Reading Passage for HSPT - 48

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 Copenhagen apartment by a messenger who did not wait for a reply. My mother stood in the hallway, turning the thin paper over (5) in her hands as if the reverse side might contain different news. Outside, the November rain drummed against the windows, and I watched her face change as she read the words a second time, then a third.     “Your father will not be (10) coming home,” she said finally, her voice carrying no inflection at all. She folded the telegram with precise movements and placed it on the narrow table beside the door. I was twelve years old and understood that the war had taken many things from us already – sugar, coal, (15) my brother Henrik, who had left for the front in August. But until that moment, I had not understood that it could reach across the water and pull my father from his ship.     That evening, my mother lit every candle we (20) had, transforming our small sitting room into a constellation of trembling light. She did not speak about my father or about the telegram, which remained on the hallway table like an uninvited guest.

1. The passage is narrated from the perspective of

1. a young boy recalling a childhood memory
2. a mother grieving the loss of her husband
3. a messenger delivering tragic news
4. a soldier writing home from the front

2. The detail that the messenger “did not wait for a reply” (lines 2-3) suggests that

1. he had many other telegrams to deliver that day
2. the telegram contained news requiring no response
3. the family was not expected to be home
4. he was afraid of the mother’s reaction

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

1. volume
2. emotion
3. clarity
4. hesitation

4. The narrator’s statement that the war “could reach across the water” (line 16) suggests that

1. the father’s ship was attacked at sea
2. the narrator had previously felt protected from the war’s effects
3. the family lived on an island
4. the telegram was sent from overseas

5. The description of the telegram as “an uninvited guest” (line 22) serves primarily to emphasize

1. the mother’s refusal to acknowledge its contents
2. the intrusive nature of the tragic news
3. the physical presence of the paper in the hallway
4. the family’s isolation from their community

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

1. angry and resentful
2. somber and restrained
3. confused and frightened
4. hopeful and optimistic

7. The mother’s action of lighting “every candle we had” (lines 19-20) most likely represents

1. a celebration of her husband’s military service
2. a practical response to a power outage
3. a form of mourning or memorial ritual
4. an attempt to comfort her frightened child

Passage 2

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

    The human sense of smell, long dismissed as primitive compared to our visual and auditory capabilities, has recently emerged as far more sophisticated than scientists previously recognized. Olfactory receptors in the nasal cavity – of which humans possess approximately (5) four hundred distinct types – can detect and distinguish among roughly one trillion different odors, according to recent research published by neurobiologists at Rockefeller University. This capacity far exceeds earlier estimates that placed the number at a mere ten thousand scents.     What makes this (10) sensitivity particularly remarkable is the direct pathway olfactory information travels to reach the brain. Unlike visual or auditory stimuli, which must pass through the thalamus before being processed, scent molecules bind to receptors that send signals straight to the olfactory bulb, (15) a structure positioned just above the nasal cavity and below the frontal lobe. From there, information flows immediately to the limbic system, the brain’s emotional center, which explains why certain smells can trigger vivid memories or powerful emotional responses with startling immediacy.     This neural architecture (20) also accounts for smell’s remarkable persistence in memory. A scent encountered in childhood can be recognized decades later, often accompanied by detailed recollections of the original context.

8. The main idea of the passage is that

1. human olfactory abilities are more powerful and complex than previously understood
2. the sense of smell is more important than vision or hearing
3. scientists have discovered four hundred types of olfactory receptors
4. childhood memories are primarily stored through scent associations

9. According to the passage, earlier estimates of human scent detection capabilities were

1. roughly accurate within a margin of error
2. significantly lower than current research suggests
3. based on studies of visual processing
4. conducted at Rockefeller University

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

1. emotional responsiveness
2. fragility
3. discriminating ability
4. awareness

11. Unlike visual and auditory stimuli, olfactory information

1. is processed more slowly by the brain
2. bypasses the thalamus on its way to the brain
3. requires more complex neural pathways
4. cannot trigger emotional responses

12. The passage suggests that smells trigger emotional responses quickly because

1. olfactory receptors are more numerous than other sensory receptors
2. the olfactory bulb is located above the nasal cavity
3. scent information connects directly to the brain’s emotional center
4. humans can detect one trillion different odors

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

1. argue that smell is the most important human sense
2. explain recent scientific findings about olfactory capabilities
3. describe the physical structure of the human nose
4. compare human and animal scent detection abilities

14. The passage indicates that a scent from childhood can be recognized decades later because of

1. the particularly strong odors encountered in youth
2. the brain’s unique neural architecture for processing smell
3. repeated exposure to the same scents throughout life
4. the thalamus’s role in long-term memory formation

Passage 3

The following passage is adapted from Susan B. Anthony’s statement to the court in 1873, after being convicted of voting illegally 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 denial (5) 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. Had I been permitted to vote, I should have voted for myself, thus (10) exercising my right of self-government. You have trampled underfoot every vital principle of our government. My natural rights, my civil rights, my political rights, are all alike ignored. Robbed of the fundamental privilege of citizenship, I am degraded from the status of (15) a citizen to that of a subject; and not only myself individually, but all of my sex, are, by your honor’s verdict, doomed to political subjection under this so-called republican government.     I ask no leniency at your hands. The only (20) question before you is whether the conduct of these proceedings has been according to the Constitution and laws of the United States.

