Free TEAS Reading practice test
46 original Reading questions covering Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.
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TEAS 7 Reading practice test
- 46 questions
- Reading
- 56 min in exam mode
- Practice mode, no timer
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Text 1: From a Personal Fitness Blog
Last spring I bought a step counter and set a goal of 10,000 steps every day. Within two months I had lost 15 pounds, and I had more energy than I'd had in years. My neighbor tried the same plan, and she says she sleeps better than ever. The lesson is obvious: 10,000 steps is the magic number for good health. If you are walking less than that, you are wasting your time. Lace up your shoes, hit your number, and watch your life change.
Text 2: From a Community Health Newsletter
Many people track their daily steps, and a step counter can be a handy way to notice how much you move. The federal activity guideline for adults, however, is not written in steps. The CDC recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, each week. That could be 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, and the time can be spread out and broken into smaller chunks, such as several short walks. Adults also need muscle-strengthening activity on at least 2 days a week. For people who are not active now, the CDC's message is encouraging: some physical activity is better than none, so starting small still counts.
With which statement would the authors of both texts most likely agree?
Correct answer: C
To compare two texts, first identify each author's main claim, then look for the idea both of them support, even if they support it for different reasons. Text 1 praises walking as life-changing, and Text 2 names brisk walking as an example of the moderate activity adults need. The two authors disagree about whether a step target or a weekly total of minutes is the right measure, so statements that belong to only one text cannot be shared views.
- A Only Text 1 makes this claim; Text 2 says that some activity is better than none and that starting small still counts, which contradicts it.
- B Only Text 2 takes this position; the author of Text 1 treats a daily step count as the key measure.
- C Correct: Text 1 credits walking with major health changes, and Text 2 lists brisk walking as moderate-intensity activity that counts toward the guideline.
- D Only Text 2 mentions muscle-strengthening activity; Text 1 never discusses it, so there is no evidence its author would agree.
Learn this topic: How to compare the themes and ideas of two texts 5-minute lesson
Source: CDC, Adult Activity: An Overview ·
Interpreters on Screen
At Riverside Family Health Center, about one in four patients speaks a language other than English at home. Until last year, the center had only two in-person interpreters, and both spoke Spanish. Patients who spoke other languages often waited an hour or more for a phone interpreter, and some left before they were seen.
Last March, the center tried a new approach. Each exam room received a tablet that connects to a video interpreter service within a few minutes. The service covers more than 40 languages, including American Sign Language. Front-desk staff were also trained to ask every patient at check-in which language they prefer, and the answer is now saved in the patient's record.
The early results have been promising. Over the next six months, the average wait for an interpreter fell from 52 minutes to 9 minutes, and the share of patients who left before being seen dropped by more than half. The rollout did have one setback. Video calls froze often in the two exam rooms farthest from the building's wireless router, so the center installed a signal booster in that hallway.
Next year, the center plans to place interpreter tablets in its pharmacy and laboratory as well.
What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
Correct answer: B
A paragraph's main idea is the point that all of its sentences support, and it is often stated in the topic sentence. The second paragraph opens with "the center tried a new approach," and every other sentence describes a part of that approach: tablets, the video service, and the language question at check-in. A single feature or number from the paragraph is a supporting detail, not the main idea.
- A This is a supporting detail about the video service, one feature of the new approach rather than the point the whole paragraph makes.
- B Correct: the topic sentence introduces a new approach, and the tablets, video service, and check-in question all describe that system.
- C This is one part of the new approach, so it is a supporting detail rather than the paragraph's main idea.
- D This detail comes from the third paragraph, which describes results and a setback, not from the second paragraph.
Learn this topic: How to summarize a passage that runs over several paragraphs 5-minute lesson
Source: UNC Writing Center, Paragraphs · Purdue OWL, Summarizing ·
Interpreters on Screen
At Riverside Family Health Center, about one in four patients speaks a language other than English at home. Until last year, the center had only two in-person interpreters, and both spoke Spanish. Patients who spoke other languages often waited an hour or more for a phone interpreter, and some left before they were seen.
Last March, the center tried a new approach. Each exam room received a tablet that connects to a video interpreter service within a few minutes. The service covers more than 40 languages, including American Sign Language. Front-desk staff were also trained to ask every patient at check-in which language they prefer, and the answer is now saved in the patient's record.
The early results have been promising. Over the next six months, the average wait for an interpreter fell from 52 minutes to 9 minutes, and the share of patients who left before being seen dropped by more than half. The rollout did have one setback. Video calls froze often in the two exam rooms farthest from the building's wireless router, so the center installed a signal booster in that hallway.
Next year, the center plans to place interpreter tablets in its pharmacy and laboratory as well.
Which of the following best summarizes the passage?
Correct answer: C
A summary restates the main idea and the key points of the whole passage, in the original order, and leaves out minor details. This passage moves from a problem (long waits), to a fix (video interpreters), to results and a setback, to a plan to expand. The best choice touches each of those parts; a choice that covers only the first half, reverses causes, or adds the reader's opinion is not a summary.
- A This is accurate but too narrow: it covers only the problem and the fix in the first two paragraphs and leaves out the results and the plan to expand.
- B This distorts the passage: patients left before being seen because of long waits for interpreters, and the frozen calls were a minor setback in two rooms.
- C Correct: it covers the problem, the fix, the results, the setback, and the plan to expand, in the passage's order.
- D This is too broad and adds an opinion: the passage never compares video and in-person interpreters or tells other clinics what to do.
Learn this topic: How to summarize a passage that runs over several paragraphs 5-minute lesson
Source: Purdue OWL, Summarizing · Purdue OWL, Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing · OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook, 13.5 Research Process: Making Notes, Synthesizing Information, and Keeping a Research Log ·
Interpreters on Screen
At Riverside Family Health Center, about one in four patients speaks a language other than English at home. Until last year, the center had only two in-person interpreters, and both spoke Spanish. Patients who spoke other languages often waited an hour or more for a phone interpreter, and some left before they were seen.
Last March, the center tried a new approach. Each exam room received a tablet that connects to a video interpreter service within a few minutes. The service covers more than 40 languages, including American Sign Language. Front-desk staff were also trained to ask every patient at check-in which language they prefer, and the answer is now saved in the patient's record.
The early results have been promising. Over the next six months, the average wait for an interpreter fell from 52 minutes to 9 minutes, and the share of patients who left before being seen dropped by more than half. The rollout did have one setback. Video calls froze often in the two exam rooms farthest from the building's wireless router, so the center installed a signal booster in that hallway.
Next year, the center plans to place interpreter tablets in its pharmacy and laboratory as well.
A student is writing a three-sentence summary of the passage. Which of the following ideas belong in the summary? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: A, C, E
A summary keeps the main point of each part of the passage and drops minor details. Here, the key ideas are the problem (long waits), the solution (video interpreter tablets), and the result (much shorter waits). A specific number that only describes the service is a minor detail, and advice the author never gives does not belong in any summary.
- A Correct: the long waits are the problem the whole passage is built around.
- B This is a minor supporting detail about the service; a short summary can leave it out without losing the main idea.
- C Correct: the tablets are the solution the center tried, which is central to the passage.
- D This is an opinion the passage never states; a summary reports the author's ideas, not new advice.
- E Correct: the drop in wait times is the main result reported in the third paragraph.
Learn this topic: How to summarize a passage that runs over several paragraphs 5-minute lesson
Source: Purdue OWL, Summarizing · Purdue OWL, Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing ·
The Garden on Level 6
Two years ago, the top level of Westbrook Medical Center's parking garage was bare concrete. Today it holds twenty raised beds of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and flowers. The garden was the idea of Rosa Delgado, a pharmacy technician who started with four beds and a borrowed hose. This year, more than seventy employees, from billing clerks to surgeons, signed up to help.
Volunteers work in pairs during their breaks or before and after their shifts. Each pair waters and weeds its own bed, and anyone may pick from the shared herb boxes near the stairwell. The harvest goes to the staff cafeteria and to a free produce table in the main lobby every Friday.
Members say the garden has given them more than vegetables. Respiratory therapist Kwame Asante says he used to spend his breaks scrolling on his phone. "Now I know half the people in the lab by name," he said. The cafeteria has noticed a change, too. Since the garden began, it has run out of fresh herbs far less often, and the chef now plans a weekly special around whatever is ripe.
The garden committee has asked the medical center to install a second water spigot and a shade awning over the far beds. The request is under review.
Interested? Sign-up sheets for next season are posted outside the Employee Health office.
Based on the passage, why has the cafeteria most likely run out of fresh herbs less often since the garden began?
Correct answer: D
An inference combines clues the passage gives you. The passage says the harvest goes to the staff cafeteria and that the garden grows herbs; it then says the cafeteria runs out of fresh herbs less often since the garden began. Putting those clues together supports the conclusion that the garden is supplying the cafeteria, while the other choices depend on facts the passage never gives or contradicts.
- A The passage never mentions the cafeteria's supplier, so this relies on information that is not in the text.
- B Nothing in the passage suggests fewer people eat in the cafeteria; this is an unsupported guess.
- C This contradicts the passage, which says the chef now plans a weekly special around whatever is ripe.
- D Correct: the garden grows herbs, its harvest goes to the cafeteria, and the shortages eased after the garden began.
Learn this topic: How to make inferences and draw conclusions from a passage 5-minute lesson
Source: Long Beach City College WRSC, Questioning (How to Question to Make Inferences) · Iowa Reading Research Center, Making Inferences ·
The Garden on Level 6
Two years ago, the top level of Westbrook Medical Center's parking garage was bare concrete. Today it holds twenty raised beds of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and flowers. The garden was the idea of Rosa Delgado, a pharmacy technician who started with four beds and a borrowed hose. This year, more than seventy employees, from billing clerks to surgeons, signed up to help.
Volunteers work in pairs during their breaks or before and after their shifts. Each pair waters and weeds its own bed, and anyone may pick from the shared herb boxes near the stairwell. The harvest goes to the staff cafeteria and to a free produce table in the main lobby every Friday.
Members say the garden has given them more than vegetables. Respiratory therapist Kwame Asante says he used to spend his breaks scrolling on his phone. "Now I know half the people in the lab by name," he said. The cafeteria has noticed a change, too. Since the garden began, it has run out of fresh herbs far less often, and the chef now plans a weekly special around whatever is ripe.
The garden committee has asked the medical center to install a second water spigot and a shade awning over the far beds. The request is under review.
Interested? Sign-up sheets for next season are posted outside the Employee Health office.
Which of the following conclusions are supported by the passage? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: A, C
A supported conclusion is one you can point to in the text, even if the text never states it directly. Billing clerks are among the volunteers, and a request for a second spigot means there is one now. Choices that need outside knowledge, contradict a stated detail, or stretch a number into "most" are not supported.
- A Correct: the volunteers include billing clerks, whose work is not direct patient care.
- B The passage never compares the nutrition of garden and store vegetables; this relies on outside ideas, not the text.
- C Correct: the committee asked for a second water spigot, which implies the garden has one now.
- D This contradicts the passage, which says volunteers work during breaks or before and after their shifts.
- E The passage says more than seventy employees signed up but never gives the total staff size, so "most" goes beyond the evidence.
Learn this topic: How to make inferences and draw conclusions from a passage 5-minute lesson
Source: Long Beach City College WRSC, Questioning (How to Question to Make Inferences) · Iowa Reading Research Center, Making Inferences · OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook, 1.5 Writing Process: Thinking Critically About a "Text" ·
The Garden on Level 6
Two years ago, the top level of Westbrook Medical Center's parking garage was bare concrete. Today it holds twenty raised beds of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and flowers. The garden was the idea of Rosa Delgado, a pharmacy technician who started with four beds and a borrowed hose. This year, more than seventy employees, from billing clerks to surgeons, signed up to help.
