Pass Reading Prep

On English tests I usually score highest on the _____ section.

• Reading

• Writing

• Listening

• Speaking

Which statement best expresses the main idea of the passage?

Read the following passage. Then, answer the question(s). Frank Lloyd Wright considered himself one of the greatest architechts of all time. Not everyone agrees with this assessment. However, most people recognize his great influence on modern American architecture.Born in Wisconsin in 1867, Wright grew up in a family that often had trouble making ends meet. He attended the University of Wisconsin but left early for Chicago, where the Great Fire of 1871 created many opportunities in the building trade. After working for several firms, he eventually landed a job at the company in which Louis Sullivan, a famous pioneer of modern architecture, was a partner. Wright remained there for several years, often quarrelling with colleagues, before proceeding to establish his own architecture firm where he could experiment with his own ideas and style.Wright's "prarie style" is very modern, and his buildings often suggest the wide expanse of the American plains. These projects inspired other architects to think of space in a new way. They began to design room in a building not as separate spaces but as a flowing whole. Although his "prarie style" is considered his best, some of Wright's more famous designs show other influences. The Guggenheim Museum in New York City, for example, features a large spiral that contrasts with its urban surroundings. Another of Wright's buildings, Fallingwater in rural Pennsylvania, is built over a waterfall and blends seamlessly into its wooded, natural environment.

• Frank Lloyd Wright was an innovative and influential modern American architect.

• Frank Lloyd Wright grew up poor but became rich.

• Frank Lloyd Wright was a conceited architect who had trouble getting along with others.

• Frank Lloyd Wright is best known for his "prairie style."

From what point of view is this story told?

• first person, told by Meg

• first person, told by Mr. Jenkins

• third person, limited to Meg's thoughts and experiences

• third person, providing the thoughts and experiences of many characters

Which conclusion about Meg is best supported by details in the passage?

• She is usually very happy.

• She is beautiful but vain.

• She is very shy.

• She is awkward but intelligent.

Read this passage from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Then, answer the question(s). "Meg, is something troubling you? Are you unhappy at home?" Mr. Jenkins asked. At last Meg looked at him, pushing at her glasses in a characteristic gesture. "Everything's fine at home." "I'm glad to hear it. But I know it must be hard on you to have your father away." Meg eyed the principal warily, and ran her tongue over the barbed line of her braces. "Have you had any news from him lately?" Meg was sure it was not only imagination that made her feel that behind Mr. Jenkin's surface concerns was a gleam of avid curiosity. Wouldn't he like to know! she thought. And if I knew anything, he's the last person I'd tell. Well, one of the last. Mr. Jenkins waited for an answer, but Meg only shrugged. "Just what was your father's line of business?" Mr. Jenkins asked. "Some kind of scientist, wasn't he?" "He is a physicist." Meg bared her teeth to reveal two ferocious lines of braces. Meg, don't think you'd make a better adjustment to life if you faced facts?" "I do face facts," Meg said. "They're lots easier to ace than people, I can tell you." "Then why don't you face the facts about your father?" "You leave my father out of it!" Meg shouted. From the details in the passage, which of these inferences should readers make about Meg?

• She is a very young child.

• She is a preteen or teenager.

• She is a college student.

• She is a middle school teacher.

Read this passage from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Then, answer the question(s). "Meg, is something troubling you? Are you unhappy at home?" Mr. Jenkins asked. At last Meg looked at him, pushing at her glasses in a characteristic gesture. "Everything's fine at home." "I'm glad to hear it. But I know it must be hard on you to have your father away." Meg eyed the principal warily, and ran her tongue over the barbed line of her braces. "Have you had any news from him lately?" Meg was sure it was not only imagination that made her feel that behind Mr. Jenkin's surface concerns was a gleam of avid curiosity. Wouldn't he like to know! she thought. And if I knew anything, he's the last person I'd tell. Well, one of the last. Mr. Jenkins waited for an answer, but Meg only shrugged. "Just what was your father's line of business?" Mr. Jenkins asked. "Some kind of scientist, wasn't he?" "He is a physicist." Meg bared her teeth to reveal two ferocious lines of braces. Meg, don't think you'd make a better adjustment to life if you faced facts?" "I do face facts," Meg said. "They're lots easier to ace than people, I can tell you." "Then why don't you face the facts about your father?" "You leave my father out of it!" Meg shouted. What character trait or traits does Mr. Jenkins display most clearly?

• He is simple and naive.

• He is shy but likable.

• He is nosy and persistent.

• He is rather conceited.

