SAT Pastpaper with Solutions

The following text is adapted from John Matheus's 1926 short story, "Mr. Bradford Teaches Sunday School." Mr. Bradford is driving through the countryside in Florida.

The moss in the towering water oaks had become enlivened with a verdant sheen of silver and hung like festoons of carnival or like funeral decorations for the mourning of the dead. The pine green was resplendent. The bald cypresses spread themselves along the water courses while the willows wept as they always did. Mr. Bradford was conscious of this gorgeous  display of nature.

As used in the text, what does the word "display" most nearly mean?

New and interesting research conducted by Suleiman A. Al-Sweedan and Moath Alhaj is inspired by their observation that though studies of the effect of high altitude on blood chemistry are_____, the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level, such as the California towns of Niland and Heber, has received comparatively little notice.

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

To assist with the development of new water-repellant materials for aviation and other applications, a team including both engineers and entomologists conducted a study of the water-repellant properties of cicada wings. The team explained that the_____experts in these two disciplines resulted in a more comprehensive approach than independent efforts by experts in either discipline could have achieved.

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

The following text is adapted from Jerome K. Jerome's 1889 novel Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog).

We [people] are creatures of the sun. We love light and life. That is why we crowd into the towns and cities, and the country grows more and more deserted every year. In the sunlight-in the daytime, when Nature is alive and busy all around us, we like the open hill-sides and the deep woods well enough: but in the night, when our Mother Earth has gone to sleep, and left us waking, oh! the world seems so lonesome, and we get frightened, like children in a silent house. Then we sit and sob, and long for the gas-lit streets, and the sound of human voices, and the answering throb of human life.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

Puerto Rico is an island in the Caribbean Sea. Indigenous people there started raising guinea pigs about 1,700 years ago. Guinea pigs had originally been domesticated much earlier in both Colombia and Peru. So were guinea pigs brought to Puerto Rico from Colombia or from Peru? Ancient Caribbean trade routes connected Puerto Rico with Colombia but not with Peru. Therefore, guinea pigs in Puerto Rico probably came from Colombia and descended from Colombian guinea pigs.

Which finding, if true, would most directly weaken the underlined claim?

The following text is adapted from Adib Khorram's 2018 novel Darius the Great Is Not Okay. The narrator, Darius, is a teenager visiting family in Iran. He and his friend Sohrab are at the entrance of the ruins of the ancient city of Persepolis. "The Gate of All Nations," Sohrab said. He gestured to the lamassus [sculptures] and pillars surrounding us. "That's the name in
English." It wasn't much of a gate anymore, since anyone of any nation could have easily stepped around it instead of walking through. But it was still
amazing. Behind the lamassu, more columns  sprouted from the ground like ancient trees in a petrified forest, forty feet tall, spindly but still miraculously upright. Giant stone slabs formed the remains of what must once have been a breathtaking structure.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion of the text?

While doing research for a paper about metal exports, a student finds information about copper mining in different countries in 1995 and 2020. The student notes that Peru produced 0.38 million metric tons of copper in 1995 and_______

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

Can field mustard plants grow on Mars? Can pea plants? You might think the answer to these questions is obviously no, but researchers in the Netherlands recently showed that the seeds of many common plant species can germinate in soil designed to simulate Martian conditions, as long as water is supplied. In fact, some species actually did better in Martian soil than in Earth soil: 30 percent of field mustard seeds sprouted when planted in simulated Martian soil, compared with 4 percent that did when planted in soil from their home planet.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

As exemplified by Temiar songs about landforms and landmarks and Lakota songs about gathering mouse beans, ecological information can be transmitted in Indigenous songs, and in some instances is maintained only in this way. Kwaxsistalla Wathl'thla, a song keeper for the Kwakwaka'wakw people in Canada, collaborated with ethnobiologist Dana Lepofsky et al., sharing songs referencing terraced intertidal clam gardens the people implemented in the past to foster healthy development of a dietary staple. Drawing on archaeological evidence as well, Lepofsky et al., determined that the prevalence of the practice described in the songs corresponded with growth in clam size and abundance despite increased harvesting pressure-a finding that demonstrates that______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

Writing in hieroglyphs, ancient Egyptians recorded measurements using units such as the sa, a unit of______and the khar, a unit of volume. The sa, for instance, is written as a hieroglyph that looks like a duck or goose.

