incorrect. The passage suggests that building materials have changed since 1970; these asbestos-laden materials were used prior to 1970 before the various studies that show the link between asbestos and lung cancer. Thus, reforms in building materials have already been made, and choice b is incorrect. The passage describes effects of asbestos on health, but not on the home, so choice c can- not be correct. 7. c. The tone of this passage is informative, serving to instruct the reader about asbestos. Choices a and d (cautionary and admonitory) are syn- onyms, and while the passage does show the dangers of asbestos, the general tone is not cautionary. Apathetic (choice b) means indif- ferent and idiosyncratic (choice e) means dis- tinctive, neither of which applies. 8. e. The author is writing for a lay person, mean- ing a homeowner, parent, or student. Choices a and d describe professionals, while b and c describe people you would find in a school setting, all of whom may be interested in this information, but none of whom is the specific, targeted audience. 9. c. This is the only choice that makes sense in the given context. A clue to the correct answer can be found in the prefix of the word itself—neo means new. 10. b. While the blues may do all of the things listed in the other answer choices, the primary pur- pose of the blues is to lift the spirits of the lis- tener. The passage states that it is a fundamental principle of the blues that the music have the power to overcome sadness (lines 5–6). 11. a. The repetition of raw fish in the form of a question suggests surprise, even shock, that raw fish be included in a list of fast-food items in the first sentence. Sushi is indeed very dif- ferent from other types of fast foods, but the repetition/question serves to register surprise, not emphasize difference (choice b). The author does not express his personal opinion anywhere in the passage, so choice c is incor- rect. Most sushi is raw fish, but if the author were defining sushi (choice d), then he wouldn’t express it as a question. The passage does argue that sushi is much healthier than other fast foods (choice e), but this is not sug- gested by the repetition/question. 12. e. Line 9 states that sushi consumption in America is 40% higher than it was in the late 1990s (five years ago). While the other answers might be true, they are not described in the passage. 13. b. Unpalatable may be defined as not agreeable to taste. You might know the word palate as the roof of the mouth, so unpalatable most likely has to do with the sense of taste. A key context clue is the phrase tastes have changed (lines 2–3), suggesting that Americans have learned to like something they once would not have eaten. 14. d. The main idea of the passage is that sushi is a healthy and popular fast-food alternative in America. This is supported by specific statis- tics cited in the passage—a 40% increase in sushi consumption (lines 8–9) and the over 5,000 sushi bars in supermarkets (lines 11–12). The passage does describe a few places where sushi is sold (choice a), but that does far less to support the main idea than the impressive numbers. The passage does not provide any real history of sushi in the United States before 1970, so choice b is incorrect. There is no spe- cific comparison of sushi to other fast-food options (choice c), just a general discussion of a shift toward a healthier diet. The passage does not discuss how sushi is made, so choice e is incorrect. –THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION– 92 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 92 15. a. The fact that judicial review can override decisions made by the legislative and execu- tive branches implies that it gives the court great authority. This suggestion is reinforced by the fact that the court’s ruling is nearly final and that it can only be overridden by a constitutional amendment or new court rul- ing (lines 5–6), as well as the use of the word power in the phrase through the power of judi- cial review (line 6). There is no mention of foreign policy in the passage, ruling out choice b. The Supreme Court interprets but does not make or rewrite laws, so choices c and d are incorrect. Likewise, the Supreme Court does not make amendments, so choice e is incorrect. 16. c. To maintain the “life” of the Constitution, the court applies its broad provisions to complex new situations (lines 7–8) that arise in current law. The passage clearly contradicts choice a by stating that the court shapes the develop- ment of law (line 6). The passage suggests that it is difficult to amend the Constitution by stating that the court’s ruling can only be over- come by a constitutional amendment or by a new ruling of the court (lines 5–6), but this dif- ficulty is not something implied by the image of the Constitution as a living document. The Constitution is spoken of throughout the pas- sage as a set of laws and ideas, not a physical document, so choice d is incorrect. While the passage states that the court maintains the Constitution as a “living” document (line 7), the image does not imply that the court is the only entity keeping alive the principles of the Constitution (choice e). 