15. Anthony’s primary argument is that denying women the vote

1. violates fundamental rights guaranteed to all citizens
2. prevents women from serving on juries
3. is supported by the Constitution
4. affects only a small number of women

16. As used in line 14, the word degraded most nearly means

1. insulted
2. demoted
3. humiliated
4. corrupted

17. Anthony’s statement that she would have “voted for myself” (line 9) suggests that

1. she was running for political office
2. she believes in the principle of self-representation
3. she was the only candidate in the election
4. voting is an act of self-interest

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

1. apologetic and remorseful
2. defiant and principled
3. bitter and vindictive
4. pleading and desperate

19. Anthony distinguishes between a “citizen” and a “subject” (lines 14-15) in order to

1. demonstrate her knowledge of political terminology
2. emphasize the loss of political autonomy women suffer
3. compare the United States to a monarchy
4. explain why she broke the law

20. When Anthony states “I ask no leniency at your hands” (lines 18-19), she is most likely

1. requesting a harsher sentence to draw attention to injustice
2. expressing confidence that she will be acquitted
3. refusing to apologize or seek mercy for her actions
4. acknowledging that her conduct was wrong

Answer Key

1. Ans: (A) – a young boy recalling a childhood memory
Explanation: This is a Point of View question. The narrator explicitly states “I was twelve years old” (line 13) and describes events from that perspective, indicating this is a retrospective account of a childhood experience. Choice (B) is incorrect because the mother is a character in the passage, not the narrator. Choice (D) is incorrect because the brother Henrik went to the front, not the narrator.

2. Ans: (B) – the telegram contained news requiring no response
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The detail suggests that the tragic, definitive nature of the news (lines 3-6) made a reply unnecessary or impossible. Choice (A) might be true but is not supported by information in the passage. Choice (D) is incorrect because there is no indication the messenger knew the content or anticipated any particular reaction.

3. Ans: (B) – emotion
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. The phrase “her voice carrying no inflection at all” (line 6) describes the mother’s emotionally flat delivery of devastating news, indicating inflection refers to emotional expression in speech. Choice (A) is incorrect because volume refers to loudness, not emotional tone. Choice (C) is incorrect because the issue is not whether she spoke clearly but whether her voice conveyed feeling.

4. Ans: (B) – the narrator had previously felt protected from the war’s effects
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The narrator states that before this moment, “I had not understood that it could reach across the water” (lines 15-16), suggesting a prior sense of safety or distance from the war. Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage states the father was “pulled from his ship,” not that the ship was attacked. Choice (C) distorts the metaphorical language into a literal geographic detail not supported by the text.

5. Ans: (B) – the intrusive nature of the tragic news
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The metaphor of the telegram as “an uninvited guest” (line 22) conveys how the unwelcome news has forced itself into the family’s life. Choice (A) is too narrow; while the mother doesn’t speak about it, the metaphor emphasizes intrusion more than avoidance. Choice (C) is too literal, focusing on physical presence rather than emotional impact.

6. Ans: (B) – somber and restrained
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The passage describes grief with controlled, quiet imagery: the mother’s voice with “no inflection” (line 6), her “precise movements” (line 7), and her silence (line 21). Choice (A) is incorrect because there is no anger expressed in the passage. Choice (C) is incorrect because while the news is tragic, the dominant mood is quiet sorrow, not confusion or fear.

7. Ans: (C) – a form of mourning or memorial ritual
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The mother lights “every candle we had” (lines 19-20) on the evening she learns of her husband’s death, suggesting a commemorative or mourning practice. Choice (B) is incorrect because there is no mention of a power outage; the candles appear to be deliberately symbolic. Choice (D) is incorrect because the passage emphasizes the mother’s own need rather than comforting the child.

8. Ans: (A) – human olfactory abilities are more powerful and complex than previously understood
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage opens by stating smell “has recently emerged as far more sophisticated than scientists previously recognized” (lines 2-4) and develops this idea throughout. Choice (C) is too narrow; the four hundred receptor types are a supporting detail, not the main idea. Choice (D) is incorrect because childhood memories are mentioned only as an example in the final paragraph, not as the central focus.

