Grade 8 A

New York City Public Schools

2015 Specialized High Schools
Admissions Test
General Directions
Identifying Information Fill in one and only one circle for each school for
which you wish to be considered. You may make
Turn to Side 1 of the answer sheet. Line 1 says, “I am
as few as one or as many as eight choices. To increase
well enough to take this test and complete it. I under-
your chances of being assigned to one of the specialized
stand that once I break the seal of the test booklet, I will
high schools, you are encouraged to make more than one
not be eligible for a make-up test. I am a New York City
choice. You must fill in a first choice school. Do not fill
resident and a Grade 8 student taking a Grade 8 test.
in a school more than once. Do not fill in the same school
I understand that a student who is not a New York City
for each choice. Fill in only one circle in a row and only
resident, who takes the test more than once in a given
one circle in a column.
school year, or who takes the test at the wrong grade
level will be disqualified from acceptance to any of the Grid 6 is labeled “BOOKLET LETTER AND NUMBER.”
specialized high schools.” Sign your name in the space In most cases, Grid 6 is already filled in for you. If it is
following the word “signature.” Do not print your name. not, copy the letter and numbers shown in the upper-
Notify the proctor immediately if you are ill or right corner of your test booklet into the boxes. Below
should not be taking this test. Do not sign the each box, fill in the circle containing the same letter or
statement or begin the test. Return your answer number as the box.
sheet to the proctor.
For Grid 7:
On Line 2, print today’s date, using the numbers of the 1. Print the name of the school where you are now
month, the day, and the year. On Line 3, print your birth enrolled in the space at the top of the grid.
date with the number of the month first, then the number
of the day, then the last two digits of the year. For 2. In the boxes marked “SCHOOL CODE,” print the six-
example, a birth date of March 1, 2001, would be 3-1-01. digit code that identifies your school and fill in the
circle under the corresponding number or letter for
In Grid 4, print the letters of your first name, or as many each digit of the school code. (You can find your school
as will fit, in the boxes. Write your name exactly as you code on your Test Ticket. If it is not there, you or the
did on the application. If you have a middle initial, print it proctor should look in the Feeder School List under the
in the box labeled “MI.” Then print your last name, or as borough in which your school is located to find the code
much as will fit, in the boxes provided. Below each for your school.)
box, fill in the circle that contains the same letter as the
box. If there is a space in your name, or a hyphen, fill in 3. If you attend a private or parochial school, fill in
the circle under the appropriate blank or hyphen. the circle marked “P”.
Grid 8 asks for your date of birth. Print the first three
Make dark marks that completely fill the circles.
letters of the month in the first box, the number of the
If you change a mark, be sure to erase the first mark
day in the next box, and the year in the last box. Then
completely.
fill in the corresponding circles.
Grid 5 is for your choice of specialized high schools.
If Grid 5 is not marked correctly, your admission to a
specialized high school will be affected because your
admission is based on the score you attain and the
order in which you rank your school preferences. The
DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOKLET
UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO
school choices indicated on your answer sheet are final.
Therefore, carefully copy the order in which you ranked TURN YOUR BOOKLET OVER TO THE BACK COVER
the schools on your admission ticket onto Grid 5.

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 General Directions, continued

Grid 9 is labeled “STUDENT ID NUMBER.” All SHSAT Planning Your Time

test-takers should write their student ID number in Grid
9. The student ID number is found on your Test Ticket. You have 150 minutes to complete the entire test.
In the boxes, print your nine-digit student ID number. How you allot the time between the Verbal and
Below each box, fill in the circle containing the same Mathematics sections is up to you. If you begin
number as in the box. with the Verbal section, you may go on to the
Mathematics section as soon as you are ready.
Now review Side 1 to make sure you have completed all
Likewise, if you begin with the Mathematics
lines and grids correctly. Review each column to see that
section, you may go on to the Verbal section as
the filled-in circles correspond to the letters or numbers
soon as you are ready. It is recommended that you do
in the boxes above them.
not spend more than 75 minutes on either section. If you
Turn your answer sheet to Side 2. Print your test booklet complete the test before the allotted time (150 minutes) is
letter and numbers, and your name, first name first, in over, you may go back to review questions in
the spaces provided. either section.

