Practice Worksheet - 4

Read each passage carefully and then answer the questions about it. For each question, decide on the basis of the passage which one of the choices best answers the question.

Passage 1

The following passage is adapted from a work of narrative fiction.

    The train lurched forward at half past six, and Maya pressed her forehead against the cold glass, watching the warehouses of Newark dissolve into a blur of brick and graffiti. She had promised herself she wouldn’t cry, not in front of (5) strangers, but the promise felt thin now, as insubstantial as the ticket stub crumpled in her coat pocket. Her brother’s apartment keys sat heavy in her palm, their metal edges biting into her skin.     Across the aisle, a woman in a blue headscarf rocked a fussy infant, humming something (10) low and rhythmic that reminded Maya of the lullabies her mother used to sing before the accident. She turned away sharply, fixing her gaze instead on the darkening fields rushing past. Somewhere out there, beyond the telephone poles and the skeletal trees, lay the farmhouse where she had spent (15) every summer until she was twelve. Her uncle had sold it three years ago to a family from Philadelphia, and Maya had never gone back, though she sometimes wondered whether the rope swing still hung from the oak tree or whether the new owners had taken it down.     The conductor’s voice crackled over the intercom, announcing (20) the next stop, and Maya straightened in her seat. In forty minutes she would arrive at the station where her brother waited, and after that, everything would be different. She didn’t know yet whether that difference would feel like relief or like falling.

1. The passage is narrated from the perspective of

1. an omniscient observer who knows the thoughts of multiple characters
2. Maya, using the first-person point of view
3. a third-person narrator with access to Maya’s thoughts
4. the conductor on the train
5. Maya’s brother, who is waiting at the station

2. As used in line 6, the word "insubstantial" most nearly means

1. fragile
2. invisible
3. complicated
4. dishonest
5. expensive

3. The detail about the apartment keys in lines 6-7 suggests that Maya is

1. worried about losing the keys before she arrives
2. planning to return the keys to her brother immediately
3. experiencing anxiety about the change ahead of her
4. angry at her brother for giving her the keys
5. uncertain about the address of her brother’s apartment

4. Maya turns away from the woman with the infant (lines 10-12) most likely because

1. the humming is too loud and distracting
2. she disapproves of bringing babies on trains
3. the lullaby triggers painful memories
4. she is trying to avoid conversation with strangers
5. she needs to watch for her station stop

5. The passage indicates that Maya last visited the farmhouse when she was approximately

1. six years old
2. twelve years old
3. fifteen years old
4. three years old
5. twenty years old

6. The tone of the final paragraph (lines 19-24) can best be described as

1. joyful and celebratory
2. angry and resentful
3. uncertain and apprehensive
4. peaceful and content
5. confused and disoriented

7. The image of "difference" that would feel "like relief or like falling" (line 24) suggests that Maya

1. is afraid of heights and dislikes traveling
2. has mixed feelings about the change she is facing
3. expects to feel relieved when she sees her brother
4. plans to fall asleep on the train
5. will definitely experience relief rather than fear

Passage 2

The following passage is adapted from an article about the history of cryptography.

    Long before computers transformed cryptography into a mathematical science, the art of secret writing depended on human ingenuity and mechanical cunning. In the sixteenth century, European diplomats and spies relied on cipher wheels, polyalphabetic substitutions, and invisible inks (5) to protect their communications from interception. Yet perhaps no device captured the imagination of cryptographers quite like the Cardan grille, invented by the Italian mathematician Girolamo Cardano around 1550.     The grille itself was deceptively simple: a sheet of stiff material, typically parchment or thin wood, (10) perforated with rectangular holes at irregular intervals. To compose a secret message, the sender would place the grille over a blank sheet of paper and write the true message through the openings, one word or syllable per hole. After removing the grille, the sender would fill in the remaining spaces with innocuous text, creating what appeared (15) to be an ordinary letter about weather, trade, or family matters. The recipient, possessing an identical grille, would simply lay it over the letter to reveal the hidden words.     What made the Cardan grille particularly effective was its resistance to frequency analysis, the primary codebreaking technique of the era. Because (20) the decoy text contained normal letter distributions and coherent grammar, a casual interceptor would find no statistical anomalies to exploit. The system’s weakness lay not in mathematics but in human error and espionage: a single stolen or duplicated grille would compromise every message sent using that particular template.

