ASVAB Practice Test · Paragraph Comprehension
Written by AI · Not yet reviewed by staffASVAB Practice Test Reading Short Passages Summary
- Importance
- ★★★★★ (5 / 5)
- Weight
- About 10 of 10 Paragraph Comprehension questions (100%)
Finding the main idea, stated details, word meaning in context, and sound conclusions from a short passage.
📖 See Reading Short Passages concepts →Reading Short Passages: must-know points
- Answer from the passage, not from outside knowledge.
- The main idea covers the whole passage, not one detail.
Reading Short Passages: 10 sample questions
Question 1. Many back injuries at work happen when muscles are cold and stiff. A few minutes of gentle stretching before a shift warms the muscles and makes them more flexible. Workers who stretch every day report fewer strains. Stretching needs no equipment and can be done in a small space. What is the main idea of the passage?
- ① Stretching requires special equipment.
- ② A few minutes of daily stretching can help prevent injuries at work.
- ③ Back injuries are the most common injury at work.
- ④ Workers should rest instead of stretching.
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Answer: ② A few minutes of daily stretching can help prevent injuries at work.
Key point: Main idea covers the whole passage
Every sentence supports one point: short stretching before work helps prevent strains and injuries.
Wrong choices
- (A) Stretching requires special equipment.: The passage says stretching needs no equipment.
- (C) Back injuries are the most common injury at work.: The passage never says back injuries are the most common kind.
- (D) Workers should rest instead of stretching.: The passage does not suggest resting instead of stretching.
Question 2. The Oak Creek Library will change its hours starting March 1. On weekdays, it will open at 8 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. so that workers can stop by before their shifts. Weekend hours will stay the same. The library will still close at 6 p.m. every day. Starting March 1, what time will the library open on weekdays?
- ① 9 a.m.
- ② 8 a.m.
- ③ 10 a.m.
- ④ 6 p.m.
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Answer: ② 8 a.m.
Key point: Stated detail: find it in the passage
The passage says that on weekdays the library "will open at 8 a.m. instead of 10 a.m."
Wrong choices
- (A) 9 a.m.: 9 a.m. is not mentioned in the passage.
- (C) 10 a.m.: 10 a.m. was the old opening time.
- (D) 6 p.m.: 6 p.m. is the closing time.
Question 3. Honeybees share information through movement. When a worker bee finds a good patch of flowers, she returns to the hive and performs a "waggle dance." The direction of the dance shows the other bees which way to fly. The length of the waggle tells them how far away the flowers are. According to the passage, what does the length of the waggle tell other bees?
- ① How far away the flowers are
- ② What kind of flowers were found
- ③ How much nectar the flowers hold
- ④ Which way to fly
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Answer: ① How far away the flowers are
Key point: Stated detail: match the exact sentence
The last sentence says the length of the waggle tells the bees how far away the flowers are.
Wrong choices
- (B) What kind of flowers were found: The passage does not mention the kind of flowers.
- (C) How much nectar the flowers hold: The passage does not mention the amount of nectar.
- (D) Which way to fly: The direction of the dance, not its length, shows which way to fly.
Question 4. The storm left the mountain road impassable. Fallen trees and deep mud blocked both lanes, and the county closed the road until crews could clear it. In this passage, impassable most nearly means:
- ① long
- ② slippery
- ③ impossible to travel on
- ④ dark
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Answer: ③ impossible to travel on
Key point: Use context clues for word meaning
The road was blocked in both lanes and closed, so no one could travel on it. Impassable means impossible to pass through or travel on.
Wrong choices
- (A) long: The passage says nothing about the length of the road.
- (B) slippery: Mud can make a road slippery, but the road was fully blocked and closed, not just slippery.
- (D) dark: Nothing in the passage is about light or darkness.
Question 5. Checking tire pressure once a month can save money. Tires without enough air wear out faster and make the engine work harder, which uses more fuel. The correct pressure for a car is printed on a sticker inside the driver's door. The number on the tire itself is the maximum pressure, not the recommended one. According to the passage, where should a driver find the correct tire pressure?
- ① On the side of the tire
- ② On the gas pump
- ③ On a sticker inside the driver's door
- ④ On the dashboard
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Answer: ③ On a sticker inside the driver's door
Key point: Stated detail: read carefully for exceptions
The passage says the correct pressure is printed on a sticker inside the driver's door.
Wrong choices
- (A) On the side of the tire: The passage says the number on the tire is the maximum pressure, not the correct one.
- (B) On the gas pump: The gas pump is not mentioned in the passage.
