Reading Passage for HSPT - 22

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 Wednesday, slipped under the door of our Cairo apartment while Mother and I were at the souk bargaining for lentils. I found it when we returned, a thin yellow envelope that seemed to pulse with urgency. Mother (5) set down her parcels and wiped her hands on her apron before opening it, her fingers trembling slightly. The message was brief: Father’s excavation in the Valley of the Kings had been delayed indefinitely due to political unrest. He would not be home for Eid as promised.
    I watched Mother’s face (10) carefully, searching for the disappointment I knew must be there, but she only nodded and folded the telegram into a precise square. “We shall manage,” she said, though her voice carried a weight it hadn’t held that morning. She moved to the window and looked out over the (15) narrow street, where merchants were closing their stalls for the afternoon heat. I wanted to say something comforting, but at thirteen I had not yet learned how to transform sympathy into words that didn’t sound hollow. Instead, I stood beside her, and together we watched the city slow its (20) breathing under the relentless sun.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

1. describe the political situation in Egypt during a historical period
2. portray a moment of quiet disappointment between a mother and child
3. explain the dangers of archaeological work in the Valley of the Kings
4. criticize a father for breaking his promise to return home

2. According to the passage, the telegram was delivered while the narrator and mother were

1. watching the city from their window
2. shopping at the market
3. waiting for Father to return home
4. preparing for the Eid celebration

3. As used in line 6, the word pulse most nearly means

1. beat rhythmically
2. throb with importance
3. measure vital signs
4. radiate light

4. The narrator’s observation that Mother’s voice “carried a weight it hadn’t held that morning” (lines 12-13) suggests that Mother

1. was physically exhausted from shopping at the souk
2. felt burdened by the news despite her calm exterior
3. was angry with Father for his decision to stay away
4. had gained confidence after reading the telegram

5. The narrator admits to not yet having learned how to

1. read telegrams accurately
2. understand political unrest
3. express sympathy effectively
4. bargain at the marketplace

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

1. anxious and fearful
2. reflective and restrained
3. bitter and resentful
4. joyful and optimistic

7. The image of the city slowing “its breathing under the relentless sun” (lines 19-20) primarily serves to

1. mirror the quiet resignation felt by the narrator and mother
2. indicate that a dangerous sandstorm is approaching
3. show that the narrator is skilled at poetic description
4. prove that Cairo experiences extremely hot weather

Passage 2

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

    The octopus, despite its relatively short lifespan and solitary habits, displays problem-solving abilities that rival those of many vertebrates. Researchers have documented octopuses unscrewing jar lids, navigating mazes, and even recognizing individual (5) human handlers. What makes these achievements remarkable is that cephalopod intelligence evolved along an entirely separate evolutionary path from that of mammals and birds. The last common ancestor of octopuses and humans lived approximately 600 million years ago and possessed (10) only the most rudimentary nervous system.
    This divergence suggests that intelligence, rather than being a singular phenomenon, can arise through multiple evolutionary routes. The octopus brain is organized in a fundamentally different way from the vertebrate brain. Roughly two-thirds of an octopus’s (15) neurons are located not in its central brain but distributed throughout its eight arms. Each arm can taste, touch, and even make simple decisions independently, yet the animal still functions as a coordinated whole. This decentralized architecture challenges our conventional understanding (20) of what a brain must look like to support complex cognition.

8. The main idea of the passage is that

1. octopuses are more intelligent than all other marine animals
2. octopus intelligence demonstrates that complex cognition can evolve in different ways
3. the octopus brain is superior to the vertebrate brain in most respects
4. octopuses and humans share a common ancestor from 600 million years ago

9. According to the passage, researchers have observed octopuses doing all of the following EXCEPT

1. opening containers by unscrewing lids
2. finding their way through mazes
3. distinguishing between different humans
4. communicating with each other in groups

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

1. primitive
2. discourteous
3. functional
4. sophisticated

11. The passage suggests that the octopus’s intelligence is “remarkable” (line 5) primarily because

1. octopuses live longer than most other invertebrates
2. it developed independently from mammalian and avian intelligence
3. octopuses are social creatures that live in complex communities
4. their brain structure is identical to that of vertebrates

12. The author mentions that two-thirds of an octopus’s neurons are located in its arms (lines 14-16) in order to

1. prove that octopuses cannot think as well as vertebrates
2. illustrate the decentralized organization of the octopus nervous system
3. explain why octopuses have eight arms instead of ten
4. argue that octopus arms are more important than their central brain

13. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes intelligence

1. requires a centralized brain structure to function properly
2. is found only in vertebrates and cephalopods
3. can emerge through different evolutionary processes
4. is impossible without a common evolutionary ancestor

14. The author’s primary purpose in writing this passage is to

1. entertain readers with amusing stories about octopus behavior
2. inform readers about the unique nature of octopus intelligence
3. persuade readers to support octopus conservation efforts
4. instruct researchers on how to study cephalopod cognition

Passage 3

The following passage is adapted from a historical speech.

