SSAT Reading Practice Worksheet - 55

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 had not yet burned off the harbor when Eliza slipped out the kitchen door, her father’s brass telescope tucked beneath her shawl. She had watched him for three years now, charting the phases of Venus from the widow’s walk, recording his observations in leather-bound journals that (5) filled an entire shelf in his study. He had never once invited her to look through the lens herself, though she had committed to memory every adjustment he made to the instrument, every calculation he scratched onto his papers.     The rocks along the breakwater were slick (10) with seaweed, and twice she nearly lost her footing as she made her way to the flat granite outcrop where she could see the eastern horizon unobstructed. The telescope was heavier than she had anticipated, its weight unfamiliar in her hands. She extended the brass (15) tubes and trained the instrument on the pale disk of the waning moon, still visible in the lightening sky. The craters leapt into sudden clarity, each shadow and ridge rendered in astonishing detail. For a moment she forgot the chill wind, forgot the risk (20) of discovery, forgot everything but the ancient pockmarked surface hanging impossibly close before her eye.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

1. describe the technical workings of an astronomical telescope
2. portray a young woman’s pursuit of forbidden knowledge
3. explain the challenges faced by early astronomers
4. criticize a father’s treatment of his daughter
5. compare different methods of celestial observation

2. As used in line 4, the word "charting" most nearly means

1. navigating
2. sketching
3. recording
4. planning
5. measuring

3. The passage suggests that Eliza’s knowledge of the telescope was gained primarily through

1. formal instruction from her father
2. reading scientific journals
3. careful observation of her father’s work
4. experimentation with other instruments
5. conversations with professional astronomers

4. The description of the rocks as "slick with seaweed" (lines 9-10) primarily serves to

1. emphasize the dangers Eliza faces in her pursuit
2. establish the coastal setting of the narrative
3. suggest that Eliza is inexperienced with outdoor activities
4. foreshadow Eliza’s eventual failure
5. contrast the natural world with scientific instruments

5. The statement that the telescope was "heavier than she had anticipated" (line 13) most strongly suggests that

1. Eliza lacks the physical strength for astronomical work
2. her father’s telescope is unusually large
3. Eliza has never handled the instrument before
4. the telescope has been poorly maintained
5. Eliza is too young to use scientific equipment

6. The tone of the final sentence (lines 17-21) can best be described as

1. anxious and fearful
2. triumphant and defiant
3. awed and absorbed
4. disappointed and resigned
5. curious and detached

7. Which of the following best describes the relationship between Eliza and her father as presented in the passage?

1. He actively encourages her scientific interests.
2. He is unaware of her intellectual capabilities.
3. He has excluded her from his astronomical work.
4. He openly opposes her educational ambitions.
5. He shares his observations with her regularly.

Passage 2

The following passage is adapted from an article about historical linguistics.

    The decipherment of Linear B, the ancient script of Mycenaean Greece, stands as one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable intellectual achievements. For fifty years after British archaeologist Arthur Evans unearthed clay tablets inscribed with the mysterious symbols at Knossos in 1900, (5) scholars struggled fruitlessly to unlock their meaning. The script appeared to be a syllabary rather than an alphabet, with each symbol representing a complete syllable, but the underlying language remained maddeningly obscure. Many experts assumed it recorded the unknown tongue of the pre-Greek Minoans.     Michael (10) Ventris, a young British architect with no formal training in classical philology, approached the problem with fresh eyes. Unlike professional scholars wedded to the Minoan hypothesis, Ventris entertained the radical notion that Linear B might actually transcribe an early form of Greek (15) itself. Working methodically through frequency analyses and careful comparison of repeated sign groups, he identified symbols likely to represent common syllables. In 1952, after years of painstaking work, Ventris demonstrated that tablets from Pylos contained recognizable Greek words for common commodities like (20) wheat and olive oil. The archaic form of Greek preserved in Linear B proved to be centuries older than the Homeric epics, pushing back the documented history of the Greek language by half a millennium.

8. The primary purpose of the passage is to

1. describe the archaeological methods used at Knossos
2. explain how an ancient script was successfully decoded
3. argue for the superiority of untrained scholars over professionals
4. trace the development of the Greek language over time
5. compare different ancient writing systems

9. According to the passage, Linear B differs from an alphabet in that it

1. uses pictographic rather than abstract symbols
2. represents syllables rather than individual sounds
3. records an unknown language
4. was inscribed on clay tablets
5. contains symbols for common commodities

10. As used in line 8, the word "obscure" most nearly means

1. hidden
2. ancient
3. unclear
4. unimportant
5. damaged

11. The passage indicates that many scholars initially believed Linear B recorded

1. an early form of Greek
2. the Minoan language
3. Homeric epics
4. commercial transactions only
5. architectural specifications

