CBEST English Prep Test Questions and
Answers
Question 1
Based on the figures cited in the passage, which southern slave population
represented the greatest jump in percentage over the previous slave population
cited?
A. 4,800
B. 220,000
C. 697,624
D. 464,000
E. 50,000
Correct Answer
B
Question 2
Traveling medicine shows were a major form of entertainment in nineteenth-century,
small-town America. To hard-working people who saw too little of the broader world,
the shows' comedy and musical skits provided a welcome diversion from daily
routines. Once a crowd had assembled, a distinguished-looking gentleman who
invariably bore the title of "doctor" began his sales pitch for some concoction or
another made from "nature's elixirs" that promised to cure everything from warts to
the common cold. Despite the obvious exaggeration of such claims, business was
often good. Though traveling medicine shows are now a thing of the past, medical
trickery is not. Like their nineteenth-century counterparts, modern-day quacks seek to
take advantage of common fears of pain and death through the promotion of a
"miracle treatment." It is, therefore, essential that consumers be able to assess reports
about various drugs and medical procedures. ____________________________________
________________________ Common sense also helps. Remember: if a report sounds too
good to be true, it is usually just that.
Correct Answer
Page 1 of 30
,Question 3
Much can be learned about how animals adapt to their environment by observing
certain distinctive features, such as ear and eye size. ________, the first thing one
notices about African desert foxes, or fennecs, is that their ears seem too large for
their bodies. ________ fennecs need large ears for a couple of reasons. During the heat
of the day, the large surface area of their oversized ears facilitates the release of body
heat and helps cool them down. At night, when fennecs hunt, their large ears enable
them to hear even the quietest of creatures.
Correct Answer
Question 4
The tone of this piece is best described as:
A. Neutral, with an eye towards factual accuracy.
B. Jingoistic, with subtle patriotism
C. Academically objective, with occasional lapses of neutrality.
D. Expository, with narrative detail.
E. Embellished, with lively use of exciting detail.
Correct Answer
D
Page 2 of 30
, Question 5
"Peter the Great: Absolutism in Europe"
1 During the early 18th century, the ultimate goal of Peter the Great's foreign policy
was to obtain warm water ports for his nation, which were essential for trade, naval
power, and access to the west.2 ________, he battled Sweden for a port on the Baltic
and with the Ottoman Turks for a port on the Black Sea. 3 In the Great Northern War
Russia defeated the Swedish army by using the scorched earth policy, in which the
Russians retreat, burn the crops or villages in the town, and wait for winter to take its
toll upon the enemy troops. 4 With this victory in 1721, the Russians successfully
obtained their port on the Baltic; the city was named St. Petersburg, and became
known as the "window to the west."
5 Peter enacted the "Great Embassy," a tour of the Tsar and his nobles through many
Western European nations. 6 The ultimate goal of the Great Embassy was to use the
information collected to westernize Russia... 7 During the Great Embassy, Peter
acquired skills in military technology, including seafaring instruments, ship-building
techniques, and naval tactics. 8 He imported technologically skilled foreign workers as
well, and introduced new attire that was being worn across the rest of Europe.
________, 9 he implemented the Julian calendar, an improvement over their previous
calendar.
Correct Answer
Question 6
10 Adverbs
Correct Answer
1. even if
2. however
3. since
4. consequently
5. although
6. finally
7. because
8. meanwhile
9. while
10. as a result
Page 3 of 30
Answers
Question 1
Based on the figures cited in the passage, which southern slave population
represented the greatest jump in percentage over the previous slave population
cited?
A. 4,800
B. 220,000
C. 697,624
D. 464,000
E. 50,000
Correct Answer
B
Question 2
Traveling medicine shows were a major form of entertainment in nineteenth-century,
small-town America. To hard-working people who saw too little of the broader world,
the shows' comedy and musical skits provided a welcome diversion from daily
routines. Once a crowd had assembled, a distinguished-looking gentleman who
invariably bore the title of "doctor" began his sales pitch for some concoction or
another made from "nature's elixirs" that promised to cure everything from warts to
the common cold. Despite the obvious exaggeration of such claims, business was
often good. Though traveling medicine shows are now a thing of the past, medical
trickery is not. Like their nineteenth-century counterparts, modern-day quacks seek to
take advantage of common fears of pain and death through the promotion of a
"miracle treatment." It is, therefore, essential that consumers be able to assess reports
about various drugs and medical procedures. ____________________________________
________________________ Common sense also helps. Remember: if a report sounds too
good to be true, it is usually just that.
Correct Answer
Page 1 of 30
,Question 3
Much can be learned about how animals adapt to their environment by observing
certain distinctive features, such as ear and eye size. ________, the first thing one
notices about African desert foxes, or fennecs, is that their ears seem too large for
their bodies. ________ fennecs need large ears for a couple of reasons. During the heat
of the day, the large surface area of their oversized ears facilitates the release of body
heat and helps cool them down. At night, when fennecs hunt, their large ears enable
them to hear even the quietest of creatures.
Correct Answer
Question 4
The tone of this piece is best described as:
A. Neutral, with an eye towards factual accuracy.
B. Jingoistic, with subtle patriotism
C. Academically objective, with occasional lapses of neutrality.
D. Expository, with narrative detail.
E. Embellished, with lively use of exciting detail.
Correct Answer
D
Page 2 of 30
, Question 5
"Peter the Great: Absolutism in Europe"
1 During the early 18th century, the ultimate goal of Peter the Great's foreign policy
was to obtain warm water ports for his nation, which were essential for trade, naval
power, and access to the west.2 ________, he battled Sweden for a port on the Baltic
and with the Ottoman Turks for a port on the Black Sea. 3 In the Great Northern War
Russia defeated the Swedish army by using the scorched earth policy, in which the
Russians retreat, burn the crops or villages in the town, and wait for winter to take its
toll upon the enemy troops. 4 With this victory in 1721, the Russians successfully
obtained their port on the Baltic; the city was named St. Petersburg, and became
known as the "window to the west."
5 Peter enacted the "Great Embassy," a tour of the Tsar and his nobles through many
Western European nations. 6 The ultimate goal of the Great Embassy was to use the
information collected to westernize Russia... 7 During the Great Embassy, Peter
acquired skills in military technology, including seafaring instruments, ship-building
techniques, and naval tactics. 8 He imported technologically skilled foreign workers as
well, and introduced new attire that was being worn across the rest of Europe.
________, 9 he implemented the Julian calendar, an improvement over their previous
calendar.
Correct Answer
Question 6
10 Adverbs
Correct Answer
1. even if
2. however
3. since
4. consequently
5. although
6. finally
7. because
8. meanwhile
9. while
10. as a result
Page 3 of 30
