TSI (Reading) Assessment
Practice |Questions and Answers |Fall 2025/2
026 Update | 100% Correct
Question 1
The 1922 German Expressionist film Nosferatu, directed by F. W. Murnau, is
considered one of the most influential films in cinematic history—while also being a
classic vampire movie. The film is closely based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula;
however, the villain in the film is called "Count Orlok" rather than "Count Dracula."
The reason is that
the small studio that produced the film, Prana Film, was unable to secure the rights to
Stoker's novel. In fact, shortly after finishing Nosferatu, its one and only film, Prana
went bankrupt in order to dodge copyright lawsuits from Stoker's widow.
(Why does the author say that the vampire in Nosferatu is named "Count Orlok" and
not "Count Dracula"?...)
A. To show that the makers of Nosferatu made minor changes to Stoker's novel
B. To suggest that the characters in Nosferatu were based on real people instead of
literary characters
C. To criticize Nosferatu for its differences from its source
D. To praise the makers of Nosferatu for their imagination in recreating Stoker's novel
Correct Answer
Choice (A) is correct. The author points out that the film Nosferatu is "closely based
on"—but not exactly the same as—"Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula." He or she
explains that the vampire in Nosferatu is "called 'Count Orlok' rather than 'Count
Dracula'" in order to show that the makers of Nosferatu made minor changes to
Stoker's novel as a result of being "unable to secure the rights" to Dracula. Choices
(B), (C), and (D) are incorrect because the author does not indicate that the
characters in Nosferatu were based on real people, and he or she neither criticizes
Nosferatu for
its differences from Dracula nor praises the makers of the film for their imagination
in recreating Stoker's novel.
Page 1 of 17
,Question 2
If you are committed to healthy, green living and want to reduce your environmental
footprint, you might consider expanding your daily diet to include bugs. Supporters
of the edible insect initiative rightfully argue that farming insects has a much lower
environmental impact than does raising livestock since bugs are easier to harvest and
require a fraction of the water and land space that cattle need. Indeed, the high-
protein, low-fat health benefits of bug-eating have long been known. For hundreds of
years, crickets, silkworms and even tarantulas have been served roasted, stewed and
fried at the dinner tables of many cultures.
(Which words best describe the author's attitude toward the "edible insect
initiative"?...)
A. awe and amazement
B. interest and support
C. disgust and distaste
D. fear and apprehension
Correct Answer
Choice (B) is correct. The author of the passage is interested in and supportive of
the edible insect initiative. He or she addresses the reader directly, urging, "you
might consider expanding your daily diet to include bugs." The author also shows
support for the edible insect movement by stating that advocates of the movement
"rightfully" argue that "farming insects has a much lower environmental impact than
does raising livestock." Choice (A) is incorrect because although the author
expresses support for the edible insect initiative, he or she does not speak with awe
and amazement, or great wonder. Choices (C) and (D) are incorrect because the
author is positive about the movement, showing interest and support rather than
fear or disgust.
Page 2 of 17
, Question 3
{The narrator of this passage from a short story describes the cabin where her father
worked.}
I wasn't sure what this work involved, but it must have been exciting because the Lab
itself was exciting. Anywhere we didn't go often was exciting.
We would get there in a heavy wooden rowboat, built in the five-house village half a
mile away—our mother would row, she was quite good at it—or by following a twisty,
winding footpath, over fallen trees and stumps and around boulders and across wet
patches where a few slippery planks were laid across the sphagnum moss, breathing
in the mildew smell of damp wood and slowly decaying leaves. It was too far for us to
walk, our legs were too short, so mostly we went in the rowboat.
The Lab was made of logs; it seemed enormous, though in the two photographs of it
that survive it looks like a shack. It did however have a screened porch, with log
railings. Inside it there were things we weren't allowed to touch—bottles containing a
dangerous liquid in which white grubs floated, their six tiny front legs clasped
together like praying fingers, and corks that smelled like poison and were poison, and
trays with dried insects pinned to them with long, thin pins, each with a tiny, alluring
black knob for a head. All of this was so forbidden it made us dizzy.
At the Lab we could hide in the ice house, a dim and mysterious place that was always
bigger on the inside than
it was on the outside, and where there was a hush, and a lot of sawdust to keep the
blocks of ice cool. Sometimes there would be a tin of evaporated milk with holes
punched in the top and wax paper stuck over them; sometimes there would be a
carefully hoarded stub of butter or an end of bacon; sometimes there would be a fish
or two, pickerel or lake trout, already filleted, laid out on a chipped enamel pie plate.
What did we do in there? There was nothing to actually do. We'd pretend we had
vanished—that nobody knew where we were. This in itself was strangely energizing.
Then we'd come out, away from the silence, back into the pine-needle scent and the
sound of waves plocking against the shore, and our mother's voice calling us, because
it was time to get back into the rowboat and row home.*
(Details in the passage suggest that the narrator is...)
A. an adult remembering a recent incident
B. an elderly person remembering middle age
C. an adult recalling a location from childhood
D. a child describing a frightening place
Correct Answer
Choice (C) is correct. The narrator uses the past tense throughout the passage,
signaling to the reader that the events described occurred in the past. And the
passage contains numerous hints that the narrator is describing her childhood self:
"our mother would row" and "our legs were too short," for example. It is reasonable
to assume that the narrator is an adult recalling a location (and events) from
childhood. Choices (A) and (B) are incorrect because the incidents described are
clearly not recent, nor do the events recalled happen to a middle-aged person. And
Page 3 of 17
Practice |Questions and Answers |Fall 2025/2
026 Update | 100% Correct
Question 1
The 1922 German Expressionist film Nosferatu, directed by F. W. Murnau, is
considered one of the most influential films in cinematic history—while also being a
classic vampire movie. The film is closely based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula;
however, the villain in the film is called "Count Orlok" rather than "Count Dracula."
