ASVAB Paragraph Comprehension Practice Test 4

Answer: D

Correct answer: instruct readers in how to thaw a frozen pipe safely. Use the purpose-statement test: "The author wrote this to (blank one) about (blank two)." The sentences are commands in order (shut off, open, warm, keep applying, check), so the action is to instruct, and the topic is thawing a frozen pipe safely. An answer that names only the topic misses the action.

• A: This names only the topic; it does not say what the passage does with it, which is to give step-by-step directions.
• B: The passage tells readers how to do the job themselves and never mentions plumbers.
• C: No particular people or events appear; the steps apply to any reader.
• D (correct): The passage gives ordered steps (first, then, keep applying) for the reader to follow, so its action is to instruct.

Answer: B

Correct answer: It gives an example that supports the opening claim. The first sentence makes a broad claim, and each sentence after it names one specific plant or group of plants that illustrates it. That makes the second sentence an example supporting the general statement.

• A: The main idea is the broad claim in the first sentence; the second sentence is one specific case of it.
• B (correct): The saguaro is one particular plant that shows the general point that desert plants have ways to save water.
• C: Nothing in the passage challenges the saguaro detail; it fits the writer's point.
• D: The first sentence is a general statement, not an event, so the cactus detail is not its effect.

Answer: A

Correct answer: generally favorable, with some reservations. Match the strength of the attitude word to the strength of the language. Phrases like "works well most of the time" show approval, while "freezes now and then" and "ought to keep a phone line" add mild criticism. Mixed, moderate wording calls for a mixed, moderate label.

• A (correct): He praises the system as working well most of the time while noting occasional freezes and the lack of a phone line, which is mild approval with concerns.
• B: He points out two problems, so "free of any complaints" overstates his approval.
• C: He says it saves a trip and usually works well; that is not the language of strong opposition.
• D: He gives specific praise and specific criticism, so he clearly has an opinion.

Answer: D

Correct answer: It can be damaged by standing water. The signal word "However" marks the turn from laminate's advantages to its drawback. What follows the turn carries the writer's stronger point: water can swell and ruin the boards, which matters in a kitchen where spills are common.

• A: The passage says laminate costs less than hardwood, so this contradicts the text.
• B: The passage says the surface resists scratches, so this reverses a stated strength.
• C: This is true, but it is listed as an advantage before the turn and is not the writer's concern.
• D (correct): After "However," the writer explains that water makes laminate swell and warp and calls this a weakness that deserves serious thought.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Approving, with some reservations. Match the strength of the attitude word to the strength of the language. Phrases such as "a solid choice" are positive but measured, and the comments on the dust bag and heavy shop use add limits. That mix is mild approval with reservations, not enthusiasm, disappointment or indifference.

• A (correct): She praises the weight and battery life and calls it a solid choice, while pointing out real drawbacks.
• B: Her praise is moderate and she criticizes the dust bag, so a strong word like this overstates her tone.
• C: Calling the sander a solid choice for most projects does not fit disappointment.
• D: She gives specific praise and criticism, which shows she has clear opinions about the tool.

Answer: B

Correct answer: to show that it is a nickname local pilots use for the rough air. Ask what the quotation marks signal: irony, jargon or a quoted term. Here they follow "Local pilots call this stretch of sky," so they mark a nickname. The image fits the description of air that swirls planes in every direction, so the name is figurative but sincere, not sarcastic.

• A: The phrase is figurative; the canyon holds swirling air, not an appliance.
• B (correct): The marks set off the phrase after "local pilots call this stretch of sky," signaling a borrowed name for air that tosses planes about like laundry.
• C: Irony would mean the air is the opposite of rough, but the passage describes it as truly violent, so the name fits.
• D: The words are credited to local pilots, and no manual or document is mentioned.

Answer: B

Correct answer: The claim about lower running costs comes from the company president, not the reporter. Track who says what. The low running cost is the president's claim, the longer routes are the union spokesperson's claim, and the reporter adds only the 250-mile range and the May start date. A choice that hands either opinion to the reporter or treats it as proven goes beyond the text.

• A: This turns the president's quoted opinion into the author's own conclusion, which the article never states.
• B (correct): The quotation about lower costs is attributed to the president; the reporter states only range and timing.
• C: The spokesperson's concern is about charging stops lengthening routes, not about the purchase price.
• D: The trucks have not entered service yet, so the longer routes are a prediction by the spokesperson, not an observed result.

Answer: D

Correct answer: Hector makes the batter during the same time that Mae cleans the grill. While marks events that overlap, so Hector's batter work and Mae's grill and syrup work happen in the same window. After both jobs are done, they mop together, and Mae locks up last. Only the statement describing the overlap fits that timeline.

• A: While shows the two jobs overlap; nothing says Mae waits for Hector to finish before she starts.
• B: The passage says they mop together, and only after both earlier jobs are done.
• C: Mae locks the door on her way out, after the mopping is finished.
• D (correct): The word while signals that the batter and the grill cleaning share the same time window.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Combining several kinds of measurements often lets scientists warn people before an eruption. Use the two-sentence audit: the choice must fit both a central sentence (the signals taken together give warning) and the cautious one (no single signal is reliable, and none gives an exact date). Only the statement about combining measurements to warn people covers both at the author's level of certainty.

• A: This accurately describes one of the three signals, but it leaves out the others and the point about combining them.
• B (correct): This covers the three signals, the caution that none works alone or gives an exact date, and the result of using them together.
• C: The passage directly says no signal can reveal the exact day, so this reverses one of its key sentences.
• D: The passage says no single signal is reliable by itself and never ranks one above the others.

Answer: C

Correct answer: No, because a second trained member must be in the room. Check every condition. The space is open, no card is posted, Jordan has the course, and plywood is not banned, so those parts allow use. But the rule that a second trained member must be in the room fails because Jordan will be alone, so Jordan may not use the cutter.

• A: These two conditions are met, but this ignores the rule that a second trained member must be in the room.
• B: Only PVC and vinyl are banned; plywood is not named as a forbidden material.
• C (correct): The rules require a second trained member in the room the whole time the cutter runs, and Jordan will be alone.
• D: The passage requires a second trained member in the room, not just a staff member somewhere in the building.