TEAS Reading Practice Test Related

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This excerpt is 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 molt 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 Stoneflies, the May-flies, and the Dragon-flies, three well-known orders of insects respectively called by systematists the Plecopteran, 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.

What does the following sentence most nearly mean? 'The preparatory instars of such insects are aquatic; the adult instar is aerial.'

  • A. The volume of water is necessary for preparing the insect for transition rather than the volume of the air.
  • B. The insect's body is shaped like a star in both water and air.
  • C. The stage of preparation between molting occurs in water, while the final stage happens in the air.
  • D. These insects first breathe in water through gills and then continue to use the same organs to breathe in the air.
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The sentence indicates that the insects undergo different stages of development, with the preparatory instars being aquatic and the adult instar being aerial. This highlights the adaptability of these insects to different environments. Choice A is incorrect as it focuses on the volume of water and air rather than the stages of development in different environments. Choice B is unrelated to the content of the sentence and does not capture the meaning accurately. Choice D is incorrect as it specifically mentions breathing through gills, which is not explicitly stated in the sentence. Therefore, choice C is the best interpretation of the sentence.