Reading Passage for HSPT - 79

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 streetcar lurched to a stop at the corner of Canal and Dauphine, and Margaret stepped down into the New Orleans afternoon, her valise gripping tight against her ribs. She had not been back in seven years, not since her mother’s funeral, and the city (5) seemed determined to remind her of every reason she had left. The air hung thick with the smell of chicory and overripe fruit from the market stalls, and somewhere a trumpet was playing, its notes drifting lazily through the narrow streets of the Quarter.

    Her uncle’s (10) shop was two blocks south, wedged between a milliner’s and a shuttered pharmacy that had belonged to the Fortier family until the yellow fever took them all. Margaret walked slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the light. Everything was smaller than (15) she remembered, and shabbier. The wrought-iron balconies sagged under the weight of potted ferns, and the plaster facades had gone gray with soot and time.

    When she pushed open the door to the shop, a bell chimed, and her uncle looked (20) up from his workbench with an expression that was neither welcoming nor cold, merely resigned.

1. The passage is primarily concerned with

1. Margaret’s memories of her mother’s funeral seven years earlier
2. a woman’s return to a city she has long been away from
3. the deterioration of New Orleans after an epidemic
4. the relationship between Margaret and her uncle

2. According to the passage, Margaret’s last visit to New Orleans occurred

1. when she attended her mother’s funeral
2. before the yellow fever epidemic
3. when she was a child
4. two blocks south of Canal Street

3. As used in line 5, the word determined most nearly means

1. resolved
2. discovered
3. calculated
4. decided upon

4. The description of the city in lines 5-8 suggests that Margaret

1. enjoys the sensory details of New Orleans
2. finds the atmosphere oppressive and unwelcoming
3. is eager to reconnect with old acquaintances
4. has never visited the French Quarter before

5. The reference to the Fortier family in lines 12-14 serves to

1. explain why Margaret left New Orleans seven years ago
2. illustrate the city’s history of disease and loss
3. show that Margaret once knew the pharmacy owners
4. prove that the neighborhood has become dangerous

6. The passage suggests that Margaret’s reaction to seeing the city again is one of

1. joyful nostalgia
2. bitter resentment
3. quiet disappointment
4. complete indifference

7. The uncle’s expression when Margaret enters the shop is best characterized as

1. enthusiastic and warm
2. hostile and angry
3. accepting but unenthusiastic
4. confused and uncertain

Passage 2

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

    In 1974, farmers digging a well near the city of Xi’an in central China unearthed fragments of a life-sized clay warrior, the first hint of what would become one of the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century. Subsequent (5) excavations revealed an underground army of more than eight thousand terracotta soldiers, horses, and chariots, arrayed in battle formation and buried alongside China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who died in 210 BCE.

    The terracotta figures were not (10) mass-produced. Each soldier possesses unique facial features, hairstyles, and expressions, suggesting that craftsmen modeled the figures on actual members of the emperor’s guard. The statues originally held real bronze weapons, many of which have been recovered remarkably well-preserved (15) due to an anti-rust coating applied by ancient metallurgists. The level of technical sophistication evident in both the sculptures and the weaponry challenges earlier assumptions about the technological capabilities of third-century BCE China.

    The army’s purpose was to (20) protect the emperor in the afterlife, a reflection of the belief that death merely transferred one’s existence to another realm requiring the same resources and protections as life on earth.

8. The main purpose of the passage is to

1. describe the discovery and significance of the terracotta army
2. compare ancient Chinese burial practices with those of other civilizations
3. explain the military strategies of Emperor Qin Shi Huang
4. argue that earlier scholars underestimated Chinese technology

9. According to the passage, the terracotta army was discovered in

1. 210 BCE
2. the third century BCE
3. the twentieth century
4. an underground tomb in Xi’an

10. The passage indicates that each terracotta soldier

1. was modeled on Emperor Qin Shi Huang himself
2. holds a bronze weapon coated with anti-rust material
3. has distinctive individual characteristics
4. was mass-produced using identical molds

11. As used in line 14, the word sophisticated most nearly means

1. worldly
2. advanced
3. pretentious
4. complicated

12. The author mentions the anti-rust coating in lines 15-16 primarily to

1. illustrate the advanced metallurgical knowledge of ancient Chinese craftsmen
2. explain why the terracotta figures have survived for so long
3. prove that the weapons were made of bronze rather than iron
4. show that the emperor valued durability over decoration

13. It can be inferred from the passage that the terracotta army

1. was intended to intimidate the emperor’s enemies during his lifetime
2. reflects beliefs about the continuity of existence after death
3. was the only burial offering placed in the emperor’s tomb
4. proved that Emperor Qin Shi Huang conquered many territories

14. The organizational structure of the passage is best described as

1. a chronological narrative of events leading to a discovery
2. a comparison of two competing archaeological theories
3. an overview of a discovery followed by details about its significance
4. a persuasive argument for increased funding for archaeology

Passage 3

The following passage is adapted from Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s address to the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention.

