24 Reading Comprehension Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. Read the passage and answer the question. "Clear radio communication depends less on volume than on structure. An operator who begins every transmission by naming the station being called, and only then giving his or her own call sign, allows the listener to orient before the content of the message arrives. Short sentences, standard phrasing, and a brief pause between thoughts reduce the chance that a weak signal will erase a critical word. Experienced operators also repeat numbers digit by digit, since a single misheard figure can send a response team to the wrong location. None of these habits requires expensive equipment; they require only discipline and practice." Which statement best expresses the main idea of the passage?

   • A.Radio operators should transmit as loudly as conditions permit.
   • B.Repeating numbers digit by digit is the only habit that matters on a weak signal.
   • C.Disciplined speaking habits, rather than better equipment, make radio messages reliable.✓ Answer
   • D.Response teams are usually sent to the wrong location when a signal is weak.

   The main idea must cover the whole passage, not one detail. Every example given (call-sign order, short sentences, standard phrasing, pauses, digit-by-digit numbers) is a speaking habit, and the closing sentence states directly that these habits need no expensive equipment, only discipline and practice. Option A contradicts the opening sentence, which says clarity depends less on volume than on structure. Option C is too narrow: it elevates one of five habits to the whole point. Option D overstates the text, which says only that a misheard figure *can* send a team to the wrong place.

   Source: Passage, sentence 5: "None of these habits requires expensive equipment; they require only discipline and practice." Main-idea item; CBP BPA Entrance Examination Preparation Guide (08.2024) — reason only from the facts given in the text.Report a problem with this question

2. 2. Read the passage and answer the question. "Field binoculars fail more often from neglect than from accident. Dust dragged across a lens by a dry cloth will scratch the coating permanently, so loose grit should first be lifted away with a blower or a soft brush. Moisture trapped inside a closed case encourages fungus on the interior glass, a condition that no field cleaning can reverse. Storage in a cool, ventilated space with the caps in place prevents most of this damage. A short inspection at the end of each shift — checking hinge tension, cap fit, and lens clarity — costs a minute and can add years of service." Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

   • A."Repairing Fungus Damage in Optical Instruments"
   • B."Choosing the Right Binoculars for Night Observation"
   • C."A History of Anti-Reflective Lens Coatings"
   • D."Preventive Care of Field Binoculars"✓ Answer

   A good title names the subject and the angle the passage actually takes. Every sentence describes something done *before* damage occurs — dust removal, dry storage, end-of-shift inspection — so "preventive care" fits the whole text. Option A contradicts the passage, which says fungus on interior glass cannot be reversed by field cleaning. Option B raises a topic (selection for night use) the passage never mentions. Option D is far broader than the text, which mentions coatings only in passing as something dust can scratch.

   Source: Passage, sentences 2-5 (blower/brush before wiping; ventilated storage; end-of-shift inspection). Best-title item; title must match the scope of the whole passage, not one sentence.Report a problem with this question

3. 3. Read the passage and answer the question. "Fog forms when air near the ground is cooled to the point at which it can no longer hold its water vapor. Radiation fog develops on clear, calm nights as the ground loses heat and chills the shallow layer of air resting on it; it is thickest just before sunrise and usually burns off within a few hours. Advection fog behaves differently. It appears when warm, moist air moves over a colder surface, and because a steady wind sustains it rather than dispersing it, it may persist for days. The two types therefore call for different expectations about how long visibility will remain poor." Which statement best expresses the main idea of the passage?

   • A.Two kinds of fog arise from different cooling processes and differ in how long they last.✓ Answer
   • B.Fog of any kind clears within a few hours after sunrise.
   • C.Advection fog is more dangerous to travelers than radiation fog is.
   • D.Wind is the single cause of fog in every case.

   The passage is built as a contrast: one paragraph-half describes radiation fog (ground cooling, clears in hours) and the other advection fog (warm air over a cold surface, sustained by wind, lasts days), and the closing sentence states the point of the contrast explicitly. Option B contradicts the statement that advection fog may persist for days. Option C contradicts the passage, which attributes radiation fog to calm nights and ground cooling. Option D compares danger, a judgment the passage never makes; it discusses only duration of poor visibility.

