SSAT Middle Level Reading Comprehension Practice Questions

Many historians believe that that Trojan War was the first war to be properly documented. The battle is believed to have lasted for 10 years, from 1194 to 1184 B.C. For hundreds of centuries, the romance, the epic battles and the heroic figures of the Trojan War have intrigued and inspired the minds of writers, poets and painters alike.

Although there are many stories and myths surrounding the origin of this battle, the most commonly held belief is that the war had its roots in vanity and pride. According to mythology, a wedding was held and all the gods and goddesses were invited to attend with the exception of Eris, the Goddess of Discord. Bitter for having been ostracized, Eris threw a golden apple with the inscription “For the Fairest” in the midst of the wedding ceremony. Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, the three most beautiful goddesses, fought over who would take possession of the apple and, when they were not able to decide, called on Zeus to settle the dispute.

Unwilling and uninterested in the matter, Zeus appointed Prince Paris to choose the “fairest” goddess. Each goddess tempted Paris with a special reward in hope of being granted the winner: Hera offered him a rich and powerful kingdom; Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman on earth; and Athena offered to make him a leader and fighter amongst many men. As history tells us, Paris chose beauty and desire over power and property. He then traveled to Greece, where his promise was fulfilled: Helen of Sparta – the most beautiful woman on earth – fell in love with him. For having upset the goddesses, Hera and Athena, and for having stolen Helen’s heart from her husband, Menelaus, so began the battle between the Trojans and the Spartans.

According to the passage, the Trojan War is rooted in:

Many historians believe that that Trojan War was the first war to be properly documented. The battle is believed to have lasted for 10 years, from 1194 to 1184 B.C. For hundreds of centuries, the romance, the epic battles and the heroic figures of the Trojan War have intrigued and inspired the minds of writers, poets and painters alike.

Although there are many stories and myths surrounding the origin of this battle, the most commonly held belief is that the war had its roots in vanity and pride. According to mythology, a wedding was held and all the gods and goddesses were invited to attend with the exception of Eris, the Goddess of Discord. Bitter for having been ostracized, Eris threw a golden apple with the inscription “For the Fairest” in the midst of the wedding ceremony. Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, the three most beautiful goddesses, fought over who would take possession of the apple and, when they were not able to decide, called on Zeus to settle the dispute.

Unwilling and uninterested in the matter, Zeus appointed Prince Paris to choose the “fairest” goddess. Each goddess tempted Paris with a special reward in hope of being granted the winner: Hera offered him a rich and powerful kingdom; Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman on earth; and Athena offered to make him a leader and fighter amongst many men. As history tells us, Paris chose beauty and desire over power and property. He then traveled to Greece, where his promise was fulfilled: Helen of Sparta – the most beautiful woman on earth – fell in love with him. For having upset the goddesses, Hera and Athena, and for having stolen Helen’s heart from her husband, Menelaus, so began the battle between the Trojans and the Spartans.

The author’s primary purpose is to:

Many historians believe that that Trojan War was the first war to be properly documented. The battle is believed to have lasted for 10 years, from 1194 to 1184 B.C. For hundreds of centuries, the romance, the epic battles and the heroic figures of the Trojan War have intrigued and inspired the minds of writers, poets and painters alike.

Although there are many stories and myths surrounding the origin of this battle, the most commonly held belief is that the war had its roots in vanity and pride. According to mythology, a wedding was held and all the gods and goddesses were invited to attend with the exception of Eris, the Goddess of Discord. Bitter for having been ostracized, Eris threw a golden apple with the inscription “For the Fairest” in the midst of the wedding ceremony. Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, the three most beautiful goddesses, fought over who would take possession of the apple and, when they were not able to decide, called on Zeus to settle the dispute.

