SSAT Reading Practice Worksheet - 10

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 morning fog clung to the harbor like wet wool, muffling the shouts of the fishermen as they hauled in their nets. Keiko stood at the end of the pier, her hands deep in the pockets of her father’s old coat, watching the boats (5) materialize one by one from the grey. She had come here every morning for a week, always with the same purpose, always leaving with the same disappointment. Her brother’s boat, the Sumire, had not returned.     Her mother refused to speak of it. Each evening she prepared dinner for four, setting Taro’s place (10) as though he might walk through the door at any moment, shaking the salt spray from his hair and complaining about the engine trouble that had delayed him. But Keiko had seen the look that passed between the harbor master and old Nakamura when she asked about the storm. She understood the silence (15) that followed her questions.     Today, though, something was different. A smaller vessel, unfamiliar, was making its way toward the dock. As it drew closer, Keiko could make out a figure in the bow, waving with an urgency that made her heart quicken. She began to run, her boots (20) hammering against the worn planks, hope and dread competing in equal measure.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

1. describe the daily routine of a fishing village
2. establish a mood of suspense and anxiety
3. explain the dangers of ocean storms
4. celebrate the resilience of a coastal community
5. criticize the lack of safety regulations for fishermen

2. The description of the fog as clinging “like wet wool” (line 1) primarily serves to

1. indicate that the weather is cold and uncomfortable
2. suggest the heaviness and obscuring quality of the fog
3. demonstrate Keiko’s knowledge of textiles
4. foreshadow a coming rainstorm
5. emphasize the poverty of the fishing community

3. As used in line 7, the word “purpose” most nearly means

1. occupation
2. intention
3. destiny
4. function
5. ambition

4. The mother’s behavior (lines 9-12) suggests that she is

1. angry at Taro for leaving without permission
2. unaware that her son has gone missing
3. unable to accept the possibility of Taro’s death
4. preparing a celebration for Taro’s return
5. indifferent to her son’s absence

5. The passage suggests that Keiko differs from her mother in that Keiko

1. has a closer relationship with Taro
2. spends more time at the harbor
3. is more willing to confront the likelihood of bad news
4. knows more about fishing and boats
5. feels less grief about Taro’s disappearance

6. The “look that passed between the harbor master and old Nakamura” (line 13) most likely indicates

1. their mutual recognition of Keiko
2. their shared knowledge of something they are reluctant to express
3. their disagreement about how to respond to Keiko’s question
4. their surprise at seeing Keiko at the harbor
5. their concern about the approaching vessel

7. The tone of the final paragraph (lines 16-20) can best be described as

1. cautiously optimistic
2. tensely uncertain
3. openly joyful
4. bitterly resigned
5. peacefully contemplative

Passage 2

The following passage is adapted from an article about archaeology and ancient civilizations.

The collapse of the Classic Maya civilization around 900 CE has long puzzled archaeologists. Once-thriving cities in the lowlands of what is now Guatemala and southern Mexico were abandoned, their temples (5) reclaimed by jungle, their sophisticated systems of governance dissolved. Traditional explanations have centered on a single catastrophic cause-drought, warfare, or disease. Recent evidence, however, points toward a more complex scenario involving multiple interlocking factors.     Sediment cores extracted from lake beds in the Petén region reveal (10) a telling sequence: periods of intensive deforestation followed by severe soil erosion. The Maya had cleared vast tracts of forest to cultivate maize and to produce the lime plaster that covered their monumental architecture. This deforestation likely disrupted local rainfall patterns, creating a feedback loop in which (15) agricultural productivity declined even as population pressures demanded greater yields. Chemical analysis of skeletal remains from the terminal Classic period shows increased nutritional stress, suggesting that food shortages had become chronic.     Yet environmental stress alone cannot explain the collapse. Political fragmentation (20) appears to have accelerated during the same period. Hieroglyphic inscriptions from multiple sites document increasingly frequent warfare between rival cities, and defensive fortifications appear in the archaeological record where none existed before. The centralized authority that had coordinated large-scale irrigation and trade networks (25) fractured, and with it, the economic foundation of urban life dissolved. The Maya collapse, then, was not a singular event but a cascade-ecological damage undermined social stability, which in turn prevented effective responses to environmental crisis.

