READING TEST
Directions: This passage is followed by several
questions. After reading the passage, chose the best
answer to each question and fill in the corresponding
oval on your answer document. You may refer to the
passage as often as necessary.
Passage 1
PROSE FICTION: This passage is adapted from a short
story titled “Lydia McQueen” by Wilma Dykeman, from
her book The Tall Woman (1980).
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The wind was a wild dark thing plucking at trees
outside, pushing at the door and chinks of the house,
then dying down still as death before another rise
and rush and plunge. Listening to it, Lydia
McQueen waited and shrank deeper under the quilts,
until the corn shucks in the mattress rustled and
settled into new shapes.
She thought about the wind – like the great fine
horse Papa had owned once, strong and willful with
no bit or stirrup that could tame it. Quiet for a spell,
it would break with a sudden burst of energy. Yet
her father, a gentle man, had controlled the wildness
in the horse as surely and invisibly as the sun
controlled the plants in her mother’s garden.
The wind came again and she felt the pleasure of
her own body-warmth. Like a seed, she felt, one of
those sun-warmed seeds in the spring ground,
growing, ready to give forth new life. She was
aware of the dry smell of the corn shucks. Her mind
went back to the day she had sorted them, pulling
the leaves off the hard stalk ends, working toward a
soft stuffing for the mattress.
“It’s a fair morning,” she had said to her mother
as they worked out in the yard beside the corncrib,
where the shucks had been stored through the
winter.
“Ah, fair enough today, but dogwood winter yet
to come,” her mother had answered.
And after the cold spell, when dogwoods
bloomed, there would be whippoorwill winter and
blackberry winter. The reminder cut through her joy.
She set her mouth and determined to be stingy with
her words the rest of the morning – until she spied
the first flock of robins down in the new-cleared
field. Then she cried out in pleasure again for her
mother to come and see the plump, neat birds, for
Lydia Moore was eighteen, and chancy too, like
March.
But, “You’re a girl turned woman now,” her
mother said. “No need for such wispy ways.
Anyway, I’m of a mind they won’t last long around
Mark McQueen.”
Lydia thrust a cornhusk into the sack so sharply
That one dry blade cut her middle finger. She knew
45 her mother had wanted her to marry Ham Nelson.
“Ah, Hamilton’s a well-turned boy, and the Nelsons
are good livers,” she had said when he brought
Lydia home once from a sociable at the Burkes’.
And Lydia had replied, remembering all that Ham
50 had told her as they rode home that night, “Could he
buy himself for what he’s worth, and sell himself for
what he thinks he’s worth, he’d be princely rich
overnight.”
But Sarah Moore had not smiled. Neither had
55 she smiled when her daughter came to ask her if
Mark McQueen could speak to Jesse Moore about
their wedding. “With all the boys in the valley,
Lydia, you must choose him?”
“Mama, I didn’t choose.”
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But she had felt helpless to explain how it was
since that first day she’d seen Mark at the mill, big
and dark with the strength of a mountain in him. She
was full of a strange confidence and beauty, and
wept to herself behind the barn because she had so
65 little confidence and was so lacking in prettiness. It
was a time of days like spring, changeable and quick
with life. She had no words to fit such feelings. “I
didn’t choose, Mama. It’s like I was chosen.”
Her mother looked at her steadily, then.
70 “Living won’t be easy with Mark McQueen. He’s a
proud man, with a restlessness on him that will be
hard to still. Such a man’s life can hurt his wife, be
he ever so in love with her or not.”
For a moment she was quiet, looking no longer
75 at her daughter but at the distant woods. Lydia heard
the first spring insects humming out in the fields,
heard their tiny rustling in the dry cornhusks around
her where the warm sun was stirring them to life.
But all she saw in her mind’s eye was Mark
80 McQueen’s face and his stout sun-browned arms.
“It may not seem so to you now, being a girl
only and a girl in love,” her mother went on, “but
there’s something beyond even love, for a woman as
well as a man. A body’s personhood.”
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Her mother’s gaze came back from the woods to
the yard and the house and the garden patch beyond,
and Lydia did not know how to answer all this
strange talk. The insects ticked and droned even
louder around them.
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“Your papa has gentle ways not common to
many men. A man who is driven is not easy to live
with.”
The silence between them was longer than the
words before Lydia said softly, “I never asked for
95 easy, Mama.”
“I know, I know.” Her mother turned suddenly
back to the crib and an armful of shucks. Her voice
was muffled. “I’m beseeching the Lord to hold you
in the hollow of his hand.”
