Sample TEAS Reading Test

You are analyzing a piece of writing. You see that the piece uses cause and effect, compare and contrast, and procedural signal words. What mode of writing are you looking at?

Winter Hockey Tryouts

Who Qualifies?

Kids under the age of 14 may participate. All athletes must have a copy of a recent physical from a doctor.

Requirements:

Athletes are expected to be in peak physical shape. Athletes should bring water bottles and all appropriate equipment. It is recommended that all athletes read Playing Hockey by Wayne Gretzky.

“Requirements” is an example of what?

Use the following reading passage to answer questions 3-5

Depression

Men and women may each benefit from different treatments for depression. This is the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, which identified opposing alterations in gene expression changes between men and women with the condition.

Researchers have found that men and women with major depression have opposing changes in gene expression.

Major depression, or major depressive disorder, is a mental health disorder in which depressive symptoms persist for at least 2 weeks.

Such symptoms include continuous feelings of sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, or guilt, loss of interest in activities and hobbies, lack of energy, and — in some cases — suicidal thoughts.

It is estimated that in 2016, around 16.2 million adults in the United States experienced at least one episode of major depression.

Such episodes were almost twice as common among women than men.

Given the difference in the prevalence of major depression between the sexes, scientists have investigated whether there might be distinctions in the molecular mechanisms that drive major depression in men and women.

One study that was reported by Medical News Today last year identified different responses in the supramarginal gyrus and posterior cingulate cortex brain regions of male and female participants with depression.

In this latest study, lead author Dr. Marianne Seney, Ph.D., from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School in Pennsylvania, and colleagues pinpointed specific genetic differences between men and women with major depression.

What is the meaning of distinctions as used in this passage?

Depression

Men and women may each benefit from different treatments for depression. This is the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, which identified opposing alterations in gene expression changes between men and women with the condition.

Researchers have found that men and women with major depression have opposing changes in gene expression.

Major depression, or major depressive disorder, is a mental health disorder in which depressive symptoms persist for at least 2 weeks.

Such symptoms include continuous feelings of sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, or guilt, loss of interest in activities and hobbies, lack of energy, and — in some cases — suicidal thoughts.

It is estimated that in 2016, around 16.2 million adults in the United States experienced at least one episode of major depression.

Such episodes were almost twice as common among women than men.

Given the difference in the prevalence of major depression between the sexes, scientists have investigated whether there might be distinctions in the molecular mechanisms that drive major depression in men and women.

One study that was reported by Medical News Today last year identified different responses in the supramarginal gyrus and posterior cingulate cortex brain regions of male and female participants with depression.

In this latest study, lead author Dr. Marianne Seney, Ph.D., from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School in Pennsylvania, and colleagues pinpointed specific genetic differences between men and women with major depression.

What is the main idea of the passage?

Depression

Men and women may each benefit from different treatments for depression. This is the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, which identified opposing alterations in gene expression changes between men and women with the condition.

Researchers have found that men and women with major depression have opposing changes in gene expression.

Major depression, or major depressive disorder, is a mental health disorder in which depressive symptoms persist for at least 2 weeks.

Such symptoms include continuous feelings of sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, or guilt, loss of interest in activities and hobbies, lack of energy, and — in some cases — suicidal thoughts.

It is estimated that in 2016, around 16.2 million adults in the United States experienced at least one episode of major depression.

Such episodes were almost twice as common among women than men.

Given the difference in the prevalence of major depression between the sexes, scientists have investigated whether there might be distinctions in the molecular mechanisms that drive major depression in men and women.

One study that was reported by Medical News Today last year identified different responses in the supramarginal gyrus and posterior cingulate cortex brain regions of male and female participants with depression.

In this latest study, lead author Dr. Marianne Seney, Ph.D., from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School in Pennsylvania, and colleagues pinpointed specific genetic differences between men and women with major depression.

Which of the following is an opinion?

Which of the following is a reader’s guess of events to come?

What is one thing an author should always do with his or her argument?

Use the following reading passage to answer questions 8-10

SIDS

Blood samples from infants who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) had high levels of serotonin, a chemical that carries signals along and between nerves, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. The finding raises the possibility that a test could be developed to distinguish SIDS cases from other causes of sleep-related, unexpected infant death. The study, led by Robin L. Haynes, Ph.D., of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) provided funding for the work.

SIDS is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age that remains unexplained after a complete autopsy and death scene investigation. In the current study, researchers reported that 31 percent of SIDS infants (19 of 61) had elevated blood levels of serotonin. In previous studies, the researchers reported multiple serotonin-related brain abnormalities in SIDS cases, including a decrease in serotonin in regions involved in breathing, heart rate patterns, blood pressure, temperature regulation, and arousal during sleep.

Taken together, the researchers wrote, the findings suggest that an abnormality in serotonin metabolism could indicate an underlying vulnerability that increases SIDS risk and that testing blood samples for serotonin could distinguish certain SIDS cases from other infant deaths. However, they caution that more research is needed.

What is the meaning of the word underlying as used in this passage?

SIDS

Blood samples from infants who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) had high levels of serotonin, a chemical that carries signals along and between nerves, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. The finding raises the possibility that a test could be developed to distinguish SIDS cases from other causes of sleep-related, unexpected infant death. The study, led by Robin L. Haynes, Ph.D., of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) provided funding for the work.

SIDS is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age that remains unexplained after a complete autopsy and death scene investigation. In the current study, researchers reported that 31 percent of SIDS infants (19 of 61) had elevated blood levels of serotonin. In previous studies, the researchers reported multiple serotonin-related brain abnormalities in SIDS cases, including a decrease in serotonin in regions involved in breathing, heart rate patterns, blood pressure, temperature regulation, and arousal during sleep.

Taken together, the researchers wrote, the findings suggest that an abnormality in serotonin metabolism could indicate an underlying vulnerability that increases SIDS risk and that testing blood samples for serotonin could distinguish certain SIDS cases from other infant deaths. However, they caution that more research is needed.

What is the main idea of the passage?

SIDS

Blood samples from infants who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) had high levels of serotonin, a chemical that carries signals along and between nerves, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. The finding raises the possibility that a test could be developed to distinguish SIDS cases from other causes of sleep-related, unexpected infant death. The study, led by Robin L. Haynes, Ph.D., of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) provided funding for the work.

SIDS is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age that remains unexplained after a complete autopsy and death scene investigation. In the current study, researchers reported that 31 percent of SIDS infants (19 of 61) had elevated blood levels of serotonin. In previous studies, the researchers reported multiple serotonin-related brain abnormalities in SIDS cases, including a decrease in serotonin in regions involved in breathing, heart rate patterns, blood pressure, temperature regulation, and arousal during sleep.

Taken together, the researchers wrote, the findings suggest that an abnormality in serotonin metabolism could indicate an underlying vulnerability that increases SIDS risk and that testing blood samples for serotonin could distinguish certain SIDS cases from other infant deaths. However, they caution that more research is needed.

Which of the following is an accurate paraphrasing of this sentence from the passage: “In the current study, researchers reported that 31 percent of SIDS infants (19 of 61) had elevated blood levels of serotonin.”?