Practice Test 9

Read the passage, then answer the question.

The front hall of the abandoned mansion smelled of rust and rainwater, even though the roof still stood. A chandelier hung overhead, missing half its crystals, and the remaining pieces caught Mara’s flashlight in brief, nervous flashes. The wallpaper peeled in long curls, like it was trying to escape the walls.

She called out, just once. Her voice didn’t travel far. It seemed to fall straight to the floor and stay there. The house answered with a soft settling sound, a patient shift of wood and stone.

Mara moved deeper, past a staircase that rose into darkness. Each step she took sounded too loud. The silence between her footsteps felt heavier than the noise itself. When a door somewhere upstairs clicked, Mara froze, and her skin prickled as if the air had turned colder.

She forced herself to breathe. In, out. The beam of light trembled in her hand, skimming over a cracked banister and a row of closed doors. She told herself she was imagining things, but the mansion’s shadows seemed to lean toward her anyway.

At the end of the hall, a window stood open. Wind pushed through it with a thin whistle, and the curtains lifted like pale hands.

Question: What mood is created by the author’s use of imagery in the passage?

Read the passage, then answer the question.

The locker room was too bright. Light bounced off white tiles and made every movement feel exposed. Jada tied her laces, then retied them. Too loose. Too tight. She stood. She sat. She stood again.

Down the row, someone snapped a wristband. Another player drummed fingers on a bench—fast, faster, then stopped. The air was thick with deodorant and nerves. Jada pulled her mouthguard from its case and tasted plastic.

“Two minutes,” the assistant coach called. The words were flat, but they hit hard. Jada’s pulse jumped. She pictured the first serve. The crowd. The mistake she couldn’t afford.

In the hallway, the roar of the gym leaked in, muffled but steady, like waves behind a wall. Jada inhaled. Held it. Let it out in a thin stream. Her teammate bumped her shoulder—small, quick, a silent promise.

“Let’s go,” Jada said. Her voice sounded steadier than she felt. They walked toward the noise.

Question: Which words or phrases best establish the mood in the passage?