Subject Tests
International
International Subject Test—
English 1 Practice Test
The ACT
®
International Subject Test—English 1 Practice Test is an
official AIST practice test. The full-length English 1 Practice Test
consists of items drawn from the International Subject Test English 1
formative assessment pool and adheres to the AIST English 1 Test
Specifications.
This PDF file includes English 1 Practice Test questions and answer
keys. Taking the AIST Official full-length practice test is the best way to
prepare for the two sessions of the AIST English 1 test.
i
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No part of the AIST English 1 Practice Test can be copied,
reproduced, sold, scanned, emailed, or otherwise transferred.
English 1
Part 1
45 Minutes—35 Questions
Several questions accompany each of the passages that are contained in this
test. The test may also contain some questions that are not associated with any
passage. You may read and refer to the passages and questions as often as
necessary.
For each question, choose the best answer and select the circle next to it. If
you change your mind about an answer, choose a different answer and select
the circle next to it.
Some parts of the test may contain questions about words, phrases, and
sentences that are underlined, or questions that are linked to the text by
numbers enclosed in brackets or boxes. In these cases, you will need to
choose the answer that is best in terms of topic development, organization, or
language use, or that makes the statement appropriate in terms of standard
written English. Some questions offer answer choices only; for these questions,
choose the best alternative for the underlined text. Some questions may include
“NO CHANGE” as a choice; choose that if you think the original version is best.
Please note that when you take the English 1 test online, the text will be
highlighted rather than underlined.
Your score will be based only on the number of questions you answer correctly
during the time allowed. You will not be penalized for guessing. It is to your
advantage to answer every question even if you must guess.
If you finish before time ends, you should use the time remaining to reconsider
questions you are uncertain about.
1
© 2023 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of the AIST English 1 Practice Test can be copied,
reproduced, sold, scanned, emailed, or otherwise transferred.
Maud Martha and New York
The name “New York” glittered in front of her
like the silver in the shops on Michigan Boulevard. It
was silver, and it was solid, and it was remote: it was
behind glass, it was behind bright glass like the silver
in shops. It was not for her. Yet. !
When she was out walking, and with grating iron
swish a train whipped by, off, above, its passengers
were always, for her comfort, New York-bound.
She sat inside with them. She leaned back in
the plush. She sped, past farms, through tiny
towns, where people slept, kissed, quarreled,
ate midnight snacks; unfortunate people who
were not New York-bound and never would be.
Maud Martha loved it when her magazines
said “New York,” described “good” objects there,
wonderful people there, recalled fine talk, the bristling
or the creamy or the tactfully shimmering ways of life.
They showed pictures of rooms with wood paneling,
softly glowing, touched up by the compliment of a
spot of auburn here, the low burn of a rare binding
there. There were ferns in these rooms, and Chinese
boxes; bits of dreamlike crystal; a taste of leather. In
the advertisement pages, you saw where you could
buy six Italian plates for eleven hundred dollars . . .
1. What does the author suggest about Maud Martha
in this paragraph?
A. She works on Michigan Boulevard.
B. She enjoys shopping for silver.
C. She is accustomed to the New York lifestyle.
D. She is fascinated by the idea of New York.
2. The word “swish” (underlined portion) is an
example of what literary device?
A. Alliteration
B. Hyperbole
C. Onomatopoeia
D. Simile
3. Which term best describes the underlined portion?
A. Literal
B. Figurative
C. Practical
D. Sarcastic
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Her whole body became a hunger, she would
pore over these pages. The clothes interested
her, too; especially did she care for the pictures
of women wearing carelessly, as if they were rags,
dresses that were plain but whose prices were
not. And the foolish food (her mother’s description)
enjoyed by New Yorkers fascinated her. They paid
ten dollars for an eight-ounce jar of Russian caviar;
they ate things called anchovies, and capers. . . .
She bought the New York papers downtown, read
of the concerts and plays, studied the book reviews,
was intent over the announcements of auctions. She
was on Fifth Avenue whenever she wanted to be, and
she it was who rolled up, silky or furry, in the taxi, was
assisted out, and stood, her next step nebulous,
before the theaters of the thousand lights, before
velvet-lined impossible shops; she it was. %
New York, for Maud Martha, was a symbol. Her
idea of it stood for what she felt life ought to be.
Jeweled. Polished. Smiling. Poised. Calmly rushing!
Straight up and down, yet graceful enough.
She thought of them drinking coffee there—
or tea, as in England. Lustrous people glided over
perfect floors, correctly smiling. Their host or hostess
poured, smiling too, nodding quickly to this one and
that one, inquiring gently whether it should be sugar,
or cream, or both, or neither. All was very gentle.
