Reading Passage for HSPT - 78

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 rattled westward through the Kansas wheat fields, and Margaret pressed her forehead against the window glass, watching the farmhouses dissolve into specks on the horizon. She had left Philadelphia with two trunks, a letter of introduction to the school board in Lawrence, and her mother’s disapproval (5) ringing in her ears like the clang of church bells. Teaching school on the frontier was, her mother had declared, an occupation fit only for women who had exhausted all respectable alternatives. Margaret had not argued. She simply packed her best dresses and her copy of Emerson’s essays and boarded the train before dawn.     Now, three days into the journey, the landscape had flattened into (10) something vast and unnerving. She shared the passenger car with a cattle rancher who smelled of tobacco, a pair of missionary women bound for Santa Fe, and a young man in a threadbare suit who claimed to be a journalist. He had introduced himself as Daniel Oakes and spent most of the previous afternoon scribbling in a leather notebook, occasionally glancing up to study (15) the other passengers with unabashed curiosity. That morning, he had crossed the aisle and asked Margaret if she minded his questions. She had minded, but politeness won out, and she found herself describing the school she would teach in, the pupils she imagined, the life she hoped to build far from her family’s expectations. He listened carefully, nodding, and when she finished, he said, “You’re running toward something, not away.” Margaret had turned (20) back to the window without answering, though his words unsettled her, because she was not entirely sure they were true.

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

1. First person, from Margaret’s perspective
2. Third person limited, focusing on Margaret’s thoughts and perceptions
3. Third person omniscient, revealing the thoughts of all characters
4. Second person, addressing the reader directly

2. Margaret’s mother disapproved of her decision primarily because

1. she believed teaching on the frontier was beneath their social standing
2. she wanted Margaret to remain in Philadelphia permanently
3. she feared the dangerous conditions of train travel
4. she thought Margaret lacked the qualifications to teach

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

1. fatigued
2. depleted
3. researched thoroughly
4. expressed completely

4. The description of the landscape as “vast and unnerving” (lines 10-11) suggests that Margaret feels

1. excited by the adventure ahead
2. intimidated by the unfamiliar terrain
3. disappointed by the monotony of the view
4. indifferent to her surroundings

5. Daniel Oakes is characterized primarily through

1. his physical appearance and clothing
2. his actions and dialogue with Margaret
3. Margaret’s memories of previous encounters with him
4. the opinions of the other passengers

6. When Daniel tells Margaret, “You’re running toward something, not away,” he implies that

1. Margaret is fleeing from legal trouble in Philadelphia
2. Margaret’s journey is motivated by ambition rather than escape
3. Margaret should return home immediately
4. Margaret is deceiving herself about her true intentions

7. The passage suggests that Margaret is uncertain about

1. whether she has the courage to teach frontier children
2. whether her true motivation is seeking opportunity or avoiding her family
3. whether Daniel Oakes is trustworthy
4. whether the train will arrive in Lawrence on schedule

Passage 2

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

    The contemporary practice of gift-giving during winter holidays obscures a much older and more complex social function that anthropologists have observed across dozens of cultures. In many pre-industrial societies, gift exchange served not merely as an expression of affection or generosity, but as (5) a binding mechanism that created and reinforced social hierarchies, political alliances, and reciprocal obligations. The potlatch ceremonies of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast offer perhaps the most dramatic illustration of this principle. During these elaborate gatherings, hosts would distribute vast quantities of goods-blankets, copper ornaments, food, and carved wooden objects-to assembled guests, sometimes destroying valuable items to demonstrate wealth and (10) social status.     Contrary to Western assumptions that equate generosity with selflessness, the potlatch operated according to a rigorous economic logic. Recipients of gifts incurred a debt that could only be satisfied by hosting an even more lavish potlatch in return. Failure to reciprocate appropriately resulted in diminished social standing and could effectively exclude an individual or family from (15) the community’s network of exchange. The system thus functioned simultaneously as a method of wealth redistribution and as a competitive arena in which status was perpetually negotiated.     French sociologist Marcel Mauss, writing in 1925, argued that such gift economies reveal a fundamental truth about human exchange: that no gift is ever truly free. Every offering carries with it an implicit expectation, (20) and the act of giving establishes a relationship characterized by mutual indebtedness rather than simple charity. Modern holiday gift-giving, despite its commercialization, retains traces of this ancient dynamic, as anyone who has anxiously calculated the appropriate value of a gift can attest.

