Varsity Tutors always has a different SSAT Middle Level Reading Question of the Day ready at your disposal! If you’re just looking to get a quick review into your busy day, our SSAT Middle Level Reading Question of the Day is the perfect option. Answer enough of our SSAT Middle Level Reading Question of the Day problems and you’ll be ready to ace the next test. Check out what today’s SSAT Middle Level Reading Question of the Day is below.

You can use the SSAT Middle Level Reading Comprehension Question of the Day to get into the habit of thinking about SSAT Middle Level Reading Comprehension content on a daily basis when studying for the SSAT. Varsity Tutors' SSAT Middle Level Reading Comprehension Questions of the Day are drawn from each topic and question type covered on the Middle Level Reading Comprehension section of the SSAT.

Question of the Day: SSAT Middle Level Reading

Adapted from "The Dartmoor Ponies, or the Wandering of the Horse Tribe" by Arabella B. Buckley in A Book of Natural History (1902, ed. David Starr Jordan)

It was a calm misty morning one day last week, giving promise of a bright and sunny day, when I started off for a long walk across the moor to visit the famous stone-circles, many of which are to be found not far off the track called Abbot’s Way, leading from Buckfast Abbey to the Abbey of Tavistock.

My mind was full of the olden times as I pictured to myself how, seven hundred years or more ago, some Benedictine monk from Tavistock Abbey paced this narrow path on his way to his Cistercian brothers at Buckfast, meeting some of them on his road as they wandered over the desolate moor in search of stray sheep. For the Cistercians were shepherds and wool-weavers, while the Benedictines devoted themselves to learning, and the track of about twenty-five miles from one abbey to the other, which still remains, was worn by the members of the two communities, the only variety in whose lives consisted probably in these occasional visits to each other.

Yet even these monks belonged to modern times compared to the ancient Britons who raised the stone-circles over the moor; and my mind drifted back to the days when, long before that pathway was worn, men clad in the skins of beasts hunted wild animals over the ground on which I was treading, and lived in caves and holes of the ground.

I wondered, as I thought of them, whether the monks and the ancient Britons delighted as much in the rugged scenery of the moor as I did that morning. For many miles in front of me the moor stretched out wild and treeless, while the early mist was rising off the hill-tops. It was a pleasure, there on the open moor, with the lark soaring overhead, and the butterflies and bees hovering among the sweet-smelling furze blossoms, to see horses free and joyous, with no thought of bit or bridle, harness or saddle, whose hooves had never been handled by the shoeing-smith, nor their coats touched with the singeing iron. Those little colts, with their thick heads, shaggy coats, and flowing tails, will have at least two years more liberty before they know what it is to be driven. Only once a year are they gathered together, claimed by their owners and branded with an initial, and then left again to wander where they will.

The Cistercians and Benedictines were most likely __________.

two groups of sheepherders in the history of the region

great enemies

two groups of people who worked together to preserve the safety of the moors

rivals who often traded with one another

two religious orders in the history of the region

Middle school learners who are interested in attending an independent or private school may need to take the Secondary School Admission Test. These tests are used to evaluate your middle school learner’s knowledge, and usually play a role in helping faculty come to a decision regarding admission. There are three different versions of the Middle Level SSAT, depending on your learner’s grade. Whether your learner is looking to take the fifth, sixth, or seventh grade version of the Middle Level SSAT, Varsity Tutors’ Learning Tools have the resources available to help him or her get the most out of their Middle Level SSAT Reading review sessions.


The reading component of the Middle Level SSAT consists of 40 reading comprehension-based questions. By accessing the Question of the Day on the Learning Tools website, your learner will be given a random Middle Level SSAT Reading question each day. These questions are completely random and cover literary form, the humanities, social sciences, and natural science. The Question of the Day provides daily SSAT Middle Level Reading review to assist in preparing your learner for the reading component of the Middle Level SSAT. By answering a random question every day, he or she will be able to test his or her knowledge on a number of areas covered by the SSAT.

At times, standardized tests can seem difficult to prepare for. Sometimes being able to succeed at standardized tests is a skill of its own. However, by continuing to utilize the Question of the Day, you are enabling your learner to build the essential study habits needed to prepare him or her for test day. Moreover, the randomness of each question is a good way to help your middle school learner prepare for the unexpected on the actual test.

In addition to helping your learner review previously learned material, the Question of the Day provides you with a great way to help your middle school learner understand new concepts. Following each Middle Level SSAT Reading question is an in-depth explanation that tells your child how the correct answer was obtained. Not only do these explanations help improve learners’ reading practice by letting learners see their mistakes, but they may also contain important definitions and vocabulary words that may appear on the test.

By using the Question of the Day alongside the rest of Varsity Tutors’ comprehensive Learning Tools, your middle school learner can develop a fully customizable Middle Level SSAT Reading study guide that is suited to his or her needs. In addition to the Question of the Day, your learner can get more in-depth, concept-specific SSAT Middle Level Reading help by using Learn by Concept. Your child can also drill their skills using the multitude of SSAT Middle Level Reading Flashcards and test their knowledge with the Practice Tests.

The Question of the Day is an excellent way to help your child get the valuable daily SSAT Middle Level Reading practice they need. By making use of all of Varsity Tutors’ Learning Tools, your learner can build their confidence as they prepare for the Middle Level Reading SSAT.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors