Reading Comprehension Practice Test

by

Reading Comprehension 1

The Tunguska Fireball

(1) On June 30, 1908, an enormous fireball shot across the sky and exploded high above the remote Tunguska River Valley in the Siberian region of Russia. Twenty miles away, huts were flattened and people were flung into the air. Villagers 40 miles away felt the heat and heard explosions, and tremors were recorded at a German seismic station more than 3,000 miles away.

(2) What caused the intense light and the horrendous destruction of the Tunguska Fireball, as it came to be called? Scientists and laypeople have debated the question for over 100 years. Not until 1927 did a scientific expedition, led by Russian scientist Leonid Kulik, reach the remote site. Kulik discovered a vast region of scorched and downed trees, their trunks pointing away from the center of the blast. Convinced that a meteorite was responsible, Kulik searched for evidence—a crater, a buried meteorite, even fragments of the exploded mass. He never found it.

(3) Other scientists, amateur astronomers, and the public suggested alternative theories of what had happened. Some thought it was an earthquake. Perhaps, others said, a black hole—a theoretical object in space where gravity is so strong that even light cannot get out—had collided with Earth or an alien spaceship carrying nuclear material had crashed.

(4) For many years Russian scientists believed that the Tunguska Fireball was a comet—a cluster of dust and frozen gases—that had exploded a few hundred feet above the ground. They pointed to the lack of meteoric evidence and the June 30 date, a time of year when Earth was passing through cometary debris. Other scientists disagreed, arguing that a comet would have burned quickly in Earth’s atmosphere and could not have created such a blast.

(5) Many Western scientists believed that a meteorite was responsible, despite the lack of evidence. The pattern of fallen trees suggested that they were knocked down by a blast about 4 miles above the ground with an energy of 15 megatons of TNT, consistent with a meteoric blast. Yet repeated searches of the surrounding forest and wetlands revealed no evidence of a meteorite.

(6) During the 1990s an Italian physicist named Menotti Galli became interested. Galli had previously investigated whether particles from outer space can add carbon atoms to the cellulose in trees. Perhaps the trees at the Tunguska site hid evidence of such extraterrestrial material. Galli and his colleagues traveled to the site by helicopter to gather core samples from spruce trees that had lived through the blast. They analyzed the particles trapped in the trees’ resin, and the results were remarkable. Based on studying the trees’ rings during the time period when the Tunguska Fireball occurred, the researchers found that the resin contained high levels of high-proton elements, such as copper, gold, and nickel. In fact, it contained ten times more such particles than resin dating from either before or after that time period. Some previously discovered meteorites had also contained elevated levels of these elements, suggesting that the particles had an extra-earthly origin. But then where is the crater? Is it nearby Lake Cheka, as some claim? Or was the meteorite reduced to dust in the atmosphere? Can scientists rule out a comet carrying those elements? The mystery remains unsolved.

1. What evidence best indicated the location of the blast?

(A) a lake formed from a crater
(B) tremors recorded at a seismic station
(C) damage caused to buildings
(D) the position of the trunks of fallen trees

View Answer
Answer: D The question asks for evidence that best supports a detail in the passage. When scientists were able to travel to the site almost two decades after the blast, they found a circle of “scorched and downed trees” that marked the blast site (paragraph 2), making Option D the correct answer. Option A is incorrect because, although the scientists searched for a crater, they never found one (paragraph 2). Option B is also incorrect because the tremors recorded at a seismic station thousands of miles away detailed the magnitude of the event, not the location (paragraph 1). Option C is incorrect because, although huts were flattened when the blast occurred, the destruction of the huts was not evident when the site was found almost two decades later (paragraph 1).

2. The June 30 date of the Tunguska event was significant to some scientists because it

(A) suggested that the explosion may have been caused by a comet.
(B) highlighted why tree resin from the time of the blast contained high-proton elements.
(C) indicated that the blast may have resulted from Earth’s impact with a black hole.
(D) explained why debris from outer space would have burned up in the atmosphere.

View Answer
Answer: A The question asks why the June 30 date bears significance to some scientists. Scientists noted that Earth was passing through cometary debris on June 30, 1908 (paragraph 4), which supports the idea stated in Option A, making it the correct response. Option B is incorrect because, while it states a detail from the passage, the detail is not connected to the June 30 date. Option C is incorrect because it states a theory regarding the cause of the impact that is not tied to the date of June 30. Option D is incorrect because this detail is used in the passage to suggest that such a blast could not have been caused by a comet.