Read this passage from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Then, answer the question(s). "Meg, is something troubling you? Are you unhappy at home?" Mr. Jenkins asked. At last Meg looked at him, pushing at her glasses in a characteristic gesture. "Everything's fine at home." "I'm glad to hear it. But I know it must be hard on you to have your father away." Meg eyed the principal warily, and ran her tongue over the barbed line of her braces. "Have you had any news from him lately?" Meg was sure it was not only imagination that made her feel that behind Mr. Jenkin's surface concerns was a gleam of avid curiosity. Wouldn't he like to know! she thought. And if I knew anything, he's the last person I'd tell. Well, one of the last. Mr. Jenkins waited for an answer, but Meg only shrugged. "Just what was your father's line of business?" Mr. Jenkins asked. "Some kind of scientist, wasn't he?" "He is a physicist." Meg bared her teeth to reveal two ferocious lines of braces. Meg, don't think you'd make a better adjustment to life if you faced facts?" "I do face facts," Meg said. "They're lots easier to ace than people, I can tell you." "Then why don't you face the facts about your father?" "You leave my father out of it!" Meg shouted. Question 5: Meg and Mr. Jenkins have different perspectives about the disappearance of Meg's father. Which statement most accurately states the difference?

• Meg views her father's disappearance as a private matter, but Mr. Jenkins thinks he can help her by making her talk about it.

• Meg has given up hope that her father will reappear, but Mr.Jenkins is still hopeful.

• Meg knows where her father is and is not worried, but Mr. Jenkins knows nothing and is deeply concerned.

• Meg knows her father is alive, but Mr. Jenkins is sure Meg's father is dead.

Read this passage from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Then, answer the question(s). "Meg, is something troubling you? Are you unhappy at home?" Mr. Jenkins asked. At last Meg looked at him, pushing at her glasses in a characteristic gesture. "Everything's fine at home." "I'm glad to hear it. But I know it must be hard on you to have your father away." Meg eyed the principal warily, and ran her tongue over the barbed line of her braces. "Have you had any news from him lately?" Meg was sure it was not only imagination that made her feel that behind Mr. Jenkin's surface concerns was a gleam of avid curiosity. Wouldn't he like to know! she thought. And if I knew anything, he's the last person I'd tell. Well, one of the last. Mr. Jenkins waited for an answer, but Meg only shrugged. "Just what was your father's line of business?" Mr. Jenkins asked. "Some kind of scientist, wasn't he?" "He is a physicist." Meg bared her teeth to reveal two ferocious lines of braces. Meg, don't think you'd make a better adjustment to life if you faced facts?" "I do face facts," Meg said. "They're lots easier to ace than people, I can tell you." "Then why don't you face the facts about your father?" "You leave my father out of it!" Meg shouted. Which statement most accurately identifies the conflict in the passage?

• Meg and Mr. Jenkins are having a discussion at school.

• Mr. Jenkins wants to discuss Meg's family situation, but Meg does not.

• Meg's father has disappeared.

• Mr. Jenkins wants Meg to face the facts, but Meg is concealing them from him.

Which word from the passage is a possessive noun?

• Everything's

• father's

• braces

• They're

When Lucy Ware Webb was a young girl, she had no idea she would one day end up at the White House. Born in Ohio in 1831, Lucy was two years old when her father died. He had gone to Kentucky to help free slaves. Lucy was a bright girl. At the age of thirteen, she was already taking college classes. Many years later, she would become the first wife of a U.S. president to have earned a college degree. In Cincinnati, Lucy met her future husband, Rutherford B. Hayes had a law office there, and after meeting Lucy, he visited the Webb home often. In his diary, he wrote about Lucy. "Her low sweet is very winning ... a heart as true as steel... Intellect she has too ... By George! I am in love with her!" They married in 1852and raised five children. Like her father, Lucy opposed slavery. When the Civil War started, she supported the war. She visited U.S. Army headquarters often and cared for wounded soldiers. The soldiers nicknamed her "Mother Lucy."After the war, her husband became governor of Ohio. As the state's first lady, Lucy continued to help those in need, even building a children's home in Columbus. In 1877, Rutherford B. Hayes was confirmed as the nineteenth president of the United States. Lucy was a well-loved first lady, known for her kindness and intelligence. She even helped save the popular Easter egg event held in Washington. Congress has closed the Capitol Hill grounds because the children were ruining the grass. Lucy moved the event to the White House lawn, where it is still held today. What basic type of organization does the author use in this passage?

• chronological order

• cause-and-effect order

• compare-and-contrast organization

• problem-and-solution organization