SSAT Reading - Literature

1. SSAT READING – LITERATURE (Part 1)
By day the bat is cousin to the mouse;
He likes the attic of an aging house.
His fingers make a hat about his head.
His pulse-beat is so slow we think him dead.
He loops in crazy figures half the night.
But when he brushes up against a screen,
We are afraid of what our eyes have seen:
For something is amiss or out of place
When mice with wings can wear a human face.
-Theodore Roethke
1. The ‘hat’ referred to in line 3 is meant to refer to
(A)the attic of the house
(B) the bat’s head
(C) the bat’s wings
(D)the death of the bat
(E) the mouse
2. The passage uses which of the following to describe the bat?
I. The image of a winged mouse
II. The image of a vampire
III. The way he flies
(A)I only
(B) I and II only
(C) II and III only
(D)I and III only
(E) I, II, and III
3. The author mentions the ‘crazy figures’ in line 5 to refer to
(A)the comic notion of a mouse with wings
(B) the pattern of the bat’s flight
(C) the shape of the house
(D)the reason the bat appears dead
(E) the trees in the yard
4. The author would most probably agree with which of the following statements?
(A)Bats are useful animals.
(B) Bats are related to mice.
(C) Bats are feared by many.
(D)Most people have bats in their attic.
(E) Bats are an uninteresting phenomenon.

2. Nature
5
10
As a fond mother, when the day is o’er,
Leads by the hand her little child to bed,
Half willing, half reluctant to be led,
And leave his broken playthings on the floor,
Still gazing at them through the open door,
Nor wholly reassured and comforted
By promises of other in their stead,
Which, through more splendid, may not please him more;
So Nature deals with us, and takes away
Our playthings one by one, and by the hand
Leads us to rest so gently, that we go
Scarce knowing if we wish to go or stay,
Being too full of sleep to understand
How far the unknown transcends that what we know.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1. In this poem, the author compares
(A) a mother to a child
(B) childhood to adulthood
(C)life to sleep
(D)death to sleep
(E) a mother to Mother Nature
2. Which best describes the author’s attitude toward death?
(A) Children are not afraid of death.
(B) Death is not to be feared.
(C)The death of a child is a terrible thing.
(D)A sudden death is better than a long and lingering one.
(E) Death brings an end to illness and pain.
3. What are the “playthings” mentioned in line 10?
(A) a child’s toys
(B) adult status symbols

3. (C)the people and things that fill our lives
(D)irritating things that happen in life
(E) favorite activities
4. The tone of this poem is the best described as
(A) calm and reassuring.
(B) hostile and angry.
(C)troubled and sad.
(D)full of fear.
(E) troubled and uncertain.
5. In which in line does the speaker switch points of view?
(A) 2
(B) 5
(C)9
(D)12
(E) 14

4. The mountain and the squirrel
Had a quarrel;
And the former called the latter “Little Prig.”
Bun replied,
Line 5 “You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together
To make up a year And
a sphere.
10 And I think it’s no disgrace To
occupy my place.
If I’m not so large as you,
You are not so small as I, And
not half so spry.
15 I’ll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track;
Talents differ: all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut.”
1. “Bun” (line 4) probably refers to
(A) the poet
(B) the squirrel
(C) the mountain
(D) a reader
(E) a bystander
2. Which of the following best states the main idea of this poem?
(F) Slow and steady wins the race.
(G) An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
(H) Squirrels are the rulers of the animal kingdom.
(I) It takes all kinds to make a world.
(J) Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.
3. The squirrel asserts that he is superior to the mountain in which of the
following ways?
I. He is smaller and can move around.
II. He has hands, feet, and eyes.

5. III. His bushy tail is prettier than the mountain’s forest.
(K) I only
(L) I and II
(M) II and III
(N) I and III
(O) I, II, and III
4. The squirrel would probably agree that
(A) it would be better to be a mountain than a squirrel
(B) mountains have no place in the world
(C) squirrels are better than bats in every way
(D) mountains and squirrels are both good for different things
(E) mountains are not good places to play

6. By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.
The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creep.
On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.
Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee
- ‘Concord Hymn’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson
1. The statements in line 3-4 most likely mean
(A)the narrator is a farmer
(B) the place described is a battle site
(C) a crime took place at that site
(D)the farmers described were all killed
(E) it is a cold day
2. In the poem, the speaker claims which of the reasons for writing this poem?
I. To warn future generations about the horrors of war
II. To keep the memory of the great deeds of soldiers alive
III. To gain courage to fight himself
(A)I only
(B) II only
(C) II and III only
(D)I and III only
(E) I, II, and III
3. The ‘votive stone’ referred to in line 10 probably refers to
(A)a candle
(B) a weapon
(C) an old stone fence

7. (D)a war memorial
(E) a natural landmark
4. With which statement would the author most strongly agree?
(A)All war is in vain.
(B) Farming is a difficult life.
(C) It is important to remember the brave soldiers.
(D)How a man fights is as important as how he lives his life.
(E) A memorial is an insignificant way to remember the past.

