Reading Passage for HSPT - 11

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 telegram arrived on a Thursday, slipped beneath the door of Aunt Marigold’s boarding house while I was scrubbing the front steps. I recognized my brother’s handwriting on the envelope before I even turned it over, though I had not heard from Samuel in nearly (5) three years. My hands, still damp from the wash bucket, left dark prints on the paper as I tore it open. “Position secured. Come to Butte. Wire reply.” Six words, and my entire future suddenly unmoored itself from the predictable harbor of (10) Lawrence, Massachusetts.     Aunt Marigold found me sitting on the bottom step an hour later, still holding the telegram. She did not ask what it said. She had a way of knowing things without being told, a talent I both (15) admired and resented. “Montana is a long way off,” she said finally, lowering herself onto the step beside me. “And mining camps are no place for a girl alone.” I thought of the mill where I had worked since I was fourteen, (20) the clatter of the looms that had stolen the hearing in my left ear, the lint that coated my lungs like snow. “I’m not afraid of hard work,” I said.

1. The narrator receives the telegram while she is

1. working at the mill
2. cleaning the steps of a boarding house
3. waiting by the door for news
4. visiting her brother in Montana

2. As used in line 8, the word unmoored most nearly means

1. anchored
2. freed
3. destroyed
4. delayed

3. The narrator had not heard from Samuel for approximately

1. six months
2. one year
3. three years
4. fourteen years

4. The narrator’s reaction to Aunt Marigold’s ability to “know things without being told” suggests that she feels

1. grateful for her aunt’s constant support
2. both appreciative and irritated by this quality
3. frightened by her aunt’s supernatural powers
4. indifferent to her aunt’s observations

5. The detail about the narrator’s hearing loss serves primarily to

1. explain why she did not hear the telegram arrive
2. illustrate the harsh conditions of her work at the mill
3. show that she is unqualified for work in Montana
4. prove that Aunt Marigold is correct about mining camps

6. It can be inferred from the passage that the narrator is

1. unwilling to leave her comfortable life in Lawrence
2. eager to escape her current circumstances
3. planning to bring Aunt Marigold to Montana with her
4. afraid of what her brother will think of her

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

1. lighthearted and humorous
2. reflective and uncertain
3. bitter and resentful
4. joyful and celebratory

Passage 2

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

    In 1986, archaeologists working in the Peruvian highlands uncovered something entirely unexpected: a massive network of underground aqueducts built more than a thousand years before the Inca Empire rose to power. The puquios, as they are known locally, represent (5) one of the most sophisticated pre-Columbian hydraulic engineering systems ever discovered in South America. Unlike surface canals, which lose enormous quantities of water to evaporation in the arid climate of the Nazca region, these subterranean channels transported groundwater from (10) mountain aquifers to agricultural settlements with remarkable efficiency.     What makes the puquios especially intriguing is their spiral-shaped surface openings, which function as wind-driven pumps. As air descends through these spiraling funnels, it creates pressure differentials that (15) force water through the underground channels, effectively moving it uphill without any mechanical apparatus. Recent studies using satellite imagery and ground-penetrating radar have revealed that the system covers far more territory than initially believed, with some channels extending more than (20) thirty kilometers. The Nazca people, who constructed these waterworks between 500 and 1000 CE, clearly possessed knowledge of hydrology and geomorphology that would not be matched in Europe for several more centuries.

8. The main idea of the passage is that

1. the Inca Empire built advanced water systems throughout Peru
2. the puquios demonstrate the Nazca people’s remarkable engineering abilities
3. surface canals are less effective than underground channels
4. archaeologists made an unexpected discovery in 1986

9. According to the passage, the puquios were built

1. during the height of the Inca Empire
2. more than a thousand years before the Inca Empire
3. in Europe during the medieval period
4. using mechanical pumping apparatus

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

1. difficulty
2. organization
3. device
4. theory

11. The spiral-shaped openings in the puquios functioned primarily to

1. prevent evaporation of water in the arid climate
2. use wind pressure to move water through the channels
3. provide access for maintenance workers
4. collect rainwater from the surface

12. The passage suggests that surface canals in the Nazca region were disadvantaged by

1. their inability to transport water uphill
2. the difficulty of constructing them underground
3. significant water loss due to evaporation
4. the lack of spiral-shaped openings

13. The author mentions satellite imagery and ground-penetrating radar in order to

1. explain how the puquios were originally constructed
2. demonstrate that modern technology confirms the extent of the system
3. prove that the Nazca people used advanced tools
4. show that archaeologists made errors in 1986

14. It can be inferred from the passage that the Nazca people

1. learned hydraulic engineering from European settlers
2. had advanced scientific knowledge for their time period
3. built the puquios primarily for religious ceremonies
4. abandoned the aqueduct system before 1000 CE

Passage 3

The following passage is adapted from a speech delivered by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce in Washington, D.C., in 1879.