The voices, no matter how they rose, or even
sharpened, had fur at the base. The people drank
and nibbled, while they discussed issues of the day.
4. Which word or phrase is closest in meaning to
“pore over” (underlined portion) as used in the
passage?
A. Skim
B. Consider
C. Write on
D. Concentrate on
5. What aspect of Maud Martha does this paragraph
emphasize?
A. Her distaste for life in the city
B. Her interest in cultural events
C. Her fantasies about New York
D. Her memories of New York
6. What literary device does the author use in the
underlined portion?
A. Metaphor
B. Personification
C. Simile
D. Synecdoche
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7. Which word would be the best replacement for
“embroidered” (underlined portion) as used in the
passage?
A. Decorated
B. Dismal
C. Simple
D. Small
8. What is true of all the people mentioned in this
paragraph?
A. They are well educated.
B. They speak very softly.
C. They attend cultural events.
D. They have good manners.
9. In the passage, what do Maud Martha’s feelings
about New York reveal?
A. Her desire for higher social status
B. Her desire for political power
C. Her preference for rural life
D. Her preference for traveling by train
Then they went home, quietly, elegantly. They retired
to homes not one whit less solid or embroidered than
the home of their host or hostess. (
What she wanted to dream, and dreamed, was
her affair.
She was eighteen years old, and the world
waited. To caress her.
Adapted from Gwendolyn Brooks, “Maud Martha and New York.” ©1953 by
Gwendolyn Brooks.
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10. What is most surprising to the speaker in this
stanza?
A. That he is away on a business trip
B. That he is somewhere he has never been
before
C. That he remembers the words to the song
D. That the song left the charts in 1969
11. What is the speaker doing in the underlined
portion?
A. Making fun of himself
B. Criticizing the Beach Boys’ performance
C. Remembering how happy he used to be
D. Explaining how much he dislikes the song
12. What aspect of the speaker’s youth does this
stanza reveal?
A. He always felt happy after visiting the beach.
B. He enjoyed walking more than he enjoyed driving.
C. He often spent time alone feeling sorry for
himself.
D. He worked hard to meet new friends.
Cruising with the Beach Boys
So strange to hear that song again tonight
Travelling on business in a rented car
Miles from anywhere I’ve been before.
And now a tune I haven’t heard for years
Probably not since it last left the charts
Back in L.A. in 1969.
I can’t believe I know the words by heart
And can’t think of a girl to blame them on. *
Every lovesick summer has its song,
And this one I pretended to despise,
But if I was alone when it came on,
I turned it up full-blast to sing along—
A primal scream in croaky baritone,
The notes all flat, the lyrics mostly slurred
No wonder I spent so much time alone
Making the rounds in Dad’s old Thunderbird.
Some nights I drove down to the beach to park
And walk along the railings of the pier.
The water down below was cold and dark,
The waves monotonous against the shore.
The darkness and the mist, the midnight sea
The flickering lights reflected from the city—
A perfect setting for a boy like me,
The Cecil B. DeMille of my self-pity. ,
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13. To what does “them” (underlined portion) refer in
the poem?
A. those nights
B. the girls
C. the years
D. old songs
14. What literary device does the poet use in the
underlined portion?
A. Hyperbole
B. Metonymy
C. Simile
D. Synecdoche
15. As suggested by the underlined portion, what
effect does the song have on the speaker?
A. It makes him feel sorry for himself.
B. It helps him to forget the past.
C. It causes him to remember a high school
girlfriend.
D. It makes him miss his old friends.
16. What is the main point of this stanza?
A. Remembering the past is often pleasant.
B. It is not important to think about the past.
C. Some memories stay hidden forever.
D. Old memories can bring up strong emotions.
17. Which statement best describes the rhyme
scheme in the poem?
A. Every other line rhymes.
B. The first four lines in each stanza rhyme.
C. The rhyme pattern reverses itself in each
stanza.
D. The rhyming in each stanza is inconsistent.
I thought by now I’d left those nights behind,
Lost like the girls that I could never get,
Gone with the years, junked with the old T-Bird.
But one old song, a stretch of empty road,
Can open up a door and let them fall
Tumbling like boxes from a dusty shelf,
Tightening my throat for no reason at all
Bringing on tears shed only for myself. 0
Dana Gioia, “Cruising with the Beach Boys.” © 1986 by Dana Gioia.
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Ads Everywhere
Add this to the endangered list: blank spaces.
Advertisers seem determined
to fill every last one of them.
