SSAT Elementary Level Reading : SSAT Elementary Level Reading Comprehension
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SSAT Elementary Level Reading
All SSAT Elementary Level Reading Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #82 : Nonfiction Passages
Penguins - The flightless wonders
Molly Kubik, 2016
The penguin is very special bird. Everyone knows that most birds love to fly, but not the penguin! Penguins are unique. They are very different from other birds. Penguins have feathers, but even their feathers are different from other birds. The penguin's feathers grow all over their body like hair grows on a mammal's body. Other birds have rows of feathers, which helps them fly, but you won't see an penguin in a tree like an eagle or a hawk. Penguins have heavy, solid bones, so they are too heavy to fly, but they are great swimmers. They can swim faster than most birds and many sea creatures. The penguin lives by the ocean, and you are most likely to see them swimming quickly through the ocean waters as they hunt for fish. Penguins eat a lot of fish. It is one of their main sources of food. Their thick, strong, muscular wings, and flippers make the penguin a great swimmer. Penguins are not good at walking on land, which is one reason that they spend so much of their time in the water. A penguin can spend months in the ocean without taking a break!
According to the passage, why does the penguin spend more time in the water than on the land?
The penguin likes to swim better
The penguin is too heavy to walk
The penguin walks very slowly because it has flippers that are better for swimming than walking
The penguin's thick feathers make walking hard because it overheats easily
The penguin walks very slowly because it has flippers that are better for swimming than walking
The passage states, "Their thick, strong, muscular wings, and flippers make the penguin a great swimmer. Penguins are not good at walking on land, which is one reason that they spend so much of their time in the water." The other answers could be inferred by the reader as reasons why the penguin doesn't spend much time on land, but it is not explicitly stated by the passage.
Example Question #83 : Nonfiction Passages
Egypt
Molly Kubik, 2016
Egypt is a country in northern Africa. Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. The capital of Egypt is Cairo. Cairo is the largest city in Africa, and has been a very important place throughout Egypt's history. Cairo is a modern city. If you visit, you will see large buildings and many cars. Egypt has a very rich history. Long ago, the ancient Egyptians were a very advanced civilization. They were very intelligent people who built pyramids, invented ways to farm in the desert, invented a way of writing, and set up many schools. Ancient Egyptian writing was very advanced. Ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics to write, which are small pictures that tell a written story. Although is very difficult to live in the desert, the ancient Egyptians were very resourceful and were able to create a prosperous civilization. Like the ancient Egyptians and modern day Egyptians mainly live near the Nile River. Modern day Egypt sometimes has problems. Over 82 million people live in Egypt. Some people live in poverty. Many poor people need jobs, homes, and education. There have been problems with wars. Egypt is working very hard to solve these problems. They are working hard to make their schools better, and are helping students to learn more. Egypt has a wonderful history, and it will have a great future too because people are working hard to make Egypt a great place.
Egypt is located in which part of Africa?
Western Africa
Eastern Africa
Northern Africa
Southern Africa
Northern Africa
The passage states "Egypt is a country in Africa." This answer is the only answer that is supported by the passage. The reader might have answered Eastern or Western Africa because they are familiar with a map of Africa, but this is not stated in the passage. The most correct answer according to the passage is Northern Africa.
Example Question #84 : Nonfiction Passages
Egypt
Molly Kubik, 2016
Egypt is a country in northern Africa. Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. The capital of Egypt is Cairo. Cairo is the largest city in Africa, and has been a very important place throughout Egypt's history. Cairo is a modern city. If you visit, you will see large buildings and many cars. Egypt has a very rich history. Long ago, the ancient Egyptians were a very advanced civilization. They were very intelligent people who built pyramids, invented ways to farm in the desert, invented a way of writing, and set up many schools. Ancient Egyptian writing was very advanced. Ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics to write, which are small pictures that tell a written story. Although is very difficult to live in the desert, the ancient Egyptians were very resourceful and were able to create a prosperous civilization. Like the ancient Egyptians and modern day Egyptians mainly live near the Nile River. Modern day Egypt sometimes has problems. Over 82 million people live in Egypt. Some people live in poverty. Many poor people need jobs, homes, and education. There have been problems with wars. Egypt is working very hard to solve these problems. They are working hard to make their schools better, and are helping students to learn more. Egypt has a wonderful history, and it will have a great future too because people are working hard to make Egypt a great place.
