SSAT Middle Level Reading Practice Test 44

The Loch Ness is a lake in Scotland that holds the largest volume of freshwater in the United Kingdom. But rather than being known for its size, it is famous for the mysterious legend of the Loch Ness monster. For hundreds of years, people have reported catching a glimpse of a huge creature in the lake while others have shared photos they claim to have taken of this sea creature. The legend is so great that even scientists have conducted experiments and come up with theories to try and explain what people could be witnessing.

It has been proposed that Nessie—as the Loch Ness monster is commonly called—could be a prehistoric creature called a plesiosaur, a large animal that has long been considered to be extinct. Adrian Shine, the leader of a British team called the Loch Ness Project, has spent over 30 years trying to intelligently explain the monster sightings by researching the ecology of the region. If in fact a large creature was living in the lake, there would have to be evidence of a food chain for it to survive. A creature like the Loch Ness monster would most likely eat fish, which in turn would live off large quantities of microscopic animals called zooplankton. There would have to be enough zooplankton in the lake to support populations of larger animals.

A way of estimating the amount of zooplankton in the lake is to examine the quantities of green algae—the bottom rung of the food chain—that zooplankton feed from. Green algae needs some light to thrive, and so by examining how deep down in the lake sunlight can penetrate, researchers can estimate the amount of green algae and following from this, the type of population that could be sustained.

-Sandrine Ceurstemont

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

• A. A Monster in the Lake?
• B. The Mysteries of Scotland
• C. What Could It Eat?
• D. The Loch Ness Lake
• E. Where is the Evidence?

2. It can be inferred from the passage that

• A. green algae feed off of zooplankton.
• B. the Loch Ness scientists work with dinosaur fossils.
• C. Loch Ness is one of the smallest lakes in Scotland.
• D. a plesiosaur was a creature that lived in the water.
• E. Adrian Shine is not looking in the right places.

3. According to the passage, why are scientists studying green algae in Loch Ness lake?

• A. To know if it is good bait for the Loch Ness monster.
• B. To estimate the amount of zooplankton in the lake.
• C. Because sunlight is required to view underwater life.
• D. To prove that the food chain model is erroneous.
• E. To study how smaller animals survive in the lake.

4. The hypothetical Loch Ness food chain mentioned in the passage includes which of the following?

I. Loch Ness monster

II. Green algae

III. Fish

IV. Zooplankton

• 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. Which of the following most strengthens the legend of the Loch Ness monster?

• A. Tourists have claimed to have photos of a creature.
• B. A legitimate food chain exists in Loch Ness lake.
• C. Scientists have conducted experiments in the lake.
• D. The Loch Ness lake supports other aquatic life.
• E. Experts have found fossils of the plesiosaur creature.