1. When Sarah Moore says, “No need for such wispy
ways. Anyway, I’m of a mind that they won’t last long
around Mark McQueen” (lines 40-42), she is expressing
her belief that Mark will:
A. be incapable of love.
B. break her daughter’s spirit.
C. treat her daughter like a child.
D. move away from the farmland.
2. It can be reasonably inferred from their conversations
that Sarah Moore believes her daughter will:
A. come to her senses before it’s too late.
B. follow her mother’s advice in spite of her own
feelings.
C. listen to her mother but marry Mark anyway.
D. eventually grow out of the youthful desire to marry
mark.
3. The idea that love is not the result of rational thought
is best exemplified by which of the following quotations
from the passage?
A. “You’re a girl turned woman now.”
B. “I didn’t choose.”
C. “There’s something beyond even love.”
D. “A man who is driven is not easy to live with.”
4. As it is used in lines 32-33, the phrase “determined to
be stingy with her words’ most nearly means that Lydia
wants to be:
A. critical.
B. sarcastic.
C. analytical.
D. quiet.
5. The passage makes it clear that Lydia and Mark:
A. get married.
B. don’t really know each other.
C. will be alienated from Lydia’s family.
D. don’t know what love really is.
6. In the second paragraph (lines 8-14), Lydia compares
her father to:
A. the wind.
B. a garden.
C. a horse.
D. the sun.
7. We may reasonably infer from details in the passage
that the wind, Papa’s horse, and Lydia are alike in that
they are all:
A. unpredictable and intense.
B. strong and destructive.
C. beautiful and free.
D. disciplined and stubborn.
8. Lines 60-68 indicate that Lydia’s feelings about
herself are best described as:
A. mournful.
B. erratic.
C. peaceful.
D. steady.
9. It can be reasonably inferred that the corn shucks and
the seed mentioned in the third paragraph (lines 15-22)
are symbolic, respectively, of Lydia’s:
A. memories and regrets.
B. past and future.
C. youth and innocence.
D. maturity and wisdom.
10. Details in the passage suggest that Lydia’s mother
objects to her marrying Mark McQueen because she
believes:
A. he doesn’t really love her daughter.
B. Lydia will not be well-supported financially.
C. he is of a lower social class than Lydia’s family.
D. Lydia will lose her independent identity.
Passage 2
NATURAL SCIENCE: This passage is adapted from the
article “How to Build a Baby’s Brain” by Sharon Begley
(©1997 by Newsweek, Inc.). In this selection, the term
neuron refers to a specialized cell of the nervous
system, and tomography refers to a method of
producing three-dimensional images of internal
structures.
You cannot see what is going on inside your
newborn’s brain. You cannot see the electrical
activity as her eyes lock onto yours and, almost
instantaneously, a neuron in her retina makes a
5 connection to one in her brain’s visual cortex that
will last all her life. The image of your face has
become an enduring memory in her mind. And you
cannot see the explosive release of a
neurotransmitter—brain chemical—as a neuron
10 from your baby’s ear, carrying the electrically
encoded sound of “ma,” connects to a neuron in her
auditory cortex. “Ma” has now commandeered a
cluster of cells in the infant’s brain that will, as long
as the child lives, respond to no other sound.
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You cannot see any of this. But Dr. Harry
Chugani can come close. With positron-emission
Tomography PET), Chugani, a pediatric
neurobiologist, watches the regions of a baby’s
brain turn on, one after another, like city
20 neighborhoods having their electricity restored
after a blackout. He can measure activity in the
primitive brain stem and sensory cortex from the
moment the baby is born. He can observe the visual
cortex burn with activity in the second and third
25 months of life. He can see the frontal cortex light up
at 6 to 8 months. He can see, in other words, that
the brain of a baby is still forming long after the
child has left the womb—not merely growing
bigger, but forming the microscopic connections
30 responsible for feeling, learning and remembering.
Scientists are just now realizing how
experiences after birth, rather than something
innate, determine the actual wiring of the human
brain. Only 15 years ago neuroscientists assumed
35 that by the time babies are born, the structure of
their brains had been genetically determined. But
by 1996, researchers knew that was wrong. Instead,
early-childhood experiences exert a dramatic and
precise impact, physically determining how the
40 intricate neural circuits of the brain are wired. Since
then they have been learning how those experiences
shape the brain’s circuits.
At birth, the brain’s 100 billion or so neurons
form more than 50 trillion connections (synapses).
