SSAT & ISEE Prep 2023 - Princeton Review 2023
Answer key to ISEE practice tests
ISEE practice tests
ANSWER KEY
Detailed explanations can be found online in your Student Tools.
ISEE UL Verbal 1
1.D
2.C
3.D
4.C
5.A
6.B
7.B
8.D
9.D
10.B
11.C
12.B
13.C
14.B
15.D
16.B
17.B
18.A
19.B
20.B
21.A
22.A
23.D
24.A
25.A
26.D
27.A
28.A
29.C
30.B
31.D
32.B
33.A
34.C
35.C
36.C
37.A
38.A
39.A
40.A
ISEE UL Quantitative 2
1.C
2.C
3.D
4.D
5.B
6.D
7.A
8.B
9.C
10.B
11.C
12.D
13.A
14.B
15.A
16.A
17.D
18.C
19.D
20.C
21.C
22.B
23.C
24.D
25.B
26.D
27.A
28.C
29.C
30.B
31.B
32.A
33.A
34.C
35.B
36.B
37.C
ISEE UL Reading 3
1.D
2.A
3.C
4.D
5.D
6.D
7.C
8.C
9.D
10.C
11.C
12.D
13.B
14.C
15.D
16.A
17.D
18.A
19.C
20.B
21.C
22.A
23.D
24.B
25.C
26.C
27.C
28.D
29.A
30.D
31.B
32.B
33.C
34.C
35.C
36.A
ISEE UL Math 4
1.A
2.D
3.C
4.D
5.C
6.C
7.A
8.B
9.A
10.B
11.B
12.A
13.C
14.D
15.B
16.D
17.C
18.C
19.A
20.D
21.D
22.A
23.B
24.D
25.D
26.B
27.B
28.A
29.A
30.B
31.D
32.C
33.C
34.A
35.D
36.B
37.D
38.B
39.C
40.A
41.C
42.D
43.D
44.B
45.A
46.D
47.A
ANSWER KEY
Detailed explanations can be found online in your Student Tools.
ISEE ML Verbal 1
1.D
2.C
3.B
4.C
5.D
6.C
7.B
8.B
9.B
10.B
11.A
12.D
13.B
14.C
15.D
16.C
17.A
18.B
19.A
20.C
21.C
22.B
23.D
24.A
25.C
26.C
27.A
28.A
29.C
30.B
31.C
32.D
33.A
34.D
35.A
36.A
37.B
38.B
39.B
40.A
ISEE ML Quantitative 2
1.C
2.B
3.D
4.B
5.B
6.A
7.B
8.B
9.C
10.C
11.B
12.B
13.B
14.B
15.C
16.C
17.D
18.C
19.D
20.D
21.C
22.D
23.A
24.B
25.B
26.B
27.A
28.A
29.B
30.D
31.B
32.B
33.A
34.C
35.B
36.A
37.B
ISEE ML Reading 3
1.A
2.B
3.C
4.A
5.A
6.A
7.D
8.A
9.C
10.D
11.A
12.C
13.A
14.B
15.D
16.D
17.B
18.C
19.A
20.B
21.C
22.D
23.A
24.C
25.D
26.C
27.A
28.D
29.B
30.D
31.D
32.B
33.B
34.A
35.B
36.C
ISEE ML Math 4
1.B
2.B
3.D
4.D
5.C
6.A
7.C
8.C
9.B
10.D
11.C
12.A
13.B
14.C
15.C
16.D
17.A
18.C
19.C
20.B
21.B
22.D
23.D
24.B
25.B
26.C
27.B
28.D
29.A
30.D
31.C
32.C
33.C
34.D
35.B
36.B
37.A
38.C
39.A
40.A
41.C
42.B
43.D
44.A
45.D
46.B
47.C
ANSWER KEY
Detailed explanations can be found online in your Student Tools.
ISEE LL Verbal 1
1.D
2.C
3.C
4.C
5.B
6.D
7.A
8.C
9.B
10.C
11.D
12.B
13.B
14.A
15.D
16.D
17.A
18.C
19.C
20.B
21.D
22.B
23.B
24.A
25.B
26.B
27.A
28.C
29.A
30.B
31.D
32.D
33.B
34.A
ISEE LL Quantitative 2
1.D
2.A
3.C
4.D
5.B
6.C
7.B
8.B
9.C
10.A
11.A
12.C
13.B
14.C
15.C
16.C
17.B
18.B
19.D
20.B
21.B
22.A
23.B
24.B
25.B
26.D
27.B
28.C
29.D
30.C
31.B
32.D
33.D
34.A
35.B
36.C
37.A
38.B
ISEE LL Reading 3
1.A
2.C
3.D
4.A
5.D
6.C
7.B
8.D
9.B
10.D
11.C
12.D
13.A
14.A
15.B
16.B
17.C
18.B
19.C
20.A
21.B
22.D
23.D
24.B
25.D
ISEE LL Math 4
1.D
2.C
3.A
4.D
5.B
6.C
7.B
8.D
9.B
10.C
11.B
12.C
13.A
14.C
15.D
16.D
17.C
18.C
19.B
20.C
21.A
22.D
23.C
24.A
25.C
26.D
27.D
28.A
29.C
30.C
In this section, passages or poems have been made available to view as text. The design of these sections has been adapted for ebook, and that the appearance may differ from what you may encounter on the actual test.
Practice Drill 1—Getting Through the Passage
Line (1) Contrary to popular belief, the first European known to lay eyes on America
Line (2) was not Christopher Columbus or Amerigo Vespucci but a little-known Viking by
Line (3) the name of Bjarni Herjolfsson. In the summer of 986, Bjarni sailed from Norway
Line (4) to Iceland, heading for the Viking settlement where his father Heriulf resided.
Line (5) When he arrived in Iceland, Bjarni discovered that his father had already sold
Line (6) his land and estates and set out for the latest Viking settlement on the subarctic
Line (7) island called Greenland. Discovered by a notorious murderer and criminal named
Line (8) Erik the Red, Greenland lay at the limit of the known world. Dismayed, Bjarni set
Line (9) out for this new colony.
Line (10) Because the Vikings traveled without chart or compass, it was not uncommon
Line (11) for them to lose their way in the unpredictable northern seas. Beset by fog, the
Line (12) crew lost their bearings. When the fog finally cleared, they found themselves
Line (13) before a land that was level and covered with woods.
Line (14) They traveled farther up the coast, finding more flat, forested country. Farther
Line (15) north, the landscape revealed glaciers and rocky mountains. Though Bjarni
Line (16) realized this was an unknown land, he was no intrepid explorer. Rather, he was
Line (17) a practical man who had simply set out to find his father. Refusing his crew’s
Line (18) request to go ashore, he promptly turned his bow back out to sea. After four days’
Line (19) sailing, Bjarni landed at Herjolfsnes on the southwestern tip of Greenland, the
Line (20) exact place he had been seeking all along.
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Practice Drill 4—All Reading Techniques—All Levels
Line (1) In 2011, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ended the Space Shuttle
Line (2) program, which was the United States’ manned space flight program after the Apollo programs
Line (3) took astronauts to the moon. NASA’s Space Shuttle program used five shuttles in its thirty-year
Line (4) program—Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Endeavor, and Atlantis all carried astronauts and
Line (5) cargo into space. Shuttles were used to build the International Space Station (known as the
Line (6) ISS) and deploy the Hubble Telescope. The ISS orbits the Earth and is crewed by astronauts
Line (7) from all over the world. Currently, astronauts reach the station on Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Line (8) Today, NASA is working to design and build spacecraft for exploration further into space
Line (9) so humans can return to the moon, explore Mars, or even visit an asteroid. NASA has sent
Line (10) robotic labs to Mars, the Moon, and beyond. NASA is also working in partnership with private
Line (11) companies to develop a commercial space industry to supply the ISS and carry out experiments
Line 12) in low Earth orbit. Companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin
Line (13) work to develop rockets that can take satellites, cargo, and humans into outer space.
Line (14) SpaceX has already successfully launched missions to the ISS and launched satellites and
Line (15) experiments into orbit on a rocket called the Falcon 9. In the same way the Space Shuttle
Line (16) Program made space travel easier and less expensive by reusing the shuttles many times,
Line (17) SpaceX is able to launch frequently by reusing its rockets and boosters.
Line (18) The commercial space flight industry has many exciting possibilities for scientific discovery
Line (19) both in creating faster travel on Earth and traveling beyond our planet to explore the solar system.
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In this section, passages or poems have been made available to view as text. The design of these sections has been adapted for ebook, and that the appearance may differ from what you may encounter on the actual test.
Practice Drill 5—All Reading Techniques—All Levels
Line (1) Martial arts traditions are practiced all over the world. Some of the most well-known martial arts
Line (2) are the Japanese art of karate and the Korean art of taekwondo. One reason for the popularity of these
Line (3) arts in the United States is that many American service members were introduced to them: karate after
Line (4) World War II in Japan and taekwondo during the Korean Conflict in the 1950s. During this time, many
Line (5) service members learned these fighting styles and brought them back to the United States when they
Line (6) finished their service in the armed forces.
Line (7) In Japan, karate is usually called karate do. The word “do” is translated to mean “way.” Traditionally,
Line (8) when the name of a martial art style ends in “do” (e.g., taekwondo, judo, karate do, aikido), it denotes
Line (9) a “way” or philosophically based martial art. In other words, practitioners are learning their particular
Line (10) style as a path to develop this art and to improve their mental focus, physical fitness, self-defense
Line (11) skills, and perhaps spirituality. This is in contrast to martial arts that are practiced for military use or
Line (12) law enforcement. These martial art styles end in “jutsu” (e.g., ninjutsu, Japanese jujutsu).
Line (13) Today, many people practice martial arts as a sport because of the physical benefits and practical
Line (14) applications of the skills they learn. Some styles focus on traditional techniques such as strikes, blocks,
Line (15) and kicks. Others incorporate traditional weapons training such as bo staffs, nunchucks, and swords.
Line (16) While it is tempting to evaluate which style is “best,” each style of martial arts has advantages and
Line (17) disadvantages in terms of effectiveness in combat. However, the benefits to all practitioners of following
Line (18) the “way” of martial arts are increased focused, fitness, and, hopefully, fun.
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Practice Drill 6—All Reading Techniques—Middle and Upper Levels
Line (1) I have not enjoyed a play so much, so heartily, and so thoroughly since I played Miles
Line (2) Hendon twenty-two years ago. I used to play in this piece (The Prince and the Pauper) with
Line (3) my children, who, twenty-two years ago, were little youngsters. One of my daughters was the
Line (4) Prince, and a neighbor’s daughter was the Pauper, and the children of other neighbors played
Line (5) other parts. But we never gave such a performance as we have seen here to-day. It would have
Line (6) been beyond us.
Line (7) My late wife was the dramatist and stage-manager. Our coachman was the stage-manager,
Line (8) second in command. We used to play it in this simple way, and the one who used to bring in
Line (9) the crown on a cushion—he was a little fellow then—is now a clergyman way up high—six
Line (10) or seven feet high—and growing higher all the time. We played it well, but not as well as you
Line (11) see it here, for you see it done by practically trained professionals.
Line (12) I was especially interested in the scene which we have just had, for Miles Hendon was my
Line (13) part. I did it as well as a person could who never remembered his part. The children all knew
Line (14) their parts. They did not mind if I did not know mine. I could thread a needle nearly as well
Line (15) as the player did whom you saw to-day. The words of my part I could supply on the spot. The
Line (16) words of the song that Miles Hendon sang here I did not catch. But I was great in that song….
Line (17) This theatre is a part of the work, and furnishes pure and clean plays. This theatre is an
Line (18) influence. Everything in the world is accomplished by influences which train and educate.
Line (19) When you get to be seventy-one and a half, as I am, you may think that your education is
Line (20) over, but it isn’t.
Line (21) If we had forty theatres of this kind in this city of four millions, how they would educate
Line (22) and elevate! We should have a body of educated theatre-goers.
Line (23) It would make better citizens, honest citizens. One of the best gifts a millionaire could
Line (24) make would be a theatre here and a theatre there. It would make of you a real Republic, and
Line (25) bring about an educational level.
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Practice Drill 7—All Reading Techniques—Middle and Upper Levels
Line (1) There is no practice which has been more extensively eulogized in all ages than early
Line (2) rising; and this universal impression is an indication that it is founded on true philosophy‥.
Line (3) Now the mass of any nation must always consist of persons who labor at occupations which
Line (4) demand the light of day. But in aristocratic countries, especially in England, labor is regarded
Line (5) as the mark of the lower classes, and indolence is considered as one mark of a gentleman. This
Line (6) impression has gradually and imperceptibly, to a great extent, regulated their customs, so that,
Line (7) even in their hours of meals and repose, the higher orders aim at being different and distinct
Line (8) from those who, by laborious pursuits, are placed below them. From this circumstance, while
Line (9) the lower orders labor by day and sleep at night, the rich, the noble, and the honored sleep by
Line (10) day, and follow their pursuits and pleasures by night.
Line (11) It will be found that the aristocracy of London breakfast near midday, dine after dark, visit
Line (12) and go to Parliament between ten and twelve at night, and retire to sleep toward morning. In
Line (13) consequence of this, the subordinate classes who aim at gentility gradually fall into the same
Line (14) practice. The influence of this custom extends across the ocean, and here, in this democratic
Line (15) land, we find many who measure their grade of gentility by the late hour at which they arrive at
Line (16) a party. And this aristocratic folly is growing upon us, so that, throughout the nation, the hours
Line (17) for visiting and retiring are constantly becoming later, while the hours for rising correspond
Line (18) in lateness.
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Practice Drill 8—All Reading Techniques—Middle and Upper Levels
The Children’s Hour
Line (1) Between the dark and the daylight,
Line (2) When the night is beginning to lower,
Line (3) Comes a pause in the day’s occupations,
Line (4) That is known as the Children’s Hour.
Line (5) I hear in the chamber above me
Line (6) The patter of little feet,
Line (7) The sound of a door that is opened,
Line (8) And voices soft and sweet.
Line (9) From my study I see in the lamplight,
Line (10) Descending the broad hall stair,
Line (11) Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
Line (12) And Edith with golden hair.
Line (13) A whisper, and then a silence:
Line (14) Yet I know by their merry eyes
Line (15) They are plotting and planning together
Line (16) To take me by surprise.
Line (17) A sudden rush from the stairway,
Line (18) A sudden raid from the hall!
Line (19) By three doors left unguarded
Line (20) They enter my castle wall!
Line (21) They climb up into my turret
Line (22) O’er the arms and back of my chair;
Line (23) If I try to escape, they surround me;
Line (24) They seem to be everywhere.
Line (25) They almost devour me with kisses,
Line (26) Their arms about me entwine,
Line (27) Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
Line (28) In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!
Line (29) Do you think, o blue-eyed banditti,
Line (30) Because you have scaled the wall,
Line (31) Such an old mustache as I am
Line (32) Is not a match for you all!
Line (33) I have you fast in my fortress,
Line (34) And will not let you depart,
Line (35) But put you down into the dungeon
Line (36) In the round-tower of my heart.
Line (37) And there will I keep you forever,
Line (38) Yes, forever and a day,
Line (39) Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
Line (40) And moulder in dust away!
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Practice Drill 9—All Reading Techniques—Middle and Upper Levels
Line (1) It was just then that Miss Minchin entered the room. She was very like her house, Sara felt:
Line (2) tall and dull, and respectable and ugly. She had large, cold, fishy eyes, and a large, cold, fishy
Line (3) smile. It spread itself into a very large smile when she saw Sara and Captain Crewe. She had
Line (4) heard a great many desirable things of the young soldier from the lady who had recommended
Line (5) her school to him. Among other things, she had heard that he was a rich father who was willing
Line (6) to spend a great deal of money on his little daughter.
Line (7) “It will be a great privilege to have charge of such a beautiful and promising child, Captain
Line (8) Crewe,” she said, taking Sara’s hand and stroking it. “Lady Meredith has told me of her unusual
Line (9) cleverness. A clever child is a great treasure in an establishment like mine.”
Line (10) Sara stood quietly, with her eyes fixed upon Miss Minchin’s face. She was thinking
Line (11) something odd, as usual.
Line (12) “Why does she say I am a beautiful child?” she was thinking. “I am not beautiful at all.
Line (13) Colonel Grange’s little girl, Isobel, is beautiful. She has dimples and rose-colored cheeks, and
Line (14) long hair the color of gold. I have short black hair and green eyes; besides which, I am a thin
Line (15) child and not fair in the least. I am one of the ugliest children I ever saw. She is beginning by
Line (16) telling a story.”
Line (17) She was mistaken, however, in thinking she was an ugly child. She was not in the least like
Line (18) Isobel Grange, who had been the beauty of the regiment, but she had an odd charm of her own.
Line (19) She was a slim, supple creature, rather tall for her age, and had an intense, attractive little face.
Line (20) Her hair was heavy and quite black and only curled at the tips; her eyes were greenish gray, it
Line (21) is true, but they were big, wonderful eyes with long, black lashes, and though she herself did
Line (22) not like the color of them, many other people did. Still she was very firm in her belief that she
Line (23) was an ugly little girl, and she was not at all elated by Miss Minchin’s flattery.
Line (24) “I should be telling a story if I said she was beautiful,” she thought; “and I should know I
Line (25) was telling a story. I believe I am as ugly as she is—in my way. What did she say that for?”
Line (26) After she had known Miss Minchin longer she learned why she had said it. She discovered
Line (27) that she said the same thing to each papa and mamma who brought a child to her school.
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Line (1) Florence Nightingale was a woman ahead of her time. Before the nineteenth century, the profession of
Line (2) nursing was largely untrained. Midwives were the only practitioners who had any training at all. For the most
Line (3) part, sick people were looked after by the women of the house in their own homes.
Line (4) Florence Nightingale began a school in London, England to set the standards for nursing. She was able to
Line (5) do this because she had already established a reputation for her work with soldiers during the Crimean War. She
Line (6) carried a lamp above her head as she walked among the wounded men, thereby earning the nickname “the lady
Line (7) with the lamp.” It was this great lady who lit the way for nursing to become the respected profession it is today.
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Line (1) In England during the mid-1600s, a group of poor English farmers led by Gerrard Winstanley
Line (2) united to form an organization known as the True Levellers. Their stated goal was to change the
Line (3) laws regarding real estate and ownable property so that all willing citizens would be able to support
Line (4) themselves through farming. At the time in England, there was great social unrest and food prices
Line (5) were very high. Most of the land throughout the country was strictly divided and controlled by a
Line (6) small number of the elite ruling class. The True Levellers believed that they could “level” the different
Line (7) classes of society by creating communities in which the farmable private land was owned by all
Line (8) and available for agrarian purposes. To fight the unequal system that only benefited the wealthy
Line (9) landowners, the True Levellers defiantly occupied private and public land and began farming.
Line (10) Because much of farming involves plowing and planting, these groups of communal farmers
Line (11) became better known by the name Diggers. Their hope was that their act of rebellion would stir
Line (12) the sympathies of the other poor people throughout the country. The Digger philosophy was to
Line (13) unite all the poor and working classes behind the idea that the land should be shared. If thousands
Line (14) of common English folk began to claim reasonable access to the land, the powerful landowners
Line (15) would be unable to stop them. In practice for a brief time, Digger communities flourished as they
Line (16) welcomed anyone who wished to merely grow their own food and live freely.
