Praxis Core Reading Test Prep - Question List

Select how would you like to study

16.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also known as (1) NOAA (pronounced “Noah”), (2) descends from President Thomas Jefferson’s Survey of the Coast, which was established in the early 1800’s in efforts to promote safe (3) maritime commerce, or coastal trade. NOAA is therefore often considered the oldest scientific government (4) agency in the United States.

It was officially established in 1970 by President Richard Nixon, who thought it was necessary to (5) consolidate a number of agencies into one. Today, NOAA consists of multiple offices, where scientists explore the atmosphere and oceans using tools ranging from satellites that orbit Earth, to submarines that scrape the far depths of the oceans’ floor.

NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) is the organization responsible for weather forecasting and providing important storm warnings and advisories. It’s National Ocean Service (NOS) is in charge of mapping the country’s coastal waterways and promoting the conservation of the national marine sanctuaries; the marine equivalent of national parks. NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) is tasked with managing fisheries around the country. The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) is NOAA’s office that oversees the environmental satellite programs and manages the data collected from the NWS.

Few people know that NOAA plays such an important role in our daily lives, yet it does none-the-less. It’s thanks to NOAA that we know when to take an umbrella with us to avoid getting soaking wet while walking to work, and to take refuge when an unexpected tornado strikes. Not only is it one of the oldest institutions, but also some will argue that it is also one of the most essential resources for the American people.

According to the passage, the reason that Nixon established NOAA was...

  1. …To combine other organizations to form a single administration.
  2. …To provide important data collection.
  3. …To explore the atmosphere.
  4. …To promote safe coastal trade.
17.

The Northern Cities Vowel Shift and Speakers That Adopt It

“The Northern Cities Vowel Shift” is not adopted by all speakers that live in the geographic regions where it is in progress. Studies (1) illustrate that it is mostly European Americans who show evidence of taking on the shift; however, there is little to no research indicating that speakers of African American Vernacular English employ the shift in their speech. Canadians that share proximity to the Great Lakes with speakers that live in the United States also show no evidence of adopting the shift.

This shift, also called “The Northern Cities Shift” (NCS), is a (2) linguistic phenomenon that occurs in the northern geographic area of the United States known as the Inland North, which includes such cities as Rochester, Buffalo, Detroit, and Chicago. Although prominent among some urban inhabitants of the region, NCS is not considered the standard. (3) Linguists describe one change that occurs in speakers of NCS in which the vowel in milk (4) “shifts” down and back (the tongue is lowered and travels back) from a short “i” to a short “e” that could be represented as melk.

William Labov, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, is one of the largest contributors to research on the subject of the NCS. His theory is that the shift possibly started when speakers from different (5) language varieties were brought together in the early 1800’s when the Erie Canal was being constructed. People from the East Coast moved to the Great Lakes region, and their dialects mixed resulting in an ongoing shift. However, not all speakers of the Great Lakes region participate in this linguistic variation.

Based on the information in the passage, how would you best describe the general term “linguists”, bolded after the (3) in the second paragraph?

  1. People who study phenomena linked with language.
  2. People who study European Americans.
  3. People who study linguistic phenomena in the Great Lakes region.
  4. People who study worker migration
18.

The Northern Cities Vowel Shift and Speakers That Adopt It

“The Northern Cities Vowel Shift” is not adopted by all speakers that live in the geographic regions where it is in progress. Studies (1) illustrate that it is mostly European Americans who show evidence of taking on the shift; however, there is little to no research indicating that speakers of African American Vernacular English employ the shift in their speech. Canadians that share proximity to the Great Lakes with speakers that live in the United States also show no evidence of adopting the shift.