3. What did Galli’s analysis of tree resin at the site reveal?

(A) Certain elements were unusually abundant around the time of the blast.
(B) Particles from outer space can add carbon atoms to trees.
(C) Spruce trees were able to survive the Tunguska explosion.
(D) Meteorites are composed of gold, copper, and other high-proton elements.

View Answer
Answer: A The question asks for the evidence found after Galli’s analysis. Galli discovered unusually high levels of some elements, such as copper, gold, and nickel, which are common elements in particles from outer space that were abundant in the tree resin (paragraph 6), as stated in Option A. Option B is incorrect because it refers to a rior finding of Galli’s, not what his analysis of the tree resin revealed. Option C is incorrect because, although the spruce trees did survive the blast, they were the trees Galli studied rather than a revelation from his studies. Option D is incorrect because it was previously known that meteorites contained these elements, and that information was not revealed by Galli’s analysis.

4. Based on the passage, what is the most likely reason it took nineteen years from the date of the explosion before scientists first visited the Tunguska site?

(A) The scientists feared radioactivity from a nuclear explosion.
(B) The site was far from civilization and difficult to reach.
(C) Scientists hoped to establish a cause before exploring the site.
(D) Craters from the explosion hampered travel to the area.

View Answer
Answer: B The question asks for the most likely reason it was difficult for scientists to discover the site of the Tunguska explosion. Paragraph 2 notes that the site of the blast was very “remote,” as stated in Option B. Option A is incorrect because none of the possible blast explanations mentioned in the passage suggest a nuclear explosion or radioactivity. Option C is incorrect because, even before visiting the site, scientists debated possible causes of the explosion (paragraphs 2–3). Option D is incorrect because the passage states in paragraph 2 that no evidence of a crater, or craters, was ever found.

5. What is the primary role of paragraph 1 in the structure of the passage?

(A) It explains the scientific importance of the explosion.
(B) It indicates the magnitude of the explosion.
(C) It provides possible causes of the explosion.
(D) It describes the human suffering caused by the explosion.

View Answer
Answer: B The questions asks for an explanation of how paragraph 1 supports the passage. Paragraph 1 provides several examples of the severe damage caused by the explosion, as stated in Option B. Option A is incorrect because the scientific aspects of the explosion are not discussed until later in the passage. Option C is incorrect because paragraph 1 discusses some of the effects of the blast rather than the potential cause. Although human suffering is one detail described in paragraph 1, this is not the primary evidence of the explosion’s destruction, making Option D incorrect.

6. The author includes a series of questions at the end of the last paragraph most likely to

(A) encourage further study of the Tunguska event.
(B) suggest that the Tunguska event had multiple causes.
(C) reflect a personal curiosity about the Tunguska event.
(D) emphasize that the Tunguska event has not yet been fully explained.

View Answer
Answer: D The question asks how the questions at the end of the last paragraph affect the passage. Although the passage introduces a number of theories about the Tunguska explosion, no definitive explanation has been reached. This idea is stated in Option D. Option A is incorrect because, although the passage does not discourage further study, it does not specifically promote it. Option B is incorrect because, although the author presents multiple possible causes, the passage suggests that the damage was most likely caused by one of these possibilities rather than several of them simultaneously. The author is certainly curious about the actual cause of the Tunguska explosion but objectively presents the questions about it that remain unanswered, making Option C incorrect.

Reading Comprehension 2

Excerpt from A Voice in the Wilderness
by Grace Livingston Hill

(1) With a lurch the train came to a dead stop and Margaret Earle, hastily gathering up her belongings, hurried down the aisle and got out into the night.

(2) It occurred to her, as she swung her heavy suit-case down the rather long step to the ground, and then carefully swung herself after it, that it was strange that neither conductor, brakeman, nor porter had come to help her off the train, when all three had taken the trouble to tell her that hers was the next station; but she could hear voices up ahead. Perhaps something was the matter with the engine that detained them and they had forgotten her for the moment.

