Reading Passage for HSPT - 42

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 dock at Mackinac Island, and Clara gripped the railing with both hands. Behind her, the Grand Hotel’s white columns grew smaller against the September sky. She had spent the (5) entire summer working in its vast kitchens, her hands raw from scrubbing copper pots, her uniform damp with steam. Now, with seventy-three dollars sewn into the lining of her coat, she was heading back to Detroit, though not to the (10) tenement where her mother still took in laundry.     A gull wheeled overhead, crying out as if in protest. Clara thought of her mother’s last letter, which had arrived three weeks ago with news that her younger brother (15) Thomas had found work at the Ford plant. The letter had been cautious, almost formal, making no mention of Clara’s plans to enroll in the teacher’s college that winter. Her mother had never said the words aloud, but Clara knew she considered (20) such ambitions foolish for a girl whose father had died owing rent.

1. The primary purpose of this passage is to

1. describe the natural beauty of Mackinac Island
2. introduce a character at a moment of transition
3. criticize the working conditions in hotel kitchens
4. explain the economic challenges facing Detroit families

2. As used in line 11, the word "protest" most nearly means

1. objection
2. demonstration
3. complaint
4. rebellion

3. According to the passage, Clara’s mother’s letter was

1. enthusiastic about Clara’s educational plans
2. written in a restrained and impersonal manner
3. critical of Thomas’s employment choices
4. filled with requests for financial assistance

4. It can be inferred from the passage that Clara

1. plans to return to the tenement where her mother lives
2. intends to pursue education despite family doubts
3. has been working at the Grand Hotel for several years
4. earned seventy-three dollars per week at her summer job

5. The detail about the money "sewn into the lining of her coat" (line 8) suggests that Clara

1. distrusts banks and other financial institutions
2. is taking precautions to protect her earnings
3. has stolen the money from the hotel kitchen
4. plans to give the money to her mother

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

1. bitter and resentful
2. reflective and determined
3. joyful and celebratory
4. anxious and fearful

7. The passage suggests that Clara’s mother considers her daughter’s educational ambitions foolish because

1. Clara lacks the intelligence needed for teaching
2. the family’s financial circumstances make such goals impractical
3. women were not permitted to attend teacher’s college
4. Clara should be working at the Ford plant instead

Passage 2

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

    In the windswept plateau of eastern Jordan, archaeologists have uncovered evidence that challenges long-held assumptions about the origins of bread-making. At the site of Shubayqa 1, a settlement occupied by Natufian hunter-gatherers (5) approximately 14,400 years ago, researchers discovered the charred remains of flatbreads in a stone fireplace. This finding predates the advent of agriculture in the region by at least four thousand years.     The discovery forces a (10) reconsideration of the relationship between bread production and the development of farming. Previously, scholars had assumed that bread-making emerged only after humans had domesticated cereal crops. The Shubayqa evidence suggests instead that (15) hunter-gatherers were processing wild grains into flour and baking them long before they began cultivating fields. Chemical analysis of the charred fragments revealed the presence of wild barley, einkorn wheat, and oat, all of which (20) grew wild in the area during the Late Pleistocene.     This reversal has important implications. Some researchers now theorize that bread-making itself may have motivated the shift to agriculture, as the labor-intensive process of gathering sufficient (25) wild grain to produce flour regularly would have encouraged experimentation with cultivation.

8. The main idea of the passage is that

1. Natufian hunter-gatherers lived in eastern Jordan 14,400 years ago
2. recent archaeological evidence suggests bread predates farming
3. wild grains were more nutritious than domesticated cereals
4. the shift to agriculture occurred suddenly throughout the ancient world

9. According to the passage, the flatbreads discovered at Shubayqa 1 were found

1. in a stone fireplace
2. buried beneath a wheat field
3. inside clay storage jars
4. scattered across the plateau

10. As used in line 10, the word "reconsideration" most nearly means

1. rejection
2. reevaluation
3. celebration
4. confirmation

11. The passage indicates that before the Shubayqa discovery, scholars believed that

1. bread-making began after crop domestication
2. hunter-gatherers never consumed grain products
3. agriculture originated in eastern Jordan
4. wild grains could not be processed into flour

12. The author’s primary purpose in the final paragraph is to

1. describe the chemical analysis techniques used by researchers
2. present a new theory about what motivated early agriculture
3. argue that bread-making was more important than farming
4. criticize previous archaeological methods

13. It can be inferred from the passage that gathering wild grain was

1. impossible during the Late Pleistocene
2. less difficult than cultivating crops
3. a time-consuming and demanding task
4. performed only by Natufian women

14. The passage is organized by

1. presenting a discovery, explaining its significance, and discussing implications
2. comparing two competing theories and declaring one superior
3. describing a problem and offering multiple solutions
4. narrating events in strict chronological order

Passage 3

The following passage is adapted from Susan B. Anthony’s statement to the court after being convicted of voting in the 1872 presidential election.

