Reading comprehension (entrance exams) worksheet with answers

The Dead Sea, between Israel and Jordan, is so salty that people can float on its surface without trying. Very few living things can survive in its water. Why can people float easily in the Dead Sea?

1. AThe water is very shallow.
2. BThe water moves very fast.
3. CThe water is very salty.
4. DThe water is very cold.

“Mr. Jones checked the oven, turned off the lights and locked the front door before going to bed.” What did Mr. Jones do last?

1. AHe went to bed.
2. BHe locked the back door.
3. CHe checked the oven.
4. DHe turned off the lights.

An ambulance siren sounds higher as it comes towards you and lower as it moves away. This change in sound is called the Doppler effect. What is the Doppler effect, according to the passage?

1. AThe echo of a sound off tall buildings
2. BThe change in a sound as its source moves
3. CThe loudness of an ambulance siren at night
4. DThe speed at which an ambulance can travel

The word “quarantine” comes from the Italian “quaranta giorni”, meaning forty days. In the 1300s, ships arriving in Venice during plague outbreaks had to wait forty days before passengers could come ashore. Why did ships have to wait before passengers came ashore?

1. ATo let the ships be repaired after long journeys
2. BTo collect taxes from the ship owners
3. CTo give passengers time to learn Italian
4. DTo prevent the plague from spreading to the city

Octopuses can change the colour and texture of their skin in less than a second. They use this ability to hide from predators and to sneak up on prey. What are two reasons octopuses change colour?

1. ATo signal danger to others and to clean their skin
2. BTo show they are angry and to sleep
3. CTo attract mates and to keep warm
4. DTo hide from predators and to sneak up on prey

“The hikers had planned to reach the summit by noon. But when dark clouds gathered and the wind grew stronger, the leader turned the group around.” Why did the leader turn the group around?

1. AThe weather was becoming dangerous.
2. BThe leader wanted to arrive before noon.
3. CThe hikers were too hungry to go on.
4. DThe group had already reached the top.

“The ward needs at least one nurse for every four patients. Tonight there are 22 patients.” What is the smallest number of nurses needed?

1. A5
2. B7
3. C6
4. D4

Passage 1: “Night shifts are hard on nurses’ health because they disrupt sleep.” Passage 2: “Many nurses prefer night shifts because they pay more and allow daytime family time.” Which statement could BOTH authors accept?

1. ANight shifts should be banned in all hospitals.
2. BNight shifts have no effect on nurses’ sleep.
3. CAll nurses dislike working night shifts at the hospital.
4. DNight shifts have both costs and benefits for nurses.