60 Reading Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. Read the passage and answer the question. A returning honeybee does not simply rest after finding food. Inside the dark hive she performs a looping, figure-eight movement across the vertical comb. The angle of the straight portion of the run, measured against gravity, tells her hivemates the direction of the flowers relative to the sun, and the length of that run signals how far away the flowers are. Bees that watch the dance then leave and fly almost directly to the patch. In this way a single scout can send hundreds of foragers to a food source that she alone has visited. Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?

   • A.Insects communicate more effectively than any other group of animals.
   • B.Honeybees rest inside the hive before returning to the flowers.
   • C.The dance a returning honeybee performs tells other bees both the direction of a food source and how far away it is.✓ Answer
   • D.A honeybee moves in a looping figure-eight pattern across the comb.

   The main idea is the point the author makes about the topic, and it must account for the whole passage. Every sentence here serves the claim that the dance encodes direction and distance. Option B is a true supporting detail but too narrow; option C generalizes far beyond anything the passage states; option D contradicts the first sentence, which says the bee does not simply rest.

   Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.1 (Summarize a multi-paragraph text: main idea vs. supporting detail)Report a problem with this question

2. 2. Read the passage and answer the question. Roman engineers built aqueducts that carried water into cities from springs many miles away. The channels dropped only a few inches per mile, a gradient shallow enough to keep the water moving without tearing the masonry apart. Where valleys interrupted the route, builders raised arches; where hills blocked it, they cut tunnels. Much of the system ran underground, protected from heat and contamination. Because the water arrived continuously and under no pressure, Roman cities placed public fountains and baths where the flow could be used and then carried away. Which of the following best states the topic of the passage?

   • A.Roman aqueducts used a very shallow gradient so that water moved without damaging the masonry.
   • B.Roman engineers were the finest builders of the ancient world.
   • C.Ancient cities
   • D.Roman aqueducts✓ Answer

   A topic is a word or short phrase naming what the text is about; it is not a complete statement. 'Roman aqueducts' names the subject exactly. 'Ancient cities' is too broad. Option C is an opinion the passage never makes, and option D is a full sentence stating a detail, so it functions as a main-idea or supporting-detail statement rather than a topic.

   Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.1 (topic vs. main idea vs. topic sentence)Report a problem with this question

3. 3. Read the passage and answer the question. The ocean's tides are caused mainly by the moon's gravitational pull on the Earth's water. The side of the Earth facing the moon bulges toward it, and the opposite side bulges as well, because there the solid Earth is pulled away from the water. As the planet rotates, most coastlines pass through two bulges and two low points each day. The sun adds a smaller pull. When the sun and moon line up, the two forces combine and tides run unusually high and unusually low; when they sit at right angles to each other, the range between high and low tide shrinks. Which of the following is the best summary of the passage?

   • A.The moon's gravity creates two tidal bulges that most coasts pass through each day, and the sun's smaller pull makes the tidal range larger or smaller depending on how the sun and moon are aligned.✓ Answer
   • B.The moon's gravity pulls on the Earth's water and creates bulges in the ocean.
   • C.Tides are the most impressive of all natural cycles, driven by forces far beyond human control.
   • D.Tides are caused by the moon and the sun, which is why sailors have always planned their voyages around the tide tables.

   A summary restates all the main points of a text briefly, in proportion, and adds nothing new. Option A covers both halves of the passage: the lunar bulges and the sun's modifying effect. Option B omits the sun and the daily cycle. Option C adds information about sailors that the passage never gives. Option D inserts opinion rather than content.

   Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.1 (Summarize a multi-paragraph text)Report a problem with this question

4. 4. Read the passage and answer the question. Before electricity, a lighthouse keeper's work was constant. Each morning he trimmed the wick and polished the lens so that soot would not dim the beam, hauled oil up the tower stairs, and wound the clockwork that turned the lens to make the light appear to flash. At night he stayed awake to watch for a failing flame. Logbooks show keepers recording the weather every few hours, because a light that could not be seen through fog was of little use to ships. The work was repetitive, but a single missed hour could put a vessel on the rocks. Which of the following statements does NOT belong in a summary of this passage?

   • A.The routine was repetitive, but failing at it could endanger ships.
   • B.Keepers wound the clockwork and watched the flame through the night.
   • C.Modern lighthouses are automated and no longer require keepers.✓ Answer
   • D.Keepers cleaned the lens and trimmed the wick daily to keep the beam bright.

   A summary may contain only information that appears in the source text. The passage never mentions modern or automated lighthouses, so that statement introduces outside knowledge, no matter how true it may be in the real world. The other three options each restate points the passage actually makes.

   Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.1 (a summary adds no new information and no opinion)Report a problem with this question

5. 5. Read the passage and answer the question. When Mira inherited the steep field, rain carried the soil down the slope every spring. The first year she built one low wall of stacked stone across the hill and planted above it. The wall held a shallow shelf of earth. The next year she built another, and the year after that a third. Neighbors who had watched her carry stone uphill for three seasons began hauling their own. Ten years later the hillside held a staircase of green terraces, and the stream at the bottom ran clear after storms. Which of the following best states the theme of the passage?

   • A.Patient, repeated effort can gradually transform a difficult situation.✓ Answer
   • B.Neighbors should always share their tools with one another.
   • C.Farming on a slope is impossible without machinery.
   • D.Mira built three stone walls across her hillside.

   A theme is the broader underlying message a text conveys, stated in general terms rather than tied to specific people or events. Option A generalizes what the whole passage shows. Option B is a plot detail, option C contradicts the passage (Mira succeeded by hand), and option D uses the absolute word 'always' and is never supported.

   Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.1 (theme vs. main idea vs. detail)Report a problem with this question

6. 6. Read the paragraph and answer the question. (1) Sea otters stay warm in cold water by relying on fur rather than on a layer of blubber. (2) Their coat is the densest of any mammal's, with as many as a million hairs per square inch. (3) The fur traps a layer of air against the skin. (4) An otter grooms almost constantly, blowing air into the coat and rolling to keep it clean. (5) Oil or dirt that mats the fur lets water reach the skin, and the animal chills quickly. Which sentence is the topic sentence of the paragraph?

   • A.Sentence 2
   • B.Sentence 5
   • C.Sentence 4
   • D.Sentence 1✓ Answer

   The topic sentence is the single sentence that states the main idea the rest of the paragraph develops, and it most often appears first or last. Sentence 1 makes the claim — otters rely on fur, not blubber — and sentences 2 through 5 explain how the fur works and what happens when it fails. Sentences 2, 4, and 5 are supporting details.

   Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.1 (identify the topic sentence)Report a problem with this question

7. 7. Read the passage and answer the question. The library's front steps were built of soft limestone. Each year the stone lost a fraction of an inch where feet fell most often. Rain worked into the hairline cracks and froze in winter, widening them. Nearby, the bronze railing dulled to a soft brown but held its shape, and the granite curb at the street edge showed no measurable change at all. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

   • A.Bronze is the most durable building material available.
   • B.Different building materials wear away at different rates under the same conditions.✓ Answer
   • C.The library's front steps are made of limestone.
   • D.Rain damages every kind of stone used in construction.

   This paragraph has no topic sentence, so the main idea must be inferred from the pattern of details: three materials in the same weather change by very different amounts. Option B is a single detail. Option C is unsupported — bronze changed color, and granite changed least. Option D uses the absolute 'every' and is contradicted by the unchanged granite.

   Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.1 (implied/unstated main idea)Report a problem with this question

8. 8. Read the passage and answer the question. Some plants let the wind do the work, wrapping each seed in a papery wing that spins it away from the parent. Others hide their seeds inside sweet fruit, so that animals carry them off and drop them far away. A few build pods that dry, twist, and split with enough force to fling seeds several feet. Coconuts simply float. Each method solves the same problem: a seedling that sprouts directly beneath its parent must compete with it for light and water. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

   • A.The Life Cycle of the Coconut
   • B.Wind, Weather, and Water
   • C.Why Sunlight Matters to Growing Plants
   • D.How Plants Move Their Seeds Away from the Parent✓ Answer

   The best title restates the main idea: broad enough to cover the whole text, narrow enough to exclude what the text does not discuss. Every example in the passage is a method of seed dispersal, and the last sentence gives the reason. Option B covers one clause; option C names topics only incidentally mentioned; option D picks up a supporting reason rather than the subject itself.

   Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.1 (identify the best title as a statement of the main idea)Report a problem with this question

9. 9. Read the sentence and answer the question. 'Because the canal froze for four months each winter, merchants shifted their heaviest cargo to the season when barges could still move.' Which of the following is the best paraphrase of the sentence?

   • A.Barges were the cheapest way to carry heavy cargo.
   • B.The canal froze for four months each winter.
   • C.Merchants stopped shipping goods entirely for four months of the year.
   • D.Merchants moved their heaviest goods during the months when the canal was not frozen.✓ Answer

   A paraphrase restates the complete meaning of the original in different words, without adding or leaving out information. Option A carries both the cause and the result. Option B overstates: only the heaviest cargo was shifted, not all shipping. Option C reproduces only the first half of the sentence. Option D introduces a claim about cost that the sentence never makes.

   Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.1 (paraphrase vs. summary vs. quotation)Report a problem with this question

10. 10. Read the passage and answer the question. Paragraph 1: Glass is made by heating sand until it flows and then cooling it so quickly that its atoms never settle into a crystal pattern. The result behaves like a solid but keeps the disordered internal structure of a liquid. Paragraph 2: That disorder explains glass's usefulness. Because there are no crystal planes to guide a break, glass can be cut into almost any shape. Because light passes through without meeting a regular lattice, the material is transparent. And because it never truly crystallized, glass can be softened and reshaped again and again. Which of the following is the main idea of the second paragraph?

    • A.Glass is produced by melting sand and cooling it very quickly.
    • B.Glass is transparent to visible light.
    • C.The disordered atomic structure of glass is what gives the material its useful properties.✓ Answer
    • D.Glass is stronger than materials with a crystal structure.

    The question asks for the main idea of one paragraph, so the answer must cover that paragraph and only that paragraph. The second paragraph opens with its topic sentence and then gives three consequences of the disorder. Option B belongs to paragraph 1. Option C is one of the three supporting details. Option D is a comparison the passage never makes.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.1 (main idea of a specified paragraph within a multi-paragraph text)Report a problem with this question

11. 11. Read the passage and answer the question. The creosote bush grows in evenly spaced clumps across desert flats, each shrub standing well apart from the next. Its roots spread wide and shallow, reaching outward two or three times the width of the branches above. Rain on these flats falls rarely and soaks only the top few inches of soil before the sun takes the rest. Seedlings that sprout close to an established bush seldom survive their first summer. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

    • A.Creosote roots grow deep in order to reach groundwater.
    • B.Desert soil contains no nutrients that plants can use.
    • C.Established creosote bushes take up the shallow rainwater that nearby seedlings would need.✓ Answer
    • D.Creosote bushes are the only plants able to survive in desert flats.

    A valid inference is the smallest step beyond the text that the stated evidence supports. Wide shallow roots, rain that wets only the top few inches, and seedlings dying near adult bushes together point to competition for that shallow water. Option B uses the absolute 'only'; option C directly contradicts 'wide and shallow'; option D imports outside claims about nutrients that the passage never raises.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.2 (make inferences supported by textual evidence)Report a problem with this question

12. 12. Read the memo and answer the question. Memo to all staff: Beginning next month, the loading dock will be repaved. During the work, deliveries will be received at the north entrance only, and the freight elevator will run on a reduced schedule. Departments expecting large shipments should schedule them for the first week of the month or wait until after the project ends. Hand trucks will be available at the north desk. Which of the following can be inferred from the memo?

    • A.The loading dock will be closed permanently.
    • B.No department will be able to receive any shipment during the project.
    • C.The freight elevator is broken and is being replaced.
    • D.Receiving deliveries will be slower or less convenient than usual while the work is under way.✓ Answer

    An inference must follow from what is written without being stated outright. A single entry point, a reduced elevator schedule, advice to reschedule shipments, and an offer of hand trucks all point to added inconvenience. Option B contradicts 'after the project ends'; option C is an absolute that the scheduling advice disproves; option D invents a cause the memo never gives.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.2 (draw conclusions from informational text such as memos and announcements)Report a problem with this question

13. 13. Read the passage and answer the question. The village stored its grain in a stone building raised on short pillars. Each pillar was capped with a flat disc of slate wider than the pillar itself, so that the edge of the disc hung out over empty air. Village records list regular payments to masons for cutting and replacing these discs, and note that granaries built without them lost more grain to mice each year. The reader can conclude that the slate discs were intended to do which of the following?

    • A.Keep rain from running down the outside walls.
    • B.Carry the weight of the granary's roof.
    • C.Keep mice from climbing the pillars into the grain store.✓ Answer
    • D.Mark the building as village property.

