Reading Test 65 MINUTES, 52 QUESTIONS ‘Turn to Section 1 of your answer sheet to answer the questions in this section. Ens NS. ach passage or pair of passages below is followed by a number of questions. After reading ‘each passage or pait, choose the best answer te each question based on what's stated or Implied in the passage or passages and in any accompanying graphics (such as a table or graph) ‘Questions 1-10 are based on the following passage. The following passage is an excerpt from 2 memoir wtten by ‘writer John Burke, about the novelist Joseph Heller. Thecame a fan of Joseph Heller’ writing while | ‘asa student in high schoo! in the 1970s, His most famous book, Catch-22, was practically an anthem for dine any friends and me. We bad dissected i, sitting in the 5 park outside school, reciting certain Key passages aloud and proclsimiing to anyone who would listen that this ‘was quite possibly the best book ever written. Nearly ‘twenty years ater am not sure that we were wrong, Heller created @ modern-day anti-hero who was 10 a soldier trying to stay sane inthe midst of a war in which he no longer believed, his spoke to:my ‘generation, growing up as we did during the turmoil of ‘Vietnam, and—however you felt about the issue—his ideas vere considered importa ie Thad spent many hours imagining what the man swho had created the savage wit and brilliant imagery ‘of that book would be like in person. I was soon to find ‘out. "To this day, I have no idea how it was arranged, ‘but somehow an invitation to speak at my high school 29 was extended and duly accepted ‘On the day, Tmade sure to be near the gate of the school to see him arrive. I was looking fora limousine, or perhaps an entourage of reporters surrounding the ‘man whose dust-jacket picture I had scrutinized so 25 often. But suddenly, there he was, completely alone, ‘walking hesitantly toward the school like just a normal person, He walked by me, and I was amazed to sec that hhe was wearing sather tattered sneakers, down atthe heel. 184 | Beading ané Wing Workout or the SAT 50 When he began speaking in the auditorium, I wes dumbfounded, for he had a very heavy speech impediment. “that cant be him? T whispered loudly toa friend “Lie sounds like a dork? 2 -Mynotions ofa brilliant man at that time did not extend to a speech impediment—or any handicap ‘whatsoever, Ordinary people were handicapped, but ‘sot men ofbrilliaice. There was, in facta fair amount of whispering going on in the anditorium. 40 And then somehow, we began to listen to what he ‘was saying, He was completely brilliant, He seemed to know just what we were thinking and articulated {feolings that | had only barely known that had, He spoke for forty minutes and held us all spelbound. 1 4 would not have left my seat even if Loould, ‘As I listened, I began to feel awaken in me the possibility of being more than I had supposed that 1 could be. With some dificuty I managed to get to the school gate again and waited for twenty mimotes while 49 T suppose he signed autographs and fielded questions inside the auditorium, Eventually, he came out, as he had come in, alone: screwed up all my courage and called to him, “Ma, Heller” He almost didi stop but then he turned around and came over to me. “just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your book." Pconminue 9He looked down at me in my wheelchair, smiled @ asif it was the most normal thing in the world and shools my hand, [think that day may have been very ‘important in the future direction of my life. Ea ‘The main purpose of the passage is to A) illustrate that authors do not make as much money as people nay expect. B} describe an event that may have changed the author's perception of himself ©) prove that Catch-22 is the best book ever written 1D) provide insight into the contrast between hove people expect the famous to bchave and how they actually do, Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question? A) Lines 4-7 (We, .. written”) B) Lines 22-25 ("Tvvas. often") ©) Lines 41-42 ("He was... thinking”) D) Lines 61-62 (“I think... life") Based on the information the passage provides about Heller's novel, Catch-22-can best be described as A) a provocative book that appeated almost ‘exclusively to young men. B)_amemoir whose appeal depended on readers’ proximity to the events thet had influenced its creation. ©) a novel whose briliance might appeal to people who were not directly affected by US involvement in Vietnam. D) an inspiring and realistic account of one soldier's valor, i | Mees ‘The author uses the phrase “however you felt about the issue” (line 13) to signal A) that not all critics agreed with the author's assessinent of Catch-22% excellence. B) that the book was valued by the author and his friends because of its ability to stir up debate ©) that the Vietnam War was the subject of much debate D) that books can generate strong emotional responses in readers, ‘The author quotes his own comment to his friend in lines 33-34 primarily in order to ‘A) emphasize the strength of his initial reaction to Haller’s speech. 