Line (17) Sadly, the landowners believed the Diggers were a threat and began to take steps to preserve
Line (18) their control over the farmable land. Many members of the Digger communities were harassed,
Line (19) threatened, and jailed. Planting vegetables was viewed as a rebellious act and dealt with as if it were
Line (20) a crime. The majority of land reverted back into the hands of the landowners. Ultimately, most of the
Line (21) Digger communities that had briefly thrived were disbanded. In their place, other political groups
Line (22) arose and continued to protest the various injustices of the time. The Digger name continues to the
Line (23) present day in some English folk songs as a reminder of their ideals.
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Line (1) Flax has been raised for many thousands of years, for many different reasons.
Line (2) Probably the two most important reasons are for the fabric made from it and the oil
Line (3) produced from it. The woody stem of the flax plant contains the long, strong fibers that
Line (4) are used to make linen. The seeds are rich in an oil important for its industrial uses.
Line (5) The people of ancient Egypt, Assyria, and Mesopotamia raised flax for cloth;
Line (6) Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen. Since the discovery of its drying ability,
Line (7) the oil from flaxseed, called linseed oil, has been used as a drying agent in paints
Line (8) and varnishes.
Line (9) The best fiber and the best seed cannot be obtained from the same kinds of plant.
Line (10) Fiber flax grows tall and has few branches. It needs a short, cool growing season
Line (11) with plenty of rainfall evenly distributed. Otherwise, the plants become woody and
Line (12) the fiber is rough and dry. On the other hand, seed flax grows well in places that are
Line (13) too dry for fiber flax. The plants are lower to the ground and have more branches.
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Line (1) William, Duke of Normandy, conquered England in 1066. One of the first tasks he undertook
Line (2) as king was the building of a fortress in the city of London. Begun in 1066 and completed several
Line (3) years later by William’s son, William Rufus, this structure was called the White Tower.
Line (4) The Tower of London is not just one building, but an 18-acre complex of buildings. In addition
Line (5) to the White Tower, there are 19 other towers. The Thames River flows by one side of the complex
Line (6) and a large moat, or shallow ditch, surrounds it. Once filled with water, the moat was drained in
Line (7) 1843 and is now covered with grass.
Line (8) The Tower of London is the city’s most popular tourist attraction. A great deal of fascinating
Line (9) history has taken place within its walls. The tower has served as a fortress, royal residence, prison,
Line (10) royal mint, public records office, observatory, military barracks, place of execution, and city zoo.
Line (11) As recently as 1941, the tower was used as a prison for Adolf Hitler’s associate Rudolf Hess.
Line (12) Although it is no longer used as a prison, the tower still houses the crown jewels and a great deal
Line (13) of English history.
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Line (1) Most art enthusiasts agree that Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is the most famous painting in
Line (2) the world. It is the portrait of a woman, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a wealthy Florentine
Line (3) business man. The name roughly translates from Italian to mean “Madam Lisa” and is a respectful
Line (4) term. Anyone who has ever viewed the painting, seasoned art critic or inexperienced museum
Line (5) visitor, remembers well its greatest feature—Mona Lisa’s smile. It is this smile that has captured
Line (6) the imagination of the millions of visitors who have seen the painting over the years.
Line (7) There is something powerful and alluring contained in Mona Lisa’s smile that intrigues all
Line (8) who see it. The reason for her smile has long been the subject of discussion in the art world. But
Line (9) perhaps it is the fact that no one knows why she smiles that makes Mona Lisa the most famous of
Line (10) all paintings. There is something so appealing and recognizably human about an unexplained smile
Line (11) to which everyone can relate. Furthermore, if we ever tire of analyzing why Mona Lisa smiles, we
Line (12) can consider how da Vinci managed to capture the smile. What could he have been thinking while
Line (13) painting? A genuine smile is hard to capture even in a photograph with a modern camera, yet Leonardo
Line (14) da Vinci managed to capture this subtle expression in a painting. It is amazing that da Vinci was able
Line (15) to create for eternity a frozen picture of a smile that in reality lasts less than an instant.
Line (16) The painting now hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France. Several different owners have
Line (17) possessed it at various times throughout history, including Louis XIV and Napoleon. It was even
Line (18) temporarily in the possession of a former museum employee who stole it in 1911. He was caught
Line (19) in 1913. It is likely that all who held the painting at one time or another wondered about the Mona
Line (20) Lisa smile, just as today’s museum visitors do. Now the painting officially belongs to the French
Line (21) government. In some ways, though, it is really a painting (and a mystery) that belongs to the world.
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Line (1) The first old “horseless carriages” of the 1880s may have been worthy of a snicker or
Line (2) two, but not the cars of today. The progress that has been made over the last one hundred
Line (3) thirty years has been phenomenal. In fact, much progress was made even in the first
Line (4) twenty years—in 1903, cars could travel at 70 miles per hour. The major change from
Line (5) the old cars to today is the expense. Whereas cars were once a luxury that only the very
Line (6) wealthy could afford, today, people of all income levels own cars.
Line (7) In fact, there are so many cars that if they were to line up end to end, they would
Line (8) touch the Moon. Cars are used for everyday transportation for millions of people, for
Line (9) recreation, and for work. Many people’s jobs depend on cars—police officers, health
Line (10) care workers, and taxi drivers all rely on automobiles.
Line (11) One thing that hasn’t changed is how cars are powered. The first cars ran on gas and
Line (12) diesel fuel just as the most modern ones do. You could argue that today’s “most modern”
Line (13) cars are electric or hybrid. The newer cars, however, are much more fuel efficient and
Line (14) much research is devoted to saving fuel and finding new sources of energy for cars.
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Line (1)By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Line (2) Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Line (3) Here once the embattled farmers stood
Line (4) And fired the shot heard round the world.
Line (5) The foe long since in silence slept;
Line (6) Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
Line (7) And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Line (8) Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.
Line (9) On this green bank, by this soft stream,
Line (10) We set to-day a votive stone;
Line (11) That memory may their deed redeem,
Line (12) When, like our sires, our sons are gone.
Line (13) Spirit, that made those heroes dare
Line (14) To die, and leave their children free,
Line (15) Bid Time and Nature gently spare
Line (16) The shaft we raise to them and thee.
Line (17) —“Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Line (1) José Ferrer was known as one of the most successful American film actors of his generation,
Line (2) but he actually began his career in theater. He was born January 8, 1909 in Puerto Rico and
Line (3) moved to the United States when he was six years old. His acting skills were first showcased
Line (4) while he attended Princeton University and performed with the Triangle Club, a student acting
Line (5) group whose alumni also include Jimmy Stewart and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Line (6) After graduating, Ferrer continued to perform in theater until he made his Broadway debut
Line (7) in 1935 in the play Charley’s Aunt. He had many successful roles on Broadway, including a role
Line (8) in 1943 when he played the villain Iago in Shakespeare’s play Othello. The title role of Othello
Line (9) in that production was played by the acclaimed actor Paul Robeson. With these two powerful
Line (10) performers, Othello became the longest running play in Broadway history (at the time). Ferrer’s
Line (11) greatest role, though, was still to come.
Line (12) In 1946, Ferrer was cast in the title role of Cyrano de Bergerac. He won the prestigious Tony
Line (13) award as Cyrano, the tragic hero who fights men with supreme courage but cowardly hides his
Line (14) love for the beautiful Roxanne. His success in this role led directly to his repeated performances
Line (15) as Cyrano in a film version (for which he won an Oscar) and a television version (for which
Line (16) he won an Emmy). He is the only actor to win all three of those special awards for playing the
Line (17) same role. This feat is all the more remarkable because Cyrano de Bergerac was known as a
Line (18) desirable role, one that had been played very well previously by other talented actors.
Line (19) Through these roles, Ferrer earned a reputation on Broadway as an extremely flexible actor,
Line (20) talented enough to play many diverse roles. Eight years after his debut in professional theater,
Line (21) he finally started performing in movies. Once he began appearing in films, that skill translated
Line (22) into many great performances and memorable roles. His film career included both acting and
Line (23) directing opportunities and lasted nearly forty years.
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Line (1) The native inhabitants of the Americas arrived from Asia more than 20,000 years ago. They belonged to
Line (2) numerous tribes and many were skilled hunters, farmers, and fishers. Some of the most famous of the tribes of
Line (3) Native Americans are the Sioux, the Cheyenne, the Iroquois, and the Apache.
Line (4) These tribes settled and developed organized societies. The settlers to North America from Europe fought
Line (5) the Native Americans for land. Geronimo was the last great Native American chief to organize rebellions against
Line (6) the settlers. He led raids across the southwest and into Mexico. Although he eventually was captured, he later
Line (7) became a celebrity.
Line (8) After a long battle, the United States government moved the Native Americans onto reservations—special
Line (9) sections of land set aside for them—where many still reside today.
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Line (1) Twenty percent of all the land on Earth consists of deserts. When most people
Line (2) think of deserts, they think of searing heat, big sand dunes, and camels. But not all
Line (3) deserts are huge sand piles—many are strewn with rocks and some, like those at high
Line (4) altitudes, may actually be quite cold.
Line (5) Desert life is interesting and varied as well. Though the desert is a punishing place—it
Line (6) is difficult to find food and water in the desert—many animals live there. Because there
Line (7) is so little water, desert animals have adapted. Camels can survive for days without
Line (8) drinking. Other animals get their water from the insects and plants they eat.
Line (9) The extreme temperatures of the desert can make life difficult as well. Many of the
Line (10) mammals there have thick fur to keep out the heat and the cold. Some desert animals
Line (11) are nocturnal, sleeping by day and hunting by night when the air is cooler. It may seem
Line (12) that all deserts are the same, but they are as different as the animals that inhabit them.
