SSAT SSAT Practice Test (Lower Level: Reading) 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a passage about honeybees, the author says they 'communicate through an elaborate waggle dance.' What does the word 'elaborate' most likely mean?
- Simple
- Detailed and complex (Correct answer)
- Fast
- Repetitive
Correct answer: Detailed and complex
Elaborate means highly developed, detailed, or complex in nature.
Question 2: A story begins: 'Maya clutched her umbrella and glanced at the darkening sky.' What can you infer?
- Maya is happy
- It might rain soon (Correct answer)
- Maya is going to school
- It is morning
Correct answer: It might rain soon
The darkening sky and the umbrella both suggest rain is coming.
Question 3: Which text structure is used when a passage lists causes and their effects?
- Compare and contrast
- Problem and solution
- Cause and effect (Correct answer)
- Chronological order
Correct answer: Cause and effect
Cause and effect structure explains why events happen and what results from them.
Question 4: A passage says wolves are 'apex predators.' What does 'apex' most likely mean?
- Smallest
- Top (Correct answer)
- Extinct
- Rare
Correct answer: Top
Apex means the top or peak, so an apex predator is at the top of the food chain.
Question 5: What is the main purpose of a nonfiction text that explains how volcanoes form?
- To entertain with an exciting story
- To persuade readers to visit volcanoes
- To inform readers about a scientific process (Correct answer)
- To express the author's personal feelings
Correct answer: To inform readers about a scientific process
Explanatory nonfiction texts aim to inform readers about how or why something occurs.
Question 6: In a poem, the author writes 'the wind whispered secrets.' What literary device is used?
- Simile
- Hyperbole
- Personification (Correct answer)
- Alliteration
Correct answer: Personification
Giving human qualities (whispering) to a non-human thing (wind) is personification.
SSAT SSAT Practice Test (Lower Level: Reading) 1
In a passage about honeybees, the author says they 'communicate through an elaborate waggle dance.' What does the word 'elaborate' most likely mean?