Unwilling and uninterested in the matter, Zeus appointed Prince Paris to choose the “fairest” goddess. Each goddess tempted Paris with a special reward in hope of being granted the winner: Hera offered him a rich and powerful kingdom; Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman on earth; and Athena offered to make him a leader and fighter amongst many men. As history tells us, Paris chose beauty and desire over power and property. He then traveled to Greece, where his promise was fulfilled: Helen of Sparta – the most beautiful woman on earth – fell in love with him. For having upset the goddesses, Hera and Athena, and for having stolen Helen’s heart from her husband, Menelaus, so began the battle between the Trojans and the Spartans.

Eris, the Goddess of Discord, can best be described as:

Many historians believe that that Trojan War was the first war to be properly documented. The battle is believed to have lasted for 10 years, from 1194 to 1184 B.C. For hundreds of centuries, the romance, the epic battles and the heroic figures of the Trojan War have intrigued and inspired the minds of writers, poets and painters alike.

Although there are many stories and myths surrounding the origin of this battle, the most commonly held belief is that the war had its roots in vanity and pride. According to mythology, a wedding was held and all the gods and goddesses were invited to attend with the exception of Eris, the Goddess of Discord. Bitter for having been ostracized, Eris threw a golden apple with the inscription “For the Fairest” in the midst of the wedding ceremony. Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, the three most beautiful goddesses, fought over who would take possession of the apple and, when they were not able to decide, called on Zeus to settle the dispute.

Unwilling and uninterested in the matter, Zeus appointed Prince Paris to choose the “fairest” goddess. Each goddess tempted Paris with a special reward in hope of being granted the winner: Hera offered him a rich and powerful kingdom; Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman on earth; and Athena offered to make him a leader and fighter amongst many men. As history tells us, Paris chose beauty and desire over power and property. He then traveled to Greece, where his promise was fulfilled: Helen of Sparta – the most beautiful woman on earth – fell in love with him. For having upset the goddesses, Hera and Athena, and for having stolen Helen’s heart from her husband, Menelaus, so began the battle between the Trojans and the Spartans.

According to the passage, the Trojan War had all of the following EXCEPT:

Perhaps the most striking feature of the American newspaper, especially of the country weekly, is its enormous development of local and neighborhood news. It is of recent date. Horace Greeley used to advise the country editors to give small space to the general news of the world, but to cultivate assiduously the home field, to glean every possible detail of private life in the circuit of the county, and print it.

The advice was shrewd for a metropolitan editor, and it was not without its profit to the country editor. It was founded on a deep knowledge of human nature; namely, upon the fact that people read most eagerly that which they already know, if it is about themselves or their neighbors, if it is a report of something they have been concerned in, a lecture they have heard, a fair, or festival, or wedding, or funeral, or barn-raising they have attended. The result is column after column of short paragraphs of gossip and trivialities, chips, chips, chips. Mr. Sales is contemplating erecting a new counter in his store; his rival opposite has a new sign; Miss Bumps of Gath is visiting her cousin, Miss Smith of Bozrah; the sheriff has painted his fence; Farmer Brown has lost his cow; the eminent member from Neopolis has put an ell on one end of his mansion, and a mortgage on the other.

The main idea of the passage is to:

Perhaps the most striking feature of the American newspaper, especially of the country weekly, is its enormous development of local and neighborhood news. It is of recent date. Horace Greeley used to advise the country editors to give small space to the general news of the world, but to cultivate assiduously the home field, to glean every possible detail of private life in the circuit of the county, and print it.

The advice was shrewd for a metropolitan editor, and it was not without its profit to the country editor. It was founded on a deep knowledge of human nature; namely, upon the fact that people read most eagerly that which they already know, if it is about themselves or their neighbors, if it is a report of something they have been concerned in, a lecture they have heard, a fair, or festival, or wedding, or funeral, or barn-raising they have attended. The result is column after column of short paragraphs of gossip and trivialities, chips, chips, chips. Mr. Sales is contemplating erecting a new counter in his store; his rival opposite has a new sign; Miss Bumps of Gath is visiting her cousin, Miss Smith of Bozrah; the sheriff has painted his fence; Farmer Brown has lost his cow; the eminent member from Neopolis has put an ell on one end of his mansion, and a mortgage on the other.

