Reading Passage for HSPT - 51

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 beneath the door of my lodgings while I was out purchasing bread. I found it upon my return, the thin yellow paper creased from (5) where someone had folded it carelessly. Mother was ill again. Come at once, my sister wrote, as though the journey from Chicago to our village in Kentucky were a matter of stepping across a threshold rather than two days on (10) rattling trains through country I had worked three years to leave behind.     I held the telegram to the window light and read it twice more, searching for some word that might excuse delay. But Helen had chosen her (15) words with the precision she brought to all tasks, and there was nothing ambiguous in her message. I thought of my room at the boarding house, with its narrow bed and the desk I had purchased secondhand, where my (20) half-finished manuscript lay in a neat stack, chapters of a novel I had promised myself I would complete before winter. The landlady would hold the room for a week, perhaps two if I paid in advance, but no longer than that.

1. The passage is narrated from the point of view of

1. a young woman who has recently moved to a large city
2. a mother reflecting on her relationship with her daughters
3. a landlady observing one of her tenants
4. a sister who is caring for an ill parent

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

1. subject
2. problem
3. substance
4. act

3. The narrator’s attitude toward returning home can best be described as

1. eager anticipation
2. complete indifference
3. reluctant obligation
4. angry resentment

4. The detail that the telegram was "folded carelessly" (lines 4-5) suggests that

1. the postal service in Chicago was unreliable
2. Helen did not care about her mother’s condition
3. the message was delivered in haste
4. the narrator was careless with important documents

5. According to the passage, the narrator has been away from Kentucky for

1. one week
2. two days
3. three years
4. two years

6. The narrator’s description of Helen suggests that she is

1. careless and impulsive
2. deliberate and efficient
3. warm and affectionate
4. angry and demanding

7. The narrator’s mention of the "half-finished manuscript" (line 19) primarily serves to

1. show that the narrator is a professional writer
2. emphasize what the narrator will sacrifice by leaving
3. prove that the narrator is wealthy
4. explain why the narrator cannot travel

Passage 2

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

    In 1974, farmers digging a well near Xi’an, China, unearthed fragments of clay that would lead to one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable archaeological discoveries. (5) What emerged over subsequent decades of excavation was an underground army: more than eight thousand life-sized terracotta warriors, each with distinct facial features, arranged in battle formation to guard the tomb of Qin Shi (10) Huang, China’s first emperor, who died in 210 BCE.     The technical sophistication of these figures astonishes modern researchers. Each warrior was constructed using an assembly-line method: bodies were built from (15) coils of local clay, while heads, hands, and feet were crafted in molds and then individualized with hand-sculpted details. After assembly, the figures were fired at temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius. Artisans then painted each warrior in (20) bright pigments-reds, greens, purples-derived from minerals including cinnabar and malachite. Though most of this paint has deteriorated upon exposure to air, traces analyzed under microscopy reveal a color palette of stunning vibrancy. The warriors were (25) never meant to be seen by living eyes; they were created to serve their emperor in the afterlife.

8. The primary purpose of the passage is to

1. describe the discovery and construction techniques of the terracotta warriors
2. argue that the terracotta warriors are the greatest archaeological find in history
3. explain the religious beliefs of ancient China
4. compare ancient and modern sculpture methods

9. According to the passage, the terracotta warriors were discovered in

1. 210 BCE
2. 1974
3. the twentieth century BCE
4. 1000 CE

10. As used in line 15, the word "coils" most nearly means

1. springs
2. spirals
3. loops
4. problems

11. The passage indicates that the terracotta warriors were individualized by

1. using different types of clay for each figure
2. firing each warrior at a different temperature
3. adding hand-sculpted details to molded parts
4. painting each warrior a different color

12. The statement that the warriors "were never meant to be seen by living eyes" (lines 24-25) suggests that

1. the tomb was designed to remain sealed
2. ancient Chinese artisans were blind
3. the warriors were considered too ugly to display
4. the emperor forbade anyone from viewing his tomb during his lifetime

13. The passage suggests that much of the original paint on the warriors has

1. been perfectly preserved underground
2. been restored by modern artisans
3. degraded after exposure to air
4. been stolen by archaeologists

14. The author’s tone in describing the terracotta warriors can best be characterized as

1. skeptical and dismissive
2. admiring and informative
3. humorous and casual
4. critical and disapproving

Passage 3

The following passage is adapted from Susan B. Anthony’s statement to the court 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 (5) of the taxed, the 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, and property-and in your language, (10) Your Honor, you have trampled underfoot every vital principle of our government. My natural rights, my civil rights, my political rights, are 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 shall earnestly and persistently continue (20) to urge all women to the practical recognition of the old Revolutionary maxim, "Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God."

