SynergyPrep WEEK 30: CW

Name:________________ SHSAT
DIRECTIONS: Read and answer each of the following questions. You will be asked to recognize and
count errors in sentences or short paragraph. Mark the best answer for each question.

1. Read these two sentences.

[1] There have been great strides in the practical application of quantum physics in the last decade.
[2] We are no closer to actually understanding it than were the physicists of the 1920s.

Which of the following is the best combination of the two sentences?

A. Unless there have been great strides in the practical application of quantum physics in the last
few decades, we are no closer to actually understanding it than were the physicists of the
1920s.
B. In the last few decades, we are no closer to actually understanding it than were the physicists of
the 1920s, until there have been great strides in the practical application of quantum physics.
C. Although there have been great strides in the practical application of quantum physics in the
last few decades, we are no closer to actually understanding it than were the physicists of the
1920s.
D. In the last few decades, if there have been great strides in the practical application of quantum
physics we are no closer to actually understanding it than were the physicists of the 1920s.

2. Read these two sentences.

[1] The wisdom of the hedgehog is applauded in medieval tales.

[2] The hedgehog builds a nest with two exits and, when in danger, rolls itself into a prickly ball.

Which of the following is the best combination of the two sentences?

A. The wisdom of the hedgehog is applauded in medieval tales, while the hedgehog builds a nest
with two exits and, when in danger, rolls itself into a prickly ball.
B. The hedgehog builds a nest with two exits and, when in danger, rolls itself into a prickly ball,
so its wisdom is applauded in medieval tales.
C. The hedgehog builds a nest with two exits and, when in danger, rolls itself into a prickly ball,
but its wisdom is applauded in medieval tales.
D. Its wisdom applauded in medieval tales, the hedgehog builds a nest with two exits and, when in
danger, rolls itself into a prickly ball.

3. Read these two sentences.

[1] Most species of the bacterium Streptococcus are harmless.

[2] Some species of Streptococcus are dangerous pathogens.

Which of the following is the best combination of the two sentences?

A. Since most species of the bacterium Streptococcus are harmless, some are dangerous
pathogens.
B. As most species of the bacterium Streptococcus are harmless, some are dangerous pathogens.
C. Because most species of the bacterium Streptococcus are harmless, some are dangerous
pathogens
D. While most species of the bacterium Streptococcus are harmless, some are dangerous
pathogens.
SHSAT WEEK 30: CW

4. Read these two sentences.

[1] Some people believe fairy tales are merely children’s stories.
[2] Some people believe fairy tales carry important psychological truths for adults.

Which of the following is the best combination of the two sentences?

A. Some people believe fairy tales are merely children’s stories, yet some believe they carry
important psychological truths for adults.
B. When some believe they carry important psychological truths for adults, some people believe
fairy tales are merely children’s stories.
C. Some people believe fairy tales are merely children’s stories, and so some believe they carry
important psychological truths for adults.
D. Because some believe fairy tales carry important psychological truths for adults, some people
believe fairy tales are merely children’s stories.
SHSAT WEEK 30: CW

