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Interactive Grade 8 English Critical Comprehension Test

English · Grade 8 · 15 questions · 15 min

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Critical Comprehension

Read the passage:
"The concept of 'intermittent reinforcement' explains why slot machines, social media notifications, and certain human relationships can be so compulsive. In behavioural psychology, intermittent reinforcement means a behaviour is rewarded unpredictably — sometimes you win, sometimes you don't. Research by B.F. Skinner showed that rats who received food pellets at unpredictable intervals pressed the lever far more persistently than rats who received food every time. The uncertainty itself is the hook. Applied to modern technology, this explains why checking a phone for notifications — which are usually unrewarding but occasionally exciting — is harder to stop than a consistently rewarding activity. The implication is unsettling: the most addictive systems are those that reward us just often enough to keep us trying, but not so often that we lose interest."

How does intermittent reinforcement apply to social media notifications?

A.Notifications are only addictive to young usersB.Social media notifications always provide a rewardC.Social media never uses reinforcement principlesD.Most notifications are unrewarding but occasionally exciting, which is harder to stop than consistent rewards

Read the passage:
"Language is never neutral. Every word we choose carries assumptions, associations and a point of view. The journalist who describes a protest as a 'riot' and the one who calls it a 'demonstration' are reporting the same event but constructing very different realities. Critical discourse analysis — the academic study of how language shapes power — argues that the words used in media, politics and everyday speech can reinforce or challenge social inequalities. To read critically is not merely to understand what a text says, but to ask: whose interests does this language serve?"

The phrase 'whose interests does this language serve?' implies ___

A.All language is selfishB.Readers cannot understand languageC.Readers should question who benefits from a particular framing of eventsD.Texts are always written by powerful groups

Read the passage:
"The ' veil of ignorance' is a thought experiment proposed by philosopher John Rawls. He asks: if you were designing a just society, but did not know your own position in it — your wealth, race, gender, abilities, or social status — what rules would you choose? Rawls argued that rational people behind this 'veil' would design a society that protects the most vulnerable, because anyone could end up in that position. This contrasts with societies designed by those who know they will be privileged, who naturally create systems that benefit themselves. The veil of ignorance is not a description of reality but a tool for fairness: it strips away self-interest to reveal what justice would look like if we didn't know which side of inequality we'd fall on."

Why would people behind the veil design a society that protects the vulnerable?

A.Because Rawls ordered them to do soB.Because people are naturally altruistic without the veilC.Because anyone could end up in the most disadvantaged position, so self-interest drives fairnessD.Because protecting the vulnerable is always cheapest

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