SSAT Reading Practice Worksheet - 78

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 just as Aunt Vera handed me the wicker basket, and I nearly dropped it onto the platform. Inside, something rustled-whether paper or fabric, I couldn’t tell. She pressed a gloved hand to the window as the carriage (5) began to slide past her, her lips forming words I couldn’t hear over the hiss of steam and the conductor’s whistle. I wanted to ask what she meant, to call out that I didn’t understand the instructions she’d been whispering all morning, but the station was already receding, the platform narrowing to a grey ribbon behind us.     I found an (10) empty compartment and set the basket on the seat opposite. Through the window, the countryside began to assert itself: hedgerows gave way to open fields, and then to the dark line of the forest that marked the border of the county. I had never traveled this far west alone. The other passengers (15) in the corridor spoke in low tones, their conversations blending into the rhythmic clatter of the wheels. I untied the basket’s latch. Beneath a covering of linen lay three jars of preserves, a wedge of hard cheese, and-folded carefully at the bottom-a letter addressed in my mother’s hand to someone named Clarke, a name I (20) had never heard her speak.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

1. describe the narrator’s first experience traveling by train
2. establish the narrator’s uncertainty about a journey and its purpose
3. contrast the narrator’s expectations with the reality of travel
4. illustrate the close relationship between the narrator and Aunt Vera
5. explain why the narrator is carrying a letter to a stranger

2. As used in line 7, the word “receding” most nearly means

1. withdrawing
2. declining
3. collapsing
4. deteriorating
5. vanishing

3. The narrator’s description of Aunt Vera in lines 3-7 suggests that

1. Aunt Vera was reluctant to let the narrator leave
2. Aunt Vera was trying to communicate something important that the narrator could not hear
3. the narrator felt angry at Aunt Vera for being unclear
4. Aunt Vera had forgotten to give the narrator essential items
5. the narrator and Aunt Vera had argued before the departure

4. The detail that the narrator “had never traveled this far west alone” (lines 13-14) primarily serves to

1. explain why the narrator is nervous about the journey
2. emphasize the unfamiliar and significant nature of the trip
3. suggest that the narrator usually travels with companions
4. indicate that the narrator lacks experience with train travel
5. contrast the narrator’s past travels with this particular journey

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

1. anxious and foreboding
2. curious and uncertain
3. melancholic and regretful
4. excited and optimistic
5. detached and objective

6. The narrator’s discovery of the letter in lines 18-21 suggests that

1. Aunt Vera had packed the basket without the narrator’s knowledge
2. the narrator’s mother had concealed the true purpose of the journey
3. the preserves and cheese were meant to disguise the letter
4. the narrator was expected to deliver the letter without reading it
5. Clarke is a relative the narrator had forgotten about

7. Which of the following best describes the narrative structure of the passage?

1. A chronological account that moves from departure through discovery
2. A flashback that reveals the narrator’s relationship with Aunt Vera
3. A comparison between the narrator’s past and present experiences
4. An explanation of the narrator’s motivation for making the journey
5. A detailed description of the English countryside in transition

Passage 2

The following passage is adapted from an article on urban ecology.

    When ecologists first began studying cities in the 1970s, they approached urban environments as biological deserts-zones where human activity had essentially erased meaningful ecological processes. This perspective has shifted dramatically. Contemporary urban ecology recognizes (5) cities not as voids but as novel ecosystems with their own distinctive assemblages of species, energy flows, and evolutionary pressures. The changes are not merely academic. Understanding urban ecosystems has practical implications for public health, climate adaptation, and conservation strategy.     Consider the peregrine falcon. (10) Once nearly extinct in North America due to DDT contamination, this raptor has rebounded remarkably, and not primarily in wilderness areas. Peregrine falcons now thrive on the ledges of skyscrapers, which mimic the cliff faces they ancestrally preferred, hunting pigeons amid the steel canyons of major metropolises. Their adaptation (15) illustrates a broader pattern: certain species do not merely tolerate urban conditions but exploit them. City environments offer concentrated food sources, fewer native predators, and microclimates that moderate temperature extremes.     Yet urbanization also exerts novel selective pressures. Research on European blackbirds has revealed measurable genetic divergence between (20) urban and rural populations after fewer than thirty generations-a blink of an eye in evolutionary terms. Urban blackbirds exhibit bolder behavior around humans, different song patterns to compete with traffic noise, and altered migration timing. Whether such changes represent adaptation or simply phenotypic plasticity remains debated, but the speed of divergence is striking.