Michigan’s Beloved Songbird

Sometimes an object in nature is so rare that it escapes mention in nature books. Such is the case
with the delightful Kirtland’s warbler, a plump, yellow-breasted bird that can be found nesting
almost exclusively in the northern half of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Although this bird migrates
to the Bahamas for the winter, Michigan is its natural habitat. Unfortunately, so few Kirtland’s
warblers exist that the species is classified endangered. The remaining Kirtland’s warblers now enjoy
living in stands of young Jack pines located in protected Michigan forests.
Interestingly, the Kirtland’s warbler nests on the ground in the jack pine forests, and not in the trees
themselves. Male warblers generally return to Michigan in May to spend the summer. Females arrive
as the males stake out territory and choose a suitable nesting area. At the completion of the long
journey from the Bahamas to Michigan, female warblers begin to collect leaves and grass to build
their nests. During this process, the female warblers’ mates provides food. Eventually, female
Kirtland’s warblers each lay four to five speckled eggs. The eggs hatch in two to three weeks, and
both the male and female warblers tend to the chicks. Five weeks after they hatch, the fledglings are
prepared to survive on their own.
Kirtland’s warblers are extremely picky about their habitat. This is probably why these birds have
become endangered. Kirtland’s warblers insist on living in expansive areas of Jack pine forest rooted
in Grayling sand, which filters quickly to prevent flooding of nests built on or near the ground.
Grayling sand also supports the type of plant material that the warblers prefer for their diet and nest
building.
If not for ongoing human conservation efforts, this special habitat and this rare bird would probably
not exist today. As the massive 19th-century logging boom faded in Michigan, natural forest fires
increased, fueled by the increasing undergrowth. Jack pine numbers increased dramatically, since the
tree depends on regular fires to expose the seeds within its tough cones. The early 1900s, though,
saw natural fires suppressed by new forest management policies and, consequently, Jack pine forests
quickly diminished. This greatly reduced the number of nesting areas available for the Kirtland’s
warbler.
To correct this problem, Jack pine areas are currently managed on a rotating basis. This ensures an
appropriate number of nesting sites, which encourages warblers to return and reproduce annually.
The protected Jack pine forests are also home to the white-tailed deer, the black bear, the Eastern
bluebird, the upland sandpiper, and the snowshoe hare. Unfortunately, for the Kirtland’s warbler,
the brown-headed cowbird is also widespread in these woods. This brood parasite 1 is well known for
its tendency to steal the nests of other birds by replacing the original bird’s eggs with its own eggs.
When the chicks are hatched, the warblers raise the young cowbirds as their own. This, of course,
negatively impacts the population of the Kirtland’s warbler. Studies have shown that when a
cowbird lays one egg in a warbler’s nest, generally only one to three warbler chicks will survive. If
two or more cowbird chicks survive in a single warbler nest, none of the warblers will survive. To
combat this dilemma, government programs have been established to trap and eliminate cowbirds
that attempt to nest in the warblers’ habitat. These efforts have greatly improved the survival and
proliferation of the Kirtland’s warbler over the past few decades.
The male Kirtland’s warbler is prized as a songbird, producing a persistent, melodic song heard up
to a quarter-mile away. For researchers, counting these songs becomes important during mating

1 Brood Parasite: an organism that preys on the baby chicks of another bird.
SHSAT WEEK 30: CW

season, since saving the warbler from extinction demands an annual census of the population to
ensure that conservation measures are effective.
Debates periodically surface over whether to replace the robin with the Kirtland’s warbler as
Michigan’s state bird. Admirers of the Kirtland’s warbler argue that it is strictly a Michigan bird.
Supporters of the robin point out that the Kirtland’s warbler is only present in Michigan for, at
most, half of the year. Perhaps this debate will continue until more residents have a chance to see
the beautiful and elusive Kirtland’s warbler, which calls Michigan home.

5. In the context of the passage as a whole, it is most reasonable to infer that the phrase “jack pine areas
are currently managed on a rotating basis” (paragraph 5) means that:
A. resources are limited, so work must be done on one small section of forest at a time.
B. forests are occasionally burned to encourage new tree growth.
C. lumber is harvested only as fast as tree re-growth permits.
D. efforts to restore the Kirtland’s warbler habitat are harmful to other species.

6. The passage suggests that the population of the Kirtland’s warbler declined in the past because forest
management policies:
A. failed to account for unexpected ecological consequences of fire prevention.
B. allowed for unnecessary logging of nesting trees.
C. aimed to eliminate the jack pine.
D. catered solely to the powerful industrial establishment.

7. What does the passage offer as evidence that Kirtland’s warblers have environmental sensitivities?
A. Cowbird eggs incubating at the cost of warbler eggs
B. Males and females arriving in Michigan at different times of year
C. Long period during which hatchlings need to stay in the nest
D. Nests requiring an uncommon environment

8. It can be inferred that the author feels Michigan, not the Bahamas, is the Kirtland’s warbler’s natural
habitat because the birds:
A. inhabit very specific parts of Michigan.
B. migrate from the tropics a great distance to summer in Michigan.
C. are protected by endangered species laws in the United States.
D. mate and raise offspring in Michigan

9. According to the passage, what is the reason jack pine forests declined in the early 1900s?
A. Logging in the 1800s decimated mature jack pines, which produce hearty seeds.
B. Logging in the 1800s left room for low-growing shrubs that accelerated the spread of many
forest fires.
C. Forest management focused on the extermination of the wildfires necessary for the widespread
growth of jack pines.
D. Forest management placed a higher value on some trees than others.
SHSAT WEEK 30: CW

10. What does the author suggest paragraph 5 by stating that the cowbird is a “brood parasite?”
A. The cowbird exploits the nesting instincts of the Kirtland’s warbler.
B. The cowbird feeds on the eggs of Kirtland’s warblers.
C. The cowbird shows cruel disregard for the survival of the Kirtland’s warbler.
D. The cowbird’s appearance is marked by unappealing feathers.

