ParaPro Reading Practice Test 2024 [PDF] Questions Answers. Prepare for the ParaPro Assessment (1755) with this interactive Reading practice test created by ETS test developers. The Praxis® Reading tests measure the knowledge and skills to prepare for the classroom.
However, ParaPro Assessment interactive Reading practice test provides easy online practice. You can also download the printable ParaPro Reading Practice Test PDF.
ParaPro Reading Practice Test 2024
Directions for Questions 1-30: The questions or incomplete statements below are followed by four suggested answers or completions. Select the best one in each case and fill in the corresponding lettered space on the answer sheet with a heavy, dark mark so that you cannot see the letter.
Q1. The opossum is famous for “playing possum” (faking death to avoid danger). When the animal plays possum, its body becomes limp and its breathing is difficult to detect. Some scientists claim that this is an involuntary condition, like fainting. I disagree. I have seen the opossum recover at will from the supposedly involuntary state of shock. If the opossum thinks the danger has departed, it soon arises, looks around, and takes off quickly.
The author of the passage disagrees with the scientists about
- (A) the reasons why the opossum plays possum
- (B) the frequency with which the opossum plays possum
- (C) whether the opossum has voluntary control when playing possum
- (D) whether the opossum’s breathing slows when playing possum
Q2. With perhaps a million species of insects, entomologists (scientists who study insects) are sometimes desperate for names. Some entomologists are fond of naming insects for their family members. This practice is appropriate. There is less to be said for the invention of frivolous names. A British entomologist carried things to an extreme when he named an insect genus Ochisme (pronounced “oh-kiss-me”). The author’s attitude toward the name Ochisme can best be described as
- (A) amused
- (B) puzzled
- (C) disapproving
- (D) neutral
Questions 3-4 are based on the following excerpt from a novel about Jem and his little sister.
Jem condescended to take me to school the first
day …. When we slowed to a walk at the edge
of the schoolyard, Jem was careful to explain that
Line (5) during school hours I was not to bother him, I was
s not to approach him with requests to enact a chapter
of Tarzan and the Ant Men, to embarrass him with
references to his private life, or tag along behind
him at recess and noon. I was to stick with the first
grade and he would stick with the fifth. In short,
line (10) I was to leave him alone.
“You mean we can’t play any more?” I asked.
“We’ll do like we always do at home,” he said,
“but you’ll see-school’s different.”
3. The passage is primarily concerned with describing
- (A) a brother’s instructions to his sister
- (B) the first day of school for two first graders
- (C) the summer activities of a brother and sister
- (D) a teacher’s discussion with new students
4. The speaker wants to know if she will
- (A) do well in her new school
- (B) be able to play with her brother
- (C) like her new teacher
- (D) make friends with her new classmates
Questions 5-7 are based on the following passage.
Researcher Nancy Maynor argues that e-mail
has generated its own language style. Her work
suggests that what she calls “e-style” is much
(Line 5) closer to speech than writing. E-mail messages
s tend to be very informal, including clipped words
(such as prob for problem) and simplified spellings (for instance, thru for through). Maynor has
also found informality in punctuation. Among
the common punctuation features she has found
(line 10) in e-mail messages are lack of capital letters, high
use of exclamation points, and frequent use of
trailing dots and dashes at the ends of sentences.
Maynor concludes that these markings lend a
more spoken quality to the e-mail message.
Q5. The passage is primarily concerned with
- (A) presenting a researcher’s work
- (B) criticizing a common practice
- (C) contrasting two theories
- (D) challenging a conclusion
Q6. According to Nancy Maynor, the punctuation features in e-mail messages make such messages
- (A) almost unreadable
- (B) unsuitable for informal correspondence
- (C) more like spoken than written speech
- (D) similar in style to old-fashioned English
Q7. The passage mentions the words “prob” and “thru” as examples of
- (A) punctuation features used in e-mail messages
- (B) the informal style found in e-mail messages
- (C) spellings that are found only in e-mail messages
- (D) words that can make e-mail messages difficult to understand
Questions 8-11 are based on the following passage.
Many recent best-selling children’s picture books
have a lot in common with each other. These books
reflect the structure found in oral storytelling traLine dition,
with a clearly defined beginning, middle,
(line 5) and end. The characters are appealing to readers.
The characters struggle, eventually resolve their
problems, and then return to the safety of home.
The stories’ endings are never open-ended and
they are always hopeful.
(line 10) If this is a formula for success, what should we
make of children’s picture books published recently
that do not have the above-mentioned characteristics?
For example, how can a book like The Stinky Cheese
Man and Other Stupid Tales be evaluated and
(line 15) explained to children? This book definitely does not
have a story with a defined beginning, middle, and
end, nor does it have a sweet and innocent tone.
It mocks rather than imitates the oral storytelling
tradition. Similarly, in Open Me .. . I’m a Dog
(line 20) ( 1997), a dog has been turned into a book. Despite
earnest efforts to be transformed back to his original dog state,
the dog remains a book. He neither
resolves the problem nor returns to the safety of
his home. The books just mentioned are rebels
(line 25) from traditional book structure.
