Question ID 22a41819

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 22a41819
Rejecting the premise that the literary magazine Ebony and Topaz (1927) should present a unified vision of Black
American identity, editor Charles S. Johnson fostered his contributors’ diverse perspectives by promoting their authorial
autonomy. Johnson’s self-effacement diverged from the editorial stances of W.E.B. Du Bois and Alain Locke, whose
decisions for their publications were more ______.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. proficient

B. dogmatic

C. ambiguous

D. unpretentious

ID: 22a41819 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. A person who is "dogmatic" believes strongly that their principles and opinions are true.
Because Du Bois and Locke are implied to have one "unified vision" of Black American identity that they prioritize over the
"diverse perspectives" of different writers, they can be described as dogmatic.

Choice A is incorrect. "Proficient" means "skilled." Du Bois and Locke are contrasted with Johnson, but nothing in the text
suggests that Johnson was not skilled at making editorial decisions. Based on the text, the three editors just have
different styles; they’re not necessarily more or less skilled. Choice C is incorrect. "Ambiguous" means "unclear" or "open
to multiple interpretations." However, it’s actually Johnson who encouraged multiple interpretations ("diverse
perspectives"). Since Du Bois and Locke are said to "diverge" from Johnson, we can assume that the views they
published were not ambiguous, but instead clear and firm (a "unified vision"). Choice D is incorrect. "Unpretentious"
means "not trying to impress others with greater skill or importance than is actually possessed." Du Bois and Locke are
contrasted with Johnson, but nothing in the text suggests that Johnson is pretentious (trying to impress others).

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ca50de52
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: ca50de52
“How lifelike are they?” Many computer animators prioritize this question as they strive to create ever more realistic
environments and lighting. Generally, while characters in computer-animated films appear highly exaggerated,
environments and lighting are carefully engineered to mimic reality. But some animators, such as Pixar’s Sanjay Patel, are
focused on a different question. Rather than asking first whether the environments and lighting they’re creating are
convincingly lifelike, Patel and others are asking whether these elements reflect their films’ unique stories.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined question in the text as a whole?

It reflects a primary goal that many computer animators have for certain components of the animations they
A. produce.

It represents a concern of computer animators who are more interested in creating unique backgrounds and lighting
B. effects than realistic ones.

It conveys the uncertainty among many computer animators about how to create realistic animations using current
C. technology.

D. It illustrates a reaction that audiences typically have to the appearance of characters created by computer animators.

ID: ca50de52 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the function of the underlined question in the text as a
whole. The text begins with the underlined question, “How lifelike are they?” The text then explains that many computer
animators pose this question about the environments and lighting that they create for animated films, striving for
realistic animation of those components even if the characters themselves aren’t portrayed in realistic terms. The focus
of the text then shifts to describe how some animators strive to create environments and lighting that reflect the film’s
unique stories rather than making them appear realistic. Therefore, the function of the underlined question is to reflect a
primary goal that many computer animators have for certain components of the animations they produce.

Choice B is incorrect because, as the text makes clear, the underlined question is one posed by computer animators who
wish to create realistic backgrounds and lighting effects, not by those who, instead, wish to create effects that reflect
films’ unique stories and aren’t necessarily realistic; this latter group of animators is discussed later in the text. Choice C
is incorrect. As the text explains, many computer animators strive for realistic environments and lighting, while others do
not; this difference of approach relates to whether these components should be realistic, not to how realism can be
achieved using current technology, and the text never suggests that animators are uncertain how to achieve it. Choice D
is incorrect because the underlined question pertains to the perspective of computer animators, not the audience, and
the text never considers audience’s reactions to characters in animated films.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 82cb7dda
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 82cb7dda
The field of study called affective neuroscience seeks instinctive, physiological causes for feelings such as pleasure or
displeasure. Because these sensations are linked to a chemical component (for example, the release of the
neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain when one receives or expects a reward), they can be said to have a partly
physiological basis. These processes have been described in mammals, but Jingnan Huang and his colleagues have
recently observed that some behaviors of honeybees (such as foraging) are also motivated by a dopamine-based
signaling process.

What choice best describes the main purpose of the text?

A. It describes an experimental method of measuring the strength of physiological responses in humans.

B. It illustrates processes by which certain insects can express how they are feeling.

It summarizes a finding suggesting that some mechanisms in the brains of certain insects resemble mechanisms in
C. mammalian brains.

It presents research showing that certain insects and mammals behave similarly when there is a possibility of a
D. reward for their actions.

ID: 82cb7dda Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to summarize a
finding suggesting that some mechanisms in the brains of certain insects resemble mechanisms in mammalian brains.
The text begins by explaining that feelings such as pleasure and displeasure are linked to chemical processes in the
brain, such as the release of dopamine when one receives a reward. The text then indicates that such processes have
been seen in mammals but that researchers have recently observed similar processes involving dopamine in honeybees.
Taken together, this information serves to sum up the discovery that some mechanisms in the brains of certain insects
may resemble mechanisms linked to feelings such as pleasure and displeasure in mammals.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t describe any experiments or experimental methods. Instead, the text
describes a phenomenon that has been observed in mammals and then presents the recent observations of Huang and
colleagues that this phenomenon is also seen in honeybees. Choice B is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to
suggest that certain insects can express how they’re feeling through particular processes. The text does indicate that
certain honeybee behaviors such as foraging are linked to dopamine, but it doesn’t suggest that these behaviors enable
honeybees to communicate feelings or sensations. Choice D is incorrect because the text presents research showing
that certain honeybee behaviors such as foraging are linked to dopamine and therefore may be motivated by similar
mechanisms to those in mammalian brains, not that honeybees and mammals behave similarly when there is the
possibility of reward for their actions.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e35d481c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e35d481c
Some economic historians ______ that late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century households in the United States
experienced an economy of scale when it came to food purchases—they assumed that large households spent less on
food per person than did small households. Economist Trevon Logan showed, however, that a close look at the available
data disproves this supposition.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. surmised

B. contrived

C. questioned

D. regretted

ID: e35d481c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of late nineteenth- and early
twentieth-century household food purchases. In this context, “surmised” means formed an idea or assumption with little
evidence. The text explains that certain economic historians “assumed” that large and small households spent different
amounts on food per person, but that another economist found this supposition to be false based on evidence from
available data. This context suggests that the economic historians made an incorrect assumption without enough
consideration of evidence.

Choice B is incorrect. In this context, “contrived” would mean brought about or created through trickery. Nothing in the
text suggests that the economic historians were deliberately trying to trick people with a claim about food purchasing
behaviors in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century households; the text simply suggests that they made an
assumption about those behaviors that another historian believes isn’t supported by the available data. Choice C is
incorrect because the text indicates that it’s Logan and not the economic historians who “questioned,” or doubted, the
assumption that large and small households in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries spent different amounts
on food per person; the economic historians are the ones who made that assumption to begin with. Choice D is incorrect
because nothing in the text suggests that some economic historians “regretted,” or felt sad or remorseful about, the food
purchasing behaviors of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century households. The text focuses on the idea that the
economic historians made an assumption about those behaviors that may not be supported by available data, not on the
historians’ emotional response to what households did in the past.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5e57efec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 5e57efec
Economist Marco Castillo and colleagues showed that nuisance costs—the time and effort people must spend to make
donations—reduce charitable giving. Charities can mitigate this effect by compensating donors for nuisance costs, but
those costs, though variable, are largely ______ donation size, so charities that compensate donors will likely favor
attracting a few large donors over many small donors.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. supplemental to

B. predictive of

C. independent of

D. subsumed in

ID: 5e57efec Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. We’re told that charities that pay donors back for nuisance costs will attract a few large
donors instead of many small donors. This suggests that nuisance costs are not linked to donation size.

Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If nuisance costs are supplemental to (meaning in addition to)
donation size, that wouldn’t result in charities that compensate donors for those costs attracting a few large donors over
many small donors. Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If nuisance costs can predict donation size,
that wouldn’t necessarily result in charities that compensate donors for those costs attracting a few large donors over
many small donors. Choice D is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If nuisance costs are subsumed in
(meaning included in) donation size, that wouldn’t result in charities that compensate donors for those costs attracting a
few large donors over many small donors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 97e5bf55
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 97e5bf55
Text 1
In 1916, H. Dugdale Sykes disputed claims that The Two Noble Kinsmen was coauthored by William Shakespeare and
John Fletcher. Sykes felt Fletcher’s contributions to the play were obvious—Fletcher had a distinct style in his other plays,
so much so that lines with that style were considered sufficient evidence of Fletcher’s authorship. But for the lines not
deemed to be by Fletcher, Sykes felt that their depiction of women indicated that their author was not Shakespeare but
Philip Massinger.
Text 2
Scholars have accepted The Two Noble Kinsmen as coauthored by Shakespeare since the 1970s: it appears in all major
one-volume editions of Shakespeare’s complete works. Though scholars disagree about who wrote what exactly, it is
generally held that on the basis of style, Shakespeare wrote all of the first act and most of the last, while John Fletcher
authored most of the three middle acts.

Based on the texts, both Sykes in Text 1 and the scholars in Text 2 would most likely agree with which statement?

A. John Fletcher’s writing has a unique, readily identifiable style.

B. The women characters in John Fletcher’s plays are similar to the women characters in Philip Massinger’s plays.

C. The Two Noble Kinsmen belongs in one-volume compilations of Shakespeare’s complete plays.

D. Philip Massinger’s style in the first and last acts of The Two Noble Kinsmen is an homage to Shakespeare’s style.

ID: 97e5bf55 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. Text 1 states that Sykes felt Fletcher’s contributions to the play were obvious because he
had a distinct style in his other plays. Text 2 states that scholars generally agree “on the basis of style” that Fletcher
wrote most of the three middle acts. Both texts imply that Fletcher’s writing has a unique, readily identifiable style that
can be used to distinguish his work from others.

Choice B is incorrect. While Text 1 refers to the women in Massinger plays, neither text compares the women of
Fletcher’s plays to the women of Massinger’s plays. Text 2 doesn’t mention Massinger at all. Choice C is incorrect. Text 1
states that Sykes disputed that Shakespeare coauthored the play, and implied that it was coauthored by Fletcher and
Massinger instead. Sykes, therefore, would disagree that The Two Noble Kinsmen belongs in a Shakespeare compilation.
Choice D is incorrect. Text 1 doesn’t suggest that Massinger was inspired by Shakespeare, and Text 2 doesn’t mention
Massinger at all.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d4732483
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: d4732483
Studying late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century artifacts from an agricultural and domestic site in Texas,
archaeologist Ayana O. Flewellen found that Black women employed as farm workers utilized hook-and-eye closures to
fasten their clothes at the waist, giving themselves a silhouette similar to the one that was popular in contemporary
fashion and typically achieved through more restrictive garments such as corsets. Flewellen argues that this sartorial
practice shows that these women balanced hegemonic ideals of femininity with the requirements of their physically
demanding occupation.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

To describe an unexpected discovery that altered a researcher’s view of how rapidly fashions among Black female
A. farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Texas changed during the period

To discuss research that investigated the ways in which Black female farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early
B. twentieth-century Texas used fashion practices to resist traditional gender ideals

To evaluate a scholarly work that offers explanations for the impact of urban fashion ideals on Black female
C. farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Texas

To summarize the findings of a study that explored factors influencing a fashion practice among Black female
D. farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Texas

ID: d4732483 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The text provides an overview of a scholarly work discussing the fashion practices of Black
female farmworkers in late 19th- and early 20th-century Texas, and how these practices were influenced by both the
fashion ideals of the time and the demands of farmwork.

Choice A is incorrect. The text never discusses the rate of fashion change among Black female farmworkers. The text
also never categorizes Flewellen’s findings as "unexpected." Choice B is incorrect. The text actually explains that Black
female farmworkers were trying to achieve traditional feminine ideals, not resist them. Choice C is incorrect. The text
doesn’t evaluate a scholarly work but rather simply describes it. Furthermore, the text is focused on "agricultural and
domestic" fashion, not urban fashion as this choice suggests.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d9915c15
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: d9915c15
In 2020, rap artist and professor A.D. Carson published the first peer-reviewed rap album about his experiences with
Black masculinity called “i used to love to dream.” Typically in peer review, experts evaluate scholarly articles prior to
publication. For Carson’s album, dubbed a “mixtap/e/ssay,” peer review involved both scholars and rap artists. In
combining elements of a mixtape album with scholarly essays that connect Carson’s lyrics to historical and
contemporary contexts for listeners both inside and outside academia, Carson’s album helped redefine how scholarship
is created and shared.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To compare the relative public impact of scholarly articles and albums

B. To capture one scholar’s opinion of a new rap album

C. To explain why a certain rap album is particularly innovative

D. To describe how each step of the peer review process unfolds

ID: d9915c15 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it best describes the main purpose of the text, which is to explain why a certain rap
album is particularly innovative. The text mentions rap artist and professor A.D. Carson, who published "the first peer-
reviewed rap album." The text also describes the unusual process of having the work evaluated by both scholars and rap
artists before its release, and details how the album combines elements of a mixtape album with elements of scholarly
essays. All of these characteristics of the album and the way in which it was developed help to demonstrate the album’s
novelty.

Choice A is incorrect because though the text mentions an album that combines elements of scholarly essays and
mixtapes, it does not compare the relative public impact of scholarly articles and albums. Choice B is incorrect because
the text does not present the opinion of a scholar regarding the rap album. Choice D is incorrect because though the text
mentions that the album was peer reviewed, it does not detail the steps of the review.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e818241b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: e818241b
Astronomers are confident that the star Betelgeuse will eventually consume all the helium in its core and explode in a
supernova. They are much less confident, however, about when this will happen, since that depends on internal
characteristics of Betelgeuse that are largely unknown. Astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance and colleagues recently
investigated whether acoustic waves in the star could be used to determine internal stellar states but concluded that this
method could not sufficiently reveal Betelgeuse’s internal characteristics to allow its evolutionary state to be firmly fixed.

Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the overall structure of the text?

A. It describes a serious limitation of the method used by Nance and colleagues.

B. It presents the central finding reported by Nance and colleagues.

C. It identifies the problem that Nance and colleagues attempted to solve but did not.

D. It explains how the work of Nance and colleagues was received by others in the field.

ID: e818241b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it best describes how the second sentence functions in the text as a whole. The
first sentence establishes something astronomers believe with some certainty: that Betelgeuse will explode in a
supernova. The second sentence then introduces a problem: astronomers aren’t certain when Betelgeuse will explode
because they don’t have enough information about the star’s internal characteristics. Finally, the third sentence indicates
that researcher Sarafina El-Badry Nance and colleagues investigated a possible method of obtaining the necessary
information about Betelgeuse’s internal characteristics, though they found that the method wouldn’t be sufficient. Thus,
the function of the second sentence is to identify the problem that Nance and colleagues attempted to solve but didn’t.

Choice A is incorrect because the second sentence introduces the general problem Nance and colleagues hoped to
solve, not a serious limitation of how Nance and colleagues tried to solve it. It is the third sentence that introduces Nance
and colleagues, but no serious limitation of their approach to studying a method of determining internal stellar states is
described. Choice B is incorrect because the second sentence introduces the general problem Nance and colleagues
hoped to solve, not the central finding they ultimately reported. It is the third sentence that presents Nance and
colleagues’ conclusion that a potential method for determining internal stellar states would be insufficient. Choice D is
incorrect because the second sentence doesn’t indicate how other astronomers or astrophysicists responded to the work
done by Nance and colleagues; the text doesn’t address this information at all.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 93665100
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 93665100
Seminole/Muscogee director Sterlin Harjo ______ television’s tendency to situate Native characters in the distant past:
this rejection is evident in his series Reservation Dogs, which revolves around teenagers who dress in contemporary
styles and whose dialogue is laced with current slang.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. repudiates

B. proclaims

C. foretells

D. recants

ID: 93665100 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Sterlin Harjo’s approach to
representing Native characters on television. As used in this context, “repudiates” means rejects or refuses to have
anything to do with. The text indicates that television shows tend to depict Native characters as living long ago, but that
Harjo’s series Reservation Dogs focuses on Native teenagers in the present day, representing a “rejection” of the typical
approach to depicting Native characters. This context thus indicates that Harjo repudiates television’s general tendency
regarding Native characters.

Choice B is incorrect because the text describes Harjo’s “rejection” of the typical approach to representing Native
characters on television, so it wouldn’t make sense to say that Harjo “proclaims,” or declares or affirms, television’s
general tendency regarding Native characters. Harjo is described as refusing to follow the pattern of depicting Native
characters in the distant past, not as proclaiming that pattern. Choice C is incorrect because the text describes
television’s tendency to represent Native characters in the distant past as something that is already occurring, not as
something that Harjo “foretells,” or predicts will happen in the future. The text is focused on Harjo’s “rejection” of this
pattern, not on any predictions he may have about it. Choice D is incorrect because saying that Harjo “recants”
something would mean that he withdraws a previously held belief, and it wouldn’t make sense to say that Harjo recants
television’s tendency to represent Native characters as living in the past. No beliefs previously held by Harjo are
mentioned. Additionally, a tendency isn’t a belief and thus isn’t something that can be recanted.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e459076b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e459076b
The following text is adapted from George Eliot’s 1871–72 novel Middlemarch.

[Mr. Brooke] had travelled in his younger years, and was held in this part of the country to have contracted a too
rambling habit of mind. Mr. Brooke’s conclusions were as difficult to predict as the weather.

As used in the text, what does the word “contracted” most nearly mean?

A. Restricted

B. Described

C. Developed

D. Settled

ID: e459076b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “contracted” most nearly means developed. The text explains
that Mr. Brooke has a “too rambling habit of mind,” which the text likens to a disease, saying he is thought to have
contracted it. To contract a disease means to acquire or develop a disease. In other words, the text indicates that Mr.
Brooke is believed to have acquired, or developed, the habit of mind described in the text.

