Posted on January 29, 2010 by mdavis2727
If you are looking for the answers to the PQOTD, please keep scrolling down.
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Posted on January 29, 2010 by mdavis2727
| After all her effort, the writer was ________ to learn that her poem had been ________ for publication. |
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a) elated…disallowed |
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b) dismayed…approved |
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c) troubled…recommended |
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d) enthralled…refused |
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e) distraught…rejected |
The phrase “After all her effort. . .” could be followed by a reference to the writer’s elation over having been published, or her sadness over not having been published. She would not be “elated” if her poem were “disallowed.” She would not be “dismayed” if her poem were “approved.” She would not be “troubled” if it were “recommended.” She would not be “enthralled” if it were “refused.” The only pair that works is “distraught” and “rejected.” The answer is (E).
source: collegeapps.about.com
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Posted on January 21, 2010 by mdavis2727
| If Steven can mix 20 drinks in 5 minutes, Sue can mix 20 drinks in 10 minutes, and Jack can mix 20 drinks in 15 minutes, how much time will it take all 3 of them working together to mix the 20 drinks? |
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(A) 2 minutes and 44 seconds |
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(B) 2 minutes and 58 seconds |
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(C) 3 minutes and 10 seconds |
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(D) 3 minutes and 26 seconds |
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(E) 4 minutes and 15 seconds The easiest thing to do here is to figure out how many drinks Steven, Sue, and Jack can each mix per minute. If Steven does 20 drinks in 5 minutes, then he does 4 drinks in 1 minute. Sue does 20 drinks in 10 minutes, which is 2 drinks per minute. Jack does 20 drinks in 15 minutes, which is 1.33 drinks per minute. So in a one minute time period 7.33 drinks are made. How long for 20 drinks? Simple algrebra: 7.33x=20, so x=20/7.33, which is 2.73 minutes. (.73 of a minute is roughly 44 seconds, so the answer would be 2 minutes and 44 seconds.) The answer is (A).
source: algebra.com |
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Posted on January 15, 2010 by mdavis2727
Which choice best improves the underlined portion of the sentence? If the sentence is ok as is, choose (A).
Pop artist Ed Ruscha was fascinated by words, and have consistently formed the principal subject matter of his paintings.
(A) words, and have consistently formed the principal subject matter
(B) words, and words have consistently formed the principal subject matter
(C) words which have consistently formed the principal subject matter
(D) words, consistently they have formed the principal subject matter
(E) words, which have consistently formed the principal subject matter
What does “have” refer to here? Ed Ruscha or the words that he was fascinated by? As you read on, it’s clear that it refers to the words. The problem here is with the word “and” after the comma. It needs to be followed by “which.” That leaves us with choices (C) and (E). What’s the difference between these two? The meaning of (C) is that Ed is fascinated only by those words which formed the subject matter of his paintings. (E), on the other hand, is saying that he was fascinated by words, and that words formed the subject matter of his paintings. That is certainly the intention of this sentence. The answer is (E).
source: urch.com
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Posted on January 8, 2010 by mdavis2727
| The voters first thought the candidate was ________, so they were horrified to discover the level of his ________. |
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a) honorable…veracity |
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b) tiresome…nonchalance |
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c) principled…perfidy |
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d) reprobate…wantonness |
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e) corrupt…turpitude |
“First” is a very important word here. The implication is that voters had a certain view of this person which then changed. Futhermore, the fact that the change had a horrifying effect on the voters suggests that they originally had a good impression of the candidate. So we’re looking for a pair of contrasting words in which the first word has positive connotations and the second word has negative connotations. Choice (A) has two positive words; (B), (D), and (E) all have negative pairs of words. (C) is the only choice that satisfies the criteria. Once again, we see a Sentence Completion question that is relatively easy if you have a strong vocabulary! The answer is (C).
source: collegeapps.about.com
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Posted on December 29, 2009 by mdavis2727
Two curves, y = px2 and y = qx2 intersect rectangle ABCD at its four corners. Which of the following expressions gives the area of the rectangle?
