Which of the following best states the main idea of the Suggested time: 1 hour 30 minutes passage?

The board should adopt the four-day week because it Passage · Questions 1–5 would save money and help the district attract teachers. When the Riverbend Unified board votes next month on a four-day

Most school districts across the country are now moving school week, it should approve the plan. Critics call the proposal a toward a four-day school week. gimmick, but the numbers suggest otherwise. Under the plan,

The board should approve a four-day week only if students would attend Monday through Thursday, with each day attendance and test scores rise during a two-year trial lengthened by seventy minutes so that yearly instructional time period. stays nearly the same as it is now.

Families who need Friday child care would be well served by low-cost enrichment programs at two campuses. The most immediate benefit is financial. The district's

A four-day week would save the district enough money to transportation, food-service, and utility costs rise and fall with the restore the art and music positions it eliminated. number of days buildings are open. Closing schools one day each week would save an estimated four percent of the operating budget—money that could restore the art and music positions

Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the paragraph?

Giving students a few more seconds to think after a question improves class discussion.

Students who answer “I don't know” simply need more time to think about the question.

Teachers typically wait only about one second after asking students a question.

Teachers should ask fewer questions during a typical class period.

Asking follow-up questions is the most effective way to deepen class discussion. Passage · Question 42 City neighborhoods with few trees can be several degrees hotter on summer afternoons than nearby areas with dense tree cover. Pavement and rooftops absorb sunlight and release heat long after sunset, while trees shade surfaces and cool the air as water evaporates from their leaves. For residents without air conditioning, these differences can affect not only comfort but health.

Which of the following best states the author's central Suggested time: 1 hour 30 minutes argument?

The district should start middle school later because body begins releasing melatonin, the hormone that signals adolescent body clocks make early classes a barrier to sleepiness, roughly two hours later than it did in childhood. A learning. thirteen-year-old who is told to go to bed at nine will often lie

The district should redesign its bus routes so that middle Passage · Questions 101–105 school students spend less time waiting at dark, cold bus Every weekday morning, thousands of twelve-year-olds stand at stops. bus stops before sunrise, and most of them are not fully awake.

Parents should enforce earlier bedtimes so that adolescents Our district should move the middle school start time from 7:30 to can get enough sleep before an early school day begins. 8:45. The case rests on biology, not convenience. At puberty, the

The high school's later start time should be reversed awake until eleven, no matter how strict the household rules. If that because it has caused problems for sports and buses. student must wake at six, the night is cut short by nearly two

Adolescents who get too little sleep are more likely than hours, and the loss accumulates across the week. well-rested students to have conflicts with classmates. Sleep-deprived students are not simply tired. Researchers who study adolescents have linked short sleep to slower reaction times,

Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

The Joshua tree and the yucca moth depend on each other to reproduce.

Female yucca moths lay their eggs in the flowers of many desert plants.

Yucca moth larvae destroy nearly all of the seeds a Joshua tree produces.

Joshua trees can be pollinated by any insect that visits their flowers.

The Joshua tree is the tallest and oldest plant in desert regions. Passage · Question 142 The mayor's remarks at the library's reopening were brief and perfunctory: she read two sentences from an index card, glanced at her watch, and left before the first visitors walked through the new doors.

CBEST

Free CBEST Practice Questions

10 sample questions for the CBEST, with the correct answer and an explanation for each. No account needed. Try each one before you open the answer.

Sections covered on the exam: I. Reading, Reading: Critical Analysis and Evaluation, Reading: Comprehension and Research Skills, Mathematics, Ii. Mathematics, Numerical&Graphicrelationships · Bargraph, Numerical&Graphicrelationships · Circlegraph, Numerical&Graphicrelationships · Linegraph, Numerical&Graphicrelationships · Percentchange, Numerical&Graphicrelationships · Patterns, Numerical&Graphicrelationships · Tables, Numerical&Graphicrelationships · Inequalities, M O D E, Proportions, Reasoning, Information, Numerical&Graphicrelationships · Numbersense, Monthly Attendance Rate, Lincoln And Mesa Elementary, Numerical&Graphicrelationships · Numberline, Numerical&Graphicrelationships · Equations, Numerical&Graphicrelationships · Rounding.