Q8. The second paragraph is primarily concerned with
- (A) describing how to teach the books mentioned in the first paragraph
- (B) discussing exceptions to a trend described in the first paragraph
- (C) evaluating a style of writing described in the first paragraph
- (D) revealing the origins of a situation described in the first paragraph
Q9. The main idea of the first paragraph is that
- (A) many recently successful children’s books have a number of common features
- (B) the most important feature for the success of children’s books is the nature of the characters
- (C) many recent children’s books have succeeded because they have surprise endings
- (D) children’s books with pictures tend to be more successful than children’s books without pictures
Q10. In the context of the passage, “resolve” (line 6) most nearly means
- (A) focus on
- (B) decide on
- (C) find an answer to
- (D) break into parts
Q11. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Stupid Tales mocks the oral storytelling tradition in that it does not
- (A) entertain its readers
- (B) present a single conflict
- (C) have a defined beginning, middle, and end
- (D) have appealing characters
Q12. What conclusion can be drawn from the data presented in the graph?
- (A) Buffalo Fails and Canyon Valley both experience increased precipitation in the summer months.
- (B) Buffalo Falls has less precipitation from January to June than does Canyon Valley.
- (C) Buffalo Falls has higher temperatures from January to June than does Canyon Valley.
- (D) Buffalo Falls enforces water conservation measures in January and February.
Questions 13-14 are based on the following passage.
The North American colonists faced extraordinarily
high medical bills. In 1655 a doctor
might charge a patient two or three times as much
(Line 5) for a visit as a carpenter charged to build a small
s house. Doctors’ bills were so high partly because
of conditions unique to colonial America. Patients’
homes were scattered over wide areas. Unlike
doctors in England, American doctors had to spend
a lot of time traveling. The miles covered became
(Line 10) a large part of the doctors’ bills.
Q13. The author compares carpenters’ bills to doctors’ bills in order to
- (A) argue that doctors were not very skilled
- (B) indicate that many colonists could afford their own homes
- (C) suggest that colonists seldom used money
- (D) emphasize the high cost of medical bills
Q14. Doctors in America differed from doctors in England in that American doctors
- (A) had to travel farther to see patients
- (B) were more highly trained
- (C) used different kinds of medicines
- (D) charged lower prices
Q15. Research indicates that both coyotes and wolves are intelligent animals. However, the wolf is not adaptable. When people move into an area, the wolf moves out. By contrast, the coyote not only adapts to people, it thrives because of them. In the 1980’s, it was estimated that thousands of coyotes lived within the Los Angeles city limits. The coyote, it seems, is now the smartest wild animal in North America.
Which of the following sentences is an expression of opinion rather than a statement of fact?
- (A) “Research indicates … intelligent animals.”
- (B) “When people … moves out.”
- (C) “In the … city limits.”
- (D) “The coyote … North America.”
Q16. Zora Neale Hurston is now famous as the author of the justly celebrated Black female coming-ofage novel Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). But her first love was African American folklore. If the reader does not understand that folklore, Hurston’s fiction, with its unexpected moves into myth, magical realism, and folklore, loses some of its force.
The main idea of the passage is that
- (A) Hurston was more interested in writing fiction than in studying folklore
- (B) Their Eyes Were Watching God is based on an African American folktale
- (C) Hurston’s novels are influenced by her personal experiences
- (D) knowledge of African American folklore leads to a better appreciation of Hurston’s fiction
Questions 17-18 are based on the following excerpt from an index.
Q17. On which page or pages would a person be most likely to find information about how quartz, a mineral, is formed?
- (A) 413, 418
- (B) 416-417
- (C) 421-422
- (D) 423
Q18. On which page or pages would a person be most likely to find a graph or chart of the different properties of minerals?
- (A) 415
- (B) 416-419
- (C) 418
- (D) 422
Q19. A student does not understand the meaning of the word “cells” as it is used in the sentence “The plastic foam floats because it contains thousands of tiny cells that are filled with air.” The student looks up the word in the dictionary and finds the following definitions.
cell (noun) 1. a very small room 2. a small compartment or cavity, as in a honeycomb 3. the basic building block of living organisms 4. a single unit that converts chemical energy into electrical energy
Which definition should the student use to understand the word “cells” in the context of the sentence?
- (A) Definition 1
- (B) Definition 2
- (C) Definition 3
- (D) Definition 4
Questions 20-21 are based on the following passage, which students are reading in class.
Spectacles with concave lenses to correct for myopia were first made in the fifteenth century. Because they corrected for poor distance vision, in an era when most eyeglasses were used for reading, they were considered less essential for pursuits of the mind and consequently were rarer and more costly than convex lenses.
Q20. A student is having trouble understanding the word “myopia.” What would be an effective strategy a paraprofessional could use to help the student understand the word?
- (A) Explain that it is OK to skip a word or two when reading a difficult passage.