(A) 4 · (p + q)
(B) 8 · (p + q)
(C) 16 · (p + q)
(D) 8 · (p – q)
(E) 16 · (p – q)
Notice that side BC crosses the x-axis at (2,0). Since this is a parabola and parabolas are always symmetrical, we know that line AD must cross the x-axis at (-2,0). This means that the width of the rectangle is 4 (there are four units between -2 and 2). Now all we need to do is figure out the length of either BC or AD, and multiply this by 4 (remember, the area of a rectangle is determined by the length times the width). Here, we will use line BC. If we can identify the y-value of the coordinates for point B and point C, then we can figure out the length of BC. The way to do this is plug in the x value (notice that the x value for all coordinates on line BC must be 2).
For point C, we need to plug in 2 for x in the equation y = px2 . Doing so gives us y = 4p. For point B, we need to plug in 2 for x in the equation y = qx2 . This gives us y = 4q. The length of line BC is therefore going to be 4p – 4q. (Why? Well, let’s say the y value point C is 5 and the y value of point B is -3. The length of the line would be 5 – (-3), or 5 + 3, which is 8.)
Now all we have to do is multiply the width (4) by the length (4p – 4q). That gives us 4(4p – 4q), which would be the same as 16(p – q). The answer is E.
source: crushthetest.com
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Posted on December 28, 2009 by mdavis2727
Which choice most improves the underlined part of the sentence below? If the sentence is correct as is, choose (A).
A conjunction is used to connect words and sentences together.
A. words and sentences together.
B. words or sentences together.
C. words and sentences.
D. words or sentences.
E. words to sentences.
“Together” is redundant here. Would you ever connect something apart? We know then that (A) and (B) are out. Now the question is whether a conjunction is used to connect “words and sentences,” “words or sentences,” or “words to sentences.” The sentence is really trying to say that conjunctions are used to connect words to other words and sentences to other sentences. (C) and (E) both make it sound like conjunctions link words with sentences. The answer is (D).
source: majortests.com
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Posted on December 23, 2009 by mdavis2727
A line segment containing the points (0, 0) and (12, 6) also contains:
A: (6,4) B: (2,4) C: (8, 4) D: (1,0) E: (0,-6)
First, we need to figure out the equation for this line. Using the slope formula, we know that the slope of this line is 1/2. Furthermore, we know that that the y-intercept is 0 (because it contains the point [0,0]). Putting this in the form of a linear equation (y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept), we end up with y = 1/2x.
Now, all we need to do is determine which of the ordered pairs above satisfies this equation. We know that the correct answer will be the one in which the y value is one-half of the x value. The answer is (C).
source: studyguidezone.com
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Posted on December 18, 2009 by mdavis2727
There is great unevenness in his later plays; there are moments of the greatest ____ in the midst of great ____.
A. lucidity – enlightenment
B. frivolity – triteness
C. insight – banality
D. obscurity – ambivalence
E. profundity – wisdom
If his later plays demonstrate “unevenness,” then what follows is going to be a pair of words to indicate that. The pair of words will have to be in some sort of opposing relationship. Here is a great example of the importance of vocabulary power because if you know the meanings of all of these words, then you also know that there’s only one choice here in which the words are so related. “Lucidity” and “enlightenment” are nearly synonymous. Same with “frivolity” and “triteness.” “Obscurity” and “ambivalence” are not exactly the same, but they both have something to do with a lack of clarity. Finally, “profundity” and “wisdom” are obviously closely related. The answer, then, must be (C).
source: majortests.com
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Posted on December 11, 2009 by mdavis2727
A radioactive chemical decays 20 percent each day. If 48 pounds of this chemical remain today, how many pounds of this chemical were present two days ago?
A. 75
B. 72
C. 70
D. 66
E. 60
We first need to go back to the day before. If 48 pounds of this chemical remain, and if that represents a 20 percent decline from the previous day, then the question we need to ask is “80 percent of what is 48?” Algebraically, we would express that as .8x= 48. Dividing 48 by .8 (or 8/10) is the same as multiplying it by 10/8; 48 x (10/8) = 60. Then we need to go back one more day. The question now is “80 percent of what is 60?” In algebraic terms, that would be .8x=60. Dividing 60 by .8 (or 8/10) is the same as multiplying it by 10/8; 60 x (10/8) = 75. The answer is (A).