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Line (1) The original Olympic Games started in Greece more than 2,000 years ago. These
Line (2) games were a religious festival, and, at their height, lasted for five days. Only men
Line (3) could compete, and the sports included running, wrestling, and chariot racing.
Line (4) Today’s Olympic Games are quite a bit different. First, there are two varieties:
Line (5) Winter Olympics and Summer Olympics. They each boast many men and women
Line (6) competing in a multitude of sports, from skiing to gymnastics. They are each held
Line (7) every four years, but not during the same year. They alternate so that there are Olympic
Line (8) Games every two years. The Olympics are no longer held only in one country. They
Line (9) are hosted by different cities around the world. The opening ceremony is a spectacular
Line (10) display, usually incorporating the traditional dances and culture of the host city.
Line (11) The highlight of the opening ceremony is the lighting of the Olympic flame.
Line (12) Teams of runners carry the torch from Olympia, the site of the ancient Greek games.
Line (13) Although the games have changed greatly throughout the centuries, the spirit of
Line (14) competition is still alive. The flame represents that spirit.
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Line (1) Like snakes, lizards, and crocodiles, turtles are reptiles. The earliest fossils recognized as
Line (2) turtles are about 200 million years old and date from the time when dinosaurs roamed Earth.
Line (3) Unbelievably, turtles have changed little in appearance since that time.
Line (4) There are many different types of turtles in many different climates around the world. In
Line (5) contrast to other reptiles, whose populations are confined largely to the tropics, turtles are most
Line (6) abundant in southeastern North America and southeastern Asia. They live in lakes, ponds, salt
Line (7) marshes, rivers, forests, and even deserts. The sizes of turtles vary. Bog or mud turtles grow
Line (8) no larger than about 4 inches (10 centimeters) long. At the other end of the spectrum is the
Line (9) sea-roving leatherback turtle, which may be more than 6.5 feet (2 meters) in length and weigh
Line (10) more than 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms).
Line (11) Turtles live longer than most other animals, but reports of turtles living more than a century
Line (12) are questionable. Several kinds, however, have lived more than 50 years in captivity. Even in
Line (13) natural environments, box turtles and slider turtles can reach ages of 20 to 30 years. The ages of
Line (14) some turtles can be estimated by counting the growth rings that form each year on the external
Line (15) bony plates of the shell.
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Line (1) The summer holidays! Those magic words! The mere mention
Line (2) of them used to send shivers of joy rippling over my skin. All my
Line (3) summer holidays, from when I was four years old to when I was
Line (4) seventeen (1920 to 1932), were idyllic. This, I am certain, was
Line (5) because we always went to the same idyllic place, and that place
Line (6) was Norway.
Line (7) Except for my ancient half-sister and my not-quite-so-ancient
Line (8) half-brother, the rest of us were all pure Norwegian by blood. We
Line (9) all spoke Norwegian and all our relations lived over there. So in a
Line (10) way, going to Norway every summer was like going home.
Line (11) Even the journey was an event. Do not forget that there were no
Line (12) commercial aeroplanes in those times, so it took us four whole days
Line (13) to complete the trip out and another four days to get home again.
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Line (1) You may love to walk along the seashore and collect beautiful shells, but do you ever
Line (2) think about whose home that shell was before you found it? That’s right, seashells are
Line (3) the home of a whole group of creatures known as shellfish. Some of the most common
Line (4) types of shellfish are the mussel, the clam, and the scallop.
Line (5) It may surprise you to learn that the shellfish themselves make the shells. They
Line (6) manage to draw calcium carbonate, a mineral, from the water. They use that mineral
Line (7) to build the shell up layer by layer. The shell can grow larger and larger as the shellfish
Line (8) grows in size.
Line (9) There are two main types of shells. There are those that are a single unit, like a
Line (10) conch’s shell, and those that are in two pieces, like a clam’s shell. The two-piece shell
Line (11) is called a bivalve, and the two pieces are hinged together, like a door, so that the shell
Line (12) can open and close for feeding.
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Line (1) By day the bat is cousin to the mouse;
Line (2) He likes the attic of an aging house.
Line (3) His fingers make a hat about his head.
Line (4) His pulse-beat is so slow we think him dead.
Line (5) He loops in crazy figures half the night
Line (6) Among the trees that face the corner light.
Line (7) But when he brushes up against a screen,
Line (8) We are afraid of what our eyes have seen:
Line (9) For something is amiss or out of place
Line (10) When mice with wings can wear a human face.
Line (11) —Theodore Roethke
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Line (1) Did you ever watch a sport and admire the players’ uniforms? Perhaps you play a sport and
Line (2) know the thrill of putting on your team’s uniform. Uniforms are important for many different
Line (3) reasons, whether you are playing a sport or watching one.
Line (4) If you are playing a sport, you have many reasons to appreciate your uniform. You may
Line (5) notice how different uniforms are for different sports. That’s because they are designed to make
Line (6) participation both safe and easy. If you participate in track and field, your uniform is designed
Line (7) to help you run faster and move more easily. If you participate in a sport like boxing or football,
Line (8) your uniform will protect you as well. You may wear special shoes, like sneakers or cleats, to
Line (9) help you run faster or keep you from slipping.
Line (10) If you watch sports, you can appreciate uniforms as well. Imagine how difficult it would be
Line (11) to tell the players on a field apart without their uniforms. And of course, as sports fans all over
Line (12) the world do, you can show support for the team you favor by wearing the colors of the team’s
Line (13) uniform.
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Line (1) Contrary to popular belief, the first European known to lay
Line (2) eyes on America was not Christopher Columbus or Amerigo
Line (3) Vespucci but a little-known Viking by the name of Bjarni
Line (4) Herjolfsson. In the summer of 986, Bjarni sailed from Norway
Line (5) to Iceland, heading for the Viking settlement where his father,
Line (6) Heriulf, resided.
Line (7) When he arrived in Iceland, Bjarni discovered that his father
Line (8) had already sold his land and estates and set out for the latest
Line (9) Viking settlement on the subarctic island called Greenland.
Line (10) Discovered by a notorious murderer and criminal named
Line (11) Erik the Red, Greenland lay at the limit of the known world.
Line (12) Dismayed, Bjarni set out for this new colony.
Line (13) Because the Vikings traveled without chart or compass, it was
Line (14) not uncommon for them to lose their way in the unpredictable
Line (15) northern seas. Beset by fog, the crew lost their bearings. When
Line (16) the fog finally cleared, they found themselves before a land that
Line (17) was level and covered with woods.
Line (18) They traveled farther up the coast, finding more flat, wooded
Line (19) country. Farther north, the landscape revealed glaciers and rocky
Line (20) mountains. Though Bjarni realized this was an unknown land,
Line (21) he was no intrepid explorer. Rather, he was a practical man
Line (22) who had simply set out to find his father. Refusing his crew’s
Line (23) request to go ashore, he promptly turned his bow back out to
Line (24) sea. After four days’ sailing, Bjarni landed at Herjolfsnes on
Line (25) the southwestern tip of Greenland, the exact place he had been
Line (26) seeking all along.
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Line (1) The term “tides” has come to represent the cyclical rising
Line (2) and falling of ocean waters, most notably evident along the
Line (3) shoreline as the border between land and sea moves in and out
Line (4) with the passing of the day. The primary reason for this constant
Line (5) redefinition of the boundaries of the sea is the gravitational
Line (6) force of the Moon.
Line (7) This force of lunar gravity is not as strong as Earth’s own
Line (8) gravitational pull, which keeps our bodies and our homes from
Line (9) being pulled off the ground, through the sky, and into space
Line (10) toward the Moon. It is a strong enough force, however, to exert
Line (11) a certain gravitational pull as the Moon passes over Earth’s
Line (12) surface. This pull causes the water level to rise (as the water is
Line (13) literally pulled, ever so slightly, toward the Moon) in those parts
Line (14) of the ocean that are exposed to the Moon and its gravitational
Line (15) forces. When the water level in one part of the ocean rises, it
Line (16) must naturally fall in another, and this is what causes water
Line (17) level to change, dramatically at times, along any given piece of
Line (18) coastline.
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Line (1) The Brooklyn Bridge in New York has been featured in
Line (2) movies, photographs, and media for over a hundred years, but
Line (3) the bridge is much more than just a pretty sight. It opened on
Line (4) May 24, 1883, and, at 3,460 feet, it was the longest suspension
Line (5) bridge in the world, measuring 50% longer than any previously
Line (6) built. The Brooklyn Bridge was a symbol of American strength
Line (7) and vitality, but its completion followed years of toil and
Line (8) sacrifice.
Line (9) John Augustus Roebling, a German immigrant, envisioned
Line (10) the bridge that would link Manhattan to Brooklyn over the
Line (11) East River. While in preparations for building, however, John
Line (12) Roebling was injured when a ferry pinned his foot to a pylon,
Line (13) and he died weeks later of tetanus. This first setback to the
Line (14) building of the bridge was indicative of the problems that would
Line (15) plague its construction as well as the harrowing tenacity that led
Line (16) to its completion.
Line (17) Washington Roebling took over the project upon his father’s
Line (18) death. Washington persevered through many hurdles in the
Line (19) building of the bridge including fires, accidents, industrial
Line (20) corruption, and loss of public support. He continued, however,
Line (21) in his push to complete the bridge. In fact, it is said that he
Line (22) worked harder and longer than any worker he employed in
Line (23) even the most dangerous circumstances. While working in
Line (24) the caissons, underwater chambers that supported the bridge,
Line (25) he was stricken by the decompression sickness that led to his
Line (26) paralysis. Nothing could stop him, though, and he continued
Line (27) construction by sending messages to the site through his wife,
Line (28) Emily.
