Reading comprehension (entrance exams) worksheet with answers

A rainbow can appear when sunlight shines through raindrops. The drops bend the light and split it into different colours. What causes a rainbow?

1. AClouds blocking the sunlight
2. BSunlight passing through raindrops
3. CMoonlight on the sea
4. DWind blowing the rain sideways

Dolphins are mammals, not fish. They breathe air through a blowhole on top of their heads and must come to the surface to breathe. Mother dolphins feed their young with milk. Which detail shows that dolphins are mammals?

1. AThey live in the ocean.
2. BMothers feed their young with milk.
3. CThey swim very fast.
4. DThey have smooth skin, fins and a strong tail.

A clinic sign reads: “Please turn off your mobile phone in the X-ray room.” Where must phones be turned off?

1. AIn the car park
2. BIn the waiting room
3. CAnywhere inside the clinic
4. DIn the X-ray room

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas. It helps glucose move from the blood into cells, where it is used for energy. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas makes little or no insulin. What would most likely happen to blood glucose in untreated type 1 diabetes?

1. AIt would stay normal, because insulin is not needed for glucose.
2. BIt would fall, because the cells use more glucose.
3. CIt would rise, because less glucose can enter the cells.
4. DIt would turn into insulin in the pancreas.

In the 1840s, the doctor Ignaz Semmelweis noticed that many mothers died after childbirth in wards where doctors came straight from performing autopsies. When he required doctors to wash their hands in a chlorine solution, the death rate dropped sharply. What does the passage suggest?

1. AHand washing reduced the spread of infection to the mothers.
2. BThe mothers died because of problems during birth only.
3. CAutopsies were no longer performed in that hospital after the year 1840.
4. DChlorine was used to make medicines for new mothers.

In a survey of 200 nursing students, 150 said they studied best in the morning, 30 preferred the afternoon and 20 preferred the evening. What percentage of the students preferred the morning?

1. A50%
2. B150%
3. C15%
4. D75%

Some experts recommend that adults get 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. Kim walks briskly for 20 minutes on 5 days and cycles for 40 minutes on Saturday. Does Kim meet the recommendation?

1. AYes, she does 150 minutes exactly
2. BNo, she does only 100 minutes
3. CYes, she does 180 minutes
4. DNo, she does 140 minutes, 10 short

“I have been a nurse for thirty years,” the speaker said, “and I have never seen a team work as hard as this one. Still, hard work cannot replace enough staff.” What is the speaker’s main point?

1. AHard work is more important than the number of staff on duty.
2. BThe team works hard, but more staff are needed.
3. CThirty years is a long time to be a nurse.
4. DThe team does not work hard enough.