SAT Practice #1

Over the course of the passage, the main focus of the narrative shifts from the:

• reservations a character has about a person he has just met to a growing appreciation that character has of the person’s worth.

• ambivalence a character feels about his sensitive nature to the character’s recognition of the advantages of having profound emotions.

• intensity of feeling a character has for another person to the character’s concern that that intensity is not reciprocated.

• value a character attaches to the wonders of the natural world to a rejection of that sort of beauty in favor of human artistry.

In the context of the passage, the author’s use of the phrase “her light step flying to keep time with his long stride” (line 4) is primarily meant to convey the idea that:

• Ethan and Mattie share a powerful enthusiasm.

• Mattie strives to match the speed at which Ethan works.

• Mattie and Ethan playfully compete with each other.

• Ethan walks at a pace that frustrates Mattie.

The description in the first paragraph indicates that what Ethan values most about Mattie is her:

• Fitness for farm labor.

• Vivacious youth.

• Receptive nature.

• Freedom from worry.

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

• Lines 1-5 (“Mattie...farm”)

• Lines 6–10 (“He had...anyhow”)

• Lines 10–12 (“But it...hearth”)

• Lines 13–16 (“She had...will”)

The author includes the descriptions of the sunset, the clouds, and the hemlock shadows (lines 37–40) primarily to:

• suggest the peacefulness of the natural world.

• emphasize the acuteness of two characters’ sensations.

• foreshadow the declining fortunes of two characters.

• offer a sense of how fleeting time can be.