SSAT Middle Level Reading Practice Test 34

Once there was a man named Wainaina who lived alone on his farm at the forest edge. Whenever Wainaina looked outside, he could see the blue peaks of Mount Kenya. Up they rose like church spires and whenever Wainaina saw them, his spirits soared too.

"I'm lucky to be alive," he'd say. But then he would sigh, "If only I had a wife to share this with."

So why couldn't Wainaina find himself a good woman when there were so many. This was what he asked himself, day in day out, as he tended his crops.

"Perhaps," said Wainaina. "I haven't the heart for it."

The truth was Wainaina was not a handsome man. In fact, he was downright ugly. And he did not know, because the small mirror he used while shaving only showed his chin. Nor did his village fellows say, not wanting to hurt the good man's feelings. And though he tried not to make a tragedy out of being wifeless, sometimes his spirits hardly soared when he saw the great mountain.

One morning, he heard a tapping at his window. When he pulled back his curtain there was a dove sitting on the sill, cooing at its reflection in the glass.

"Ah," said Wainaina gently. "You think you've found a mate. Poor bird. So, I am not the only one without a love."

Later, when Wainaina was stretching his back from a day's hard digging, an idea crept into his mind.

"You've earned a rest Wainaina. Why not walk down to the stream?"

-Tish Farrell

1. Wainaina relates to the bird because the bird

• A. soars free like Wainaina's carefree spirit.
• B. reminds Wainaina to go to work.
• C. seems to be looking for a mate as well.
• D. can see its reflection while Wainaina cannot.
• E. lives on the mountain next to Wainaina's home.

2. In the first paragraph, the author uses a simile to

• A. express the loneliness of living in a forest.
• B. demonstrate the pride of building a house.
• C. describe the experience of living in Kenya.
• D. exaggerate Wainaina's true age.
• E. compare a set of mountains to church spires.

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

• A. One Without a Love
• B. The Farmer and the Bird
• C. A Search for Friendship
• D. The Forest Tragedy
• E. Beauty is Only Skin Deep

4. According to the passage, Wainaina does not know he is unattractive for which of the following reasons?

I. No one had the heart to tell him.

II. He cannot see his face with his shaving mirror.

III. A childhood injury left him with poor eyesight.

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

5. Which of the following isunlikelyto happen next?

• A. Wainaina will walk to the nearby stream.
• B. Wainaina will see the same bird again.
• C. Wainaina will see a woman by the stream.
• D. Wainaina will dig for a few more hours.
• E. Wainaina will take a rest by the river.