Free TEAS 7 Reading Practice Test 10 — 30 Questions With Full Explanations
Test 10 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
On a clear day, the sky overhead is blue, yet the sun itself looks white or yellow. The explanation lies in how sunlight behaves as it passes through the atmosphere. Sunlight is a mixture of colors, and air molecules are small enough to scatter some of those colors far more strongly than others. Short wavelengths, especially blue and violet light, bounce off air molecules in every direction, so blue light fills the sky from all angles. Violet is scattered even more than blue, but the eye is less sensitive to it, which is why the sky appears blue rather than violet. Clouds look white because their water droplets are much larger than air molecules and scatter all the colors about equally. At sunrise and sunset, sunlight travels through a thicker layer of atmosphere, so most of the blue is scattered away before the light reaches the eye. The longer red and orange wavelengths survive the longer journey, painting the sky near the horizon red. On Mars, where the atmosphere is thin and dusty, the sky is the opposite: dust particles scatter red light, so Martian skies often appear pink or butterscotch.
Passage P2
The press in the basement of the Banner office had run all night, and Ava smelled ink before she smelled coffee. She was fourteen, the newest apprentice, hired to fold papers and clean rollers, but she read everything that came off the press. That morning her eye caught the front page headline: Harbor Bridge to Close for Repairs. Below it, the third paragraph said the bridge would close on Tuesday, July 29. Ava's hands went cold. Every calendar in the shop, including the one the editor kept taped to his filing cabinet, said July 29 fell on a Wednesday. She climbed the stairs with the damp page. The editor, Mr. Crane, squinted at the proof and swore under his breath; the error had slipped past two proofreaders. He called the typesetter, and within an hour a corrected plate had been cast and the press was rolling again, spitting out fresh copies with the right date. That night Ava walked home past the newsstand and saw the corrected papers stacked under the awning. She had saved the town from missing the bridge's final day.
Passage P3
Pool Operations Memo 42: Daily Water-Quality Testing (Effective Immediately). All lifeguards certified after January 1 must perform the morning water tests before the gates open. Begin by collecting a sample from the deep end at elbow depth, away from the return jets. Test for free chlorine and pH using the color-comparison kit kept in the storage office; record both readings in the logbook on the front desk. Free chlorine must read between 1.0 and 3.0 parts per million, and pH must stay between 7.2 and 7.8. If chlorine reads below 1.0, add the measured dose of granular chlorine to the skimmer baskets, wait thirty minutes, and retest before allowing swimmers in. If pH falls outside the acceptable range, treat the water with the appropriate chemical and retest until the reading is stable. Cyanuric acid, which protects chlorine from sunlight, should be checked every Monday and kept under 50 parts per million. Never open the gates with readings outside these ranges; a pool that fails testing stays closed until corrected, and the closing must be reported to the shift supervisor in writing.
Passage P4
Sound reaches the ear as invisible waves of pressure moving through the air, and the job of the ear is to translate those waves into signals the brain can read. The outer ear funnels sound into the ear canal, where the waves strike the eardrum, a thin membrane that vibrates like the head of a drum. Behind the eardrum, three tiny bones called the hammer, anvil, and stirrup form a lever system that carries the vibration across the middle ear and concentrates its force onto the oval window, a membrane at the entrance of the inner ear. The inner ear contains the cochlea, a snail-shaped, fluid-filled tube lined with thousands of delicate hair cells. Pressure waves in the fluid bend these hair cells, and the bending triggers electrical impulses that travel along the auditory nerve to the brain. Hair cells do not regrow once damaged. Loud noise, infections, and some medicines can destroy them, which is why prolonged exposure to loud sound causes permanent hearing loss. Age also takes a toll: the highest pitches often fade first because hair cells tuned to high frequencies sit near the entrance of the cochlea and take the brunt of the sound energy.