'B) suggest thatthe reason Heller almost didi stop as he was leaving was that he had overhearc this comment, (© highlight the author’ suspicion that Heller had sent a stand-in to deliver his speech, D) inject some humor to counterbalance the overall ‘somber nature of the passage. ‘The author describes Heller's speech (lines 30-45) primarily in order to 'A) show that the students initia skepticism was ‘overcome by their interest in what he was saying B) illustrate the powerful effect a good speaker can have. C)_ provide « warning not wo judge people by how they speak, D) respond to charges that Heller's work is overrated, => teat avon | 85I ‘Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question? ‘A) Lines 30-32 (When... impediment”) B) Lines 38-39 ("There .. auditorium’) ©) Hines 40-81 (And then... briliant”) D) Lines 43-64 (He. .. spellbound") In the context of the passage as a whole, it can be inferred that the most likely cause of the “difficulty” (line 48} the author had in returning to the schoo! gate was the |A) effect ofthe emotions Heller's speech had generated. B) crowd of other students who were waiting to see Holler’s departure, ©) injury the author had sustained in the Vietnam War 1D) fact that he has limited physical mobility 86 | Beaing ad Wag Wahoo the SAT In ine $0, “fielded” most nearly means A) answered B) evaded ©) asked, D) cough. It can be inferred from the passage that the most likely reason the author had to "serew up all (his) courage” was that A) he was embarrassed about his own speech, impediment. B) he greatly admired Heller. (©)_he was afraid Heller would not respond to him. D) he thought Heller would be annoyed to deal with another student.” 5 20 Questions 11-21 are based on the following passage. 0 The fllowing two passages present two views ofthe Funeral Industry inthe United States. The fst passage Is an excerpt from a book written in 1963 by a journalist and takes a hard look t funeral practices atthe time. The second passage was ‘iritten inthe 1980s bya member ofthe funeral business and looks at the changes inthe industry since the first Book appeared. Passage ‘Oh death, where is thy sting? O grave, where # is thy victory? Where, indeed. Many a badly stung survivor faced with the aftermath of some relatives funeral has ruefully concluded thatthe victory has been won hands down by a funeral establishment in disastrously unequal battle, s ‘Much has been written of ate about the affluent society in which we live, and wnuch fan poled at some ‘of the irrational “status symbols” set out like golden snares to trap the unwary consumer at every tur. Until recently litle has been said about the most rational o and weirdest ofthe lot, lying in ambush fora of us at the end of the road-—the modern American funeral Ifthe dismal traders (as an eighteenth-century Englih writer calls them) bave traditionally been cast in a comic role in literature, a universally recognized = 6S symbol of humor from Shakespeare to Dickens to Byelyn Waugh, they have successfully turned the tables, in recent years to perpetrate a huge, macabre, and expensive practical joie on the American public tis not consciously conceived of as a joke, of course; on 70 the contrary itis hedged with admirably contrived rationalization. Gradually almost imperceptibly, over the years, the funeral men have constructed their own grotesque Footing Pacte Tat | €7‘The fest parageaph suggests that the “sting” referred to in the question, “Oh death, where is thy sting?” (line 1) AA) the suffering from which the dead are released. B)_the consequence ofthe bitterness when heirs fight over an inheritance ©) the challenges and eosts of dealing with the funeral industry. 1D) the painful recognition ofall thatthe dying leave behind. i can be inferred from the passage that the “dismal traders” (line 14) are A) undertakers B) shopkeepers. ©) famous writers D) practical jokers, “the phrase “Madison Avenue language” is used by the author of passage | to describe language aimed at A) distracting mouzners from the pain oftheir losses. B) persuading peaple to buy things they dontt need. ©) evoking the nightmarish aftermath of sudden death 1D) helping people to live graciousty even in their suffering. 88 | Reading ard Weng Workct for the SAT ‘The examples provided in the last paragraph of passage I primarily serve to A) illustrate how many different casket options are available, 1B) demonstrate that modern undertakers have a sense of humor. ©) point to some ironies in the way modern funeral ‘trappings are macketed. ‘D) ‘highlight the extent to which some caskets will delay the decaying of a corpse ‘The primary purpose ofthe second passage is to A) condemn some new practices as ineffective in terms of addressing the escalating costs of funerals. B)_ speculate on how Jessica Mitford might respond to the recent changes in te funeral industry, ©) argue that recent cost-cutting measures have hed a detrimental effect on how funerals serve the mourners 1D) suggest thatthe purposes of each step in a funeral be spelled out more clearly. ‘Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question? A) Eines 40-41 ("In the... curbed”) B) Lines 49-53 ("True rite") ©) Lines 55-57 ("Believe car") D) Lines 68-70 (‘More ... wreaths") Inline 41, “curbed” most neatly means A) brought under control, B)_ made public, ©) eliminated. D} allowed to proliferate. P CONTINUE.