OSSLT reading questions: multiple choice and the written answer

Reading is almost half of the OSSLT: 38 of the test’s 78 raw points. Students read four short selections and answer 24 questions about them, 23 selected-response questions and one written answer. This guide covers every question type, how to find the evidence for an answer, how the written answer is marked, and a practice set with the answers explained.

Is the OSSLT multiple choice?

Mostly. Of the 37 scored questions on the test, 35 are selected-response questions, worth 55 of the 78 raw points. The other two are written answers: one about a reading selection, often called the short answer, and the opinion essay.

Selected-response means more than classic multiple choice. EQAO’s framework lists single-selection and multiple-selection questions, drag and drop, drop-down menus and checklists. Some questions ask you to choose more than one answer, so read every question to the end before you answer.

The four reading selections

Each test has one selection of each type, following the blueprint in EQAO’s framework:

• Information paragraph: six selected-response questions, worth 10 points.

• News report: five selected-response questions and the written answer, worth 10 points. See how to read an OSSLT news report.

• Dialogue: five selected-response questions, worth 8 points.

• Real-life narrative: seven selected-response questions, worth 10 points.

The three kinds of reading questions

Every reading question checks one of three skills. Knowing which one a question is asking for tells you where to look.

Stated information

The answer is in the text, word for word or close to it. Find the sentence that answers the question and match it to a choice. A common trap is a choice that is only half right, such as one that names one of two things the text says.

Inference

The answer is implied, not written down. You join two or more details to reach an idea the text doesn’t state. Some inferences are local, about a sentence or paragraph. Others are global, about the whole selection, such as its main idea or the writer’s purpose. Everything you need is in the selection.

Connections

These questions ask you to link an idea in the text to what you already know or have experienced. The best answer still has to fit the text, not just your own opinion.

How to answer selected-response questions

• Read the question first, so you know what to look for.

• Find the evidence in the text before you look at the choices, then pick the choice that matches it.

• Rule out choices that are false, only half true or not in the text at all.

• For questions with two answers, check that both choices are true and both answer the question.

• For vocabulary questions, put each choice into the sentence and keep the one that still makes sense.

• Use the built-in tools: the highlighter, line reader, zoom and text-to-speech.

How the written reading answer is marked

The written answer about the news report is scored by trained educators with EQAO’s open-response reading rubric. A 30, the top code, shows considerable understanding with accurate, specific and relevant ideas and information from the selection. A 20 is vague, and a 10 shows minimal understanding. A response that only restates the question or misunderstands the selection is coded I.

A simple shape works: answer the question in your first sentence, support it with two specific details from the selection, and explain how each detail supports your answer. There is no word count to hit. Every code is explained in the OSSLT marking guide.

Practice questions

Read the news report, then answer the questions. The report and questions are original practice written by Litguide, not EQAO questions.

Library Adds Snowshoes to Its Collection

MAPLE RIDGE — Readers at the Maple Ridge Public Library can now borrow more than books. Since January, the library has lent out twenty pairs of snowshoes, free of charge, to anyone with a library card.

The idea came from teen volunteer Priya Nair, who noticed that many families in town had never tried the trails behind the community centre. “Snowshoes cost more than a hundred dollars a pair,” she said. “That’s a lot to spend on something you might not like.”

Head librarian Tom Becker agreed to a trial. The library bought ten pairs with money from a local fundraiser, and a sporting goods store donated ten more.

The trial was so popular that every pair was booked within a week. The library now keeps a waiting list, and Becker hopes to add children’s sizes next winter.

“A library is supposed to share things people can’t easily get on their own,” Becker said. “This is just a new kind of thing.”

1. How did the library get the snowshoes?

• A. It bought all twenty pairs.

• B. Families in town donated them.

• C. It bought ten pairs and a store donated ten more.

• D. It borrowed them from the community centre.

2. Why did Priya Nair think lending snowshoes would help families?

• A. The cost kept many families from trying snowshoeing.

• B. The library had run out of books.

• C. The trails behind the community centre were new.

• D. She wanted to sell snowshoes.

3. In “Head librarian Tom Becker agreed to a trial,” the word trial means

• A. a court case

• B. a long hike

• C. a contest

• D. a test to see whether something works

4. Which two details show the program was popular?

• A. Snowshoes cost more than a hundred dollars a pair.

• B. Every pair was booked within a week.

• C. A sporting goods store donated ten pairs.

• D. The library now keeps a waiting list.

5. Written answer: What does Tom Becker’s last comment suggest about how he sees the library’s role? Use specific details from the news report to support your answer.

Answers explained

• 1. C. Stated information. The report says the library “bought ten pairs with money from a local fundraiser, and a sporting goods store donated ten more.” Choice A is the half-right trap: twenty pairs is correct, but the library didn’t buy them all.

• 2. A. Inference. Priya says snowshoes cost more than a hundred dollars and that’s a lot to spend on something you might not like. Joining that with families never having tried the trails points to cost.

• 3. D. Vocabulary in context. Becker agreed to try the idea before committing to it, and the next paragraphs describe how the trial went.

• 4. B and D. Stated information, with two answers. Both details show demand. The price and the donation are true, but they don’t show popularity.

5. Sample written answer: It suggests he sees the library as a place for sharing, not just for books. He says a library should share things people can’t easily get on their own, and snowshoes fit because they cost more than a hundred dollars a pair. The waiting list and his plan to add children’s sizes show he thinks the idea is worth growing.

Why it works: the first sentence answers the question, and three specific details from the report are each tied back to the answer. That is the kind of response the rubric’s top code describes.

How to build reading skills before the test

Reading skills grow with steady practice, so start four to five months before your test date and keep a weekly routine:

• Read one short text of each type every week: an information piece, a news article, a dialogue or interview, and a personal story.

• For each one, write one sentence about something the text implies but doesn’t say, and point to the words that show it.

• Write one reading answer a week and get it marked, so you can see whether your details are specific enough.

• Keep track of the question types you miss, and practise those first.

For more practice, the free OSSLT practice test PDF has four reading selections and 23 more selected-response questions with every answer explained, and the online practice test explains each answer as you go. Litguide gives students reading and writing practice every week, with every written answer marked in seconds against the OSSLT rubrics.