OSSLT overview

OSSLT Practice Test 4

25 questions on reading: real-life narratives, reading: dialogues, the opinion essay, reading: information paragraphs, writing: organizing ideas and more.

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When Mei's mother got a new job at the hospital in Sudbury, Mei was halfway through Grade 9. She had lived in the same Toronto apartment her whole life. She knew which bus driver waved at kids, which corner store sold the best dumplings and which friends would save her a seat at lunch. Now all of that fit into fourteen cardboard boxes.

The first week at her new school felt like being underwater. Sounds reached her slowly, and she could not find the surface. She ate lunch in the library and spent the evenings texting her friends back home. They sent photos of things she was missing: a birthday party, a snowy soccer game in the park, a new bubble tea shop. Each photo made her feel farther away.

On Saturday, a girl from the house next door knocked, holding two pairs of skates. "I'm Ruby," she said. "My dad floods the backyard every winter. Want to try it?" Mei almost said no. She had skated only once, on a school trip, and had spent most of that afternoon holding on to the boards. But her mother gave her a look that said, "Go," so she pulled on her coat.

The backyard rink was small and bumpy, with a string of lights hanging from the fence. Mei fell four times in the first ten minutes. The fifth time, she landed so hard that she slid right into a snowbank, and instead of feeling embarrassed, she started to laugh. Ruby laughed too, and then Ruby's little brother came outside and laughed loudest of all.

By the end of the afternoon, Mei could glide from one end of the rink to the other without grabbing anything. Ruby's dad brought out mugs of hot chocolate, and they sat on the back steps while the sky turned orange behind the trees.

That night, Mei still texted her Toronto friends. But this time she sent a photo of her own: a crooked rink, a string of lights and two pairs of skates by the door. Under it she typed, "Guess what I learned today."

Sudbury did not feel like home yet. But for the first time, it felt like a place where home might grow.

In the story about Mei's move, why did her family leave Toronto for Sudbury?

All 25 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. When Mei's mother got a new job at the hospital in Sudbury, Mei was halfway through Grade 9. She had lived in the same Toronto apartment her whole life. She knew which bus driver waved at kids, which corner store sold the best dumplings and which friends would save her a seat at lunch. Now all of that fit into fourteen cardboard boxes. The first week at her new school felt like being underwater. Sounds reached her slowly, and she could not find the surface. She ate lunch in the library and spent the evenings texting her friends back home. They sent photos of things she was missing: a birthday party, a snowy soccer game in the park, a new bubble tea shop. Each photo made her feel farther away. On Saturday, a girl from the house next door knocked, holding two pairs of skates. "I'm Ruby," she said. "My dad floods the backyard every winter. Want to try it?" Mei almost said no. She had skated only once, on a school trip, and had spent most of that afternoon holding on to the boards. But her mother gave her a look that said, "Go," so she pulled on her coat. The backyard rink was small and bumpy, with a string of lights hanging from the fence. Mei fell four times in the first ten minutes. The fifth time, she landed so hard that she slid right into a snowbank, and instead of feeling embarrassed, she started to laugh. Ruby laughed too, and then Ruby's little brother came outside and laughed loudest of all. By the end of the afternoon, Mei could glide from one end of the rink to the other without grabbing anything. Ruby's dad brought out mugs of hot chocolate, and they sat on the back steps while the sky turned orange behind the trees. That night, Mei still texted her Toronto friends. But this time she sent a photo of her own: a crooked rink, a string of lights and two pairs of skates by the door. Under it she typed, "Guess what I learned today." Sudbury did not feel like home yet. But for the first time, it felt like a place where home might grow.

    In the story about Mei's move, why did her family leave Toronto for Sudbury?

