Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

Practice Passage 1
Begin with a paragraph someone might see in a local
newspaper: a profile of a town figure. Read the para-
graph carefully, marking it up as you go, and write
your observations in the space provided.
Ms. Crawford has been a model citizen since she
moved to Springfield in 1985. She started out as a
small business owner and quickly grew her busi-
ness until it was one of the major employers in the
region. In 1991, her company was profiled in Busi-
ness Week magazine. Her innovative business model
includes a great deal of community work and
fundraising, the rewards of which have brought deep
and lasting benefits to Springfield and its citizens.
Today, she is being honored with Springfield’s Citi-
zen of the Century Award to honor all her cutting-
edge efforts on behalf of our community.
If any of these terms or ideas sound unfamiliar 
to you, STOP. Please take a few minutes to
review whatever lesson is unclear.
–
W O R D P O W E R : P U T T I N G I T A L L T O G E T H E R
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1 1 2

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Your Observations:
Now answer the following questions:
1. Ms. Crawford’s company was profiled in Business
Week
a. in 1985.
b. in 1991.
c. today.
2. Which sentence best sums up the main idea of
the paragraph?
a. Ms. Crawford is very smart.
b. Ms. Crawford is a dedicated citizen.
c. Springfield would be nowhere without Ms.
Crawford.
3. “Ms. Crawford has been a model citizen since she
moved to Springfield in 1985” is
a. fact.
b. opinion.
c. point of view.
4. “Innovative” means
a. helpful.