Marking Your Answers Work as rapidly as you can without making mistakes.
Don’t spend too much time on a difficult question. Return
Be sure to mark all your answers in the row of answer to it later if you have time.
circles corresponding to the question number printed
in the test booklet. Use a Number 2 pencil. If you Students must remain for the entire test session.
change an answer, be sure to erase it completely. You
may write in your test booklet to solve verbal or Example 1
mathematics problems, but your answers must DIRECTIONS: Solve the problem. Find the best answer
be recorded on the answer sheet in order to be among the answer choices given.
counted. Be careful to avoid making any stray pencil
marks on your answer sheet. E1. If four ice cream cones cost $2.00, how much will
three ice cream cones cost?
Each question has only one correct answer. If you
mark more than one circle in any answer row, that A. $0.50
question will be scored as incorrect. Select the best B. $1.00
answer for each question. Your score is determined by C. $1.25
the number of questions you answered correctly. It is D. $1.50
to your advantage to answer every question, even E. $1.75
though you may not be certain which choice is
correct. See the example of correct and
incorrect answer marks below EXAMPLE ANSWER

AA
E1. A B C D E

SAMPLE ANSWER MARKS

1 A B C D E RIGHT
2 A B C D E WRONG
3 A B C D E WRONG
4 A B C D E WRONG
5 A B C D E WRONG

DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOKLET UNTIL

YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO

Copyright © 2015 NCS Pearson, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

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 33

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 Sample Test, Form A
Part 1 — Verbal
Suggested Time — 75 Minutes
45 QUESTIONS

Scrambled Paragraphs
PARAGRAPHS 1-5

DIRECTIONS: In this section, arrange each group of sentences to create the best paragraph. The first
sentence for each paragraph is given; the remaining five sentences are listed in random order. Choose
the order for these five sentences that will create the best paragraph, one that is well-organized, logical,
and grammatically correct. Each correctly ordered paragraph is worth double the value of a question
in any other section of the test. No credit will be given for responses that are only partially correct.
To keep track of your sentence order, use the blanks to the left of the sentences. For example, write “2”
next to the sentence you think follows the first sentence, write “3” next to the sentence you think follows
“2,” and so on. You may change these numbers if you decide on a different order. When you are satisfied
with your sentence order, mark your choices on your answer sheet.

Paragraph 1

Some traditional households in sub-Saharan Africa serve two meals a day, one at noon and the
other in the evening.
_______ Q. African food can be very spicy, and the starch cools the burning effect of the main dish.
_______ R. The starch serves another purpose as well.
_______ S. Diners then use the starch to scoop up a portion of the main dish.
_______ T. 
A typical meal consists of a thick stew or soup as the main course, along with some
sort of starch—bread, rice, or fufu, a starchy grain paste similar in consistency to
mashed potatoes.
_______ U. T
 he main dish is usually served on individual plates, and the starch is served on a
communal plate, from which diners break off a piece of bread or scoop rice or fufu in
their fingers.

CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE 1

FORM A 34

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 Paragraph 2

In most dictionaries, the first meaning listed for “bluegrass” refers to a bluish-green grass
frequently grown in Kentucky; the second meaning usually refers to a type of country music.
______ Q. You won’t hear that style at any of the dozens of traditional bluegrass festivals held
each year across the United States.
______ R. Included among the non-amplified strings will be guitars, banjos, mandolins, and
fiddles, but never drums or accordions.
______ S. If, on the other hand, either the instruments or the music is non-traditional, the music
may be called “newgrass.”
______ T. The traditional rapid-fire bluegrass sound that was Monroe’s trademark is played on
non-amplified stringed instruments and features free improvisation.
______ U. T
 he connection between those two meanings is a band called the Blue Grass Boys—
named in honor of the state of Kentucky—whose leader, Bill Monroe, effectively
created this style of music.

