Reading Passage for HSPT - 86

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 morning fog clung to the wharf like wet wool, muffling the cries of the gulls and the creak of the moored fishing boats. Maura stood at the end of the pier, her canvas bag heavy with the sandwiches she had wrapped before dawn. Her father’s boat, the Kathleen Rose, should have (5) returned two hours ago. The other boats had come in with the tide, their holds gleaming with mackerel, but the slip where her father always docked remained empty.     She had made this walk every morning for three years, ever since her mother had taken ill and could no longer bring her father his lunch. The ritual had (10) become her own: the early rising, the careful preparation of the thick-cut bread and salted fish, the solitary walk through the sleeping village. She had grown to cherish the quiet, the sense of purpose it gave her before the day’s other duties claimed her attention.     But today the quiet felt different. It pressed (15) against her ears with an ominous weight. Old Tommy Byrne sat mending nets near the harbormaster’s shack, his gnarled fingers working automatically while his eyes scanned the gray horizon. He glanced up at Maura, then quickly looked away, and that small gesture told her more than words could have. She set the bag down on the damp (20) planks and waited, as the fog began, slowly, to lift.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

1. describe the daily operations of a fishing village
2. establish a mood of growing apprehension
3. critique the dangerous conditions faced by fishermen
4. celebrate the bond between a father and daughter

2. According to the passage, Maura began bringing her father his lunch because

1. she wanted to learn about the fishing trade
2. her mother became too sick to do so
3. her father specifically requested her help
4. the village expected daughters to assist their families

3. As used in line 12, the word ritual most nearly means

1. religious ceremony
2. habitual practice
3. solemn obligation
4. sacred tradition

4. The passage suggests that Maura’s feelings about her morning routine have been characterized by

1. resentment at the burden it places on her
2. indifference and mechanical repetition
3. appreciation for the solitude it provides
4. anxiety about her father’s safety

5. Old Tommy Byrne’s action of looking away from Maura (lines 18-19) most strongly implies that he

1. is too absorbed in his work to notice her concern
2. recognizes something is wrong but cannot bring himself to speak of it
3. disapproves of her presence on the wharf
4. has seen her father’s boat returning in the distance

6. The mood of the passage is primarily one of

1. peaceful reflection
2. mounting unease
3. bitter resignation
4. cautious optimism

7. The detail that the other boats “had come in with the tide, their holds gleaming with mackerel” (lines 6-7) serves primarily to

1. emphasize the economic importance of fishing to the village
2. contrast the successful return of other boats with the absence of Maura’s father’s boat
3. demonstrate Maura’s knowledge of fishing practices
4. suggest that the fishing conditions were favorable that morning

Passage 2

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

    The discovery of dental calculus on ancient human remains has revolutionized our understanding of prehistoric diets and migration patterns. Dental calculus, commonly known as tartar, is mineralized plaque that accumulates on teeth over a person’s lifetime. Unlike bone, which undergoes chemical changes after burial, calculus (5) preserves microscopic food particles, pollen grains, and even DNA from oral bacteria in remarkable detail.     Recent analyses of calculus from Neolithic skeletons unearthed in the Balkans have revealed traces of domesticated wheat and barley, confirming that agriculture had spread to southeastern Europe earlier than previously believed. More surprisingly, the same samples contained (10) proteins from cow’s milk, pushing back the earliest evidence of dairy consumption in that region by nearly five hundred years. These findings challenge the long-held assumption that lactose tolerance evolved gradually over millennia as a passive adaptation to dairy farming.     The technique used to extract and analyze these proteins, called proteomics, (15) can identify specific molecules even when present in infinitesimal quantities. Researchers dissolve the calculus in acid, separate the proteins using mass spectrometry, and compare the resulting molecular signatures against databases of known food proteins. This method has proven far more sensitive than earlier approaches that relied on visual identification of starch granules or plant fibers.     Yet the (20) method has limitations. Contamination from soil bacteria or handling by archaeologists can introduce foreign proteins into samples. Moreover, the preservation of calculus varies dramatically depending on burial conditions; acidic soils dissolve it entirely, leaving no trace for analysis. Despite these challenges, proteomics has opened a new window into the intimate details of ancient lives, revealing not just what people ate, but how they lived.

8. The main idea of the passage is that

1. dental calculus analysis has provided new insights into ancient diets and lifestyles
2. proteomics is superior to all other archaeological methods
3. Neolithic Europeans consumed more dairy products than previously thought
4. lactose tolerance evolved more rapidly than scientists once believed

9. According to the passage, dental calculus is valuable to archaeologists because it

1. is found on the remains of most prehistoric humans
2. resists chemical changes that affect other materials after burial
3. contains complete DNA sequences from ancient individuals
4. provides evidence of diseases that affected ancient populations

10. As used in line 11, the word passive most nearly means

1. inactive
2. gradual
3. submissive
4. automatic

11. The passage indicates that the discovery of milk proteins in Neolithic calculus was significant because it

1. proved that dairy farming originated in the Balkans
2. showed dairy consumption occurred earlier in that region than previously known
3. confirmed that lactose tolerance is a genetic trait
4. demonstrated that Neolithic people had diverse diets