Volunteers work in pairs during their breaks or before and after their shifts. Each pair waters and weeds its own bed, and anyone may pick from the shared herb boxes near the stairwell. The harvest goes to the staff cafeteria and to a free produce table in the main lobby every Friday.
Members say the garden has given them more than vegetables. Respiratory therapist Kwame Asante says he used to spend his breaks scrolling on his phone. "Now I know half the people in the lab by name," he said. The cafeteria has noticed a change, too. Since the garden began, it has run out of fresh herbs far less often, and the chef now plans a weekly special around whatever is ripe.
The garden committee has asked the medical center to install a second water spigot and a shade awning over the far beds. The request is under review.
Interested? Sign-up sheets for next season are posted outside the Employee Health office.
Which of the following best describes the author's main purpose in writing the passage?
Correct answer: C
To infer purpose, ask what the author wants readers to know, believe, or do, and look closely at the ending. Most of this passage describes the garden's history, routine, and effects, and it closes with an invitation to sign up, which shows the author also wants to recruit volunteers. A choice built on one detail, or on topics the passage never covers, does not describe the purpose of the whole text.
- A The passage never discusses health benefits; choosing this brings in outside knowledge about gardening.
- B The request is one detail, and the author reports it neutrally ("under review") without arguing for it.
- C Correct: the passage describes the garden throughout and ends with an invitation to sign up for next season.
- D Costs are never mentioned, so this purpose has no support in the text.
Learn this topic: How to make inferences and draw conclusions from a passage 5-minute lesson
Source: Purdue OWL, Purposes · Long Beach City College WRSC, Questioning (How to Question to Make Inferences) ·
Study Room Check-In: Harmon Health Sciences Library
Students may reserve a second-floor study room for up to two hours at a time. Each room is checked in at the door using the room's tablet. Please read all of these directions before you begin.
When you arrive, find the tablet mounted beside the door of the room you reserved. Tap Check In, and then scan your student ID card on the reader below the screen. Before you tap Check In, however, compare the name shown on the screen with the name on your reservation. If the names do not match, you are at the wrong room, so do not check in.
After you scan your card, wait for the light above the tablet. A green light means the room is ready for you. If the light turns red, do not scan your card again. Instead, take your ID card to the front desk on the first floor.
Check-in opens 5 minutes before your reserved start time. If no one has checked in within 15 minutes after the start time, the reservation is canceled and the room becomes available to anyone.
When you are finished, erase the whiteboard and take all of your belongings. Then tap End Session so the next student can use the room.
According to the directions, when is a study room reservation canceled?
Correct answer: C
Directions often put special conditions, such as deadlines, after the main steps, so read the whole set before you act. The late-arrival paragraph says a reservation is canceled if no one checks in within 15 minutes after the start time. The other numbers in the passage belong to different rules: check-in opens 5 minutes early, and the maximum booking is two hours.
- A This misreads the 5-minute rule: check-in opens 5 minutes before the start time, but checking in early is not required.
- B A red light sends the student to the front desk; the directions do not say the reservation is canceled.
- C Correct: the directions say the reservation is canceled if no one checks in within 15 minutes after the start time.
- D Two hours is the longest reservation allowed, not a reason a reservation is canceled.
Learn this topic: How to follow multi-step written directions 5-minute lesson
Source: Digital.gov Plain Language Guide, Organize the information · McMurrey, Online Technical Writing, 2.06 Instructions (LibreTexts) ·
Study Room Check-In: Harmon Health Sciences Library
Students may reserve a second-floor study room for up to two hours at a time. Each room is checked in at the door using the room's tablet. Please read all of these directions before you begin.
When you arrive, find the tablet mounted beside the door of the room you reserved. Tap Check In, and then scan your student ID card on the reader below the screen. Before you tap Check In, however, compare the name shown on the screen with the name on your reservation. If the names do not match, you are at the wrong room, so do not check in.
After you scan your card, wait for the light above the tablet. A green light means the room is ready for you. If the light turns red, do not scan your card again. Instead, take your ID card to the front desk on the first floor.
Check-in opens 5 minutes before your reserved start time. If no one has checked in within 15 minutes after the start time, the reservation is canceled and the room becomes available to anyone.
When you are finished, erase the whiteboard and take all of your belongings. Then tap End Session so the next student can use the room.
According to the directions, in what order should a student complete these steps when checking in? Put the steps in order from first to last.
- Scan your student ID card
- Wait for the light above the tablet
- Tap Check In
- Find the tablet beside the door of your reserved room
- Compare the name on the screen with the name on your reservation
Use the arrows to put the items in the correct order.
Correct answer: Find the tablet beside the door of your reserved room → Compare the name on the screen with the name on your reservation → Tap Check In → Scan your student ID card → Wait for the light above the tablet
Order of mention is not always the order of doing. The directions mention tapping Check In before they mention comparing names, but "Before you tap Check In" moves the name check ahead of that step. Sequence words such as when you arrive, and then, and after you scan set the rest of the order.
- Scan your student ID card Fourth: "Tap Check In, and then scan your student ID card" puts scanning right after tapping.
- Wait for the light above the tablet Fifth: "After you scan your card, wait for the light" makes this the last check-in step.
- Tap Check In Third: it is mentioned before the name check, but "Before you tap Check In" means the comparison must come first.
- Find the tablet beside the door of your reserved room First: "When you arrive, find the tablet" opens the procedure.
- Compare the name on the screen with the name on your reservation Second: the signal word before places this ahead of tapping Check In, even though it is mentioned later.
Learn this topic: How to follow multi-step written directions 5-minute lesson
Source: Purdue OWL, Transitional Devices · McMurrey, Online Technical Writing, 2.06 Instructions (LibreTexts) ·
Study Room Check-In: Harmon Health Sciences Library
Students may reserve a second-floor study room for up to two hours at a time. Each room is checked in at the door using the room's tablet. Please read all of these directions before you begin.
When you arrive, find the tablet mounted beside the door of the room you reserved. Tap Check In, and then scan your student ID card on the reader below the screen. Before you tap Check In, however, compare the name shown on the screen with the name on your reservation. If the names do not match, you are at the wrong room, so do not check in.
After you scan your card, wait for the light above the tablet. A green light means the room is ready for you. If the light turns red, do not scan your card again. Instead, take your ID card to the front desk on the first floor.
Check-in opens 5 minutes before your reserved start time. If no one has checked in within 15 minutes after the start time, the reservation is canceled and the room becomes available to anyone.
When you are finished, erase the whiteboard and take all of your belongings. Then tap End Session so the next student can use the room.
Malik reserved a study room from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. He arrives at 2:10 p.m., confirms that the name on the screen matches his reservation, taps Check In, and scans his ID card. The light above the tablet turns red. If Malik follows the directions, what should he do next?
Correct answer: C
Each condition in a set of directions must be checked against the situation as it is right now. Malik arrived 10 minutes after his start time, which is within the 15-minute limit, so his reservation was not canceled. Because the light turned red, the red-light condition applies: do not scan again, and take the ID card to the first-floor front desk.
- A The directions say that if the light turns red, the student should not scan the card again.
- B Malik checked in 10 minutes after the start time, which is within the 15-minute limit, so his reservation was still active.
- C Correct: the red-light condition applies, and the directions say to take the ID card to the front desk on the first floor.
- D End Session is the last step when a student is finished using a room; the directions never mention it for a red light.
Learn this topic: How to follow multi-step written directions 5-minute lesson
Source: McMurrey, Online Technical Writing, 2.06 Instructions (LibreTexts) · Digital.gov Plain Language Guide, Organize the information ·
Maple Grove Medical Center: Visitor Guide
Visiting Hours
General patient floors are open to visitors from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day. The Maternity Unit allows two support persons at any time; all other maternity visitors may come from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Visitors to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) must call from the phone outside the unit doors before entering.Parking
Visitor parking is in Garage B on Elm Street. The first 30 minutes are free. After that, the rate is $2 per hour, up to a maximum of $10 per day. Visitors who expect to come back often can buy a weekly pass for $20 at the Information Desk in the main lobby.Food and Drink
The Harvest Café on the first floor serves hot meals from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekends. Vending machines on the second floor, next to the elevators, are available 24 hours a day. Please check with a nurse before bringing food to a patient, because some patients are on special diets.After-Hours Entrance
From 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., the main lobby doors are locked. Use the Emergency Department entrance on Oak Avenue, and sign in with the security officer, who will give you a visitor sticker.Wi-Fi
Connect to the network named MGMC-Guest. No password is needed, but you must accept the terms on the welcome screen.According to the guide, what is the most a visitor will pay to park in Garage B for one day?
Correct answer: B
To find a specific detail, turn the question into a target (here, a daily parking cost), jump to the heading that matches it, and then read the whole sentence for limit words. The Parking section says the rate is $2 per hour "up to a maximum of $10 per day," so $10 is the most a visitor pays for one day. The other numbers in the same section answer different questions.
- A $2 is the hourly rate, not the daily maximum; this comes from stopping at the first dollar amount in the section.
- B Correct: the Parking section caps the rate at a maximum of $10 per day.
- C $20 is the price of a weekly pass, a different detail from the same section.
- D Only the first 30 minutes are free; this comes from reading one sentence and ignoring the rest of the section.
Learn this topic: How to find one specific detail in a text fast 5-minute lesson
Source: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Center for Academic Support and Advisement: Skimming and Scanning · Excelsior University Online Writing Lab, Reading Lab: Previewing ·
Maple Grove Medical Center: Visitor Guide
Visiting Hours
General patient floors are open to visitors from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day. The Maternity Unit allows two support persons at any time; all other maternity visitors may come from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Visitors to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) must call from the phone outside the unit doors before entering.Parking
Visitor parking is in Garage B on Elm Street. The first 30 minutes are free. After that, the rate is $2 per hour, up to a maximum of $10 per day. Visitors who expect to come back often can buy a weekly pass for $20 at the Information Desk in the main lobby.Food and Drink
The Harvest Café on the first floor serves hot meals from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekends. Vending machines on the second floor, next to the elevators, are available 24 hours a day. Please check with a nurse before bringing food to a patient, because some patients are on special diets.After-Hours Entrance
From 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., the main lobby doors are locked. Use the Emergency Department entrance on Oak Avenue, and sign in with the security officer, who will give you a visitor sticker.Wi-Fi
Connect to the network named MGMC-Guest. No password is needed, but you must accept the terms on the welcome screen.Dana arrives at the medical center at 3:00 p.m. on a Saturday to visit her father, who is on a general patient floor. Based on the guide, which of the following statements about her visit are accurate? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: A, C, E
Scanning questions with several conditions require matching every detail of the situation (day, time, place) to the right section. General floors are open from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day, the vending machines are open 24 hours, and the first 30 minutes of parking are free. The café's weekend hours end at 2:00 p.m., and the call-first rule applies only to the ICU.
- A Correct: general patient floors are open from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day, and 3:00 p.m. falls in that window.
- B The café serves hot meals only until 2:00 p.m. on weekends; choosing this comes from reading the weekday hours instead.
- C Correct: the second-floor vending machines are available 24 hours a day.
- D The call-from-the-phone rule is for the Intensive Care Unit only; this applies a rule from the right section to the wrong unit.
- E Correct: the Parking section says the first 30 minutes are free.
