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CAEC Reading Preparation Course: Structure, elements and techniques

Untimed topic quiz: 20 questions on Structure, elements and techniques, with an explanation after each answer. Questions and answers are shuffled every time.

  • Course
  • Canada
  • 93 questions
  • Checked October 13, 2026
  • Fact-checked October 13, 2026
Start with the lessonsCAEC Reading Preparation: Lessons: about 300 minutes of reading. Every test question is covered in the lessons.

Topic quiz 4: Structure, elements and techniques

  1. Question 1 of 20

    A writer tells events in the order they happened. What is this structure called?
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Chronological order

    Chronological (time) order tells events from first to last, often with signal words like first, then and after.

  2. Question 2 of 20

    Which phrase most often signals a contrast?
    Show answer

    Answer: D. On the other hand

    "On the other hand" shows a different side. "For example" adds an example, "as a result" shows an effect, and "first of all" shows order.

  3. Question 3 of 20

    A brochure uses bold headings such as "Who can apply" and "How to apply." What is the main purpose of these headings?
    Show answer

    Answer: A. To help readers find information quickly

    Headings are text features. They divide a text into parts so readers can scan for the section they need.

  4. Question 4 of 20

    How is the injury notice mainly organized?

    Northline Foods – What to do if you are hurt at work

    1. Get first aid right away, even for a small cut or strain. First aid kits are by every exit.
    2. Tell your supervisor before the end of your shift. If your supervisor is not available, tell the shift lead.
    3. Fill out an Incident Report form within 24 hours. Forms are in the binder at the safety board, or you can ask HR for one.
    4. If you see a doctor, give HR a copy of any notes about work you cannot do. HR will work with you and your supervisor to find safe duties while you heal.

    Why report small injuries? A minor sprain today can turn into a long-term problem. A report also helps us find hazards and fix them before someone else is hurt.

    Show answer

    Answer: B. Numbered steps in order, then a reason

    The notice gives four numbered steps in the order you should do them, then a short paragraph explaining why to report.

  5. Question 5 of 20

    What is the purpose of the last paragraph of the notice?

    Northline Foods – What to do if you are hurt at work

    1. Get first aid right away, even for a small cut or strain. First aid kits are by every exit.
    2. Tell your supervisor before the end of your shift. If your supervisor is not available, tell the shift lead.
    3. Fill out an Incident Report form within 24 hours. Forms are in the binder at the safety board, or you can ask HR for one.
    4. If you see a doctor, give HR a copy of any notes about work you cannot do. HR will work with you and your supervisor to find safe duties while you heal.

    Why report small injuries? A minor sprain today can turn into a long-term problem. A report also helps us find hazards and fix them before someone else is hurt.

    Show answer

    Answer: C. To explain why even small injuries should be reported

    The paragraph starts with the question "Why report small injuries?" and then gives two reasons.

  6. Question 6 of 20

    How is the blog post mainly organized?

    Bus or car? One commuter's experiment

    For one month, I drove to work. The next month, I took the bus. Here is what I found.

    Driving was faster. My trip took about 20 minutes each way, compared with 35 minutes by bus. But the car cost more. Between gas and parking, I spent about $310 that month. My monthly bus pass was $112.

    The bus had another surprise: I got my reading back. In 35 minutes, I could finish a chapter of a book or answer my emails. In the car, my hands and eyes were busy.

    On the other hand, the bus did not always fit my life. On days when I had to pick up my son from hockey practice, the transfer added almost half an hour.

    So which won? For me, a mix. I now take the bus three days a week and drive on hockey days.

    Show answer

    Answer: A. It compares two ways of getting to work

    The writer compares the car and the bus on time, cost and how each fits his life. That is a compare-and-contrast structure.

  7. Question 7 of 20

    In the blog post, what does the phrase "On the other hand" signal?

    Bus or car? One commuter's experiment

    For one month, I drove to work. The next month, I took the bus. Here is what I found.

    Driving was faster. My trip took about 20 minutes each way, compared with 35 minutes by bus. But the car cost more. Between gas and parking, I spent about $310 that month. My monthly bus pass was $112.

    The bus had another surprise: I got my reading back. In 35 minutes, I could finish a chapter of a book or answer my emails. In the car, my hands and eyes were busy.