Passage P5
In 1872, the United States created Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the world. The idea did not come from a single visionary but from a series of expeditions. In 1870, a group of explorers camped at the junction of two rivers in what is now Wyoming and, around a campfire, discussed whether the region's wonders should be reserved for the public rather than claimed by private owners. The following year, geologist Ferdinand Hayden led a well-funded expedition that mapped the area in detail and returned with photographs and paintings that showed Congress what was at stake. The evidence convinced lawmakers, and President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act on March 1, 1872. The law set aside more than two million acres of geysers, hot springs, and wildlife as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. Managing such a place proved difficult, and in 1916 the National Park Service was created to oversee Yellowstone and the parks that followed. Today the park remains a symbol of the idea that some land is worth more preserved than developed.
Passage P6
Alice Augusta Ball was born in Seattle in 1892 and showed an early gift for science. She studied at the University of Washington and, in 1915, became the first woman and the first African American to earn a master of science degree in chemistry from the University of Hawaii. At Hawaii, Ball tackled a problem that scientists had struggled with for decades: treating leprosy, or Hansen's disease. The only known remedy was chaulmoogra oil, a thick substance that could not be absorbed by the body. Ball found a way to isolate the oil's active fatty acids and convert them into a water-soluble compound that could be injected. Her method, developed when she was just twenty-three, became the standard treatment for leprosy. Ball died in 1916, before she could publish her results, and the president of the university continued her work without crediting her, calling the treatment the Dean method. For decades her contribution was overlooked. In 2000, the University of Hawaii finally honored Ball with a medal, and in 2007 it dedicated a plaque in her honor at the chaulmoogra tree on campus, restoring the chemist's name to the discovery.
All 30 questions with answers
Question 1. Key Ideas & Details easy
According to the passage, why does the daytime sky appear blue instead of violet, even though violet light is scattered even more strongly than blue light?
See passage P1 above.
- A. Human eyes are less sensitive to violet light than to blue light, so the scattered violet does not dominate the sky's color. (correct)
- B. Violet light is absorbed by the ozone layer before it can reach the ground.
- C. Blue light travels faster through air than violet light does.
- D. Clouds block most of the violet light on clear days.
Explanation: The passage states that violet is scattered even more than blue but that the eye is less sensitive to it, which is why the sky appears blue rather than violet. The other options give explanations the passage never mentions, such as ozone absorption or faster travel, so they are not supported by the text.
Question 2. Craft & Structure medium
At the end of the passage, the author explains what happens to blue light at sunrise and sunset in order to
See passage P1 above.
- A. warn readers that the atmosphere is thinning near the horizon.
- B. show why clouds near the horizon look white.
- C. account for why the sky near the horizon turns red and orange at those times. (correct)
- D. explain why the sun looks yellow when it is high in the sky.
Explanation: The passage explains that a thicker layer of atmosphere at sunrise and sunset scatters most of the blue away while the longer red and orange wavelengths survive, which is why horizon skies turn red. The author states this to account for the sunset colors; the other options describe effects the passage never ties to this explanation.
Question 3. Craft & Structure medium
The statement that cloud droplets are much larger than air molecules and scatter all the colors about equally is used in the passage to explain why
See passage P1 above.
- A. clouds are usually visible only near sunrise.
- B. clouds appear white rather than blue or red. (correct)
- C. rain falls more heavily from dark clouds.
- D. clouds block the sun's heat entirely.
Explanation: The passage uses the size of cloud droplets and their equal scattering of every color to explain why clouds look white, because white results when all colors are scattered together in similar amounts. The other options turn the detail into claims about visibility, rainfall, or heat that the passage does not make.
Question 4. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard
Suppose an astronaut standing on Mars looks up and sees a pink sky, as the passage describes. Based on the passage, this color most likely means that the Martian dust is scattering
See passage P1 above.
- A. all wavelengths equally, the way cloud droplets do on Earth.
- B. mainly violet light, so the sky should actually look blue.
- C. no light at all, leaving the sky the color of the dust itself.
- D. longer red wavelengths more strongly than shorter blue ones. (correct)
Explanation: The passage says Martian skies appear pink because dust particles scatter red light, meaning longer wavelengths are scattered most strongly, the opposite of what Earth's air does. Equal scattering would produce white and violet scattering would produce blue, so the other options contradict the passage's explanation.
