SSAT Reading Practice Worksheet - 38

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 I turned sixteen, I found my father in the boathouse, bent over the hull of the sailboat he had been restoring for three years. He did not look up when I entered, though the door hinges announced me with their familiar squeal. Outside, the lake was still, a sheet of hammered pewter under the October sky. (5) I watched him work the sandpaper in long, rhythmic strokes, releasing the scent of old varnish and raw wood into the cold air.     “She’ll be ready by spring,” he said finally, his voice as rough as the grain beneath his hands. It was the same promise he had made last year, and the year before that. I did not believe him anymore, but I understood by then that the boat was (10) not really meant to sail. My mother had loved sailing. She had named this boat Persephone, after the goddess who spent half the year in darkness and half in light. My father had not touched the boat for two years after she died, and when he finally returned to the boathouse, he worked with a deliberation that seemed designed to forestall completion.     “I thought we might take (15) her out today,” I said. “The Morrisons’ boat is still in the water.”     He straightened then, his knees cracking, and turned to face me. There was sawdust in his beard and a look in his eyes I could not decipher-something between hope and fear. “The Persephone isn’t seaworthy yet,” he said. But he set down the sandpaper and walked to the window, gazing out (20) at the flat water as if it were a question he had been avoiding for years.

1. The primary purpose of this passage is to

1. describe the process of restoring an old sailboat
2. portray a father’s way of coping with loss
3. criticize a parent who makes promises he cannot keep
4. celebrate the narrator’s sixteenth birthday
5. explain why sailboats require careful maintenance

2. The narrator’s statement that “the boat was not really meant to sail” (lines 9-10) suggests that

1. the boat is too damaged to ever be repaired properly
2. the father values the process of restoration more than its completion
3. the narrator has lost interest in sailing since the mother’s death
4. the father plans to sell the boat when it is finished
5. the boat was poorly constructed and unsafe for the water

3. As used in line 11, the word “deliberation” most nearly means

1. discussion
2. carefulness
3. hesitation
4. debate
5. consideration

4. The detail that the boat is named “Persephone” (line 10) primarily serves to

1. demonstrate the mother’s knowledge of classical mythology
2. suggest a parallel between the myth and the family’s experience of grief
3. indicate that the boat was purchased in Greece
4. show that the narrator has studied ancient literature in school
5. reveal the mother’s preference for unusual names

5. The narrator’s observation that the father’s voice is “as rough as the grain beneath his hands” (line 7) is an example of

1. metaphor
2. personification
3. simile
4. hyperbole
5. irony

6. The father’s reaction to the narrator’s suggestion in lines 15-16 can best be described as

1. angry and dismissive
2. enthusiastic but cautious
3. conflicted and thoughtful
4. indifferent and distracted
5. cheerful and agreeable

7. The passage suggests that the narrator has come to the boathouse on this particular morning primarily in order to

1. help the father complete the restoration work
2. remind the father that it is the narrator’s birthday
3. encourage the father to move past his prolonged mourning
4. learn more about the boat’s mythological name
5. criticize the father for breaking his promises

Passage 2

The following passage is adapted from an article about the science of sleep.

For decades, scientists believed that the brain remained relatively inactive during sleep, a period of rest allowing the body to recover from the day’s exertions. Recent research has overturned this assumption entirely. Far from shutting down, the sleeping brain engages in a complex series of activities essential to memory consolidation, emotional regulation, and even (5) cellular repair. The discovery of these processes has transformed our understanding of why we spend nearly a third of our lives unconscious.     One of the most significant findings concerns the glymphatic system, a waste-clearance mechanism identified in 2012 by neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard and her team at the University of Rochester. Unlike other organs, the brain lacks a traditional lymphatic system to remove metabolic waste. (10) Instead, during sleep, cerebrospinal fluid flows through the brain’s tissues, flushing out toxins that accumulate during waking hours. This process is approximately ten times more active during sleep than during wakefulness. Among the substances removed is beta-amyloid, a protein that, when it accumulates, forms the plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The implications are profound: chronic sleep deprivation may not merely impair cognitive function (15) temporarily but could increase long-term risk of neurodegenerative disorders.     Sleep also plays a critical role in memory formation. During the deep stages of non-REM sleep, the brain replays neural patterns activated during the day, strengthening connections between neurons and transferring information from short-term to long-term storage. Students who study material and then sleep perform significantly better on tests than those who remain (20) awake, even when total study time is held constant. The sleeping brain, it seems, is an active learner, sorting through the day’s experiences and deciding what to preserve and what to discard.

