SSAT Upper Level Reading Comprehension Practice Test 25

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The first old "horseless carriages" of the 1880s may have been worthy of a snicker or two, but not the cars of today. The progress that has been made over the last one hundred thirty years has been phenomenal. In fact, much progress was made even in the first twenty years—in 1903, cars could travel at 70 miles per hour. The major change from the old cars to today is the expense. Whereas cars were once a luxury that only the very wealthy could afford, today, people of all income levels own cars.

In fact, there are so many cars that if they were to line up end to end, they would touch the Moon. Cars are used for everyday transportation for millions of people, for recreation, and for work. Many people's jobs depend on cars—police officers, health care workers, and taxi drivers all rely on automobiles.

One thing that hasn't changed is how cars are powered. The first cars ran on gas and diesel fuel just as the most modern ones do. You could argue that today's "most modern" cars are electric or hybrid. The newer cars, however, are much more fuel efficient and much research is devoted to saving fuel and finding new sources of energy for cars.

1. The "progress" mentioned in line 2 most likely refers to

  • A. the ability of a car to move forward
  • B. technological advancement
  • C. research
  • D. the new types of fuels available
  • E. the cost of the car

2. Which of the following is answered by the passage?

  • A. What are some ways people use cars?
  • B. Why did people laugh at the "horseless carriage"?
  • C. Where will the fuels of the future come from?
  • D. When will cars become even more efficient?
  • E. How much money is spent on cars today?

3. The passage is primarily concerned with

  • A. the problem of fuel consumption
  • B. the difficulty of driving
  • C. the invention of the car
  • D. the development of the car from the past to now
  • E. the future of automobiles

4. According to the passage, scientists devote much of their research today to

  • A. making cars faster
  • B. making more cars
  • C. making cars more affordable
  • D. making cars more fuel efficient
  • E. making cars that hold more people

5. When discussing the technological advances of the early car, the author's tone could best be described as

  • A. proud
  • B. hesitant
  • C. informative
  • D. pedantic
  • E. sarcastic

6. The author would most likely agree that

  • A. cars are incredibly useful to many different sorts of people
  • B. the problems we face in the future are very important
  • C. cars are more trouble than they are worth
  • D. early car owners were all snobs
  • E. we will never make the same technological advances as we did in the past