TEAS Reading Practice Test #1

The next four questions are based on the passage below.

In recent decades, jazz has been associated with New Orleans and festivals like Mardi Gras, but in the 1920s jazz was a booming trend whose influence reached into many aspects of American culture. In fact, the years between World War I and the Great Depression were known as the Jazz Age, a term coined by F. Scott Fitzgerald in his famous novel The Great Gatsby. Sometimes also called the Roaring Twenties, this time period saw major urban centers experience new economic, cultural, and artistic vitality. In the United States, musicians flocked to cities like New York and Chicago, which would become famous hubs for jazz musicians. Ella Fitzgerald, for example, moved from Virginia to New York City to begin her much-lauded singing career, and jazz pioneer Louis Armstrong got his big break in Chicago.
Jazz music was played by and for a more expressive and freer populace than the United States had previously seen. Women gained the right to vote and were openly seen drinking and wearing revealing clothing. This period marked the emergence of the flapper, a woman determined to make a statement about her new role in society. Jazz music also provided the soundtrack for the explosion of African American art and culture now known as the Harlem Renaissance. In addition to Fitzgerald and Armstrong, numerous musicians, including Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Bessie Smith, promoted their distinctive and complex music as an integral part of the emerging African American culture.

Which of the following is the author’s main purpose for writing this passage?

The sentence below appears in the second paragraph of the passage.

Jazz music also provided the soundtrack for the explosion of African American art and culture now known as the Harlem Renaissance.

This sentence is BEST described as which of the following?

The passage demonstrates which of the following types of writing?

Which of the following conclusions may be drawn directly from the second paragraph of the passage?

The next four questions are based on the passage below.

Popcorn is often associated with fun and festivities, both in and out of the home. It’s eaten in theaters, usually after being salted and smothered in butter, and in homes, fresh from the microwave. But popcorn isn’t just for fun—it’s also a multimillion-dollar industry with a long and fascinating history.
While popcorn might seem like a modern invention, its history actually dates back thousands of years, making it one of the oldest snack foods enjoyed around the world. Popping is believed by food historians to be one of the earliest uses of cultivated corn. In 1948, Herbert Dick and Earle Smith discovered old popcorn dating back 4,000 years in the New Mexico Bat Cave. For the Aztec Indians that called the caves home, popcorn (or momochitl) played an important role in society, both as a food staple and in ceremonies. The Aztecs cooked popcorn by heating sand in a fire; when it was heated, kernels were added and would pop when exposed to the heat of the sand.
The American love affair with popcorn began in 1912, when popcorn was first sold in theaters. The popcorn industry flourished during the Great Depression by advertising popcorn as a wholesome and economical food. Selling for five to ten cents a bag, it was a luxury that the downtrodden could afford. With the introduction of mobile popcorn machines at the World’s Columbian Exposition in the late 1800s, popcorn moved from the theater into fairs and parks. Popcorn continued to rule the snack food kingdom until the rise in popularity of home televisions during the 1950s.
The popcorn industry reacted to its decline in sales quickly by introducing pre-popped and un-popped popcorn for home consumption. However, it wasn’t until microwave popcorn became commercially available in 1981 that at-home popcorn consumption began to grow exponentially. With the wide availability of microwaves in the United States, popcorn also began popping up in offices and hotel rooms. The home still remains the most popular popcorn eating spot, though: Today, 70 percent of the 16 billion quarts of popcorn consumed annually in the United States is eaten at home.

The author’s description of the growth of the popcorn industry demonstrates which of the following types of text structure?

Which of the following conclusions may be drawn directly from the third paragraph of the passage?

Which of the following is the author’s main purpose for writing this passage?

Based on the passage, which of the following is the most likely inference?

The next two questions are  based on the passage below.

Mason was one of those guys who just always seemed at home. Stick him on a bus, and he’d make three new friends; when he joined a team, it was only a matter of time before he was elected captain. This particular skill rested almost entirely in his eyes. These brown orbs seemed lit from within, and when Mason focused that fire, it was impossible not to feel its warmth. People sought out Mason for the feeling of comfort he so easily created, and anyone with a good joke would want to tell it to Mason. His laughter started with a spark in his eyes that traveled down to create his wide, open smile.

Based on a prior knowledge of literature, the reader can infer that this passage was taken from which of the following?

Which of the following is a logical conclusion that can be drawn from this description?

The next two questions are based on the following memo.

MEMO
From: Human Resource Department
To: Department Leaders
Date: December 6, 2018
Subject: Personal Use of Computers
Management has been conducting standard monitoring of computer usage, and we are dismayed at the amount of personal use occurring during business hours. Employee computers are available for the sole purpose of completing company business and for nothing else. These rules must be respected. If employees are found to be using computers for personal use during work hours, disciplinary action will be taken. Personal use should occur in emergency situations only, and in these cases, use should be limited to 30 minutes. Please communicate these requirements to all personnel in your department.

Which of the following is the main purpose of this email?

Which of the following inferences may be logically drawn from the memo?

The next three questions are based on the following passage.

It could be said that the great battle between the North and South we call the Civil War was a battle for individual identity. The states of the South had their own culture, one based on farming, independence, and the rights of both man and state to determine their own paths. Similarly, the North had forged its own identity as a center of centralized commerce and manufacturing. This clash of lifestyles was bound to create tension, and this tension was bound to lead to war. But people who try to sell you this narrative are wrong. The Civil War was not a battle of cultural identities—it was a battle about slavery. All other explanations for the war are either a direct consequence of the South’s desire for wealth at the expense of her fellow man or a fanciful invention to cover up this sad portion of our nation’s history. And it cannot be denied that this time in our past was very sad indeed.

Which of the following describes this type of writing?

Which of the following is a likely motive of the author?

Which of the following statements BEST describes the author’s point of view?

The next two questions are based on the following passage.

Patients are to arrive at the hospital two hours before the scheduled start time for their surgery. All surgery patients must check in at the Hospital Admissions Desk before proceeding to the Third-Floor Surgery Admissions Desk. The admitting nurse will ensure that all required paperwork has been completed before the patient is taken to the Surgery Holding Room. Once admitted to the Holding Room, the patient will need permission from the head nurse to leave and reenter. One family member or friend may accompany the patient in the Holding Room. All other family and friends will be asked to remain in the Third-Floor Waiting Area.

Which of the following is the first place a patient entering the hospital would visit?

A patient who has checked in at the Surgery Admissions Desk would go to which location next?

Which of the following is a primary source for an article on the Battle of Gettysburg?

The next question is based on the following lists.

Tree Species by Ecosystem
Tropical Rain Forest: mahogany, Brazil nut, rubber tree, tualang, strangler figs
Tropical Dry Forest: palu, Ceylon ebony, governor’s plum
Temperate Deciduous Forest: oak, maple, beech, elm, magnolia, sweet gum
Temperate Coniferous Forest: cedar, cypress, juniper, pine, spruce, redwood

According to the lists above, beech trees are found in which ecosystem?

Which of the following sentences indicates the end of a sequence?

The next question is based on the following index taken from a psychology textbook.

Memory, types, 315 – 347

autobiographical, 326
explicit, 316 – 320
implicit, 319 – 325
long-term, 333 – 342
short-term, 340 – 346

Which of the following pages should a reader check first for information on short-term memory?

The next two questions are based on the figure below.

If the thermometer indicated a temperature of −40°F, what would the temperature be in degrees Celsius?

If the reading on the thermometer dropped 10°C, what would the temperature be in degrees Fahrenheit?

The next three questions are based on the figure below showing the inventory at Gigi’s Diner below.

Which food does Gigi’s have the least of?

According to the graph above, how many more hamburger buns does Gigi’s need in order to make 200 hamburgers?

How many hamburgers could Gigi’s make if each burger includes one bacon slice and two cheese slices?

Which of the following BEST defines the word eloquent as used in the sentence below?

The president’s speech was eloquent and touched many voters with its wit and flair.

The next three questions are based on the passage below.

From the outside, your ears may look like floppy satellite dishes that are perpetually begging you to insert the latest wireless earphones. But did you know that your ears are more than just auditory conduits for the latest tunes? When you move past these whirlpools of flesh and cartilage and into the narrow catacombs of your inner ear, you enter an entirely different physiological realm. The ear has a secret secondary job: balance.
The labyrinth of your inner ear—literally called the bony labyrinth—is composed of a series of waxy canals and fluid-filled ducts. In addition to the cochlea, which is responsible for hearing, you have five balance receptors. Two receptors detect linear motion: one for up-and-down movement and the other for forward-and-backward or side-to-side movements. The other three receptors—the semicircular canals—work together to detect head rotation. The semicircular canals are at right angles to each other, replicating the three dimensions of the world around us. They contain a special fluid called endolymph, which “sloshes” with the movement of your head, stimulating tiny hairlike structures that then send signals to your brain about the direction you are moving—or whether you are still. So think twice before you inundate your dual-purpose ears with the deafening reverberations of the top forty—you might be throwing your whole world off balance.

