SAT Practice Test Questions

As used in the text, what does the word “trace” most nearly mean?

• Evidence

• Blemish

• Amount

• Sketch

Answer explanation

In the context of the text, "trace" refers to a mark or sign that indicates something has existed or occurred, which aligns with the meaning of "evidence." The other options do not fit this context.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Many ancient sculptures of people’s heads are missing their noses. This is because the nose is the most _______ part of a sculpture of a person’s head. It is delicate and sticks out from the rest of the sculpture, making it especially easy to break. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• recognizable

• fragile

• common

• sophisticated

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'fragile' because it accurately describes the nose as a delicate part of the sculpture that is prone to breaking. The context emphasizes its vulnerability, making 'fragile' the most logical word to complete the sentence.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

K.D. Leka and colleagues found that the Sun’s corona provides an advance indication of solar flares—intense eruptions of electromagnetic radiation that emanate from active regions in the Sun’s photosphere and can interfere with telecommunications on Earth. Preceding a flare, the corona temporarily exhibits increased brightness above the region where the flare is _______. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• antecedent

• impending

• innocuous

• perpetual

Answer explanation

The word 'impending' logically fits the context, indicating that the flare is about to occur. 'Antecedent' suggests something prior, 'innocuous' means harmless, and 'perpetual' implies ongoing, none of which convey the urgency of an upcoming flare.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

To demonstrate that the integrity of underground metal pipes can be assessed without unearthing the pipes, engineer Aroba Saleem and colleagues _______ the tendency of some metals’ internal magnetic fields to alter under stress: the team showed that such alterations can be measured from a distance and can reveal concentrations of stress in the pipes. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• hypothesized

• discounted

• redefined

• exploited

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'exploited' because it indicates that Aroba Saleem and colleagues took advantage of the properties of metals' internal magnetic fields to assess pipe integrity, aligning with the context of their research.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Despite the generalizations about human behavior they have produced, many studies of behavioral psychology have used highly unrepresentative subject pools: students at the colleges and universities where the researchers are employed. To _______ this situation, it is necessary to actively recruit subjects from diverse backgrounds and locations. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• sanction

• ameliorate

• rationalize

• postulate

Answer explanation

The word 'ameliorate' means to improve or make better, which fits the context of addressing the issue of unrepresentative subject pools in behavioral psychology. The other options do not convey this meaning.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

• It presents an objection to the argument of Guerra et al. about transportation mode choice in urban areas of Mexico.

• It explains why it is challenging to influence transit ridership solely by altering characteristics of a transit system.

• It illustrates the claim that a characteristic associated with high transit ridership in Mexico City is not associated with high transit ridership elsewhere.

• It substantiates the assertion that population density, the spatial distribution of jobs, and demographic characteristics are important factors in transportation mode choice.

Answer explanation

The underlined portion clarifies the difficulties in increasing transit ridership by only changing transit system features, emphasizing the need for a broader approach to influence ridership effectively.

Changes to vegetation cover and other human activities influence carbon and nitrogen levels in soil, though how deep these effects extend is unclear. Hypothesizing that differences in land use lead to differences in carbon and nitrogen levels that are not restricted to the topsoil layer (0–30 cm deep), Chukwuebuka Okolo and colleagues sampled soils across multiple land-use types (e.g., grazing land, cropland, forest) within each of several Ethiopian locations. They found, though, that across land-use types, carbon and nitrogen decreased to comparably low levels beyond depths of 30 cm. Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

• It describes a phenomenon that scientists do not fully understand, explains a research team’s hypothesis about that phenomenon, and then describes a finding that led the team to refine the hypothesis.

• It introduces an unresolved scientific question, presents a research team’s hypothesis pertaining to that question, and then describes an observation made by the team that conflicts with that hypothesis.

Answer explanation

The text outlines a scientific phenomenon that is not fully understood, presents a hypothesis from a research team, and concludes with findings that prompted a refinement of that hypothesis, aligning with the correct choice.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

According to the text, what was surprising to scientists studying the seismic activity data from NASA’s InSight lander?

• The surface temperature of Mars has been rising.

• There were different types of seismic waves causing marsquakes.

• NASA’s InSight lander collected less data than scientists had expected.

• All the marsquakes started from the same location on the planet.

Answer explanation

Scientists were surprised that all the marsquakes originated from the same location on Mars, indicating a unique seismic source rather than multiple sources, which was unexpected in their studies of seismic activity.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement? The passage of time is among the many obstacles faced by scientists who are pursuing de-extinction efforts—that is, efforts to use breeding or a mixture of cloning and genetic engineering to bring back extinct species. Specifically, researchers are concerned that the longer a species has been extinct, the less likely it is that a suitable habitat still exists for that species. Among candidate species for de-extinction, this problem would be especially concerning for the _______

• passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), which became extinct only a few years after the huia (Heteralocha acutirostris).

• saber-toothed cat (Smilodon), which became extinct 11,000 years ago.

• woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), which became extinct several thousand years before the saber-toothed cat (Smilodon).

• Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis), which became extinct in 1952.

Answer explanation

The saber-toothed cat (Smilodon), extinct for 11,000 years, faces significant habitat concerns due to its long absence, making it less likely to find a suitable environment compared to more recently extinct species.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.7

CCSS.RI.9-10.7

CCSS.RL.11-12.7

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.7

Which choice most logically completes the text? The Younger Dryas was a period of extreme cooling from 11,700 to 12,900 years ago in the Northern Hemisphere. Some scientists argue that a comet fragment hitting Earth brought about the cooling. Others disagree, partly because there is no known crater from such an impact that dates to the beginning of the period. In 2015, a team led by Kurt Kjær detected a 19-mile-wide crater beneath a glacier in Greenland. The scientists who believe an impact caused the Younger Dryas claim that this discovery supports their view. However, Kjær’s team hasn’t yet been able to determine the age of the crater. Therefore, the team suggests that _______

• it can’t be concluded that the impact that made the crater was connected to the beginning of the Younger Dryas.

• it can’t be determined whether a comet fragment could make a crater as large as 19 miles wide.

• scientists have ignored the possibility that something other than a comet fragment could have made the crater.

• the scientists who believe an impact caused the Younger Dryas have made incorrect assumptions about when the period began.

Answer explanation

The correct choice highlights that without determining the crater's age, one cannot link its formation to the onset of the Younger Dryas, supporting the uncertainty surrounding the impact hypothesis.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1