SSAT Reading Practice Worksheet - 50

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 rattled westward through the Nebraska grasslands, and Clara pressed her forehead against the cool window glass, watching the endless sea of brown stretch toward a colorless horizon. She had left Philadelphia three days earlier with nothing but a carpetbag and her father’s pocket watch, (5) which she turned over and over in her palm like a talisman. The decision to answer the advertisement had been impulsive, perhaps reckless. “Schoolteacher wanted for prairie settlement. Room and board provided. Salary: twenty dollars monthly.” Twenty dollars. In Philadelphia she had earned less than half (10) that mending shirts in the dim backroom of Mrs. Kovach’s shop, her fingers perpetually pricked and aching.     Across from her sat a woman in a faded calico dress, nursing an infant and humming tunelessly. The woman had boarded in Omaha and had not spoken a single word, though her eyes (15) occasionally flicked toward Clara with something that might have been curiosity or suspicion. Clara wondered what stories were written in the creases of that weathered face, what series of compromises and necessities had brought her to this rattling box hurtling through emptiness. Perhaps they were not so different, (20) she and this silent woman. Perhaps the West collected people like them-people fleeing or seeking, or both at once.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

1. describe the physical landscape of Nebraska in detail
2. introduce a character at a moment of significant transition
3. criticize the working conditions in Philadelphia during the period
4. compare the lives of two women traveling westward
5. explain the economic reasons for westward migration

2. As used in line 6, the word “talisman” most nearly means

1. keepsake
2. object believed to bring protection
3. valuable antique
4. mechanical device
5. family heirloom

3. Clara’s decision to leave Philadelphia can best be characterized as

1. carefully planned over many months
2. forced by her employer
3. spontaneous and possibly unwise
4. based on advice from family members
5. motivated solely by adventure

4. The passage suggests that Clara’s work in Philadelphia was

1. intellectually stimulating but poorly paid
2. physically demanding and inadequately compensated
3. temporary and part-time
4. skilled labor requiring years of training
5. performed outdoors in difficult conditions

5. The woman sitting across from Clara is described primarily through

1. her own spoken words
2. Clara’s imaginative speculation
3. the narrator’s omniscient knowledge
4. dialogue with other passengers
5. a detailed physical description

6. The tone of the passage can best be described as

1. optimistic and celebratory
2. anxious and regretful
3. reflective and uncertain
4. bitter and resentful
5. detached and analytical

7. In the final sentence, the phrase “people fleeing or seeking, or both at once” suggests that

1. westward travelers had contradictory motivations
2. Clara is confused about her own reasons for traveling
3. the West attracted only desperate people
4. leaving and pursuing new opportunities can be simultaneous
5. most migrants eventually returned to their original homes

Passage 2

The following passage is adapted from an article on archaeology and climate science.

    For decades, archaeologists have puzzled over the abrupt collapse of the Classic Maya civilization around 900 CE, when thriving urban centers across the Yucatán Peninsula were mysteriously abandoned. Recent advances in paleoclimatology-the study of ancient climates-have begun to provide answers. (5) By analyzing sediment cores extracted from lake beds and examining the chemical composition of stalagmites in caves, researchers have reconstructed precipitation patterns spanning more than two millennia. Their findings reveal a striking correlation between severe drought periods and the Maya decline.     The evidence suggests that between 800 and 1000 CE, (10) the region experienced a series of intense, multi-decadal droughts interspersed with brief periods of recovery. During the most severe episodes, rainfall may have decreased by as much as forty percent compared to earlier centuries. For a civilization dependent on rain-fed maize agriculture and lacking large-scale irrigation infrastructure, such (15) reductions would have been catastrophic. Food shortages likely triggered social upheaval, including warfare between competing city-states over dwindling resources. Yet the narrative is not one of simple environmental determinism. Archaeological evidence indicates that some Maya communities adapted successfully, modifying agricultural practices and relocating to areas with more reliable water (20) sources. The collapse was neither uniform nor inevitable-rather, it represented a complex interplay between environmental stress and social response.

