Free printable PSAT practice test for Grade 9

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. Adoubtful
   2. Bcareless
   3. Cforgetful
   4. Dcareful

2. The window seat

   For weeks the twins had argued over who would get the bedroom with the window seat. In the end, they reached a ______: Lia would take the room, and Nico would choose the paint color for both rooms.

   2.

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

   1. Arivalry
   2. Bcompromise
   3. Cstalemate
   4. Dverdict

3. Octopus camouflage

   Octopuses can change the color and texture of their skin in a fraction of a second, blending into rocks, sand, or coral. They do this using thousands of special cells that expand or shrink to show different pigments. Strangely, most octopuses appear to be color-blind. Scientists are still investigating how an animal that cannot see color manages to match its surroundings so precisely.

   3.

   What is the function of the underlined sentence in the text?

   1. AIt describes one of the surfaces octopuses most often imitate.
   2. BIt explains how the special skin cells produce different colors.
   3. CIt suggests that octopus camouflage is less effective than it appears.
   4. DIt presents a puzzle that scientists are still trying to solve.

4. Phases of the Moon

   The Moon makes no light of its own. Instead, it reflects light from the Sun, and at any moment half of the Moon is lit. As the Moon travels around Earth over about a month, we see different amounts of that sunlit half. When the lit side faces us, we see a full moon. When it faces away, we see almost nothing, and we call it a new moon.

   4.

   Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

   1. AEarth's shadow covers a different part of the Moon on most nights of each month.
   2. BA full moon happens when the Moon is closest to the Sun.
   3. CThe Moon produces less light during some parts of the month.
   4. DThe Moon's phases depend on how much of its sunlit side faces Earth.

5. Melting ice

   Substances dissolved in water lower the temperature at which it freezes. A student placed identical ice cubes on three plates, sprinkled one with salt, one with sugar, and left one bare, and timed how long each took to melt completely. She found that salt sped melting more than sugar did: ______

   5.

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

   1. Athe bare cube took 48 minutes to melt, the longest time of all three cubes.
   2. Bthe cube with sugar melted 7 minutes sooner than the bare cube.
   3. Cthe cube with sugar melted faster than the cube with salt did.
   4. Dthe cube with salt melted in 22 minutes, compared with 41 for sugar.

6. Moths and bats

   Bats hunt many night-flying insects by echolocation, sending out high-pitched calls and listening for echoes. Some moths have ears that are especially sensitive to these calls, and when they detect one, they abruptly dive or loop. In a study, researchers covered the ears of some moths and released them alongside moths whose ears were uncovered. Bats caught the moths with covered ears far more often, which suggests that ______

   6.

   Which choice most logically completes the text?

   1. Abats locate moths mainly by watching them.
   2. Bhearing bat calls helps these moths escape.
   3. Cmoths with covered ears flew faster than others.
   4. Dthese moths make high-pitched calls of their own.

7. The science fair

   The gym was already filling with tables and poster boards when we arrived. Ms. Lin asked Jamal and ______ to set up our volcano model near the stage before the judges started their rounds.

   7.

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

   1. AI
   2. Bme
   3. Cmine
   4. Dmyself

8. Regrowing axolotls

   The axolotl, a salamander native to the lakes around Mexico ______ regrow a lost leg, part of its heart, and even sections of its brain. Biologists study the animal to learn how its cells know which kind of tissue to rebuild.

   8.

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

   1. ACity, can
   2. BCity: can
   3. CCity; can
   4. DCity can

9. Paper money

   Paper money was in wide use in China by the 11th century, when merchants found it far lighter to carry than strings of metal coins. ______, Europe did not adopt paper money on a large scale until the 1600s.

   9.

   Which choice gives the most logical transition for the blank?

   1. ASimilarly
   2. BFor example
   3. CHowever
   4. DAs a result

10. Erie Canal

    While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
    • The Erie Canal opened in 1825.
    • It linked the Hudson River at Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo.
    • It was about 363 miles long.
    • The cost of shipping goods from Buffalo to New York City fell by about 90 percent.
    • New York City grew into the nation's leading port.

    10.

    The student wants to emphasize the canal's effect on shipping costs. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

    1. AAfter the Erie Canal opened, shipping goods from Buffalo to New York City cost about 90 percent less.
    2. BIn the years after the Erie Canal opened in 1825, New York City grew into the leading port in the nation.
    3. CThe Erie Canal, which was about 363 miles long, opened to boats in 1825.
    4. DThe Erie Canal linked the Hudson River at Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo.