Reading Passage for HSPT - 90

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 Thursday, slipped under the door of my boarding house room while I was at the docks. I found it there among the dust and wood shavings when I returned that evening, my hands still (5) aching from loading crates. The paper was thin, almost translucent, and the typed letters seemed to tremble as I held it up to the lamp. “Father ill. Come home immediately. Margaret.”     I had not seen my sister in three years, not since I (10) had boarded the westbound train with nothing but a canvas bag and a determination to prove myself capable of something beyond the family farm. The city had hardened me in ways I had not anticipated. My reflection in the boarding house mirror showed a man leaner and (15) older than his twenty-four years, with calluses that would have astonished my father.     Yet the telegram demanded an answer I was not prepared to give. The morning shift at the warehouse began at five, and I had finally earned the trust of the foreman. To leave now would (20) mean losing everything I had struggled to build in this unfamiliar place where the harbor bells marked time more reliably than any church clock ever had at home.

1. The narrator’s primary conflict in this passage centers on

1. his inability to afford the journey home
2. the tension between family obligation and personal ambition
3. his estrangement from his sister Margaret
4. his dissatisfaction with working at the docks

2. As used in line 6, the word translucent most nearly means

1. transparent
2. fragile
3. valuable
4. urgent

3. The detail that the narrator’s “hands still aching from loading crates” (lines 4-5) primarily serves to

1. explain why he did not notice the telegram immediately
2. illustrate the physically demanding nature of his work
3. suggest that he is injured and unable to travel
4. demonstrate his dedication to his family

4. It can be inferred from the passage that the narrator left home in order to

1. escape conflict with his father
2. pursue education in the city
3. establish his independence and self-worth
4. earn money to support his family

5. The narrator’s observation that his calluses “would have astonished” his father (lines 15-16) suggests that

1. his father had always performed only light labor
2. he has endured hardships his father never expected him to face
3. his father disapproved of manual labor
4. he has become stronger than his father

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

1. bitter and resentful
2. reflective and conflicted
3. anxious and fearful
4. detached and indifferent

7. The reference to “harbor bells” in the final sentence (line 21) primarily emphasizes

1. the narrator’s nostalgia for his rural upbringing
2. the regularity and reliability of his new urban life
3. the noise and chaos of the city environment
4. the narrator’s loss of religious faith

Passage 2

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

    In the arid highlands of Peru, archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a sophisticated water management system that sustained the Wari civilization nearly a thousand years before the rise of the Inca Empire. The Wari, who flourished between 600 and 1000 (5) CE, engineered an extensive network of canals, reservoirs, and filtration galleries that channeled seasonal rainfall from the Andes into agricultural terraces carved into steep mountainsides. What distinguishes the Wari hydraulic technology from that of other ancient Andean cultures is its remarkable integration of (10) surface and subsurface systems.     Recent excavations near the former Wari capital of Huari have revealed stone-lined infiltration basins designed to capture runoff during the brief rainy season and direct it into underground channels. These subterranean aqueducts, some extending more than a (15) kilometer in length, transported water through porous volcanic rock, naturally filtering sediment and impurities in the process. The filtered water then emerged at lower elevations through carefully positioned spring outlets that fed permanent irrigation channels.     The engineering precision required to maintain consistent (20) gradients over such distances suggests that Wari engineers possessed advanced knowledge of hydraulics and topography. This infrastructure enabled the Wari to cultivate maize and quinoa in regions that would otherwise have been too dry for reliable agriculture, supporting an urban population estimated at forty thousand people.

8. The main idea of this passage is that

1. the Wari Empire was more advanced than the later Inca civilization
2. ancient Peruvian cultures relied entirely on seasonal rainfall for agriculture
3. the Wari developed a complex water system that enabled agriculture in arid regions
4. archaeologists have recently discovered the location of the Wari capital

9. According to the passage, the Wari civilization flourished during which time period?

1. 600 to 1000 CE
2. before 600 CE
3. 1000 to 1400 CE
4. during the Inca Empire

10. As used in line 9, the word integration most nearly means

1. separation
2. combination
3. construction
4. discovery

11. The passage indicates that subsurface aqueducts served which function?

1. storing water for use during dry seasons
2. transporting and naturally filtering water
3. preventing flooding during heavy rainfall
4. irrigating terraces on steep mountainsides

12. The author’s purpose in mentioning that some aqueducts extended “more than a kilometer in length” (lines 14-15) is most likely to

1. emphasize the scale and ambition of Wari engineering projects
2. compare Wari technology to modern water systems
3. explain why the aqueducts required frequent maintenance
4. illustrate the difficulty archaeologists faced in excavating the sites

13. It can be inferred from the passage that without the Wari water management system

1. the Inca Empire would never have developed
2. the region could not have supported a large urban population
3. volcanic rock would have contaminated the water supply
4. maize and quinoa would have been unknown in Peru

14. The passage is organized primarily by

1. presenting a problem and then describing its solution
2. comparing two competing civilizations
3. describing a system and explaining its components and significance
4. arguing against a commonly held misconception

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. (5) They do not protect my father’s grave. They do not pay for 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 (10) talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises.     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 (15) 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.     Let me be a free man-free to travel, free to stop, (20) 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 or submit to the penalty.

