diff --git a/test/XMLHttpRequest.js b/test/XMLHttpRequest.js
index 1a8454f2784c9..21ee57468e5e9 100644
--- a/test/XMLHttpRequest.js
+++ b/test/XMLHttpRequest.js
@@ -8,9 +8,12 @@ global.XMLHttpRequest = function XMLHttpRequest() {
 
   // TODO handle file system errors?
 
+self.readyState = 0;
+
   self.open = function(m, u, a) {
     info.url = u;
     info.async = a;
+    self.readyState = 1;
     self.send = a ? read : readSync;
   };
 
@@ -19,6 +22,7 @@ global.XMLHttpRequest = function XMLHttpRequest() {
   };
 
   function read() {
+    self.readyState = 2;
     fs.readFile(info.url, "binary", function(e, d) {
       if (e) {
         self.status = 404; // assumed
@@ -35,6 +39,7 @@ global.XMLHttpRequest = function XMLHttpRequest() {
   }
 
   function readSync() {
+    self.readyState = 2;
     try {
       var d = fs.readFileSync(info.url, "binary");
       self.status = 200;
diff --git a/test/xhr/xhr-test.js b/test/xhr/xhr-test.js
index cbb7c47e503ec..dd2976216e1cd 100644
--- a/test/xhr/xhr-test.js
+++ b/test/xhr/xhr-test.js
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ suite.addBatch({
     topic: load("xhr/xhr").expression("d3.xhr").document(),
 
     "on a sample text file": {
-      topic: function(xhr) {
-        xhr("test/data/sample.txt", this.callback);
+      topic: function(d3_xhr) {
+        d3_xhr("test/data/sample.txt", this.callback);
       },
       "makes an asynchronous HTTP request": function(req) {
         assert.equal(req._info.url, "test/data/sample.txt");
@@ -29,18 +29,43 @@ suite.addBatch({
     },
 
     "when a custom mime type is specified": {
-      topic: function(xhr) {
-        xhr("test/data/sample.txt", "text/plain", this.callback);
+      topic: function(d3_xhr) {
+        d3_xhr("test/data/sample.txt", "text/plain", this.callback);
       },
       "observes the optional mime type": function(req) {
         assert.equal(req._info.mimeType, "text/plain");
       }
     },
 
+    "when a beforesend listener is specified": {
+      topic: function(d3_xhr) {
+        var callback = this.callback;
+        var xhr = d3_xhr("test/data/sample.txt", "text/plain").on("beforesend", function(request) {
+          callback(null, {
+            that: this,
+            xhr: xhr,
+            readyState: request.readyState,
+            request: request
+          });
+        });
+        xhr.get();
+      },
+      "invokes the beforesend listener with the xhr object as the context": function(result) {
+        assert.equal(result.that, result.xhr);
+        assert.ok(result.xhr.get);
+      },
+      "invokes the beforesend listener with the underlying XMLHttpRequest as an argument": function(result) {
+        assert.instanceOf(result.request, XMLHttpRequest);
+      },
+      "invokes the beforesend listener after open and before send": function(result) {
+        assert.equal(result.readyState, 1);
+      }
+    },
+
     "on a file that does not exist": {
-      topic: function(xhr) {
+      topic: function(d3_xhr) {
         var callback = this.callback;
-        xhr("//does/not/exist.txt", function(error, req) {
+        d3_xhr("//does/not/exist.txt", function(error, req) {
           callback(null, req);
         });
       },