HIGHER SCORE GUARANTEE Kaplan has helped more than three million students to prepare for standardized tests We invest more than $4.5 million annually in research and support for our products We know that our test-taking techniques and strategies work, and we know that our materials are completely up-to-date However, if after using the book your scores don't improve, or if you are not satisfied with this book for any reason, you may return it and get your original purchase price back, exclusive of sales tax, shipping, and handling In order to receive a refund, you must return this book, along with your original sales receipt with the purchase price and date of purchase circled, and a brief (50 words or less) explanation of why you did not find the book helpful Send to: Simon & Schuster Inc Customer Service Department 100 Front Street Riverside, NJ 08075 All claims for refunds must be received by Simon & Schuster within 90 days of the date of this book's purchase Excludes book postage, handling, and sales tax One offer per person and address Refunds will be issued in six to eight weeks U.S residents only Void where prohibited Visit kaplanpublishing.com for guarantee updates z O> "' Ill ;;;) =.-.-"' .""""""'"'l"'l ===N Lf"'I =N -"' =. =oo �,. 12 Practice Tests for the SAT 2015-2016 By the Staff of Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions �APLA!:!) PUBLISHING New York SAl® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product SAT® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board, which was not invovled in the production of, and does not endorse, this product This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought © 20 by Kaplan, Inc Published by Kaplan Publishing, a division of Kaplan, Inc 395 Hudson Street New York, NY 00 All rights reserved The text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced i n any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher Printed in the U nited States of America 10 I S B N- : 978- -62523- - Kaplan Publishing books are available at special quantity discounts to use for sales promotions, employee premiums, or educational purposes For more information or to purchase books, please call the Simon & Schuster specia l sales department at 866-506- 949 Table of Contents Practice Makes Perfect vii SAT Study Group Guide xvii Parents' Guide to Surviving the SAT xxi Bonus: Kaplan's Guide to the SAT Change and Practice Questions Practice Tests and Explanations 45 Practice Test One Practice Test One Answers and Explanations 1 Practice Test Two Practice Test Two Answers and Explanations 95 Practice Test Three 233 Practice Test Three Answers and Explanations Practice Test Fou r 319 Practice Test Four Answers and Explanations 369 Practice Test Five 407 Practice Test Five Answers and Explanations 463 50 Practice Test Six Answers and Explanations 553 Practice Test Six Practice Test Seven 593 Practice Test Seven Answers and Explanations 639 Practice Test Eight 671 Practice Test Eight Answers and Explanations 723 Practice Test Nine 759 Practice Test Nine Answers and Explanations 809 Practice Test Ten 847 Practice Test Ten Answers and Explanations 895 Practice Test Eleven 929 Practice Test Eleven Answers and Explanations 977 Practice Test Twelve 1013 Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations 065 12 Practice Tests for the SAT I vii Practice Makes Perfect Do not be scared of the SAT Why? Because we know what's on the exam, and we know exactly how you should prepare for it Kaplan has been teaching kids how to succeed on the SAT for nearly 70 years-longer than anyone else, period This book contains practice exams that mirror the SAT you will face on Test Day-more SAT practice than can be found between the covers of any other book Practice is one of the keys to mastery, and these 12 exams give you plenty of practice to assess your strengths and weaknesses before you take the actua l exam Just as important as taking practice tests is understanding why you got a question right or wrong when you're done The detailed answers and explanations that follow each practice test tell you not only the correct answers but why they are correct and why the wrong answers are not the best choices In addition, every answer explanation lets you know the difficulty level of each question If you're missing a lot of "Low" difficulty questions, you might need to some extra review If you are acing many of the "High" difficulty questions, you're on the right track And finally, every math answer explanation includes "Strategic Advice," so you will start to learn some of the ways you can attack similar questions on Test Day Every practice question and answer explanation in this book is geared toward one thing-getting you more points on the SAT So don't stress out over the SAT-Kaplan's got you covered H OW TO US E TH I S BOO K This book is filled with over 2,000 practice questions to help you master the SAT Follow these steps to get the most out of these practice tests: Read about the SAT structure in the next section This way, you'll know what to expect-not only as you work through the book but, more importantly, on Test Day Begin your practice! Buying this book has given you an advantage-after you've worked your way through the exams, the format and timing of the SAT will be second nature to you All you will have to concentrate on is improving your skills in the areas that need work Keep track Turn to the Score Tracker on page xvi, where you can track your score as you take each exam Keep a record of your scores and watch how much you improve from test to test viii J Practice Tests for the SAT Assess your strengths and weaknesses After you finish each test, carefully read the detailed explanations-pay attention to the questions you got wrong, but don't forget to read about the ones you got right It's important to note your areas of strength as well as weakness Take you r own personal inventory of the skills you've mastered and the skills you need to work on Watch your scores improve! After you've made your way halfway through the book, compare your scores on Test and Test You've made progress, haven't you? See if your strengths and weaknesses have changed Then work your way through the remaining tests, building skills and SAT competency along the way After making your way through these steps, we guarantee that you will have the test expertise and improved skills to tackle the SAT with confidence H OW TH E SAT I S STR UCTURED The SAT is hours and 45 minutes long It's primarily a multiple-choice exam, with a written essay and some grid-in math questions as the exceptions It's divided into ten sections: three Math, three Critical Reading, and two multiple-choice Writing sections, in addition to the essay and the experimenta l section The essay a lways comes first; the other sections can appear in a n y order on Test Day There are two 0-minute breaks Here is a breakdown of the test: Section Length Content Writing Critical Reading Math Writing 25 25 25 25 Math 25 minutes Essay Multiple-choice Sentence Completion and multiple-choice Reading Comprehension Multiple-choice Math Multiple-choice Identifying Sentence Errors, Improving Sentences, and Improving Paragraphs Multiple-choice Math and grid-ins (student-produced responses) Critical Reading 25 minutes 25 minutes Experimental Section* Math Critical Reading Writing minutes minutes minutes minutes 20 minutes 20 minutes minutes Multiple-choice Sentence Completion and multiple-choice Reading Comprehension