Choice A is incorrect. Although “contracted” can mean limited or restricted in some contexts, here Mr. Brooke is said to
draw unpredictable conclusions, suggesting that he exhibits this “too rambling habit of mind,” not that it has been
somehow limited or restricted. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text describes Mr. Brooke’s habit of mind, nothing
suggests that those are his descriptions or, indeed, that he described his habit of mind at all. Choice D is incorrect
because settled means calmed or mitigated, but here Mr. Brooke is said to draw unpredictable conclusions, suggesting
that he exhibits this “too rambling habit of mind,” not that it has been somehow calmed or mitigated.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 105ea6de
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 105ea6de
Text 1
Growth in the use of novel nanohybrids—materials created from the conjugation of multiple distinct nanomaterials, such
as iron oxide and gold nanomaterials conjugated for use in magnetic imaging—has outpaced studies of nanohybrids’
environmental risks. Unfortunately, risk evaluations based on nanohybrids’ constituents are not reliable: conjugation may
alter constituents’ physiochemical properties such that innocuous nanomaterials form a nanohybrid that is anything but.
Text 2
The potential for enhanced toxicity of nanohybrids relative to the toxicity of constituent nanomaterials has drawn
deserved attention, but the effects of nanomaterial conjugation vary by case. For instance, it was recently shown that a
nanohybrid of silicon dioxide and zinc oxide preserved the desired optical transparency of zinc oxide nanoparticles while
mitigating the nanoparticles’ potential to damage DNA.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the assertion in the underlined portion of Text
1?

By concurring that the risk described in Text 1 should be evaluated but emphasizing that the risk is more than offset
A. by the potential benefits of nanomaterial conjugation

By arguing that the situation described in Text 1 may not be representative but conceding that the effects of
B. nanomaterial conjugation are harder to predict than researchers had expected

By denying that the circumstance described in Text 1 is likely to occur but acknowledging that many aspects of
C. nanomaterial conjugation are still poorly understood

By agreeing that the possibility described in Text 1 is a cause for concern but pointing out that nanomaterial
D. conjugation does not inevitably produce that result

ID: 105ea6de Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The author of Text 2 acknowledges that nanohybrids may be more toxic than their
constituent parts, but also provides an example of a nanohybrid that has reduced toxicity compared to its components:
silicon dioxide and zinc oxide together have all the benefits of zinc oxide nanoparticles without any of the DNA harm zinc
oxide has on its own.

Choice A is incorrect. While the author of Text 2 gives an example of a nanohybrid that isn’t as toxic as its constituent
parts, they don’t argue that the benefit outweighs the risk. They merely argue that “the effects of nanomaterial
conjugation vary by case.” Choice B is incorrect. The author of Text 2 states that the effects of nanomaterial conjugation
“vary by case,” and that the attention that their potential toxicity has drawn is warranted. If the situation in Text 1 weren’t
representative, then there would be less attention to the potential danger of these materials. Furthermore, neither
passage suggests that researchers had expected that they could predict the effects of nanomaterial conjugation. Choice
C is incorrect. The author of Text 2 agrees that the potential toxicity of nanohybrids “has drawn deserved attention,” so
they aren’t denying the problem.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID ac9a3a26
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: ac9a3a26
According to historian Vicki L. Ruiz, Mexican American women made crucial contributions to the labor movement during
World War II. At the time, food processing companies entered into contracts to supply United States armed forces with
canned goods. Increased production quotas conferred greater bargaining power on the companies’ employees, many of
whom were Mexican American women: employees insisted on more favorable benefits, and employers, who were
anxious to fulfill the contracts, complied. Thus, labor activism became a platform for Mexican American women to assert
their agency.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A. It elaborates on a claim about labor relations in a particular industry made earlier in the text.

B. It offers an example of a trend in the World War II–era economy discussed earlier in the text.

C. It notes a possible exception to the historical narrative of labor activism sketched earlier in the text.

D. It provides further details about the identities of the workers discussed earlier in the text.

ID: ac9a3a26 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a whole. The
text says that the increased production quotas of food processing companies during World War II enabled employees to
make better bargains in exchange for their labor. The underlined portion presents an example of this increased
bargaining power: employees requested more favorable benefits, and employers complied because they were under
pressure to fulfill the demanding terms of their contracts. Thus, the underlined portion of the text elaborates on a claim
about labor relations in a particular industry (food processing) made earlier in the text.

Choice B is incorrect because there is no indication in the text that the economic factors that influenced food processing
also influenced other parts of the economy; thus, the bargaining described in the underlined portion of the text cannot be
called an example of a trend. Choice C is incorrect because the underlined portion supports the historical narrative of
labor activism in food processing that is sketched in the text, instead of noting an exception to that narrative. Choice D is
incorrect because while the underlined portion does discuss the demands that workers made in exchange for their labor,
it does not discuss the identities of the workers.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 03c9f327
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 03c9f327
The following text is from Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel Jane Eyre. Jane, the narrator, works as a governess at Thornfield
Hall.
I went on with my day’s business tranquilly; but ever and anon vague suggestions kept wandering across my brain of
reasons why I should quit Thornfield; and I kept involuntarily framing advertisements and pondering conjectures about
new situations: these thoughts I did not think to check; they might germinate and bear fruit if they could.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To convey a contrast between Jane’s outward calmness and internal restlessness

B. To emphasize Jane’s loyalty to the people she works for at Thornfield Hall

C. To demonstrate that Jane finds her situation both challenging and deeply fulfilling

D. To describe Jane’s determination to secure employment outside of Thornfield Hall

ID: 03c9f327 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to show that
while Jane calmly goes about her daily tasks, she is experiencing internal agitation about possibly seeking a new job. At
the start of the text, Jane says, “I went on with my day’s business tranquilly,” indicating that she is outwardly calm. This
outward calmness is then contrasted with her intense internal restlessness, as Jane says that thoughts of leaving her job
keep running through her mind, that she is “involuntarily framing advertisements” (meaning that she can’t stop herself
from thinking up potential listings for jobs), and that she often wonders what new “situations” (or jobs) would be like.

Choice B is incorrect because the text gives no indication of Jane’s feelings, either positive or negative, about the people
she works for at Thornfield Hall. And rather than emphasizing that Jane feels particularly loyal to her employers, the text
focuses on her constant consideration of leaving her job. Choice C is incorrect because the text gives no indication that
Jane finds her current situation fulfilling, or satisfying. Given that much of the text is focused on Jane’s thoughts about
possibly leaving her job for a new one, it might be the case that she finds her situation challenging, but there is no
evidence in the text that Jane also finds that situation satisfying—she says nothing positive about her current job at all, in
fact. Choice D is incorrect because the text describes Jane as wondering about getting a new job, not as determined to
definitely do so. Jane keeps thinking about reasons why she “should” quit her current job (indicating that she hasn’t yet
decided to) and imagining possible new situations she could find, but she says at the end of the text that these thoughts
“might germinate and bear fruit if they could,” meaning that the thoughts haven’t yet led to a decision—that Jane isn’t yet
determined to get a new job somewhere else.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c4737d6a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: c4737d6a
Text 1
Africa’s Sahara region—once a lush ecosystem—began to dry out about 8,000 years ago. A change in Earth’s orbit that
affected climate has been posited as a cause of desertification, but archaeologist David Wright also attributes the shift
to Neolithic peoples. He cites their adoption of pastoralism as a factor in the region drying out: the pastoralists’ livestock
depleted vegetation, prompting the events that created the Sahara Desert.
Text 2
Research by Chris Brierley et al. challenges the idea that Neolithic peoples contributed to the Sahara’s desertification.
Using a climate-vegetation model, the team concluded that the end of the region’s humid period occurred 500 years
earlier than previously assumed. The timing suggests that Neolithic peoples didn’t exacerbate aridity in the region but, in
fact, may have helped delay environmental changes with practices (e.g., selective grazing) that preserved vegetation.

Based on the texts, how would Chris Brierley (Text 2) most likely respond to the discussion in Text 1?

By pointing out that given the revised timeline for the end of the Sahara’s humid period, the Neolithic peoples’ mode
A. of subsistence likely didn’t cause the region’s desertification

By claiming that pastoralism was only one of many behaviors the Neolithic peoples took part in that may have
B. contributed to the Sahara’s changing climate

C. By insisting that pastoralism can have both beneficial and deleterious effects on a region’s vegetation and climate

By asserting that more research needs to be conducted into factors that likely contributed to the desertification of the
D. Sahara region

ID: c4737d6a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. Brierley et al.’s research directly challenges Wright’s claim that pastoralism turned the
Sahara into a desert, suggesting that, in a Sahara that turned arid 500 years earlier than previously thought, pastoral
practices may have actually “preserved vegetation” rather than depleting it.

Choice B is incorrect. Brierley et al.’s research actually disputes the idea that any Neolithic peoples’ behaviors, including
pastoralism, could have contributed to the Sahara’s changing climate. In fact, their research implies that the Neolithic
peoples’ practices did not “exacerbate aridity” (i.e., make things worse), but may have slowed environmental changes.
Choice C is incorrect. Brierley et al.’s research does not acknowledge that pastoralism can have deleterious (i.e.,
negative) effects on a region’s vegetation and climate. It only describes one possible beneficial effect: preserving
vegetation through practices like selective grazing. Choice D is incorrect. Brierley et al.’s research does not call for more
research into factors that likely contributed to the desertification of the Sahara region.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a87c3925
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: a87c3925
Text 1
Soy sauce, made from fermented soybeans, is noted for its umami flavor. Umami—one of the five basic tastes along with
sweet, bitter, salty, and sour—was formally classified when its taste receptors were discovered in the 2000s. In 2007, to
define the pure umami flavor scientists Rie Ishii and Michael O’Mahony used broths made from shiitake mushrooms and
kombu seaweed, and two panels of Japanese and US judges closely agreed on a description of the taste.
Text 2
A 2022 experiment by Manon Jünger et al. led to a greater understanding of soy sauce’s flavor profile. The team initially
presented a mixture of compounds with low molecular weights to taste testers who found it was not as salty or bitter as
real soy sauce. Further analysis of soy sauce identified proteins, including dipeptides, that enhanced umami flavor and
also contributed to saltiness. The team then made a mix of 50 chemical compounds that re-created soy sauce’s flavor.

Based on the texts, if Ishii and O’Mahony (Text 1) and Jünger et al. (Text 2) were aware of the findings of both
experiments, they would most likely agree with which statement?

On average, the diets of people in the United States tend to have fewer foods that contain certain dipeptides than the
A. diets of people in Japan have.

Chemical compounds that activate both the umami and salty taste receptors tend to have a higher molecular weight
B. than those that only activate umami taste receptors.

Fermentation introduces proteins responsible for the increase of umami flavor in soy sauce, and those proteins also
C. increase the perception of saltiness.

The broths in the 2007 experiment most likely did not have a substantial amount of the dipeptides that played a key
D. part in the 2022 experiment.

ID: a87c3925 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. Ishii and O’Mahony were trying to isolate the pure umami flavor, while Jünger was trying to
recreate soy sauce, which has a mix of flavors that includes umami. Accordingly, the broths from Text 1 are not described
as having any soy sauce in them—just “shiitake mushrooms and kombu seaweed.” So they probably don’t have as much
of the dipeptides described in Text 2, which were found to be a key part of soy sauce’s umami-ness and its saltiness.

Choice A is incorrect. Neither text supports this. Neither text gets into the diets of people in the United States, nor the
diets of people in Japan. Choice B is incorrect. Neither text supports this. Text 2 does talk about the molecular weights of
chemical compounds, but there isn’t enough information provided about molecular weights in Text 1 to make an
inference about what the scientists in Text 1 would say. Choice C is incorrect. Neither text supports this. Text 1 briefly
mentions that soy sauce is “made from fermented soybeans,” but it never claims that fermentation is responsible for its
flavor in any way. And Text 2 never mentions fermentation at all.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b0f7541b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: b0f7541b
The following text is adapted from Herman Melville’s 1857 novel The Confidence-Man. Humphry Davy was a prominent
British chemist and inventor.

Years ago, a grave American savant, being in London, observed at an evening party there, a certain coxcombical
fellow, as he thought, an absurd ribbon in his lapel, and full of smart [banter], whisking about to the admiration of as
many as were disposed to admire. Great was the savant’s disdain; but, chancing ere long to find himself in a corner
with the jackanapes, got into conversation with him, when he was somewhat ill-prepared for the good sense of the
jackanapes, but was altogether thrown aback, upon subsequently being [informed that he was] no less a personage
than Sir Humphry Davy.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. It portrays the thoughts of a character who is embarrassed about his own behavior.

B. It presents an account of a misunderstanding.

C. It offers a short history of how a person came to be famous.

D. It explains why one character dislikes another.

ID: b0f7541b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The text tells a story of a first impression that turned out to be wrong: a serious American
savant was dismissive of a goofy-looking, wisecracking guest at a British party, and then was shocked to learn that the
guest was actually a prominent British chemist and inventor.

Choice A is incorrect. This is too strong and too narrow. Only at the very end is the savant "thrown aback" by the fact that
the man was Sir Humphry Davy—he’s not "embarrassed about his own behavior." Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the main
purpose. The text never provides the history of how Sir Humphry Davy came to be famous. Nor does it provide any
history for the American savant. Choice D is incorrect. This is too narrow. It doesn’t include the second half of the text,
where the savant gets into a conversation with the man and then finds out that the man is Sir Humphry Davy.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cf46f239
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: cf46f239
The following text is adapted from Herman Melville’s 1855 novel Israel Potter. Israel is a young man wandering through
New England during the late eighteenth century.

He hired himself out for three months; at the end of that time to receive for his wages two hundred acres of land
lying in New Hampshire. [...] His employer proving false to the contract in the matter of the land, and there being no
law in the country to force him to fulfil it, Israel—who, however brave-hearted, and even much of a dare-devil upon a
pinch, seems nevertheless to have evinced, throughout many parts of his career, a singular patience and mildness—
was obliged to look round for other means of livelihood than clearing out a farm for himself in the wilderness.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

It implies that Israel treasures a particular characteristic of his personality when that characteristic should usually be
A. regarded as a flaw.

It suggests that if not for a certain aspect of his character, Israel might not have been as easily thwarted in his
B. ambition to establish a farm.

It shows why Israel would not have been able to undertake the enormous amount of labor necessary to run a farm
C. even if he had owned the necessary property.

It explains why, when the situation requires it, Israel is able to undertake courageous acts that others would generally
D. avoid.

ID: cf46f239 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole. The
text describes the failed attempt of Israel Potter to establish a farm in New England during the late eighteenth century:
according to his contract, he was to receive two hundred acres in exchange for three months’ work, but his employer then
refused to fulfill the bargain and Israel had no recourse to law to obtain the land he was owed. Israel was therefore forced
to find another means of supporting himself. To explain why Israel was particularly susceptible to his employer’s
dishonesty, the underlined portion states that though Israel was "brave-hearted, and even much of a dare-devil upon a
pinch," he also possessed "a singular patience and mildness." In other words, Israel could be courageous in certain
circumstances, but he was usually meek and disinclined to argument, from which it is reasonable to infer that Israel was
often taken advantage of. Thus, the underlined portion suggests that if not for a certain aspect of his character, Israel
might not have been as easily thwarted in his ambition to establish a farm.

Choice A is incorrect because although the underlined portion describes aspects of Israel’s personality, it does not
address how he feels about his own personality. Choice C is incorrect because the underlined portion addresses Israel’s
occasional courage and frequent meekness but does not address whether he would have the skills and resolve
necessary to operate a farm if he owned sufficient property. Choice D is incorrect. Though the underlined portion does
indicate that Israel could be courageous in certain circumstances, it does not say that he undertook acts of courage that
others avoided, but rather that he was habitually meek. Even if the underlined portion did say that Israel was more
courageous than most, this would not explain why he found himself under the circumstances described in the text—that
is, as a consequence of his meek nature, cheated of the property to which he had a right.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d6c77ae5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: d6c77ae5
Text 1
Astronomer Mark Holland and colleagues examined four white dwarfs—small, dense remnants of past stars—in order to
determine the composition of exoplanets that used to orbit those stars. Studying wavelengths of light in the white dwarf
atmospheres, the team reported that traces of elements such as lithium and sodium support the presence of exoplanets
with continental crusts similar to Earth’s.
Text 2
Past studies of white dwarf atmospheres have concluded that certain exoplanets had continental crusts. Geologist Keith
Putirka and astronomer Siyi Xu argue that those studies unduly emphasize atmospheric traces of lithium and other
individual elements as signifiers of the types of rock found on Earth. The studies don’t adequately account for different
minerals made up of various ratios of those elements, and the possibility of rock types not found on Earth that contain
those minerals.

Based on the texts, how would Putirka and Xu (Text 2) most likely characterize the conclusion presented in Text 1?

A. As unexpected, because it was widely believed at the time that white dwarf exoplanets lack continental crusts

As premature, because researchers have only just begun trying to determine what kinds of crusts white dwarf
B. exoplanets had

As questionable, because it rests on an incomplete consideration of potential sources of the elements detected in
C. white dwarf atmospheres

As puzzling, because it’s unusual to successfully detect lithium and sodium when analyzing wavelengths of light in
D. white dwarf atmospheres

ID: d6c77ae5 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it reflects how Putirka and Xu (Text 2) would likely characterize the conclusion
presented in Text 1. Text 1 discusses a study by Mark Holland and colleagues in which they detected traces of lithium
and sodium in the atmospheres of four white dwarf stars. The team claims that this supports the idea that exoplanets
with continental crusts like Earth’s once orbited these stars. Text 2 introduces Putirka and Xu, who indicate that sodium
and lithium are present in several different minerals and that some of those minerals might exist in types of rock that are
not found on Earth. Therefore, Putirka and Xu would likely describe the conclusion in Text 1 as questionable because it
does not consider that lithium and sodium are also found in rocks that are not like Earth’s continental crust.

Choice A is incorrect because the texts do not indicate how widely held any of the viewpoints described are. Choice B is
incorrect because neither text discusses how new this area of study is. Choice D is incorrect because neither text
discusses how likely lithium and sodium are to be detected by analyzing wavelengths of light.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 76e4c51d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 76e4c51d
The güiro, a musical instrument traditionally made from a dried and hollowed gourd, is thought to have originated with
the Taíno people of Puerto Rico. Players use a wooden stick to scrape along ridges cut into the side of the gourd,
creating sounds that are highly ______: the sounds produced by güiros can differ based on the distance between the
ridges, the types of strokes the player uses, and the thickness of the gourd.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. overlooked

B. powerful

C. routine

D. variable

ID: 76e4c51d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the sounds made by güiros. In
this context, “variable” means able to change. The text begins by explaining that güiros are instruments made out of
hollowed gourds with ridges cut into their sides and that players scrape the ridges with wooden sticks to produce
sounds. The text goes on to say that güiros’ sounds can change depending on gourd thickness, the distance between
ridges, and the types of strokes the player uses, thus supporting the idea that the sounds created by these instruments
are variable.