Question 5. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard
A photographer notices that on a very hazy afternoon the sky near the horizon looks pale and milky rather than deep blue. Which understanding from the passage best explains this observation?
See passage P1 above.
- A. Haze particles are tiny enough to scatter red light only.
- B. Extra particles in a thicker, dirtier layer of air scatter more of the blue before it reaches the eye, leaving a washed-out sky. (correct)
- C. The sun has moved higher in the sky, so scattering stops altogether.
- D. Water vapor absorbs blue light before it can be scattered.
Explanation: The passage explains that when sunlight passes through more atmosphere, most of the blue is scattered away before it reaches the eye, which is why low, distant skies look pale, and extra haze adds more particles to that path. Scattering does not stop, haze does not scatter only red light, and the passage never claims vapor absorbs blue.
Question 6. Key Ideas & Details easy
What mistake does Ava find on the front page of the morning paper?
See passage P2 above.
- A. The editor's name is misspelled in the headline.
- B. The story credits the wrong reporter.
- C. The bridge closing date is given as Tuesday, July 29, even though July 29 is a Wednesday.
- D. The price of the paper is printed incorrectly on the front page. (correct)
Explanation: The passage describes the headline about the Harbor Bridge and explains that the third paragraph gave the closing date as Tuesday, July 29, while every calendar in the shop, including the editor's, showed that July 29 fell on a Wednesday. Misspelled names, wrong credits, and prices are never mentioned, so those options are unsupported.
Question 7. Key Ideas & Details medium
According to the passage, what is the first thing Ava does after she realizes the date on the front page is wrong?
See passage P2 above.
- A. She climbs the stairs and brings the damp page to Mr. Crane, the editor. (correct)
- B. She rewrites the paragraph herself before anyone sees it.
- C. She folds the papers and stacks them under the awning.
- D. She telephones the bridge authority to confirm the closing date.
Explanation: The passage says Ava's hands went cold and then she climbed the stairs with the damp page to show the editor, Mr. Crane, who confirmed the error. Ava never rewrites copy herself, never folds the corrected papers, and never makes phone calls, so the other options describe actions the story does not include.
Question 8. Craft & Structure medium
The narrator uses the detail that Ava's hands went cold to show that she
See passage P2 above.
- A. was feeling ill from working all night.
- B. was afraid of the editor's temper.
- C. had understood at once how serious the error was. (correct)
- D. wanted an excuse to leave the shop early.
Explanation: The phrase describes Ava's physical reaction at the moment she connected the wrong date on the page to the calendar in the shop, showing her alarm at recognizing a serious error. Nothing in the passage suggests illness, fear of Mr. Crane, or a wish to leave, so the other readings are not supported.
Question 9. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard
When Ava sees the corrected papers stacked at the newsstand that night, the reader can best conclude that those copies
See passage P2 above.
- A. came from the corrected run that began after the new plate was cast. (correct)
- B. were the same faulty copies printed at dawn.
- C. had been set aside by Mr. Crane for proofreading.
- D. were left over from the previous week's edition.
Explanation: The passage says a corrected plate was cast within an hour and the press began rolling fresh copies with the right date, so the corrected run was ready the same day, and the night's newsstand stack is consistent with those copies. The faulty dawn copies would have been replaced, and nothing suggests editor proofs or leftover stock.
Question 10. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard
Which saying best captures the lesson of the episode at the Banner office?
See passage P2 above.
- A. All that glitters is not gold.
- B. The pen is mightier than the sword.
- C. Strike while the iron is hot.
- D. The newest set of eyes can catch what more experienced workers have missed. (correct)
Explanation: The story hinges on the newest apprentice spotting an error that two practiced proofreaders had missed, so the lesson is that fresh, careful attention can find what routine overlooks. The other sayings are about appearances, persuasion, and timing, none of which matches the episode's point.
Question 11. Key Ideas & Details easy
According to the memo, what must certified lifeguards complete before the gates open?
See passage P3 above.
- A. A full swim test of every lane.