Supermarket eggs have been stamped
with the names of television shows. Subway
turnstiles bear messages from auto insurance
companies. Chinese food cartons promote
commercial airlines. And airlines are selling
ads on motion sickness bags.
Marketers used to try their hardest to reach
people at home, when they were watching TV or
reading newspapers or magazines. But consumers’
viewing and reading habits are so scattershot now
that many advertisers say the best way to reach
time-pressed consumers is to try to catch their eye
at literally every turn.
“We never know where the consumer is going
to be at any point in time, so we have to find a way
to be everywhere,” said Linda Kaplan Thaler, chief
executive at the Kaplan Thaler Group, a New York
ad agency. “Ubiquity is the new exclusivity.”
18. What does the word “them” refer to in the
underlined portion?
A. Advertisers
B. Endangered species
C. Blank spaces
D. Advertisements
19. What is the correct way to punctuate the
underlined sentences?
A. Supermarket eggs have been stamped with
the names of television shows: subway
turnstiles bear messages from auto insurance
companies: and Chinese food cartons
promote commercial airlines.
B. Supermarket eggs have been stamped with
the names of television shows . . . subway
turnstiles bear messages from auto insurance
companies . . . Chinese food cartons promote
commercial airlines.
C. Supermarket eggs have been stamped with
the names of television shows and subway
turnstiles bear messages from auto insurance
companies and Chinese food cartons promote
commercial airlines.
D. Supermarket eggs have been stamped with
the names of television shows; subway
turnstiles bear messages from auto insurance
companies; and Chinese food cartons
promote commercial airlines.
20. What is the meaning of “scattershot” (underlined
portion) as used in the passage?
A. Convenient
B. Established
C. Predictable
D. Unfocused
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No consumer, really, is too young. Some school
buses now play radio ads meant for children.
Some people have had enough. Last month,
after some “Got Milk?” billboards started emitting the
odor of chocolate chip cookies at San Francisco bus
stops, many people complained, and the city told the
California Milk Processing Board to turn off the smell.
Some ad agencies and the companies that hire
them are taking heed, calling the placement of ads
everywhere a waste of money.
“What all marketers are dealing with is an
absolute sensory overload,” said Gretchen Hofmann,
executive vice president of marketing and sales at
Universal Orlando Resort. The landscape is “overly
saturated” as companies press harder to make their
products stand out, she said.
Outright advertising is just one contributing
factor. The feeling of ubiquity may also be fueled
by spam e-mail messages and the increasing use of
name-brand items in TV shows and movies, a trend
known as product placement. Plus, companies are
finding new ways to offer free services to people
who agree to view their ads, particularly on the
Internet or on cell phones. 6
More is on the horizon. Old-fashioned
billboards are being converted to digital
screens, which are considered the next big thing.
They allow advertisers to change messages
frequently from remote computers, timing their pitches
to sales events or the hour of the day. People can
expect to see more of them not only along highways,
but also in stores, gyms, doctors’ offices and on the
sides of buildings, marketing executives say.
21. What is the best replacement for “really”
(underlined portion) as used in the passage?
A. it seems
B. although
C. thankfully
D. no matter
22. As suggested by this paragraph, what does it
mean if something is “ubiquitous”?
A. It is for sale.
B. It is valuable.
C. It is everywhere.
D. It is popular.
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8
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23. What word is the best replacement for “affronted”
(underlined portion) as used in the passage?
A. Affirmed
B. Changed
C. Consumed
D. Offended
24. What is the correct way to punctuate the
underlined sentence?
A. “They’re making our community look like Las
Vegas, said Barbara Thomason president of
the Houston Northwest Chamber of
Commerce, of the scores of digital signs she
has noticed popping up in the last few years.”
B. “They’re making our community look like Las
Vegas,” said Barbara Thomason president of
the Houston Northwest Chamber of
Commerce of the scores of digital signs she
has noticed popping up in the last few years.
C. “They’re making our community look like Las
Vegas”, said Barbara Thomason president of
the Houston Northwest Chamber of
Commerce, of the scores of digital signs she
has noticed popping up in the last few years.
D. “They’re making our community look like Las
Vegas,” said Barbara Thomason, president of
the Houston Northwest Chamber of
Commerce, of the scores of digital signs she
has noticed popping up in the last few years.
25. What is the main point of this paragraph?
A. The abundance of public advertising has
people concerned about their community’s
appearance.
B. The increase in the use of billboards and
other advertising is a natural part of a
community’s growth.
C. The growth of public advertising is
encouraging people to relocate to other towns.
D. The public response to increased advertising
is to reject certain products.
The trend may lead to more
showdowns as civic pride is affronted.
