CASA Reading Practice Questions Practice Exam

1. Reading Comprehension and Analysis • Overview of reading comprehension strategies • Identifying the main idea and supporting details of a passage • Understanding the purpose and tone of a text (informative, persuasive, descriptive, narrative) • Analyzing the structure of a passage: introduction, body, conclusion, and transitions • Identifying the author's point of view and how it influences the message • Distinguishing between fact and opinion in a passage • Recognizing inferences and implied meaning based on textual evidence • Analyzing the meaning of unfamiliar words through context clues • Understanding figurative language (similes, metaphors, idioms, symbolism) • Recognizing bias or perspective in reading material • Identifying rhetorical devices (e.g., repetition, rhetorical questions, parallelism) • Making logical predictions based on the content of the passage • Summarizing a passage and identifying key takeaways • Drawing conclusions from textual evidence to support answers ________________________________________ 2. Vocabulary in Context • Understanding and applying the meanings of words and phrases in context • Identifying the meaning of unknown words based on surrounding words and sentence structure • Analyzing the role of specific vocabulary words in conveying the tone, mood, or message of the passage • Understanding multiple meanings of words and choosing the correct definition based on context • Determining the connotation (positive, negative, neutral) of words based on context • Recognizing synonyms and antonyms within the context of a passage • Understanding the impact of word choice on meaning and style • Recognizing common word roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine word meaning • Using context clues such as definitions, examples, and comparisons to infer word meanings • Analyzing how word usage contributes to the development of themes in a passage ________________________________________ 3. Identifying Key Details and Information • Identifying the most important details that support the main idea of a passage • Recognizing supporting examples, facts, and evidence provided by the author • Distinguishing between essential and non-essential information in a passage • Understanding cause and effect relationships as presented in the text • Identifying comparisons, contrasts, and relationships between concepts or ideas • Recognizing patterns of organization in the passage (chronological, cause-effect, compare-contrast, etc.) • Identifying relationships between paragraphs, sentences, and ideas (coherence and cohesion) • Using evidence from the text to answer specific questions or validate a claim • Understanding the significance of key details in the broader context of the passage ________________________________________ 4. Structure and Organization of Text • Recognizing the organizational patterns of a passage (e.g., problem-solution, sequence, description) • Understanding how the introduction sets up the central idea of the passage • Identifying how paragraphs build on each other to develop an argument or narrative • Analyzing transitions and signal words that guide the reader through the passage (e.g., therefore, however, for example) • Understanding how conclusions are drawn from the information presented throughout the passage • Recognizing the importance of headings, subheadings, and bullet points in structuring information • Identifying the purpose of illustrations, charts, or graphs included in the passage • Analyzing the flow of information and how it contributes to the overall message or argument ________________________________________ 5. Critical Thinking and Interpretation • Analyzing the author's intent: Why was the text written, and what message does it convey? • Recognizing bias and its effect on the passage's argument or content • Identifying logical fallacies or weaknesses in reasoning within the text • Evaluating the strength of evidence presented to support claims made in the text • Assessing the credibility of sources or data presented in the passage • Comparing and contrasting different viewpoints or arguments within a text • Understanding the significance of the text’s historical, cultural, or social context • Interpreting the significance of specific words, phrases, or references to broader societal issues • Evaluating the effectiveness of the author’s argument and use of persuasive techniques • Recognizing the impact of the author’s choice of language on the reader’s perception or understanding ________________________________________ 6. Identifying Author’s Purpose and Point of View • Understanding the author's primary purpose (to inform, persuade, entertain, etc.) • Recognizing the perspective or point of view the author is writing from (first-person, third-person, objective, subjective) • Identifying the author's tone (formal, informal, optimistic, critical, neutral) • Analyzing how the author’s purpose influences the structure and content of the passage • Understanding how the point of view impacts the interpretation of the text • Evaluating how the author’s biases or experiences may shape the presentation of information • Recognizing persuasive strategies (ethos, pathos, logos) used by the author to achieve their purpose ________________________________________ 7. Inference and Deduction • Making logical inferences based on implicit information within the text • Understanding how to deduce meaning from non-verbal cues or the structure of the passage • Identifying implied meanings, conclusions, or themes that are not explicitly stated • Drawing conclusions based on a combination of text evidence and prior knowledge • Using textual evidence to support inferences and assumptions • Recognizing assumptions or underlying messages that may not be immediately apparent • Distinguishing between what is explicitly stated and what is inferred in a passage ________________________________________ 8. Analyzing Literary Devices and Figurative Language • Recognizing and interpreting literary devices: metaphors, similes, alliteration, symbolism, etc. • Understanding how figurative language enhances meaning and emotional appeal • Identifying and interpreting symbolism in a text • Analyzing the effect of imagery in creating mental pictures or evoking emotional responses • Recognizing irony, sarcasm, and understatement in literary contexts • Understanding the impact of exaggeration (hyperbole) on tone and meaning • Analyzing how literary devices contribute to the overall theme and mood of the passage ________________________________________ 9. Understanding and Analyzing Complex Texts • Dealing with advanced reading passages that include specialized vocabulary or technical content • Breaking down dense or complex texts into understandable parts • Understanding how multiple viewpoints, data, or arguments are presented within complex texts • Analyzing how complex sentences or structures convey nuanced meaning • Identifying nuances in tone and meaning that may be hidden within complicated language • Evaluating how the form and structure of the text influence the reader’s understanding of complex topics ________________________________________ 10. Summarization and Paraphrasing • Summarizing the central ideas and key details of a passage in a concise manner • Paraphrasing sentences or paragraphs to clarify meaning while retaining essential details • Understanding the difference between summarizing and interpreting a text • Avoiding distortion of meaning while summarizing or paraphrasing content • Using proper citation or attribution when summarizing external content ________________________________________ 11. Understanding Textual Relationships and Connections • Analyzing how ideas in one part of a passage are connected to ideas in another part • Recognizing chronological, cause-and-effect, or comparison relationships within a passage • Understanding how the relationship between ideas affects the meaning of the text • Identifying shifts in tone, topic, or purpose and understanding their significance • Connecting new information from the passage to prior knowledge or experiences