   Source: Passage, final sentence: "The two types therefore call for different expectations about how long visibility will remain poor." Main-idea item on a compare-and-contrast passage.Report a problem with this question

4. 4. Read the passage and answer the question. "Standing Instruction 4 requires the outgoing console operator to complete three items before leaving: a written summary of any incident still unresolved, a physical count of issued keys, and a verbal briefing of the relieving operator. The written summary is filed even when the relieving operator was present for the incident, because the file, and not anyone's memory, is the record consulted later. The key count is entered in the log book with both operators' initials. If the relieving operator is delayed, the outgoing operator remains at the console until relieved in person; the briefing may not be left as a recorded message." According to the passage, what must the outgoing operator do if the relieving operator is late?

   • A.Remain at the console until relieved in person.✓ Answer
   • B.Ask any available third operator to perform the key count in the relief's place.
   • C.Leave a recorded briefing at the console and depart at the end of the shift.
   • D.File the written summary and depart, since the summary replaces the briefing.

   This is a locate-the-detail item, and the final sentence answers it directly: the outgoing operator "remains at the console until relieved in person." Option A is expressly forbidden by the same sentence, which says the briefing may not be left as a recorded message. Option B contradicts the requirement that all three items, including the verbal briefing, be completed. Option C invents a substitution the passage never authorizes; the key count is initialled by both operators.

   Source: Passage, final sentence of Standing Instruction 4: outgoing operator "remains at the console until relieved in person; the briefing may not be left as a recorded message."Report a problem with this question

5. 5. Read the passage and answer the question. "In treating a suspected sprain, the standing guidance is to control swelling first. The limb is rested, a cold pack is applied over a thin cloth rather than directly against the skin, light compression is added with an elastic wrap, and the limb is raised above the level of the heart when position allows. Cold is applied for no more than twenty minutes at a time, with at least an equal interval before the next application. Heat is withheld for the first day because it widens blood vessels and increases swelling. Any deformity, numbness, or inability to bear weight calls for medical evaluation rather than field treatment." According to the passage, why is heat withheld during the first day?

   • A.Because heat prevents an elastic wrap from holding compression.
   • B.Because heat causes the numbness that requires medical evaluation.
   • C.Because a cold pack loses its effect once heat has been applied.
   • D.Because heat widens blood vessels and increases swelling.✓ Answer

   The passage gives the reason in the same sentence as the rule: heat is withheld "because it widens blood vessels and increases swelling," which defeats the stated first goal of controlling swelling. Options A and D state mechanisms the passage never mentions. Option C flips the text: numbness is listed as a sign that calls for medical evaluation, not as something heat is said to cause.

   Source: Passage, sentence 4: "Heat is withheld for the first day because it widens blood vessels and increases swelling."Report a problem with this question

6. 6. Read the passage and answer the question. "A log entry has value only if a stranger can reconstruct events from it years later. Entries written in haste tend to be perfunctory: 'checked area, all clear' records that someone was present, but not what was observed, where, or for how long. A useful entry fixes the time, the location, the conditions, and the specific observation, and it keeps what the writer saw separate from what the writer was told. Corrections are made by drawing a single line through the error, initialing it, and writing the correction beside it, so that the original wording remains visible." As used in the passage, the word "perfunctory" most nearly means:

   • A.written from memory long after the event
   • B.unusually detailed and thorough
   • C.deliberately false or misleading
   • D.done superficially, without care or detail✓ Answer

   Context supplies the definition: the word is introduced by "written in haste" and immediately illustrated by an entry that records presence "but not what was observed, where, or for how long." That is superficiality, not falsehood. Option B adds a circumstance the passage never states. Option C is stronger than the text supports; a hasty entry is thin, not dishonest. Option D is the opposite of the contrast the passage draws between perfunctory entries and useful ones.