8. The main idea of the passage is that

1. the Maya civilization was more advanced than previously believed
2. recent scientific methods have helped explain the Maya collapse through climate data
3. drought was the only factor in the Maya decline
4. paleoclimatology is the most important field in archaeology
5. all ancient civilizations collapsed due to environmental factors

9. According to the passage, researchers have reconstructed ancient climate patterns by

1. translating Maya hieroglyphic texts
2. studying agricultural tools and irrigation systems
3. analyzing lake sediments and cave formations
4. measuring current rainfall in the Yucatán
5. comparing modern and ancient soil samples

10. As used in line 8, the word “correlation” most nearly means

1. cause
2. contrast
3. corresponding relationship
4. scientific proof
5. identical pattern

11. The passage indicates that during the most severe droughts, rainfall

1. stopped completely for several years
2. decreased by approximately forty percent
3. increased unpredictably
4. remained constant but temperature rose
5. was adequate for small populations only

12. The author mentions “environmental determinism” (line 17) in order to

1. introduce a theory that the passage will fully support
2. acknowledge and then complicate an overly simple explanation
3. criticize archaeologists for ignoring climate factors
4. define a technical term for general readers
5. argue that environment alone shapes all civilizations

13. The passage suggests that some Maya communities survived by

1. developing advanced irrigation technology
2. importing food from distant regions
3. changing farming methods and moving to better locations
4. reducing their population through emigration
5. abandoning agriculture entirely

14. The author’s tone in discussing the Maya collapse can best be described as

1. sensational and alarming
2. skeptical and dismissive
3. balanced and analytical
4. passionate and advocating
5. regretful and nostalgic

Passage 3

The following passage is excerpted from a speech delivered by Chief Seattle of the Suquamish tribe in 1854, addressing the proposed transfer of tribal lands to the U.S. government.

    Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. Even the rocks, which seem to be dumb and dead as they swelter (5) in the sun along the silent shore, thrill with memories of stirring events connected with the lives of my people, and the very dust upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to their footsteps than yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors, and our bare feet are conscious of the (10) sympathetic touch. Our departed braves, fond mothers, glad, happy-hearted maidens, and even the little children who lived here and rejoiced here for a brief season, will love these somber solitudes and at eventide they greet shadowy returning spirits. And when the last Red Man shall have perished, (15) and the memory of my tribe shall have become a myth among the White Men, these shores will swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe, and when your children’s children think themselves alone in the field, the store, the shop, upon the highway, or in the silence of the pathless woods, they will not be (20) alone. At night when the streets of your cities and villages are silent and you think them deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts that once filled them and still love this beautiful land.

15. The primary purpose of this passage is to

1. negotiate the financial terms of a land sale
2. express the deep spiritual connection between his people and the land
3. threaten future generations of settlers
4. request that his people be allowed to remain on their land
5. describe the history of conflicts between tribes

16. As used in line 3, the word “hallowed” most nearly means

1. emptied
2. marked
3. made sacred
4. remembered
5. purchased

17. According to the passage, even the rocks and dust of the land

1. belong legally to the tribe
2. contain valuable minerals
3. are imbued with the memory and presence of his ancestors
4. will prevent settlers from farming successfully
5. prove the tribe arrived first

18. The passage suggests that after the tribe has vanished, the land will

1. lose all its natural beauty
2. be empty and lifeless
3. still be inhabited by the spirits of his people
4. become property of another tribe
5. return to wilderness

19. Chief Seattle’s reference to “your children’s children” (lines 17-18) serves to

1. emphasize the enduring presence of his people’s spirits
2. predict that settlers will eventually leave
3. suggest that future generations will return the land
4. threaten harm to the descendants of settlers
5. indicate that his people will intermarry with settlers

20. The overall tone of the passage can best be described as

1. angry and defiant
2. mournful yet dignified
3. optimistic and hopeful
4. detached and objective
5. bitter and vengeful

■ ■ ■   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) – introduce a character at a moment of significant transition
Explanation: This is a Main Idea/Author’s Purpose question. The passage focuses on Clara as she travels westward by train, having just left her old life in Philadelphia to become a schoolteacher, establishing her at a pivotal moment of change (lines 1-10). Choice (A) is wrong because while the landscape is mentioned, it is not the primary focus but rather a backdrop for Clara’s journey. Choice (E) is too broad, as the passage centers on one individual’s experience rather than explaining general economic migration patterns.

