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Hast Test Paper

Information Technology (North Sydney Girls High School)

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HAST
Higher Ability Selection Test

Sample
Question
Booklet

Australian Council for Educational Research

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Copyright © 2019 Australian Council for Educational Research

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WHAT IS HAST? orientation, that need to be considered when deciphering

the pattern.
The Higher Ability Selection Test is used to identify
academically gifted students for selection into gifted and Information is presented in picture format using squares,
talented programs at the secondary school level. The triangles, lines and graphical images.
test measures higher-order thinking skills and academic
potential rather than what a student has achieved in the Written Expression
classroom.
This is an extended writing task that assesses your ability
HAST testing is available at the junior secondary, middle to express your thoughts and feelings in written English.
secondary and senior secondary levels. The sample Assessment is based on thought and content, structure
questions in this booklet are similar in style and content and organisation, expression, style, and the mechanics of
to those found at the junior secondary level. At this your written response. The test also provides a measure
level students will usually be in their last year of primary of logical and creative thinking skills in addition to
school or first year of secondary school. Students sitting language competency.
the middle and senior secondary levels may also find this
Writing tasks provide an opportunity to write for
booklet useful in providing an indication of the style and
different purposes and audiences. You may be given
format of the questions.
a discursive task that offers an issue or topic and
prompts you to discuss the ideas that may arise. You
WHAT TESTS ARE INCLUDED? may alternatively be given a creative task that prompts
narrative or personal writing.
There are four tests in total. Depending on the school
where you are enrolled, you may be required to
undertake all four tests or only some of them. HOW SHOULD I USE THIS
BOOKLET?
Reading Comprehension The HAST is designed to measure natural academic
This is a multiple-choice test that measures how well you ability rather than academic achievement. Reading
comprehend and interpret ideas in language. You will read through this booklet provides an opportunity to reflect
through a range of texts including prose, poetry, diagrams, on the types of skills required of you but it is not
tables and maps, and then answer questions that will designed to teach you these skills. These sorts of skills are
assess your understanding of them. You may be required developed over a long period of time or they are skills
to identify the main ideas or themes in a piece, identify that are innate and natural to you.
different interpretations of the text, evaluate points
This booklet contains examples of questions and does
of view about characters or events, or identify logical
not reflect a real test. To familiarise yourself with the
relations in factual information.
HAST you could work through the questions as if you
were sitting a timed test or you could read through each
Mathematical Reasoning question and check the answers as you go. The answers
This is a multiple-choice test that measures mathematical to the questions are at the back of the booklet. Work
ability and quantitative reasoning skills. You will be through each question carefully and at a steady pace, and
required to comprehend, interpret and analyse if you find one question too difficult leave it and move on
mathematical information at the junior secondary to the next one. You may have time to come back to this
level and mathematics and science at the middle and question later. As a rough guide allow between 1 and 2
senior secondary levels. The skills assessed across all minutes per question.
levels include comprehending and interpreting, inferring, There are also some examples of the Written Expression
predicting and drawing conclusions, reasoning, and test. It may be useful to test your writing skills using these
problem solving. At the junior secondary level tasks prompts. In the real test you will be given 25 minutes to
are presented in real-life situations using mathematical plan and complete your writing task.
concepts such as number, pattern, space, time and
measurement. In some instances you will need to For further information go to
apply logical and strategic thinking to work through the https://www.acer.org/hast-secondary
questions in the test.

