SAT Reading and Writing Module 2

For painter Jacob Lawrence, being _______ was an

important part of the artistic process. Because he

paid close attention to all the details of his Harlem

neighborhood, Lawrence’s artwork captured nuances

in the beauty and vitality of the Black experience

during the Harlem Renaissance and the

Great Migration.

Which choice completes the text with the most

logical and precise word or phrase?

• skeptical

• observant

• critical

• confident

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Mônica Lopes-Ferreira and others at Brazil’s

Butantan Institute are studying the freshwater

stingray species Potamotrygon rex to determine

whether biological characteristics such as the rays’

age and sex have _______ effect on the toxicity of

their venom—that is, to see if differences in these

traits are associated with considerable variations in

venom potency.

Which choice completes the text with the most

logical and precise word or phrase?

• a disconcerting

• an acceptable

• an imperceptible

• a substantial

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Researchers have struggled to pinpoint specific

causes for hiccups, which happen when a

person’s diaphragm contracts _______ . However,

neuroscientist Kimberley Whitehead has found that

these uncontrollable contractions may play an

important role in helping infants regulate their

breathing.

Which choice completes the text with the most

logical and precise word or phrase?

• involuntarily

• beneficially

• strenuously

• smoothly

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

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Critics have asserted that fine art and fashion rarely

_______ in a world where artists create timeless

works for exhibition and designers periodically

produce new styles for the public to buy. Luiseño/

Shoshone-Bannock beadwork artist and designer

Jamie Okuma challenges this view: her work can be

seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and

purchased through her online boutique.

Which choice completes the text with the most

logical and precise word or phrase?

• prevail

• succumb

• diverge

• intersect

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

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Scholarly discussions of gender in Shakespeare’s

comedies often celebrate the rebellion of the

playwright’s characters against the rigid expectations

_______ by Elizabethan society. Most of the

comedies end in marriage, with characters returning

to their socially dictated gender roles after previously

defying them, but there are some notable exceptions.

Which choice completes the text with the most

logical and precise word or phrase?

• interjected

• committed

• illustrated

• prescribed

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

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In studying the use of external stimuli to reduce the

itching sensation caused by an allergic histamine

response, Louise Ward and colleagues found that

while harmless applications of vibration or warming

can provide a temporary distraction, such _______

stimuli actually offer less relief than a stimulus that

seems less benign, like a mild electric shock.

Which choice completes the text with the most

logical and precise word or phrase?

• deceptive

• innocuous

• novel

• impractical

Tags

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7

The province of Xoconochco was situated on the

Pacific coast, hundreds of kilometers southeast of

Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire.

Because Xoconochco’s location within the empire

was so _______ , cacao and other trade goods

produced there could reach the capital only after a

long overland journey.

Which choice completes the text with the most

logical and precise word or phrase?

• unobtrusive

• concealed

• approximate

• peripheral

Tags

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The following text is from Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel Jane Eyre. Jane works as a governess at Thornfield Hall.

I went on with my day’s business tranquilly; but ever and anon vague suggestions kept wandering across my brain of reasons why I should quit Thornfield; and I kept involuntarily framing advertisements and pondering conjectures about new situations: these thoughts I did not think to check; they might germinate and bear fruit if they could.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

• To convey a contrast between Jane’s outward

  calmness and internal restlessness

• To emphasize Jane’s loyalty to the people she

  works for at Thornfield Hall

• To demonstrate that Jane finds her situation

  both challenging and deeply fulfilling

• To describe Jane’s determination to secure

  employment outside of Thornfield Hall

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Based on the texts, what would the author of Text 2

most likely say about Text 1’s characterization of the

discovery involving EGR?

• It is reasonable given that Srivastava and her

  team have identified how EGR functions in both

  humans and panther worms.

• It is overly optimistic given additional

  observations from Srivastava and her team.

• It is unexpected given that Srivastava and her

  team’s findings were generally met with

  enthusiasm.

• It is unfairly dismissive given the progress that

  Srivastava and her team have reported.

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What is the main idea of the text?

• The speaker is asleep and dreaming about

  traveling to see the friend.

• The speaker is planning an upcoming trip to the

  friend’s house.

• The speaker is too fatigued to continue a

  discussion with the friend.

• The speaker is thinking about the friend instead

  of immediately falling asleep.

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