KNAT Practice Exam 1 Reading

Read the passage below and answer the following question.

It is perhaps unsurprising that school dress codes are becoming more common in American public schools. In our high-status-driven society, students feel the pressure to keep up with the most current fashion trends. The additional anxiety of wanting to “fit in” with peers can distract students from performing their best academically. In addition, some fashion trends are downright inappropriate and can be distracting to other students! Enforcing a dress code can allow schools to offer guidelines for clothing options that are suitable for school. Some school administrators are in favor of requiring students to wear a specific school uniform. Others suggest this may not be the most advantageous option as cost could still be a factor for some students, resulting in the same level of anxiety. Instead, they argue, offering simple guidelines that afford students the ability to meet their school’s dress code requirements with maximum flexibility.

The topic of this paragraph is:

Read the passage below and answer the following question.

It is perhaps unsurprising that school dress codes are becoming more common in American public schools. In our high-status-driven society, students feel the pressure to keep up with the most current fashion trends. The additional anxiety of wanting to “fit in” with peers can distract students from performing their best academically. In addition, some fashion trends are downright inappropriate and can be distracting to other students! Enforcing a dress code can allow schools to offer guidelines for clothing options that are suitable for school. Some school administrators are in favor of requiring students to wear a specific school uniform. Others suggest this may not be the most advantageous option as cost could still be a factor for some students, resulting in the same level of anxiety. Instead, they argue, offering simple guidelines that afford students the ability to meet their school’s dress code requirements with maximum flexibility.

The topic sentence of this paragraph is:

Read the passage below and answer the following question.

It is perhaps unsurprising that school dress codes are becoming more common in American public schools. In our high-status-driven society, students feel the pressure to keep up with the most current fashion trends. The additional anxiety of wanting to “fit in” with peers can distract students from performing their best academically. In addition, some fashion trends are downright inappropriate and can be distracting to other students! Enforcing a dress code can allow schools to offer guidelines for clothing options that are suitable for school. Some school administrators are in favor of requiring students to wear a specific school uniform. Others suggest this may not be the most advantageous option as cost could still be a factor for some students, resulting in the same level of anxiety. Instead, they argue, offering simple guidelines that afford students the ability to meet their school’s dress code requirements with maximum flexibility.

If the author added a description of a student who wore inappropriate outfits to school and ended up distracting other students, what type of information would this be?

Read the passage below and answer the following question.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Get out all your equipment and ingredients. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Then soften 1 cup of butter. Next add the butter and the eggs to the dry mixture and stir until all the ingredients are mixed. Mix in the chocolate chips. Using a tablespoon, spoon out the batter onto a pre-greased  cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool before serving.

Which of the following words from the text indicate sequence?

Read the passage below and answer the following question.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Get out all your equipment and ingredients. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Then soften 1 cup of butter. Next add the butter and the eggs to the dry mixture and stir until all the ingredients are mixed. Mix in the chocolate chips. Using a tablespoon, spoon out the batter onto a pre-greased  cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool before serving. 

What does the term “pre-greased cookie sheet” tell you?

Read the passage below and answer the following question.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Get out all your equipment and ingredients. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Then soften 1 cup of butter. Next add the butter and the eggs to the dry mixture and stir until all the ingredients are mixed. Mix in the chocolate chips. Using a tablespoon, spoon out the batter onto a pre-greased  cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool before serving.

Read this sentence from the passage:

Allow cookies to cool before serving.

What sequence word would best fit at the beginning of this sentence? 

Read the following passage and answer the question.

Are you tired of your children not listening to you? Do they seem distracted every time you ask them to do something? Are you met with a glossy-eyed stare every time you say something to them? Part of the problem is too much screen time.

Technology has its benefits, but it does a lot to ruin our children’s focus. There are too many flashes of light, too many colors, too many hyperlinks to navigate – it’s a wonder our children can even focus at all!

Limiting your children’s screen time would do wonders for them. Make more time to have face-to-face conversations. This will allow your children to actually practice good listening and communication skills. Hand them a book! This will help them sit still and focus on one thing for a period of time.

Technology won’t be going away anytime soon, but you can set limits for your children to help them focus, listen, and better engage with you.

This article is written for:

Read the following passage and answer the question.

Are you tired of your children not listening to you? Do they seem distracted every time you ask them to do something? Are you met with a glossy-eyed stare every time you say something to them? Part of the problem is too much screen time.

Technology has its benefits, but it does a lot to ruin our children’s focus. There are too many flashes of light, too many colors, too many hyperlinks to navigate – it’s a wonder our children can even focus at all!

Limiting your children’s screen time would do wonders for them. Make more time to have face-to-face conversations. This will allow your children to actually practice good listening and communication skills. Hand them a book! This will help them sit still and focus on one thing for a period of time.

Technology won’t be going away anytime soon, but you can set limits for your children to help them focus, listen, and better engage with you.

The author of this article assumes that:

Read the following passage and answer the question.

