ACCUPLACER Practice Questions (2026) — Free Sample Questions with Answers

Answer: A

By eating sea urchins, sea otters help kelp forests and the animals in them survive.: Correct. Choice A is the best answer because the passage explains that urchins graze on kelp, that kelp forests were chewed "down to bare rock" when otters disappeared, and that where otters returned, researchers saw "urchin numbers fall and kelp grow back," restoring shelter for other animals.

Fur hunters cut down kelp forests along the Pacific coast in order to find sea otters.: Choice B is incorrect; the passage says urchins, not hunters, destroyed the kelp after the otters were removed.

Sea otters spend most of each day floating on their backs and cracking open shellfish.: Choice C is incorrect; this restates a detail from the first sentence and leaves out the passage's central point about otters, urchins and kelp.

Kelp forests cannot grow back once sea urchins have eaten them down to bare rock.: Choice D is incorrect; the last sentence says the opposite: where otters returned, kelp grew back.

A good summary captures the passage's central point and how its parts connect; it does not distort a detail or add a claim.

Answer: D

explaining how the internal clock shifts during adolescence: Choice A is incorrect; this supports the author's main claim, but it comes before the critics are mentioned and does not answer their objection that students would stay up later.

arguing that teenagers should be required to go to bed earlier: Choice B is incorrect; the author never proposes a bedtime rule; the argument is about school schedules.

admitting that the change would cost too much for most districts: Choice C is incorrect; the author calls the inconvenience "a small price to pay," the opposite of this concession.

citing results from districts that have already made the change: Correct. Choice D is the best answer because right after stating the critics' view, the author answers that "districts that have pushed back their schedules have generally found that students go to bed at about the same time as before and sleep longer."

To identify how an author answers a counterargument, look at the sentence immediately following it, often signaled by "But" or "However."

Answer: C

criticize courts for hiring interpreters who lack certification: Choice A is incorrect; there is no evidence of such hiring; the passage says many courts require certification.

argue that witnesses should be allowed to have interpreters: Choice B is incorrect; the passage assumes interpreters are used; it does not argue for allowing them.

illustrate why rendering a speaker's exact words matters: Correct. Choice C is the best answer because the example follows the claim that interpreters "must convey a speaker's meaning precisely, including hesitations," and shows how a well-meant change "could change the impression the testimony makes."

show that interpreters often feel nervous while working: Choice D is incorrect; this is too literal a reading; the nervous person in the example is the witness, not the interpreter.

When asked why an author includes an example, find the general claim right before or after it; the example usually illustrates that claim.

Answer: C

Sentence 12: Sentence 12 gives a limitation of planting trees, which supports the paragraph's point that the strategies are not a complete solution.

Sentence 13: Sentence 13 gives a limitation of reflective roofs, which also supports the paragraph's point.

Sentence 14: Correct. The last paragraph explains the limits of trees and reflective roofs. A historical fact about the first air conditioner does not describe a limitation of either strategy.

Sentence 15: Sentence 15 concludes the paragraph and the essay by placing the strategies in context.

A sentence can be true and loosely related to the topic yet still blur the focus if it does not serve the paragraph's specific point.

Answer: B

(as it is now): The sentence compares "the cost of restoring" with "maintaining one," which is an action rather than a cost, so the comparison is illogical.

that of maintaining one: Correct. "That of" stands for "the cost of," so the sentence compares one cost with another cost: "The cost of restoring a badly damaged mural is far higher than that of maintaining one."

maintenance of one: This compares a cost with "maintenance," an activity, so the comparison is still illogical.

when a city maintains one: This compares a cost with a situation ("when a city maintains one"), not with another cost.

Compare like with like: a cost with a cost, a person with a person; "that of" or "those of" can stand in for the repeated noun.

Answer: D

(as it is now): The first two items follow the pattern subject + active verb ("Some provide," "others transcribe"), but the third switches to a passive clause with an opening phrase, breaking the parallel structure.

a few captioning lectures for deaf and hard-of-hearing college students: "A few captioning" has no complete verb, so it does not match the full clauses "Some provide" and "others transcribe."

captioning lectures for deaf and hard-of-hearing college students is done by a few: This version uses a passive construction with a gerund subject, so it still does not match the pattern of the first two items.

a few caption lectures for deaf and hard-of-hearing college students: Correct. This matches the pattern of the series: "Some provide..., others transcribe..., and a few caption lectures for deaf and hard-of-hearing college students."