45 The genes the baby carries have already determined
his brain’s basic wiring. They have formed the
connections in the brain stem that will make the
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heart beat and the lungs respire. But that’s all. Of a
human’s 80,000 different genes, fully half are
believed to be involved in forming and running the
central nervous system. Yet even that doesn’t come
close to what the brain needs. In the first
months of life, the number of synapses will increase
20-fold—to more than 1,000 trillion. There simply
are not enough genes in the human species to
specify so many connections.
That leaves experience—all the signals that a
baby receives from the world. Experience seems to
exert its effects by strengthening synapses. Just as a
memory will fade if it is not accessed from time to
time, so synapses that are not used will also wither
away in a process called pruning. The way to
reinforce these wispy connections has come to be
known as stimulation. Contrary to the claims of
entrepreneurs preying on the anxieties of new
parents, stimulation does not mean
subjecting a toddler to flashcards. Rather, it is
something much simpler—sorting socks by color or
listening to the soothing cadences of a fairy tale. In
the most extensive study yet of what makes a
difference, Craig Ramey of the University of
Alabama found that it was blocks, beads, peekaboo
and other old-fashioned measures that enhance
cognitive, motor and language development—and,
absent traumas, enhance them permanently.
The formation of synapses (synaptogenesis)
and their pruning occurs at different times in
different parts of the brain. The sequence seems to
coincide with the emergence of various skills.
Synaptogenesis begins in the motor cortex at about
2 months. Around then, infants lose their “startle”
and “rooting” reflexes and begin to master
purposeful movements. At 3 months, synapse
formation in the visual cortex peaks; the brain is
fine-tuning connections allowing the eyes to focus
on an object. At 8 or 9 months the hippocampus,
which indexes and files memories, becomes fully
functional; only now can babies form explicit
memories of, say, how to move a mobile. In the
second half of the first year, finds Chugani, the
prefrontal cortex, the seat of forethought and logic,
forms synapses at such a rate that it consumes twice
as much energy as an adult brain. That furious pace
continues for the child’s first decade of life.
11. The main point of this passage is to:
A. illustrate the importance of genetics in the formation
of a baby’s brain.
B. illustrate the importance of stimulation and
experience in the formation of a baby’s brain.
C. indicate the great need for conducting further
research on babies’ brains.
D. compare the latest research on babies’ brains with
similar research conducted fifteen years ago.
12. The main point made in the second, third, and fourth
paragraphs (lines 14–52) is that the structure of a baby’s
brain:
A. is genetically determined before the child is born.
B. can be seen through positron-emission tomography.
C. can be altered through a process known as pruning.
D. is still developing after the child is born.
13. According to the passage, one thing PET allows
neurobiologists to do is:
A. observe activity in the frontal cortex of a baby’s
brain.
B. determine the number of genes involved in the
formation of a baby’s brain.
C. control the release of neurotransmitters in a baby’s
auditory cortex.
D. restore microscopic connections in a baby’s brain.
14. When she compares a baby’s brain to city
neighborhoods, the author is most nearly illustrating her
point that:
A. neurotransmitters are actually brain chemicals.
B. regions of the brain are awakened through
experience.
C. the visual cortex allows a baby to recognize specific
images.
D. a baby’s brain has about 1,000 trillion synapses.
15. Which of the following would the author of the
passage be LEAST likely to recommend as a way to
strengthen the synapses of a baby’s brain?
A. Reading to a baby
B. Playing peekaboo with a baby
C. Teaching a baby with flashcards
D. Showing a baby how to distinguish red socks from
blue blocks
16. The last paragraph suggests that the formation of
synapses occurs most rapidly:
A. during the first two months of a child’s life.
B. during the first nine months of a child’s life.
C. from the time a child is about six months old until
that child is about ten years old.
D. from the time a child is about one year old until that
child is well into adolescence.
17. As it is used in line 30, the phrase something innate
most nearly means:
A. a memory.
B. learned behavior.
C. physical immaturity.
D. an inherited trait.
18. The fifth paragraph (lines 53–70) suggests that one
of the main causes of pruning is:
A. a lack of stimulation.
B. an insufficient number of genes.
C. the use of flashcards.
D. the strengthening of synapses.
19. When the author refers to “entrepreneurs preying on
the anxieties of new parents” (lines 60–61), she is most
likely suggesting that new parents should:
A. give their babies products such as flashcards only if
they have examined these products carefully.
B. not be deceived by advertising that claims certain
products will increase a baby’s intelligence.
