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FTCE

General Knowledge: Reading

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About This Exam

The Reading subtest is one of four subtests of the FTCE General Knowledge Test (082). It measures your ability to comprehend, analyze, and evaluate written passages. You will read short texts and answer questions about main ideas, supporting details, vocabulary in context, text structure, author's purpose and tone, and the logical relationships between ideas. This subtest tests your reading skills, not your ability to teach reading.

Questions30 multiple choice
Time Limit55 minutes
Passing Score200 (scaled)
Exam Cost$130 (for all four GK subtests together)

What's Covered

For the official exam description, see the official FTCE General Knowledge Test page.

Study Tips

  1. Read the question before you read the passage. Knowing what you're looking for helps you read more efficiently and focus on the relevant parts of the text.
  2. For main idea questions, look at the first and last sentences of the passage. The central idea is usually stated or strongly implied in those positions.
  3. Vocabulary-in-context questions test how a word is used in the passage, not its most common definition. Always read the surrounding sentences before choosing an answer.
  4. For relationship-between-sentences questions, look for signal words: "however" signals contrast, "because" and "therefore" signal cause-effect, "for example" signals illustration.
  5. When evaluating arguments, ask: Does the author provide specific evidence? Are the conclusions logically supported? Distinguish between facts, opinions, and unsupported generalizations.

How to Register

Register at fl.nesinc.com. The full General Knowledge Test costs $130. You can take all four subtests together or schedule them separately. A scaled score of 200 is required to pass each subtest. Military personnel, veterans, and their spouses may be eligible for certification exam fee waivers through the Florida Department of Education.

About Our Practice Tests

All questions are original and written to match the difficulty, format, and topic coverage of the real exam based on official exam descriptions. We offer two modes: Practice Mode gives you instant feedback and explanations after each question, and Test Mode simulates the real exam with a timer and no feedback until you submit. Both modes are completely free with no account required.

Sample Practice Questions

Review these sample questions to get a feel for the exam. For the full interactive experience, use the Practice Tests above.

1. Read the passage and answer the question. In 1928, Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find that a mold called Penicillium notatum had contaminated one of his bacterial cultures. Rather than discarding the ruined plate, Fleming noticed something remarkable: the bacteria surrounding the mold had been destroyed. This accidental observation led to the discovery of penicillin, the world's first widely used antibiotic. However, Fleming could not purify the substance effectively, and it took more than a decade before Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain developed methods to produce penicillin in quantities sufficient for clinical use. By the time of the Normandy invasion in 1944, enough penicillin was available to treat all wounded Allied soldiers, saving countless lives that would have been lost to infection in previous wars. Which of the following best states the central idea of this passage?
  • A) Alexander Fleming intentionally created penicillin to help soldiers in World War II.
  • B) The discovery of penicillin was accidental, but its development into a usable medicine required years of additional work.
  • C) Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain deserve sole credit for the invention of penicillin.
  • D) Penicillium notatum is a dangerous mold that destroys bacteria and contaminates laboratory experiments.
View Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer:
B) The discovery of penicillin was accidental, but its development into a usable medicine required years of additional work.

Explanation:
The passage traces penicillin from Fleming's accidental discovery through the decade of further development by Florey and Chain before it became clinically useful. Choice B captures both the accident and the extended development—the central idea. Choice A is factually wrong (it was not intentional). Choices C and D each address only a narrow detail.

2. Read the passage and answer the question. In 1928, Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find that a mold called Penicillium notatum had contaminated one of his bacterial cultures. Rather than discarding the ruined plate, Fleming noticed something remarkable: the bacteria surrounding the mold had been destroyed. This accidental observation led to the discovery of penicillin, the world's first widely used antibiotic. However, Fleming could not purify the substance effectively, and it took more than a decade before Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain developed methods to produce penicillin in quantities sufficient for clinical use. By the time of the Normandy invasion in 1944, enough penicillin was available to treat all wounded Allied soldiers, saving countless lives that would have been lost to infection in previous wars. Based on the passage, it can be inferred that before penicillin was available,
  • A) surgeons refused to operate on wounded soldiers.
  • B) infections were a major cause of death among wounded soldiers.
  • C) Alexander Fleming was not respected by the scientific community.
  • D) battlefield medicine was more advanced than civilian medicine.
View Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer:
B) infections were a major cause of death among wounded soldiers.