11. The passage states that the habitat needs of the Kirtland’s warbler, as compared to those of other
birds, are:
A. less specific.
B. more specific.
C. equally specific.
D. little understood.

12. According to the passage, which of the following correctly states the relationship of the Jack pine to
fire?
A. Fire is the mechanism by which cones release their seeds.
B. Fire stimulates the jack pine to produce seed-bearing cones.
C. Fire destroys small, weak trees, leaving room for jack pine seeds to grow to maturity.
D. Fire expands through jack pine forests particularly fast.

13. The author states that the main reason for the Kirtland’s warbler’s decline is:
A. its rapid life cycle.
B. cowbird infestations.
C. strain on its habitat.
D. logging of jack pines in the past.
SHSAT WEEK 30: CW

A Map of Home
by Bharati Mukherjee
I don’t remember how I came to know this story, and I don't know how I can possibly still
remember it. On August 2, the day I was born, my baba (father) stood at the nurses' station of St.
Elizabeth’s Medical Center of Boston with a pen between his fingers and filled out my birth
certificate. He had raced down the stairs seconds after my birth, as soon as the doctor had assured
him that I was all right. While filling out my certificate, Baba realized that he didn’t know my gender
for sure but that didn’t matter; he'd always known I was a boy, had spoken to me as a boy while I
was in Mama, and as he approached the box that contained the question, NAME OF CHILD, he
wrote with a quivering hand and in his best English cursive, Nidal (strife; struggle). It was not my
grandfather’s name, and Baba, whose name is Waheed and who was known during his childhood as
Said, was the only son of the family, so the responsibility of renaming a son after my grandfather fell
squarely upon his shoulders. It was a responsibility he brushed off his then-solid shoulders
unceremoniously, like a piece of lint or a flake of dandruff; these are angry my grandfather would
the next day angrily pen in a letter sent from Jenin to Boston.
When he’d filled out the entire form, Baba speedily relayed it to the nurse, who he remembers was
called Rhonda. Then Baba, in flip-flops, turned around and raced up the white-tiled hallway,
bypassed the elevator, ran up the three floors to the maternity ward, and burst into the birthing
room.
“How is my queen?” said Baba, caressing my mother’s face.
“She’s lovely,” Mama said, thinking he meant me, “and eight whole pounds, the buffalo! No wonder
my back was so…” Baba's brow furrowed, and Mama couldn’t finish her complaint, because, eager
to correct his mistake, Baba was already out the door and running down the white-tiled hallway, past
new mothers and their red-faced babies, past hideous robes in uncalled- for patterns, bypassing the
elevator, and sliding down the banister of the staircase. He raced on, screaming for Rhonda, where is
Rhonda, help me, Rhonda, an outcry that provided the staff with three weeks’ worth of laughter.
Rhonda emerged with the birth certificate in hand, and Baba, who is not usually known for laziness,
grabbed a pen and added at the end of my name a heavy, reflexive, feminizing, possessive, cursive
“I.”
Moments later, Mama, who had just been informed of my name, got out of bed and walked us to
the elevator, the entire time ignoring my baba, who was screaming, “Nidali is a beautiful name, so
unique, come on Ruz, don't be so rash, you mustn't be walking, you need to rest!”
Mama must not have fought long, or who knows: maybe she went to the nurses’ station and talked
to Rhonda, and maybe Rhonda told her that the birth certificate was already sent out and that Mama
would have to go to the office of the City of Boston clerk and see the registrar of vital statistics,
where they keep the birth and death certificates-and maybe Mama, who is the most superstitious of
all humans (even more than Baba, and to that she’ll agree) shuddered at the thought of taking me, a
newborn, through the heat and the Boston traffic to a place where, she must’ve imagined, people
went to fill out death certificates, and she must’ve further imagined that going on such a trip, to such
a place, would surely bring about my death because I still have my name.
Whenever I imagined Baba running out just after my birth and sliding through the hallways like a
movie star, I knew he must have lied. Baba liked to do that: tell stories that were impossible but true
all at once, especially if those stories made him look like a rock star. This is because he used to be a
SHSAT WEEK 30: CW