8. The main purpose of the passage is to

1. argue that people should sleep more hours each night
2. explain recent discoveries about the brain’s activity during sleep
3. compare different stages of the sleep cycle
4. describe the career of neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard
5. outline the history of sleep research over several decades

9. According to the passage, the glymphatic system differs from the lymphatic systems in other organs because it

1. operates only in the brain
2. removes beta-amyloid proteins
3. is more active during sleep than during waking hours
4. was discovered more recently
5. uses cerebrospinal fluid instead of lymph

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

1. damage
2. enhance
3. measure
4. restore
5. evaluate

11. The passage indicates that beta-amyloid is

1. a fluid that flows through the brain during sleep
2. a protein whose accumulation is linked to Alzheimer’s disease
3. a component of the traditional lymphatic system
4. a neural pattern that strengthens memory connections
5. a waste product created only during deep sleep

12. The author’s tone in this passage can best be described as

1. skeptical and cautious
2. informal and humorous
3. informative and engaged
4. critical and disapproving
5. uncertain and speculative

13. The example of students studying before sleep (lines 18-20) primarily serves to

1. illustrate the practical benefits of sleep for memory consolidation
2. prove that sleep is more important than studying
3. recommend a specific study technique for test preparation
4. contrast non-REM sleep with REM sleep stages
5. explain how neural patterns are activated during the day

14. Based on the passage, chronic sleep deprivation could potentially

1. completely prevent the brain from forming new memories
2. cause the brain to develop a traditional lymphatic system
3. increase the long-term risk of diseases like Alzheimer’s
4. make the glymphatic system ten times more active
5. eliminate all beta-amyloid from brain tissues

Passage 3

The following is adapted from Chief Seattle’s reply to the U.S. government’s offer to purchase tribal lands, delivered in 1854.

How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them? Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every (5) sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man.     The white man’s dead forget the country of their birth when they go to walk among the stars. Our dead never forget this beautiful earth, for it is the mother of the red man. We are part of the earth (10) and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and man-all belong to the same family.     So, when the Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land, he asks much of us. The Great Chief sends word he will reserve us a place so that we can live comfortably (15) to ourselves. He will be our father and we will be his children. But can that ever be? Your God is not our God. Your God loves your people and hates mine. He folds his arms lovingly about the paleface and leads him by the hand as a father leads his infant son-but He has forsaken His red children. Our God, the Great Spirit, seems also to have forsaken us. Your God makes your people wax strong every day. Soon they will fill (20) all the land. Our people are ebbing away like a rapidly receding tide that will never return.

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

1. negotiate a fair price for the sale of tribal lands
2. express the fundamental difference between his people’s relationship to the land and that of white settlers
3. describe the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest
4. request that the Great Chief in Washington visit the tribal lands personally
5. propose a compromise that would allow both peoples to share the territory

16. The opening questions in lines 1-3 are best described as

1. literal requests for information about purchasing procedures
2. rhetorical questions emphasizing the absurdity of the proposal
3. angry accusations directed at the U.S. government
4. practical inquiries about property values
5. humorous remarks intended to lighten the mood

17. As used in line 20, the word “ebbing” most nearly means

1. flowing
2. increasing
3. diminishing
4. surviving
5. traveling

18. In lines 9-12, Chief Seattle suggests that his people differ from white settlers in that

1. they believe in life after death
2. they view themselves as fundamentally connected to the natural world
3. they worship multiple gods rather than one God
4. they prefer living in forests to living in clearings
5. they do not believe in the existence of stars