Readers can infer from the passage that the author is trying to

Why does the author use the hyphenated word dual-purpose in the last sentence?

According to the passage, two out of five “receptors” in the ear “detect linear motion.” What do the other three receptors do?

The next two questions are based on the passage below.

Most people think of respiration as the mechanical exchange of air between human lungs and the environment. They think about oxygen filling up the tiny air sacs in the lungs. They think about how this process feeds the capillaries surrounding the air sacs, which then infuse the bloodstream with the oxygen it needs. They may even think about how carbon dioxide is exhaled from the lungs back into the environment. But this process—known as external respiration—is just one form of respiration that occurs in the human body. Did you know there are actually two types of respiration in humans? The second form of respiration is equally important; it is known as internal, or cellular, respiration.
Whereas external respiration centers on an exchange between the lungs and the environment, internal respiration centers on a molecular exchange between cells and capillaries. All organs inside the human body rely on cellular respiration to function properly. Cells within the organs are surrounded by thousands of tiny capillaries that act as channels for the exchange of gases. Oxygen is carried through these microscopic blood vessels, moving from red blood cells to the surrounding tissue. Additionally, built-up carbon dioxide in the tissues flows through the capillaries back to the lungs. This second form of respiration may be invisible to the human eye, but it is crucial for the maintenance of human life.

Which of the following statements can the reader infer from the passage?

What is the author’s primary purpose in writing this essay?

A student wants to look online to find unbiased information about organic foods. Analyze the following websites and their taglines to determine which site he should use.

The next question is based on the table of contents below taken from an American history textbook.

Chapter 2: Early American History

1. Early Settlement

A. Plymouth
B. Jamestown

2. The American Revolution

A. American Victories
B. British Victories

3. A New Century

A. The Constitutional Convention
B. The Ratification Years

Which of the following lists includes only subheadings?

The next question is based on the directions below taken from a plumbing manual.

When connecting line A to port B, make sure that port C is completely closed. If port C is left open, fluid will leak as soon as line A is connected. Once line A and port B are fully connected, port C can be opened as needed.

The bold text in the directions indicates which of the following?

Read and follow the directions below.

1. You start with $20 in your wallet.
2. You spend $5 on lunch.
3. You receive $20 for mowing your neighbor’s yard.
4. You spend $10 on a new shirt.
5. You receive $10 for driving a friend to work.
6. You spend $30 on fuel for your vehicle.

How much money do you have left?

After following the directions below, how much water is left?

1. You have 3 gallons of water.
2. You use 0.5 gallons to water your plant.
3. You use 1 gallon to refill your dog’s water bowl.
4. You put 0.5 gallons in an ice tray to make ice cubes.

Which of the following BEST defines the underlined word in the sentence below?
Elaine was feeling lethargic after a poor night’s sleep, but she still managed to get to work on time.

The next questions is based on the table of contents below taken from an art history textbook.

Chapter 6: Art of the Middle Ages

I. The Stories Behind Famous Paintings
II. Notable Sculpting Techniques
III. Recipes for Common Dishes
IV. Textiles and Tapestries

Which of the following headings does NOT belong in the outline?

Read and follow the directions below.

1. Start at the center of town.
2. Drive north 10 miles.
3. Turn left and drive west 5 miles.
4. Turn left and drive south 2 miles.
5. Turn right and drive west 1 mile.

Which of the following is now your distance from the center of town?

Which of the following BEST defines the underlined word in the sentence below?

Miguel was concerned that his laceration would need stitches.

The next question is based on the table of contents below taken from a travel guide.

Chapter 3: Planning Your Vacation

1. Getting There

A. Air Travel
B. Traveling by Train
C. _____
D. Taking the Bus

2. Accommodations
3. Dining

Based on the pattern of the headings, which of the following is a reasonable heading to insert in the blank spot?

Read and follow the directions below.

1. You start with one red marble and two green marbles in a pouch.
2. Remove one red marble.
3. Add one green marble.
4. Add one red marble.
5. Add one green marble.
6. Remove one red marble.
7. Remove one green marble.
8. Add three red marbles.
9. Add two green marbles.

How many red and green marbles are now in the pouch?

In the sentence below, the use of quotation marks signifies which of the following?

The couple’s “plan” was little more than just a desire to travel. They showed up at the airport with no tickets, no itinerary, and no destination in mind.