Which choice best improves the underlined part of the sentence? If the sentence is ok as is, choose (A).
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
The driver needs to ________ his anger before someone becomes a victim of road rage.
(a) ameliorate
(b) protract
(c) embrace
(d) venerate
(e) escalate
Here again we have a sentence completion question that is doing nothing other than testing your vocabulary. We know we’re looking for a word that has something to do with easing or lessening. If you know the definitions of these words, it’s an easy question. If you don’t, it’s not. If you go to a dictionary, you’ll see that (A) is the only choice that fits. I’ll let you l0ok up these words on your own! The answer is (A).
source: collegeapps.about.com
The average of a set of 10 numbers is 15. If one number is removed the average of the remaining numbers is 16. What is the value of the number removed?
If the average of 10 numbers is 15, we can express that as
x/10 = 15.
x, therefore, equals 150.
If one number is removed and the resulting average is 16, we can express that as
x/9 = 16.
Here, x equals 144.
144 is 6 less than 150, so the answer is 6.
source: majortests.com
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
A machine labels 150 bottles in 20 minutes. At this rate, how many minutes does it take to label 60 bottles?
A. 2
B. 4
C. 6
D. 8
E. 10
This is a simple case of solving proportions through cross-multiplication. If x is the number of minutes it takes to label 60 bottles, then
20/150 = x/60.
Cross-multiplying this gives us
150x = 1200,
x = 8.
The answer is (D).
source: kaptest.com
| 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. |
| |
a) agreed…insist |
| |
b) denied…concur |
| |
c) argued…accede |
| |
d) contended…acknowledge |
| |
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
The questions are based on the following passage:
The ground is full of seeds that cannot rise into seedlings;
the seedlings rob one another of air, light and water, the
strongest robber winning the day, and extinguishing his
competitors. Year after year, the wild animals with which
5 man never interferes are, on the average, neither more nor
less numerous than they were; and yet we know that the
annual produce of every pair is from one to perhaps a
million young; so that it is mathematically certain that,
on the average, as many are killed by natural causes as
10 are born every year, and those only escape which happen
to be a little better fitted to resist destruction than
those which die. The individuals of a species are like
the crew of a foundered ship, and none but good swimmers
have a chance of reaching the land.
1. The “robber” in the first sentence is most like which of the following mentioned in the paragraph
A. wild animals
B. produce of every pair
C. individuals of a species
D. crew of a foundered ship
E. good swimmers
2. The main point the author conveys is that
A. natural populations of animals in the wild increase in numbers exponentially
B. all members of a species are in violent competition with one another
C. in the struggle to survive, the fittest survive
D. members of one generation of a population are all more or less alike
E. man’s interference destroys the natural balance
________________________
- The “strongest robber” is the winner who extinguishes his competitors. The reference to wild animals is about that stability of their population. That rules out (A). Some of the “produce of every pair” survive, some don’t. So (B) doesn’t work. “Individuals of a species” (C) are likened to the “crew of a foundered ship” (D) because both are referring to the fact that only the strongest will survive. “Good swimmers” are the ones with the best chance to reach land and, therefore, to survive. The have the best chance of being the winner, or the “strongest robber.” The answer is (E).
- It is pretty clear throughout this article that the author is talking about the idea that only the strongest members of a species tend to survive. In fact, the opening line of the paragraph suggests, in a poetic way, this very idea: “The ground is full of seeds that cannot rise into seedlings; the seedlings rob one another of air, light and water, the strongest robber winning the day, and extinguishing his competitors.” The answer is (C).
source: majortests.com
In the figure above, the circle is centered at the origin and passes through point P. Which of the following points does it also pass through?
(A) (3, 3)
(B) (-2√2, -1)
(C) (2, 6)
(D) (1.5, 1.3)
(E) (-3, 4)
Some SAT math questions are designed to look like they require all kinds of calculations in order to solve them when in reality calculations are not necessary at all. This question is a perfect example. Do we really need to do any calculating here? Well, let’s see. We know that the center of the circle is (0, 0). We also know that the circle passes through point P, (0, -3). The circle has a radius of 3. Now look at the choices. Could (3, 3) possibly be correct? No, it would clearly fall outside of the circle. How about (2, 6)? No way!! (1.5, 1.3)? No. That would be inside the circle. And (-3, 4)? That would be outside of the circle. By elimination, (B) must be correct.