Choice A is incorrect because “overlooked” means not being seen or noticed, and there is nothing in the text to suggest
that the sounds produced by güiros are overlooked or not noticed. Choice B is incorrect because in this context,
“powerful” would mean having a great ability to produce an effect. While it’s possible that the sounds produced by güiros
have a strong effect on listeners, the text doesn’t discuss this aspect of their sounds. Choice C is incorrect because
“routine” means usual and unvarying, and there is nothing in the text to suggest that the sounds produced by güiros are
unvarying. In fact, the text describes how the sounds produced by güiros can differ based on several factors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c61a7c4a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: c61a7c4a
Some studies have suggested that posture can influence cognition, but we should not overstate this phenomenon. A
case in point: In a 2014 study, Megan O’Brien and Alaa Ahmed had subjects stand or sit while making risky simulated
economic decisions. Standing is more physically unstable and cognitively demanding than sitting; accordingly, O’Brien
and Ahmed hypothesized that standing subjects would display more risk aversion during the decision-making tasks than
sitting subjects did, since they would want to avoid further feelings of discomfort and complicated risk evaluations. But
O’Brien and Ahmed actually found no difference in the groups’ performance.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

It argues that research findings about the effects of posture on cognition are often misunderstood, as in the case of
A. O’Brien and Ahmed’s study.

It presents the study by O’Brien and Ahmed to critique the methods and results reported in previous studies of the
B. effects of posture on cognition.

It explains a significant problem in the emerging understanding of posture’s effects on cognition and how O’Brien and
C. Ahmed tried to solve that problem.

It discusses the study by O’Brien and Ahmed to illustrate why caution is needed when making claims about the
D. effects of posture on cognition.

ID: c61a7c4a Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The text notes that
although some studies have suggested that posture may have an effect on cognition, this phenomenon should not be
overstated. In other words, the text begins by urging caution and restraint when discussing the effects of posture on
cognition, implying that even though some studies have shown posture to affect cognition, we should not assume that
posture always affects cognition or does so in a strong way. The text goes on to discuss O’Brien and Ahmed’s study as a
"case in point" (that is, as an example of the point made previously). According to the text, O’Brien and Ahmed
hypothesized that since standing is more cognitively demanding than sitting, standing subjects in their experiment would
respond differently to decision-making tasks than sitting subjects would, which would show an effect of posture on
cognition. What the researchers actually found, however, was that the standing and sitting subjects performed the same
—posture did not affect cognition. By presenting a circumstance in which posture does not appear to affect cognition, the
discussion of O’Brien and Ahmed’s study shows why it is important not to overstate the phenomenon. The purpose of the
text, therefore, is to discuss O’Brien and Ahmed’s study to illustrate why caution is needed when making claims about
posture’s effects on cognition.

Choice A is incorrect because the text discusses O’Brien and Ahmed’s study as an example of why caution is needed
when discussing posture’s effects on cognition, not as an example of how research findings related to posture and
cognition are often misunderstood. Although the text does warn against misunderstanding the scope of the relationship
between posture and cognition that has been reported in some previous studies, O’Brien and Ahmed’s study is not one of
those studies, and there is no suggestion that anyone has misunderstood O’Brien and Ahmed’s findings. Choice B is
incorrect because the text makes no mention of the methods used in previous studies of the effects of posture on
cognition. Although the text does urge caution when discussing posture’s effects on cognition, it does not critique the
results of studies that suggested that posture can affect cognition. Instead, the text suggests that such results should
not be exaggerated or taken too broadly. Choice C is incorrect because although the text implies that overstating
posture’s effects on cognition would be a problem, nothing in the text suggests that O’Brien and Ahmed share that view
or that they attempted to solve that problem. O’Brien and Ahmed are presented as hypothesizing that posture would
affect cognition in their study, not as trying to resolve the problem the text describes.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 98364791
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 98364791
In studying the use of external stimuli to reduce the itching sensation caused by an allergic histamine response, Louise
Ward and colleagues found that while harmless applications of vibration or warming can provide a temporary distraction,
such ______ stimuli actually offer less relief than a stimulus that seems less benign, like a mild electric shock.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. deceptive

B. innocuous

C. novel

D. impractical

ID: 98364791 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ward and colleagues’ findings.
As used in this context, “innocuous” means mild or unharmful. The text describes the vibration and warming that Ward
and colleagues used to alleviate itching as “harmless applications” and goes on to contrast these applications with
another stimulus that actually offers more relief even though it seems to be stronger and “less benign.” This context
conveys the idea that vibration and warming were innocuous stimuli.

Choice A is incorrect because the text focuses on a distinction between harmless stimuli and those that seem to be less
benign. Nothing in the text suggests that any of the treatments are “deceptive,” or misleading; indeed, even the less
effective ones are described as offering some relief. Choice C is incorrect because the text focuses on the amount of
relief from itching offered by harmless stimuli and those that seem to be less benign. The text doesn’t suggest that any
of these stimuli are “novel,” or original and new; heat, vibration, and electricity aren’t new inventions. Choice D is incorrect
because it wouldn’t make sense to describe an application of vibration or warming as “impractical,” or not suitable for
use. The text indicates that these harmless applications are useful in that they offer at least some temporary relief.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID aa5897b8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: aa5897b8
In Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park, an almost imperceptible smile from potential suitor Henry Crawford causes the
protagonist Fanny Price to blush; her embarrassment grows when she suspects that he is aware of it. This moment—in
which Fanny not only infers Henry’s mental state through his gestures, but also infers that he is drawing inferences about
her mental state—illustrates what literary scholar George Butte calls “deep intersubjectivity,” a technique for representing
interactions between consciousnesses through which Austen’s novels derive much of their social and psychological
drama.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

It states a claim about Austen’s skill at representing psychological complexity that is reinforced by an example
A. presented in the following sentence.

It advances an interpretation of an Austen protagonist who is contrasted with protagonists from other Austen novels
B. cited in the following sentence.

It describes a recurring theme in Austen’s novels that is the focus of a literary scholar’s analysis summarized in the
C. following sentence.

It provides a synopsis of an interaction in an Austen novel that illustrates a literary concept discussed in the following
D. sentence.

ID: aa5897b8 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The underlined sentence provides a concrete example to ground readers’ understanding of
the “deep intersubjectivity” described in the next sentence as central to Austen’s work.

Choice A is incorrect. There is no evaluation made of Austen’s skill in this sentence, and no examples are given in the
following sentence. This choice essentially flips the paragraph: it’s this first sentence that provides an example. Choice B
is incorrect. There are no other Austen protagonists mentioned in this passage, so this couldn’t be the answer. Choice C
is incorrect. The underlined sentence doesn’t identify any “recurring theme,” but instead simply describes one interaction
from one book. This interaction exemplifies the literary technique of “deep intersubjectivity” that is introduced in the next
sentence.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID be94c9fc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: be94c9fc
The following text is adapted from James Baldwin’s 1956 novel Giovanni’s Room. The narrator is riding in a taxi down a
street lined with food vendors and shoppers in Paris, France.

The multitude of Paris seems to be dressed in blue every day but Sunday, when, for the most part, they put on an
unbelievably festive black. Here they were now, in blue, disputing, every inch, our passage, with their wagons,
handtrucks, their bursting baskets carried at an angle steeply self-confident on the back.
©1956 by James Baldwin

As used in the text, what does the word “disputing” most nearly mean?

A. Arguing about

B. Disapproving of

C. Asserting possession of

D. Providing resistance to

ID: be94c9fc Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because as used in the text, "disputing" most nearly means providing resistance to. The
narrator is in a taxi as it drives down a street lined with so many food vendors and shoppers that the narrator describes
them as "the multitude of Paris," meaning an immense group of people. The street is essentially a large open-air market,
and there are so many people pushing small wagons of goods and carrying shopping baskets that "every inch" of the
taxi’s progress is impeded. In other words, the people are providing resistance to the taxi’s attempt to drive down the
street.

Choice A is incorrect. Although in some contexts, "disputing" can mean arguing, the narrator doesn’t portray the shoppers
and vendors as arguing with the driver of the taxi or, indeed, arguing at all. Choice B is incorrect. Although in some
contexts, "disputing" can mean expressing disapproval, the narrator doesn’t suggest that the shoppers and vendors
necessarily disapprove of the taxi’s attempt to drive down the street. Instead, their combined presence along the street
has the effect of impeding the taxi’s progress. Choice C is incorrect because, as the narrator explains, both the multitude
of people and the taxi are using a public space (a street) at the same time. The narrator doesn’t go so far as to suggest
that the people feel that they, and not the taxi, possess exclusive access to the street.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4b4ab04e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 4b4ab04e
Text 1
Mycoprotein is a fungal biomass that can be eaten as an alternative to meat. Studies of the environmental impact of its
manufacture generally agree it is lower than that of beef and closer to that of chicken or pork. But the expense of
producing mycoprotein restricts its availability to a few countries with postindustrial economies. Knowing that cost
reductions would expand access to mycoprotein, biochemists are exploring solutions, such as a cheaper substrate to
feed the mycoprotein as it grows.
Text 2
Cattle farming is a principal cause of global deforestation, and a study by Florian Humpenöder and his colleagues found
that replacing 20% of beef consumption worldwide with consumption of mycoprotein would cut deforestation by half if
accomplished over the next thirty years. However, this would likely involve only a small change in agricultural water
consumption, since water once dedicated to raising cattle would be diverted to raising crops instead.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 1 most likely respond to the study findings mentioned in Text 2?

By emphasizing that since agricultural water consumption would remain static in the event of replacing beef
consumption with mycoprotein consumption, an effort must be made to substitute mycoprotein for chicken and pork
A. in diets as well

By asserting that the development of a more inexpensive substrate for mycoprotein production would contribute to
B. the goal of decreasing worldwide deforestation over time

By noting that most people would be more likely to use mycoprotein as a substitute for chicken or pork in their diets
C. than as a substitute for beef

By pointing out that some countries are responsible for greater deforestation than others and thus, to have any
D. significant effect on the environment, will have to replace more than 20% of their beef consumption with mycoprotein

ID: 4b4ab04e Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it reflects how the author of Text 1 would most likely respond to the study findings
described in Text 2. The author of Text 2 discusses a study by Florian Humpenöder and his colleagues that found that
deforestation would be reduced by half over the next thirty years if 20% of the beef consumed worldwide were replaced
with mycoprotein. The author of Text 1 points out that mycoprotein is not widely available because of its high production
cost, but goes on to note that this problem could be addressed by the creation of a cheaper substrate to feed
mycoprotein. This suggests that the author of Text 1 would assert that the development of a less expensive mycoprotein
substrate would contribute to the reduction in deforestation described in the study findings discussed in Text 2: if
reducing the cost of mycoprotein increases people’s access to it, then mycoprotein may be able to replace beef in more
people’s diets, thereby reducing the deforestation associated with beef production.

Choice A is incorrect because the author of Text 1 indicates that the environmental impact of mycoprotein production is
close to that of chicken or pork production, so there is no reason to think that the author would assert that replacing
chicken or pork with mycoprotein would be environmentally beneficial: such a replacement would not lessen the total
environmental impact of food manufacture. Additionally, the specific issue of agricultural water consumption is never
mentioned in Text 1, so there is no evidence indicating what the author of Text 1 would say about that issue. Choice C is
incorrect. Although Text 1 does compare the environmental effects of producing mycoprotein to those of producing
chicken or pork, nothing in Text 1 suggests that the author believes that people are more likely to replace chicken or pork
with mycoprotein than they are to replace beef with mycoprotein. Choice D is incorrect because Text 1 makes no mention
of countries’ varying contributions to deforestation, so there is no evidence that the author of Text 1 would respond to the
finding described in Text 2 by saying that some countries will have to replace more than 20% of their beef consumption
with mycoprotein.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 39857700
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 39857700
The following text is from Edith Wharton’s 1905 novel The House of Mirth. Lily Bart and a companion are walking through
a park.
Lily had no real intimacy with nature, but she had a passion for the appropriate and could be keenly sensitive to a
scene which was the fitting background of her own sensations. The landscape outspread below her seemed an
enlargement of her present mood, and she found something of herself in its calmness, its breadth, its long free
reaches. On the nearer slopes the sugar-maples wavered like pyres of light; lower down was a massing of grey
orchards, and here and there the lingering green of an oak-grove.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It creates a detailed image of the physical setting of the scene.

B. It establishes that a character is experiencing an internal conflict.

C. It makes an assertion that the next sentence then expands on.

D. It illustrates an idea that is introduced in the previous sentence.

ID: 39857700 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The
first sentence of the text establishes that Lily can be “keenly sensitive to” scenes that serve as a “fitting background” for
her feelings—that is, she’s very aware of when a setting seems to reflect her mood. The next sentence, which is
underlined, then demonstrates this awareness: Lily views the landscape she’s in as a large-scale reflection of her current
mood, identifying with elements such as its calmness. Thus, the function of the underlined sentence is to illustrate an
idea introduced in the previous sentence.

Choice A is incorrect because the underlined sentence describes the scene only in very general terms, referring to its
calmness, breadth, and long stretches of land. It’s the next sentence that adds specific details about colors, light, and
various trees nearby. Choice B is incorrect because nothing in the underlined sentence suggests that Lily is experiencing
an internal conflict. In fact, the sentence indicates that Lily thinks the landscape reflects her own feeling of calmness.
Choice C is incorrect because the only assertion in the underlined sentence is that Lily feels that broad aspects of the
landscape, such as its calmness, reflect her current mood, and that assertion isn’t expanded on in the next sentence.
Instead, the next sentence describes specific details of the scene without connecting them to Lily’s feelings.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f61c22f3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: f61c22f3
Changes to vegetation cover and other human activities influence carbon and nitrogen levels in soil, though how deep
these effects extend is unclear. Hypothesizing that differences in land use lead to differences in carbon and nitrogen
levels that are not restricted to the topsoil layer (0–30 cm deep), Chukwuebuka Okolo and colleagues sampled soils
across multiple land-use types (e.g., grazing land, cropland, forest) within each of several Ethiopian locations. They
found, though, that across land-use types, carbon and nitrogen decreased to comparably low levels beyond depths of 30
cm.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It describes a phenomenon that scientists do not fully understand, explains a research team’s hypothesis about that
A. phenomenon, and then describes a finding that led the team to refine the hypothesis.

It introduces an unresolved scientific question, presents a research team’s hypothesis pertaining to that question, and
B. then describes an observation made by the team that conflicts with that hypothesis.

It discusses a process that scientists are somewhat unclear about, introduces competing hypotheses about that
C. process, and then explains how a research team concluded that one of those hypotheses is likely correct.

It explains a hypothesis that has been the subject of scientific debate, discusses how a research team tested that
D. hypothesis, and then presents data the team collected that validate the hypothesis.

ID: f61c22f3 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes the overall structure of the text. The text begins by
explaining that human activities influence carbon and nitrogen levels in soil, but how deeply these effects are seen in the
soil remains an unresolved question. Next, the text summarizes Okolo and colleagues’ hypothesis regarding this question
—which is that the different effects on carbon and nitrogen levels associated with different types of land use would also
be observed below the topsoil layer—and then briefly explains the methods they used to test this hypothesis. Finally, the
text states that the researchers found that at depths below the topsoil layer, carbon and nitrogen decreased to similarly
low levels across all land-use types, a finding that conflicts with the team’s hypothesis presented earlier in the text. Thus,
the text introduces an unresolved scientific question, presents a research team’s hypothesis pertaining to that question,
and then describes an observation that the team made that conflicted with their hypothesis.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text introduces a phenomenon (the fact that human activities influence carbon and
nitrogen levels in the soil) that isn’t fully understood by scientists and explains a research team’s hypothesis about the
phenomenon, the text doesn’t describe how the team refined their hypothesis when a research finding contradicted it.
Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss a process at all; rather, it poses an unsolved scientific question
and presents a hypothesis that Okolo and colleagues tested to answer that question. Moreover, the text only describes
one hypothesis; it doesn’t mention any competing hypotheses, nor does it suggest that Okolo’s team was able to
determine which hypothesis was correct. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t begin by presenting a hypothesis
that is under scientific debate; rather, it presents a question that scientists have been unable to answer and then
introduces a hypothesis formulated by Okolo and colleagues. While the text does explain how Okolo’s team tested their
hypothesis, the text goes on to say that their data conflicted with their hypothesis, not that the data validated, or
supported, their hypothesis.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 54804e10
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 54804e10
While scholars believe many Mesoamerican cities influenced each other, direct evidence of such influence is difficult to
ascertain. However, recent excavations in a sector of Tikal (Guatemala) unearthed a citadel that shows ______
Teotihuacán (Mexico) architecture—including a near replica of a famed Teotihuacán temple—providing tangible evidence
of outside influence in portions of Tikal.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. refinements of

B. precursors of

C. commonalities with

D. animosities toward

ID: 54804e10 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of architectural influences among
Mesoamerican cities. In this context, “commonalities with” means similarities to or shared attributes with. The text
indicates that a recently discovered citadel in Tikal includes a close imitation of a famous temple in Teotihuacán (another
Mesoamerican city) and other evidence of Teotihuacán influence, which suggests that the citadel possesses features
that resemble architectural features found in Teotihuacán. This context thus indicates that the Tikal citadel shows
commonalities with Teotihuacán architecture.

Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text that suggests that the Tikal citadel shows “refinements of,” or
improvements on, Teotihuacán architecture. Although the text suggests that the architecture of Teotihuacán influenced
the architecture of the Tikal citadel, and although it’s possible that later architectural designs could make improvements
on earlier designs, the text doesn’t discuss whether, in imitating Teotihuacán architecture, the Tikal citadel’s builders
improved on it. Choice B is incorrect because describing the citadel in Tikal as showing “precursors of” Teotihuacán
architecture—or features that preceded and foreshadowed those of Teotihuacán architecture—would imply the opposite
of what the text suggests about the relationship between the architecture found in Tikal and Teotihuacán. The text claims
that the discovery of similarities between the Tikal citadel and the architecture of Teotihuacán, including a replica of a
temple in Teotihuacán, provides evidence of outside influences on Tikal architecture. If the Tikal citadel was influenced
by Teotihuacán architecture, then the Teotihuacán architecture must predate the citadel, not the other way around. In this
context, therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to say that the Tikal citadel shows precursors of Teotihuacán
architecture. Choice D is incorrect because the text discusses how the citadel in Tikal indicates the influence of
Teotihuacán architecture, which implies that the makers of the Tikal citadel likely admired aspects of Teotihuacán
architecture enough to imitate it. Thus, there’s no reason to think that the Tikal citadel provides evidence of the Tikal
people’s “animosities toward,” or feelings of strong dislike or hostility toward, Teotihuacán architecture.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2e744883
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 2e744883
Historians have argued that a crucial component of the Civil Rights Movement’s success in the 1960s was the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference’s Citizen Education Program (CEP), which invited promising activists from across the
South to its one-week training sessions in Dorchester, Georgia. Led by experienced organizers such as Dorothy Cotton
and Septima Clark, CEP attendees—more than 7,000 in all—participated in workshops on topics ranging from public
speaking to legal doctrine before returning home and using their newly acquired knowledge to spearhead local civil rights
initiatives.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A. It underscores the extent of the CEP’s impact on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

B. It illustrates the CEP organizers’ efforts to educate participants on a wide variety of topics.

It suggests that CEP attendees held a diverse array of opinions about the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s
C. political philosophy.

It establishes that criticism of the CEP was limited to a few individuals in the Southern Christian Leadership
D. Conference.

ID: 2e744883 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a
whole. The first sentence of the text states that the CEP had a positive impact on the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
The next sentence explains that the CEP organized workshops for attendees, who later used the knowledge they gained
to lead civil rights initiatives. And the underlined portion indicates the number of activists—more than 7,000—who
participated in the workshops. Thus, the underlined portion provides a number that underscores the extent of the CEP’s
impact on the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

Choice B is incorrect. Although the sentence that contains the underlined portion mentions some CEP workshop topics,
the underlined portion itself addresses the number of participants in the CEP workshops, not the number of topics
covered. Choice C is incorrect. Although the underlined portion refers to attendees of the CEP workshops, nothing in the
underlined portion or the text as a whole addresses the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s philosophy or the
attendees’ opinions thereof. Choice D is incorrect because neither the underlined portion nor the text as a whole
mentions any criticism of the CEP by members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b4887dae
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: b4887dae
Mathematician Claude Shannon is widely regarded as a foundational figure in information theory. His most important
paper, “A Mathematical Theory of Communication,” published in 1948 when he was employed at Bell Labs, utilized a
concept called a “binary digit” (shortened to “bit”) to measure the amount of information in any signal and determine the
fastest rate at which information could be transmitted while still being reliably decipherable. Robert Gallagher, one of
Shannon’s colleagues, said that the bit was “[Shannon’s] discovery, and from it the whole communications revolution has
sprung.”

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It presents a theoretical concept, illustrates how the name of the concept has changed, and shows how the name has
A. entered common usage.

It introduces a respected researcher, describes an aspect of his work, and suggests why the work is historically
B. significant.

It names the company where an important mathematician worked, details the mathematician’s career at the
C. company, and provides an example of the recognition he received there.

D. It mentions a paper, offers a summary of the paper’s findings, and presents a researcher’s commentary on the paper.

ID: b4887dae Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The text starts with a general statement that introduces Shannon, then describes a specific
contribution from one of his papers, then provides a quote that illustrates just how important this contribution was.

Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text only mentions very briefly, in parentheses, that “binary digit”
was shortened to “bit.” It doesn’t go into detail about this name change, and it doesn’t discuss any “common usage” of
the name at all. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. Shannon’s employment at Bell Labs is only
mentioned once, very briefly: the text never goes into detail about his career there, and it never mentions any recognition
he received there. Choice D is incorrect. This is too narrow. Overall, the text is about Shannon’s importance in his field, not
just this one paper of his.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9b22bf7b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 9b22bf7b
The following text is from the 1989 novel The Ancient Child by Kiowa writer N. Scott Momaday. The main character has
achieved tremendous commercial success as a painter.

More and more often he was asked to compromise his art or himself in one way or another, and more often than not
he did so, for he was inclined to be passive and naïve; it was difficult for him to say no. Those who exhibited his
work, who praised and purchased it, and who demanded its proliferation began to determine it.
©1989 by N. Scott Momaday

As used in the text, what does the word “determine” most nearly mean?

A. Conclude

B. Dictate

C. Evaluate

D. Select

ID: 9b22bf7b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because as used in the text "determine" most nearly means "dictate." The text describes the
relationship between the main character and those who exhibit, praise, and purchase his artwork. The text states that the
main character is often asked to change his art or himself based on outside influences, and he usually acquiesces.
Because the main character admits that those who support his work often shape it based on their demands, it follows
that those outside influences dictate, or guide or dominate, the direction his work takes.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that outside influences "conclude," or end, the main character’s
work. The text states that many supporters of the main character’s art "demand its proliferation," not its conclusion.
Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that outside influences are "evaluating," or judging the main
character’s work. According to the text, the main character’s art has already achieved great commercial success, with
many people exhibiting, purchasing, and praising his work. Thus, outsiders have already supported the main character’s
work and are not questioning or evaluating its success or worth. They are instead influencing its initial direction. Choice
D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that outside influences "select," or choose the main character’s work.
According to the text, the main character’s art has already achieved great commercial success, with many people
exhibiting, purchasing, and praising his work. Thus, outsiders have already supported the main character’s work and are
not selecting it. They are instead influencing its initial direction.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3e6ad72d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 3e6ad72d
A study by a team including finance professor Madhu Veeraraghavan suggests that exposure to sunshine during the
workday can lead to overly optimistic behavior. Using data spanning from 1994 to 2010 for a set of US companies, the
team compared over 29,000 annual earnings forecasts to the actual earnings later reported by those companies. The
team found that the greater the exposure to sunshine at work in the two weeks before a manager submitted an earnings
forecast, the more the manager’s forecast exceeded what the company actually earned that year.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?

A. To summarize the results of the team’s analysis

B. To present a specific example that illustrates the study’s findings

C. To explain part of the methodology used in the team’s study

D. To call out a challenge the team faced in conducting its analysis

ID: 3e6ad72d Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The
first sentence presents the implications of Veeraraghavan’s team’s study: sunshine exposure during work hours can
cause overly optimistic behavior. The underlined sentence then describes the data the team consulted and how they
were used (comparing predictions about earnings to what the companies actually earned), and the final sentence
presents what the team found in their examination of the data. Thus, the underlined sentence mainly functions to explain
part of the methodology used in the team’s study.

Choice A is incorrect because the underlined sentence explains in part how the team conducted their analysis of the
effect of sunshine but doesn’t address what the team found; a broad summary is instead given in the other two
sentences. Choice B is incorrect because the underlined sentence doesn’t present any specific examples from the team’s
comparisons of 29,000 earnings predictions to actual earnings; it simply explains in part how the team conducted their
analysis. Choice D is incorrect because the underlined sentence simply explains in part how the team conducted their
analysis; the text never mentions any challenges that the team encountered in their study.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f3c45b4f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: f3c45b4f
Text 1
Fossils of the hominin Australopithecus africanus have been found in the Sterkfontein Caves of South Africa, but
assigning an age to the fossils is challenging because of the unreliability of dating methods in this context. The geology
of Sterkfontein has caused soil layers from different periods to mix, impeding stratigraphic dating, and dates cannot be
reliably imputed from those of nearby animal bones since the bones may have been relocated by flooding.
Text 2
Archaeologists used new cosmogenic nuclide dating techniques to reevaluate the ages of A. africanus fossils found in
the Sterkfontein Caves. This technique involves analyzing the cosmogenic nucleotides in the breccia—the matrix of rock
fragments immediately surrounding the fossils. The researchers assert that this approach avoids the potential for
misdating associated with assigning ages based on Sterkfontein’s soil layers or animal bones.

Based on the texts, how would the researchers in Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined portion in Text 1?

They would emphasize the fact that the A. africanus fossils found in the Sterkfontein Caves may have been corrupted
A. in some way over the years.

They would contend that if analyses of surrounding layers and bones in the Sterkfontein Caves were combined, then
B. the dating of the fossils there would be more accurate.

They would argue that their techniques are better suited than other methods to the unique challenges posed by the
C. Sterkfontein Caves.

They would claim that cosmogenic nuclide dating is reliable in the context of the Sterkfontein Caves because it is
D. applied to the fossils directly.

ID: f3c45b4f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. Text 2 states that the researchers used cosmogenic nuclide dating to "avoid the potential for
misdating" caused by the geology of Sterkfontein, which Text 1 describes as "challenging" and unreliable.

Choice A is incorrect. Neither text suggests that the A. africanus fossils have been "corrupted," but only that traditional
dating methods are difficult in Sterkfontein because of floods and soil mixing where the fossils were found. Nothing is
implied to have compromised the fossils themselves. Choice B is incorrect. This choice misreads Text 2. Text 2 agrees
that stratigraphy and other methods are prone to error in the context of Sterkfontein: there’s a "potential for misdating"
when evaluating age based on soil layers and bones. Choice D is incorrect. Text 2 does not state that cosmogenic
nuclide dating is applied to the fossils directly but rather to the breccia that surrounds them.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1455b754
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 1455b754
While recent scholarship has undermined claims that the works of twelfth-century Islamic philosopher Ibn Rushd were
______ other Muslim philosophers of his time, it is indisputable that his location in the Muslim-ruled area of what is now
Spain meant that his works were primarily available thousands of miles west of the era’s center of Islamic thought.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. controversial among

B. antagonistic toward

C. imitated by

D. inconsequential to

ID: 1455b754 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the twelfth-century Islamic
philosopher Ibn Rushd. As used in this context, "inconsequential to" means not significant to. According to the text, Ibn
Rushd’s works were primarily available in Spain, where he lived, far from central areas of the Muslim world, a fact that
could support the conclusion that his influence on Muslim contemporaries was limited. The text implies, however, that
recent scholarship has shown that his works still had an impact on other Muslim philosophers of his time. This context
supports the idea that his works weren’t inconsequential to Islamic thought in this period.

Choice A is incorrect because the issue under consideration in the text is whether other Muslim philosophers of Ibn
Rushd’s time had access to his works, not whether his works were "controversial among," or causing dispute among,
other philosophers. Choice B is incorrect. The text implies that other Muslim philosophers of Ibn Rushd’s era were aware
of his works, not that they were "antagonistic toward," or hostile toward, them. There is no suggestion that Ibn Rushd’s
writings elicited hostility from his contemporaries. Choice C is incorrect because in this context, "imitated by" would
mean followed as a model by. Although the text implies that Ibn Rushd’s works were at least somewhat available in
regions that were at the center of Islamic thought during the period, it doesn’t specifically address in what ways his works
influenced contemporary Muslim philosophers. Thus, the text doesn’t support the idea that other philosophers modeled
their own works after Ibn Rushd’s works.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5336f2e4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 5336f2e4
The following text is adapted from Zora Neale Hurston’s 1921 short story “John Redding Goes to Sea.” John is a child
who lives in a town in the woods.
Perhaps ten-year-old John was puzzling to the folk there in the Florida woods for he was an imaginative child and fond
of day-dreams. The St. John River flowed a scarce three hundred feet from his back door. On its banks at this point
grow numerous palms, luxuriant magnolias and bay trees. On the bosom of the stream float millions of delicately
colored hyacinths. [John Redding] loved to wander down to the water’s edge, and, casting in dry twigs, watch them sail
away down stream to Jacksonville, the sea, the wide world and [he] wanted to follow them.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It provides an extended description of a location that John likes to visit.

B. It reveals that some residents of John’s town are confused by his behavior.

C. It illustrates the uniqueness of John’s imagination compared to the imaginations of other children.

D. It suggests that John longs to experience a larger life outside the Florida woods.

ID: 5336f2e4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it accurately describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a
whole. The text establishes that John has a strong imagination and then goes on to describe the St. John River near
John’s home in the Florida woods. The underlined sentence depicts John sending twigs sailing down the river while he
imagines them reaching “Jacksonville, the sea, the wide world,” where he wishes he could follow. This suggests that
John longs to expand his life experiences beyond the Florida woods.

Choice A is incorrect because the second and third sentences of the text provide an extended description of the
riverbank where John likes to go, whereas the underlined sentence describes what John does at that location. Choice B
is incorrect because the first sentence of the text suggests that John’s behavior “was puzzling” to others around him,
whereas the underlined sentence concerns the content of John’s imaginings. Choice C is incorrect because the
underlined sentence elaborates on John’s imagination but doesn’t mention any other children to whom John could be
compared.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7bc05fa2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 7bc05fa2
Whether the reign of a French monarch such as Hugh Capet or Henry I was historically consequential or relatively
uneventful, its trajectory was shaped by questions of legitimacy and therefore cannot be understood without a corollary
understanding of the factors that allowed the monarch to ______ his right to hold the throne.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. disengage

B. annotate

C. buttress

D. reciprocate

ID: 7bc05fa2 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the legitimacy of the reigns of
French monarchs such as Hugh Capet and Henry I. As used in this context, “buttress” means to strengthen or defend.
The text indicates that regardless of whether a French monarch’s reign was significant or uneventful, each monarch
faced questions about his right to the throne. The text goes on to say that in order to understand the path of a French
monarch’s reign, it’s important to understand what contributed to the monarch’s ability to “hold the throne.” This context
suggests that French monarchs such as Hugh Capet and Henry I had to buttress, or defend, their right to be monarch.

Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to discuss factors that enabled a monarch to
“disengage,” or withdraw his right to the French throne. The text focuses on an examination of people who reigned as
French monarchs, not on people who didn’t choose to rule. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in
context to discuss factors that enabled a monarch to “annotate,” or add notes to or explain, his right to the French throne.
Nothing in the text suggests that the monarchs were writing notes about their right to the throne; instead, faced with
questions about the legitimacy of their reign, the monarchs defended their right. Choice D is incorrect. Saying that a
monarch who is faced with questions about the legitimacy of his reign was able to “reciprocate” his right to the French
throne would mean that he either returned his right to the throne or that he responded in kind to the challenge. Neither of
these meanings would make sense in context because the text focuses on people who did reign as French monarchs
and defended their right to do so.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f7c02e89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: f7c02e89
Text 1
Films and television shows commonly include a long list of credits naming the people involved in a production. Credit
sequences may not be exciting, but they generally ensure that everyone’s contributions are duly acknowledged. Because
they are highly standardized, film and television credits are also valuable to anyone researching the careers of pioneering
cast and crew members who have worked in the mediums.
Text 2
Video game scholars face a major challenge in the industry’s failure to consistently credit the artists, designers, and
other contributors involved in making video games. Without a reliable record of which people worked on which games,
questions about the medium’s development can be difficult to answer, and the accomplishments of all but its best-known
innovators can be difficult to trace.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 1 most likely respond to the discussion in Text 2?

By recommending that the scholars mentioned in Text 2 consider employing the methods regularly used by film and
A. television researchers

By pointing out that credits have a different intended purpose in film and television than in the medium addressed by
B. the scholars mentioned in Text 2

By suggesting that the scholars mentioned in Text 2 rely more heavily on credits as a source of information than film
C. and television researchers do

By observing that a widespread practice in film and television largely prevents the kind of problem faced by the
D. scholars mentioned in Text 2

ID: f7c02e89 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it reflects how the author of Text 1 would most likely respond to Text 2 based on the
information provided. Text 2 discusses how the inconsistent use of credits to identify the contributors to video games
can pose an obstacle to scholars of the medium, who rely on such credits to answer questions about the medium’s
development. Text 1 notes that in film and television, on the other hand, credits are used consistently and are valuable to
researchers studying the cast and crew members in these mediums. Since Text 1 asserts how the consistent use of
credits benefits scholars of film and television, it can be inferred that this text’s author would respond to the discussion in
Text 2 by observing that the kind of problem faced by scholars of video games—the inability to know who contributed to
a particular production and how—is, in film and television studies, largely prevented by the widespread practice of credits
in these mediums.

Choice A is incorrect. Although Text 1 discusses a method used by film and television researchers—namely, relying on
credits to research the careers of cast and crew members—the author doesn’t explicitly recommend that or any other
method. Moreover, Text 1 states that films and television shows themselves, not their researchers, regularly use the
method of listing credits. Choice B is incorrect. It can be inferred from Text 2 that when video games do feature credits,
they have essentially the same function as credits in film and television—namely, to identify the individuals who worked
on a particular production. Therefore, it is unlikely that the author of Text 1 would characterize video game credits as
differing in purpose from film and television credits. Choice C is incorrect because, as Text 2 explains, credits are not
consistently used in video games. Therefore, it is unlikely that the author of Text 1 would argue that scholars of the
medium discussed in this text—video games—rely more heavily on credits than scholars of film and television, two
mediums where credits consistently appear.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID aaa3ee7c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: aaa3ee7c
Critics have asserted that fine art and fashion rarely ______ in a world where artists create timeless works for exhibition
and designers periodically produce new styles for the public to buy. Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock beadwork artist and
designer Jamie Okuma challenges this view: her work can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and purchased
through her online boutique.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. prevail

B. succumb

C. diverge

D. intersect

ID: aaa3ee7c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about the relationship between fine
art and fashion. As used in this context, “intersect” means to connect or overlap. The text indicates that Jamie Okuma
challenges the position held by critics because her work can be seen at an art museum and can be bought by the public
from her online boutique. The text also presents the critics’ view as being influenced by a perception that fine artists
create works that are “timeless” and meant for exhibition, whereas fashion designers periodically produce new styles
that are meant for purchase. This context suggests that the critics believe that fine art and fashion tend not to overlap—in
other words, that they rarely intersect.

Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that critics contend that fine art and fashion rarely
“prevail,” or prove to be triumphant or widespread. The text indicates that Okuma is an example of an artist who
demonstrates that it’s possible to make fine art that is also available to the public as fashion. Choice B is incorrect
because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that fine art and fashion rarely “succumb,” or surrender. The text
establishes that unlike what critics believe, Okuma creates works that are in art museums and available for the public to
purchase, suggesting that critics believe fine art and fashion rarely overlap, not that they rarely succumb. Choice C is
incorrect because saying that critics believe that fine art and fashion rarely “diverge,” or disagree or move in different
directions, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text presents Okuma’s work as both fine art and fashion, thereby
undermining what the critics assert. This suggests that the critics believe that fine art and fashion rarely intersect rather
than that the two rarely diverge.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 975b0602
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 975b0602
A number of Indigenous politicians have been elected to the United States Congress since 2000 as members of the
country’s two established political parties. In Canada and several Latin American countries, on the other hand,
Indigenous people have formed their own political parties to advance candidates who will advocate for the interests of
their communities. This movement has been particularly successful in Ecuador, where Guadalupe Llori, a member of the
Indigenous party known as Pachakutik, was elected president of the National Assembly in 2021.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To trace the history of an Indigenous political movement and speculate about its future development

B. To argue that Indigenous politicians in the United States should form their own political party

C. To highlight two approaches to achieving political representation for Indigenous people

To consider how Indigenous politicians in the United States have influenced Indigenous politicians in Canada and
D. Latin America

ID: 975b0602 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to illustrate two
approaches that Indigenous politicians have taken to achieve political representation for their communities. The text
begins by explaining that one approach is exemplified by Indigenous politicians in the United States who, in an effort to
ensure that the interests of their communities are represented in government, joined preexisting political parties and
were subsequently elected to Congress. The text goes on to highlight a second approach adopted by Indigenous leaders
in Canada and several Latin American countries: rather than joining established political parties, many Indigenous
politicians in these countries have instead formed their own parties to promote candidates for office who support causes
that are important to their communities.

Choice A is incorrect because the text’s focus is on the contrasting approaches adopted by different Indigenous political
movements in different countries; thus, it isn’t accurate to say that the text traces the history of one political movement.
Moreover, the text only discusses examples from 2000 to 2021, a relatively short period of time; therefore, it provides
very little in the way of discussion of larger historical developments, nor does it make any predictions about how these
movements might continue to develop in the future. Choice B is incorrect because the text never urges Indigenous
politicians in the US to alter their strategy of striving for representation through the established political parties, nor does
it suggest that this strategy is inferior to that of Indigenous politicians in Canada and Latin America, who have formed
their own parties. In fact, the text notes that both strategies have resulted in the election of Indigenous politicians to
national governments. Choice D is incorrect because the text never suggests that Indigenous politicians in the US have
influenced those in Canada and Latin America; instead, it stresses how Indigenous politicians’ approach toward
achieving representation in the US government has differed from the approach Indigenous politicians have taken to
achieve representation in national governments elsewhere in the Americas.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID a06c434d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: a06c434d
The work of Kiowa painter T.C. Cannon derives its power in part from the tension among his ______ influences: classic
European portraiture, with its realistic treatment of faces; the American pop art movement, with its vivid colors; and
flatstyle, the intertribal painting style that rejects the effect of depth typically achieved through shading and perspective.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. complementary

B. unknown

C. disparate

D. interchangeable

ID: a06c434d Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the artistic styles that have
influenced Cannon’s work. As used in this context, “disparate” means distinct or dissimilar. The text indicates that a
tension exists among the styles that have influenced Cannon’s work and goes on to describe how those styles differ:
classic European portraiture favors realism, American pop art uses vivid colors, and intertribal flatstyle rejects the use of
shading and perspective to achieve depth. This context suggests that the styles that have influenced Cannon’s work are
disparate.

Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that there is a tension among the influences on Cannon’s artwork, so it
wouldn’t make sense to say that the influences are “complementary,” or that they complete one another or make up for
one another’s deficiencies. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to characterize Cannon’s influences as
“unknown,” or not familiar; it’s clear that the influences are known because the text goes on to list them. Choice D is
incorrect because the text indicates that there is a tension among the influences on Cannon’s work, not that they are
“interchangeable,” or capable of being used in one another’s place.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b411eb09
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: b411eb09
New and interesting research conducted by Suleiman A. Al-Sweedan and Moath Alhaj is inspired by their observation that
though there have been many studies of the effect of high altitude on blood chemistry, there is a ______ studies of the
effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level, such as the California towns of Salton City and Seeley.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. quarrel about

B. paucity of

C. profusion of

D. verisimilitude in

ID: b411eb09 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of studies of
altitude’s effect on blood chemistry. In this context, “paucity of” means lack of. In describing the inspiration behind Al-
Sweedan and Alhaj’s research, the text uses the word “though” to suggest a contrasting relationship between two types
of studies: those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living at a high altitude and those examining the effect on
blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. This contrasting relationship and the text’s use of the word “many”
provide context suggesting that there are few, if any, examples of the second type of study, whereas there are numerous
examples of the first type.

Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context for there to be a “quarrel about,” or open disagreement
about, studies of the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. The text’s use of the words “though”
and “many” suggests a contrasting relationship in terms of amount between two types of studies: those examining the
effect on blood chemistry of living at a high altitude and those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living in
locations below sea level. There’s nothing in the text to suggest that the contrast between the two types of studies
involves the extent to which researchers broadly agree or disagree about the contents of either type. Choice C is
incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context for there to be a “profusion of,” or great abundance of, studies of the
effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. The text’s use of the words “though” and “many” suggests
a contrasting relationship in terms of amount between two types of studies: those examining the effect on blood
chemistry of living at a high altitude and those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea
level. Rather than logically completing this contrast, “profusion of” would indicate that the two types of studies are
similar in terms of amount, with many examples existing of both types. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make
sense in context for there to be a “verisimilitude in,” or appearance of truth in, studies of the effect on blood chemistry of
living in locations below sea level. The text’s use of the words “though” and “many” suggests a contrasting relationship in
terms of amount between two types of studies: those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living at a high altitude
and those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. There’s nothing in the text to
suggest that the contrast between the two types of studies involves the extent to which either type of study presents an
appearance of truth.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID c14daa3c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: c14daa3c
Close analysis of the painting Girl with a Flute, long attributed to the seventeenth-century Dutch painter Johannes
Vermeer, has revealed subtle deviations from the artist’s signature techniques. These variations suggest that the work
may be that of a student under Vermeer’s tutelage—potentially ______ our understanding of Vermeer as a solitary artist.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. negating

B. prefiguring

C. entrenching

D. substantiating

ID: c14daa3c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. "Negating" means "reversing" or "making invalid." Proving that Vermeer worked with
students would reverse the view of him as a solitary artist.

Choice B is incorrect. "Prefiguring" means "being an early indicator of." There already existed views of Vermeer as a
solitary painter, so a new painting would not be an early indicator of those views. Rather, a painting proving that Vermeer
had a student would contradict those earlier views. Choice C is incorrect. "Entrenching" means "solidifying." A painting
proving that Vermeer had a student would not solidify views of him as solitary, but would rather contradict those views.
Choice D is incorrect. "Substantiating" means "supporting with proof." A painting proving that Vermeer had a student
would not support views of him as solitary, but would rather contradict those views.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 84dbd633
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 84dbd633
Text 1
The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event is usually attributed solely to an asteroid impact near Chicxulub,
Mexico. Some scientists argue that volcanic activity was the true cause, as the K-Pg event occurred relatively early in a
long period of eruption of the Deccan Traps range that initially produced huge amounts of climate-altering gases. These
dissenters note that other mass extinctions have coincided with large volcanic eruptions, while only the K-Pg event lines
up with an asteroid strike.
Text 2
In a 2020 study, Pincelli Hull and her colleagues analyzed ocean core samples and modeled climate changes around the
K-Pg event. The team concluded that Deccan Traps gases did affect global conditions prior to the event, but that the
climate returned to normal well before the extinctions began—extinctions that instead closely align with the Chicxulub
impact.

Based on the texts, how would Hull’s team (Text 2) most likely respond to the argument in the underlined portion of Text
1?

A. By agreeing that the Chicxulub impact changed the climate and that the Deccan Traps eruption caused the K-Pg event

By declaring that the changes in climate caused by the Deccan Traps eruption weren’t the main cause of the K-Pg
B. event

C. By questioning why those scientists assume that the Chicxulub impact caused the Deccan Traps eruption

By asserting that the Deccan Traps eruption had a more significant effect on global conditions than those scientists
D. claim

ID: 84dbd633 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it describes how Hull’s team would most likely respond to the argument in the
underlined portion of Text 1, which asserts that volcanic activity in the Deccan Traps range led to changes in the climate
and caused the K-Pg mass extinction event. According to Text 2, although Hull’s team found that activity in the Deccan
Traps did indeed alter the climate before the K-Pg event, the team determined that the climate had returned to normal
before mass extinctions began. This finding and the observation that the K-Pg extinctions closely align with the
Chicxulub asteroid impact suggest that Hull’s team would likely dispute the claim in the underlined portion of Text 1 and
say that the climate changes caused by the Deccan Traps activity were not the main cause of the extinctions.

Choice A is incorrect because Text 2 describes how Hull’s team found that the climate had recovered from the changes
brought about by the Deccan Traps activity before the K-Pg event occurred, which suggests that Hull’s team would
disagree that the Deccan Traps activity caused the K-Pg event. Additionally, the claim in the underlined portion of Text 1
says nothing about how the Chicxulub impact changed the climate, so while Hull’s team might believe that the impact did
in fact change the climate, they could not be said to agree with the claim in Text 1 on this point. Choice C is incorrect
because there is no indication in either text that any scientists assume that the Chicxulub impact caused the Deccan
Traps activity, so there is no reason to conclude that Hull’s team would question why the scientists referred to in Text 1
make such an assumption. Choice D is incorrect because Text 2 describes how Hull’s team found that the climate had
recovered from the changes brought about by the Deccan Traps activity before the K-Pg event occurred, which suggests
that Hull’s team would say that the Deccan Traps activity had a less enduring effect on global conditions than the
scientists referenced in Text 1 believe, not that the effect on global conditions was more significant than those scientists
claim.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3566120b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 3566120b
The following text is adapted from Oscar Wilde’s 1895 play The Importance of Being Earnest.
CECILY: Have we got to part? ALGERNON: I am afraid so. It’s a very painful parting.
CECILY: It is always painful to part from people whom one has known for a very brief space of time. The absence of old
friends one can endure with equanimity. But even a momentary separation from anyone to whom one has just been
introduced is almost unbearable.

As used in the text, what does the word “endure” most nearly mean?

A. Regret

B. Persist

C. Tolerate

D. Encourage

ID: 3566120b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “endure” most nearly means tolerate. In the text, Cecily and
Algernon discuss parting, or saying goodbye. Cecily remarks on the deep pain of saying goodbye to people whom one
has only known briefly and then comments on the equanimity, or calm steadiness, one experiences when separated from
old friends. The text sets up an ironic contrast: one can easily tolerate, or put up with, the absence of close friends, but
even a very short separation from a new acquaintance is unbearable.

Choice A is incorrect. Nothing in the text suggests that Cecily associates regret, or a feeling of sorrow, with the absence
of old friends. Rather, the text sets up an ironic contrast between the feeling of calm steadiness one feels when
separated from old friends and the unbearable pain of being separated from new acquaintances. Choice B is incorrect.
Although in some contexts “endure” can mean persist, or proceed stubbornly, it doesn’t have that meaning in this context
because what is being endured is the absence of old friends. Whereas one can persist despite the absence of someone
else, one can’t persist the absence itself. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t convey that Cecily encourages, or
urges, old friends to be absent. Although it may be that Cecily prefers new acquaintances to friends she has known for a
long time, the text focuses on her feelings as a result of others’ absences, not on her treatment of others.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 34d7bb25
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 34d7bb25
According to Indian economist and sociologist Radhakamal Mukerjee (1889–1968), the Eurocentric concepts that
informed early twentieth-century social scientific methods—for example, the idea that all social relations are reducible to
struggles between individuals—had little relevance for India. Making the social sciences more responsive to Indians’
needs, Mukerjee argued, required constructing analytical categories informed by India’s cultural and ecological
circumstances. Mukerjee thus proposed the communalist “Indian village” as the ideal model on which to base Indian
economic and social policy.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

The text recounts Mukerjee’s early training in the social scientific disciplines and then lists social policies whose
A. implementation Mukerjee oversaw.

The text mentions some of Mukerjee’s economic theories and then traces their impact on other Indian social
B. scientists of the twentieth century.

The text presents Mukerjee’s critique of the social sciences and then provides an example of his attempts to address
C. issues he identified in his critique.

The text explains an influential economic theory and then demonstrates how that theory was more important to
D. Mukerjee’s work than other social scientists have acknowledged.

ID: 34d7bb25 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The text does indeed present Mukerjee’s critique of the social sciences—that they were too
Eurocentric—and then provides an example of how he attempted to address the issues he identified: by suggesting a
social science model based on the Indian village.

Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t discuss Mukerjee’s early training or his oversight of the implementation of social
policies at all. Choice B is incorrect. The text never discusses any other Indian social scientists. Choice D is incorrect. The
text never mentions other social scientists’ responses to Mukerjee’s work.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e7d37666
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e7d37666
It is by no means ______ to recognize the influence of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch on Ali Banisadr’s paintings;
indeed, Banisadr himself cites Bosch as an inspiration. However, some scholars have suggested that the ancient
Mesopotamian poem Epic of Gilgamesh may have had a far greater impact on Banisadr’s work.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. substantial

B. satisfying

C. unimportant

D. appropriate

ID: e7d37666 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the sentence about the influences on Banisadr’s work.
In context, “It is by no means” followed by “unimportant” conveys how it is relevant to recognize Bosch’s influence on
Banisadr. The text points out that the artist himself cites Bosch as an inspiration, and then goes on to claim that The Epic
of Gilgamesh has had a more significant influence than Bosch.

Choice A is incorrect because “substantial,” which means weighty or meaningful, incorrectly suggests that it wouldn’t be
meaningful to acknowledge Bosch’s influence on Banisadr. The phrase “indeed, Banisadr himself cites Bosch as an
inspiration” doesn’t support this suggestion. Choice B is incorrect because “satisfying,” which means pleasing, incorrectly
suggests that it wouldn’t be pleasing to acknowledge Bosch’s influence on Banisadr. The phrase “indeed, Banisadr
himself cites Bosch as an inspiration” doesn’t support this suggestion. Choice D is incorrect because “appropriate,” which
means suitable, incorrectly suggests that it wouldn’t be proper to acknowledge Bosch’s influence on Banisadr. The
phrase “indeed, Banisadr himself cites Bosch as an inspiration” doesn’t support this suggestion.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 570970cd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 570970cd
The following text is adapted from Indian Boyhood, a 1902 memoir by Ohiyesa (Charles A. Eastman), a Santee Dakota
writer. In the text, Ohiyesa recalls how the women in his tribe harvested maple syrup during his childhood.
Now the women began to test the trees—moving leisurely among them, axe in hand, and striking a single quick blow, to
see if the sap would appear. The trees, like people, have their individual characters; some were ready to yield up their
life-blood, while others were more reluctant. Now one of the birchen basins was set under each tree, and a hardwood
chip driven deep into the cut which the axe had made. From the corners of this chip—at first drop by drop, then more
freely—the sap trickled into the little dishes.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It portrays the range of personality traits displayed by the women as they work.

B. It foregrounds the beneficial relationship between humans and maple trees.

C. It demonstrates how human behavior can be influenced by the natural environment.

D. It elaborates on an aspect of the maple trees that the women evaluate.

ID: 570970cd Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text’s overall
portrayal of how the women in Ohiyesa’s tribe harvested maple syrup. The text states that the women used an axe to
strike the maple trees in order to find out which ones would produce sap. The underlined sentence compares the trees to
people, with the sap described as the trees’ “life-blood.” Some of the trees are ready to give out their sap, while others are
unwilling to do so. Using personification, the sentence provides greater detail about the aspect of the maple trees—their
potential to give sap—that the women are evaluating.

Choice A is incorrect because the personalities of the women are not discussed in the text. Although the underlined
sentence does mention “individual characters,” this reference is not to the women in the text but rather to the maple
trees, which the sentence compares to people with individual character traits. Choice B is incorrect because the
underlined sentence focuses on the trees’ willingness or refusal to yield sap, not on the beneficial relationship between
the women and the trees. Additionally, although the text does suggest that the women and their tribe benefit from the
maple trees since the trees allow the women to harvest syrup, there is nothing in the text to suggest that the trees benefit
from this relationship in turn. Choice C is incorrect because the underlined sentence is comparing maple trees to
humans, not addressing the influence of the natural environment on how the actual humans in the text, the women,
behave.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a1ff8ce3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: a1ff8ce3
As discussed by scholar Anna Mladentseva, many artworks produced in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s exclusively for
exhibition on the internet, such as Sinae Kim’s Genesis (2001), have become inaccessible because viewing them requires
the use of ______ software (most notably Adobe Flash, discontinued in 2021).

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. defunct

B. arcane

C. ubiquitous

D. extraneous

ID: a1ff8ce3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of artworks that were produced for
exhibition on the internet. In this context, "defunct" means no longer existing or functioning. According to the text, many
artworks that were produced in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s for exhibition on the internet have become inaccessible
due to their reliance on certain software. As an example, the text cites Sinae Kim’s Genesis, which relied on software that
was discontinued in 2021. This context supports the idea that the software is defunct.

Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that viewing artworks produced in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s for
exhibition on the internet requires the use of software. Artists generally want their works to be seen by many people, so it
wouldn’t make sense for creators of internet art to require the use of software that is "arcane," or known or knowable to
only a few people. Moreover, the text states that a prominent example of software used to view these artworks is Adobe
Flash, which was discontinued in 2021, meaning it’s now defunct. Choice C is incorrect because "ubiquitous" would mean
found everywhere, which wouldn’t make sense in this context. The text indicates that the reason why many artworks that
were produced in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s for exhibition on the internet have become inaccessible has to do
with the software required for viewing them. According to the text, one example of such software is Adobe Flash, which
was discontinued in 2021, meaning it’s now defunct. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the
software used to view artworks produced in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s for exhibition on the internet is
"extraneous," or irrelevant. Instead, the text indicates that use of specific software is required to view certain artworks
from this period and that the discontinuation of the software renders the works inaccessible.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7b4dde72
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 7b4dde72
In 1891, design artist William Morris cofounded the Kelmscott Press, which printed editions of books using preindustrial
methods. Historians argue that Morris’s repudiation of industrialization is ______ the Kelmscott editions’ use of
handmade materials and intricate ornamentation reminiscent of medieval manuscripts: these meticulously handcrafted
elements exemplify the artistry involved.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. insensible to

B. manifest in

C. scrutinized by

D. complicated by

ID: 7b4dde72 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Kelmscott Press’s books. In
this context, "manifest in" means evident or apparent from. The text states that the Kelmscott Press, which was
cofounded by William Morris, produced its books using preindustrial methods. The text notes the similarity between
those methods, which include the use of handmade materials and intricate ornamentation, and methods used in the
creation of medieval manuscripts. This context suggests that Morris’s repudiation of industrialization is apparent from,
or manifest in, the methods and materials his company employed.

Choice A is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to suggest that Morris’s repudiation of industrialization is
"insensible to," or unaware of or lacking perception of, the use of handmade materials and intricate ornamentation in the
production of the Kelmscott editions. Instead, the text suggests that the methods and materials used to produce the
Kelmscott editions are evidence of Morris’s repudiation of industrialization. Choice C is incorrect because it would not
make sense to say that Morris’s repudiation of industrialization was "scrutinized by," or examined closely by, the
Kelmscott editions’ use of handmade materials and intricate ornamentation. Although creating the Kelmscott editions
may have involved examining the books closely, the text does not mention this aspect of Morris’s work, and in any case,
the action of using certain materials to create those editions cannot scrutinize Morris’s attitude toward industrialization.
Choice D is incorrect because the text gives no indication that Morris’s repudiation of industrialization is "complicated by,"
or made more complex or difficult by, the Kelmscott Press’s use of preindustrial methods and handcrafted elements to
produce books. Instead, the text presents those methods as exemplifying Morris’s repudiation of industrialization.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a60b0004
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: a60b0004
Scholarly discussions of gender in Shakespeare’s comedies often celebrate the rebellion of the playwright’s characters
against the rigid expectations ______ by Elizabethan society. Most of the comedies end in marriage, with characters
returning to their socially dictated gender roles after previously defying them, but there are some notable exceptions.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. interjected

B. committed

C. illustrated

D. prescribed

ID: a60b0004 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of gender roles in Shakespeare’s
comedies. As used in this context, “prescribed” would mean laid down as rules. The text indicates that the characters in
the comedies often defy gender roles that are “socially dictated” (even if most characters do return to those roles
eventually) and that scholars have been very interested in these acts of defiance. This context indicates that what the
characters are rebelling against are standards of behavior prescribed by the society of the time.

Choice A is incorrect because saying that expectations about gender were “interjected,” or suddenly inserted between
other things, wouldn’t make sense in context. There’s no suggestion in the text that the issue of gender roles was
inserted between other things or was an interruption in a larger discussion. Choice B is incorrect because the text
indicates that Shakespeare depicts characters rebelling against expectations about gender that have been “socially
dictated,” not expectations that society has “committed,” or carried out, entrusted, or promised. Choice C is incorrect
because the text indicates that Shakespeare depicts characters rebelling against expectations about gender that have
been “socially dictated,” not expectations that have been “illustrated,” or clarified with examples. Although it’s possible for
expectations about gender roles to be illustrated, there’s nothing in the text to indicate that characters in Shakespeare’s
comedies rebel against illustrations of gender expectations.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e4e2aeb3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: e4e2aeb3
Text 1
Like the work of Ralph Ellison before her, Toni Morrison’s novels feature scenes in which characters deliver sermons of
such length and verbal dexterity that for a time, the text exchanges the formal parameters of fiction for those of oral
literature. Given the many other echoes of Ellison in Morrison’s novels, both in structure and prose style, these scenes
suggest Ellison’s direct influence on Morrison.
Text 2
In their destabilizing effect on literary form, the sermons in Morrison’s works recall those in Ellison’s. Yet literature by
Black Americans abounds in moments where interpolated speech erodes the division between oral and written forms
that literature in English has traditionally observed. Morrison’s use of the sermon is attributable not only to the influence
of Ellison but also to a community-wide strategy of resistance to externally imposed literary conventions.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely characterize the underlined claim in Text 1?

As failing to consider Ellison’s and Morrison’s equivalent uses of the sermon within the wider cultural context in which
A. they wrote

B. As misunderstanding the function of sermons in novels by Black American writers other than Ellison and Morrison

C. As disregarding points of structural and stylistic divergence between the works of Ellison and those of Morrison

As being indebted to the tradition of resisting literary conventions that privilege written forms, such as novels, over
D. sermons and other oral forms

ID: e4e2aeb3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The author of Text 2 argues that Morrison’s use of the sermon is not only influenced by
Ellison, but also by a “community-wide strategy of resistance” to literary conventions practiced by Black American
authors. Ellison, Text 2 alleges, is only one of many influences on Morrison.

Choice B is incorrect. Neither text specifically mentions sermons in works by authors other than Morrison or Ellison, only
a tendency towards eroding “the division between oral and written forms” among Black American writers. Choice C is
incorrect. Both texts describe similarities between the works of Ellison and Morrison, and neither points out instances of
divergence. Text 2 simply suggests that Morrison was influenced by more than just Ellison. Choice D is incorrect. While
Text 2 does discuss Morrison’s resistance to certain literary conventions, it’s unclear what it would mean for the
underlined claim to be “indebted” to that tradition. This choice recycles language from the text, but not in a way that
makes any coherent point.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6a1dc7c5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 6a1dc7c5
Text 1
Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando is an oddity within her body of work. Her other major novels consist mainly of
scenes of everyday life and describe their characters’ interior states in great detail, whereas Orlando propels itself
through a series of fantastical events and considers its characters’ psychology more superficially. Woolf herself
sometimes regarded the novel as a minor work, even admitting once that she “began it as a joke.”
Text 2
Like Woolf’s other great novels, Orlando portrays how people’s memories inform their experience of the present. Like
those works, it examines how people navigate social interactions shaped by gender and social class. Though it is lighter
in tone—more entertaining, even—this literary “joke” nonetheless engages seriously with the themes that motivated the
four or five other novels by Woolf that have achieved the status of literary classics.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the assessment of Orlando presented in Text
1?

By conceding that Woolf’s talents were best suited to serious novels but asserting that the humor in Orlando is often
A. effective

By agreeing that Orlando is less impressive than certain other novels by Woolf but arguing that it should still be
B. regarded as a classic

By acknowledging that Orlando clearly differs from Woolf’s other major novels but insisting on its centrality to her
C. body of work nonetheless

By concurring that the reputation of Orlando as a minor work has led readers to overlook this novel but maintaining
D. that the reputation is unearned

ID: 6a1dc7c5 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it reflects how the author of Text 2 would most likely respond to the assessment of
Orlando in Text 1. Both authors agree that Orlando is unusual for Woolf: Text 1 states that the novel examines its
characters’ psychologies more superficially than Woolf’s other novels do, and Text 2 describes it as being lighter in tone.
However, while Text 1 calls Orlando an “oddity” and mentions that Woolf “began it as a joke,” Text 2 asserts that Orlando
engages the same themes as Woolf’s other great novels. Hence, the author of Text 2 would most likely accept that
Orlando differs from Woolf’s other novels but would also insist on its importance in the context of Woolf’s work as a
writer.

Choice A is incorrect. Text 2 does suggest that the humor in Orlando is effective. However, there’s nothing in Text 2 to
suggest that the author would agree that Woolf’s talents were best suited to serious novels. Rather, the author of Text 2
compares Orlando favorably to other novels by Woolf that are implied to be darker in tone. Choice B is incorrect because
the author of Text 2 does not indicate that Orlando is less impressive than Woolf’s other novels, but instead points out
that it engages the same themes as other novels by Woolf that are considered classics. Choice D is incorrect because
there’s nothing in Text 1 or Text 2 to suggest that readers have generally ignored Orlando because of its reputation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5dce6cab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 5dce6cab
Given that the conditions in binary star systems should make planetary formation nearly impossible, it’s not surprising
that the existence of planets in such systems has lacked ______ explanation. Roman Rafikov and Kedron Silsbee shed
light on the subject when they used modeling to determine a complex set of factors that could support planets’
development.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. a discernible

B. a straightforward

C. an inconclusive

D. an unbiased

ID: 5dce6cab Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s description of efforts to explain the existence
of planets in binary star systems. As used in this context, describing an explanation as “a straightforward” one would
mean that the explanation is direct and uncomplicated. The text asserts that since it should be “nearly impossible” for
planets to form in binary star systems, it’s “not surprising” that there isn’t a straightforward explanation for the existence
of planets in such systems; the fact that one potential approach involves “complex” factors offers further contextual
support for this idea.

Choice A is incorrect because it would not make sense in context to say that there isn’t “a discernible” explanation—
meaning an explanation capable of being perceived—for the existence of planets in binary star systems. The text
discusses just such an explanation offered by Roman Rafikov and Kedron Silsbee, which indicates that their explanation
can be discerned. Choice C is incorrect because the text emphasizes how difficult it is to explain the existence of planets
in binary star systems, suggesting that the situation isn’t marked by the lack of “an inconclusive” explanation—an
explanation that does not resolve the issue—but rather that if any explanations have been offered, they’ve likely been
inconclusive ones. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that there is a lack of “an unbiased,” or
impartial and unprejudiced, explanation for the existence of planets in binary star systems. The text indicates that it’s
difficult to explain the existence of planets in such systems and it describes one attempt to do so, but there is no
evidence that explanations from Roman Rafikov and Kedron Silsbee or others are biased.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f99847ed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: f99847ed
For her 2021 art installation Anthem, Wu Tsang joined forces with singer and composer Beverly Glenn-Copeland to
produce a piece that critics found truly ______: they praised Tsang for creatively transforming a museum rotunda into a
dynamic exhibit by projecting filmed images of Glenn-Copeland onto a massive 84-foot curtain and filling the space with
the sounds of his and other voices singing.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. restrained

B. inventive

C. inexplicable

D. mystifying

ID: f99847ed Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the art installation Anthem. In
this context, “inventive” means characterized by invention and creativity. The text explains that critics’ responses to the
installation involved praise for Tsang’s creative transformation of a space into a dynamic exhibit with huge images and
lots of sound. This context conveys that the critics found the piece particularly creative.

Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that critics praised the installation for being dynamic and including huge
images and lots of sound, and it wouldn’t make sense to describe such an exhibit as “restrained,” or limited and not
extravagant or showy. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that critics found the installation
“inexplicable,” or incapable of being explained or interpreted, since the critics were able to explain their praise for the
installation’s transformation of a space with huge images and lots of sound. Choice D is incorrect because the text
focuses on the idea that critics praised Tsang for creatively transforming a space into a dynamic exhibit, not that they
found the installation “mystifying,” or bewildering and hard to understand. Nothing in the text suggests that the critics
couldn’t understand the piece.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5e101c70
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 5e101c70
Text 1
Most animals can regenerate some parts of their bodies, such as skin. But when a three-banded panther worm is cut into
three pieces, each piece grows into a new worm. Researchers are investigating this feat partly to learn more about
humans’ comparatively limited abilities to regenerate, and they’re making exciting progress. An especially promising
discovery is that both humans and panther worms have a gene for early growth response (EGR) linked to regeneration.
Text 2
When Mansi Srivastava and her team reported that panther worms, like humans, possess a gene for EGR, it caused
excitement. However, as the team pointed out, the gene likely functions very differently in humans than it does in panther
worms. Srivastava has likened EGR to a switch that activates other genes involved in regeneration in panther worms, but
how this switch operates in humans remains unclear.

Based on the texts, what would the author of Text 2 most likely say about Text 1’s characterization of the discovery
involving EGR?

It is reasonable given that Srivastava and her team have identified how EGR functions in both humans and panther
A. worms.

B. It is overly optimistic given additional observations from Srivastava and her team.

C. It is unexpected given that Srivastava and her team’s findings were generally met with enthusiasm.

D. It is unfairly dismissive given the progress that Srivastava and her team have reported.

ID: 5e101c70 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it reflects how the author of Text 2 would most likely respond to Text 1 based on the
information provided. Text 1 discusses the discovery of a regeneration-linked gene, EGR, in both three-banded panther
worms (which are capable of full regeneration) and humans (who have relatively limited regeneration abilities). Text 1
characterizes this discovery as “especially promising” and a sign of “exciting progress” in understanding human
regeneration. The author of Text 2, on the other hand, focuses on the fact that the team that reported the EGR finding
pointed out that while EGR’s function in humans isn’t yet known, it’s likely very different from its function in panther
worms. Therefore, the author of Text 2 would most likely say that Text 1’s enthusiasm about the EGR discovery is overly
optimistic given Srivastava’s team’s observations about EGR in humans.

Choice A is incorrect because the author of Text 2 explains that Srivastava and her team explicitly reported that they
haven’t yet identified how EGR functions in humans; therefore, the author of Text 2 wouldn’t say that Text 1’s excitement
is reasonable for the stated reason. Instead, the author of Text 2 would likely characterize Text 1’s excitement as
premature and overly optimistic. Choice C is incorrect because Text 1 does treat Srivastava’s team’s findings with
enthusiasm; it describes the discovery of EGR in both three-banded panther worms and humans as promising and
exciting. It would be illogical for the author of Text 2 to say that because most others treat the discovery with
enthusiasm, Text 1’s enthusiastic characterization of the discovery is unexpected. Choice D is incorrect because Text 1
isn’t at all dismissive of Srivastava’s team’s findings; instead, Text 1 is optimistic about the EGR discovery, characterizing
it as promising and exciting. There’s nothing in Text 2 to suggest that the author of Text 2 would say that Text 1’s praise
for the discovery is dismissive, or disdainful.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID df45f0eb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: df45f0eb
Several studies have found negligible electoral consequences for governments that impose fiscal austerity measures, yet
some European governments recently suffered electorally due to their austerity programs. Evelyne Huebscher and
colleagues attribute this incongruity to governments’ tendency—not followed in the recent European cases—to
implement austerity programs strategically to avoid electoral costs (e.g., setting spending cuts to take effect only after
the next election), which has obscured the inherent political risks of austerity measures in the election data scholars
have examined.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

It explains a discrepancy between what has been observed in study settings and what has been observed in real-
A. world settings that the text goes on to assert is attributable to the studies not using real-world data.

It identifies a conflict between research findings and recent events that the text goes on to suggest is a consequence
B. of a complicating factor in the data used to generate those findings.

It presents a long-standing divergence in research findings that the text goes on to say is due to different groups of
C. researchers using data that derive from different electoral circumstances.

It describes a recent exception to a general pattern in research findings that the text goes on to explain is a result of
D. researchers underestimating the significance of inconsistencies in the data they’ve analyzed.

ID: df45f0eb Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The
underlined sentence explains that contrary to what several studies would suggest, recent European governments
suffered electorally after the launch of fiscal austerity programs. The text goes on to indicate that the researchers
generated their findings from data that didn’t reveal the true political risk of austerity measures because the data were
based on cases in which governments had set austerity programs to take effect after the next election, a practice the
European governments that recently suffered electorally didn’t adhere to, thus introducing a complicating factor resulting
in a conflict between the research findings and recent events.

Choice A is incorrect because the underlined sentence doesn’t indicate that the discrepancy described in the text is
between observations made in study settings and observations made in real-world settings. Rather, the underlined
sentence indicates that the outcome of recent events is contrary to what would be expected based on the findings of
several studies. Additionally, there is nothing in the text to suggest that the studies mentioned did not use real-world data;
instead, the text indicates that the data used was generated under potentially different circumstances than the recent
events. Choice C is incorrect because the underlined sentence doesn’t present a long-standing divergence in research
findings but rather a discrepancy between past research findings and recent events that the text goes on to attribute to
researchers’ use of data that didn’t reveal the true political risk of austerity measures. Choice D is incorrect because
while the underlined sentence notes that there have been some recent exceptions to a general pattern observed in
several research studies, it does not go on to attribute this exception to the researchers underestimating inconsistencies
in the data. Rather, the text goes on to attribute this to a circumstance (fiscal austerity measures being implemented
before an election rather than after) which adds a complicating factor into the data not accounted for in past studies.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6ae393f7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 6ae393f7
Asteroid 6478 Gault has experienced intermittent mass loss since at least 2013, but in contrast to some other asteroids
with repeated mass-loss episodes, 6478 Gault has not lost mass at its perihelion (the closest point of its orbit to the
Sun), and thus the loss is not attributable to solar energy–driven ice vaporization. And as Jane X. Luu et al. point out, the
singular nature of impact ejection makes it untenable as an account of multiple loss episodes of similar duration over
several years. Instead, Luu et al. are likely correct that 6478 Gault is shedding mass due to rotational instability.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It presents a scientific observation, describes a contrast between that observation and other observations, and then
A. explains why those other observations should not be considered credible.

It describes an astronomical finding, discusses competing theories about that finding that the author regards as
B. flawed, and then describes new evidence that supports an alternative theory.

It introduces a natural phenomenon, refutes two potential explanations for that phenomenon, and then presents a
C. third explanation for that phenomenon that the author regards as plausible.

It discusses a physical process, evaluates possible causes of that process, and then states that a persuasive account
D. of the process has yet to be put forward.