Line (29) Fourteen years after construction began, the Brooklyn
Line (30) Bridge celebrated its grand opening. The total cost to build the
Line (31) bridge was fifteen million dollars, and 27 people died in its
Line (32) construction, but it stood as a tribute to American invention and
Line (33) industry.
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Line (1) Immediately following the dramatic end of World War II
Line (2) came a realization that the United States now had to turn its
Line (3) attention inward. Years of fighting battles around the globe had
Line (4) drained the country of important resources. Many industries
Line (5) (such as housing) suffered, as both materials and workers
Line (6) were used elsewhere in the war effort. Once the soldiers began
Line (7) returning, it became clear that new jobs and new homes were
Line (8) among their biggest needs. The homes needed to be affordable,
Line (9) since few people had the time or ability to save much during the
Line (10) war.
Line (11) It was in this situation that many house developers saw a
Line (12) business opportunity. Amid such a pressing demand for new
Line (13) homes, developer William Levitt realized the need for a new
Line (14) method of building. He sought a way to build homes cheaper
Line (15) and faster than ever before.
Line (16) He wasn’t the only developer to realize this, but he was one
Line (17) of the best in making it happen. He applied the same ideas to
Line (18) homes that Henry Ford had used 50 years earlier in making
Line (19) cars. Levitt did not build a factory with an assembly line of
Line (20) fully formed homes rolling out of some giant machine. Instead,
Line (21) he adapted the assembly line formula into a system in which
Line (22) the workers, rather than the product, moved for a streamlined,
Line (23) efficient building process.
Line (24) Previously, a developer who completed four homes a year
Line (25) had been moving at a good pace. Levitt planned to do that
Line (26) many each week, and succeeded. He created specialized teams
Line (27) that focused on only one job each and moved up and down the
Line (28) streets of new homes. Teams of foundation-builders, carpenters,
Line (29) roofers, and painters worked faster by sticking to just one task
Line (30) as they moved, factory-style, from house to house. The time
Line (31) and money saved allowed Levitt to build cheap homes of good
Line (32) value.
Line (33) With this new approach, Levitt oversaw the building of some
Line (34) of the first towns that would eventually be called suburbs—
Line (35) planned communities outside the city. Some critics blame
Line (36) developers like Levitt for turning farmland into monotonous,
Line (37) characterless towns. However, most agree that his contribution
Line (38) to the country following a bitter war was mostly positive.
Line (39) He did vary the style of home from street to street, and his
Line (40) work on simpler home features was influenced by the work of
Line (41) architecture great Frank Lloyd Wright.
Line (42) In the end, Levitt’s success speaks for itself. After his first
Line (43) success—building thousands of homes in Long Island, New
Line (44) York—he went on to found several more “Levittowns” in
Line (45) Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and elsewhere. Levitt gave home
Line (46) buyers what they wanted: nice pieces of land with nice homes
Line (47) on top. In a way, by creating houses that so many families could
Line (48) afford, William Levitt made the American dream a more
Line (49) affordable reality.
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Line (1) Etymology, the study of words and word roots, may sound
Line (2) like the kind of thing done by boring librarians in small, dusty
Line (3) rooms. Yet etymologists actually have a uniquely interesting
Line (4) job. They are, in many ways, just like archeologists digging up
Line (5) the physical history of people and events. The special aspect
Line (6) of etymology is that it digs up history, so to speak, through the
Line (7) words and phrases that are left behind.
Line (8) The English language, in particular, is a great arena in which
Line (9) to explore history through words. As a language, English has an
Line (10) extraordinary number of words. This is in part due to its ability
Line (11) to adapt foreign words so readily. For example, “English” words
Line (12) such as kindergarten (from German), croissant (from French),
Line (13) and cheetah (from Hindi) have become part of the language
Line (14) with little or no change from their original sounds and spellings.
Line (15) So English language etymologists have a vast world of words
Line (16) to explore.
Line (17) Another enjoyable element of etymology for most word
Line (18) experts is solving word mysteries. No, etymologists do not
Line (19) go around solving murders, cloaked in intrigue like the great
Line (20) fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. What these word experts
Line (21) solve are mysteries surrounding the origin of some of our most
Line (22) common words.
Line (23) One of the biggest questions English language experts have
Line (24) pursued is how English came to have the phrase OK. Though it
Line (25) is one of the most commonly used slang expressions, its exact
Line (26) beginning is a puzzle even to this day. Even its spelling is not
Line (27) entirely consistent—unless you spell it okay, it’s hard even to
Line (28) call it a word.
Line (29) Etymologists have been able to narrow OK’s origin down to
Line (30) a likely, although not certain, source. It became widely used
Line (31) around the time of Martin Van Buren’s run for president in
Line (32) 1840. His nickname was Old Kinderhook. What troubles word
Line (33) experts about this explanation is that the phrase appeared in
Line (34) some newspapers before Van Buren became well known. As a
Line (35) result, it’s unlikely that Van Buren could be called its primary
Line (36) source. Like bloodhounds following a faint scent, etymologists
Line (37) will doubtless keep searching for the initial source. However, it
Line (38) is clear that OK’s popularity and fame have exceeded those of
Line (39) the American president to whom it has been most clearly linked.
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Line (1) Bob Dylan was born on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota,
Line (2) but his name wasn’t Dylan. He was born Robert Allen
Line (3) Zimmerman, one of two sons born to Abraham and Betty
Line (4) Zimmerman. Nineteen years later, he moved to New York
Line (5) City with his new name and a passion to pursue his dream of
Line (6) becoming a music legend.
Line (7) Bob Dylan’s career began like those of many musicians.
Line (8) He began to play in New York City at various clubs around
Line (9) Greenwich Village. He began to gain public recognition as a
Line (10) singer/songwriter and was even reviewed by The New York Times
Line (11) his first year in New York. He signed his first record deal with
Line (12) Columbia Records a mere ten months after moving to New
Line (13) York. From that point on, his career skyrocketed.
Line (14) What is unique about Bob Dylan, given his huge success, is
Line (15) his vocal quality. Dylan’s singing voice was untrained and had
Line (16) an unusual edge to it. Because of this, many of his most famous
Line (17) early songs first reached the public through versions by other
Line (18) performers who were more immediately palatable. Joan Baez
Line (19) was one of these musicians who performed many of Dylan’s
Line (20) early songs. She furthered Dylan’s already rising performance
Line (21) career by inviting him onstage during her concerts, and many
Line (22) credit her with bringing Dylan to his vast level of national and
Line (23) international prominence.
Line (24) In his career, which spans more than four decades, Dylan
Line (25) has produced 500 songs and more than 40 albums. This king
Line (26) of songs has thirteen songs on Rolling Stone magazine’s Top
Line (27) 500 Songs of All Time, including his most famous song, “Like
Line (28) a Rolling Stone,” which tops the list. In 2004, Bob Dylan was
Line (29) ranked second in Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Artists
Line (30) of All Time, surpassed only by the Beatles.
Line (31) In a recent television interview, Bob Dylan was asked why
Line (32) he became a musician. He replied that from a very early age, he
Line (33) knew it was his destiny to become a music legend. Certainly,
Line (34) that destiny has been realized!
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Line (1) It is easy to lose patience with science today. The questions
Line (2) are pressing: How dangerous is dioxin? What about low-level
Line (3) radiation? When will that monstrous earthquake strike
Line (4) California? And why can’t we predict weather better? But the
Line (5) evidence is often described as “inconclusive,” forcing scientists
Line (6) to base their points of view almost as much on intuition as on
Line (7) science.
Line (8) When historians and philosophers of science listen to these
Line (9) questions, some conclude that science may be incapable of
Line (10) solving all these problems any time soon. Many questions seem
Line (11) to defy the scientific method, an approach that works best when
Line (12) it examines straightforward relationships: If something is done
Line (13) to variable A, what happens to variable B? Such procedures
Line (14) can, of course, be very difficult in their own ways, but for
Line (15) experiments, they are effective.
Line (16) With the aid of Newton’s laws of gravitational attraction, for
Line (17) instance, ground controllers can predict the path of a planetary
Line (18) probe—or satellite—with incredible accuracy. They do this
Line (19) by calculating the gravitational tugs from each of the passing
Line (20) planets until the probe speeds beyond the edge of the solar
Line (21) system. A much more difficult task is to calculate what happens
Line (22) when two or three such tugs pull on the probe at the same time.
Line (23) The unknowns can grow into riddles that are impossible to
Line (24) solve. Because of the turbulent and changing state of the Earth’s
Line (25) atmosphere, for instance, scientists have struggled for centuries
Line (26) to predict the weather with precision.
Line (27) This spectrum of questions—from simple problems to
Line (28) those impossibly complex—has resulted in nicknames for
Line (29) various fields of study. “Hard” sciences, such as astronomy and
Line (30) chemistry, are said to yield precise answers, whereas
Line (31) “soft” sciences, such as sociology and economics, admit a great degree
Line (32) of uncertainty.
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Questions 1—6
Line (1) New Orleans was the site of the last
Line (2) major battle during the War of 1812,
Line (3) a lengthy conflict between British and
Line (4) American troops. The Battle of New
Line (5) Orleans in January 1815 was one of the
Line (6) greatest victories in American military
Line (7) history. However, the great success of this
Line (8) battle did not actually bring about the end of
Line (9) the war. Surprisingly, the Treaty of Ghent,
Line (10) which declared the end of the war, had
Line (11) already been signed by both sides a month
Line (12) earlier.
Line (13) How was that possible? There were two
Line (14) major reasons. The first is that New Orleans
Line (15) was relatively isolated and communication
Line (16) in the growing United States was not as
Line (17) simple as it is today. Thus, it is possible that
Line (18) the British commanders and the American
Line (19) general, Andrew Jackson, did not realize a
Line (20) treaty had been signed before they started
Line (21) their battle. A second reason is that there is
Line (22) a difference between a signed treaty and a
Line (23) ratified treaty. Even if all soldiers fighting in
Line (24) and around New Orleans had known of the
Line (25) treaty, it had not yet been ratified by the U.S.
