ATI TEAS 7 — All Questions

Passage: "Every child in the study who ate breakfast scored higher on the morning quiz. The researchers did not record how much sleep the children had the night before." What weakness does the second sentence reveal?

• a.Too many children participated in the study
• b.Another factor may explain the difference✓
• c.The quiz was administered in the morning
• d.Breakfast was not the same for every child

An unrecorded variable such as sleep could be the real reason for the score gap, which is what the second sentence exposes. The morning timing, the number of participants, and menu differences are not what that sentence is about.

Passage: "Cold rain fell for the fourth straight day. The gutters overflowed, the streetlights blurred, and nobody bothered to open the shutters." What is the mood of the passage?

• a.Tense and frightening
• b.Playful and amusing
• c.Gloomy and dreary✓
• d.Hopeful and energetic

Days of cold rain, blurred lights, and closed shutters build a dull, dispiriting atmosphere. Nothing in the scene threatens danger, promises improvement, or invites laughter.

A reader wants to know on which page a textbook defines 'homeostasis.' Which feature of the book should the reader use?

• a.The index✓
• b.The appendix
• c.The dedication
• d.The preface

An index is the alphabetical list of terms with the pages on which they appear, so it answers the question directly. A preface explains the author's aims, a dedication honors someone, and an appendix holds supplementary material rather than a term-to-page list.

Passage: "Volunteers planted 400 trees along the riverbank. The roots now hold soil in place that used to wash away during spring floods." Which sentence states an effect described in the passage?

• a.Four hundred trees were planted by volunteers
• b.The riverbank was chosen as the planting site
• c.Soil that once washed away now stays in place✓
• d.Spring floods occur along the riverbank each year

The retained soil is the outcome produced by the planting, which makes it the effect. The number of trees, the existence of floods, and the choice of site are causes or background rather than results.

Passage: "Marcus insisted the meeting had been productive. His notes, however, listed only the date and a single unanswered question." What does the second sentence accomplish?

• a.It explains why the meeting was scheduled
• b.It identifies who else attended the meeting
• c.It supports Marcus's assessment with evidence
• d.It undercuts the claim Marcus made✓

Nearly empty notes contradict the claim of productivity, and 'however' signals that reversal. The sentence provides no support, no reason for scheduling, and no list of attendees.

Passage: "Bananas ripen faster in a paper bag because the bag traps ethylene, the gas the fruit itself releases." Which question does the passage answer?

• a.Why does a paper bag speed up ripening?✓
• b.Which fruits produce the most ethylene gas?
• c.How long does a banana take to ripen fully?
• d.What temperature keeps bananas from ripening?

The sentence gives a mechanism, trapped ethylene, which explains why the bag works. It never ranks fruits by gas production, never states a ripening time, and never mentions temperature.

Passage: "The report was released Monday. By Wednesday, three council members had withdrawn their support, and by Friday the proposal was dead." How is the passage organized?

• a.From the least to the most important detail
• b.By comparing two competing proposals
• c.By stating a problem and then a solution
• d.In the order the events happened✓

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday move the account forward in time, which is chronological order. Only one proposal appears, no ranking of importance is offered, and no solution is proposed.

A bar graph shows monthly clinic visits: January 220, February 180, March 260, April 240. Between which two consecutive months did visits increase the most?

• a.January to March
• b.February to March✓
• c.March to April
• d.January to February

February to March rises 260 - 180 = 80 visits, the largest single jump. January to February falls by 40, March to April falls by 20, and January to March is not a consecutive pair.

Passage: "Applicants must be at least 18 years old, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, and pass a background check. Applicants who meet all three requirements will be scheduled for an interview." A 19-year-old with a GED who has not yet been screened:

• a.Cannot apply without a high school diploma
• b.Must wait until turning 21 years old
• c.Has met every requirement listed
• d.Is not yet eligible for an interview✓

All three conditions must be satisfied, and the background check is still outstanding, so no interview can be scheduled yet. The age requirement is 18 rather than 21, and the passage expressly accepts an equivalent such as a GED.

