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ASVAB Paragraph Comprehension Practice Test

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. As such, it circles the sun faster than all the other planets, which is why Romans named it after the swift-footed messenger god Mercury. Mercury was known since at least Sumerian times roughly 5,000 years ago, where it was often associated with Nabu, the god of writing. Mercury was also given separate names for its appearance as both a morning star and as an evening star. Greek astronomers knew, however, that the two names referred to the same body. Heraclitus believed that both Mercury and Venus orbited the Sun, not the Earth. According to this passage:

The Romans named Mercury after their god Mercury because that god is fast.

Neptune circles the sun faster than Mercury circles the sun.

The Sumerians named Mercury after their god Mercury because that god is fast.

Greek astronomers had two names for Mercury.

Ohio started the month of July with its pedal to the metal. The Buckeye State became the 34th state to adopt the 70 miles-an-hour speed limit. Drivers can now do up to 70 on more than 570 of Ohio's 1,332 miles of interstate highway. Congress repealed the 55 mph national limit in 1995. Despite predictions of calamity and carnage on the highways, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in October 1998 that 'the traffic death rate dropped to a record low level in 1997'. That pattern has continued since then. You can infer from this paragraph that the author _______________ higher speed limits.

Does not know about

Has no opinion about

Is in favor of

Is against

Six years ago, lawyer-banker-scholar Charles Morris wrote a prophetic book - 'Two-Trillion-Dollar Meltdown: Easy Money, HighRollers and the Great Credit Crunch' - that foresaw the 2008 Great Recession before it clobbered America and the world. Now Morris has reversed course and sees good times ahead. His forthcoming book, 'Comeback,' predicts that surging U.S. energy independence will bring a buoyant rise in American manufacturing and jobs. The implication of this passage is that you should pay attention to Charles Morris because:

He's a published author

The U.S. is becoming more energy independent

His predictions have come true once already

He was lucky with his first prediction

Volunteer hosts went to the airport, picked up assigned students, fed them dinner, took them to the opening lecture at the Clay Center, put them in spare bedrooms for the night, then fed them breakfast this morning and will deliver the outstanding teens to buses that convey them to the mountain retreat where they undergo a month of intensive science training and outdoor fun. Luckily, this year, enough local families volunteered to host all the brilliant youths. In the past, the number of guest homes sometimes fell short, and some of the visitors slept on cots and sleeping bags at local churches. They're adventurous teens and don't mind this makeshift camp-in but it's better if friendly hosts give them a more personal welcome for their stay. Which of the following topics would the next paragraph in this passage most likely cover?

Instructions for how local families can volunteer to become hosts

Instructions for how local families can enroll their children in a similar program

The story of a time when one of the students stole from his host family

An overview of what the student's science training will cover

Conan of Aquilonia is a collection of four linked fantasy short stories written by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter featuring Robert E. Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. The stories were originally published in Fantastic for August 1972, July 1973, July 1974, and February, 1975. The collected stories were intended for book publication by Lancer Books, but this edition never appeared due to Lancer's bankruptcy. The first book edition was issued in paperback by Ace Books in paperback in May 1977. Which author created Conan the Barbarian?

Ace Lancer

Robert E. Howard

Lin Carter

L. Sprague de Camp

Solutions

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. As such, it circles the sun faster than all the other planets, which is why Romans named it after the swift-footed messenger god Mercury. Mercury was known since at least Sumerian times roughly 5,000 years ago, where it was often associated with Nabu, the god of writing. Mercury was also given separate names for its appearance as both a morning star and as an evening star. Greek astronomers knew, however, that the two names referred to the same body. Heraclitus believed that both Mercury and Venus orbited the Sun, not the Earth. According to this passage:

The Romans named Mercury after their god Mercury because that god is fast.

Neptune circles the sun faster than Mercury circles the sun.

The Sumerians named Mercury after their god Mercury because that god is fast.

Greek astronomers had two names for Mercury.

Ohio started the month of July with its pedal to the metal. The Buckeye State became the 34th state to adopt the 70 miles-an-hour speed limit. Drivers can now do up to 70 on more than 570 of Ohio's 1,332 miles of interstate highway. Congress repealed the 55 mph national limit in 1995. Despite predictions of calamity and carnage on the highways, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in October 1998 that 'the traffic death rate dropped to a record low level in 1997'. That pattern has continued since then. You can infer from this paragraph that the author _______________ higher speed limits.

Does not know about

Has no opinion about

Is in favor of

Is against

SOLUTION
The tone of this paragraph is favorable toward higher speed limits linking them to lower traffic death rates.

Six years ago, lawyer-banker-scholar Charles Morris wrote a prophetic book - 'Two-Trillion-Dollar Meltdown: Easy Money, HighRollers and the Great Credit Crunch' - that foresaw the 2008 Great Recession before it clobbered America and the world. Now Morris has reversed course and sees good times ahead. His forthcoming book, 'Comeback,' predicts that surging U.S. energy independence will bring a buoyant rise in American manufacturing and jobs. The implication of this passage is that you should pay attention to Charles Morris because:

He's a published author

The U.S. is becoming more energy independent

His predictions have come true once already

He was lucky with his first prediction

SOLUTION
This passage implies that because Charles Morris foresaw the 2008 Great Recession that his opinions about future economic events are credible and should be paid attention to.

Volunteer hosts went to the airport, picked up assigned students, fed them dinner, took them to the opening lecture at the Clay Center, put them in spare bedrooms for the night, then fed them breakfast this morning and will deliver the outstanding teens to buses that convey them to the mountain retreat where they undergo a month of intensive science training and outdoor fun. Luckily, this year, enough local families volunteered to host all the brilliant youths. In the past, the number of guest homes sometimes fell short, and some of the visitors slept on cots and sleeping bags at local churches. They're adventurous teens and don't mind this makeshift camp-in but it's better if friendly hosts give them a more personal welcome for their stay. Which of the following topics would the next paragraph in this passage most likely cover?

Instructions for how local families can volunteer to become hosts

Instructions for how local families can enroll their children in a similar program

The story of a time when one of the students stole from his host family

An overview of what the student's science training will cover

SOLUTION
The author of this passage is painting a positive picture of the students and outlining their need for local host families. Although the next paragraph could be about the student's training, history of crime, or how local children can attend camps overseas the most likely next topic would be instructions for how local families can volunteer to become hosts.

Conan of Aquilonia is a collection of four linked fantasy short stories written by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter featuring Robert E. Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. The stories were originally published in Fantastic for August 1972, July 1973, July 1974, and February, 1975. The collected stories were intended for book publication by Lancer Books, but this edition never appeared due to Lancer's bankruptcy. The first book edition was issued in paperback by Ace Books in paperback in May 1977. Which author created Conan the Barbarian?

Ace Lancer

Robert E. Howard

Lin Carter

L. Sprague de Camp

SOLUTION
Robert E. Howard created Conan the barbarian.

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