writer and was now an architect. Our little apartment was filled with blueprints and plastic models of
houses instead of notebooks and poetry: a reality that filled him with great sadness.
So Baba put that sadness into these stories. Mama liked to expose him when he told such stories;
she was his paparazzo, his story-cop. This was because she was the true rock star: a musician who
no longer played music. Our house was filled with Baba’s blueprints and plastic models of houses
and with my schoolwork and toys and dolls and a hundred half pairs of socks instead of a piano: a
reality that filled her with great sadness. I knew from the beginning that home meant lying, and that's
why I loved school. Teachers were there, they taught us facts based on reality.

14. The point of view from which the passage is told is best described as that of:
A. a first person narrator who re-creates a story about her parents and the birth of their first child,
events which happened before the narrator was born.
B. a first person narrator who offers insight into characters' thoughts and relates actions mainly from
a time she was too young to remember.
C. an omniscient third person narrator who relates the thoughts and actions of several characters.
D. a limited third person narrator who relates events most closely from the perspective of Nidali.

15. The narrator mentions a piece of lint and a flake of dandruff primarily to :
A. imply that the narrator’s grandfather didn’t value family traditions.
B. provide examples of movements Baba made while filling out the birth certificate.
C. emphasize the importance of naming the baby after the baby's grandfather.
D. illustrate the casual way in which the narrator's father ignored a tradition

16. Based on the passage, Mama’s reaction to learning the name Baba gave the baby can best be described
as:
A. disapproval followed by resignation.
B. annoyance followed by amusement.
C. embarrassment followed by outrage.
D. shock followed by resentment.

17. The sequence of actions described in the seventh paragraph can best be characterized as:
A. Baba's exaggerated account of Mama's trip to the office of the City of Boston clerk.
B. a scenario the narrator imagines could have happened.
C. the story of how Nidali got her name from Mama's point of view.
D. a memory that the narrator shares to reveal more about her personality

18. The narrator concludes that Mama didn't go to the office of the City of Boston clerk based on the fact
that:
A. Baba believed it would be unlucky to change a baby's name at that point.
B. going there would've required taking the baby out in a severe winter storm.
C. Mama had a tendency to change her mind quickly.
D. the narrator still has the name Nidali.
SHSAT WEEK 30: CW

19. According to the passage, which of the following emotions do Baba and Mama share regarding their
professional lives?
A. Pride
B. Anxiety
C. Sadness
D. Contentment

20. Of the following characters, which one does the narrator describe as the most superstitious?
A. Mama
B. Baba
C. Nidali
D. Rhonda

21. The narrator most strongly suggests that Mama does which of the following when Baba tells stories?
A. Yawns and rolls her eyes to mock boredom
B. Goes about her business and ignores him
C. Chimes in with exaggerations and white lies
D. Corrects him about the accuracy of details

22. In the passage, the narrator makes which of the following distinctions?
A. Home is a place of embellished stories, whereas school is a place of facts and reality.
B. Mama is a true rock star, whereas Baba is an amateur musician.
C. Being an architect made Baba happy, whereas being a writer made him miserable.
D. Writing requires great imagination, whereas playing music requires great skill.
SHSAT WEEK 30: CW

