SAT Practice Test #3 (part 2: purpose & structure))

Astronomers are confident that the star Betelgeuse will eventually consume all the helium in its core and explode in a supernova. They are much less confident, however, about when this will happen, since that depends on internal characteristics of Betelgeuse that are largely unknown. Astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance and colleagues recently investigated whether acoustic waves in the star could be used to determine internal stellar states but concluded that this method could not sufficiently reveal Betelgeuse's internal characteristics to allow its evolutionary state to be firmly fixed.

Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the overall structure of the text?

• It explains how the work of Nancy and colleagues was received by others in the field.

• It presents the central finding reported by Nance and colleagues.

• It identifies the problem that Nance and

  colleagues attempted to solve but did not.

• It describes a serious limitation of the method

  used by Nance and colleagues.

The following text is from Sarah Orne Jewett's 1899 short story "Martha's Lady." Martha is employed by Miss Pyne as a maid.

Miss Pyne sat by the window watching, in her best dress, looking stately and calm; she seldom went out now, and it was almost time for the carriage. Martha was just coming in from the garden with the strawberries, and with more flowers in her apron. It was a bright cool evening in June, the golden robins sang in the elms, and the sun was going down behind the apple-trees at the foot ofthe garden. The beautiful old house stood wide open to the long-expected guest.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

• To convey the worries brought about by a new guest

• To describe how the characters have changed over time

• To contrast the activity indoors with the stillness outside

• To depict the setting as the characters await a visitor's arrival

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CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The following text is from Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility. Elinor lives with her younger sisters and her mother, Mrs. Dashwood.

Elinor, this eldest daughter, whose advice was so effectual, possessed a strength of understanding, and coolness of judgement, which qualified her, though only nineteen, to be the counsellor of her mother, and enabled her frequently to counteract, to the advantage of them all, that eagerness of mind in Mrs. Dashwood which must generally have led to imprudence. She had an excellent heart;--her disposition was affectionate, and her feelings were strong; but she knew how to govern them: it was a knowledge which her mother had yet to learn; and which one of her sisters had resolved never to be taught.

According to the text, what is true about Elinor?

• Elinor often argues with her mother but fails to change her mind.

• Elinor can be overly sensitive with regard to family matters.

• Elinor thinks her mother is a bad role model.

• Elinor is remarkably mature for her age.

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Believing that living in an impractical space can heighten awareness and even improve health, conceptual artists Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa designed an apartment building in Japan to be more fanciful than functional. A kitchen counter is chest-high on one side and knee-high on the other; a ceiling has a door to nowhere. The effect is disorienting but invigorating: after four years there, filmmaker Nobu Yamaoka reported significant health benefits.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

• Although inhabiting a home surrounded by fanciful features such as those designed by Gins and Arakawa can be rejuvenating, it is unsustainable.

• Designing disorienting spaces like those in the Gins and Arakawa building is the most effective way to create a physically stimulating environment.

• As a filmmaker, Yamaoka has long supported the designs of conceptual artists such as Gins Arakawa.

• Although impractical, the design of the apartment building by Gins and Arakawa may improve the well-being of the building's residents.

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In a research paper, a student criticizes some historians of modern African politics, claiming that they have evaluated Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of what is now the Democratic In a research paper, a student criticizes some historians of modern African politics, claiming that they have evaluated Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, primarily as a symbol rather than in terms of his actions. Republic of the Congo, primarily as a symbol rather than in terms of his actions. Republic of the Congo, primarily as a symbol rather than in terms of his actions.

Which quotation from a work by a historian would Which quotation from a work by a historian would Which quotation from a work by a historian would best illustrate the student’s claim?

• “Lumumba is a difficult figure to evaluate due to the starkly conflicting opinions he inspired during his life and continues to inspire today.”

• “The available information makes it clear that Lumumba’s political beliefs and values were largely consistent throughout his career.”

• "Lumumba's practical accomplishments can be passed over quickly; it is mainly as the personification of Congolese independence that he warrants scholarly attention." "

• “Many questions remain about Lumumba’s ultimate vision for an independent Congo; without new evidence coming to light, these questions are likely to remain unanswered.”

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Given that stars and planets initially form from the same gas and dust in space, some astronomers have posited that host stars (such as the Sun) and their planets (such as those in our solar system) are composed of the same materials, with the planets containing equal or smaller quantities of the materials that make up the host star. This idea is also supported by evidence that rocky planets in our solar system are composed of some of the same materials as the Sun.

Which finding, if true, would most directly weaken the astronomer's claim?

• Most starts are made of hydrogen and helium, but when cooled they are revealed to contain small amounts of iron and silicate.

• A nearby host star is observed to contain the same proportion of hydrogen and helium as that of the Sun.

• Evidence emerges that the amount of iron in some rocky planets is considerably higher than the amount in their host star.

• The method for determining the composition of rocky planets is discovered to be less effective when used to analyze other kinds of planets.

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In the twentieth century, ethnographers made a concerted effort to collect Mexican American folklore, but they did not always agree about that folklore's origins. Scholars such as Aurelio Espinosa claimed that Mexican American folklore derived largely from the folklore of Spain, which ruled Mexico and what is now the southwestern United States from the sixteenth to early nineteenth centuries. Scholars such as Américo Paredes, by contrast, argued that while some Spanish influence is undeniable, Mexican American folklore is mainly the product of the ongoing interactions of various cultures in Mexico and the United States.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support Paredes's argument?

• The folklore that the ethnographers collected included several songs written in the form of a décima, a type of poem originating in late sixteenth-century Spain.

• Much of the folklore that the ethnographers collected had similar elements from region to B) Much of the folklore that the ethnographers collected had similar elements from region to region.

• Most of the folklore that the ethnographers collected was previously unknown to scholars.

• Most of the folklore that the ethnographers collected consisted of corridos—ballads about history and social life—of a clearly recent origin.

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