Practice Test 11 - SSAT Upper Level Reading

20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.

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1. What is the central idea of this passage?
2. What can be inferred about this bakery's business situation?
3. What can be inferred about the library's computer users?
4. In this context, "diplomatic" most nearly means
5. In this context, "palpable" most closely means
6. When was Petra designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
7. What combination of evidence most convincingly demonstrates nature's positive effects on mental health?
8. What can reasonably be inferred about Elena's coworker?
9. What evidence best supports the claim that Renaissance thinking represented a departure from medieval approaches?
10. What is the central idea of this passage?
11. The author establishes what mood in this scene?
12. Scenario—Current Event Commentary. A campus editorial on standardized testing is written by Marisol Chen, who runs a test-prep club. She argues that removing entrance exams is "a feel-good gesture that dilutes merit," and she cites a study showing first-year GPA correlates modestly with test scores. Yet she ignores the same study's note that correlation weakens after controlling for income. She acknowledges a counterargument about unequal access to tutoring, but calls it "a solvable inconvenience," recommending "community-sponsored coaching" without addressing funding. Question: Which phrase indicates the author's stance on the issue?
13. What is the central idea of this passage?
14. Which of the following best summarizes the passage?
15. What can be inferred about the employees' physical condition?
16. Read the passage, then answer the question. In a school laboratory, Ms. Alvarez demonstrated paper chromatography to separate pigments in a black, water-based marker. She began the lesson at 9:10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 6, and she wrote the purpose on the board: "to separate a mixture into its components." Each lab group received a 250 mL beaker, a strip of chromatography paper, a pencil, and a ruler. First, students used a pencil to draw a light line 2 centimeters from the bottom of the paper strip. They placed a single dot of black ink on the line and let it dry for one minute. Next, they poured 20 mL of water into the beaker. Ms. Alvarez reminded everyone that the ink dot must start above the water level, so the ink would not dissolve directly into the beaker. Then, students clipped the paper to a wooden stick and lowered it into the beaker so that only the bottom edge touched the water. As the water rose up the paper, it carried different pigments at different speeds. Ms. Alvarez instructed the class to stop the run when the water front reached 8 centimeters from the bottom, which took about seven minutes. Students removed the paper, marked the water front immediately, and laid the strip flat to dry. After drying, the class observed distinct colored bands. In Ms. Alvarez's sample, the lowest band was yellow, above it was green, and near the top was blue. She explained that the bands formed because pigments had different attractions to the paper and different solubilities in water. Finally, students recorded the order of colors and cleaned the glassware before the bell rang at 9:55 a.m. What does the passage explicitly mention about the amount of water poured into the beaker?
17. In this passage, "polarizing" most nearly means
18. How many individual coral reefs comprise the Great Barrier Reef?
19. Why does the author include the contrast between Maria's friends posting "photos of their store-bought holiday spreads" and Maria being "elbow-deep in corn meal"?
20. Read the passage, then answer: What tone is suggested by the passage? My grandfather insists that his old radio still works perfectly, which is a bold claim for an object that looks like it survived three separate attics. When I visit, he is already waiting with a screwdriver and the kind of confidence usually reserved for game-show hosts. "We just have to persuade it," he says, as if the radio has feelings and a stubborn personality. I sit at the kitchen table while he removes the back panel with exaggerated care. Dust drifts out like it has been saving itself for this moment. He points to a tangle of wires and explains, in a voice both serious and theatrical, that the problem is "obviously" a loose connection. I nod like I understand, although my expertise ends at turning things on. After several minutes of poking and muttering, he flips the switch. The radio responds with a dramatic hiss, then silence, then—miraculously—a faint burst of music. My grandfather grins as if he has negotiated a peace treaty. I laugh, partly because it is funny, and partly because I feel lucky to witness his stubborn joy. Later, as the station fades in and out, he tells me stories about listening to late-night broadcasts as a teenager. The radio never becomes stable, but the afternoon does. When I leave, the music is still sputtering, and I am still smiling, thinking that some repairs are less about fixing and more about spending time together.

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