Items in a series must share the same grammatical form; if the first items are subject + active verb, the last one must be too.

Answer: C

Yes, because it explains why the uncle tested the dough with his fingertip.: The sentence is about equipment in other bakeries; it does not explain the uncle's reason for the fingertip test.

Yes, because it shows that the uncle's bakery used old-fashioned methods.: The paragraph never compares the uncle's methods with those of other bakeries, so this added contrast would be a new, unsupported point.

No, because it interrupts the account of the uncle's lesson with general information about the baking industry.: Correct. Sentences 9 and 10 describe one personal lesson, the fingertip test and the uncle's advice. A general fact about commercial equipment would break the narrative between them.

No, because it contradicts the claim that dough needs time to rise.: Proofing cabinets help dough rise; the sentence does not say dough needs no time, so there is no contradiction.

Add a sentence only if it supports the paragraph's focus; in a personal narrative, general background facts usually interrupt the story.

Answer: A

1. Choice A is correct.
2. First discount: $200\times 0.80=160$.
3. Second discount on the sale price: $160\times 0.85=136$.
4. Total reduction: $200-136=64$, so $64.

$64: Correct. after 20% off the price is $160, after 15% more off it is $0.85\times 160=136$ dollars, and $200-136=64$ dollars.

$70: Incorrect; this may be the result of adding the two discounts to get 35% and finding 35% of $200; the second discount applies to the sale price, not to $200.

$130: Incorrect; this may be the result of taking 35% off $200, which treats the two discounts as one.

$136: Incorrect; this is the final price of the bicycle, not how much less than $200 it is.

Successive percent discounts multiply; they do not add, because each later discount is taken from an already reduced price.

Answer: A

1. Choice A is correct.
2. Common denominator 12: $2\frac{3}{4}=2\frac{9}{12}$ and $1\frac{5}{6}=1\frac{10}{12}$.
3. Total cut: $3\frac{19}{12}=4\frac{7}{12}$ feet.
4. Regroup 8 as $7\frac{12}{12}$: $7\frac{12}{12}-4\frac{7}{12}=3\frac{5}{12}$ feet.

$3\frac{5}{12}$: Correct. the two pieces total $2\frac{9}{12}+1\frac{10}{12}=4\frac{7}{12}$ feet, and $8-4\frac{7}{12}=3\frac{5}{12}$ feet.

$4\frac{1}{5}$: Incorrect; this may be the result of adding $\frac{3}{4}+\frac{5}{6}$ as $\frac{8}{10}$ (adding numerators and denominators), which gives a total cut of $3\frac{4}{5}$.

$4\frac{7}{12}$: Incorrect; this is the total length cut off, not the length that remains.

$12\frac{7}{12}$: Incorrect; this may be the result of adding all three lengths instead of subtracting the two pieces from 8.

Find a common denominator before adding mixed numbers, regroup improper fractions, and borrow 1 whole as $\frac{12}{12}$ when subtracting from a whole number.

Answer: A

1. Choice A is correct.
2. Write each part as a number: 7 thousands $=7,000$; 4 tens $=40$; 15 ones $=15$.
3. Add: $7,000+40+15=7,055$.
4. Check: 15 ones regroup as 1 ten and 5 ones, so the tens digit becomes $4+1=5$.

7,055: Correct. 7 thousands + 4 tens + 15 ones $=7,000+40+15=7,055$.

7,145: Incorrect; this may be the result of treating 15 ones as 1 hundred and 5 ones; 15 ones is 1 ten and 5 ones.

7,190: Incorrect; this may be the result of treating 15 ones as 15 tens ($150$) instead of 15 ones.

7,415: Incorrect; this may be the result of writing the digits 7, 4 and 15 side by side without using place value.

When a place has 10 or more units, regroup them into the next place to the left before writing the number.

