, whereas Part B helps pay for doctor services and outpatient care. In 2006, Congress enacted Medicare Part D, which today helps many seniors pay for the cost of prescription drugs.
Before the enactment of Medicare Part D, many seniors faced financial hardship in regards to prescription drugs. Today, it is no longer a question of housing costs and food versus prescription drugs, but which Part D plan provides the best coverage. Although Part D has alleviated many uncertainties, there are still concerns. Not all prescription drugs are covered in each plan provided by Part D. Each plan has its own list of covered drugs that can change at any time, requiring seniors to possibly switch coverage every year. Seniors who suffer from multiple medical conditions may not be able to find a plan that covers all prescribed medication. In addition to a monthly premium paid for Part D, once prescription costs reach $2830, the participant is responsible for all drug costs up to $4450. This “donut hole,” as it is known, can mean that some seniors reduce or stop their medication for the remainder of the program year.
Medicare helps provide seniors with some of the best health care in the world. Yet, it does come at a huge financial cost that might behoove younger generations to consider preventive care to improve those golden years.
Q1. What is the main idea of the passage?
| 🔘 A. Medicare Part D, along with Part A and Part B, helps seniors afford prescription drugs and better health care. |
| 🔘 B. The high cost of prescription drugs is a difficult financial burden for seniors. |
| 🔘 C. Medicare Part D has many problems and no benefits. |
| 🔘 D. Senior citizens enrolled in Medicare Part D have no prescription drug concerns. |
Q2. Which statement would not be inferred by the reader?
| 🔘 A. Some age-related illnesses might be averted with preventive care. |
| 🔘 B. Some seniors could find themselves changing their Part D coverage yearly. |
| 🔘 C. The “donut hole” in Part D does create a financial hardship for seniors. |
| 🔘 D. Most Americans will never have a need for Medicare and its various parts. |
Q3. Which of the following statements is an opinion?
| 🔘 A. In 2006, Congress enacted Medicare legislation that provides prescription drug coverage. |
| 🔘 B. Not all prescription drugs are covered in each plan provided by Medicare Part D. |
| 🔘 C. The high cost of prescription drugs has made life difficult for seniors. |
| 🔘 D. Senior citizens pay a monthly insurance premium for Part D coverage. |
Q4. Which of the following is not listed as a detail in the passage?
| 🔘 A. Seniors are required to enroll in Medicare Part D. |
| 🔘 B. Medicare Part D includes a “donut hole.” |
| 🔘 C. Medicare Parts A and B help pay for hospital costs and doctor services. |
| 🔘 D. By the year 2050 the number of seniors over the age of 65 will increase. |
Q5. Identify the overall tone of the essay.
| 🔘 A. Cautious |
| 🔘 B. Sympathetic |
| 🔘 C. Pessimistic |
| 🔘 D. Argumentative |
Q6. What is the meaning of the word behoove as used in the last paragraph?
| 🔘 A. To be needful |
| 🔘 B. To increase |
| 🔘 C. To tell others |
| 🔘 D. To be responsible for |
Q7. What is the author’s primary purpose in writing this essay?
| 🔘 A. To persuade seniors to enroll in Medicare Part D |
| 🔘 B. To entertain non–health care professionals |
| 🔘 C. To analyze the provisions of Medicare Part D |
| 🔘 D. To inform people how to enroll in Medicare |
Blood Pressure Regulators
The body is composed of systems that have evolved and diversified to maintain the natural functions and processes they regulate. One such system that has these regulators is the body’s cardiovascular system. The body’s pump, which regulates the flow of vitally needed oxygen to all cells of the body, as well as the discard of carbon dioxide and other waste products, is the heart.
Because blood pressure varies at different points within the body, differing components are needed to keep the body’s blood pressure regulated. Three of the basic components are baroreceptors, chemoreceptors, and the kidneys.