    I stand before you today not as a radical demanding the impossible, but as a citizen insisting upon the self-evident. When the founders of this republic wrote that all men are created equal, they signed a promissory note to which every American (5) was to fall heir. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked (10) “insufficient funds.”
    But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon (15) demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug (20) of gradualism.

15. The speaker’s central argument is that

1. America should abandon its founding principles and start anew
2. citizens of color must be granted the rights promised by the nation’s founding ideals
3. the founders of the republic intentionally excluded certain groups from equality
4. justice can only be achieved through radical and immediate revolution

16. As used in line 7, the word defaulted most nearly means

1. competed
2. failed to fulfill
3. preset automatically
4. lost a game

17. The speaker compares the founders’ promise of equality to a promissory note (lines 3-5) in order to

1. demonstrate his knowledge of financial terminology
2. suggest that equality should be purchased rather than given freely
3. emphasize that the promise created a binding obligation
4. prove that the founders were primarily concerned with economic matters

18. The phrase “the luxury of cooling off” (line 19) suggests that

1. waiting passively for change is an indulgence the speaker rejects
2. protesters should take a break to avoid overheating
3. America needs time to gradually implement reforms
4. the weather is too hot for political demonstrations

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

1. defeated and pessimistic
2. urgent and insistent
3. humorous and lighthearted
4. uncertain and tentative

20. The speaker’s assertion that “we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt” (lines 11-12) primarily conveys his

1. concern that America lacks the financial resources to provide equality
2. confidence that the nation still possesses the means to fulfill its promises
3. belief that justice should be administered by banking institutions
4. fear that the opportunity for justice has already been lost forever

Answer Key

1. Ans: (B) – portray a moment of quiet disappointment between a mother and child
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage centers on the narrator and mother receiving news of the father’s delay and their muted emotional response to this disappointment (lines 10-20). Choice (A) is too broad; while political unrest is mentioned, it is not the focus of the passage. Choice (D) is wrong because the passage does not criticize the father.

2. Ans: (B) – shopping at the market
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states that the telegram was “slipped under the door of our Cairo apartment while Mother and I were at the souk bargaining for lentils” (lines 2-4). Choice (A) reverses the sequence; they watched from the window after reading the telegram. Choice (C) is not stated in the passage.

3. Ans: (B) – throb with importance
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. The envelope is described as seeming “to pulse with urgency,” meaning it appeared to throb or radiate a sense of importance (lines 5-6). Choice (A) is a literal meaning of “pulse” but does not fit the context. Choice (C) refers to medical usage and is incorrect here.

4. Ans: (B) – felt burdened by the news despite her calm exterior
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The narrator notes that despite Mother’s composed response, her voice carried a new heaviness, suggesting emotional burden beneath her calm demeanor (lines 12-13). Choice (A) is too literal and wrong; the weight is emotional, not physical. Choice (D) reverses the meaning; the weight suggests burden, not confidence.

5. Ans: (C) – express sympathy effectively
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The narrator explicitly states, “I had not yet learned how to transform sympathy into words that didn’t sound hollow” (lines 16-18). Choice (A) is not mentioned in the passage. Choice (B) is too broad and not what the narrator admits to lacking.

6. Ans: (B) – reflective and restrained
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The passage is narrated with thoughtful observation and emotional control, as seen in the measured descriptions and the characters’ quiet response to disappointment (lines 10-20). Choice (A) is wrong because there is no anxiety or fear expressed. Choice (C) is incorrect; there is no bitterness or resentment toward the father.

7. Ans: (A) – mirror the quiet resignation felt by the narrator and mother
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The slowing city under the sun parallels the emotional quieting and resignation of the mother and narrator after receiving the disappointing news (lines 19-20). Choice (B) is not supported; no storm is mentioned. Choice (D) is true but too narrow; it misses the symbolic parallel to the characters’ emotional state.