Learn this topic: How to find one specific detail in a text fast 5-minute lesson
Source: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Center for Academic Support and Advisement: Skimming and Scanning · Excelsior University Online Writing Lab, Reading Lab: Previewing ·
Maple Grove Medical Center: Visitor Guide
Visiting Hours
General patient floors are open to visitors from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day. The Maternity Unit allows two support persons at any time; all other maternity visitors may come from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Visitors to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) must call from the phone outside the unit doors before entering.Parking
Visitor parking is in Garage B on Elm Street. The first 30 minutes are free. After that, the rate is $2 per hour, up to a maximum of $10 per day. Visitors who expect to come back often can buy a weekly pass for $20 at the Information Desk in the main lobby.Food and Drink
The Harvest Café on the first floor serves hot meals from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekends. Vending machines on the second floor, next to the elevators, are available 24 hours a day. Please check with a nurse before bringing food to a patient, because some patients are on special diets.After-Hours Entrance
From 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., the main lobby doors are locked. Use the Emergency Department entrance on Oak Avenue, and sign in with the security officer, who will give you a visitor sticker.Wi-Fi
Connect to the network named MGMC-Guest. No password is needed, but you must accept the terms on the welcome screen.Luis wants to visit his sister, a patient in the Maternity Unit. He is not one of her two support persons. He arrives at 8:30 p.m. Based on the guide, which conclusion is most accurate?
Correct answer: B
When a passage has several rules, scan for the one that matches every part of the situation: the unit, the type of visitor and the time. For the Maternity Unit, only the two support persons may come at any time; all other visitors may come from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Luis is not a support person and arrives at 8:30 p.m., so he is outside his visiting hours. The after-hours entrance explains how to get into the building, not who may visit.
- A The "any time" rule covers only the two support persons; this misses the condition that follows in the same sentence.
- B Correct: maternity visitors who are not support persons may come only from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. is outside that window.
- C The After-Hours Entrance section explains how to enter the building at night, but it does not change the Maternity Unit's visiting hours.
- D Calling from the phone outside the unit doors is the rule for the ICU, not the Maternity Unit.
Learn this topic: How to find one specific detail in a text fast 5-minute lesson
Source: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Center for Academic Support and Advisement: Skimming and Scanning · Excelsior University Online Writing Lab, Reading Lab: Previewing ·
Reading the Label on a Can of Soup
A community health newsletter printed the Nutrition Facts label from a can of vegetable soup, along with a few tips based on FDA guidance.
Every amount on the label refers to one serving, not to the whole container. If you eat two servings, you get twice the calories, twice the amount of each nutrient and twice the % Daily Value (%DV). The serving size is a standard measured amount; it is not a recommendation of how much you should eat.
The %DV column shows how much of a day's reference amount of a nutrient one serving provides. As a quick guide, 5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is considered low, and 20% DV or more is considered high. The FDA lists saturated fat, sodium and added sugars as nutrients to get less of, and dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium as nutrients to get more of.
Nutrition Facts: Servings per container: 2. Serving size: 1 cup (245 g). Calories per serving: 110.
Nutrient Amount per serving % Daily Value Total fat 2 g 3% Saturated fat 1 g 5% Trans fat 0 g — Cholesterol 0 mg 0% Sodium 690 mg 30% Total carbohydrate 18 g 7% Dietary fiber 4 g 14% Total sugars 4 g — Includes added sugars 1 g 2% Protein 5 g — Vitamin D 0 mcg 0% Calcium 30 mg 2% Iron 1.8 mg 10% Potassium 470 mg 10% Using the newsletter's guide to %DV, which nutrient is high in one serving of the soup?
Correct answer: C
To judge whether a nutrient is high or low, read the % Daily Value column, not the amount column. The newsletter's guide says 20% DV or more per serving is high and 5% DV or less is low. Only sodium, at 30% DV, reaches 20% or more.
- A Total carbohydrate has the largest gram amount on the label (18 g), but its %DV is only 7%; this comes from reading the amount column instead of the %DV column.
- B Dietary fiber is a nutrient to get more of, but 14% DV is below the 20% cutoff for high.
- C Correct: sodium provides 30% DV per serving, which is above the 20% cutoff for high.
- D Potassium provides 10% DV, which is neither low nor high by the guide.
Learn this topic: How to read charts, labels, maps and schedules 6-minute lesson
Source: FDA, How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label · Excelsior University Online Writing Lab, Annotating: How to Read Visual Aids ·
Staff Shuttle Schedule: Maple Grove Medical Center
A free shuttle carries employees between the main hospital and two outpatient sites. Each column in the table is one trip. Read down a column to follow the shuttle from stop to stop; every time shown is the time the shuttle leaves that stop.
Stop Trip 1 Trip 2 Trip 3 Trip 4 Main Lobby 6:15 a.m. 7:15 a.m. 11:45 a.m.* 3:30 p.m. Garage B 6:25 a.m. 7:25 a.m. 11:55 a.m.* 3:40 p.m. Westside Clinic 6:40 a.m. 7:40 a.m.† 12:10 p.m.* 3:55 p.m. Rehab Center 6:55 a.m. 7:55 a.m. 12:25 p.m.* 4:10 p.m. Key:
* Trip 3 runs Monday through Friday only.
† On Saturdays and Sundays, Trip 2 does not stop at Westside Clinic.
Times without a symbol apply every day the shuttle runs.The shuttle does not run on federal holidays. Riders must show an employee ID badge when boarding, and seats are first come, first served. Questions about the shuttle can be sent to the Transportation Office at extension 4410.
Kofi parks in Garage B and must arrive at Westside Clinic before 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday that is not a holiday. According to the schedule, which trip should he take?
Correct answer: A
When a schedule uses symbols, check the key before trusting any time in the table. The † next to Trip 2 at Westside Clinic means Trip 2 skips that stop on Saturdays and Sundays, so Kofi cannot use it. Trip 1 has no symbol, so it runs every day; it leaves Garage B at 6:25 a.m. and reaches Westside Clinic by 6:40 a.m.
- A Correct: Trip 1 runs every day and leaves Westside Clinic at 6:40 a.m., well before 8:00 a.m.
- B The † in the key says Trip 2 does not stop at Westside Clinic on Saturdays and Sundays; this ignores the symbol.
- C 7:40 a.m. is the Westside Clinic time, not the Garage B time, and Trip 2 skips Westside on weekends; this reads the wrong row.
- D Only Trip 3 is limited to weekdays; this applies the * rule to the whole schedule.
Learn this topic: How to read charts, labels, maps and schedules 6-minute lesson
Source: Excelsior University Online Writing Lab, Annotating: How to Read Visual Aids ·
Reading the Label on a Can of Soup
A community health newsletter printed the Nutrition Facts label from a can of vegetable soup, along with a few tips based on FDA guidance.
Every amount on the label refers to one serving, not to the whole container. If you eat two servings, you get twice the calories, twice the amount of each nutrient and twice the % Daily Value (%DV). The serving size is a standard measured amount; it is not a recommendation of how much you should eat.
The %DV column shows how much of a day's reference amount of a nutrient one serving provides. As a quick guide, 5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is considered low, and 20% DV or more is considered high. The FDA lists saturated fat, sodium and added sugars as nutrients to get less of, and dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium as nutrients to get more of.
Nutrition Facts: Servings per container: 2. Serving size: 1 cup (245 g). Calories per serving: 110.
Nutrient Amount per serving % Daily Value Total fat 2 g 3% Saturated fat 1 g 5% Trans fat 0 g — Cholesterol 0 mg 0% Sodium 690 mg 30% Total carbohydrate 18 g 7% Dietary fiber 4 g 14% Total sugars 4 g — Includes added sugars 1 g 2% Protein 5 g — Vitamin D 0 mcg 0% Calcium 30 mg 2% Iron 1.8 mg 10% Potassium 470 mg 10% Marisol eats the entire can of soup by herself. Based on the label and the newsletter, which of the following statements are accurate? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: A, B, D
Every amount on a Nutrition Facts label is for one serving, so check servings per container first. This can holds 2 servings, so eating the whole can doubles every amount: 110 × 2 = 220 calories, 30% × 2 = 60% DV sodium, and 1 g × 2 = 2 g saturated fat (5% × 2 = 10% DV). The serving size is a measured amount, not a recommendation.
- A Correct: 110 calories per serving × 2 servings = 220 calories.
- B Correct: 30% DV per serving × 2 servings = 60% DV for sodium.
- C 4 g is the fiber in one serving; for the whole can she gets 8 g, so this forgets to multiply.
- D Correct: 1 g × 2 = 2 g of saturated fat, and 5% × 2 = 10% DV.
- E The newsletter says the serving size is a standard measured amount, not a recommendation of how much to eat.
Learn this topic: How to read charts, labels, maps and schedules 6-minute lesson
Source: FDA, How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label · FDA, Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels ·
A Long First Shift
At 7:00 p.m., Andre Moreno clipped his new badge to his scrubs and walked onto the medical-surgical floor for his first night shift as a patient care technician. He felt calmer than he had expected. Three weeks earlier, he had finished a two-week orientation in which a senior technician, Ruth, had shown him how to take vital signs and restock supply carts. Before that orientation began, he had worried that he would never learn the layout of the floor.
The first few hours were quiet. After the evening report, Andre checked the supply carts, and then he helped Ruth reposition a patient who had just returned from surgery. Around midnight, a call light came on in Room 412. While Andre was answering it, the charge nurse asked him to bring a wheelchair to the elevator for a new admission. He finished helping the patient in Room 412 first and then delivered the wheelchair.
At 3:00 a.m., during his break, Andre wrote a note to himself listing the supply items he had restocked twice. Meanwhile, Ruth was recording vital signs at the other end of the hall. By the time the day shift arrived at 7:00 a.m., Andre had already completed his checklist. He left the building tired but proud, already looking forward to his next shift.
According to the passage, what did Andre do immediately after the evening report?
Correct answer: B
Signal words such as after, then and around midnight show the order of events. The passage says that after the evening report, Andre checked the supply carts, "and then" he helped Ruth reposition a patient. The call light came around midnight, and the note was written at 3:00 a.m.
- A "And then" shows that repositioning the patient came after checking the supply carts, so it was second, not immediately after the report.
- B Correct: the passage says that after the evening report, Andre checked the supply carts.
- C The call light came on around midnight, later in the shift.
- D Andre wrote the note during his 3:00 a.m. break, much later.
Learn this topic: How to put events in order when a text jumps around 5-minute lesson
Source: Purdue OWL, Transitional Devices ·
A Long First Shift
At 7:00 p.m., Andre Moreno clipped his new badge to his scrubs and walked onto the medical-surgical floor for his first night shift as a patient care technician. He felt calmer than he had expected. Three weeks earlier, he had finished a two-week orientation in which a senior technician, Ruth, had shown him how to take vital signs and restock supply carts. Before that orientation began, he had worried that he would never learn the layout of the floor.
The first few hours were quiet. After the evening report, Andre checked the supply carts, and then he helped Ruth reposition a patient who had just returned from surgery. Around midnight, a call light came on in Room 412. While Andre was answering it, the charge nurse asked him to bring a wheelchair to the elevator for a new admission. He finished helping the patient in Room 412 first and then delivered the wheelchair.
At 3:00 a.m., during his break, Andre wrote a note to himself listing the supply items he had restocked twice. Meanwhile, Ruth was recording vital signs at the other end of the hall. By the time the day shift arrived at 7:00 a.m., Andre had already completed his checklist. He left the building tired but proud, already looking forward to his next shift.
Put these events in the order in which they actually happened, from first to last.
- Andre clips his badge to his scrubs and starts his first night shift.
