Test Prep ASVAB Section 8: Paragraph comprehension Exam
ASVAB Section Eight : Paragraph comprehension (Page 3 )

Updated On: 9-Feb-2026

Cloud seeding is accomplished by dropping particles of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) from a plane onto super- cooled clouds. This process encourages condensation of water droplets in the clouds, which usually, but not always, results in rain or snow.
From this passage, it’s reasonable to assume that _______________.

  1. cloud seeding could be used to end a drought
  2. cloud seeding is prohibitively expensive
  3. cloud seeding is rarely used
  4. cloud seeding can be accomplished by using regular ice

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

Choices "Written records are important as they provide detailed documentation." and "More business people should invest time and energy improving their writing skills." may be true in certain situations, but they’re not the point of this particular paragraph.
The passage doesn’t say anything about working to improve writing skills being a waste of time, so Choice " It’s pointless for business people to spend time improving their writing skills " is incorrect.
The main point of the paragraph is that writing may not be the most efficient way of communicating, depending on the situation.



To write or not to write – that is the question. If assigned a writing task, there’s no option. However, if someone is looking for a specific answer, find out if they need a short answer or a detailed one. Can the requirement be met with a telephone call, e-mail, or short note, or is something more necessary? A former CEO of a major corporation once commented that he had looked at 13,000 pieces of paper in a 5-day period. Think how much easier and more economical it would be if people would use the telephone, send an e-mail, or write a short note.
The main point of this passage is ______________.

  1. Written records are important as they provide detailed documentation.
  2. More business people should invest time and energy improving their writing skills.
  3. Writing may not be the best way to communicate information.
  4. It’s pointless for business people to spend time improving their writing skills.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

Choices "Written records are important as they provide detailed documentation." and "More business people should invest time and energy improving their writing skills." may be true in certain situations, but they’re not the point of this particular paragraph.
The passage doesn’t say anything about working to improve writing skills being a waste of time, so Choice " It’s pointless for business people to spend time improving their writing skills " is incorrect.
The main point of the paragraph is that writing may not be the most efficient way of communicating, depending on the situation.



The transistor, a small, solid-state device that can amplify sound, was invented in 1947. At first, it was too expensive and too difficult to produce to be used in cheap, mass-market products. By 1954, though, these cost and production problems had been overcome, and the first transistor radio was put on the market.
According to this passage, __________.

  1. there was no market for transistors before 1954
  2. when transistors could be produced cheaply and easily, the transistor radio was put on the market
  3. transistors were invented in 1947 by order of the Department of Defense
  4. transistors are still expensive to produce

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

Products with transistors weren’t widely sold before 1954 because of the expense and difficulty of production, not because markets didn’t exist; so Choice "there was no market for transistors before 1954" is incorrect.
Choices "transistors were invented in 1947 by order of the Department of Defense" and "transistors are still expensive to produce" aren’t supported in the passage.
The passage states that the problem of transistors being expensive and difficult to produce was solved by 1954.



I returned from the City about three o’clock on that May afternoon pretty well disgusted with life. I had been three months in the Old Country and was fed up with it. If people had told me a year ago that I would’ve been feeling like that I should’ve laughed at them; but there was the fact. The weather made me liverish, the talk of the ordinary Englishman made me sick, I couldn’t get enough exercise, and the amusements of London seemed as flat as soda water that had been standing in the sun.
The author is speaking of his travels in _______________.

  1. Spain
  2. Great Britain
  3. Germany
  4. Scotland

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

The words London and Englishmen make it clear that the author is speaking of his travels in England (Great Britain).



Surveys show that the average child under the age of 18 watches four hours of television per day. Although some of the programming may be educational, most isn’t. Spending this much time watching television interferes with a child’s ability to pursue other interests, such as reading, participating in sports, and playing with friends.
The author of this passage would agree that ________________.

  1. television viewing should be restricted
  2. parents who let their children watch this much television is neglectful
  3. reading, participating in sports, playing with friends, and watching television should all be given equal time
  4. adults over 18 can watch as much television as they want

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

The author makes no reference to parents in the passage, so Choice "parents who let their children watch this much television is neglectful" is incorrect.
The author doesn’t imply anything about all these interests requiring equal time, so Choice "reading, participating in sports, playing with friends, and watching television should all be given equal time" is incorrect. The passage is about children under 18; no conclusion can be drawn about what the author thinks people over 18 should do, so Choice "adults over 18 can watch as much television as they want" is incorrect.






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