J.R.R Tolkien and Me

by John Goldberg
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, better known as J.R.R. Tolkien, was many things in his long life,
including philologist, writer, and university professor. Of course, today, most people remember him
as the author of The Lord of the Rings—a monumental work that became an epic film.
A friend introduced me to Tolkien’s writings when I was 10 years old. Aileen gave me a copy of The
Hobbit, and told me her father was reading The Lord of the Rings to her and her brother at the dinner
table every night after the family had finished eating. I read The Hobbit and was hooked. By the time
I was 14, I had read every piece of fiction Tolkien had published.
The more I read, the more fascinated I became with not only the world Tolkien had created, but
with the man himself. I began to dream of meeting Tolkien. I imagined someday traveling to Oxford
University, where he had been a professor of English Language and Literature, and somehow
finding the words to tell him how meaningful his writings had been for me.
But, growing up in the Midwest, the possibility of traveling to England seemed very remote. Then I
discovered that Tolkien had died years before I’d even started reading The Hobbit. I forgot about my
dream and got down to the business of school and sports and college applications.
I started college as a chemistry major, but by my sophomore year, I was major-less. Somehow, by
my junior year, I was accepted into the Honors English program. This introduced me to the
Medieval and Renaissance Collegium (MARC). The director of MARC thought I would be a perfect
fit for a new diploma program he was developing—an program between undergraduate and
graduate work. I applied, was accepted, and found myself faced with my old dream: I was headed to
England—to Oxford University, the home of my favorite author!
Oxford isn’t set up like most American universities. It’s not a single uniform entity. Instead, it’s a
collection of 39 independent colleges, each with its own internal structure and activities, with an
overlying administration that conducts examinations and confers degrees. Tolkien, for example, had
been a professor at 45 Merton College. His close friend, C.S. Lewis, taught at Magdalen College
(pronounced: Mawdlin). Most students identify with their college, not with the university. This
means that pretty much anyone there wearing an Oxford University sweatshirt is a tourist.
I loved Oxford. I loved the tiny streets and the way the trees hid the modern shop fronts, showing
only the medieval towers from the rolling hills of a nearby park. Even more, I loved the sense of
living history—the way the children would play carelessly under towering trees among centuries-old
tombstones in the back-yards of churches, or the stories our housekeeper would tell of Lawrence of
Arabia’s ghost who, apparently, lived in our own quarters. When inexplicable drafts would sweep
through my room, our housekeeper swore it was Lawrence. I loved walking every Tuesday on my
way to my folklore tutorial, past the pub—The Eagle and the Child—where Tolkien met with his
best friends to discuss their ideas for writing. The sign on the pub allegedly was the inspiration for
Bilbo’s flight with the Giant Eagles. Best of all, I had a professor who had actually known J.R.R.
Tolkien himself.
Sr. Benedicta was a very smart but very kindly, elderly nun. She was no slouch as an academic and
had published several highly regarded books in her field. As a colleague, she had spent time with
Tolkien when she was newly hired at St. Stephen’s College. One day, when she had asked me how I
liked studying at Oxford, I decided to tell her about my dream. I told her how, when I was a child, I
had wanted so badly to meet Tolkien. I had vividly imagined traveling to Oxford, finding his little
SHSAT WEEK 30: CW

cottage, passing through the picket fence, past the rose bushes, to finally knock at the great man’s
door. I had even imagined him opening it and looking at me. I just could never, ever, think of 80
anything to say that didn’t make me feel like a complete idiot. Sr. Benedicta smiled indulgently at me
for a moment, and then said, “He would have encouraged that feeling.” Apparently, most people
have this impression of Tolkien as a gentle, grandfatherly sort of man, but, unless you were his
grandchild, that wasn’t actually the case. In person, he was frequently severe and not terribly
friendly. I suppose it probably made him a better professor. In the end, I was very glad I finally
made my pilgrimage to Oxford, but considered it for the best that I never had a chance to thank
J.R.R. Tolkien in person.

23. The point of view from which this passage is narrated is best described as:
A. an adult reflecting on her youth.
B. a parent recalling her daughter’s travels.
C. a teenager who aspires to be a writer.
D. an author seeking inspiration.

24. Which of the following best summarizes the emotional shift that is presented by the narrator in the
passage?
A. An adult learns that she doesn't have to meet her heroes for them to leave a profound impression
on her.
B. A teenager moves from appreciating fantasy novels to preferring historical fiction.
C. An adult learns that she prefers to visit distant places rather than merely to read about them.
D. A teenager learns first-hand that famous authors are frequently unpleasant individuals.

25. J.R.R. Tolkien is presented by the narrator as being:

A. gentle and grandfatherly.
B. severe but friendly.
C. intelligent but caring.
D. talented but intimidating.

26. In the seventh paragraph, the narrator's attitude towards Oxford is best described as:
A. exasperated and unimpressed.
B. fond and appreciative.
C. overwhelmed and depressed.
D. disinterested and despondent.