- Ruth shows Andre how to take vital signs.
- Andre answers the call light in Room 412.
- Andre delivers a wheelchair to the elevator.
- Andre worries that he will never learn the layout of the floor.
Use the arrows to put the items in the correct order.
Correct answer: Andre worries that he will never learn the layout of the floor. → Ruth shows Andre how to take vital signs. → Andre clips his badge to his scrubs and starts his first night shift. → Andre answers the call light in Room 412. → Andre delivers a wheelchair to the elevator.
The passage opens with the start of the shift and then flashes back, so the order of the sentences is not the order of the events. Had + verb ("had worried," "had shown") marks earlier events, and "before that orientation began" places the worry first. The orientation came next, then the shift began; during the shift, Andre finished the Room 412 call before delivering the wheelchair.
- Andre clips his badge to his scrubs and starts his first night shift. Starting the shift is told first but happened third, after the worry and the orientation described in the flashback.
- Ruth shows Andre how to take vital signs. Ruth taught Andre during the orientation, which came after his worry and ended three weeks before the shift, so this is second.
- Andre answers the call light in Room 412. The call light came around midnight, during the shift, so this is fourth.
- Andre delivers a wheelchair to the elevator. The passage says he finished helping the patient in Room 412 first and then delivered the wheelchair, so this is last.
- Andre worries that he will never learn the layout of the floor. "Before that orientation began, he had worried" places the worry earliest, so this is first.
Learn this topic: How to put events in order when a text jumps around 5-minute lesson
Source: OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook, 4.5 Writing Process: Making the Personal Public · Purdue OWL, Verb Tense Consistency · Purdue OWL, Transitional Devices ·
A Long First Shift
At 7:00 p.m., Andre Moreno clipped his new badge to his scrubs and walked onto the medical-surgical floor for his first night shift as a patient care technician. He felt calmer than he had expected. Three weeks earlier, he had finished a two-week orientation in which a senior technician, Ruth, had shown him how to take vital signs and restock supply carts. Before that orientation began, he had worried that he would never learn the layout of the floor.
The first few hours were quiet. After the evening report, Andre checked the supply carts, and then he helped Ruth reposition a patient who had just returned from surgery. Around midnight, a call light came on in Room 412. While Andre was answering it, the charge nurse asked him to bring a wheelchair to the elevator for a new admission. He finished helping the patient in Room 412 first and then delivered the wheelchair.
At 3:00 a.m., during his break, Andre wrote a note to himself listing the supply items he had restocked twice. Meanwhile, Ruth was recording vital signs at the other end of the hall. By the time the day shift arrived at 7:00 a.m., Andre had already completed his checklist. He left the building tired but proud, already looking forward to his next shift.
Which statement about the order of events is supported by the passage?
Correct answer: A
In a story told in the past tense, had + a past participle marks an action completed before another past action. The note lists items Andre "had restocked twice," so the restocking came before he wrote the note at 3:00 a.m. Watch for "by the time" as well: Andre "had already completed" his checklist before the day shift arrived.
- A Correct: the note lists items he "had restocked," which shows the restocking happened before he wrote the note.
- B The charge nurse's request came while he was answering the call, but he finished Room 412 first and then delivered the wheelchair; this follows the order of mention, not the order of events.
- C He finished orientation three weeks earlier, not the week before the shift.
- D "By the time the day shift arrived ... Andre had already completed his checklist" means he finished before they arrived.
Learn this topic: How to put events in order when a text jumps around 5-minute lesson
Source: Purdue OWL, Verb Tense Consistency · Purdue OWL, Transitional Devices ·
Letter to the Editor: Parking Should Not Cost Patients
On March 1, Riverside General Hospital began charging $4 a day to park in its visitor garage. Before that date, parking was free. The hospital board approved the fee in a 5–2 vote at its February meeting. The garage has about 600 spaces.
I visited my father there for nine days last month, so I paid $36 just to sit by his bed. That is outrageous. The board quietly slipped through this greedy money grab while families were too busy caring for loved ones to notice. Hospital administrators never have to worry about money, so of course they did not think twice about who would pay.
According to the board's meeting notes, the fee will be used to repair the garage's elevators and lighting. That may sound reasonable, but repairs are no excuse for punishing people at the worst moments of their lives. A hospital should be a place of comfort, not a place that profits from visitors.
The board should cancel the fee immediately and find the repair money somewhere else. Every reader who has sat in a waiting room knows I am right.
Which of the following statements from the letter are facts rather than opinions? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: A, C, E
A fact can be checked against evidence such as records, receipts, or meeting notes; an opinion is a judgment or recommendation that people could reasonably see differently. Judgment words such as "outrageous" and recommendation words such as "should" signal opinion. A sentence that reports what a document says is a fact, because a reader can check the document, even if the writer disagrees with it.
- A Fact: the start date and daily price can be checked against the hospital's posted rates or records.
- B Opinion: "outrageous" is the writer's judgment about the cost, not something that can be measured.
- C Fact: the vote count and meeting date can be checked in the board's official records.
- D Opinion: "should" introduces the writer's belief about what a hospital ought to be.
- E Fact: what the meeting notes say can be verified by reading them; the writer's reaction comes in the next sentence, which is the opinion.
Learn this topic: How to tell fact from opinion and spot bias 5-minute lesson
Source: Colorado State University Writing Guide, Distinguishing Fact, Opinion, Belief, and Prejudice · OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook, 8.1 Information and Critical Thinking ·
Letter to the Editor: Parking Should Not Cost Patients
On March 1, Riverside General Hospital began charging $4 a day to park in its visitor garage. Before that date, parking was free. The hospital board approved the fee in a 5–2 vote at its February meeting. The garage has about 600 spaces.
I visited my father there for nine days last month, so I paid $36 just to sit by his bed. That is outrageous. The board quietly slipped through this greedy money grab while families were too busy caring for loved ones to notice. Hospital administrators never have to worry about money, so of course they did not think twice about who would pay.
According to the board's meeting notes, the fee will be used to repair the garage's elevators and lighting. That may sound reasonable, but repairs are no excuse for punishing people at the worst moments of their lives. A hospital should be a place of comfort, not a place that profits from visitors.
The board should cancel the fee immediately and find the repair money somewhere else. Every reader who has sat in a waiting room knows I am right.
The writer says, "The board quietly slipped through this greedy money grab while families were too busy caring for loved ones to notice." Which revision describes the same event in neutral, unbiased language?
Correct answer: D
Bias often shows up through loaded words, which carry strong emotion meant to sway the reader. Words such as "slipped through," "greedy," and "money grab" judge the board instead of simply naming what it did. A neutral revision keeps the checkable event (the vote, the date, the fee) and removes every judgment word.
- A "Shameful" is a loaded judgment word, so the sentence still shows the writer's bias.
- B "Unfairly targets" adds an opinion about the fee, so the sentence is not neutral.
- C It replaces one bias with a stereotype about all boards caring only about money.
- D Correct: it states only the verifiable event, with no judgment or emotional word choice.
Learn this topic: How to tell fact from opinion and spot bias 5-minute lesson
Source: OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook, 8.1 Information and Critical Thinking · Colorado State University Writing Guide, Distinguishing Fact, Opinion, Belief, and Prejudice ·
Letter to the Editor: Parking Should Not Cost Patients
On March 1, Riverside General Hospital began charging $4 a day to park in its visitor garage. Before that date, parking was free. The hospital board approved the fee in a 5–2 vote at its February meeting. The garage has about 600 spaces.
I visited my father there for nine days last month, so I paid $36 just to sit by his bed. That is outrageous. The board quietly slipped through this greedy money grab while families were too busy caring for loved ones to notice. Hospital administrators never have to worry about money, so of course they did not think twice about who would pay.
According to the board's meeting notes, the fee will be used to repair the garage's elevators and lighting. That may sound reasonable, but repairs are no excuse for punishing people at the worst moments of their lives. A hospital should be a place of comfort, not a place that profits from visitors.
The board should cancel the fee immediately and find the repair money somewhere else. Every reader who has sat in a waiting room knows I am right.
Which sentence from the letter relies on a stereotype?
Correct answer: B
A stereotype assumes that every member of a group shares the same trait. Words such as "never," "always," "all," or "every" attached to a group of people are a strong signal. A stereotype is a form of hasty generalization, because it draws a conclusion about a whole group from little or no evidence.
- A This is a checkable fact about the new parking fee, not a claim about a group of people.
- B Correct: it claims that all hospital administrators "never" worry about money, a trait assumed about an entire group without evidence.
- C This is an opinion about the fee, but it does not assign a trait to a group of people.
- D This is a recommendation (an opinion), not a generalization about a group.
Learn this topic: How to tell fact from opinion and spot bias 5-minute lesson
Source: Purdue OWL, Stereotypes and Biased Language · Purdue OWL, Logical Fallacies ·
Fewer Empty Chairs
For years, the Maple Street Clinic struggled with no-shows—patients who book an appointment and then neither arrive nor call to cancel. On some afternoons, a third of the chairs in the waiting room sat empty while other patients waited weeks for an opening.
Last spring, the clinic's office manager, Dana Okafor, proposed a modest fix: a text message sent two days before each visit. Some staff members were skeptical. They doubted that a short text could change anything, since patients already received a reminder card at checkout. Okafor, however, was undeterred. Unlike the staff members who wanted to drop the idea after one slow week, she kept the program running and tracked the results.
By fall, the numbers told a clear story. Missed appointments had fallen by nearly half, and the front desk could offer the open slots to patients on the waiting list. One nurse joked that the new system was a magic wand. Okafor was quick to correct her. The texts were not magic, she said; they simply gave busy people a timely nudge.
The clinic now plans to add a second reminder on the morning of each appointment.
As used in the first paragraph, the term "no-shows" refers to
Correct answer: C
This is a definition clue: the dash after "no-shows" introduces the writer's own explanation of the term. When a passage defines a word right next to it (after a dash, inside parentheses, or after words such as "means" or "refers to"), use that definition instead of guessing from the word's parts.
- A This reverses the idea; a walk-in patient does show up, while the passage describes patients who do not arrive.
- B The passage says the patients, not the clinic, fail to arrive or cancel.
- C Correct: the definition after the dash describes patients who book, then neither arrive nor call to cancel.
- D These are the other patients mentioned in the next sentence, not the no-shows themselves.
Learn this topic: How to figure out a word's meaning from context 5-minute lesson
Source: Excelsior OWL, Context Clues · Cal Poly Pomona RAMP, Context Clues ·
Fewer Empty Chairs
For years, the Maple Street Clinic struggled with no-shows—patients who book an appointment and then neither arrive nor call to cancel. On some afternoons, a third of the chairs in the waiting room sat empty while other patients waited weeks for an opening.
Last spring, the clinic's office manager, Dana Okafor, proposed a modest fix: a text message sent two days before each visit. Some staff members were skeptical. They doubted that a short text could change anything, since patients already received a reminder card at checkout. Okafor, however, was undeterred. Unlike the staff members who wanted to drop the idea after one slow week, she kept the program running and tracked the results.
By fall, the numbers told a clear story. Missed appointments had fallen by nearly half, and the front desk could offer the open slots to patients on the waiting list. One nurse joked that the new system was a magic wand. Okafor was quick to correct her. The texts were not magic, she said; they simply gave busy people a timely nudge.
The clinic now plans to add a second reminder on the morning of each appointment.
As used in the second paragraph, the word "undeterred" most nearly means
Correct answer: B
"However" and "unlike" are contrast signals, so Okafor's attitude is the opposite of the doubtful staff members who wanted to give up. Because she "kept the program running," the word must describe someone who is not put off by doubt or a slow start. Predict a meaning such as "kept going," then choose the option that matches it when substituted into the sentence.