2. Ans: (B) – object believed to bring protection
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. Clara turns the watch over “like a talisman” (line 6), suggesting she treats it as something that provides comfort or protection during her uncertain journey. Choice (A) is too neutral and misses the protective, almost magical quality suggested by the simile. Choice (E), while possibly true, does not capture the specific connotation of “talisman” as something that offers spiritual or emotional protection.

3. Ans: (C) – spontaneous and possibly unwise
Explanation: This is a Detail/Inference question. The passage explicitly states the decision was “impulsive, perhaps reckless” (lines 6-7), directly supporting this answer. Choice (A) contradicts the passage since the decision is described as impulsive, not carefully planned. Choice (E) is too narrow, as Clara’s motivations appear more complex than pure adventure-seeking, given her difficult work situation in Philadelphia.

4. Ans: (B) – physically demanding and inadequately compensated
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage describes Clara “mending shirts” with “fingers perpetually pricked and aching” and earning “less than half” of twenty dollars monthly (lines 8-10), indicating both physical hardship and poor pay. Choice (A) is wrong because there is no suggestion the work was intellectually stimulating. Choice (D) is incorrect as shirt-mending does not require years of specialized training.

5. Ans: (B) – Clara’s imaginative speculation
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The woman has “not spoken a single word” (line 14), and Clara “wondered what stories were written” in her face (lines 15-17), showing that the description comes through Clara’s observations and imagination. Choice (A) is factually wrong since the woman has not spoken. Choice (C) is incorrect because the narrator does not provide omniscient access to the woman’s thoughts or history.

6. Ans: (C) – reflective and uncertain
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Clara contemplates her decision, the landscape, and the silent woman, showing reflection, while words like “perhaps reckless” (line 7) and her wondering about the future indicate uncertainty. Choice (A) is wrong because the tone lacks celebration or clear optimism about what lies ahead. Choice (D) is incorrect as there is no bitterness or resentment expressed in Clara’s thoughts.

7. Ans: (D) – leaving and pursuing new opportunities can be simultaneous
Explanation: This is an Inference/Extended Reasoning question. The phrase “fleeing or seeking, or both at once” (lines 19-20) explicitly suggests these motivations can coexist-people can be escaping something while simultaneously pursuing something new. Choice (A) uses the word “contradictory,” but the passage suggests the motivations complement rather than contradict each other. Choice (C) is too extreme and negative, distorting the passage’s nuanced view of migration.

8. Ans: (B) – recent scientific methods have helped explain the Maya collapse through climate data
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage discusses how paleoclimatology and analysis of sediment cores and stalagmites have revealed drought patterns that correlate with the Maya decline (lines 3-8). Choice (C) is too narrow and contradicts the passage, which explicitly rejects simple environmental determinism (line 17). Choice (E) is far too broad, making an overgeneralization the passage does not support.

9. Ans: (C) – analyzing lake sediments and cave formations
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states researchers analyzed “sediment cores extracted from lake beds” and examined “the chemical composition of stalagmites in caves” (lines 5-7). Choice (A) is not mentioned anywhere in the passage. Choice (D) reverses the focus-researchers studied ancient rather than current rainfall patterns.

10. Ans: (C) – corresponding relationship
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. The passage describes a “correlation between severe drought periods and the Maya decline” (line 8), meaning these two phenomena occurred together in a related pattern. Choice (A) is too strong; correlation indicates relationship but not necessarily direct causation. Choice (D) distorts the meaning-correlation is a type of relationship, not definitive proof.

