Locate the relevant sentence and preserve its restrictions. Small words such as if, unless, and before can change the answer. This set contains 5 original Paragraph Comprehension exercises.
Find the exact sentence that answers a detail question.
Apply every condition in a rule before drawing a conclusion.
A method you can repeat
Find the names, times, or terms mentioned in the question.
Mark the condition words in the matching sentence.
Test the answer against the complete rule, not just a familiar phrase.
Worked example: follow the evidence
Read: Equipment requests received before 2 p.m. are prepared the same day if the requested item is in stock. Requests received after 2 p.m. are processed the next business day. Reserved equipment must be collected within two business days.
A request arrives at 1:30 p.m. What else must be true for same-day preparation?
Supported answer: The requested equipment must be in stock.
Why it fits: The first sentence requires both arrival before 2 p.m. and availability of the item. An early request meets only the first condition.
Tempting wrong answer: The requester must collect the equipment before 2 p.m.
Why it fails: The 2 p.m. deadline applies to receiving requests, not collecting equipment. The passage gives a different collection rule: within two business days.
Before each answer: Ask: “Have I kept the condition, time limit, and subject of the original rule?”
Details and conditions questions and explanations
Work through one question at a time. Explain your approach, check the worked answer, then move on. Use scratch paper for calculations.
0 of 5 checked · 0 correct.
Progress is saved in this browser. These original study questions do not produce an official AFQT score.
Question 1: Stated conditions
Question 1 · Stated conditions · easy
Borrowers must return each wind instrument with its own labeled case. Reeds are supplied by the borrower and are not part of the loan. A one-week extension may be requested only if no other member has reserved the instrument for that week; it is not automatic. Ask before the original return date. Keeping the case while returning the instrument does not count as a complete return, even if the borrower hopes to use it again soon.
Which statement follows the loan rules?
Worked answer and explanation
Answer: C. An extension must be requested before the return date and depends on the absence of another reservation.
The passage makes both a timely request and availability necessary for the extension. A complete return requires the instrument and its own labeled case together. Borrowers supply their own reeds; they are excluded from the loan. Another member’s reservation prevents the stated extension.
Question 2: Stated conditions
Question 2 · Stated conditions · medium
The exhibition permits one entry from each participant. Two objects may count together as that one entry only when they are presented as a single composition, with one title and a drawing showing their intended arrangement. Each physical component still needs its own handling label. Calling two unrelated works a pair does not meet the composition requirement. The shared entry number connects the components, while their individual labels help staff identify the separate pieces during unpacking.
Which submission meets the stated requirements for a two-object entry?
Worked answer and explanation
Answer: A. Two parts of one composition with a shared title and arrangement drawing, plus a handling label on each part.
The qualifying submission meets the composition, title, arrangement and component-identification conditions together. A common number does not turn unrelated works into the required single composition. Each physical component must have its own handling label. Each participant is allowed only one entry.
Question 3: Stated conditions
Question 3 · Stated conditions · hard
In this reading room, visitors may photograph permitted material with a handheld camera, but flash must remain off. Loose sheets lie on a flat support board. Bound volumes remain in the padded V-shaped stand; a blank opening elsewhere in the volume does not authorize removing an attached page. Folded maps may be opened only while every unfolded section is supported. For a map attached inside a bound volume, an extra support is placed beside the stand to carry the extended section. The flat board used for loose sheets does not replace the stand in that case. Ask for the necessary supports before arranging the material.
A visitor wants to photograph an opened map still attached inside a bound volume. Which arrangement follows the instructions?
Worked answer and explanation
Answer: B. Keep the volume in its padded stand, support the extended map section beside it and use the handheld camera without flash.
The attached map retains the bound-volume requirement while also needing support for its unfolded extension; the no-flash rule applies throughout. For an attached map, the loose-sheet board does not replace the bound volume’s padded stand. Every unfolded section must be supported; the stand alone does not support the extended section described. The instructions do not authorize removing the attached page to treat it as loose material.
Question 4: Stated conditions
Question 4 · Stated conditions · easy
Visitors joining the garden walk receive a card with four named boxes. Each checkpoint stamps its own box, and the checkpoints may be visited in any order. After collecting all four stamps, return the card to the entrance desk before it closes at five. The order of the boxes on the card is a list, not a required route. Keep the card with you throughout the walk so each stamp goes into the matching box.
What does the guide say about the order of checkpoint visits?
Worked answer and explanation
Answer: B. The checkpoints may be visited in any order.
The guide directly permits any checkpoint order while separately setting a deadline for returning a completed card. The passage explicitly says the box order is not a required route. No such assignment is described; any order is permitted. The stated return occurs after all four stamps, not between each pair.
Question 5: Stated conditions
Question 5 · Stated conditions · hard
For this fabric exercise, bring two squares, each twelve centimeters on a side when ready for class. Wash and dry the fabric before cutting the squares; washing already cut pieces does not meet the preparation instruction. Choose two noticeably different colors. Different printed patterns on the same background color do not count as the required color contrast. Plain and printed fabrics are both permitted, but neither square may carry a heavy surface coating. Bring the pieces loose, since they will be handled separately before the exercise begins. No backing sheet, frame or name label is needed for this activity.
Which pair meets all the stated preparation and material requirements?
Worked answer and explanation
Answer: B. Two loose twelve-centimeter squares in clearly different colors, cut from washed and dried fabric, neither heavily coated.
The acceptable pair satisfies size, preparation order, color contrast and the coating restriction simultaneously. The required order is washing and drying before cutting, even if the pieces are now the correct size. Different prints on the same background color do not satisfy the stated color contrast. Neither square may have a heavy surface coating; correct preparation does not override that exclusion.
After this set: choose one missed answer and name the exact mistake: an added assumption, a lost condition, a detail mistaken for the main idea, or another mismatch with the text. Explain the correction in your own words before trying the next set.