As used in line 4, the word “assiduously” most closely means:

Perhaps the most striking feature of the American newspaper, especially of the country weekly, is its enormous development of local and neighborhood news. It is of recent date. Horace Greeley used to advise the country editors to give small space to the general news of the world, but to cultivate assiduously the home field, to glean every possible detail of private life in the circuit of the county, and print it.

The advice was shrewd for a metropolitan editor, and it was not without its profit to the country editor. It was founded on a deep knowledge of human nature; namely, upon the fact that people read most eagerly that which they already know, if it is about themselves or their neighbors, if it is a report of something they have been concerned in, a lecture they have heard, a fair, or festival, or wedding, or funeral, or barn-raising they have attended. The result is column after column of short paragraphs of gossip and trivialities, chips, chips, chips. Mr. Sales is contemplating erecting a new counter in his store; his rival opposite has a new sign; Miss Bumps of Gath is visiting her cousin, Miss Smith of Bozrah; the sheriff has painted his fence; Farmer Brown has lost his cow; the eminent member from Neopolis has put an ell on one end of his mansion, and a mortgage on the other.

Which of the following articles would the author agree is most likely to be read in a country newspaper?

Perhaps the most striking feature of the American newspaper, especially of the country weekly, is its enormous development of local and neighborhood news. It is of recent date. Horace Greeley used to advise the country editors to give small space to the general news of the world, but to cultivate assiduously the home field, to glean every possible detail of private life in the circuit of the county, and print it.

The advice was shrewd for a metropolitan editor, and it was not without its profit to the country editor. It was founded on a deep knowledge of human nature; namely, upon the fact that people read most eagerly that which they already know, if it is about themselves or their neighbors, if it is a report of something they have been concerned in, a lecture they have heard, a fair, or festival, or wedding, or funeral, or barn-raising they have attended. The result is column after column of short paragraphs of gossip and trivialities, chips, chips, chips. Mr. Sales is contemplating erecting a new counter in his store; his rival opposite has a new sign; Miss Bumps of Gath is visiting her cousin, Miss Smith of Bozrah; the sheriff has painted his fence; Farmer Brown has lost his cow; the eminent member from Neopolis has put an ell on one end of his mansion, and a mortgage on the other.

This passage is most likely to appear in a(n):

Sometimes I went to the old school house up the road, sometimes to the one in an opposite direction. The latter was larger, and there was generally a better teacher, but it was much farther, and I had to set off early in the cold frosty mornings with my books and dinner basket, often through deep snow and drifts. At night I had to get home in time to help to feed the cattle and get in the wood for the fires. The schoolhouses then were generally small and uncomfortable, and the teachers were often of a very inferior order.

The school system of Canada, which has since been moulded by the skilful hand of Dr. Ryerson into one of the best in the world, and which will give to his industry and genius a more enduring record than stone or brass, was in my day very imperfect indeed. It was, perhaps, up with the times. But when the advantages, which the youth of this country now possess, are compared with the small facilities we had of picking up a little knowledge, it seems almost a marvel that we learned anything.

Spelling matches came at this time into vogue, and were continued for several years. They occasioned a friendly rivalry between schools, and were productive of good. The meetings took place during the long winter nights, either weekly or fortnightly. Every school had one or more prize spellers, and these were selected to lead the match; or if the school was large, a contest between the girls and boys came off first.

It can be inferred from the passage that the speaker’s childhood house:

Sometimes I went to the old school house up the road, sometimes to the one in an opposite direction. The latter was larger, and there was generally a better teacher, but it was much farther, and I had to set off early in the cold frosty mornings with my books and dinner basket, often through deep snow and drifts. At night I had to get home in time to help to feed the cattle and get in the wood for the fires. The schoolhouses then were generally small and uncomfortable, and the teachers were often of a very inferior order.