    1. Her grandmother needed help at home
    2. Her mother got a new job at the hospital
    3. Her parents wanted a house with a big yard
    4. Her father was transferred to a new office
  2. COACH DELANEY: Priya, do you have a minute? You got off the bus before I could talk to you. PRIYA: I didn't really want to talk. I finished forty-second out of fifty. That's embarrassing. COACH DELANEY: Forty-second at regionals, in your first season, on the hilliest course in the league. PRIYA: Last month I was eighteenth. I'm getting worse, not better. Maybe I should just quit and join the art club. At least I'm good at drawing. COACH DELANEY: You could do both, you know. But first, tell me what happened at the two-kilometre mark. PRIYA: I went out way too fast. I wanted to keep up with Hannah. By the big hill, my legs felt like cement. COACH DELANEY: So the problem wasn't your fitness. It was your pacing. That's one of the easiest things in running to fix. PRIYA: Really? It felt like the hardest. COACH DELANEY: Every runner I've ever coached has made that mistake at least once. I made it myself in university, in front of my whole family. PRIYA: You did? COACH DELANEY: I finished second-last. My mother still brings it up at Thanksgiving dinner. PRIYA: (smiling) Okay, that makes me feel a little better. COACH DELANEY: Here's my offer. At Thursday's practice, run with a watch. I'll give you a target time for each kilometre, and you're not allowed to go faster than it, even if you feel great. PRIYA: Not allowed to go faster? That sounds backwards. COACH DELANEY: Try it once. If it doesn't help, we'll talk about the art club then. Deal? PRIYA: Deal. Can I borrow one of the team watches? Mine is broken. COACH DELANEY: I'll leave one in your locker before Thursday.

    Why does Coach Delaney tell Priya about finishing second-last in a university race?

    1. To show that good runners make pacing mistakes too
    2. To warn Priya that her family will tease her as well
    3. To explain why the coach's family enjoys Thanksgiving
    4. To prove that the coach was once faster than Priya
  3. Prompt: Should high schools start classes later in the morning? High schools should start classes at 9:30 a.m. instead of 8:30 a.m. A later start would help students learn, stay healthy and arrive safely. First, students learn better when they are awake. In my first-period math class, at least five people yawn through every lesson, and our teacher often has to repeat instructions. One more hour of sleep would mean that students actually take in what they hear. Second, teenagers need more sleep than most of them get. My family doctor told me that people my age need eight to ten hours a night, but many of my friends stay up late finishing homework or working part-time shifts. A later bell would let them rest without falling behind. Finally, a later start would be safer in winter. At 7:45 a.m. in January, the sky is still dark when students walk to the bus stop or drive to school. By 8:45 a.m., it is light, and drivers can see pedestrians more easily. Some people worry that a later start would push sports practices into the evening. However, many teams already practise after supper, and a rested athlete plays better. For all of these reasons, a 9:30 a.m. start would help students do their best in class and stay safe on the way there.

    How are the three body paragraphs of the later-start essay organized?

    1. They compare two different schools point by point from start to end
    2. They tell one long story in the order that the events happened
    3. Each one repeats the writer's opinion again using different words
    4. Each begins with a transition and one reason, then gives details
  4. Every spring, maple syrup producers in Ontario, Quebec and other parts of eastern Canada watch the weather closely, because the sap of the sugar maple flows only under certain conditions. Sap moves best when nights fall below freezing and days warm up above freezing. During the cold nights, the tree draws water up from its roots; during the mild days, pressure inside the trunk pushes the sap out through any opening, including the small holes, called taps, that producers drill into the bark. This season usually lasts only four to six weeks, so producers call it the sugaring season and work long hours while it lasts. Fresh sap looks almost like water and tastes only slightly sweet, because it is mostly water with a small amount of sugar. To turn it into syrup, producers boil it in a wide, shallow pan called an evaporator until most of the water escapes as steam. The process takes a great deal of sap: about forty litres are needed to make just one litre of syrup. Many Indigenous peoples of the region were making maple sugar long before Europeans arrived, and they shared their knowledge with early settlers. Today, Canada produces most of the world's maple syrup, and Quebec alone produces the largest share.

    Based on the maple syrup paragraph, what would most likely happen in a spring when the nights never fell below freezing?