Math, Writing, or Critical Reading Multiple-choice Multiple-choice Sentence Completion and multiple-choice Reading Comprehension Multiple-choice Improving Sentences *Note: The experimental section can come at any time after the essay Practice Tests for the SAT I Section Total Time N umber of Questions per Type Total Questions per Section Critical Reading 70 minutes 48 Reading Comprehension questions 67 questions Sentence Completion questions Math 70 minutes 44 multiple-choice Math questions Writing 60 minutes 25 Improving Sentences questions 54 questions grid-ins 49 questions, essay Identifying Sentence Errors questions Improving Paragraphs questions Essay The Writing Section The Writing test has two parts: a multiple-choice section and a written essay The multiple-choice questions test your ability to identify sentence errors and to make improvements in sentences and paragraphs The essay section tests your writing ability and reasoning skills as you agree or disagree with a statement, marshalling evidence from your reading, studies, and/or experience to make you r case The Critical Reading Section The Critical Reading section has Sentence Completion questions and Reading Comprehension questions For Reading Comprehension, you will find short reading passages followed by sets of two to four multiple-choice questions, as well as longer passages and question sets Sentence Completion Questions Sentence Completion questions are multiple-choice questions that test your ability to see how the parts of a sentence relate About half of the Sentence Completion questions on the SAT have one word missing from a sentence; the other half have two words missing Both types test vocabulary and reasoning skills Sentence Completion questions are arranged by order of difficulty on the SAT The first few questions in a set are meant to be fairly easy The middle few questions will be a little harder, and the last few are the most difficult Keep this in mind as you work Reading Comprehension Questions These questions test your ability to understand a piece of writing The passages are short (about 00- 50 words) and long (about 400-850 words), and at least one item will contain a set of paired passages on related topics Most Reading Comprehension questions test how well you understand the passage, some ask you to draw conclusions, and some test your vocabulary After a short passage, you can expect about two to four questions, depending on the length of the passage; after a short pai red passage, you can expect about four questions; after a long passage, you can expect about questions; and after a long paired passage, you can expect about questions ix x J Practice Tests for the SAT Reading Comprehension questions are not arranged by difficulty Whenever you find yourself spending too m uch time on a Reading Comprehension question, you should skip it and return to it later The Math Section The questions in the SAT Math section cover the math usually taught in high school Algebra I I classes Most are straightforward multiple-choice math questions, with five answer choices The Math section also features grid-ins Grid-ins are not multiple-choice questions Instead of picking an answer choice, you write your response in a little grid Both question types cover the same math concepts Either one can ask you an arithmetic operations, geometry, algebra, or statistics question The only difference is that one asks you to write your answer, while the other asks you to fill in a bubble Some of the concepts likely to be tested on the SAT include the following: Basic Math Advanced Math Remainders Sequences Averages Sets Quadratic functions-equations and graphs Ratios Absolute value Geometric notation Rates Percents Rational equations and i nequalities Combinations Radical equations Problems in which trigonometry can be used as an alternative method of solution Simultaneous equations Integers and rational exponents Symbols Direct and inverse variation Special triangles Function notation and evaluation Multiple and strange figures Domain and range Functions as models Linear functions-equations and graphs Properties of tangent lines Coordinate geometry Qualitative behavior of graphs and functions Transformations and their effect on graphs and functions Data interpretation, scatter plots, and matrices Geometric probability The Experimental Section Every SAT has an experimental section The experimental section is used by the testmakers to try new questions before they use them in upcoming SATs The experimental section does not count toward your score It can show up anywhere on the exam and will look just like a normal section Do not try to figure out which SAT section is experimental Treat all the sections as if they count H OW TH E SAT I S SCO R ED The Writing multiple-choice section is scored on a scale of 200-800, as are the Math and Critical Reading sections So the composite scores on the test are 600-2400 The essay is scored on a scale of -6, with being the highest score Your total Writing section score is a combination of 084 12 Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations As written, this sentence is a fragment Choice (D) corrects this error Choices (B) and (E) not correct the fragment error Choice (C) introduces an inconsistent verb tense A Difficulty: Medium If you don't spot an error, don't be afraid to select (A) This sentence is correct as written The preposition about in (B) is idiomatically incorrect with announced Choices (C), (D), and (E) are awkward and unnecessarily wordy A Difficulty: H igh Expect between five and eight sentences on the SAT to be correct as written The sentence is correct as written Choice (B) illogically suggests that Mikhail Gorbachev is a prohibition Choice (C) compares Gorbachev's leadership to other Soviet leaders Choice (D) compares Soviet leaders to Gorbachev's laws Choice (E) is incorrect grammatical structure D Difficulty: High Comparative idioms require that the items compared be in parallel structure The idiom intended here is more apparent in than in ; the items compared must also be parallel Choice (D) makes both changes The preposition in is placed incorrectly in (B) and (C) Choice (E) is unnecessarily wordy D Difficulty: Low Even a sentence with multiple verbs can be a fragment; look for a subject and predicate verb in an independent clause As written, this sentence is a fragment because the gerund (-ing) verb form can never be used as the main verb of a sentence Choice (D) corrects this error Choice (B) does not address the error Choice (C) is an incorrect grammatical structure Choice (E) is unnecessarily wordy c Difficulty: High Pronouns on the SAT must have clear and unambiguous antecedents This sentence has two problems The verb being in the sentence's second clause leaves the clause's meaning incomplete Also, the pronoun this does not have a clear antecedent Choice (C) corrects both errors Choice (B) does not address the ambiguity error and is also a run-on sentence Choice (D) is unnecessarily wordy and misuses the semicolon splice by using it to combine an independent and a subordinate clause Choice (E) also misuses the semicolon splice 11 D Difficulty: Medium Make sure comparisons are structured to compare logical things Here, teachers, secretaries, or homemakers are compared to work Choice (D) corrects this error by using the parallel noun workers Choice (B) compares teachers, secretaries, or homemakers to working Choices (C) and (E) violate the rules of parallel structure