How does the passage describe schools in Egypt?
Schools in Ancient Egypt and modern Egypt have always been excellent
Schools in Egypt have always been bad
Schools in Ancient Egypt were very good. Schools in modern day Egypt have had some problems, which are getting fixed
Schools in Ancient Egypt were terrible, but schools in modern day Egypt are much better
Schools in Ancient Egypt were very good. Schools in modern day Egypt have had some problems, which are getting fixed
The passage mentions that Ancient Egyptians were leaders who set up schools and taught hieroglyphics. The passage also mentions that schools in modern day Egypt have had problems, which they are working to fix.
Example Question #221 : Prose Passages
The wonders of Natural Gas
Molly Kubik, 2016
Energy is all around us. We use energy every day to when we cook, light our homes, and use electronics. Natural gas is a form of energy. When the gas burns, it creates heat energy that humans can use. When gas burns, it makes energy. That energy is heat. People use natural gas for many things. When you take a shower, you water was most likely heated by natural gas. Some people use natural gas to power their cars, and other people use natural gas in their stove when they cook. Even farmers use natural gas! Some farms use fertilizer that is made from natural gas. This helps the farmer's crops grow better. Natural gas is a cleaner form of energy than coal. It does not pollute the environment as much. Natural gas is a very useful energy resource.
Which statement best describes the main idea of the passage?
Natural gas is a very important and useful natural resource
Humans would have a hard time without natural gas
Natural gas is a great resource, but it is expensive
Natural gas can be dangerous
Natural gas is a very important and useful natural resource
This passage discusses how important and useful natural gas is. It lists the many activities that humans use natural gas for.
Example Question #81 : Nonfiction Passages
Adapted from "Sea-slugs and Cuttlefish" by Charles Darwin in A Book of Natural History (1902, ed. David Starr Jordan)
I was much interested, on several occasions, by watching the habits of a cuttlefish. Although common in the pools of water left by the retiring tide, these animals were not easily caught. By means of their long arms and suckers, they could drag their bodies into very narrow crevices; and when thus fixed, it required great force to remove them. At other times they darted, with the rapidity of an arrow, from one side of the pool to the other, at the same instant discoloring the water with a dark chestnut-brown ink. These animals also escape detection by a very extraordinary, chameleon-like power of changing their color. They appear to vary their tints according to the nature of the ground over which they pass: when in deep water, their general shade was brownish-purple, but when placed on the land, or in shallow water, this dark tint changed into one of a yellowish green.
This cuttlefish displayed its chameleon-like power both during the act of swimming and whilst remaining stationary at the bottom. I was amused by the various arts to escape detection used by one individual, which seemed fully aware that I was watching it. Remaining for a time motionless, it would then stealthily advance an inch or two, like a cat after a mouse; sometimes changing its color, it proceeded, till having gained a deeper part, it darted away, leaving a dusky train of ink to hide the hole into which it had crawled.
What does the author compare to “like a cat after a mouse"?
The attempts of the cuttlefish to hunt its prey
The stealthy movement of the cuttlefish
The movement of the water that traps the cuttlefish
His own attempts to avoid the cuttlefish
His own attempts to catch a cuttlefish
The stealthy movement of the cuttlefish
In context, the author says, "Remaining for a time motionless, it would then stealthily advance an inch or two, like a cat after a mouse." Although the expression “like a cat after a mouse” seems to indicate something hunting something else, the author is actually using it merely to describe the “stealthy” movement of the cuttlefish. The cuttlefish is moving slowly, an inch at a time, much like a cat that is hunting a mouse.
