Free Public Service Commission of Canada — Second language evaluation: Test of reading comprehension Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Public Service Commission of Canada — Second language evaluation: Test of reading comprehension practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1Staff preparedness note: Keep your emergency supplies together. Put the kit in a place that is easy to reach, and tell everyone in your household where to find it. According to the note, who should know the kit's location?

   1. A.Everyone in the neighbourhood
   2. B.Only the emergency responders
   3. C.Only the person who packed it
   4. D.Everyone in the householdCorrect answer: D

   Explanation: The source states: "Make sure your kit is easy to carry and everyone in the household knows where it is." The instruction includes every household member, rather than only the packer, responders or neighbours.

   Reference: Public Safety Canada — Emergency kits — Emergency kits — opening guidance

2. 2Staff information bulletin: Email makes it easy to exchange documents and files. However, attackers can also use it to gain access to devices and sensitive corporate information. Recognizing malicious messages helps protect an organization's information and networks. Which statement best captures the bulletin's overall message?

   1. A.Using email safely mainly depends on exchanging fewer work documents.
   2. B.Access to sensitive information makes staff less exposed to email threats.
   3. C.Recognizing email threats helps protect an otherwise useful work tool.Correct answer: C
   4. D.The convenience of email means attachments need little security attention.

   Explanation: The source states: "Knowing how to spot malicious emails and phishing attempts can help protect your organization's information and networks." The passage combines email's usefulness with threat recognition. A substitutes document volume, B reverses the risk of sensitive access, and D treats convenience as a reason to reduce security attention.

   Reference: Canadian Centre for Cyber Security — Spotting malicious email messages (ITSAP.00.100) — Opening paragraphs

3. 3Editorial review excerpt: Readability tools use algorithms that measure features such as word length. They can flag long sentences, passive voice, unnecessary words and acronyms, and can suggest simpler wording. However, these tools cannot determine whether the intended audience will understand and use the content easily. They provide a rough indication of complexity rather than an accurate evaluation of readability. A draft receives a favourable automated score. Which conclusion is justified by the excerpt?

   1. A.The score may be useful, but it does not establish actual audience understanding.Correct answer: A
   2. B.The draft has necessarily met its intended audience's needs.
   3. C.The score directly measures how successfully readers will complete the task.
   4. D.The score removes the need to check how the audience uses the text.

   Explanation: The source states: "These tools cannot tell you if your audience will find your content easy to understand and use." A favourable score remains a partial indicator. It does not prove audience needs are met, directly measure task success or remove audience-focused evaluation.

   Reference: Government of Canada — Canada.ca Content Style Guide — 2.1 Don’t rely on readability tools

4. 4Supply reminder: Choose food that will keep for a long time. If you pack canned food, include a manual can opener. What does the reminder say to pack with canned food?

   1. A.A spare refrigerator thermometer
   2. B.A watertight document container
   3. C.A battery-operated phone charger
   4. D.A manually operated can openerCorrect answer: D

   Explanation: The source states: "Include a manual can opener and add items like baby formula and pet food if you need them." The text connects canned food with opening cans by hand. The other supplies serve different needs.

   Reference: Public Safety Canada — Emergency kits — Preparing a Family Emergency Kit — transcript, food

5. 5Email advisory: Some malware scans an infected person's contact list and automatically sends messages to those contacts. Even a message from someone you know therefore deserves care before you open an attachment. What is the advisory mainly explaining?

   1. A.Why employees should remove all names from their contact lists
   2. B.Why attachments from colleagues are safer than links from colleagues
   3. C.Why a known sender does not by itself make an attachment safeCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Why an infected attachment becomes safe when it is sent automatically

   Explanation: The source states: "Some types of malware can scan your contacts and automatically send an infected message to everyone on your contact list." A familiar contact can send an infected message because malware uses contact lists. Removing everyone is not the message, no attachment-versus-link safety ranking is given, and automatic sending does not make infection safe.