E Difficulty: Medium A high percentage of test takers fail to recognize correct as written sentences; learn to check each choice methodically Choice (A) is an appropriate use of when, which will only be correct on the SAT when referring to time Choice (B) correctly uses an adjective to modify the noun stumps Choices (C) and (D) both use the correct verb tense in context B Difficulty: Low Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, while adjectives modify nouns I n (B), the adjective careful is used to modify the verb crafted; carefully would be the correct form here Choice (A) is an appropriate idiomatic phrase Choice (C) is an appropriate verb tense in context; (D) is the appropriate preposition in context D Difficulty: Medium In a sentence with multiple nouns, make sure any pronouns agree in number with the appropriate antecedents In (D), the singular pronoun it does not agree with its plural antecedent teams; they would be appropriate here Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations Choice (A) establishes the contrasting relationship between the sentence's two clauses Choice (B) correctly uses an adverb to modify the verb eliminated Choice (C) is the correct tense, since the action it describes occurred prior to another completed action (kept) D Difficulty: Medium Most idiom questions on the SAT will involve the proper use of prepositions In this context, respected required the preposition by; the error is in (D) Choice (A) uses the preposition of correctly Choice (B) is the appropriate verb form with the auxiliary verb could, and that is correctly used as a conjunction B Difficulty: Medium I n (B), the singular pronoun it is used to refer to the plural noun binary stars Choice (A) is an appropriate conjunction, showing the causal relationship between the two clauses of the sentence Choice (D) is an idiomatically correct use of when to refer to a time B Difficulty: Low Two independent clauses combined with a comma splice create a run-on sentence As written, the sentence is a run-on Replacing the comma in (B) with a semicolon, or inserting because before he would correct the error The verb in (A) agrees with its singular subject Choice (C) is an appropriate preposition in context Choice (D) is the correct verb form with school E Difficulty: High Don't let formal or complex sentence structure trip you up Check each answer choice in turn and select (E) if the sentence is correct as written This is a complicated sentence with a number of clauses, but it is constructed correctly Choice (A) correctly uses an article and an adjective to modify a noun Choices (B), (C), and (D) are all correct idiomatic usage I 085 D Difficulty: Medium Use the comparative form when comparing two items; the superlative is correct when comparing three or more things Since the sentence refers to all the dresses in the shop, most dramatic would be correct in (D) Choices (A) and (B) are correct idiomatic usage Choice (C) is an appropriate verb tense in context 20 c Difficulty: Medium Pronouns must be used consistently throughout a sentence Because this sentence starts with the pronoun one, one should be used throughout Therefore, (C) is incorrect Choice (A) is proper use of the infinitive The verbs in (B) and (D) are in agreement with their subjects and in the proper tenses in context 21 E Difficulty: High Expect to see between five and eight Writing sentences with no error After carefully checking each of the underlined words and phrases, you should see that they are all correct in this sentence Choice (A) agrees with its singular subject heart and properly uses an adverb to modify a verb Choice (B) uses an adverb to modify an adjective and an adjective to modify a noun Choice (C) is an appropriate transition in context, and (D) is a correctly used preposition 22 c Difficulty: Medium Two independent clauses simply joined by a conjunction make a run-on sentence The error is in (C) Choice (A) properly uses an adverb to modify the verb changed Choice (B) is idiomatically correct Choice (D) is in the appropriate verb form 23 c Difficulty: High When a sentence uses a pronoun like you or we, its usage must be consistent This sentence starts off using the first-person pronoun we, then switches to the second-person you; (C) should 086 1 Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations be us Choice (A) agrees with its plural subject; (B) and (D) are both idiomatically correct in context courtyard, up four flights of stairs, and walks down the hallway The third item is not parallel with the other two; 24 c (B) contains the error Choices (A) and (D) agree with their singular subjects Choice (C) is the correct preposition in context Difficulty: Medium A noun serving as the object of a preposition cannot be the subject of a verb The subject of supports is the plural habitats; (C) should be support Choice (A) uses the correct relative pronoun in context The verb in (B) agrees in number with its pronoun subject that (referring to habitats) Choice (D) is correct idiomatic usage 25 c Difficulty: Medium A sentence can have multiple nouns and verbs and still be a fragment As written, this sentence is a fragment, since it has no independent clause Changing (C) to is comparable to would correct the error Choice (A) properly uses an adjective to modify a noun Choice (B) agrees with its plural subject writers Choice (D) is idiomatically correct usage 26 c Difficulty: Medium In a compound verb, all verb forms must be parallel The simple predicate of this sentence is paints and submerging Choice (C) should read submerges Choice (A) properly uses the participle employing to modify artist Choices (B) and (D) correctly use adjectives to modify the nouns designs and colors, respectively 27 A Difficulty: Medium The relative pronoun who is only correct when used to refer to people That would be the correct relative pronoun in (A) The verb in (B) agrees with its singular subject bird Choice (C) is an appropriate use of so as a conjunction Choice (D) properly uses preferred to modify prey 28 B Difficulty: Medium Items in a list or a series must have parallel structure Here, there are three items listed in a series: through the 29 B Difficulty: Medium The phrase argue having is not idiomatically correct Choice (B) should read argue that having (or simply argue that) The contrasting transition word although, (A), is used appropriately as is the adverb in fact, (D) The phrase such a malady is idiomatically correct 30 B Difficulty: Medium In order to combine sentences, you must first understand how the ideas in these sentences relate to one another Each of these sentences refers to an aspect of Today's technology, so a sentence with Today's technology as its subject and the various aspects listed in a series is the simplest and most concise way to combine them Choice (B) does this without introducing any errors Choice (A) simply strings the sentences together without relating them in any way Choice (C) lacks a predicate (main) verb, so it is a fragment Choice (D) is a run-on sentence, and the pronoun these has no logical plural antecedent Choice (E) is incorrect grammatical structure 31 D Difficulty: Medium There are several ways to correct a run-on sentence, but only one answer choice will so without introducing any additional errors As written, this sentence consists of three independent clauses, combined with the conjunction and Since the first two clauses have the same subject, the first and and the subject