Example Question #221 : Prose Passages
Adapted from The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Van Loon (1921)
I am going to take you to the top of the highest pyramid and I am going to ask that you imagine yourself possessed of the eyes of a hawk. Way, way off, in the distance, far beyond the yellow sands of the desert, you will see something green and shimmering. It is a valley situated between two rivers. It is the land of mystery and wonder which the Greeks called Mesopotamia—the "country between the rivers."
The names of the two rivers are the Euphrates and the Tigris. They begin their course amidst the snows of the mountains of Armenia and slowly they flow through the southern plain until they reach the muddy banks of the Persian gulf. They perform a very useful service. They turn the arid regions of Western Asia into a fertile garden.
The valley of the Nile had attracted people because it had offered them food upon fairly easy terms. The "land between the rivers" was popular for the same reason. It was a country full of promise and both the inhabitants of the northern mountains and the tribes which roamed through the southern deserts tried to claim this territory as their own and most exclusive possession. The constant rivalry between the mountaineers and the desert-nomads led to endless warfare. Only the strongest and the bravest could hope to survive, and that will explain why Mesopotamia became the home of very strong people.
When the author says he is “going to ask that you imagine yourself possessed of the eyes of a hawk,” he most nearly means __________.
He wants you to act as if you are as noble and wise as a hawk.
He wants you to act like you can see back into the past.
He wants you to pretend you can comprehend what it is like to fly.
He wants you to act like you know what goes on inside the mind of a bird.
He wants you to pretend you can see over very long distances.
He wants you to pretend you can see over very long distances.
When the author says he is “going to ask that you imagine yourself possessed of the eyes of a hawk,” he means he wants you to “pretend you can see over very long distances.” Hawks have very good vision over long distances, and the author is creating a scenario whereby his audience is standing atop a pyramid in Egypt and looking all the way, across hundreds of miles, at the plains of Mesopotamia. This is most clearly shown in the sentence that follows the underlined text, where the author says, “Way, way off, in the distance, far beyond the yellow sands of the desert, you will see something green and shimmering.” The key phrase is “way, way off, in the distance."
Example Question #1 : Inferential Understanding In Nonfiction Passages
Adapted from Ten Great Events in History by James Johannot (1887)
The children of Germany and France caught the madness of the hour, and resolved upon a crusade of their own. Inspired by the preaching of a fanatical priest named Nicholas, twenty thousand young boys assembled at Cologne. They came from all ranks of life; the heir of the proud noble marched side by side with the son of the humblest peasant. Sisters, priests, and servants joined the throng, swelling the numbers and adding to the confusion. They stayed in Cologne for several weeks, set back by chaos and disease. Eventually the ill-fated group set off for the Holy Land, but their difficulties were just beginning.
Based on the end of the passage which of these sentences most likely summarizes the fate of the Children’s Crusade?
It ended terribly and tragically
The children never left Cologne
It was ended before it began and the children were saved
It captured the Holy Land for Christianity
It ended in triumph and glory
It ended terribly and tragically
In the last sentence the author says, “Eventually the ill-fated group set off for the Holy Land, but their difficulties were just beginning.” The use of the word “ill-fated” suggests the group would be unlucky and meet a tragic end; the use of the word “difficulties” also suggests a troubled future.
Example Question #1 : Making Inferences And Predictions In History Passages
Adapted from A Man Who Coveted Washington’s Shoes by Frank E. Stockton (1896)
The person whose story we are now about to tell was not a Jerseyman, but, as most of the incidents which make him interesting to us occurred in this state, we will give him the benefit of a few years' residence here.
This was General Charles Lee, who might well have been called a soldier of fortune. He was born in England, but the British Isles were entirely too small to satisfy his wild ambitions and his bold spirit. There are few heroes of romance who have had such a wide and varied experience, and who have engaged in so many strange enterprises. He was a brave man and very able, but he had a fault which prevented him from being a high-class soldier: he could not bear authority and was always restive under command of another, and, while always ready to tell other people what they ought to do, was never willing to be told what he ought to do.
