Reading Passage for HSPT - 8

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 ferry lurched as it pulled away from the Kowloon pier, and Maya gripped the salt-crusted railing, watching the harbor churn gray-green beneath her. She had lived in Hong Kong for three months now, teaching English at a school (5) in Wan Chai, yet the crossing still unsettled her. The junk boats with their rust-colored sails drifted past like exhausted dancers, and somewhere in the haze ahead, Victoria Peak loomed, invisible today in the monsoon fog.

    Her brother’s letter sat folded in her jacket pocket. He was (10) getting married in Oregon in two weeks, and he wanted her home. Home. The word felt strange now, remote as the mountain she couldn’t see. She’d left Portland to escape the sameness of it all – the rainy Tuesdays, the coffee shop where everyone knew her name, the life that felt like (15) a dress rehearsal for something that never arrived. Yet now, pressed among strangers on a diesel-scented ferry, she wondered if she’d simply traded one kind of loneliness for another.

    A child beside her dropped a plastic toy, and Maya bent to retrieve it. The mother (20) smiled at her, said something in Cantonese, then turned back to the window. Maya held the toy for a moment before handing it back, feeling the weight of all the conversations she couldn’t have.

1. The passage is narrated from the perspective of

1. an immigrant who has permanently relocated to Hong Kong
2. a young woman temporarily living abroad
3. a teacher returning home after many years away
4. a tourist visiting Hong Kong for the first time

2. As used in line 5, the word unsettled most nearly means

1. disturbed
2. relocated
3. undecided
4. unresolved

3. Maya’s description of the junk boats as “exhausted dancers” (line 7) suggests that they appear

1. graceful but weary
2. colorful and energetic
3. dangerous and unstable
4. ancient and valuable

4. According to the passage, Maya left Portland because she

1. received a job offer in Hong Kong
2. wanted to escape a monotonous existence
3. was following a romantic partner abroad
4. had always dreamed of living in Asia

5. The passage suggests that Maya’s current feelings about her decision to move are best characterized as

1. confident and satisfied
2. regretful and defeated
3. uncertain and conflicted
4. optimistic and adventurous

6. The detail about the child’s mother speaking in Cantonese (line 20) primarily serves to emphasize

1. the diversity of languages spoken in Hong Kong
2. Maya’s sense of cultural and linguistic isolation
3. the friendliness of local residents toward foreigners
4. the importance of learning Cantonese for teachers

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

1. melancholy and introspective
2. bitter and resentful
3. hopeful and determined
4. anxious and fearful

Passage 2

The following passage is adapted from a general-audience psychology article.

    For decades, psychologists assumed that human memory functioned much like a video camera, faithfully recording events and storing them for later playback. This model has been thoroughly dismantled. Research now confirms that memory is reconstructive (5) rather than reproductive – each time we recall an event, we rebuild it from fragments, and in doing so, we often alter it.

    Elizabeth Loftus’s pioneering work in the 1970s demonstrated how easily memories could be contaminated. In one famous experiment, participants watched footage of (10) a car accident. Afterward, some were asked, “How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?” while others heard the neutral verb “hit.” Those who heard “smashed” not only estimated higher speeds but were also more likely to falsely remember seeing broken glass at the scene, (15) though none existed in the footage.

    The implications extend far beyond laboratory curiosities. Eyewitness testimony, long considered the gold standard of criminal evidence, is now recognized as disturbingly unreliable. The Innocence Project has used DNA evidence to exonerate more than 375 (20) wrongfully convicted individuals, and mistaken eyewitness identification played a role in approximately seventy percent of these cases. Memory, it turns out, is less a archival system than a living narrative, constantly revised by suggestion, emotion, and the passage of time itself.

8. The primary purpose of the passage is to

1. describe the career of Elizabeth Loftus
2. challenge a common misconception about memory
3. argue for reforms in the criminal justice system
4. explain how video cameras record events

9. According to the passage, the “video camera” model of memory (lines 2-3) held that memory is

1. reconstructive and changeable
2. accurate and permanent
3. influenced by suggestion
4. unreliable in criminal cases

10. As used in line 9, the word contaminated most nearly means

1. infected
2. polluted
3. distorted
4. destroyed

11. In Loftus’s experiment, participants who heard the word “smashed”

1. remembered the accident more accurately than other participants
2. were less likely to recall details about the car accident
3. reported false memories of broken glass
4. refused to estimate the speed of the vehicles

12. The passage suggests that eyewitness testimony is problematic because

1. witnesses intentionally lie in approximately seventy percent of cases
2. memory is subject to distortion and influence
3. DNA evidence is more expensive to collect
4. criminals are rarely convicted based on eyewitness accounts

13. The author mentions the Innocence Project primarily to

1. illustrate the real-world consequences of unreliable memory
2. criticize the use of DNA evidence in criminal trials
3. praise the work of Elizabeth Loftus
4. demonstrate that all eyewitness testimony should be dismissed

14. The comparison of memory to a “living narrative” (line 23) emphasizes that memory is

1. based entirely on fictional stories
2. dynamic and subject to change
3. more accurate than previously believed
4. unaffected by emotion or time

Passage 3

The following passage is adapted from Rachel Carson’s testimony before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Reorganization and International Organizations, June 4, 1963.

    Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I appreciate this opportunity to present my views on the biological problems created by the widespread use of chemical pesticides. The public is rightly concerned, for we are adding these chemicals to our (5) environment at a rate that far exceeds our knowledge of their long-term effects. We are, in effect, conducting a massive experiment, and the subjects of this experiment are not merely the insects we seek to control, but all forms of life, including ourselves.

    It is not my contention that chemical pesticides must never (10) be used. I do contend that we have put poisonous and biologically potent chemicals indiscriminately into the hands of persons largely or wholly ignorant of their potential for harm. We have subjected enormous numbers of people to contact with these poisons, without their consent and often without (15) their knowledge. I believe we must develop methods of pest control that are biologically sound and that recognize the living world as a complex and interrelated system, not as a collection of separate elements to be manipulated at will.

    The chemical industry maintains that these (20) substances are safe when properly used, but the word “properly” is seldom defined. Furthermore, vast quantities of these chemicals now contaminate soil, water, and even the bodies of organisms far removed from the sites of application. This is not proper use – this is biological irresponsibility.

15. Carson’s main argument in this testimony is that

1. all use of chemical pesticides should be immediately banned
2. pesticides are being used without adequate understanding of their risks
3. the chemical industry intentionally deceives the public
4. insects have become resistant to most available pesticides

16. As used in line 10, the word contention most nearly means

1. dispute
2. assertion
3. struggle
4. competition

17. According to the passage, the “massive experiment” (line 7) involves

1. only the insect populations targeted by pesticides
2. all living organisms, including humans
3. laboratory animals used in testing
4. volunteers who have consented to participate

18. Carson criticizes the current use of pesticides because

1. they are completely ineffective at controlling pests
2. they are too expensive for most farmers to afford
3. people are exposed to them without consent or knowledge
4. they have been banned in other countries

19. Carson’s statement that the living world is “a complex and interrelated system” (line 17) suggests that

1. pesticides affect only their intended targets
2. chemical effects can spread beyond their initial application
3. all organisms respond identically to chemical exposure
4. nature is too complicated to be studied scientifically

20. The tone of Carson’s testimony can best be described as

1. sarcastic and dismissive
2. calm and reasoned
3. panicked and alarmist
4. optimistic and celebratory

Answer Key

1. Ans: (B) – a young woman temporarily living abroad
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that Maya “had lived in Hong Kong for three months now” (lines 3-4) and that her brother wants her home in two weeks, indicating her stay is temporary. Choice (A) is incorrect because nothing suggests permanence. Choice (C) is wrong because she has been away only three months, not many years.

2. Ans: (C) – disturbed
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 5, Maya feels “unsettled” by the ferry crossing, which describes her emotional discomfort or unease. Choice (B) uses the word “relocated,” which relates to physical movement rather than emotional state. Choice (D), “unresolved,” applies to problems or questions, not feelings about a ferry ride.

3. Ans: (A) – graceful but weary
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Comparing the boats to dancers (line 7) suggests grace, while “exhausted” conveys weariness. Choice (B) is incorrect because “exhausted” contradicts “energetic.” Choice (C) is wrong because nothing in the passage suggests danger or instability in the boats’ movement.

4. Ans: (B) – wanted to escape a monotonous existence
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states she “left Portland to escape the sameness of it all” (lines 12-13). Choice (A) is plausible but not stated in the passage. Choice (C) is incorrect because no romantic partner is mentioned as a reason for her move.

5. Ans: (C) – uncertain and conflicted
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Maya wonders if she’d “simply traded one kind of loneliness for another” (lines 16-17), revealing doubt about her decision. Choice (A) is incorrect because she clearly has doubts, not confidence. Choice (B) is too strong; she questions but is not defeated.

6. Ans: (B) – Maya’s sense of cultural and linguistic isolation
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The detail about the mother speaking Cantonese (line 20) immediately follows reference to “all the conversations she couldn’t have,” emphasizing Maya’s isolation. Choice (A) is true but not the primary purpose of this specific detail. Choice (C) contradicts the passage’s emphasis on Maya’s loneliness.

