EST Practice reading passage : The Weight of Shadows

It was an hour before dawn when Clara first
noticed the shadows moving without their
owners. She had been sitting by her bedroom
window, staring out into the darkness that
(5)clung to the edges of her small town like a
damp shroud. The trees stood still, their
branches skeletal against the faint glow of
moonlight filtering through clouds heavy with
rain. It was then she saw it—a shadow
(10)stretching across the street below,
detached from any figure, shifting as though
alive.

Clara blinked hard, certain her eyes were
playing tricks on her. But no matter how many
(15)times she rubbed them or adjusted her
position, the shadow persisted. It slithered
along the pavement, curling around lampposts
and pooling in the gutters. For a moment, she
thought about calling out to her mother, who
(20)slept soundly down the hall, but something
stopped her. There was something intimate
about this phenomenon, as if the shadows had
chosen her to witness their rebellion.

She leaned closer to the glass, pressing her
(25)forehead against the cool surface. Her
breath fogged up the pane, obscuring her view
for just a second. When she wiped it away,
another shadow appeared—this one darker,
more defined. It moved with purpose,
(30)zigzagging between parked cars until it
reached the base of the old oak tree in the
center of the square. There, it paused, pulsating
like a heartbeat.

A chill ran down Clara’s spine. She had
(35)always felt a peculiar connection to
shadows. As a child, she would spend hours
tracing their outlines on sidewalks with pieces
of chalk, trying to capture their fleeting forms
before they shifted with the sun. Her teachers
(40)called her “dreamy,” her classmates
dismissed her as odd, but Clara didn’t mind.
To her, shadows were not mere absences
of light; they were living things, echoes
of existence, fragments of stories waiting to be
(45)told.

But tonight, they seemed different. Tonight,
they were restless.

Her thoughts turned to the stories her
grandmother used to tell—tales of spirits
(50)wandering the earth, searching for lost
souls to guide them home. “Shadows,” her
grandmother would whisper, “are the
footprints of ghosts.” At the time, Clara had
dismissed these tales as fanciful nonsense,
(55)the ramblings of an aging woman
desperate to leave behind some legacy.
Now, however, those words echoed in her
mind with unsettling clarity.

The third shadow emerged from beneath a
(60)bench near the park entrance. Unlike
the others, this one was jagged and
uneven, its edges fraying like torn fabric. It
hesitated for a moment, as if sensing
Clara’s gaze, then darted toward the oak
(65)tree where the other two had gathered.
They merged together in a swirling mass,
blending and separating like ink spilled in
water. Clara watched, transfixed, as the
combined shadow began to rise, lifting itself
(70)off the ground until it hovered at eye
level with her window.

For what felt like an eternity, they stared at
each other—the shadow and the girl. Then,
slowly, deliberately, the shadow extended a
(75)tendril-like appendage and pointed
toward the forest beyond the square.
Clara’s heart pounded in her chest. She
knew what it wanted. It wanted her to
follow.

(80)And yet, despite the fear coursing
through her veins, she couldn’t look away.
There was something mesmerizing about
the way the shadow moved, fluid and

graceful, almost hypnotic. It wasn’t
(85)threatening, exactly, but there was
an urgency to its gestures, a silent plea that
tugged at something deep within her.

“Why me?” she whispered aloud, though she
doubted the shadow could hear her. Or
(90)perhaps it did, because the instant the
words left her lips, the shadow recoiled,
shrinking back into itself until it disappeared
entirely.

The silence that followed was deafening.
(95)Clara sat frozen in her chair, her hands
gripping the windowsill so tightly her knuckles
turned white. Had she imagined it all? Was
this some elaborate trick of her overactive
imagination, fueled by sleepless nights and
(100)too many cups of coffee?

No. She shook her head firmly. Something
had happened. Something real. And whatever
it was, it wasn’t finished with her yet.

As the first rays of sunlight crept over the
(105)horizon, painting the sky in shades of
gold and pink, Clara made a decision. She
slipped on her boots, grabbed her jacket, and
headed downstairs, careful not to wake her
mother. Outside, the world was quiet, save for
(110)the occasional chirp of a bird waking to
greet the day. The shadows were gone—or
rather, they had returned to their rightful
places, clinging obediently to the objects that
cast them.

(115)But Clara knew better now. Shadows
weren’t just passive reflections of light. They
were watchers, messengers, keepers of
secrets. And somewhere, deep in the heart of
the forest, one of them was waiting for her.

1. The author uses the phrase “clung to the edges of her small town like a damp shroud” (lines 5–6) primarily to:

A) emphasize the oppressive atmosphere of Clara’s environment.
B) illustrate the physical weight of the shadows.
C) suggest that Clara feels trapped by her surroundings.
D) contrast the beauty of nature with urban decay.

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2. In line 21, the word “intimate” most nearly means:

A) private and personal.
B) physically close.
C) emotionally connected.
D) secretive and conspiratorial.

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3. Which choice best describes the overall structure of the passage?

A) A chronological account of events leading up to a decision.
B) An exploration of Clara’s internal conflict followed by external action.
C) A comparison between Clara’s past beliefs and present realizations.
D) A dialogue-driven narrative revealing multiple perspectives.

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4. Based on the passage, which statement best captures Clara’s attitude toward shadows before the events described?

A) She regarded them as insignificant and unremarkable.
B) She viewed them as artistic expressions of light.
C) She saw them as mysterious but meaningful entities.
D) She feared them as omens of danger or misfortune.

5. The description of the third shadow as “jagged and uneven, its edges fraying like torn fabric” (lines 61–62) serves to:

A) highlight its instability compared to the other shadows.
B) symbolize Clara’s fragmented emotional state.
C) foreshadow the eventual disappearance of all the shadows.
D) create a sense of foreboding about the forest.

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6. What does the interaction between Clara and the combined shadow in lines 74–85 reveal about Clara’s character?

A) Her curiosity outweighs her fear.
B) She is easily swayed by supernatural phenomena.
C) She prioritizes logic over intuition.
D) She resists change and unfamiliar experiences.

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7. The author includes references to Clara’s childhood chalk drawings (lines 38–40) in order to:

A) provide context for her current fascination with shadows.
B) demonstrate her artistic talent and creativity.
C) contrast her youthful innocence with her present maturity.
D) criticize societal expectations placed on children.

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

A) Lines 34–37 (“She had always felt…shadows”)
B) Lines 38–39 (“As a child…shifted with the sun”)
C) Lines 39–41 (“Her teachers called her…didn’t mind”)
D) Lines 42–45 (“To her…waiting to be told”)

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9. The final paragraph (lines 104–114) suggests that Clara believes the shadows:

A) will continue to haunt her if she ignores them.
B) hold answers to questions she cannot yet articulate.
C) are harmless illusions created by her imagination.
D) represent a threat to her safety and well-being.

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10. The passage as a whole can be seen as exploring which central theme?

A) The tension between reality and imagination.
B) The inevitability of growing up and facing fears.
C) The consequences of ignoring ancestral wisdom.
D) The search for meaning in seemingly ordinary occurrences.

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