PSAT Reading Practice Test 8

Questions 1-9 refer to the following information.

This passage is adapted from a speech delivered by Winston Churchill on May 13, 1940. Churchill became Prime Minister of Britain on May 10. This speech was his first address to the House of Commons, in which he asks the House to support his new administration.

I beg to move,
That this House welcomes the formation of a
Government representing the united and inflexible
resolve of the nation to prosecute the war with
05Germany to a victorious conclusion.
On Friday evening last I received His Majesty's
commission to form a new Administration. It [w]as the
evident wish and will of Parliament and the nation that
this should be conceived on the broadest possible basis
10and that it should include all parties, both those who
supported the late Government and also the parties of
the Opposition. I have completed the most important
part of this task. A War Cabinet has been formed
of five Members, representing, with the Opposition
15Liberals, the unity of the nation. The three party
Leaders have agreed to serve, either in the War Cabinet
or in high executive office. The three Fighting Services
have been filled. It was necessary that this should be
done in one single day, on account of the extreme
20urgency and rigour of events. A number of other
positions, key positions, were filled yesterday, and I
am submitting a further list to His Majesty to-night.
I hope to complete the appointment of the principal
Ministers during to-morrow. The appointment of the
25other Ministers usually takes a little longer, but I trust
that, when Parliament meets again, this part of my task
will be completed, and that the administration will be
complete in all respects.
I considered it in the public interest to suggest
30that the House should be summoned to meet today.
Mr. Speaker agreed, and took the necessary steps,
in accordance with the powers conferred upon him
by the Resolution of the House. At the end of the
proceedings today, the Adjournment of the House will
35be proposed until Tuesday, 21st May, with, of course,
provision for earlier meeting, if need be. The business
to be considered during that week will be notified to
Members at the earliest opportunity. I now invite the
House, by the Motion which stands in my name, to
40record its approval of the steps taken and to declare its
confidence in the new Government.
To form an Administration of this scale and
complexity is a serious undertaking in itself, but it
must be remembered that we are in the preliminary
45stage of one of the greatest battles in history, that
we are in action at many other points in Norway
and in Holland, that we have to be prepared in the
Mediterranean, that the air battle is continuous and
that many preparations, such as have been indicated
50by my hon. Friend below the Gangway, have to be
made here at home. In this crisis I hope I may be
pardoned if I do not address the House at any length
today. I hope that any of my friends and colleagues,
or former colleagues, who are affected by the political
55reconstruction, will make allowance, all allowance, for
any lack of ceremony with which it has been necessary
to act. I would say to the House, as I said to those who
have joined this government: "I have nothing to offer
but blood, toil, tears and sweat."
60We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous
kind. We have before us many, many long months of
struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy?
I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with
all our might and with all the strength that God can
65give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny,
never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of
human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our
aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at
all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however
70long and hard the road may be; for without victory,
there is no survival. Let that be realised; no survival for
the British Empire, no survival for all that the British
Empire has stood for, no survival for the urge and
impulse of the ages, that mankind will move forward
75towards its goal. But I take up my task with buoyancy
and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered
to fail among men. At this time I feel entitled to claim
the aid of all, and I say, "come then, let us go forward
together with our united strength."

9 questions    12 minutesAll test questions


1. Over the course of the speech, Churchill's focus shifts from

2. As used in line 4, "prosecute" most nearly means

3. In the speech, Churchill claims that his administration must be formed more quickly than usual because

4. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

5. It can be inferred from the passage that Churchill's administration

6. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

7. Churchill makes the statement "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat" (lines 58–59) primarily to

8. The primary rhetorical effect of the repetition of the words "victory" and "no survival" in the last paragraph is to

9. As used in line 76, "suffered" most nearly means

All content of site and practice tests © 2022 Jack.
Quick View

PSAT Practice Tests

More Information