54- ] Model SAT Tests - Test Fifty Four

54- ] Model SAT  Tests

Test Fifty Four

The passage below is based upon an introduction to the memoirs of the grandson of Great Depression-era immigrants .

            So often in America , we tend to take for granted the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy : it is only by revisiting our past and discovering the places that we are from that we are able to attain an awareness of our good fortune . I grew up in a middle-class neighborhood just outside Hartford , Connecticut , a mere two hours’ journey to Ellis Island , where only 40 years earlier my grandparents had concluded their trans-Atlantic journey . Yet the sacrifices that such and endeavor necessitated were lost upon me . As a young man , I had neither the time to spend nor any interest in delving into my family’s recent -- and what was sure to be a very boring -- history . The first college-bound member of my family , I was far too arrogant and conceited to allow that my grandparents had accomplished anything truly impressive . Had it not been for a chance discovery , I never would have realized how sorely mistaken I was .

            One day during the summer before I was to leave for college , I was home alone , rummaging through my father’s old trunk . As I pawed through the old books and pamphlets and clothes , I uncovered an old , tattered photograph . It was of a young , handsome man sitting on the boardwalk at what appeared to be Coney Island . Though the passage of time had aged the face , I instantly recognized the figure in the picture as my grandfather . After taking a moment to scan the old black-and-white , I placed it back in the trunck , and would not have given it anymore thought except the doorbell rang , and I heard the voice of the old man himself . He had stopped by to say hello on his way hme from the bakery . Such a fortuitous appearance , I thought , and with the photograph in hand , I went to greet him and show him my find .

            My grandfather took the photo and looked it over for a long time , his mind’s eye wandering to some far-off place . He was normally quite garrulous , so to see him silenced for so long caught me a it off-guard . After what seemed like an age , and a little lost for words , I asked him when the photograph was taken . I was certainly not prepared for the answer I received . He sat me down and launched me into the story of the journey that had brought him and his young wife to America . From fleeing death and persecution in the programs of Russia , to changing his last name to secure safe passage across Eastern Europe , to the voyage across the Atlantic , to his arrival in New York City , he laid down the most mesmerizing story I had ever heard . The hardships that he , my grandmother , and untold numbers of immigrants like them had overcome had been unknown , and more significantly , unimportant to me , until that very instant . In the span of two hours , my grandfather had endowed me with a new knowledge , one that would forever alter my perspective on the privileges and opportunities that his actions had afforded me .

1 . The primary purpose of the passage is to show how the author         

(A) developed an arrogant attitude towards the rest of his family

(B) came to view the sacrifices of immigrants as mundane and mediocre

(C) discovered a new outlook on his prospects through a chance conversation with his grandfather

(D) learned to appreciate his grandfather at last

(E) overcame his shame from being the only educated individual in his family

2 . The underlined word “endeavor” most nearly means

(A) pursuit (B) effort (C) ship (D) goal (E) drudgery

3 . The first paragraph suggests that the author’s “awareness” ( line 3) initially was

(A) very broad

(B) very limited

(C) misdirected

(D) in line with that of his parents

(E) non-existent

4 . The author implies that he had adopted an arrogant attitude towards the rest of his family because he

(A) believed that they were not intelligent

(B) was the first person in the family to go to college

(C) thought that anyone who left their home country must be foolish

(D) was disappointed with his family’s financial situation

(E) wad the first family member to be born in America

5 . The author describes his grandfather as “normally” quite garrulous” in order to

(A) illustrate why he would be so eager to tell the story of his journey from Europe

(B) explain his decision to talk about the photograph

(C) show his desire to teach the author about his heritage

(D) provide a reason for the grandfather’s reticence

(E) emphasize his reaction to the photograph

6 . The author’s tone throughout the passage can best be described as

(A) appreciative and nostalgic

(B) regretful and gloomy

(C) angry and admonishing

(D) patriotic and exasperated

(E) reflective and indifferent

Answer Key

1 . C 2 . B 3 . B 4 . B 5 . E 6 . A