pronoun they can be eliminated, combining the first two clauses into one clause with a compound verb (lose and have) Since the third clause introduces the topic of the next paragraph, joining that clause to the new one with a semicolon splice is the best option Choice ( D) does this without introducing any new errors The transition words in (B) not properly relate the ideas contained in the three clauses Choice (C) is somewhat more concise than the original, but it doesn't relate the clauses as well as (D) Choice (E) misuses Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations the semicolon splice, which is only correct when used to combine two independent clauses 32 A Difficu lty: Low This question type requires you to determine how sentence relates to the rest of the paragraph Sentence discusses the customs and traditional ideas of a culture that are embedded in its language Sentence gives three examples of these customs and ideas Choice (A) correctly relates the two sentences Choices (B), (C), (D), and (E) not properly relate sentences and Additionally, (D) and (E) create sentence fragments by making the sentence into a dependent clause 33 D Difficulty: Low U nless a sentence clearly references more than one time frame, verb tenses should remain consistent Choice (D) corrects the sentence's inconsistent verb tense usage Choices (B) and (E) not address the error Choice (C) misuses the semicolon splice, which is only correct when used to combine two independent clauses 34 c Difficulty: High Eliminating redundant phrases will reduce wordiness Using both also and as well as is redundant, and since both clauses have the same subject, they are working at times is unnecessary as well Choice (C) reduces the wordiness without introducing any additional errors Choice (B) replaces the conjunction and with a semicolon splice, which is not incorrect but does not significantly reduce the wordiness Choice (D) creates a sentence fragment made up of two subordinate clauses Choice (E) is somewhat shorter than the original, but not as concise as (C) 35 E Difficulty: High Use your Reading Comprehension skills to answer Strengthen Argument questions Although the writer indicates that the preservation of cultural ideas is one of the most important reasons for working to preserve endangered languages, she does not provide any specific examples Choice (E) would significantly strengthen her argument Choice (A) would weaken the writer's argument Choice (B) I 087 would be interesting, but it would not add anything to the writer's argument Choice (C) is out of scope; the argument concerns the necessity, not the methodology, of preserving these languages More examples of the writer's opinion, as (D) suggests, would not strengthen her argument S ECTION D Difficulty: Low Start with the first blank Vaccines can either be given or not given If your prediction for the first blank is giving, then the second blank should be positive in order to support this answer choice A good prediction for the second blank would then be successful at providing protection Choice (A), is the opposite of the prediction Choice (B), unsuccessful in, is the opposite of the prediction for the second blank Choice (C), reconstituting, or restoring, doses of the vaccine does not fit Vaccines are not restored (although they may sometimes have to be readministered) Choice (D) matches As for (E), both choices not work; giving someone a dose of vaccine is not the same as disseminating, or spreading it widely Unverified for is the opposite of the prediction B Difficulty: Low If a boat is sinking, what condition is it in? Regarding the first blank, the crew would be attempting to what with the equipment that would otherwise be lost? A prediction for the blanks: the crew would be trying to save what equipment they could off of the struggling boat Choice (A), qualifying, or preparing, the equipment is not the same as recovering it Although the boat may have been obsolete, or outdated, this does not describe the manner in which it sank or even why it sank Choice (B) is the correct answer In (C), the boat was defunct (no longer functioning), but the crew would not be exacerbating the equipment, or making it worse As to (D), these words not match the predictions; the crew would not try to revitalize equipment, and a sinking diveboat is certainly not prosperous In (E), the first choice is too extreme Commandeer means more along the lines of seizing or confiscating and suggests taking something against the will 088 1 Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations of someone else Lucrative does not work in the second blank, as it means profitable c Difficulty: Medium Look for structural clues The semicolon indicates that what follows it describes what goes in the blank; look for the key words that come after the punctuation mark If the path meandered for miles, then it must have wound and twisted around the riverbank Choice (A) is out of scope; the hiking trail may have afforded panoramic (scenic) views, but this is not mentioned in the sentence Sentence completion questions will never ask you for information that is not presented in the question stem As for (B), there is no indication that the trail was precipitous, or steep Choice (C) works well The trail did not necessarily circumscribe the river (follow it in a circular path); the sentence describes a river, not a pond If you did not know the meaning of this word, break it apart; circles by nature are round, so to circumscribe something means to go around it There is no indication that the path twisted back on itself or went backward, (E) B Difficulty: Medium There are a lot of clues to put together here The sentence mentions Shakespeare 's plays in modern dress Some critics don't seem to like this, however (even though), because they are interested in historical accuracy They must think the modern dress is out of place, so a good prediction is inappropriate Choice (B) fits perfectly Although (C) has the negative charge you're looking for, its meaning doesn't fit with the critics' concerns Choice (A) is close to the opposite of what you're looking for In (D), timeless means belonging to no particular time, but the modern dress and Shakespeare belong to specific, distinct time periods Finally, (E) is too positive, since the critics don't like the productions A Difficu lty: High The sentence is somewhat ambiguous Perhaps the headaches were relieved by caffeine, in which case Liz would decide to drink more coffee Or, maybe the headaches are caused by caffeine, in which case Liz would decide to quit drinking coffee Choice (A) makes sense; if caffeine were giving her headaches, she would want to renounce, or give up, coffee For (B) and (C), it doesn't make sense to subtract or to destroy coffee In (D), if caffeine were making her headaches worse, Liz wouldn't want to promote coffee Finally, for (E), enhanced wouldn't be used with something negative like headaches Also, Liz could neglect to drink coffee, but simply neglecting coffee doesn't make much sense B Difficu lty: High Note the key words changed drastically followed by the example of her change in behavior from sprightly and friendly to disheartened and unaffable Jidapa seemed to be the opposite of her former self Check the answer choices to see if they match this prediction In (A), the sentence does not suggest that she became less of a certain way; she changed from behaving one way to acting quite the opposite Choice (B) is the correct answer