This shift, also called “The Northern Cities Shift” (NCS), is a (2) linguistic phenomenon that occurs in the northern geographic area of the United States known as the Inland North, which includes such cities as Rochester, Buffalo, Detroit, and Chicago. Although prominent among some urban inhabitants of the region, NCS is not considered the standard. (3) Linguists describe one change that occurs in speakers of NCS in which the vowel in milk (4) “shifts” down and back (the tongue is lowered and travels back) from a short “i” to a short “e” that could be represented as melk.

William Labov, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, is one of the largest contributors to research on the subject of the NCS. His theory is that the shift possibly started when speakers from different (5) language varieties were brought together in the early 1800’s when the Erie Canal was being constructed. People from the East Coast moved to the Great Lakes region, and their dialects mixed resulting in an ongoing shift. However, not all speakers of the Great Lakes region participate in this linguistic variation.

According to the passage, a possible reason that the NCS began is...

  1. …Due to proximity to the Great Lakes in the Inland North.
  2. …Due to the Canadians that live near the Great Lakes.
  3. …Due to the construction of the Erie Canal in the 1800’s.
  4. …Due to the interaction of speakers from other geographic origins with speakers in the Great Lakes region.
19.

The U.S. Congress (Government and Civics 3­)

Did you ever wonder where federal laws come from? For example, who proposed that it be illegal to (1) operate a vehicle without a driver’s license? Who is responsible for making decisions about war? In the United States rules and decisions that affect its citizens (and visitors) are proposed and put into effect by what is known as the U.S. Congress.

The U.S. Congress is made of up two (2) bodies: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both representatives and senators are elected by voters. Congress has 535 members: 435 members in the House of Representatives and 100 members in the Senate. Each member of the House of Representatives serves two-year terms and each state in the union has at least one representative. Each of the 50 states has two senators; therefore, there are 100 senators in Congress, and each member of the Senate serves a six-year (3) term.

Congress works together to create (4) bills that are then later signed into law by the President of the United States. It also has power over financial concerns. It is the Congress who has the authority to make and collect taxes. Congress also plays an important role in the decisions of the national defense. It alone has the power to (5) wage war on another country.

So, next time your hear someone say they dislike a President’s decision to go to war with another country, you can tell them that Congress has the ultimate say, and not the President, in how the country is run.

Which of the following is false according to the passage?

  1. There are 535 members of Congress.
  2. Congress signs bills into law.
  3. Senators serve terms of at least six years.
  4. Congress holds the power to start a war.
20.

The Northern Cities Vowel Shift and Speakers That Adopt It

“The Northern Cities Vowel Shift” is not adopted by all speakers that live in the geographic regions where it is in progress. Studies (1) illustrate that it is mostly European Americans who show evidence of taking on the shift; however, there is little to no research indicating that speakers of African American Vernacular English employ the shift in their speech. Canadians that share proximity to the Great Lakes with speakers that live in the United States also show no evidence of adopting the shift.

This shift, also called “The Northern Cities Shift” (NCS), is a (2) linguistic phenomenon that occurs in the northern geographic area of the United States known as the Inland North, which includes such cities as Rochester, Buffalo, Detroit, and Chicago. Although prominent among some urban inhabitants of the region, NCS is not considered the standard. (3) Linguists describe one change that occurs in speakers of NCS in which the vowel in milk (4) “shifts” down and back (the tongue is lowered and travels back) from a short “i” to a short “e” that could be represented as melk.

William Labov, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, is one of the largest contributors to research on the subject of the NCS. His theory is that the shift possibly started when speakers from different (5) language varieties were brought together in the early 1800’s when the Erie Canal was being constructed. People from the East Coast moved to the Great Lakes region, and their dialects mixed resulting in an ongoing shift. However, not all speakers of the Great Lakes region participate in this linguistic variation.

What is the main idea of this essay?

  1. There are many studies that show that African Americans do not participate in the NCS.
  2. The NCS takes place in the Inland North.
  3. William Labov is one of the largest contributors to research on the subject of NCS.
  4. The NCS is not adopted by all speakers that live in the geographic region of the Inland North.

Select how would you like to study