SSAT Middle Level Reading Practice Test 20

What is Weir Like?

The skies they wereashenand sober;

The leaves they were crisped andsere—

The leaves they were withering andsere:

It was night in the Lonesome October

Of my most immemorial year;

It was hard by the dim lake of Auber;

In the misty mid region of Weir—

It was down by the dank tarn of Auber

In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir

—from "Ulalume" by Edgar Allen Poe

1. The author uses adjectives throughout the passage to

• A. reveal his fondness of Auber.
• B. foreshadow his death in October.
• C. establish the mood of Weir.
• D. hide the true feelings of the main character.
• E. build to the climax of Ulalume.

2. The words "ashen" (line 1) and "sere" (lines 2-3), respectively, most nearly mean

• A. stormy and rough
• B. pale and moist
• C. distant and abundant
• D. gray and dry
• E. sunny and wrinkled

3. All of the following are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT

• A. nature displaying the changing of the seasons
• B. an atmosphere of loneliness and silence
• C. evidence that it is the end of the day
• D. difficulty seeing things in the distance
• E. the peacefulness and quiet of a nearby lake

4. The passage answers which of the following questions?

I. What is the setting of the passage?

II. When do these events happen?

III. Why is the narrator going to this place?

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

5. The passage indicates that the speaker

• A. is drawn to this place of uncertainty and anguish.
• B. will meet an old friend by the lake in the evening.
• C. has never been to this isolated region before.
• D. ignores the warnings of ghosts not to enter the forest.
• E. cannot wait to pass through this frightening country.