   Source: Passage, sentence 2: "Entries written in haste tend to be perfunctory: 'checked area, all clear' records that someone was present, but not what was observed, where, or for how long." Word-in-context item.Report a problem with this question

7. 7. Read the passage and answer the question. "Mapmakers distinguish perennial streams, which carry water throughout the year, from ephemeral streams, which run only for hours or days after heavy rain and are dry channels the rest of the time. The distinction matters on foot. An ephemeral channel offers easy walking in dry weather because its bed is level and free of brush, but the same channel can fill faster than a person can climb out when rain falls upstream, even where the sky overhead is clear. Guides therefore treat such channels as convenient routes in settled weather and as hazards whenever rain is reported anywhere in the drainage." As used in the passage, the word "ephemeral" most nearly means:

   • A.unusually deep and difficult to cross
   • B.lasting only a short time✓ Answer
   • C.flowing beneath the surface rather than above it
   • D.found only in mountainous country

   The passage defines the word by contrast in its first sentence: perennial streams carry water "throughout the year," while ephemeral ones "run only for hours or days after heavy rain." Short duration is exactly the contrast being drawn. Option A describes subsurface flow, which the passage never mentions. Option B contradicts the description of an easy, level, brush-free bed. Option D imports a geographic restriction that appears nowhere in the text.

   Source: Passage, sentence 1: ephemeral streams "run only for hours or days after heavy rain and are dry channels the rest of the time." Word-in-context item resolved by the stated perennial/ephemeral contrast.Report a problem with this question

8. 8. Read the passage and answer the question. "A public office is held on trust, and the appearance of partiality can damage that trust as thoroughly as partiality itself. For this reason many organizations ask employees to decline gifts from anyone whose interests their work may affect, however modest the gift and however friendly the offer. The rule is not an accusation; it exists because an observer cannot see intent and will judge by what is visible. Employees who are uncertain whether a particular offer falls within the rule are expected to ask a supervisor before accepting, not afterward." Which of the following inferences is best supported by the passage?

   • A.A supervisor may approve a gift of any value once the employee has asked.
   • B.The rule applies only to gifts of substantial value.
   • C.Accepting even a small gift can damage public trust although it changes nothing about the employee's decisions.✓ Answer
   • D.An employee who accepts gifts is dishonest.

   The inference follows from two stated points: the appearance of partiality damages trust as much as partiality itself, and the observer judges by what is visible rather than by intent. Together they support harm to trust even where the employee's decisions are unaffected. Option A contradicts the explicit statement that the rule "is not an accusation." Option C invents an approval power the passage never grants; it says only that the employee must ask first. Option D contradicts "however modest the gift."

   Source: Passage, sentences 1 and 3: appearance of partiality damages trust as thoroughly as partiality itself, and "an observer cannot see intent and will judge by what is visible."Report a problem with this question

9. 9. Read the passage and answer the question. "Wind chill describes how quickly exposed skin loses heat, not how cold the air actually is. A thermometer reading of minus five degrees with a strong wind removes heat from bare skin at the same rate as a much lower reading in still air, yet water in an open container will freeze at the temperature the thermometer shows, regardless of wind. Wind chill therefore governs decisions about clothing and exposure time for people and animals, while the measured air temperature governs what happens to equipment, fuel lines, and stored liquids." Which of the following conclusions is NOT supported by the passage?

   • A.The thermometer reading, not the wind chill figure, predicts whether stored liquid will freeze.
   • B.Wind chill is relevant to deciding how long a person should remain outdoors.
   • C.Two days with the same thermometer reading can pose different risks to exposed skin.
   • D.A strong wind makes stored water freeze sooner than it otherwise would.✓ Answer

   This is a negative-stem item: four options follow from the text and one does not. The passage states that water in an open container freezes at the temperature the thermometer shows "regardless of wind," so the claim that wind makes stored water freeze sooner directly contradicts the text. The other three restate supported points: wind chill governs exposure time (final sentence), identical thermometer readings can carry different skin risk because wind changes the rate of heat loss (sentence 2), and air temperature governs stored liquids (final sentence).

