Difficulty: Easy
Category: Usage
Getting to the Answer: Read the sentence and check to see whether the verb agrees with the subject. The verb “are” is in a plural form, but the subject is singular. Choice (B) is correct because it is the singular form of the verb “to be.”
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Read the sentences surrounding the word to better understand the context in which the word appears. Then substitute each answer choice into the sentence to see which fits into the context best. The passage states that the plastics are sorted by types. Only (D) has the correct connotation and fits within the context of the sentence.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: Read the entire paragraph and write down the central idea. Then review the answer choices and look for a close match with your prediction. The paragraph discusses the two methods used to sort plastics. Choice (C) is closest to this summation.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Watch out for choices like A and B, which use extra words that do not add meaning to the sentence. It is better to be as direct and simple as possible. The word “thoroughly” indicates that the people doing the job are paying attention to every detail. Additional words such as “very” or “completely” do not add more meaning to this sentence. Choice (C) is the most concise and effective way of stating the information.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Organization
Getting to the Answer: Look for the relationship between this sentence and the previous one. This will help you choose the appropriate transition word. Read the sentence using the word you chose to ensure that it makes sense. Choice (B) shows the relationship between the two sentences by giving an example of how the products are manufactured.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Punctuation
Getting to the Answer: Study the words in a series to see where a comma might need to be placed or eliminated. Only one answer choice will include the correct punctuation. Choice (B) is correct.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Quantitative
Getting to the Answer: The graphic gives specific information about how much of each type of plastic was recovered. Study the graphic in order to select the correct answer choice. Choice (B) accurately reflects the information in the graphic.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Watch out for choices that may include incorrect transition words. Choice (B) uses the present participle “depending” to join the sentences concisely and correctly.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Check each answer choice for its connotations, and be sure to pick one that fits with the context of the sentence. Substitute each answer choice for the word to see which works best. Notice that the sentence sets up a contrast between plastics numbered 1 through 6 and plastics with the number 7, which may consist of one of many other plastics or a blend of plastics. Choice (A) is correct because the word “specific” indicates that each of the numbers 1 through 6 is used for only one type of plastic.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Sentence Formation
Getting to the Answer: Two complete thoughts should be two separate sentences. Be careful of inappropriate transition words. Choice (C) divides the two thoughts into two complete sentences by adding a period and capitalizing the first word of the second sentence.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: Read the entire paragraph and then read each of the choices. Decide which one sums up the paragraph best by stating the overall central idea. Choice (A) is the correct answer. It concludes the paragraph by stating the overall central idea of the paragraph and passage.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Watch out for answer choices, like choice B, that are extremely wordy. It is better to be as direct and simple as possible. Additional adjectives do not add more meaning to this content. Choice (C) is the most concise and effective way of stating the information in the passage.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Punctuation
Getting to the Answer: Study the words in a series and see where a comma might need to be inserted or eliminated. Recall that the SAT requires lists of three to have commas after the first two items in the list, not just after the first item. Choice (A) is correct.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: To find the best answer choice, look for the sentence that has the most relevant details presented in a clear and concise way. Choice (D) has the most relevant details about what the Pony Express was like when it was at its peak.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Sentence Formation
Getting to the Answer: Be careful of inappropriate transition words when relating sentences to one another. Choice (C) divides the two complete thoughts into two sentences by adding a period and capitalizing the first word of the second sentence.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: The context of the sentence suggests which word would have the correct connotation. Check each word to see how it fits with the context. Only choice (A) fits with the context of the sentence. The other choices are incorrect in context.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Sentence Formation
Getting to the Answer: Verbs within a sentence should be parallel. Check to see if this is true here. The correct answer, choice (B), has all the verbs in the same form.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: To find the central idea of a paragraph, identify important details and summarize them in a sentence. Then, find the choice that is the closest to your summary. Be careful not to choose a detail instead of a central idea. The paragraph mostly discusses the challenges riders faced, so choice (A) most accurately sums up the central idea of the paragraph.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Organization
Getting to the Answer: Look for the relationship between this sentence and the previous one to choose the appropriate transition word. Read the word into the sentence to ensure that it makes sense. Choice (B) shows the relationship between the two sentences by emphasizing that the riders could overcome these challenges.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Quantitative
Getting to the Answer: The graphic gives specific information about when events relating to the Pony Express took place. Interpret it to choose the correct answer choice. Choice (B) is the only one that accurately reflects the information in the timeline.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: The context of the sentence suggests which word would have the best fit. Check each word to see how it fits with the context. Choice (C) best fits the context of the sentence.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Watch out for answer choices that may have incorrect transition words. Choice (D) joins the sentences concisely and correctly by using the conjunction “and.”
