PSATPracticeTest2

Name:
Thefollowingpassagereferstoquestions8through14.
MarieCuriewasoneofthemostaccomplishedscientistsinhistory.Togetherwithherhusband,
Pierre,shediscoveredradium,anelementwidelyusedfortreatingcancer,andstudieduraniumand
otherradioactivesubstances.PierreandMarie'samicablecollaborationlaterhelpedtounlockthe
secretsoftheatom.
Mariewasbornin1867inWarsaw,Poland,whereherfatherwasaprofessorofphysics.Atanearly
age,shedisplayedabrilliantmindandablithepersonality.Hergreatexuberanceforlearning
promptedhertocontinuewithherstudiesafterhighschool.Shebecamedisgruntled,however,when
shelearnedthattheuniversityinWarsawwasclosedtowomen.Determinedtoreceiveahigher
education,shedefiantlyleftPolandandin1891enteredtheSorbonne,aFrenchuniversity,whereshe
earnedhermaster'sdegreeanddoctorateinphysics.
MariewasfortunatetohavestudiedattheSorbonnewithsomeofthegreatestscientistsofherday,
oneofwhomwasPierreCurie.MarieandPierreweremarriedin1895andspentmanyproductive
yearsworkingtogetherinthephysicslaboratory.Ashorttimeaftertheydiscoveredradium,Pierre
waskilledbyahorsedrawnwagonin1906.Mariewasstunnedbythishorriblemisfortuneand
enduredheartbreakinganguish.Despondentlysherecalledtheircloserelationshipandthejoythat
theyhadsharedinscientificresearch.Thefactthatshehadtwoyoungdaughterstoraisebyherself
greatlyincreasedherdistress.
Curie'sfeelingofdesolationfinallybegantofadewhenshewasaskedtosucceedherhusbandasa
physicsprofessorattheSorbonne.Shewasthefirstwomantobegivenaprofessorshipattheworld
famousuniversity.In1911shereceivedtheNobelPrizeinchemistryforisolatingradium.Although
MarieCurieeventuallysufferedafatalillnessfromherlongexposuretoradium,sheneverbecame
disillusionedaboutherwork.Regardlessoftheconsequences,shehaddedicatedherselftoscience
andtorevealingthemysteriesofthephysicalworld.
8.TheCuries'_________collaborationhelpedtounlockthesecretsoftheatom.
A.friendly
B.competitive
C.courteous

D.industrious
E.chemistry

9.Mariehadabrightmindanda______personality.
A.strong
B.lighthearted
C.humorous

D.strange
E.envious

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10.WhenshelearnedthatshecouldnotattendtheuniversityinWarsaw,shefelt_________.
A.hopeless
B.annoyed
C.depressed

D.worried
E.Noneoftheabove

11.Marie_________byleavingPolandandtravelingtoFrancetoentertheSorbonne.
A.challengedauthority
B.showedintelligence
C.behaved

D.wasdistressed
E.Answernotavailable

12._________sherememberedtheirjoytogether.
A.Dejectedly
B.Worried
C.Tearfully

D.Happily
E.Irefully

13.Her_________begantofadewhenshereturnedtotheSorbonnetosucceedherhusband.
A.misfortune
B.anger
C.wretchedness

D.disappointment
E.ambition

14.Eventhoughshebecamefatallyillfromworkingwithradium,MarieCuriewasnever
_________.
A.troubled
B.worried
C.disappointed

