Practice Test A - Reading Test

Reading Test Instructions

  • On the official test, once you leave a page, you cannot go back to it to change your answers. However, in this sample test, you can.

  • Watch the timer in the top right corner to make sure that you complete the Reading Test before the time is up.

  • This Reading Test is identical in format to the official test except that the Reading section of the official test may be slightly longer as it might contain additional questions included for research and development purposes.

Reading Instructional Video

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Practice Test A - Reading Practice Task

Time remaining: 2 minutes

Read the following message.

Canada is surrounded on three sides by oceans.
To the north, the Arctic Ocean borders Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
Off the west coast of British Columbia is the Pacific Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean, meanwhile, sits to the east of Canada’s Maritime provinces, which include Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

Using the drop-down menu (🔽), choose the best option according to the information given in the message.

The correct option is: 2

Practice Test A - Reading Part 1: Reading Correspondence

Time remaining: 11 minutes

Read the following message.

To: Senior Managers, Prairie West Credit Union
From: Richard Poole, President and CEO
Subject: MEMO – CONFIDENTIAL: Monitoring computer use
Dear Senior Managers,
Like all banks, Prairie West thinks that data security is absolutely necessary. As a result, last month we improved our computer network by dividing it into separate, secure sub-networks for each department. This will ensure that if there is a cyberattack, it will not affect the entire system. We have a very experienced Information Technology (IT) team that knows what to do if a cyberattack happens. However, we will be doing more in the upcoming months.
Studies show that over 64% of employees visit non-work-related websites and over 84% read and send personal emails while they are at work. When employees use our company’s computer network for personal activities, they can negatively impact not only their productivity but also their personal security. Visiting certain websites or downloading attachments can lead to identity theft and put our network at risk. Our system could be infected by harmful programs such as spyware and viruses. The creators of these programs would then have access to sensitive information, such as customers’ credit card and bank account numbers. As you know, our customers depend on that information not becoming public.
Like many organizations, we block certain websites, and we have rules against personal emailing. However, staff do not always follow these policies, and new websites appear more quickly than we can block them. Therefore, starting next month, we will monitor all employees’ internet use. We hope that this will discourage employees from inappropriate online behaviour that puts our company’s data at risk.
We know that monitoring employees can lead to low staff morale and feelings of distrust, especially if the company doesn’t let the staff know about it first. Therefore, we have decided to inform employees that we will be doing this, even though it would be possible for us to monitor them secretly. Thus, I am asking all senior managers to present the new policy, in detail, to their staff at their next department meeting.
If any of you would like to speak with me about this request, please contact me. As always, I welcome your feedback and suggestions. Regards,
Richard

Using the drop-down menu (🔽), choose the best option according to the information given in the message.

The correct option is: 4
The correct option is: 3
The correct option is: 1
The correct option is: 2
The correct option is: 2
The correct option is: 1

Here is a response to the message. Complete the response by filling in the blanks. Select the best choice for each blank from the drop-down menu (🔽).

Hello Richard,
I’m writing regarding your memo about 7.
The correct option is: 2 . It’s clear from what you’ve said that our IT department 8. The correct option is: 4 , and security is obviously important for our business. I agree with you that some type of monitoring 9. The correct option is: 4 , but I’m not sure that you’re taking the best approach. As you’ve mentioned, studies show that many employees are currently 10. The correct option is: 1 , and I’m not sure that your solution will change that. Your message suggests that only 11. The correct option is: 2 . However, I think the problem has other causes and other possible solutions which I encourage you to consider. Perhaps you could meet with all the senior managers to discuss other alternatives.
Best,
Matt Lubin
Senior Manager, Operations

Practice Test A - Reading Part 2: Reading to Apply a Diagram

Time remaining: 9 minutes

Read the following email message about the diagram on the left. Complete the email by filling in the blanks. Select the best choice for each blank from the drop-down menu (🔽).

Subject: Contest Entry
To: Valley Bicycles
From: Mark Timmons
Dear Valley Bicycles,
Please enter my name 1.
The correct option is: 1 . As requested, I have attached a photo of 2. The correct option is: 4 . I cycle to work daily on an old Conner bike. I bike all year round, except in heavy snow. I’m not that brave! If I win, I’d choose the mountain bike. With it, I would take a vacation biking through the mountains and along the coastal roads. I’m hoping the 3. The correct option is: 2 will include a bicycle tire pump, which would be very useful on such a trip. I really hope I win. I made a bet with my wife that, if I do, she has to come with me on the trip. She said she’s not packing her bags any time soon! Could you tell me how the winners are chosen? Is it a random draw or will the best 4. The correct option is: 2 be chosen? Also, is it really necessary to 5. The correct option is: 1 on your website if I win? I’m quite a private person.
Best,
Mark Timmons

Using the drop-down menu (🔽), choose the best option.

6.Why does Mark describe his biking experiences? The correct option is: 3
7.Why does Mark want to win? The correct option is: 1
8.How would Mark’s wife likely feel about his application? The correct option is: 4

Practice Test A - Reading Part 3: Reading for Information

Time remaining: 10 minutes

Read the following message.