As for (C), her change in behavior was a result of the accident, but the sentence is comparing Jidapa to her former self and is not discussing the reasons for her change The extremity of her former self does not make sense, (D) Read back answer choices into the sentence to make sure that they fit The sentence does not suggest that she became an extreme version of her former self (i.e., more friendly or more sprightly) In (E), this word does not fit; her behavior couldn't change to become mainstay, or the chief support of herself Questions 7- Passages and look at the role of the Internet in the st century Passage examines potential developments in Internet commerce and a new beginning for the dot-com industry; Passage examines the information dissemination potential of the Internet Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations I 089 Difficu lty: Medium second factor that indicates a dot-com resurgence is the entry of traditional, established companies into the market When asked to describe or characterize an author's argument in one word, make sure to characterize the author's tone and pick the answer choice that matches The author of the first passage uses arguments based on fact, experience, and logic Find the word that describes them in that way brick-and-mortar companies will enter e-tailing in some E Choice (A) is an opposite; the author employs reason, not emotion Choice (B) is distortion; each argument makes a distinct point Choice (C) is out of scope; politics never enters the discussion in the first passage Choice (D) is also out of scope; allegory employs representational characters or situations to portray themes and arguments This author does not use such a tactic Choice (E) is correct; this choice suggests an argument based on facts, experience, and logic in line with the prediction D Difficulty: Medium Some Vocab-in-Context questions function similarly to I nference questions in that they require you to infer the sense or meaning that the author seeks to communicate through a word or phrase The author states that many users had slower dial-up access, which precluded them from fully exploiting the conveniences developed by the dot-cams The exploitation to which the author refers is an exploitation of a good or service You should predict that in this context, exploiting must refer to use and enjoyment Choice (A) is distortion; this refers to the most common use of the word, but it makes no sense within the context Choice (B) is out of scope; this refers to the noun exploit which means a heroic or successful act Choice (C) is out of scope; politics never enters the discussion in the first passage Choice (D) is correct; this matches the prediction Choice (E) is out of scope; this doesn't make sense in context B Difficulty: High Don't eliminate an answer choice in an Inference question simply because it seems too obvious Valid inferences often seem obvious, since they must be true based on the information in question Either your notes or a skimming of the passage for the words second factor should point you to the third paragraph of Passage The author states, The He explains that in the 990s, dot-corns tried to provide traditional services and retailing, but now brick-and-mortar companies are using the Internet to sell their own catalog of goods Use this as your prediction Choice (A) is an opposite; the author states that traditional, of the places where dot-corns failed Choice (B) is correct; this is an example of what the author calls brick-and-mortar companies getting involved in the I nternet Choice (C) is a misused detail; this is the author's first factor Choice (D) is a misused detail; this is an argument by the author of Passage Choice (E) is extreme; the author states that traditional companies will enter the market but never states that they will replace dot-cams and take over the market E Difficulty: Medium Characterize the author's tone then vertically scan the first word of each answer choice and eliminate any that not match Fully read only the remaining answer choices to find the correct one Your reading of the passage and your notes should indicate that the author certainly conveys an opinion in this passage, so a vertical scan should immediately eliminate (B) and (D) since describe and explain are too neutral Further, your reading of the passage and your notes should lead you to predict that the author argues or advocates that the dot-com industry will return At this point, you should eliminate (A) since this author argues for his own opinion, not against someone else's Now fully read the remaining (C) and (E) and select the one that best matches your prediction Choice (A) is an opposite; this author argues for his or her own opinion, not against another's Choice (B) is out of scope; in the first paragraph, the author describes the current state of the Internet economy only as an introduction to the overall purpose Choice (C) is out of scope; this author does predict which types of dot-cams will succeed in the future, but this is a supporting detail for the second part of the argument, not the overall purpose of the passage Choice (D) is also out of scope; this author does explain why dot-cams failed in the first paragraph but uses this explanation as an introduction to the overall purpose Choice (E) is correct; this matches the author's tone and purpose 090 1 Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations 11 A c Difficulty: Medium Difficulty: Medium Some Inference questions are similar to Vocab-in-Context questions in that they require you to infer what the a uthor's words mean or convey Reread the sentences in question Ask yourself, what attitude does the a uthor communicate? The author's prediction, that we will see how truly life changing the Internet resurgence will be, is one of confidence, hope, and promise Now find the word that best expresses this hopeful attitude When an Inference question asks you to describe an author's attitude, first characterize whether the attitude is positive, negative, or neutral; then eliminate choices that not match the predicted tone First, read the statement in question The author states that the Internet's potential as a repository of human knowledge is greater even than Choice (A) is correct; promise conveys the confidence and hope that the author communicates Choice (B) is distortion; this doesn't make sense in context Choice (C) is distortion; the author may find the Internet worthy of praise for what it can do, but the sentences in question not convey something like adoration Choice (D) is an opposite; dissonance means inconsistency between beliefs and actions-the author never exhibits such inconsistency Choice (E) is also opposite; the author never expresses doubt about the Internet Furthermore, since the author's attitude is positive, you can quickly eliminate this negative word E Difficulty: Medium Some Inference questions ask you to interpret what the author intends to convey in a certain phrase As with all such questions, remember not to go too far beyond what follows directly from the information in the passage In the reference given, the author notes the innate power of the Internet while lamenting its commercial use Look for an answer choice that conveys the incongruity between the author's characterization of the Internet's power and its actual use Choice (A) is an opposite; frivolous conveys a lack of seriousness, but this a uthor's tone is very serious Choice (B) is also an opposite; ambivalent