8. The primary purpose of this passage is to

1. criticize the commercialization of modern holiday traditions
2. explain the anthropological significance of gift exchange in pre-industrial societies
3. describe the specific customs of Pacific Northwest indigenous peoples
4. argue that gift-giving should be abolished in contemporary culture

9. According to the passage, potlatch ceremonies served all of the following functions EXCEPT

1. demonstrating the host’s wealth and social status
2. creating obligations for gift recipients
3. redistributing wealth among community members
4. preventing conflict between rival families

10. As used in line 5, the word reciprocal most nearly means

1. repeated
2. mutual
3. formal
4. generous

11. The passage indicates that recipients of potlatch gifts who failed to reciprocate appropriately would

1. be required to pay a financial penalty
2. lose social standing within their community
3. be forced to leave the Pacific Northwest region
4. receive assistance from wealthier community members

12. The author mentions Marcel Mauss primarily to

1. provide historical context for potlatch ceremonies
2. introduce a theoretical perspective on the nature of gift-giving
3. challenge anthropological assumptions about indigenous cultures
4. demonstrate the influence of French sociology on American customs

13. The passage suggests that modern holiday gift-giving differs from potlatch ceremonies in that modern gift-giving is

1. more commercialized but still reflects underlying social obligations
2. completely free from expectation or reciprocal duty
3. more generous and less competitive than traditional practices
4. unrelated to social status or community relationships

14. The author’s tone in this passage can best be described as

1. critical and dismissive
2. informal and humorous
3. analytical and informative
4. nostalgic and sentimental

Passage 3

The following passage is adapted from a speech delivered by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce in Washington, D.C., in 1879.

    I have heard talk and talk, but nothing is done. Good words do not last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people. They do not pay for my country, now overrun by white men. They do not protect my father’s grave. They do not pay for (5) my horses and cattle. Good words will not give my people good health and stop them from dying. Good words will not get my people a home where they can live in peace and take care of themselves.     I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men who had no right (10) to talk. Too many misrepresentations have been made, too many misunderstandings have come up between the white men and the Indians. If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace. There need be no trouble. Treat all men alike. Give them the same laws. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by (15) the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.     Let me be a free man-free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself-and I will obey every law (20) or submit to the penalty.

15. The main purpose of this speech is to

1. request financial compensation for land taken from the Nez Perce
2. demand equal treatment and freedom for Native American peoples
3. threaten military action if broken promises are not remedied
4. provide a historical account of conflicts between settlers and Indians

16. In lines 1-7, Chief Joseph uses repetition of the phrase “They do not pay” primarily to

1. emphasize the inadequacy of mere words without concrete action
2. request specific monetary damages from the United States government
3. list the various crimes committed by white settlers
4. demonstrate his skill as an orator and public speaker

17. As used in line 11, the word misrepresentations most nearly means

1. false or misleading statements
2. legal representatives
3. artistic depictions
4. translated documents

18. According to the passage, Chief Joseph believes that peace between white men and Indians depends primarily on

1. the willingness of white men to treat Indians fairly and equally
2. the Indians adopting white customs and laws
3. separating the two groups into distinct territories
4. providing education to both white and Indian children

19. The statement “All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief” (lines 14-15) serves to support Chief Joseph’s argument that

1. Native American religious beliefs are superior to those of white settlers
2. all people deserve equal rights and treatment
3. the United States government should adopt Native American spiritual practices
4. white men and Indians share identical cultural traditions

20. The tone of this speech can best be described as

1. resigned and defeated
2. angry and vengeful
3. dignified and impassioned
4. optimistic and celebratory

Answer Key

1. Ans: (B) – Third person limited, focusing on Margaret’s thoughts and perceptions
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The passage is narrated in third person using pronouns like “she” and “her,” but it reveals only Margaret’s thoughts and perceptions, as seen when her mother’s words ring “in her ears” (lines 4-5) and when Daniel’s comment “unsettled her” (line 19). Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage uses third-person pronouns, not first-person “I.” Choice (C) is incorrect because we do not have access to other characters’ thoughts, only Margaret’s.

2. Ans: (A) – she believed teaching on the frontier was beneath their social standing
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage states that Margaret’s mother declared frontier teaching “an occupation fit only for women who had exhausted all respectable alternatives” (lines 6-8), implying she viewed it as socially unsuitable. Choice (C) is incorrect because the mother’s disapproval concerned the occupation itself, not the train travel. Choice (D) is incorrect because there is no mention of Margaret lacking qualifications.

3. Ans: (B) – depleted
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 8, “exhausted all respectable alternatives” means used up or depleted all other options. Choice (A) is incorrect because “fatigued” refers to physical tiredness, not using up options. Choice (C) is incorrect because “researched thoroughly” does not fit the context of having no remaining alternatives.

4. Ans: (B) – intimidated by the unfamiliar terrain
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The word “unnerving” (line 11) indicates that the landscape made Margaret anxious or uncomfortable, suggesting intimidation. Choice (A) is incorrect because “unnerving” conveys discomfort, not excitement. Choice (D) is incorrect because calling the landscape “unnerving” demonstrates she is not indifferent to it.

5. Ans: (B) – his actions and dialogue with Margaret
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. Daniel is characterized through his actions of scribbling in a notebook, studying passengers, and asking Margaret questions (lines 13-17), and through his dialogue when he says, “You’re running toward something, not away” (line 20). Choice (A) is too narrow, as physical appearance is mentioned only briefly. Choice (D) is incorrect because other passengers do not offer opinions about Daniel.

6. Ans: (B) – Margaret’s journey is motivated by ambition rather than escape
Explanation: This is an Inference question. By saying she is running “toward something, not away,” Daniel implies her journey is driven by positive goals rather than flight from problems (line 20). Choice (A) is incorrect because there is no mention of legal trouble anywhere in the passage. Choice (C) reverses his meaning, as he seems to support rather than discourage her journey.

7. Ans: (B) – whether her true motivation is seeking opportunity or avoiding her family
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage concludes with Margaret turning away from Daniel’s comment, “unsettled” because “she was not entirely sure” his words were true (lines 19-21), indicating uncertainty about her motivations. Choice (A) is not supported, as Margaret expresses confidence when describing “the life she hoped to build” (line 17). Choice (C) is incorrect because her uncertainty concerns her own motivations, not Daniel’s character.

8. Ans: (B) – explain the anthropological significance of gift exchange in pre-industrial societies
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage focuses on how gift exchange in pre-industrial societies functioned as “a binding mechanism that created and reinforced social hierarchies” (lines 4-6) and reveals fundamental truths about human exchange. Choice (A) is too narrow, as criticizing commercialization is mentioned only briefly at the end. Choice (D) is incorrect because the passage never suggests gift-giving should be abolished.

9. Ans: (D) – preventing conflict between rival families
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage describes potlatch ceremonies as demonstrating wealth (lines 9-10), creating obligations (lines 12-13), and redistributing wealth (line 16), but never mentions preventing conflict. Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage explicitly states hosts distributed goods “to demonstrate wealth and social status” (lines 9-10). Choice (B) is incorrect because recipients “incurred a debt” (line 12).

10. Ans: (B) – mutual
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 5, “reciprocal obligations” refers to mutual or shared duties between gift-givers and receivers, as explained later when the passage describes how recipients must reciprocate (line 13). Choice (A) is incorrect because “repeated” does not capture the mutual nature of the exchange. Choice (D) is incorrect because “generous” contradicts the passage’s argument that gifts created obligations rather than pure generosity.