    1. The sap would not flow well, so less syrup would be made
    2. The sugaring season would last much longer than six weeks
    3. The sap would become sweeter and need less boiling to finish
    4. Producers would need to drill deeper taps into every tree
  5. Jordan had played trumpet in the Lakeview Secondary band for two years, always in the third row, always blending in. So when Ms. Moreau announced that the spring concert would include a short solo, he did not expect her to look at him. "Jordan," she said, "I think you're ready." Everyone turned around. His stomach dropped. The solo was only sixteen bars long, but it ended on a high G that Jordan could hit about half the time. For three weeks, he practised in the garage after supper so he would not bother his family. He recorded himself on his phone and listened back, wincing at every cracked note. His older cousin Dev, who played in a jazz group in Toronto, gave him advice over a video call. "Stop thinking about the high note," Dev said. "Think about the phrase before it. If the path is smooth, the top takes care of itself." On the night of the concert, the school gym was full. Jordan could see his grandmother in the second row, holding up her phone to record. When his solo began, his hands were damp, but the first notes came out clear and warm. He reached the last phrase, took a breath and aimed for the high G. It cracked. It was not a small crack, either, but a sound like a goose with a cold. A few students in the audience giggled. For one terrible second, Jordan wanted to put down his trumpet and walk off the stage. Instead, he remembered something Ms. Moreau said at every rehearsal: "The music keeps going, so you keep going." He lowered the trumpet, caught his breath and played the final phrase one more time. This time, the high G rang out across the gym, steady and bright. After the concert, Jordan expected people to talk about the crack. Some did. But more of them talked about the second try. His grandmother said it was the best part of the whole evening, because "anyone can play a note, but not everyone can come back for it." That night, Jordan added a new recording to his phone. It was not perfect. He listened to it three times anyway.

    What does Dev mean when he tells Jordan, "If the path is smooth, the top takes care of itself"?

    1. Jordan should practise only the hardest note every night
    2. Playing the notes before the high G well will help him reach it
    3. Jordan should play quietly so that his mistakes are hidden
    4. Jordan should choose an easier solo without any high notes
  6. A paragraph explains how to care for a new puppy. Where should the sentence "Before you bring the puppy home, buy a crate and food" go?

    1. At the start of the steps
    2. As the paragraph's last sentence
    3. In the middle of the feeding step
    4. After the steps about training
  7. The Rideau Canal, which links Ottawa and Kingston, is one of the oldest canals in North America that is still in use. It was built between 1826 and 1832, not long after the War of 1812, when British leaders worried about a possible attack from the United States. At the time, supplies travelling between Montréal and Kingston had to move along the St. Lawrence River, close to the American border. The canal offered a safer inland route. Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers led the project, and thousands of workers, many of them Irish and French-Canadian labourers, cut through forests, swamps and rock with simple tools. Their work was dangerous, and many fell ill with malaria, a disease that was common in the region's swamps at the time. Instead of digging one long channel, the builders connected existing rivers and lakes and used locks and dams to raise and lower boats along a route of about 200 kilometres. The attack that the canal was meant to defend against never came. Over time, the canal became a route for trade and, later, for pleasure boating. In 2007, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, in winter, part of the canal in Ottawa becomes a long skating path, giving one of Canada's oldest engineering projects a new purpose.

    Why does the writer of the Rideau Canal paragraph mention that supplies moved along the St. Lawrence "close to the American border"?

    1. To prove that an attack on Kingston really took place
    2. To explain why a safer inland route was wanted
    3. To show that the St. Lawrence was too shallow for boats
    4. To describe where most of the canal workers came from
  8. Who may enrol in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) as the regular route?

    1. Only students who are learning English as a second language
    2. Only students who have failed the OSSLT three times
    3. Any Grade 9 student who wants extra help
    4. A student with two OSSLT attempts, one or more unsuccessful
  9. Which plan would best prepare a student to write a high-scoring OSSLT opinion essay?

    1. Two opinions, one for each side, given equal weight
    2. Opinion, three reasons each with an example, and a conclusion
    3. A single long paragraph with no breaks
    4. A list of every idea about the topic in any order
  10. Which detail best supports the main idea "Our town's new skate park has been a success"?

