Reading Passage for HSPT - 29

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 under the door of our apartment while Mother was at the market and I was supposed to be practicing scales. I saw the yellow envelope from where I sat at the piano and knew immediately what it meant. In our building, telegrams (5) meant only one thing: news from the front. I abandoned Czerny mid-measure and crept to the door, my hands still positioned as if over keys.     I didn’t open it. That would have been unforgivable, even for me. But I held it up to the afternoon light (10) streaming through the window, trying to discern the words through the paper. The ink was too faint, or my desperation too thick. I set it on the hall table and returned to the piano, but my fingers felt wooden and strange. I played the same (15) eight bars over and over, mechanically, until I heard Mother’s footsteps on the stairs.     She came in with her shopping bag and saw the envelope before she saw me. Her whole body seemed to pause mid-breath. Then she set down the bag very carefully, as one might set down something fragile, and picked (20) up the telegram with both hands.

1. The narrator’s statement that “my desperation too thick” (line 11) suggests that

1. the telegram was written in unusually dark ink
2. the narrator’s anxiety interfered with her ability to see clearly
3. the apartment was filled with smoke or fog
4. the narrator was deliberately avoiding reading the message

2. As used in line 6, the word abandoned most nearly means

1. deserted
2. stopped
3. rejected
4. discarded

3. The detail that the narrator’s hands remained “positioned as if over keys” (line 7) primarily serves to emphasize

1. her dedication to practicing the piano
2. the suddenness with which she left the piano
3. her inability to move due to fear
4. the mechanical nature of her playing

4. The passage suggests that the narrator did not open the telegram because

1. she could not find a letter opener
2. doing so would have violated an understood rule
3. she was afraid of what the message would say
4. her mother had forbidden her to touch the mail

5. The narrator’s description of playing “the same eight bars over and over, mechanically” (lines 14-15) conveys a mood of

1. peaceful concentration
2. distracted anxiety
3. angry rebellion
4. joyful anticipation

6. The comparison of the shopping bag to “something fragile” (line 19) suggests that the mother

1. had purchased breakable items at the market
2. was treating the moment with great care due to its significance
3. was physically weakened by shock
4. did not want to damage the telegram

7. The primary purpose of this passage is to

1. describe the historical impact of war on families
2. capture a moment of suspense and emotional tension
3. criticize the telegram system of communication
4. illustrate the relationship between a mother and daughter

Passage 2

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

    The axolotl, a salamander native to the lake systems of Mexico City, possesses one of the most remarkable abilities in the animal kingdom: the power to regenerate entire limbs, portions of its heart and brain, and even sections of its spinal cord. Unlike most amphibians, which undergo (5) metamorphosis from an aquatic larval form to a terrestrial adult, the axolotl reaches sexual maturity while retaining its larval characteristics, a phenomenon scientists call neoteny. This arrested development is not a disadvantage but rather an evolutionary adaptation that has allowed the species to thrive in its specific (10) aquatic environment.     Researchers have long been fascinated by the axolotl’s regenerative abilities, which far exceed those of mammals. When an axolotl loses a limb, specialized cells called blastemal cells form at the site of the injury. These cells have the remarkable capacity to dedifferentiate – meaning they (15) revert from specialized tissue back to a more primitive, stem-cell-like state. The blastemal cells then multiply and differentiate anew into all the various cell types needed to rebuild the lost structure: bone, muscle, nerve, and skin. The entire process can take several weeks, but the regenerated limb is virtually (20) indistinguishable from the original, complete with proper skeletal structure and full functionality.

8. According to the passage, neoteny refers to

1. the ability to regenerate lost body parts
2. the retention of juvenile features into adulthood
3. the transformation from aquatic to terrestrial life
4. the formation of blastemal cells at injury sites

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

1. captured
2. halted
3. detained
4. seized

10. The passage indicates that blastemal cells are significant because they

1. prevent the axolotl from undergoing metamorphosis
2. can transform back into primitive cells and then develop into multiple tissue types
3. allow the axolotl to survive in Mexico City’s lake systems
4. multiply more rapidly than cells in mammals

11. The author’s statement that regenerated limbs are “virtually indistinguishable from the original” (lines 19-20) suggests that

1. scientists cannot tell which limbs have been regenerated
2. the regeneration process produces limbs of equal quality to the originals
3. axolotls can regenerate limbs multiple times without loss of function
4. blastemal cells are identical to stem cells in humans

12. The primary purpose of the first paragraph is to

1. explain why axolotls do not undergo metamorphosis
2. introduce the axolotl and its unusual biological characteristics
3. argue that neoteny is an evolutionary advantage
4. compare axolotls to other amphibian species

13. Based on the passage, which of the following can be inferred about the relationship between neoteny and regeneration in axolotls?

