which of the following sentences distracts the reader from the main focus of the passage

ATI TEAS 7

TEAS Reading Questions

1. Which of the following sentences distracts the reader from the main focus of the passage?

A. Malory's work, which is believed to be largely a translation of older French stories, was written in prose style.
B. Instead of embracing the romance angle, however, Malory focused more on the moral elements within these stories.
C. In Tennyson's work, Arthur chooses to forgive Guinevere, and she chooses to spend the rest of her days doing good works in a convent.
D. Charles Dickens is remembered for doing the same thing in his novels about the abuses of lower-class children in Victorian England.

Correct answer: D

Rationale: The focus of the passage is on Malory and Tennyson and their interpretations of the Arthurian legends. The mention of Charles Dickens in choice D is irrelevant and distracts the reader from the main discussion. While the other choices discuss Malory's prose style, his focus on moral elements, and Tennyson's approach to the Arthurian stories, choice D brings in a comparison to Charles Dickens and his novels about lower-class children in Victorian England. This mention of Dickens does not directly relate to the main theme of the passage, making it the correct answer as the distracting sentence.

2. Which of the following lists the author’s actions in the correct sequence?

A. The author looked at the house on Forest Road, then at a house with a yard that was too small, then at two houses that were too small, and then finally at a house that was too expensive.
B. The author looked at the house on Forest Road, then at two houses that were too small, then at a house with a yard that was too small, and then finally at a house that was too expensive.
C. The author looked at two homes with yards that were too small, then a house with only one bathroom, then a house that was too expensive, and then finally the house on Forest Road.
D. The author looked at two homes that were too small, then a house with a yard that was too small, then a house that was too expensive, and then finally at the house on Forest Road.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct sequence of the author's actions based on the extract is as follows: the author looked at the house on Forest Road first, then two houses that were too small, followed by a house with a yard that was too small, and finally a house that was too expensive. Therefore, choice B correctly lists the author's actions in the given sequence. Choice A is incorrect as it reverses the order of the second and third houses visited. Choice C is incorrect as it includes a house with only one bathroom, which was not mentioned in the extract. Choice D is incorrect as it places the house on Forest Road last, whereas it was actually the first house visited.

3. Which of the following statements most accurately summarizes the passage?

A. Tobacco is less healthy than many alternatives.
B. Tobacco is deadly, expensive, and socially unappealing.
C. The US typically taxes tobacco products, leading to high prices.
D. Tobacco products shorten smokers' lives by ten years and kill millions.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B. The passage extensively details the destructive nature of smoking tobacco products, highlighting the numerous harmful chemicals, addictive properties of nicotine, increased risk of various cancers, serious health conditions, and premature deaths associated with smoking. It also mentions the high costs due to government taxation on tobacco products, alongside the negative social aspects like the smell and staining effects. Choice A is incorrect as the passage emphasizes the severe dangers rather than comparing the healthiness of tobacco to other alternatives. Choice C is incorrect as it focuses solely on the financial aspect of tobacco taxation, omitting the broader health and social consequences discussed in the passage. Choice D is partially correct but not as comprehensive as choice B, which encapsulates the deadly, expensive, and socially unappealing nature of tobacco use as portrayed in the passage.

4. Which of the following describes the structure of the above passage?

A. problem-solution
B. sequence
C. comparison-contrast
D. cause-effect

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C: 'comparison-contrast.' Throughout the passage, the author compares and contrasts the Arthurian writings of Malory and Tennyson, highlighting the differences and similarities between their approaches to the Arthurian legends. The structure of the passage is focused on contrasting Malory's prose style and moral elements with Tennyson's poetic and romantic approach, making it a clear comparison-contrast. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect. The passage does not present a problem and its solution, follow a strict sequence of events, or outline cause-effect relationships; instead, it emphasizes the differences and similarities between the two authors' interpretations of the Arthurian stories.

5. In which of the following battles were there more Confederate casualties than Union casualties?

A. Cold Harbor
B. Chancellorsville
C. Atlanta
D. Shiloh

Correct answer: D

Rationale: Shiloh had more Confederate casualties than Union casualties. In the Battle of Shiloh, fought in April 1862, the Confederates suffered around 10,700 casualties, while the Union forces had approximately 13,000 casualties. Therefore, Shiloh is the correct answer. Choice A, Cold Harbor, is incorrect because in that battle, the Confederate casualties were fewer than the Union casualties. Choices B and C, Chancellorsville and Atlanta respectively, also had more Union casualties than Confederate casualties, making them incorrect answers.