    1. Skateboards were invented in California.
    2. Some skaters wear helmets with stickers on them.
    3. The park is next to a gas station on Main Street.
    4. More than 300 people used the park in its first week.
  11. Students Turn Library Parking Strip Into Pollinator Garden LARKFIELD — A strip of cracked pavement beside the Larkfield Public Library is now home to more than 400 native plants, thanks to 22 Grade 10 students from Larkfield District Secondary School. The students removed the old asphalt and planted the garden over three Saturdays in May so that bees and butterflies would have a place to feed in the middle of town. The idea began in Ms. Renata Okafor's environmental science class. While studying local insects, the class learned that many pollinators struggle to find flowers in paved areas. "We kept reading about the problem, and finally someone asked, 'Why don't we just fix one small piece of it?'" said student Daniel Huang, 15. "That question turned into a plan." The town agreed to lend a small machine to lift the asphalt, and a local nursery donated soil and seedlings, including wild bergamot, purple coneflower and black-eyed Susan. The students raised the remaining $1,800 through a bake sale and a car wash. Head librarian Paul Desrosiers said the garden has already changed the look of the building. "It is the most beautiful entrance any library in this county has," he said. "Visitors stop to read the plant signs before they even come inside." The project was not always easy. Heavy rain washed away some seedlings in the first week, and the students had to replant almost a quarter of the garden. Ms. Okafor said she hopes the garden teaches students that small actions add up. The students will care for the plants through the summer. They also plan to count the bees and butterflies they see each week and share the numbers with the library. Residents can visit the garden at any time. A free guided walk will be held on Saturday, June 14, at 10 a.m., starting at the library's front doors.

    Why does the reporter include head librarian Paul Desrosiers's quotation in the Larkfield pollinator garden report?

    1. To explain how the students lifted the old pavement
    2. To prove that the garden cost less than the school expected
    3. To show the garden's effect on the library and on its visitors
    4. To suggest that every library should copy Larkfield
  12. LUCIA: Good morning, welcome to Spoke and Pedal. How can I help? MR. BOATENG: I bought this bike here on Saturday, and the back brake already squeals every time I stop. I'm leaving on a three-day cycling trip on Friday. I can't ride it like this. LUCIA: I'm sorry about that. Let me take a look. Okay, I see the problem. The brake pads are a little crooked, so they're rubbing at an angle. MR. BOATENG: So it was put together badly. I paid $900 for this bike. LUCIA: That's a fair question. New brake pads often need a small adjustment after the first few rides, while everything settles. It's covered by your free tune-up, so there's no charge. MR. BOATENG: How long will it take? I can't leave it here for a week. LUCIA: About fifteen minutes. You're welcome to wait, or you can grab a coffee next door. MR. BOATENG: I'll wait. Fifteen minutes is better than I expected. LUCIA: While I'm at it, I'll check the tire pressure and oil the chain. Since you're going on a long trip, do you have a repair kit? MR. BOATENG: A repair kit? I hadn't even thought about that. LUCIA: A spare tube and a small pump can save your whole day if you get a flat tire. When I'm done, I'll show you how to use them. It only takes a minute to learn. MR. BOATENG: That would be great. And I'm sorry I came in so grumpy. I was worried my trip was ruined. LUCIA: No problem at all. Let's make sure it isn't. MR. BOATENG: You know what? I'll take the spare tube and the pump. And maybe one of those bells, too.

    How does Mr. Boateng feel at the start of his conversation with the bike shop clerk, and what shows it?

    1. Frustrated; he says the bike was put together badly
    2. Embarrassed; he says he is sorry for being grumpy
    3. Relieved; he says the fix is faster than he expected
    4. Curious; he asks the clerk about the tire pressure
  13. (1) Cities across Canada are planting more trees along their streets. (2) Trees give shade that keeps sidewalks and buildings cooler in summer. (3) Their roots soak up rainwater that might otherwise flood storm drains. (4) Studies have also linked green streets with calmer, happier residents.

    Which detail is the most specific support for sentence 2 of the street-tree paragraph?

