SSAT Middle Level Reading Practice Test 32

Life was exciting for Ensign Lee Royal in the summer of 1950. The Texan had recently graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and reported for duty on the most famous warship in the world, the USSMissouri. Royal was a commissioned officer, a step up from the previous year when he had served on the same ship as a midshipman on a training cruise.

TheMissourihad visited England during that cruise, and Royal and two classmates had been brave enough to go to Winston Churchill's country home unannounced. The former British prime minister was very welcoming, taking the three young midshipmen on a tour and then presenting them with books, cigars, and wine. An amazed bodyguard told them privately that Churchill had been much more welcoming to them than to many of his famous visitors.

By 1950, theMissouriwas the U.S. Navy's only active battleship—just a decade after the navy had considered battleships to be its foremost fighting ships. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, however, had changed the situation. Soon aircraft carriers and submarines became the navy's primary offensive weapons. Battleships had been designed to fight gun duels against large surface vessels, but those encounters rarely occurred in World War II. The U.S. entered the war with a number of old, slow battleships, which were primarily used for shore attack and to support landings.

-Paul Stillwell

1. All of the following are true regarding Ensign Lee Royal EXCEPT:

• A. He was promoted while serving on the Missouri.
• B. He received gifts from Winston Churchill.
• C. He visited England while on a training cruise.
• D. He fought for the United States during World War II.
• E. His naval career had just begun in 1950.

2. The bodyguard's reaction indicates that Winston Churchill

• A. did not offer books, cigars and wine to all his guests.
• B. previously served in the United States Navy.
• C. sent out invitations to Royal and his classmates.
• D. entertained visitors on a daily basis.
• E. should not have allowed strangers into the house.

3. Which of the following is an underlying theme throughout the entire selection?

• A. How World War II affected the U.S. Navy
• B. A famous U.S. naval warship
• C. An unexpected visit to a prime minister's home
• D. The early life of a naval officer
• E. American and English relations in the 1950s

4. All of the following contributed to why the USS Missouri "was the U.S. Navy's only active battleship" in 1950 EXCEPT:

• A. Battleships were rarely used in combat anymore.
• B. Most of the wartime battleships were old and slow.
• C. Submarines were more important during the war.
• D. Battleships were used mainly to support landings.
• E. Most battleships were converted to aircraft carriers.

5. The author would most likely agree with which of the following statements?

• A. The Navy is the most popular of the armed forces.
• B. The U.S. should not have given up on battleships.
• C. Ensign Lee Royal is not afraid to take risks.
• D. Promotion in the Navy should be more difficult.
• E. Winston Churchill should not have retired so young.