A.In 1951, a report commissioned by Canada’s federal government indicated that professional theatre was moribund, music was present only in churches and schools, and English Canada produced only 14 works of fiction per year. Artists—whether writers, composers, or actors—couldn’t make enough money from their art to support themselves. This famous Massey Report recommended that the government create the Canada Council for the Encouragement of the Arts, Letters, Humanities, and Social Sciences, which was established in 1957. Twenty-one years later, the government divided the Council, making the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council a separate entity to take over funding for research in the social sciences and humanities.
B.Using the name Canada Council for the Arts, or Canada Council, the organization provides funding for the arts in Canada: dance, media arts, music, theatre, visual arts, writing and publishing, and aboriginal arts. In addition, the Canada Council may provide funds to publishers, concert presenters, and theatres. Writers may apply for a grant to support themselves while they finish a novel; dancers and composers similarly may be awarded subsistence funds for a period of time devoted to the creation of new work. The Canada Council also awards several annual prizes to artists. Perhaps the most well-known are the Governor General’s Literary Awards. Decisions about grants and prizes are made by juries comprised of artists and arts professionals from across the country, about 750 of whom serve on the Canada Council juries each year.
C. In 1986, the Canada Council established the Public Lending Right Commission (PLRC). Public Lending Right ensures that authors receive financial compensation when their books are borrowed through a public library system. The program is intended to offset the injustice of library patrons accessing books for free—that is, without a portion of equivalent purchase price going to the author. Close to $10 billion per year is now paid to about 17,000 Canadian writers. Although similar programs exist in over 30 other countries, the Canadian program is unique in that its focus is solely on Canadian authors.
D. The Canada Council also selectively collects contemporary Canadian art. Currently it has over 17,000 works of art by approximately 3,000 artists in its Art Bank. More than one-third of these paintings, prints, photographs, and sculptures are on exhibit in private and public spaces throughout Canada. The works can also be seen on the Canada Council Art Bank website and the Google Art Project website.
E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.

Decide which paragraph, A to D, has the information given in each statement below. Select E if the information is not given in any of the paragraphs.

1. Decisions for Canada Council recipients are essentially democratic. The correct option is: B
2. Government support for the arts in Canada extends back several decades. The correct option is: A
3. Popular authors can enjoy a small income without relying on bookstore sales. The correct option is: C
4. The Canada Council provides grants for authors to market their books. The correct option is: E
5. The Canada Council partners with some other organizations in art displays The correct option is: D
6. The Canada Council awards provide basic financial assistance during the creative period. The correct option is: B
7. In the mid-twentieth century, theatre in Canada was virtually non-existent. The correct option is: A
8. Non-Canadian authors with books in Canadian libraries do not receive payment. The correct option is: C
9. Artists who receive Canada Council grants exhibit their work in council-supported shows. The correct option is: E

Practice Test A - Reading Part 4: Reading for Viewpoints

Time remaining: 13 minutes

Read the following article from a website.

As Metro Vancouver continues to struggle through a prolonged drought, water reservoirs are so low that officials have banned all lawn watering. Formerly lush neighbourhoods are now brown wastelands, except where residents either illegally water their lawn (as westside gardening enthusiast Darius Smith admits to doing) or replace them with the increasingly popular synthetic ones.

Vancouver homeowner, Annette Basi, recently installed artificial grass on her property and, except for the steep price tag, couldn’t be happier. “It’s nylon, it’s fake, but it rocks! It looks like the real deal, it’s always green, and it’s super low maintenance. It’s totally eco-friendly. No sprinkling, no pesticides. Just a bit of vacuuming.”

Across the border, homeowners in drought-ravaged California have begun installing artificial lawns as officials are now offering them cost rebates as a financial incentive for their installation. But in Vancouver, Nick Lorimer, a city engineer, recommends that a bylaw be passed requiring residents to purchase a permit before installing an artificial lawn or face a hefty fine. “This is already the case in Toronto, and rightly so. Artificial grass has many advantages, but the fibre it’s made from isn’t highly permeable. It doesn’t drain rainwater efficiently, especially if it’s plastic rather than nylon. With heavy rains, these lawns could contribute to flooding,” states Lorimer. The other issue is front lawn encroachments. “On front yards, fake turf often encroaches on city-owned property, hampering street cleaning and snow removal,” says Lorimer.

Ottawa resident Joanne Persky would prefer an outright ban on artificial lawns. “They disrupt the ecosystem,” she argues. “Ground vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide and emits oxygen, which is essential for life. It also helps regulate atmospheric temperatures. Natural fibres breathe, synthetics don’t. Also, grass is food, and soil is home to earthworms, insects, and other things birds eat. As for humans, we don’t know, yet, if synthetic lawns are safe. Along with spray-on lawn dyes, artificial grass may prove carcinogenic,” continues Persky.

The water-conscious alternative, says Persky, is neither artificial nor real grass. “What you need is diverse and hardy natural ground cover,” she insists. “I’ve planted my whole yard with mosses, herbs, and perennial wildflowers. I never water it, and it’s always thriving.”

Using the drop-down menu (🔽), choose the best option according to the information given in the message.

1. Nick Lorimer would most likely advise Annette Basi to The correct option is: 2
2. California’s water conservation incentives would most likely be supported by The correct option is: 1
3. Joanne Persky’s main point is that The correct option is: 2
4. Compared to Annette Basi, Joanne Persky is more The correct option is: 4
5. The best title for this article is: The correct option is: 2

The following is a comment by a visitor to the website page. Complete the comment by choosing the best option to fill in each blank.

It’s cloudless for the eighth consecutive week, and there’s still no rain in the forecast, so right now Mr. Lorimer’s remarks appear to be 6. The correct option is: 1 . But, actually, I read this article with considerable interest. 7. The correct option is: 1 , most of my neighbours have artificial lawns. Aesthetically, they’re perfect, but I’m still not convinced that synthetic is the way to go. Considering that their natural counterparts never truly require pesticides either, Ms. Basi’s implication that fake ground coverings 8. The correct option is: 3 is frankly bogus. 9. The correct option is: 3 , I have serious concerns about the incentives in California. As Ms. Persky implies, when massive expanses of land are 10. The correct option is: 4 , the world will surely be hotter, not better.
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