15. Anthony’s primary purpose in this statement is to

1. apologize to the court for breaking the law
2. protest that the verdict violates fundamental rights
3. request a reduced sentence for her crime
4. praise the American system of government

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

1. reduced
2. insulted
3. decomposed
4. criticized

17. According to the passage, Anthony argues that denying women the vote is equivalent to denying them

1. the right to own property
2. representation as taxpayers
3. employment opportunities
4. religious freedom

18. Anthony’s reference to "a trial by a jury of my peers" (lines 6-7) implies that

1. her trial included no jury members
2. the jury did not understand the law
3. women were excluded from serving on juries
4. the jury members were all criminals

19. The tone of Anthony’s statement can best be described as

1. apologetic and submissive
2. defiant and principled
3. confused and uncertain
4. lighthearted and optimistic

20. Anthony’s final reference to "Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God" (lines 21-22) serves to

1. introduce a new religious argument unrelated to voting rights
2. connect the women’s suffrage movement to American revolutionary ideals
3. suggest that God supports the court’s verdict
4. prove that Anthony is more interested in religion than politics

Answer Key

1. Ans: ((A)) – a young woman who has recently moved to a large city
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The narrator mentions purchasing "my room at the boarding house" in Chicago (lines 17-18) and having "worked three years to leave behind" Kentucky (lines 10-11), indicating she is a young woman who moved to a large city. Choice (B) is incorrect because the narrator is the daughter, not the mother. Choice (D) is incorrect because Helen, not the narrator, is currently caring for their mother.

2. Ans: ((D)) – act
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. The phrase describes the journey "as though" it "were a matter of stepping across a threshold" (lines 7-9), meaning it were an act as simple as stepping across a threshold. Choice (A) "subject" is a common meaning of "matter" but does not fit this context. Choice (C) "substance" is another meaning of "matter" but is incorrect here.

3. Ans: ((C)) – reluctant obligation
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The narrator searches for "some word that might excuse delay" (line 13) and thinks about what she will sacrifice by leaving (lines 17-22), showing reluctance, yet she recognizes the message is unambiguous and she must go, showing obligation. Choice (A) is incorrect because the narrator shows no eagerness or anticipation. Choice (D) is too extreme; while reluctant, the narrator shows no anger.

4. Ans: ((C)) – the message was delivered in haste
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The careless folding suggests the telegram was handled quickly, consistent with an urgent message about illness (lines 4-6). Choice (B) is incorrect because the folding was done by the deliverer, not Helen. Choice (D) reverses the situation; someone else folded the telegram carelessly, not the narrator.

5. Ans: ((C)) – three years
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage directly states the narrator "had worked three years to leave behind" Kentucky (lines 10-11). Choice (B) "two days" appears in the passage but refers to the journey time (line 8), not how long she has been away. Choice (D) is not mentioned in the passage.

6. Ans: ((B)) – deliberate and efficient
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The narrator notes that Helen "had chosen her words with the precision she brought to all tasks" (lines 13-15), indicating she is deliberate and efficient. Choice (A) contradicts the description of precision. Choice (C) is not supported; the telegram is functional, not warm.

7. Ans: ((B)) – emphasize what the narrator will sacrifice by leaving
Explanation: This is an Author's Purpose question. The narrator mentions the manuscript she "had promised myself I would complete before winter" (lines 20-22) in the context of what leaving will cost her, emphasizing the sacrifice. Choice (A) is incorrect; writing a novel does not make one a professional writer. Choice (D) is incorrect; the manuscript is not presented as a reason she cannot travel.

8. Ans: ((A)) – describe the discovery and construction techniques of the terracotta warriors
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage discusses both how the warriors were discovered (lines 1-10) and how they were constructed (lines 12-25). Choice (B) is too broad; the passage makes no claim about "greatest" in history. Choice (C) is too narrow; religious beliefs are mentioned only briefly regarding the afterlife.

