The following passage
is followed by questions based on its content. Think about what is implied or stated in each passage and then
answer the questions.
(1) For
perhaps the tenth time since the clock struck two, Sylvia crosses to the
front-facing window of her apartment, pulls back the blue curtain, and looks
down at the street. People hurry along the sidewalk; although she
watches for several long moments, she sees no one enter her building.
(2) She walks back to the center of the
high-ceilinged living room, where she stands frowning and twisting a silver
bracelet around and around on her wrist. She is an attractive young
woman, although perhaps too thin and with a look that is faintly ascetic; her
face is narrow and delicate, her fine, light-brown hair caught back by a
tortoiseshell comb. She is restless now, because she is being kept waiting.
It is nearly two-thirty—a woman named Lola Parrish was to come at two
o'clock
to look at the apartment.
(3) She considers leaving a note and going
out. The woman is late, and besides, Sylvia is certain that Lola
Parrish will not be a suitable person with whom to share the apartment.
On the phone she had sounded too old, for one thing—her voice oddly flat and
as deep as a man's. However, the moment for saying the apartment was no
longer available slipped past, and Sylvia found herself agreeing to the two
o'clock
appointment. If she leaves now, as she has a perfect right to do, she
can avoid the awkwardness of turning the woman away.
(4) Looking past the blue curtain, however, she
sees the sky is not clear but veiled by a white haze, and the air is
oppressively still. She knows that the haze, the stillness, and the
heat are conditions that often precede a summer thunderstorm—one of the
abrupt, swiftly descending electrical storms that have terrified her since
she was a child. If a storm comes, she wants to be at home in her own
place.
(5) She walks back to the center of the
room, aware now that the idea of sharing the apartment has actually begun to
repel her. Still, she knows she will have to become accustomed to the
notion, because her savings are nearly gone and the small trust fund left by
her father, exhausted. She has a low-paying job, and, while she
has considered seeking another (perhaps something connected with music—in her
childhood she had played the flute and people had said she was gifted), she
has found herself dragged down by a strange inertia.
(6) Besides, although her job pays poorly,
it suits her. She is a typist in a natural history museum, with an
office on the top floor and a window onto the nearby aviary. The man
for whom she works, a curator who is rarely in, allows Sylvia to have the
office to herself. The aviary consists of
three enormous, white rooms, each with a high, vaulted ceiling. The
birds themselves, so beautifully mounted they seem alive, are displayed in
elaborate dioramas. Behind glass, they perch in trees with leaves of
sculpted metal, appearing to soar through painted forests, above painted
rivers and marshes. Everything is rendered in exquisite detail.
Glancing at the birds and up through the skylight at the limitless outdoors
keeps her mild claustrophobia at bay.
1.
Which of the
following adjectives best describes Sylvia's mood as depicted in the story
segment?
A.
B.
C.
D.
2.
Based on the tone
of the passage and the description of Sylvia at this moment, which of
the following is the most likely reason Sylvia's job "suits
her?"
A.
B.
C.
D.
3.
When Sylvia
looks out her window, the weather appears:
A.
B.
C.
D.
4.
Based on
the story segment, which of the following would most likely
describe Sylvia's behavior in relationship to other people?
A.
B.
C.
D.
5.
Which
of the following is most likely the author's purpose in
describing in detail the museum where Sylvia works?
A.
B.
C.
D.
6.
Which
of the following images is most appropriate for
describing Sylvia's state of mind as she waits for
Lola?
A.
B.
C.
D.
7.
The
word "exhausted," underlined in paragraph
5, most nearly means:
A.
B.
C.
D.
8.
The description of Sylvia's physical
appearance in paragraph 2 might be said to
foreshadow subsequent parts of the narrative
because:
A.
B.
C.
D.
9.
What is Sylvia's
dominant emotion in paragraph 3?
A.
B.
C.
D.
10.
The statement that
"the air is oppressively
still" in paragraph 4 reflects the
viewpoint of
A.
B.
C.
D.
ANSWER KEY
1.