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

A group of primate conservationists recently began a long-term study of the effects of different conservation strategies on the white-headed langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus). The species population is currently estimated to be around 1,000. It is challenging to accurately count these primates, however, which makes it difficult to tell whether the population is increasing, decreasing, or staying stable. The study may thus______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

While the greater adjutant can be found in places like the Inner Gulf of Thailand and the Chhep Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia, more than 80 percent of this endangered stork species is found in Assam, India. There, wildlife biologist Dr. Purnima Devi Barman is on the front lines of conservation efforts that-through community involvement and scientific ______ aim to bring adjutants back from near extinction.

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

Contrasting a high saturation color palette against dark paper and stoneware, Atlanta-based artist Jiha Moon creates fused pieces, wherein Korean folk art, Western contemporary art, and global popular culture mix. New York's Derek Eller Gallery ______ her work in a solo exhibition that ran in early 2022.

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

The human shoulder contains the infraspinatus, a skeletal muscle that is attached to the ______ this muscle plays a role in rotating the upper arm.

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

The unconventional literary philosophy with which Fernando Pessoa approached his writing is manifested in the Portuguese poet's "heteronyms," his term for the dozens of fictional personas in whose voices he authored many of his ______ among these personas was Ricardo Reis, author of classical odes in a Horatian style.

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

William Shakespeare likely arrived in London as early as 1585, at the age of 21, to pursue a career in the theater. Little is known of his early years there, but by 1593 he was becoming known for plays such as Richard III. ______in 1599, he would delight audiences with Much Ado About Nothing, considered by some to be one of his greatest works.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Included in Serial Intent, a 2017 group exhibition at the Akron Art Museum in Ohio, was the work of artist Lorna Simpson, who is best known for her multimedia artworks that______images of African American women with text fragments. Her work is credited with expanding the horizons of conceptual photographic art, and it challenges conventional notions of race, gender, history, and memory.

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

Almost all works of fiction contain references to the progression of time, including the time of day when events in a story take place. In a 2020 study, Allen Kim, Charuta Pethe, and Steven Skiena claim that an observable pattern in such references reflects a shift in human behavior prompted by the spread of electric lighting in the late nineteenth century. The researchers drew this conclusion from an analysis of more than 50,000 novels spanning many centuries and cultures, using software to recognize and tally both specific time references-that is, clock phrases, such as 7 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.-and implied ones, such as mentions of meals typically associated with a particular time of day.

Which finding from the study, if true, would most directly support the researchers' conclusion?

Soil polluted with cadmium (a heavy metal) is harmful to many plants and animals, but the plant species Elodea canadensis, or Canadian waterweed, not only thrives in such conditions but also helps remediate them. As a metal hyperaccumulator, Elodea canadensis absorbs a large amount of cadmium and stores it safely in its roots and shoots;______cadmium concentrations in the soil decrease.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

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

• Ixmiquilpan is a municipality in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico.

• Municipalities are governmental regions responsible for providing many public services to their residents.

• One service they provide is water treatment.

• Ixmiquilpan's population was 98,654 in 2020.

• Hidalgo is divided into 84 municipalities.

The student wants to provide an example of a public service that Ixmiquilpan is responsible for. 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 a 2010 study, researchers Katrin Heer, Larissa Albrecht, and Elisabeth K.V. Kalko wanted to explore the effects of ingestion by bats on the germination of Ficus obtusifolia seeds in Panama.

• The team of researchers tested 120 Ficus obtusifolia seeds that had been ingested by Jamaican fruit bats.

• Of these, 111 seeds ( ) germinated.

• As a control, K. Heer et al. tested 120 Ficus obtusifolia seeds that had not been ingested by Jamaican fruit bats.

• Of these, 116 seeds ( ) germinated.

The student wants to describe the study's research methodology. 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 supercontinent is a single landmass made up of most or all of Earth's continents.

• Over time, continents merge together to form supercontinents, which then break apart.

• This process is believed to take hundreds of millions of years and is known as the supercontinent cycle.

• Ur and Columbia were supercontinents.

• Ur formed about 3.1 billion years ago.

• Columbia formed about 1.8 billion years ago.

The student wants to specify when Ur formed. 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:

• Oak Tree House is an Ancestral Puebloan dwelling site located in southwestern Colorado.

• It was built under a rock overhang and inhabited from approximately 1180-1210 CE.

• The overhanging rock ledges offered protection from heavy rain and snow.

• Yucca House is an Ancestral Puebloan dwelling site located in southwestern Colorado.

• It was built on relatively flat terrain and inhabited from approximately 1080-1275 CE.

• This level surface allowed for the construction of large terraced buildings.

The student wants to explain an advantage of the Oak Tree House dwelling site. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?