HESI A2
Reading Comprehension HESI A2 Questions
Extract:
GAME OF BRIDGE:
The ebb and flow of laughter and silence fills the room as four old friends gather to engage in a round of Bridge playing. For the beginner, Bridge can be complicated, but with time, effort, and a good teacher, even the novice can become proficient.
Composed of two main parts, bidding and playing, Bridge requires the player's undivided attention. The dealer deals the entire deck of playing cards evenly between the for players, with each person receiving thirteen cards. In the bidding portion of the game, the four suits of cards in the deck are ranked highest to lowest as follows: spades, hearts, diamonds, and finally clubs. However, during play all the suits of cards are considered equals, and they go from highest to lowest from the ace being high to the two card being low.
The highest number of tricks wins. A trick is one card played by each player for a total of four. After the lead player lays down his/her card, the other players follow suit, if possible. The highest card within the four "same suit" cards played wins the trick and picks up all four cards.
If a player cannot follow suit, he/she plays any card, but to make the game more interesting and challenging, one suit is named a trump suit which means that if a player plays a card from the trump suit, it always wins the trick. If two cards from the trump suit are played, the highest card within the trump suit wins the trick. obviously the team with the most tricks wins the hand.
Question 1 of 5
In the passage, a trick is described as?
Extract:
VOICE:
What effect does your voice have on others? Does it persuade or irritate, attract or repel? One of the worst qualities is harshness. If you ever get the feeling that people are uncomfortable when you speak, it may be that your harsh tones are jarring their eardrums. your voice will sound unpleasant if it is shrill, grating, hard, piercing, brassy, to loud, or too nasal.
Harsh voice qualities usually come from too much tension in the throat and jaw. Tension tightens muscles and blocks the relaxed voice tones essential to a pleasing impression. Because tension occurs in higher pitched voices, women tend to have shriller voices than men, which usually makes them less desirable public speakers, newscasters, or political candidates.
Question 2 of 5
Which statement from the selection presents a fact rather than an opinion?
Extract:
GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE:
Linking San Francisco to Marin County in California, the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in the world. The bridge crosses over a narrow strait that connects the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay. Prior to the bridge, people traveled by ferry boat across the strait.
Although most people thought a bridge was necessary to expedite travel, some residents of the Bay Area felt the risk of building the bridge was too great. Joseph Strauss believed that nothing was impossible and that dreams would never come to fruition if risks weren't taken. So, he decided to gather the best and brightest builders, architects, and workers to embark on the challenge of building a bridge across the Golden Gate Strait.
With safety nets in place, construction began in 1937. Building the anchorages first, the builders then moved on to the towers on each end, and then to the three-foot-thick cables to support the suspension bridge. Lastly, workers labored to complete the roadway, which became the most dangerous and treacherous part of the entire task. The builders had to keep the bridge balanced so it wouldn't fall into the bay.
Today, over sixty-five years later, the bridge remains a lifeline for the people of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Question 3 of 5
What body of water does The Golden Gate Bridge cross?
Question 4 of 5
The author's reason for writing this piece seems to be to
Extract:
THE WHITE ELEPHANT:
Centuries ago, in the country of Siam, now known as Thailand, it was the custom of the rulers to punish those who displeased them by giving the offender a white elephant. Because the animal was considered sacred, it could not be made to work as other elephants did, but still had to be fed hundreds of pounds of fruit and cared for in the most lavish style. The recipient could not give the elephant to anyone else, as it was a gift from the ruler, who would be greatly displeased should the recipient not receive the gift graciously or care for it in a grand style. This monetary burden could be a major liability to the recipient, and in many cases, they became impoverished.
This is the origin of the term "white elephant," as it is used today to denote an unwanted gift. The popular way of gift exchange played during the holiday season is an offshoot of this tradition. In this game, everyone brings a gift, and the gifts are exchanged by drawing numbers and picking a gift in turn. The second person can choose a new gift or steal the first one. It is all in good fun, and people enjoy giving silly gifts and "stealing" someone else's.
Question 5 of 5
What is the meaning of the word impoverished in the first paragraph?