Answer: B

1. Choice B is correct.
2. Rectangle: $10\times 6=60$ square meters.
3. Semicircle: diameter 6 m, so radius 3 m; area $=\frac{1}{2}\times 3.14\times 3^2=14.13$ square meters.
4. Total: $60+14.13=74.13$ square meters.

69.42 square meters: Choice A is incorrect; this may be the result of adding half the circle's circumference, $3.14\times 3=9.42$, instead of half its area.

74.13 square meters: Correct. The rectangle is $10\times 6=60$ square meters. The semicircle has diameter 6, so $r=3$ and its area is $\frac{1}{2}(3.14)(3^2)=14.13$. Total: 74.13 square meters.

88.26 square meters: Choice C is incorrect; this may be the result of adding the area of a full circle, $3.14\times 9=28.26$, instead of half of it.

116.52 square meters: Choice D is incorrect; this may be the result of using the diameter 6 as the radius: $\frac{1}{2}(3.14)(36)=56.52$.

Split a composite figure into familiar shapes and add their areas; a semicircle is half of πr², and r is half the side it sits on.

Answer: B

1. Choice B is correct.
2. The condition "second-year" restricts the group to the Second-year row: 120 students.
3. Of these, 42 take the bus.
4. $P(\text{bus}\mid \text{second-year})=\frac{42}{120}=\frac{7}{20}$.

$\frac{21}{100}$: Choice A is incorrect; this is the probability that a randomly selected student from all 200 is a second-year student who takes the bus, $\frac{42}{200}$, a joint probability rather than a conditional one.

$\frac{7}{20}$: Correct. Only the 120 second-year students are in the group, and 42 of them take the bus: $\frac{42}{120}=\frac{7}{20}$.

$\frac{39}{100}$: Choice C is incorrect; this is the probability that any surveyed student takes the bus, $\frac{78}{200}$; it ignores the condition "second-year."

$\frac{7}{13}$: Choice D is incorrect; this reverses the condition: $\frac{42}{78}$ is the probability that a bus rider is a second-year student.

For a conditional probability, the denominator is the total of the given group only (the row or column named after "if"), not the grand total.

Answer: A

1. Choice A is correct.
2. Slope of $\ell$ from the marked points: $\frac{3-(-1)}{2-0}=\frac{4}{2}=2$.
3. Perpendicular slope: the opposite reciprocal of 2 is $-\frac{1}{2}$.
4. Line $m$ passes through $(0,3)$, so its $y$-intercept is 3: $y=-\frac{1}{2}x+3$.

$y=-\frac{1}{2}x+3$: Correct. Line $\ell$ passes through $(0,-1)$ and $(2,3)$, so its slope is $\frac{3-(-1)}{2-0}=2$. A perpendicular slope is the opposite reciprocal, $-\frac{1}{2}$, and the $y$-intercept is 3.

$y=\frac{1}{2}x+3$: Choice B is incorrect; this may be the result of taking the reciprocal of 2 but not its opposite.

$y=-2x+3$: Choice C is incorrect; this may be the result of taking the opposite of 2 but not its reciprocal.

$y=2x+3$: Choice D is incorrect; this line has the same slope as line $\ell$, so it is parallel to $\ell$, not perpendicular.

Parallel lines have equal slopes; perpendicular lines have slopes that are opposite reciprocals (their product is −1).

Answer: D

1. Choice D is correct.
2. Because $\overline{DE}\parallel \overline{BC}$, corresponding angles are congruent, so triangle $ADE$ is similar to triangle $ABC$ (angle-angle).
3. Find the full side: $AB=AD+DB=6+4=10$.
4. Set up corresponding sides: $\frac{DE}{BC}=\frac{AD}{AB}$, so $\frac{9}{BC}=\frac{6}{10}$.
5. Cross-multiply: $6\cdot BC=90$, so $BC=15$.

6: Choice A is incorrect; this may be the result of using $DB$ instead of $AB$ in the proportion: $\frac{9}{BC}=\frac{6}{4}$.

13: Choice B is incorrect; this may be the result of adding $DB=4$ to $DE=9$, treating the change in length as additive instead of proportional.