Abstract Reasoning
This is a multiple-choice test that measures your ability
to analyse information and solve problems using non-
verbal reasoning. You will be required to identify a pattern
shown in a sequence of diagrams. The pattern may need
to be continued or completed, or the diagrams may
need to be re-arranged to identify the middle object in a
sequence. The diagrams completing the pattern may have
a number of elements including size, shape, shading and

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PART 1
Reading Comprehension

Questions 1 – 7

The following table contains information about two species of camel in existence today: the Arabian and the
Bactrian.
Type of camel Individual properties Area where found Properties in common

One hump
Thick, broad sole pads
on feet
Thick padding on joints
of the legs and chest
North-western India
Nostrils can be closed Endurance
against flying dust Afghanistan
Arabian camel Strength
Two rows of long Arabian Peninsula
(Dromedary) eyelashes to shield eyes Humps are stores
Somalia of flesh and fat;
Used as a saddle animal absorbed as nutrition
Australia
Can cover more when food is scarce
than 160 kilometres Can exist without water
in a day for several days
Has ability to bite off Flesh and milk of the
and chew thorny desert camel used as food
plants
Camel hide used
for leather
Two humps
The hair, shed every
Hard, cloven feet summer, is made into
cord, fine paint brushes
Long, fine wool and cloth
Smaller, heavier build Central Asia Can drink as much as
than Arabian camels 100 litres of water in
South-western 10 minutes
Bactrian camel Can carry loads of up
Mongolia
to 454 kilograms
North-western China
Travels at 4 km/h and
can travel up to 45
kilometres in a day
Can withstand extreme
temperatures

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1 The Bactrian camel

A can be used to carry heavy loads.
B can be used as a source of food.
C can cover very long distances in a day.
D can have the same build as the Arabian camel.

2 Which one of the following statements is true?

A The two types of camel are physically the same.
B The two types of camel can be found in the same places.
C The two types of camel have adapted to their different environments.
D The two types of camel have adapted differently to the same environment.

3 A camel driver has covered 85 kilometres in one day.

Which type of camel is his camel most likely to be?
A Arabian
B Bactrian
C either Bactrian or Arabian
D there is not enough evidence given

4 The most likely reason for the two types of camel having different types of feet is because they
A have a different number of humps.
B carry different types of passengers.
C belong to different animal families.
D have to cover different types of ground.

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5 The humps of both types of camel are used to

A store water.
B aid in fat absorption.
C enable them to carry heavy loads.
D protect the camels from extreme temperatures.

6 Which of the following makes the camel an excellent animal for enduring difficult conditions?
A They are used to carrying heavy loads.
B They can exist without water for several days.
C They can drink as much as 100 litres of water in ten minutes.
D Their hair is used to make cord, fine paint brushes and cloth.

7 Bactrian camels are smaller and heavier because they

A have two humps.
B do not eat as much as Arabian camels.
C cover more distance than Arabian camels.
D have adapted to the demands of their environment.

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Questions 8 – 11

The following passage is about the famous Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, who lived from 1881 to 1931, and
founded her own dance company.

The ‘girls’ are ballet dancers in Pavlova’s company.

Off-stage Pavlova chaperoned1 her girls rigorously. At no time were any of them on
terms of intimacy with her. In fact, off-stage as on, she awed them and they dreaded
her disapproval. But respect was their over-riding feeling for her, she was a creature
set apart, aloof, unapproachable, ageless. Not that Pavlova did not take a vivid
personal interest in each of her girls. She did, thinking and planning for their good, 5
but her approach to them was that of a sovereign to a member of her household. And
not only did she know there was this great gulf between herself and the members of
her company, but it was a gulf which she believed should exist. For on one occasion,
when one of her dancers who had been with her for some time happened to club
together with two new girls to give her flowers for Easter, she did not like it at all. 10
‘You should not be on such terms with new members of my company,’ she explained.
‘They should feel to you as you feel to me.’

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chaperone: to accompany on outings, supervise

8 Which of the following best describes Pavlova’s attitude towards her students?
A controlling
B indifferent
C friendly
D hostile

9 The relationship between Pavlova and her students is

A malicious.
B democratic.
C affectionate.
D unsentimental.

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10 The narrator recounts the incident about the two new girls (lines 8–12) in order to show that Pavlova
was mainly interested in
A obtaining the girls’ admiration.
B encouraging the girls’ sense of independence.
C fostering a sense of order in the dance company.
D fostering close relationships among her students.