8. The main idea of the passage is that

1. urban environments were once considered biologically unimportant but are now understood as unique ecosystems
2. peregrine falcons have made a remarkable recovery due to conservation efforts
3. cities provide better habitats for wildlife than natural environments
4. evolutionary change occurs more rapidly in urban areas than in wilderness
5. ecologists in the 1970s lacked the tools to study urban wildlife effectively

9. As used in line 5, the word “novel” most nearly means

1. fictional
2. romantic
3. new
4. literary
5. entertaining

10. According to the passage, the peregrine falcon’s recovery occurred primarily in

1. protected wilderness reserves
2. areas where DDT use was banned earliest
3. urban environments with tall buildings
4. coastal cliff regions of North America
5. national parks with restricted human access

11. The author mentions that skyscrapers “mimic the cliff faces” (line 13) in order to

1. explain why peregrine falcons find urban environments suitable
2. argue that cities should be designed with wildlife in mind
3. suggest that urban architecture accidentally benefits certain species
4. illustrate the similarities between natural and human-made structures
5. demonstrate that peregrine falcons prefer cities to wilderness areas

12. The passage suggests that the genetic divergence in European blackbirds is particularly significant because

1. it proves that urbanization harms wildlife populations
2. it occurred over a remarkably short period of time
3. it shows that blackbirds are more adaptable than other species
4. it contradicts previous theories about bird evolution
5. it demonstrates that urban birds no longer migrate

13. The author’s tone in the passage can best be described as

1. skeptical and critical
2. informative and measured
3. enthusiastic and promotional
4. alarmed and urgent
5. nostalgic and reflective

14. The distinction the author makes between “adaptation” and “phenotypic plasticity” (line 23) implies that

1. urban blackbirds may be changing due to environmental flexibility rather than genetic evolution
2. scientists disagree about whether blackbirds can survive in cities
3. genetic changes always occur more slowly than behavioral changes
4. phenotypic plasticity is a more important evolutionary mechanism than adaptation
5. urban and rural blackbirds are actually different species

Passage 3

The following is adapted from Chief Seattle’s speech delivered in 1854 in response to an offer from the United States government to purchase tribal lands.

    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 (5) earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every 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 (10) 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 and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the deer, the (15) 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 (20) Great Chief sends word he will reserve us a place so that we can live comfortably to ourselves. He will be our father and we will be his children. So we will consider your offer to buy our land. But it will not be easy. For this land is sacred to us.

15. The primary purpose of the passage is to

1. reject the government’s offer to purchase tribal lands
2. express a worldview that sees land as sacred and inseparable from identity
3. describe the natural beauty of the speaker’s homeland
4. argue that the white man does not understand nature
5. negotiate better terms for the sale of tribal territory

16. As used in line 7, the word “courses” most nearly means

1. classes
2. routes
3. flows
4. races
5. programs

17. The rhetorical question that opens the passage (lines 1-2) primarily serves to

1. express genuine confusion about the government’s proposal
2. challenge the assumption that natural elements can be treated as property
3. request clarification about the terms of the land sale
4. compare the speaker’s culture with that of the white man
5. introduce a philosophical debate about ownership

18. The contrast the speaker makes between the white man’s dead and “our dead” (lines 9-11) suggests that

1. the speaker’s people have superior burial practices
2. white people are less spiritual than Native Americans
3. the speaker’s people maintain a lasting spiritual connection to their land
4. the dead of both cultures eventually reunite with nature
5. white people do not honor their ancestors properly

19. The speaker’s reference to “the Great Chief in Washington” (lines 18-19 and 20-21) can best be described as

1. respectful but distant
2. sarcastic and dismissive
3. fearful and submissive
4. affectionate and trusting
5. hostile and confrontational

