Reading Passage for HSPT - 70

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 train lurched forward just as Marguerite settled into her seat, the worn velvet cushion releasing a puff of dust that caught in the slanting afternoon light. She watched the platform slide away, her aunt’s figure growing smaller until it vanished behind (5) the curve of the station house. For the first time in three years, she was leaving Montreal alone, without chaperone or companion, headed toward a city she knew only from her brother’s infrequent letters.     Across from her sat a woman in a green traveling suit, her hands busy (10) with knitting needles that clicked in steady rhythm. The woman glanced up once, offered a thin smile, then returned to her work. Marguerite turned to the window. The tenements of the eastern districts gave way to scattered farms, their fields stubbled with the (15) remnants of harvested wheat. She had tucked Thomas’s last letter into her handbag that morning, though she had already committed its contents to memory: the address of the boarding house, the name of the foreman at the textile mill, the warning that (20) Toronto was not what she imagined.

1. The passage is narrated from which point of view?

1. First person, from Marguerite’s perspective
2. Third person limited, focused on Marguerite
3. Third person omniscient, revealing multiple characters’ thoughts
4. Second person, addressing the reader directly

2. According to the passage, Marguerite is traveling to

1. visit her brother in Montreal
2. meet a foreman at a textile mill
3. Toronto, where her brother lives
4. a city where she has lived before

3. As used in line 8, the word chaperone most nearly means

1. supervisor
2. guardian
3. traveling companion
4. escort responsible for propriety

4. The detail about the dust rising from the cushion (lines 2-4) primarily serves to

1. emphasize the poor condition of the train
2. create a visual image of the afternoon light
3. suggest that the train is rarely used
4. contrast Marguerite’s past and future

5. It can be inferred from the passage that Marguerite feels

1. relieved to be leaving her aunt behind
2. anxious about her journey and destination
3. excited to reunite with Thomas in Toronto
4. indifferent to the woman in the green suit

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

1. celebratory and joyful
2. reflective and uncertain
3. bitter and resentful
4. detached and clinical

7. Thomas’s warning that “Toronto was not what she imagined” (lines 19-20) suggests that

1. Marguerite has unrealistic expectations about the city
2. Toronto is more beautiful than Marguerite believes
3. Thomas wants Marguerite to stay in Montreal
4. Marguerite has visited Toronto many times before

Passage 2

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

    The discovery of a Bronze Age wooden wheel in the Cambridgeshire wetlands has forced archaeologists to reconsider long-held assumptions about prehistoric trade networks in Britain. Preserved in oxygen-poor peat for nearly four thousand years, the wheel measures (5) just over one meter in diameter and exhibits a sophisticated construction technique: three ash planks joined with yew dowels, their edges carved to fit with remarkable precision. Radiocarbon dating places the artifact between 1100 and 800 BCE, a period when most scholars believed wheeled transport in Britain was limited to (10) coastal regions with Roman influence.     What makes this find particularly significant is its location. The wheel was discovered fifteen kilometers from the nearest Bronze Age settlement, embedded in what would have been a marsh impassable to carts. Dr. Helena Kovač, who led (15) the excavation, suggests that the wheel may have been deliberately deposited as a ritual offering, a practice documented in other wetland sites across northern Europe. Alternatively, it may have broken off a vehicle attempting to cross the marsh on a now-vanished timber trackway. Either (20) scenario challenges the prevailing view that wheeled vehicles were rare in prehistoric Britain and used only for ceremonial purposes.

8. The main idea of the passage is that

1. Bronze Age people in Britain were more technologically advanced than previously thought
2. a wheel discovered in Cambridgeshire challenges existing beliefs about prehistoric British transportation
3. Roman influence on British trade networks began earlier than scholars believed
4. wetland preservation allows archaeologists to study wooden artifacts from prehistory

9. According to the passage, the wheel was constructed using

1. Roman techniques brought to coastal Britain
2. three planks of ash wood joined with yew dowels
3. timber from a trackway across the marsh
4. ceremonial materials reserved for ritual offerings

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

1. near the ocean
2. bordering the shore
3. influenced by outside cultures
4. accessible by water

11. The passage suggests that before this discovery, most scholars believed that

1. wheeled transport was uncommon in Bronze Age Britain
2. Bronze Age settlements were located near wetlands
3. ritual offerings were never made in marshes
4. ash and yew were not available to prehistoric Britons

12. Dr. Kovač’s theory that the wheel was a ritual offering is supported by

1. radiocarbon dating of the artifact
2. the precision of the wheel’s construction
3. similar practices documented at other northern European wetland sites
4. the distance from the nearest Bronze Age settlement

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

1. describe the construction techniques used in Bronze Age Britain
2. report on a discovery that contradicts established archaeological theories
3. argue that ritual offerings were common in prehistoric wetlands
4. explain how oxygen-poor peat preserves organic materials

14. The phrase “Either scenario” (lines 19-20) refers to

1. the two possible construction methods for the wheel
2. ritual deposition or accidental loss of the wheel
3. coastal and inland uses of wheeled transport
4. ceremonial and practical purposes for vehicles

Passage 3

The following passage is adapted from a historical primary source.