    Your denial of my citizen’s right to vote is the denial of my right of consent as one of the governed, the denial of my right of representation as one of the taxed, the (5) denial of my right to a trial by a jury of my peers as an offender against law. Therefore, the denial of my sacred rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness is unjust. But this is of no importance to (10) you, for I am a woman, and you deny me the right to participate in the making of the laws by which I am governed.     It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, (15) the whole people, who formed the Union. And we formed it, not to give the blessings of liberty, but to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole people – women as well as men. And (20) it is a downright mockery to talk to women of their enjoyment of the blessings of liberty while they are denied the use of the only means of securing them provided by this democratic-republican government – the ballot.

15. Anthony’s primary argument in this passage is that

1. women should not be required to pay taxes
2. her conviction was unjust because women are citizens entitled to vote
3. the court should have provided her with a jury trial
4. only white male citizens formed the Union

16. As used in line 22, the word "mockery" most nearly means

1. imitation
2. joke
3. insult
4. ridicule

17. According to the passage, Anthony believes that without the ballot, women

1. cannot secure the blessings of liberty
2. should refuse to pay taxes
3. are not governed by any laws
4. will never form labor unions

18. The phrase "we, the people" (line 13) is used by Anthony to

1. mock the language of the Constitution
2. emphasize that the Union was formed by all people, not just men
3. suggest that only male citizens have rights
4. criticize white male citizens specifically

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

1. apologetic and uncertain
2. indifferent and detached
3. passionate and accusatory
4. humorous and lighthearted

20. It can be inferred from the passage that Anthony views the judge’s attitude toward her rights as

1. compassionate and understanding
2. dismissive because of her gender
3. based on careful legal reasoning
4. influenced by concern for her posterity

Answer Key

1. Ans: (B) – introduce a character at a moment of transition
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage focuses on Clara leaving the island where she worked all summer and heading toward an uncertain future involving teacher’s college, clearly depicting her at a transitional moment in her life (lines 1-10). Choice (A) is too narrow, as the passage mentions the island only briefly. Choice (D) is too broad, as the passage focuses specifically on Clara’s personal situation rather than general economic challenges.

2. Ans: (A) – objection
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. The gull’s cry is described "as if in protest" (line 11), suggesting a sound expressing opposition or objection to Clara’s departure. Choice (B) is incorrect because "demonstration" refers to a public display or march, not a cry of opposition. Choice (D) is incorrect because "rebellion" is too extreme for describing a gull’s cry.

3. Ans: (B) – written in a restrained and impersonal manner
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states the letter "had been cautious, almost formal" (line 15), which matches "restrained and impersonal." Choice (A) contradicts the passage, which says the letter made "no mention of Clara’s plans" (line 16). Choice (C) is not stated anywhere in the passage.

4. Ans: (B) – intends to pursue education despite family doubts
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage indicates Clara has "plans to enroll in the teacher’s college" (line 17) despite her mother considering "such ambitions foolish" (lines 19-20), showing her determination to pursue education. Choice (A) contradicts the passage, which says she is heading to Detroit "though not to the tenement where her mother still took in laundry" (lines 9-10). Choice (D) distorts information; seventy-three dollars was her total summer earnings, not her weekly wage.

5. Ans: (B) – is taking precautions to protect her earnings
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Sewing money into clothing is a concealment technique suggesting Clara wants to keep her earnings safe from theft during her journey (line 8). Choice (A) is not stated or implied in the passage. Choice (C) contradicts the passage, which indicates she earned the money through legitimate summer work in the hotel kitchens.

6. Ans: (B) – reflective and determined
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The passage shows Clara thinking about her past summer and her mother’s letter while moving forward with her plans (lines 11-20), combining reflection with determination. Choice (A) is incorrect because while Clara faces challenges, the tone is not bitter. Choice (C) is incorrect because the mood is serious rather than celebratory.

7. Ans: (B) – the family’s financial circumstances make such goals impractical
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. The passage indicates Clara’s mother considers her ambitions "foolish for a girl whose father had died owing rent" (lines 19-21), directly linking the judgment to financial hardship. Choice (A) is not stated or suggested anywhere in the passage. Choice (C) contradicts the passage, which mentions Clara’s plans to enroll, indicating such education was available to women.

