Adult Literacy Intermediate Quiz: Tracking References
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Tracking ReferencesQuestion 1 of 10

The application fee for a standard permit is lower than that for an express permit. Its review period, however, is longer than the express permit's review period.

Which statement correctly tracks both "that" and "Its" in the passage?

The standard permit costs less but takes longer to review
The standard permit costs more but takes less time to review
The express permit costs less and takes longer to review
The express permit costs the same and takes less time to review
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Adult Literacy Intermediate Quiz

Adult Literacy Intermediate Quiz: Tracking References

Practice Tracking References in Adult Literacy Intermediate with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Tracking References, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Adult Literacy Intermediate.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

The application fee for a standard permit is lower than that for an express permit. Its review period, however, is longer than the express permit's review period.

Which statement correctly tracks both "that" and "Its" in the passage?

  1. The standard permit costs less but takes longer to review (correct answer)
  2. The standard permit costs more but takes less time to review
  3. The express permit costs less and takes longer to review
  4. The express permit costs the same and takes less time to review
Explanation: When a passage uses pronouns like "its" or "that," your job is to trace each pronoun back to its antecedent — the noun it replaces. Getting this wrong is one of the most common reading traps, so slow down and substitute the noun back in. In the passage, the first sentence compares two permits: the standard permit has a lower application fee than the express permit. So "that" refers to the express permit's fee — the standard permit costs less. The second sentence says "Its review period... is longer than the express permit's." Since "Its" refers back to the subject of the previous sentence — the standard permit — the standard permit takes longer to review. Putting both facts together: the standard permit costs less AND takes longer. That matches answer A, which correctly states the standard permit costs less but takes longer to review. B is wrong because it reverses both facts — it claims the standard permit costs more and takes less time, which contradicts both sentences. C is wrong because it misidentifies the subject entirely. The express permit is not the cheaper, slower option — that description belongs to the standard permit. D is wrong on two counts: it claims the permits cost the same (the passage clearly says one is lower than the other) and misattributes the timing. Study tip: Whenever you see a pronoun like "it," "its," or "that," physically circle it and draw an arrow back to the noun it replaces before answering. Pronoun reference questions reward students who read slowly and deliberately.

Question 2

Nia entered the wrong item code on a return form. The clerk printed a corrected form and placed the original in a blue folder. She then told Nia to check the new date before signing it; afterward, the clerk would destroy the form in the folder.

Which document was Nia told to sign?

  1. The corrected return form printed by the clerk (correct answer)
  2. The original return form in the blue folder
  3. A new item-code list kept by the clerk
  4. A destruction record for the original form
Explanation: When a passage describes multiple documents being handled in different ways, your job is to track which document does what — who touches it, where it goes, and what action is taken on it. In this passage, two forms exist: a corrected form the clerk printed, and the original form placed in a blue folder. The clerk gives Nia two instructions in sequence — check the new date, then sign. The phrase "new date" signals that Nia is looking at the freshly printed, corrected form, not the original. Signing follows naturally from that same document. So A is correct: Nia was told to sign the corrected return form. B is a common trap here. The original form does appear in the passage, and the blue folder makes it memorable — but that form is set aside for destruction, not for signing. Mixing up the two documents is exactly the confusion this question is designed to test. C invents a document entirely; no item-code list is mentioned anywhere in the passage. D misreads what "destroy" means in context — the clerk will destroy the original form, but there is no mention of a destruction record for Nia to sign. A useful strategy for these detail-tracking questions: as you read, mentally label each object and its action — corrected form → sign; original form → destroy. When the question asks about a specific action, you can match it directly to the right object rather than relying on memory alone. Slowing down to map documents to actions prevents the kind of mix-up that makes B tempting.

Question 3

Place the damaged boxes beside the receiving desk and email photographs to the warehouse team. They will decide whether these should be returned to the supplier or opened for inspection. Do not move the boxes again until a decision is received.

Who will make the decision, and what does "these" refer to?