    A conclusion is drawn by combining stated details. Two facts do the work here: the discs overhang the pillars, creating a lip that a climbing animal cannot get past, and granaries lacking them lost more grain to mice. Option B is impossible because the discs sit under the floor, not under the roof; options C and D are never suggested anywhere in the text.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.2 (draw conclusions about meaning and purpose from textual evidence)Report a problem with this question

14. 14. Read the passage and answer the question. The old mill wheel turned only in spring. Its owner had cut a channel from the pond to the wheel, but the pond filled only when snow melted on the ridge above. The miller's ledger lists no grinding fees at all between July and October. Farmers who needed flour in late summer carried their grain eight miles to a mill on the river. Which detail from the passage best supports the conclusion that the mill could not operate in late summer?

    • A.Snow melted on the ridge above the pond in spring.
    • B.The miller's ledger lists no grinding fees between July and October.✓ Answer
    • C.The owner cut a channel from the pond to the wheel.
    • D.A second mill stood eight miles away on the river.

    Text evidence must connect directly to the specific conclusion being tested. A ledger with no grinding fees across those exact months is a record of the mill doing no work in late summer. Option B and option C describe how the mill was supplied, not whether it ran; option D shows only that another mill existed, which is consistent with several explanations.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.2 (identify the textual evidence that supports a stated conclusion)Report a problem with this question

15. 15. Read the passage and answer the question. A seed catalog advises gardeners to start pepper seeds indoors about eight weeks before the last expected frost. The seedlings need warm soil and bright light, and their growth stalls if they are moved outside while nights are still cold. Once the danger of frost has passed, growers first set the trays outdoors for only a few hours a day, lengthening the time gradually over about a week. Based on the passage, what will a grower most likely do at the end of that week?

    • A.Transplant the seedlings into the outdoor garden.✓ Answer
    • B.Move the seedlings outdoors before the last frost date.
    • C.Bring the seedlings back indoors for another eight weeks.
    • D.Sow a fresh batch of pepper seeds indoors.

    Predicting a logical next step is a form of inference: the reader extends the pattern the text establishes. The gradual increase in outdoor time is preparation for full-time outdoor life, so planting out is what follows. Option B undoes that preparation, option C restarts a process the passage has already completed, and option D contradicts the stated warning about cold nights.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.2 (predict a logical next step from the text)Report a problem with this question

16. 16. Read the passage and answer the question. For two centuries the harbor town shipped ice cut from its lake to ports in the south, packed in sawdust from the mills nearby. Then rail lines reached those southern cities, and factories there began making ice by machine all year round. Within a decade the town's icehouses stood empty, and the sawdust piled up beside the mills. The passage suggests that the town's ice trade declined mainly because

    • A.the lake in the harbor town stopped freezing.
    • B.the sawmills near the town closed down.
    • C.the railroads refused to carry cargoes of ice.
    • D.southern cities could produce their own ice and no longer needed it shipped in.✓ Answer

    Implied cause and effect is inferred from the order and content of events, not from an explicit 'because'. The passage places machine-made ice in southern cities immediately before the icehouses empty, which supplies the cause. Option B and option D are never mentioned; option C is contradicted by the sawdust piling up, which shows the mills were still cutting wood.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.2 (implied cause-and-effect relationships)Report a problem with this question

17. 17. Read the passage and answer the question. Sea turtles return to the beach where they hatched in order to lay their own eggs. Researchers who tagged hatchlings have recovered the same animals decades later within a few miles of the tagging site. A female may cross an entire ocean between one nesting season and the next. Which of the following is an inference rather than a fact stated in the passage?

    • A.Sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach where they hatched.
    • B.Tagged hatchlings have been recovered decades later near the tagging site.
    • C.Sea turtles can navigate over very long distances with considerable accuracy.✓ Answer
    • D.A female may cross an entire ocean between nesting seasons.

    An inference is a conclusion the reader builds from evidence; anything the text says outright is a stated detail, not an inference. Options B, C, and D each appear almost word for word in the passage. Only option A is unstated: it is the reader's conclusion drawn from combining the ocean-wide travel with the return to a beach only a few miles wide.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.2 (distinguish an inference from an explicitly stated detail)Report a problem with this question

18. 18. Read the notice and answer the question. NOTICE: The community pool opens at 6:00 a.m. on weekdays for lap swimming only. Open swim begins at 10:00 a.m. Children under twelve must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Lifeguards are on duty during open swim hours. Which of the following can be inferred from the notice?

    • A.The pool is closed on weekends.
    • B.Lap swimming is more popular than open swim.
    • C.Children are not permitted at the community pool.
    • D.A lifeguard may not be on duty during the early lap-swimming hours.✓ Answer

    The notice limits lifeguard coverage to open swim hours, which begin at 10:00 a.m., so the 6:00-to-10:00 period is simply not covered by that sentence — the minimum defensible step beyond the text. Option B contradicts the rule about accompanied children. Option C assumes that saying nothing about weekends means closure. Option D compares popularity, which the notice never addresses.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.2 (inference from a short informational notice)Report a problem with this question

19. 19. Read the directions and answer the question. WALL ANCHOR — DIRECTIONS: Drill a 1/4-inch hole. Do not use this anchor in drywall thinner than 1/2 inch. Insert the sleeve until the flange sits flush with the wall surface. Tighten the screw until it stops turning easily; further force will strip the sleeve. This anchor holds up to 30 pounds in drywall and up to 50 pounds in wood. Which of the following can be inferred from the directions?

    • A.Overtightening the screw can leave the anchor unable to hold its rated weight.✓ Answer
    • B.The anchor will hold 30 pounds in any material.
    • C.The anchor should never be installed in wood.
    • D.A 1/2-inch drill bit is required to install the anchor.

    The directions state that extra force strips the sleeve but never say what stripping does; concluding that a stripped sleeve can no longer grip is the small, supported step that makes it an inference. Option B contradicts the wood rating, option C confuses the 1/2-inch minimum drywall thickness with the 1/4-inch hole, and option D ignores the two different ratings given.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.2 (inference from written directions)Report a problem with this question

20. 20. A student is reading a geology textbook and wants to find every page on which the term 'moraine' appears anywhere in the book. Where should the student look?

    • A.The index✓ Answer
    • B.The table of contents
    • C.The glossary
    • D.The appendix

    The index is an alphabetical list of specific topics, terms, and names placed at the back of a book, and it gives every page number on which each entry appears — exactly what this task requires. The table of contents lists chapters in the order they appear, the glossary defines terms without listing all their occurrences, and an appendix holds supplementary material.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.4 (locate information using text features: index)Report a problem with this question

21. 21. While reading a chapter, a reader comes across the word 'alluvial' printed in bold type and wants a brief definition of the word as this book uses it. Where should the reader look first?