The reason is that
the small studio that produced the film, Prana Film, was unable to secure the rights to
Stoker's novel. In fact, shortly after finishing Nosferatu, its one and only film, Prana
went bankrupt in order to dodge copyright lawsuits from Stoker's widow.
(Why does the author say that the vampire in Nosferatu is named "Count Orlok" and
not "Count Dracula"?...)
A. To show that the makers of Nosferatu made minor changes to Stoker's novel
B. To suggest that the characters in Nosferatu were based on real people instead of
literary characters
C. To criticize Nosferatu for its differences from its source
D. To praise the makers of Nosferatu for their imagination in recreating Stoker's novel
Correct Answer
Choice (A) is correct. The author points out that the film Nosferatu is "closely based
on"—but not exactly the same as—"Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula." He or she
explains that the vampire in Nosferatu is "called 'Count Orlok' rather than 'Count
Dracula'" in order to show that the makers of Nosferatu made minor changes to
Stoker's novel as a result of being "unable to secure the rights" to Dracula. Choices
(B), (C), and (D) are incorrect because the author does not indicate that the
characters in Nosferatu were based on real people, and he or she neither criticizes
Nosferatu for
its differences from Dracula nor praises the makers of the film for their imagination
in recreating Stoker's novel.
Page 1 of 17
,Question 2
If you are committed to healthy, green living and want to reduce your environmental
footprint, you might consider expanding your daily diet to include bugs. Supporters
of the edible insect initiative rightfully argue that farming insects has a much lower
environmental impact than does raising livestock since bugs are easier to harvest and
require a fraction of the water and land space that cattle need. Indeed, the high-
protein, low-fat health benefits of bug-eating have long been known. For hundreds of
years, crickets, silkworms and even tarantulas have been served roasted, stewed and
fried at the dinner tables of many cultures.
(Which words best describe the author's attitude toward the "edible insect
initiative"?...)
A. awe and amazement
B. interest and support
C. disgust and distaste
D. fear and apprehension
Correct Answer
Choice (B) is correct. The author of the passage is interested in and supportive of
the edible insect initiative. He or she addresses the reader directly, urging, "you
might consider expanding your daily diet to include bugs." The author also shows
support for the edible insect movement by stating that advocates of the movement
"rightfully" argue that "farming insects has a much lower environmental impact than
does raising livestock." Choice (A) is incorrect because although the author
expresses support for the edible insect initiative, he or she does not speak with awe
and amazement, or great wonder. Choices (C) and (D) are incorrect because the
author is positive about the movement, showing interest and support rather than
fear or disgust.
Page 2 of 17
, Question 3
{The narrator of this passage from a short story describes the cabin where her father
worked.}
I wasn't sure what this work involved, but it must have been exciting because the Lab
itself was exciting. Anywhere we didn't go often was exciting.
We would get there in a heavy wooden rowboat, built in the five-house village half a
mile away—our mother would row, she was quite good at it—or by following a twisty,
winding footpath, over fallen trees and stumps and around boulders and across wet
patches where a few slippery planks were laid across the sphagnum moss, breathing
in the mildew smell of damp wood and slowly decaying leaves. It was too far for us to
walk, our legs were too short, so mostly we went in the rowboat.
The Lab was made of logs; it seemed enormous, though in the two photographs of it
that survive it looks like a shack. It did however have a screened porch, with log
railings. Inside it there were things we weren't allowed to touch—bottles containing a
dangerous liquid in which white grubs floated, their six tiny front legs clasped
together like praying fingers, and corks that smelled like poison and were poison, and
trays with dried insects pinned to them with long, thin pins, each with a tiny, alluring
black knob for a head. All of this was so forbidden it made us dizzy.
At the Lab we could hide in the ice house, a dim and mysterious place that was always
bigger on the inside than
it was on the outside, and where there was a hush, and a lot of sawdust to keep the
blocks of ice cool. Sometimes there would be a tin of evaporated milk with holes
punched in the top and wax paper stuck over them; sometimes there would be a
carefully hoarded stub of butter or an end of bacon; sometimes there would be a fish
or two, pickerel or lake trout, already filleted, laid out on a chipped enamel pie plate.
What did we do in there? There was nothing to actually do. We'd pretend we had
vanished—that nobody knew where we were. This in itself was strangely energizing.
Then we'd come out, away from the silence, back into the pine-needle scent and the
sound of waves plocking against the shore, and our mother's voice calling us, because
it was time to get back into the rowboat and row home.*
(Details in the passage suggest that the narrator is...)
A. an adult remembering a recent incident
B. an elderly person remembering middle age
C. an adult recalling a location from childhood
D. a child describing a frightening place
Correct Answer
Choice (C) is correct. The narrator uses the past tense throughout the passage,
signaling to the reader that the events described occurred in the past. And the
passage contains numerous hints that the narrator is describing her childhood self:
"our mother would row" and "our legs were too short," for example. It is reasonable
to assume that the narrator is an adult recalling a location (and events) from
childhood. Choices (A) and (B) are incorrect because the incidents described are
clearly not recent, nor do the events recalled happen to a middle-aged person. And
Page 3 of 17