12. The author’s description of Ventris as having "no formal training in classical philology" (line 11) primarily serves to

1. explain why his decipherment contained errors
2. emphasize the surprising nature of his achievement
3. criticize the professional scholars who preceded him
4. suggest that linguistic training is unnecessary
5. contrast his architectural background with his linguistic work

13. The passage suggests that Ventris’s key insight was to

1. conduct frequency analyses of the symbols
2. examine tablets from multiple archaeological sites
3. consider that Linear B might represent Greek
4. identify symbols for common commodities
5. compare Linear B with other ancient scripts

14. The decipherment of Linear B is significant primarily because it

1. vindicated Arthur Evans’s archaeological methods
2. proved that Mycenaean culture was more advanced than previously thought
3. revealed the existence of previously unknown Greek myths
4. extended the documented history of Greek by five hundred years
5. demonstrated that ancient scripts can be decoded without professional training

Passage 3

The following is excerpted from Chief Joseph’s surrender speech, delivered in the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana Territory in 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, Tu-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 where (10) 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 (15) the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.

15. The primary purpose of the speech is to

1. negotiate better terms of surrender
2. announce the end of armed resistance
3. criticize General Howard’s tactics
4. memorialize the fallen chiefs
5. request supplies for the winter

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

1. I feel emotional about it
2. I remember it
3. I believe it to be true
4. I treasure it
5. I am wounded by it

17. The statement "It is the young men who say yes or no" (lines 4-5) suggests that

1. young men are more impulsive than their elders
2. traditional leadership structures have broken down
3. Chief Joseph has lost authority over his people
4. the young men are eager to continue fighting
5. General Howard must negotiate with different leaders

18. Chief Joseph mentions the children primarily in order to

1. explain why immediate surrender is necessary
2. request medical assistance from General Howard
3. emphasize the cruelty of the American forces
4. describe the geography of the Bear Paw Mountains
5. illustrate the courage of his people

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

1. bitter and accusatory
2. hopeful and optimistic
3. exhausted and sorrowful
4. formal and ceremonial
5. defiant and proud

20. The final sentence (lines 14-15) is effective primarily because it

1. uses formal rhetoric appropriate for addressing military officers
2. combines a concrete image with an absolute statement of intent
3. contradicts the defeated tone of the preceding sentences
4. appeals to General Howard’s sense of honor
5. summarizes the military situation objectively

■ ■ ■   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 young woman’s pursuit of forbidden knowledge
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage centers on Eliza secretly taking her father’s telescope to observe the moon herself, something she has been excluded from doing (lines 5-6). Choice (A) is wrong because the passage focuses on Eliza’s experience rather than technical details. Choice (D) is too strong; the passage shows exclusion but does not criticize the father directly.

2. Ans: (C) – recording
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 4, the father is "charting the phases of Venus" and "recording his observations," which makes "recording" the correct meaning. Choice (A) "navigating" is a common meaning of "charting" but does not fit the astronomical context. Choice (B) "sketching" is too narrow, as the father is documenting data, not drawing pictures.

3. Ans: (C) – careful observation of her father’s work
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Lines 5-7 state that Eliza "had committed to memory every adjustment he made to the instrument, every calculation he scratched onto his papers." Choice (A) is contradicted by line 5, which notes he "never once invited her to look through the lens." Choice (B) is not mentioned in the passage.

4. Ans: (A) – emphasize the dangers Eliza faces in her pursuit
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The detail that Eliza "nearly lost her footing" twice on the slick rocks (line 10) emphasizes the physical risk she takes. Choice (B) is too narrow; the coastal setting has already been established with the harbor reference. Choice (D) is wrong because Eliza succeeds in viewing the moon.

5. Ans: (C) – Eliza has never handled the instrument before
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The telescope’s weight being "unfamiliar in her hands" (line 14) indicates she has not held it before, consistent with her father never inviting her to use it (lines 5-6). Choice (A) misinterprets the detail; unfamiliarity, not weakness, is suggested. Choice (B) is not supported; the passage gives no indication the telescope is unusually large.

6. Ans: (C) – awed and absorbed
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Lines 17-21 describe Eliza forgetting "everything but the ancient pockmarked surface hanging impossibly close," conveying wonder and complete absorption. Choice (A) is wrong because, although "risk of discovery" is mentioned (line 19), this phrase describes what she forgot, not her emotional state. Choice (B) is incorrect because there is no defiance in the moment of observation.

7. Ans: (C) – He has excluded her from his astronomical work.
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. Line 5 explicitly states the father "had never once invited her to look through the lens," and Eliza must take the telescope secretly (line 2). Choice (A) directly contradicts this exclusion. Choice (D) is too strong; the passage shows exclusion but not open opposition.