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

1. request financial compensation for land taken from the Nez Perce
2. declare war against the United States government
3. demand justice and equal treatment for his people
4. describe the traditional customs of the Nez Perce

16. As used in line 10, the phrase comes to nothing most nearly means

1. is spoken quietly
2. produces no results
3. costs no money
4. arrives too late

17. Chief Joseph repeats the phrase “They do not pay” and “Good words will not” (lines 2-8) primarily to

1. emphasize the inadequacy of promises without action
2. demonstrate his mastery of English rhetoric
3. list all the specific grievances of the Nez Perce
4. confuse his audience with contradictory statements

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

1. the return of all land to Native peoples
2. equal treatment under the same laws
3. complete separation of the two groups
4. adoption of white customs by Native peoples

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

1. resigned and hopeless
2. angry and threatening
3. dignified and resolute
4. pleading and apologetic

20. It can be inferred from lines 18-23 that Chief Joseph values

1. isolation from all contact with white society
2. personal freedom within a framework of law
3. complete rejection of traditional Nez Perce religion
4. financial wealth and material possessions

Answer Key

1. Ans: (B) – the tension between family obligation and personal ambition
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage centers on the narrator’s dilemma between returning home to his ill father (family obligation) and remaining at his warehouse job where he has “finally earned the trust of the foreman” (lines 19-20), representing the new life he has built. Choice (A) is incorrect because money is never mentioned as an obstacle to travel. Choice (C) is too narrow, as the estrangement from Margaret is a detail but not the central conflict.

2. Ans: (A) – transparent
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. The word “translucent” describes the telegram paper as “thin, almost translucent” (line 6), indicating it allows light to pass through. Choice (B) confuses a related quality-while thin paper may be fragile, “translucent” specifically refers to the passage of light. Choice (D) incorrectly associates the urgency of the message with a physical property of the paper.

3. Ans: (B) – illustrate the physically demanding nature of his work
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. The detail about aching hands from “loading crates” (lines 4-5) emphasizes the hard physical labor the narrator performs, which is reinforced later by references to his calluses (line 15). Choice (A) is incorrect because he did not notice the telegram simply because it was “slipped under the door” while he was out (lines 2-3). Choice (D) reverses the passage’s meaning, as he left his family to work.

4. Ans: (C) – establish his independence and self-worth
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage states he left “with a determination to prove myself capable of something beyond the family farm” (lines 11-13), indicating a desire for self-reliance and personal achievement. Choice (A) is not supported, as no conflict with the father is mentioned. Choice (D) is contradicted by the narrator’s focus on proving himself rather than sending money home.

5. Ans: (B) – he has endured hardships his father never expected him to face
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The narrator reflects that his calluses “would have astonished” his father (lines 15-16), suggesting his father would be surprised by the extent of manual labor the narrator has performed-labor beyond what was anticipated when he left the farm. Choice (A) is incorrect because the father worked a farm, which involves hard physical labor. Choice (D) makes an unsupported comparison of strength.

6. Ans: (B) – reflective and conflicted
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. The narrator thoughtfully considers his situation, examining his changed appearance (lines 13-16) and weighing difficult choices (lines 17-21), showing both reflection and inner conflict. Choice (A) is incorrect because the narrator shows no bitterness or resentment toward anyone. Choice (D) is wrong because he is clearly emotionally engaged with the dilemma, not detached.

7. Ans: (B) – the regularity and reliability of his new urban life
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage states the harbor bells “marked time more reliably than any church clock ever had at home” (lines 20-21), emphasizing the dependable routine of his city existence. Choice (A) reverses the meaning-the comparison suggests his new life is more reliable than his old one. Choice (D) is too broad and not supported by this specific detail about timekeeping.

8. Ans: (C) – the Wari developed a complex water system that enabled agriculture in arid regions
Explanation: This is a Main Idea question. The passage describes the Wari water management system and explains how it “enabled the Wari to cultivate maize and quinoa in regions that would otherwise have been too dry” (lines 21-23). Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage never compares the advancement of the two civilizations. Choice (B) is too broad and contradicts the passage, which describes engineered water systems, not sole reliance on rainfall.