    I have heard talk and talk, but nothing is done. Good words do not last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people. They do not pay for my country, now overrun by white men. They do not protect (5) my father’s grave. They do not pay for my horses and cattle. Good words will not give my people good health and stop them from dying. Good words will not get my people a home where they can live in peace and take care of themselves.     I am tired of talk that comes (10) to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men who had no right to talk. Too many misrepresentations have been made, too many misunderstandings have come up between the white men (15) about the Indians. If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace. There need be no trouble. Treat all men alike. Give them the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. (20) They are all brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.

15. The central purpose of Chief Joseph’s speech is to

1. request additional meetings with government officials
2. express frustration with unfulfilled promises and demand justice
3. thank the government for its assistance to his people
4. explain the religious beliefs of the Nez Perce

16. As used in line 6, the word stop most nearly means

1. pause
2. prevent
3. end
4. visit

17. According to the passage, “good words” do NOT

1. make Chief Joseph feel hopeful about the future
2. compensate for the loss of land and lives
3. come from men with the right to speak
4. represent the beliefs of the Great Spirit Chief

18. Chief Joseph states that peace between white men and Indians requires that white men

1. listen to more speeches from tribal leaders
2. move away from Indian territories entirely
3. treat all people with equal justice
4. make more promises to the Indian people

19. The repetition of the phrase “They do not pay” in the first paragraph serves primarily to

1. emphasize the inadequacy of words without action
2. request financial compensation from the government
3. describe the poverty of the Nez Perce people
4. list the specific demands Chief Joseph is making

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

1. resigned and accepting
2. angry and vengeful
3. weary but resolute
4. optimistic and cheerful

Answer Key

1. Ans: (B) – cleaning the steps of a boarding house
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states in lines 2–3 that the telegram “slipped beneath the door of Aunt Marigold’s boarding house while I was scrubbing the front steps.” Answer (A) is incorrect because the narrator worked at the mill in the past, not at the moment she received the telegram. Answer (D) is incorrect because the narrator is in Massachusetts and has not yet gone to Montana.

2. Ans: (B) – freed
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 8, the narrator describes how her “entire future suddenly unmoored itself from the predictable harbor of Lawrence,” using a nautical metaphor to suggest her life has been released from its stable but confining position. Answer (A) is incorrect because it means the opposite of unmoored. Answer (C) is incorrect because the passage suggests possibility, not destruction.

3. Ans: (C) – three years
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states directly in lines 4–5 that the narrator “had not heard from Samuel in nearly three years.” Answer (D) is incorrect because fourteen is the age when the narrator started working at the mill, not the time since she heard from Samuel. Answer (A) is incorrect because six is the number of words in the telegram, not the time period.

4. Ans: (B) – both appreciative and irritated by this quality
Explanation: This is an Inference question. In lines 14–15, the narrator explicitly states that she “both admired and resented” her aunt’s ability to know things without being told. Answer (A) is incorrect because it mentions only positive feelings, ignoring the resentment. Answer (C) is incorrect because the passage suggests practical observation, not supernatural powers.

5. Ans: (B) – illustrate the harsh conditions of her work at the mill
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The narrator mentions in lines 18–20 the hearing loss and lung damage caused by mill work to show why she is willing to risk going to Montana despite warnings. Answer (A) is incorrect because the hearing loss is not connected to her failure to hear the telegram arrive. Answer (C) is incorrect because it reverses the passage’s meaning; the detail explains her motivation to leave, not her lack of qualification.

6. Ans: (B) – eager to escape her current circumstances
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The narrator’s reflections on the mill’s damage to her health (lines 18–20) and her final statement about not being “afraid of hard work” suggest she wants to leave Lawrence. Answer (A) is incorrect because it contradicts the evidence; her life is not comfortable but damaging. Answer (C) is incorrect because there is no suggestion in the passage that Aunt Marigold will accompany her.

7. Ans: (B) – reflective and uncertain
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The narrator sits for an hour with the telegram (line 11), contemplates her past, and considers an uncertain future, creating a thoughtful, questioning tone. Answer (A) is incorrect because the passage deals with serious life decisions and contains no humor. Answer (D) is incorrect because while there is possibility, the narrator has not yet decided and feels no celebration.

