ASVAB Paragraph Comprehension Practice Test 637654 Results

Your Results Global Average
Questions 5 5
Correct 0 3.04
Score 0% 61%

Review

1
The Doppler effect (or Doppler shift), named after the Austrian physicist Christian Doppler, who proposed it in 1842 in Prague, is the change in frequency of a wave (or other periodic event) for an observer moving relative to its source. It is commonly heard when a vehicle sounding a siren or horn approaches, passes, and recedes from an observer. The received frequency is higher (compared to the emitted frequency) during the approach, it is identical at the instant of passing by, and it is lower during the recession.
In this paragraph, what is "relative"?
44% Answer Correctly
The position of the observer compared to the source.
The frequency of the observer compared to the source.
The hearing of the observer compared to the source.
The speed of the observer compared to the source.
Solution
According to this passage, the Doppler effect is the change in frequency of a wave for an observer moving relative to the source of the wave. This indicates a difference in the movement and therefore the position of the observer and source.
2
In linguistics, the comparative method is a technique for studying the development of languages by performing a feature-by-feature comparison of two or more languages with common descent from a shared ancestor, as opposed to the method of internal reconstruction, which analyzes the internal development of a single language over time.
Which of the following would be the most useful for someone using the comparative method in linguistics when studying a particular language?
66% Answer Correctly
Two editions of the same text written one-hundred years apart.
An ancient text written in the language.
Old folk songs that have been passed down among generations of speakers of the language.
The same text written in two different dialects of the language.
Solution
The wrong answers all provide insight into how a single language has changed over time while the text written in two different dialects offers an opportunity to compare languages that share a common ancestor.
3
Balluta Bay is a bay on the northeast coast of Malta within St. Julian's. It is a popular recreation spot used for swimming, diving, and water sports, with a triangular pjazza surrounded by cafes and shaded by Judas trees.

Its skyline is dominated by the neo-gothic Carmelite Parish Church and the stunning art nouveau Balluta Buildings, which are apartment buildings on the eastern shore, as well as a cluster of terraced townhouses in the local variant of Georgian-style architecture. The south shore of Balluta Bay features Le Meridien St. Julian's Hotel, built on the grounds surrounding the 18th century Villa Cassar Torregiani.

In what type of publication would you be most likely to find the above passage?
72% Answer Correctly
In a magazine devoted to water sports.
In a real estate ad.
In a travel guide to Malta.
In a book about historic buildings in Malta.
Solution
Although this passage could be in any of these publications, the wide range of topics it covers makes it most likely that it's in a travel guide to Malta.
4
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. The extreme opposite of endemism is cosmopolitan distribution.
Based on this passage, which of the following statements is false?
47% Answer Correctly
Endemism requires an organism be unique to a defined geographic location.
An organism that is indigenous to Australia can be found in India.
An organism that is endemic to Australia can be found in India.
An organism that is endemic cannot have a cosmopolitan distribution.
Solution
You don't necessarily need to know the definitions of the words in a paragraph to figure out the correct answer. Just go through the answers one by one and logically compare the answer to the the paragraph and eliminate the answers that aren't supported by the facts.
5
The Mayan languages form a language family spoken in Mesoamerica and northern Central America. Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million indigenous Maya, primarily in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize and Honduras. In 1996, Guatemala formally recognized 21 Mayan languages by name, and Mexico recognizes eight more. The Mayan language family is one of the best documented and most studied in the Americas. Modern Mayan languages descend from Proto-Mayan, a language thought to have been spoken at least 5,000 years ago.
Based on this passage, which of the following statements is true?
75% Answer Correctly
Proto-Mayan is a modern variation of Mayan.
Mayan languages are mainly spoken in South America.
Not much is known about the Mayan language family.
The Mayan language family is well documented.