9. Ans: (A) – 600 to 1000 CE
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage explicitly states that the Wari “flourished between 600 and 1000 CE” (lines 4-5). Choice (C) is incorrect as it describes a later period. Choice (D) contradicts the passage, which states the Wari existed “nearly a thousand years before the rise of the Inca Empire” (lines 3-4).

10. Ans: (B) – combination
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. The passage describes “integration of surface and subsurface systems” (lines 9-10), referring to how the Wari combined above-ground and underground water channels into one unified system. Choice (A) is the opposite of the intended meaning. Choice (C) is too general and does not capture the specific meaning of bringing different elements together.

11. Ans: (B) – transporting and naturally filtering water
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. The passage states that subsurface aqueducts “transported water through porous volcanic rock, naturally filtering sediment and impurities in the process” (lines 15-17). Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage describes infiltration basins (lines 12-13), not the aqueducts themselves, as storage structures. Choice (C) is not mentioned in the passage.

12. Ans: (A) – emphasize the scale and ambition of Wari engineering projects
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. Mentioning the length of “more than a kilometer” (lines 14-15) highlights the impressive scope of Wari construction, which supports the point about their “engineering precision” (line 19). Choice (B) is incorrect because no comparison to modern systems appears in the passage. Choice (C) is not supported-maintenance is never discussed.

13. Ans: (B) – the region could not have supported a large urban population
Explanation: This is an Inference question. The passage explains that the water infrastructure “enabled the Wari to cultivate” crops in dry regions, “supporting an urban population estimated at forty thousand people” (lines 21-24), implying this population would not have been sustainable without the system. Choice (A) makes an unsupported claim about the Inca. Choice (D) is too extreme-the crops may have existed elsewhere, just not in this particular region.

14. Ans: (C) – describing a system and explaining its components and significance
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The passage introduces the Wari water system (lines 1-10), describes its specific components like basins and aqueducts (lines 11-18), and explains its significance for agriculture and population (lines 19-24). Choice (A) is incorrect because no problem is presented-the passage simply describes an achievement. Choice (B) is wrong because only one civilization is discussed in detail.

15. Ans: (C) – demand justice and equal treatment for his people
Explanation: This is an Author’s Purpose question. Chief Joseph calls for equal rights, stating “Treat all men alike. Give them the same law. Give them all an even chance” (lines 13-15), which represents a demand for justice and equality. Choice (A) is too narrow-while he mentions that words do not “pay for my country” (line 3), his broader purpose is equality, not merely financial compensation. Choice (B) contradicts the speech, which seeks peace (line 12).

16. Ans: (B) – produces no results
Explanation: This is a Vocabulary in Context question. Chief Joseph says he is “tired of talk that comes to nothing” (lines 9-10), contrasting empty promises with effective action, meaning talk that accomplishes nothing. Choice (A) misinterprets “nothing” as a description of volume rather than outcome. Choice (C) incorrectly focuses on a literal meaning of “nothing” unrelated to the context.

17. Ans: (A) – emphasize the inadequacy of promises without action
Explanation: This is a Structure/Organization question. The repeated phrases “They do not pay” and “Good words will not” (lines 2-8) create a rhetorical pattern stressing that words alone are worthless without meaningful action to back them up. Choice (C) is too narrow-while some grievances are listed, the rhetorical purpose is broader than mere listing. Choice (D) is incorrect because the repetition clarifies rather than confuses his message.

18. Ans: (B) – equal treatment under the same laws
Explanation: This is a Detail/Fact question. Chief Joseph explicitly states: “Treat all men alike. Give them the same law” (lines 13-14) as the condition for peace. Choice (A) goes beyond what is stated-he does not demand all land be returned. Choice (C) contradicts his vision of people living together under the same law.

19. Ans: (C) – dignified and resolute
Explanation: This is a Tone/Mood question. Chief Joseph speaks with calm authority and firm determination, maintaining dignity even while expressing grief and demanding change, as seen in “Let me be a free man” (line 19) and “I will obey every law” (lines 22-23). Choice (A) is incorrect because he actively demands change rather than accepting defeat. Choice (B) is wrong because while he expresses pain, he does not threaten violence.

20. Ans: (B) – personal freedom within a framework of law
Explanation: This is an Extended Reasoning question. Chief Joseph lists freedoms he desires-to travel, work, trade, choose teachers, practice religion, and think independently (lines 19-22)-but concludes “I will obey every law or submit to the penalty” (lines 22-23), showing he wants liberty balanced with legal order. Choice (A) contradicts his desire to “trade where I choose” (line 20), which implies interaction with others. Choice (D) is not supported-he never mentions wealth or possessions as values.