    1. Many people in Canada enjoy the summer more than the winter.
    2. Shade is something that almost everybody appreciates in July.
    3. Trees are very nice to look at on a hot and sunny summer day.
    4. On one Toronto street, shaded sidewalks were several degrees cooler.
  14. Which word correctly completes the sentence? "The team packed ___ equipment before the bus arrived."

    1. their
    2. theirs
    3. they're
    4. there
  15. Teen Volunteers Bring Back Riverbend's Outdoor Rink RIVERBEND — For the first time in six winters, children are skating on the outdoor rink in Willow Park. On Saturday afternoon, about 150 residents gathered at the park to celebrate the rink's reopening, which was made possible by a group of teenagers who spent much of December rebuilding and flooding it. The rink closed in 2020 after its wooden boards rotted and the town could not find volunteers to look after the ice. Last fall, Grade 11 student Leah Martineau, 16, started an online sign-up sheet asking for help. Within two weeks, 31 people had joined, most of them high school students. "My dad taught me to skate on this rink when I was four," Martineau said. "It felt wrong that kids in my neighbourhood were growing up without it." The volunteers replaced the rotten boards with lumber donated by a local building supply store. They also made a schedule so that two people flood the ice every night when the temperature drops below minus 5 degrees Celsius. Flooding is cold, slow work. Volunteers drag a heavy hose back and forth across the ice in the dark, often after 10 p.m., to lay down a thin, even layer of water. Town recreation manager Gordon Pike said the town will pay for the water and the lights this season. "The young people did the hard part," he said. "The least we can do is keep the lights on." At Saturday's celebration, a local hockey coach gave free lessons to beginners, and volunteers handed out hot chocolate. The rink is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., weather permitting. Martineau said the team still needs more volunteers, especially adults who can flood the ice on weeknights. Anyone who wants to help can sign up at the front desk of the Riverbend Community Centre.

    What is the purpose of the Riverbend rink report's paragraph that begins 'Flooding is cold, slow work'?

    1. To warn readers that skating late at night is unsafe
    2. To explain why the rink closes every evening at 9 p.m.
    3. To show how much effort the volunteers put in
    4. To describe the new equipment the town bought for the rink
  16. Which sentence uses "neither ... nor" correctly?

    1. Neither the twins nor their cousin were coming.
    2. Neither the twins nor their cousin is coming.
    3. Neither the twins nor their cousin are coming.
    4. Neither the twins or their cousin is coming.
  17. North Ashby Library Opens Shelves Full of Tools NORTH ASHBY — Residents of North Ashby can now borrow a drill, a ladder or a pressure washer as easily as they borrow a novel. The North Ashby Public Library opened its new tool-lending collection on Tuesday, offering more than 120 tools free of charge to anyone with a library card. The collection fills a former storage room at the back of the library. Its shelves hold power drills, garden tools, a sewing machine, camping stoves and even a set of snowshoes. Most items can be borrowed for one week. Library director Simone Achterberg said the idea came from a survey the library ran last winter. More than 60 per cent of the residents who answered said they had bought a tool they used only once or twice. "A family should not have to spend $200 on a tile cutter for one bathroom project," Achterberg said. "Sharing makes much more sense." About two-thirds of the tools were donated by residents. The rest were bought with a $9,000 community grant. Retired carpenter Walter Bianchi, 71, checks every returned tool and sharpens the blades each Friday. "I spent 40 years taking care of tools," Bianchi said. "Now I get to help my neighbours use them safely." The first borrower on Tuesday was Grade 12 student Ava Lindqvist, who took out a hedge trimmer so she can earn money doing yard work this summer. "I couldn't afford to buy one," she said. "Now I can start my business this weekend." Borrowers must be at least 18 or have a parent or guardian sign their card. A short safety video is required before anyone takes out a power tool. The library will accept more tool donations in good working condition until the end of June. A full list of available tools is posted on the library's website.

    A test asks: 'Why did the North Ashby library start lending tools? Use details from the report.' Which response would earn the highest score?