20. The statement “But it will not be easy” (lines 22-23) implies that

1. the negotiations will be financially complicated
2. the speaker’s people will resist the sale violently
3. selling the land conflicts deeply with the speaker’s spiritual beliefs
4. the speaker doubts the government will honor its promises
5. the land is too valuable to sell at any price

■ ■ ■   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 the narrator’s uncertainty about a journey and its purpose
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage focuses on the narrator’s confused state regarding Aunt Vera’s instructions (lines 6-7), the unknown destination, and the mysterious letter to someone named Clarke (lines 19-21), all of which establish uncertainty about the journey’s purpose. Choice (A) is too narrow, focusing only on train travel rather than the larger mystery. Choice (E) is wrong because the passage does not explain why the letter is being carried-the narrator has just discovered it.

2. Ans: (A) – withdrawing
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 7, “receding” describes the station moving away from the narrator’s view as the train departs, which matches “withdrawing.” Choice (B) “declining” suggests deterioration or refusal, which does not fit the physical movement described. Choice (D) “deteriorating” implies decay, which is unrelated to the spatial movement of the station from the narrator’s perspective.

3. Ans: (B) – Aunt Vera was trying to communicate something important that the narrator could not hear
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage describes Aunt Vera’s lips “forming words I couldn’t hear” (lines 5-6) and references “instructions she’d been whispering all morning” (line 7), suggesting attempted communication that failed due to the noise. Choice (A) may seem plausible, but the text emphasizes communication failure, not reluctance to part. Choice (C) is wrong because the narrator expresses confusion and a desire to understand, not anger.

4. Ans: (B) – emphasize the unfamiliar and significant nature of the trip
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The detail in lines 13-14 highlights that this journey is both geographically distant and unprecedented for the narrator, emphasizing its importance and unfamiliarity. Choice (A) is too narrow-while the narrator may be nervous, the detail primarily marks significance rather than explaining nervousness. Choice (D) is incorrect because the passage shows the narrator is competent with train travel; the issue is the destination, not the mode of transport.

5. Ans: (B) – curious and uncertain
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The narrator expresses curiosity about the journey and the basket’s contents while remaining uncertain about Aunt Vera’s instructions and the letter’s significance (lines 6-7, 19-21). Choice (A) is too strong-there is no foreboding or anxiety explicitly present. Choice (C) is wrong because there is no melancholy or regret expressed; the narrator is looking forward and discovering, not looking back with sadness.

6. Ans: (B) – the narrator’s mother had concealed the true purpose of the journey
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The letter is in the mother’s handwriting and addressed to someone the narrator has “never heard her speak” (lines 20-21), hidden at the bottom of the basket, suggesting deliberate concealment of the journey’s true purpose. Choice (A) is incorrect because the mother, not Aunt Vera, wrote the letter and presumably packed it. Choice (E) is wrong because the passage explicitly states the narrator had “never heard her speak” the name Clarke, ruling out a forgotten relative.

7. Ans: (A) – A chronological account that moves from departure through discovery
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The passage follows a linear timeline: departure from the station (lines 1-7), settling into the train (lines 8-15), and discovering the letter (lines 16-21). Choice (B) is incorrect because there is no flashback; all events occur in the present moment of the journey. Choice (D) is wrong because the narrator’s motivation is not explained-in fact, the narrator seems unaware of the journey’s true purpose.

8. Ans: (A) – urban environments were once considered biologically unimportant but are now understood as unique ecosystems
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage explicitly contrasts the 1970s view of cities as “biological deserts” (line 2) with the contemporary recognition of cities as “novel ecosystems” (lines 4-5). Choice (B) is too narrow, focusing only on one example rather than the broader shift in ecological perspective. Choice (C) reverses the passage’s meaning-the passage does not claim cities are better habitats, only that they are distinctive ecosystems.

9. Ans: (C) – new
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 5, “novel ecosystems” refers to unprecedented or new types of ecosystems created by urbanization, making “new” the correct meaning. Choice (A) “fictional” uses another meaning of “novel” but does not fit the context of describing real urban ecosystems. Choice (D) “literary” relates to novels as books but is completely inappropriate in this scientific context.

10. Ans: (C) – urban environments with tall buildings
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that peregrine falcons “now thrive on the ledges of skyscrapers” (lines 11-12) and that their rebounding occurred “not primarily in wilderness areas” (line 11). Choice (A) directly contradicts line 11. Choice (B) may be true but is not stated in the passage, making it a classic SSAT trap answer.