  1. The receiving-desk staff will decide about the photographs
  2. The delivery workers will decide about the email messages
  3. The supplier will decide about the inspection records
  4. The warehouse team will decide about the damaged boxes (correct answer)
Explanation: When a passage uses a pronoun like "these" or "they," your job is to trace it back to the noun it replaces — this is called finding the antecedent. Questions like this one test whether you can track both who acts and what that action involves. Reading carefully, the passage says to "email photographs to the warehouse team" and then states "They will decide whether these should be returned to the supplier or opened for inspection." The word "they" refers to the most recent group mentioned — the warehouse team. The word "these" refers to the subject that needs a decision: the damaged boxes (the whole reason the instructions exist in the first place). That makes D the correct answer — the warehouse team decides what happens to the damaged boxes. Choice A is wrong because receiving-desk staff are never mentioned as decision-makers, and the decision involves the boxes, not the photographs. Choice B is wrong because delivery workers aren't mentioned at all, and "email messages" aren't what needs a decision. Choice C is wrong because the supplier is someone the boxes might be returned to, not someone who makes the decision — that role belongs to the warehouse team. A useful strategy: when you see a pronoun like "these," "they," or "it," draw a mental arrow back through the sentence and ask, what noun was just introduced? Pronouns almost always refer to the closest matching noun before them. Practice this habit with any workplace instructions or multi-step directions you read, as this type of question appears frequently on literacy exams.

Question 4

Two labeled keys hang beside the reception desk. The brass key opens the supply closet, while the silver key opens the records room. If the silver key sticks, do not force it; use the spare one in the locked drawer.

Which key does "the spare one" mean?

  1. A spare key for the supply closet
  2. A spare key for the records room (correct answer)
  3. A spare key for the reception desk
  4. A spare key stored in a separate building
Explanation: When a passage uses a pronoun or phrase like "the spare one," your job is to trace it back to the most recent noun it logically replaces — this is called finding the antecedent. Ask yourself: a spare one of what? Read the sentence carefully: "If the silver key sticks, do not force it; use the spare one in the locked drawer." The silver key is the subject of this sentence, and the problem described — sticking — belongs to the silver key. The instruction to "use the spare one" is a direct solution to that problem. Therefore, "the spare one" refers to a spare silver key, which opens the records room. B is correct. A is tempting if you skim the passage and only remember that two keys exist, but the supply closet key (brass) is never mentioned as having a problem. There's no reason a spare supply closet key would be offered as a solution here. C is a trap for readers who focus on the setting — the reception desk — rather than the actual meaning of the sentence. The passage never suggests the reception desk has a lock requiring a spare key. D has no support anywhere in the passage. Introducing a separate building is a distractor designed to catch students who guess rather than read closely. Your strategy: whenever you see "it," "one," "they," or similar stand-in words, stop and ask what noun came just before it in the same context. The answer is almost always the most recently mentioned noun that logically fits the situation.

Question 5

Residents sometimes leave shopping carts beside the apartment exit instead of returning them to the storage area. The carts narrow the walkway, so workers cannot easily roll trash bins through it. This has delayed trash collection several times.

What does "This" in the final sentence refer to?

  1. Workers returning the shopping carts to storage
  2. Residents rolling trash bins through the exit
  3. The blocked walkway making bin movement difficult (correct answer)
  4. The storage area being far from the apartments
Explanation: When a sentence uses a word like "this," "it," or "they," your job is to trace it back to what it logically refers to in the previous sentences. This is called finding the antecedent — the idea or noun that the pronoun replaces. The key is to ask: what situation or event directly causes what the final sentence describes? Read the passage's flow carefully. Shopping carts block the walkway → workers can't move trash bins through it → trash collection gets delayed. The word "This" in the final sentence is the cause of the delays. That cause is the blocked walkway preventing workers from moving the bins — which makes C the correct answer. It captures the full situation described in the sentence just before: the narrowed path making bin movement difficult. A is incorrect because workers returning carts to storage is actually the solution to the problem, not the problem itself — and it's never stated that workers do this at all. B flips the roles in the passage; it's workers rolling trash bins, not residents, and nothing suggests residents are doing this. D refers to distance between the storage area and apartments, which the passage never mentions — this detail simply doesn't exist in the text. A useful strategy: when a question asks what a pronoun like "this" refers to, locate it in the sentence, then look at the sentence immediately before it. Ask yourself, "What event or condition was just described?" That nearby idea is almost always the antecedent. Don't let answer choices introduce details the passage never actually states.