D.sorrowful
E.disturbed

ReadingfortheMainIdea:
Ofthemanykindsofvegetablesgrownallovertheworld,whichremainsthefavoriteofyoungand
oldalike?Thepotato,ofcourse.
Perhapsyouknowthemas"taters,""spuds,"or"Kennebees,"oras"chips,""Idahoes,"oreven
"shoestrings."Nomatter,apotatobyanyothernameisstillapotatotheworld'smostwidelygrown
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vegetable.Asamatteroffact,ifyouareanaveragepotatoeater,youwillputawayatleast100
poundsofthemeachyear.
That'sonlyatinyportionoftheamountgrowneveryyear,however.Worldwide,theannualpotato
harvestisover6billionbags.Eachbagcontains100poundsofpotatoes,someofthemaslargeas
fourpoundseach.HereintheUnitedStates,farmersfillabout400millionbagsayear.Thatmay
seemlikealotof"taters,"butitleavestheUnitedStatesadistantthirdamongworldpotatogrowers.
Polishfarmersdigupjustover800millionbagsayear,whiletheRussiansleadtheworldwith
nearly1.5billionbags.
ThefirstpotatoesweregrownbytheIncasofSouthAmerica,morethan400yearsago.Their
descendantsinEcuadorandChilecontinuetogrowthevegetableashighas14,000feetupinthe
AndesMountains.(That'shigherthananyotherfoodwillgrow.)EarlySpanishandEnglishexplorers
shippedpotatoestoEurope,andtheyfoundtheirwaytoNorthAmericaintheearly1600s.
Peopleeatpotatoesinmanywaysbaked,mashed,androasted,tonamejustthree.However,inthe
UnitedStatesmostpotatoesaredevouredintheformofFrenchfries.Onefastfoodchainalonesells
morethan$1billionworthoffrieseachyear.Nowonder,then,thatthecompanypaysparticular
attentiontothewayitsfriesareprepared.
Beforeanyfrymakesittothepeoplewhoeatatthesepopularrestaurants,itmustpassmanyseparate
tests.Failanyoneofthesetestsandthepotatoisrejected.Tostartwith,onlyRussetBurbank
potatoesareused.TheseIdahopotatoeshavelesswatercontentthanotherkinds,whichcanhaveas
muchas80percentwater.Oncecutinto"shoestrings"shapes,thepotatoesarepartlyfriedinasecret
blendofoils,sprayedwithliquidsugartobrownthem,steamdriedathighheat,thenflashfrozenfor
shipmenttoindividualrestaurants.
Beforeshipping,everyshoestringismeasured.Fortypercentofabatchmustbebetweentwoand
threeincheslong.Another40percenthastobeoverthreeinches.Whataboutthe20percentthatare
leftinthebatch?Well,afewshortfriesinabagareokay,itseems.
So,nowthatyourealizetheenormoussizeandvalueofthepotatocrop,youcanunderstandwhy
mostpeopleagreethatthispartofthefoodindustryisno"smallpotatoes."
2.Whatisthemainideaofthispassage?
A.PotatoesfromIrelandstartedthePotatoRevolution.
B.TheaverageAmericaneats50poundsofpotatoesayear.
C.Frenchfriesaremadefrompotatoes.
D.PotatoesareakeyvegetableinAmerica.
E.Thevarioustermsforpotatoeshavealonghistory.
Readthepassagebelowandanswerquestion3.
Whatdoestheword"patent"meantoyou?Doesitstrikeyouasbeingsomethingratherremotefrom
yourinterests?Ifitdoes,stopandthinkamomentaboutsomeofthecommonplacethingsthatyou
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useeveryday,thoseobjectsthatyoutakeforgrantedaspartoftheworldaroundyou.Thetelephone,
radio,television,automobile,andthe1,001otherthings(eventhehumblesafetypin)thatenrichour
livestodayonceexistedonlyasideasinthemindsofmen.Ifithadnotbeenpossibletopatenttheir
ideasandthusprotectthemagainstcopyingbyothers,theseinventionsmightneverhavebeenfully
developedtoservemankind.
Iftherewerenopatentprotectiontherewouldbelittleincentivetoinventandinnovate,foroncethe
detailsofaninventionbecameknown,hordesofimitatorswhodidnotsharetheinventor'srisksand
expensesmightwellfloodthemarketwiththeircopiesofhisproductandreapmuchofthebenefitof
hisefforts.ThetechnologicalprogressthathasmadeAmericagreatwouldwitherrapidlyunder
conditionssuchasthese.
ThefundamentalprinciplesintheUnitedStatespatentstructurecamefromEngland.Duringthe
gloriousreignofQueenElizabethIinEngland,theexpandingtechnologywasfurtheredbythe
grantingofexclusivemanufacturingandsellingprivilegestocitizenswhohadinventednew
processesortoolsastepthatdidmuchtoencouragecreativity.Later,whencriticsarguedthatgiving
monopolyrightstoonepersoninfringedontherightsofothers,animportantprinciplewasaddedto
thepatentstructure:TheLordChiefJusticeofEnglandstatedthatsocietyhadeverythingtogainand
nothingtolosebygrantingexclusiveprivilegestoaninventor,becauseapatentforaninventionwas
grantedforsomethingnewthatsocietyneverhadbefore.
AnotherbasicprinciplewasbroughtintolawbecausecertaininfluentialpeopleinEnglandhad
managedtoobtainmonopolycontroloversuchageoldproductsassalt,andhadbegunchargingas
muchasthepeoplecouldtolerate.Thepublicoutcrybecamesogreatthatthegovernmentwasforced
todecreethatmonopolyrightscouldbeawardedonlytothosewhocreatedorintroducedsomething
reallyunique.TheseprinciplesarethemainstaysofthemodernpatentsystemintheUnitedStates.
Incolonialtimes,patentlawwasleftuptotheseparatestates.Theinconsistency,confusion,and
unfairnessthatresultedclearlyindicatedtheneedforauniformpatentlaw,andthemenwhodrewup
theConstitutionincorporatedone.GeorgeWashingtonsignedthefirstpatentlawonApril10,1790,
andlessthanfourmonthslaterthefirstpatentwasissuedtoamannamedSamuelHopkinsfora
chemicalprocess,animprovedmethodofmakingpotashforuseinsoapmaking.
In1936thePatentOfficewasestablishedasaseparatebureau.Fromthestaffofeightthatit
maintainedduringitsfirstyearofoperation,ithasgrownintoanorganizationofover2,500people
handlingmorethan1,600patentapplicationsandgrantingover1,000everyweek.
ThePatentOfficeinWashington,D.C.istheworld'slargestlibraryofscientificandtechnicaldata,
andthistreasuretroveofinformationisopenforpublicinspection.Inadditiontomorethan3million
USpatents,ithousesmorethan7millionforeignpatentsandthousandsofvolumesoftechnical
literature.AbrahamLincolnpatentedadevicetoliftsteamvesselsoverrivershoals,MarkTwain
developedaselfpastingscrapbook,andmillionaireCorneliusVanderbiltinventedashoeshinekit.