Baroreceptors are stretch receptors composed of fine branching nerve endings and are contained along the walls of the arteries near the heart and in other areas of the body as well. Impulses are related to this stretching along the arterial walls, which causes these baroreceptors to send out even more impulses to the heart, arteries, and veins, causing the blood pressure to go either up or down.
Chemoreceptors are located along the walls of the arteries and monitor changes in oxygen level, carbon dioxide, and pH. Just think! A fall in oxygen causes receptors to send impulses to raise blood pressure.
The kidneys play a role in regulating blood pressure by absorbing salts and water and removing wastes. Hormones secreted by the adrenal cortex cause the kidney to keep or let go of any salt and water. This has an influence on blood volume and consequently on blood pressure.
Q1. What is the main idea of the passage?
| 🔘 A. Blood pressure can be treated only by monitoring baroreceptors. |
| 🔘 B. Blood pressure can be treated only by monitoring chemoreceptors. |
| 🔘 C. Blood pressure can be treated only by monitoring the kidneys. |
| 🔘 D. Blood pressure can be regulated through baroreceptors, chemoreceptors, and the kidneys. |
Q2. Which statement is not a detail from the passage?
| 🔘A. Baroreceptors are rigid and static nerve endings that are contained along the arterial walls and send out messages along the nerve pathway. |
| 🔘 B. Chemoreceptors are located along the walls of the arteries and monitor changes in oxygen level. |
| 🔘 C. The kidneys play a role in regulating blood pressure by absorbing salts and water. |
| 🔘 D. The heart is the body’s pump, which regulates the flow of vitally needed oxygen to cells of the body. |
Q3. What is the meaning of the word evolved in the first paragraph?
| 🔘 A. To spread |
| 🔘 B. To gradually develop |
| 🔘 C. To revolve |
| 🔘 D. To shift |
Q4. What is the writer’s primary purpose in writing this essay?
| 🔘 A. To inform the reader about the dangers of high blood pressure |
| 🔘 B. To inform the reader how high blood pressure leads to a higher risk of heart attack |
| 🔘 C. To inform the reader how the cardiovascular system regulates blood pressure |
| 🔘 D. To persuade the reader that controlling one’s blood pressure is important |
Q5. What is the best summary of this passage?
| 🔘 A. The body’s pump, the heart, regulates the flow of oxygen to all cells of the body and discards waste products that include carbon dioxide. The kidneys help in this process by absorbing salts and water. |
| 🔘 B. There are several systems to maintain the natural functions and processes of the body. One system is the cardiovascular system, which regulates blood pressure through baroreceptors, chemoreceptors, and the kidneys. |
| 🔘 C. Baroreceptors help regulate blood pressure and are found along the wall of the arteries. Baroreceptors send out impulses to the heart, arteries, and veins, resulting in the lowering or raising of blood pressure. |
| 🔘 D. Chemoreceptors monitor changes in oxygen level that affect blood pressure. |
Q6. What is a major difference in the way baroreceptors and chemoreceptors work from the way the kidneys work?
| 🔘 A. Baroreceptors and chemoreceptors both work within the wall of the arteries sending out impulses to raise or lower blood pressure, whereas the kidneys help control blood volume. |
| 🔘 B. Baroreceptors and chemoreceptors both work to help maintain blood volume, whereas the kidneys take care of salts, water, and waste removal. |
| 🔘 C. Baroreceptors and chemoreceptors must work together to control blood pressure, whereas the kidneys work with the adrenal cortex. |
| 🔘 D. Baroreceptors and chemoreceptors are both located near the adrenal cortex, whereas the kidneys are located near the heart. |
See also:
HESI A2 Reading Comprehension Tests:
HESI A2 Vocabulary and General Knowledge Test:
HESI A2 Grammar Test:
HESI A2 Biology Test:
HESI A2 Chemistry Test:
HESI A2 Anatomy and Physiology Test:
HESI A2 Physics Test:
HESI A2 Math Test:
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