17. d. Positively is the only word that is close in meaning to emphatically. A clue here can be found in line 2, which says that the statement made in line 1 was a unanimous opinion. 18. b. The “we” of the passage go to school, so the reference must be to school-aged children and cannot include his parents, ruling out choice a. In addition, the passage contrasts we with the respectable boys and the rich ones (lines 1–2), so we are neither wealthy (choice c) nor respected. The author also compares we to the boys of other schools as a group, so we likely refers to all the poor school children, not just the author and his brother (choice d). Readers may be of all ages and economic classes, so choice e is incorrect. 19. a. The author and his classmates go to school through lanes and back streets (line 1) to avoid the students who go to school dressed in warm and respectable clothing. He also states in line 10 that they are ashamed of the way they look, implying that they are poorly dressed, ruling out choice c. Because they are afraid the boys from the rich school will see what they are wearing, they are not likely to be riding in a taxi cab (choice b), which would obscure most of their attire from view (and which he couldn’t afford anyway). The boys from the Christian Brothers’ school are the ones who will become civil servants (choice e). Bicycles (choice d) are mentioned in line 8, but the author might ride one later as a mes- senger; he does not ride one now on his way to school. 20. d. The boys would get into fights if the rich boys were to utter derogatory words or pass remarks. The other choices are all possible meanings of pass, but they do not make sense in the context of the sentence. 21. c. While the quote here does show how the author’s school masters talked (choice e), it has a more important function: to show that his school masters reinforced the class system by telling the author and his classmates to stay –THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION– 93 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 93 in their place and not challenge the existing class structure. The quote does not refer to rules or punishments, so choice a does not make sense. The passage does not compare the author’s school masters with those of the other schools, so choice b is incorrect. While the passage may demonstrate that the author was meant for greater things (choice d), the quote shows that his teachers believed otherwise. 22. e. The author “knows,” based only on the fact of which school the boys attend, what they will be when they grow up—the respectable boys will have the administrative jobs (lines 3–4), while the rich boys will run the government, run the world (line 8). The author and those in his socioeconomic class will be laborers (lines 8–10). The author emphasizes the certainty of this knowledge with the repetition of the phrase we know and the sentence We know that (line 10). Thus, he demonstrates that their future was already set based upon their socioeconomic standing. There’s no sense of the author’s determination to go to England (choice a) or run the world (choice b), and it is clear that he does understand the idea of class and rank in his society (choice d)— though he may not accept it. The passage states that the author would fight if boys from the rich schools pass remarks (lines 10–11), but he also states that they avoided the rich boys, so we don’t know whether these fights were frequent or not (choice c). 23. e. The author’s primary purpose in writing this passage is to discuss his belief that commer- cialism’s strong presence in today’s society strongly influences a person’s view of his or her personal identity. A good illustration of this can be found in lines 10–13, where the author states that we use the market to declare our identity to others. The passage discusses fashion only in the context of signage and identity, so choice a is incorrect. Though the passage refers to old symbols and names (line 1), it does not discuss the history of com- merce (choice b). The author does lament that we lack the conviction that the traditional things matter (line 10), but the focus of the passage is commercialism and identity, so choice c is incorrect. The passage does not offer any guidance in helping readers discover their own identities (choice d). 24. b. The commercial range of options in line 2 is the numerous products available for purchase by today’s consumer. Lines 2–4 hold a clue to answering this question: The author refers to the modern practice of wearing old symbols such as a kilt as the personal choice of a par- ticular consumer. The passage does not refer to radio, television, the Internet, or other tech- nologies, so choices a, c and e are incorrect. Choice d, let the buyer beware, does not make sense in the context of the passage. 