Are you tired of your children not listening to you? Do they seem distracted every time you ask them to do something? Are you met with a glossy-eyed stare every time you say something to them? Part of the problem is too much screen time.

Technology has its benefits, but it does a lot to ruin our children’s focus. There are too many flashes of light, too many colors, too many hyperlinks to navigate – it’s a wonder our children can even focus at all!

Limiting your children’s screen time would do wonders for them. Make more time to have face-to-face conversations. This will allow your children to actually practice good listening and communication skills. Hand them a book! This will help them sit still and focus on one thing for a period of time.

Technology won’t be going away anytime soon, but you can set limits for your children to help them focus, listen, and better engage with you.

Which conclusion is not  supported by the article?

Which of the following sentences uses the MOST informal language?

Which of the following sentences uses the MOST formal language?

Read the passage below and answer the following question.

When Dr. Kingston Hussein saw an announcement for a conference titled Ethics of Human Embryonic Research, he booked his tickets six months in advance.

“We need to stop and reflect on the ramifications of every new development in our research,” said Dr. Hussein, the lead researcher in embryology at the Dampson Crockett Institute in Lewiston, Maine. “Every researcher in our field feels the weight of responsibility here. It’s what we talk about when we go out for drinks after work.”

Attitudes like Dr. Hussein’s stand in stark contrast to common public perceptions of embryonic research. “These guys think they’re gods,” said Liz Goode, chairwoman of The Center for Ethical and Dignified Humanity, an organization that opposes all research on human embryos. “They want to get rich selling designer babies to billionaires. It’s a nightmare.”

An outside observer might expect a researcher like Dr. Hussein to avoid all contact with an activist like Goode. On the contrary, Dr. Hussein wrote to the organizers of the conference and requested that they invite Goode to host a panel. “We need dialogue,” he said. “We need to hear what makes the public uncomfortable.” He chuckled. “We also need to inform them about what we’re actually doing.”

And what are embryonic researchers doing? “Not building designer babies,” he said. Dr. Hussein uses words like “run-of-the-mill medical” to describe his research goals. For instance, he is seeking causes and treatments for a variety of neurological disorders.

Which adjective most accurately describes the author’s tone?

Read the passage below and answer the following question.

When Dr. Kingston Hussein saw an announcement for a conference titled Ethics of Human Embryonic Research, he booked his tickets six months in advance.

“We need to stop and reflect on the ramifications of every new development in our research,” said Dr. Hussein, the lead researcher in embryology at the Dampson Crockett Institute in Lewiston, Maine. “Every researcher in our field feels the weight of responsibility here. It’s what we talk about when we go out for drinks after work.”

Attitudes like Dr. Hussein’s stand in stark contrast to common public perceptions of embryonic research. “These guys think they’re gods,” said Liz Goode, chairwoman of The Center for Ethical and Dignified Humanity, an organization that opposes all research on human embryos. “They want to get rich selling designer babies to billionaires. It’s a nightmare.”

An outside observer might expect a researcher like Dr. Hussein to avoid all contact with an activist like Goode. On the contrary, Dr. Hussein wrote to the organizers of the conference and requested that they invite Goode to host a panel. “We need dialogue,” he said. “We need to hear what makes the public uncomfortable.” He chuckled. “We also need to inform them about what we’re actually doing.”

And what are embryonic researchers doing? “Not building designer babies,” he said. Dr. Hussein uses words like “run-of-the-mill medical” to describe his research goals. For instance, he is seeking causes and treatments for a variety of neurological disorders.

Reread the following quotation from the passage:

“Every researcher in our field feels the weight of responsibility here. It’s what we talk about when we go out for drinks after work.”

Which adjective most accurately describes Dr. Hussein’s tone?

Read the passage below and answer the following question.

When Dr. Kingston Hussein saw an announcement for a conference titled Ethics of Human Embryonic Research, he booked his tickets six months in advance.

“We need to stop and reflect on the ramifications of every new development in our research,” said Dr. Hussein, the lead researcher in embryology at the Dampson Crockett Institute in Lewiston, Maine. “Every researcher in our field feels the weight of responsibility here. It’s what we talk about when we go out for drinks after work.”

Attitudes like Dr. Hussein’s stand in stark contrast to common public perceptions of embryonic research. “These guys think they’re gods,” said Liz Goode, chairwoman of The Center for Ethical and Dignified Humanity, an organization that opposes all research on human embryos. “They want to get rich selling designer babies to billionaires. It’s a nightmare.”

An outside observer might expect a researcher like Dr. Hussein to avoid all contact with an activist like Goode. On the contrary, Dr. Hussein wrote to the organizers of the conference and requested that they invite Goode to host a panel. “We need dialogue,” he said. “We need to hear what makes the public uncomfortable.” He chuckled. “We also need to inform them about what we’re actually doing.”

And what are embryonic researchers doing? “Not building designer babies,” he said. Dr. Hussein uses words like “run-of-the-mill medical” to describe his research goals. For instance, he is seeking causes and treatments for a variety of neurological disorders.