Which of the
following adjectives best describes
Sylvia's mood as depicted in the story
segment?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Explanation:
In paragraph 2,
Sylvia is described as “restless” and
in paragraph 4 she is “fearful of the
impending storm.” Therefore, her mood
is most likely anxious. Choice B is
wrong because there are no details
indicating anger. Choice C is
refuted because of her obvious dread of
the coming storm. Choice D is
too strong a word to fit the
description.
Section:
ACT Reading Test
Subsection:
Inference
2.
Based on the tone
of the passage and the description of
Sylvia at this moment, which of the
following is the most likely reason
Sylvia's job "suits her?"
A.
B.
C.
D.
Explanation:
Choice A may
be true but is not reflected in the
story segment. Choice B
is wrong because the birds that
surround Sylvia at work are dead and
mounted and therefore aren't
singing. The final sentence
mentions Sylvia's mild claustrophobia,
so the best answer is C,
which states that she works in a space
that feels open. Choice D is
incorrect because, based on what we
know of her, Sylvia is unlikely to want
to learn new skills.
Section:
ACT Reading Test
Subsection:
Inference
3.
When Sylvia looks
out her window, the weather appears:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Explanation:
In paragraph 4,
Sylvia does not want to go outside
because an electrical storm is coming,
and she has always been terrified of
storms, making ominous (A)
a good choice. Since Sylvia is
afraid of the weather, such positive
adjectives as spring-like,
inviting, and serene
(choices B,
C,
and D) are poor
choices for describing it.
Section:
ACT Reading Test
Subsection:
Inference
4.
Based on the story
segment, which of the following would
most likely describe Sylvia's behavior
in relationship to other people?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Explanation:
Sylvia's job suits
her partly because her boss is usually
gone and she's alone at work; she is
mildly fearful of meeting the new
person, Lola Parrish, and even thinks
of leaving before their
appointment. These details point
to a person who wants to remain distant
and aloof, the opposite of someone who
might be overbearing or malicious
(choices B and
C).
Lola’s lateness makes her impatient,
ruling out choice D.
Section:
ACT Reading Test
Subsection:
Inference
5.
Which of the
following is most likely the author's
purpose in describing in detail the
museum where Sylvia works?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Explanation:
Sylvia does seem
distant and her life somewhat cold, so
choice D is the most
logical choice. The job does not
require much attention or
concentration, ruling out choice A.
The details in the passage do not
connote lightness or airiness (she's
restless and fearful; the weather is
threatening), so choice B isn't
a good one. There is no hint in
the story segment that Sylvia feels
anything for her boss, ruling out
choice C.
Section:
ACT Reading Test
Subsection:
Inference
6.
Which of the
following images is most appropriate
for describing Sylvia's state of mind
as she waits for Lola?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Explanation:
Sylvia is
hesitating and moving backwards and
forwards in her mind between two
perceived evils—meeting Lola and being
unable to pay her rent. She is
thus more like a trapped, frightened
animal than she is like either an eager
child (A) or a
terrifying natural phenomenon (C or
D).
Section:
ACT Reading Test
Subsection:
Inference
7.
The word
"exhausted," underlined in
paragraph 5, most nearly means:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Explanation:
While exhausted
can be synonymous with each of the
possible answers in the right context,
in the context of paragraph 5 it means spent—the
money her father left her has been used
up.
Section:
ACT Reading Test
Subsection:
Vocabulary.
8.
The description of
Sylvia's physical appearance in paragraph
2 might be said to foreshadow
subsequent parts of the narrative
because:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Explanation:
The narrative we
are given goes on to portray Sylvia's
shy personality; physical delicacy is
similar to, and so foreshadows,
emotional delicacy.
Section:
ACT Reading Test
Subsection:
Inference
9.
What is Sylvia's
dominant emotion in paragraph 3?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Explanation:
While Sylvia feels
all of these emotions in the course of
the passage, paragraph 3 is marked by
her irritation with Lola Parrish's
tardiness.
Section:
ACT Reading Test
Subsection:
Inference
10.
The statement that
"the air is oppressively
still" in paragraph 4 reflects the
viewpoint of
A.
B.
C.
D.
Explanation:
The sentence in
which the quoted phrase appears begins
by saying that Sylvia "sees"
what the day is like,
making it clear that it is Sylvia's
point of view that is reported at this
point.