19. The tone of the passage as a whole can best be characterized as

1. optimistic and celebratory
2. detached and scientific
3. mournful and dignified
4. bitter and vengeful
5. confused and uncertain

20. Chief Seattle’s comparison of his people to “a rapidly receding tide that will never return” (lines 20-21) suggests that he believes

1. his people will eventually adapt to the white man’s ways
2. the natural environment is changing in ways that harm his people
3. his people’s decline is inevitable and irreversible
4. the ocean tides have become less predictable in recent years
5. his people should migrate to coastal areas

■ ■ ■   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) – portray a father’s way of coping with loss
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage centers on how the father deals with grief through his endless restoration of the boat named after his dead wife, which the narrator realizes “was not really meant to sail” (lines 9-10). Choice (A) is too narrow, focusing only on the boat restoration rather than its deeper emotional significance. Choice (D) is a detail mentioned in the passage but not the primary purpose.

2. Ans: (B) – the father values the process of restoration more than its completion
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The narrator states that the father “worked with a deliberation that seemed designed to forestall completion” (lines 11-12), suggesting he wants to continue the work indefinitely rather than finish it. Choice (A) contradicts the passage, which indicates the father is making real progress on repairs. Choice (C) shifts focus to the narrator rather than explaining the father’s motivation.

3. Ans: (B) – carefulness
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 11, “deliberation” describes the careful, slow manner in which the father works on the boat to postpone its completion. Choice (A), “discussion,” is a common definition of deliberation but doesn’t fit the context of solitary work. Choice (D), “debate,” similarly refers to a verbal process rather than a manner of working.

4. Ans: (B) – suggest a parallel between the myth and the family’s experience of grief
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The passage explicitly connects the boat’s name to the goddess “who spent half the year in darkness and half in light” (line 11), paralleling the family’s experience of loss and the father’s time spent in the darkness of grief. Choice (A) is too narrow, focusing only on demonstrating knowledge rather than the symbolic significance. Choice (C) introduces information not stated or implied anywhere in the passage.

5. Ans: (C) – simile
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The comparison uses “as...as” to directly compare the father’s voice to the wood grain, which is the defining characteristic of a simile. Choice (A), metaphor, would require a direct equation without “as” or “like.” Choice (B), personification, would require giving human qualities to non-human things, which doesn’t occur here.

6. Ans: (C) – conflicted and thoughtful
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The father’s reaction includes physical stiffness, “something between hope and fear” in his eyes (line 18), and gazing at the water “as if it were a question he had been avoiding” (lines 19-20), all indicating internal conflict. Choice (A) is too extreme; the father shows no anger. Choice (B) reverses the emphasis, as he shows more caution than enthusiasm.

7. Ans: (C) – encourage the father to move past his prolonged mourning
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. The narrator suggests taking the boat out (line 15), which would move beyond the endless restoration and actually use the boat, thereby breaking the father’s pattern of avoiding completion of his grief work. Choice (B) is not supported; the birthday is mentioned only as a time marker, not as the reason for the visit. Choice (E) contradicts the understanding tone the narrator displays throughout.

8. Ans: (B) – explain recent discoveries about the brain’s activity during sleep
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage systematically presents recent findings about the glymphatic system (lines 6-15) and memory consolidation during sleep (lines 16-20), explicitly stating that “recent research has overturned” old assumptions (line 2). Choice (A) makes a recommendation not stated in the passage, which remains descriptive rather than prescriptive. Choice (D) is too narrow, mentioning one scientist as part of a broader discussion.

9. Ans: (E) – uses cerebrospinal fluid instead of lymph
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that “the brain lacks a traditional lymphatic system” and “instead, during sleep, cerebrospinal fluid flows through the brain’s tissues” (lines 9-10). Choice (A) is true but not stated as the key difference from other lymphatic systems. Choice (C), while factually stated in the passage, describes a feature of the glymphatic system rather than how it differs structurally from traditional lymphatic systems.