Paragraph 3

Ancient people of the Mediterranean thought that volcanoes were caused by Vulcan, the
Roman blacksmith god.
______ Q. I n the same park, Mauna Loa, at 28,000 feet above the ocean’s floor, is the largest
active volcano in the world.
______ R. T
 here are dozens of active and potentially active volcanoes within the United
States, including Kilauea, the most active volcano in the world.
______ S. Both of these are shield volcanoes, which means that they were formed as lava
flowed in all directions from a central vent to form low, gently sloping mountains.
______ T. Volcanoes, which were named for Vulcan, are vents in the crust of the earth from
which molten lava and ash erupt.
______ U. T
 hat volcano, located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, has been spewing lava
since 1983.

CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE 1

FORM A 35

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 Paragraph 4

Macaws, a type of parrot found in South America, are among the largest and most beautiful birds
in the world.
______ Q. Scientists
 believe that the birds may eat the clay in order to counteract poisons
contained in some of these fruit seeds.
______ R. The
 birds do not appear to eat clay to satisfy hunger; they ingest it even when fruit
seeds, their favorite foods, are available.
______ S. L
 ike many other parrot species, they are very intelligent as well, yet some of their
behaviors have baffled scientists.
______ T. T
 his theory is supported by the fact that the birds eat more clay in the dry season,
when less-poisonous food is scarce.
______ U. For example, macaws regularly flock to riverbanks to eat the clay found in river mud.

Paragraph 5

The now- abandoned settlement of Nan Madol, located on a coral reef off the shore of the
Micronesian island of Pohnpei, was built over a thousand years, beginning around a.d. 500.
______ Q. T
 he new building materials—some pieces were twenty feet long and weighed
nearly six tons—were transported to Pohnpei on rafts.
_______ R. T
 he ancestors would build a great fire around a column, then pour cool seawater
on it, causing it to split along natural fracture lines.
______ S. T
 hen they were placed in their present positions by means of hibiscus fiber ropes
and the inclined trunks of coconut palm trees.
______ T. T
 he islanders say that their ancestors obtained the stone from quarries on a
nearby island, where large basalt columns were formed naturally by the cooling of
molten lava.
______ U. T
 he structures of Nan Madol are remarkable for the sheer size of the stone “logs”
or columns used to create the retaining walls of the offshore community, and
anthropologists must rely on information provided by local people to learn how
Nan Madol was built.

CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE 1

FORM A 36

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 Logical Reasoning
QUESTIONS 11-20

DIRECTIONS: Read the information given and choose the best answer to each question. Base your
answer only on the information given.
In a logical reasoning test, certain words must be read with caution. For example, “The red house is
between the yellow and blue houses” does not necessarily mean “The red house is between and next
to the yellow and blue houses”; one or more other houses may separate the red house from the yellow
house or from the blue house. This precaution also applies to words such as above, below, before, after,
ahead of, and behind.

11. A star named Quil is the center of four orbit- 12. If it is snowing, I cannot ride my bike. If it is
ing planets, which are named Dorb, Needer, dark, I cannot ride my bike.
Sly, and Tyne. Each planet travels in a sepa-
Based only on the information above, which of
rate orbit, and each orbit is a circle. All four
the following must be true?
orbits lie in one plane. The farther a planet is
from Quil, the faster it travels. F. If I cannot ride my bike, then it must be
dark.
1) Planet Needer is closest to Quil.
G. If I cannot ride my bike, then it must be
2) The orbit of planet Dorb is next to the orbit
snowing.
of Sly.
H. I do not have a headlight on my bike.
3) The orbit of Sly is farthest from the orbit of
J. If I ride my bike, then it is not dark or
Needer.
snowing.
K. If it is snowing, then it must be dark.
Which planet travels fastest?
A. Needer 13. One prize was awarded each week in a three-
B. Dorb week contest. The prizes were a trip to Disney
C. Sly World, a big-screen television, and a computer.
D. Tyne
E. Cannot be determined from the 1) Luis, Michael, and Nadia each won a
information given. different prize.
2) Michael did not win the computer.
Which of the following pieces of additional
information makes it possible to determine
who won each prize?
A. Michael won the free trip.
B. Luis won the television.
C. Luis won the computer.
D. Nadia won the computer.
E. Michael won the television.

CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE 1

FORM A 37

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 14. Five students used the telephone in the gym Questions 17 and 18 refer to the following
office at separate times on Wednesday. information.
1) Steve used it earlier than Raymond. In the code below, (1) each letter always
2) Elise used it earlier than Raymond, represents the same word, (2) each word is
but later than Ahmed. represented by only one letter, and (3) in any
3) Tiffany used it last. given sentence, the letters may or may not be
presented in the same order as the words.
Who used the telephone first?
L S Q M T means
F. Steve
“Sherbet is cold and sweet.”
G. Elise
H. Ahmed T Q V N R means
J. Either Elise or Ahmed, but it is not “Chili is spicy and hot.”
possible to determine which one.
Q X W T L means
K. Either Ahmed or Steve, but it is not
“Lemonade is cold and tart.”
possible to determine which one.
P T M V means
15. Five horses entered the stable, one at a time. “Hot chocolate is sweet.”

1) Silver entered before Rainbow. 17. Which letter represents the word “and”?
2) Ebony entered before Rainbow, but after
Ace. A. T
3) Thunder entered before Silver, but after B. L
Ebony. C. M
D. Q
Which horse entered fourth? E. Cannot be determined from the
A. Silver information given.
B. Rainbow
C. Ebony 18. Which word is represented by the letter V?
D. Thunder
E. Cannot be determined from the F. chili
information given. G. spicy
H. hot
J. sweet
16. When Soon Bae listens to music, she also K. Cannot be determined from the
dances. Whenever she dances, she also sings. information given.
Based only on the information above, which of
the following is a valid conclusion?
F. When Soon Bae sings, then she is dancing.
G. Soon Bae sings only when she is dancing.
H. When Soon Bae listens to music, then she CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE 1
is also singing.
J. If Soon Bae is not listening to music, then
she is not dancing.
K. If Soon Bae is not dancing, then she is not
singing.

FORM A 38

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 19. In a cartoon, four trolls stood in a line. Their
names were Banto, Gretchen, Snowflake, and
Holly. One had green eyes, another had
purple ears, another had red teeth, and
another had white hair.
1) The troll with red teeth was directly in
front of Snowflake, who had white hair.
2) Banto, who did not have green eyes, was
behind Gretchen.
3) Gretchen had purple ears.
4) Snowflake was behind Holly.

If the troll with green eyes stood behind

Gretchen, then what was Gretchen’s position?
A. first
B. second
C. third
D. fourth
E. Cannot be determined from the
information given.

20. Most people in the Skydiving Club are not

afraid of heights. Everyone in the Skydiving
Club makes three parachute jumps a month.
Based only on the information above, which of
the following statements must be true?
F. Skydivers are less afraid of heights than
are non-skydivers.
G. A person must make three parachute
jumps a month in order to join the
Skydiving Club.
H. Some people who are afraid of heights
make three parachute jumps a month.
J. Most people who are not afraid of heights
are in the Skydiving Club.
K. Every skydiver makes at least one
parachute jump a month. CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE 1

FORM A 39

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 Reading
QUESTIONS 21-50

DIRECTIONS: Read each passage below and answer the questions following it. Base your answers
on information contained only in the passage. You may reread a passage if you need to. Mark the
best answer for each question.

If you have ever watched someone fall on or pressure. This notion was first proposed
the ice, you’ve seen slipperiness at work. 40 more than 150 years ago by physicist 40

But have you wondered what makes ice Michael Faraday. Faraday’s simple experi-
slippery, or why skates or skis glide across ment illustrates this property: two ice cubes
5 ice so easily? The answer might seem 5 held against each other will fuse together.
obvious: ice is smooth. Yet smoothness in This happens, Faraday explained, because
itself does not explain slipperiness. Imagine, 45 liquid on the cubes’ surfaces froze solid 45

for example, skating on a smooth surface of when the surfaces made contact.
glass or sheet metal.
Faraday’s hypothesis was overlooked, in
10 Surprisingly, scientists do not fully under- 10 part because scientists did not have the
stand why ice is slippery. Past explanations means to detect molecular structures.
of slipperiness have focused on friction and 50 However, technological advances during 50

pressure. According to the friction theory, recent decades allow scientists to measure
a skate blade rubs across the ice, causing the thin layer on the surface of the ice. For
15 friction. The friction produces heat, 15 example, in 1996, a chemist at Lawrence
melting the ice and creating a slippery, Berkeley Laboratory shot electrons at an
microscopically thin layer of water for the 55 ice surface and recorded how they 55

skate to glide on. The friction theory, rebounded. The data suggested that the ice
however, cannot explain why ice is slippery surface remained “liquid-like,” even at tem-
20 even when someone stands completely 20 peratures far below freezing. Scientists
motionless, creating no friction. speculate that water molecules on the ice
60 surface are always in motion because there 60