Passage: "The author of this guide has worked as a wilderness paramedic for twenty years and has taught field medicine at two universities." Why would a writer include this information?

• a.To warn readers that the guide is out of date
• b.To establish the author's credibility✓
• c.To apologize for the length of the guide
• d.To explain how much the guide costs

Listing relevant experience and teaching posts is how an author signals authority on the subject. The sentence contains no warning, no apology, and no price.

Passage: "Elena believed the shortcut would save time. She reached the office twenty minutes later than usual." What is the relationship between the two sentences?

• a.An expectation followed by the opposite outcome✓
• b.A question followed by its direct answer
• c.A cause followed by an unrelated event
• d.A general rule followed by a supporting example

The second sentence reports a result that contradicts what Elena expected. Her arrival is directly related to the shortcut, no general rule is stated, and no question is asked.

Passage: "Bring a photo ID, your insurance card, and a list of current medications. Arrive fifteen minutes early." A patient arrives on time with an ID and an insurance card. What has the patient failed to do?

• a.Provide proof of active insurance coverage
• b.Bring an acceptable form of photo identification
• c.Schedule the appointment far enough ahead
• d.Arrive early and bring a medication list✓

Two instructions were missed: the fifteen-minute early arrival and the medication list. The ID and insurance card were brought, and the passage says nothing about how far in advance to schedule.

Passage: "Reading aloud to infants builds vocabulary long before they can speak. Parents who read daily raise children who enter school with a measurable advantage." Which sentence from the passage is the supporting detail?

• a.The second sentence, because it gives the measurable result✓
• b.The first sentence, because it names the study that was cited
• c.The second sentence, because it introduces a brand-new topic
• d.The first sentence, because it repeats the title of the passage

The opening sentence states the claim and the second backs it with an observed outcome at school entry. No study is named, no title is repeated, and the second sentence continues the same topic rather than starting a new one.

Passage: "The museum is free on the first Sunday of each month. On all other days, admission is twelve dollars for adults and six dollars for students." Two adults visit on the second Sunday of March. What will they pay?

• a.Nothing at all
• b.Twelve dollars
• c.Eighteen dollars
• d.Twenty-four dollars✓

The free day is only the first Sunday, so the second Sunday is a regular day at 12 dollars each, totaling 24. Nothing applies only on the free day, 12 covers just one adult, and 18 would mix an adult and a student price.

Passage: "Salt was once so valuable that Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in it. The English word 'salary' descends from the Latin word for salt." What is the passage mainly about?

• a.Changes in the meaning of English words over centuries
• b.The historical value of salt and its trace in language✓
• c.The rules Rome used to set the wages of its workers
• d.The daily diet of soldiers serving in the Roman army

Both sentences connect salt's worth to the origin of a modern word, which is the unifying point. Soldier diets, Roman wage rules, and general word change are each touched at most once and cannot cover both sentences.

Passage: "Some readers find the ending abrupt. Others argue that the sudden stop is exactly what makes the novel memorable." What is the author doing in this passage?

• a.Arguing that the ending ruins the novel
• b.Presenting two differing reactions✓
• c.Summarizing the plot of the novel
• d.Advising readers to skip the final chapter

The two sentences report opposing responses without endorsing either one. No verdict is delivered, no plot is described, and no advice is given about skipping anything.

Passage: "The thermometer read 101.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The nurse noted the reading, the time, and the route used." Which of these is a fact stated in the passage?

• a.The reading was taken later than it should have been
• b.A temperature of 101.4 degrees was recorded✓
• c.The patient was seriously ill at that moment
• d.The nurse was worried about the temperature

Only the recorded number appears in the text. The patient's condition, the nurse's feelings, and the timeliness of the reading are inferences or judgments the passage never makes.

Passage: "Honeybees communicate the location of food by dancing. The angle of the dance relative to vertical indicates the direction of the flowers, and the duration of the dance indicates the distance." According to the passage, what does the length of the dance convey?

• a.The direction of the flowers from the hive
• b.The kind of flower the bees have discovered
• c.The number of bees needed to collect the food
• d.How far away the food source is located✓

The passage assigns duration to distance and angle to direction, so length signals how far. Direction is carried by the angle instead, and the text never mentions how many bees are recruited or what species of flower was found.

Passage: "The instructor said the exam would cover chapters four through seven. She added that chapter eight would appear on the final, not on this test." Which chapters should the student study for this exam?

• a.Four through seven✓
• b.Seven and eight only
• c.Four through eight
• d.Eight through ten

The exam range is stated directly as chapters four through seven, and chapter eight is explicitly assigned to the final. Any answer that includes chapter eight contradicts the second sentence, and nothing in the passage mentions chapters beyond eight.

Passage: "Anyone can learn to swim, but no one learns from a book alone. You must get in the water." What is the author's main argument?

• a.Only children are able to learn how to swim well
• b.Swimming is more dangerous than most people believe
• c.Practice, not reading, is what teaches swimming✓
• d.Swimming books are written poorly and confuse learners

The contrast between a book and getting in the water places the emphasis on hands-on practice. The author never criticizes the writing in swim books, never restricts learning to children, and never raises danger.

Passage: "Rain had been forecast, so Devon packed an umbrella. The sky stayed clear all afternoon, and he carried the umbrella for six hours without opening it." Which word best describes the tone?

• a.Furious
• b.Wry✓
• c.Formal
• d.Terrified

The detail of carrying an unopened umbrella for six hours produces gentle, ironic humor. Nothing in the account shows anger or fear, and the casual narration is not formal in register.

A thermometer label reads: "Normal oral range 97.0-99.0 F. Readings above 100.4 F may indicate fever." A reading of 99.6 F falls into which category according to the label?

• a.Above the stated threshold for fever
• b.Below the bottom of the normal range
• c.Squarely within the normal oral range
• d.Above normal but below the fever threshold✓

99.6 is higher than the top of the normal band at 99.0 yet lower than the 100.4 fever marker, so it sits between the two. It is not inside the normal range, not past the fever cutoff, and far from the 97.0 floor.

Passage: "The committee rejected the first design as too expensive and the second as too small. The third, submitted a week late, was approved unanimously." What can be inferred about the committee?

• a.The committee valued the design over the deadline✓
• b.Cost was the only factor the committee weighed
• c.The committee members rarely agreed with one another
• d.The committee preferred designs submitted late

A late entry still won a unanimous vote, which suggests the design's merits outweighed its tardiness. Nothing indicates a preference for lateness, size was also a stated concern alongside cost, and the unanimous vote argues against habitual disagreement.

Passage: "Gardeners often mulch in autumn. Mulch insulates roots, slows evaporation, and suppresses the weeds that would otherwise sprout in spring." Which detail is NOT given as a benefit of mulch?

• a.It holds warmth around plant roots
• b.It adds nitrogen back into the soil✓
• c.It slows the evaporation of water
• d.It keeps weeds from sprouting

The passage lists insulation, reduced evaporation, and weed suppression. Adding nitrogen may be true of some mulches in general, but it appears nowhere in this passage, which is what the question asks about.

Passage: "Dr. Ames argues that the new screening saves lives. Dr. Boyd counters that the same study shows many false positives leading to unnecessary surgery." What do the two doctors disagree about?

• a.Whether the study was actually conducted
• b.Whether false positives can ever occur in screening
• c.Whether surgery is a treatment for the condition
• d.Whether the screening's benefits outweigh its harms✓

Both accept the study and argue over what it means for patients, which is a disagreement about net benefit. Neither denies the study exists, neither disputes that false positives happen, and surgery's role as treatment is not contested.

Passage: "The recipe said to fold the egg whites into the batter. Jo stirred them vigorously instead, and the cake came out flat." Why did the cake come out flat?

