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Free TEAS 7 Reading Practice Test 3 — 30 Questions With Full Explanations

Test 3 of this set covers key ideas & details, craft & structure, integration. Answer all 30 questions, then read the explanation for each one - including why each wrong option fails. Take it interactively with instant scoring: Reading practice. Every question is original and written to the published blueprint split for the Reading section (45 questions on exam day).

Passages

Passage P1

Covering most of the planet, the ocean is never still. Surface currents, driven mainly by the wind, move warm water along predictable paths, but beneath them runs a slower, grander circulation powered by differences in temperature and saltiness. In the polar seas, surface water grows cold and dense, and as sea ice forms it leaves extra salt behind, making the water heavier still. That heavy water sinks and spreads along the ocean floor toward the equator, while warmer water flows north to replace it. This conveyor-like system connects all of the ocean basins: a drop of water can take a thousand years to complete the loop, carrying heat, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen with it. The circulation also shapes climate. The warm surface flow that reaches the North Atlantic releases heat to the air, keeping western European winters milder than the latitude alone would suggest. Scientists monitor the current with instrument buoys because melting ice and heavier rainfall could add fresh water to the North Atlantic, and too much fresh water would make the surface layer less dense, slowing the sinking that drives the whole system.

Passage P2

For six summers Lena had climbed the steel stairway of the fire lookout, but this was the first time she had climbed it alone. Her father, who had staffed the tower for twenty years, had retired in the spring, and the district had given her the post on trial. 'You know the signs,' he had told her. 'Smoke that lies flat means a slow burn low in the pines. Smoke that boils straight up means it has already crowned.' On her first afternoon a thin gray ribbon appeared above the ridge line, lying flat against the sky. Lena steadied her binoculars, read the compass bearing, and wrote the location in the log with hands that would not stop trembling. The radio crackled. Dispatch asked how sure she was. She looked again, counted the landmarks twice, and gave the coordinates. The crew on the ground found the fire within twenty minutes, still small enough to flank with a hand line. When her father called that night, he listened to her story and said only, 'Flat smoke. Fast call. That is the whole job.'

Passage P3

Teenagers are not lazy, and their schools are not entitled to start at seven in the morning. Adolescent bodies shift their natural sleep rhythm later, so a fourteen-year-old who falls asleep at eleven at night is not misbehaving; she is following her biology. When the first bell rings before eight, that same student has to drag herself out of bed during the deepest part of her sleep cycle, and she arrives at first period with her brain still half asleep. The evidence is consistent: districts that moved secondary school start times to eight-thirty or later reported higher attendance, fewer tardies, and better grades, with no decline in sports or after-school jobs. Critics argue that later starts complicate bus schedules and family routines, and those are real inconveniences. But a teenager's education and health should not be sacrificed to keep a bus route simple. Sleep is not a luxury that competes with algebra; it is the condition that makes algebra possible. We can coordinate buses. We cannot re-coordinate a growing brain.

Passage P4

Bread rises because of a fungus small enough to ride on a dust mote. Baker's yeast, a single-celled organism, feeds on sugars in the dough, and its metabolism produces carbon dioxide gas as a waste product. The gas collects in tiny pockets held open by gluten, the elastic protein network that forms when flour and water are mixed and kneaded. As the pockets inflate, the dough expands, and when the loaf goes into the oven, the heat kills the yeast, sets the gluten, and fixes the bubbles in place, leaving the finished bread light and airy. The same fermentation that inflates the loaf also shapes its flavor, since yeast produces acids and alcohols that give bread its slightly tangy character. Temperature controls the pace of the process: a warm kitchen speeds the yeast up, while a refrigerator slows it so dramatically that bakers can hold dough for days, developing deeper flavor. Too much heat, however, kills the yeast before the dough rises, which is why beginners are told to proof their yeast in warm, not hot, water.

Passage P5

Twice a year, billions of birds leave the places where they breed and fly to places where they can survive the winter, then fly home again. The ruby-throated hummingbird, which weighs less than a nickel, crosses the Gulf of Mexico in a single nonstop flight of more than eight hundred kilometers, burning fat it stored during weeks of heavy feeding. Scientists once assumed that young birds learned migration routes by following their parents, but many species migrate alone, with young birds making their first journey without any guide. Experiments with caged birds show that they know which direction to fly at migration time, and that they judge direction from the stars at night and the sun by day. Magnetic fields inside the Earth provide an additional compass that works even in clouds. Migration is not one behavior but a suite of them: fattening, restless nightly activity, and direction-finding all switch on together as days shorten. Because the trigger is day length, a change in climate that shifts the timing of food and insects can leave a bird arriving at the right season for its own clock but the wrong one for its meal.