The pressure theory claims that pressure is nothing above them to hold them in
from a skate blade melts the ice surface, place. The vibration creates a slippery
creating a slippery layer of water. The layer of molecules. According to this inter-
25 water refreezes when the pressure is lifted. 25 pretation of the Lawrence Berkeley
Science textbooks typically cite this 65 Laboratory experiments, the molecules 65

explanation, but many scientists disagree, move only up and down; if they also moved
claiming that the pressure effect is not side to side, they would constitute a true
great enough to melt the ice. Nor can the liquid. Thus it could be said that people are
30 pressure theory explain why someone wear- 30 skating on wildly vibrating molecules!
ing flat-bottomed shoes—which have a
greater surface area than skate blades and 70 The phenomenon of a slippery liquid-like 70

thus exert less pressure per square inch— surface is not limited to ice, although ice is
can glide across the ice or even go the most common example. Lead crystals
35 sprawling. 35 and even diamond crystals, made of carbon,
also show this property under certain tem-
During the 1990s, another theory found 75 perature and pressure conditions. 75

acceptance: the thin top layer of ice is

liquid, or “liquid-like,” regardless of friction

FORM A 40 CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE

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 21. Which of the following best tells what this 25. According to researchers at the Lawrence
passage is about?  Berkeley Laboratory, why is the surface of
ice “liquid-like” rather than “liquid”?
A. theories about how people learn to skate
B. how ice changes from a solid to a liquid A. because electrons rebound from the ice
C. answers to the question of what makes ice surface
slippery B. because the molecules vibrate only up
D. the discoveries of Michael Faraday and down
E. the processes of freezing and melting C. because the ice surface is wet
D. because the ice surface is slipperier than
a liquid surface
22. What is the most likely reason that the author
E. because the ice surface is frozen solid
mentioned lead and diamond crystals in the
last paragraph? 
26. According to the passage, which of the
F. to point out that solids other than ice have following undermines the friction theory
slippery surfaces of slipperiness? 
G. to suggest that ice, lead, and diamonds are
F. a person wearing flat-bottomed shoes
composed of the same materials
gliding across the ice
H. to cast doubt on Faraday’s theory of
G. two ice cubes fused together
slipperiness
H. electrons bouncing off an ice surface
J. to suggest that scientists shoot electrons
J. a person trying to skate on a sheet of glass
at lead and diamond surfaces
or sheet metal
K. to suggest new uses for slippery
K. a person slipping while standing immobile
substances
on ice
23. According to Faraday, why do two ice cubes
fuse when held together? 
A. Friction causes the ice to melt and
refreeze.
B. The warmer ice cube melts the colder ice
cube. CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE
C. The liquid layers on their surfaces freeze.
D. The vibrations of the molecules on their
surfaces increase.
E. Their surface areas are perfectly smooth.

24. What is the most likely reason that the author

mentioned the 1996 experiment at Lawrence
Berkeley Laboratory? 
F. to provide evidence about the surface
of ice
G. to illustrate the weaknesses of scientific
technology
H. to show how Faraday tested his theory
J. to suggest that the ice surface was solid,
not liquid
K. to explain why ice cubes freeze together

FORM A 41

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 When you eat an orange, your perception Although American consumers claim to
of its flavor comes from the combination want “natural” flavors in their food, taste
of its aroma and its taste. Taste buds, the 50 tests demonstrate that they often prefer 50

sensory receptors on the tongue, convey their synthetically produced counterparts.