    • A.The table of contents
    • B.The appendix
    • C.The glossary✓ Answer
    • D.The index

    A glossary is an alphabetical list of the specialized terms a book uses, each with a short definition in that book's own sense, and bold type in the text is the standard signal that a word has a glossary entry. The index would give page numbers but no definition, the appendix holds supplementary data, and the table of contents lists sections only.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.4 (locate information using text features: glossary)Report a problem with this question

22. 22. A reader picks up a nonfiction book and wants to know whether it contains a chapter devoted to volcanoes, and if so, on what page that chapter begins. Where should the reader look?

    • A.The appendix
    • B.The table of contents✓ Answer
    • C.A footnote
    • D.The glossary

    The table of contents appears at the front and lists the book's major divisions — chapters and sections — in the order they appear, together with the page on which each one begins. That is precisely a chapter-level question. A glossary defines words, a footnote comments on one passage, and an appendix stores extra material at the back.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.4 (locate information using text features: table of contents)Report a problem with this question

23. 23. Read the passage and answer the question. Bamboo is a grass, not a tree. Some species grow more than three feet in a single day, drawing on food stored in a network of underground stems called rhizomes. A stalk reaches its full height in one season and then grows no taller, though it continues to harden for several years afterward. Because the rhizomes survive cutting, a harvested grove regrows without replanting. According to the passage, how does a harvested bamboo grove regrow?

    • A.From new plants that growers set out each year.
    • B.From underground rhizomes that survive the cutting.✓ Answer
    • C.From existing stalks that grow taller each season.
    • D.From seeds dropped by the cut stalks.

    This is a literal-comprehension item, so the answer must appear in the text itself. The final sentence states the cause directly: the rhizomes survive cutting. Option B invents a seed mechanism, option C contradicts the statement that a stalk grows no taller after its first season, and option D contradicts 'without replanting'.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.4 (locate specific information stated in a text)Report a problem with this question

24. 24. Read the schedule and answer the question. COMMUNITY CENTER — ROOM B Monday: Chess Club, 4:00–6:00 p.m. Tuesday: Language Exchange, 5:30–7:00 p.m. Wednesday: Chess Club, 4:00–6:00 p.m. Thursday: Book Group, 6:00–7:30 p.m. Friday: Room reserved for maintenance According to the schedule, which activity uses Room B for the longest single session?

    • A.Maintenance
    • B.Chess Club✓ Answer
    • C.Book Group
    • D.Language Exchange

    Retrieving information from a schedule means reading the listed times exactly and comparing them. Chess Club runs 4:00 to 6:00, a two-hour session; Language Exchange and Book Group each run an hour and a half. The maintenance entry lists no times at all, so no length can be read from it — a plausible-looking option that the text does not actually support.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.4 (retrieve a specific value from a schedule or listing)Report a problem with this question

25. 25. Read the directions and answer the question. DEVELOPING FILM AT HOME 1. Mix the developer and the fixer and bring both to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. In total darkness, load the film onto the reel and seal it inside the tank. 3. Pour in the developer and agitate for ten seconds every minute. 4. Pour out the developer and rinse the film with water. 5. Pour in the fixer and agitate for five minutes. 6. Wash the film for ten minutes, then hang it to dry. According to the directions, what must be done immediately before the fixer is poured in?

    • A.Pour out the developer and rinse the film with water.✓ Answer
    • B.Wash the film for ten minutes.
    • C.Load the film onto the reel in total darkness.
    • D.Bring the developer to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

    In a numbered procedure, 'immediately before' means the step bearing the next lower number. The fixer goes in at step 5, so step 4 — pouring out the developer and rinsing — is the answer. Steps 2 and 1 come earlier but not immediately before, and step 6 comes after the fixer, so choosing it reverses the order.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.3 (comprehension of written directions: before/after a given step)Report a problem with this question

26. 26. Read the directions and answer the question. USING A PRESSURE CANNER Before each use, check the gasket. If the gasket is cracked or brittle, replace it before canning. Fill jars to within one inch of the rim, unless the recipe specifies a different headspace. Do not tighten the rings past finger-tight. Vent steam for ten minutes before closing the vent and building pressure. Never open the canner until the pressure gauge has returned to zero. According to the directions, when should jars be filled to a headspace other than one inch?

    • A.When the recipe specifies a different headspace.✓ Answer
    • B.When the gasket has just been replaced.
    • C.When steam is vented for longer than ten minutes.
    • D.Never; one inch is required in every case.

    The word 'unless' creates a conditional exception: the one-inch rule holds by default and is overridden only by the condition named after 'unless'. Option C ignores that exception entirely, and options B and D attach the exception to unrelated steps about the gasket and venting, which the directions never link to headspace.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.3 (conditional and negative wording in written directions: 'unless', 'do not', 'never')Report a problem with this question

27. 27. Read the directions and answer the question. REPOTTING A ROOT-BOUND PLANT 1. Water the plant thoroughly one hour before repotting. 2. Choose a pot two inches wider than the old one and cover its drainage hole with a shard. 3. Slide the plant out of the old pot and loosen the outer roots with your fingers. 4. Set the plant at the same depth it grew before and fill around it with fresh soil. 5. Press the soil down gently and water until liquid runs from the drainage hole. According to the directions, what must be ready before the plant is slid out of its old pot?

    • A.A pot two inches wider than the old one, with its drainage hole covered by a shard.✓ Answer
    • B.Soil pressed down gently around the base of the plant.
    • C.Water running out of the drainage hole.
    • D.The outer roots loosened with the fingers.

    Numbered directions establish prerequisites: everything in the lower-numbered steps must be complete before a later step begins. Sliding the plant out is step 3, so step 2 — the wider pot with a covered drainage hole — is the prerequisite. Options B, C, and D all name actions that belong to step 3 or later.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.3 (identify prerequisites and supplies in a multi-step procedure)Report a problem with this question

28. 28. Read the passage and answer the question. The bridge project moved in stages. Surveyors marked the banks in the spring. Once the markings were approved, crews sank cofferdams into the riverbed and pumped them dry. Concrete piers rose inside the dry chambers through the summer. In the fall a barge floated the steel spans into place, and by the first snow the deck had been poured. Which of the following happened immediately before the concrete piers were built?

    • A.The bridge deck was poured.
    • B.Steel spans were floated into place on a barge.
    • C.Cofferdams were sunk into the riverbed and pumped dry.✓ Answer
    • D.Surveyors marked the banks of the river.

    Sequence questions are answered by tracing the signal words that fix events in time. 'Once the markings were approved' places the cofferdams after the survey, and the piers rise 'inside the dry chambers', which can only exist after the pumping. Surveying came earlier but not immediately before, and the spans and deck both came later, in the fall and at first snow.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.6 (interpret events in a sequence: immediately before/after)Report a problem with this question

29. 29. Read the passage and answer the question. A monarch butterfly begins as an egg fixed to the underside of a milkweed leaf. The caterpillar that hatches eats and molts several times, then hangs head-down and forms a green chrysalis. Inside the case, its body is rebuilt. When the case finally splits, the adult clings nearby while its wings stiffen, and only then does it fly. Which of the following shows the correct order of events?