    On the other hand, the bus did not always fit my life. On days when I had to pick up my son from hockey practice, the transfer added almost half an hour.

    So which won? For me, a mix. I now take the bus three days a week and drive on hockey days.

    Show answer

    Answer: C. A point against the bus after points for it

    Before this phrase, the writer lists good things about the bus. "On the other hand" introduces a problem with it.

  8. Question 8 of 20

    Which overall structure does the letter writer use?

    Letter to the editor: Give Main Street a chance

    Every spring, city council asks how to bring shoppers back downtown. Every spring, the answer is the same: more parking. I think it is time to try something different.

    Last year, the town of Elm Falls replaced 30 parking spots on its main street with a protected bike lane and wider sidewalks. According to the town's own count, foot traffic rose by 18 per cent in the first summer. Store owners who had fought the plan now hold sidewalk sales every weekend.

    Some people say that our winters are too long for cycling. But a bike lane is not only for bikes. In Elm Falls, the lane is cleared first after a snowfall, so it also gives people with strollers and wheelchairs a safe path.

    Of course, change is hard. Nobody likes to circle the block looking for a spot. But are we really building a downtown for cars, or for people?

    I urge council to try a one-year pilot. If it fails, the paint can be removed. If it works, we will wonder why we waited so long.

    Andrea Kowalczyk, Main Street resident

    Show answer

    Answer: D. She describes a problem, then proposes a solution

    She starts with the problem (shoppers leaving downtown) and ends by urging a one-year bike lane pilot as the solution.

  9. Question 9 of 20

    Which sentence from the letter states a fact rather than an opinion?

    Letter to the editor: Give Main Street a chance

    Every spring, city council asks how to bring shoppers back downtown. Every spring, the answer is the same: more parking. I think it is time to try something different.

    Last year, the town of Elm Falls replaced 30 parking spots on its main street with a protected bike lane and wider sidewalks. According to the town's own count, foot traffic rose by 18 per cent in the first summer. Store owners who had fought the plan now hold sidewalk sales every weekend.

    Some people say that our winters are too long for cycling. But a bike lane is not only for bikes. In Elm Falls, the lane is cleared first after a snowfall, so it also gives people with strollers and wheelchairs a safe path.

    Of course, change is hard. Nobody likes to circle the block looking for a spot. But are we really building a downtown for cars, or for people?

    I urge council to try a one-year pilot. If it fails, the paint can be removed. If it works, we will wonder why we waited so long.

    Andrea Kowalczyk, Main Street resident

    Show answer

    Answer: C. Elm Falls replaced 30 parking spots

    A fact can be checked. The number of parking spots replaced can be proven, but the other sentences are the writer's beliefs or guesses.

  10. Question 10 of 20

    How does the writer respond to people who say winters are too long for cycling?

    Letter to the editor: Give Main Street a chance

    Every spring, city council asks how to bring shoppers back downtown. Every spring, the answer is the same: more parking. I think it is time to try something different.

    Last year, the town of Elm Falls replaced 30 parking spots on its main street with a protected bike lane and wider sidewalks. According to the town's own count, foot traffic rose by 18 per cent in the first summer. Store owners who had fought the plan now hold sidewalk sales every weekend.

    Some people say that our winters are too long for cycling. But a bike lane is not only for bikes. In Elm Falls, the lane is cleared first after a snowfall, so it also gives people with strollers and wheelchairs a safe path.

    Of course, change is hard. Nobody likes to circle the block looking for a spot. But are we really building a downtown for cars, or for people?

    I urge council to try a one-year pilot. If it fails, the paint can be removed. If it works, we will wonder why we waited so long.

    Andrea Kowalczyk, Main Street resident

    Show answer

    Answer: C. She shows the lane also helps people in winter

    She names the opposing view and answers it (a counterargument and rebuttal): in Elm Falls, the cleared lane is a safe path for strollers and wheelchairs.

  11. Question 11 of 20

    Why does the writer ask, "But are we really building a downtown for cars, or for people?"

    Letter to the editor: Give Main Street a chance

    Every spring, city council asks how to bring shoppers back downtown. Every spring, the answer is the same: more parking. I think it is time to try something different.

    Last year, the town of Elm Falls replaced 30 parking spots on its main street with a protected bike lane and wider sidewalks. According to the town's own count, foot traffic rose by 18 per cent in the first summer. Store owners who had fought the plan now hold sidewalk sales every weekend.

