What is the WESTB Test?
The WESTB Test, also known as the WEST-B or WEST B, is the Washington Educator Skills Test of basic skills. The WESTB Test has three sections: reading, writing, and math.
Try the sample WEST B reading practice test below. You may also want to do our math and writing exercises:
Sample WEST B Practice Reading Test
Instructions: Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Then check your answers in the next section.
Passage
Working in a run-down laboratory near Paris, Marie Curie worked around the clock to discover a radioactive element. When she finally captured her quarry in 1902, she named it “radium” after the Latin word meaning ray.
Madame Curie should certainly be an inspiration to scientists today. She had spent the day blending chemical compounds which could be used to destroy unhealthy cells in the body. As she was about to retire to bed that evening, she decided to return to her lab. There she found that the chemical compound had become crystalized in the bowls and was emitting the elusive light that she sought.
Inspired by the French scientist Henri Becquerel, Curie won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1903. Upon winning the prize, she declared that the radioactive element would be used only to treat disease and would not be used for commercial profit.
Today radium provides an effective remedy for certain types of cancer. Radium, now used for a treatment called radiotherapy, works by inundating diseased cells with radioactive particles. Its success lies in the fact that it eradicates malignant cells without any lasting ill effects on the body.
Question 1
Which of the following is the best meaning of the word quarry as it is used in this passage?
A. a precious commodity
B. an unknown catalyst
C. an object that is sought
D. a chemical compound
E. a source that emits light
Question 2
According to the information in the passage, why is radium treatment used as a cancer therapy?
A. because it is cost effective
B. because it destroys cancerous cells
C. because it has no long-term effects
D. because it emits a glowing light
E. because it derives from a radioactive element
Question 3
What is the most appropriate title of the passage?
A. Madame Curie: An Inventive Chemist
B. The Discoveries of Madame Curie
C. The Use of Radium to Treat Cancer
D. Madame Curie: A Brief Biography
E. The Discovery and Use of Radium
Question 4
Which of the following phrases or sentences from the passage expresses an opinion rather than a fact?
A. Marie Curie worked around the clock to discover a radioactive element.
B. Madame Curie should certainly be an inspiration to scientists today.
C. She had spent the day blending chemical compounds which could be used to destroy unhealthy cells in the body.
D. Upon winning the prize, she declared that the radioactive element would be used only to treat disease and would not be used for commercial profit.
E. Today radium provides an effective remedy for certain types of cancer.
Answers to the WESTB Practice Reading Test
Answer 1
The correct answer is C. For vocabulary questions like this one, you need to bear in mind that the word provided will have different interpretations, depending on its context. “Quarry” can mean a hole in which one digs for rock. Alternatively, “quarry” can refer to something that is hunted or pursued. Also remember that for vocabulary questions, you need to look for synonyms in the passage. In sentence one, we see the word “discover.” In the last sentence of paragraph two, we see the phrase “the elusive light that she sought.” Therefore, we can surmise that “quarry” is something one wants to discover or an object being sought.
Answer 2
The correct answer is B. Be careful. Questions like this will have distractor answers which will reiterate phrases from the passage, although these phrases do not answer the question. We know that answer B is correct because the final sentence of the passage states: “Its success lies in the fact that it eradicates malignant cells without any lasting ill effects on the body.” You may be tempted to choose answer C. However, answer C is too general since radium has long-term positive effects [i.e., destroying malignant cells] without having any long-term negative effects.
Answer 3
The correct answer is E. For main idea questions, as well as for questions on selecting a title for a selection, you will need to choose an answer that is neither too general nor too specific. Answers A, B, and D are much too general since the passage does not focus on the entire life and work of Madame Curie. Answer C is too specific because cancer treatment is mentioned in only the last paragraph. Therefore, “The Discovery and Use of Radium” is the best title for the passage.
Answer 4
The correct answer is B. For “opinion vs. fact” questions like this, look for modal verbs (should, would, may, might) and superlative adjectives that express opinions (the best, the most, etc). The notion whether someone should be an inspiration to others is a matter of personal opinion, so B is the best answer. You may be tempted to choose answer E. However, the adjective “effective” is factually qualified by the use of the phrase “certain types.”
What is the purpose of the exams?
The exams are designed to assess whether educators have the skills necessary to teach, perform related administrative tasks, and communicate with colleagues and parents.
You will need to pass the test to be eligible to teach in the state of Washington, although there are some waivers for out-of-state teachers.
Note that the WEST exam and the WESTB test are trademarks of NES Inc, which does not endorse or support this webpage.