“They’re making our community look
like Las Vegas,” said Barbara Thomason
president of the Houston Northwest Chamber
of Commerce, of the scores of digital signs she
has noticed popping up in the last few years.
“The word ‘trashy’ has been used.” 9
Adapted from Louise Story, “Anywhere the Eye Can See, It’s Likely to See an
Ad.” © 2007 by The New York Times.
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To My Sister
It is the first mild day of March:
Each minute sweeter than before
The redbreast sings from the tall larch
That stands beside our door.
There is a blessing in the air,
Which seems a sense of joy to yield
To the bare trees, and the mountains bare,
And grass in the green field. =
My sister! (’tis a wish of mine)
Now that our morning meal is done,
Make haste, your morning task resign;
Come forth and feel the sun. >
26. According to the passage, why is an “overly
saturated” advertising landscape bad for
marketing products?
A. There is less creativity if there are too many
ads.
B. Individual ads do not stand out if there are too
many ads.
C. Advertising costs are higher in this environment.
D. Consumers reject products that are advertised
too frequently.
27. Which word best describes the author’s tone?
A. Angry
B. Concerned
C. Indifferent
D. Upbeat
28. Which kind of support does the author NOT use in
the passage?
A. Personal observations
B. Remarks by advertising experts
C. Opinions from concerned citizens
D. Analyses by college professors
29. What is the main purpose of the first two stanzas?
A. To describe the sister’s attitude
B. To lament the passing of time
C. To recall a happy memory
D. To establish the speaker’s mood
30. As suggested by this stanza, what is the speaker
asking his sister to do?
A. Eat her breakfast
B. Make a wish
C. Spend the day outside
D. Complete her chores more quickly
10
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Edward will come with you;—and, pray,
Put on with speed your woodland dress;
And bring no book: for this one day
We’ll give to idleness.
No joyless forms shall regulate
Our living calendar:
We from to-day, my Friend, will date
The opening of the year.
Love, now a universal birth,
From heart to heart is stealing,
From earth to man, from man to earth:
—It is the hour of feeling. @
One moment now may give us more
Than years of toiling reason:
Our minds shall drink at every pore
The spirit of the season. A
Some silent laws our hearts will make,
Which they shall long obey:
We for the year to come may take
Our temper from to-day.
And from the blessed power that rolls
About, below, above,
We’ll frame the measure of our souls:
They shall be tuned to love.
Then come, my Sister! come, I pray,
With speed put on your woodland dress;
And bring no book: for this one day
We’ll give to idleness.
William Wordsworth, “To My Sister.”
31. What does the speaker suggest about himself and
his sister when he says, “No joyless forms shall
regulate / Our living calendar” (underlined
portion)?
A. They will do what they like.
B. They will follow the rules.
C. They will live forever.
D. They will ignore their unhappiness.
32. Which word best describes the sentiment in this
stanza?
A. Moody
B. Optimistic
C. Romantic
D. Silly
33. According to this stanza, what is the speaker’s
intention?
A. To study nature and learn more about it
B. To enjoy the sights and sounds of nature
C. To focus on the future rather than the past
D. To inspire the intellect and avoid emotion
34. Which lines best express the poem’s main idea?
A. The first stanza (beginning with “It is” and
ending with “door”)
B. The third stanza (beginning with “My sister”
and ending with “sun”)
C. The eighth stanza (beginning with “Some
silent” and ending with “today”)
D. The tenth stanza (beginning with “Then come”
and ending with “idleness”)
35. Which word best describes the speaker’s tone
throughout the poem?
A. Content
B. Jealous
C. Joyous
D. Patient
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11
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International Subject Test—
English 1 Practice Test
Part 1 Answer Key
The following table contains the question number and the correct answer (Key)
for each question in Part 1 of this pdf file.
1 D
2 C
3 B
4 D
5 C
6 A
7 A
8 D
9 A
10 C
11 A
12 C
13 A
14 C
15 A
16 D
17 D
18 C
19 D
20 D
21 A
22 C
23 D
24 D
25 A
26 B
27 B
28 D
29 D
30 C
31 A
32 C
33 B
34 D
35 C
12
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English 1
Part 2
45 Minutes—35 Questions
Several questions accompany each of the passages that are contained in this
test. The test may also contain some questions that are not associated with any
passage. You may read and refer to the passages and questions as often as
necessary.
For each question, choose the best answer and select the circle next to it. If
you change your mind about an answer, choose a different answer and select
the circle next to it.