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Read the complete sentence. The correct answer will flow smoothly from the preceding sentence and place the different phrases of the sentence in a logical order based on their importance. Choice (A) is correct, as the existing sentence arranges the phrases in the most logical order. The sentence begins, “During his time there,” smoothly transitioning from the previous sentence and providing nonessential context for the rest of the sentence. The main point is that Tesla invented the alternating current system. This is the first time the alternating current system has been named, so it should be written out fully, and the nonessential information, “what we know in our homes as AC power,” should come last, set off by the comma.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: Identify the sentence that contributes the least relevant information to the focus, or purpose, of the paragraph and the passage as a whole. The paragraph introduces Tesla and his professional activities and accomplishments. The passage as a whole goes on to explore Tesla’s scientific legacy. Sentence 5 provides accurate, but irrelevant, information regarding Tesla’s personal interests and habits; therefore, the correct answer is choice (D).
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Choose the most contextually appropriate word. Choice (A) is correct because “implemented” most accurately conveys the idea that Westinghouse first carried out the use of alternating current, which had already been developed, during the exposition.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Quantitative
Getting to the Answer: The correct answer will reflect the correct data contained in the timeline. The timeline states that Tesla and Westinghouse displayed the AC system at the Columbian Exposition in 1893, so choice (D) is correct.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: Identify the subject of the paragraph and consider what the author wants to convey about it. That is the central idea. Then, select the answer choice that correctly conveys the central idea of the paragraph as supported by the details in the preceding sentences. The paragraph discusses the importance of Tesla’s development of alternating current and its impact on daily life. In particular, it distinguishes the legacy of Tesla relative to the contributions of Edison. For this reason, choice (B) is correct because it is the only answer choice that emphasizes that Tesla’s AC system was crucial (not just incidental) to the success of Edison’s bulbs as fixtures in everyday life. “However, bulbs alone do not light our homes” makes clear that Edison’s invention would not have done so well without Tesla’s.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Organization
Getting to the Answer: The correct answer will provide a clear, smooth transition of ideas that connects the content of the previous and current paragraphs. It will also place sentences in logical sequence. The previous paragraph discusses the development of Tesla’s AC technology, while the current paragraph discusses Tesla’s other inventions. Choice (B) is correct because it links Tesla’s development of alternating current with his other innovations. Moving sentence 4 to the beginning of the paragraph also provides a logical sequence of ideas.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: The correct answer will demonstrate economy of word choice and retain active voice while preserving the meaning of the sentence. The sentence communicates that Tesla’s inventions contributed to the development of future technologies. Choice (D) is correct because it uses minimal verbiage to express that Tesla’s inventions led to later inventions.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Sentence Formation
Getting to the Answer: The correct answer will align the modifier with its subject without disrupting the syntax of the remainder of the sentence. The sentence begins “Edison may have invented the lightbulb” and proceeds to contrast Edison’s achievement with Tesla’s. The second part of the sentence is a dependent clause connected with “but” and should lead off with its subject “Tesla,” follow with the modifier “seeking no fame or fortune,” and then proceed with the rest of the sentence. Choice (B) does so and is therefore correct.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Choose the most contextually appropriate word. Eliminate A, "pathfinder," because although Tesla was among the first to make advances toward the use of electricity—and the lightbulb—in daily life, he was neither the first nor the only one to do so. Choice (D) is correct because “pioneer” most correctly conveys the idea that Tesla was among the first.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: Consider other information in the passage. The correct answer will identify and remove the least essential supporting information to streamline the rhetoric. The least essential information will not alter the meaning of the sentence and will most likely be irrelevant or redundant. The sentence communicates Tesla’s impact on wireless communications. Choice (B) is correct because it provides examples that, while somewhat relevant, are nonessential.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Quantitative
Getting to the Answer: Read the information next to 1883 in the timeline and find the answer choice that matches that content. The correct answer will correspond to the same event in the passage and timeline. According to the timeline, in 1883, Tesla used alternating current to power a motor. This date corresponds to the information in sentence 3 of paragraph 3, making choice (C) correct.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Usage
Getting to the Answer: Recall that a pronoun must agree with its antecedent, or the word to which it refers. Begin by identifying the antecedent of the pronoun. Then, check each choice against the antecedent to find the best match. The antecedent for the pronoun “their” is “this phenomenon,” which appears in the main clause. The antecedent and its pronoun do not currently agree as “this phenomenon” is singular and “their” is plural. Although the “s” in “Lights” implies many lights, it is still considered a singular phenomenon and so requires a singular pronoun. Choice (C) is the correct answer.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Ensure the correct choice is accurate without eliminating other possibilities. Some choices, while correct in some context, are limiting and exclude other possible viewing locations. Choice (D) is the correct answer. The Northern Hemisphere is referred to later in the passage; it also provides an accurate, precise location for best viewing the Northern Lights without excluding other possible viewing locations.