- B. The morning water tests for free chlorine and pH. (correct)
- C. A written report on the previous day's attendance.
- D. An equipment inventory of all rescue tubes.
Explanation: The memo's first instruction states that lifeguards certified after January 1 must perform the morning water tests for free chlorine and pH before the gates open. Lane swim tests, attendance reports, and equipment inventories are never required by the memo, so the other options are unsupported.
Question 12. Key Ideas & Details medium
Which of the following test results would force the pool to stay closed, according to the memo?
See passage P3 above.
- A. Free chlorine of 2.5 parts per million and a pH of 7.5.
- B. Cyanuric acid at 40 parts per million.
- C. Free chlorine of 0.8 parts per million and a pH of 8.1. (correct)
- D. A water temperature reading taken at the deep end.
Explanation: The memo requires free chlorine between 1.0 and 3.0 parts per million and pH between 7.2 and 7.8, and it states that readings outside those ranges keep the pool closed. Chlorine of 0.8 and pH of 8.1 both fall outside the ranges, while the other options are within the limits or are not among the measured tests.
Question 13. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas medium
Just before opening, a lifeguard tests the water and finds the free chlorine at 0.7 parts per million. Based on the memo, the correct first response is to
See passage P3 above.
- A. open the gates and retest at noon.
- B. drain half the pool and refill it with fresh water.
- C. send swimmers home and close for the entire season.
- D. add a measured dose of granular chlorine, wait thirty minutes, and retest. (correct)
Explanation: The memo gives the exact procedure for low chlorine: add the measured dose of granular chlorine to the skimmer baskets, wait thirty minutes, and retest before allowing swimmers in. Opening anyway, draining the pool, or closing for the season are never described, so the other options do not follow the memo's rules.
Question 14. Craft & Structure medium
In the final line, the memo uses the phrase open the gates to refer to
See passage P3 above.
- A. starting the pump room's evening shutdown.
- B. welcoming swimmers for the day's public operation. (correct)
- C. letting staff enter the storage office.
- D. unlocking the parking lot for deliveries.
Explanation: Throughout the memo, the gates stand for the pool's public opening: testing must be finished before they open, and a pool that fails testing stays closed until corrected. The phrase therefore refers to admitting swimmers for the day, not to pumps, offices, or parking.
Question 15. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard
On a cloudy Tuesday, a lifeguard records free chlorine of exactly 1.0 parts per million and a pH of 7.4. According to the memo, the pool
See passage P3 above.
- A. may open, because both readings are within the acceptable ranges. (correct)
- B. must remain closed until the chlorine is raised again.
- C. may open only if the cyanuric acid level is also checked.
- D. must close because 1.0 parts per million is too low.
Explanation: The memo accepts free chlorine between 1.0 and 3.0 parts per million, so a reading of exactly 1.0 meets the minimum requirement, and a pH of 7.4 is inside the 7.2 to 7.8 range, so the pool may open. The other options misread 1.0 as a failure or add conditions the memo does not attach to these readings.
Question 16. Key Ideas & Details easy
According to the passage, where do pressure waves in the inner ear bend the hair cells?
See passage P4 above.
- A. In the ear canal just behind the outer ear.
- B. In the middle ear behind the eardrum.
- C. Inside the fluid-filled cochlea. (correct)
- D. At the tip of the auditory nerve.
Explanation: The passage says the cochlea is a fluid-filled tube lined with hair cells and that pressure waves in that fluid bend the hair cells, which triggers the nerve impulses. The ear canal and middle ear conduct the vibration earlier in the chain, and the auditory nerve carries the resulting signal, so those options are the wrong locations.
Question 17. Key Ideas & Details medium
What job do the hammer, anvil, and stirrup perform in hearing?
See passage P4 above.
- A. They produce the pressure waves that enter the ear canal.
- B. They carry the vibration across the middle ear and concentrate its force on the oval window. (correct)
- C. They filter out loud sounds before they reach the eardrum.
- D. They convert fluid waves directly into electrical impulses.