12. The author mentions “starch granules or plant fibers” (line 19) in order to

1. describe what proteomics can detect in calculus samples
2. illustrate the limitations of visual identification methods
3. contrast older analytical techniques with proteomics
4. explain how archaeologists first discovered ancient diets

13. Which of the following is mentioned as a limitation of proteomics in archaeology?

1. The technique requires expensive laboratory equipment
2. Soil bacteria can contaminate samples with foreign proteins
3. Most ancient skeletons lack sufficient calculus for analysis
4. The method cannot distinguish between different types of grains

14. The passage suggests that the relationship between dairy farming and lactose tolerance is

1. more complex than a simple cause-and-effect progression
2. now fully understood thanks to proteomics
3. unrelated to genetic adaptation
4. identical across all human populations

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) all my horses and cattle. Good words will not give me back my children. Good words will not make good the promise of your War Chief. 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 (10) 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 to talk. Too many misrepresentations have been made, too many misunderstandings have come up between the white men about the Indians. If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian he can live in peace. (15) There need be no trouble. Treat all men alike. Give them the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by 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. You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who was born (20) a free man should be contented when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases.

15. The primary purpose of Chief Joseph’s speech is to

1. demand military retaliation against white settlers
2. protest broken promises and call for equal treatment of his people
3. describe the traditional customs of the Nez Perce
4. negotiate a treaty for the return of tribal lands

16. As used in line 2, the phrase amount to something most nearly means

1. add up to a large sum
2. lead to concrete action
3. become widely known
4. achieve moral significance

17. In lines 2-8, Chief Joseph repeats the phrase “Good words” primarily to

1. acknowledge the sincerity of government officials
2. emphasize the emptiness of promises without action
3. demonstrate his own rhetorical skill
4. contrast his culture’s values with those of white men

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

1. complete separation of the two peoples
2. equal laws and opportunities for all
3. financial compensation for past injustices
4. the appointment of honest government representatives

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

1. detached and analytical
2. bitter and vengeful
3. weary yet resolute
4. hopeful and conciliatory

20. The comparison of expecting a man “born a free man” to accept confinement to expecting “the rivers to run backward” (lines 19-21) serves to illustrate that

1. natural laws cannot be changed by human intervention
2. the desire for freedom is as fundamental and unchangeable as the laws of nature
3. the Nez Perce have a special spiritual connection to rivers
4. white men do not understand the natural world as well as Indians do

Answer Key

1. Ans: (B) – establish a mood of growing apprehension
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage focuses on creating an atmosphere of increasing worry through details such as the overdue boat, the ominous quiet, and Old Tommy’s averted gaze (lines 15-19). Choice (A) is too broad; while the passage mentions fishing village details, these serve the larger purpose of establishing mood. Choice (D) is too narrow; though the father-daughter relationship is present, the passage emphasizes anxiety rather than celebration.

2. Ans: (B) – her mother became too sick to do so
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states that Maura began this task “ever since her mother had taken ill and could no longer bring her father his lunch” (lines 8-9). Choice (A) is not supported by the passage; no mention is made of Maura wanting to learn fishing. Choice (C) is not stated; the passage does not indicate her father asked for her help.

3. Ans: (B) – habitual practice
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In context, “ritual” refers to Maura’s regular morning routine of preparing and delivering lunch, which has “become her own” (lines 9-10). Choice (A) is a common definition of ritual but does not fit this secular context. Choice (D) is too strong; while the routine is meaningful to Maura, it is not described as sacred.

4. Ans: (C) – appreciation for the solitude it provides
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage states that Maura “had grown to cherish the quiet, the sense of purpose it gave her” (lines 11-12). Choice (A) contradicts the passage; Maura cherishes, not resents, the routine. Choice (D) is true only for this particular morning, not for her general feelings about the routine over the past three years.

5. Ans: (B) – recognizes something is wrong but cannot bring himself to speak of it
Explanation: This is an Inference question. Old Tommy’s quick glance and immediate looking away, combined with the narrator’s observation that “that small gesture told her more than words could have” (lines 18-19), suggests he knows bad news but avoids speaking it. Choice (A) contradicts the passage; his looking up shows he does notice her. Choice (D) reverses the implication; if he had seen the boat returning, he would likely have told Maura.

6. Ans: (B) – mounting unease
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The passage progressively builds tension through the fog imagery, the overdue boat, and the ominous quiet that “pressed against her ears with an ominous weight” (lines 14-15). Choice (A) contradicts this building anxiety. Choice (D) is incorrect; there are no signs of optimism in the passage.

7. Ans: (B) – contrast the successful return of other boats with the absence of Maura’s father’s boat
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The description of the other boats’ successful return immediately precedes the statement that her father’s slip “remained empty” (line 7), creating a stark contrast that heightens concern. Choice (A) is too broad; the detail serves a specific narrative purpose beyond general economic context. Choice (D) uses information from the passage (favorable conditions) but misses the primary function of the contrast.