1. Neoteny prevents regeneration from occurring properly
2. Regenerative ability and neoteny are unrelated characteristics
3. The passage suggests both are distinctive features but does not claim one causes the other
4. Neoteny directly causes the axolotl’s regenerative powers

14. The tone of this passage is best described as

1. skeptical and questioning
2. informative and admiring
3. urgent and alarming
4. humorous and lighthearted

Passage 3

The following passage is adapted from a historical speech.

    I stand before you today not as a representative of one group or faction, but as a citizen who has witnessed both the promise and the peril of our rapidly industrializing nation. In the past thirty years, we have seen our cities grow beyond recognition, our factories multiply, and our (5) wealth increase in ways our grandparents could never have imagined. Yet we must ask ourselves: wealth for whom? Progress for whom? I have walked through the tenement districts of our great cities, where families of six or eight share a single room with no window, no ventilation, and no hope of (10) improvement. I have visited factories where children of ten years labor twelve hours a day amid machinery that has already claimed the fingers, hands, or lives of their siblings. I have spoken with workers who earn wages insufficient to feed their families, yet who face dismissal if they dare to protest or organize.     Some will say (15) that these conditions are the necessary price of progress, that the invisible hand of the market will eventually lift all boats. But I say to you that a prosperity built upon the suffering of the many for the enrichment of the few is no prosperity at all. It is a house built upon sand, (20) and it will not stand.

15. The speaker’s reference to “our grandparents” (line 5) primarily serves to

1. emphasize the rapid pace of industrial change
2. suggest that earlier generations were wiser
3. criticize modern society for abandoning traditional values
4. establish the speaker’s advanced age and experience

16. As used in line 3, the word peril most nearly means

1. adventure
2. danger
3. excitement
4. uncertainty

17. The rhetorical questions “wealth for whom? Progress for whom?” (lines 5-6) are intended to

1. request specific statistical information from the audience
2. challenge the assumption that economic growth benefits everyone equally
3. express genuine confusion about economic trends
4. praise the achievements of industrial leaders

18. The passage suggests that workers who attempt to organize face

1. imprisonment by government authorities
2. the possibility of losing their jobs
3. violence from factory owners
4. fines and financial penalties

19. The phrase “invisible hand of the market” (line 16) refers to

1. a specific economic policy proposed by the speaker
2. the belief that free markets naturally regulate themselves beneficially
3. government intervention in business practices
4. the corrupt practices of factory owners

20. The overall purpose of this speech is most likely to

1. propose specific legislation to address industrial conditions
2. persuade the audience that current industrial practices require reform
3. celebrate the economic achievements of the industrial age
4. provide a historical account of industrial development

Answer Key

1. Ans: (B) – the narrator’s anxiety interfered with her ability to see clearly
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The phrase “my desperation too thick” (line 11) is a figurative expression suggesting that the narrator’s emotional state prevented her from seeing the words clearly through the paper. Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage states the ink was “too faint,” not dark. Choice (C) is wrong because there is no mention of smoke or fog in the apartment.

2. Ans: (B) – stopped
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 6, “abandoned” describes the narrator leaving off her piano practice mid-measure, meaning she stopped playing. While “abandoned” can mean “deserted” (A), that meaning suggests a permanent leaving of someone or something in need, which doesn’t fit the context of briefly stopping piano practice. Choice (D), “discarded,” implies throwing something away permanently, which is too extreme for the context.

3. Ans: (B) – the suddenness with which she left the piano
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The detail that the narrator’s hands remained positioned as if over keys (line 7) emphasizes how abruptly she left the piano bench when she saw the telegram. Choice (A) is incorrect because the detail actually shows she abandoned her practice, not dedication to it. Choice (C) is wrong because she was able to move – she walked to the door.

4. Ans: (B) – doing so would have violated an understood rule
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The narrator explicitly states, “That would have been unforgivable, even for me” (line 9), indicating that opening the telegram would violate an understood family or social rule. Choice (C) is incorrect because, while the narrator may have been afraid, the passage directly states the reason was that opening it “would have been unforgivable.” Choice (D) is wrong because there is no mention of an explicit prohibition from her mother.

5. Ans: (B) – distracted anxiety
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The repetitive, mechanical playing described in lines 14-15 conveys the narrator’s inability to focus due to worry about the telegram’s contents. Choice (A) is incorrect because “peaceful concentration” contradicts the “mechanical” quality and the context of anxious waiting. Choice (D) is wrong because the entire passage conveys dread, not anticipation of something good.

6. Ans: (B) – was treating the moment with great care due to its significance
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The mother’s careful, deliberate actions with the shopping bag (lines 18-19) reflect her recognition of the telegram’s importance and her emotional state. Choice (A) is a literal misreading; the comparison refers to how she set down the bag, not what was in it. Choice (D) is incorrect because she set down the shopping bag carefully, not the telegram itself.

7. Ans: (B) – capture a moment of suspense and emotional tension
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The passage focuses on the anxious moments between the telegram’s arrival and the mother’s picking it up, creating dramatic tension throughout. Choice (A) is too broad; while war is referenced, the passage is about this specific moment, not historical impact generally. Choice (D) is too narrow; while the relationship is present, the primary focus is on the suspenseful moment itself.