11 The structure of the ballet company described in the passage is most like that of a
A social club.
B troop of soldiers.
C panel of experts.
D community of painters.

Question 12

Consider the expression, ‘Fools rush in where angels fear to tread’.

12 The ‘fools’ in this saying are

A evil.
B comical.
C reckless.
D quick-witted.

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Questions 13 – 16

The following poem was written in the 8th century by the Chinese poet Tu Fu. It was translated into English
by Kenneth Rexroth.
Jade Flower Palace
The stream swirls. The wind moans in
The pines. Grey rats scurry over
Broken tiles. What prince, long ago,
Built this palace, standing in
Ruins beside the cliff? There are 5
Green ghost fires in the black rooms.
The shattered pavements are all
Washed away. Ten thousand organ
Pipes whistle and roar. The storm
Scatters the red autumn leaves. 10
His dancing girls are yellow dust.
Their painted cheeks have crumbled
Away. His gold chariots
And courtiers are gone. Only
A stone horse is left of his 15
Glory. I sit on the grass and
Start a poem, but the pathos1 of
It overcomes me. The future
Slips imperceptibly away.
Who can say what the years will bring? 20

Tu Fu
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pathos: a sense of pity or sorrow

13 According to the poem, ‘the prince’ (line 3) was

A brave and loyal.
B sensitive and intelligent.
C self-righteous and dutiful.
D ostentatious and powerful.

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14 According to the poem, the palace is

A opulent and magnificent.
B decaying and desolate.
C small and shabby.
D safe and secure.

15 The poem suggests that

A time moves slowly.
B time conquers all things.
C people leave enduring monuments.
D great achievements are remembered forever.

16 The tone of the last line of the poem is best described as

A reflective.
B confident.
C peaceful.
D cheerful.

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Questions 17 – 21

The passage below is taken from a novel about a girl named Milli who lives in a town called
Drabville.

Milli found the sameness of her town insufferable but inescapable. Every house was
designed by the same architect, or, should I say, the architect designed one house and
every other was replicated in its image. They were even painted the same colours:
grey, with shiny black doors and brass doorknockers. The identical rectangular
lawns sat side by side, not one branch of the knotted black trees lining the streets 5
was out of place, and the square slabs of concrete making up the footpath were not
blemished with even the smallest of stains. A greyness pervaded Drabville so thick
that it not only obscured sunlight but drained the colour out of everything. Because
of it butterflies were rarely seen, owls were wide awake at midday and silhouettes1,
had they been detectable, would probably have been mistaken for ogres. The town 10
was dead, Milli thought; you could search its every nook and cranny and not find a
single speck of individuality or colour.
For some time Milli had sensed something missing in the townsfolk too, but
as she was unable to explain it to herself, there seemed little point in raising it with
anyone else. She couldn’t say exactly what it was that had left them, but she knew it 15
was something important, something invaluable.

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silhouettes: shadows

17 The passage suggests that Drabville is

A cramped and chaotic.
B compact but untidy.
C peaceful and scenic.
D orderly but grim.

18 One reason why the ‘owls were wide awake at midday’ (line 9) was because
A the days were dark in Drabville.
B the owls fed on the butterflies during the day.
C the sunlight kept the owls awake during the day.
D the owls in Drabville were unable to sleep at night.

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19 The statement ‘silhouettes, had they been detectable, would probably have been mistaken for
ogres’(lines 9 and 10) suggests that
A ogres were common in Drabville.
B people in Drabville liked fairytales.
C people were unfamiliar with shadows in Drabville.
D there was a lot of crime in Drabville.

20 Lines 14–16 suggest that Milli

A feels at home in Drabville.
B is rude to the people of Drabville.
C is afraid of the people in Drabville.
D is different from the people in Drabville.

21 Milli is presented as
A angry and resentful.
B observant and sensitive.
C light-hearted and cheerful.
D judgmental and demanding.

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PART 2
Mathematical Reasoning

Questions 1 and 2

Dario has a jar containing three white chocolates and five brown chocolates.

