FTCE Reading Practice Questions

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.

The time was the year 1872, and the place a bend in the river above a long pond terminating in a dam. Beyond this dam, and on a flat lower than it, stood a two-story mill structure. Save for a small, stump-dotted clearing, and the road that led from it, all else was forest. Here in the bottom-lands, following the course of the stream, the hardwoods grew dense, their uppermost branches just beginning to spray out in the first green of spring. Farther back, where the higher lands arose from the swamp, could be discerned the graceful frond of white pines and hemlock, and the sturdy tops of Norways and spruce. A strong wind blew up the length of the pond. It ruffled the surface of the water, swooping down in fan-shaped, scurrying cat’s- paws, turning the dark-blue surface as one turns the nap of velvet. At the upper end of the pond it even succeeded in raising quite respectable wavelets, which LAP LAP LAPPED eagerly against a barrier of floating logs that filled completely the mouth of the inlet river. And behind this barrier were other logs, and yet others, as far as the eye could see, so that the entire surface of the stream was carpeted by the brown timbers. A man could have walked down the middle of that river as down a highway.

On the bank, and in a small woods-opening, burned two fires, their smoke ducking and twisting under the buffeting of the wind. The first of these fires occupied a shallow trench dug for its accommodation, and was overarched by a rustic framework from which hung several pails, kettles, and pots. An injured-looking, chubby man in a battered brown derby hat moved here and there. He divided his time between the utensils and an indifferent youth–his “cookee.” The other, and larger, fire centered a rectangle composed of tall racks, built of saplings and intended for the drying of clothes. Two large tents gleamed white among the trees.

1. The tone of this passage is:
A: interrogative
B: exclamatory
C: descriptive
D: epic

2. In the first sentence, what does the word ‘terminating’ mean?
A: destroying
B: feeding
C: eviscerating
D: ending

3. The scope of the narrator’s vision:
A: expands as the passage goes along
B: gets smaller as the passage goes along.
C: stays about the same throughout the passage
D: ignores many of the important details

4. What time of year does this take place?
A: late fall
B: the middle of winter
C: the beginning of spring
D: late summer

5. The phrase ‘LAP LAP LAPPED’ is an example of:
A: personification
B: assonance
C: onomatopoeia
D: metaphor

6. To what is the author referring with the phrase ‘cat’s paws’?
A: the tracks left by the forest cats
B: the domestic pets kept by the men
C: the chilliness of the morning breeze
D: the patterns made in the water by the wind

7. This passage is most likely taken from a:
A: persuasive essay
B: play
C: fictional story
D: memoir

8. The men of the camp are probably:
A: lumberjacks
B: doctors
C: landscape architects
D: cooks

9. This passage is probably taken from the _____ of a larger work.
A: end
B: beginning
C: middle
D: postscript

10. The purpose of this passage is to:
A: persuade the reader to invest in land
B: introduce a scene
C: glorify the men of the camp
D: develop characters

Answer Key

1. C. The author is trying to describe the scene of a lumberjack camp.

2. D. The edge of the pond consists of a dam.

3. B. The narrator begins by describing the shape of the river, then moves on to the wind and the logs in the stream, and eventually narrows his focus to the camp itself.

4. C. The narrator mentions the first green shoots appearing in the trees.

5. C. An onomatopoeia is a word that is meant to resemble a sound.

6. D. The narrator is describing the patterns traced by the wind in water.

7. C. The intent of the passage is to attract the reader so that a story can be told.

8. A. The mention of stumps and floating logs indicates that this is a lumberjack camp.

9. B. This passage is introducing a new scene and set of characters.

10. B. The narrator is describing a scene which is clearly new to the reader.

For additional information, we recommend you check out these free FTCE resources:

FTCE Study Guide
FTCE English Language Practice
FTCE Reading Practice
FTCE Mathematics Practice
FTCE Practice Questions