    Some people say that our winters are too long for cycling. But a bike lane is not only for bikes. In Elm Falls, the lane is cleared first after a snowfall, so it also gives people with strollers and wheelchairs a safe path.

    Of course, change is hard. Nobody likes to circle the block looking for a spot. But are we really building a downtown for cars, or for people?

    I urge council to try a one-year pilot. If it fails, the paint can be removed. If it works, we will wonder why we waited so long.

    Andrea Kowalczyk, Main Street resident

    Show answer

    Answer: A. To make readers think about her main point

    This is a rhetorical question. It is not meant to be answered; it pushes readers to agree that downtown should be for people.

  12. Question 12 of 20

    "That's just the lake talking. It's stretching in its sleep." Which literary device is used here?

    The lake was a sheet of grey glass the morning Grandpa Leo taught me to wait. He drilled the hole in three slow turns, then sat on his overturned bucket as if he had been planted there.

    "Now we listen," he said.

    I listened. The wind combed the snow into thin white ribbons. Somewhere far off, the ice gave a deep groan, and I grabbed his sleeve.

    "That's just the lake talking," he said. "It's stretching in its sleep."

    An hour passed. My toes went from cold to sore to nothing at all. I checked the line every minute, pulling it up to make sure the bait was still there, until Grandpa put his mittened hand over mine.

    "A fish can't find a line that won't stay still," he said.

    So I stayed still. And when the line finally twitched, it was so small a movement that I almost missed it, the way you almost miss the first star coming out, until suddenly the whole sky is full of them.

    Show answer

    Answer: A. Personification

    Personification gives human actions to something that is not human. A lake cannot talk, stretch or sleep.

  13. Question 13 of 20

    From what point of view is the story told?

    The lake was a sheet of grey glass the morning Grandpa Leo taught me to wait. He drilled the hole in three slow turns, then sat on his overturned bucket as if he had been planted there.

    "Now we listen," he said.

    I listened. The wind combed the snow into thin white ribbons. Somewhere far off, the ice gave a deep groan, and I grabbed his sleeve.

    "That's just the lake talking," he said. "It's stretching in its sleep."

    An hour passed. My toes went from cold to sore to nothing at all. I checked the line every minute, pulling it up to make sure the bait was still there, until Grandpa put his mittened hand over mine.

    "A fish can't find a line that won't stay still," he said.

    So I stayed still. And when the line finally twitched, it was so small a movement that I almost missed it, the way you almost miss the first star coming out, until suddenly the whole sky is full of them.

    Show answer

    Answer: C. First person, by the child

    The narrator uses "I" and "me" and is the child learning from Grandpa Leo, so it is first-person point of view.

  14. Question 14 of 20

    What is the effect of comparing the line's twitch to "the first star coming out"?

    The lake was a sheet of grey glass the morning Grandpa Leo taught me to wait. He drilled the hole in three slow turns, then sat on his overturned bucket as if he had been planted there.

    "Now we listen," he said.

    I listened. The wind combed the snow into thin white ribbons. Somewhere far off, the ice gave a deep groan, and I grabbed his sleeve.

    "That's just the lake talking," he said. "It's stretching in its sleep."

    An hour passed. My toes went from cold to sore to nothing at all. I checked the line every minute, pulling it up to make sure the bait was still there, until Grandpa put his mittened hand over mine.

    "A fish can't find a line that won't stay still," he said.

    So I stayed still. And when the line finally twitched, it was so small a movement that I almost missed it, the way you almost miss the first star coming out, until suddenly the whole sky is full of them.

    Show answer

    Answer: B. It shows a tiny moment leading to something wonderful

    The simile links a very small movement with the first star, which soon becomes a whole sky of stars. The wait turns into wonder.

  15. Question 15 of 20

    Which is the best statement of the story's theme?

    The lake was a sheet of grey glass the morning Grandpa Leo taught me to wait. He drilled the hole in three slow turns, then sat on his overturned bucket as if he had been planted there.

    "Now we listen," he said.

    I listened. The wind combed the snow into thin white ribbons. Somewhere far off, the ice gave a deep groan, and I grabbed his sleeve.

    "That's just the lake talking," he said. "It's stretching in its sleep."