Some parts of the test may contain questions about words, phrases, and
sentences that are underlined, or questions that are linked to the text by
numbers enclosed in brackets or boxes. In these cases, you will need to
choose the answer that is best in terms of topic development, organization, or
language use, or that makes the statement appropriate in terms of standard
written English. Some questions offer answer choices only; for these questions,
choose the best alternative for the underlined text. Some questions may include
“NO CHANGE” as a choice; choose that if you think the original version is best.
Please note that when you take the English 1 test online, the text will be
highlighted rather than underlined.
Your score will be based only on the number of questions you answer correctly
during the time allowed. You will not be penalized for guessing. It is to your
advantage to answer every question even if you must guess.
If you finish before time ends, you should use the time remaining to reconsider
questions you are uncertain about.
13
© 2023 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of the AIST English 1 Practice Test can be copied,
reproduced, sold, scanned, emailed, or otherwise transferred.
The Indian Dog
When I was growing up I lived in a pueblo in
New Mexico. There one day I bought a dog. I was
twelve years old, the bright autumn air was cold
and delicious, and the dog was an unconscionable
bargain at five dollars.
It was an Indian dog; that is, it belonged to a
Navajo man who had come to celebrate the Feast
of San Diego. It was one of two or three rangy
animals following in the tracks of the man’s covered
wagon as he took leave of our village on his way
home. Indian dogs are marvelously independent and
resourceful, and they have an idea of themselves, I
believe, as knights and philosophers.
The dog was not large, but neither was it small.
It was one of those unremarkable creatures that one
sees in every corner of the world, the common
denominator of all its kind. But on that day—and
to me—it was noble and brave and handsome. "
It was full of resistance, and yet it was ready
to return my deep, abiding love; I could see that.
It needed only to make a certain adjustment in its
lifestyle, to shift the focus of its vitality from one
frame of reference to another. But I had to drag my
dog from its previous owner by means of a rope. Its
bushy tail wagged happily all the while.
That night I secured my dog in the garage,
where there was a warm clean pallet, wholesome
food, and fresh water, and I bolted the door.
1. What literary device does the author use in the
underlined portion?
A. Alliteration
B. Metaphor
C. Oxymoron
D. Personification
2. Based on this paragraph, which word best
describes the appearance of the dog?
A. Attractive
B. Ordinary
C. Skinny
D. Uncommon
3. What does the author mean when he says that the
dog must “shift the focus of its vitality from one
frame of reference to another” (underlined
portion)?
A. It must become more dependent on its owner.
B. It must get used to living with its new owner.
C. It must put its energy into pleasing people.
D. It must understand the author’s personality.
1
1
1
3
3
14
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And the next morning the dog was gone, as in my
heart I knew it would be; I had read such a future in
its eyes. It had squeezed through a vent, an opening
much too small for it, or so I had thought. But as they
say, where there is a will there is a way—and the
Indian dog was possessed of one indomitable will.
I was crushed at the time, but strangely
reconciled, too, as if I had perceived intuitively some
absolute truth beyond all the billboards of illusion. &
The Indian dog had done what it had to do,
had behaved exactly as it must, had been true to
itself and to the sun and moon. It knew its place in
the scheme of things, and its place was there, with its
right destiny, in the tracks of the wagon. In my mind’s
eye I could see it at that very moment, miles away,
plodding in the familiar shadows, panting easily with
relief, after a bad night, contemplating the wonderful
ways of man. (
Caveat emptor. But from that experience I learned
something about the heart’s longing. It was a lesson
worth many times five dollars. )
Adapted from N. Scott Momaday, “The Indian Dog.” © 1997 by N. Scott
Momaday.
4. What does the author suggest when he says “I had
read such a future in its eyes” (underlined
portion)?
A. He saw that the dog did not like rules.
B. He saw that the dog did not like him.
C. He knew that the dog would not eat its food.
D. He knew that the dog would not be confined.
5. What does “indomitable” (underlined portion) mean
as used in the passage?
A. Intolerable
B. Intriguing
C. Unfaithful
D. Unyielding
6. What do the author’s statements in this paragraph
reveal?
A. He had never wanted a dog.
B. He planned to adopt another dog soon.
C. He was happy that the dog had run away.
D. He was not surprised that the dog had run
away.
7. The author wishes to add the word “precisely” to
the underlined sentence. The best placement for
this word is immediately after which word or
phrase?
A. place in
B. scheme of
C. place was
D. wagon
8. Which word best represents the theme of this
paragraph?
A. Fate
B. History
C. Illusions
D. Memories
9. As suggested by this paragraph, what is the
purpose of the passage?