• a.The oven temperature was set far too low
• b.Vigorous stirring collapsed the air in the whites✓
• c.The batter was left to rest for too long
• d.The recipe called for the wrong amount of flour

The passage contrasts folding with vigorous stirring and then reports the flat result, linking the technique to the outcome. Oven temperature, flour quantity, and resting time are never mentioned anywhere in the text.

Passage: "Public libraries lend far more than books. Many now circulate tools, musical instruments, cake pans, and even fishing rods." What is the function of the second sentence?

• a.It defines an unfamiliar term used earlier
• b.It states the author's opinion about libraries
• c.It contradicts the claim made in the first sentence
• d.It gives examples that support the first sentence✓

The list of tools, instruments, pans, and rods illustrates the claim that libraries lend more than books. It agrees with rather than contradicts that claim, defines nothing, and states facts rather than opinion.

Passage: "Stand on one foot with your eyes closed. If you wobble within ten seconds, repeat the exercise daily until you can hold the position." A person wobbles after four seconds. What should that person do?

• a.Repeat the exercise every day✓
• b.Hold the position for ten more seconds
• c.Stop the exercise permanently
• d.Open the eyes and try the other foot

Wobbling inside ten seconds triggers the stated instruction to repeat it daily. Switching feet, quitting, and adding ten seconds are all actions the directions never authorize.

Passage: "The 1906 earthquake destroyed much of the city, but the fires that burned for three days afterward caused the greater share of the damage." Which statement matches the passage?

• a.No damage was caused by the earthquake
• b.Fire did more damage than the quake itself✓
• c.The fires began several weeks after the quake
• d.The earthquake lasted for three full days

The passage says fires caused the greater share of damage, so fire exceeded the quake. Three days describes how long the fires burned, not the quake, the fires followed immediately rather than weeks later, and the quake is said to have destroyed much of the city.

Passage: "The pamphlet promised that the supplement would 'melt fat overnight' and 'restore youth,' but it listed no ingredients and cited no research." What does the writer imply about the pamphlet?

• a.Its claims are not trustworthy✓
• b.Its ingredients are dangerous to consume
• c.Its price is higher than competing products
• d.Its claims are supported by hidden research

Extravagant promises with no ingredients and no research is a portrait of an unreliable claim. The writer points to missing research rather than hidden research, never says the contents are dangerous, and never mentions cost.

Passage: "Sleep researchers distinguish sleep latency, the time it takes to fall asleep, from sleep efficiency, the share of time in bed actually spent asleep." A person who lies awake for an hour before sleeping has a problem with:

• a.Both terms equally, since they mean the same thing
• b.Sleep efficiency only, by the definition given
• c.Neither term as the passage defines them
• d.Sleep latency, as the passage defines it✓

Latency is defined as the time needed to fall asleep, which is exactly what an hour awake describes. The passage defines efficiency differently and treats the two terms as distinct, so calling them identical contradicts the text.

Passage: "For every dollar spent on childhood vaccination programs, studies estimate a return of several dollars in avoided treatment costs." The author appeals primarily to:

• a.Economics, by citing cost savings✓
• b.Tradition, by citing long-standing custom
• c.Emotion, by describing a sick child
• d.Authority, by naming a famous physician

The sentence argues from dollars spent against dollars saved, which is an economic appeal. No child is described, no physician is named, and no appeal to custom appears.

A table lists four cereals with grams of fiber per serving: Brand W 3, Brand X 8, Brand Y 5, Brand Z 1. Which brand supplies the second-highest fiber per serving?

• a.Brand W
• b.Brand X
• c.Brand Y✓
• d.Brand Z

Ordered from most to least the values are 8, 5, 3, and 1, so second place belongs to the brand with 5 grams. Brand X is highest rather than second, Brand W is third, and Brand Z is lowest.

Passage: "Teo trained for months, ran the marathon in a personal best, and then quietly retired his running shoes." Which word best describes 'retired' as used here?

