SAT Pastpaper with Solutions

Despite the appearance of many more sophistiated tools in recent years, the ordinary pipe wrench remains ___________ plumbers. Its combination of simplicity, durability, and easy adjustability has been impossible for toolmakers to match.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

In passenger vehicle maintenance guides, brake pad replacement appears to be _________, but as professional technicians will attest, apparent simplicity can mask considerable complexity. Properly done, the procedure requires a detailed inspection of rotors, calipers, and brake lines, as well as detailed checks for fluid leaks and full mechanical operation.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

The torsos of African penguins bear distinctive dots that, on the basis of recent research performed in Italy, are most likely _________ clues in helping a given penguin identify the various members of its social group. When shown pictures that had been altered so that the torso dots were removed, a male penguin, for instance, would have trouble distinguishing even its female mate from other known penguins.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

The following text is adapted from the 1941 nonfiction book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, with text by James Agee and photographs by Walker Evans. Agee recounts driving a car through an area of rural Alabama that he is unfamiliar with.

 

On which road the woods might give way to any extension of farm country there was no deducing: for we were somewhere toward the middle of one of the wider gaps on the road map, and had seen nothing but woods, and infrequent woods farms, for a good while now.

 

In the text, what does the word "infrequent" most likely indicate?

From Earth, some stars in the night sky appear to form shapes with other stars. These shapes are called constellations. They are often named after the shapes people think the stars form. Some people have thought that one set of stars looks like a hunter. This constellation is named Orion, after a mythical Greek hunter. People have thought that another set of stars looks like a bear. This constellation is named Ursa Major, which means "larger bear" in Latin.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

Plants that are pollinated by hummingbirds commonly develop brightly colored flowers that attract these highly visual pollinators, increasing the likelihood of successful pollination. Hammer orchids, however, use a different strategy. These orchids facilitate pollination by deceiving their sole pollinator: thynnid wasps. The flower's structure mimics the appearance of thynnid wasps. When a wasp attempts to interact with what appears to be another wasp, it triggers a hinged part of the flower that flips the insect upside down, positioning it for optimal pollen transfer.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

The moon jar first gained prominence in Korea in the late seventeenth century. Its shape is distinctive: it is a simple orb created by joining two wheel-spun bowl shapes together. Irregularity is an important feature of a moon jar, so it is traditionally finished with a smooth, milky white glaze that may include bits of debris or dashes of color. Modern ceramists continue to create their own versions of these iconic pieces. Los Angeles artist Raina Lee, for example, uses custom glazes to create thick, crastered surfaces on her moon jars.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

The following text is from Richard B. Sheridan's 1777 satirical play The School for Scandal. Maria, Lady Sneerwell, and Joseph Surface are discussing their mutual acquaintance Sir Benjamin Backbite.

 

MARIA: [Sir Benjamin] has done nothing—but his conversation is a perpetual libel on all his acquaintance.

SURFACE: Aye and the worst of it is there is no advantage in not knowing him, for he'll abuse a stranger just as soon as his best friend—and [his uncle] is as bad.

SNEERWELL: Nay but we should make allowance. Sir Benjamin is a wit and a poet.

MARIA: For my part—I own madam—wit loses its respect with me, when I see it in company with malice. What do you think, Mr. Surface?

SURFACE: Certainly, madam, to smile at the jest which plants a thorn on another's breast is to become a principal in the mischief.

 

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

A student is writing a research paper on the global rise of the home video game industry during the 1970s and 1980s. The student is surprised by differences in the number of units sold by some systems compared to those sold by others. Most remarkably, the ___________.

 

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?

As the second-most populous continent in the world, Africa was home to an estimated 1.186 billion people in 2015. In a paper for a social studies class, a student nonetheless notes that countries with very large populations may be less densely populated than are countries with much smaller populations, as can be seen by comparing ____________.

 

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the example?

Poems of Experience is a 1910 collection of poetry by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. In one of her poems, the speaker encourages readers to persevere through difficulty, saying, _________.

Which quotation from Poems of Experience most effectively illustrates the claim?