8. The main idea of the passage is that

1. drought was the primary cause of Maya civilization’s collapse
2. the Maya collapse resulted from a combination of environmental and political factors
3. modern archaeologists have solved the mystery of the Maya collapse
4. the Maya abandoned their cities due to disease epidemics
5. Maya agricultural practices were more advanced than previously thought

9. According to the passage, sediment cores from the Petén region revealed evidence of

1. ancient warfare between Maya cities
2. deforestation followed by soil erosion
3. a prolonged drought lasting several decades
4. the cultivation of crops other than maize
5. increased rainfall during the Classic period

10. As used in line 14, the word “feedback loop” most nearly means

1. a system of communication
2. a circular process that reinforces itself
3. an agricultural technique
4. a method of political control
5. a trading network

11. The author mentions “chemical analysis of skeletal remains” (line 16) in order to

1. prove that disease caused the Maya collapse
2. provide evidence of nutritional stress among the Maya population
3. demonstrate new archaeological techniques
4. show that the Maya diet included lime plaster
5. explain how deforestation occurred

12. The passage suggests that the Maya cleared forests primarily to

1. build defensive fortifications against rival cities
2. create space for growing populations
3. grow crops and produce building materials
4. extract sediment cores for scientific study
5. establish new trade routes

13. The statement that “defensive fortifications appear in the archaeological record where none existed before” (lines 23-24) supports the claim that

1. Maya cities were vulnerable to jungle animals
2. warfare between Maya cities increased during the collapse period
3. the Maya had superior military technology
4. environmental damage required new construction techniques
5. population growth necessitated larger cities

14. The author’s characterization of the Maya collapse as “a cascade” (line 27) emphasizes

1. the role of water in Maya agriculture
2. the suddenness of the collapse
3. the sequential and interconnected nature of the collapse
4. the importance of rainfall to Maya civilization
5. the inability of archaeologists to understand the collapse

Passage 3

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

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 (5) men who say yes or no. 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 (10) 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. 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 (15) I will fight no more forever.

15. The primary purpose of Chief Joseph’s speech is to

1. announce his decision to end armed resistance
2. request supplies for his people
3. explain the military strategy of the Nez Perce
4. celebrate the bravery of fallen warriors
5. negotiate the terms of a peace treaty

16. Chief Joseph mentions that “the old men are all dead” (line 4) and “it is the young men who say yes or no” (lines 4-5) primarily to

1. criticize the younger generation for being inexperienced
2. explain the breakdown of traditional leadership structures
3. praise the courage of young warriors
4. argue for a change in tribal governance
5. blame General Howard for the deaths of the chiefs

17. As used in line 12, the word “find” most nearly means

1. discover
2. recover
3. invent
4. judge
5. notice

18. The statement “Maybe I shall find them among the dead” (lines 12-13) conveys a tone of

1. vengeful anger
2. resigned despair
3. cautious optimism
4. bitter sarcasm
5. peaceful acceptance

19. Chief Joseph’s reference to knowing General Howard’s “heart” (line 1) suggests that

1. he trusts General Howard completely
2. he has had previous communications with General Howard
3. General Howard is a personal friend
4. he questions General Howard’s motives
5. General Howard has promised to release all prisoners

20. The overall structure of the speech moves from

1. abstract principles to concrete examples
2. a greeting to a detailed list of demands
3. acknowledgment of past events to present suffering to future intention
4. a description of landscape to a discussion of military tactics
5. an apology to a request for forgiveness

■ ■ ■   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: ((B)) – establish a mood of suspense and anxiety
Explanation: This is a Main Idea/Author’s Purpose question. The passage focuses on Keiko’s week-long vigil waiting for her missing brother and culminates in the appearance of an unfamiliar boat that creates “hope and dread” (line 20), establishing a sustained mood of suspense and anxiety throughout. Choice (A) is too broad; while the passage is set in a fishing village, its purpose is not merely to describe daily routines. Choice (C) is too narrow; the passage mentions a storm but does not explain its dangers.