- A Nothing in the passage says Okafor was irritated; she simply continued the program.
- B Correct: the contrast with the doubtful staff and the detail that she kept the program running show she was not discouraged.
- C This describes the skeptical staff members, the opposite of Okafor according to the contrast clue.
- D Okafor proposed the program and tracked its results, so she was clearly informed about it.
Learn this topic: How to figure out a word's meaning from context 5-minute lesson
Source: Excelsior OWL, Context Clues · Cal Poly Pomona RAMP, Context Clues ·
Fewer Empty Chairs
For years, the Maple Street Clinic struggled with no-shows—patients who book an appointment and then neither arrive nor call to cancel. On some afternoons, a third of the chairs in the waiting room sat empty while other patients waited weeks for an opening.
Last spring, the clinic's office manager, Dana Okafor, proposed a modest fix: a text message sent two days before each visit. Some staff members were skeptical. They doubted that a short text could change anything, since patients already received a reminder card at checkout. Okafor, however, was undeterred. Unlike the staff members who wanted to drop the idea after one slow week, she kept the program running and tracked the results.
By fall, the numbers told a clear story. Missed appointments had fallen by nearly half, and the front desk could offer the open slots to patients on the waiting list. One nurse joked that the new system was a magic wand. Okafor was quick to correct her. The texts were not magic, she said; they simply gave busy people a timely nudge.
The clinic now plans to add a second reminder on the morning of each appointment.
In the third paragraph, a nurse calls the new system "a magic wand." Which statements correctly describe this phrase? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: A, C, D
Figurative language means something other than what the words literally say. A metaphor states that one thing is another, while a simile makes the comparison with "like" or "as." To interpret a figure of speech, translate it into a plain statement and check it against the rest of the passage, including how other people in the text react to it.
- A Correct: the nurse says the system "was" a magic wand, a direct comparison with no "like" or "as."
- B Every simile compares unlike things, but it must use "like" or "as"; this phrase does not.
- C Correct: a magic wand fixes things instantly and effortlessly, which is the impression the nurse expresses.
- D Correct: Okafor says the texts "were not magic" and were only a "timely nudge," so she thought the phrase claimed too much.
- E The passage describes text messages, not a new device, so a literal reading does not fit.
Learn this topic: How to figure out a word's meaning from context 5-minute lesson
Source: Eastern Washington University Libraries, Figurative Language · Lewis University Writing Center, Defining Figurative Language ·
Bring Back the Lunch Break
At 1:30 on a Tuesday, Marisol, a pharmacy technician, finally sat down to eat. She had been on her feet since seven, and her sandwich had been waiting in the break-room refrigerator for six hours. Before she could finish it, the phone rang, and she went back to the counter.
Stories like hers are common in our hospital. In last month's staff survey, 58 percent of pharmacy and nursing employees said they had skipped a meal break at least once in the past week. Many said they felt they could not leave their stations because no one was available to cover for them.
This should not be treated as a personal choice. Skipping breaks is a scheduling problem, and scheduling problems have scheduling solutions. Two departments in our hospital already use a "break buddy" system, in which pairs of coworkers cover for each other during a protected 30-minute meal period. In the same survey, far fewer employees in those departments reported missing a break.
Hospital leaders should adopt the break-buddy system in every department by the end of the year. A rested team is a more focused team, and patients benefit from that. Talk to your manager, sign the petition in the break room, and help make the lunch break a real break again.
What is the author's primary purpose in writing the passage?
Correct answer: C
The primary purpose must fit the whole passage, and the conclusion usually reveals it. Here the author states a position ("should not be treated as a personal choice"), tells hospital leaders what they "should" do, and ends with a call to action. The opening story and the survey numbers are tools that support that argument, so the purpose is to persuade.
- A The story of Marisol is only the opening hook; the passage goes on to argue for a policy change.
- B The survey is real support in the passage, but it is used as evidence for the argument rather than as the main point.
- C Correct: the "should" statements, the deadline, and the closing call to action show the author is arguing for the break-buddy system.
- D The break room is mentioned only in passing; the passage does not build a sensory picture of it.
Learn this topic: How to identify the author's purpose 5-minute lesson
Source: Purdue OWL, Purposes (Rhetorical Situation) · Purdue OWL, Argumentative Essays ·
Bring Back the Lunch Break
At 1:30 on a Tuesday, Marisol, a pharmacy technician, finally sat down to eat. She had been on her feet since seven, and her sandwich had been waiting in the break-room refrigerator for six hours. Before she could finish it, the phone rang, and she went back to the counter.
Stories like hers are common in our hospital. In last month's staff survey, 58 percent of pharmacy and nursing employees said they had skipped a meal break at least once in the past week. Many said they felt they could not leave their stations because no one was available to cover for them.
This should not be treated as a personal choice. Skipping breaks is a scheduling problem, and scheduling problems have scheduling solutions. Two departments in our hospital already use a "break buddy" system, in which pairs of coworkers cover for each other during a protected 30-minute meal period. In the same survey, far fewer employees in those departments reported missing a break.
Hospital leaders should adopt the break-buddy system in every department by the end of the year. A rested team is a more focused team, and patients benefit from that. Talk to your manager, sign the petition in the break room, and help make the lunch break a real break again.
Why does the author most likely begin the passage with the story of Marisol?
Correct answer: B
Writers of persuasive texts often open with a short story, an anecdote, so readers connect with the problem before they meet the claim and the evidence. When a question asks why a part of a passage is included, ask how that part serves the author's overall purpose. Here the story sets up the claim that skipped breaks are a common scheduling problem.
- A The author argues the opposite, that skipping breaks "should not be treated as a personal choice"; Marisol is called back to work by the phone.
- B Correct: the story gives a concrete example, and the next paragraph says "stories like hers are common," linking it directly to the argument.
- C The story never mentions the break-buddy system; the system is explained briefly later, in the third paragraph.
- D The topic does not change; the story introduces the same problem the rest of the passage argues about.
Learn this topic: How to identify the author's purpose 5-minute lesson
Source: Excelsior OWL, Narrative Argument · Purdue OWL, Narrative Essays ·
Requesting Time Off in the Scheduling Portal
All time-off requests for the Outpatient Department must be entered in the scheduling portal at least 14 days before the first day off. Requests sent by email or text message will not be processed.
Before you begin, check the department calendar to see whether the dates you want are marked as limited. No more than two staff members from the same unit may be off on the same day.
To submit a request:
- Log in to the portal and select My Schedule.
- Click Request Time Off in the upper-right corner.
- Choose the type of leave: vacation, personal, or unpaid.
- Enter the first and last dates you will be absent.
- Add a short note if your manager needs more information.
- Click Submit. A confirmation number will appear on the screen.
Your manager will approve or deny the request within three business days, and you will receive an email either way. If your request is denied, you may choose new dates and submit again.
Note: Requests for medical leave follow a separate process. Contact Human Resources at extension 4410 for those forms.
Which features show that the passage is a technical text? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: B, C, E
A technical text is written to help the reader complete a task. Its features include numbered steps in order, exact details and requirements, and labels or headings that match what the reader sees. Characters and conflict belong to narrative texts, while emotional language meant to change minds belongs to persuasive texts.
- A Characters and conflict are features of narrative texts; this passage has no story.
- B Correct: the six numbered steps walk the reader through the task in order.
- C Correct: exact numbers and rules, such as 14 days and two staff members per unit, are typical of technical writing.
- D The passage uses plain, neutral wording; emotional language aimed at changing opinions is a feature of persuasive texts.
- E Correct: the bold labels (My Schedule, Request Time Off, Submit) match what the reader sees on screen.
Learn this topic: How to identify the author's purpose 5-minute lesson
Source: LibreTexts, Online Technical Writing (McMurrey), 2.6 Instructions · Purdue OWL, Engineering Project Documentation: Stage Four, Manufacturing and Next Steps · Purdue OWL, Purposes (Rhetorical Situation) · Purdue OWL, Memos: Audience and Purpose ·
Handoff by Tablet: One Nurse's View
When our unit replaced paper handoff sheets with bedside tablets last spring, I was one of the loudest skeptics. I had spent eleven years scribbling notes on folded paper, and I worried that a screen would pull my eyes away from my patients. Six months later, I have changed my mind, though not completely.
The good news is real. Medication times, allergies, and pending lab results now appear in the same place for every nurse, so I no longer have to decode a colleague's handwriting at 7 a.m. Our manager reports that notes about missed tasks have dropped since the switch, and I believe it: I have not chased a lost sheet in months.
Still, the tablets are far from perfect. The battery on our oldest model dies halfway through a twelve-hour shift, and the login screen times out so quickly that I sometimes type my password four times in one room. Those seconds add up when a call light is flashing.
I would not go back to paper. But before the hospital buys tablets for every unit, leaders should spend a week on the night shift and watch how the devices actually behave. Nurses are willing to change; we simply want the tools to work as hard as we do.
From which point of view is the passage written?
Correct answer: C
Point of view starts with the pronouns the narrator uses. This narrator says "I," "our unit," and "we" and describes their own experience with the tablets, so the passage is in first person. Third-person narrators stand outside the events and use he, she, or they, and second person addresses the reader as "you."
- A The narrator never addresses the reader as "you"; the passage is about the narrator's own experience.
- B A third-person narrator would call the nurse "she" or "he"; this narrator says "I" and is the nurse.
- C Correct: "I," "our," and "we" show a narrator who is part of the events, which is first person.
- D The narrator shares only their own thoughts and says "I," so this is not an all-knowing outside narrator.
Learn this topic: How to find the author's point of view and tone 5-minute lesson
Source: OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook, 4.6 Editing Focus: More on Characterization and Point of View ·
Handoff by Tablet: One Nurse's View
When our unit replaced paper handoff sheets with bedside tablets last spring, I was one of the loudest skeptics. I had spent eleven years scribbling notes on folded paper, and I worried that a screen would pull my eyes away from my patients. Six months later, I have changed my mind, though not completely.
The good news is real. Medication times, allergies, and pending lab results now appear in the same place for every nurse, so I no longer have to decode a colleague's handwriting at 7 a.m. Our manager reports that notes about missed tasks have dropped since the switch, and I believe it: I have not chased a lost sheet in months.
Still, the tablets are far from perfect. The battery on our oldest model dies halfway through a twelve-hour shift, and the login screen times out so quickly that I sometimes type my password four times in one room. Those seconds add up when a call light is flashing.
I would not go back to paper. But before the hospital buys tablets for every unit, leaders should spend a week on the night shift and watch how the devices actually behave. Nurses are willing to change; we simply want the tools to work as hard as we do.
Which statement best describes the author's current attitude toward the bedside tablets?
Correct answer: B
To name an author's attitude, decide its direction and then its strength. This author says "I would not go back to paper" and lists real benefits, so the direction is favorable, but "though not completely," "Still, the tablets are far from perfect," and the call for leaders to test the devices show reservations. A mixed but mostly positive view is cautious support, not enthusiasm or hostility.
- A Too strong: the author spends a whole paragraph on battery and login problems, so they do not think every problem is solved.
- B Correct: the author would not return to paper but says the tablets are "far from perfect" and should be tested before wider use.
- C Too strong, and it echoes only the author's past doubts as "one of the loudest skeptics"; now the author says, "I would not go back to paper."
- D The author clearly takes a side, using judgment words such as "The good news is real" and "far from perfect."
