Reading TEAS Practice Test Related

Christopher Columbus is often credited for discovering America. This is
incorrect. First, it is impossible to "discover" something where people already
live; however, Christopher Columbus did explore places in the New World
that were previously untouched by Europe, so the term “explorer†would be
more accurate. Another correction must be made, as well: Christopher
Columbus was not the first European explorer to reach the present day
Americas! Rather, it was Leif Erikson who first came to the New World and
contacted the natives, nearly five hundred years before Christopher
Columbus.
Leif Erikson, the son of Erik the Red (a famous Viking outlaw and explorer in
his own right), was born in either 970 or 980, depending on which historian you seek. His own family, though, did not raise Leif, which was a Viking
tradition. Instead, one of Erik's prisoners taught Leif reading and writing,
languages, sailing, and weaponry. At age 12, Leif was considered a man and
returned to his family. He killed a man during a dispute shortly after his
return, and the council banished the Erikson clan to Greenland.
In 999, Leif left Greenland and traveled to Norway where he would serve as a
guard to King Olaf Tryggvason. It was there that he became a convert to
Christianity. Leif later tried to return home with the intention of taking
supplies and spreading Christianity to Greenland, however his ship was blown
off course and he arrived in a strange new land: present day Newfoundland,
Canada.
When he finally returned to his adopted homeland Greenland, Leif consulted
with a merchant who had also seen the shores of this previously unknown
land we now know as Canada. The son of the legendary Viking explorer then
gathered a crew of 35 men and set sail. Leif became the first European to
touch foot in the New World as he explored present-day Baffin Island and
Labrador, Canada. His crew called the land Vinland since it was plentiful with
grapes.
During their time in present-day Newfoundland, Leif's expedition made
contact with the natives whom they referred to as Skraelings (which translates
to "wretched ones" in Norse). There are several secondhand accounts of their
meetings. Some contemporaries described trade between the peoples. Other
accounts describe clashes where the Skraelings defeated the Viking explorers
with long spears, while still others claim the Vikings dominated the natives.
Regardless of the circumstances, it seems that the Vikings made contact of
some kind. This happened around 1000, nearly five hundred years before
Columbus famously sailed the ocean blue.
Eventually, in 1003, Leif set sail for home and arrived at Greenland with a
ship full of timber.
In 1020, seventeen years later, the legendary Viking died. Many believe that
Leif Erikson should receive more credit for his contributions in exploring the
New World.

Which of the following most accurately describes the author's main conclusion?

• A. Leif Erikson is a legendary Viking explorer.
• B. Leif Erikson deserves more credit for exploring America.
• C. Spreading Christianity motivated Leif's expeditions.
• D. Leif Erikson contacted the natives nearly five hundred years before Columbus.

Stories have been a part of the world since the beginning of recorded time. For centuries before the invention of the printing press, stories of the world were passed down to generations through oral tradition. With the invention of the printing press, which made written material available to wide ranges of audiences, books were mass-produced and introduced into grater society. For the last several centuries, books have been at the forefront of education and entertainment. With the invention of the Internet, reliance on books for information quickly changed. Soon, almost everything that anyone needed to known could be accessed through the internet. Large printed volumes of encyclopedias became unnecessary as all of the information was easily available on the Internet. Despite the progression of the Internet, printed media was till very popular int he forms of both fiction and non-fiction books. While waiting for an appointment, enduring a several-hour flight, or relaxing before sleep, books have been a reliable and convenient source of entertainment, and one that society has not been willing to give up. With the progression and extreme convenience of technology, printed books are going to soon become a thing of the past. Inventions such as the iPad from Macintosh and the Kindle have made the need for any kind offprinted media unnecessary. With a rechargeable battery, a large screen, and the ability to have several books saved on file, electronic options will soon take over and society will no longer see printed books. Although some people may say that the act of reading is not complete without turning a page, sliding a finger across the screen or pressing a button to read more onto the next page is just as satisfying to the reader. The iPad and Kindle are devices that have qualities similar to a computer and can be sued for so much more than just reading. These devices are therefore better than books because they have multiple uses. In cultural society that is part of the world and due to long-standing tradition, stories will always be an important way to communicate ideas nd provide information and entrainment. Centuries ago, stories could only be remembered and retold through speech. Printed media changed the way the world communicated and was connected, and now, as we move forward with technology, it is only a matter of time before we must say goodbye to the printed pas and welcome the digital and electronic future.

What is the main purpose of paragraph 1?

• A. to explain oral tradition
• B. to explain the importance of the printing press
• C. to explain the progressions of stories within society
• D. to introduce the essay

Based upon the contextual evidence provided in the passage above, what is the meaning of the term enterprise in the third paragraph?

• A. Company
• B. Courage
• C. Game
• D. Cause

Scientist: Last year was the warmest ever recorded in the last 134 years.
During that time period, the ten warmest years have all occurred since 2000.
This correlates directly with the recent increases in carbon dioxide as large
countries like China, India, and Brazil continue developing and
industrializing. No longer do just a handful of countries burn massive amounts
of carbon-based fossil fuels; it is quickly becoming the case throughout the
whole world as technology and industry spread.
Politician: Yes, but there is no causal link between increases in carbon
emissions and increasing temperatures. The link is tenuous and nothing close
to certain. We need to wait for all of the data before drawing hasty conclusions. For all we know, the temperature increase could be entirely
natural. I believe the temperatures also rose dramatically during the dinosaurs'
time, and I do not think they were burning any fossil fuels back then.

How does the author generally present the information in the extract?

• A. Chronological order
• B. Comparison-contrast
• C. Cause-effect
• D. Conclusion-premises

This excerpt is adaptation from The Life-Story of Insects, by Geo H. Carpenter.
Insects as a whole are preeminently creatures of the land and the air. This is shown not only by the possession of wings by a vast majority of the class, but by the mode of breathing to which reference has already been made, a system of branching air-tubes carrying atmospheric air with its combustion-supporting oxygen to all the insect's tissues. The air gains access to these tubes through a number of paired air-holes or spiracles, arranged segmentally in series.
It is of great interest to find that, nevertheless, a number of insects spend much of their time under water. This is true of not a few in the perfect winged state, as for example aquatic beetles and water- bugs ('boatmen' and 'scorpions') which have some way of protecting their spiracles when submerged, and, possessing usually the power of flight, can pass on occasion from pond or stream to upper air. But it is advisable in connection with our present subject to dwell especially on some insects that remain continually under water till they are ready to undergo their final moult and attain the
winged state, which they pass entirely in the air. The preparatory instars of such insects are aquatic; the adult instar is aerial. All may-flies, dragon-flies, and caddis-flies, many beetles and two- winged flies, and a few moths thus divide their life-story between the water and the air. For the present we confine attention to the Stone-flies, the May-flies, and the Dragon-flies, three well-known orders of insects respectively called by systematists the Plecoptera, the Ephemeroptera and the Odonata.
In the case of many insects that have aquatic larvae, the latter are provided with some arrangement for enabling them to reach atmospheric air through the surface-film of the water. But the larva of a stone-fly, a dragon-fly, or a may-fly is adapted more completely than these for aquatic life; it can, by means of gills of some kind, breathe the air dissolved in water.

Which definition most closely relates to the usage of the word moult in the passage?

• A. An adventure of sorts, especially underwater
• B. Mating act between two insects
• C. The act of shedding part or all of the outer shell
• D. Death of an organism that ends in a revival of life