   Source: Passage, sentence 2: water in an open container "will freeze at the temperature the thermometer shows, regardless of wind." Negative-stem inference item.Report a problem with this question

10. 10. Read the passage and answer the question. "Before mechanical clocks were common, many towns regulated daily life by a bell rung from a central tower. The bell did not so much measure time as announce it: a fixed number of strokes opened the market, another number closed it, and a distinct pattern summoned help for a fire. Because everyone within hearing received the same signal at the same instant, the tower produced a shared schedule that no household clock could have produced on its own. When mechanical clocks spread, the bell's announcing function survived long after its timekeeping function had been surpassed." Which of the following inferences is best supported by the passage?

    • A.A signal received by everyone at the same moment can coordinate a community even when it is not a precise measure of time.✓ Answer
    • B.Tower bells were rung only to give warning of fire.
    • C.Mechanical clocks kept time less accurately than tower bells did.
    • D.Households were not permitted to own clocks of their own.

    The passage says the bell announced rather than measured time, and that simultaneous reception produced a shared schedule no household clock could produce alone — exactly the inference in option A. Option B reverses the text, which says the bell's timekeeping function was *surpassed* by mechanical clocks. Option C contradicts the list of market-opening and market-closing signals. Option D imports a prohibition the passage never states; it says only that a household clock could not create a shared schedule.

    Source: Passage, sentence 3: "Because everyone within hearing received the same signal at the same instant, the tower produced a shared schedule that no household clock could have produced on its own."Report a problem with this question

11. 11. Read the passage and answer the question. "Some writers believe that formal language makes a report more authoritative, and so they write that a vehicle 'proceeded in a northerly direction' rather than that it 'drove north.' The longer phrase is not more precise; it is merely longer, and it invites the reader to wonder whether the writer is hiding uncertainty behind vocabulary. Plain wording, by contrast, forces the writer to decide exactly what happened before setting it down. A report is not a demonstration of vocabulary. It is a record that a person unfamiliar with the event must be able to follow on a single reading." The author's primary purpose in this passage is to:

    • A.explain how a report should be divided into numbered sections
    • B.persuade writers that plain wording produces clearer and more useful reports✓ Answer
    • C.describe the historical development of report-writing conventions
    • D.criticize readers who are unable to understand formal language

    Purpose is judged from what the passage argues for. Each sentence advances one claim — that formal padding adds length but not precision, and that plain wording forces clarity — ending with a definition of what a report is for. That is persuasion about wording. Option A is unsupported: no history is given. Option B reverses the target of the criticism, which is aimed at writers, not readers. Option D names a topic (numbered sections) the passage never raises.

    Source: Passage, sentences 3-5: plain wording "forces the writer to decide exactly what happened," and a report "is a record that a person unfamiliar with the event must be able to follow on a single reading." Author's-purpose item.Report a problem with this question

12. 12. Read the passage and answer the question. "New employees are often surprised at how much of the work is routine, and a few conclude that the routine parts matter less. They do not. The inventory that is counted correctly on an uneventful day is the inventory that can be trusted on the day something goes wrong, and the radio that was tested when nothing was happening is the radio that works when everything is. No one is thanked for the emergency that never occurred. That is precisely the point: quiet competence is the goal, not something to be rewarded with attention." The tone of the passage can best be described as:

    • A.uncertain and hesitant
    • B.serious and instructive✓ Answer
    • C.angry and accusing
    • D.playful and teasing

    Tone is inferred from word choice and stance. The passage corrects a mistaken belief flatly ("They do not"), explains the reason with parallel examples, and closes with a plain statement of the goal — the manner of an instructor, not a joker or an accuser. Option A misreads the parallel sentences as humor. Option C overstates: the passage names the error without blaming anyone for it. Option D contradicts the passage's unhedged declarative statements.

    Source: Passage, sentences 2 and 5: "They do not" and "quiet competence is the goal, not something to be rewarded with attention." Tone item judged from stance and diction.Report a problem with this question

13. 13. Read the passage and answer the question. "The failure began with a small thing. A battery terminal left uncleaned developed a film of corrosion, which raised the resistance of the connection. The higher resistance reduced the current reaching the starter, so the engine cranked slowly on a cold morning. The slow cranking drained the battery further, and by the third attempt the vehicle would not start at all. The crew, now delayed, borrowed a second vehicle whose radio had not been tested, and the shift began with no reliable communication. Each step was minor; the sequence was not." How is the passage organized?