Question 1 · I. Reading
Which of the following best states the main idea of the Suggested time: 1 hour 30 minutes passage?
- A.The board should adopt the four-day week because it Passage · Questions 1–5 would save money and help the district attract teachers. When the Riverbend Unified board votes next month on a four-day
- B.Most school districts across the country are now moving school week, it should approve the plan. Critics call the proposal a toward a four-day school week. gimmick, but the numbers suggest otherwise. Under the plan,
- C.The board should approve a four-day week only if students would attend Monday through Thursday, with each day attendance and test scores rise during a two-year trial lengthened by seventy minutes so that yearly instructional time period. stays nearly the same as it is now.
- D.Families who need Friday child care would be well served by low-cost enrichment programs at two campuses. The most immediate benefit is financial. The district's
- E.A four-day week would save the district enough money to transportation, food-service, and utility costs rise and fall with the restore the art and music positions it eliminated. number of days buildings are open. Closing schools one day each week would save an estimated four percent of the operating budget—money that could restore the art and music positions
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. The board should adopt the four-day week because it Passage · Questions 1–5 would save money and help the district attract teachers. When the Riverbend Unified board votes next month on a four-day
The author opens by saying the board “should approve the plan” and then supports that claim with two main reasons—financial savings and teacher recruitment—while noting that instructional time “stays nearly the same.” The statements about restoring art and music positions and about Friday child care are supporting details, too narrow to be the main idea. The author recommends tracking attendance and scores but never makes approval conditional on them.
Question 2 · Reading: Comprehension and Research Skills
Refer to the passage in Question 18. As used in the second paragraph, the word formidable most nearly means
- A.easily ignored
- B.difficult to overcome
- C.frightening to see
- D.widely admired
- E.impossible to predict
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. difficult to overcome
The sentence “The obstacles were formidable” is followed by a list of hard problems—hauling poles, carrying water, buffalo, and lightning—which the next paragraph says the crews worked “despite.” “Difficult to overcome” fits that context. “Frightening to see” reflects another sense of the word but does not describe obstacles that must be solved.
Question 3 · Reading: Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the paragraph?
- A.Students who answer “I don't know” simply need more time to think about the question.
- B.Giving students a few more seconds to think after a question improves class discussion.
- C.Teachers typically wait only about one second after asking students a question.
- D.Teachers should ask fewer questions during a typical class period.
- E.Asking follow-up questions is the most effective way to deepen class discussion. Passage · Question 42 City neighborhoods with few trees can be several degrees hotter on summer afternoons than nearby areas with dense tree cover. Pavement and rooftops absorb sunlight and release heat long after sunset, while trees shade surfaces and cool the air as water evaporates from their leaves. For residents without air conditioning, these differences can affect not only comfort but health.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Giving students a few more seconds to think after a question improves class discussion.
Every sentence describes a benefit of pausing longer: fuller answers, more volunteers, fewer “I don't know” replies, and more follow- up questions. The one-second figure is a supporting detail. The paragraph treats follow-up questions as a result of wait time, not as the best technique, and it never suggests asking fewer questions.
Question 4 · Mathematics
Refer to the table in Question 60. How much more does one glue stick cost than one pencil?
- A.$0.40
- B.$0.30
- C.$1.20
- D.$0.80
- E.$0.70
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. $0.40
One glue stick costs $2.80 ÷ 4 = $0.70, and one pencil costs $3.60 ÷ 12 = $0.30. The difference is $0.70 − $0.30 = $0.40. The answer $0.80 compares the package prices ($3.60 − $2.80) instead of the unit prices.
Question 5 · Mathematics
A set of classroom books is priced at $60. It is on sale for 15% off, and an 8% sales tax is then charged on the sale price. What is the total cost of the set?
- A.$55.08
- B.$46.92
- C.$55.80
- D.$64.80
- E.$51.00
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. $55.08
The sale price is $60 − 0.15 × $60 = $60 − $9 = $51. The tax is 0.08 × $51 = $4.08, so the total is $51 + $4.08 = $55.08. Computing the tax on the original $60 ($4.80) gives $55.80, and $51.00 leaves out the tax entirely.
Question 6 · I. Reading
Which of the following best states the author's central Suggested time: 1 hour 30 minutes argument?
