College Placement Test

Reading Practice Questions

In 1749, British surveyors spotted a high peak in the distant range of the Himalayas. More than 100 years later, in 1852, another survey was completed, which confirmed that this peak was the highest mountain in the world. Later named Mount Everest, this peak was considered to be the world’s highest mountain until 1986. At that time, George Wallerstein from the University of Washington posited that another Himalayan mountain, named K-2, was higher than Everest. It took an expedition of Italian scientists, who used a surfeit of technological devices, to disprove Wallerstein’s claim.

According to the passage, which one of the following statements is correct?

Socio-economic status, rather than intellectual ability, may be the key to a child's success later in life. Consider two hypothetical elementary school students named John and Paul. Both of these children work hard, pay attention in the classroom, and are respectful to their teachers. Yet, Paul’s father is a prosperous business tycoon, while John’s has a menial job working in a factory. Despite the similarities in their academic aptitudes, the disparate economic situations of their parents means that Paul is nearly 30 times more likely than John to land a high-flying job by the time he reaches his fortieth year. In fact, John has only a 12% chance of finding and maintaining a job that would earn him even a median-level income.

We can conclude from information in this passage that:

Sir Isaac Newton had the prescience to appreciate that his study of natural phenomena was of great import for the scientific community and for society as a whole. It is because of Newton's work that we currently understand the effect of gravity on the earth as a global system. As a result of Newton's investigation into the subject of gravity, we know today that geological features such as mountains and canyons can cause variances in the Earth's gravitational force. Newton must also be acknowledged for the realization that the force of gravity becomes less robust as the distance from the equator diminishes, due to the rotation of the earth, as well as the declining mass and density of the planet from the equator to the poles.

What is the author's main purpose?

There has been a very ___________ change in the weather recently.

She is an ____________ professor in genetic science and is well-known for her current research around the world.

Writing Practice Questions

(1) It was in 1929 that electrical activity in the human brain was first discovered. (2) Hans Berger, the German psychiatrist who discovered them was despondent to find out that his research was quickly dismissed by many other scientists.

(3) The work of Berger was confirmed three years later, in 1932, when Edgar Adrian, a Briton, clearly demonstrated that the brain, like the heart, is profuse in its electrical activity. (4) Because of Adrian’s work, it is known that the electrical impulses in the brain occur at different rates per second. (5) These rates are called brain wave frequencies and are of four different types. (6) They are alpha, beta, delta, and theta.

(7) Alpha waves occur in a state of relaxation, however, beta waves occur when a person is alert. (8) In addition, delta waves take place during sleep, but they can also occur dysfunctionally when the brain has been severely damaged. (9) Finally, theta waves are of a frequency of somewhere in between alpha and delta. (10) It seems that the purpose of theta waves is solely to facilitate the combination of the other brain waves. (11) Research has shown that each of the four frequencies occur during different states of consciousness.

Which is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 2, reproduced below?

Hans Berger, the German psychiatrist who discovered them was despondent to find out that his research was quickly dismissed by many other scientists.

(1) It was in 1929 that electrical activity in the human brain was first discovered. (2) Hans Berger, the German psychiatrist who discovered them was despondent to find out that his research was quickly dismissed by many other scientists.

(3) The work of Berger was confirmed three years later, in 1932, when Edgar Adrian, a Briton, clearly demonstrated that the brain, like the heart, is profuse in its electrical activity. (4) Because of Adrian’s work, it is known that the electrical impulses in the brain occur at different rates per second. (5) These rates are called brain wave frequencies and are of four different types. (6) They are alpha, beta, delta, and theta.

(7) Alpha waves occur in a state of relaxation, however, beta waves occur when a person is alert. (8) In addition, delta waves take place during sleep, but they can also occur dysfunctionally when the brain has been severely damaged. (9) Finally, theta waves are of a frequency of somewhere in between alpha and delta. (10) It seems that the purpose of theta waves is solely to facilitate the combination of the other brain waves. (11) Research has shown that each of the four frequencies occur during different states of consciousness.

Which is the best decision regarding the underlined portion of sentence 3, reproduced below?

The work of Berger was confirmed three years later, in 1932, when Edgar Adrian, a Briton, clearly demonstrated that the brain, like the heart, is profuse in its electrical activity.

(1) It was in 1929 that electrical activity in the human brain was first discovered. (2) Hans Berger, the German psychiatrist who discovered them was despondent to find out that his research was quickly dismissed by many other scientists.

