CBEST Sample

Free CBEST Sample – Research Skills

Here are some free CBEST sample tests for research skills. The answers to these sample test questions are provided at the bottom of the page:

These questions are from our CBEST Reading Practice Tests Instant Download.

Sample 1 – Research Skills

Look at the extract from an index below to answer the two questions that follow.
Inventions                                                  138-139
– classification as                                            139
– originality of                                                  138
Inventors                                                    140-155
– definition                                                        141
Edison, Thomas Alba                            142-146
– gramophone                                                  144
– incandescent lamp                                       146
– kinetoscope                                                    143
– phonograph                                                   142
– transmitter                                                    145
Marconi, Guglielmo                              147-152
– radar                                                                 147
– telegraph                                               148-152
Singer, Isaac Merritt                             153-154
– treadle sewing machine                           154
– universal acknowledgement of             153
Inventors and patents                          153-170
– categories                                                       157

1.   Which page or pages give information about what determines whether a person is called “an inventor”?

A.   139
B.   141
C.   157
D.   140-155
E.   153-170

2.   How is the section of the book on individual inventors organized?

A.   alphabetically by inventor’s last name
B.   chronologically by date of invention
C.   from the most to least significant
D.   by nationality of inventor
E.   by categories of use

Comments: This CBEST sample reading test question illustrates how the test question will ask you to locate the place in a book or chapter where a specific kind of information can be found, as in sample question 1.

Sample reading exam question 2 shows that you will have to understand how a reading selection is organized.

In other words, the sample above demonstrates two types of research skills tested on the CBEST Exam.

Sample 2 – Research Skills

Look at the table of contents below from an astronomy textbook in order to answer the two questions that follow.

Part 1: The Moon & Stars
Introduction                                               1
The Phases of the Moon                       4
Characteristics of Stars                       38
The Constellations                                49

Part 2:  Comets & Meteors
Cosmic Debris                                          57
Falling Stars                                              84
Characteristics of Comets and Meteors  120

Part 3: The Planets
The Planets and Their Moons           138
Characteristics of the Planets           156
Planets and Gases                                   173
Life on the Planets                                  201

Part 4: Space Exploration
Apollo: The Early Years                        225
The Race to Space                                   251
After the Cold War                                  282
The Universe Beyond                            311

Glossary                                                      333
Bibliography                                             341
Index                                                            352

1.   The reader wants to see if this textbook has made any reference to another book entitled: The Earth and the Sky. Where can the reader look to determine this the most quickly?

A.   Part 1
B.   Part 2
C.   Glossary
D.   Bibliography
E.   Index

2.   Which part of the book is most likely to discuss whether inter-planetary space travel will be undertaken in the future?

A.   Part 1
B.   Part 2
C.   Part 3
D.   Part 4
E.   Index

Comments: These sample CBEST reading test questions are examples of how you will need to use an index or similar sections of a book to locate information. This sample demonstrates another type of research skill tested on the exam.

Sample 1 Answers – Research Skills

1.   B

2.   A

Sample 2 Answers – Research Skills

1.   D

2.   D