27. In the fourth paragraph, the narrator's attitude toward being unable to meet Tolkien can best be
characterized as:
A. Relieved.
B. Morose.
C. Angry.
D. Accepting.
SHSAT WEEK 30: CW

28. It can most reasonably be inferred that by telling Sr. Benedicta about her childhood desire to meet
J.R.R. Tolkien, the narrator intends to:
A. impress her teacher by showing her dedication to Oxford.
B. illustrate her love of medieval English.
C. create a connection to her childhood hero by talking about him to a mutual friend.
D. pass the time of day with an interesting companion.

29. Which of the following best represents the narrator's initial opinions about J.R.R. Tolkien's writings?
A. The writings were obscure and difficult to follow.
B. The writings were fascinating and made the narrator want to read more.
C. The writings were interesting, but there were far too many to read them all.
D. The most interesting writings were about Oxford, England.
SHSAT WEEK 30: CW

30. Lily cleaned the coin fountain at the mall and 35. A coin collector has 31 dimes and nickels with
found 20 coins consisting of nickels and quarters. a total value of $2.40. How many nickels does he
Her collection totaled $2.60. How many quarters have?
did she find?
A. 14
A. 6 B. 17
B. 8 C. 20
C. 10 D. 25
D. 12
36.
31. Nick has twelve more pennies than he has
nickels. All together he has $2.94. How many
pennies does he have?

A. 36
B. 45
C. 47
D. 59

32. John has 14 coins that have a total value of

$2.30. The coins are nickels and quarters. How
many quarters does she have?

A. 3
B. 6 A CD disk is placed above a larger vinyl record. If
C. 7 the vinyl record has a diameter that is 3 times bigger
than that of the CD disk, what is the area of the
D. 8
vinyl record not covered by the CD?
33. Laura has $0.95 in dimes and nickels. She has
A. 4
a total of 11 coins. How many dimes does she
have? B. 56
C. 128
A. 3 D. 512
B. 6
C. 7 37. The nearby Toyota dealership offers its
D. 8 salespeople an annual salary of $10,000 plus a 6%
commission as well as a Christmas bonus of $500.
34. Principal Stern has 21 coins totaling to $3.45. If Jarred is an employee at the dealership and he
If he only has dimes and quarters, how many of sold $160,000 worth of inventory last year, how
dimes does he have? much did he make in total for the year?

A. 7 A. $18,400
B. 9 B. $18,900
C. 12 C. $19,600
D. 15 D. $20,100
SHSAT WEEK 30: CW

38. 41. When Adil got back from school, he finished

1/3 of his homework. After his nap, he completed
¼ of the remaining homework. How much of his
homework does he still have to do?

A. 1/2
B. 2/3
C. 3/4
D. 7/8

42. George is 15 years old. He is 1/3 the age of his

father. Which equation is true if g represents
George’s father’s age?

A. 3g = 15
ABCD and HGFI are both squares. Point E is the B. g + 3 =15
midpoint of both squares. If DE is equal to 5 and C. (1/3)g =15
HI is equal to 20, What is the area of quadrilateral D. g – 3 =15
GECJ?
43. 75% of ½ of 72 =
A. 25
B. 50 A. 18
C. 100 B. 27
D. 300 C. 36
D. 90
39. Avis has 2,000 cars in their lot and Enterprise
has 1,440 cars in their lot. If Avis rents out 5 cars a 44. The scaling on a map has 1 millimeter
day and Enterprise rents out 3 cars a day, after how representing 2 inches. How many centimeters
many days will they have the same number of cars represent 1 yard?
in their lot?
A. 0.05 cm
A. 70 days B. 1.8 cm
B. 280 days
C. 6.0 cm
C. 400 days
D. 18.0 cm
D. 480 days
45. Ralph bought a Gucci jacket that was originally
40. Farhan got a score of 74 on his last school $900. If the jacket was on sale for 40% off and he
exam. What must he get on his next exam to get an used his 5% student discount on the sale price, how
average exam score of an 80? much did he end up paying for the jacket?
A. 74 A. $400
B. 86 B. $513
C. 96 C. $540
D. 160 D. $596
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