- (B) Ask the student to come up with a list of words that rhyme with “myopia.”
- (C) Suggest that the student reread the second sentence to find clues about the meaning of “myopia.”
- (D) Suggest that the student examine the root of the word “myopia” to determine its meaning.
Q21. The paraprofessional asks the students to summarize the main idea of the passage. Which response
from the students is most accurate?
- (A) Concave lenses and convex lenses are made the same way today as they were in the fifteenth century.
- (B) In the fifteenth century, spectacles with concave lenses were used less often than spectacles with convex lenses.
- (C) Eyeglasses used for reading can have either concave or convex lenses.
- (D) Eyeglasses were very costly in the fifteenth century.
Questions 22-25 are based on the following passage from the book The Hot Air Balloon, which students are reading in class.
The Hot Air Balloon
Chapter 1: A Birthday Surprise
“”m five!” Ben shouted when he woke up on
Saturday morning.
He ran to wake his parents, but they were
already up. “I’m five,” he said when he found
them downstairs.
“You sure are,” his dad said as he flipped
a pancake.
“You’re getting so big,” his mom said as
she squeezed oranges for juice.
When Ben finished breakfast, his dad said,
“We have a surprise for you.”
“The circus?” Ben asked.
“Even better,” his mom said.
They all got in the car. The trip seemed to
take forever. Finally, Ben spotted a sign that said,
“Mitchell Airfield.” Then he looked up in the sky
and gasped, because he saw the most amazing
sight floating in the air.
Q22. Students are learning how to make predictions about a story by using clues from the title of the story, the chapter headings, and what happens in the story itself. The paraprofessional asks the students, “What do you think Ben’s surprise will be?” Which response from the students shows the best understanding of the clues?
- (A) An airplane ride
- (B) A trip to the circus
- (C) A balloon ride
- (D) A pancake breakfast
Q23. The paraprofessional asks the class where Ben found his parents. Which response is most accurate?
- (A) In his bedroom
- (B) In their bedroom
- (C) In the kitchen
- (D) In the car
Q24. Students are learning about compound words (words made up of two or more whole words joined together). Which word from the story is a compound word?
- (A) surprise
- (B) finally
- (C) amazing
- (D) Airfield
Q25. Students are learning that the letter “s” can often sound like the letter “z.” They are working with several examples, including boxes and dogs. Which word from the story would be the best example of how “s” can sound like “z” ?
- (A) squeezed
- (B) oranges
- (C) finished
- (D) circus
Questions 26-27 are based on the following passage, which students are reading in class.
I first saw King Arthur from a distance, but even then he was a sight that could take my breath away. His red beard flickered like fire. His eyes flashed with the incandescence of two bright comets. His armor glowed like molten silver. His smile dazzled me like the morning sun that greets me when I throw open the shutters. This was a man I could follow. This was a man who could lead us.
Q26. The students are studying how the passage uses comparisons to describe King Arthur. The paraprofessional asks the students what all of the comparisons have in common. Which answer is most accurate?
- (A) All of the comparisons have to do with light.
- (B) All of the comparisons involve some sort of metal.
- (C) All of the comparisons use the word “like.”
- (D) All of the comparisons are about King Arthur’s face.
Q27. What question could the paraprofessional ask the students that would help them understand the narrator’s attitude toward King Arthur?
- (A) What does the narrator do before meeting King Arthur?
- (B) How does the sight of King Arthur at a distance affect the narrator?
- (C) Why does the narrator throw open the shutters?
- (D) When does the narrator first see King Arthur?
Questions 28-29 are based on the following assignment.
Assignment: State names
You will work in teams of two. Each team will receive a map of the United States and will be assigned a letter of the alphabet. First, in the empty space at the bottom of the map, list the names of all the states that begin with your team’s assigned letter of the alphabet (for example, if you are the “N” group you might start with New Mexico). Next, using a blank sheet of paper, put your team’s list of state names in alphabetical order. Then look up each state in your almanac to find out its capital, and write the name of the capital next to the state’s name on your alphabetized list. Finally, use your crayons to color the states on the map.
Q28. According to the assignment, students should use a blank piece of paper to
- (A) list their team’s assigned states in alphabetical order
- (B) color the states with their crayons
- (C) list the names of all 50 states in alphabetical order
- (D) draw a map of the United States
Q29. One team of students is working with states that begin with the letter “A.” Which list has the names in the proper alphabetical order?
- (A) Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas
- (B) Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas
- (C) Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, Alaska
- (D) Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona
Q30. Students are thinking up pairs of words that are synonyms. Four students’ pairs are printed below. Which is a pair of synonyms?
- (A) Tale and tail
- (B) Past and future
- (C) Snow and weather
- (D) Flat and level
See also
- ParaPro Practice Test 2023 with Study Guide [PDF]
- ParaPro Reading Practice Test (30 MCQs)
- ParaPro Math Practice Test (30 MCQs)
- ParaPro Writing Practice Test (30 MCQs)