TX PACT Practice Questions (2026) — Free Sample Questions with Answers

Answer: A

Weekend counts accurately reflect how much the garage is used overall.: Correct. The evidence covers only weekends; the conclusion holds only if weekday demand is no higher than weekend demand.

The garage was built more recently than other public lots downtown.: The garage's age plays no role in the reasoning, so the argument does not rely on it.

Parking fees at the garage are higher than fees at nearby street meters.: Fees are never mentioned; the argument is based only on how full the garage was.

City staff will be reassigned to other duties if the garage is closed.: What happens to staff is a consequence, not a premise the argument needs in order to reach its conclusion.

To find an assumption, look for the gap between the evidence (weekends only) and the conclusion (close it entirely).

Answer: C

Storm drains in most cities are too small for the amount of rain they receive.: Storm drains are mentioned only as one example of a benefit trees provide; the passage is not mainly about drainage design.

Shoppers prefer commercial streets that are cool, quiet, and free of traffic.: The passage mentions shoppers lingering on tree-lined blocks, but quiet and traffic are never discussed, and this is a single detail.

Street trees give practical benefits that many cities undervalue in budgets.: Correct. Each detail (cooling, stormwater, commerce) is a practical benefit, and the final sentence contrasts these with cities' treatment of trees as optional.

City budgets should be reduced in departments that provide decorative services.: This reverses the writer's point; the passage criticizes treating trees as decorative extras that are cut.

An implied main idea must account for all the supporting details and the turn signaled by words like "yet."

Answer: B

Walking to the bus stop, the new shoes of Jamal were soaked by rain.: The opening phrase still modifies the wrong noun; now it says the shoes were walking.

Walking to the bus stop, Jamal got his new shoes soaked by the rain.: Correct. The subject right after the introductory phrase is Jamal, the person who was actually walking.

The rain, walking to the bus stop, soaked Jamal's new shoes quickly.: Moving the phrase next to "rain" makes the error worse by clearly saying the rain was walking.

Walking to the bus stop the rain soaked Jamal's new shoes.: Removing the comma changes punctuation only; the phrase still describes the rain instead of Jamal.

An introductory participial phrase must be followed immediately by the noun that performs the action; otherwise it dangles.

Answer: B

Many cities across the country have added new bike lanes in recent years.: This is a general fact that takes no position, so it cannot guide an argument.

The city should build protected bike lanes because they prevent crashes.: Correct. It states a clear, arguable position and previews the main reason the essay will develop.

The city should think about a variety of transportation ideas in the future.: This is too vague; it does not name bike lanes or take a specific position.

Bike lanes are a topic that residents have many strong opinions about.: This notes that people disagree but does not state the writer's own claim.

An effective thesis takes a specific, debatable position and signals the reasoning the essay will support.

Answer: A

1/11: Correct. P = (4/12) × (3/11) = 12/132 = 1/11, because one red marble and one total marble are removed after the first draw.

1/9: This is (4/12) × (4/12), which assumes the first marble is put back (with replacement).

1/12: This is (4/12) × (3/12), which reduces the red count but forgets to reduce the total to 11.

1/3: This is the probability that a single draw is red; it ignores the second draw.

Without replacement, both the favorable count and the total decrease by one after each draw; multiply the stage probabilities.

Answer: B

8 feet: This subtracts the lengths (13 − 5); the sides of a right triangle are related by squares, not simple differences.

12 feet: Correct. 5² + h² = 13², so h² = 169 − 25 = 144 and h = 12.

18 feet: This adds the lengths; the leg of a right triangle must be shorter than the hypotenuse.

about 13.9 feet: This adds the squares (169 + 25), treating the ladder as a leg instead of the hypotenuse.

In a right triangle, a² + b² = c², where c is the hypotenuse (here, the ladder).