conveys uncertainty and fluctuation, while this author conveys a definite and pronounced opinion Choice (C) is distortion; the author may find the state of the Internet lamentable, but the author never apologizes for it Choice (D) is an opposite; the lines in question convey frustration and lament Choice (E) is correct; irony is a situation of incongruity between the actual result and an expected result the dreams of the builders of the library of Alexandria He foresees a world where anyone can query a computer for the answer to a question The author clearly holds high hopes for an Internet that can hold a plethora of information Use this as your prediction Choice (A) is distortion; the author's attitude is positive, not neutral Choice (B) is an opposite; this is too negative in tone Choice (C} is correct; this perfectly characterizes the author's attitude Choice (D) is a misused detail; this characterizes the attitude conveyed in the first passage Choice (E) is an opposite; the author's attitude is positive, not negative c Difficu lty: Medium Always contextualize the detail in question by assessing its function within the broader function of the paragraph Go back to the cited sentence and ask yourself why the author references science fiction movies The entire paragraph discusses the potential of the Internet In fact, the very next sentence states, this is the world the Internet is creating Thus, the detail about science fiction movies must discuss what the Internet can become Find that in the answer choices Choice (A) is an opposite; the author looks forward to this path of development for the Internet Choice (B) is distortion; outlandish implies that the author's vision would be unattainable This doesn't match the context Choice (C) is correct; this matches the thrust of the passage Choice (D) is distortion; the author cites an example of how the Internet can be used in the future, which, according to the author, is different from its use today Choice (E) is also distortion; the author encourages greater-and more beneficial-use of the Internet Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations I l 09 l D B Difficulty: Medium Difficulty: Medium Questions like these require you to characterize a difference between the two authors' points of view Many wrong answer choices contain an issue mentioned in only one of the passages If you made good notes, reviewing them alone might be enough to answer this question While both authors believe in the future growth potential of the Internet, the first author is concerned with its financial impact, and the second author is concerned with its impact on human knowledge Thus, when the first author discusses a resurgence in the Internet economy, you should note that the second author would find this less important than the uses he champions Good notes will always help you to know the purpose of any paragraph Your notes, or a quick rereading of the short final paragraphs of each passage, should indicate the generality that both make predictions based on the facts and arguments in the passage Find that in the answer choices Choice (A) is opposite; the author of Passage holds high technological hopes for the Internet Choice (B) is extreme; the a uthor of Passage disapproves of the Internet's use as solely a retailing device, but he doesn't state that Internet retailing itself is undesirable Choice (C) is an opposite; the author of Passage finds such uses relatively unimportant Choice (D) is correct; the author of Passage finds retail uses less important than informational ones Choice (E) is distortion; the author of Passage never mentions whether or not the situation would be an obstacle for the Internet A Difficulty: Low Questions like these require you to characterize the key similarity between the two authors' points of view Remember that the wrong choices might mention something the authors disagree on or an issue only referenced in one of the passages Assess each answer choice, one by one, checking your notes to find the locations in each passage that discuss relevant material Eliminate the ones that are not necessarily true based on both passages Choice (A) is correct; though the authors differ on how the Internet can impact society, both believe that it can so Choice (B) is a misused detail; only Passage suggests this Choice (C) is a misused detail; only Passage suggests this Choice (D) is a misused detail; this is a detail from Passage only Lastly, (E) is also a misused detail; this is a detail from Passage only Choice (A) is out of scope; neither author presents new evidence in the final paragraph Choice (B) is correct; this should match what's in your notes Choice (C) is out of scope; neither author uses the last paragraph to warn the reader Choice (D) is out of scope; neither author presents an alternative viewpoint in his final paragraph Choice (E) is also out of scope; neither author poses a rhetorical question in the final paragraph E Difficulty: Medium To answer how an author might respond, research her purpose and tone Check both of your sets of notes The author of Passage wants to digitize media and states that businesses can profit from the digitization The author of Passage never addresses this issue but does state that the reason for the failure of the Internet economy was the lack of access to broadband Find the answer choice that reflects these sentiments Choice (A) is extreme; the author of Passage states that the Internet economy stalled due to technological and business factors, but he implies nothing this extreme Choice (B) is distortion; the author of Passage states that the entry of brick-and-mortar companies will aid retailing on the Internet The author never links this scenario to media digitization Choice (C) is distortion; the author of Passage states that brick-and-mortar companies face fewer barriers to entry into the Internet marketplace than dot-corns Choice (D) is extreme; the author of Passage states that brick-and-mortar companies face fewer barriers to entry into the Internet marketplace than dot-corns, not that dot-cams cannot provide traditional services Choice (E) is correct; the author of Passage states that the reason for the failure of the Internet economy was the lack of access to broadband Thus, according to this author, broadband is a useful tool for business applications using the Internet 092 1 Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations A Difficulty: Medium Difficulty: Medium Strategic Advice: Set up a proportion Getting to the Answer: x 60 00 20y Questions like these require you to characterize how or why details in the passage show similarity between the two a uthors' points of view The author of Passage discusses the Internet solely as a business, or business tool The author of Passage discusses the Internet's impact on human knowledge The second author also states that business can generate revenue while furthering global information storage and exchange You can link that to the first author's idea that the Internet holds financial promise; both details indicate that the Internet can make money, even though the authors disagree on its primary uses Choice (A) is correct; this matches the ideas behind these details Choice (B) is out of scope; neither author discusses whether the Internet itself should be free, and both suggest ways to generate revenue from it Choice (C) is out of scope; only the author of Passage discusses broadband access Regardless, neither author discusses