8. The primary purpose of the passage is to

1. argue that the Cardan grille was superior to all other Renaissance cryptographic methods
2. explain how a particular historical encryption device functioned and why it was effective
3. describe the life and mathematical achievements of Girolamo Cardano
4. compare Renaissance cryptography with modern computer-based encryption
5. criticize the weaknesses of sixteenth-century secret communication methods

9. According to the passage, sixteenth-century diplomats used all of the following EXCEPT

1. cipher wheels
2. invisible inks
3. polyalphabetic substitutions
4. frequency analysis
5. Cardan grilles

10. As used in line 9, the word "deceptively" most nearly means

1. dishonestly
2. misleadingly
3. partially
4. obviously
5. rarely

11. The passage indicates that after writing the secret message through the grille, the sender would

1. burn the grille to prevent discovery
2. send the grille along with the letter
3. add additional text to disguise the hidden message
4. translate the message into a foreign language
5. make multiple copies for different recipients

12. The author mentions "weather, trade, or family matters" (line 16) in order to

1. list the topics that sixteenth-century diplomats most often discussed
2. provide examples of subjects that would make the letter appear innocent
3. identify the primary concerns of Renaissance European society
4. suggest that the Cardan grille could only be used for certain topics
5. criticize the limited interests of people in the 1550s

13. According to the passage, frequency analysis involves

1. examining how often messages are sent between correspondents
2. studying statistical patterns in encrypted text
3. measuring how quickly a message can be decoded
4. analyzing the physical properties of paper and ink
5. comparing multiple grilles to find similarities

14. The passage suggests that the main vulnerability of the Cardan grille system was

1. its complex mathematical structure
2. the difficulty of manufacturing identical grilles
3. the possibility that the physical grille could be captured or copied
4. its susceptibility to frequency analysis techniques
5. the limited number of words that could fit through the holes

Passage 3

The following is adapted from Chief Joseph’s surrender speech, delivered in 1877 in the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana.

    Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. (5) He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are-perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. (10) Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.

15. The primary purpose of this speech is to

1. declare victory over General Howard’s forces
2. announce the speaker’s decision to end armed resistance
3. request additional blankets and food for the winter
4. celebrate the bravery of the young warriors
5. criticize General Howard for breaking his promises

16. As used in line 2, the phrase "I have it in my heart" most nearly means

1. I have memorized it
2. I remember and value it
3. I feel pain from it
4. I have written it down
5. I disagree with it

17. Chief Joseph mentions that "the old men are all dead" (line 4) in order to

1. explain that younger leaders now make decisions
2. blame General Howard for killing the elders
3. suggest that the tribe has no remaining wisdom
4. indicate that he is now the oldest member of the tribe
5. prove that the battle was longer than expected

18. The detail about children "freezing to death" (line 7) serves primarily to

1. emphasize the desperate conditions facing Chief Joseph’s people
2. explain why the young men decided to continue fighting
3. request that General Howard provide medical assistance
4. describe the typical weather in Montana during autumn
5. criticize parents for not preparing adequately for winter

19. The tone of the speech can best be described as

1. defiant and aggressive
2. mournful and resigned
3. optimistic and cheerful
4. confused and uncertain
5. bitter and vengeful

20. The final sentence (lines 11-12) suggests that Chief Joseph

1. plans to resume fighting after the sun sets
2. is making an irrevocable decision to cease combat
3. will fight only during daylight hours from now on
4. expects General Howard to continue attacking
5. intends to relocate his people to a sunnier climate

■ ■ ■   STOP   ■ ■ ■

IF YOU FINISH BEFORE TIME IS CALLED, YOU MAY CHECK YOUR WORK ON THIS SECTION ONLY. DO NOT TURN TO ANY OTHER SECTION OF THE TEST.