Explanation: The passage describes the three tiny bones as a lever system that carries the vibration across the middle ear and concentrates its force onto the oval window. The bones do not create the incoming waves, block loud sounds, or convert waves to impulses, so the other options contradict the text.
Question 18. Key Ideas & Details medium
Why does prolonged exposure to very loud sound cause hearing loss that cannot be reversed?
See passage P4 above.
- A. It thickens the fluid inside the cochlea.
- B. It loosens the three tiny bones in the middle ear.
- C. It destroys hair cells, which do not regrow. (correct)
- D. It makes the auditory nerve fire too slowly.
Explanation: The passage states that loud noise can destroy hair cells and that hair cells do not regrow once damaged, which is why prolonged exposure to loud sound causes permanent hearing loss. The other options describe changes to fluid, bones, or nerve speed that the passage never mentions.
Question 19. Craft & Structure medium
The author compares the eardrum vibrating to the head of a drum. This comparison is meant to help the reader picture
See passage P4 above.
- A. a thin membrane that moves back and forth when struck by sound waves. (correct)
- B. a solid plate that blocks sound completely.
- C. a round bone that spins inside the middle ear.
- D. a hollow chamber that stores incoming air.
Explanation: A drumhead is a thin stretched membrane that vibrates when struck, which is exactly how the passage describes the eardrum responding to sound waves. The comparison supports the image of a vibrating membrane, not a solid plate, a spinning bone, or a storage chamber.
Question 20. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard
A worker spends eight hours a day beside a loud machine. Based on the passage, which practice would do the most to protect that worker's hearing?
See passage P4 above.
- A. Eating a diet high in vitamin C.
- B. Cleaning the outer ear with cotton swabs every evening.
- C. Exercising to raise the heart rate before each shift.
- D. Wearing hearing protection that limits exposure to the machine's loud sound. (correct)
Explanation: The passage warns that prolonged exposure to loud sound destroys hair cells that never regrow, so reducing how much loud sound reaches the ear is the protective step the passage supports. Diet, ear cleaning, and exercise are never connected to hearing protection in the passage.
Question 21. Key Ideas & Details easy
According to the passage, which expedition provided Congress with maps, photographs, and paintings that helped win approval of the park?
See passage P5 above.
- A. The campfire group of 1870.
- B. The survey led by Ferdinand Hayden in 1871.
- C. The first National Park Service ranger patrol. (correct)
- D. The expedition led by President Grant in 1872.
Explanation: The passage credits the 1871 Hayden expedition with mapping the region and returning with photographs and paintings that showed Congress what was at stake, helping secure the 1872 law. The campfire group of 1870 only discussed the idea, and Grant and the Park Service were not survey expeditions.
Question 22. Key Ideas & Details medium
What question did the explorers around the campfire in 1870 discuss?
See passage P5 above.
- A. Whether the geysers could be harnessed to generate power.
- B. Where the new railroad line should cross the mountains.
- C. How many visitors the park could admit each summer.
- D. Whether the region's wonders should be reserved for the public rather than claimed by private owners. (correct)
Explanation: The passage says the 1870 explorers camped at the junction of two rivers and discussed whether the region's wonders should be reserved for the public rather than claimed by private owners, an idea that shaped the later law. Power generation, railroad routes, and visitor limits play no part in the campfire discussion as described.
Question 23. Craft & Structure medium
The author places the statement that managing such a place proved difficult immediately before the mention of the National Park Service in order to
See passage P5 above.
- A. show that the park had failed and was later abandoned.
- B. suggest that a dedicated agency was created partly because the park needed organized management. (correct)
- C. prove that private owners had managed the park better.
- D. explain why Grant vetoed the original park law.
Explanation: By connecting the difficulty of managing Yellowstone directly to the creation of the National Park Service in 1916, the author suggests the new agency answered the need for organized oversight. The passage never claims the park failed, that private owners did better, or that Grant vetoed anything.
Question 24. Craft & Structure hard
The passage quotes the 1872 law's own words, a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. The quotation is most directly used to
See passage P5 above.
- A. document the purpose Congress stated when it set the land aside. (correct)
- B. argue that the park should charge visitors an entrance fee.