broadband fees Choice (D) is out of scope; although the author of Passage discusses digitizing media and other content, neither author discusses how to deal with intellectual property issues Choice (E) is extreme; while both authors discuss revenue and business to some extent, neither one goes so far as to suggest this S ECTI O N A Difficulty: Low Strategic Advice: Algebra problems that appear to be straightforward may be just that: straightforward So don't make them more difficult than they are Focus on carefully working through the necessary steps until you have your answer Getting to the Answer: 4x + = 26 4x = 24 X=6 Plug in for x in the expression 4x + : 4(6) + = + = c Then, cross-multiply to find your missing y-value: 60 x 20y = 00 x x ,200y = l OOx ,200y = 2y 00 B Difficulty: Low Strategic Advice: Check each choice, one at a time Getting to the Answer: (A) x2 + 8x2 equals 9x2 (B), however, doesn't: To add 4x and 5x, you add just the coefficients and keep the variable part the same So, 4x + 5x = 9x Choices (C), (D), and (E) are each equal to 9x2 B Difficulty: Medium Strategic Advice: Remember to follow the order of operations and work carefully, and you should have no trouble with this function problem and others like it Getting to the Answer: (72 - 7) - (49 - 7) - 42 (7 + 7) (7 + 7) - B Difficulty: Medium Strategic Advice: Questions such as this one reward test takers who resist the impulse to rush into calculation and, instead, step back and think about the sorts of numbers they're dealing with Notice that in each choice, the median is zero The question then boils down to which choice has an average greater than zero Getting to the Answer: No calculations are necessary to determine that in (A), (C), and (E), the average is zero (A) is a set of evenly spaced numbers-in such a situation, the median and the average are equal Choices (C) and (E) are merely variations on this theme: in each case, the middle three numbers are evenly spaced, and the numbers on either end of the set Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations are equally spaced from the median The effect of this arrangement is that, again, the median equals the average You're left with (B) and (D) In which case would the average be pulled higher than the median? The in (B) pulls the average of that set slightly above the median, while the -3 in (D) pulls the average of that set slightly below the median I 093 c Difficulty: Medium Strategic Advice: Questions i nvolving minimum and maximum values ca n seem intimidating on first glance but often, as in this case, boil down to a few simple scenarios Getting to the Answer: First, try the possible scenarios: c 3x + y = Difficulty: Medium ( ) + ( 4) = Strategic Advice: Questions such as this one assess you r ability t o perform multistep operations Move quickly but carefully and pay attention to where you're going (2) + ( 1 ) = (3) + (8) = (4) + (5) = Getting to the Answer: l 0.4(2 0) = 84 84 = 33 (5) + (2) = Now find the range of y: - = _!_O/o (x) 00 x �0 ( ) x (84) : 84 = � ( �g ) E Difficulty: Medium � (84) (3) � Strategic Advice: If you forget your percent formulas, this is also an excellent problem for an educated guess You know that 40 percent of something is substantially less than 70 percent of the same thing, so the best answer is probably either (D) or (E) 252 D x Getting to the Answer: Difficulty: Medium Strategic Advice: You'll need to bring your knowledge of the properties of triangles and parallel lines into play if you want to solve this question Getting to the Answer: percent = part wh o l e Call the unknown whole 00 x l OOx = 2, 00 70 X = 2, 00 X = 3,000 Call the unknown part y m If c = 50, the angle vertical to it also equals 50 The angles of a triangle must add up to 80, so a + b + 50 = 80, and a + b = 30 Solve for a, and you find that a = 30 - b, (D) (3,000) = y 1 ,200 = y 00 70 094 1 Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations B D Difficulty: Medium Difficulty: Medium Strategic Advice: The time difference between Littleville and Williamshire is hours, with Williamshire time being hours later than Littleville time Strategic Advice: When working with exponents, convert the values to the same base Then you can concentrate solely on the exponents If you have trouble working with exponents, you can Backsolve Getting to the Answer: If the first satellite reaches Williamshire at PM, then it is PM in Littleville, so the trip took hours If the second satellite is in Williamshire at noon and also takes hours, then it reaches Littleville at PM Williamshire time, or PM Littleville time Getting to the Answer: 22x - = 22x - = 23 Now set the exponents equal to each other: 2x - = 11 c 2x = Difficulty: Medium Strategic Advice : The volume V of a sphere is related to its radius r by the equation V = The original sphere had a radius of inches The new sphere has a radius of + = inches To find how many times greater the volume of the %w3 new sphere is, divide the volume of the new sphere by the volume of the old sphere Getting to the Answer: Since volume = 1n63 1n23 %w3, this equals X =3 A Difficulty: Medium Strategic Advice: Since the populations vary inversely, *· they can be described by the equation B = where k is a constant Use the given values of A and B (the population of each species) to find k, then use k to calculate the population of species B Getting to the Answer: k 500 = ,000 500,000 = k B = 500,000 2,000 = 63 p= 216 -8 cubed is 6, and cubed is Reducing the fraction makes it equal to 27 D 500 = 250 c Difficulty: High Strategic Advice: In a substitution problem like this, look for Difficu lty: Medium the common term that will help you express one equation in terms of another Substitute carefully! Strategic Advice: The graph of a function crosses the x-axis Getting to the Answer: when the value of the function equals zero Find the values of t at which g(t) = by solving the equation t2 - = You could also Backsolve this problem, plugging each possible value of t into the function to see which ones give a value of Getting to the Answer: t2 - = (t 2) (t + 2) = - t = or -2 Start with the smallest equation Express it in terms of c b = -c + -b + = c Substitute this into the other equation : a = (2c2 + c + 4) a = [2 (-b + 4)2 + (-b + 4) + 4] a = (2 (b2 - Sb + 6) + -3b + + 4] Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations a = [2b2 - 6b + 32 + - 3b + + 4] a = [2b2 - 6b + 32 + -3b + 6] a = [2b2 - 9b + 48] a = 6b2 - 57b + 44 Strategic Advice: This problem deals with the probability that the fish has both characteristics, so multiply the (t) by the probabili y t) Even if you're not sure howttoof having a long tail ( find probability of having long fins this probability, you can reason that it is less likely for the fish to have both characteristics than to have just one characteristic or the other Therefore, the probability of the t (the probability that it has a long tail) This eliminates all but (A) and (B) You can use this kind of logic to narrow your choices down and increase your chance of guessing correctly on many problems Getting to the Answer: J_ X J_ = J3 12 S ECTI O N c Difficu lty: Medium One way to correct a run-on sentence is to make one of the independent clauses subordinate As written, this sentence is a run-on Choice (C) corrects this by making the second clause subordinate Choices (B) and (D) correct the error but are unnecessarily wordy Choice (E) does not address the error c Difficulty: Medium Difficulty: Medium fish