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: Choice (C) is the correct answer because it provides additional information regarding how people are able to view auroras.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: When choosing the correct verb, note how it alters the relationship between the subject, the “sun,” and the stated action, in this case “storm activity.” Choice (B) is correct. The verb “experiences” is the only one that states a direct action upon the subject, the sun, rather than the sun “observing” an action occurring externally, as suggested by the other verbs.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: The placement of the adjective has a great effect upon the intention of the noun. Read the sentence carefully to determine where the adjective makes the most sense. By placing the adjective before the nouns, choice (B) ensures that only those scientists and amateurs interested in the topic at hand use the specific tools mentioned in this passage.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Generalized statements with inexact definitions that border on opinion have no place in a scientific essay. The tone and style must exhibit a reliance on verifiable statements. Because “readily available” cannot be quantified and implies the author’s opinion, using the word “specific” in choice (C) creates a more exact statement that precedes the information on the precise tools used.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: Reread the paragraph to understand the author’s claims. Which answer choice provides a fact that would best support these claims? Make sure the answer choice does not digress from the progression of ideas. The speed of the solar flare is referenced as being three times the speed of normal solar winds, but neither exact speed is given. To make a stronger case for the author’s statements, both speeds should be stated. Therefore, choice (A) is the correct answer.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Usage
Getting to the Answer: Read closely to find the subject of the verb. Sometimes, the closest noun is not the subject. The subject of the sentence is “strength and direction,” not “energy.” Choice (B) is the correct answer because it matches the subject in number and maintains a consistent tense with the rest of the passage.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Eliminate extraneous and redundant information (“the public”) and needless prepositions. Then, reorder the verb and nouns to achieve the most efficient language possible. Making adjustments to the passage language, as shown in choice (B), results in the most concise phrasing.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Sentence Formation
Getting to the Answer: Consider the meanings of each introductory word carefully. Use the context clues in the rest of the sentence to choose the correct word. The context clues in the rest of the sentence reveal that the Northern Lights can create communication and weather problems and yet is still beautiful. Keeping the word “While” makes the most sense in this context, so choice (A) is the correct answer.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Quantitative
Getting to the Answer: Reread paragraph 4 for information that will help you understand how to read the graphic. Use that information to calculate the precise start and end time for the solar flare as indicated in the graphic. The passage states that a solar flare is represented by any Kp-Index of 5 or higher. While there is one three-hour period where the Kp-Index reached 6, there is a consistent period where the chart shows readings of level 5 or higher. Choice (D) is the correct answer. This choice gives the complete time period showing a reading of level 5 or higher, according to the chart.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Punctuation
Getting to the Answer: Examine each answer choice and determine which presents the list in a grammatically correct manner with proper punctuation. The list is presented correctly as is, beginning with a colon and featuring the three items separated with commas with no additional information about the topic presented after the listed items. Choice (A) is correct.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Reread the sentence and select the answer choice that creates the most concise sentence. Minimize wordiness and awkward word combinations to ensure clarity. Choice (C) is correct as it creates the most concise sentence by removing unnecessary and awkward word choices while retaining the meaning of the sentence.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Usage
Getting to the Answer: To avoid the passive voice, identify the subject and the object and make sure the subject comes before the verb. The sentence is passive as written, since the object (“educated guesses”) should be preceded by the subject’s actions. The verb “make” should come first and should be in the present tense. Choice (B) shows the correct construction of the sentence and eliminates the passive voice.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Organization
Getting to the Answer: Study the surrounding sentences for context clues to determine which of the answer choices creates a logical flow of ideas. The preceding sentence discusses early humans using hands and feet to create music, and the following sentence discusses humans using tools to create music. The progression of ideas is a comparison of shared intentions and traits, so “Similarly,” or choice (B), is correct.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Sentence Formation
Getting to the Answer: Read the two underlined sentences and determine which answer choice best creates a logical and grammatically correct sentence. A grammatically correct sentence must contain a complete idea, utilizing both a subject and a predicate. Choice (C) is correct because it creates a logical, grammatically correct sentence with a subject and predicate.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: Reread the sentence and select the answer choice that clearly conveys the author’s full meaning. Sometimes adding a detail or two can improve a sentence and strengthen an author’s claims. The author claims that directions for escape were embedded in well-known lyrics, implying that some people listening to the music may not have discovered the lyrics’ true meaning. Choice (C) is correct as it makes this statement clear and direct for the reader and strengthens the author’s claim in a concise manner.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Organization
Getting to the Answer: Assess the central idea of both paragraphs and determine which answer choice creates an effective and logical transition from the previous idea while summarizing the next. The passage states music has affected all global cultures, and the noted paragraph explores two more examples showing how music is a social bonding tool. The correct answer, (D), is the only answer that creates a cohesive, logical transition while not limiting the number of cultures affected by music.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Review the rest of the sentence. Look for context clues that can help you determine which answer choice makes the most sense based on the information provided. The sentence states that as of 1910, headphones created a shift in how we listen to music, implying that headphones are a relatively new invention. Since “advent” is the only word meaning the headphones first appeared at a specific point in time, (A) is correct.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Organization
Getting to the Answer: Read the entire paragraph for context. Then test the placement given in each answer choice to determine which one creates a paragraph with a logical progression of ideas. Choice (D) is correct because this sentence creates a transition into the subject discussed in the next paragraph.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Punctuation
Getting to the Answer: The placement or lack of apostrophes can alter a noun’s possessive meaning. Read the entire sentence to understand the author’s intention. Which answer choice uses the correct punctuation to convey this idea? The nouns “Psychologists and sociologists” are not in possession of anything in this circumstance. Choice (D) correctly reflects this.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: Review the paragraph to assess areas in which the author may have left out facts or may have provided only partial information. Then determine which answer choice will have the greatest benefit to the reader. The author specifically mentions “recent studies” but does not cite any figures. Doing so will strengthen the importance of these studies, thus (A) is correct.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Usage
Getting to the Answer: Read the sentence and notice that the verb in question is in a clause with intervening prepositional phrases that come between the subject and the verb. Check to see what the subject is and whether the verb agrees with the subject. The verb “match” is in a plural form, but the subject is “DNA,” not one of the other nouns in the prepositional phrases. “DNA” is singular. Choice (B) is the correct answer because it is the singular form of the verb “to match.”
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Punctuation
Getting to the Answer: Read the sentence to determine whether the two clauses separated by the semicolon are independent or not. If they are both independent, a semicolon is the appropriate punctuation. Be careful of answer choices with inappropriate transition words. A semicolon is the correct way to separate two independent but related clauses, so (A) is the correct answer.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Punctuation
Getting to the Answer: Study the words in a series and see where a comma might need to be inserted or eliminated. Choice (B) is correct.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Organization
Getting to the Answer: When you see an underlined transition, identify how the sentence relates to the previous one to determine what kind of transition is appropriate. Choice (B) is correct because the sentence to which the transition belongs provides more detail about a general statement that preceded it.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Imagine that the sentence has a blank where the word in question is. Read the entire paragraph for context and predict what word could complete the blank. Review the answer choices to find the word closest in meaning to your prediction. The paragraph later states that Jane Saunders’s goal is to separate the two strands of DNA. Only answer choice (D) has the correct connotation and fits within the context of the sentence.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: It is important to combine sentences in order to vary sentence structures. But the correct choice should not only be the most effective way to combine the two sentences; it must also be in parallel construction with the first sentence. Watch out for choices that may have incorrect transition words as well. Choice (C) is the correct answer. It joins the sentences concisely and correctly because the verb “adding” is in parallel construction with the earlier verbs “detaching” and “transferring.” The subject in both sentences is the same, “she,” so it can be dropped when combining the two sentences.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: Read the entire paragraph and then put each answer choice at the beginning. Choose the one that makes the most sense and is further explained by subsequent details in the paragraph. The paragraph discusses the process of identifying DNA, which is lengthy and involves changing the temperature of the DNA several times. Choice (A) is closest to this summation of what is to follow and is the correct answer.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Watch out for choices that are wordy or redundant. Choice (C) is the most concise and effective way of stating the information in the passage.
Difficulty: Medium
Category: Organization
Getting to the Answer: Consider the function of this sentence. At what point in the paragraph should this function be employed? The sentence is setting the scene, so it should be placed where it is now, at the beginning of the paragraph. To place it later would make the meaning of the paragraph unclear. Choice (A) is the correct answer.
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Effective Language Use
Getting to the Answer: Think about the connotations of each answer choice, and be sure to pick the one that fits with the context of the sentence. Substitute each answer choice for the word to see which word works best. “Eager” best reflects how the detectives would be feeling while waiting for important test results. They would be eagerly anticipating this important information and would want it as quickly as possible. Choice (B) is the correct answer.
Difficulty: Hard
Category: Development
Getting to the Answer: Decide which sentence sounds like the most appropriate way to conclude the passage. The rhetorical question currently in the passage (choice A) introduces an opinion that the passage never reveals; there is no sign that Jane Saunders would feel this way. Likewise, there is no indication in the passage of how expensive modern DNA analysis is (choice B), nor that Saunders marvels about how far science has come in DNA analysis (choice D). Choice (C) is the correct answer; it presents a fairly natural way for Saunders to feel given her accomplishments for the day.