PISA-Style Practice Questions: Items with
Answers and Rationales for Reading,
Mathematics, and Science
,READING LITERACY (Questions 1-35)
Text: "The Ozone Layer" (Adapted from PISA sample materials)
Question 1
*In the text, what is the main function of "good" ozone?*
A) To damage lung tissues
B) To absorb dangerous ultraviolet radiation
C) To create chlorofluorocarbons
D) To produce oxygen molecules
Answer: B
*Rationale:* The text explicitly states that "good" ozone in the stratosphere "plays a beneficial role
by absorbing dangerous ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation from the Sun."
,Question 2
*According to the passage, what was the significance of the Montreal meeting in September
1987?*
A) It proved that CFCs cause ozone depletion
B) It set sharp limits to the use of CFCs
C) It discovered the ozone layer
D) It created the PISA test
Answer: B
*Rationale:* The text states that diplomats agreed to "set sharp limits to the use of CFCs" at the
Montreal meeting.
, Question 3
*Which statement best summarizes the author's attitude toward the ozone layer?*
A) It is an unimportant natural resource
B) It is a precious resource being harmed by human activities
C) It has been completely destroyed
D) It only exists in the troposphere
Answer: B
*Rationale:* The text describes the atmosphere as "a precious natural resource for sustaining life"
and notes that "human activities... are causing harm to this common resource."
Question 4
*What is the difference between ozone in the troposphere and ozone in the stratosphere?*
Answers and Rationales for Reading,
Mathematics, and Science
,READING LITERACY (Questions 1-35)
Text: "The Ozone Layer" (Adapted from PISA sample materials)
Question 1
*In the text, what is the main function of "good" ozone?*
A) To damage lung tissues
B) To absorb dangerous ultraviolet radiation
C) To create chlorofluorocarbons
D) To produce oxygen molecules
Answer: B
*Rationale:* The text explicitly states that "good" ozone in the stratosphere "plays a beneficial role
by absorbing dangerous ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation from the Sun."
,Question 2
*According to the passage, what was the significance of the Montreal meeting in September
1987?*
A) It proved that CFCs cause ozone depletion
B) It set sharp limits to the use of CFCs
C) It discovered the ozone layer
D) It created the PISA test
Answer: B
*Rationale:* The text states that diplomats agreed to "set sharp limits to the use of CFCs" at the
Montreal meeting.
, Question 3
*Which statement best summarizes the author's attitude toward the ozone layer?*
A) It is an unimportant natural resource
B) It is a precious resource being harmed by human activities
C) It has been completely destroyed
D) It only exists in the troposphere
Answer: B
*Rationale:* The text describes the atmosphere as "a precious natural resource for sustaining life"
and notes that "human activities... are causing harm to this common resource."
Question 4
*What is the difference between ozone in the troposphere and ozone in the stratosphere?*