• a.Stopped using✓
• b.Repaired
• c.Replaced with newer ones
• d.Rewarded

Shoes cannot leave a job, so the verb means he put them out of service. Nothing in the sentence suggests a reward, a repair, or the purchase of replacements.

Passage: "Our town needs a second fire station. Response times on the north side average eleven minutes, while the national benchmark is under six." Which sentence is the evidence?

• a.The first sentence, since it names the town clearly
• b.Neither sentence, since no evidence is offered
• c.Both sentences equally, since each states a fact
• d.The second sentence, since it compares measured times✓

The claim is the call for a station; the measured eleven minutes against a six-minute benchmark is what supports it. The first sentence is the position being argued, and it is not itself a measurement.

Passage: "Before refrigeration, families preserved meat by salting, smoking, or drying it. Each method removes the moisture bacteria need to grow." What do the three methods have in common?

• a.All three require an enclosed wooden container
• b.All three reduce the moisture available to bacteria✓
• c.All three make the meat taste noticeably sweeter
• d.All three were invented in the same century

The second sentence names the shared mechanism explicitly as moisture removal. Containers, invention dates, and sweetness appear nowhere in the passage.

Passage: "The clerk repeated the policy three times, each time more slowly, while the line behind the customer grew longer." What does this detail suggest about the situation?

• a.The exchange was becoming strained✓
• b.The clerk was about to be promoted
• c.The customer understood immediately
• d.The store was about to close for the day

Repeating a policy three times at slowing speed with a lengthening line conveys mounting friction. Nothing addresses a promotion or closing time, and immediate understanding would have ended the repetition.

Passage: "Aspirin was derived from a compound found in willow bark, a remedy that healers had used for centuries before chemists isolated it." What relationship does the passage describe?

• a.A comparison of two competing medicines
• b.A step-by-step guide to preparing willow bark
• c.A traditional remedy that led to a modern drug✓
• d.A warning about the side effects of aspirin

The sentence traces a long-used folk remedy to the isolated compound behind a modern drug. Only one medicine is discussed, no side effects are named, and no preparation steps are given.

Passage: "The survey asked, 'Do you support the mayor's disastrous parking plan?' Sixty-two percent said no." What is the main problem with this survey result?

• a.A majority of respondents answered the question
• b.The wording of the question was biased✓
• c.The sample of respondents was much too small
• d.Parking is not an important issue for a survey

Calling the plan 'disastrous' inside the question pushes respondents toward a no, which corrupts the result. The passage gives no sample size, the topic's importance is not the flaw, and a majority answering is normal rather than a problem.

Passage: "Ice floats because water expands as it freezes, an unusual property among liquids. Lakes therefore freeze from the top down, leaving liquid water below." What does 'therefore' signal?

• a.A conclusion drawn from the previous statement✓
• b.A contrast with the previous statement
• c.A restatement in simpler words
• d.An example of a general rule

The word introduces the consequence of the expansion described just before it. It does not set up a contrast, does not offer an instance of a rule, and does not simply repeat the earlier idea.

Passage: "The train leaves at 6:45 a.m. Passengers should board no later than ten minutes before departure, and the platform opens thirty minutes before boarding closes." At what time does the platform open?

• a.6:35 a.m.
• b.6:05 a.m.✓
• c.6:15 a.m.
• d.5:45 a.m.

Boarding closes at 6:35, ten minutes before the 6:45 departure, and the platform opens thirty minutes before that, at 6:05. The 6:35 option is when boarding closes, 6:15 and 5:45 do not follow from either interval.

Passage: "Not every silence means agreement. In many meetings the quietest person is the one who most doubts the plan." What is the author suggesting?

• a.Silence can hide disagreement✓
• b.Quiet people should be excluded from meetings
• c.Meetings work best when everyone stays silent
• d.Agreement is always expressed out loud

The passage warns that a silent person may in fact be the strongest doubter, so silence can conceal dissent. It never proposes excluding anyone, never praises silent meetings, and its whole point is that agreement is not always spoken.