C. not worry if their babies’ development is slightly
behind that suggested by neurobiologists.
D. take their pediatrician’s advice before they listen to
the advice given by other family members.
20. The passage states that, in terms of development, the
average baby should be able to:
A. focus his or her eyes on an object at two months of
age.
B. develop a “startle” reflex at about two months of age.
C. make logical connections between ideas at about four
months of age.
D. form explicit memories at about nine months of age.
ENGLISH TEST
DIRECTIONS: In this passage, certain words or phrases
have been underlined and numbered. Choose the
answer that best expresses the idea, makes the
statement grammatically correct for standard written
English, or is worded most consistently with the style
and tone of the passage. If you think the original
version is best, choose “NO CHANGE.”
PASSAGE 1
The Andean Panpipe
Whether its bright and jaunty or haunting and
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21. A. NO CHANGE
B. they’re
C. it’s
D. its’
melancholic, the music of the Andes highlands has a
mellow sound unique in the musical world. The
instrument responsible for this sound is the antara, or
Andean panpipe, known for the hollow-sounding,
breathy notes it creates. The antara has its origins in
the Incan civilization, once the more richer and more
22. A. NO CHANGE
B. one of the richest and most
C. the richest and most
D. the richer and more
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powerful empire in South America.
The antara consists of a connected row of hollow,
vertical pipes of varying lengths, which are then lined
23. Given that all of the choices are true, which one
provides the most significant new information?
A. NO CHANGE
B. thus forming this musical instrument.
C. arranged from shortest to longest.
D. which are fastened together.
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up. The pipes, which can vary numerously from three
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24. A. NO CHANGE
B. in quantity of numbers
C. number-wise
D. in number
to fifteen, are fashioned from clay that is rolled around
a mold. Each pipe is individually rolled to create the
proper pitch before being bound to the other pipes.
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The antara dates back to the ninth century.
Evidence about how musicians played the instrument
have come from painted images on Incan ceramic
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25. A. NO CHANGE
B. being binded
C. been bounded
D. been bound
26. A. NO CHANGE
B. are coming
C. comes
D. come
pottery. Musicians are depicted playing a six-pipe antara
by holding the lower ends of the two longer pipes
with the right hand while placing the left hand near the
remaining tops of the four pipes. The antara was also
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sometimes held in one hand while the other hand beat
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27. The best placement for the underlined portion would
be:
A. where it is now.
B. before the word left.
C. before the word of.
D. before the word four.
28. A. NO CHANGE
B. beaten
C. beated
D. beats
a cylindrical drum.
[1] Due to the limited number of notes that can be
played on an antara, early musicians’ most likely
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worked in groups, coordinating the timing and pitch of
their instruments to extend the range of sounds
produced. 30 [2] Other pottery images show two antara
players facing each other while dancing. [3] Each player
29. A. NO CHANGE
B. antara, early musicians
C. antara early musicians’
D. antara early musician’s
30. If the writer were to delete the phrase “coordinating
the timing and pitch of their instruments” from the
preceding sentence, the sentence would primarily lose:
A. a description of how musicians overcame the
limitations of the antara.
B. an indication that music was an important
element in Incan life.
C. the idea that the antara was a key feature of
Incan music.
D. nothing of significance, because the phrase is
redundant.
holds a set of pipes so that both sets are connected to the
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other set by a string, as if to suggest that those two
antaras should be played together. [4] Even to this day,
descendants of the Incas, the Quechua people of Peru
and Bolivia, prefer to play matched antaras bound
together. 32
31. A. NO CHANGE.
B. in such a way that both sets are
C. with both sets being
D. OMIT the underlined portion
32. For the sake of the logic and coherence of this
paragraph, Sentence 4 should be placed:
A. where it is now.
B. before Sentence 1.
C. after Sentence 1.
D. after Sentence 2.
Unfortunately, the music of the Incas can probably
never be exactly re-creating. Yet one can hear in the
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33. A. NO CHANGE
B. re-created exactly.
C. exact re-created.
D. re-created exact.
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music of their descendants, beautiful variations on a
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musical sound that has survived for many centuries. 35
34. A. NO CHANGE
B. hear, in the music of their descendants
C. hear in the music of their descendants;
D. hear in the music of their descendants
35. If the writer were to change the pronoun one to we
in the preceding sentence, this closing sentence would:
A. indicate that the writer is a descendant of the
Incas.
B. suggest that the essay’s audience are all
musicians.
C. take on a somewhat more personal tone.
D. become more clearly a call to action.