A. To explain the expression “caveat emptor”
B. To teach an important lesson about using
money wisely
C. To reveal the author’s secret wishes
D. To describe a significant event in the author’s
life
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4
5
7
7
7
15
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i yearn
i yearn this morning
what i’ve yearned
since i left
almost a year ago . . .
it is hollow
this
being away
from everyday life
in the barrios
of my homeland . . .
all those cities
like el paso, los angeles,
albuquerque,
denver, san antonio
(off into chicano
infinitum!);
i yearn
to hear spanish
spoken in caló
1
—
that special way
chicanos roll their
tongues
to form
words
which dart or glide; ,
10. What is the source of the hollowness the speaker
refers to in the underlined portion?
A. His dislike for his home country
B. His desire to live life more simply
C. His hope for a successful future
D. His separation from familiar experiences
11. When the speaker describes words “which dart or
glide” (underlined portion), what literary device is
the poet using?
A. Alliteration
B. Hyperbole
C. Metaphor
D. Synecdoche
12. What does the speaker desire in this stanza?
A. To learn a new language
B. To learn new words in his own language
C. To hear a particular set of sounds
D. To hear people speaking Spanish for the first
time
10
11
16
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i yearn
for foods
that have character
and strength—the kind
that assail yet caress
you with the zest of life;
more than anything,
i yearn, my people,
for the warmth of you
greeting me with “¿qué tal,
hermano?”
2
and the knowing that you
mean it
when you tell me that you love
the fact that we exist . . .
1
Slang
2
How’s it going, brother?
Ricardo Sánchez, “i yearn.” © 1975 by Ricardo Sánchez.
13. Which word is closest in meaning to “assail”
(underlined portion) as used in the poem?
A. Attack
B. Defend
C. Discourage
D. Inspire
14. To whom or what does the underlined “you” refer?
A. The speaker’s family
B. The speaker’s friend
C. The speaker’s poem
D. The speaker’s people
15. As suggested by the poem as a whole, what does
the speaker yearn for?
A. A return to traditional values
B. Evidence of cultural equality
C. Signs of his native culture
D. A more loving relationship with his family
13
14
17
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An American Childhood
One Sunday afternoon Mother wandered
through our kitchen, where Father was making a
sandwich and listening to the ball game. The Pirates
were playing the New York Giants at Forbes Field.
In those days, the Giants had a utility infielder
named Wayne Terwilliger. Just as Mother passed
through, the radio announcer cried—with undue
drama—“Terwilliger bunts one!”
“Terwilliger bunts one?” Mother cried back,
stopped short. “No wonder you listen to baseball.
‘Terwilliger bunts one.’”
For the next seven or eight years, Mother
made this surprising string of syllables her own.
Testing a microphone, she repeated, “Terwilliger
bunts one”; testing a pen or a typewriter, she
wrote it. If, as happened surprisingly often in the
course of various improvised gags, she pretended
to whisper something else in my ear, she actually
whispered, “Terwilliger bunts one.” Whenever
someone used a French phrase, or a Latin one,
she answered solemnly, “Terwilliger bunts one.”
If Mother had had, like Andrew Carnegie, the
opportunity to cook up a motto for a coat of arms,
hers would have read simply and tellingly, “Terwilliger
bunts one.” (Carnegie’s was “Death to Privilege.”) 2
16. According to the narrator, what was unusual
about the announcer’s cry “Terwilliger bunts one!”
(underlined portion)?
A. The announcer had trouble pronouncing the
name.
B. It revealed that the announcer had an odd
sense of humor.
C. The announcer said it with surprising
emphasis.
D. It had been quiet before the announcer spoke.
17. What literary device does the author use in the
underlined portion?
A. Alliteration
B. Hyperbole
C. Simile
D. Symbolism
18. What does the narrator reveal about her mother in
this paragraph?
A. Her interest in word origins
B. Her unusual sense of humor
C. Her unwillingness to change
D. Her dislike of foreign languages
16
17
17
18
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She served us with other words and phrases.
On a Florida trip, she repeated tremulously,
“That . . . is a royal poinciana.” I don’t remember
the tree; I remember the thrill in her voice. She
pronounced it carefully, and spelled it. She also
liked to say “portulaca.” 4
The drama of the words
“Tamiami Trail” stirred her we learned
on the same Florida trip. People built Tampa
on one coast, and they built Miami on another.
Then—the height of visionary ambition and folly—
they piled a slow, tremendous road through the
terrible Everglades to connect them. To build
the road, men stood sunk in muck to their armpits.