    We have met here today to discuss our rights and wrongs, civil and political, and not, as some have supposed, to go into the detail of social life alone. We do not propose to petition the legislature to make our husbands just, (5) generous, and courteous, to seat every man at the head of a cradle, and to clothe every woman in male attire. None of these points, however important they may be considered by leading men, will be touched in this convention. As to their costume, the gentlemen need feel no fear of (10) our imitating that, for we think it in violation of every principle of taste, beauty, and dignity.

    We are assembled to protest against a form of government existing without the consent of the governed – to declare our right to be free as man is free, (15) to be represented in the government which we are taxed to support, to have such disgraceful laws as give man the power to chastise and imprison his wife, to take the wages which she earns, the property which she inherits, and, in case of separation, the children (20) of her love.

15. The primary purpose of Stanton’s address is to

1. petition the legislature to reform marriage laws
2. clarify the true objectives of the women’s rights convention
3. defend women’s traditional role in domestic life
4. criticize men’s fashion choices and social customs

16. According to the passage, the convention will NOT address

1. women’s political rights
2. details of everyday domestic life
3. unjust laws regarding women’s property
4. representation in government

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

1. purify
2. punish
3. pursue
4. abandon

18. Stanton’s comment about men’s clothing in lines 8-11 is best described as

1. a serious criticism of male fashion
2. a humorous dismissal of a trivial concern
3. an argument for dress reform
4. an apology for women’s attire

19. In lines 13-14, Stanton draws a parallel between the women’s movement and

1. the abolitionist movement
2. the American Revolution
3. the temperance movement
4. European democratic reforms

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

1. apologetic and conciliatory
2. bitter and vengeful
3. earnest and assertive
4. detached and scholarly

Answer Key

1. Ans: (B) – a woman’s return to a city she has long been away from
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage follows Margaret as she returns to New Orleans after a seven-year absence and describes her impressions of the changed city (lines 1-20). Choice (A) is too narrow, focusing only on a detail mentioned in line 4 rather than the passage’s central concern. Choice (C) is incorrect because while the epidemic is mentioned, it is not the primary focus of the passage.

2. Ans: (A) – when she attended her mother’s funeral
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states that Margaret “had not been back in seven years, not since her mother’s funeral” (lines 3-4). Choice (D) confuses the location of her uncle’s shop with the timing of her visit. Choice (C) is not supported by the passage, which does not indicate she was a child during her last visit.

3. Ans: (A) – resolved
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 5, the city “seemed determined to remind her,” meaning it seemed intent or resolved upon doing so. Choice (C) is incorrect because “calculated” suggests mathematical computation, not persistence of purpose. Choice (B) is wrong because “discovered” does not fit the context of the city appearing to have a will or intention.

4. Ans: (B) – finds the atmosphere oppressive and unwelcoming
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Margaret perceives the thick air, overripe fruit smells, and other details as reminders of “every reason she had left” (lines 5-6), suggesting negative associations. Choice (A) reverses the passage’s meaning, as the sensory details are presented as unpleasant. Choice (D) contradicts the passage, which indicates she has been to the city before.

5. Ans: (B) – illustrate the city’s history of disease and loss
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The reference to the Fortier family being taken by yellow fever (lines 12-14) contributes to the passage’s portrait of a city marked by tragedy. Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage does not state that the epidemic was Margaret’s reason for leaving. Choice (C) is wrong because the passage does not indicate Margaret knew the Fortiers personally.

6. Ans: (C) – quiet disappointment
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Margaret observes that “everything was smaller than she remembered, and shabbier” (lines 13-15), suggesting disillusionment rather than stronger emotions. Choice (A) is incorrect because her observations focus on decay rather than happy memories. Choice (D) is wrong because her detailed observations indicate she is not indifferent.

7. Ans: (C) – accepting but unenthusiastic
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The uncle’s expression is described as “neither welcoming nor cold, merely resigned” (lines 20-21), which matches accepting but unenthusiastic. Choice (A) contradicts the passage’s statement that the expression was not welcoming. Choice (B) is wrong because the passage explicitly states the expression was not cold or hostile.