    1. Libraries should lend lots of different things because sharing is nice and it helps everybody in every town and the planet too.
    2. The library started lending tools because it wanted to start lending tools to people in North Ashby.
    3. A survey found over 60 per cent of residents had bought tools they used once or twice, so sharing saves families money.
    4. Walter Bianchi asked the library to sell his old carpentry tools last winter.
  18. Prompt: Should high schools start classes later in the morning? High schools should start classes at 9:30 a.m. instead of 8:30 a.m. A later start would help students learn, stay healthy and arrive safely. First, students learn better when they are awake. In my first-period math class, at least five people yawn through every lesson, and our teacher often has to repeat instructions. One more hour of sleep would mean that students actually take in what they hear. Second, teenagers need more sleep than most of them get. My family doctor told me that people my age need eight to ten hours a night, but many of my friends stay up late finishing homework or working part-time shifts. A later bell would let them rest without falling behind. Finally, a later start would be safer in winter. At 7:45 a.m. in January, the sky is still dark when students walk to the bus stop or drive to school. By 8:45 a.m., it is light, and drivers can see pedestrians more easily. Some people worry that a later start would push sports practices into the evening. However, many teams already practise after supper, and a rested athlete plays better. For all of these reasons, a 9:30 a.m. start would help students do their best in class and stay safe on the way there.

    In the model essay on later start times, which sentence states the writer's opinion?

    1. At 7:45 a.m. in January, the sky is still dark when students walk to the bus.
    2. Some people worry that a later start would push sports practices into the evening.
    3. High schools should start classes at 9:30 a.m. instead of 8:30 a.m.
    4. Teenagers need more sleep than most of them actually get on school nights.
  19. Most smartphones and tablets use a type of touchscreen called a capacitive screen, and it works because the human body can conduct electricity. Just beneath the glass is a very thin, see-through layer arranged in a grid of tiny lines. A small electrical charge is spread evenly across this grid. When a fingertip touches the glass, it changes the charge at that exact point. The phone's processor measures where the change happened and treats it as a tap, a swipe or a pinch. Because the screen can detect more than one point at once, a user can zoom in on a photo by spreading two fingers apart. This design also explains a common winter problem in Canada. Ordinary wool or leather gloves do not conduct electricity well, so the screen cannot sense the finger inside them, and the phone seems to ignore the user. To solve this, some companies make gloves with special threads in the fingertips that carry the charge through the fabric. A plastic pen will not work on these screens either, unless its tip is made of a conductive material. In short, a capacitive screen does not respond to pressure at all; it responds to the electrical properties of whatever touches it.

    Which sentence from the touchscreen paragraph best supports the claim that pressing harder will not help a person wearing ordinary gloves?

    1. "…a capacitive screen does not respond to pressure at all…"
    2. "Just beneath the glass is a very thin, see-through layer…"
    3. "A small electrical charge is spread evenly across this grid."
    4. "Because the screen can detect more than one point at once…"
  20. Which transition best shows contrast? "Dev practised every day. ___, he still felt nervous before the recital."

    1. For instance
    2. Similarly
    3. As a result
    4. Even so
  21. Which transition best introduces an example? "Recycling saves resources. ___, one tonne of recycled paper can save many trees."

