CBEST Section 2: Reading Exam Questions and Answers

QUESTION: 11

Heat reactions usually occur when large amounts of water and/or salt are lost through excessive sweating following strenuous exercise.
When the body becomes overheated and cannot eliminate this excess heat, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are possible. Heat exhaustion is generally characterized by clammy skin, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, profuse perspiration, and sometimes fainting, resulting from an inadequate intake of water and the loss of fluids. First aid treatment for this condition includes having the victim lie down, raising the feet 812 inches, applying cool, wet cloths to the skin, and giving the victim sips of salt water (1 teaspoon per glass, half a glass every 15 minutes), over the period of an hour. Heat stroke is much more serious; it is an immediately life-threatening situation.
The characteristics of heat stroke are a high body temperature (which may reach 106F or more); a rapid pulse; hot, dry skin; and a blocked sweating mechanism.
Victims of this condition may be unconscious, and first aid measures should be directed at cooling the body quickly. The victim should be placed in a tub of cold water or repeatedly sponged with cool water until his or her temperature is lowered sufficiently. Fans or air conditioners will also help with the cooling process.
Care should be taken, however, not to overchill the victim once the temperature is below 102F.
On the basis of above passage please answer the following question.
Which of the following is a symptom of heat exhaustion?

unconsciousness
excessive sweating
hot, dry skin
a weak pulse
a rapid pulse

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

This is clearly stated in the first sentence of the second paragraph. Choices a, c, and e are symptoms of heat stroke. Choice d is not mentioned.

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QUESTION: 12

Heat reactions usually occur when large amounts of water and/or salt are lost through excessive sweating following strenuous exercise.
When the body becomes overheated and cannot eliminate this excess heat, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are possible. Heat exhaustion is generally characterized by clammy skin, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, profuse perspiration, and sometimes fainting, resulting from an inadequate intake of water and the loss of fluids. First aid treatment for this condition includes having the victim lie down, raising the feet 812 inches, applying cool, wet cloths to the skin, and giving the victim sips of salt water (1 teaspoon per glass, half a glass every 15 minutes), over the period of an hour. Heat stroke is much more serious; it is an immediately life-threatening situation.
The characteristics of heat stroke are a high body temperature (which may reach 106F or more); a rapid pulse; hot, dry skin; and a blocked sweating mechanism.
Victims of this condition may be unconscious, and first aid measures should be directed at cooling the body quickly. The victim should be placed in a tub of cold water or repeatedly sponged with cool water until his or her temperature is lowered sufficiently. Fans or air conditioners will also help with the cooling process.
Care should be taken, however, not to overchill the victim once the temperature is below 102F.
On the basis of above passage please answer the following question.
Heat stroke is more serious than heat exhaustion because heat stroke victims

have too little salt in their bodies.
cannot take in water.
do not sweat.
have frequent fainting spells.
may have convulsions.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

Heat stroke victims have a blocked sweating mechanism, as stated in the third paragraph. Choice a is a symptom of heat exhaustion. Choices b, d, and e are not in the passage.

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QUESTION: 13

Heat reactions usually occur when large amounts of water and/or salt are lost through excessive sweating following strenuous exercise.
When the body becomes overheated and cannot eliminate this excess heat, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are possible. Heat exhaustion is generally characterized by clammy skin, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, profuse perspiration, and sometimes fainting, resulting from an inadequate intake of water and the loss of fluids. First aid treatment for this condition includes having the victim lie down, raising the feet 812 inches, applying cool, wet cloths to the skin, and giving the victim sips of salt water (1 teaspoon per glass, half a glass every 15 minutes), over the period of an hour. Heat stroke is much more serious; it is an immediately life-threatening situation.
The characteristics of heat stroke are a high body temperature (which may reach 106F or more); a rapid pulse; hot, dry skin; and a blocked sweating mechanism.
Victims of this condition may be unconscious, and first aid measures should be directed at cooling the body quickly. The victim should be placed in a tub of cold water or repeatedly sponged with cool water until his or her temperature is lowered sufficiently. Fans or air conditioners will also help with the cooling process.
Care should be taken, however, not to overchill the victim once the temperature is below 102F.
On the basis of above passage please answer the following question.
On the basis of the information in the passage, symptoms such as nausea and dizziness in a heat exhaustion victim indicate that the person most likely needs to

be immediately taken to a hospital.
be immersed in a tub of water.
be given more salt water.
sweat more.
go to an air-conditioned place.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

The second paragraph states that for the symptoms of heat exhaustion which include nausea and dizziness first aid treatment includes giving the victim sips of salt water. The other choices relate to heat stroke.

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QUESTION: 14

Poet William Blake believed that true religion is revealed through art, not through nature. For Blake, it is through art also that eternity is revealed. One does not have to die to reach eternity; eternity is the moment of vision. It is only through the reordering of sense impressions by the creative imagination that we are able, as Blake says in his "Auguries of Innocence," "To see the World in a Grain of Sand / . . .And Eternity in an hour."
On the basis of above passage please answer the following question.
Which of the following would best describe what Blake meant by the words "To see the World in a Grain of Sand / . . . And Eternity in an hour?"

a moment of mystical enlightenment
conversion to Christianity
a moment of artistic inspiration
an hallucinatory experience
a return to a state of being without sin

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

According to the passage, Blake believed that, through art (that is, through the reordering of sense impression by the creative imagination) true religion is revealed. Artistic inspiration (choice c) might be involved, but the words religion and moment of vision point towards a mystical experience, rather than a primarily artistic one. There is no mention in the passage of Christianity or sin (choices b and e) and no hint that the author views Blakes moment of vision as a false perception (hallucinatory experience, choice d).

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QUESTION: 15

Poet William Blake believed that true religion is revealed through art, not through nature. For Blake, it is through art also that eternity is revealed. One does not have to die to reach eternity; eternity is the moment of vision. It is only through the reordering of sense impressions by the creative imagination that we are able, as Blake says in his "Auguries of Innocence," "To see the World in a Grain of Sand / . . .And Eternity in an hour."
On the basis of above passage please answer the following question.
Which of the following defines Blake’s view of "nature" as described in the passage?

the raw stuff of which the world is made but which does not represent ultimate reality
the work of God in a state of innocence before it is corrupted by human beings
the world made up of base and corrupt material before it is changed by the perception of the artist at the "moment of vision"
the temporal world that will perish, as opposed to the world of artistic vision that will last forever
the real world as it is perceived by ordinary people, as opposed to the fantasy world of the artist

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

The passages tone and word choice (true religion and eternity. . .revealed through art) indicate that the world at the moment of vision is reality. There is no hint in the passage that nature represents a state of innocence for Blake (choice b) the contrary is implied. The idea that nature is made up of base and corrupt material or that it will perish (choices c and d) are not in the passage. There is no evidence that Blake thought of the world of the artist as fantasy (choice e).

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Test Prep CBEST Section 2: Reading Exam (page: 3) Test Prep California Basic Educational Skills Test - Reading Updated on: 09-Feb-2026

QUESTION: 11

Explanation:

QUESTION: 12

Explanation:

QUESTION: 13

Explanation:

QUESTION: 14

Explanation:

QUESTION: 15

Explanation:

Test Prep CBEST Section 2: Reading Exam (page: 3)
Test Prep California Basic Educational Skills Test - Reading
Updated on: 09-Feb-2026