HESI A2 Reading Comprehension Exam
(2026/2027) – Nursing & Healthcare
Admissions Reading Assessment |
Newest Actual Questions with Answers
It is most likely that you have never had diphtheria. You probably don't even know
anyone who has suffered from this disease. In fact, you may not even know what
diphtheria is. Similarly, diseases like whooping cough, measles, mumps, and rubella
may all be unfamiliar to you. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these
illnesses struck hundreds of thousands of people in the United States each year, mostly
children, and tens of thousands of people died. The names of these diseases were
frightening household words.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were a dark period for medicine.
B. You have probably never had diphtheria.
C. Traditional vaccines contain altered microbes.
D. Vaccines help the immune system function properly. -CORRECTANSWER D.
Vaccines help the immune system function properly.
Which statement is not a detail from the passage?
A. Vaccines contain microbe parts or altered microbes.
B. The immune system typically needs a week to learn how to fight a new disease.
,C. The symptoms of disease do not emerge until the body has learned how to fight the
microbe.
D. A hundred years ago, children were at the greatest risk of dying from now-treatable
diseases. -CORRECTANSWER C. The symptoms of disease do not emerge until the
body has learned how to fight the microbe.
What is the meaning of the word virulent as it is used in the third paragraph?
A. tiny
B. malicious
C. contagious
D. annoying -CORRECTANSWER B. malicious
What is the author's primary purpose in writing the essay?
A. to entertain
B. to persuade
C. to inform
D. to analyze -CORRECTANSWER C. to inform
Foodborne illnesses are contracted by eating food or drinking beverages contaminated
with bacteria, parasites, or viruses. Harmful chemicals can also cause foodborne
illnesses if they have contaminated food during harvesting or processing. Foodborne
illnesses can cause symptoms ranging from upset stomach to diarrhea, fever, vomiting,
abdominal cramps, and dehydration. Most foodborne infections are undiagnosed and
, unreported, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every
year about 76 million people in the United States become ill from pathogens in food.
About 5,000 of these people die. Harmful bacteria are the most common cause of
foodborne illness.
What is the subject of the passage?
A. foodborne illnesses
B. the dangers of uncooked food
C. bacteria
D. proper food preparation -CORRECTANSWER A. foodborne illnesses
Which statement is not a detail from the passage?
A. Every year, more than 70 million Americans contract some form of foodborne illness.
B. Once food is cooked, it cannot cause illness.
C. Refrigeration can slow the growth of some bacteria.
D. The most common form of contamination in handled foods is calicivirus -
CORRECTANSWER B. Once food is cooked, it cannot cause illness.
What is the meaning of the word pathogens as it is used in the first paragraph?
A. diseases
B. vaccines
C. disease-causing substances
D. foods -CORRECTANSWER C. disease-causing substances
(2026/2027) – Nursing & Healthcare
Admissions Reading Assessment |
Newest Actual Questions with Answers
It is most likely that you have never had diphtheria. You probably don't even know
anyone who has suffered from this disease. In fact, you may not even know what
diphtheria is. Similarly, diseases like whooping cough, measles, mumps, and rubella
may all be unfamiliar to you. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these
illnesses struck hundreds of thousands of people in the United States each year, mostly
children, and tens of thousands of people died. The names of these diseases were
frightening household words.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were a dark period for medicine.
B. You have probably never had diphtheria.
C. Traditional vaccines contain altered microbes.
D. Vaccines help the immune system function properly. -CORRECTANSWER D.
Vaccines help the immune system function properly.
Which statement is not a detail from the passage?
A. Vaccines contain microbe parts or altered microbes.
B. The immune system typically needs a week to learn how to fight a new disease.
,C. The symptoms of disease do not emerge until the body has learned how to fight the
microbe.
D. A hundred years ago, children were at the greatest risk of dying from now-treatable
diseases. -CORRECTANSWER C. The symptoms of disease do not emerge until the
body has learned how to fight the microbe.
What is the meaning of the word virulent as it is used in the third paragraph?
A. tiny
B. malicious
C. contagious
D. annoying -CORRECTANSWER B. malicious
What is the author's primary purpose in writing the essay?
A. to entertain
B. to persuade
C. to inform
D. to analyze -CORRECTANSWER C. to inform
Foodborne illnesses are contracted by eating food or drinking beverages contaminated
with bacteria, parasites, or viruses. Harmful chemicals can also cause foodborne
illnesses if they have contaminated food during harvesting or processing. Foodborne
illnesses can cause symptoms ranging from upset stomach to diarrhea, fever, vomiting,
abdominal cramps, and dehydration. Most foodborne infections are undiagnosed and
, unreported, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every
year about 76 million people in the United States become ill from pathogens in food.
About 5,000 of these people die. Harmful bacteria are the most common cause of
foodborne illness.
What is the subject of the passage?
A. foodborne illnesses
B. the dangers of uncooked food
C. bacteria
D. proper food preparation -CORRECTANSWER A. foodborne illnesses
Which statement is not a detail from the passage?
A. Every year, more than 70 million Americans contract some form of foodborne illness.
B. Once food is cooked, it cannot cause illness.
C. Refrigeration can slow the growth of some bacteria.
D. The most common form of contamination in handled foods is calicivirus -
CORRECTANSWER B. Once food is cooked, it cannot cause illness.
What is the meaning of the word pathogens as it is used in the first paragraph?
A. diseases
B. vaccines
C. disease-causing substances
D. foods -CORRECTANSWER C. disease-causing substances