Passage P6

Elio had baked the same four kinds of bread for thirty years, and he did not believe a stranger could do it better. So when the owner hired Marta, a young woman fresh from culinary school, Elio said nothing and pointed at the flour. For a week she measured, kneaded, and shaped beside him in silence. On the eighth morning Elio noticed that the sourdough starter had been fed at midnight instead of dawn, and the loaves came out of the oven with crusts that crackled like nothing he had produced in a decade. He examined the scoring on top, the shallow cuts that let bread expand, and saw a pattern he had never tried. 'Who showed you this?' he asked. Marta shrugged. 'I read it. Then I watched the dough.' Elio stood a long time looking at the loaves. The next day he brought her the old recipe book his own teacher had given him, stamped with the year 1962, and said, 'Read this. Then watch me.' Marta took it, and for the first time that week she smiled.

Passage P7

Soap cleans because it is built like a bridge between water and grease. Each soap molecule has a head that bonds readily with water and a tail that bonds readily with oil and fat. When you wash your hands, the tails burrow into the grease on your skin while the heads stay in the water, and the result is a cluster, called a micelle, with the grease trapped safely inside it. Water alone cannot lift grease because oil and water repel each other, but the micelles let the water carry the oily dirt away when you rinse. Hard water complicates the job: the calcium and magnesium dissolved in it react with soap to form a sticky scum, which is why soapsuds are hard to raise in hard water and why detergents, whose molecules are less affected by those minerals, were developed. Detergents work on the same bridge principle, but their heads are engineered to resist the minerals, so modern laundry detergents still clean in water that would turn old-fashioned soap into gray curds.

All 30 questions with answers

Question 1. Key Ideas & Details hard

Which sentence best expresses the central idea of the passage?

See passage P1 above.

  • A. The ocean has a slow, deep circulation driven by differences in temperature and saltiness that moves water, heat, and nutrients around the planet. (correct)
  • B. Surface currents are the only forces that move ocean water.
  • C. Sea ice forms because the ocean is warmer near the poles.
  • D. Ocean currents matter only to fish that migrate long distances.

Explanation: The passage centers on the deep, conveyor-like circulation powered by cold, salty water sinking and warm water flowing in to replace it, so A captures the main idea. B is contradicted because the passage says a slower, grander circulation runs beneath the wind-driven surface currents. C reverses the passage, which says polar water grows cold. D is unsupported, since the passage ties the currents to climate and oxygen, not to fish.

Question 2. Key Ideas & Details easy

According to the passage, what makes polar surface water heavy enough to sink?

See passage P1 above.

  • A. Cold temperatures and extra salt left behind as sea ice forms. (correct)
  • B. Nutrients released by melting ice.
  • C. Dissolved oxygen carried by storms.
  • D. Warm water flowing in from the equator.

Explanation: The passage says polar surface water grows cold and dense, and as sea ice forms it leaves extra salt behind, making the water heavier still, so A is the stated cause. B mentions nutrients but never links them to sinking. C is not part of the explanation. D describes the flow that replaces the sinking water, not the cause of the sinking.

Question 3. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard

What is the best conclusion based on the passage's statement that a drop of water can take a thousand years to complete the loop?

See passage P1 above.

  • A. The ocean's deep circulation is fast enough to mix the whole ocean in a year.
  • B. Surface currents are slower than the deep circulation.
  • C. Each drop of ocean water completes the loop exactly once every century.
  • D. The deep circulation moves water on a timescale far longer than a human life. (correct)

Explanation: A thousand-year loop means the deep circulation operates on an immense timescale, making D the supported conclusion. A contradicts the thousand-year figure. B is the opposite of the passage, which says the deep circulation is slower than the surface currents. C changes the approximate figure and invents an exact cycle length.

Question 4. Craft & Structure medium

Which phrase best describes how the passage is organized?

See passage P1 above.