They fought off cottonmouth moccasins and six-foot
alligators. They slept in boats, wet. They blasted
muck with dynamite, cut jungle with machetes; they
laid logs, dragged drilling machines, hauled dredges,
heaped limestone. The road took fourteen years to
build up by the shovelful, a Panama Canal in reverse,
and cost hundreds of lives from tropical, mosquito-
carried diseases. Then, capping it all, some genius
thought of the word Tamiami: they called the road
from Tampa to Miami, this very road under our
spinning wheels, the Tamiami Trail. Some called it
Alligator Alley. Anyone could drive over this road
without a thought.
19. Which word best defines “served” (underlined
portion) as used in the passage?
A. Bored
B. Confused
C. Mocked
D. Presented
20. Which sentence, if added here, would provide the
best conclusion for this paragraph?
A. She had difficulty learning new words.
B. There was an impatient tone in her voice.
C. We did not know exactly what she meant.
D. Her excitement was barely contained.
21. What is the best way to punctuate the underlined
portion?
A. “Tamiami Trail” stirred her, we learned
B. “Tamiami Trail” stirred her, we learned,
C. “Tamiami Trail” stirred her we learned,
D. “Tamiami Trail” stirred, her we learned,
22. Which term best describes the tone of the phrase
“the height of visionary ambition and folly”
(underlined portion)?
A. Confusion
B. Exasperation
C. Respect
D. Ridicule
23. What is the best way to combine the underlined
sentences?
A. They fought off cottonmouth moccasins and
six-foot alligators, and they slept in boats,
wet.
B. They fought off cottonmouth moccasins and
six-foot alligators sleeping in boats, wet.
C. They fought off cottonmouth moccasins and
six-foot alligators that slept in boats, wet.
D. They fought off cottonmouth moccasins and
six-foot alligators; and they slept in boats,
wet.
24. Which phrase is closest in meaning to the
underlined portion?
A. Then, in order to emphasize an official point
of view,
B. Then, as though enough time had not gone
by,
C. Then, just to end it once and for all,
D. Then, as if all that had not been enough,
19
21
22
23
23
24
19
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Hearing this moved I thought all the suffering of
road building was worth it (it wasn’t my suffering),
now that we had this new thing to hang these new
words on—Alligator Alley for those who liked things
cute, for connoisseurs like Mother, for lovers of the
human drama in all its boldness and terror, the
Tamiami Trail.
Adapted from Annie Dillard, An American Childhood. © 1987 by Annie
Dillard.
25. What is the best revision of the underlined
portion?
A. Hearing, this moved, I thought
B. Hearing this, moved, I thought
C. Hearing this moved, I, thought
D. Hearing this moved, I thought,
26. Based on the passage, which statement about the
narrator’s mother is accurate?
A. She knows how to pronounce many unusual
words.
B. She plans to learn several different
languages.
C. She savors the sound of particular spoken
words.
D. She does not learn new languages easily.
25
20
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Death of a Salesman
[Light has risen on the boys’ room. Biff gets
out of bed, comes downstage a bit, and stands
attentively. Biff is two years older than his brother
Happy, but bears a worn air and seems less self-
assured. He has succeeded less, and his dreams are
stronger and less acceptable than Happy’s. Happy is
tall, powerfully made. He, like his brother, is lost, but
in a different way, for he has never allowed himself to
turn his face toward defeat and is thus more confused
and hard-skinned, although seemingly more content.]
Biff:
I tell ya, Hap, I don’t know what the future is. I
don’t know—what I’m supposed to want.
Happy:
What do you mean?
Biff:
Well, I spent six or seven years after high school
trying to work myself up. Shipping clerk, salesman,
business of one kind or another. And it’s a measly
existence. To get on that subway on the hot mornings
in summer. To devote your whole life to keeping
stock, or selling or buying. To suffer fifty weeks for
the sake of a two-week vacation, when all you really
desire is to be outdoors. And still—that’s how you
build a future.
27. What does the author mean by saying that Biff’s
dreams are “less acceptable” (underlined portion)
than Happy’s?
A. Biff is ashamed of his dreams.
B. Happy is talented enough to realize his
dreams.
C. Biff’s dreams are not typical.
D. Happy’s dreams are more interesting.
28. What does the author mean by saying that Happy
“has never allowed himself to turn his face toward
defeat” (underlined portion)?
A. Happy knows what he wants out of life.
B. Happy is unwilling to accept failure.
C. Happy lacks confidence in his abilities.
D. Happy feels threatened by Biff’s success.
29. What do Biff’s first words (underlined portion)
suggest about him?
A. He is careless.
B. He lacks ambition.
C. He is pessimistic.
D. He lacks direction.
27
28
28
29
29
21
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Happy:
Well, you really enjoy it on a farm?