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Apatentmaybegrantedforanynewandusefulprocess,machine,articleofmanufacture,or
compositionofmatter(achemicalcompoundorcombinationsofchemicalcompounds),orany
distinctandnewvarietyofplant,includingcertainmutantsandhybrids.
ThepatentsystemhasalsohelpedtoboostthewagesoftheAmericanworkertoanunprecedented
level:hecanproducemoreandearnmorewiththecomputer,addingmachines,drillpressorlathe.
Patentedinventionsalsohelpkeeppricesdownbyincreasingmanufacturingefficiencyandby
stimulatingthecompetitionthatisthefoundationofourfreeenterprisesystem.
Thedecadesofhistoryhavedisclosedlittleneedformodificationofthepatentstructure.United
Statespatentlaws,liketheConstitutionfromwhichtheygrew,havestoodthetestoftimewell.They
encouragedthecreativeprocesses,broughtuntoldbenefitstosocietyasawhole,andenabled
Americantechnologytooutstripthatoftherestofthecivilizedworld.
3.Whatisthemainideaofthispassage?
A.Thepatentsystemencouragesfreeenterprise.
B.TheConstitutionprotectsthepatentsystem.
C.ThepatentsysteminEnglandhasbeeninfluentialinAmericanpatentdevelopment.
D.Patentsareimportanttoolsforinventors.
E.Patentedinventionsprotecttheinventor,freeenterprise,andthecreativeprocess.

Reading for the Main Purpose:

BlackHistoryMonthisunnecessary.Inaplaceandtimeinwhichweoverwhelminglyelectedan
AfricanAmericanpresident,wecanandshouldmovetoapostracialapproachtoeducation.As
DetroitFreePresscolumnistRochelleRileywroteinaFebruary1columncallingforanendtoBlack
HistoryMonth,"Iproposethat,forthefirsttimeinAmericanhistory,thiscountryhasreacheda
pointwherewecanstopcelebratingseparately,stoplearningseparately,stopbeingAmerican
separately."
Inadditiontobeingunnecessary,theideathatAfricanAmericanhistoryshouldbefocusedonina
givenmonthsuggeststhatitbelongsinthatmonthalone.Instead,itisimportanttoincorporate
AfricanAmericanhistoryintowhatistaughteverydayasAmericanhistory.Itneedstoberecreated
aspartofmainstreamthoughtandnotasanoptional,oftenirrelevant,sidenote.Weshouldfocus
effortsonpushingschoolstodiversifyandbroadentheircurricula.
Thereareanumberofotherreasonstoabolishit.Firstofall,ithasbecomeashallowcommercial
ritualthatdoesnotevensucceedinits(limitedandmisguided)goaloffocusingforonemonthona
sophisticated,intelligentappraisalofthecontributionsandexperiencesofAfricanAmericans
throughouthistory.Second,thereisapaternalisticflavortothemandatedbestowingofamonthin
whichtostudyAfricanAmericanhistorythatisovercomeifweinsteadasserttheneedfora
comprehensivecurriculum.Third,theideaofBlackHistoryMonthsuggeststhattheknowledge
impartedinthatmonthisforAfricanAmericansonly,ratherthanforallpeople.
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1.Theauthor'sprimarypurposeinthispassageisto...
a.ArguethatBlackHistoryMonthshouldnotbesocommercial.
b.ArguethatBlackHistoryMonthshouldbeabolished.
c.ArguethatBlackHistoryMonthshouldbemaintained.
d.SuggestthatAfricanAmericanhistoryshouldbetaughtintwomonthsratherthanjustone.
e.ArguethatAfricanAmericanhistoryisnotpartofmainstreamcurriculum.

