Examius
🇺🇸 SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) · flashcards
SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) Reading Comprehension Flashcards
51 question-and-answer cards covering Reading Comprehension as it is examined in SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test). 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Reading Comprehension deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
What does an 'author's purpose' question ask?
It asks why the author wrote the passage or a particular part of it—commonly to inform, persuade, entertain, describe, or explain. The answer reflects the author's intent and the passage type.
What does 'point of view' refer to in author's-purpose questions?
The author's perspective or position on the topic—whether they favor, oppose, or stay neutral—and the lens (first person, third person) through which the material is presented.
What are common text-structure (organization) patterns to recognize?
Chronological/sequence, cause and effect, compare and contrast, problem and solution, classification, and order of importance. Signal words reveal each pattern.
Which signal words indicate a cause-and-effect structure?
Words like because, since, therefore, as a result, consequently, thus, and leads to—they show that one event produces another.
Which signal words indicate a compare-and-contrast structure?
Comparison: similarly, likewise, both, in the same way. Contrast: however, but, on the other hand, whereas, in contrast, unlike.
What is a simile and how is it formed?
A simile is a comparison of two unlike things using 'like' or 'as' (e.g., 'brave as a lion'). It highlights a shared quality between the two things.
What is a metaphor and how does it differ from a simile?
A metaphor compares two unlike things by stating one IS the other, without 'like' or 'as' (e.g., 'time is a thief'). A simile uses 'like' or 'as'; a metaphor makes a direct identification.
Define personification.
A figure of speech that gives human qualities, actions, or emotions to non-human things or abstract ideas (e.g., 'the wind whispered through the trees').
Define hyperbole.
Deliberate, obvious exaggeration used for emphasis or effect, not meant literally (e.g., 'I've told you a million times').
What is imagery in a literary passage?
Descriptive language that appeals to the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) to create vivid mental pictures and set mood.
What is alliteration?
The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words (e.g., 'wild and windy winter'). It is a sound device common in poetry.
What is symbolism?
When an object, person, or action represents a larger idea or meaning beyond its literal sense (e.g., a dove symbolizing peace).
What is onomatopoeia?
A word that imitates the natural sound it describes (e.g., buzz, hiss, crash, clang). It is a sound device that adds sensory effect.
What is irony, and name a basic type tested on the SSAT.
Irony is a contrast between expectation and reality. Verbal irony: saying the opposite of what is meant (often sarcasm); situational irony: an outcome opposite to what is expected.
When a passage compares and contrasts two ideas, what should you track?
The specific points of similarity and difference between the two ideas, and which paragraph or sentence addresses each, so you can answer questions about how they relate.
How do compare/contrast questions differ from main-idea questions?
Compare/contrast questions focus on the relationship (similarities and differences) between two specific elements within the passage, while main-idea questions ask about the overall point of the whole passage.
What does a 'drawing conclusions' question require?
Combining stated facts and clues from the passage to reach a logical end-point or judgment that follows from the evidence, even if it is not stated word-for-word.
What does a 'making predictions' question ask, and how do you answer it?
It asks what would most likely happen next or what the author would probably say. Base your answer on the established patterns, tone, and logic of the passage—not on personal opinion.
On the SSAT, why should answers to inference and conclusion questions stay 'close to the text'?
Because correct answers must be supported by evidence in the passage; the SSAT rewards minimal, well-grounded logical steps and punishes answers that bring in outside assumptions or overreach.
What is a common trap (distractor) in SSAT reading answer choices?
Choices that are true in the real world but not stated/supported by the passage, choices that are too extreme (always, never, only), and choices that distort a detail by changing one word.
How can extreme words like 'always,' 'never,' or 'only' help you eliminate answers?
They make a choice easy to disprove; reading passages rarely support absolute claims, so an answer with extreme wording is often (though not always) incorrect unless the text clearly states it.
What should you do first when you encounter an 'EXCEPT' or 'NOT' reading question?
Note that you are looking for the choice that is false or unsupported; verify the other three as true/supported by the passage, and the remaining one is the answer.
Why is identifying the passage type early useful for answering questions?
Because each type (narrative, expository, persuasive, poetry) tends to ask predictable question kinds—e.g., persuasive passages emphasize author's purpose and tone, expository passages emphasize main idea and detail—so you can anticipate the focus.
What is the recommended order of steps for tackling an SSAT reading passage?
Preview/skim for type and structure, read actively while annotating the main idea and key details, then answer questions by returning to the text for evidence—doing detail questions by line reference and inference questions by logical, text-supported reasoning.
What this deck covers
The Reading Comprehension deck follows the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) Reading Comprehension syllabus — 4 chapters and 18 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 12.8 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 170 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Reading Comprehension flashcards FAQ
How many Reading Comprehension flashcards are in this SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) deck?
51 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 51-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Reading Comprehension cards cover?
They follow the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) Reading Comprehension syllabus — 4 chapters and 18 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.