- (D) On the dashboard: The dashboard is not mentioned in the passage.
Question 6. Maria reached the bus stop at 7:05. The schedule on the sign said the bus left at 7:00 sharp. She sighed, checked her phone, and began walking the two miles to work. What can you conclude from the passage?
- ① Maria missed her bus.
- ② The bus does not run on weekdays.
- ③ Maria prefers walking to riding the bus.
- ④ The bus was running late.
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Answer: ① Maria missed her bus.
Key point: Inference: use clues the passage gives
Maria arrived five minutes after the bus left, sighed, and walked to work. These clues show she missed her bus.
Wrong choices
- (B) The bus does not run on weekdays.: Nothing in the passage says what day it is.
- (C) Maria prefers walking to riding the bus.: Her sigh suggests she did not want to walk.
- (D) The bus was running late.: If the bus were late, she would have waited for it instead of walking.
Question 7. Fire officials recommend testing smoke alarms once a month by pressing the test button. Batteries should be replaced at least once a year, even if the alarm still works. The alarms themselves wear out and should be replaced about every ten years. A working alarm gives a family precious minutes to escape a fire. According to the passage, how often should a whole smoke alarm be replaced?
- ① About every ten years
- ② At least once a year
- ③ Only when it stops working
- ④ Once a month
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Answer: ① About every ten years
Key point: Keep similar details apart
The passage says the alarms themselves wear out and should be replaced about every ten years.
Wrong choices
- (B) At least once a year: Once a year is for replacing the batteries, not the whole alarm.
- (C) Only when it stops working: The passage says to replace batteries even if the alarm still works, and to replace alarms on a schedule.
- (D) Once a month: Once a month is for testing the alarm.
Question 8. Driving alone to work costs more than most people think. Fuel, parking, and wear on the car add up quickly. Sharing a ride with just one coworker can cut those costs in half. Our company now offers free reserved parking to employees who carpool. Sign up at the front desk this week. What is the main purpose of this passage?
- ① To explain how car engines wear out
- ② To compare the prices of new cars
- ③ To announce new parking fees
- ④ To encourage employees to carpool
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Answer: ④ To encourage employees to carpool
Key point: Author's purpose: inform, persuade, or entertain
The passage points out the costs of driving alone, offers a reward for carpooling, and asks readers to sign up. Its purpose is to persuade employees to carpool.
Wrong choices
- (A) To explain how car engines wear out: Wear on the car is mentioned only as one cost, not explained.
- (B) To compare the prices of new cars: The passage does not discuss buying new cars.
- (C) To announce new parking fees: The passage offers free parking to carpoolers; it does not announce new fees.
Question 9. In 1900, a large share of American workers made their living on farms. By 1950, far fewer people farmed, yet the country was producing more food than before. Tractors, better seeds, and new fertilizers allowed one farmer to do work that once took many. Which conclusion is best supported by the passage?
- ① Tractors were first invented in 1950.
- ② New tools and methods made each farmer more productive.
- ③ Farming became more popular after 1900.
- ④ Americans ate less food in 1950 than in 1900.
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Answer: ② New tools and methods made each farmer more productive.
Key point: Conclusion must follow from the passage
Fewer farmers produced more food because tractors, better seeds, and fertilizers let one farmer do the work of many. So each farmer became more productive.
Wrong choices
- (A) Tractors were first invented in 1950.: The passage does not say when tractors were invented.
- (C) Farming became more popular after 1900.: The passage says fewer people farmed, so farming became less common.
- (D) Americans ate less food in 1950 than in 1900.: The passage says food production went up; it says nothing about people eating less.
Question 10. The new safety rule was not popular at first. Workers grumbled about wearing hard hats in the hot sun. Then a falling bolt struck one worker's hard hat instead of his head. After that, the complaints stopped almost overnight. Why did the workers most likely stop complaining?
- ① The safety rule was removed.
- ② They were given extra pay for wearing hard hats.
- ③ The weather became cooler.
- ④ They saw that the hard hat protected a coworker from injury.
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Answer: ④ They saw that the hard hat protected a coworker from injury.
Key point: Cause and effect: find the turning point
The complaints stopped right after a hard hat saved a worker from a falling bolt. The workers saw for themselves that the rule kept them safe.
Wrong choices
- (A) The safety rule was removed.: The passage does not say the rule was removed; workers stopped complaining about it.
- (B) They were given extra pay for wearing hard hats.: Extra pay is not mentioned in the passage.
- (C) The weather became cooler.: The weather is mentioned only as a reason for the complaints, not a change.
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