  • A. As a debate between scientists who disagree about ocean currents.
  • B. As a set of instructions for measuring ocean temperature.
  • C. As a narrative about a sailor crossing the Atlantic.
  • D. As an explanation of a cause and its effects on climate and sea ice. (correct)

Explanation: The passage explains how cold, salty water sinks to drive the circulation, then traces the effects of that circulation on climate and the risk posed by melting ice, which is a cause-and-effect explanation, D. A is wrong because no disagreement is presented. B is wrong because no measuring instructions appear. C is wrong because no sailor or voyage is narrated.

Question 5. Key Ideas & Details easy

According to the passage, what could slow the sinking that drives the ocean circulation?

See passage P1 above.

  • A. Too much fresh water added to the North Atlantic by melting ice and heavy rainfall. (correct)
  • B. Warmer water flowing northward from the equator.
  • C. Instrument buoys drifting with the surface current.
  • D. The release of heat to the air over western Europe.

Explanation: The passage says too much fresh water would make the surface layer less dense, slowing the sinking that drives the whole system, so A is the explicit detail. B describes the warm flow itself, which is the replacement water, not a threat to it. C describes monitoring equipment. D describes a climate effect of the current, not a cause of slowing.

Question 6. Key Ideas & Details medium

Which of the following events in the passage happens last?

See passage P2 above.

  • A. Lena climbs the steel stairway of the fire lookout.
  • B. Dispatch asks Lena how sure she is of the location.
  • C. Lena's father calls to hear the story of the first fire. (correct)
  • D. A thin gray ribbon of smoke appears above the ridge.

Explanation: The passage ends with the evening phone call in which Lena's father listens and praises her, so C is the final event. A begins the passage. B and D occur in the middle, when Lena spots the smoke and radios dispatch. Only the telephone call follows the crew's successful response.

Question 7. Craft & Structure medium

The detail that Lena writes in the log 'with hands that would not stop trembling' most strongly suggests that she is...

See passage P2 above.

  • A. angry at the fire crew for arriving late.
  • B. bored by the quiet routine of the lookout.
  • C. nervous because this is her first fire alone. (correct)
  • D. confident because her father trained her well.

Explanation: Lena is on trial in her first solo shift, and her trembling hands show anxiety about the responsibility she has just carried out, so C is the best-supported reading. A is wrong because no anger is expressed. B is wrong because boredom never appears. D is weakened by the trembling detail, which undercuts easy confidence.

Question 8. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas easy

What does the father's comment, 'Flat smoke. Fast call. That is the whole job.' most likely mean?

See passage P2 above.

  • A. Lena read the smoke correctly and acted quickly. (correct)
  • B. The crew should have reached the fire faster.
  • C. Lena should quit the lookout post and find other work.
  • D. Flat smoke is always a sign of a large, dangerous fire.

Explanation: The father taught Lena that flat smoke means a slow burn low in the pines, and she identified it and radioed coordinates promptly, so his comment praises exactly the skill she showed, A. B inverts the praise into criticism. C is unsupported and contradicts the approving tone. D misstates the lesson, since flat smoke signals a slow, low burn, not a large danger.

Question 9. Key Ideas & Details easy

According to the passage, what does smoke that boils straight up indicate?

See passage P2 above.

  • A. A slow burn low in the pines.
  • B. A fire that has already crowned in the treetops. (correct)
  • C. A fire that is safe to ignore until morning.
  • D. A fire started by lightning on the ridge line.

Explanation: The passage, through the father's lesson, says smoke that boils straight up means the fire has already crowned, so B is the explicit detail. A describes the opposite sign, the flat-smoke burns. C never appears in the passage. D introduces lightning as a cause, which the passage never mentions.

Question 10. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas medium

Based on the passage, which group of people would most strongly resist a change to later start times?

See passage P3 above.

  • A. Students who want better grades.
  • B. Officials who must reorganize bus schedules and family routines. (correct)
  • C. Teachers who value attendance and punctuality.
  • D. Parents who want their children to sleep longer.

Explanation: The passage names critics who argue that later starts complicate bus schedules and family routines, so those officials and families would resist the change, B. A and D describe people who would likely benefit from the reform. C is unsupported, since the passage reports that attendance improves with later starts, which teachers value.

Question 11. Craft & Structure medium

The author's chief purpose in writing this passage is most likely to...

See passage P3 above.

  • A. explain the biology of the teenage brain in technical detail.
  • B. describe the history of school scheduling in American districts.
  • C. persuade readers that secondary schools should start later in the morning. (correct)
  • D. caution readers against letting teenagers sleep through classes.