ID: 6ae393f7 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes the overall structure of the text. The text begins by
introducing the natural phenomenon of intermittent mass loss with regard to Asteroid 6478 Gault and notes that it
curiously has not lost mass at its perihelion like other asteroids typically do. The text then refutes "solar energy–driven
ice vaporization" and "the singular nature of impact ejection" as two possible explanations for Asteroid 6478 Gault’s
intermittent mass loss. Finally, the text presents Luu et al.’s explanation that "6478 Gault is shedding mass due to
rotational instability," which the author says is "likely correct." Thus, the overall structure of the text is that it introduces a
natural phenomenon, refutes two potential explanations for that phenomenon, and then presents a third explanation for
that phenomenon that the author regards as plausible.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t distinguish between multiple observations. It focuses on the single
observation that Asteroid 6478 Gault is losing mass and evaluates multiple explanations for the phenomenon. The text
also asserts that Luu et al.’s explanation is credible and "likely correct." Choice B is incorrect because the text describes a
natural phenomenon, not a specific astronomical finding. In addition, although the text does note flawed reasons for
Asteroid 6478 Gault’s intermittent mass loss, it doesn’t mention that Asteroid 6478 Gault’s intermittent mass loss is
based on new evidence. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text does evaluate explanations for the cause of Asteroid
6478 Gault’s intermittent mass loss, the text also asserts that Luu et al.’s explanation that they have put forth is
persuasive and "likely correct."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e4f312c5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e4f312c5
While most animals are incapable of passing somatic mutations—genetic alterations that arise in an organism’s
nonreproductive cells—on to their offspring, elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) presents an intriguing ______: in a 2022
study, researchers found that elkhorn coral produced offspring that inherited somatic mutations from a parent.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. hypothesis

B. affinity

C. anomaly

D. corroboration

ID: e4f312c5 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. An "anomaly" is something that deviates from norms or expectations. In this case, the
elkhorn coral is an anomaly because it can pass on somatic mutations, whereas most other animals can’t.

Choice A is incorrect. A "hypothesis" is "a theory about something," but no theories are provided about elkhorn coral in
this text, just facts. Choice B is incorrect. "Affinity" represents "an inclination or liking toward something." As genetic
mutations tend to occur without any conscious effort, you can’t really have an inclination toward passing on somatic
mutations. Choice D is incorrect. "Corroboration" means "evidence to support or prove something." Because elkhorn coral
do the opposite of what most animals do, they do not provide corroboration of the theory that somatic mutations can’t be
passed onto offspring. Rather, they show the opposite.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 79fe7550
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 79fe7550
Researcher Haesung Jung led a 2020 study showing that individual acts of kindness can ______ prosocial behavior
across a larger group. Jung and her team found that bystanders who witness a helpful act become more likely to offer
help to someone else, and in doing so, can inspire still others to act.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. require

B. remember

C. foster

D. discourage

ID: 79fe7550 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jung and her team’s study of
acts of kindness. In this context, “foster” means encourage or promote the development of. The text indicates that Jung
and her team found that seeing a helpful (or prosocial) act makes a bystander more likely to help someone else, which
can in turn inspire additional people to help others. That is, the team showed that single acts of kindness can foster
additional prosocial acts across a group.

Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Jung and her team found that single acts of kindness
“require,” or depend on or make obligatory, broader prosocial (or helpful) behavior across a group. There’s no suggestion
in the text that individual acts of kindness can only occur if other prosocial acts have already occurred, and the text
indicates only that an act of kindness can inspire additional helpful acts, not that it necessarily will do so. Choice B is
incorrect because the text focuses on a possible direct effect of individual acts of kindness, or single helpful actions, and
it wouldn’t make sense to suggest that actions can “remember,” or hold a memory of, something. Choice D is incorrect
because the text doesn’t indicate that Jung and her team found that single acts of kindness can “discourage,” or hinder,
prosocial (or helpful) behavior across a group. On the contrary, the text states that Jung and her team found that seeing a
helpful act makes a bystander more likely to help someone else, which can in turn inspire even more people to help
others.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0a04cac5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 0a04cac5
The following text is adapted from Jane Austen’s 1814 novel Mansfield Park. The speaker, Tom, is considering staging a
play at home with a group of his friends and family.
We mean nothing but a little amusement among ourselves, just to vary the scene, and exercise our powers in
something new. We want no audience, no publicity. We may be trusted, I think, in choosing some play most perfectly
unexceptionable; and I can conceive no greater harm or danger to any of us in conversing in the elegant written
language of some respectable author than in chattering in words of our own.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To offer Tom’s assurance that the play will be inoffensive and involve only a small number of people

B. To clarify that the play will not be performed in the manner Tom had originally intended

C. To elaborate on the idea that the people around Tom lack the skills to successfully stage a play

D. To assert that Tom believes the group performing the play will be able to successfully promote it

ID: 0a04cac5 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately portrays the main purpose of the text. At the beginning of the
text, Tom asserts that he and the other people staging the play are doing so only for “a little amusement among
ourselves” and aren’t interested in attracting an audience or any attention with the production. Then, Tom promises that
the play they chose is modest and appropriate, and he further reasons that using the well-written prose of “some
respectable author” is better than using their own words. Overall, the main purpose of the text is to convey Tom’s promise
that the play will be inoffensive and involve only a few people.

Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t indicate that Tom had earlier intentions for the play’s performance or that
anything has changed since the group first decided to stage a play. Instead, the text focuses on how harmless the entire
endeavor will be. Choice C is incorrect. Although Tom mentions that using the words of a “respectable author” will be
better than using their own words, he never addresses the idea that the people around him generally aren’t skilled enough
to stage a play. Choice D is incorrect because in the text Tom specifically says that they “want no audience, no publicity,”
which indicates that they don’t plan on promoting the play at all.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1f2d6173
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 1f2d6173
Scholarly accounts of the Chicano movement—a movement that advocated for the social, political, and cultural
empowerment of Mexican Americans and reached its zenith in the 1960s and 1970s—tend to focus on the most militant,
outspoken figures in the movement, making it seem uniformly radical. Geographer Juan Herrera has shown, however,
that if we shift our focus toward the way the movement manifested in comparatively low-profile neighborhood
institutions and projects, we see participants espousing an array of political orientations and approaches to community
activism.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

It presents a trend in scholarship on the Chicano movement that the text claims has been reevaluated by researchers
A. in light of Herrera’s work on the movement’s participants.

It identifies an aspect of the Chicano movement that the text implies was overemphasized by scholars due to their
B. own political orientations.

It describes a common approach to studying the Chicano movement that, according to the text, obscures the
C. ideological diversity of the movement’s participants.

It summarizes the conventional method for analyzing the Chicano movement, which the text suggests creates a
D. misleading impression of the effectiveness of neighborhood institutions and projects.

ID: 1f2d6173 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a
whole. The text begins by mentioning scholarly accounts of the Chicano movement, which the underlined portion
describes as tending "to focus on the most militant, outspoken figures in the movement," making the movement as a
whole seem uniformly radical. The text then indicates that the work of geographer Juan Herrera shows that focusing less
on such militant figures and instead paying more attention to manifestations of the Chicano movement in less widely
known neighborhood institutions and projects would reveal that the movement’s participants embraced a range of
political orientations and approaches. Thus, the underlined portion describes a common approach to studying the
Chicano movement that, according to the text, obscures the ideological diversity of the movement’s participants.

Choice A is incorrect. Though the underlined portion does present a trend in scholarship on the Chicano movement, the
text does not indicate that other scholars have reevaluated their methods in light of Herrera’s work. It only indicates that
Herrera’s work suggests that the work of those other scholars does not provide a complete picture of the Chicano
movement. Choice B is incorrect. Though the underlined portion does identify an aspect of the Chicano movement that
the text indicates has been overemphasized, the text does not discuss the political orientations of the scholars whose
work is mentioned in the text. Choice D is incorrect. Though the underlined portion does summarize the conventional
method for analyzing the Chicano movement, the rest of the text does not address the effectiveness of "comparatively
low-profile neighborhood institutions and projects." Instead, the text suggests that those projects were led by people with
a variety of approaches to community activism.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 4eee64fa
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 4eee64fa
Space scientists Anna-Lisa Paul, Stephen M. Elardo, and Robert Ferl planted seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana in samples of
lunar regolith—the surface material of the Moon—and, serving as a control group, in terrestrial soil. They found that while
all the seeds germinated, the roots of the regolith-grown plants were stunted compared with those in the control group.
Moreover, unlike the plants in the control group, the regolith-grown plants exhibited red pigmentation, reduced leaf size,
and inhibited growth rates—indicators of stress that were corroborated by postharvest molecular analysis.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

It describes an experiment that addressed an unresolved question about the extent to which lunar regolith resembles
A. terrestrial soils.

B. It compares two distinct methods of assessing indicators of stress in plants grown in a simulated lunar environment.

C. It presents evidence in support of the hypothesis that seed germination in lunar habitats is an unattainable goal.

D. It discusses the findings of a study that evaluated the effects of exposing a plant species to lunar soil conditions.

ID: 4eee64fa Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The text describes an experiment wherein space scientists compared plant growth in
terrestrial and lunar soil conditions. It then discusses the findings of the study, including the fact that all the seeds
germinated but that the plants grown in lunar soil exhibited signs of stress.

Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t address this question, and never describes any specific characteristics of either
soil. It merely describes the outcome of an experiment that exposed a plant species to lunar soil conditions. Choice B is
incorrect. The text never compares methods of assessing indicators of stress—instead, it simply mentions several stress
indicators observed in the study (red pigmentation, reduced leaf size, and inhibited growth rates). Choice C is incorrect.
The text doesn’t present any evidence that we could never achieve seed germination in lunar habitats, and in fact states
that the seeds in the lunar soil did germinate.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a70cbc53
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: a70cbc53
Raymond Antrobus, an accomplished poet and writer of prose, recently released his debut spoken word poetry album,
The First Time I Wore Hearing Aids, in collaboration with producer Ian Brennan. The album contains both
autobiographical and reflective pieces combining Antrobus’s spoken words with Brennan’s fragmented audio elements
and pieces of music to convey how people who are deaf may experience sound, both its presence and absence. Some
critics suggest that the album questions the function of sound in the world, highlighting that the experience of sound is
multifaceted.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It introduces a collaborative spoken word poetry project, details the approach taken to produce the work, and then
A. provides an example of critique the album received upon release.

It mentions a collection of spoken word poems, distinguishes one poem as being an exemplar on the album, and then
B. offers a summary of the subject matter of the whole collection.

It summarizes the efforts to produce a collection of spoken word poems, presents biographies of two people who
C. worked on the album, and speculates about the meaning behind the poetry.

It connects two artists to the same spoken word poetry project, explains the extent of their collaboration on each
D. poem, and then provides an overview of the technique used to produce the work.

ID: a70cbc53 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The text first introduces the album as being a collaboration between Antrobus and Brennan,
then describes the approach taken to produce it, then mentions how critics have said that it calls into question the
function of sound.

Choice B is incorrect. While the text does mention a collection of spoken word poems, it doesn’t single out one poem as
being particularly noteworthy. Additionally, the text doesn’t simply summarize the subject matter—it goes into detail
about the content and production of the album. Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t provide biographical information
about the two artists, and the text doesn’t speculate about the meaning behind the poetry—instead, it relays what some
critics have said about the album. Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t provide just an overview of the production
techniques used but instead goes into more detail about the content and audio elements of the album, as well as critical
response to the album.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3d658a5a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 3d658a5a
Some foraging models predict that the distance bees travel when foraging will decline as floral density increases, but
biologists Shalene Jha and Claire Kremen showed that bees’ behavior is inconsistent with this prediction if flowers in
dense patches are ______: bees will forage beyond patches of low species richness to acquire multiple resource types.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. depleted

B. homogeneous

C. immature

D. dispersed

ID: 3d658a5a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jha and Kremen’s finding about
bees’ foraging behavior. In this context, “homogeneous” means uniform or of the same kind. The text indicates that some
models predict that the distance that bees travel when they’re foraging declines as the density of flowers increases. The
text goes on to say, however, that Jha and Kremen identified a circumstance in which bees don’t behave this way.
Specifically, if bees encounter “patches of low species richness”—that is, patches in which the flowers are largely from
the same species—they’ll travel beyond those patches to get varied food resources. This context thus suggests that bees
don’t behave as some models predict if the dense patches of flowers the bees encounter are homogeneous.

Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that Jha and Kremen found that bees will behave differently than some
models predict if the bees encounter flower patches that are not rich in species, not if the flowers are “depleted,” or
emptied or reduced in quality or quantity. Although it could be true that bees are likely to leave depleted patches in search
of more resources, the text doesn’t indicate that Jha and Kremen investigated that possibility. Choice C is incorrect
because there’s no information in the text suggesting that bees will not behave as some models predict if flowers in
patches are “immature,” or not fully developed. Instead, the text indicates that Jha and Kremen found that bees will
behave contrary to some models’ predictions if the flower patches are not rich in species. Choice D is incorrect because
the text indicates that bees’ behavior will be inconsistent with the predictions of some models if the flower patches that
the bees encounter are of low species richness, not if the flowers are in patches that are “dispersed,” or widely scattered.
Although the text does describe bees as leaving patches that are not rich in species to forage elsewhere, there’s no
suggestion that Jha and Kremen found that the distance between dense flower patches affects whether the bees behave
as some models predict.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 17bf10de
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 17bf10de
Text 1
Despite its beautiful prose, The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman’s 1962 analysis of the start of World War I, has certain
weaknesses as a work of history. It fails to address events in Eastern Europe just before the outbreak of hostilities,
thereby giving the impression that Germany was the war’s principal instigator. Had Tuchman consulted secondary works
available to her by scholars such as Luigi Albertini, she would not have neglected the influence of events in Eastern
Europe on Germany’s actions.
Text 2
Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August is an engrossing if dated introduction to World War I. Tuchman’s analysis of
primary documents is laudable, but her main thesis that European powers committed themselves to a catastrophic
outcome by refusing to deviate from military plans developed prior to the conflict is implausibly reductive.

Which choice best describes a difference in how the authors of Text 1 and Text 2 view Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of
August?

The author of Text 1 argues that Tuchman should have relied more on the work of other historians, while the author of
A. Text 2 implies that Tuchman’s most interesting claims result from her original research.

The author of Text 1 believes that the scope of Tuchman’s research led her to an incorrect interpretation, while the
B. author of Text 2 believes that Tuchman’s central argument is overly simplistic.

The author of Text 1 asserts that the writing style of The Guns of August makes it worthwhile to read despite any
perceived deficiency in Tuchman’s research, while the author of Text 2 focuses exclusively on the weakness of
C. Tuchman’s interpretation of events.

The author of Text 1 claims that Tuchman would agree that World War I was largely due to events in Eastern Europe,
while the author of Text 2 maintains that Tuchman would say that Eastern European leaders were not committed to
D. military plans in the same way that other leaders were.

ID: 17bf10de Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. Both texts are critical of The Guns of August, but for different reasons: the author of Text 1
argues that Tuchman missed an important factor leading up to the war because she didn’t consult secondary sources,
and the author of Text 2 argues that Tuchman’s main thesis is "reductive," which is a close synonym for "overly simplistic."

Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t accurately describe the difference. This choice’s summary of Text 1 is accurate, but
Text 2 never says that Tuchman’s most interesting claims result from her original research. Choice C is incorrect. This
doesn’t accurately describe the difference. Text 1 never says that The Guns of August is worthwhile to read despite its
research weaknesses. Text 2 does call out a weakness of Tuchman’s interpretation of events, but it also praises her
analysis of primary sources. Choice D is incorrect. This doesn’t accurately describe the difference. Text 1 actually says
that Tuchman "fails to address" the influence of events in Eastern Europe, while Text 2 says that Tuchman’s thesis was
that European powers (not Eastern European leaders) were committed to military plans.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID d0198544
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: d0198544
Text 1
In 2007, a team led by Alice Storey analyzed a chicken bone found in El Arenal, Chile, dating it to 1321–1407 CE—over a
century before Europeans invaded the region, bringing their own chickens. Storey also found that the El Arenal chicken
shared a unique genetic mutation with the ancient chicken breeds of the Polynesian Islands in the Pacific. Thus,
Polynesian peoples, not later Europeans, probably first introduced chickens to South America.
Text 2
An Australian research team weakened the case for a Polynesian origin for the El Arenal chicken by confirming that the
mutation identified by Storey has occurred in breeds from around the world. More recently, though, a team led by Agusto
Luzuriaga-Neira found that South American chicken breeds and Polynesian breeds share other genetic markers that
European breeds lack. Thus, the preponderance of evidence now favors a Polynesian origin.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined claim in Text 1?

By broadly agreeing with the claim but objecting that the timeline it presupposes conflicts with the findings of the
A. genetic analysis conducted by Storey’s team

By faulting the claim for implying that domestic animals couldn’t have been transferred from South America to the
B. Polynesian Islands as well

By critiquing the claim for being based on an assumption that before the European invasion of South America, the
C. chickens of Europe were genetically uniform

By noting that while the claim is persuasive, the findings of Luzuriaga-Neira’s team provide stronger evidence for it
D. than the findings of the genetic analysis conducted by Storey do

ID: d0198544 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it accurately describes how the author of Text 2 would most likely respond to the
underlined claim in Text 1. Text 1 indicates that Storey found a genetic mutation in South American chickens from before
the European invasion and in Polynesian chickens, which implies that chickens were first brought to South America by
Polynesian people. Text 2 explains that the genetic mutation Storey found is in chickens from all over the world, thus
undercutting the mutation as evidence of a Polynesian origin. However, Text 2 goes on to say “[m]ore recently” Luzuriaga-
Neira and colleagues found multiple genetic markers shared by South American and Polynesian chickens but “that
European breeds lack,” which strongly suggests a Polynesian origin for the South American chickens. This indicates that
the author of Text 2 believes Luzuriaga-Neira’s evidence for a Polynesian origin is compelling while Storey’s evidence has
been undermined. Thus, the author of Text 2 would most likely agree with the underlined statement and believes
Luzuriaga-Neira and colleagues’ evidence for the statement is stronger than Storey’s evidence is.