5 information to the brain about chemicals in 5 Artificial flavors tend to be stronger and less
food while the food dissolves in saliva. The subtle than natural flavors. For example,
sense of smell comes into play when the many Americans prefer a soft drink created
olfactory nerve in the nasal passages senses 55 with artificial flavors, such as orange soda, 55

even very low concentrations of food chemi- over an “all-natural” soda flavored with
10 cals in gaseous form. The sense of smell has 10 real oranges, which may taste weak in com-
a larger role in tasting flavors than most parison. In fact, some flavorists worry that
people realize—that is, until they have a consumers will develop such a strong taste
stuffy nose and nothing tastes good. 60 for artificial flavors that natural flavorings, 60

usually more expensive than their artificial

If taste and smell depend on our detection of counterparts, will become scarce.
15 food chemicals, one might expect that chem- 15

ists would be able to duplicate the flavors Researchers have not always been successful
of foods. In fact, a surprising number of in their efforts to duplicate natural flavors.
popular food flavors can now be reproduced 65 Some popular flavors, such as coffee, straw- 65

in the laboratory, and even more are on the berry, and chocolate, have proven virtually
20 way. Orange, perhaps the most popular 20 impossible to reproduce. The difficulty in
flavor worldwide, has been reproduced suc- creating a flavor like chocolate, experts say,
cessfully. So have some national favorites, is its complexity—a mysterious combination
including cashew (Latin America), paprika 70 of sweet and bitter that excites the taste 70

(Hungary), and fruit-flavored “Jamaica” buds in an unusual and satisfying way.

25 (Mexico). Synthetic flavors are not limited 25

to flavoring food; they are also added to

mouthwashes, toothpaste, beverages, and
other consumer products. 27. Which of the following best tells what this
passage is about?
Only a small proportion of the chemical
A. how the sense of smell affects taste
30 components occurring naturally in foods 30
B. the science of how taste buds work
actually contribute to their flavor. To iden-
C. the analysis and creation of flavors
tify these critical components, scientists
D. why some flavors cannot be reproduced
use a gas chromatograph to separate a food
E. the search for the perfect aroma
into its basic chemical constituents. Flavor
35 experts, called flavorists, then attempt to 35
28. What is the principal goal of the scientific
isolate those chemicals that are essential to
research described in the third paragraph?
the distinctive flavor of a food. Mechanical
techniques have been developed to capture F. to predict consumer taste preferences
the aromas of food as it is being prepared— G. to develop artificial foods with strong
40 such as bread while it bakes—and distill the 40 flavors
essential chemicals from these essences. If H. to monitor the use of artificial food
successful, flavorists use their highly devel- additives
oped senses of taste and smell to attempt J. to produce synthetic equivalents to
to produce acceptable flavorings that are natural food flavors
45 chemically identical to, but purer than, 45 K. to invent entirely new flavors 
flavors that are naturally present in unpro-
cessed food.

CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE

FORM A 42

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 29. Which of the following is the most likely 32. According to the passage, some flavorists are
reason that no good synthetic strawberry concerned by the fact that 
flavoring exists?
F. artificial flavors are more expensive to
A. People prefer the taste of oranges to produce than natural flavors.
strawberries. G. artificial flavors are not as healthy as
B. The taste of strawberries is more compli- natural flavors.
cated than most other flavors. H. many people prefer bland food to tasty
C. The gas chromatograph has not yet been food.
used to analyze strawberries. J. every natural flavor has been duplicated.
D. Most people prefer artificial strawberry K. people may come to strongly prefer artifi-
flavor to a natural flavor. cial flavors over natural flavors.
E. Fruit flavors cannot be duplicated
success­­fully. 

30. Which of the following can be concluded about

collecting aromas during food preparation?
F. The flavors of odorless foods can now be CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE
duplicated.
G. Artificial flavors do not make food taste
better.
H. Certain chemical components of a food’s
flavor are present in its odor.
J. Uncooked food is more flavorful than
cooked food.
K. The flavor of a food is always improved by
cooking it.