Question 6

The clinic has no appointments available on Monday. Staff can offer an appointment on Tuesday evening, but the laboratory closes at 5 p.m. that day. Patients who need blood tests during the same visit should therefore choose another date.

Which interpretation best explains the advice in the final sentence?

  1. The Monday appointments begin after the laboratory closes
  2. The Tuesday appointment is offered after the laboratory closes (correct answer)
  3. The laboratory does not perform blood tests on any date
  4. The Tuesday laboratory hours continue through the evening
Explanation: When a passage gives you a chain of conditions and then draws a conclusion, your job is to trace the logic that connects them. Ask yourself: what situation would make the final advice necessary? Here, the passage tells you two things: Tuesday evening is the only appointment available, and the lab closes at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. An "evening" appointment almost certainly falls after 5 p.m. — meaning the lab is already closed by the time that appointment occurs. That's exactly why patients needing blood tests can't use Tuesday: the appointment and the lab's open hours don't overlap. Answer B captures this perfectly — the Tuesday appointment is offered after the laboratory closes, which is the direct cause of the problem. Answer A gets the day wrong entirely. Monday is mentioned only to explain there are no appointments at all that day, so lab hours on Monday are irrelevant to the advice. Answer C makes a sweeping claim — that the lab performs no blood tests on any date — which the passage never suggests. The lab simply has specific closing hours on Tuesday. Answer D directly contradicts the passage; it claims the lab stays open through the evening on Tuesday, which is the opposite of what the text states and would actually remove the problem the advice is warning about. A useful strategy: when a passage leads to a recommendation or warning, look for the specific conflict or gap that makes that advice necessary. The correct answer will name that conflict precisely — not exaggerate it, not contradict the passage, and not confuse which day or detail is involved.

Question 7

Restaurant managers must keep current food-safety certificates in the office. During a visit, inspectors may ask the managers for them. They must be shown before the inspectors enter the kitchen.

What must be shown before the kitchen visit begins?

  1. The inspectors' identification cards
  2. The current food-safety certificates (correct answer)
  3. The restaurant managers' work schedules
  4. The office's inspection-visit records
Explanation: When a reading passage gives you a sequence of steps or requirements, pay close attention to order and who must do what. This question asks specifically about what happens before the kitchen visit begins, so you need to find the sentence in the passage that describes that condition. The passage states that food-safety certificates "must be shown before the inspectors enter the kitchen." That sentence directly answers the question — the certificates are what must be presented first. Answer B, the current food-safety certificates, is correct. Now let's look at why the other choices miss the mark. A refers to inspectors' identification cards, but the passage never mentions inspectors showing any ID — that detail simply doesn't exist in the text. C mentions managers' work schedules, which aren't referenced anywhere in the passage at all; this is a distractor designed to test whether you're reading carefully or guessing based on what sounds workplace-related. D brings up inspection-visit records, which also appear nowhere in the passage — again, it sounds plausible in a restaurant context, but the passage is your only source of truth on a reading comprehension question. A useful strategy for reading comprehension questions is to go back to the passage and find the exact sentence that answers the question before you look at the answer choices. This prevents you from relying on outside knowledge or assumptions. If the passage doesn't say it, it can't be the right answer — no matter how reasonable it sounds. Train yourself to locate the evidence first, then match it to the choices.

Question 8

Omar sent Priya a revised work schedule after she reported that the first version omitted a training session. He asked her to post it only after Carlos approved the changes. Before doing so, Priya must remove the old schedule from the staff board.

In the final sentence, what action does "doing so" mean?