The school system of Canada, which has since been moulded by the skilful hand of Dr. Ryerson into one of the best in the world, and which will give to his industry and genius a more enduring record than stone or brass, was in my day very imperfect indeed. It was, perhaps, up with the times. But when the advantages, which the youth of this country now possess, are compared with the small facilities we had of picking up a little knowledge, it seems almost a marvel that we learned anything.

Spelling matches came at this time into vogue, and were continued for several years. They occasioned a friendly rivalry between schools, and were productive of good. The meetings took place during the long winter nights, either weekly or fortnightly. Every school had one or more prize spellers, and these were selected to lead the match; or if the school was large, a contest between the girls and boys came off first.

As used in line 6, the word “inferior” most closely means:

Sometimes I went to the old school house up the road, sometimes to the one in an opposite direction. The latter was larger, and there was generally a better teacher, but it was much farther, and I had to set off early in the cold frosty mornings with my books and dinner basket, often through deep snow and drifts. At night I had to get home in time to help to feed the cattle and get in the wood for the fires. The schoolhouses then were generally small and uncomfortable, and the teachers were often of a very inferior order.

The school system of Canada, which has since been moulded by the skilful hand of Dr. Ryerson into one of the best in the world, and which will give to his industry and genius a more enduring record than stone or brass, was in my day very imperfect indeed. It was, perhaps, up with the times. But when the advantages, which the youth of this country now possess, are compared with the small facilities we had of picking up a little knowledge, it seems almost a marvel that we learned anything.

Spelling matches came at this time into vogue, and were continued for several years. They occasioned a friendly rivalry between schools, and were productive of good. The meetings took place during the long winter nights, either weekly or fortnightly. Every school had one or more prize spellers, and these were selected to lead the match; or if the school was large, a contest between the girls and boys came off first.

The speaker credits Dr. Ryerson for having:

Sometimes I went to the old school house up the road, sometimes to the one in an opposite direction. The latter was larger, and there was generally a better teacher, but it was much farther, and I had to set off early in the cold frosty mornings with my books and dinner basket, often through deep snow and drifts. At night I had to get home in time to help to feed the cattle and get in the wood for the fires. The schoolhouses then were generally small and uncomfortable, and the teachers were often of a very inferior order.

The school system of Canada, which has since been moulded by the skilful hand of Dr. Ryerson into one of the best in the world, and which will give to his industry and genius a more enduring record than stone or brass, was in my day very imperfect indeed. It was, perhaps, up with the times. But when the advantages, which the youth of this country now possess, are compared with the small facilities we had of picking up a little knowledge, it seems almost a marvel that we learned anything.

Spelling matches came at this time into vogue, and were continued for several years. They occasioned a friendly rivalry between schools, and were productive of good. The meetings took place during the long winter nights, either weekly or fortnightly. Every school had one or more prize spellers, and these were selected to lead the match; or if the school was large, a contest between the girls and boys came off first.

The speaker’s primary purpose is to:

Astronomy is the science that deals with celestial objects, like stars, planets, galaxies

and comets. It is derived from the Greek words “astro” meaning “star” and “nomos” meaning “law.” Astronomy should not be confused with Astrology, which is the belief that the arrangement of the celestial objects can predict future events.

Astronomy, as science, has ancient roots that can be traced to the Greeks and Babylonians who would look at the night sky and document their observations. Today, astronomers use telescopes to peer into galaxies and computers are used to record their findings. Some of these modern observations teach us that there are stars that are almost 600,000 times brighter than the sun; and that the sun has sunspots that vary in temperature – some of these sunspots are as much as 3000° C cooler than others! Other findings reveal that the sun is 4.5 billion years old, that sunlight takes 8 minutes to reach the Earth and that lightning is nearly 3 times hotter than the sun.

This celestial science also has a great interest in the moon – the only non-Earth object that people have walked on. Studies of the moon reveal that each year the moon travels three centimetres further away from the Earth.

While Astronomy has made many discoveries that interest the scientific community, these same observations hold great fascination by the layman, woman and child. It is a pastime of many families to get out their telescope and search the night sky in hopes of catching a glimpse of a shooting star, witnessing a glowing red ring or locating the special star their grandparents named and purchased for them many years ago.