8. Ans: (B) – the puquios demonstrate the Nazca people’s remarkable engineering abilities
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage focuses on describing the sophisticated puquio system and concludes that the Nazca people “clearly possessed knowledge” beyond their European contemporaries (lines 20–23). Answer (A) is incorrect because it confuses the Inca Empire with the Nazca people, who built the system before the Inca. Answer (D) is too narrow, focusing only on the opening detail rather than the passage’s central point.

9. Ans: (B) – more than a thousand years before the Inca Empire
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Lines 3–5 state that the system was “built more than a thousand years before the Inca Empire rose to power.” Answer (A) reverses this relationship, incorrectly placing construction during the Inca period. Answer (C) is incorrect because the passage states that European knowledge would not match this for “several more centuries” (line 23), meaning Europe did not build such systems at this time.

10. Ans: (C) – device
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 16, “apparatus” refers to the mechanical devices or machinery that the puquios did not require, as they used wind pressure instead. Answer (B) is incorrect because while apparatus can sometimes mean organization, the context clearly refers to physical equipment. Answer (A) is incorrect because apparatus does not mean difficulty.

11. Ans: (B) – use wind pressure to move water through the channels
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Lines 13–16 explain that the spiral openings allowed air to descend and “create pressure differentials that force water through the underground channels.” Answer (A) is incorrect because preventing evaporation was the function of the underground channels themselves, not specifically the spiral openings. Answer (C) is incorrect because maintenance access is not mentioned in the passage.

12. Ans: (C) – significant water loss due to evaporation
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states in lines 7–9 that surface canals “lose enormous quantities of water to evaporation in the arid climate.” Answer (B) is incorrect because it contains confused logic; surface canals by definition are not underground. Answer (A) is a plausible concern but is not stated in the passage.

13. Ans: (B) – demonstrate that modern technology confirms the extent of the system
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. Lines 16–19 mention these technologies immediately before revealing that “the system covers far more territory than initially believed,” showing how new tools expanded understanding. Answer (A) is incorrect because these modern technologies reveal extent, not construction methods. Answer (D) is incorrect because the passage does not suggest the 1986 archaeologists made errors.

14. Ans: (B) – had advanced scientific knowledge for their time period
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage concludes that the Nazca “clearly possessed knowledge of hydrology and geomorphology that would not be matched in Europe for several more centuries” (lines 20–23). Answer (A) reverses the chronology; the Nazca built this system centuries before European contact. Answer (C) is incorrect because the passage identifies agricultural, not religious, purposes.

15. Ans: (B) – express frustration with unfulfilled promises and demand justice
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. Chief Joseph repeatedly emphasizes broken promises (lines 1–2, 10–12) and calls for equal treatment and rights (lines 17–22). Answer (A) is incorrect because he explicitly states he is “tired of talk” (lines 9–10), suggesting he does not want more meetings. Answer (C) reverses the passage’s meaning entirely.

16. Ans: (B) – prevent
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 6, Chief Joseph says good words “will not get my people good health and stop them from dying,” meaning the words cannot prevent death. Answer (A) is incorrect because pause suggests a temporary halt, while the context implies permanent prevention. Answer (D) is incorrect because stop does not mean visit in any context.

17. Ans: (B) – compensate for the loss of land and lives
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Lines 2–7 list what “good words” do not do, including paying for “my dead people,” “my country,” and “my father’s grave.” Answer (A) is incorrect because Chief Joseph states words make his “heart sick” (line 10), the opposite of hopeful. Answer (C) distorts lines 12–13, which criticize those who talk, not the words themselves.

18. Ans: (C) – treat all people with equal justice
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Chief Joseph states in lines 15–18 that peace requires treating “all men alike,” giving them “the same law” and “an even chance.” Answer (A) is incorrect because Chief Joseph says he is tired of talk and speeches (lines 9–10). Answer (D) contradicts the passage, as he criticizes broken promises (line 11).

19. Ans: (A) – emphasize the inadequacy of words without action
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The repetition in lines 2–7 builds rhetorical force to show that words alone accomplish nothing, supporting the opening statement that “nothing is done” (line 1). Answer (B) is too narrow; while compensation is mentioned, the broader point is about action versus words. Answer (D) is incorrect because the passage does not list specific demands but rather expresses general principles.

20. Ans: (C) – weary but resolute
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Chief Joseph expresses exhaustion (“I am tired,” line 9) and sickness of heart (line 10), yet maintains firm demands for justice and equal rights (lines 17–22), showing weariness combined with determination. Answer (A) is incorrect because while weary, Chief Joseph does not accept the situation but demands change. Answer (B) is incorrect because though frustrated, he does not call for revenge but for equal treatment.