Biff:
(with rising agitation) Hap, I’ve had twenty or
thirty different jobs since I left home, and it always
turns out the same. This farm I work on, it’s spring
there now, see? And they’ve got about fifteen new
colts. There’s nothing more inspiring or—beautiful
than the sight of a mare and a new colt. And
whenever spring comes to where I am, I suddenly get
the feeling, my God, I’m not gettin’ anywhere! What
the heck am I doing, playing around with horses,
twenty-eight dollars a week! That’s when I come
running home. And now, I get here, and I don’t know
what to do with myself.
Happy:
You’re a poet, you know that, Biff! You’re a—
you’re an idealist!
Biff:
No, I’m mixed up very bad. Maybe I oughta get
stuck into something. I’m like a boy. I’m not married,
I’m not in business, I just—I’m like a boy. You’re a
success, aren’t you? Are you content?
Happy:
Heck, no!
Biff:
Why? You’re making money, aren’t you?
22
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Happy:
(moving about with energy, expressiveness)
All I can do now is wait for the merchandise manager
to leave. And suppose I get to be merchandise
manager? He just built a terrific estate on Long
Island. And he lived there about two months and sold
it, and now he’s building another one. He can’t enjoy
it once it’s finished. I don’t know what I’m workin’ for.
Sometimes I sit in my apartment—all alone. And I
think of the rent I’m paying. But then, it’s what I
always wanted. My own apartment, a car, and plenty
of money. And still, I’m lonely.
Biff:
(with enthusiasm) Listen, why don’t you come out
West with me?
Happy:
You and I, heh?
Biff:
Sure, maybe we could buy a ranch. Raise cattle,
use our muscles. Men built like we are should be
working out in the open.
Happy:
(avidly) The Loman Brothers, heh?
Biff:
(with vast affection) Sure, we’d be known all over
the counties!
Happy:
(enthralled) That’s what I dream about, Biff. I
mean I can outbox, outrun, and outlift anybody in that
store, and I have to take orders from those common,
petty so-and-so’s till I can’t stand it any more.
30. What do Happy’s remarks in the underlined
portion reveal about him?
A. He has no desire to keep a conventional job.
B. He is conflicted about ambition and success.
C. He is eager to follow the manager’s example.
D. He is too ambitious for his own good.
31. What is Happy primarily commenting on in the
underlined portion?
A. Business practices
B. City life
C. Cultural values
D. Personal relationships
30, 31
30, 31
30, 31
30, 31
30, 31
30, 31
30, 31
30, 31
30, 31
30, 31
23
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Biff:
I’m tellin’ you, kid, if you were with me I’d be
happy out there.
Happy:
If I were around you…
Biff:
Hap, the trouble is we weren’t brought up to grub
for money. I don’t know how to do it.
Happy:
Neither can I!
Biff:
Then let’s go!
Happy:
The only thing is—what can you make out there?
Biff:
But look at your manager. Builds an estate and
then hasn’t the peace of mind to live in it.
Happy:
Yeah, but then he walks into the store the waves
part in front of him. That’s fifty-two thousand dollars a
year coming through the revolving door.
Biff:
Yeah, but you just said…
Happy:
I gotta show some of those pompous,
self-important executives over there that Hap Loman
can make the grade. I want to walk into the store the
way he walks in. Then I’ll go with you, Biff. We’ll be
together yet, I swear.
Adapted from Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman. © renewed 1977 by Arthur
Miller.
32. Based on Biff’s early statements, what can the
reader infer about his attitude toward work and
jobs?
A. He knows a job is important but cannot keep
one.
B. He does not value hard work.
C. He is unwilling to take orders from employers.
D. He feels he would be better off working alone.
33. When does the conversation between Biff and
Happy most likely take place?
A. Right after work
B. On a Saturday evening
C. During a lunch break
D. In the morning before work
34. What changes between Biff and Happy over the
course of the passage?
A. They grow increasingly confident in their
opinions.
B. Their hostility toward life grows.
C. They are less and less energetic.
D. Their conversation is steadily more animated.
35. What is the main difference between Biff and
Happy?
A. Biff is more conscientious.
B. Happy is more materialistic.
C. Biff is more contented.
D. Happy is less self-confident.
24
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International Subject Test—
English 1 Practice Test
Part 2 Answer Key
The following table contains the question number and the correct answer (Key)
for each question in Part 2 of this pdf file.
1 D
2 B
3 B
4 D
5 D
6 D
7 C
8 A
9 D
10 D
11 C
12 C
13 A
14 D
15 C
16 C
17 A
18 B
19 D
20 D
21 A
22 D
23 A
24 D
25 B
26 C
27 C
28 B
29 D
30 B
31 C
32 A
33 D
34 D
35 B