Learn this topic: How to find the author's point of view and tone 5-minute lesson
Source: Utah Valley University Writing Center, Tone · Purdue OWL, Tone in Business Writing ·
Handoff by Tablet: One Nurse's View
When our unit replaced paper handoff sheets with bedside tablets last spring, I was one of the loudest skeptics. I had spent eleven years scribbling notes on folded paper, and I worried that a screen would pull my eyes away from my patients. Six months later, I have changed my mind, though not completely.
The good news is real. Medication times, allergies, and pending lab results now appear in the same place for every nurse, so I no longer have to decode a colleague's handwriting at 7 a.m. Our manager reports that notes about missed tasks have dropped since the switch, and I believe it: I have not chased a lost sheet in months.
Still, the tablets are far from perfect. The battery on our oldest model dies halfway through a twelve-hour shift, and the login screen times out so quickly that I sometimes type my password four times in one room. Those seconds add up when a call light is flashing.
I would not go back to paper. But before the hospital buys tablets for every unit, leaders should spend a week on the night shift and watch how the devices actually behave. Nurses are willing to change; we simply want the tools to work as hard as we do.
Which sentences from the passage show that the author still has reservations about the tablets? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: A, C, E
Contrast signals such as though, still, and but often mark the point where a writer qualifies a positive view. Each keyed sentence either limits the author's support ("not completely"), names a weakness ("far from perfect"), or asks for testing before the change spreads. Sentences that only praise the tablets or reject paper show support, not reservations.
- A Correct: "though not completely" limits the author's change of mind, showing some doubt remains.
- B This sentence praises the tablets; it shows support, not a reservation.
- C Correct: "Still" signals a turn, and "far from perfect" names the author's concern.
- D This sentence shows the author now prefers the tablets to paper, which is support.
- E Correct: asking leaders to watch the devices before buying more shows the author is not fully convinced they work well.
Learn this topic: How to find the author's point of view and tone 5-minute lesson
Source: OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook, 11.3 Glance at Genre: Reasoning Strategies and Signal Words · Utah Valley University Writing Center, Tone · Purdue OWL, Transitional Devices ·
Small Moves in the Staff Cafeteria
Last fall, the wellness committee at Riverside Medical Center tried an experiment in the staff cafeteria. The committee did not change any prices or remove any foods. Instead, it moved bottled water into the cooler beside the cash registers, where sugary sodas had always been, and moved the sodas to a cooler at the back of the room. It also placed a basket of whole fruit at each register.
The cafeteria's sales records tell the story. In the three months before the change, water made up about 30 percent of bottled drinks sold; in the three months after, about 45 percent. Fruit sales nearly doubled, while sales of chips, which stayed on their usual rack, did not change.
Not everyone noticed the experiment. In a short survey, most staff members said they had not realized that anything had been moved. Several night-shift workers, however, complained that the back cooler is locked after 10 p.m., so they cannot buy soda at all during their breaks.
The committee plans to present the results to hospital leaders next month. Its members believe that where food is placed may influence choices as much as what it costs. They caution, however, that three months is a short time and that some of the change might fade once the new setup becomes familiar.
Which sentence from the passage best supports the claim that the new layout changed what staff members bought?
Correct answer: C
The best supporting evidence for a claim about buying is a measurement of buying. The sales figures compare water's share of drink sales before and after the change, which is direct proof that purchases shifted. Background details, survey answers about awareness, and the committee's own beliefs do not show what people bought.
- A This describes how the experiment was set up; it says nothing about whether purchases changed.
- B This is evidence about whether staff noticed the change, not about what they bought.
- C Correct: before-and-after sales numbers directly show that drink purchases shifted toward water.
- D This restates the committee's opinion, which is a claim, not evidence that proves it.
Learn this topic: How to use evidence from a passage to support, predict and conclude 5-minute lesson
Source: OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook, 10.3 Glance at Genre: Thesis, Reasoning, and Evidence · Purdue OWL, Toulmin Argument ·
Small Moves in the Staff Cafeteria
Last fall, the wellness committee at Riverside Medical Center tried an experiment in the staff cafeteria. The committee did not change any prices or remove any foods. Instead, it moved bottled water into the cooler beside the cash registers, where sugary sodas had always been, and moved the sodas to a cooler at the back of the room. It also placed a basket of whole fruit at each register.
The cafeteria's sales records tell the story. In the three months before the change, water made up about 30 percent of bottled drinks sold; in the three months after, about 45 percent. Fruit sales nearly doubled, while sales of chips, which stayed on their usual rack, did not change.
Not everyone noticed the experiment. In a short survey, most staff members said they had not realized that anything had been moved. Several night-shift workers, however, complained that the back cooler is locked after 10 p.m., so they cannot buy soda at all during their breaks.
The committee plans to present the results to hospital leaders next month. Its members believe that where food is placed may influence choices as much as what it costs. They caution, however, that three months is a short time and that some of the change might fade once the new setup becomes familiar.
Which conclusions are supported by evidence in the passage? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: A, C, E
A supported conclusion must be backed by details actually in the passage. Fruit sales nearly doubled after the fruit baskets appeared, prices never changed while water and fruit sales shifted, and night-shift workers said the soda cooler is locked after 10 p.m. Conclusions that contradict a stated detail, such as the survey results or the unchanged chip sales, are not supported.
- A Correct: the passage says fruit was placed at each register and fruit sales nearly doubled.
- B The survey says most staff did not notice anything had moved, so this contradicts the passage.
- C Correct: the committee changed no prices, yet water's share of drink sales and fruit sales both rose.
- D The passage states that chip sales did not change, so this conclusion contradicts the evidence.
- E Correct: night-shift workers complained that the back cooler, where soda now sits, is locked after 10 p.m.
Learn this topic: How to use evidence from a passage to support, predict and conclude 5-minute lesson
Source: Kashyap and Dyquisto (City College of San Francisco), Reading and Composition, 4.5 Inferences · OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook, 10.3 Glance at Genre: Thesis, Reasoning, and Evidence ·
Small Moves in the Staff Cafeteria
Last fall, the wellness committee at Riverside Medical Center tried an experiment in the staff cafeteria. The committee did not change any prices or remove any foods. Instead, it moved bottled water into the cooler beside the cash registers, where sugary sodas had always been, and moved the sodas to a cooler at the back of the room. It also placed a basket of whole fruit at each register.
The cafeteria's sales records tell the story. In the three months before the change, water made up about 30 percent of bottled drinks sold; in the three months after, about 45 percent. Fruit sales nearly doubled, while sales of chips, which stayed on their usual rack, did not change.
Not everyone noticed the experiment. In a short survey, most staff members said they had not realized that anything had been moved. Several night-shift workers, however, complained that the back cooler is locked after 10 p.m., so they cannot buy soda at all during their breaks.
The committee plans to present the results to hospital leaders next month. Its members believe that where food is placed may influence choices as much as what it costs. They caution, however, that three months is a short time and that some of the change might fade once the new setup becomes familiar.
Based on the passage, which outcome would the committee most likely expect if the cafeteria kept the new layout for another year?
Correct answer: B
A prediction should continue the pattern in the passage and keep the author's own limits. The committee believes placement influences choices, but it cautions that some of the change might fade once the setup becomes familiar. The answer that keeps both ideas, gains that last but may shrink, is the best-supported prediction.
- A Too big a leap: water rose from about 30 to 45 percent, and nothing suggests it would replace almost all other drinks.
- B Correct: the committee believes placement matters but warns that some of the change might fade over time.
- C Nothing in the passage links chip sales to the fruit baskets; chip sales did not change at all.
- D This ignores the committee's belief that placement influences choices; it warns only that some of the change might fade.
Learn this topic: How to use evidence from a passage to support, predict and conclude 5-minute lesson
Source: Kashyap and Dyquisto (City College of San Francisco), Reading and Composition, 4.5 Inferences · Purdue OWL, Toulmin Argument · OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook, 11.3 Glance at Genre: Reasoning Strategies and Signal Words ·
Passage 1: From a clinic manager's newsletter column
Last March, our family clinic let staff choose four 10-hour shifts instead of five 8-hour shifts. Nine of our twelve medical assistants signed up. Since then, sick calls have dropped, and two people who had planned to leave told me they are staying. A full extra day off each week gives people time to rest, see their own doctors, and come back ready to work. I believe more clinics should offer this schedule.
Passage 2: From a letter by a medical assistant at the same clinic
I was glad to try the four-day schedule, and I do love my Fridays. But a 10-hour shift that starts at 7 a.m. means I leave home before my son's day care opens, so I pay a neighbor to cover the gap. By the last hour of a long day, I also notice that I am slower and less patient. The schedule works well for some of my coworkers, and I am grateful that it was optional. Any clinic that copies our plan should keep it a choice, not a requirement.
Which choice states a theme of Passage 1 rather than only its topic or a detail?
Correct answer: B
A topic names a subject in a word or phrase, while a theme is the idea the text develops about that subject, stated as a full sentence. Passage 1's details (fewer sick calls, staff staying, time to rest) all build toward the idea that extra days off make for healthier, steadier staff. A single fact is too narrow to be a theme, and an idea from the other passage does not describe Passage 1.
- A This is the topic: it names the subject but makes no point about it.
- B Correct: this full-sentence idea is what Passage 1's details about rest, sick calls, and staff staying all support.
- C This is a single supporting detail from Passage 1, too narrow to be its central message.
- D This idea comes from Passage 2, where the author describes leaving before day care opens.
Learn this topic: How to compare the themes and ideas of two texts 5-minute lesson
Source: Purdue OWL, Literary Terms ·
Passage 1: From a clinic manager's newsletter column
Last March, our family clinic let staff choose four 10-hour shifts instead of five 8-hour shifts. Nine of our twelve medical assistants signed up. Since then, sick calls have dropped, and two people who had planned to leave told me they are staying. A full extra day off each week gives people time to rest, see their own doctors, and come back ready to work. I believe more clinics should offer this schedule.
Passage 2: From a letter by a medical assistant at the same clinic
I was glad to try the four-day schedule, and I do love my Fridays. But a 10-hour shift that starts at 7 a.m. means I leave home before my son's day care opens, so I pay a neighbor to cover the gap. By the last hour of a long day, I also notice that I am slower and less patient. The schedule works well for some of my coworkers, and I am grateful that it was optional. Any clinic that copies our plan should keep it a choice, not a requirement.
With which statement would the authors of both passages most likely agree?
Correct answer: B
For a both-agree question, the answer must be supported by each passage separately. Passage 1 praises the extra day off, and the Passage 2 author says, "I do love my Fridays" and that the schedule "works well for some of my coworkers." Ideas that appear in only one passage, or that neither author supports, are wrong.
- A Only Passage 1 mentions workers who planned to leave; Passage 2 never discusses keeping staff.
- B Correct: Passage 1 praises the schedule, and Passage 2 says the author loves Fridays and the plan works well for some coworkers.
- C Only the Passage 2 author describes feeling slower late in a long shift; the manager in Passage 1 never raises this concern.
- D Neither author supports this: the manager let staff choose, and the medical assistant wants the schedule kept optional.
Learn this topic: How to compare the themes and ideas of two texts 5-minute lesson
Source: UNC Writing Center, Comparing and Contrasting · Purdue OWL, Synthesizing Sources ·
Passage 1: From a clinic manager's newsletter column
Last March, our family clinic let staff choose four 10-hour shifts instead of five 8-hour shifts. Nine of our twelve medical assistants signed up. Since then, sick calls have dropped, and two people who had planned to leave told me they are staying. A full extra day off each week gives people time to rest, see their own doctors, and come back ready to work. I believe more clinics should offer this schedule.
Passage 2: From a letter by a medical assistant at the same clinic
I was glad to try the four-day schedule, and I do love my Fridays. But a 10-hour shift that starts at 7 a.m. means I leave home before my son's day care opens, so I pay a neighbor to cover the gap. By the last hour of a long day, I also notice that I am slower and less patient. The schedule works well for some of my coworkers, and I am grateful that it was optional. Any clinic that copies our plan should keep it a choice, not a requirement.
Which statements describe ways that Passage 2 differs from Passage 1? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: A, C, D
To contrast two texts, look for points where one passage says something the other does not, or where the authors view the same point differently. Passage 2 adds a cost (paying a neighbor before day care opens) and a concern (being slower and less patient late in the shift), and it comes from a worker's perspective rather than a manager's. Choices that misstate an author's position or give one passage's detail to the other are wrong.
- A Correct: the Passage 2 author pays a neighbor to cover the gap before day care opens, a cost Passage 1 never mentions.
- B The Passage 2 author would not go that far; they are "glad to try" the schedule and want it kept as a choice.
- C Correct: Passage 1 comes from the clinic manager, and Passage 2 from a medical assistant who works the schedule.
- D Correct: the Passage 2 author feels slower and less patient late in the day, and Passage 1 never mentions tiredness during shifts.
- E Swapped sides: the drop in sick calls is reported in Passage 1, not Passage 2.
Learn this topic: How to compare the themes and ideas of two texts 5-minute lesson
Source: UNC Writing Center, Comparing and Contrasting · OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook, 1.1 Reading to Understand and Respond · Purdue OWL, Synthesizing Sources ·
Keep the Library Open Later
A letter to the editor of the Riverside Gazette
The Riverside Public Library closes at 6 p.m. on weekdays, and the city council should extend those hours to 9 p.m. Many residents work until 5 p.m. or later, so the current schedule leaves them almost no time to borrow books, use the computers, or attend programs.
The library's own records support this change. Last spring, the library stayed open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays for a six-week trial. According to the library's annual report, an average of 140 people visited after 6 p.m. on those evenings, and more than half of them used the public computers to apply for jobs or take online classes.
Later hours would also help students. The high school's study hall ends at 4 p.m., and some teenagers do not have reliable internet at home.
Some council members say the budget is too tight. However, my neighbor visited a library in another state that stays open until 10 p.m., and she said it was always busy, so extra hours clearly pay for themselves. And anyone who has watched a tired parent drive across town after work, only to find the library doors locked, knows how heartbreaking that moment is.
The choice is simple. Either the council extends the hours, or it admits that it does not care about working families.
Which reasoning flaw appears in the final paragraph of the letter?
Correct answer: C
An either/or argument (false dilemma) squeezes a decision into two choices when more exist. The council could, for example, extend hours on only some nights or test a later closing time again, so "extend the hours or admit you don't care" leaves out real options. Always match the flaw to the exact sentence the question points to, because one passage can contain several different flaws.
- A This describes overgeneralization, which appears in the neighbor sentence of the fourth paragraph, not in the final paragraph.
- B The final paragraph makes no claim that one event caused another; this is the false-cause flaw, which the letter does not use there.
- C Correct: the author offers only two choices, extend the hours or admit not caring, ignoring options such as extending hours on some nights.
- D The final paragraph does not use records at all, and the passage gives no sign that the trial data are outdated.
Learn this topic: How to judge whether an argument holds up 5-minute lesson
Source: Purdue OWL, Logical Fallacies · UNC Writing Center, Fallacies ·
Keep the Library Open Later
A letter to the editor of the Riverside Gazette
The Riverside Public Library closes at 6 p.m. on weekdays, and the city council should extend those hours to 9 p.m. Many residents work until 5 p.m. or later, so the current schedule leaves them almost no time to borrow books, use the computers, or attend programs.
The library's own records support this change. Last spring, the library stayed open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays for a six-week trial. According to the library's annual report, an average of 140 people visited after 6 p.m. on those evenings, and more than half of them used the public computers to apply for jobs or take online classes.
Later hours would also help students. The high school's study hall ends at 4 p.m., and some teenagers do not have reliable internet at home.
Some council members say the budget is too tight. However, my neighbor visited a library in another state that stays open until 10 p.m., and she said it was always busy, so extra hours clearly pay for themselves. And anyone who has watched a tired parent drive across town after work, only to find the library doors locked, knows how heartbreaking that moment is.
The choice is simple. Either the council extends the hours, or it admits that it does not care about working families.
Which of the following give relevant, checkable evidence for the author's claim that the library should stay open until 9 p.m.? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: A, C
Strong evidence is both relevant (it makes the claim more likely to be true) and checkable (it comes from records, measurements or studies). The trial attendance and computer-use figures come from the library's annual report and show real demand after 6 p.m. A secondhand story about one library, an emotional scene, and a two-option ultimatum may persuade some readers, but none of them can be checked or shows that Riverside needs later hours.
- A Correct: this count comes from the library's annual report and directly shows demand for evening hours.
- B This is one person's secondhand impression of a different library, so it is an anecdote that cannot show what would happen in Riverside.
- C Correct: this figure from the same report shows that evening visitors used the library for needs such as job applications, which supports later hours.
- D This is an appeal to emotion; it describes a feeling, not a fact that can be checked.
- E This is an either/or statement that pressures the reader rather than evidence that supports the claim.
Learn this topic: How to judge whether an argument holds up 5-minute lesson
Source: UNC Writing Center, Evidence · UNC Writing Center, Fallacies · Purdue OWL, Using Rhetorical Strategies for Persuasion ·
Keep the Library Open Later
A letter to the editor of the Riverside Gazette
The Riverside Public Library closes at 6 p.m. on weekdays, and the city council should extend those hours to 9 p.m. Many residents work until 5 p.m. or later, so the current schedule leaves them almost no time to borrow books, use the computers, or attend programs.
The library's own records support this change. Last spring, the library stayed open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays for a six-week trial. According to the library's annual report, an average of 140 people visited after 6 p.m. on those evenings, and more than half of them used the public computers to apply for jobs or take online classes.
Later hours would also help students. The high school's study hall ends at 4 p.m., and some teenagers do not have reliable internet at home.
Some council members say the budget is too tight. However, my neighbor visited a library in another state that stays open until 10 p.m., and she said it was always busy, so extra hours clearly pay for themselves. And anyone who has watched a tired parent drive across town after work, only to find the library doors locked, knows how heartbreaking that moment is.
The choice is simple. Either the council extends the hours, or it admits that it does not care about working families.
Which additional information would most strengthen the author's response to the council members who say the budget is too tight?
Correct answer: D
The council's objection is about money, so the best support is checkable evidence that answers that exact objection. Actual cost figures compared with the available budget would directly show whether later hours are affordable. More stories, comparisons with distant libraries, or school schedule details may relate to the topic, but none of them addresses cost.
- A More stories add emotional weight and anecdotes, but they say nothing about whether the city can afford the extra hours.
- B Other libraries' hours show that late hours exist elsewhere, not that Riverside's budget can pay for them.
- C The study hall schedule relates to student need, not to cost, so it does not answer the budget concern.
- D Correct: real cost figures compared with available funds directly answer the budget objection with checkable evidence.
Learn this topic: How to judge whether an argument holds up 5-minute lesson
Source: UNC Writing Center, Argument · UNC Writing Center, Evidence ·
Quiet Hours at Lakeview Hospital
Priya, a nursing student, is writing a report on whether Lakeview Hospital's Quiet Hours program has made patient units quieter at night. Under the program, staff on participating units dim the hallway lights, lower phone ringer volume, and hold nonurgent conversations away from patient rooms between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The program began on March 1 on Units 2 and 4 only. Units 1 and 3 kept their usual routines.
Priya has gathered three sources.
Source 1 is a report written by Lakeview's quality team. The team placed a sound meter in the hallway of each unit and recorded the average nighttime noise level in February, before the program began, and again in April. The table below comes from that report.
Unit Uses Quiet Hours? February average (decibels) April average (decibels) 1 No 54 53 2 Yes 56 47 3 No 52 52 4 Yes 55 48 Source 2 is a 2025 article in a nursing magazine. Its author, a nurse researcher, summarizes eleven published studies of hospital noise programs and lists them in a reference section.
Source 3 is an unsigned web page posted by a company that sells sleep masks and earplugs. It states that "hospital quiet programs never work" and that "the only real fix is our Silent Night kit." The page does not cite any studies or data.
Which of Priya's sources is a primary source for her question about Lakeview's units?
Correct answer: D
A primary source reports original work that its authors did themselves, such as their own measurements, experiments or interviews. A secondary source describes, summarizes or comments on work other people did. The quality team measured the noise on each unit, so its report is primary; the magazine article is secondary no matter how expert its author is.
- A Expertise affects credibility, not source type; the author summarizes other researchers' studies, so the article is secondary.
- B Summarizing other people's studies is exactly what makes a source secondary, not primary.
- C Coming from a company does not make a source primary; the page reports no original measurements at all.
- D Correct: the quality team recorded the noise data on Lakeview's units itself, so the report is original, firsthand work.
Learn this topic: How to combine a passage with a table, graph or second source 5-minute lesson
Source: University of Guelph Library, Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources in the Sciences · UNC Writing Center, Evidence ·
Quiet Hours at Lakeview Hospital
Priya, a nursing student, is writing a report on whether Lakeview Hospital's Quiet Hours program has made patient units quieter at night. Under the program, staff on participating units dim the hallway lights, lower phone ringer volume, and hold nonurgent conversations away from patient rooms between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The program began on March 1 on Units 2 and 4 only. Units 1 and 3 kept their usual routines.
Priya has gathered three sources.
Source 1 is a report written by Lakeview's quality team. The team placed a sound meter in the hallway of each unit and recorded the average nighttime noise level in February, before the program began, and again in April. The table below comes from that report.
Unit Uses Quiet Hours? February average (decibels) April average (decibels) 1 No 54 53 2 Yes 56 47 3 No 52 52 4 Yes 55 48 Source 2 is a 2025 article in a nursing magazine. Its author, a nurse researcher, summarizes eleven published studies of hospital noise programs and lists them in a reference section.
Source 3 is an unsigned web page posted by a company that sells sleep masks and earplugs. It states that "hospital quiet programs never work" and that "the only real fix is our Silent Night kit." The page does not cite any studies or data.
Based on both the description of the program and the table, which conclusion is best supported?
Correct answer: B
The text tells you which units used the program (Units 2 and 4); the table gives the numbers. Units 2 and 4 fell by 9 and 7 decibels, while Units 1 and 3 changed by 1 and 0 decibels. Combining the two sources through the shared term "unit" shows a much larger drop where the program was used.
- A The text says only Units 2 and 4 used the program, and Unit 3's level did not change at all, so this ignores both sources.
- B Correct: Units 2 and 4 dropped 9 and 7 decibels, while Units 1 and 3 dropped only 1 and 0 decibels.
- C In April, Unit 1 (53 decibels) was louder than Unit 3 (52 decibels); this comes from misreading the table.
- D Unit 4 fell by 7 decibels, but Unit 2 fell by 9, so Unit 2 had the largest drop; this comes from misreading the table.
Learn this topic: How to combine a passage with a table, graph or second source 5-minute lesson
Source: Purdue OWL, Synthesizing Sources · UNC Writing Center, Labeling Tables and Figures and Linking Them to the Text ·
Quiet Hours at Lakeview Hospital
Priya, a nursing student, is writing a report on whether Lakeview Hospital's Quiet Hours program has made patient units quieter at night. Under the program, staff on participating units dim the hallway lights, lower phone ringer volume, and hold nonurgent conversations away from patient rooms between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The program began on March 1 on Units 2 and 4 only. Units 1 and 3 kept their usual routines.
