SSAT Middle Level Reading Practice Test 41

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Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies with Uncle Henry, a farmer, and Aunt Em, the farmer's wife. Their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. There was no cellar except a small hole dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path.

When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side. The sun had baked the plowed land into a gray mass, with little cracks running through it. Once the house had been painted, but the sun blistered the paint and the rains washed it away, and now the house was as dull and gray as everything else.

When Aunt Em came there to live she was a young, pretty wife. The sun and wind had changed her, too. They had taken the sparkle from her eyes and left them a sober gray. They had taken the red from her cheeks and lips, and they were gray also. When Dorothy, who was an orphan, first came to her, Aunt Em had been so startled by the child's laughter that she would scream and press her hand upon her heart whenever Dorothy's merry voice reached her ears. She looked at the little girl with wonder that she could find anything to laugh at.

-L. Frank Baum

1. All of the following words may be used to describe Uncle Henry and Aunt Em's life EXCEPT

  • A. unprepared
  • B. confined
  • C. isolated
  • D. colorless
  • E. agricultural

2. According to the passage, Uncle Henry and Aunt Em's house was small most likely because

  • A. larger homes were more vulnerable to tornados.
  • B. close-knit families preferred smaller homes.
  • C. the nearest forest was many miles away.
  • D. personal belongings were stored in the cellar.
  • E. the sun and rain damaged it over the years.

3. In last paragraph, why was Aunt Em surprised by Dorothy's laughter? 

  • A. Aunt Em did not have a good sense of humor.
  • B. The sun had changed the color of Dorothy's lips.
  • C. Orphan children are oftentimes sad and lonely.
  • D. Aunt Em would scream each time Dorothy laughed.
  • E. It seemed so out of place with difficult farm life.

4. In the passage, the sun is mentioned as having affected which of the following?

I. Uncle Henry's hair

II. Aunt Em's cheeks

III. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em's house

IV. The farmland

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

5. The author would most likely agree that Dorothy's personality

  • A. was most unusual for a girl from Kansas.
  • B. infused unexpected energy into Aunt Em.
  • C. varied according to the weather.
  • D. produced mild irritation in Uncle Henry.
  • E. was characteristic of most orphans.