If the incorrect choices had been less obvious, then the method here would have been to use the distance formula to figure out which ordered pair would be 3 units away from the origin. If you try that, you’ll find that only (B) will work. The answer is (B).
source: novapress.net
Choose the pair of words that best completes the sentence.
His ____ sense of humor caused more ____ than he must have intended.
(A) debunk..sobriety
(B) wry..confusion
(C) prominent..impudence
(D) dry..jargon
(E) incorrigible..paucity
“Debunk” is a verb, not an adjective, so we can easily get rid of (A). It would not make much sense to talk about a “prominent” sense of humor. (C) is out. One can have a “dry” sense of humor, but that wouldn’t have much to do with causing “jargon.” (D) doesn’t work. “Paucity” is a small amount of something. If you choose (E), my question for you is “a paucity of what??” (B) is the only choice that makes sense. He has a “wry” sense of humor, meaning that his humor can be very subtle and ironic, so it makes sense that this could possibly cause confusion, especially among those types who never get the joke! The answer is (B).
source: sattest.us
Potter and Malfoy fly on their brooms at full speed directly toward each other. Potter’s broom is 5 times as fast as Malfoy’s, they start 150 meters apart, and they begin flying simultaneously. They collide and Malfoy dies. How far did Malfoy fly?
(A) 125 meters
(B) 120 meters
(C) 36 meters
(D) 30 meters
(E) 25 meters
If Potter flies 5 times faster than Malfoy, then to figure out how far each of them traveled before colliding is just a matter of simple algebra:
Let x = distance covered by Malfoy
Let 5x = distance covered by Potter
x + 5x = 150
6x = 150
x=25
The answer is (E).
Identify the error, if any, in this sentence.
A minority group comprising (A) 30% of the community and (B) represented by only one (C) member out of 25 (D) on the City Council.
No error. (E)
Obviously, this sentence makes no sense! It’s not even a sentence; it’s a fragment. The best way to fix this is to change “and” to “is” or “was,” or “will be.” The answer is (B).
source: barronstestprep.com
According to a nationwide study that was published recently, women pay for luxuries more than men.
A. women pay for luxuries more than men.
B. men pay less for luxuries than women.
C. women pay more for luxuries than men do.
D. women pay for luxuries at a higher rate than men do.
E. luxuries are paid for more by women than by men.
The way this sentence is worded, it makes it sound like women pay for luxuries more than they pay for men. Of course, that’s not the intention of the sentence. This is an issue of parallelism; if you’re comparing the respective habits of men and women regarding the purchase of luxuries, you need to say something along these lines: “Women pay more for luxuries than men pay for luxuries,” or, more succinctly, “Women pay more for luxuries than men do.” (C) and (D) both make this change; (D) makes the sentence more wordy than it needs to be, whereas (C) makes the correction in a more efficient way. The answer is (C).
source: prepsage.com
| The new CEO of the company is both ________ and ________; he works twelve hours a day and has never had an alcoholic beverage. |
| |
a) eccentric…permissive |
| |
b) diligent…indulgent |
| |
c) assiduous…abstinent |
| |
d) admirable…noteworthy |
| |
e) intrepid…nonchalant |
We are looking for a pair of words, the first of which has to do with the fact that the CEO works long hours, and the second of which has to do with his absitence from alcohol. This is clearly satisfied by choice (C). The answer is (C).
source: collegeapps.about.com
A right triangle has perimeter 12 and sides x, (x + 1) and (x + 2). What is the area of the triangle?
If the perimeter of the triangle is 12, then x, (x+1), and (x+2) will have to add up to 12.
This is simple algebra:
x + (x+1) + (x+2) = 12
3x + 3 = 12
3x = 9
x = 3
If x = 3, then x + 1 = 4, and x + 2 = 5.
We now know that the lengths of the sides of the triangle are 3, 4, and 5.
We are told that this is a right triangle, so the area will be determined by multiplying 1/2 times the base times the height. The base is 3, the height is 4.
1/2 (3 x 4) = 1/2 (12) = 6
The answer is 6.
source: majortests.com