Reread the following quotation from the passage:

“These guys think they’re gods…They want to get rich selling designer babies to billionaires. It’s a nightmare.”

Which adjective most accurately describes Liz Goode’s tone?

Read the passages below and answer the following question.

Electroconvulsive therapy was pioneered in the 1930s as a method for combatting severe psychiatric symptoms such as intractable depression and paranoid schizophrenia. This procedure, which involves delivering a deliberate electrical shock to the brain, was controversial from the beginning because it caused pain and short-term memory loss. It fell strongly out of public favor after the 1962 publication of Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which featured an unprincipled nurse using electroconvulsive therapy as a means of control over her patients. Paradoxically, medical advances at the time of the novel’s publication made electroconvulsive therapy significantly safer and more humane.

Although the public is still generally opposed to electroconvulsive therapy, it remains a genuine option for psychiatric patients whose symptoms do not improve with medication. Medical professionals who offer this option should be especially careful to make clear distinctions between myth and reality. On this topic, unfortunately, many patients tend to rely on fiction rather than fact.

*

We were led into a stark exam room, where three doctors positioned themselves so Mama and I had no direct path to the door. The one in charge cleared his throat and told me my mother needed electroshock. My brain buzzed—almost as if it was hooked up to some crackpot brainwashing machine—as Big Doctor droned on about his sadistic intentions. I didn’t hear any of it. All I could think was that these people wanted to tie my mother down and stick wires in her ears.
When Big Doctor was finished, he flipped through the papers on his clipboard and asked if I had questions. I mumbled something noncommittal. Then, when he and his silent escort left, I grabbed Mama and beat it out of that wacko ward as fast as I could make her go.

What is the purpose of the first paragraph of Passage 1?

Read the passages below and answer the following question.

Electroconvulsive therapy was pioneered in the 1930s as a method for combatting severe psychiatric symptoms such as intractable depression and paranoid schizophrenia. This procedure, which involves delivering a deliberate electrical shock to the brain, was controversial from the beginning because it caused pain and short-term memory loss. It fell strongly out of public favor after the 1962 publication of Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which featured an unprincipled nurse using electroconvulsive therapy as a means of control over her patients. Paradoxically, medical advances at the time of the novel’s publication made electroconvulsive therapy significantly safer and more humane.

Although the public is still generally opposed to electroconvulsive therapy, it remains a genuine option for psychiatric patients whose symptoms do not improve with medication. Medical professionals who offer this option should be especially careful to make clear distinctions between myth and reality. On this topic, unfortunately, many patients tend to rely on fiction rather than fact.

*

We were led into a stark exam room, where three doctors positioned themselves so Mama and I had no direct path to the door. The one in charge cleared his throat and told me my mother needed electroshock. My brain buzzed—almost as if it was hooked up to some crackpot brainwashing machine—as Big Doctor droned on about his sadistic intentions. I didn’t hear any of it. All I could think was that these people wanted to tie my mother down and stick wires in her ears.
When Big Doctor was finished, he flipped through the papers on his clipboard and asked if I had questions. I mumbled something noncommittal. Then, when he and his silent escort left, I grabbed Mama and beat it out of that wacko ward as fast as I could make her go.

What is the purpose of the second paragraph of Passage 1?

Read the passage below and answer the following question.

The idea of raising children in prison is controversial, but well-run prison nursery programs can actually be beneficial. A study of preschool age children showed that anxiety and depression are common among young children who are separated from their mothers at birth and reunited later. In contrast, babies who spent brief sentences of two years or less behind bars with their mothers showed greater resilience and stronger attachments.

According to a nationwide analysis of women who participated in prison nursery programs, the benefits for mothers are even clearer than the benefits to children. Women who were allowed to remain with their infants during prison sentences were less likely to be convicted of another crime and less likely to use drugs in the five years after release. They were more likely to continue their education in prison and more likely to find employment on the outside. Mothers involved in prison nursery programs also reported better mental health and greater confidence in their own parenting skills.

Which statement expresses an opinion?

Read the passage below and answer the following question.

The idea of raising children in prison is controversial, but well-run prison nursery programs can actually be beneficial. A study of preschool age children showed that anxiety and depression are common among young children who are separated from their mothers at birth and reunited later. In contrast, babies who spent brief sentences of two years or less behind bars with their mothers showed greater resilience and stronger attachments.

According to a nationwide analysis of women who participated in prison nursery programs, the benefits for mothers are even clearer than the benefits to children. Women who were allowed to remain with their infants during prison sentences were less likely to be convicted of another crime and less likely to use drugs in the five years after release. They were more likely to continue their education in prison and more likely to find employment on the outside. Mothers involved in prison nursery programs also reported better mental health and greater confidence in their own parenting skills.

Consider the following sentence from the passage:

Mothers involved in prison nursery programs also reported better mental health and greater confidence in their own parenting skills.

Is this statement a fact or an opinion? Why?

Use the map below and answer the following question. 

A person could get from the Lodge to Fairyland Point by:

Use the map below and answer the following question. 

Which feature on the map is between Sunset Point and Bryce Point?