    • A.Egg → caterpillar eats and molts → chrysalis forms → wings stiffen → butterfly flies✓ Answer
    • B.Caterpillar eats and molts → egg → chrysalis forms → wings stiffen → butterfly flies
    • C.Egg → caterpillar eats and molts → butterfly flies → wings stiffen → chrysalis forms
    • D.Egg → chrysalis forms → caterpillar eats and molts → butterfly flies → wings stiffen

    Ordering items require mapping each event onto the timeline the text builds with words such as 'begins', 'then', 'when', and 'only then'. Option A follows that chain exactly. Option B and option C swap two stages, and option D moves flight ahead of the wing-stiffening that the phrase 'only then does it fly' explicitly places first.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.6 (interpret events in a sequence; ordered-response format)Report a problem with this question

30. 30. Read the passage and answer the question. The museum opened its new wing on a Saturday in June. The architect had submitted her drawings three years earlier, but the trustees delayed the project while they raised money. Ground was finally broken the summer before the opening. Earlier still, before any drawing existed, a private donor had promised the collection that made the new wing necessary in the first place. Which of the following happened first?

    • A.The architect submitted her drawings.
    • B.The new wing opened to the public.
    • C.Ground was broken for the new wing.
    • D.A private donor promised the collection.✓ Answer

    A passage may narrate events out of chronological order, so the reader must map each event onto real time rather than onto sentence order. The phrases 'earlier still' and 'before any drawing existed' place the donation before everything else even though it is mentioned last. Reading by sentence order would wrongly select the opening or the drawings.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading — Key Ideas and Details, R.1.6 (events narrated out of chronological order; time-signal words)Report a problem with this question

31. 31. Passage: "The Atlantic Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth. It covers more surface area than any other body of salt water, and in my view it is also the most beautiful." Which statement best describes the FIRST sentence?

    • A.It is a factual claim, because it can be checked against measurable evidence — even though the claim turns out to be false.✓ Answer
    • B.It is an opinion, because it uses the superlative "largest."
    • C.It is an opinion, because the statement is inaccurate.
    • D.It is a fact, because everything written before "in my view" must be true.

    Fact versus opinion is decided by verifiability, not accuracy. Ocean area can be measured, so the sentence is a fact-type claim; it simply happens to be false (the Pacific is larger). A false but checkable statement is still a factual claim — treating "wrong" as "opinion" is the classic trap. Only the clause beginning "in my view" is opinion.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.2.1 — distinguish between fact and opinionReport a problem with this question

32. 32. Passage: "Anyone who has actually ridden the No. 4 bus knows the truth. The so-called improvements promised by the transit board are nothing more than a shuffle of empty schedules. Real riders — not office planners with reserved parking spaces — have begged for later service for years. The board's own hand-picked consultants admit ridership 'may' rise. May? Ridership will soar the moment the last bus runs after midnight." Which feature most clearly signals the author's bias?

    • A.The use of a quotation from the consultants
    • B.The reference to ridership as a measurable quantity
    • C.The mention of a specific bus route number
    • D.Loaded, dismissive word choice such as "so-called" and "hand-picked," which frames one side negatively before any evidence is given✓ Answer

    Bias shows up in how information is presented: loaded diction, sneering qualifiers, and one-sided framing that discredits the opposing party rather than answering it. Naming a route, quoting a source, or mentioning measurable ridership are neutral reporting moves that any unbiased writer could make.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.2.1 — identify misconceptions and biasReport a problem with this question

33. 33. Passage: "Unlike her sister, who rehearsed each speech a dozen times and spoke for half an hour, Mara was laconic at the podium: three sentences, a nod, and she stepped down." As used in the passage, "laconic" most nearly means:

    • A.using very few words✓ Answer
    • B.nervous and unsteady
    • C.unusually loud
    • D.poorly prepared

    Two context clues fix the meaning: the contrast signal "Unlike" sets Mara against a sister who spoke at length, and the example "three sentences, a nod" restates the idea concretely. Nothing in the passage reports nerves, volume, or preparation, so those senses are unsupported.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.2.2 — interpret the meaning of words and phrases using contextReport a problem with this question

34. 34. Passage: "The review committee described the mayor's spending plan as thrifty. Members noted that every dollar trimmed from the budget had been returned to the road repair fund." What does the word choice "thrifty" (rather than "stingy" or "cheap") accomplish?

    • A.Nothing — "thrifty" and "stingy" have identical dictionary meanings and identical emotional charge.
    • B.It is negative, because any word about limiting spending carries a negative connotation.
    • C.It creates a negative charge, implying the mayor withheld money the town needed.
    • D.It creates a positive connotation of careful money management, which matches the approving detail that the savings were reinvested in road repair.✓ Answer

    Denotation is the dictionary meaning; connotation is the emotional charge. "Thrifty," "stingy," and "cheap" all denote spending little, but only "thrifty" carries approval — and approval is what the second sentence supplies by showing the savings were put to good use. Matching connotation to the passage's tone is the skill being tested.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.2.2 — connotation versus denotationReport a problem with this question

35. 35. Passage: "The nurse asked the patient to relate the sequence of events that led to the fall. He began with breakfast and ended with the moment he reached for the railing." As used here, "relate" most nearly means:

    • A.to belong to the same family as
    • B.to feel sympathy for
    • C.to tell or narrate✓ Answer
    • D.to be logically connected to

    Multiple-meaning words must be resolved by the sentence, not by the most familiar sense. The object "the sequence of events" and the follow-up ("He began... and ended...") show an act of telling, which rules out the connection, empathy, and kinship senses.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.2.2 — determine meaning of multiple-meaning words in contextReport a problem with this question

36. 36. Passage: "A community garden needs three things: tested soil, a water source, and a plot map. Each is simple to arrange. Volunteers can test soil in under an hour, and most towns already own the empty lots that gardens need. Given how little stands in the way, every neighborhood council should approve a garden this spring. The excuses offered by reluctant councils — cost, liability, upkeep — collapse the moment anyone examines them." What is the author's primary purpose?