    • A.It traces a chain of cause and effect from a minor condition to a larger consequence.✓ Answer
    • B.It states a problem and then evaluates two proposed solutions.
    • C.It lists items ranked from most important to least important.
    • D.It compares two competing methods and recommends one of them.

    Each sentence supplies the cause of the next: corrosion raises resistance, resistance reduces current, reduced current slows cranking, slow cranking drains the battery, the failure delays the crew, and the substitute vehicle leaves them without tested communications. The closing sentence names the structure — "Each step was minor; the sequence was not." No second method is offered (A), nothing is ranked by importance (B), and no solutions are proposed or evaluated (C).

    Source: Passage, final sentence: "Each step was minor; the sequence was not." Organizational-pattern item (cause-and-effect chain).Report a problem with this question

14. 14. Read the passage and answer the question. "Written records fall into three broad classes, distinguished by who is expected to read them. Working notes are written for the author alone and may use private shorthand. Internal records, such as log entries and shift reports, are written for colleagues who share the same vocabulary but were not present at the event. Public records are written for readers who share neither the vocabulary nor the context, and they must therefore define terms that the other two classes may take for granted. Confusion most often arises when a document written for one audience is later read as though it belonged to another class." How is the passage organized?

    • A.It defines a single term and then traces its history.
    • B.It states an opinion and then answers objections to it.
    • C.It divides a subject into categories and describes each one.✓ Answer
    • D.It follows a process step by step in the order the steps occur.

    The first sentence announces a classification ("three broad classes, distinguished by who is expected to read them"), and the next three sentences take the classes one at a time. That is classification, not process, argument, or etymology. Option B is wrong because no sequence of steps is described. Option C is wrong because no objection is raised or answered. Option D is wrong because three classes are defined, not one term with a history.

    Source: Passage, sentence 1: "Written records fall into three broad classes, distinguished by who is expected to read them." Organizational-pattern item (classification).Report a problem with this question

15. 15. Read the passage and answer the question. "Under the depot's issue rule, any item drawn from the storeroom must be signed for by the person who will use it, and no item may be signed for on behalf of another person. Items valued above the depot's minor-equipment threshold additionally require a supervisor's counter-signature entered on the same line as the borrower's. An item returned in damaged condition is recorded on the damage sheet at the time of return, and the borrower's signature on the damage sheet is required even when the damage was not the borrower's fault. Items not returned by the end of the shift are carried forward on the outstanding list." An employee drew a lantern valued below the minor-equipment threshold, used it, and returned it at the end of the shift with a cracked lens that another person had caused. Under the rule as stated, what is required?

    • A.The lantern must be carried forward on the outstanding list.
    • B.A supervisor's counter-signature is now required, because the item came back damaged.
    • C.The employee must sign the damage sheet at the time of return, even though someone else caused the damage.✓ Answer
    • D.No damage-sheet entry is needed, because the employee did not cause the damage.

    The rule ties the damage-sheet signature to the fact of damage at return, not to fault: the borrower signs "even when the damage was not the borrower's fault." Option A contradicts that clause directly. Option C misapplies the counter-signature rule, which is triggered by value above the threshold — and this lantern is below it — not by damage. Option D misapplies the outstanding list, which covers items *not returned*; this lantern was returned.