   Reference: Canadian Centre for Cyber Security — Spotting malicious email messages (ITSAP.00.100) — How threat actors use malicious emails — infected contacts

6. 6Design excerpt: Phone and tablet screens display less content than desktop and laptop screens. Readers using small screens must take more steps to access the same amount of information. They also rely on short-term memory to recall information that is no longer visible. The issue therefore concerns how information is presented and accessed, not just the words on the page. What can reasonably be inferred about a passage that requires readers to compare distant parts of a page?

   1. A.It may allow all comparisons to be made without retaining earlier information.
   2. B.It may reduce navigation demands by distributing the text across more screens.
   3. C.It may require less recall because less information is visible at once.
   4. D.It may impose extra memory demands when less of the passage is visible.Correct answer: D

   Explanation: The source states: "rely on their short-term memory to recall information that isn't visible on the screen" Comparing separated parts can require retaining text that is no longer visible. A reverses the memory demand, B reverses the additional access steps, and D removes the stated need for recall.

   Reference: Government of Canada — Canada.ca Content Style Guide — 1.2 Consider all screen sizes

7. 7Emergency bulletin: A power failure may interrupt normal services. Include a flashlight and a radio in your kit so that you can see and stay informed. Which item is included to help people receive information?

   1. A.The spare charger
   2. B.The cash envelope
   3. C.The first aid kit
   4. D.The portable radioCorrect answer: D

   Explanation: The source states: "You may lose power in an emergency. Your kit should include a flashlight and a radio to stay informed." The radio receives information. The other items address injury, device charging or payment.

   Reference: Public Safety Canada — Emergency kits — Preparing a Family Emergency Kit — transcript, radio

8. 8Workplace procedure note: Report suspicious activity on a work account or work device to your organization's IT and security teams. Follow their instructions rather than forwarding the suspicious email to coworkers. Which statement best summarizes this note?

   1. A.Ask each coworker to open the message before it is reported.
   2. B.Send suspected work-related email threats to the designated teams.Correct answer: B
   3. C.Share suspicious work messages widely to collect coworkers' opinions.
   4. D.Keep suspected work-related email threats within your own inbox.

   Explanation: The source states: "If you receive a suspicious email or suspect malicious activity on a work device or a work account, report the incident to your organization's IT and security teams." The note directs reporting to IT/security rather than broad forwarding, silent retention or collective opening.

   Reference: Canadian Centre for Cyber Security — Spotting malicious email messages (ITSAP.00.100) — How to protect against malicious emails — Report suspicious emails

9. 9Audience-planning excerpt: Content written for specialists can use terminology those readers know, even if general readers would not. Nevertheless, the guide recommends a plain-language summary for people unfamiliar with the subject and for specialists scanning the content to decide whether it is relevant to their task. Specialized knowledge and the need for a quick relevance check can therefore occur together. Which interpretation best preserves this distinction?

   1. A.Specialists must read the full text before deciding whether it is relevant.
   2. B.A specialist may still benefit from a summary when assessing the text's relevance.Correct answer: B
   3. C.A summary is needed only if the publication stops being written for specialists.
   4. D.Familiar technical terms make summaries unnecessary for every specialist reader.

   Explanation: The source states: "specialists who might be scanning the content to decide whether it's relevant to their task" The specialist benefit is efficient relevance assessment, not compensation for lacking specialist knowledge. The other choices exclude or reverse that use.

   Reference: Government of Canada — Canada.ca Content Style Guide — 1.2 Writing for specialized audiences

10. 10Checklist note: Keep copies of important documents in your emergency kit. Examples include birth certificates, passports, wills and insurance policies. Which documents does the note specifically include?

    1. A.Copies of household insurance policiesCorrect answer: A
    2. B.Original receipts for office furniture
    3. C.Printed maps of neighbouring offices
    4. D.Current menus from nearby restaurants

    Explanation: The source states: "Lastly, keep copies of important documents like birth certificates, wills, passports and insurance policies in your kit." Insurance-policy copies are expressly included. The other document descriptions are different from the examples given.

    Reference: Public Safety Canada — Emergency kits — Preparing a Family Emergency Kit — transcript, documents