11. Ans: (A) – explain why peregrine falcons find urban environments suitable
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The passage mentions that skyscrapers “mimic the cliff faces they ancestrally preferred” (line 13) to explain the falcon’s successful adaptation to cities. Choice (C) is too broad-the author is not making a general point about accidental benefits but specifically explaining falcon adaptation. Choice (E) is wrong because the passage does not claim falcons prefer cities, only that they thrive there.

12. Ans: (B) – it occurred over a remarkably short period of time
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage emphasizes that divergence occurred “after fewer than thirty generations-a blink of an eye in evolutionary terms” (lines 20-22), highlighting the speed as significant. Choice (A) reverses the passage’s meaning-the divergence shows adaptation, not harm. Choice (D) is not supported; the passage does not mention contradicting previous theories.

13. Ans: (B) – informative and measured
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The author presents scientific information objectively, acknowledging ongoing debates (line 23) while conveying factual developments in urban ecology. Choice (C) is too strong-the author is not promotional or enthusiastic but balanced. Choice (D) is incorrect because there is no alarm or urgency expressed; the tone remains neutral and academic throughout.

14. Ans: (A) – urban blackbirds may be changing due to environmental flexibility rather than genetic evolution
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. The passage states that “whether such changes represent adaptation or simply phenotypic plasticity remains debated” (lines 22-23), with phenotypic plasticity referring to behavioral flexibility rather than genetic change. Choice (E) is too extreme-divergence does not mean they are different species, only that populations show measurable differences. Choice (C) distorts the passage, which does not compare the speed of different types of changes.

15. Ans: (B) – express a worldview that sees land as sacred and inseparable from identity
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. Throughout the passage, Chief Seattle articulates a spiritual relationship with the land, stating “every part of this earth is sacred to my people” (lines 3-5) and “we are part of the earth and it is part of us” (lines 13-14). Choice (A) is too narrow and inaccurate-the speaker says “we will consider your offer” (line 21), not reject it outright. Choice (D) is too broad-the passage focuses on expressing a worldview, not arguing against the white man’s understanding.

16. Ans: (C) – flows
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 7, “the sap which courses through the trees” describes liquid moving through tree trunks, making “flows” the correct meaning. Choice (A) “classes” uses an unrelated meaning of “courses” that does not fit the physical movement of sap. Choice (D) “races” suggests speed that is not implied in the context of sap movement.

17. Ans: (B) – challenge the assumption that natural elements can be treated as property
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The opening question “How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land?” (lines 1-2) is rhetorical, challenging the very premise that elements of nature can be commodified. Choice (A) is incorrect because the question is rhetorical, not genuine-the speaker knows how he feels. Choice (E) is too neutral-the speaker is not introducing a debate but asserting a position.

18. Ans: (C) – the speaker’s people maintain a lasting spiritual connection to their land
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The contrast shows that while “the white man’s dead forget the country of their birth,” the speaker’s dead “never forget this beautiful earth” (lines 9-11), indicating an enduring spiritual bond to the land. Choice (B) is too broad-the passage does not make a general claim about spirituality overall, only about connection to land. Choice (D) contradicts the passage, which states the white man’s dead forget the earth.

19. Ans: (A) – respectful but distant
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The formal title “Great Chief” (lines 18, 20) shows respect, but the entire passage maintains emotional distance by emphasizing fundamental differences in worldview. Choice (B) is too strong-there is no sarcasm evident in the references. Choice (C) is incorrect because while the speaker is cautious, there is no fear or submission expressed; the speaker maintains dignity and autonomy.

20. Ans: (C) – selling the land conflicts deeply with the speaker’s spiritual beliefs
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Given the entire passage’s emphasis on the sacred nature of the land (lines 3-5, 23) and the people’s inseparable connection to it (lines 13-14), “it will not be easy” (line 22) refers to the spiritual and emotional difficulty of the decision. Choice (A) is wrong because the difficulty described is spiritual, not logistical or financial. Choice (E) contradicts line 21, where the speaker says “we will consider your offer,” indicating sale is possible.