Test Prep HSPT Test Exam Prep
High School Placement Test (Page 5 )

Updated On: 7-Oct-2026

Ancient Egyptian pharaohs weren’t always men: Hatshepsut, for example, is a famous ancient Egyptian female pharaoh. She accomplished a great deal while on the throne. She created trade routes and tried to import foreign trees to Egypt to grow there. [1] She died after reigning as pharaoh for twenty-two years. Afterward, someone tried to erase all mention of her in hieroglyphics and destroy any monuments dedicated to her. Luckily, some mentions of her still survived, which is why we still know about her rule today.
Assuming that all of the following statements are true, which would make the most sense if added to the paragraph at Location [1]?

  1. Some sphinxes portraying Hatshepsut are adorned with false beards to show she held the title of pharaoh.
  2. She also commissioned many temples, monuments, and other buildings throughout Egypt.
  3. Hatshepsut is recorded as having worn eyeliner.
  4. One female pharaoh that we know about who preceded Hatshepsut is Sobekneferu.

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

The best answer is "She also commissioned many temples, monuments, and other buildings throughout Egypt." This sentence provides another example supporting the claim that Hatshepsut "accomplished a great deal during her reign." The use of "also" helps the reader recognize that like the sentence preceding Location [1] it is providing an example.
"Hatshepsut is recorded as having worn eyeliner." - This answer choice's detail is off-topic in the context of Location [1], which occurs when the paragraph is talking about Hatshepsut's major accomplishments.
"One female pharaoh that we know about who preceded Hatshepsut is Sobekneferu." - While female pharaohs are discussed at the beginning of this paragraph, Location [1] occurs in the middle of a discussion about Hatshepsut's accomplishments. Introducing another female pharaoh, Sobekneferu, wouldn't make much sense at this point in the paragraph.
"Some sphinxes portraying Hatshepsut are adorned with false beards to show she held the title of pharaoh." -While this sentence discusses both Hapshetsut and female pharaohs, it would be out of place at Location [1].



[1] Before the printing press and moveable type were in use, copyists had to spend a great deal of time hand-printing books. [2] This made books time-consuming to produce, relatively rare, and very expensive. [3] Books printed using a printing press relied not on human writers to spell out their messages, but on arrangements of metal or wooden blocks with letters on them. [4] Printing a book was much faster than hand-copying it.

  1. Location [2]
  2. Location [4]
  3. Location [1]
  4. Location [3]

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

The sentence "These blocks are known as 'type'" would make the most sense if added to the paragraph at Location [4]. Consider how the sentence to be placed starts with the word "these." This word references back to something that was just mentioned; if it can't do this, it is ambiguous and confusing. So, this sentence needs to be placed in the paragraph at a location that immediately follows something that "these" can refer back to – specifically, "these blocks." At what point does the paragraph discuss the blocks that form type? The sentence preceding Location [4] ends with the phrase, "arrangements of metal or wooden blocks with letters on them." Even if you don't know what "type" refers to in this context, you can tell that the sentence to be placed makes the most sense at Location [4], where "these blocks" can refer to the phrase "arrangements of metal or wooden blocks with letters on them." Location [4] is the correct answer.



Which of the following is an appropriate topic for a one-paragraph essay/theme?

  1. Ancient Ruins of South America
  2. Birds I've Seen in My Backyard
  3. The Architecture of Performance Venues
  4. The History of Libraries

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

The correct answer is "Birds I've Seen in My Backyard." This topic could be addressed and explained fully in a few sentences, whereas the other topics are much broader and would not be able to be fully discussed or explained in a single paragraph.



Which of the following topics would be most appropriate for a one-paragraph essay/theme?

  1. The Declaration of Independence
  2. How I Celebrated My Birthday
  3. The Importance of Public Parks in Major Metropolitan Areas
  4. The Culinary History of Cajun Cooking

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

A one-paragraph essay/theme needs to have a relatively small-scale topic in order for the writer to be able to discuss the topic with an appropriate level of detail. Trying to discuss too large-scale of a topic in a single paragraph would mean that a writer would have to leave out important information and wouldn't have the space to discuss all of the key points about the topic necessary to covering it effectively. The answer choice that would be most appropriate for a single-paragraph essay/theme is "How I Celebrated My Birthday." This is the smallest-scale topic of the ones presented. The topics presented in the other answer choices are far more expansive and would require the room provided by a longer assignment in order to be treated effectively.



Which of the following sentences would make sense in an article titled “Digital and Traditional Writing Methods: Which is Better?”

  1. Calligraphy, the art of decorative handwriting, is becoming a popular hobby, and all you need to get started is paper and a special type of pen.
  2. The ancient Egyptians wrote on scrolls of papyrus, some of which were preserved well enough that they can still be read today. They wrote using a system of hieroglyphics.
  3. Writing on a computer has many advantages that are missing when you write with pen and paper: you can save multiple versions of your work, check it for spelling errors, and use features like copy, cut, and paste to reorganize large sections of text.
  4. For many people, journaling allows them to keep a record of their thoughts and experiences while their memories and emotions are still fresh. Many famous people throughout history have kept personal journals that have become valuable sources of their particular perspective on major events.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

The sentence that is most relevant to the topic is "Writing on a computer has many advantages that are missing when you write with pen and paper: you can save multiple versions of your work, check it for spelling errors, and use features like copy, cut, and paste to reorganize large sections of text." This sentence directly compares the process of writing on a computer with the process of writing using a pen and paper. The title of the article, "Digital and Traditional Writing Methods: Which is Better?" implicitly calls for these two methods to be compared. In order to figure out which one is better, it is necessary to compare them. The sentences about ancient Egyptian writing methods, journaling, and calligraphy are off-topic and do not mention both digital and traditional writing methods.



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