(3) The ground was rough where she stood, and there seemed no sign of a platform. Did they not have platforms in this wild Western land, or was the train so long that her car had stopped before reaching it?

(4) She strained her eyes into the darkness, and tried to make out things from the two or three specks of light that danced about like fireflies in the distance. She could dimly see moving figures away up near the engine, and each one evidently carried a lantern. The train was tremendously long. A sudden feeling of isolation took possession of her. Perhaps she ought not to have got out until some one came to help her. Perhaps the train had not pulled into the station yet and she ought to get back on it and wait. Yet if the train started before she found the conductor she might be carried on somewhere and he justly blame her for a fool.

(5) There did not seem to be any building on that side of the track. It was probably on the other, but she was standing too near the cars to see over. She tried to move back to look, but the ground sloped and she slipped and fell in the cinders,1 bruising her knee and cutting her wrist.

(6) In sudden panic she arose. She would get back into the train, no matter what the consequences. They had no right to put her out here, away off from the station, at night, in a strange country. If the train started before she could find the conductor she would tell him that he must back it up again and let her off. He certainly could not expect her to get out like this.

(7) She lifted the heavy suit-case up the high step that was even farther from the ground than it had been when she came down, because her fall had loosened some of the earth and caused it to slide away from the track. Then, reaching to the rail of the step, she tried to pull herself up, but as she did so the engine gave a long snort and the whole train, as if it were in league against her, lurched forward crazily, shaking off her hold. She slipped to her knees again, the suit-case, toppled from the lower step, descending upon her, and together they slid and rolled down the short bank, while the train . . . ran giddily off into the night.

(8) The horror of being deserted helped the girl to rise in spite of bruises and shock. She lifted imploring hands to the unresponsive cars as they hurried by her—one, two, three, with bright windows, each showing a passenger, comfortable and safe inside, unconscious of her need.

1 cinders: track bed made from the residue of burnt coal.

(9) A moment of useless screaming, running, trying to attract some one’s attention, a sickening sense of terror and failure, and the last car slatted itself past with a mocking clatter, as if it enjoyed her discomfort.

(10) Margaret stood dazed, reaching out helpless hands, then dropped them at her sides and gazed after the fast-retreating train, the light on its last car swinging tauntingly, blinking now and then with a leer in its eye, rapidly vanishing from her sight into the depth of the night.

(11) She gasped and looked about her for the station that but a short moment before had been so real to her mind; and, lo! on this side and on that there was none!

(12) The night was wide like a great floor shut in by a low, vast dome of curving blue set with the largest, most wonderful stars she had ever seen. Heavy shadows of purple-green, smoke-like, hovered over earth darker and more intense than the unfathomable blue of the night sky. It seemed like the secret nesting-place of mysteries wherein no human foot might dare intrude. It was incredible that such could be but common sage-brush, sand, and greasewood wrapped about with the beauty of the lonely night.

(13) No building broke the inky outlines of the plain, nor friendly light streamed out to cheer her heart. Not even a tree was in sight, except on the far horizon, where a heavy line of deeper darkness might mean a forest. Nothing, absolutely nothing, in the blue, deep, starry dome above and the bluer darkness of the earth below save one sharp shaft ahead like a black mast throwing out a dark arm across the track.

(14) As soon as she sighted it she picked up her baggage and made her painful way toward it, for her knees and wrist were bruised and her baggage was heavy.

(15) A soft drip, drip greeted her as she drew nearer; something plashing down among the cinders by the track. Then she saw the tall column with its arm outstretched, and looming darker among the sage-brush the outlines of a water-tank. It was so she recognized the engine’s drinking-tank, and knew that she had mistaken a pause to water the engine for a regular stop at a station.

From A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS by Grace Livingston Hill—Public Domain

1. In paragraph 2, how does the phrase “when all three had taken the trouble to tell her” affect the tone in the first part of the excerpt?

(A) It creates an accusatory tone by suggesting that Margaret believes that others are responsible for her problem.

(B) It introduces a defiant tone by suggesting that Margaret left the train early to prove a point.

(C) It suggests a frustrated tone by showing that Margaret feels confused by the inconsistent help offered by the railroad employees.

(D) It establishes an appreciative tone by showing that Margaret feels cared for by the railroad employees.