Answer Key

1. Ans: (C) – a third-person narrator with access to Maya’s thoughts
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The passage uses third-person pronouns ("she," "her") but reveals Maya’s internal thoughts and feelings, such as her promise not to cry and her wondering about the rope swing (lines 16-18). Choice (A) is incorrect because the narrator only accesses Maya’s thoughts, not those of multiple characters. Choice (B) is incorrect because the passage uses third-person rather than first-person pronouns.

2. Ans: (A) – fragile
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 6, "insubstantial" describes the promise as "thin," suggesting something weak or fragile that might easily break. The context emphasizes the promise’s lack of strength as Maya feels her emotions overwhelming her. Choice (B) is incorrect because the promise is not literally invisible, only weak. Choice (C) is incorrect because nothing in the passage suggests the promise is complicated.

3. Ans: (C) – experiencing anxiety about the change ahead of her
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The keys are described as "heavy" in Maya’s palm with edges "biting into her skin" (lines 6-7), physical details that suggest psychological weight and discomfort about the transition represented by the keys. Choice (A) is incorrect because there is no indication she fears losing the keys. Choice (D) is incorrect because nothing suggests anger toward her brother.

4. Ans: (C) – the lullaby triggers painful memories
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage states that the humming reminded Maya "of the lullabies her mother used to sing before the accident," prompting her to "turn away sharply" (lines 10-12), indicating an emotional response to a painful memory. Choice (A) is incorrect because the humming is described as "low," not loud. Choice (B) is incorrect because no disapproval of babies on trains is mentioned or implied.

5. Ans: (B) – twelve years old
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states that Maya "had spent every summer until she was twelve" at the farmhouse (lines 14-16). The passage also notes the farmhouse was sold three years ago and she never returned, but the question asks when she last visited. Choice (C) is incorrect because fifteen would be three years after she stopped visiting. Choice (A) is incorrect because six is not mentioned in relation to the farmhouse visits.

6. Ans: (C) – uncertain and apprehensive
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The final paragraph describes Maya’s uncertainty about whether the upcoming change "would feel like relief or like falling" (line 24), language that conveys apprehension and ambivalence about the future. Choice (A) is incorrect because there is no joyful or celebratory language in the paragraph. Choice (D) is incorrect because Maya’s uncertainty about the outcome contradicts peacefulness or contentment.

7. Ans: (B) – has mixed feelings about the change she is facing
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The either/or construction "relief or like falling" (line 24) presents two opposite emotional possibilities, indicating Maya’s ambivalence and mixed feelings about her situation. Choice (E) is incorrect because it states she will "definitely experience relief," when the passage indicates she doesn’t know which she will feel. Choice (A) is incorrect because "falling" is used metaphorically, not literally.

8. Ans: (B) – explain how a particular historical encryption device functioned and why it was effective
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage describes the construction and operation of the Cardan grille (lines 9-17) and explains its effectiveness against frequency analysis (lines 18-22). Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage never claims the grille was superior to all other methods. Choice (C) is incorrect because the passage focuses on the device itself, not Cardano’s life or broader achievements.

9. Ans: (D) – frequency analysis
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Lines 3-5 list cipher wheels, polyalphabetic substitutions, and invisible inks as tools used by diplomats and spies. The Cardan grille is also mentioned as a device they used (line 6). Frequency analysis, however, is described as "the primary codebreaking technique" (line 19), used against encrypted messages, not by the diplomats themselves. Choice (A) is incorrect because cipher wheels are explicitly mentioned in line 4.

10. Ans: (B) – misleadingly
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. "Deceptively simple" (line 9) means the grille appeared simple but was actually more complex or effective than it seemed, thus misleading in its apparent simplicity. Choice (A) is incorrect because "deceptively" here refers to appearance rather than dishonest intent. Choice (D) is incorrect because it contradicts the meaning-the grille was not obviously simple but deceptively so.