    An hour passed. My toes went from cold to sore to nothing at all. I checked the line every minute, pulling it up to make sure the bait was still there, until Grandpa put his mittened hand over mine.

    "A fish can't find a line that won't stay still," he said.

    So I stayed still. And when the line finally twitched, it was so small a movement that I almost missed it, the way you almost miss the first star coming out, until suddenly the whole sky is full of them.

    Show answer

    Answer: C. Patience can bring quiet rewards

    A theme is the message about life. The narrator learns to wait and stay still, and then the reward comes.

  16. Question 16 of 20

    The kettle is called "a small, round sun upon the stove." What does this metaphor suggest?

    Night Shift

    The bus hums down an empty street,
    its windows full of tired light.
    I count the stops the way my mother
    counted rosary beads at night:

    one for the bakery, dark and shut,
    one for the bridge, one for the mall,
    one for the corner where the wind
    leans hard against the shelter wall.

    At home, the kettle waits for me,
    a small, round sun upon the stove.
    The city sleeps. I pour my tea,
    the last one up, the first awake.

    Show answer

    Answer: B. The kettle brings warmth and comfort

    A metaphor compares without "like" or "as." A sun gives warmth and light, so the kettle stands for comfort after a long night.

  17. Question 17 of 20

    The speaker counts stops "the way my mother / counted rosary beads at night." What does this simile suggest about the ride?

    Night Shift

    The bus hums down an empty street,
    its windows full of tired light.
    I count the stops the way my mother
    counted rosary beads at night:

    one for the bakery, dark and shut,
    one for the bridge, one for the mall,
    one for the corner where the wind
    leans hard against the shelter wall.

    At home, the kettle waits for me,
    a small, round sun upon the stove.
    The city sleeps. I pour my tea,
    the last one up, the first awake.

    Show answer

    Answer: D. It is a calm, familiar routine

    Counting beads is a quiet habit repeated often. The simile shows the speaker counts the same stops every night in a calm way.

  18. Question 18 of 20

    How is the poem organized?

    Night Shift

    The bus hums down an empty street,
    its windows full of tired light.
    I count the stops the way my mother
    counted rosary beads at night:

    one for the bakery, dark and shut,
    one for the bridge, one for the mall,
    one for the corner where the wind
    leans hard against the shelter wall.

    At home, the kettle waits for me,
    a small, round sun upon the stove.
    The city sleeps. I pour my tea,
    the last one up, the first awake.

    Show answer

    Answer: D. Three stanzas of four lines each

    A stanza is a group of lines in a poem, like a paragraph. This poem has three groups of four lines.

  19. Question 19 of 20

    In the play excerpt, what are the words in parentheses, such as "(without turning around)"?

    A small apartment kitchen in Winnipeg. Early morning. RAJ, in his fifties, is packing a lunch. His daughter MEERA, 19, enters with a suitcase.

    RAJ: (without turning around) You're early. The bus doesn't leave until nine.
    MEERA: I wanted to say goodbye properly. Not at the station, with everyone watching.
    RAJ: (still packing) I made you a sandwich. Cheese and pickle. The kind you like.
    MEERA: Dad, I'm nineteen. They have sandwiches in Vancouver.
    RAJ: (finally turning, holding out the sandwich) Not this one.

    (MEERA takes the sandwich and puts it carefully in her bag. Neither of them speaks.)

    Show answer

    Answer: D. Stage directions that tell actors what to do

    Stage directions describe the setting and the actors' movements. They are not spoken; the dialogue follows each character's name.

  20. Question 20 of 20

    Why does the writer end the essay with "I still don't understand offside"?

    When I arrived in Calgary at thirty-four, I could order a coffee in English and not much else. Words flew past me in meetings like birds I could not name. For the first year, I nodded a lot.

    What changed things was not a class but a hockey game. My neighbour, Doug, invited me to watch his daughter play. I understood almost nothing he said, but he kept talking anyway, pointing and explaining, laughing at his own jokes. By the third period, I knew "offside," "penalty" and "What a save!"

    I began to see that a language is not only learned at a desk. It grows in kitchens, rinks and bus shelters, wherever people are patient enough to keep talking.

    Today I lead meetings in English. I still don't understand offside.

    Show answer

    Answer: C. To end with humour while showing he still learns

    After saying he now leads meetings in English, he adds a light joke. It keeps a warm tone and shows learning never fully ends.

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