11. Ans: (B) – lose social standing within their community
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that “failure to reciprocate appropriately resulted in diminished social standing” (lines 13-14). Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage mentions no financial penalties, only social consequences. Choice (C) is incorrect because the passage states exclusion from “the community’s network of exchange” (lines 14-15), not physical expulsion from the region.

12. Ans: (B) – introduce a theoretical perspective on the nature of gift-giving
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. Marcel Mauss is cited to support the theoretical claim that “no gift is ever truly free” and that giving establishes “mutual indebtedness” (lines 19-21). Choice (A) is incorrect because Mauss, writing in 1925, provides theory rather than historical context for the ceremonies themselves. Choice (C) is incorrect because Mauss supports rather than challenges the anthropological interpretation presented.

13. Ans: (A) – more commercialized but still reflects underlying social obligations
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. The passage states that modern gift-giving, “despite its commercialization, retains traces of this ancient dynamic,” as shown by anxious calculations of gift value (lines 21-23). Choice (B) contradicts the passage’s argument that modern gifts carry “implicit expectation” (line 20). Choice (D) is too broad, as the passage explicitly connects modern gift-giving to social obligations.

14. Ans: (C) – analytical and informative
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The passage systematically analyzes gift-giving practices and provides scholarly information about potlatch ceremonies and anthropological theory throughout (lines 1-23). Choice (A) is incorrect because the author presents information objectively rather than dismissively. Choice (D) is incorrect because the passage contains no nostalgic or sentimental language.

15. Ans: (B) – demand equal treatment and freedom for Native American peoples
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. Chief Joseph explicitly demands equal laws and rights (lines 13-14) and lists specific freedoms he seeks (lines 17-19), making equal treatment the speech’s central purpose. Choice (A) is too narrow, as financial compensation is mentioned as one inadequate response among many. Choice (C) is incorrect because Chief Joseph never threatens military action.

16. Ans: (A) – emphasize the inadequacy of mere words without concrete action
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The repeated phrase “They do not pay” (lines 3-6) emphasizes that words fail to address real problems like dead people, lost land, and poor health, contrasting words with meaningful action. Choice (B) is incorrect because Chief Joseph is demonstrating that payment alone is insufficient, not requesting specific damages. Choice (C) is too broad, as the repetition focuses on the inadequacy of words, not listing crimes.

17. Ans: (A) – false or misleading statements
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 11, “misrepresentations” appears alongside “misunderstandings” and “broken promises,” indicating false or misleading statements made between white men and Indians. Choice (B) is incorrect because “representatives” refers to people, not statements. Choice (C) uses the word “representations” but in an unrelated artistic sense.

18. Ans: (A) – the willingness of white men to treat Indians fairly and equally
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Chief Joseph states, “If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace” and calls for treating “all men alike” with “the same laws” (lines 12-14). Choice (B) reverses the passage’s meaning, as Chief Joseph demands freedom to follow his own customs (lines 17-19). Choice (C) is not mentioned, as he argues for equal rights “upon” the same earth (line 16).

19. Ans: (B) – all people deserve equal rights and treatment
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. Chief Joseph uses the claim about the Great Spirit Chief to support the conclusion that “They are all brothers” and should have “equal rights” (lines 15-16). Choice (A) is incorrect because the statement supports equality, not religious superiority. Choice (D) is too broad, as shared spiritual origin does not mean identical cultural traditions.

20. Ans: (C) – dignified and impassioned
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Chief Joseph speaks with controlled emotion and moral authority, declaring “I am tired of talk” (line 8) while demanding justice with phrases like “Let me be a free man” (line 17), combining dignity with passion. Choice (A) is incorrect because his demands for action and freedom show determination, not resignation. Choice (B) is incorrect because while he expresses frustration, he does not threaten revenge.