25. d. The statement that one can tell a lot about somebody by what he or she is wearing is directly contradicted by the claim the author makes in lines 2–4: Seeing someone in a Har- vard or Oxford sweatshirt or a kilt or a military tie now communicates nothing at all significant about that person’s life other than the personal choice of a particular consumer. Choice a sup- ports this statement. The other choices all restate or reinforce ideas stated in the passage. Choice b supports the statement in lines 6–7, Proclaiming our high school or university or our athletic team or our community [ . . . ]. Choice c supports the idea that trendiness is more important than tradition (lines 11–13), while choice e supports the idea that the options in the market are all equally meaningless in terms of traditional values (lines 11–12). –THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION– 94 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 94 26. c. While the author states that religious signs are still evocative (line 4), he does not refer to any religious doctrine. He does use a relatively informal style (choice a), as in lines 1–2 when he writes, Well, many of the old symbols and names are still around. The passage provides some specific examples that readers can relate to (choice b), such as the Harvard or Oxford sweatshirt, and it uses the collective pronoun we to bring reader and writer together (choice d). The author also avoids absolute statements (choice e), softening his argument with quali- fying phrases such as seems largely to have dis- appeared (line 1) and I suspect (line 5). 27. c. Nowhere in the passage does the author spec- ulate about whether teenagers can change their exercise habits. The passage does provide several statistics to support its claim that teens do not exercise enough (choice a) and lists the long-term health risks of inactivity (choice b) in lines 8–9. The author shows a correlation between inactive teens and adults (choice d) in line 6 and concludes with the benefits of exer- cise (choice e). 28. b. This is the only choice that makes sense in the context of the sentence. A context clue can be found in lines 1–2, which says, “ teens are not vigorously active . . .” 29. d. The passage aims to promote change in teen exercise habits by emphasizing the problems caused by lack of activity and the benefits of exercise. There is no counterargument addressed in the passage, so choice a is incor- rect. The author does not provide any predic- tions (choice b) or praise an outcome (choice c). The passage offers facts in support of a claim about exercise, but it does not offer a justification for a conclusion (choice e); it is not that argumentative of a passage. 30. c. The author clearly favors the single-payer sys- tem. Line 12 provides a big clue; using the word frivolously indicates that the author feels disdain toward the current system. Lines 14–15 also show how the author feels about the matter: All of that money could be used instead for what it should be, Choices b, d, and e are all certainly possibilities, but they cannot be inferred with as much certainty as choice c. 31. b. This is the only choice that makes sense in the given context. A clue can be found in the last clause of the sentence: leaving approxi- mately 45 million citizens uninsured and unable to receive regular healthcare.Ifexorbitant healthcare premiums leave so many without insurance, it can be inferred that the word means costly. 32. c. Clearly, the author thinks that universal health- care is attainable. He or she provides plenty of examples that show why it is a better system than the existing one. 33. e. This is the only method the author does not use to support his or her viewpoint. 34. c. The author of this passage is clearly proposing and advocating the single-payer system as a solution to the existing crisis. Although the author does introduce the single-payer system (choice a) and does compare the U.S. health- care system to Canada’s (choice b), neither of these serve as the primary purpose of the pas- sage. Choice d doesn’t apply either—the author is not directing the passage toward physicians; and e, too, is incorrect, as it is not the author’s primary intent. 35. c. Even though the concept of PHI in nature may seem unusual or unique at first, it is actu- ally a very common and predictable occur- rence, and the passage specifically states that the Fibonacci spiral is seen in everything from seashells to galaxies (line 6). The author also provides many examples of PHI, and just the example of plants shows how prevalent PHI is –THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION– 95 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 95 in the universe. Choice a directly contradicts this fact, and choice d contradicts the fact that PHI is a natural occurrence. Choices b and e may be true, but they are not supported by the passage. Note: Be careful not to get caught up in trying to do the math in a passage like this. If you find yourself confused by the content of a passage, take a quick look at the questions. This should let you know whether or not you need to figure out whatever sentences are stumping you. 36. e. The passage lists many examples to explain PHI—mathematical expressions of the Fibonacci sequence and spiral, as well as examples of the sequence and spiral in nature. The passage defines PHI and the Fibonacci sequence (choice a), but even these definitions are primarily through example. The passage does not compare arguments (choice b) or contrast opposing views (choice c), and because the passage cites many specific examples, choice d, generalized statement,is incorrect. 