8. Ans: (B) – octopus intelligence demonstrates that complex cognition can evolve in different ways
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage emphasizes that octopus intelligence evolved independently from vertebrate intelligence, suggesting multiple evolutionary paths to cognition (lines 11-13). Choice (A) is too broad and not stated. Choice (C) reverses the passage; it does not claim octopus brains are superior.

9. Ans: (D) – communicating with each other in groups
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage mentions unscrewing jars, navigating mazes, and recognizing humans (lines 3-6), but never mentions group communication; in fact, it notes octopuses have “solitary habits” (line 2). Choices (A), (B), and (C) are all explicitly stated in lines 3-6.

10. Ans: (A) – primitive
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. The passage describes the common ancestor as possessing “only the most rudimentary nervous system,” meaning basic or primitive (lines 9-10). Choice (B) refers to a different meaning of “rudimentary” related to manners and is incorrect. Choice (D) is the opposite of the intended meaning.

11. Ans: (B) – it developed independently from mammalian and avian intelligence
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage states octopus achievements are remarkable because “cephalopod intelligence evolved along an entirely separate evolutionary path” from vertebrates (lines 6-8). Choice (A) contradicts the passage, which mentions octopuses have a “relatively short lifespan” (line 1). Choice (D) reverses the passage; their brain structure is fundamentally different (lines 13-14).

12. Ans: (B) – illustrate the decentralized organization of the octopus nervous system
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The author presents this fact to show how octopus neural architecture differs from centralized vertebrate brains, supporting the point about decentralization (lines 14-19). Choice (A) contradicts the passage; decentralization is presented as remarkable, not inferior. Choice (D) is too extreme and not supported.

13. Ans: (C) – can emerge through different evolutionary processes
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The author explicitly states that the divergence “suggests that intelligence, rather than being a singular phenomenon, can arise through multiple evolutionary routes” (lines 11-13). Choice (A) contradicts the passage, which shows intelligence can exist without centralization (lines 18-20). Choice (B) is too narrow and not stated.

14. Ans: (B) – inform readers about the unique nature of octopus intelligence
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The passage presents factual information about octopus cognitive abilities and brain structure to educate readers about this distinctive form of intelligence (lines 1-20). Choice (A) is wrong; the passage is informative, not entertaining. Choice (C) is not supported; conservation is never mentioned.

15. Ans: (B) – citizens of color must be granted the rights promised by the nation’s founding ideals
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The speaker argues that America has failed to honor its founding promise of equality to citizens of color and demands this obligation be fulfilled (lines 3-10). Choice (A) reverses the argument; the speaker appeals to founding principles, not their abandonment. Choice (D) misrepresents the speaker, who explicitly rejects being seen as “a radical demanding the impossible” (lines 1-2).

16. Ans: (B) – failed to fulfill
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In context, “defaulted on this promissory note” means failed to honor or fulfill the obligation (line 7). Choice (C) refers to a technical computer usage of “default” and is incorrect here. Choice (D) uses an unrelated meaning of “default” from sports.

17. Ans: (C) – emphasize that the promise created a binding obligation
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. By comparing the promise of equality to a promissory note, the speaker stresses that it created a legally and morally binding debt that must be paid (lines 3-10). Choice (B) distorts the metaphor; the speaker demands what is owed, not what must be purchased. Choice (D) is wrong; the founders’ economic concerns are not the subject.

18. Ans: (A) – waiting passively for change is an indulgence the speaker rejects
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The speaker describes “cooling off” as a “luxury” in the context of rejecting delay and embracing “the fierce urgency of now” (lines 17-19). Choice (B) takes the phrase literally and misses the figurative meaning. Choice (C) contradicts the passage, which explicitly rejects gradualism (line 20).

19. Ans: (B) – urgent and insistent
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The speaker emphasizes “the fierce urgency of now” and repeatedly insists on immediate action, creating an urgent and insistent tone (lines 17-20). Choice (A) is wrong; the speaker expresses confidence, not defeat (lines 11-12). Choice (D) contradicts the forceful, certain language throughout.

20. Ans: (B) – confidence that the nation still possesses the means to fulfill its promises
Explanation: This is an Inference question. By refusing to believe justice is “bankrupt” and asserting there are not “insufficient funds,” the speaker expresses confidence that America can still deliver on its promises (lines 11-14). Choice (A) misreads the metaphor; the “funds” refer to opportunity and justice, not literal financial resources. Choice (D) reverses the meaning; the speaker asserts opportunity still exists.