He joined the British army when he was a young man, and he first came to this country in 1757, when General Abercrombie brought over an army to fight the French. For three years, Lee was engaged in the wilds and forests, doing battle with the Native Americans and French, and no doubt he had all the adventures an ordinary person would desire, but this experience was far from satisfactory.
Based on the ending of this passage, what can you predict General Charles Lee will do next?
Seek more and greater adventure
Grow old and sick
Be discharged from the army
Return to the British Isles
Go and live in New Jersey
Seek more and greater adventure
The passage ends with this sentence: “For three years, Lee was engaged in the wilds and forests, doing battle with the Native Americans and French, and no doubt he had all the adventures an ordinary person would desire, but this experience was far from satisfactory.” The author suggests that Lee had had a great deal of adventure, more than enough for most people, but that for Lee those experiences were not "satisfactory," which means good enough. This suggests that he will go on to have more adventures that the author will describe in the future.
Example Question #3 : Inferential Understanding In Nonfiction Passages
"The Civil War" by Michael Verini (2014)
The Civil War, which took place from 1861 to 1865, is one of the most defining events in American history. The survival of the United States depended on the nation's ability to bring to reality the ideals of liberty, equality, and justice.
When Abraham Lincoln was elected to the presidency in 1860, it brought the long-term debate about the powers of the federal and state governments to a climax. When Lincoln was inaugurated, six Southern states seceded from the Union and created the Confederate States of America. Within the next few years, five more states also seceded and joined the Confederate States. The creation of a new government in the United States caused the Civil War to occur between the North and the South.
After four years of war, the Union was preserved and slavery became illegal. Due to this outcome, over four million African-American slaves were freed from their former owners. Although the Civil War was a violent conflict between two differing American subcultures, it helped create a more united country in the years following the war.
Based solely on the information in the passage, how do you think most slaves viewed the Civil War?
Neutrally, because they were not directly involved in the war.
Positively, because their owners left the plantations to fight in the war.
Negatively, because they did not want the states to fight.
Positively, because they were freed from their owners after the war was over.
Negatively, because they were treated worse during the war.
Positively, because they were freed from their owners after the war was over.
When the North won the Civil War, four million slaves were freed from their former owners; thus, the best answer choice is "Positively, because they were freed from their owners after the war was over." Although some of the other answer choices may be true, they are never explicitly referred to in the passage.
Example Question #222 : Prose Passages
Adapted from "Life Growth - Frogs" by Margaret Warner Morley in A Book of Natural History (1902, ed. David Starr Jordan)
Our common frogs, like many of the fishes, do not trouble themselves about the fate of their eggs after they are carefully laid in a safe place. They trust Mother Nature to see the little tadpoles safely through the perils of childhood, to help them avoid being eaten or starving, and cut, not their teeth, but their arms and legs.
In Venezuela, however, there dwells a frog with well developed maternal instinct. The mothers have pockets on their backs, not for their own convenience, but as cradles for their babies. The fathers put the fertilized eggs into the pockets of the mothers, and there they remain, well guarded, until the young are able to care for themselves.
What can you most reliably predict based on the information in this passage?
Fishes carefully guard their young until they are old enough to survive alone.
Venezuelan frogs are far more likely to survive infancy than their counterparts elsewhere.
Venezuela is absolutely full of frogs.
Few birds in Venezuela eat frogs.
Frogs are in the midst of a significant evolutionary development.
Venezuelan frogs are far more likely to survive infancy than their counterparts elsewhere.
Many of these answer choices may be true, but only one can be reliably predicted based on this passage. That is that “Venezuelan frogs are far more likely to survive infancy than their counterparts elsewhere.” You can make this prediction because you are told that elsewhere infant frogs are left to take care of themselves, but in Venezuela the mother’s take care of the frogs during infancy. If the Venezuelan frogs are cared for and raised it is reasonably to assume they would be far more likely to survive than other frogs.
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