source: kaptest.com
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Posted on December 4, 2009 by mdavis2727
| For decades many scientists ________ that global warming posed a grave risk to the planet, but in the twenty-first century nearly all of them ________ that the threat is real. |
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a) agreed…insist |
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b) denied…concur |
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c) argued…accede |
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d) contended…acknowledge |
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e) disaffirmed…reject |
When you see the word “but” on a sentence completion question, you know that there is going to be a contrast between what precedes it and what comes after it. Here, it’s the second part of the question that gives us an important clue. The threat of global warming is now believed to be a real one (by many people, anyway); so before, it would not have been taken as a serious threat. The first blank must filled in by a word that has something to do with a rejection of the idea that global warming is a problem. That immediately excludes (A), (C), and (D). So is it (B) or (E)? Many now agree, or concur, that the threat is real. The answer is (B).
source: about.collegeapps.com
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Posted on November 30, 2009 by mdavis2727
Looking up from the base of the mountain, the trail seemed more
treacherous than it really was.
(A) Looking up
(B) While looking up
(C) By looking up
(D) Viewing
(E) Viewed
As written, this sentence would suggest that the trail was looking up from the base of the mountain. Now, this could perhaps work as a metaphor in a poem, but it doesn’t work for an SAT Improving Sentences question. When a sentence begins with a dependent clause, the first word after the comma must be the subject of that clause. Here, however, the first two words of the independent clause are underlined, so we can’t make that change. Which choice will fix this problem? The only one that fixes the problem is (E). The answer is (E).
source: ochs.orecity.k12.or.us
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Posted on November 25, 2009 by mdavis2727
A wheel has a diameter of x inches and a second wheel has a diameter of y inches. The first wheel covers a distance of d feet in 100 revolutions. How many revolutions does the second wheel make in covering d feet?
A. 100xy
B. 100y – x
C. 100x – y
D. 100y / x
E. 100x/y
A wheel with a diameter of x inches covers a distance of d feet in 100 revolutions. This can be expressed in the following equation: d=100x. The second wheel, with a diameter of y inches, covers the same distance, i.e. 100x. So 100x = ?y. Using simple algebra, ? = 100x/y. The answer is (E).
Source: majortests.com
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Posted on November 19, 2009 by mdavis2727
Which of the following choices will most improve this sentence? If the sentence is ok, choose (A).
To judge the Tidy City contest, we picked an uninterested party.
(A.) picked an uninterested party.
(B.) picked an interested party!
(C.) picked a disinterested party.
(D.) are in the process of picking an uninterested party.
(E.) picked an disinterested party.
This question has one purpose: to see if you know the difference between “uninterested” and “disinterested.” If I am uninterested in something, I am apathetic toward it. On the other hand, if I am disinterested in something, it means that I am impartial. If I took someone to court, I would want a disinterested judge to hear the case—a judge who was not playing favorites. The judge for the Tidy City contest needs to be disinterested. An uninterested judge would just choose anything without any kind of deliberation. A disinterested judge would consider all of the entries fairly and equally, and only make a decision after careful deliberation. That said, we know we can eliminate (A) and (D). What about (B)? (B) would be ok on its own; but we want a choice that improves the sentence. (B) doesn’t really improve it. The fact that a judge is interested in participating does not guarantee his/her impartiality. That leaves (C) and (E). (E) is wrong because it says “an disinterested party.” I don’t need to explain why that’s wrong, do I? The answer is (C).
source: testprepreview.com
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Posted on November 6, 2009 by mdavis2727
Sarah needs to make a cake and some cookies. The cake requires 3/8 cup of sugar and the cookies require 3/5 cup of sugar. Sarah has 15/16 cups of sugar. Does she have enough sugar, or how much more does she need?
A. She has enough sugar.
B. She needs 1/8 of a cup of sugar.
C. She needs 3/80 of a cup of sugar.
D. She needs 4/19 of a cup of sugar.
E. She needs 1/9 of a cup of sugar.
Sarah has 15/16 of a cup of sugar. She needs 3/8 of a cup plus 3/5 of a cup in order to bake the cookies and the cake. First we need to add 3/8 and 3/5. The least common denominator is 40. This makes the amount of sugar needed 15/40 plus 24/40, or 39/40 of a cup of sugar. Is 39/40 greater than or less than 15/16? The easiest thing to do here is find the least common denominator of 16 and 40. That would be 80. 15/16 becomes 75/80, which is the amount of sugar she has. 39/40 becomes 78/80, which is the amount she needs. 78/80 minus 75/80 gives us 3/80. The answer is (C).
source: testprepreview.com
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