Line (26) Senate. Thus, though the Treaty of Ghent
Line (27) took place in December prior to the Battle of
Line (28) New Orleans, the war did not officially end
Line (29) until February 1815, when the Senate ratified
Line (30) the treaty.
Line (31) Had the combatants in New Orleans
Line (32) known of the treaty, they might have
Line (33) avoided a tough battle, especially the
Line (34) British. In the battle, a force of about 4,000
Line (35) American troops decisively defeated an
Line (36) enemy of nearly twice its size. At stake for
Line (37) the soldiers was control of the waterways of
Line (38) the Mississippi, and the fighting was fierce.
Line (39) A combination of tactical mistakes and bad
Line (40) weather doomed the British attack, costing
Line (41) them nearly 2,000 soldiers injured or killed.
Line (42) The Americans lost fewer than 200. But
Line (43) was the terrible battle all for nothing? Some
Line (44) historians suggest that victory that day was
Line (45) crucial for the American military in order
Line (46) to enforce and help quickly ratify the peace
Line (47) treaty. Potentially, with an American loss in
Line (48) New Orleans, the British could have found
Line (49) hope to continue the conflict.
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Questions 7—12
Line (1) According to game maker Hasbro,
Line (2) approximately 750 million people have
Line (3) played the well-known game Monopoly
Line (4) since it was invented in the 1930s. Charles
Line (5) Darrow is typically credited as the inventor
Line (6) of the world’s most famous board game.
Line (7) However, he likely derived his version of
Line (8) Monopoly from one of several other games
Line (9) similarly involving realty buying and selling
Line (10) that were already in existence prior to the
Line (11) 1930s when he got his patent for the game.
Line (12) A probable reason that Darrow’s
Line (13) Monopoly became the hugely successful
Line (14) game that still exists today is that he took
Line (15) a diligent approach to producing it. Other
Line (16) similar games existed, but some of them
Line (17) had no board or regulation pieces. With
Line (18) help from his wife and son who adorned the
Line (19) sets with detail, Darrow personally created
Line (20) the pieces and boards that became the first
Line (21) Monopoly game sets. His extra work in
Line (22) creating the entire environment that players
Line (23) needed gave his game something extra that
Line (24) other variations did not have.
Line (25) Darrow had marginal success selling
Line (26) his games in various parts of the country.
Line (27) Several Philadelphia area stores were
Line (28) the first to carry his game and sell it in
Line (29) large quantities. Despite this, Darrow had
Line (30) difficulty selling his game to the major game
Line (31) manufacturer of the time, Parker Brothers.
Line (32) He was told that his game was too complex
Line (33) and had fundamental errors in its design
Line (34) that would limit its appeal. Ultimately, the
Line (35) continued sales he managed on his own
Line (36) forced Parker Brothers to reassess the
Line (37) worth of his game. Eventually, the company
Line (38) agreed to produce the game and shortly
Line (39) thereafter it became the bestselling game in
Line (40) the country.
Line (41) That success turned Charles Darrow
Line (42) into a millionaire, which is the ultimate
Line (43) irony. Darrow initially began work on
Line (44) Monopoly to help support himself and his
Line (45) family following the financial troubles tied
Line (46) to the stock market crash of 1929.
Line (47) Thus, Charles Darrow became a
Line (48) millionaire by producing a game that allows
Line (49) “regular” people to feel like they are buying
Line (50) and selling homes and real estate like
Line (51) millionaires.
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Questions 13—18
Line (1) Every year, hundreds of hopeful
Line (2) students arrive in Washington, D.C., in
Line (3) order to compete in the National Spelling
Line (4) Bee. This competition has been held
Line (5) annually since 1925 and is sponsored by
Line (6) E.W. Scripps Company. The sponsors
Line (7) provide both a trophy and a monetary award
Line (8) to the champion speller. In the competition,
Line (9) students under 16 years of age take turns
Line (10) attempting to properly spell words as
Line (11) provided by the moderator. The champion
Line (12) is the sole remaining student who does not
Line (13) make a mistake.
Line (14) Most American students are familiar
Line (15) with the concept of a spelling bee because
Line (16) it is practiced in many schools throughout
Line (17) the country. The National Spelling Bee,
Line (18) however, is a much bigger setting and
Line (19) showcases only the best spellers from all
Line (20) parts of the nation. Students who appear
Line (21) at the National Spelling Bee have already
Line (22) won competitions at local and state levels.
Line (23) Winning the competition nowadays requires
Line (24) the ability to perform under intense pressure
Line (25) against very talented students in front
Line (26) of a large audience. A student who wins
Line (27) the event in the twenty-first century will
Line (28) experience a much different challenge than
Line (29) the first winner, Frank Neuhauser, did in
Line (30) 1925 when he defeated only nine other
Line (31) competitors.
Line (32) Clearly, the 95 years of the National
Line (33) Spelling Bee’s existence attests to the
Line (34) importance of spelling in the English
Line (35) language. However, struggles with spelling
Line (36) English words go back much more than
Line (37) 95 years. The captivating thing about
Line (38) spelling correctly in English is that it is in
Line (39) many ways without rules. English language
Line (40) has a powerful capacity to absorb new
Line (41) words from other languages and in doing so
Line (42) make them “English” words. As a result of
Line (43) this ability to borrow from other languages,
Line (44) the sheer number of words in English is
Line (45) much higher than any other language. Thus,
Line (46) spelling in many other languages involves
Line (47) fewer words, fewer rules, and fewer odd
Line (48) exceptions to those rules. It turns out that a
Line (49) spelling bee in most other languages would
Line (50) be a waste of time. Why is that? Well,
Line (51) without the myriad exceptions to common
Line (52) vocabulary, there would be very few words
Line (53) that everyone didn’t already know.
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Questions 19—24
Line (1) The idea of black holes was developed
Line (2) by Karl Schwarzschild in 1916. Since then,
Line (3) many different scientists have added to the
Line (4) theory of black holes in space. A black hole
Line (5) is usually defined as a very dense celestial
Line (6) body from which nothing, not even light,
Line (7) can escape. But from what do black holes
Line (8) originate?
Line (9) A black hole begins as a star. A star
Line (10) burns hydrogen, and this process, called
Line (11) fusion, releases energy. The energy released
Line (12) outward works against the star’s own
Line (13) gravity pulling inward and prevents the star
Line (14) from collapsing. After millions of years
Line (15) of burning hydrogen, the star eventually
Line (16) runs out of fuel. At this point, the star’s
Line (17) own gravity and weight cause it to start
Line (18) contracting.
Line (19) If the star is small and not very heavy,
Line (20) it will shrink just a little and become a white
Line (21) dwarf when it runs out of fuel. White dwarf
Line (22) stars do not emit much energy, so they are
Line (23) usually not visible without a telescope.
Line (24) If the star is bigger and heavier, it will
Line (25) collapse very quickly in an implosion. If the
Line (26) matter that remains is not much heavier than
Line (27) our Sun, it will eventually become a very
Line (28) dense neutron star. However, if the matter
Line (29) that remains is more than 1.7 times the
Line (30) mass of our Sun, there will not be enough
Line (31) outward pressure to resist the force of
Line (32) gravity, and the collapse will continue. The
Line (33) result is a black hole.
Line (34) The black hole will have a boundary
Line (35) around it called the horizon. Light and
Line (36) matter can pass over this boundary to enter,
Line (37) but they cannot pass back out again—this is
Line (38) why the hole appears black. The gravity and
Line (39) density of the black hole prevent anything
Line (40) from escaping.
Line (41) Scientists are still adding to the black
Line (42) hole theory. They think they may have
Line (43) found black holes in several different
Line (44) galaxies, and as they learn more about them,
Line (45) scientists will be able to understand more
Line (46) about how black holes are formed and what
Line (47) happens as the holes change.
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Questions 25—30
Line (1) The midterm elections of 2014 had
Line (2) the lowest voter turnout of any American
Line (3) election cycle since World War II, with only
Line (4) 36.4 percent of the eligible voting public
Line (5) casting a ballot. What is most disturbing
Line (6) about this number is that it was less than
Line (7) 100 years ago that 200 women marched on
Line (8) the White House, incurring public scorn,
Line (9) arrest, and even torture, to secure the vote
Line (10) for half the American public.
Line (11) Women’s Suffrage, the movement
Line (12) dedicated to securing women’s right to
Line (13) vote in the United States, began in earnest
Line (14) in the 1840s. Several Women’s Rights
Line (15) Conventions were held throughout the 19th
Line (16) century, beginning with the Seneca Falls
Line (17) Convention of 1848, during which attendees
Line (18) officially passed a resolution in favor of
Line (19) Women’s Suffrage. Over the next 70 years,
Line (20) many brave women fought for the cause of
Line (21) basic gender equality.
Line (22) This fight came to a head in 1917, when
Line (23) members of the National Women’s Party,
Line (24) led by Alice Paul, picketed outside the
Line (25) White House in order to influence President
Line (26) Wilson and Congress to pass an amendment
Line (27) to the United States Constitution that
Line (28) would enfranchise women and guarantee
Line (29) their voting rights. This was the first time
Line (30) in the history of the United States that the
Line (31) White House was picketed, and it was
Line (32) done so in an orderly and peaceful fashion.
Line (33) After months of nonviolent protest, police
Line (34) arrested over 200 women for blocking a
Line (35) public sidewalk in July 1917.