- A.The district should redesign its bus routes so that middle Passage · Questions 101–105 school students spend less time waiting at dark, cold bus Every weekday morning, thousands of twelve-year-olds stand at stops. bus stops before sunrise, and most of them are not fully awake.
- B.Parents should enforce earlier bedtimes so that adolescents Our district should move the middle school start time from 7:30 to can get enough sleep before an early school day begins. 8:45. The case rests on biology, not convenience. At puberty, the
- C.The district should start middle school later because body begins releasing melatonin, the hormone that signals adolescent body clocks make early classes a barrier to sleepiness, roughly two hours later than it did in childhood. A learning. thirteen-year-old who is told to go to bed at nine will often lie
- D.The high school's later start time should be reversed awake until eleven, no matter how strict the household rules. If that because it has caused problems for sports and buses. student must wake at six, the night is cut short by nearly two
- E.Adolescents who get too little sleep are more likely than hours, and the loss accumulates across the week. well-rested students to have conflicts with classmates. Sleep-deprived students are not simply tired. Researchers who study adolescents have linked short sleep to slower reaction times,
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. The district should start middle school later because body begins releasing melatonin, the hormone that signals adolescent body clocks make early classes a barrier to sleepiness, roughly two hours later than it did in childhood. A learning. thirteen-year-old who is told to go to bed at nine will often lie
The author states the claim directly ("Our district should move the middle school start time from 7:30 to 8:45") and supports it with the later release of melatonin at puberty and the link between short sleep and weaker learning. The point about conflicts with classmates is only one piece of supporting evidence, and the author explicitly rejects the idea that stricter bedtimes can solve the problem.
Question 7 · Reading: Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Refer to the passage in Question 118. The author's attitude toward Dunning is best described as
- A.amused skepticism
- B.respectful admiration
- C.detached neutrality
- D.grudging, reluctant tolerance
- E.mild disapproval
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. respectful admiration
The author calls the progress card her "most lasting innovation" and describes its adoption as "a quiet tribute to a teacher who refused to let a child's education depend on the harvest calendar." Such praise is not neutral, and nothing in the passage questions or criticizes her work.
Question 8 · Reading: Comprehension and Research Skills
Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?
- A.Female yucca moths lay their eggs in the flowers of many desert plants.
- B.Yucca moth larvae destroy nearly all of the seeds a Joshua tree produces.
- C.Joshua trees can be pollinated by any insect that visits their flowers.
- D.The Joshua tree and the yucca moth depend on each other to reproduce.
- E.The Joshua tree is the tallest and oldest plant in desert regions. Passage · Question 142 The mayor's remarks at the library's reopening were brief and perfunctory: she read two sentences from an index card, glanced at her watch, and left before the first visitors walked through the new doors.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. The Joshua tree and the yucca moth depend on each other to reproduce.
The passage describes how the moth pollinates the tree and how the tree's seeds feed the moth's larvae, concluding that "neither species could survive long without the other." The larvae eat "only some of the seeds," and the tree depends on "a single partner," not on any insect.
Question 9 · M O D E
At a track meet, the mean time for six runners in the 1- mile race was 8 minutes. A seventh runner finished in 15 minutes. What was the mean time for all seven runners?
- A.11.5 minutes
- B.10.5 minutes
- C.9 minutes
- D.8.5 minutes
- E.7 minutes
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. 9 minutes
The six runners took 6 × 8 = 48 minutes in all. Adding the seventh runner gives 48 + 15 = 63 minutes, and 63 ÷ 7 = 9 minutes. Dividing 63 by 6 gives 10.5, and averaging only 8 and 15 gives 11.5.
Question 10 · Proportions
A school has 432 students and 18 teachers, a ratio of 24 students per teacher. Next year enrollment will increase by 60 students. What is the least number of additional teachers the school must hire so that there are no more than 24 students per teacher?
- A.4
- B.21
- C.20
- D.3
- E.2
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. 3
Next year there will be 432 + 60 = 492 students, and 492 ÷ 24 = 20.5, so at least 21 teachers are needed. The school already has 18, so it must hire 21 − 18 = 3 more. Rounding 20.5 down (or 60 ÷ 24 = 2.5 down) gives 2 teachers, which would leave more than 24 students per teacher, and 21 is the total number of teachers rather than the number to hire.

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