11. Ans: (C) – add additional text to disguise the hidden message
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that "after removing the grille, the sender would fill in the remaining spaces with innocuous text" (lines 13-15), creating what appeared to be an ordinary letter. Choice (B) is incorrect because the passage states the recipient possessed "an identical grille" (line 17), indicating separate grilles rather than sending the original. Choice (A) is incorrect because burning the grille is never mentioned.

12. Ans: (B) – provide examples of subjects that would make the letter appear innocent
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. These topics are presented as examples of the "innocuous text" that would make the letter appear to be "an ordinary letter" (lines 15-16), illustrating how the decoy content would avoid suspicion. Choice (A) is incorrect because these are examples of disguise topics, not what diplomats actually most often discussed. Choice (D) is incorrect because nothing suggests the grille could only be used for certain topics.

13. Ans: (B) – studying statistical patterns in encrypted text
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage describes frequency analysis as examining "letter distributions" and seeking "statistical anomalies" (lines 20-22), which refers to studying patterns in the frequency of letters. Choice (A) is incorrect because it confuses the frequency of messages with frequency analysis of letter patterns within text. Choice (C) is incorrect because decoding speed is not mentioned in relation to frequency analysis.

14. Ans: (C) – the possibility that the physical grille could be captured or copied
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage states that "a single stolen or duplicated grille would compromise every message sent using that particular template" (lines 23-25), identifying physical compromise of the grille as the main weakness. Choice (D) is incorrect because the passage explicitly states the grille was "resistant to frequency analysis" (lines 18-19). Choice (A) is incorrect because the grille is described as "deceptively simple" (line 9), not mathematically complex.

15. Ans: (B) – announce the speaker’s decision to end armed resistance
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. Chief Joseph states "I am tired of fighting" (line 3) and concludes "I will fight no more forever" (line 12), making clear his decision to surrender and end resistance. Choice (A) is incorrect because Chief Joseph is surrendering, not declaring victory. Choice (D) is incorrect because he mentions that the leader "who led on the young men is dead" (line 5), which is a loss, not a celebration.

16. Ans: (B) – I remember and value it
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 2, having something "in my heart" suggests Chief Joseph remembers and holds dear what General Howard previously told him, indicating both memory and emotional significance. Choice (A) is too narrow because it suggests only memorization without emotional weight. Choice (E) is incorrect because the phrase "I know his heart" (line 1) and the context suggest agreement and understanding, not disagreement.

17. Ans: (A) – explain that younger leaders now make decisions
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. Chief Joseph states "The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no" (lines 3-4), directly connecting the death of elders to the shift in decision-making authority to younger men. Choice (C) is incorrect because the passage does not suggest the tribe lacks wisdom, only that leadership has shifted. Choice (D) is incorrect because nothing indicates Chief Joseph is now the oldest member.

18. Ans: (A) – emphasize the desperate conditions facing Chief Joseph’s people
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The reference to freezing children (line 7), along with mentions of no blankets and no food (lines 6-8), illustrates the severe suffering that motivates Chief Joseph’s surrender. Choice (B) is incorrect because the young men’s leader is dead and Chief Joseph is ending the fighting, not continuing it. Choice (E) is incorrect because the speech contains no criticism of parents.

19. Ans: (B) – mournful and resigned
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Chief Joseph describes his heart as "sick and sad" (line 11), lists the dead chiefs (lines 2-5), and expresses exhaustion ("I am tired"), creating a tone of sorrow and acceptance of defeat. Choice (A) is incorrect because the speech expresses surrender and exhaustion, not defiance. Choice (E) is incorrect because despite the suffering described, the tone is sad rather than bitter or vengeful.

20. Ans: (B) – is making an irrevocable decision to cease combat
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The phrase "From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever" (lines 11-12) uses "forever" to emphasize the permanent, unchanging nature of his decision to end fighting. Choice (A) is incorrect because "forever" indicates he will never resume fighting, not just until sunset. Choice (C) is incorrect because the time reference "where the sun now stands" marks the moment of decision, not a limitation on when he would fight.