Explanation: The passage argues that adolescent body clocks make early starts harmful, cites evidence of improved attendance and grades, and answers objections, which is a persuasive argument for later starts, C. A is wrong because the biology is explained simply, not technically. B is wrong because no history is given. D is the opposite of the author's position.

Question 12. Key Ideas & Details easy

According to the passage, what did districts that moved start times to eight-thirty or later report?

See passage P3 above.

  • A. Higher attendance, fewer tardies, and better grades. (correct)
  • B. More tardies but better sports performance.
  • C. Lower attendance but higher grades.
  • D. Fewer students in after-school jobs.

Explanation: The passage states that districts that moved secondary start times later reported higher attendance, fewer tardies, and better grades, with no decline in sports or after-school jobs, so A is the exact list. B and C contradict the reported outcomes. D is explicitly contradicted, since the passage says there was no decline in after-school jobs.

Question 13. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas medium

Which statement from the passage functions as evidence supporting the claim that later start times benefit students?

See passage P3 above.

  • A. 'Teenagers are not lazy, and their schools are not entitled to start at seven in the morning.'
  • B. 'Sleep is not a luxury that competes with algebra.'
  • C. 'Critics argue that later starts complicate bus schedules and family routines.'
  • D. 'Districts that moved secondary school start times to eight-thirty or later reported higher attendance, fewer tardies, and better grades.' (correct)

Explanation: Option D reports measured results from districts that made the change, which is evidence for the benefit claim, while the other options are the claim itself, a figurative closing statement, or an objection, so D is the evidence. A states the position rather than supporting it. B is a rhetorical comparison, not data. C presents the opposing side's concern.

Question 14. Craft & Structure medium

In the final sentence, 'We can coordinate buses. We cannot re-coordinate a growing brain.' the author contrasts buses and brains to emphasize that...

See passage P3 above.

  • A. bus drivers are more important than teachers.
  • B. teenagers should learn to drive instead of sleeping.
  • C. schedules are easier to fix than the harm done by sleep loss. (correct)
  • D. schools should buy new buses before changing schedules.

Explanation: The contrast shows that rearranging a bus route is simple while repairing the effects of chronic sleep loss on a developing brain is not, so the sentence emphasizes C. A misreads the comparison, which is about fixability, not importance. B is unsupported. D reverses the sentence, which argues for changing schedules instead of keeping buses as they are.

Question 15. Key Ideas & Details hard

What is the main point the passage makes about bread?

See passage P4 above.

  • A. Yeast dies immediately when it is mixed into bread dough.
  • B. Yeast produces gas that inflates dough, and temperature controls how quickly the process happens. (correct)
  • C. Bread rises only when it is baked at very high temperatures.
  • D. Gluten is added to bread to give it a tangy flavor.

Explanation: The passage explains how yeast ferments sugars into carbon dioxide that inflates the dough and how temperature paces the fermentation, so B is the main idea. A is wrong because the yeast works in the dough and dies only in the oven's heat. C is wrong because rising happens before baking. D confuses gluten's role, which is to hold gas pockets, with flavor production by yeast.

Question 16. Craft & Structure medium

How does the passage develop its explanation of how bread rises?

See passage P4 above.

  • A. By narrating a baker's day from morning to night.
  • B. By comparing bread baking in different countries.
  • C. By listing famous types of bread in order of popularity.
  • D. By tracing a step-by-step process from yeast activity to the finished loaf. (correct)

Explanation: The passage follows the process in order: yeast makes gas, gluten traps it in pockets, the dough expands, and oven heat sets the structure, so D describes the organization. A is wrong because no baker's day is narrated. B is wrong because no countries are compared. C is wrong because no list of bread types appears.

Question 17. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard

A beginner adds hot water instead of warm water to the dough. Based on the passage, what is most likely to happen?

See passage P4 above.

  • A. The yeast will die before the dough rises, leaving the bread dense. (correct)
  • B. The dough will rise faster and make a lighter loaf.
  • C. The gluten will collapse and burst the gas pockets.
  • D. The bread will develop a stronger tangy flavor.

Explanation: The passage warns that too much heat kills the yeast before the dough rises, so hot water would most likely stop the rise and produce dense bread, A. B is the opposite of the stated effect. C is unsupported, since heat is described as affecting yeast, not gluten. D is wrong because flavor develops during slow fermentation, not from killing the yeast.