The Exeter Book (ca.960-990 CE) is the sole manuscript source for the entire corpus of Old English riddles. The precise number of riddles is a matter of debate. Identification of consecutive riddles' boundaries based on content is difficult, given their purposely enigmatic nature, the challenges modern readers face in interpreting the archaic language of Old English, and damage to the manuscript. Moreover, the manuscript lacks any paratextual apparatus—titles, commentary, lists of solutions—to delimit riddles, and the appearance of a distinctive mark to signal the ends of some riddles may be an unreliable clue. For instance, some scholars claim that the use of this mark at the end of the single manuscript line containing the text conventionally known as Riddle 68 may be a scribal error.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the scholars 'claim about Riddle 68?

Shallow cumulus clouds are too small to be represented accurately in the standard global weather and climate models that weather forecasters use to make predictions. This affects the accuracy of weather forecasts. In 2023, scientists developed a model that predicts how clouds of different sizes interact as they form and change throughout the day. The scientists tested their model using data from a single day in the state of Oklahoma, and it successfully predicted how clouds merged together or split apart over time. Although the results were promising, they are limited in what they can tell us, since ___________.

Which choice most logically completes the text?

The Temple Street Night Market is a public market in Hong Kong that ________ operating decades ago. It is still active today, drawing shoppers who seek everything from street food to handmade textiles and gifts.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

While being interviewed for the book Latina Authors and Their Muses, poet Maria Gabriela Madrid revealed her favorite book about the craft of __________ Umberto Eco's Umberto Eco on Literature.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Horse sweat contains a unique protein called latherin. __________ protein helps moisture pass from the horse's skin to the surface of its coat for faster cooling.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

The Trans Bhutan Trail once served as a vital artery connecting fortresses, monasteries, and markets across the country of Bhutan. After a 60-year hiatus, the historic trail has been restored, a project that employed many of the _________ including homestay owner Sangay Choden, who asserts that the trail's restoration has helped preserve her village's culture and tradition.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

As a behavioral economist, Heather Sarsons of the University of British Columbia explores how psychological factors (such as emotion and bias) influence the economic choices that individuals _________ Sarsons's research considers the broader effects these choices have on the economy.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Carnegie Hall's digital Timeline of African American Music reflects the contributions of many prominent scholars of Black history and music, including Jeff Todd Titon, a professor at Brown _________ and Marisa Parham, a professor at Amherst College.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Early in the morning, when the temperature is still low, the spiny lizard will sit in sunny areas for warmth. _________ as the temperature rises, the spiny lizard will hide in shady spots and under rocks to keep from getting too hot.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A citizen of the Blackfeet Nation, Francis Guardipee was born on his tribe's reservation in Montana. After studying anthropology at the University of Washington, he returned home, where in 1916 he founded the first all-Native troop of the Boy Scouts. ___________ Guardipee was one of the first Native people to become a park ranger at Montana's Glacier National Park in 1932.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Under drought conditions, avocado plants produce smaller leaves, a common response to water scarcity that limits transpirational water loss and helps maintain osmotic balance. Sugarcane plants subjected to drought stress, ___________ experience a marginal elongation of their leaves, as observed by Misra and colleagues in a recent study.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Cornelia Konrads is a German sculptor who creates art that seems to be part of its surroundings. Her sculpture entitled red pavilion is built at a pavilion for birdwatching in Taiwan. __________ appearing as a set of red bamboo columns supporting the pavilion, it is cleverly placed into its environment, serving as an example of Konrads's approach.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

· The GREEN SURGE project studied different types of urban natural areas in European cities.

· Urban natural areas are city spaces that feature natural elements.

· Ruderal areas are a type of urban natural area included in the study.

· Ruderal areas are defined as vacant lots that are overrun with wild vegetation.

· They can benefit cities by increasing plant species diversity.

The student wants to provide a specific example of a type of urban natural area. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

· In Boston, Massachusetts, there is a true-to-scale model solar system called the Community Solar System Trail.

· The scale model Earth is 3.2 cm in diameter.

· The scale model Sun is 350 cm in diameter.

· The actual Sun is roughly 1.39 million km in diameter.

· The actual Earth is roughly 12,742 km in diameter.

· The Sun is over 100 times bigger than Earth.

The student wants to emphasize how much bigger the Sun is than Earth. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

· A nonnative species that causes environmental or economic harm when introduced to an ecosystem is considered invasive.

· Quack grass is an invasive species of grass that crowds out crops and native plants.

· It was first introduced to the US accidentally through seed contamination.

· Giant reed is an invasive species of wetland plant that crowds out native plants and reduces wildlife habitat.

· It was first introduced to the US to help control erosion.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between quack grass and giant reed. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?