8. Ans: (B) – recent archaeological evidence suggests bread predates farming
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage centers on the discovery at Shubayqa 1 showing that bread-making occurred "at least four thousand years" before agriculture (lines 6-7) and the implications of this finding. Choice (A) is too narrow, being only one detail rather than the main point. Choice (D) is too broad and not supported by the passage, which focuses on one specific region.

9. Ans: (A) – in a stone fireplace
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states that researchers "discovered the charred remains of flatbreads in a stone fireplace" (lines 5-6). Choice (B) is incorrect because the passage indicates the site predates agriculture. Choice (C) is not mentioned anywhere in the passage.

10. Ans: (B) – reevaluation
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. The discovery forces "a reconsideration of the relationship between bread production and the development of farming" (lines 9-11), meaning scholars must reevaluate their previous assumptions. Choice (A) is too extreme; the passage suggests rethinking, not complete rejection. Choice (D) contradicts the context, which indicates previous assumptions are being challenged, not confirmed.

11. Ans: (A) – bread-making began after crop domestication
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that "scholars had assumed that bread-making emerged only after humans had domesticated cereal crops" (lines 12-13). Choice (B) is too extreme and not stated in the passage. Choice (D) is contradicted by the evidence that wild grains were processed into flour (lines 17-19).

12. Ans: (B) – present a new theory about what motivated early agriculture
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The final paragraph introduces the theory that "bread-making itself may have motivated the shift to agriculture" (lines 23-25), explaining why the discovery has "important implications." Choice (C) distorts the argument; the passage suggests bread-making motivated farming, not that it was more important. Choice (D) is not mentioned in the passage.

13. Ans: (C) – a time-consuming and demanding task
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage describes gathering wild grain as "labor-intensive" (line 24) and notes the difficulty of gathering "sufficient wild grain to produce flour regularly" (lines 24-25). Choice (A) contradicts the passage, which states wild grains "grew wild in the area during the Late Pleistocene" (lines 19-20). Choice (D) is not stated or implied anywhere in the passage.

14. Ans: (A) – presenting a discovery, explaining its significance, and discussing implications
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The passage first describes the Shubayqa discovery (lines 1-7), then explains how it challenges previous assumptions (lines 9-20), and finally discusses theoretical implications (lines 22-26). Choice (B) is incorrect because the passage does not compare two competing theories. Choice (C) is incorrect because no problem is presented that requires solutions.

15. Ans: (B) – her conviction was unjust because women are citizens entitled to vote
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. Anthony argues that denying her right to vote denies her rights as a citizen and that the Union was formed by "the whole people – women as well as men" (lines 18-19), making her conviction unjust. Choice (A) is too narrow; while she mentions taxation (line 3), this is not her primary argument. Choice (D) reverses her point; she argues the Union was formed by all people, not just white male citizens (lines 13-14).

16. Ans: (C) – insult
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. Anthony calls it "a downright mockery to talk to women of their enjoyment of the blessings of liberty" while denying them the vote (lines 20-23), indicating she sees this as an offensive insult to women’s intelligence. Choice (B) is too casual for the serious context. Choice (A) refers to copying or mimicry, which doesn’t fit the context of calling something insulting.

17. Ans: (A) – cannot secure the blessings of liberty
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Anthony explicitly states that women are "denied the use of the only means of securing" the blessings of liberty, which is "the ballot" (lines 22-24). Choice (B) is not stated; while she mentions being taxed (line 3), she does not advocate refusing to pay. Choice (D) is not mentioned anywhere in the passage.

18. Ans: (B) – emphasize that the Union was formed by all people, not just men
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. Anthony uses the phrase to argue it was "we, the whole people, who formed the Union" (lines 14-15) and formed it for "the whole people – women as well as men" (lines 18-19). Choice (A) is incorrect; she invokes the phrase respectfully to support her argument. Choice (C) reverses her point entirely.

19. Ans: (C) – passionate and accusatory
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Anthony’s language is forceful and emotional, accusing the court of denying her "sacred rights" (line 7) and calling the situation "a downright mockery" (line 20). Choice (A) contradicts the passage; Anthony shows no uncertainty or apology. Choice (D) is entirely inappropriate for a serious courtroom statement about denied rights.

20. Ans: (B) – dismissive because of her gender
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Anthony states "this is of no importance to you, for I am a woman" (lines 8-10), directly suggesting the judge dismisses her rights because of her gender. Choice (A) contradicts her accusatory tone throughout. Choice (C) is contradicted by her argument that the denial of her rights is unjust and based on gender discrimination rather than sound legal reasoning.