Question 18. Key Ideas & Details easy

According to the passage, what role does gluten play in bread dough?

See passage P4 above.

  • A. It feeds the yeast so fermentation can begin.
  • B. It forms an elastic network that holds the gas pockets open. (correct)
  • C. It turns the crust brown in the oven.
  • D. It adds calcium and magnesium to the flour.

Explanation: The passage says gluten is the elastic protein network that forms when flour and water are mixed and kneaded, and that gas collects in tiny pockets held open by it, so B is the stated role. A describes the yeast's food, which is sugar, not gluten. C is unsupported. D confuses bread chemistry with minerals found in hard water, which belong to a different passage.

Question 19. Key Ideas & Details medium

What is the central idea of the passage?

See passage P5 above.

  • A. Migrating birds rely on built-in direction-finding abilities and stored energy to make long journeys. (correct)
  • B. Hummingbirds are the only birds that migrate at night.
  • C. Young birds always learn migration routes by following their parents.
  • D. Climate change has ended bird migration altogether.

Explanation: The passage describes fat storage, unguided first journeys, and internal compasses using sun, stars, and magnetic fields, which together support A as the main idea. B is unsupported, since the passage discusses many species. C is contradicted because many young birds migrate alone. D is contradicted, since the passage says birds still migrate even though climate shifts can cause timing problems.

Question 20. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard

Based on the passage, a bird that arrives at its breeding grounds at the time its own clock expects spring, but after the insects have already peaked, would most likely...

See passage P5 above.

  • A. find extra food because competition has ended.
  • B. migrate south again to avoid the heat.
  • C. build its nest higher to escape predators.
  • D. struggle to feed its young because the food peak has passed. (correct)

Explanation: The passage says a climate shift can leave a bird arriving at the right season for its own clock but the wrong one for its meal, meaning food like insects is scarce when the young hatch, so D is the supported outcome. A is the opposite, since the peak has passed. B and C introduce behaviors never discussed in the passage.

Question 21. Craft & Structure medium

The author most likely includes the detail that the ruby-throated hummingbird 'weighs less than a nickel' in order to...

See passage P5 above.

  • A. emphasize how remarkable it is that such a tiny bird crosses the Gulf in one flight. (correct)
  • B. prove that hummingbirds are too small to migrate successfully.
  • C. compare hummingbirds with coins for collectors.
  • D. explain why hummingbirds must migrate during the day.

Explanation: The detail of the nickel-sized weight comes right before the bird's eight-hundred-kilometer nonstop flight, so it is meant to make that feat striking, A. B contradicts the passage, which describes the crossing as successful. C is a literal misreading. D is unsupported, since the passage does not say when hummingbirds cross.

Question 22. Key Ideas & Details medium

According to the passage, in what order do the hummingbird's preparations and journey occur?

See passage P5 above.

  • A. It crosses the Gulf first, then stores fat during weeks of heavy feeding.
  • B. It waits for a full moon before storing any fat.
  • C. It learns the route from its parents, then flies alone.
  • D. It stores fat during weeks of heavy feeding, then makes the nonstop flight. (correct)

Explanation: The passage says the hummingbird crosses the Gulf in a single nonstop flight, burning fat it stored during weeks of heavy feeding, so the feeding comes first, D. A reverses the order. B introduces a moon detail that never appears. C is contradicted, since young birds of many species migrate without guides.

Question 23. Craft & Structure medium

At the beginning of the passage, Elio's response to Marta shows that he is...

See passage P6 above.

  • A. eager to learn new baking techniques from her.
  • B. afraid that the owner will fire him.
  • C. doubtful that a newcomer can bake as well as he does. (correct)
  • D. amused by the idea of culinary school.

Explanation: Elio has baked the same four kinds of bread for thirty years and does not believe a stranger can do it better, and he responds by pointing at the flour without a word, so his attitude is doubt about the newcomer, C. A is contradicted by his silence. B is unsupported, since no threat of firing appears. D is contradicted, since nothing suggests amusement.

Question 24. Key Ideas & Details medium

What change in the sourdough starter does Elio notice on the eighth morning?

See passage P6 above.

  • A. Marta has thrown the starter away.
  • B. Elio's teacher has replaced the starter.
  • C. The starter has been fed twice in one night.
  • D. The starter was fed at midnight instead of at dawn. (correct)

Explanation: The passage says Elio noticed that the sourdough starter had been fed at midnight instead of dawn, and the resulting loaves had crackling crusts, so D is the specific detail. A never happens. C is unsupported, since only one feeding time is mentioned. B confuses the starter with the old recipe book Elio later shares.

Question 25. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard

What does Elio's decision to give Marta his teacher's recipe book most strongly suggest?

See passage P6 above.

  • A. He has come to respect her skill and wants her to learn more. (correct)
  • B. He wants her to copy the recipes before she quits.
  • C. He hopes the owner will fire her and return his old duties.
  • D. He believes the book is worthless and wants to get rid of it.

Explanation: Elio's gift follows his admiration of her crusts and her scoring pattern, and the book is his own teacher's, so the gesture signals respect and a wish to teach her, A. B is unsupported, since she shows no plan to quit. C contradicts his changed attitude. D is contradicted, since he treasured the book by keeping it through his career.

Question 26. Craft & Structure medium

The passage is told from which point of view?

See passage P6 above.

  • A. First person, with Marta narrating her own experiences.
  • B. Third person, focused mainly on Elio's observations and reactions. (correct)
  • C. Second person, directing the reader to try baking bread.
  • D. Third person, focused mainly on the owner's thoughts.

Explanation: The narrator uses 'he' and 'she' and shows Elio's perceptions, such as his noticing of the midnight feeding and his long look at the loaves, so the point of view is third person centered on Elio, B. A is wrong because Marta never says 'I.' C is wrong because the reader is never addressed. D is wrong because the owner's thoughts never appear.

Question 27. Key Ideas & Details hard

Which of the following best summarizes what the passage is about?

See passage P7 above.

  • A. Hard water makes soap work better than detergents do.
  • B. Soap cleans because its molecules trap water inside clusters.
  • C. Detergents were developed because soap is dangerous to skin.
  • D. Soap removes grease because its molecules bond with both water and oil, though hard water can interfere. (correct)

Explanation: The passage explains the bridge structure of soap molecules, how micelles trap grease, and how hard water interferes, so D states the main idea. A is the opposite of the passage, which says hard water turns soap to scum. B reverses the structure, since grease, not water, is trapped inside the micelles. C is unsupported, since detergents were developed to resist minerals, not because soap harms skin.

Question 28. Key Ideas & Details medium

According to the passage, what is a micelle?

See passage P7 above.

  • A. A cluster of water molecules held together by grease.
  • B. A protein network that stretches during washing.
  • C. A mineral that collects in hard water.
  • D. A cluster of soap molecules with grease trapped safely inside it. (correct)

Explanation: The passage defines a micelle as a cluster with the grease trapped safely inside it, formed when soap tails burrow into grease while the heads stay in the water, so D is correct. A misstates the structure, since grease, not water, is trapped inside. B confuses the micelle with the gluten network from a different passage. C confuses micelles with the calcium and magnesium in hard water.

Question 29. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard

A household has water so hard that soap will not lather. Based on the passage, which solution would most likely improve cleaning?

See passage P7 above.

  • A. Switching to a detergent, whose molecules resist the minerals. (correct)
  • B. Adding more calcium to the water.
  • C. Washing with cold water instead of warm.
  • D. Stirring the soap into the water before adding dishes.

Explanation: The passage says detergents were developed because their molecules are less affected by the minerals in hard water, so switching to detergent would most likely restore cleaning, A. B would make the water harder and worsen the problem. C is unsupported, since temperature is never linked to hard water's effects. D would not remove the minerals that form the scum.

Question 30. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard

Which statement about why water alone cannot remove grease is best supported by the passage?

See passage P7 above.

  • A. Water is too heavy to lift grease off skin.
  • B. Oil and water repel each other, so water cannot carry grease away. (correct)
  • C. Grease dissolves only when the water is heated.
  • D. Calcium in the water destroys the grease.

Explanation: The passage states that water alone cannot lift grease because oil and water repel each other, and micelles are needed to let the water carry the oily dirt away, so B is supported. A is unsupported, since weight is never mentioned. C is contradicted in spirit, since the passage explains the problem in terms of molecular attraction, not temperature. D confuses hard water minerals, which form scum, with a grease-destroying action.

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Last verified: 29 September 2026. 30 original questions, checked against the published blueprint for the Reading section.