    I rise today not to speak of constitutional theories or parliamentary procedures, but to address a matter that strikes at the conscience of this House. For three months, the children of the East End have labored fourteen hours daily in factories where (5) the air is thick with cotton dust and the machinery claims fingers and hands with ruthless regularity. Honourable members have toured these establishments, nodded gravely, and returned to their comfortable seats to debate whether reform might injure our competitive position in international markets.     I put it (10) to you directly: what profit justifies the stunting of a child’s growth? What competitive advantage outweighs a generation robbed of schooling, of health, of childhood itself? We speak endlessly of Britain’s greatness, yet we permit practices that would have shamed the (15) ancient slaveholders. The mill owners claim that regulation will drive industry to the Continent, but I have examined the ledgers of Manchester and Leeds, and I find profits sufficient to bear the modest cost of limiting the working day to ten hours for those under (20) sixteen years of age.

15. The speaker is primarily concerned with

1. improving Britain’s competitive position in international trade
2. reforming labor conditions for children in factories
3. investigating constitutional theories of parliamentary power
4. comparing British practices to those of ancient civilizations

16. According to the passage, children in East End factories work

1. ten hours per day
2. in conditions approved by Parliament
3. fourteen hours daily
4. alongside their parents in family units

17. As used in line 8, the word injure most nearly means

1. physically wound
2. legally challenge
3. economically harm
4. morally corrupt

18. The speaker’s reference to “ancient slaveholders” (lines 14-15) serves to

1. propose returning to historical labor practices
2. demonstrate the speaker’s knowledge of classical history
3. shame Parliament by comparing current practices to immoral ones from the past
4. argue that factory conditions are worse than those in ancient times

19. It can be inferred that the speaker believes mill owners’ claims about regulation are

1. supported by economic evidence
2. worthy of serious parliamentary consideration
3. based on legitimate concerns about international competition
4. contradicted by actual profit data

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

1. detached and analytical
2. urgent and morally indignant
3. conciliatory and compromising
4. pessimistic and defeated

Answer Key

1. Ans: (B) – Third person limited, focused on Marguerite
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The passage uses third-person pronouns (“she,” “her”) and reveals only Marguerite’s thoughts and perceptions, such as her memories of Thomas’s letter (lines 16-20). Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage uses third-person pronouns, not “I.” Choice (C) is incorrect because we do not learn the thoughts of the woman in the green suit or any other character.

2. Ans: (C) – Toronto, where her brother lives
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states Marguerite is “headed toward a city she knew only from her brother’s infrequent letters” (lines 7-8) and later mentions “Thomas’s last letter” containing “the address of the boarding house” and “the warning that Toronto was not what she imagined” (lines 16-20). Choice (A) reverses the journey, as she is leaving Montreal. Choice (D) contradicts line 7, which states it is a city she knows only from letters.

3. Ans: (D) – escort responsible for propriety
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 8, the context of a young woman in the early 20th century traveling “without chaperone or companion” indicates someone who would ensure proper social behavior, which is the specific historical meaning of chaperone. Choice (A) is too broad and lacks the social propriety dimension. Choice (C) is mentioned separately as “or companion,” suggesting chaperone has a more specific meaning than just traveling companion.

4. Ans: (B) – create a visual image of the afternoon light
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The detail about dust “caught in the slanting afternoon light” (lines 3-4) creates a specific visual image that establishes the scene and time of day. Choice (A) is too narrow; while the cushion is worn, the primary purpose is the visual effect of dust in light. Choice (C) is unsupported, as a worn cushion does not indicate the train is rarely used.

5. Ans: (B) – anxious about her journey and destination
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Marguerite has “committed to memory” Thomas’s warnings (line 17), suggesting concern, and his warning that “Toronto was not what she imagined” (lines 19-20) implies uncertainty about what awaits her. Choice (A) is not supported; watching her aunt’s “figure growing smaller” (line 4) does not indicate relief. Choice (C) distorts the passage; she is going to Toronto where Thomas lives, but there is no indication this is a joyful reunion.

6. Ans: (B) – reflective and uncertain
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The passage’s focus on Marguerite watching the landscape change, remembering letters, and contemplating warnings (lines 11-20) creates a reflective mood, while Thomas’s warning and her solitary journey into the unknown suggest uncertainty. Choice (A) contradicts the subdued, contemplative atmosphere. Choice (C) is unsupported, as there is no evidence of bitterness or resentment in the passage.

7. Ans: (A) – Marguerite has unrealistic expectations about the city
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Thomas’s warning that the city “was not what she imagined” (lines 19-20) implies that her mental picture differs from reality, suggesting her expectations may be inaccurate. Choice (B) reverses the likely meaning; warnings typically indicate something worse, not better, than expected. Choice (D) contradicts line 7, which states she knows the city “only from her brother’s infrequent letters.”

