SSAT Middle Level Reading Practice Test 56

Miami, Puerto Rico and Bermuda are prime holiday destinations. But between these peaceful settings, there is a dark side: countless ships and planes have mysteriously gone missing in the one and a half million square miles of ocean separating them. About 60 years ago, the area was claiming about five planes every day and was nicknamed the Bermuda Triangle. Today, about that many planes disappear in the region each year and there are a number of theories explaining what could be happening.

Twins George and David Rothschild are among the first passengers to have experienced bizarre effects in the Bermuda Triangle. In 1952, the two naval men had to make an emergency trip home on a navy light aircraft, north over the Florida Keys. They had been flying for 20 or 30 minutes when all of a sudden the pilot yelled out that the instruments were dead. The frantic pilot had lost his bearings, and not only did he not know where he was, he also had no idea how much gas was left in the fuel tanks. After what seemed like hours, they landed safely on the Florida coast.

Some believe that it had nothing to do with the location, but rather the instruments that were available at the time. Pilot Robert Grant says that back in the 1940s, navigating a plane involved a lot of guesswork since they relied completely on a magnetic compass to guide them. ‘Dead reckoning' was used, which means that pilots would trust their compass and then estimate how the wind would influence their planned flight path to remain on track. "No matter what your mind tells you, you must stay on that course," says Grant. "If you don't, and you start turning to wherever you think you should be going, then you're toast."

-Sandrine Ceurstemont

1. Which of the following is the best title for the selection?

• A. Dangers of Miami, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda
• B. The Rothschild Incident
• C. Danger in the Open Seas
• D. Mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle
• E. Was it Location or Instruments?

2. The Rothschilds' pilot became "frantic" for which of the following reasons?

I. He did not know how much gas he had left.

II. The plane had arrived in the wrong place.

III. He lost his sense of direction.

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

3. Which of the following is the author most likely to discuss next?

• A. Other happenings of missing planes around the world
• B. The advantages of spending the holidays in Bermuda
• C. A detailed account of the Rothschild flight
• D. What pilots can do in the event of an emergency
• E. The weather conditions near the island of Bermuda

4. This passage

• A. establishes a debate and then shows both sides of the argument.
• B. states a theory and then provides evidence on why it could be false.
• C. introduces a phenomenon and then offers insight based on facts.
• D. provides a conclusion and then moves on to different topics.
• E. describes a historical problem and then presents a few modern-day solutions.

5. 'Dead reckoning' as described in the last paragraph is most like

• A. a chef looking for all the right ingredients for a very special dish.
• B. a blind girl trying to find her way by the sound of her mother's voice.
• C. a coach creating a strategy on how to win without his best player.
• D. a politician searching for the proper words for a campaign speech.
• E. a surgeon using a new medical procedure to save a patient's life.