13.5: Choice C is incorrect; this may be the result of using $\frac{AD}{DB}=\frac{6}{4}$ as the scale factor: $9\times \frac{6}{4}=13.5$.

15: Correct (Choice D). Triangles $ADE$ and $ABC$ are similar, and $AB=6+4=10$, so $\frac{DE}{BC}=\frac{AD}{AB}$: $\frac{9}{BC}=\frac{6}{10}$, which gives $BC=15$.

A segment parallel to one side of a triangle cuts off a smaller similar triangle. Match each side of the small triangle with the whole corresponding side of the large one, not with the leftover piece.

Answer: D

1. Choice D is correct.
2. Start with $y=|x|$: a V shape opening upward with vertex $(0,0)$.
3. $|x+1|$ shifts the graph 1 unit to the left (the vertex is where $x+1=0$, at $x=-1$).
4. Subtracting 2 shifts it down 2 units, so the vertex is $(-1,-2)$.
5. The coefficient of the absolute value is positive, so the V opens upward.
6. Check: $f(-3)=2-2=0$ and $f(1)=0$, so the graph crosses the $x$-axis at $-3$ and 1. Only Graph IV matches.

Graph I: Choice A is incorrect; this may be the result of shifting the graph in the wrong horizontal direction; Graph I has its vertex at $(1,-2)$, which is the graph of $y=|x-1|-2$.

Graph II: Choice B is incorrect; this may be the result of a sign error on the vertical shift; Graph II has its vertex at $(-1,2)$, which is the graph of $y=|x+1|+2$.

Graph III: Choice C is incorrect; this may be the result of reflecting the graph across the $x$-axis; Graph III opens downward and is the graph of $y=-|x+1|-2$.

Graph IV: Correct (Choice D). The "$+1$" inside the absolute value shifts the graph of $y=|x|$ left 1 unit, and the "$-2$" shifts it down 2 units, so the vertex is $(-1,-2)$ and the graph opens upward. Check: $f(1)=2-2=0$.

In y = |x − h| + k, the vertex is (h, k): "x + 1" means h = −1 (a shift left). A negative sign in front of the absolute value reflects the graph so it opens downward.

Answer: A

1. Choice A is correct.
2. Solve the first equation for $y$: $-2y=-3x+5$, so $y=\frac{3}{2}x-\frac{5}{2}$. Its slope is $\frac{3}{2}$.
3. Solve the second equation for $y$: $4y=-kx+9$, so $y=-\frac{k}{4}x+\frac{9}{4}$. Its slope is $-\frac{k}{4}$.
4. No solution means parallel lines with different $y$-intercepts: $-\frac{k}{4}=\frac{3}{2}$.
5. Multiply both sides by $-4$: $k=-6$.
6. Check the intercepts: $-\frac{5}{2}\ne \frac{9}{4}$, so the lines are distinct and the system has no solution.

$k=-6$: Correct (Choice A). Solving each equation for $y$ gives $y=\frac{3}{2}x-\frac{5}{2}$ and $y=-\frac{k}{4}x+\frac{9}{4}$. The system has no solution when the lines are parallel and distinct, so $-\frac{k}{4}=\frac{3}{2}$, which gives $k=-6$. The $y$-intercepts $-\frac{5}{2}$ and $\frac{9}{4}$ differ, so the lines never meet.

$k=\frac{3}{2}$: Choice B is incorrect; this may be the result of setting $k$ equal to the slope of the first line instead of setting the two slopes equal.

$k=\frac{8}{3}$: Choice C is incorrect; this may be the result of making the lines perpendicular instead of parallel: setting $-\frac{k}{4}=-\frac{2}{3}$.

$k=6$: Choice D is incorrect; this may be the result of a sign error in solving $4y=-kx+9$, taking the second slope as $\frac{k}{4}$; with $k=6$ the slopes are $\frac{3}{2}$ and $-\frac{3}{2}$, so the lines intersect.

A linear system has no solution when the lines have equal slopes but different y-intercepts. Write both equations in slope-intercept form and set the slopes equal.