SSAT Practice Test (Upper Level: Reading) 2

Question 1

A passage describes a glacier as "a patient sculptor, carving valleys over millennia." What literary device is used?

Accepted Answer

Metaphor

Answer

Hyperbole

Answer

Onomatopoeia

Answer

Alliteration

Question 2

An author writes, "Despite the storm, the lighthouse keeper never abandoned his post." The word 'despite' signals what relationship?

Accepted Answer

Contrast

Answer

Cause and effect

Answer

Sequence

Answer

Comparison

Question 3

A reading passage's main purpose is to convince readers to recycle more. The passage is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Persuasive

Answer

Narrative

Answer

Descriptive

Answer

Expository

Question 4

In context, which word best replaces 'meticulous' in "a meticulous record-keeper"?

Accepted Answer

Careful

Answer

Careless

Answer

Hasty

Answer

Indifferent

Question 5

A narrator says, "I should have known better, but hindsight is a cruel teacher." What tone does this convey?

Accepted Answer

Regretful

Answer

Joyful

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Indifferent

Answer

Excited

Question 6

Which sentence states an opinion rather than a fact?

Accepted Answer

Autumn is the most beautiful season of the year.

Answer

Leaves change color in autumn.

Answer

The Earth orbits the sun.

Answer

Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

Question 7

A passage begins with a quiet morning, then builds to a chaotic chase. This change is an example of shifting:

Accepted Answer

Mood

Answer

Setting only

Answer

Narrator

Answer

Genre