    Source: Passage, sentence 3: the borrower's signature on the damage sheet "is required even when the damage was not the borrower's fault"; counter-signature is triggered only by value above the minor-equipment threshold (sentence 2).Report a problem with this question

16. 16. Read the passage and answer the question. "Under the station's meal-relief practice, an employee assigned to a fixed post receives a thirty-minute relief if the shift exceeds six hours, and a second relief of fifteen minutes if the shift exceeds ten hours. Relief is provided only when a qualified replacement is available for the post; if no replacement is available, the employee remains at the post and that relief period is added to the following shift's allowance. Employees assigned to roving duties rather than a fixed post arrange their own breaks and do not draw on this schedule." An employee works an eleven-hour shift at a fixed post. A qualified replacement is available at the time of the first relief but not at the time of the second. Under the practice as stated, the employee is entitled to:

    • A.no relief at all, because a replacement was unavailable at one point in the shift
    • B.breaks arranged at the employee's own discretion, since the shift exceeded ten hours
    • C.two reliefs totaling forty-five minutes, both taken during the shift
    • D.a thirty-minute relief during the shift, with the fifteen-minute relief added to the next shift's allowance✓ Answer

    Apply the rule branch by branch. Eleven hours exceeds both six and ten, so both reliefs are earned. Availability is then tested separately for each: the first relief is taken because a replacement was available; the second is not taken, and the rule says that period is added to the following shift's allowance. Option A ignores the availability condition. Option B misreads that condition as forfeiting all relief. Option D applies the roving-duty rule to a fixed post, which the last sentence excludes.

    Source: Passage, sentence 2: "if no replacement is available, the employee remains at the post and that relief period is added to the following shift's allowance." Rule-application item.Report a problem with this question

17. 17. Read the passage and answer the question. "The net's traffic rules rank messages at three levels. Emergency traffic, which concerns immediate danger to life, takes precedence over everything and may interrupt a transmission already in progress. Priority traffic, which concerns time-limited operational needs, is passed as soon as the current transmission ends. Routine traffic waits until the net is otherwise clear. An operator who declares a level higher than the message warrants is corrected by the net control operator, who alone may reassign a message's level once it has been declared." Operator B is midway through a routine transmission when Operator C receives word of a person trapped by rising water. Under the rules as stated, Operator C:

    • A.must wait until Operator B finishes the transmission, then pass the message
    • B.may interrupt Operator B's transmission, because the message is emergency traffic✓ Answer
    • C.must wait until the net is otherwise clear, as with all traffic
    • D.must first ask net control to assign a level before transmitting anything

    The message concerns immediate danger to life, which the passage defines as emergency traffic, and emergency traffic "may interrupt a transmission already in progress." Option B applies the priority rule (wait for the current transmission to end) to an emergency message. Option D applies the routine rule. Option C reverses the sequence in the last sentence: the operator declares the level, and net control may reassign it afterward; no prior assignment is required.

    Source: Passage, sentence 2: emergency traffic "takes precedence over everything and may interrupt a transmission already in progress." Rule-application item.Report a problem with this question

18. 18. Read the passage and answer the question. "Before a portable radio is issued, it is checked in a fixed order. The battery is seated and its charge verified first, because a low battery produces symptoms that resemble every other fault. The antenna is then inspected and tightened by hand. Only after these two mechanical checks is the radio switched on and the volume and squelch set to mid position. A test call is then made to a second radio at a known distance, and finally the serial number, the date, and the tester's initials are entered on the check sheet. A radio that fails the test call is tagged and returned to the shop before any entry about issue is made." According to the passage, which step is performed immediately after the antenna is inspected and tightened?

    • A.The battery is seated and its charge is verified.
    • B.A test call is made to a second radio at a known distance.
    • C.The radio is switched on and the volume and squelch are set to mid position.✓ Answer
    • D.The serial number, date, and tester's initials are entered on the check sheet.

    The passage fixes the sequence with ordering words: battery first, antenna "then," and "only after these two mechanical checks" is the radio switched on and its volume and squelch set. So the switch-on step immediately follows the antenna check. Option A is the step after that. Option B is expressly the final step. Option C precedes the antenna check rather than following it.

    Source: Passage, sentence 4: "Only after these two mechanical checks is the radio switched on and the volume and squelch set to mid position." Sequencing item.Report a problem with this question

19. 19. Read the passage and answer the question. "The order in which a soaked field notebook is dried determines whether the writing survives. The book is first opened and stood on its spine so that water drains from between the pages rather than through them. Blotting paper is then placed every tenth page to draw out moisture without pressing the ink sideways. The book is left in moving air at room temperature; direct heat is avoided at this stage because it sets the remaining moisture into the fibers and buckles the paper. When the pages are dry to the touch, the book is closed under a light weight overnight to flatten it. Only then are any illegible entries transcribed onto a fresh sheet and cross-referenced." According to the passage, which of the following is done last?