9. Ans: (B) – significantly lower than current research suggests
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that new research shows humans can detect “roughly one trillion different odors” which “far exceeds earlier estimates that placed the number at a mere ten thousand scents” (lines 6-8). Choice (A) is incorrect because the difference between ten thousand and one trillion is enormous, not within a margin of error. Choice (D) reverses the information; the current research was conducted at Rockefeller University, not the earlier estimates.

10. Ans: (C) – discriminating ability
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. The word “sensitivity” (line 9) follows a discussion of the ability to “detect and distinguish” one trillion odors (line 6), indicating it refers to discriminatory capability. Choice (A) is incorrect because while emotional responsiveness is discussed later, the word here refers to detection ability. Choice (B) is incorrect because fragility is unrelated to the context of olfactory capability.

11. Ans: (B) – bypasses the thalamus on its way to the brain
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states that “Unlike visual or auditory stimuli, which must pass through the thalamus before being processed,” scent signals go “straight to the olfactory bulb” (lines 10-14). Choice (A) reverses the passage’s meaning; the direct pathway suggests faster, not slower, processing. Choice (D) contradicts the passage, which explains that smell does trigger emotional responses (lines 17-18).

12. Ans: (C) – scent information connects directly to the brain’s emotional center
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. The passage explains that from the olfactory bulb, “information flows immediately to the limbic system, the brain’s emotional center, which explains why certain smells can trigger vivid memories or powerful emotional responses with startling immediacy” (lines 16-19). Choice (A) mentions a true detail but not the one that explains quick emotional responses. Choice (B) describes location but not the connection that causes rapid emotional reactions.

13. Ans: (B) – explain recent scientific findings about olfactory capabilities
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The passage presents “recent research” (line 5) and explains new discoveries about smell’s sophistication and neural pathways. Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage does not argue smell is most important, only that it is more sophisticated than previously thought. Choice (C) is too narrow; while the olfactory bulb is mentioned, anatomical description is not the primary purpose.

14. Ans: (B) – the brain’s unique neural architecture for processing smell
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage states “This neural architecture also accounts for smell’s remarkable persistence in memory” (lines 19-20), referring to the direct pathway to the limbic system described earlier. Choice (A) is not mentioned in the passage. Choice (D) contradicts the passage, which states that smell bypasses the thalamus (lines 11-12).

15. Ans: (A) – violates fundamental rights guaranteed to all citizens
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. Anthony argues that denial of the vote means “denial of my sacred rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness” (lines 6-8) and that her “natural rights, my civil rights, my political rights, are all alike ignored” (lines 12-13). Choice (B) is mentioned but is a supporting detail, not the primary argument. Choice (C) reverses Anthony’s position; she argues the denial is unconstitutional.

16. Ans: (B) – demoted
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. Anthony states she is “degraded from the status of a citizen to that of a subject” (lines 14-15), indicating a reduction in rank or status. Choice (A) is incorrect because insulted refers to offense, not change in status. Choice (D) is incorrect because corrupted suggests moral decay, which is not the meaning here.

17. Ans: (B) – she believes in the principle of self-representation
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Anthony states that voting for herself would be “exercising my right of self-government” (lines 9-10), indicating she sees voting as an act of governing oneself. Choice (A) is incorrect because there is no evidence she was a candidate for office. Choice (D) distorts her meaning; she refers to self-government, not selfish interest.

18. Ans: (B) – defiant and principled
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Anthony refuses to apologize, declares her rights have been “trampled underfoot” (line 11), and asks “no leniency” (line 18), showing both defiance and commitment to principles. Choice (A) is incorrect because she shows no remorse. Choice (C) is incorrect because while she is accusatory, the tone is principled rather than vindictive.

19. Ans: (B) – emphasize the loss of political autonomy women suffer
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. By contrasting “citizen” with “subject” (lines 14-15), Anthony highlights that women are “doomed to political subjection” (line 17) rather than enjoying self-governance. Choice (C) is too broad; while subjects are associated with monarchies, her point is about autonomy, not direct governmental comparison. Choice (D) is incorrect because this distinction serves to illustrate injustice, not to justify lawbreaking.

20. Ans: (C) – refusing to apologize or seek mercy for her actions
Explanation: This is an Inference question. By stating she asks “no leniency” (lines 18-19), Anthony makes clear she will not beg for a reduced sentence or express regret. Choice (A) is incorrect because she is not requesting anything. Choice (D) contradicts the entire passage, in which she argues her conduct was justified and lawful.