Free printable PSAT practice test for Grade 11

Reading and Writing

Circle the letter of the best answer. About 12 minutes.

1. Tomato plants

   Grandpa Ellis was ______ about his tomato plants. Every morning he checked each leaf for insects, measured the stems, and wrote notes in a small green notebook he kept by the back door.

   1.

   Which choice gives the most logical and precise word or phrase for the blank?

   1. Acareless
   2. Bcareful
   3. Cforgetful
   4. Ddoubtful

2. Finding exoplanets

   Most planets outside our solar system are far too dim to see directly. Astronomers instead ______ their presence indirectly, watching for the tiny dip in a star's brightness that occurs when a planet passes in front of it.

   2.

   Which choice gives the most logical and precise word or phrase for the blank?

   1. Aphotograph
   2. Bdeny
   3. Cinfer
   4. Dprevent

3. The red kite

   The wind tore the string from Sam's fingers, and the red kite rose over the rooftops. Sam ran three blocks, then four, but the kite grew smaller and smaller. Finally, he stopped and watched it disappear into the clouds.

   3.

   Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence?

   1. AIt explains why the wind was so strong that day.
   2. BIt shows that Sam has given up trying to catch the kite.
   3. CIt describes Sam's plan for getting a new kite.
   4. DIt reveals that Sam has found the kite again.

4. Tardigrades

   Tardigrades are animals less than a millimeter long that live in moss, soil, and ocean sediment. When their surroundings dry out, many species pull in their legs, lose nearly all the water in their bodies, and enter a state called a tun. In this state their metabolism almost stops, and some produce proteins that appear to shield their cells from damage. Tuns have survived freezing, intense radiation, and even exposure to the vacuum of space, then revived when given water.

   4.

   Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

   1. ATardigrades grow larger when they are exposed to radiation.
   2. BTardigrades depend on larger animals to carry them from dry places to wetter ones.
   3. CTardigrades live mainly in places that never dry out.
   4. DTardigrades survive harsh conditions by entering a dried, nearly inactive state.

5. Coral bleaching

   When ocean water stays unusually warm, corals can expel the algae living in their tissues and turn white, a process called bleaching. A team of reef scientists recorded the highest water temperature at three sites during one summer and then surveyed the share of coral that had bleached. They found that bleaching was most widespread at the site where the water had been warmest: ______

   5.

   Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?

   1. ASite C, which reached 84°F, had the most bleached coral.
   2. BSite A, which reached 86°F, had 31% of its coral bleached.
   3. CSite B, which reached 88°F, had 64% of its coral bleached.
   4. DSite B reached 88°F but had less bleaching than Site A.

6. Seed banks

   Seed banks protect plant diversity by drying seeds and storing them at freezing temperatures, conditions under which many seeds stay alive for decades. However, the seeds of some plants, including many tropical trees, die when they lose much of their moisture. Botanists call these seeds recalcitrant. This suggests that seed banks relying only on drying and freezing ______

   6.

   Which choice most logically completes the text?

   1. Ashould store tropical seeds at warmer temperatures than other seeds.
   2. Bwill soon stop collecting seeds from plants outside the tropics.
   3. Care able to keep recalcitrant seeds alive for several decades.
   4. Dcannot preserve every plant species they might want to protect.

7. Orchestra auditions

   The youth orchestra holds auditions every spring. Each of the violinists ______ a different piece to perform for the judges, so no two auditions sound alike.

   7.

   Which choice completes the text so that it follows the conventions of Standard English?

   1. Achoose
   2. Bhave chosen
   3. Cchooses
   4. Dare choosing

8. A cave of bats

   Each summer night, millions of bats stream out of a large cave in central Texas at dusk. The ______ combined appetite is enormous: together, they eat tons of moths and other insects before dawn.

   8.

   Which choice completes the text so that it follows the conventions of Standard English?

   1. Abats's
   2. Bbats'
   3. Cbat's
   4. Dbats

9. Recycled aluminum

   Aluminum can be recycled again and again without losing its quality. Making a can from recycled aluminum also uses about 95 percent less energy than making one from raw ore. ______, recycling aluminum is one of the most effective ways to save energy in manufacturing.

   9.

   Which choice gives the most logical transition for the blank?

   1. AOn the other hand
   2. BFor example
   3. CFor this reason
   4. DNevertheless

10. Bamboo and oak

    While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
    • Bamboo is a type of grass.
    • Some bamboo species can grow about 35 inches in a single day.
    • Bamboo is used for flooring and scaffolding in some countries.
    • White oak trees often grow only 1 to 2 feet per year.
    • White oak wood is valued for its strength.

    10.

    The student wants to contrast how fast bamboo and white oak grow. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

    1. AWhite oak trees grow 1 to 2 feet per year, and their wood is valued for its strength.
    2. BBamboo is a type of grass, while the white oak is a tree whose wood is valued for its great strength.
    3. CBamboo, a type of grass, is used for flooring and scaffolding in some countries.
    4. DSome bamboo can grow about 35 inches in a day, while white oaks often grow only 1 to 2 feet a year.