8. Ans: (B) – explain how an ancient script was successfully decoded
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage describes the fifty-year mystery of Linear B (lines 1-8) and then explains Ventris’s successful decipherment (lines 9-22). Choice (A) is too narrow; Knossos is mentioned only as the discovery site (line 4). Choice (C) distorts the passage; Ventris’s lack of formal training is noted but not used to argue for superiority of untrained scholars.

9. Ans: (B) – represents syllables rather than individual sounds
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Lines 5-7 state that Linear B "appeared to be a syllabary rather than an alphabet, with each symbol representing a complete syllable." Choice (A) is not mentioned in the passage. Choice (C) is wrong because the passage reveals Linear B does record a known language: Greek (lines 13-14).

10. Ans: (C) – unclear
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. Line 8 states "the underlying language remained maddeningly obscure," meaning scholars could not determine what it was. Choice (A) "hidden" suggests intentional concealment rather than unknowability. Choice (D) "unimportant" contradicts the entire passage, which treats the decipherment as a major achievement.

11. Ans: (B) – the Minoan language
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Lines 8-9 state "Many experts assumed it recorded the unknown tongue of the pre-Greek Minoans." Choice (A) contradicts this; the Greek hypothesis was Ventris’s "radical notion" (line 13). Choice (D) is too narrow; even if tablets contained commercial information, scholars were theorizing about the language itself.

12. Ans: (B) – emphasize the surprising nature of his achievement
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The phrase highlights the unexpected fact that someone without professional training solved a problem that had stumped experts for fifty years (lines 3-4). Choice (D) goes too far; the passage does not suggest training is unnecessary in general. Choice (C) is wrong; the passage does not criticize the professional scholars.

13. Ans: (C) – consider that Linear B might represent Greek
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Lines 11-14 explain that Ventris "entertained the radical notion that Linear B might actually transcribe an early form of Greek itself," which was key since other scholars assumed it was Minoan. Choice (A) describes a method Ventris used (line 15), but not the key insight. Choice (D) describes the result of his work (lines 18-20), not the insight that led to success.

14. Ans: (D) – extended the documented history of Greek by five hundred years
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. Lines 20-22 state that Linear B "proved to be centuries older than the Homeric epics, pushing back the documented history of the Greek language by half a millennium." Choice (B) makes a claim about cultural advancement that the passage does not support. Choice (C) is wrong; the passage mentions commodities like wheat and oil (lines 19-20), not myths.

15. Ans: (B) – announce the end of armed resistance
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The speech culminates in the declaration "From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever" (lines 14-15), announcing surrender. Choice (A) is wrong; Chief Joseph announces surrender but does not negotiate terms. Choice (E) is too narrow; while he mentions lack of blankets (line 6), the primary purpose is to declare the end of fighting.

16. Ans: (B) – I remember it
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In lines 1-2, Chief Joseph says "What he told me before, I have it in my heart," indicating he recalls General Howard’s earlier words. Choice (A) is too vague; the phrase refers specifically to retaining information, not general emotion. Choice (E) "I am wounded by it" reverses the relationship; the phrase is not about being hurt.

17. Ans: (B) – traditional leadership structures have broken down
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Chief Joseph explains that "The old men are all dead" (line 4) and now "It is the young men who say yes or no" (lines 4-5), indicating that normal leadership has collapsed. Choice (D) contradicts the speech; Chief Joseph is surrendering, not describing eagerness to fight. Choice (E) is not suggested; Chief Joseph speaks as the leader.

18. Ans: (A) – explain why immediate surrender is necessary
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. Chief Joseph describes "little children are freezing to death" (lines 6-7) and children possibly "among the dead" (line 12) to justify why he must stop fighting immediately. Choice (C) goes beyond the text; he describes conditions but does not explicitly accuse American forces of cruelty. Choice (D) is irrelevant; geography is not the focus of the children reference.

19. Ans: (C) – exhausted and sorrowful
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Chief Joseph states "I am tired of fighting" (line 3), "I am tired; my heart is sick and sad" (lines 13-14), and describes multiple deaths and suffering throughout. Choice (A) is wrong; while he describes suffering, he is not accusatory toward General Howard. Choice (B) contradicts the pervasive sadness and resignation in the speech.

20. Ans: (B) – combines a concrete image with an absolute statement of intent
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The phrase "From where the sun now stands" (lines 14-15) provides a specific physical image, paired with the unequivocal commitment "I will fight no more forever." Choice (C) is wrong; the final sentence is consistent with, not contradictory to, the defeated tone. Choice (D) is not supported; the sentence is a declaration, not an appeal to honor.