8. Ans: (A) – dental calculus analysis has provided new insights into ancient diets and lifestyles
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage discusses how dental calculus has “revolutionized our understanding of prehistoric diets” (lines 1-2) and opens “a new window into the intimate details of ancient lives” (lines 23-24). Choice (B) is too extreme; the passage acknowledges limitations of proteomics. Choice (C) is too narrow; dairy consumption is one example among several topics discussed.

9. Ans: (B) – resists chemical changes that affect other materials after burial
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that “Unlike bone, which undergoes chemical changes after burial, calculus preserves microscopic food particles” in remarkable detail (lines 4-5). Choice (C) distorts the passage; while calculus contains DNA from oral bacteria, the passage does not claim complete DNA sequences from individuals. Choice (D) is not mentioned; the passage focuses on diet and lifestyle, not disease.

10. Ans: (D) – automatic
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. In context, “passive adaptation” (line 12) refers to a process that occurred without active selection or rapid change, meaning it happened automatically over time. Choice (A) is a common meaning of passive but does not fit the context of evolutionary adaptation. Choice (B) uses a word from the same sentence (“gradually”) but is not the best synonym for passive in this context.

11. Ans: (B) – showed dairy consumption occurred earlier in that region than previously known
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that milk proteins “pushing back the earliest evidence of dairy consumption in that region by nearly five hundred years” (lines 10-11). Choice (A) is too broad; the passage discusses the Balkans but does not claim dairy farming originated there. Choice (D) is true but not the specific significance mentioned in the passage.

12. Ans: (C) – contrast older analytical techniques with proteomics
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The passage describes proteomics as “far more sensitive than earlier approaches that relied on visual identification of starch granules or plant fibers” (lines 18-19), establishing a comparison. Choice (A) reverses the relationship; proteomics detects proteins, not starch granules. Choice (B) is too narrow; while this is part of the contrast, the primary purpose is the comparison itself.

13. Ans: (B) – Soil bacteria can contaminate samples with foreign proteins
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states that “Contamination from soil bacteria or handling by archaeologists can introduce foreign proteins into samples” (lines 20-21). Choice (A) is not mentioned in the passage. Choice (C) is contradicted; the passage mentions acidic soils dissolving calculus, not most skeletons lacking it.

14. Ans: (A) – more complex than a simple cause-and-effect progression
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage states that the milk protein findings “challenge the long-held assumption that lactose tolerance evolved gradually over millennia as a passive adaptation to dairy farming” (lines 11-13), suggesting a more complicated relationship. Choice (B) is too extreme; the passage presents new questions, not complete understanding. Choice (C) contradicts the passage; the relationship between farming and tolerance is discussed, not dismissed.

15. Ans: (B) – protest broken promises and call for equal treatment of his people
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. Chief Joseph repeatedly criticizes “broken promises” (line 11) and calls for treating “all men alike” with the “same law” (line 16). Choice (A) contradicts the passage; Chief Joseph advocates for peace, not military action. Choice (D) is too narrow; while land is mentioned, the speech encompasses broader themes of justice and equality.

16. Ans: (B) – lead to concrete action
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. Chief Joseph contrasts “talk and talk” with words that “amount to something” (lines 1-2), meaning words that result in tangible outcomes. Choice (A) uses the literal financial meaning of “amount” but misses the metaphorical sense in context. Choice (D) is too vague; Chief Joseph is concerned with practical results, not abstract significance.

17. Ans: (B) – emphasize the emptiness of promises without action
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The repetition of “Good words do not” followed by what they fail to accomplish (lines 2-8) creates a rhetorical pattern emphasizing the inadequacy of words alone. Choice (A) contradicts the passage; the repetition emphasizes insincerity, not sincerity. Choice (C) is true but not the primary purpose; the rhetorical effect serves the argument, not self-display.

18. Ans: (B) – equal laws and opportunities for all
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Chief Joseph states, “Treat all men alike. Give them the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow” (lines 15-16). Choice (A) contradicts the passage; Chief Joseph says “the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian he can live in peace” (lines 14-15), not that they must separate. Choice (C) is mentioned as a past grievance but not as the requirement for future peace.

19. Ans: (C) – weary yet resolute
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Chief Joseph states “I am tired of talk that comes to nothing” (lines 9-10) but continues with firm principles about justice and freedom, showing weariness combined with determination. Choice (B) is too extreme; while there is criticism, the speech advocates for peace and justice, not revenge. Choice (D) contradicts the passage; Chief Joseph expresses exhaustion with broken promises, not hope.

20. Ans: (B) – the desire for freedom is as fundamental and unchangeable as the laws of nature
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. The comparison equates the impossibility of rivers running backward with the impossibility of a free person accepting confinement (lines 19-21), suggesting freedom is a natural law. Choice (A) is too literal; the point is specifically about human freedom, not all natural laws. Choice (C) uses a detail from the comparison (rivers) but distorts the metaphorical meaning into a literal spiritual claim.