Reading Comprehension
Sample Questions
Directions for questions 1–9
Read the statement or passage and then choose the best
answer to the question. Answer the question based on
what is stated or implied in the statement or passage.
1. In the words of Thomas De Quincey, “It is notorious that
the memory strengthens as you lay burdens upon it.” If,
like most people, you have trouble recalling the names of
those you have just met, try this: The next time you are
introduced, plan to remember the names. Say to yourself,
“I’ll listen carefully; I’ll repeat each person’s name to be
sure I’ve got it, and I will remember.” You’ll discover how
effective this technique is and probably recall those names
for the rest of your life.
The quotation from De Quincey indicates that the memory
A. always operates at peak efficiency
B. breaks down under great strain
C. improves if it is used often
D. becomes unreliable if it tires
© 2016 The College Board. ACCUPLACER SAMPLE QUESTIONS
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2. Unemployment was the overriding fact of life when
Franklin D. Roosevelt became president of the United States
on March 4, 1933. At the time, the government did not
systematically collect statistics of joblessness; actually it did
not start doing so until 1940. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
later estimated that 12,830,000 persons were out of work in
1933, about one-fourth of a civilian labor force of more than
51 million.
Roosevelt signed the Federal Emergency Relief Act on May
12, 1933. The president selected Harry L. Hopkins, who
headed the New York relief program, to run FERA. A gifted
administrator, Hopkins quickly put the program into high
gear. He gathered a small staff in Washington and brought
the state relief organizations into the FERA system. While
the agency tried to provide all the necessities, food came
first. City dwellers usually got an allowance for fuel, and
rent for one month was provided in case of eviction.
This passage is primarily about
A. methods of estimating unemployment rates in the
1930s
B. the effect of unemployment on United States families
C. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency
D. the creation of President Roosevelt’s FERA program
3. With varying success, many women around the world
today struggle for equal rights. Historically, women have
achieved greater equality with men during periods of social
adversity. The following factors initiated the greatest number
of improvements for women: violent revolution, world war,
and the rigors of pioneering in an undeveloped land. In all
three cases, the essential element that improved the status
of women was a shortage of men, which required women to
perform many of society’s vital tasks.
We can conclude from the information in this passage that
A. women today are highly successful in winning equal
rights
B. only pioneer women have been considered equal to
men
C. historically, women have only achieved equality
through force
D. historically, the principle of equality alone has not been
enough to secure women equal rights
4. All water molecules form six-sided structures as they freeze
and become snow crystals. The shape of a snow crystal is
determined by temperature, vapor, and wind conditions in
the upper atmosphere. A snow crystal is always symmetrical
because these conditions affect all six of its sides
simultaneously.
The purpose of the passage is to present
A. a personal observation
B. a solution to a problem
C. factual information