11. Ans: (B) – decreased by approximately forty percent
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that “rainfall may have decreased by as much as forty percent” during severe episodes (line 13). Choice (A) is extreme and inaccurate-the passage describes decreased rainfall, not complete cessation. Choice (C) contradicts the passage entirely, which describes decreased, not increased, rainfall.

12. Ans: (B) – acknowledge and then complicate an overly simple explanation
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose/Structure question. The author states the narrative is “not one of simple environmental determinism” (line 17) and then explains the complex interplay of environmental and social factors, showing some communities adapted successfully. Choice (A) is wrong because the author explicitly rejects, rather than supports, this theory. Choice (E) misrepresents the passage, which argues against environmental determinism.

13. Ans: (C) – changing farming methods and moving to better locations
Explanation: This is a Detail/Inference question. The passage states some communities adapted by “modifying agricultural practices and relocating to areas with more reliable water sources” (lines 18-20). Choice (A) is contradicted by the passage, which notes the Maya lacked “large-scale irrigation infrastructure” (line 14). Choice (E) is extreme and unsupported-they modified, not abandoned, agriculture.

14. Ans: (C) – balanced and analytical
Explanation: This is a Tone question. The author presents multiple perspectives, acknowledges complexity, and avoids extreme claims, using measured language like “complex interplay” (line 21). Choice (A) is wrong because the tone is scholarly and restrained, not sensational. Choice (B) is incorrect as the author takes the evidence seriously rather than dismissing findings.

15. Ans: (B) – express the deep spiritual connection between his people and the land
Explanation: This is a Main Idea/Author’s Purpose question. Chief Seattle describes how “every part of this soil is sacred” (line 1) and emphasizes the enduring spiritual presence of his people throughout the passage. Choice (C) distorts the tone and intent-the passage is reverent, not threatening. Choice (D) is not supported, as he does not request permission to remain but rather describes an eternal spiritual connection.

16. Ans: (C) – made sacred
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. Chief Seattle states every place “has been hallowed by some sad or happy event” (lines 2-3) in the context of describing the land as “sacred” (line 1), indicating hallowed means made sacred or holy. Choice (B) is too weak and neutral, missing the spiritual dimension essential to the word’s meaning here. Choice (D) is related but does not capture the sense of sanctification.

17. Ans: (C) – are imbued with the memory and presence of his ancestors
Explanation: This is a Detail/Inference question. Chief Seattle describes rocks that “thrill with memories of stirring events” (lines 5-6) and dust “rich with the blood of our ancestors” (line 8), showing these elements carry ancestral presence. Choice (A) introduces a legal concept not discussed in the passage. Choice (E) distorts the purpose-he is not making a property claim but a spiritual statement.

18. Ans: (C) – still be inhabited by the spirits of his people
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Chief Seattle states that even after his tribe becomes “a myth,” the shores “will swarm with the invisible dead” (lines 14-16) and the spirits “will throng” the streets (line 21). Choice (A) is not suggested anywhere in the passage. Choice (B) directly contradicts the passage’s assertion of enduring spiritual presence.

19. Ans: (A) – emphasize the enduring presence of his people’s spirits
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose/Structure question. By extending the timeframe to “your children’s children” (lines 17-18), Chief Seattle emphasizes that his people’s spirits will persist far into the future, even when “they think themselves alone” (line 18). Choice (D) misinterprets the passage’s tone-this is a spiritual statement, not a threat. Choice (C) is unsupported, as nothing suggests the land will be returned.

20. Ans: (B) – mournful yet dignified
Explanation: This is a Tone question. Chief Seattle acknowledges the impending loss of his people-“when the last Red Man shall have perished” (line 14)-showing mourning, yet maintains an elevated, respectful tone throughout, demonstrating dignity. Choice (A) is too harsh-while there is sadness, there is no anger or defiance expressed. Choice (E) is incorrect as the passage lacks bitterness or desire for revenge.