8. UP! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
Or surely you’ll grow double:
Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
Why all this toil and trouble?
Line 5 The sun, above the mountain’s head, A
freshening luster mellow
Through all the long green fields has spread,
His first sweet evening yellow.
Books! ‘tis a dull and endless strife:
10 Come, hear the woodland linnet,
How sweet his music! on my life,
There’s more of wisdom in it.
And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!
He, too, is no mean preacher:
15 Come forth into the light of things,
Let Nature be your teacher.
1. What does the speaker want his friend to do?
(A) study harder, as books are invariably the best teachers
(B) take a break from studying and come outside
(C) learn how to sing as sweetly as the birds in the woods
(D) bring his books outdoors to read in the sunshine
(E) quit school and join him on an adventure
2. It can be inferred from the poem that a “linnet” (line 10) is a type of
(A) prophet
(B) music
(C) flower
(D) bird
(E) book

9. 3. In lines 7-8, what has spread his “first sweet evening yellow” through the
fields?
(A) the woodland linnet
(B) the singing throstle
(C) nature
(D) the mountain top
(E) the sun
4. The tone of the poem can be best described as
(A) angry
(B) melancholy
(C) blissful
(D) imploring
(E) somber
5. The speaker would most likely agree with which of the following statements?
(A) Nature can be as good a teacher as a book.
(B) It is important to spend several hours outdoors each day.
(C) Birds are the loveliest animals.
(D) Music is a more beautiful art form than literature.
(E) It’s a shame that schools don’t have outdoor classrooms.

10. There is wind where the rose was,
Cold rain where sweet grass was,
And clouds like sheep
Stream o’er the steep
Line 5 Grey skies where the lark was.
Nought warm where your hand was,
Nought gold where your hair was, But
phantom, forlorn,
Beneath the thorn,
10 Your ghost where your face was.
Cold wind where your voice was,
Tears, tears where my heart was,
And ever with me,
Child, ever with me,
15 Silence where hope was.
1. Which of the following best summarizes the meaning of the poem?
(A) November has come and the terrible weather dampens the poet’s mood.
(B) November is over and hope will return as soon as sun and warmth replace the
seasonal greyness.
(C) The poet has lost someone dear to him, and sees his loss reflected in the season
of November.
(D) The poet cannot find his child because it is so dark and windy outside.
(E) The poet longs to escape from the awful season of November.
2. What is the most likely meaning of the word “nought” as it appears in lines 6 and 7?
(A) enough
(B) do not
(C) although
(D) even more
(E) nothing
3. To what does the poet compare the clouds?

11. (A) the lark
(B) sheep sitting still
(C) running sheep
(D) grey skies
(E) his unhappiness
4. In the last stanza, the poet suggests that
(A) his life is sad now, but it will improve eventually
(B) he has lost all hope forever
(C) he would feel hopeless if it weren’t for the presence of his
child
(D) if the child stays with him forever, he may learn to love again
(E) he wishes the child would stop crying

12. Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash* the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I’ve heard it in the chilliest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
*discourage
“Hope,” by Emily Dickinson
1. In this poem, hope is compared to
(A) a gale
(B) a sea
(C) a storm
(D) a bird
(E) E. a song
2. What is the poet saying in the last stanza of the poem?
(A) It is terrible to imagine a world without hope, and we must
therefore do everything possible to preserve our hopes.
(B) The bird continues to sing through all conditions
(C) Hope can be found anywhere and never asks anything in
return for its loyalty.
(D) The bird is very hungry because it is constantly singing
and never takes any time to eat.
(E) The potential for hope is always present, but it takes a
great effort to make it a reality.

13. 3. The lines “the little bird/That kept so many warm” in the second stanza refer to the
fact that
(A) the feathers of birds have traditionally provided protection
against the cold
(B) hope has comforted a great many people over the years
(C) the birds provided protection before it was destroyed in a
storm
(D) hope has often proven useless in the face of real problems
(E) hope is a good last resort when faced with a difficult
situation
4. The attitude of the speaker in this poem can best be described as
(A) angry
(B) unconcerned
(C) respectful
(D) nervous
(E) grateful
5. The term “sore” (line 6) most nearly means
(A) hurt
(B) angry
(C) severe
(D) kind
(E) wet