(3) The work of Berger was confirmed three years later, in 1932, when Edgar Adrian, a Briton, clearly demonstrated that the brain, like the heart, is profuse in its electrical activity. (4) Because of Adrian’s work, it is known that the electrical impulses in the brain occur at different rates per second. (5) These rates are called brain wave frequencies and are of four different types. (6) They are alpha, beta, delta, and theta.

(7) Alpha waves occur in a state of relaxation, however, beta waves occur when a person is alert. (8) In addition, delta waves take place during sleep, but they can also occur dysfunctionally when the brain has been severely damaged. (9) Finally, theta waves are of a frequency of somewhere in between alpha and delta. (10) It seems that the purpose of theta waves is solely to facilitate the combination of the other brain waves. (11) Research has shown that each of the four frequencies occur during different states of consciousness.
Which of the following most effectively combines sentences 5 and 6, reproduced below, at the underlined portion?

These rates are called brain wave frequencies and are of four different types. They are alpha, beta, delta, and theta.

(1) It was in 1929 that electrical activity in the human brain was first discovered. (2) Hans Berger, the German psychiatrist who discovered them was despondent to find out that his research was quickly dismissed by many other scientists.

(3) The work of Berger was confirmed three years later, in 1932, when Edgar Adrian, a Briton, clearly demonstrated that the brain, like the heart, is profuse in its electrical activity. (4) Because of Adrian’s work, it is known that the electrical impulses in the brain occur at different rates per second. (5) These rates are called brain wave frequencies and are of four different types. (6) They are alpha, beta, delta, and theta.

(7) Alpha waves occur in a state of relaxation, however, beta waves occur when a person is alert. (8) In addition, delta waves take place during sleep, but they can also occur dysfunctionally when the brain has been severely damaged. (9) Finally, theta waves are of a frequency of somewhere in between alpha and delta. (10) It seems that the purpose of theta waves is solely to facilitate the combination of the other brain waves. (11) Research has shown that each of the four frequencies occur during different states of consciousness.

Which is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 7, reproduced below?

Alpha waves occur in a state of relaxation, however, beta waves occur when a person is alert.

(1) It was in 1929 that electrical activity in the human brain was first discovered. (2) Hans Berger, the German psychiatrist who discovered them was despondent to find out that his research was quickly dismissed by many other scientists.

(3) The work of Berger was confirmed three years later, in 1932, when Edgar Adrian, a Briton, clearly demonstrated that the brain, like the heart, is profuse in its electrical activity. (4) Because of Adrian’s work, it is known that the electrical impulses in the brain occur at different rates per second. (5) These rates are called brain wave frequencies and are of four different types. (6) They are alpha, beta, delta, and theta.

(7) Alpha waves occur in a state of relaxation, however, beta waves occur when a person is alert. (8) In addition, delta waves take place during sleep, but they can also occur dysfunctionally when the brain has been severely damaged. (9) Finally, theta waves are of a frequency of somewhere in between alpha and delta. (10) It seems that the purpose of theta waves is solely to facilitate the combination of the other brain waves. (11) Research has shown that each of the four frequencies occur during different states of consciousness.

What is the most logical placement for sentence 11, reproduced below?

Research has shown that each of the four frequencies occur during different states of consciousness.

Arithmetic Practice Questions

Which of the following is the greatest?

80 is 25 percent of what number?

A job is shared by 4 workers, W, X, Y, and Z. Worker W does 1/4 of the total hours. Worker X does 1/3 of the total hours. Worker Y does 1/6 of the total hours. What fraction represents the remaining hours allocated to person Z?

6.83 × 5.2

When 1523.48 is divided by 100, which digit of the resulting number is in the tenths place?

Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics Practice Questions

A bag contains 5 red balloons, 10 orange balloons, 8 green balloons, and 12 purple balloons. If a balloon is drawn from the bag at random, what is the probability that it will be orange?

Which of the following is equivalent to x^–5?

In the following figure, which of the following points could be the intersection of the circle and the line y = 2?

Given sets A, B, and C below, which of the following represents A U (B ∩ C)?

A = {5, 10, 15, 20, 25}
B = {4, 8, 12, 16, 20}
C = {12, 14, 16, 18, 20}

Mark’s record of times for the 400 meter freestyle at swim meets this season is: 8.19, 7.59, 8.25, 7.35, and 9.10. What is the median of his times?

Advanced Algebra and Functions Practice Questions

In the xy plane, line B passes through the origin and is perpendicular to line A. Line A passes through the points (2, –5) and (6, 3). The equation of line B could be which one of the following?

The graph below illustrates which of the following functions?

Which of the following is equivalent to the expression 2(x + 2)(x – 3) for all values of x?

Which of the following best describes the range of y = x² + 36?

If cos A = 0.30902 and sin A = 0.95106, then tan A = ?