The purpose of the first paragraph is to:

Astronomy is the science that deals with celestial objects, like stars, planets, galaxies

and comets. It is derived from the Greek words “astro” meaning “star” and “nomos” meaning “law.” Astronomy should not be confused with Astrology, which is the belief that the arrangement of the celestial objects can predict future events.

Astronomy, as science, has ancient roots that can be traced to the Greeks and Babylonians who would look at the night sky and document their observations. Today, astronomers use telescopes to peer into galaxies and computers are used to record their findings. Some of these modern observations teach us that there are stars that are almost 600,000 times brighter than the sun; and that the sun has sunspots that vary in temperature – some of these sunspots are as much as 3000° C cooler than others! Other findings reveal that the sun is 4.5 billion years old, that sunlight takes 8 minutes to reach the Earth and that lightning is nearly 3 times hotter than the sun.

This celestial science also has a great interest in the moon – the only non-Earth object that people have walked on. Studies of the moon reveal that each year the moon travels three centimetres further away from the Earth.

While Astronomy has made many discoveries that interest the scientific community, these same observations hold great fascination by the layman, woman and child. It is a pastime of many families to get out their telescope and search the night sky in hopes of catching a glimpse of a shooting star, witnessing a glowing red ring or locating the special star their grandparents named and purchased for them many years ago.

It can be inferred from the passage that a science is something that:

Astronomy is the science that deals with celestial objects, like stars, planets, galaxies

and comets. It is derived from the Greek words “astro” meaning “star” and “nomos” meaning “law.” Astronomy should not be confused with Astrology, which is the belief that the arrangement of the celestial objects can predict future events.

Astronomy, as science, has ancient roots that can be traced to the Greeks and Babylonians who would look at the night sky and document their observations. Today, astronomers use telescopes to peer into galaxies and computers are used to record their findings. Some of these modern observations teach us that there are stars that are almost 600,000 times brighter than the sun; and that the sun has sunspots that vary in temperature – some of these sunspots are as much as 3000° C cooler than others! Other findings reveal that the sun is 4.5 billion years old, that sunlight takes 8 minutes to reach the Earth and that lightning is nearly 3 times hotter than the sun.

This celestial science also has a great interest in the moon – the only non-Earth object that people have walked on. Studies of the moon reveal that each year the moon travels three centimetres further away from the Earth.

While Astronomy has made many discoveries that interest the scientific community, these same observations hold great fascination by the layman, woman and child. It is a pastime of many families to get out their telescope and search the night sky in hopes of catching a glimpse of a shooting star, witnessing a glowing red ring or locating the special star their grandparents named and purchased for them many years ago.

The author implies that Astronomy is unique because:

Astronomy is the science that deals with celestial objects, like stars, planets, galaxies

and comets. It is derived from the Greek words “astro” meaning “star” and “nomos” meaning “law.” Astronomy should not be confused with Astrology, which is the belief that the arrangement of the celestial objects can predict future events.

Astronomy, as science, has ancient roots that can be traced to the Greeks and Babylonians who would look at the night sky and document their observations. Today, astronomers use telescopes to peer into galaxies and computers are used to record their findings. Some of these modern observations teach us that there are stars that are almost 600,000 times brighter than the sun; and that the sun has sunspots that vary in temperature – some of these sunspots are as much as 3000° C cooler than others! Other findings reveal that the sun is 4.5 billion years old, that sunlight takes 8 minutes to reach the Earth and that lightning is nearly 3 times hotter than the sun.

This celestial science also has a great interest in the moon – the only non-Earth object that people have walked on. Studies of the moon reveal that each year the moon travels three centimetres further away from the Earth.

While Astronomy has made many discoveries that interest the scientific community, these same observations hold great fascination by the layman, woman and child. It is a pastime of many families to get out their telescope and search the night sky in hopes of catching a glimpse of a shooting star, witnessing a glowing red ring or locating the special star their grandparents named and purchased for them many years ago.

