TEAS Craft and Structure practice questions

The author's purpose and point of view, text structure, word meaning in context, and fact versus opinion. Craft and Structure is 9 of the 39 scored questions in TEAS Reading.

scored questions

9

of Reading's score

23%

for all of Reading

55 min

1. Passage: Using a Home Blood Pressure Monitor (show)

   1

   Accurate readings depend on preparation. Do not drink caffeine, exercise, or smoke for 30 minutes beforehand, and empty your bladder first. Take your readings at the same times each day, such as before breakfast and before dinner.

   2

   Begin by sitting in a straight-backed chair with your feet flat on the floor and your legs uncrossed. Rest quietly for five minutes; do not wrap the cuff until this rest period is over. Then slide the cuff onto your bare upper arm so that its lower edge sits about one inch above the elbow crease. The cuff should be snug enough that you can fit only one finger beneath it.

   3

   Before you press START, rest your arm on a table so the cuff is level with your heart, palm facing up. Pressing START with the arm hanging at your side will produce a falsely high reading. Stay still and silent while the cuff inflates and deflates. When the numbers appear, write them in your log along with the date and time.

   4

   If you plan to take a second reading, wait one minute and repeat the process. If a reading seems unusually high, wait five minutes and measure again; if it remains high, contact your health care provider. Bring your log to every appointment so that your provider can see patterns over time rather than a single number.

   01Reading · Craft and StructureThe author includes the sentence 'Pressing START with the arm hanging at your side will produce a falsely high reading.' primarily to+−

   • A. explain why the arm-position step is necessary (correct)
   • B. warn readers that the monitor gives unreliable results
   • C. suggest that readings vary with the time of day
   • D. encourage readers to contact a provider after every measurement

   The sentence gives the reason for resting the arm at heart level. B is tempting, but the error comes from incorrect technique, not from a faulty device.

2. 02Reading · Craft and StructurePut the actions in the order the passage says they should be performed, first to last.+−

   Correct order:

   1. Sit in a chair and rest for five minutes
   2. Wrap the cuff on the bare upper arm
   3. Rest the arm on a table at heart level
   4. Press START and stay still
   5. Write the numbers in the log

   The passage says to rest five minutes before wrapping the cuff, to position the arm 'before you press START,' and to record numbers once they appear. Several steps are described with 'before' and 'until,' so the sequence must be inferred from those cues.

3. 03Reading · Craft and StructureWhich choice best describes how the passage is organized?+−

   • A. A description of the monitor's parts followed by a history of its use
   • B. A problem introduced in the first paragraph and solved in the last
   • C. Preparation guidance, then a step-by-step procedure with reasons, then advice on repeating readings and responding to results (correct)
   • D. A comparison of morning readings with evening readings

   The passage moves from preparation to the procedure to follow-up advice. Morning and evening readings are mentioned only briefly and are not the organizing pattern.

4. Passage: Using a Spacer with a Metered-Dose Inhaler (show)

   1

   A spacer is a hollow chamber that attaches to an inhaler's mouthpiece. It holds the medicine mist briefly so that more of it reaches the lungs and less lands on the tongue and throat. Follow these steps for each dose.

   2

   1. Remove the cap and check that nothing is lodged in the inhaler's mouthpiece. Shake the inhaler for five seconds.

   3

   2. Fit the inhaler into the open end of the spacer.

   4

   3. Sit or stand upright and breathe out fully, away from the spacer.

   5

   4. Place the spacer's mouthpiece between your teeth and close your lips around it.

   6

   5. Press the canister once to release a single puff into the chamber.

   7

   6. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your mouth. If the spacer whistles, you are breathing in too fast.

   8

   7. Hold your breath for up to ten seconds, then breathe out slowly.

   9

   8. If your prescription calls for a second puff, wait about one minute, shake the inhaler again, and repeat steps 3 through 7.

   10

   Caution: Do not skip the shaking. An unshaken canister can deliver an uneven dose, because the medicine and the propellant may separate. Once a week, wash the spacer in warm water with a drop of dish soap and let it air-dry. Wiping it dry leaves a static charge that attracts medicine particles to the walls of the chamber.

   04Reading · Craft and StructureWhich choice correctly classifies the passage and names the feature that best supports the classification?+−

   • A. Technical; it directs readers through a specific task using numbered, sequenced steps and specialized terms. (correct)
   • B. Expository; it explains the history of spacers and why they became popular.
   • C. Persuasive; it urges readers to change their habits by warning them of consequences.
   • D. Narrative; it recounts a series of events experienced by a patient.

   The numbered, ordered directions for performing a task mark this as technical writing. Although the passage gives some reasons, it contains no history of spacers, so the expository choice is wrong.