Sentence Correction Questions:

Readthefollowingsentencesandselectthechoicethatbestreplacestheunderlinedsection.If
theunderlinedsectioniscorrectasis,chooseoptionA.
1.Hoursofdrivinglaidaheadofus.
A.laid
B.havelain
C.lay

D.haslay
E.lie

2.Bythetimewegettothepicnicarea,therainwillstop.
A.willstop
B.shallstop
C.willhasstopped

D.shallhavestopped
E.willhavestopped

3.IfJudywouldnothavemissedthedeadline,theyearbookdeliverywouldhavebeenontime.
A.wouldnothavemissed
B.shouldhavenotmissed
C.wouldn'thavemissed

D.hadnotmissed
E.wouldhavenotmissed

4.WespentSundayafternoonwanderingaimlessinthepark.
A.wanderingaimless
B.wanderingaimlessly
C.wanderingwithoutpurpose

D.wanderinginanaimlessmanner
E.wanderingalmostaimlessly

5.OnlyafterIwenthomedidIremembermydentalappointment.
A.wenthome
B.hadwenthome
C.gothome

D.gonehome
E.shouldgohome

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6.Thebooklayopenatpage77.
A.layopen
B.laidopen
C.liedopen

D.lainopen
E.waslaidopen

7.Bythistimenextyear,JohannawillbeginclassesattheUniversityofColorado.
A.willbeginclasses
B.willhavebegunclasses
C.hasbeganclasses

D.shouldbeginclasses
E.shouldhavebegunclasses

8.Aftercomparingmyairconditionerwiththeoneonsale,Idecidedthatminewasthemost
efficient.
A.wasthemostefficient.
B.shouldbethemostefficient.
C.wasthemoreefficient.

D.wasbyfarthemostefficient.
E.shouldbeconsideredthemostefficient.

9.Iwouldhavelikedtohavegoneswimmingyesterday.
A.tohavegoneswimming
B.togoswimming
C.tohadgoneswimming

D.togotoswim
E.toofgoneswimming

10.IwishIreadthechapterbeforeItriedtoanswerthequestions.
A.readthechapter
B.wouldreadthechapter
C.shouldofreadthechapter

D.couldhavereadthechapter
E.hadreadthechapter

11.NathanaelWestsaidthathe'dneverhavewrittenhissatiricalnovelifhehadnotvisited
Hollywood.
A.havewrittenhis
B.wouldhavewrittenhis

C.couldofwrittenhis
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PSATPracticeTest2
D.couldhavewrittenhis
E.shouldofwrittenhis

12.Thesmellfromthepapermilllaidoverthetownlikeablanket.
A.laid
B.haslain
C.willlie

D.lay
E.haslaid

13.WhenIwashalfwaydownthestairs,IsuddenlyknewwhatIhadwantedtohavesaid.
A.tohavesaid
B.toosay
C.tohavebeensaid

D.tohadsay
E.tosay

14.IwouldbemorecarefulifIhadbeenyou.
A.hadbeen
B.wouldhavebeen
C.was

D.were
E.couldhavebeen

15.Theyreadwherethegovernorhasappointedaspecialcommitteetoimprovetheschool
calendar.
A.where
B.how
C.were

D.ofwhere
E.wear

16.InstudyhallIsitbesidesPaulSmith,whoiscaptainoftheswimteamandoneofthebest
swimmersinthestate.
A.sitbesides
B.satbeside
C.havesetbeside

D.sitbeside
E.havesitbeside

17.AnnaKareninahasbeenreadwithenjoymentforover100years.
A.hasbeenread
B.willhavebeenread

C.shallhavebeenread

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D.isbeingread
E.wasread

18.Many19thcenturybiographersrelyontheirimaginations,notonrealfacts.
A.relyontheirimaginations,
B.reliedontheirimaginations,
C.havereliedontheirimaginations

D.couldhavereliedontheirimaginations,
E.couldrelyontheirimaginations:

19.Theprivatelivesofpoliticians,generals,andothernotablesfascinatesthereadingpublic.
A.fascinatesthereading
B.havefascinatedthereading
C.willfascinatethereading

D.fascinatethereading
E.hasfascinatethereading

20.Thesmallmanchoseaseatnearthedoorandcarefullysatdown.
A.sat
B.willsit
C.couldofsat

D.havesitdown
E.setdown

21.LastsummerIworkedinthechemicallaboratoryattheBrassCompany;mostofthework
cameintothelabfortestingmarkedwiththewordstoppriority.
A.wordstoppriority.
B.wordstoppriority.
C.words:Toppriority.

D.words,"TopPriority."
E.words"toppriority."

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