View Answer
Answer: C The question asks how the phrase affects the tone in the first part of the excerpt. The phrase includes the words “all three” and “taken the trouble,” emphasizing Margaret’s early frustration as she recalls with some confused irritation that the men thought she needed an abundance of help earlier, but none of them is around to help when the train stops, as indicated in Option C. Option A is incorrect because when Margaret recalls the interaction, there is no indication that she blames the men for her current problem. Option B is incorrect because, while the description of how Margaret “hastily [gathers] up her belongings” and “[hurries] down the aisle” (paragraph 1) gives the appearance of being defiant, there is no evidence that she intentionally put herself in this vulnerable position just to make a point. Option D is incorrect because when Margaret recalls the interaction, there is no evidence that she appreciates the care shown to her, but rather she seems a bit offended that the men do not think she could take care of herself, as shown by the author’s description of the forceful way she exits the train without assistance when it stops.

2. Which sentence from the excerpt best supports the idea that traveling to new places by train is unfamiliar to Margaret?

(A) “With a lurch the train came to a dead stop and Margaret Earle, hastily gathering up her belongings, hurried down the aisle and got out into the night.” (paragraph 1)

(B) “Perhaps something was the matter with the engine that detained them and they had forgotten her for the moment.” (paragraph 2)

(C) “Did they not have platforms in this wild Western land, or was the train so long that her car had stopped before reaching it?” (paragraph 3)

(D) “She could dimly see moving figures away up near the engine, and each one evidently carried a lantern.” (paragraph 4)

View Answer
Answer: C The question asks for evidence from the passage that best supports the claim that Margaret is unfamiliar with traveling to new places. If Margaret has never traveled to this region by train before, she must guess or attempt to interpret what she sees. This idea is best represented in the sentence in paragraph 3 (Option C) where she questions whether the stations in the West have platforms. The sentence in paragraph 1 (Option A) is an incorrect response because Margaret’s actions in the sentence are decisive as she gathers her belongings to disembark; she is familiar with rail travel. The sentence in paragraph 2 (Option B) is an incorrect response because, in the sentence, Margaret is using her knowledge about trains to attempt to interpret the actions of others; she is familiar with trains, even if a particular destination has not been mentioned. The sentence in paragraph 4 (Option D) is an incorrect response because, while the sentence shows that Margaret is trying to better understand her situation in the darkness, her ability to identify the train’s engine and the figures carrying lanterns indicates some familiarity with her mode of travel.

3. Read this sentence from paragraph 4.

Yet if the train started before she found the conductor she might be carried on somewhere and he justly blame her for a fool.

How does the sentence contribute to the development of the plot?

(A) It shows how Margaret’s reliance on the guidance of others leads to the external conflict she faces.
(B) It reveals how Margaret’s concern about the opinions of others causes the external conflict she faces.
(C) It highlights how Margaret’s indecision results in the external conflict being prolonged.
(D) It illustrates how Margaret’s confusion makes it difficult for her to fully understand the external conflict.

View Answer
Answer: D The question asks which sentence correctly explains the connection between the sentence from paragraph 4 and the overall plot of the excerpt. The train’s need to stop for water is not evident to Margaret, which causes the external conflict. The sentence from paragraph 4 reveals how Margaret’s confusion over her best course of action prevents her from recognizing the nature of the external conflict; therefore, Option D is correct

4. Read this sentence from paragraph 4.

“She strained her eyes into the darkness, and tried to make out things from the two or three specks of light that danced about like fireflies in the distance.”

The simile used in the sentence affects the tone of the paragraph by emphasizing a

(A) feeling of comfort as Margaret connects her unfamiliar surroundings with familiar images.
(B) sense of lonesomeness as Margaret realizes that she is on her own in the wilderness.
(C) sense of tranquility as Margaret is distracted from the urgency of her situation by the beauty of the night.
(D) feeling of dread as Margaret regards the desolation of the land that surrounds her.

View Answer
Answer: B The question asks how the simile in the sentence from paragraph 4 reflects the tone of the paragraph. The image of two or three fireflies creating small specks of light in the darkness creates a sense of isolation or loneliness in Margaret, as shown in the sentence, “A sudden feeling of isolation took possession of her” (paragraph 4). Therefore, Option B is correct. Option A is incorrect because Margaret is confused and indecisive, showing her discomfort with her situation. Option C is incorrect because Margaret expresses distress in her situation, questions her decision, and worries about being labeled a “fool” (paragraph 4). Option D is incorrect because the simile is meant to show how far away things are from Margaret, not create a feeling of dread, which develops later in paragraph 9.

