SSAT Middle Level Reading Practice Test 46

In April of 1942, the Japanese basked in a sense ofeuphoria. During the previous four and a half months their armed forces had scored triumph after triumph on the war fronts of the Pacific. "Victory fever" swept the land. 

Minutes after noon, the sense of peacefulness inside the capital suddenly shattered. Here and there on the outskirts of Tokyo, dark-green planes appeared, flying so low that they almost touched the ground. People riding bicycles or walking along roads paused to glance up at the fleeting planes.

A French journalist rushed outside: "I heard a rugged, powerful sound of airplane engines. A raid at high noon! Explosions. I spotted a dark airplane traveling very fast, at rooftop level. So they've come!"   

Now air raid sirens belatedly sounded. Fighter planes took off. Bursts of antiaircraft fire smudged the sky.

At first the people in the streets did not understand what they were seeing. Then, when they understood, they could not quite believe. High noon in Tokyo. Dark planes with white stars painted on them. Americans!

History would call it the "Doolittle Raid"—after its legendary leader, Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle. A startling attack by American bombers that seemed to appear out of nowhere, only to vanish as suddenly as they had appeared. A feat of flying that seemed impossible—yet one that with daring had actually been achieved.

-Edward Oxford

1. As it is used in the first line, "euphoria" means

• A. joy
• B. surprise
• C. fear
• D. anticipation
• E. fury

2. According to the passage, all of the following are true regarding the American bombers EXCEPT:

• A. They were identified by white stars.
• B. They were spotted by Japanese civilians.
• C. They did not drop any actual bombs.
• D. They were led by a Lieutenant Colonel.
• E. They flew relatively low to the ground.

3. The main purpose of this passage is to

• A. justify the superiority of American fighter planes.
• B. explain the advantages of surprise attacks in war.
• C. discuss the planning involved in the Doolittle Raid.
• D. emphasize the astonishment of the Japanese people.
• E. introduce a significant turning point in a world war.

4. The "Doolittle Raid" involved which of the following?

I. It was a surprise attack in the early evening.

II. There was a military response by the Japanese.

III. It was an assault on a major Japanese city.

• A. III only
• B. I and II only
• C. I and III only
• D. II and III only
• E. I, II and III only

5. It can be inferred from the passage that

• A. James Doolittle was the best pilot in the fleet.
• B. Japan had not been attacked in a very long time.
• C. there were many French journalists in Japan.
• D. the Japanese surrendered right after the Tokyo raid.
• E. Japan had expected the Doolittle Raid for months.