Line (36) Paul and many of her followers
Line (37) underwent a hunger strike during their
Line (38) incarceration to protest the deplorable
Line (39) conditions of the prison, which resulted
Line (40) in many women being force-fed and Paul
Line (41) herself being moved to the psychiatric
Line (42) ward of the hospital. The rest were sent
Line (43) to the Occoquan Workhouse. It was at
Line (44) this workhouse that the most terrible and
Line (45) significant event of the Women’s Suffrage
Line (46) movement would occur. Dubbed the “Night
Line (47) of Terror,” 44 guards armed with clubs
Line (48) attacked 33 women protesters as they
Line (49) returned to the house. They were brutally
Line (50) beaten, choked, and one was stabbed to
Line (51) death. These events infuriated the nation
Line (52) when they were exposed, and within two
Line (53) weeks a judge had ordered the prisoners
Line (54) released and cleared of all charges.
Line (55) Due to the widespread gain of support
Line (56) these women earned through their peaceful
Line (57) protest and physical endurance, as well as
Line (58) the work of countless men and women of
Line (59) the previous 70 years, the 19th Amendment
Line (60) was added to the Constitution three years
Line (61) later, on August 20, 1920.
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Questions 31—36
Line (1) He was one of the greatest scientists of
Line (2) this age. In fact, he was perhaps one of the
Line (3) greatest scientists of any age. Yet he owed
Line (4) much of his success not to mathematics
Line (5) or physics or any other science but to a
Line (6) disease. He was Stephen Hawking.
Line (7) Born in 1942, three hundred years after
Line (8) the death of Galileo, Stephen Hawking
Line (9) had an unimpressive start to his scholarly
Line (10) pursuits. At his revered English primary
Line (11) school, St. Albans, he was considered by
Line (12) his teachers a good, but not exceptional,
Line (13) student. It was not evident at the time that
Line (14) he would become internationally acclaimed
Line (15) as a leader in several scientific fields.
Line (16) He continued this moderately successful
Line (17) academic trend at University College in
Line (18) Oxford. Again, his professors thought him
Line (19) to be intelligent, but not extraordinary in
Line (20) his efforts. Both his cleverness and lack
Line (21) of diligence were noticed by some of his
Line (22) instructors.
Line (23) After graduating from Oxford, he
Line (24) continued to Cambridge, another excellent
Line (25) school. Clearly, Hawking was moving
Line (26) forward into a good science career.
Line (27) However, it was at this time that he
Line (28) encountered a life-changing challenge. He
Line (29) was diagnosed with a disease that affects
Line (30) and damages the nervous system. That
Line (31) meant that he was eventually going to lose
Line (32) control of his muscles and spend his life in
Line (33) a wheelchair. Surprisingly though, Hawking
Line (34) credited this event with making his outlook
Line (35) on life strong again. He claimed that until
Line (36) then, he was often bored by life. For a man
Line (37) with such a powerful mind, that makes
Line (38) sense. He was talented, but he saw little use
Line (39) for his talent and felt no pressure to work
Line (40) hard. His diagnosis and impending physical
Line (41) problems forced him to start living life to
Line (42) the fullest.
Line (43) Most of Stephen Hawking’s
Line (44) contributions to science came after learning
Line (45) of his disease. His work in the field of
Line (46) physics has influenced the greatest scientists
Line (47) alive. Though he passed away before the
Line (48) technology became possible, he had hoped
Line (49) to take a trip into space with the help of
Line (50) influential friends. Though he moved only
Line (51) with a special wheelchair and spoke only
Line (52) with the help of a computerized speech
Line (53) enhancer for the last several decades of his
Line (54) life, he still had the ability to contribute
Line (55) to the world. He credited his disease
Line (56) with forcing him to face the limited time
Line (57) available in one lifetime. Stephen Hawking
Line (58) made a crippling disease the source of one
Line (59) of the greatest scientific careers the world
Line (60) has known. Through his misfortune, he
Line (61) learned to reach his greatest potential.
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Questions 1—6
Line (1) When most people think of the history
Line (2) of transportation, they think of the invention
Line (3) of the wheel as the starting point. The
Line (4) wheel was invented around 3500 B.C.E.,
Line (5) more than 5,000 years ago. Before then,
Line (6) transportation was a difficult process,
Line (7) especially for those who had anything to
Line (8) carry. During prehistoric times, the only
Line (9) way to get around was to walk. Children
Line (10) and possessions were strapped to someone’s
Line (11) back if they needed to be carried. If the
Line (12) load was too heavy for one person, it could
Line (13) be strapped to a pole and carried by two.
Line (14) The sledge was developed as a way to
Line (15) drag a heavy load. Sledges were originally
Line (16) just logs or pieces of animal skin upon
Line (17) which a load was strapped and dragged.
Line (18) In time, runners were put on the sledge,
Line (19) and it evolved to what is now called a sled.
Line (20) Around 5000 B.C.E., the first animals were
Line (21) domesticated, or tamed. Then, donkeys and
Line (22) oxen were used to carry heavy loads and
Line (23) pull sledges. It wasn’t until almost 1,500
Line (24) years later that wheeled vehicles appeared.
Line (25) It is believed that the wheel was invented
Line (26) in Mesopotamia, in the Middle East. About
Line (27) 300 years later, the Egyptians invented the
Line (28) sailboat. These two inventions changed
Line (29) transportation forever.
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Questions 7—12
Line (1) Bison and buffalo are not the same
Line (2) animal. For years, American bison were
Line (3) mistakenly referred to as buffalo. Due to
Line (4) this confusion, there are many references
Line (5) to buffalo in the United States. There is the
Line (6) city of Buffalo in northwestern New York
Line (7) state. In addition, the buffalo appeared
Line (8) on the U.S. nickel for many years at the
Line (9) beginning of the twentieth century. This is
Line (10) often referred to as the “Buffalo Nickel” to
Line (11) distinguish it from the current nickel with
Line (12) Thomas Jefferson on the front. Buffalo are
Line (13) actually found in Asia, Africa, and South
Line (14) America. Bison roamed the North American
Line (15) western plains by the millions just a couple
Line (16) of centuries ago. Because the bison were so
Line (17) widely hunted, however, their numbers fell
Line (18) greatly. In fact, as of a century ago, there
Line (19) were only about 500 left. They were deemed
Line (20) near extinction, but due to conservation
Line (21) efforts, their numbers have increased. There
Line (22) are approximately 50,000 bison living today
Line (23) in protected parks. Though they may never
Line (24) be as abundant as they once were, they are
Line (25) not in danger of extinction as long as they
Line (26) remain protected.
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Questions 13—18
Line (1) The Greek philosopher Aristotle
Line (2) had many students, but perhaps none so
Line (3) famous as Alexander the Great. As a child,
Line (4) Alexander was known for his intelligence
Line (5) and bravery. The lessons he learned from
Line (6) Aristotle left him with a lifelong love of
Line (7) books and learning. But it was not his love
Line (8) of books that made him famous. Alexander,
Line (9) in 336 B.C.E., became the king of a small
Line (10) Greek kingdom called Macedonia. He was
Line (11) only twenty at the time. He went on to
Line (12) invade country after country: Persia (now
Line (13) known as Iran), Egypt, and all the way
Line (14) to parts of India and Pakistan. Alexander
Line (15) conquered most of what was then the
Line (16) “civilized world.” He brought with him the
Line (17) Greek way of thinking and doing things. He
Line (18) is considered one of the great generals and
Line (19) kings of history and is responsible for the
Line (20) spread of Greek culture throughout much of
Line (21) the world.
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Questions 19—24
Line (1) Everyone has had attacks of the
Line (2) hiccups, or hiccoughs, at one point in his or
Line (3) her life. Few people, however, think about
Line (4) what is happening to them and how hiccups
Line (5) begin and end.
Line (6) The diaphragm is a large muscle,
Line (7) shaped like a dome, that sits at the base
Line (8) of the chest cavity. As one breathes, the
Line (9) diaphragm gently contracts and relaxes
Line (10) to help the process. Occasionally, an
Line (11) irritation near the diaphragm or a disease
Line (12) may cause the muscle to spasm, or contract
Line (13) suddenly. The spasm will suck air into the
Line (14) lungs past the vocal cords. A small flap
Line (15) called the epiglottis tops the vocal cords so
Line (16) that food will not accidentally enter into
Line (17) the windpipe. The sudden spasm of the
Line (18) diaphragm causes the epiglottis to close
Line (19) quickly. Imagine the pull of air into the
Line (20) vocal cords from the spastic diaphragm
Line (21) hitting the closed epiglottis. This moves
Line (22) the vocal cords, causing the “hic” sound
Line (23) of the hiccup. Although most people don’t
Line (24) really worry about the hiccups, attacks may
Line (25) last for days. The exhaustion of hiccupping
Line (26) for days on end has been fatal in certain
Line (27) rare cases. Home remedies abound—from
Line (28) breathing into paper bags to squeezing on
Line (29) pressure points that supposedly relax the
Line (30) diaphragm.
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Questions 25—30
Line (1) During the winter months in many
Line (2) regions, food can be extremely scarce. For
Line (3) the wildlife of these areas, this can be a
Line (4) great problem unless animals have some
Line (5) mechanism that allows them to adapt. Some
Line (6) animals migrate to warmer climates. Others
Line (7) hibernate to conserve energy and decrease
Line (8) the need for food. Prior to hibernation, an
Line (9) animal will generally eat a lot to build up a
Line (10) store of fat. The animal’s system will “feed”
Line (11) off the fat stores throughout the long cold
Line (12) winter months. When the animal hibernates,
Line (13) its body temperature decreases and its body
Line (14) functions slow down considerably. The
Line (15) dormouse’s heartbeat, for example, slows
Line (16) down to just a beat every few minutes. Its
Line (17) breathing also becomes slow and its body
Line (18) temperature drops to just a few degrees
Line (19) above the temperature of the ground around
Line (20) it. All these changes decrease the need for
Line (21) fuel and allow the animal to survive long
Line (22) periods without any food. It is a mistake
Line (23) to think that all hibernating animals sleep
Line (24) for the whole winter. In fact, many animals
Line (25) hibernate for short spurts during the winter.