Explanation:
The passage states that penicillin saved 'countless lives that would have been lost to infection in previous wars.' This directly implies that, before penicillin, many soldiers died from infections sustained from their wounds.

3. Read the passage and answer the question. In 1928, Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find that a mold called Penicillium notatum had contaminated one of his bacterial cultures. Rather than discarding the ruined plate, Fleming noticed something remarkable: the bacteria surrounding the mold had been destroyed. This accidental observation led to the discovery of penicillin, the world's first widely used antibiotic. However, Fleming could not purify the substance effectively, and it took more than a decade before Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain developed methods to produce penicillin in quantities sufficient for clinical use. By the time of the Normandy invasion in 1944, enough penicillin was available to treat all wounded Allied soldiers, saving countless lives that would have been lost to infection in previous wars. In this passage, the word 'contaminated' most nearly means
  • A) destroyed completely.
  • B) introduced impurities into.
  • C) improved the quality of.
  • D) was removed from.
View Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer:
B) introduced impurities into.

Explanation:
'Contaminated' means to make impure by introducing an unwanted substance. The mold was an unwanted foreign substance that got into the bacterial culture. The passage makes clear the mold was not supposed to be there.

4. Read the passage and answer the question. The octopus is among the most intelligent of invertebrates. In laboratory settings, octopuses have demonstrated the ability to open jars, navigate mazes, and even recognize individual human faces. Their intelligence is remarkable given that they have extremely short lifespans, typically living only one to two years. Unlike mammals, which learn many behaviors from parents over extended childhoods, octopuses receive no parental guidance; in most species, the mother dies shortly after the eggs hatch. This means each octopus must independently develop its problem-solving abilities within a very compressed timeframe. Some researchers believe this combination of high intelligence and short lifespan may be linked to the octopus's need to adapt rapidly to diverse and changing marine environments. All of the following are stated or supported by the passage EXCEPT
  • A) Octopuses can learn to recognize specific people.
  • B) Octopuses have relatively short lives compared to mammals.
  • C) Young octopuses must learn to solve problems without parental teaching.
  • D) Octopuses are the most intelligent of all marine animals.
View Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer:
D) Octopuses are the most intelligent of all marine animals.

Explanation:
The passage says octopuses are 'among the most intelligent of invertebrates,' not the most intelligent of all marine animals. Marine mammals like dolphins are not mentioned, and the passage does not make such a broad claim. The other three statements are directly supported by the passage.

5. Read the passage and answer the question. The octopus is among the most intelligent of invertebrates. In laboratory settings, octopuses have demonstrated the ability to open jars, navigate mazes, and even recognize individual human faces. Their intelligence is remarkable given that they have extremely short lifespans, typically living only one to two years. Unlike mammals, which learn many behaviors from parents over extended childhoods, octopuses receive no parental guidance; in most species, the mother dies shortly after the eggs hatch. This means each octopus must independently develop its problem-solving abilities within a very compressed timeframe. Some researchers believe this combination of high intelligence and short lifespan may be linked to the octopus's need to adapt rapidly to diverse and changing marine environments. The organizational pattern of this passage can best be described as
  • A) comparison and contrast throughout.
  • B) a problem followed by its solution.
  • C) a claim supported by evidence and explanation.
  • D) a chronological sequence of events.
View Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer:
C) a claim supported by evidence and explanation.

Explanation:
The passage opens with a claim (octopuses are highly intelligent), supports it with evidence (jar opening, mazes, face recognition), and then explains what makes this intelligence remarkable (short lifespan, no parental guidance) and why it may have evolved. This is a claim-evidence-explanation structure.