Based on the passage, which of the following is true of stars?

The cumulus is a day cloud; it usually has a dense, compact appearance, and moves with the wind. In the latter part of a clear morning a small irregular spot appears suddenly at a moderate elevation. This is the nucleus or commencement of the cloud, the upper part of which soon becomes rounded and well defined, while the lower forms an irregular straight line.

When several cumuli are present, they are separated by distances proportioned to their size: the smaller cumuli crowding the sky, while the larger ones are further apart. But the bases always range in the same line; and the increase of each cloud keeps pace with that of its neighbour, the intervening spaces remaining clear.

The cumulus often attains its greatest size early in the afternoon, when the heat of the day is most felt. As the sun declines, this cloud gradually decreases, retaining, however, its characteristic form till towards sunset, when it is, more or less, hastily broken up and disappears, leaving the sky clear as in the early part of the morning. Its tints are often vivid, and pass one into the other in a most pleasing manner, during this last hour of its existence.

All of the following are true of cumulus clouds EXCEPT:

The cumulus is a day cloud; it usually has a dense, compact appearance, and moves with the wind. In the latter part of a clear morning a small irregular spot appears suddenly at a moderate elevation. This is the nucleus or commencement of the cloud, the upper part of which soon becomes rounded and well defined, while the lower forms an irregular straight line.

When several cumuli are present, they are separated by distances proportioned to their size: the smaller cumuli crowding the sky, while the larger ones are further apart. But the bases always range in the same line; and the increase of each cloud keeps pace with that of its neighbour, the intervening spaces remaining clear.

The cumulus often attains its greatest size early in the afternoon, when the heat of the day is most felt. As the sun declines, this cloud gradually decreases, retaining, however, its characteristic form till towards sunset, when it is, more or less, hastily broken up and disappears, leaving the sky clear as in the early part of the morning. Its tints are often vivid, and pass one into the other in a most pleasing manner, during this last hour of its existence.

As used in line 3, the word “commencement” most closely means:

The cumulus is a day cloud; it usually has a dense, compact appearance, and moves with the wind. In the latter part of a clear morning a small irregular spot appears suddenly at a moderate elevation. This is the nucleus or commencement of the cloud, the upper part of which soon becomes rounded and well defined, while the lower forms an irregular straight line.

When several cumuli are present, they are separated by distances proportioned to their size: the smaller cumuli crowding the sky, while the larger ones are further apart. But the bases always range in the same line; and the increase of each cloud keeps pace with that of its neighbour, the intervening spaces remaining clear.

The cumulus often attains its greatest size early in the afternoon, when the heat of the day is most felt. As the sun declines, this cloud gradually decreases, retaining, however, its characteristic form till towards sunset, when it is, more or less, hastily broken up and disappears, leaving the sky clear as in the early part of the morning. Its tints are often vivid, and pass one into the other in a most pleasing manner, during this last hour of its existence.

The author states that the disappearance of a cumulus cloud is:

The cumulus is a day cloud; it usually has a dense, compact appearance, and moves with the wind. In the latter part of a clear morning a small irregular spot appears suddenly at a moderate elevation. This is the nucleus or commencement of the cloud, the upper part of which soon becomes rounded and well defined, while the lower forms an irregular straight line.

When several cumuli are present, they are separated by distances proportioned to their size: the smaller cumuli crowding the sky, while the larger ones are further apart. But the bases always range in the same line; and the increase of each cloud keeps pace with that of its neighbour, the intervening spaces remaining clear.

The cumulus often attains its greatest size early in the afternoon, when the heat of the day is most felt. As the sun declines, this cloud gradually decreases, retaining, however, its characteristic form till towards sunset, when it is, more or less, hastily broken up and disappears, leaving the sky clear as in the early part of the morning. Its tints are often vivid, and pass one into the other in a most pleasing manner, during this last hour of its existence.

Based on the description in the passage, the appearance of a cumulus cloud can best be compared to a(n):