    • A.The book is stood on its spine so that water drains from between the pages.
    • B.Illegible entries are transcribed onto a fresh sheet and cross-referenced.✓ Answer
    • C.The book is closed under a light weight overnight.
    • D.Blotting paper is placed every tenth page.

    The final sentence marks the last step with the phrase "Only then," which places transcription after the overnight flattening. Option D is the step just before it. Option A is the second step, and option C is expressly the first ("The book is first opened and stood on its spine"). Sequencing items are answered from the ordering words in the text, not from what seems most important.

    Source: Passage, final sentence: "Only then are any illegible entries transcribed onto a fresh sheet and cross-referenced." Sequencing item.Report a problem with this question

20. 20. Read the passage and answer the question. "The eye adapts to darkness in two stages. The cones, which handle color and fine detail, reach their maximum sensitivity within about seven minutes and then improve no further. The rods, which register no color but detect far dimmer light, keep adapting for roughly half an hour. Because rods are absent from the very center of the retina, a faint object viewed head-on may disappear and then reappear when the viewer looks slightly to one side of it. A single glance at a bright light resets much of the rods' adaptation, and the slow half-hour process must begin again." Which statement is INCONSISTENT with the passage?

    • A.Brief exposure to a bright light can undo much of a viewer's dark adaptation.
    • B.The cones stop improving long before the rods do.
    • C.Rods detect dimmer light than cones do but register no color.
    • D.Looking directly at a faint object is the surest way to see it in darkness.✓ Answer

    The passage states that rods are absent from the very center of the retina, so a faint object viewed head-on may disappear and reappear only when the viewer looks slightly off to the side. Direct viewing is therefore the least reliable technique, which makes option C inconsistent. The other three restate the text: cones peak at about seven minutes while rods continue for roughly thirty (options A and D), and a single glance at a bright light resets much of the rods' adaptation (option B).

    Source: Passage, sentence 4: "Because rods are absent from the very center of the retina, a faint object viewed head-on may disappear and then reappear when the viewer looks slightly to one side of it."Report a problem with this question

21. 21. Read the passage and answer the question. "Impartiality in public service is often described as treating everyone the same, but the more exact statement is that decisions are made on stated criteria and on nothing else. Two people in identical circumstances should receive identical outcomes; two people in different circumstances may properly receive different outcomes, provided the difference between them is one that the criteria recognize. What impartiality forbids is a difference in outcome that traces to something the criteria do not mention — a personal relationship, a private preference, or an expectation of return." Which statement is CONSISTENT with the passage?

    • A.Stated criteria matter less than the good intentions of the person deciding.
    • B.Impartiality requires that every person receive exactly the same outcome in every case.
    • C.A decision influenced by a personal friendship is impartial as long as the outcome turns out to be correct.
    • D.Different outcomes are acceptable when they follow from a difference that the stated criteria recognize.✓ Answer

    The second sentence states the rule directly: different circumstances may properly yield different outcomes when the difference is one the criteria recognize. Option B is the loose formulation the passage explicitly corrects. Option C contradicts the last sentence, which forbids outcomes traceable to a personal relationship regardless of how they turn out. Option D reverses the passage, which grounds impartiality in stated criteria rather than in the decision maker's intentions.

    Source: Passage, sentence 2: "two people in different circumstances may properly receive different outcomes, provided the difference between them is one that the criteria recognize."Report a problem with this question

22. 22. Read the log and answer the question. GATE LOG — POST B 0605 Gate opened; lock and chain inspected, no damage noted. Operator: Nunn. 0740 Delivery vehicle, two occupants, admitted; manifest checked against order sheet 44-B. 0915 Perimeter light 3 reported dark; work request 218 submitted. 1130 Delivery vehicle departed; manifest signed and filed. 1402 Perimeter light 3 repaired; work request 218 closed by maintenance. 1600 Relief operator briefed; keys counted (4 of 4). Operator: Idris. According to the log, how long was the delivery vehicle inside the gate?