Priya has gathered three sources.
Source 1 is a report written by Lakeview's quality team. The team placed a sound meter in the hallway of each unit and recorded the average nighttime noise level in February, before the program began, and again in April. The table below comes from that report.
Unit Uses Quiet Hours? February average (decibels) April average (decibels) 1 No 54 53 2 Yes 56 47 3 No 52 52 4 Yes 55 48 Source 2 is a 2025 article in a nursing magazine. Its author, a nurse researcher, summarizes eleven published studies of hospital noise programs and lists them in a reference section.
Source 3 is an unsigned web page posted by a company that sells sleep masks and earplugs. It states that "hospital quiet programs never work" and that "the only real fix is our Silent Night kit." The page does not cite any studies or data.
Which reasons explain why Source 3 is the least credible source for Priya's report? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: A, B, D
Credibility depends on who made a source, why they made it, and what evidence it offers. Source 3 has no named author, comes from a seller with a commercial reason to dismiss quiet programs, and backs its sweeping claims with no data. Format alone is not the problem: plenty of reliable sources are online, and a company's statements call for caution rather than automatic rejection.
- A Correct: a seller has a reason to promote its own product, which signals possible bias.
- B Correct: without a named author, a reader cannot check the writer's credentials or expertise.
- C Being online does not by itself make a source weak; many reliable sources are digital, so the author, purpose and evidence matter more than format.
- D Correct: claims such as "never work" with no studies or data behind them cannot be checked.
- E This overgeneralizes; a commercial source deserves extra scrutiny, but it is not automatically wrong.
Learn this topic: How to combine a passage with a table, graph or second source 5-minute lesson
Source: Purdue OWL, Evaluating Sources: General Guidelines · Purdue OWL, Evaluating Digital Sources · MedlinePlus, Evaluating Health Information ·
New Refill Process at Harbor View Clinic
Starting June 3, Harbor View Clinic will change the way patients request prescription refills. Until now, most requests came in by phone, and callers often waited on hold during the busy morning hours. The new process is meant to shorten those waits and give the clinic's nurses more time to review each request carefully.
Patients will now have three ways to ask for a refill. The fastest is the online patient portal, which accepts requests at any hour, every day of the week. Patients can also call the refill line, which will be staffed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Finally, patients may ask their pharmacy to send a request directly to the clinic. Requests left by voicemail after hours will no longer be accepted, because those messages were sometimes unclear or incomplete.
Most refill requests will be completed within two business days. However, some requests need a closer look. If a patient has not had an appointment at the clinic in the past twelve months, a nurse will contact the patient to schedule one before the refill is approved. Requests for controlled medicines must be made at least five business days before the patient runs out.
The clinic encourages patients to check each bottle's label to see how many refills remain and to ask for a new prescription when only one refill is left. Patients who are unsure how to use the portal can attend a free fifteen-minute training session in the clinic lobby every Tuesday at 10 a.m. Front-desk staff can also print a one-page guide.
Clinic leaders will review the new process in September. They plan to survey patients and measure how long requests take before deciding whether to keep, adjust, or replace it.
According to the passage, when will the clinic's refill line be staffed?
Correct answer: B
This is a detail question, so read the question first, pick the key words ("refill line"), and scan for them; they appear in the second paragraph. The passage lists several times, so match the time to the exact service the question names. The portal's hours and the training session's time are real details from the passage, but they answer different questions.
- A These are the hours of the online patient portal, not the refill line.
- B Correct: the second paragraph says the refill line will be staffed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- C The hours are right, but the passage limits the line to Monday through Friday; this choice blends two details.
- D This is the time of the free portal training session, a detail from the fourth paragraph.
Learn this topic: How to finish the TEAS reading section on time 5-minute lesson
Source: OpenStax College Success, 5.2 Effective Reading Strategies · ATI Help, What are the ATI TEAS sections and can I go back and answer a question? ·
New Refill Process at Harbor View Clinic
Starting June 3, Harbor View Clinic will change the way patients request prescription refills. Until now, most requests came in by phone, and callers often waited on hold during the busy morning hours. The new process is meant to shorten those waits and give the clinic's nurses more time to review each request carefully.
Patients will now have three ways to ask for a refill. The fastest is the online patient portal, which accepts requests at any hour, every day of the week. Patients can also call the refill line, which will be staffed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Finally, patients may ask their pharmacy to send a request directly to the clinic. Requests left by voicemail after hours will no longer be accepted, because those messages were sometimes unclear or incomplete.
Most refill requests will be completed within two business days. However, some requests need a closer look. If a patient has not had an appointment at the clinic in the past twelve months, a nurse will contact the patient to schedule one before the refill is approved. Requests for controlled medicines must be made at least five business days before the patient runs out.
The clinic encourages patients to check each bottle's label to see how many refills remain and to ask for a new prescription when only one refill is left. Patients who are unsure how to use the portal can attend a free fifteen-minute training session in the clinic lobby every Tuesday at 10 a.m. Front-desk staff can also print a one-page guide.
Clinic leaders will review the new process in September. They plan to survey patients and measure how long requests take before deciding whether to keep, adjust, or replace it.
Andre last had an appointment at Harbor View Clinic sixteen months ago. He needs a refill of a controlled medicine. According to the passage, which of the following apply to his request? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
Correct answer: A, B
The third paragraph holds both rules that fit Andre: more than twelve months since his last appointment means a nurse will call to schedule one, and a controlled medicine must be requested at least five business days ahead. The two-business-day time frame applies to most requests, and the word "however" signals that requests like Andre's are exceptions. When a question describes a person, list each fact about the person and find the rule that matches each one.
- A Correct: Andre's last appointment was more than twelve months ago, which triggers a nurse's call to schedule one before approval.
- B Correct: the passage says requests for controlled medicines must be made at least five business days before the patient runs out.
- C The passage says after-hours voicemail requests will no longer be accepted.
- D Two business days applies to most requests, but the passage says requests like Andre's need a closer look first.
- E The training session is optional for patients unsure about the portal; it is not a requirement for submitting a request.
Learn this topic: How to finish the TEAS reading section on time 5-minute lesson
Source: OpenStax College Success, 5.2 Effective Reading Strategies · OpenStax College Success Concise, 4.4 Test Taking ·
New Refill Process at Harbor View Clinic
Starting June 3, Harbor View Clinic will change the way patients request prescription refills. Until now, most requests came in by phone, and callers often waited on hold during the busy morning hours. The new process is meant to shorten those waits and give the clinic's nurses more time to review each request carefully.
Patients will now have three ways to ask for a refill. The fastest is the online patient portal, which accepts requests at any hour, every day of the week. Patients can also call the refill line, which will be staffed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Finally, patients may ask their pharmacy to send a request directly to the clinic. Requests left by voicemail after hours will no longer be accepted, because those messages were sometimes unclear or incomplete.
Most refill requests will be completed within two business days. However, some requests need a closer look. If a patient has not had an appointment at the clinic in the past twelve months, a nurse will contact the patient to schedule one before the refill is approved. Requests for controlled medicines must be made at least five business days before the patient runs out.
The clinic encourages patients to check each bottle's label to see how many refills remain and to ask for a new prescription when only one refill is left. Patients who are unsure how to use the portal can attend a free fifteen-minute training session in the clinic lobby every Tuesday at 10 a.m. Front-desk staff can also print a one-page guide.
Clinic leaders will review the new process in September. They plan to survey patients and measure how long requests take before deciding whether to keep, adjust, or replace it.
On a Saturday night, Mei uses the online portal to request a refill of a medicine that is not a controlled medicine. Her last appointment at the clinic was eight months ago. Based on the passage, what should Mei most likely expect?
Correct answer: C
Check each fact about Mei against the rules in the passage. The portal accepts requests at any hour, her last visit was within twelve months, and her medicine is not controlled, so none of the exceptions apply and the general rule of two business days does. Answering this kind of question quickly depends on knowing where each rule sits, which is why labeling paragraphs as you read saves time.
- A The appointment rule applies only when the last visit was more than twelve months ago; Mei's was eight months ago.
- B Only after-hours voicemail requests are refused; the portal accepts requests at any hour, every day of the week.
- C Correct: no exception applies to Mei, so the general rule that most requests are completed within two business days fits.
- D The passage never says portal requests must be confirmed by phone; this adds a step the text does not state.
Learn this topic: How to finish the TEAS reading section on time 5-minute lesson
Source: OpenStax College Success, 5.2 Effective Reading Strategies · OpenStax College Success Concise, 4.4 Test Taking ·
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This is an estimate from a practice set. Official scores come only from the test maker.
About this TEAS 7 Reading practice test
- PracticePractice mode shows the answer after each question, with no timer. Timed exam mode comes with full access.
- Go at your paceYour answers save in this browser, so you can stop and come back later.
- Read your reportSee your score for each section, and why every answer is right or wrong.
- Fix weak spotsMissed questions go to your mistake book. Learn the topic, then try again.
What your score means
ATI has no passing score. Each nursing program sets its own minimum.
| Program | TEAS minimum |
|---|---|
| University of Arizona, MS-MEPN | 75% combined score |
| CSU San Marcos, Traditional BSN transfer (2027–2028) | 71.0% composite |
| Moorpark College, ADN | 62% recommended; lower scores need remediation |
| Minnesota State Moorhead, BSN (2027) | 58.7% composite and 41.3% science |
ATI's levels: Proficient is 58.7–79.3%, Advanced is 80.0–91.3%.
Your score is the percent of questions you got right, with a score for each section (and, with full access, each topic). The real TEAS reports a total score from 0 to 100%, adjusted for how hard your test form was, so treat ours as an estimate.
Rules change every year. Always check your own program’s page. Checked October 15, 2026.
TEAS 7 format
| Section | Questions (scored) | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 45 (39) | 55 min |
| Math | 38 (34) | 57 min |
| Science | 50 (44) | 60 min |
| English and Language Usage | 37 (33) | 37 min |
| Total | 170 (150) | 209 min |
Sections always come in this order. A basic calculator is on screen in every section; you can’t bring your own.
Common questions
Is this the real TEAS?
No. These are original practice questions we wrote to the published TEAS 7 content outline. They are not real exam questions.
How long does it take?
This set has 46 questions. Practice mode has no timer, so take as long as you need. With full access, exam mode gives you 56 minutes.
Can I stop and finish later?
Yes. Your answers save in this browser, so you can close the page and pick up where you left off.
What TEAS score do I need?
It depends on your program. ATI sets no passing score. The four programs above ask for 58.7% to 75%.
Can I use a calculator on the TEAS?
Yes, but only the basic calculator built into the exam. Personal and phone calculators are not allowed.
Is this practice test free?
Yes. No card. Start without an account; after 15 questions, a free account saves your progress. A paid plan unlocks all 738 verified TEAS 7 questions, timed exam mode, sets on one topic and a score for every topic.
Next steps
Sources (checked October 15, 2026)
- ATI Help, TEAS content areas
- ATI Help, TEAS time limits
- ATI Help, How is the ATI TEAS Test Scored?
- ATI Help, Can I use a calculator on the ATI TEAS?
- University of Arizona College of Nursing, ATI TEAS Exam
- CSU San Marcos, TBSN 2027–2028 Supplemental Criteria (PDF)
- Moorpark College, ATI TEAS information
- Minnesota State University Moorhead, BSN admission requirements