1 Suppose Dario takes out and eats one of the white chocolates.
If he then takes out a second chocolate without looking, what is
the chance that it will be brown?
A five chances in eight
B five chances in seven
C four chances in eight
D three chances in eight

2 Starting with the chocolates in the figure, suppose Dario takes out and eats two of the
brown chocolates.
If he then takes out a third chocolate without looking, he has
A a much greater chance of picking a white chocolate than a brown chocolate.
B a slightly greater chance of picking a white chocolate than a brown chocolate.
C a slightly greater chance of picking a brown chocolate than a white chocolate.
D an equal chance of picking either a white or a brown chocolate.

Question 3

3 Paula has these clothes in her wardrobe.

An outfit consists of one pair of shoes, one
top and one pair of pants.
How many different outfits can Paula wear?
A 12
B 16
C 20
D 24

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Questions 4 – 6

This chart shows the times during a Time of day when flowers are open
24-hour period when the flowers of ten
different species of plant are open. Pumpkin
Papaver
Thistle
Chicory
Coltsfoot
Marigold
Oxalis
Veronica
Datura
Campion Campion
00:00 06:00 12:00 18:00 24:00
Time

4 Which flower stays open the longest during a 24-hour period?

A Campion
B Chicory
C Marigold
D Veronica

5 Of the following, which flower is open for six hours per 24-hour period?
A Thistle
B Campion
C Coltsfoot
D Datura

6 Of the following, which flowers are open at some time between 21:00 and 06:00?
A Campion only
B Datura only
C both Campion and Datura
D neither Campion nor Datura

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Questions 7 and 8

Nat has drawn 8 monsters.

She classified them using this chart.

Nat’s monsters
white
2 eyes
grey
hair
white
3 eyes
grey (Y)
white (Z)
2 eyes (X)
grey
no hair
white
3 eyes
grey

7 How many of Nat’s monsters belong at X?

A none
B one
C two
D three

8 Which of the following has exactly two monsters?

A only Y
B only Z
C both Y and Z
D neither Y nor Z

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Questions 9 – 12

The graph indicates the rate at which bacteria and other microbes grow in fresh food, and the rate at which
physical changes occur in relation to storage temperature.

Changes in food according to storage temperature

Other Physical
Temperature Bacteria Microbes changes
Rapid
10 ºC
Slow Rapid

Rapid
0 ºC

Slow

–10 ºC None

Slow
None
–20 ºC Very
Slow

9 Which of the following storage temperatures would allow other microbes, but not bacteria, to grow in
fresh food?
A 12 ºC C –5 ºC
B 6 ºC D –15 ºC

10 According to the graph, at which of the following storage temperatures will fresh food experience
physical changes, but not the growth of bacteria or other microbes?
A 10 ºC C –15 ºC
B 0 ºC D –50 ºC

11 Compared with fresh food stored at –5 ºC, fresh food stored at 7 ºC will have a much greater rate of
A physical changes only.
B growth of bacteria only.
C growth of other microbes only.
D growth of both bacteria and other microbes.

12 A sample of fresh food at a particular temperature is undergoing rapid physical change.

According to the graph, it could contain
A rapid growing bacteria but no other microbes.
B slow growing bacteria but not rapid growing other microbes.
C both rapid growing bacteria and slow growing other microbes.
D both slow growing bacteria and rapid growing other microbes.

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Question 13

13 Consecutive whole numbers are numbers such as 2, 3, 4, 5 . . .

Seven consecutive whole numbers add to 63.
What is the middle number of the seven numbers?
A 3 C 8
B 6 D 9

Question 14

14 Three ♥ cost the same as two ♦.

Five ★ cost the same as six ♥.
Which of the following is true?
A Five ★ cost the same as two ♦. C Two ★ cost the same as five ♦.
B Five ★ cost the same as four ♦. D Two ★ cost the same as four ♦.

Question 15

15 Nat, Jarrod and Kate score a total of 84 points in a game.

Nat scores twice as many points as Jarrod and six more than Kate.
How many points does Jarrod score?
A 18 C 30
B 24 D 36

Question 16

Tim has a bag containing only red, yellow and green jelly beans.
• The number of red jelly beans is 15.
1
• The number of yellow jelly beans is the number of red jelly beans.
3
1
• of his jelly beans are green.
2

16 How many of Tim’s jelly beans are green?

A 9 C 18
B 10 D 20

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PART 3
Abstract Reasoning
Next in Sequence

Questions 1 − 4

In each of the following items, there are four shapes forming a sequence going from left to right. You are to
choose from the alternatives at the right (A, B, C and D) the one which would most logically come next in the
sequence.
Example

A C

?
B D

In the sequence above, the dot rotates anticlockwise, and the cross alternates between two positions, so
D is the answer.
Alternatively, the whole pattern can be seen rotating 45° anticlockwise, again giving D.

A C

?
B D

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A C

?
B D

A C

?
B D

A C

?
B D

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Complete the Pattern

Questions 5 − 8
In these questions there is a framework of squares, triangles or other shapes. Symbols are distributed around
the framework according to a pattern.
Part of the pattern, marked with a ?, is missing. You are to choose from the alternatives A, B, C and D the one
that most logically and simply completes the pattern.
Example

A C

B D

For each row, the shape in the third square is made by combining the shapes in the first two squares.
So B is the answer.

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A C

?
B D

A C

B D

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A C

B D

A C

B D

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Middle of Sequence

Questions 9 − 12
In each of the following items, five objects or patterns can be rearranged to form a logical sequence.
You are to select the alternative (A, B, C, D or E) that is the middle object in the sequence.
Example

A B C D E

In the sequence above, the arrangement will be E, B, D, A, C (or C, A, D, B, E). So D is the answer.

A B C D E

10

A B C D E

11

A B C D E

12

A B C D E

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Written Expression
(discussion)

Use the following ideas as the basis for a piece of writing.

Here are some opinions about happiness.

Happiness is being able to do Being happy means different

what you want, when you want. things to different people.

There are more important things

in life than happiness.

What do you think about happiness? Write a piece giving your ideas.
Give your piece of writing a title.

Your piece of writing will be judged on what you have to say, how well you organise what you have to say, and
how clearly and effectively you express yourself.

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Written Expression
(creative)

Use the following picture as the basis for a piece of writing.

Your piece of writing will be judged on the kinds of situations, characters, events and feelings that you present,
and on how well you express yourself and engage the interest of the reader.

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Answers

Reading Comprehension

1 A 8 A 15 B
2 C 9 D 16 A
3 A 10 C 17 D
4 D 11 B 18 A
5 B 12 C 19 C
6 B 13 D 20 D
7 D 14 B 21 B

Mathematical Reasoning

1 B 7 D 13 D
2 D 8 A 14 B
3 B 9 C 15 A
4 C 10 C 16 D
5 A 11 D
6 C 12 D

Abstract Reasoning

1 A 5 A 9 D
2 A 6 D 10 E
3 C 7 D 11 B
4 A 8 B 12 D

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ACER thanks rights holders who have kindly granted permission to reproduce the material
cited below. Every effort has been made to trace and acknowledge copyright. However,
should any infringement have occurred, ACER tenders its apology and invites copyright
owners to contact ACER at [email protected].

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS — Streatfeild, N.,‘Anna Pavlova: Prima Ballerina’ in Eric

Duthie (ed), The Children’s Book of Famous Lives, London, Odhams Press, 1967, p.
310; Rexroth, K., from the original by Tu Fu, in ONE HUNDRED POEMS FROM THE
CHINESE, © 1971 by Kenneth Roxroth. Reprinted by permission of New Directions
Publishing Corp; Adornetto, A., Shadow Thief, Harper Collins, 2008, by permission of
Harper Collins Australia.

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