5. 05Reading · Craft and StructureThe passage states that wiping the spacer dry 'leaves a static charge that attracts medicine particles to the walls of the chamber.' The author most likely includes this explanation in order to+−

   • A. show that spacers lose effectiveness unless they are replaced regularly
   • B. argue that spacers deliver more medicine than inhalers used alone
   • C. give readers a reason to follow the air-drying direction (correct)
   • D. warn that the inhaler must be shaken before every puff

   The sentence follows the direction to air-dry and supplies the cause that makes the direction sensible. Choice B is partly true of spacers in general, but it is not what this sentence is about.

6. 06Reading · Craft and StructureWhich statement best describes how the final 'Caution' paragraph relates to the numbered steps?+−

   • A. It explains why each numbered step matters and adds nothing outside the dose sequence.
   • B. It restates the shaking instruction and the cleaning instruction already given in the steps.
   • C. It describes what happens if the steps are performed out of order.
   • D. It gives the reason behind one step and adds a cleaning instruction that falls outside the dose sequence. (correct)

   The paragraph explains why shaking matters (steps 1 and 8) and then adds weekly washing, which is not part of any dose step. Choice B is partly true but ignores the new cleaning instruction, and choice C is never discussed.

7. 07Reading · Craft and StructureIn the first paragraph, 'holds' in the sentence 'It holds the medicine mist briefly' most nearly means+−

   • A. keeps for a short time inside itself (correct)
   • B. grasps firmly with the hand
   • C. considers or believes
   • D. postpones until later

   The spacer is a chamber that temporarily contains the mist so it can be inhaled. 'Postpones' is tempting because of 'briefly,' but the mist is not delayed; it is contained.

8. Passage: A Shock Within Reach (show)

   1

   Last spring, a 52-year-old man collapsed during a pickup basketball game at the Eastgate Recreation Center. Staff called 911, and an ambulance arrived in nine minutes. Eastgate had no defibrillator, so nobody could deliver the shock that might have restarted his heart. He died that evening. It is a loss our city could have worked harder to prevent.

   2

   Sudden cardiac arrest is a fact of life for any facility where people exercise. Cardiology researchers report that the chance of survival drops with every minute that passes before a shock is delivered. A portable defibrillator costs about $1,500, and the city operates six recreation centers.

   3

   Some council members argue that ambulances are fast enough. Nine minutes, however, is an eternity when every minute counts. Others worry that untrained staff would be too frightened to use the device. This concern deserves to be taken seriously, but it is hardly a reason to do nothing: modern defibrillators speak step-by-step instructions aloud, and the city can pay for a two-hour training course for every employee.

   4

   Residents should not have to hope they never collapse at the wrong building. The council should vote at its next meeting to place a defibrillator in every recreation center. Anything less is an unacceptable gamble with our neighbors' lives.

   08Reading · Craft and StructureThe author opens the passage with the account of the man who collapsed at the Eastgate Recreation Center mainly to+−

   • A. provide the cost data needed to compare defibrillator models
   • B. explain how a defibrillator restarts the heart
   • C. criticize the ambulance crew for its slow response
   • D. show a real consequence of having no defibrillator and engage the reader's concern (correct)

   The anecdote is a concrete example that makes the problem feel urgent before the argument begins. The ambulance time is mentioned as a fact, not as criticism of the crew.

9. 09Reading · Craft and StructureIn the second paragraph, the author writes, 'Sudden cardiac arrest is a fact of life for any facility where people exercise.' The phrase 'a fact of life' most nearly means+−

   • A. a statement that has been proven true by experiments
   • B. an unavoidable reality that must be expected (correct)
   • C. a lesson taught in health classes
   • D. a rare event that is unlikely to occur

   In context the phrase means cardiac arrest is a reality any exercise facility must expect. Choice A is tempting because of the word 'fact,' but the idiom does not refer to proof.

10. 10Reading · Craft and StructureWhich statement best describes the author's attitude toward the concern that untrained staff would be too frightened to use a defibrillator?+−

    • A. It dismisses the concern as a flimsy excuse not worth discussing.
    • B. It shares the concern and proposes delaying the purchase until staff are trained.
    • C. It grants that the concern has merit but argues that spoken instructions and training answer it. (correct)
    • D. It treats the concern as irrelevant because ambulances arrive quickly.

    The author says the concern 'deserves to be taken seriously' and then offers solutions, so the attitude is respectful but firmly rebutting. Choice A seizes on 'hardly a reason to do nothing' but ignores the author's concession.

11. 11Reading · Craft and StructureWhich statement can be verified using only information given in the passage?+−

    • A. Ambulances in the city usually arrive too late to save victims of cardiac arrest.
    • B. Employees who finish the two-hour course will feel confident using a defibrillator.
    • C. A defibrillator in every recreation center is the responsible choice for the city.
    • D. Placing a defibrillator in each of the six recreation centers would cost about $9,000. (correct)

    The passage gives a cost of about $1,500 per device and six centers, and 6 × $1,500 = $9,000, so choice D can be checked from the passage. Choice A generalizes from one nine-minute response, and the others are a prediction and an opinion.

Keep practicing

Sources

1. ATI: ATI TEAS exam details (sections, questions, sub-areas)

Updated November 6, 2026