    • A.To inform readers, without taking a position, of the steps required to start a garden
    • B.To entertain readers with a story about volunteers
    • C.To persuade neighborhood councils to approve community gardens✓ Answer
    • D.To describe the appearance of a well-kept community garden

    Purpose is inferred from tone and structure, not from a stated sentence. The informational opening is a setup: the word "should," the dismissal of opposing reasons as "excuses" that "collapse," and the one-sided evidence are marks of persuasion. Persuasive intent frequently hides inside informational-sounding prose, which is why option D is the trap.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.2.3 — evaluate the author's purpose in a given textReport a problem with this question

37. 37. Passage: "(1) Tides rise and fall because the moon's gravity pulls unevenly on the ocean. The side of Earth facing the moon bulges toward it; the opposite side bulges away. (2) The shape of a coastline can magnify this effect. A wide bay that narrows inland forces the same volume of water into a smaller channel, so the water climbs higher. (3) In one narrow northern bay, the difference between low and high water can exceed the height of a two-story house. Boats afloat at noon rest on mud by evening." The author includes the third paragraph primarily to:

    • A.define a technical term used earlier
    • B.persuade readers to visit the bay
    • C.give a concrete example of the principle explained in the second paragraph✓ Answer
    • D.introduce the overall topic of the passage

    This stem asks for the purpose of one paragraph, not the purpose of the whole text — a distinction TEAS tests deliberately. Paragraph 2 states a general rule (narrowing bays amplify tides); paragraph 3 supplies a specific case that demonstrates it. The topic is introduced in paragraph 1, and no term is defined here.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.2.3 — purpose of a portion of a text versus the wholeReport a problem with this question

38. 38. Passage: "Dana counted the chairs twice. She was certain the room had held twelve of them the day before, and she wondered whether the custodian had moved them. Across the hall, Mr. Okafor whistled as he carried a stack of folders; Dana could not tell whether he had noticed anything at all." What point of view is used?

    • A.Third person limited✓ Answer
    • B.Third person objective
    • C.First person
    • D.Third person omniscient

    The narrator uses "she/he" (third person) and reports the inner thoughts of exactly one character — Dana was "certain" and "wondered." Mr. Okafor is shown only from the outside, and the text says Dana cannot tell what he noticed. Access to one mind only defines third person limited; omniscient would enter both minds, and objective would enter neither.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.2.4 — evaluate the author's point of viewReport a problem with this question

39. 39. Passage: "Paper recycling begins when collected sheets are mixed with water to form a pulp. Ink is removed with soap-like agents, and the fibers are screened for staples and glue. Fibers shorten each time they are reprocessed, so paper can be recycled only a limited number of times before the fibers are too short to bind. Mills therefore blend recycled pulp with new fiber. Processing costs vary with the price of new pulp, and some mills run the process only when that price is high." Which best describes the author's stance?

    • A.Sarcastic and dismissive
    • B.Neutral and informative✓ Answer
    • C.Nostalgic and admiring
    • D.Alarmed and urgent

    Stance is judged from diction. Every sentence reports a process or a trade-off with plain, unloaded wording, and the limits of recycling are stated without praise or warning. Over-reading emotion into informational text is a frequent error; when no evaluative language appears, the neutral answer is correct.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.2.4 — author's perspective and toneReport a problem with this question

40. 40. Passage: "When water in soil freezes, it expands. The expanding ice lifts the soil above it, and anything resting on that soil — a fence post, a paving stone — rises with it. When the ground thaws, the soil settles unevenly, so the post never returns to its original position. After several winters, the fence leans badly." Which organizational pattern does the paragraph use?

    • A.Sequence — steps the reader is meant to follow in order
    • B.Problem and solution
    • C.Cause and effect✓ Answer
    • D.Compare and contrast

    The paragraph traces a chain in which each event produces the next, marked by causal signals ("When... expands," "lifts," "so," "After several winters"). Sequence is the tempting distractor because events happen in time order, but a sequence pattern lists steps or stages without asserting that each one causes the next, and no remedy is offered, so it is not problem-and-solution.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Reading, Craft and Structure — text structure: cause and effectReport a problem with this question

41. 41. Passage: "Both cast iron and stainless steel pans sear well, but they behave differently. Cast iron holds heat longer, so it keeps its temperature when cold food is added; stainless steel cools quickly and reheats quickly. Cast iron must be dried and oiled after washing, whereas stainless steel tolerates soap and a dishwasher. Cooks who sear large batches often prefer iron; cooks who build pan sauces often prefer steel." Which organizational pattern does the paragraph use?

    • A.Compare and contrast✓ Answer
    • B.Cause and effect
    • C.Problem and solution
    • D.Sequence

    The paragraph places two items side by side on the same set of features — heat retention, cleaning, best use — and marks the relationship with the signal words "Both," "but," and "whereas." A single causal clause ("so it keeps its temperature") sits inside the comparison and does not organize the whole paragraph.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Reading, Craft and Structure — text structure: compare and contrastReport a problem with this question

42. 42. Passage: "The library's front steps were still wet, and a folded umbrella leaned against the door frame. Inside, the reading room smelled faintly of damp wool. At the circulation desk, a hand-lettered sign read: 'Bag check suspended today — please carry your items with you.'" Which conclusion is best supported by the passage?

    • A.The library always suspends bag check when it rains.
    • B.The umbrella belongs to the librarian.
    • C.It had rained shortly before the writer arrived.✓ Answer
    • D.This town receives a great deal of rain.

    A TEAS conclusion must be traceable to specific text. Wet steps, a folded umbrella, and the smell of damp wool converge on recent rain. Option C is supported in part but pushed to an extreme by "always"; option B is plausible in the real world but unsupported; option A guesses at ownership the text never assigns.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.1 — use evidence to draw conclusionsReport a problem with this question

43. 43. Passage: "Every autumn the co-op posts a sign-up sheet for the apple press. In each of the first three years the sheet filled within two days, and each time the co-op added a second pressing day. This year the sheet filled in a single afternoon, and twelve names are already on the waiting list." Based on the pattern in the passage, what will the co-op most likely do next?

    • A.Add at least one more pressing day✓ Answer
    • B.Move the pressing to the spring
    • C.Stop posting a sign-up sheet
    • D.Cancel the pressing because demand is too high

    A prediction extends a pattern the text has already established. Three times, a sheet that filled fast was answered by adding a pressing day; this year it filled even faster and left a waiting list, so more capacity is the outcome the evidence points to. The other options reverse or abandon the established pattern without any textual cue.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.1 — use evidence to make predictionsReport a problem with this question

44. 44. Passage: "The trail map at the ranger station lists four routes. Three begin at the north lot; the fourth begins two miles down the service road. A note printed under the fourth route reads: 'Creek crossing — check depth before starting.'" Which statement is supported by the passage alone?

    • A.The fourth route is the most dangerous of the four.
    • B.Hikers who choose the fourth route should expect to cross water.✓ Answer
    • C.The north lot has more parking than the service road.
    • D.Creek crossings are the leading cause of hiking injuries.