7. Ans: (A) – melancholy and introspective
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The passage focuses on Maya’s internal questioning and feelings of loneliness, creating a melancholy, reflective mood throughout. Choice (B) is incorrect because Maya shows no bitterness or resentment. Choice (C) is wrong because the passage emphasizes doubt rather than hope or determination.

8. Ans: (B) – challenge a common misconception about memory
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage opens by stating that the video-camera model “has been thoroughly dismantled” (line 4) and proceeds to explain why memory is reconstructive. Choice (A) is too narrow; Loftus is an example, not the main focus. Choice (C) is mentioned but is not the primary purpose.

9. Ans: (B) – accurate and permanent
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage describes the old model as assuming memory “faithfully recording events and storing them for later playback” (lines 2-3). Choice (A) reverses the passage’s meaning; reconstructive is the new model, not the video-camera model. Choice (C) contradicts the video-camera model, which assumed no influence or distortion.

10. Ans: (C) – distorted
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 9, Loftus demonstrated how memories could be “contaminated,” meaning altered or corrupted by suggestion. Choice (A), “infected,” is too literal and relates to disease. Choice (D) is too extreme; the memories are changed, not destroyed.

11. Ans: (C) – reported false memories of broken glass
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states those who heard “smashed” “were also more likely to falsely remember seeing broken glass” (lines 13-14). Choice (A) reverses the passage’s point; they remembered less accurately, not more. Choice (D) is contradicted by the passage, which says they did estimate speeds.

12. Ans: (B) – memory is subject to distortion and influence
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage explains that memory is “reconstructive” and “constantly revised by suggestion, emotion, and the passage of time” (lines 22-24), making eyewitness testimony unreliable. Choice (A) distorts the passage; mistaken identification is not intentional lying. Choice (D) contradicts the passage, which indicates eyewitness testimony is widely used.

13. Ans: (A) – illustrate the real-world consequences of unreliable memory
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The Innocence Project example (lines 18-21) demonstrates how faulty memory leads to wrongful convictions. Choice (B) reverses the passage; DNA evidence helps exonerate people, it’s not criticized. Choice (D) is too extreme; the passage doesn’t advocate dismissing all eyewitness testimony.

14. Ans: (B) – dynamic and subject to change
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Describing memory as “living” and a “narrative” that is “constantly revised” (line 23) emphasizes its changeable nature. Choice (A) is incorrect; “narrative” is metaphorical, not literal fiction. Choice (D) directly contradicts the passage, which states memory is revised by “emotion” and “time.”

15. Ans: (B) – pesticides are being used without adequate understanding of their risks
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. Carson states that chemicals are added “at a rate that far exceeds our knowledge of their long-term effects” (lines 4-5). Choice (A) is too extreme; Carson says she does not contend pesticides must never be used (lines 9-10). Choice (C) distorts her position; she criticizes practices, not intentional deception.

16. Ans: (B) – assertion
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 10, “contention” refers to Carson’s claim or position that pesticides need not be entirely banned. Choice (A), “dispute,” is a different meaning of contention not appropriate in this context. Choice (D), “competition,” is unrelated to the sentence’s meaning about her argument.

17. Ans: (B) – all living organisms, including humans
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Carson states the experiment’s subjects are “not merely the insects we seek to control, but all forms of life, including ourselves” (lines 6-8). Choice (A) is too narrow and contradicts lines 6-8. Choice (D) contradicts Carson’s point that exposure happens “without their consent” (line 14).

18. Ans: (C) – people are exposed to them without consent or knowledge
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Carson explicitly states, “We have subjected enormous numbers of people to contact with these poisons, without their consent and often without their knowledge” (lines 13-15). Choice (A) is incorrect; Carson doesn’t claim pesticides are ineffective. Choice (B) is not mentioned in the passage.

19. Ans: (B) – chemical effects can spread beyond their initial application
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Viewing nature as “interrelated” (line 17) implies that actions in one part affect others, supported by Carson’s statement that chemicals contaminate “organisms far removed from the sites of application” (lines 22-23). Choice (A) contradicts this interrelated view. Choice (C) is not supported; complexity doesn’t mean identical responses.

20. Ans: (B) – calm and reasoned
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Carson presents her arguments systematically, acknowledging the industry’s position while offering measured criticism, maintaining a professional, rational tone throughout. Choice (A) is incorrect; there is no sarcasm in her direct, serious testimony. Choice (C) is wrong; she is serious but not panicked or alarmist in her presentation.