SSAT Full Passages Drill
ISEE Full Passages Drill
When you arrive at a longer new passage, read it quickly if you are a faster reader, or read the first sentence of each paragraph if you are a slower reader. If it is a one-paragraph or very short two-paragraph passage, read through it as quickly as you can. For each detail question, read about 10 lines of text and try to predict what you believe will answer the question. Evaluate the answers against your prediction and make sure that the answer you selected is fully supported by the text.
1. D
The passage states, “When these ingredients are combined, the final product is off-white in color and is like modeling clay in consistency. This quality directly impacts the utility of C-4, as it can be pressed into small crevices where other explosives might not fit.
2. E
The passage provides an overview of C-4, including what it is made from and one of its well-known uses.
3. D
The passage states, “This quality directly impacts the utility of C-4, as it can be pressed into small crevices where other explosives might not fit.”
4. A
The passages states “the final product is off-white in color and is like modeling clay in consistency. This quality directly impacts the utility of C-4, as it can be pressed into small crevices where other explosives might not fit.”
5. D
The passage states that “It is composed of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer, and usually some variety of chemical marker like 2,3-dimethul-2,3-dinitrobutane (DMNDB).”
6. A
The author, while earlier describing the benefits of C-4, devotes the second paragraph to a warning about the problems associated with C-4.
7. C
The passage states, “It is composed of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer, and usually some variety of chemical marker like 2,3-dimethul-2,3-dinitrobutane (DMNDB).” The word usually indicates that a chemical marker is not always present.
8. D
The first two lines talk about a father delighting in the activities of his child, and the comparison “As … So I” relates this to the speaker.
9. E
Look to the quoted line for context: “ten times happy” refers to the speaker’s wish, and the previous line establishes that the speaker’s wish is for the person to whom the poem is addressed—the youth—to have “what is best.”
10. A
The word sufficed means satisfied, and the poem describes the speaker’s admiration of his child.
11. C
The word abundance is preceded by thy, which refers to the speaker’s child, whom he admires.
12. D
The poem is about a person who may not have a great deal of his own but who is nevertheless happy to love the person to whom the poem is addressed and to admire that person’s qualities.
When you arrive at a new passage, read it quickly if you are a faster reader, or read the first sentence of each paragraph if you are a slower reader. For each detail question, read about 10 lines of text and try to predict what you believe will answer the question. Evaluate the answers against your prediction and make sure that the answer you selected is fully supported by the text.
1. B
The passage is a story leading up to a well-paying and important job Edison obtained.
2. C
The author describes himself as “waiting in solitude, wondering when opportunity might present itself.”
3. D
The author states “Seventeen months as a telegrapher in Boston found me deeply in debt, despite having acquired several patents.”
4. A
The author states “Seventeen months as a telegrapher in Boston found me deeply in debt, despite having acquired several patents. Thirty-five dollars, borrowed from a friend, bought a steamer ticket to the more ‘commercially oriented’ city farther south.”
5. D
The author states “To the others’ astonishment, the machine settled itself back into work. What boggled my mind, however, was the manager’s response: an offer of a position as repairman for all machines in the company, for the ridiculous sum of $300 per month.
6. A
The unexpected job saved the author from poverty.
7. D
The passage provides general information about Russian Matryoshka dolls, “hallmarks” of Russian folk art.
8. A
The passage states, “Today they are known around the world and have served as inspiration for many other types of ‘object-in-object’ or layering schemes in all types of artwork ranging from clothing to furniture.”
9. C
This paragraph explains the inspiration for Matryoshka dolls and the art that has been inspired by those dolls.
10. C
The passage states, “There are traditionally at least five nested dolls.”
11. C
The part of the passage where the author’s tone is most apparent states “The real artwork is displayed in the painting of the dolls, which can depict anything from peasant girls in traditional attire to fairy-tale characters and leaders.”
12. B
The passage states, “These dolls were originally modeled after a doll from Honshu, Japan.”