Practice Test 5 - ISEE Upper Level Reading Comprehension
20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.
- Each summer, the mountain town of Liria holds a daylong "Exchange of Shadows," a festival that begins after sunrise and ends before the evening bells. Residents pin small paper silhouettes to their shirts—some shaped like animals, others like tools—and they trade them throughout the day, but the trades must be silent and completed with the left hand. The mayor opens the festival by reading names from a ledger, pausing after each name until someone in the crowd raises a silhouette in acknowledgment; newcomers are never read aloud, though they may participate. At midday, the town's bakers sell honey cakes stamped with a blank circle, and people eat them while standing, never seated, even the elderly. Children are allowed to run, yet they are scolded if they step on anyone's shadow, and the scolding is delivered in the formal register usually reserved for council meetings. As the afternoon wanes, silhouettes become harder to trade, and some people begin to pin multiple shapes at once, as if hedging against refusal. When the bells finally ring, everyone removes the paper shapes and drops them into a stone trough filled with water tinted gray by ash; the soggy silhouettes are not retrieved, but the trough is covered carefully with a wooden lid that remains sealed until the next year.
- Which evidence provides the strongest support for the argument that sleep actively facilitates memory consolidation rather than simply preventing interference?
- When synthesizing both passages, what fundamental tension emerges regarding genetic engineering's role in society?
- In this context, "meteoric" most nearly means
- What can be inferred about the real reason for Marcus's termination?
- The author's discussion of AI in healthcare primarily serves to
- Which phrase indicates a cause and effect relationship in the passage about glacier melt and sea level? Glaciers and ice sheets store vast amounts of freshwater, and their stability depends on temperature patterns. When average air and ocean temperatures rise, ice melts more quickly at the surface and along coastal edges, weakening the structures that slow ice flow. As a result, more ice reaches the ocean, adding water that contributes to sea-level rise. In addition, warmer seawater expands in volume, which further elevates sea level even without additional melting. Consequently, coastal communities experience changes that are not limited to dramatic storms. Higher baseline sea levels can increase high-tide flooding, sometimes called "sunny-day" flooding, because it occurs even under clear skies. Saltwater can also intrude into groundwater, which may affect drinking supplies and agriculture. Because these effects can accumulate over decades, engineers may need to redesign drainage systems, elevate roads, and protect wetlands that buffer waves. The passage emphasizes that sea-level rise is not uniform everywhere. Local land movement, ocean currents, and regional wind patterns can raise or lower relative sea level in specific places. However, the author maintains that the underlying driver remains global warming, which increases meltwater and thermal expansion. Understanding the causal chain helps students interpret news reports and evaluate which adaptation strategies match the risks in their own regions.
- In this context, "ambiguous" most nearly means
- What does this progression suggest about taste perception and adaptation?
- In the context of the passage, "nascent" most nearly means...
- What is the main thesis presented in this passage regarding universal basic income?
- Which evidence best supports the argument that humans have an innate biological capacity for language acquisition?
- Why might the author have included the recurring image of a locked garden gate in describing Elena's choices?
- What evidence most effectively supports the conclusion that coral reefs achieve remarkable biodiversity through specialized ecological relationships?
- Synthesizing both passages, what paradox emerges regarding social media's impact on democratic participation?
- According to the passage, what were the two new social classes that emerged during the Industrial Revolution as a result of factory-based manufacturing?
- The author's analysis of online learning reflects which assumption about educational quality?
- According to the passage, what chemical components must be present for the bioluminescent reaction to occur in living organisms?
- This passage is structured primarily as
- According to the passage, what is the author's primary argument about addressing algorithmic bias in AI systems?