    1. In contrast
    2. Nevertheless
    3. For example
    4. On the other hand
  22. When Mei's mother got a new job at the hospital in Sudbury, Mei was halfway through Grade 9. She had lived in the same Toronto apartment her whole life. She knew which bus driver waved at kids, which corner store sold the best dumplings and which friends would save her a seat at lunch. Now all of that fit into fourteen cardboard boxes. The first week at her new school felt like being underwater. Sounds reached her slowly, and she could not find the surface. She ate lunch in the library and spent the evenings texting her friends back home. They sent photos of things she was missing: a birthday party, a snowy soccer game in the park, a new bubble tea shop. Each photo made her feel farther away. On Saturday, a girl from the house next door knocked, holding two pairs of skates. "I'm Ruby," she said. "My dad floods the backyard every winter. Want to try it?" Mei almost said no. She had skated only once, on a school trip, and had spent most of that afternoon holding on to the boards. But her mother gave her a look that said, "Go," so she pulled on her coat. The backyard rink was small and bumpy, with a string of lights hanging from the fence. Mei fell four times in the first ten minutes. The fifth time, she landed so hard that she slid right into a snowbank, and instead of feeling embarrassed, she started to laugh. Ruby laughed too, and then Ruby's little brother came outside and laughed loudest of all. By the end of the afternoon, Mei could glide from one end of the rink to the other without grabbing anything. Ruby's dad brought out mugs of hot chocolate, and they sat on the back steps while the sky turned orange behind the trees. That night, Mei still texted her Toronto friends. But this time she sent a photo of her own: a crooked rink, a string of lights and two pairs of skates by the door. Under it she typed, "Guess what I learned today." Sudbury did not feel like home yet. But for the first time, it felt like a place where home might grow.

    On Ruby's backyard rink, what happened just before Mei started to laugh?

    1. Ruby's little brother came outside
    2. She slid into a snowbank
    3. She glided across the whole rink
    4. Ruby's dad brought out hot chocolate
  23. LUCIA: Good morning, welcome to Spoke and Pedal. How can I help? MR. BOATENG: I bought this bike here on Saturday, and the back brake already squeals every time I stop. I'm leaving on a three-day cycling trip on Friday. I can't ride it like this. LUCIA: I'm sorry about that. Let me take a look. Okay, I see the problem. The brake pads are a little crooked, so they're rubbing at an angle. MR. BOATENG: So it was put together badly. I paid $900 for this bike. LUCIA: That's a fair question. New brake pads often need a small adjustment after the first few rides, while everything settles. It's covered by your free tune-up, so there's no charge. MR. BOATENG: How long will it take? I can't leave it here for a week. LUCIA: About fifteen minutes. You're welcome to wait, or you can grab a coffee next door. MR. BOATENG: I'll wait. Fifteen minutes is better than I expected. LUCIA: While I'm at it, I'll check the tire pressure and oil the chain. Since you're going on a long trip, do you have a repair kit? MR. BOATENG: A repair kit? I hadn't even thought about that. LUCIA: A spare tube and a small pump can save your whole day if you get a flat tire. When I'm done, I'll show you how to use them. It only takes a minute to learn. MR. BOATENG: That would be great. And I'm sorry I came in so grumpy. I was worried my trip was ruined. LUCIA: No problem at all. Let's make sure it isn't. MR. BOATENG: You know what? I'll take the spare tube and the pump. And maybe one of those bells, too.

    How does Mr. Boateng's mood change over the course of his visit to the bike shop?

    1. He goes from hopeful to worried about his trip
    2. He goes from upset to calm and thankful
    3. He goes from friendly to bored and impatient
    4. He goes from calm to angry and demanding
  24. Which tool is built into the online OSSLT for every student, not only those with accommodations?

    1. Text-to-speech
    2. A grammar checker
    3. A spell-checker for the essay
    4. A dictionary lookup
  25. Which pair shows a main idea followed by a supporting detail?

    1. Winter driving takes care. Black ice can form on bridges first.
    2. Winter is cold in Canada. Summer is often hot and humid in Ontario.
    3. Black ice is clear and hard to see. Many bridges are made of steel.
    4. Driving is common. Many of the cars in our neighbourhood are blue.

About this practice test

How many questions are in OSSLT practice test 4?

25 original multiple-choice practice questions covering reading: real-life narratives, reading: dialogues, the opinion essay, reading: information paragraphs, writing: organizing ideas, osslt format, scoring and the osslc, writing: main idea and supporting details, reading: news reports, writing: spelling, grammar and punctuation. Each answer includes an explanation. This mixed practice set does not reproduce the official exam format or predict an official score.

Are the questions the same every time?

Yes. Practice test 4 always has the same 25 questions, so you can repeat it until you get them all right. The other 7 sets use different questions.

Are these real test questions?

No. The official question bank is not published. These are original questions written from the official handbook, which is what the real OSSLT test is based on.