31. What is the most likely reason that the

author mentioned orange soda in the fourth
paragraph?
A. to give an example of a well-liked flavor
that has no natural counterpart
B. to explain why artificial orange flavor has
not yet been produced
C. to describe how the aroma of oranges can
be used to help reproduce its flavor
D. to demonstrate that consumers sometimes
prefer flavor substitutes to the natural
flavors they mimic
E. to give an example of a flavor you cannot
taste without the sense of smell 

FORM A 43

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 Mary Cassatt defied tradition, family, and Throughout her years in Europe, Cassatt
public opinion to become one of the most 50 kept in touch with her wealthy friends in 50

celebrated artists of the United States. the United States, introducing them to
Born in 1845, the daughter of a wealthy impressionist art. Many of the excellent
5 Pittsburgh banker, Cassatt spent several 5 collections of impressionist paintings in this
years of her childhood with her family in country are to a great extent the result of
Europe. As she grew older, she gave up a 55 her influence. As a woman and as an 55

life of ease to choose a path that at the time American, Cassatt stood virtually alone
was almost impossible for a woman to among the impressionist painters. Since
10 follow. In 1861, while many of her friends 10 her death in 1926, the work of the
were entering the social world of the upper “Impressionist from Pennsylvania” has
classes, Cassatt was beginning her studies 60 been avidly sought by collectors. 60

at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

After four years, however, she felt stifled by
15 the rigid curriculum. Against her father’s 15

wishes, she decided to return to Europe to 33. Which of the following best tells what this
study painting. passage is about?

Cassatt spent several years, mainly in A. the barriers faced by women artists
France and Italy, immersing herself in the B. the mother-child theme in Cassatt’s work
20 works of great European painters of the 20
C. why Cassatt is considered an early
past. Finally, in 1872, she settled in Paris feminist
permanently. There, Cassatt came to admire D. Cassatt’s development as an artist
the work of the French Impression­ists, a E. a brief history of impressionism
group of “outsiders” that included Degas,
25 Monet, and Renoir. Unlike mainstream 25
34. Why did Cassatt leave the Pennsylvania
artists who produced the dark, polished, Academy of Fine Arts?
and detailed paintings favored by traditional- F. Her father wanted her to study in Europe.
ists and critics, these artistic revolutionaries G. She felt the program there limited her
applied pigment to the canvas in small dabs creativity.
30 of pure color to achieve an illusion of light. 30 H. She did not want to enter Pittsburgh
Works painted in this manner presented not society.
photograph-like detail but a softer focus that J. She wanted to study with the French
conveyed a highly personalized impression. Impressionists.
K. She wished to rejoin her family.
This new movement inspired Cassatt.
35 Discarding the traditional European style, 35 35. What prompted Cassatt to begin using the
she adopted the luminous tones of the mother-child theme in her work?
impressionists. Particularly interested in
the human figure, Cassatt began creating A. It was an appropriate subject for a begin-
pastels of groups of women—on outings in ning artist.
40 the park, having tea, and so forth. In 1879, 40
B. It was a favorite theme of great European
Edgar Degas invited her to exhibit with the painters of past centuries.
impressionists, and her paintings were C. It was suggested to her by another artist.
included in four of their next five shows. D. It was a common theme in the late nine-
Cassatt and Degas admired each other’s teenth century.
45 work and a loyal friendship developed. It 45
E. It was favored by the critics.
was Degas who first suggested the mother-
child theme that became the hallmark of
Cassatt’s later work.

CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE

FORM A 44

SHSAT_StHdbk_2015-[Link] 44 4/16/15 12:38 PM

 36. Which of the following best describes Cassatt
as a young woman, before 1865?
F. interested in fashion and social standing
G. an independent thinker
H. friend to many French Impressionists
J. a painter in the impressionist style
K. a successful artist in her own right

37. How was Cassatt unusual among impression-

ist painters?
A. Her painting style created the illusion of
light.
B. She was befriended by Degas.
C. She managed to remain in the artistic
mainstream of her day.
D. Her paintings have gained in value and
popularity.
E. She was an American woman.

38. In what way does the writer suggest that

Cassatt influenced art collections in the
United States?
F. She was an avid art collector in her own
right.
G. She preferred to paint pastels of women
and children.
H. She showed impressionist art to her
wealthy American friends.
J. She settled in Paris permanently.
K. She exhibited regularly with the
impressionists. CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE

FORM A 45

SHSAT_StHdbk_2015-[Link] 45 4/16/15 12:38 PM