37. a. The description of the winding paths, shifting landscape and sections that spill into one another support the assertion that the park lacks a center. It is described in a matter-of- fact manner, so choice b is incorrect. The description focuses on the park, not on any arguments about the park, so c is incorrect. The passage does not specify the size of the park, and the description emphasizes its wind- ing, decentered nature, so choice d is incor- rect. The description may suggest how well the author knows the park (choice e), but that is not the main purpose of the description. 38. e. Lines 8–9 state that Olmsted wanted to create a democratic playground, so he designed the park to have many centers that would allow interaction among the various members of soci- ety (line 7). The passage does not make any statements about the nature of the city as a whole, ruling out choice a. Choice b may be true, and author’s respect for Olmsted is implied throughout the passage, but the focus of the passage is Olmsted’s purpose in his design, not Olmsted’s brilliance. Choices c and d may also be true, but the author doesn’t make any statements about how other parks should be designed, and the fact that Central Park is used by many people for many differ- ent purposes is the result of Olmsted’s design. 39. b. Line 4 states that the park’s design was innova- tive, suggesting it was very different from other park designs and thus ruling out choices a and d. There is no reference to how the park was received by New Yorkers, so choice c is incorrect. Choice e is directly contradicted by the last sentence, which states that Olmsted’s ideal of a “commonplace civilization” could be realized. 40. d. If students cannot determine the meaning of a democratic playground, a clue can be found in the last clause of the sentence: the multi- plicity of its uses and users. Now You Know Now you’ve tried your hand at some practice ques- tions in each of the three kinds of critical reading questions. You’ve read strategies and started to absorb them. You’ve already learned some new vocabulary. Go back and assess your performance on each of the three sections. Why did you miss the questions you missed? Are there strategies that would help you if you practiced them? Were there many words you didn’t know? Whatever your weaknesses are, it’s much better to learn about them now and spend the time between now and the SAT turning them into strengths than it is to pretend they don’t exist. It can be hard to focus on –THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION– 96 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 96 your weaknesses. But if you focus on the task of doing well on the SAT, your effort will repay you many times over. You will go to the kind of school you want and enjoy the kind of career you want, and it will have all started with the relatively few hours you devoted to preparing for a standardized test. What are you wait- ing for? One last consideration about the Critical Reading section of the SAT is the effect of good time manage- ment during the exam. The basic rule is one minute per question, but some questions will take less time, and others will take more. Don’t hold yourself to a strict schedule, but you shouldn’t spend too much time on any one question. Remember, if you can elim- inate one or more answers on a tough question, you should make a guess, and if you have time left at the end of the section, you can go back and reconsider your answers. If one type of question in a section is easier for you than another type, go ahead and do those questions first. Remember, you get the same point for an easy cor- rect answer as you do for a difficult correct answer. So answer the easy questions and save the hard ones for last. These time management strategies are not only effective on the Critical Reading section of the SAT, but can also be useful for the Math and Writing sections. Doing practice questions under timed conditions will help you prepare more thoroughly for the time limits you will face on test day. Good luck! –THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION– 97 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 97 . telling the author and his classmates to stay THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION– 93 5658 SAT2 006[03](fin).qx 11 / 21/ 05 6:42 PM Page 93 in their place and not challenge the existing class structure. The. accept it. The passage states that the author would fight if boys from the rich schools pass remarks (lines 10 11 ), but he also states that they avoided the rich boys, so we don’t know whether these. meaningless in terms of traditional values (lines 11 12 ). THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION– 94 5658 SAT2 006[03](fin).qx 11 / 21/ 05 6:42 PM Page 94 26. c. While the author states that religious signs are still