8. Ans: (B) – a wheel discovered in Cambridgeshire challenges existing beliefs about prehistoric British transportation
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The opening states the discovery “has forced archaeologists to reconsider long-held assumptions” (lines 2-3), and the conclusion notes it “challenges the prevailing view” about wheeled vehicles in prehistoric Britain (lines 20-22). Choice (C) is contradicted by lines 9-10, which state scholars believed Roman influence was limited to coastal regions. Choice (D) is too broad and misses the specific focus on challenging assumptions about transportation.

9. Ans: (B) – three planks of ash wood joined with yew dowels
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Lines 5-7 explicitly state the wheel exhibits “three ash planks joined with yew dowels, their edges carved to fit with remarkable precision.” Choice (A) is contradicted by lines 8-10, which say scholars believed Roman influence was limited to coastal regions during this period. Choice (D) uses words from the passage (“ceremonial,” “ritual”) but distorts the meaning; the materials are not described as ceremonial.

10. Ans: (B) – bordering the shore
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 10, “coastal regions” refers to geographic areas near the coast where Roman influence would arrive by sea, making “bordering the shore” the most precise meaning. Choice (A) is close but less precise than (B). Choice (C) uses an idea from the passage (Roman influence) but is not the meaning of the word “coastal” itself.

11. Ans: (A) – wheeled transport was uncommon in Bronze Age Britain
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage states the discovery “challenges the prevailing view that wheeled vehicles were rare in prehistoric Britain and used only for ceremonial purposes” (lines 20-22), indicating this was the prior scholarly belief. Choice (B) is unsupported; the passage does not discuss where settlements were located. Choice (C) contradicts lines 15-17, which mention that ritual offerings in wetlands are “documented in other wetland sites.”

12. Ans: (C) – similar practices documented at other northern European wetland sites
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Lines 15-17 state that deliberate deposition as a ritual offering is “a practice documented in other wetland sites across northern Europe,” which supports Dr. Kovač’s theory. Choice (A) provides the age of the wheel but does not support the ritual offering theory specifically. Choice (D) is true but does not explain why the wheel would be a ritual offering rather than accidental loss.

13. Ans: (B) – report on a discovery that contradicts established archaeological theories
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The passage opens by stating the discovery “forced archaeologists to reconsider long-held assumptions” (lines 2-3) and concludes that it “challenges the prevailing view” (lines 19-20), making reporting on theory-challenging findings the primary purpose. Choice (A) is too narrow; construction techniques are mentioned but are not the main focus. Choice (C) takes a position the author presents as only one possibility among alternatives (lines 18-19).

14. Ans: (B) – ritual deposition or accidental loss of the wheel
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The two scenarios mentioned in lines 14-19 are that the wheel “may have been deliberately deposited as a ritual offering” or “may have broken off a vehicle attempting to cross the marsh.” Choice (A) is incorrect because construction methods are not presented as alternative scenarios. Choice (D) uses words from the passage but refers to the old scholarly view (line 22), not the two scenarios Dr. Kovač proposes.

15. Ans: (B) – reforming labor conditions for children in factories
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The speaker focuses on children laboring “fourteen hours daily” (line 4) in dangerous conditions and calls for “limiting the working day to ten hours for those under sixteen years of age” (lines 18-20). Choice (A) reverses the speaker’s position; the speaker dismisses concerns about competitive position (lines 6-9). Choice (C) is contradicted by the opening, where the speaker explicitly says he will not “speak of constitutional theories” (line 2).

16. Ans: (C) – fourteen hours daily
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Lines 3-5 explicitly state that “the children of the East End have labored fourteen hours daily in factories.” Choice (A) confuses the current situation with the speaker’s proposed reform of a ten-hour limit (lines 18-20). Choice (B) is contradicted by the speaker’s call for reform, which implies current conditions are not regulated.

17. Ans: (C) – economically harm
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 8, the context is whether reform “might injure our competitive position in international markets,” clearly referring to economic damage. Choice (A) is the common meaning of “injure” but does not fit the context of competitive position in markets. Choice (D) is thematically related to the passage but not the meaning of “injure” in this context.

18. Ans: (C) – shame Parliament by comparing current practices to immoral ones from the past
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The speaker states “we permit practices that would have shamed the ancient slaveholders” (lines 14-15), using the comparison to condemn current practices as worse than historical immorality. Choice (A) reverses the speaker’s intent; the comparison is meant to criticize, not propose a return. Choice (D) goes too far; the speaker says current practices would shame slaveholders, not that they are necessarily worse.

19. Ans: (D) – contradicted by actual profit data
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The speaker states “I have examined the ledgers of Manchester and Leeds, and I find profits sufficient to bear the modest cost” of reform (lines 16-19), directly contradicting mill owners’ claims. Choice (A) reverses the speaker’s point; the evidence contradicts, not supports, the claims. Choice (C) is what the mill owners claim, but the speaker’s examination of ledgers shows these concerns are not legitimate.

20. Ans: (B) – urgent and morally indignant
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The speaker’s passionate rhetorical questions (lines 10-14), moral condemnation comparing practices to slavery (lines 14-15), and direct challenge (“I put it to you directly,” lines 9-10) create urgent moral indignation. Choice (A) contradicts the emotional, passionate language throughout. Choice (C) is incorrect because the speaker takes a firm position and challenges opponents rather than seeking compromise.