Line (26) They may wake for an interval of mild
Line (27) weather. Scientists have now discovered
Line (28) the chemical that triggers hibernation. If
Line (29) this chemical is injected in an animal in the
Line (30) summer months, it can cause the animal to
Line (31) go into summer hibernation.
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Questions 31—36
Line (1) The theater is one of the richest art
Line (2) forms. The excitement of opening night
Line (3) can be felt by the people waiting to watch
Line (4) a performance and by the performers and
Line (5) workers backstage waiting for the curtain
Line (6) to go up. Live theater is thrilling because
Line (7) no one really knows how well the play
Line (8) will go until it is performed. Many people
Line (9) collaborate to bring a play to life. There
Line (10) are playwrights, directors, set designers,
Line (11) costumers, lighting technicians, and,
Line (12) of course, actors. If the performance is
Line (13) a musical, the skills of a songwriter, a
Line (14) choreographer (the person who composes
Line (15) the dances), and musicians are also
Line (16) required. The word theater comes from the
Line (17) Greek theatron, which means “a place for
Line (18) seeing.” One concept from Greek theater
Line (19) that is still seen in some plays today is the
Line (20) “Greek Chorus.” This consists of several
Line (21) actors/characters watching the action of the
Line (22) play (almost like the audience) and then
Line (23) commenting on what they just saw with
Line (24) either reactions or dialogue. Although most
Line (25) people think of the theater in terms of a play
Line (26) performed on the stage, theater has taken
Line (27) on a much broader meaning in the modern
Line (28) world. You may find yourself walking into
Line (29) a theater with no seats in the rows. Instead,
Line (30) you are seated among the set pieces, which
Line (31) makes you part of the setting. Sometimes
Line (32) theater may come to life on a street corner,
Line (33) or in a classroom. The excitement of theater
Line (34) is in its very nature—it is an art form that
Line (35) changes as it is interpreted in different
Line (36) ways by different people. That is probably
Line (37) why the works of the greatest playwright
Line (38) of all time, William Shakespeare, are still
Line (39) performed and enjoyed today, both in
Line (40) classic and new interpretations.
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In this section, passages or poems have been made available to view as text. The design of these sections has been adapted for ebook, and that the appearance may differ from what you may encounter on the actual test.
Questions 1—5
Line (1) “What’s that noise?” my brother asked.
Line (2) I listened carefully. Just when I thought
Line (3) I heard a small noise, the thunder crashed
Line (4) again. The rain was hitting the roof hard,
Line (5) too, making it difficult to hear anything. “I
Line (6) don’t hear it,” I said.
Line (7) “What do you mean you don’t hear
Line (8) it? It’s so loud!” my brother whispered.
Line (9) Then I heard it. It was a click-click-click,
Line (10) and it sounded like it was coming from the
Line (11) bathroom.
Line (12) “Maybe it’s a monster. We should go
Line (13) get Mom,” my brother said. I didn’t want
Line (14) to be a scaredy-cat, and I knew Mom was
Line (15) probably asleep. Besides, I’d have to walk
Line (16) past the bathroom to get to her.
Line (17) Click-click-click. I told my brother to
Line (18) go to sleep, but he said, “I can’t. We have to
Line (19) see what it is.”
Line (20) “Okay,” I said. I pretended I was
Line (21) very brave, and got up and marched to the
Line (22) bathroom. When I saw what was making the
Line (23) noise, I laughed out loud. My brother came
Line (24) running down the hall, asking, “What is it?”
Line (25) Then, he poked his head in the door and
Line (26) looked in the bathtub. There was our dog,
Line (27) Mack. He was so scared of the thunder that
Line (28) he was hiding in the tub! He sat there with
Line (29) his head down, shivering. His toenails went
Line (30) click-click-click against the ceramic tub as
Line (31) he turned to look at us.
Line (32) “Poor Mack! He’s more scared than
Line (33) we were,” I said. We brought Mack into our
Line (34) bedroom and petted him until he stopped
Line (35) shaking. Then, we all went to sleep.
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In this section, passages or poems have been made available to view as text. The design of these sections has been adapted for ebook, and that the appearance may differ from what you may encounter on the actual test.
Questions 6—10
This story is adapted from an African folktale that explains why the sun and moon are in the sky.
Line (1) Long ago, the sun and the moon and the
Line (2) water all lived on Earth. The sun and moon
Line (3) were married and they were friends with
Line (4) the water. The sun and moon often went to
Line (5) visit the water where he lived, but the water
Line (6) never returned their visits.
Line (7) One day, the moon said to the water,
Line (8) “Why do you never come to visit us?”
Line (9) The water replied, “My people and I
Line (10) take up a lot of room. I do not think you have
Line (11) enough room in your house for all my people
Line (12) and me. I would like to visit you, but I do not
Line (13) want to crowd your home.”
Line (14) The moon said, “Well, then we shall
Line (15) build a bigger house so that you can visit.”
Line (16) “I would like that,” said the water, “but
Line (17) it must be a very big place.”
Line (18) So the moon and the sun built a huge
Line (19) palace. It took many months, but finally it
Line (20) was finished. They sent word to the water to
Line (21) come and visit.
Line (22) The next day, the water came. It stayed
Line (23) outside the gates and called inside. “I have
Line (24) arrived, my friends. Shall I come in?”
Line (25) The sun and moon said together, “Yes,
Line (26) of course. Come in.” So the water came
Line (27) through the gates. So, too, came the fishes
Line (28) and the crabs and the other water-dwelling
Line (29) creatures.
Line (30) The water filled the palace so much that
Line (31) the sun and moon were forced to move up
Line (32) to the top floor. “Are you sure you want me
Line (33) to continue?” the water asked.
Line (34) “Of course, come in,” said the sun and
Line (35) moon. So the water continued.
Line (36) Soon the water had filled the house
Line (37) completely, and the sun and moon were
Line (38) perched on the roof. “Are you sure?” asked
Line (39) the water.
Line (40) “Yes, yes. You are welcome here,” said
Line (41) the moon and sun. And so the water flowed
Line (42) more, until the moon and sun had to jump
Line (43) into the sky. They have stayed there ever
Line (44) since.
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In this section, passages or poems have been made available to view as text. The design of these sections has been adapted for ebook, and that the appearance may differ from what you may encounter on the actual test.
Questions 11—15
Line (1) Not all bees live in colonies. Some bees
Line (2) live all alone in a nest built for one. Most
Line (3) of us, however, when we think of bees and
Line (4) wasps, think of huge groups of insects,
Line (5) working together in a cohesive social
Line (6) unit. The hive is, in many ways, a perfect
Line (7) example of a social system. Inside the hive,
Line (8) bees raise their young and store honey. The
Line (9) queen honeybee, for example, may lay up to
Line (10) 1,500 eggs a day in the summer. The drone
Line (11) bees mate with the queen and die. The
Line (12) worker bees gather food, care for the hive
Line (13) and the young, and protect the hive. The
Line (14) stored pollen and honey will feed the colony
Line (15) throughout the cold winter months. Inside
Line (16) a hive there is one queen, a few hundred
Line (17) drones, and as many as 40,000 workers.
Line (18) The expression “busy as a bee” is certainly
Line (19) appropriate when you consider the work
Line (20) that bees perform.
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In this section, passages or poems have been made available to view as text. The design of these sections has been adapted for ebook, and that the appearance may differ from what you may encounter on the actual test.
Questions 16—20
Line (1) A wealthy contributor to the arts,
Line (2) Isabella Stewart Gardner was born in New
Line (3) York in 1840. She married John Lowell
Line (4) Gardner, a wealthy heir, and settled in
Line (5) Boston, Massachusetts. When her only son
Line (6) died as a young child, she devoted her life
Line (7) to the arts. Assisted by Bernard Berenson,
Line (8) a young art critic, she began collecting
Line (9) important works of art. After her husband
Line (10) died in 1898, she purchased land for the
Line (11) construction of a museum and worked for
Line (12) years overseeing its creation. She actually
Line (13) lived in the museum until her death in 1924.
Line (14) Her museum became a gathering place for
Line (15) artists, writers, and celebrities. She was
Line (16) considered quite eccentric, often shunning
Line (17) Boston “society” in favor of more colorful
Line (18) characters. She gave her wonderful museum
Line (19) to the city of Boston, to be preserved as a
Line (20) public museum. Today, if you visit Boston,
Line (21) you can admire the work of Isabella Stewart
Line (22) Gardner.
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In this section, passages or poems have been made available to view as text. The design of these sections has been adapted for ebook, and that the appearance may differ from what you may encounter on the actual test.
Questions 21—25
Line (1) Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived from
Line (2) 1860 to 1935. She lived during a time when
Line (3) most women in America and Europe had
Line (4) few educational opportunities. For most of
Line (5) Gilman’s life, women could not even vote.
Line (6) Gilman had many ideas for how to improve
Line (7) women’s lives.
Line (8) Because she grew up in a family that
Line (9) was not wealthy, Gilman read a lot in order
Line (10) to educate herself. When she was eighteen,
Line (11) however, she attended the Rhode Island
Line (12) School of Design. She worked her way
Line (13) through school by tutoring and teaching.
Line (14) Gilman eventually began publishing
Line (15) books, articles, poems, and even a monthly
Line (16) magazine of her own. She also lectured
Line (17) to large groups. Much of her writing and
Line (18) speaking focused on allowing women to
Line (19) use their natural talents and intelligence by
Line (20) giving them access to education and jobs
Line (21) that paid well. By offering lots of different
Line (22) ideas and ways to change society, Gilman
Line (23) helped women gain the right to live full,
Line (24) productive lives.
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