2. Ans: ((B)) – suggest the heaviness and obscuring quality of the fog
Explanation: This is a Structure/Literary Device question. The simile “like wet wool” (line 1) evokes both the physical weight and the way the fog obscures visibility, just as wet wool is heavy and thick. Choice (A) is too narrow; while wet wool might suggest cold, the primary function of the simile is to convey the fog’s dense, clinging quality. Choice (E) distorts the passage; the simile describes weather, not economic conditions.

3. Ans: ((B)) – intention
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 7, Keiko comes to the pier “always with the same purpose,” meaning the same reason or intention-to look for her brother’s boat. Choice (A) is a common meaning of “purpose” but does not fit the context; Keiko is not performing an occupation. Choice (E) is too strong; “ambition” suggests a long-term goal rather than the immediate intention described here.

4. Ans: ((C)) – unable to accept the possibility of Taro’s death
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The mother’s behavior of setting Taro’s place “as though he might walk through the door at any moment” (lines 10-11) and refusing to speak of his disappearance suggests denial of his likely death. Choice (B) contradicts the passage; the mother’s refusal to speak of Taro’s absence indicates she is aware of it. Choice (D) is not supported; there is no evidence of celebration preparations.

5. Ans: ((C)) – is more willing to confront the likelihood of bad news
Explanation: This is an Inference/Comparison question. Keiko seeks information from the harbor master and understands “the silence that followed her questions” (lines 14-15), while her mother refuses to speak of Taro’s disappearance, showing that Keiko is more willing to face reality. Choice (E) reverses the passage; both characters show concern, but Keiko expresses it differently. Choice (A) is not supported; the passage does not compare the closeness of their relationships with Taro.

6. Ans: ((B)) – their shared knowledge of something they are reluctant to express
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The look exchanged between the two men in response to Keiko’s question, followed by silence (line 13), suggests they know something troubling about Taro’s fate but are reluctant to tell her. Choice (A) is too narrow; mere recognition would not create meaningful silence. Choice (C) is not supported; the passage suggests agreement in their silence, not disagreement.

7. Ans: ((B)) – tensely uncertain
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The final paragraph describes an unfamiliar boat approaching with a waving figure, creating “hope and dread competing in equal measure” (line 20), which establishes a tone of tense uncertainty. Choice (C) is contradicted by the passage; “dread” prevents the tone from being openly joyful. Choice (D) is too negative; the presence of “hope” prevents bitter resignation.

8. Ans: ((B)) – the Maya collapse resulted from a combination of environmental and political factors
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage explicitly argues against single-cause explanations (lines 6-7) and concludes that the collapse was “a cascade” involving both ecological damage and political fragmentation (lines 27-29). Choice (A) contradicts the passage; the author rejects drought as the sole cause. Choice (C) is too broad; the passage presents new evidence but does not claim the mystery is fully solved.

9. Ans: ((B)) – deforestation followed by soil erosion
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Lines 9-11 explicitly state that sediment cores “reveal a telling sequence: periods of intensive deforestation followed by severe soil erosion.” Choice (A) uses information from the passage but misattributes it; warfare is documented in hieroglyphic inscriptions (line 21), not sediment cores. Choice (C) distorts the passage; while drought is mentioned as a traditional explanation, the cores revealed deforestation and erosion.

10. Ans: ((B)) – a circular process that reinforces itself
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In lines 13-15, deforestation disrupted rainfall, which decreased agricultural productivity, creating “a feedback loop”-a self-reinforcing cycle. Choice (A) uses the word “feedback” in a different context unrelated to the passage. Choice (C) misidentifies the concept; the feedback loop describes an environmental cycle, not an agricultural technique.