    Only the first option restates what the printed note establishes. "Most dangerous" is an extreme comparison the map never makes; the injury statistic is outside knowledge the passage never supplies; and parking capacity is never mentioned. Correct TEAS answers stay inside the four corners of the stimulus.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.1 — evidence-based conclusions, not outside knowledgeReport a problem with this question

45. 45. Passage: "Marisol arrived at the workshop carrying two toolboxes and a folding stool. She set the stool in the corner, opened only the smaller box, and left the larger one latched by the door. By noon she had not touched it." Which statement is an INFERENCE rather than a stated detail?

    • A.Marisol opened the smaller toolbox.
    • B.Marisol did not need the tools in the larger box that morning.✓ Answer
    • C.Marisol set the folding stool in the corner.
    • D.Marisol carried two toolboxes and a folding stool.

    An inference is supported by the text but never stated in it. Options A, C, and D are near-verbatim details lifted from the passage. Only B goes beyond the words — the unopened, untouched larger box implies the tools inside were not required — while still resting on the stated evidence.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.1 — distinguish inference from stated detailReport a problem with this question

46. 46. Text 1: "A tool library is the cheapest way to widen access to skilled work. Most household tools sit unused for years. Pooling them lets a hundred families share what one family can barely afford." Text 2: "Tool libraries widen access — no one disputes that. But shared tools are used harder than owned tools, and repair costs climb faster than borrowing fees. A library without a funded repair bench will be handing out broken saws within two years." On which point do BOTH authors agree?

    • A.Most household tools sit unused for years.
    • B.Repair costs for shared tools are easy to cover with borrowing fees.
    • C.Tool libraries make tools available to people who could not afford them alone.✓ Answer
    • D.A tool library needs a funded repair bench.

    Cross-text items ask where two writers overlap. Text 1 argues pooling lets many families share what one can barely afford; Text 2 opens by conceding "they widen access — no one disputes that." Options B and C each appear in only one text, and A is contradicted by Text 2.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.2 — compare ideas expressed across two textsReport a problem with this question

47. 47. Passage: "Priya was not the fastest runner on the team, and her coach said so plainly. She was the one who ran the hill circuit on the mornings after a loss, when the fast runners slept in. In her final season the fast runners drifted to other sports; Priya, still not the fastest, carried home the team's only ribbon." Which statement best expresses the THEME?

    • A.Running.
    • B.Coaches should never tell athletes that they are slow.
    • C.Priya trained on hills after losses and later won the team's only ribbon.
    • D.Persistent effort can achieve what natural ability alone does not.✓ Answer

    A theme is the general, universal message the story implies, stated as a full idea. "Running" is only the topic; option C is a plot summary; option D is a moral rule the passage never argues for. Option A states the underlying lesson the contrast between Priya and the fast runners is built to deliver.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.2 — identify theme versus topicReport a problem with this question

48. 48. Text 1: "Handwriting instruction deserves its place in the school day. Forming letters by hand is slow, and that slowness is the point: it forces a writer to choose words before committing them to the page." Text 2: "Class time is finite. Every minute spent shaping letters is a minute not spent composing whole paragraphs, and students will type nearly everything they write after they leave school." How would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to Text 1's claim about slowness?

    • A.By granting that handwriting is slower but arguing that the benefit does not justify the class time it costs✓ Answer
    • B.By arguing that students never write by hand after leaving school
    • C.By agreeing that slowness improves word choice and calling for more handwriting drills
    • D.By denying that writing by hand is slower than typing

    Text 2 never disputes that handwriting is slow; it disputes the value of that slowness by weighing it against opportunity cost — time not spent composing paragraphs. Option D overstates Text 2, which says students will type "nearly everything," not that they never write by hand.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.2 — compare and contrast themes and positions across textsReport a problem with this question

49. 49. Passage: "(1) The town's recycling rate has stayed near one-third for a decade. (2) Sorting rules changed twice during that period. (3) The town should place labeled bins in every apartment lobby. (4) Buildings that already have lobby bins report less contamination in their loads." Which sentence states the author's CLAIM?

    • A.Sentence 3✓ Answer
    • B.Sentence 4
    • C.Sentence 2
    • D.Sentence 1

    A claim is the debatable position the rest of the text is arranged to support; it typically asserts what should be done or believed. Sentence 3 uses "should" and can be argued for or against. Sentences 1 and 2 are background facts, and sentence 4 is the evidence offered on the claim's behalf.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.3 — evaluate an argument: claim versus evidenceReport a problem with this question

50. 50. Passage: "Since the community center began offering free evening classes, library card renewals in the neighborhood have doubled. The classes are clearly driving people back to reading." Which finding, if true, would most WEAKEN the argument?

    • A.The library moved its renewal deadline to the same month the classes began, requiring every cardholder in the neighborhood to renew at once.✓ Answer
    • B.Some people who attend the classes already held library cards.
    • C.The evening classes have become the center's most popular program.
    • D.The community center plans to add morning classes.

    The argument rests on a false-cause (post hoc) leap: two things happened together, so one is assumed to cause the other. An alternative explanation that fully accounts for the doubling — a deadline change that forced everyone to renew in one month — removes the need for the author's cause and therefore weakens the argument most.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.3 — evaluate an argument; false cause (post hoc)Report a problem with this question

51. 51. A gardening writer claims that mulching a bed with wood chips reduces how often the bed must be watered. Which piece of evidence would most STRENGTHEN that claim?

    • A.Most gardeners in the county mulch their beds.
    • B.In a season-long trial, matched beds — half mulched, half bare — were watered only when soil moisture fell below the same threshold, and the mulched beds needed about 40 percent fewer waterings.✓ Answer
    • C.A well-known television host recommends mulch for every garden.
    • D.A neighbor reports that her mulched bed looks healthier than it did last year.

    Evidence is judged by relevance, sufficiency, and credibility. Only option D uses a controlled comparison with a single varied factor and measures the exact outcome in dispute (watering frequency). The others are anecdote, bandwagon (appeal to popularity), and appeal to an unqualified authority — all weak support.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.3 — evaluate the relevance and credibility of evidenceReport a problem with this question

52. 52. Passage: "Every applicant to the nursing program who completed the hospital volunteer program last year was admitted. The volunteer program should therefore be made a requirement, because requiring it would raise the admission rate for the whole applicant pool." Which unstated ASSUMPTION does this argument depend on?