having both characteristics must be less than 095 unnecessarily, and the plural verb are does not agree with the singular noun hour Choice (D) fails to make it clear whether they refers to programs or languages Choice (E) is unnecessarily wordy A I B Difficulty: High U nless context makes it clear that more than one time frame is referred to, verb tenses within a sentence should remain consistent The first clause of the sentence is in the past tense, so the underlined verb should be also Choice (B) makes the correction Choice (C) introduces the passive voice Make sure transition words properly relate the ideas in the sentence Here, the transition word as suggests a cause-and-effect relationship between the clauses that is inappropriate in the context Choice (C) logically relates the clauses In (B), the Aztecs are what is among Switzerland's most popular exports Choice (D) does not address the error Choice (E) uses incorrect grammatical structure D Difficulty: Medium Pronoun uses should remain consistent within a sentence This sentence starts out using the third-person singular pronoun someone, then switches to the second-person pronoun you Choice (D) corrects this error with the third person pronouns he and she The pronoun it in (B) is incorrect when referring to people Choice (C) does not address the pronoun error Choice (E) incorrectly uses a plural pronoun with a singular antecedent B Difficu lty: High A possessive noun functions as an adjective within a sentence As written, this sentence says that it was hit songs, not the Beach Boys themselves, that were born and raised on the coast of California Choices (B) and (E) correctly place the Beach Boys directly after the clause; however, (E) creates a sentence fragment In (C), the opening phrase modifies celebration ; in (D), it modifies life c Difficulty: Medium Ambiguous pronouns will always be wrong on the SAT; pronouns must refer to clear and specific antecedents As written, this sentence does not make it clear whether the pronoun he means Professor Schonle or his son Choice (C) eliminates the ambiguous pronoun Choice (B) eliminates the ambiguous pronoun but makes the sentence unnecessarily wordy Choice (D) does not address the error 096 1 Practice Tests for the SAT Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations The pronoun his in (E) is ambiguous, and the sentence uses incorrect grammatical structure A D ifficulty: Medium Expect to see between five and eight sentences on the SAT that not have any errors This sentence is correct as written Choice (B) is awkwardly worded Choice (C) uses grammatically incorrect structure Choices (D) and (E) fail to properly relate the ideas in the two clauses B Difficulty: H igh 11 B Difficulty: High Nouns like family, committee, and team, even though they refer to multiple people, are considered grammatically singular The plural pronoun their does not agree with the singular antecedent family Choice (B) corrects this error without introducing any new ones Choice (C) creates a sentence fragment because a gerund (-ing) verb cannot be used as the main verb of a sentence Choice (D) is awkward, and are allowed choosing is idiomatically incorrect; allowed in this context must be followed by the infinitive form of the verb Choice (E) changes the meaning of the original selection A Unnecessary use of the passive voice will make a sentence overly wordy Difficulty: High As written, this sentence uses the passive voice unneces sarily Choice (B) puts the sentence in the active voice without introducing any additional errors Choices (C) and (D) are in the active voice, but (C) uses incorrect grammatical structure and (D) creates a run-on sentence Choice (E) does not address the passive error and uses the pronoun they without an antecedent This sentence is correct as written The pronoun it and the singular verb is are correct with the antecedent discovering, which, in this context, is used as a noun and is grammatically singular That in (B) and (D) and those in (C) and (E) not have clear antecedents; additionally, (E) incorrectly uses a plural verb form D If you don't spot an error, don't be afraid to select (A) B Difficulty: High Difficulty: Medium Make sure items in a comparative structure can logically be compared A verb must agree with its subject noun, which may not be the noun closest to it in the sentence As written, the sentence is comparing Ray Charles's songs to his contemporaries Both (C) and (D) correct the comparison error, but fuller of energy in (C) is idiomatically incorrect Choices (B) and (E) not address the comparison error The subject of the sentence is singular (bias), so the plural verb threaten is incorrect Choices (B) and (C) both correct this error; however, (C) changes the meaning of the original selection Choices (D) and (E) not address the error B Difficulty: Medium Difficulty: Medium Expect between five and eight sentences on the SAT to be correct as written One way to correct a run-on sentence is to make one of the independent clauses subordinate As written, this is a run-on sentence because two independent clauses cannot be joined simply by a comma Choice (B) corrects this by making the second clause subordinate and using an appropriate conjunction and Choice (C) is awkward and needlessly wordy Choice (D) uses a contrast transition word that is inappropriate in this context Choice (E) distorts the meaning of the sentence A This sentence is correct as written An appropriate transition word (which) is used, and the sentence is complete and concise Choices (B) and (E) make the sentence unnecessarily wordy; additionally, (B) fails to use parallel structure in the items joined by the conjunction phrase both and Choice (C) is a sentence fragment Choice (D) is incorrect grammatical structure • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • More F:?Oints Less time Track Your Improvement Analyze and track your performance based on content area, difficulty, and time spent on each question Target Your Weaknesses Grockit continually learns as you learn, and targets you with the material you need to work on to get the highest score Study with Peers and Friends Collaborate and compete with peers or learn from expert instructors.* Visit go grockit co111./college to learn about our ACT®, SAT� and • * • • • • • • • • • • • start • • • • and AP® practice tools using Grockit • • • • • • FREE* • • • • • • • • Features vary by product All information is based on the version of Grockit software, prices, and availability of a Free Trial as of • • • • • • • 2/20/2014 ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc AP® and SAT® are registered trademarks of the College Board which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product Tips, video tutorials, and expert advice: P!J grockit.com/blog/collegeprep � youtu be.com/grockit Talk with ou r test prep experts: facebook.com/grockit E @ grockit rJ ... Practice Tests for the SAT USI N G T H I S BOOK FO R T H E PSAT You can use this book to practice for the PSAT The PSAT is an opportunity to improve your understanding of the PSAT and, therefore,... prepare for the SAT and enter the competition for a National Merit Scholarship-but taking the PSAT is not a requirement for taking the SAT SAT Subject Tests are different from the SAT because they... taken the PSAT or the SAT before, and the fear of the unknown is causing anxiety Whatever the case, for most people, just saying "SAT'' will send shivers down their spines, and for your child, the