5. Read paragraph 9 from the excerpt.

“A moment of useless screaming, running, trying to attract someone’s attention, a sickening sense of terror and failure, and the last car slatted itself past with a mocking clatter, as if it enjoyed her discomfort.”

The imagery in this sentence conveys the

(E) growing irritation Margaret feels as she is ignored by people on the train.
(F) effort Margaret is making despite being physically unable to keep up with the train.
(G) anger that Margaret is experiencing as she watches the train leave without her.
(H) vulnerability Margaret feels as the train leaves her behind.

View Answer
Answer: D The question asks for an explanation of what the imagery in the excerpt from paragraph 9 conveys. The words “useless” and “failure” in the sentence indicate that Margaret’s best efforts do not help her. The phrase “the last car slatted itself past” shows that Margaret is helpless to stop the train from departing, which leaves her completely vulnerable, as described in Option D. Option A is incorrect because describing Margaret’s “sickening sense of terror” indicates that she is extremely afraid of being left behind rather than increasingly irritated with the other passengers. Option B is incorrect because Margaret spends her time “screaming, running, trying to attract some one’s attention” in an effort to be noticed so that the train will stop, not attempting to run as fast as the train. Option C is incorrect because while Margret’s screaming and running could easily suggest feelings of anger, descriptions of her “sickening sense of terror and failure” indicate otherwise.

6. How does Margaret’s experience in paragraph 9 emphasize a theme of the excerpt?

(A) It confirms Margaret’s understanding that she cannot rely on help from anyone else.
(B) It leads Margaret to realize that her efforts to change her situation are ineffective.
(C) It causes Margaret to believe that her own actions led to an unfavorable outcome.
(D) It reinforces Margaret’s frustration about her lack of control over her surroundings.

View Answer
Answer: A The question asks about the relationship between the theme and paragraph 9, where Margaret desperately tries to get someone on the train to notice her. One important theme of this excerpt concerns Margaret’s willingness to take action to ensure that she reaches her destination. This determination, described in Option A, is why she gathers her belongings together without help, gets off the train without being assisted by employees, and then attempts to climb back on while the train employees are busy examining the engine. Option B is incorrect because, while the narrator describes her screaming as useless, she does not feel that her efforts overall are useless, and she does not give up until paragraph 10. Option C is incorrect because, while Margaret is feeling a sense of “failure” in paragraph 9, she does not condemn herself as the train moves away. Option D is incorrect because Margaret has expressed “terror” in paragraph 9 over being unable to catch someone’s attention, not frustration over her lack of control over her surroundings.

7. Read paragraph 10 from the excerpt.

“Margaret stood dazed, reaching out helpless hands, then dropped them at her sides and gazed after the fast-retreating train, the light on its last car swinging tauntingly, blinking now and then with a leer in its eye, rapidly vanishing from her sight into the depth of the night.”

What does the figurative language in this sentence emphasize?

(E) the sense of doubt that Margaret experiences when she is deciding what to do next
(F) the anger that Margaret feels toward the people on the train who she expected to help her
(G) the embarrassment that Margaret feels when she imagines what others will think of her
(H) the hopelessness that Margaret feels when she accepts that the train is continuing on

View Answer
Answer: D The question asks about the relationship between the theme and paragraph 9, where Margaret desperately tries to get someone on the train to notice her. One important theme of this excerpt concerns Margaret’s willingness to take action to ensure that she reaches her destination. This determination, described in Option A, is why she gathers her belongings together without help, gets off the train without being assisted by employees, and then attempts to climb back on while the train employees are busy examining the engine. Option B is incorrect because, while the narrator describes her screaming as useless, she does not feel that her efforts overall are useless, and she does not give up until paragraph 10. Option C is incorrect because, while Margaret is feeling a sense of “failure” in paragraph 9, she does not condemn herself as the train moves away. Option D is incorrect because Margaret has expressed “terror” in paragraph 9 over being unable to catch someone’s attention, not frustration over her lack of control over her surroundings.