- C. criticize the explorers for wanting to develop the land.
- D. compare the park to a privately owned resort.
Explanation: The quotation is presented as the language of the law itself, so it records the purpose Congress declared for the land, namely public benefit and enjoyment. The passage does not discuss entrance fees, criticize the explorers' motives, or compare the park to a resort.
Question 25. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard
Which modern decision is most like the choice Congress faced when it created Yellowstone?
See passage P5 above.
- A. A city deciding which street to pave first.
- B. A company choosing between two designs for a new phone.
- C. A family choosing a vacation destination for the summer.
- D. A legislature deciding whether a scenic canyon should be mined for minerals or preserved for public recreation. (correct)
Explanation: Congress had to weigh private development of the land against preserving its wonders for public use, so a choice between mining a scenic canyon and preserving it for public recreation poses the same conflict. Paving streets, picking phone designs, and choosing vacations involve different kinds of decisions.
Question 26. Key Ideas & Details easy
What medical problem did Alice Ball work on at the University of Hawaii?
See passage P6 above.
- A. Finding a usable way to deliver chaulmoogra oil to patients with leprosy. (correct)
- B. Developing a vaccine for influenza.
- C. Isolating the vitamin that prevents scurvy.
- D. Improving the safety of x-ray machines.
Explanation: The passage says Ball tackled the problem of treating leprosy, for which the only known remedy was chaulmoogra oil that the body could not absorb, and she converted its fatty acids into an injectable compound. Influenza vaccines, scurvy vitamins, and x-ray machines are never part of her work as described.
Question 27. Key Ideas & Details medium
According to the passage, why was chaulmoogra oil a poor treatment before Ball's work?
See passage P6 above.
- A. It was so rare that no pharmacy would stock it.
- B. It cured only the earliest stage of the disease.
- C. It was a thick substance that the body could not absorb. (correct)
- D. It caused patients to reject the treatment on religious grounds.
Explanation: The passage states that chaulmoogra oil was the only known remedy but was thick and could not be absorbed by the body, which is the problem Ball solved by making it water-soluble. Rarity, limited effectiveness at early stages, and religious objections are not mentioned in the text.
Question 28. Key Ideas & Details medium
What did Alice Ball's method accomplish with chaulmoogra oil?
See passage P6 above.
- A. It made the oil smell and taste more pleasant.
- B. It converted the oil's active fatty acids into a water-soluble compound that could be injected. (correct)
- C. It doubled the amount of oil produced from each harvest.
- D. It allowed the oil to be mixed into food.
Explanation: The passage says Ball isolated the oil's active fatty acids and converted them into a water-soluble compound that could be injected, and the treatment became the standard for leprosy. Making the oil pleasant, increasing harvests, or mixing it into food are never described.
Question 29. Craft & Structure medium
The passage places quotation marks around the name Dean method in order to
See passage P6 above.
- A. emphasize that the label credited the wrong person and was not Ball's own. (correct)
- B. suggest that the university president invented the treatment himself.
- C. quote the official scientific name of the compound.
- D. show that the treatment was named after a kind of whale oil.
Explanation: The quotation marks around Dean method signal that this was the label attached when the university president continued the work without crediting Ball, a misattribution the passage goes on to correct. The president did not invent the treatment, the name is not the compound's scientific name, and whale oil never appears in the text.
Question 30. Integration of Knowledge & Ideas hard
What do the medal awarded in 2000 and the plaque dedicated in 2007 most directly accomplish, according to the passage?
See passage P6 above.
- A. They prove that Ball had actually discovered a vaccine for leprosy.
- B. They were the first recognition Ball received while she was alive.
- C. They mark the official renaming of the university's chemistry building.
- D. They restored public recognition of Ball's role in the treatment that had been credited to her successor. (correct)
Explanation: The passage explains that Ball's contribution was overlooked for decades while the treatment bore the Dean method name, and that the 2000 medal and the 2007 plaque restored the chemist's name to the discovery. Ball died in 1916, so she received no recognition while alive, and vaccines and building names are not part of the account.