  1. Reporting the missing training session to Omar
  2. Sending the revised schedule back to Omar
  3. Approving the changes made to the schedule
  4. Posting the revised schedule on the staff board (correct answer)
Explanation: When a question asks what a pronoun or phrase like "doing so" refers to, you're being tested on pronoun reference — the skill of tracing a word or phrase back to its antecedent (the action or idea it stands in for). The key is to look at the sentence immediately before, since pronoun references almost always point to the most recently mentioned relevant action. The final sentence reads: "Before doing so, Priya must remove the old schedule from the staff board." The sentence just before it tells us that Omar asked Priya to post the revised schedule only after Carlos approved the changes. "Doing so," therefore, refers to the action Priya is about to perform — posting the revised schedule — making D the correct answer. The logic is sequential: first Priya removes the old schedule, then she posts the new one. A is wrong because reporting the missing training session happened much earlier in the passage and is not the action being discussed at this point in the sequence. B is a trap — Priya isn't sending the schedule back to Omar; she received it from him. This reverses the direction of communication. C is also a trap because approving changes is Carlos's job, not Priya's. The passage specifically says Carlos must approve before Priya posts — so approval is a condition she's waiting on, not an action she performs. A useful strategy: when you see "doing so," "this," or similar phrases, circle the phrase and draw an arrow back through the passage. Ask yourself, whose action is it, and what was just described? The answer is almost always in the sentence immediately before.

Question 9

Rosa called the transit office when her bus failed to arrive. The agent said the bus was delayed by road construction and suggested taking the train instead. Because it would require two transfers, Rosa chose to wait for it.

What do the first and second uses of "it" in the final sentence refer to?

  1. The first refers to the train; the second refers to the bus (correct answer)
  2. The first refers to the bus; the second refers to the train
  3. Both uses of "it" refer to the delayed bus
  4. Both uses of "it" refer to the suggested train trip
Explanation: When a sentence contains multiple pronouns like "it," each one must connect back to a specific noun — and that noun isn't always the most recently mentioned one. Your job is to trace each pronoun back to the noun it logically replaces by asking: what makes sense in context? Look at the final sentence: "Because it would require two transfers, Rosa chose to wait for it." Work through each "it" separately. The first "it" is the subject of a reason clause — something requires two transfers. Transfers are part of a journey, and the agent suggested taking the train, which would involve switching lines twice. So the first "it" refers to the train. The second "it" is what Rosa chose to wait for — she decided against the train, so she must be waiting for the bus that was delayed. This confirms answer A: the first "it" = the train, the second "it" = the bus. Answer B reverses this logic — if the first "it" were the bus, Rosa would be waiting for the train, but the whole story is about her waiting for her original bus. Answer C claiming both pronouns mean the bus falls apart immediately, because a delayed bus doesn't require transfers — that detail belongs to the train suggestion. Answer D claiming both mean the train trip also fails, because Rosa rejected the train; she wouldn't then choose to wait for it. Strategy tip: When a sentence has repeated pronouns, slow down and test each one individually — substitute the candidate noun into the sentence and ask whether the result makes logical sense given the full passage.

Question 10

Applicants may prove city residence with a lease or a utility bill. A copy is acceptable, but it must display the applicant's current address. This requirement applies even when the applicant renewed the same license last year.

What requirement still applies to someone who renewed last year?

  1. The person must submit both a lease and a utility bill
  2. The person must provide an original document rather than a copy
  3. The submitted copy must display the person's current address (correct answer)
  4. The renewed license must show the person's former address
Explanation: When a passage sets a general rule and then says it applies to a specific group "even" in a certain situation, the question is usually testing whether you can identify what that rule actually says — not add to it or change it. Re-read the passage carefully: it says you may prove residence with a lease or a utility bill, a copy is acceptable, but it must display your current address. Then the final sentence tells you this requirement — meaning the current-address rule — applies even to people who renewed last year. So answer C is correct: the copy must display the person's current address. That single rule carries over regardless of renewal history. Answer A is wrong because the passage says "a lease or a utility bill," not both. Nothing in the passage adds a requirement for renewals specifically. Answer B is wrong because the passage explicitly states that a copy is acceptable — it never requires an original document. Answer D is wrong in two ways: it contradicts the passage (which asks for the current address, not a former one), and it invents a detail the passage never mentions. A useful strategy here is to watch for the word "even" in a passage — it signals that a rule is being extended to a situation where you might not expect it to apply. When the question asks what still applies, go back and find exactly what that rule says, word for word. Don't assume the rule changes just because the situation is different. Stick strictly to what the passage tells you.