8. Ans: (B) – the retention of juvenile features into adulthood
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage defines neoteny as reaching “sexual maturity while retaining its larval characteristics” (lines 6-7), which means keeping juvenile features into adulthood. Choice (A) confuses neoteny with regeneration, which is a separate ability discussed in the passage. Choice (C) reverses the concept; the passage states axolotls do not undergo this transformation, and that is what neoteny describes.

9. Ans: (B) – halted
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 9, “arrested development” refers to development that has been stopped or halted at the larval stage. While “arrested” can mean “captured” or “detained” (A and C) in legal contexts, those meanings do not fit the biological context of development. Choice (D), “seized,” similarly fits legal but not biological usage.

10. Ans: (B) – can transform back into primitive cells and then develop into multiple tissue types
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explains that blastemal cells “dedifferentiate” to a stem-cell-like state and then “differentiate anew into all the various cell types needed” (lines 14-17). Choice (A) is incorrect because blastemal cells are involved in regeneration, not metamorphosis prevention. Choice (C) confuses blastemal cells with neoteny as an adaptation to the lake environment.

11. Ans: (B) – the regeneration process produces limbs of equal quality to the originals
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The statement that regenerated limbs are “virtually indistinguishable from the original, complete with proper skeletal structure and full functionality” (lines 19-21) indicates they are of equal quality. Choice (A) is too literal and extreme; “virtually indistinguishable” does not mean scientists cannot tell at all. Choice (C) may be true but is not stated or suggested in the passage, making it an example of information not in the text.

12. Ans: (B) – introduce the axolotl and its unusual biological characteristics
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The first paragraph presents the axolotl, describes its regenerative abilities and neoteny, establishing the subject for the more detailed discussion in paragraph two. Choice (C) is too narrow; while neoteny is mentioned as an adaptation, explaining why axolotls do not undergo metamorphosis is not the paragraph’s primary purpose. Choice (D) is incorrect because the paragraph mentions most amphibians only for contrast, not for a full comparison.

13. Ans: (C) – The passage suggests both are distinctive features but does not claim one causes the other
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. The passage describes both neoteny (lines 5-10) and regeneration (lines 1-4, 11-21) as remarkable characteristics of axolotls but does not establish a causal relationship between them. Choice (D) is incorrect because no causal relationship is stated in the passage. Choice (B) is wrong because while the passage does not claim causation, it presents both as significant biological features worth discussing together.

14. Ans: (B) – informative and admiring
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The passage presents scientific information in a straightforward manner while using phrases like “most remarkable abilities” (line 2) and “remarkable capacity” (line 14) that convey admiration. Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage presents information confidently without expressing doubt or skepticism. Choice (C) is wrong because there is no sense of urgency or alarm in the neutral, educational tone.

15. Ans: (A) – emphasize the rapid pace of industrial change
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The reference to what “our grandparents could never have imagined” (line 5) emphasizes how quickly industrialization has transformed society within living memory. Choice (B) is incorrect because the passage does not suggest grandparents were wiser, only that they lived in a different era. Choice (D) is wrong because the reference to grandparents establishes a timeframe for change, not the speaker’s age.

16. Ans: (B) – danger
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 3, “peril” is contrasted with “promise” and refers to the dangerous or harmful aspects of industrialization described later in the speech. Choice (A), “adventure,” is too positive and does not fit the critical tone. Choice (D), “uncertainty,” is too weak; the passage describes definite harms, not mere uncertainty.

17. Ans: (B) – challenge the assumption that economic growth benefits everyone equally
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The rhetorical questions in lines 5-6 immediately precede descriptions of poverty and suffering, challenging the idea that industrial wealth and progress benefit all citizens. Choice (A) is incorrect because rhetorical questions are not genuine requests for information. Choice (D) reverses the speaker’s intent; the speech is critical, not praising, of industrial conditions.

18. Ans: (B) – the possibility of losing their jobs
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that workers “face dismissal if they dare to protest or organize” (line 13). Choice (A) is not mentioned in the passage and represents information not stated in the text. Choice (C) is also not mentioned; while violence may have occurred historically, the passage specifically mentions only dismissal.

19. Ans: (B) – the belief that free markets naturally regulate themselves beneficially
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. The phrase “invisible hand of the market” (line 16) refers to the economic theory that markets self-regulate, which the speaker then challenges. Choice (A) is incorrect because the speaker is referencing an argument others make, not proposing it himself. Choice (C) reverses the concept; the “invisible hand” theory argues against government intervention.

20. Ans: (B) – persuade the audience that current industrial practices require reform
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The speech describes exploitative conditions (lines 7-13) and argues that such prosperity “is no prosperity at all” (line 18), clearly advocating for change. Choice (A) is too narrow; while reform is advocated, no specific legislation is proposed in this passage. Choice (C) contradicts the entire critical thrust of the speech, which challenges rather than celebrates industrial practices.