SSAT Upper Level Reading Comprehension Practice Test 20

Florence Nightingale was a woman ahead of her time. Before the nineteenth century, the profession of nursing was largely untrained. Midwives were the only practitioners who had any training at all. For the most part, sick people were looked after by the women of the house in their own homes.

Florence Nightingale began a school in London, England to set the standards for nursing. She was able to do this because she had already established a reputation for her work with soldiers during the Crimean War. She carried a lamp above her head as she walked among the wounded men, thereby earning the nickname "the lady with the lamp." It was this great lady who lit the way for nursing to become the respected profession it is today.

1. The passage is mainly about

• A. the impact of nursing on the soldiers of the Crimean War
• B. Florence Nightingale and her influence on the profession of nursing
• C. the difference between nurses and midwives
• D. how Florence Nightingale earned the nickname "the lady with the lamp"
• E. why only females entered the profession of nursing

2. Which of the following was a method most people used to receive care before Florence Nightingale's time?

• A. They would be cared for only by doctors.
• B. They would be cared for by their children.
• C. They were largely left uncared for.
• D. They were cared for by midwives.
• E. They were cared for by female relatives.

3. The style of the passage is most like that found in a(n)

• A. personal letter to a trusted friend
• B. anthology of short biographies of famous women
• C. history of nineteenth-century England
• D. textbook on medicine
• E. editorial written for a daily paper

4. According to the author, the primary reason that Florence Nightingale was able to open a school for nursing was that

• A. she was already famous for her work in the war
• B. her family was willing to finance her work
• C. she had gained notoriety as a difficult woman to challenge
• D. she had cared for many wealthy sick people herself
• E. she worked endless hours every night

5. According to the passage, all of the following could be said of nurses EXCEPT

• A. prior to Florence Nightingale, only midwives were trained
• B. Florence Nightingale raised the standards of their profession
• C. they are well-respected professionals today
• D. they are exceedingly well paid for their work
• E. prior to Florence Nightingale, their work was done often by female relatives