Passage: "Carla's notebook held sketches of every bridge she had crossed that summer, each labeled with the date and the river beneath it." What can the reader conclude about Carla?

• a.She dislikes traveling far from her home
• b.She had never seen a bridge before that summer
• c.She works professionally as a civil engineer
• d.She records her observations systematically✓

Dating and labeling every sketch shows an organized habit of recording what she sees. Her profession is never stated, crossing many bridges argues against dislike of travel, and nothing suggests the summer was her first encounter with bridges.

Passage: "The store's return policy allows exchanges within 30 days with a receipt. Items marked final sale may not be returned or exchanged under any circumstances." A customer has a receipt from 12 days ago for a final-sale item. What applies?

• a.An exchange is allowed only after the 30 days pass
• b.An exchange is allowed because 12 days is within 30
• c.A refund is required because a receipt was provided
• d.No exchange is permitted because the item was final sale✓

The final-sale clause overrides the general window, and it excludes both returns and exchanges without exception. Being within 30 days and holding a receipt would matter only for an item that was not final sale, and waiting longer cannot restore a right the policy removes.

Passage: "The word 'nurse' entered English from a Latin root meaning to nourish. The earliest nurses were wet nurses, and only later did the word come to mean a trained caregiver." What is the passage tracing?

• a.How the meaning of a word changed over time✓
• b.Why nursing became a licensed profession
• c.The training required of nurses today
• d.The Latin grammar behind English vocabulary

The passage moves from a root meaning, through an early use, to a modern sense, which is the history of a word's meaning. It gives no training requirements, teaches no grammar, and does not discuss licensure.

Passage: "The hike is only two miles, but it climbs fourteen hundred feet and the last half mile is loose scree." What does the word 'but' accomplish in this sentence?

• a.It signals that the short distance is misleading✓
• b.It adds a second reason to take the hike
• c.It compares this hike to a longer one
• d.It lists the equipment a hiker will need

The conjunction sets the modest distance against the steep climb and unstable footing, warning that two miles understates the difficulty. No equipment is listed and no other hike is named in the sentence.

Passage: "Step 1: wash hands. Step 2: don gloves. Step 3: clean the wound from the center outward. Step 4: apply the dressing." Why does the order of steps 1 and 2 matter?

• a.The dressing will not stick if gloves are worn
• b.Gloves are harder to put on after a wound is cleaned
• c.Washing first avoids contaminating the gloves✓
• d.The wound cannot be seen while wearing gloves

Hands are washed before gloves go on so that the gloves are not soiled as they are handled. The difficulty of donning gloves, dressing adhesion, and visibility are not reasons the sequence gives or implies.

Passage: "Three of the four wells tested above the safety limit for nitrate. The fourth was retested and also failed." How many of the wells failed the test?

• a.None of the four wells
• b.All four of the wells✓
• c.Only the fourth well
• d.Three of the four wells

Three failed initially and the remaining one failed on retest, which accounts for every well. Answering three ignores the second sentence, and the other two options contradict the stated results.

Passage: "Most people assume owls hunt by sight. In fact, many species locate prey almost entirely by sound, using ears set at different heights on the skull." What common belief does the passage correct?

• a.That owls hunt in groups rather than alone
• b.That owls are active during daylight hours
• c.That owls build their nests inside hollow trees
• d.That owls rely mainly on vision to hunt✓

The passage names the assumption about sight and then replaces it with hearing. Activity times, nesting sites, and group behavior are never raised in the text.

Passage: "Water boils at a lower temperature at high altitude because the air pressure pushing down on the surface is lower." Which statement restates this accurately?

• a.High pressure makes water boil more quickly
• b.Lower air pressure lowers the boiling point✓
• c.Boiling point rises as altitude increases
• d.Altitude has no effect on the boiling point

The passage links reduced pressure at altitude to a lower boiling temperature, which the paraphrase must preserve. Saying the boiling point rises or is unaffected reverses or erases the relationship, and speed of boiling is not what the passage measures.