    • A.That the volunteer program lasts a full year
    • B.That the volunteer program is offered free of charge
    • C.That the volunteer program caused the admissions, rather than simply attracting applicants who were already strong candidates✓ Answer
    • D.That every applicant wants to be admitted

    An assumption is the unstated link the reasoning needs in order to work. The conclusion moves from a correlation (volunteers were admitted) to a policy that would only help if volunteering itself produced admission. If the program merely attracts applicants who were already competitive, requiring it changes nothing — so that link is the load-bearing assumption. The other options are irrelevant to the inference.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.3 — identify unsupported assumptions in an argumentReport a problem with this question

53. 53. Passage: "I have met three graduates of Northfield College, and all three were excellent writers. Northfield must have the strongest writing program in the state." Which logical flaw does this reasoning show?

    • A.Circular reasoning
    • B.Ad hominem
    • C.False dilemma
    • D.Hasty generalization✓ Answer

    A hasty generalization draws a sweeping conclusion from a sample too small or too unrepresentative to support it. Three acquaintances cannot establish a statewide ranking of programs. No premise repeats the conclusion (circular), no forced choice is offered (false dilemma), and no person is attacked (ad hominem).

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.3 — recognize logical fallacies: hasty generalizationReport a problem with this question

54. 54. Passage: "The new scheduling policy is the fairest option available, because no other option distributes shifts as fairly as this one does." Which logical flaw does this sentence show?

    • A.Slippery slope
    • B.Circular reasoning✓ Answer
    • C.False cause
    • D.Hasty generalization

    In circular reasoning (begging the question) the supporting reason merely restates the conclusion in other words, so the argument never supplies independent evidence. "It is fairest because nothing else is as fair" is the same assertion twice. No chain of dire consequences, no small sample, and no causal claim appears.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.3 — recognize logical fallacies: circular reasoningReport a problem with this question

55. 55. Passage: "(1) Having inspected school buildings in this district for twenty-two years, I can tell you exactly what a failing boiler sounds like. (2) Last winter, four schools lost heat for a combined nine days. (3) No child should have to write with numb fingers." Which sentence relies primarily on an appeal to ETHOS?

    • A.Sentence 2
    • B.Sentence 1✓ Answer
    • C.Sentences 2 and 3 equally
    • D.Sentence 3

    Ethos persuades by establishing the speaker's credibility or authority to speak. Sentence 1 does exactly that by citing twenty-two years of relevant experience. Sentence 2 is logos — verifiable data — and sentence 3 is pathos, appealing to the reader's sympathy for cold children.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.3 — evaluate an argument: rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos)Report a problem with this question

56. 56. A student is writing a report about a historic flood that swept through a river town. Which of the following would be a PRIMARY source?

    • A.An encyclopedia entry on floods in the region
    • B.A magazine article in which a historian compares three floods
    • C.A letter written by a resident during the week of the flood✓ Answer
    • D.A textbook chapter summarizing the causes of the flood

    A primary source is firsthand and created at the time by someone with direct experience of the event — letters, diaries, interviews, photographs, eyewitness accounts, raw data. The other three interpret, summarize, or analyze the event after the fact, which makes them secondary (or tertiary, in the case of an encyclopedia).

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.4 — distinguish primary from secondary sourcesReport a problem with this question

57. 57. A textbook contains these parts. TABLE OF CONTENTS — Chapter 4: The Circulatory System .... 88 | Chapter 5: The Respiratory System .... 121 INDEX — capillary, 94, 97, 131 | cartilage, 62 GLOSSARY — capillary: the smallest blood vessel, joining arteries to veins A reader who already knows what a capillary is and wants to find EVERY page where the book discusses capillaries should turn to:

    • A.The table of contents
    • B.The index✓ Answer
    • C.The glossary
    • D.The appendix

    An index is an alphabetical list at the back of a book giving every page on which a term appears — here, 94, 97, and 131. A table of contents lists chapters in the order they appear and gives only starting pages; a glossary gives definitions, which this reader does not need; an appendix holds supplementary material.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.4 — locate information using text features (index, table of contents, glossary, appendix)Report a problem with this question

58. 58. Passage: "The clinic records how long patients wait before being called back. Staff opened a second check-in desk during the second quarter of the year." TABLE — Q1: average wait 34 min, patients seen 1,180 | Q2: 27 min, 1,240 | Q3: 25 min, 1,310 | Q4: 26 min, 1,455 Which conclusion is supported by BOTH the passage and the table?

    • A.Average wait time fell in every quarter of the year.
    • B.In every quarter after the second desk opened, the average wait was shorter than in Q1, while the number of patients seen rose each quarter.✓ Answer
    • C.The second check-in desk caused the shorter waits.
    • D.The clinic will open a third desk next year.

    Integrating a passage with a data display means accepting only what both together establish. The table shows 27, 25, and 26 minutes — all below Q1's 34 — while patient counts rise from 1,180 to 1,455. Option B is factually false (Q4 rose above Q3), option A converts a timing coincidence into proven causation, and option D predicts something neither source mentions.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.4 — integrate data from multiple formatsReport a problem with this question

59. 59. A trail map includes this key: ▲ = campsite | ● = water source | ═ = paved road | - - - = unpaved trail | Scale: 1 inch = 2 miles Labels on the map read: "Ridge Camp ▲", "Cold Spring ●", "Mill Road ═". Which statement can be determined from the key and labels ALONE?

    • A.Ridge Camp has drinking water available.
    • B.Mill Road is two miles long.
    • C.Cold Spring is a water source.✓ Answer
    • D.The unpaved trail is longer than the paved road.

    A key or legend tells you only what each symbol represents. "Cold Spring ●" therefore means a water source and nothing more. Ridge Camp carries the campsite symbol, not the water symbol; the scale converts measured distance and does not by itself state any road's length; and comparing lengths would require measuring the drawn lines, which the key alone cannot do.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.4 — interpret graphic representations: legend/key and scaleReport a problem with this question

60. 60. A nursing student is researching the recommended procedure for storing refrigerated vaccines. Which source is the MOST credible for that technical guidance?

    • A.Storage-and-handling guidance published by a national public-health agency✓ Answer
    • B.A blog post describing one clinic's daily routine
    • C.A comment thread on a nursing discussion forum
    • D.A refrigerator retailer's product page

    Source credibility is judged by the author's expertise, the publisher's review process, and the purpose behind the document. A public-health agency's guidance is written by qualified experts, institutionally reviewed, and published to inform practice. A single clinic's blog is anecdotal, a retailer's page exists to sell a product, and forum comments have no verified expertise or editorial review.

    Source: ATI TEAS 7 Content Outline, Reading R.3.4 — evaluate the credibility of sourcesReport a problem with this question

Practice questions based on the ATI TEAS test outline. Not affiliated with ATI. The English & Language section is practiced in English. About the TEAS (ATI) →