    • A.3 hours 50 minutes✓ Answer
    • B.2 hours 50 minutes
    • C.3 hours 20 minutes
    • D.4 hours 50 minutes

    The two entries that bracket the vehicle's presence are the 0740 admission and the 1130 departure; every other entry concerns the gate, the light, or the shift change and must be ignored. From 0740 to 1130 is 3 hours 50 minutes (0740 to 1040 is three hours, plus fifty minutes to 1130). The other options come from pairing the wrong entries or from subtracting the minutes in the wrong direction.

    Source: Gate Log — Post B, entries at 0740 (vehicle admitted) and 1130 (vehicle departed). Elapsed-time detail item on a written log.Report a problem with this question

23. 23. Read the memorandum and answer the question. MEMORANDUM To: All console operators From: Watch supervisor Subject: Logbook corrections Effective with the next logbook, corrections will be made by drawing a single ruled line through the error, adding the corrector's initials, and writing the correct entry beside it. Correction fluid and erasures are no longer permitted, and a page containing either will be treated as incomplete for audit purposes. An entry discovered to be in error after its page has been closed is not altered; instead, a new entry is made on the current page referring to the date and time of the original. Questions about entries more than one year old should be directed to the records office rather than to this desk. According to the memorandum, what should an operator do about an error discovered after the page has been closed?

    • A.Correct the original entry with correction fluid and initial the change.
    • B.Make a new entry on the current page referring to the date and time of the original.✓ Answer
    • C.Ask the records office to amend the closed page.
    • D.Draw a single ruled line through the original entry and add his or her initials.

    The memorandum sets out two different procedures and the question turns on which one applies. The ruled-line method covers corrections made while the page is still open; once the page has been closed, the entry "is not altered" and a fresh cross-referenced entry is made on the current page. Option A applies the open-page method to a closed page. Option B is expressly prohibited. Option C misuses the records office, which handles questions about entries more than one year old, not amendments to closed pages.

    Source: Memorandum, paragraph 1, sentence 3: an entry found in error after its page is closed "is not altered; instead, a new entry is made on the current page referring to the date and time of the original."Report a problem with this question

24. 24. Read the roster and answer the question. WEEKEND DUTY ROSTER — COMMUNICATIONS ROOM Saturday 0600-1400: Alvarez (console), Bright (relief) Saturday 1400-2200: Chen (console), Alvarez (relief) Saturday 2200-0600: Duval (console), Bright (relief) Sunday 0600-1400: Bright (console), Chen (relief) Note: No employee may be assigned as relief on the shift immediately following a shift worked at the console. Requests to trade must reach the supervisor at least 48 hours before the earlier of the two shifts involved. Which assignment on the roster conflicts with the note?

    • A.Alvarez as relief on Saturday 1400-2200✓ Answer
    • B.Chen as relief on Sunday 0600-1400
    • C.Duval as console operator on Saturday 2200-0600
    • D.Bright as relief on Saturday 2200-0600

    The note bars a relief assignment on the shift immediately after a console shift. Alvarez works the console on Saturday 0600-1400 and is listed as relief on Saturday 1400-2200, the very next shift, so that assignment violates the note. Bright's relief turn at 2200-0600 follows a shift Bright did not work at the console, so it is permitted. Duval's console assignment is not a relief assignment at all, and Chen's Sunday relief follows the 2200-0600 shift, which Chen did not work.

    Source: Roster note: "No employee may be assigned as relief on the shift immediately following a shift worked at the console" — applied to Alvarez (console Sat 0600-1400; relief Sat 1400-2200).Report a problem with this question

Practice questions modeled on the general aptitude domains of the CBP Border Patrol Agent entrance exam (logical reasoning, reading comprehension, artificial-language test, situational reasoning). Not legal or immigration advice and not affiliated with or endorsed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Check the official announcement for the current exam format. CBP Careers →