8. Ans: (A) – describe the discovery and significance of the terracotta army
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage covers the 1974 discovery (lines 1-9), details about the figures’ construction (lines 9-18), and their cultural significance (lines 19-22). Choice (C) is too narrow, as military strategies are not discussed. Choice (D) is incorrect because challenging earlier assumptions is mentioned but is not the passage’s primary purpose.

9. Ans: (C) – the twentieth century
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states the discovery occurred in 1974 (line 1), which is in the twentieth century. Choice (A) is incorrect because 210 BCE is when Emperor Qin Shi Huang died, not when the army was discovered. Choice (D) uses information from the passage but does not answer when the discovery occurred.

10. Ans: (C) – has distinctive individual characteristics
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that “each soldier possesses unique facial features, hairstyles, and expressions” (lines 10-12). Choice (D) directly contradicts the passage, which says the figures “were not mass-produced” (lines 9-10). Choice (B) is incorrect because while weapons were recovered, the passage does not state that each soldier currently holds one.

11. Ans: (B) – advanced
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 14, “technical sophistication” refers to the advanced nature of the ancient technology. Choice (A) is a common meaning of “sophisticated” but does not fit the context of describing technology. Choice (C) is incorrect because “pretentious” carries a negative connotation not supported by the passage.

12. Ans: (A) – illustrate the advanced metallurgical knowledge of ancient Chinese craftsmen
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The anti-rust coating is cited as evidence of “technical sophistication” that “challenges earlier assumptions about the technological capabilities” of the era (lines 14-18). Choice (B) is incorrect because the coating preserved the weapons, not the terracotta figures themselves. Choice (D) is not supported by the passage.

13. Ans: (B) – reflects beliefs about the continuity of existence after death
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage states the army’s purpose was afterlife protection, reflecting belief that “death merely transferred one’s existence to another realm requiring the same resources and protections as life on earth” (lines 19-22). Choice (A) is incorrect because the army was buried with the emperor for the afterlife, not used during his lifetime. Choice (C) is too extreme and unsupported.

14. Ans: (C) – an overview of a discovery followed by details about its significance
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The first paragraph describes the discovery (lines 1-9), while subsequent paragraphs provide details about the figures’ unique features and cultural meaning (lines 9-22). Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage does not follow a chronological narrative structure. Choice (B) is wrong because no competing theories are discussed.

15. Ans: (B) – clarify the true objectives of the women’s rights convention
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. Stanton explicitly states the convention’s purpose is to “discuss our rights and wrongs, civil and political” and explains what it will NOT address (lines 1-11), clarifying misunderstandings. Choice (A) is incorrect because Stanton says they do NOT propose to petition the legislature about domestic matters (lines 3-6). Choice (D) misreads the humorous comment about men’s fashion as the primary purpose.

16. Ans: (B) – details of everyday domestic life
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Stanton states the convention is “not, as some have supposed, to go into the detail of social life alone” (lines 2-4). Choice (A) contradicts the passage, which explicitly states they will discuss “rights and wrongs, civil and political” (lines 2-3). Choice (C) is wrong because Stanton specifically mentions protesting laws about women’s property (lines 17-19).

17. Ans: (B) – punish
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In line 17, “chastise” appears in a list of powers given to husbands alongside “imprison,” indicating it means to punish physically. Choice (A) confuses “chastise” with “chaste,” which relates to purity. Choice (D) does not fit the context of describing a husband’s legal power over his wife.

18. Ans: (B) – a humorous dismissal of a trivial concern
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Stanton uses wit to dismiss worries about women imitating men’s clothing, calling such concerns unimportant compared to civil rights (lines 7-11). Choice (A) is incorrect because the comment is clearly tongue-in-cheek rather than serious. Choice (C) is wrong because Stanton is not actually advocating for dress reform.

19. Ans: (B) – the American Revolution
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. The phrase “a form of government existing without the consent of the governed” (lines 13-14) directly echoes the Declaration of Independence’s principles from the American Revolution. Choice (A) is plausible but not supported by the specific language in lines 13-14. Choice (C) is incorrect because temperance is not referenced in the passage.

20. Ans: (C) – earnest and assertive
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Stanton speaks seriously about rights while firmly declaring the convention’s purpose and protesting unjust laws (lines 11-20). Choice (A) is incorrect because Stanton makes no apologies and offers no concessions. Choice (B) is wrong because while she protests injustice, the tone is not bitter or vengeful but rather determined and principled.