11. Ans: ((B)) – provide evidence of nutritional stress among the Maya population
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. Lines 16-18 state that chemical analysis “shows increased nutritional stress, suggesting that food shortages had become chronic,” directly supporting the claim about agricultural decline. Choice (A) contradicts the passage; disease is mentioned as a traditional explanation the author questions, not one supported by skeletal analysis. Choice (D) distorts the passage; lime plaster was used for architecture (line 12), not consumed as food.

12. Ans: ((C)) – grow crops and produce building materials
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Lines 11-13 state the Maya “cleared vast tracts of forest to cultivate maize and to produce the lime plaster” for their architecture-crops and building materials. Choice (A) uses information from elsewhere in the passage; fortifications are mentioned (line 23) but not as a reason for deforestation. Choice (B) is too vague; while true that populations existed, the passage specifies crops and plaster as the purposes.

13. Ans: ((B)) – warfare between Maya cities increased during the collapse period
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. The appearance of defensive fortifications “where none existed before” (line 24) supports the preceding claim about “increasingly frequent warfare” (line 21) between cities. Choice (A) is unsupported and illogical; fortifications defend against human enemies, not animals. Choice (D) misconnects ideas; fortifications relate to warfare, not environmental damage.

14. Ans: ((C)) – the sequential and interconnected nature of the collapse
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context/Structure question. The metaphor of “a cascade” (line 27) is immediately explained: “ecological damage undermined social stability, which in turn prevented effective responses” (lines 27-29)-a sequence of interconnected events. Choice (B) contradicts the passage; a cascade is a sequential process, not a sudden event. Choice (A) takes the word too literally; “cascade” here is metaphorical, not about actual water.

15. Ans: ((A)) – announce his decision to end armed resistance
Explanation: This is a Main Idea/Author’s Purpose question. Chief Joseph’s speech culminates in the declaration “I will fight no more forever” (lines 14-15), clearly announcing the end of armed resistance. Choice (B) is too narrow; while he mentions lack of blankets and food (lines 6-9), these details support his decision to surrender rather than constituting the primary purpose. Choice (E) is not supported; the speech announces surrender but does not negotiate specific treaty terms.

16. Ans: ((B)) – explain the breakdown of traditional leadership structures
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. By noting that the old chiefs are dead and young men now make decisions (lines 4-5), Chief Joseph explains how traditional authority has collapsed due to casualties. Choice (A) distorts the tone; he is explaining circumstances, not criticizing the young. Choice (E) is too strong; while the chiefs died during conflict, this statement explains internal conditions rather than directly blaming Howard.

17. Ans: ((B)) – recover
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. Chief Joseph says “I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find” (lines 10-12), meaning locate and recover scattered people. Choice (A) is close but less precise; “recover” better captures the sense of bringing back or reuniting with lost people. Choice (C) is completely unrelated to the context of searching for missing children.

18. Ans: ((B)) – resigned despair
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The statement “Maybe I shall find them among the dead” (lines 12-13) expresses acceptance of the likelihood that his children have perished-a tone of resigned despair. Choice (A) is contradicted by the passage; the tone is sorrowful, not vengeful. Choice (C) reverses the tone; the expectation of finding children dead is despairing, not optimistic.

19. Ans: ((B)) – he has had previous communications with General Howard
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The statement “What he told me before, I have it in my heart” (lines 1-2) directly indicates prior communication between Chief Joseph and General Howard. Choice (A) is too strong; knowing someone’s heart suggests understanding but not complete trust, especially given the context of surrender. Choice (C) is not supported; prior communication does not necessarily indicate personal friendship.

20. Ans: ((C)) – acknowledgment of past events to present suffering to future intention
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The speech moves from acknowledging the deaths of chiefs (lines 2-5), to describing current suffering from cold and hunger (lines 6-9), to the future intention: “I will fight no more forever” (lines 14-15). Choice (A) is incorrect; the speech moves from concrete details to a concrete declaration, not from abstract to concrete. Choice (B) mischaracterizes the content; there is no list of demands.