9. Ans: ((B)) – 1974
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states clearly that "In 1974, farmers digging a well near Xi’an, China, unearthed fragments" (lines 1-3). Choice (A) is mentioned in the passage but refers to when the emperor died (line 10), not when the warriors were discovered. Choice (C) distorts information; the discovery was in the twentieth century CE, not BCE.

10. Ans: ((C)) – loops
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. The passage describes "bodies were built from coils of local clay" (lines 14-15), referring to rolled loops of clay used in pottery construction. Choice (A) "springs" is a meaning of "coils" but does not fit the context of clay construction. Choice (D) "problems" relates to "coils" only in the phrase "mortal coils" and is incorrect here.

11. Ans: ((C)) – adding hand-sculpted details to molded parts
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that heads, hands, and feet "were crafted in molds and then individualized with hand-sculpted details" (lines 16-17). Choice (A) is not mentioned; the passage refers only to "local clay" (line 15). Choice (D) is too broad; while they were painted, the individualization specifically came from hand-sculpted details.

12. Ans: ((A)) – the tomb was designed to remain sealed
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The statement that the warriors "were created to serve their emperor in the afterlife" and were "never meant to be seen by living eyes" (lines 24-26) implies the tomb was meant to remain permanently closed. Choice (C) contradicts the passage’s admiring description of the warriors. Choice (D) is too narrow; it addresses only the emperor’s lifetime, not the eternal sealing intended.

13. Ans: ((C)) – degraded after exposure to air
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states "most of this paint has deteriorated upon exposure to air" (lines 21-22). Choice (A) contradicts this statement directly. Choice (B) is not stated in the passage; there is no mention of restoration.

14. Ans: ((B)) – admiring and informative
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The author uses phrases like "remarkable archaeological discoveries" (line 4) and "technical sophistication...astonishes modern researchers" (lines 12-13) while providing factual information, showing admiration and an informative purpose. Choice (A) is incorrect; the author expresses no skepticism. Choice (D) is incorrect; the tone is positive, not critical.

15. Ans: ((B)) – protest that the verdict violates fundamental rights
Explanation: This is an Author's Purpose question. Anthony lists multiple rights that have been denied (lines 1-8) and states the judge has "trampled underfoot every vital principle of our government" (lines 9-10), clearly protesting the violation of rights. Choice (A) contradicts the defiant tone throughout. Choice (D) reverses her argument; she criticizes the government as subjecting women.

16. Ans: ((A)) – reduced
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), meaning her status is reduced or lowered. Choice (B) "insulted" captures an emotional aspect but not the core meaning of lowered status in this context. Choice (C) "decomposed" is a meaning of "degraded" in scientific contexts but is incorrect here.

17. Ans: ((B)) – representation as taxpayers
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Anthony specifically mentions "the denial of my right of representation as one of the taxed" (lines 3-5). Choice (A) is too broad; she mentions property rights (line 8) but not in the context of taxation. Choice (C) is not mentioned anywhere in the passage.

18. Ans: ((C)) – women were excluded from serving on juries
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Anthony’s complaint about being denied "a trial by a jury of my peers" (lines 6-7) implies that as a woman, her peers (other women) could not serve on juries. Choice (A) is not supported; the issue is the composition of the jury, not its absence. Choice (D) is not stated or implied anywhere in the passage.

19. Ans: ((B)) – defiant and principled
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Anthony directly challenges the judge, stating he has "trampled underfoot every vital principle" (lines 9-10), showing defiance, while grounding her argument in rights and principles throughout (lines 1-8, 11-13). Choice (A) is directly contradicted by the confrontational language. Choice (C) is incorrect; Anthony expresses complete certainty in her position.

20. Ans: ((B)) – connect the women’s suffrage movement to American revolutionary ideals
Explanation: This is an Author's Purpose question. By invoking an "old Revolutionary maxim" (line 21), Anthony links her cause to the American Revolution’s principles of resisting tyranny. Choice (A) is incorrect; the quotation is directly related to her argument about resisting unjust government. Choice (C) reverses the meaning; she uses the quotation to justify resistance to the verdict, not to support it.