10. Ans: (A) – damage
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 14, “impair” describes the negative effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive function, meaning to weaken or damage. Choice (B), “enhance,” is the opposite of the intended meaning. Choice (C), “measure,” is unrelated to the context of sleep deprivation causing harm.

11. Ans: (B) – a protein whose accumulation is linked to Alzheimer’s disease
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states that beta-amyloid is “a protein that, when it accumulates, forms the plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease” (lines 13-14). Choice (A) confuses beta-amyloid with cerebrospinal fluid, which does flow through the brain. Choice (D) confuses beta-amyloid with neural patterns discussed later in the passage (line 17).

12. Ans: (C) – informative and engaged
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The author presents scientific information clearly while using engaging language like “the implications are profound” (line 14) and “the sleeping brain, it seems, is an active learner” (line 20). Choice (A) is incorrect because the author presents findings confidently rather than skeptically. Choice (E) contradicts the passage’s confident presentation of established research findings.

13. Ans: (A) – illustrate the practical benefits of sleep for memory consolidation
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The student example in lines 18-20 provides concrete evidence for the claim that sleep aids memory formation discussed in lines 16-18. Choice (B) is too broad and distorts the comparison, which holds study time constant. Choice (D) is incorrect because the example appears in the section specifically about non-REM sleep, not contrasting sleep stages.

14. Ans: (C) – increase the long-term risk of diseases like Alzheimer’s
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage states that sleep deprivation “could increase long-term risk of neurodegenerative disorders” (lines 14-15), with Alzheimer’s mentioned as an example earlier (line 14). Choice (A) is too extreme; the passage discusses impairment, not complete prevention. Choice (D) reverses the relationship stated in the passage, which says the glymphatic system is more active during sleep, not during deprivation.

15. Ans: (B) – express the fundamental difference between his people’s relationship to the land and that of white settlers
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. Chief Seattle repeatedly contrasts his people’s sacred connection to the land (lines 3-12) with the white settlers’ transactional view that land can be bought and sold (lines 1-2). Choice (A) contradicts the speech’s tone, which questions the very concept of selling land. Choice (E) is not supported; the speech suggests incompatibility rather than proposing compromise.

16. Ans: (B) – rhetorical questions emphasizing the absurdity of the proposal
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The opening questions (lines 1-2) do not expect answers but rather emphasize that the concept of selling sky and air is fundamentally impossible from Chief Seattle’s worldview, as he states “the idea is strange to us” (line 2). Choice (A) treats the questions as literal when they are clearly rhetorical. Choice (D) misinterprets the questions as practical rather than philosophical.

17. Ans: (C) – diminishing
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 20, “ebbing” describes the decline of Chief Seattle’s people “like a rapidly receding tide that will never return,” meaning decreasing or fading away. Choice (A), “flowing,” describes what tides do but misses the specific meaning of receding or going out. Choice (B) is the opposite of the intended meaning in context.

18. Ans: (B) – they view themselves as fundamentally connected to the natural world
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Lines 9-12 state “we are part of the earth and it is part of us” and call flowers, deer, and eagles their siblings, indicating deep connection to nature. Choice (A) is too broad; both groups believe in afterlife, but Chief Seattle emphasizes that his people’s dead “never forget this beautiful earth” (line 9). Choice (C) introduces a distinction not made in these specific lines.

19. Ans: (C) – mournful and dignified
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Chief Seattle expresses sadness about his people’s fate (“ebbing away,” line 20) while maintaining elevated, formal language throughout and emphasizing the sacredness of his people’s beliefs. Choice (D) is too extreme; while the speech is sad, it lacks the anger implied by “vengeful.” Choice (A) contradicts the pessimistic prediction in lines 19-21.

20. Ans: (C) – his people’s decline is inevitable and irreversible
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The phrase “a rapidly receding tide that will never return” (lines 20-21) explicitly indicates that the decline cannot be stopped or reversed. Choice (A) contradicts this pessimistic prediction by suggesting adaptation and survival. Choice (B) shifts blame to environmental changes rather than to the displacement by white settlers discussed throughout the passage.