Choice A is incorrect because both texts indicate that chickens were introduced to South America before the arrival of
Europeans. Text 1 states that the El Arenal chicken bone dates from “1321–1407 CE—over a century before Europeans
invaded the region” and concludes that these chickens were likely brought to South America by Polynesians. While Text 2
is not as explicit about the time period as Text 1 is, nothing in Text 2 undermines the timing of events ascribed to Storey’s
account in Text 1. Choice B is incorrect because both texts agree that chickens were first brought to South America by
Polynesian peoples (the underlined claim), and nothing in Text 2 suggests that this claim is in any way deficient because
the possibility that animals could have been transferred from South America to Polynesia was not explicitly addressed.
Choice C is incorrect because the criticism that Text 2 raises about the ideas in Text 1 is specifically about whether the
single genetic mutation cited by Storey in fact supports the idea of a Polynesian origin for South American chickens.
There is nothing in Text 2 to suggest that the underlined sentence (Storey’s conclusion) is deficient because it is based
on an assumption about the genetic uniformity of European chickens.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f83f0aab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: f83f0aab
Some scientists have suggested that mammals in the Mesozoic era were not a very ______ group, but paleontologist Zhe-
Xi Luo’s research suggests that early mammals living in the shadow of dinosaurs weren’t all ground-dwelling
insectivores. Fossils of various plant-eating mammals have been found in China, including species like Vilevolodon
diplomylos, which Luo says could glide like a flying squirrel.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. predatory

B. obscure

C. diverse

D. localized

ID: f83f0aab Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the kinds of mammals alive
during the Mesozoic era. As used in this context, “diverse” means to have a significant amount of variety. The text
indicates that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals can’t be characterized in a certain way, then
contrasts the view put forward by those scientists with Luo’s research, which shows that Mesozoic mammals “weren’t all
ground-dwelling insectivores” and instead were “various.” This context suggests that some scientists have viewed
Mesozoic mammals as being all alike, or not a very diverse group.

Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic
mammals weren’t very “predatory,” or that they didn’t prey on other animals, since the text establishes a contrast between
what some scientists have suggested and Luo’s research showing that Mesozoic mammals “weren’t all ground-dwelling
insectivores.” This context suggests that some scientists have regarded Mesozoic mammals as all being insectivores, or
animals that prey on insects, not that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals didn’t prey on other
animals. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic
mammals weren’t very “obscure,” or concealed or not well known, since the text establishes a contrast between what
some scientists have suggested and Luo’s research showing that Mesozoic mammals were a varied group. There’s no
contrast between saying that the mammals weren’t concealed or well known and the mammals being varied. Choice D is
incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals weren’t
very “localized,” or confined to a particular area, since the text establishes a contrast between what some scientists have
suggested and Luo’s research showing that Mesozoic mammals were a varied group. There’s no contrast between saying
that the mammals weren’t localized and the mammals being varied. Although the text mentions mammal fossils found in
China, nothing in the discussion of Luo’s research addresses the limits of Mesozoic mammal habitats.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c885c38b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: c885c38b
Text 1
Conventional wisdom long held that human social systems evolved in stages, beginning with hunter-gatherers forming
small bands of members with roughly equal status. The shift to agriculture about 12,000 years ago sparked population
growth that led to the emergence of groups with hierarchical structures: associations of clans first, then chiefdoms, and
finally, bureaucratic states.
Text 2
In a 2021 book, anthropologist David Graeber and archaeologist David Wengrow maintain that humans have always been
socially flexible, alternately forming systems based on hierarchy and collective ones with decentralized leadership. The
authors point to evidence that as far back as 50,000 years ago some hunter-gatherers adjusted their social structures
seasonally, at times dispersing in small groups but also assembling into communities that included esteemed
individuals.

Based on the texts, how would Graeber and Wengrow (Text 2) most likely respond to the “conventional wisdom”
presented in Text 1?

By conceding the importance of hierarchical systems but asserting the greater significance of decentralized
A. collective societies

By disputing the idea that developments in social structures have followed a linear progression through distinct
B. stages

C. By acknowledging that hierarchical roles likely weren’t a part of social systems before the rise of agriculture

D. By challenging the assumption that groupings of hunter-gatherers were among the earliest forms of social structure

ID: c885c38b Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it describes the most likely way that Graeber and Wengrow (Text 2) would respond
to the “conventional wisdom” presented in Text 1. According to Text 1, the conventional wisdom about human social
systems is that they developed through stages, beginning with hunter-gatherer bands, then moving to clan associations,
then chiefdoms, and finally arriving at states with bureaucratic structures. Text 2 indicates that Graeber and Wengrow
believe that human social systems have been flexible, shifting between different types of structures, including both
hierarchical and collective systems, and that these shifts may have even occurred seasonally. This suggests that Graeber
and Wengrow would dispute the idea that developments in social structures have followed a linear progression through
distinct stages.

Choice A is incorrect because nothing in Text 2 suggests that Graeber and Wengrow believe that decentralized collective
societies are more significant than hierarchical systems. Text 2 is focused on Graeber and Wengrow’s view that humans
have flexibly shifted among various social structures, not on the importance of particular structures relative to
others. Choice C is incorrect because Text 2 doesn’t include any information suggesting that Graeber and Wengrow
believe that hierarchies didn’t emerge until after the rise of agriculture. In fact, Text 2 indicates that Graeber and Wengrow
cite evidence suggesting that some hunter-gatherer groups formed social structures with hierarchical elements
(“communities that included esteemed individuals”) 50,000 years ago, long before the rise of agriculture, which Text 1
says occurred around 12,000 years ago. Choice D is incorrect because there’s no information in Text 2 suggesting that
Graeber and Wengrow would challenge the assumption that groupings of hunter-gatherers were among the earliest
forms of social structure. Although Text 1 does indicate that hunter-gatherer groups are assumed to be the earliest
human social system, Text 2 says only that Graeber and Wengrow believe that some hunter-gatherer groups made use of
different social structures at different times. Text 2 doesn’t imply that Graeber and Wengrow doubt that hunter-gatherer
groups preceded most other social structures.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID de2c2f57
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: de2c2f57
Text 1
The fossil record suggests that mammoths went extinct around 11 thousand years (kyr) ago. In a 2021 study of
environmental DNA (eDNA)—genetic material shed into the environment by organisms—in the Arctic, Yucheng Wang and
colleagues found mammoth eDNA in sedimentary layers formed millennia later, around 4 kyr ago. To account for this
discrepancy, Joshua H. Miller and Carl Simpson proposed that arctic temperatures could preserve a mammoth carcass
on the surface, allowing it to leach DNA into the environment, for several thousand years.
Text 2
Wang and colleagues concede that eDNA contains DNA from both living organisms and carcasses, but for DNA to leach
from remains over several millennia requires that the remains be perpetually on the surface. Scavengers and weathering
in the Arctic, however, are likely to break down surface remains well before a thousand years have passed.

Which choice best describes how Text 1 and Text 2 relate to each other?

Text 1 discusses two approaches to studying mammoth extinction without advocating for either, whereas Text 2
A. advocates for one approach over the other.

Text 1 presents findings by Wang and colleagues and gives another research team’s attempt to explain those
B. findings, whereas Text 2 provides additional detail that calls that explanation into question.

Text 1 describes Wang and colleagues’ study and a critique of their methodology, whereas Text 2 offers additional
C. details showing that methodology to be sound.

Text 1 argues that new research has undermined the standard view of when mammoths went extinct, whereas Text 2
D. suggests a way to reconcile the standard view with that new research.

ID: de2c2f57 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. Text 1 introduces Wang and colleagues’ study and its surprising results, and then mentions
Miller and Simpson’s hypothesis as a possible way to explain them. Text 2, however, challenges Miller and Simpson’s
hypothesis by pointing out the difficulties of preserving mammoth carcasses on the surface for thousands of years:
“scavengers and weathering” are the additional details that complicate the Miller/Simpson hypothesis.

Choice A is incorrect. Neither text compares two different approaches for studying mammoth extinction. Text 1
describes one study and one hypothesis pertaining to it. Text 2 critiques that hypothesis. Choice C is incorrect. Text 1
does not describe a critique of Wang and colleagues’ methodology, but rather an interpretation of their results by Miller
and Simpson. Text 2 does not offer additional details showing that methodology to be sound, but rather casts doubt on
the Miller/Simpson explanation. Choice D is incorrect. Both components mentioned here (the new “undermining”
research and the theory for reconciling this discovery) are contained in Text 1. Text 2 then shows how the attempt to
reconcile the standard view and new research is flawed, and still fails to explain the discrepancy.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3f753a8e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 3f753a8e
Investigating whether shared false visual memories—specific but inaccurate and widely held recollections of images
such as product logos—are caused by people’s previous ______ incorrect renditions of the images, researchers Deepasri
Prasad and Wilma Bainbridge found that, in fact, such memories are often not explained by familiarity with erroneous
versions of the images.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. compliance with

B. exposure to

C. criteria for

D. forfeiture of

ID: 3f753a8e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. "Exposure to" means "having contact with." It makes sense that Prasad and Bainbridge were
investigating whether seeing false versions of images was a cause of false visual memories. Notice how "exposure to
incorrect renditions" matches the idea of "familiarity with erroneous versions," which appears later in the sentence.

Choice A is incorrect. "Compliance with" means "going along with a command or directive." False versions of images
can’t give commands or directives, so this doesn’t apply. Choice C is incorrect. "Criteria" means "standards by which to
judge something." It’s not clear how people would come to have standards for the wrong version of an image in the first
place, let alone how those standards would cause them to falsely remember the correct version. In other words, this
choice would result in a confusing, unclear sentence. Choice D is incorrect. "Forfeiture of" means "a giving up of
something." It wouldn’t make sense to say that false memories of an image might be caused by giving up the wrong
version of the image.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4fa7e50e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 4fa7e50e
According to a US tax policy expert, state taxes are ______ other factors when considering an interstate move. Even
significant differences in state taxation have almost no effect on most people’s decisions, while differences in
employment opportunities, housing availability, and climate are strong influences.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. consistent with

B. representative of

C. overshadowed by

D. irrelevant to

ID: 4fa7e50e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the factors that influence
peoples’ decisions to move to a different state. As used in this context, “overshadowed by” means to be surpassed by or
caused to seem less important than other factors affecting a move. The text indicates that, according to a US tax policy
expert, when people think about an interstate move, state taxes have little effect on their decisions, while employment
opportunities, housing availability, and climate have a very strong effect. This context suggests that people consider
these other factors to be more important than state taxes.

Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that state taxes aren’t as important a consideration as other factors
when people are thinking of moving to another state. The context doesn’t suggest that state taxes are “consistent with,”
or in agreement with these other factors. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that
state taxes are “representative of,” or typical of, other factors. Taxes aren’t an example of employment opportunities,
housing availability, and climate, which are the other factors listed in the text. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t
make sense in context to say that state taxes are “irrelevant to,” or unconnected or unimportant to other factors. State
taxes are irrelevant to peoples’ decisions, not to other factors. In other words, although the text suggests that state taxes
may be irrelevant to people considering a move to another state, the other factors mentioned in the text, such as
employment opportunities, are unable to have an opinion about state taxes. Furthermore, the text indicates that
significant differences in state taxes have almost no effect on peoples’ choices to move, but they aren’t completely
unimportant.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6977d22b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 6977d22b
Text 1
Ecologists have long wondered how thousands of microscopic phytoplankton species can live together near ocean
surfaces competing for the same resources. According to conventional wisdom, one species should emerge after
outcompeting the rest. So why do so many species remain? Ecologists’ many efforts to explain this phenomenon still
haven’t uncovered a satisfactory explanation.
Text 2
Ecologist Michael Behrenfeld and colleagues have connected phytoplankton’s diversity to their microscopic size.
Because these organisms are so tiny, they are spaced relatively far apart from each other in ocean water and, moreover,
experience that water as a relatively dense substance. This in turn makes it hard for them to move around and interact
with one another. Therefore, says Behrenfeld’s team, direct competition among phytoplankton probably happens much
less than previously thought.

Based on the texts, how would Behrenfeld and colleagues (Text 2) most likely respond to the “conventional wisdom”
discussed in Text 1?

A. By arguing that it is based on a misconception about phytoplankton species competing with one another

By asserting that it fails to recognize that routine replenishment of ocean nutrients prevents competition between
B. phytoplankton species

By suggesting that their own findings help clarify how phytoplankton species are able to compete with larger
C. organisms

By recommending that more ecologists focus their research on how competition among phytoplankton species is
D. increased with water density

ID: 6977d22b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because based on Text 2, it represents how Behrenfeld and colleagues would most likely
respond to the “conventional wisdom” discussed in Text 1. The conventional wisdom cited holds the opinion that when
there is species diversity within a phytoplankton population, “one species should emerge after outcompeting the rest”—
that is, after being so successful in competing for resources that the other species vanish from the population. However,
Text 2 explains that according to Behrenfeld and colleagues, phytoplankton are so small and spaced so far apart in the
water that there is “much less” direct competition for resources within phytoplankton populations than scientists had
previously thought.

Choice B is incorrect because Text 2 never discusses whether routine replenishment of ocean nutrients affects
competition between phytoplankton species. Choice C is incorrect because the interspecies competition discussed in
both texts is specifically between phytoplankton species, and neither text considers whether phytoplankton compete for
resources with larger nonphytoplankton species. Choice D is incorrect because according to Text 2, Behrenfeld and
colleagues argue that water density decreases, not increases, competition between phytoplankton species.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 6bc0ba75
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 6bc0ba75
The mimosa tree evolved in East Asia, where the beetle Bruchidius terrenus preys on its seeds. In 1785, mimosa trees
were introduced to North America, far from any B. terrenus. But evolutionary links between predators and their prey can
persist across centuries and continents. Around 2001, B. terrenus was introduced in southeastern North America near
where botanist Shu-Mei Chang and colleagues had been monitoring mimosa trees. Within a year, 93 percent of the trees
had been attacked by the beetles.

Which choice best describes the function of the third sentence in the overall structure of the text?

A. It states the hypothesis that Chang and colleagues had set out to investigate using mimosa trees and B. terrenus.

B. It presents a generalization that is exemplified by the discussion of the mimosa trees and B. terrenus.

C. It provides context that clarifies why the species mentioned spread to new locations.

D. It offers an alternative explanation for the findings of Chang and colleagues.

ID: 6bc0ba75 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes the function of the third sentence within the overall
structure of the text. The third sentence makes a generalization, asserting that evolutionary links between predators and
prey can persist across great expanses of time and distance. This generalization is exemplified by the text’s discussion
of the relationship between mimosa trees and B. terrenus beetles. When mimosa trees were introduced to North America
in 1785, no B. terrenus beetles were present, so the relationship between the trees and the beetles that exists in their
native East Asia was disrupted. When the beetles were introduced to North America more than 200 years later, however,
they quickly attacked mimosa trees, illustrating the generalization that links between predators and prey "can persist
across centuries and continents."

Choice A is incorrect because the third sentence doesn’t indicate that Chang and colleagues were investigating any
hypothesis. According to the text, Chang and colleagues were simply monitoring mimosa trees when the beetles
happened to be introduced to the area. Choice C is incorrect because the third sentence doesn’t discuss any particular
species, let alone the species mentioned elsewhere in the text, nor does the sentence explain why species spread to new
locations. Choice D is incorrect because the third sentence offers a generalization about the relationship between
predators and prey, not an explanation for the findings by Chang and colleagues that’s an "alternative" to an explanation
presented elsewhere in the text.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5444db38
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 5444db38
To demonstrate that the integrity of underground metal pipes can be assessed without unearthing the pipes, engineer
Aroba Saleem and colleagues ______ the tendency of some metals’ internal magnetic fields to alter under stress: the
team showed that such alterations can be measured from a distance and can reveal concentrations of stress in the
pipes.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. hypothesized

B. discounted

C. redefined

D. exploited

ID: 5444db38 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of using magnetism to detect
stress in buried metal pipes. In this context, "exploited" means made productive use of. The text indicates that the
magnetic fields of some metals change under stress and that Saleem and colleagues showed that it is possible to
measure those changes from a distance, thereby demonstrating that the integrity of underground metal pipes can be
evaluated without having to unearth them. This context thus indicates that Saleem and colleagues made productive use
of, or exploited, this tendency of the metals’ magnetic fields.

Choice A is incorrect because in this context, "hypothesized" would mean made a tentative assumption to be evaluated in
a study or experiment. Although Saleem and colleagues may have had one or more hypotheses for these experiments,
the text presents the information about the tendency of some metals’ magnetic fields to change under stress as a known
fact that the researchers made productive use of, not as a hypothesis to be evaluated. The text after the colon indicates
that the researchers were not evaluating whether such changes occur but whether those changes can be measured at a
distance. Choice B is incorrect because in this context, "discounted" would mean downplayed or ignored, but the text
does not suggest that Saleem and colleagues minimized or ignored the tendency of the magnetic fields of some metals
to change under stress. Rather, the text indicates that this tendency is the basis for Saleem and colleagues’ method of
assessing the pipes’ integrity. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text indicates that Saleem and colleagues
"redefined," or reevaluated or reformulated, the tendency of some metals’ magnetic fields to change under stress.
Instead, the text indicates that the researchers made use of that tendency to demonstrate that it is possible to evaluate
the integrity of underground pipes without unearthing them.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 571cf537
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 571cf537
The author’s claim about the relationship between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens is ______, as it fails to account for
several recent archaeological discoveries. To be convincing, his argument would need to address recent finds of
additional hominid fossils, such as the latest Denisovan specimens and Homo longi.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. disorienting

B. tenuous

C. nuanced

D. unoriginal

ID: 571cf537 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the author’s claim about the
relationship between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. As used in this context, “tenuous” means lacking substance. The
end of the first sentence states that the author’s claim didn’t consider certain key pieces of evidence—“recent
archaeological discoveries”—and is therefore weak.

Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to refer to the author’s claim as “disorienting,” or
confusing. The text suggests that the author’s claim is insubstantial, not that it’s difficult to grasp. Choice C is incorrect
because referring to the claim as “nuanced,” or subtle, wouldn’t make sense in context. According to the text, the claim is
incomplete because it didn’t consider certain key information about recent archaeological finds; it doesn’t suggest that
what’s in the claim lacks precision. Choice D is incorrect because saying that the claim is “unoriginal,” or imitative,
wouldn’t make sense in context. The text faults the claim because it doesn’t consider certain key information about
recent archaeological finds; it doesn’t suggest that the author’s claim lacks originality.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID dba9eaf8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: dba9eaf8
Within baleen whale species, some individuals develop an accessory spleen—a seemingly functionless formation of
splenetic tissue outside the normal spleen. Given the formation’s greater prevalence among whales known to make
deeper dives, some researchers hypothesize that its role isn’t ______; rather, the accessory spleen may actively support
diving mechanisms.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. replicable

B. predetermined

C. operative

D. latent

ID: dba9eaf8 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of baleen whale accessory
spleens. In this context, “latent” means dormant or functionless. The text sets up a contrast between the idea that baleen
whale accessory spleens appear not to have a function and the research indicating that the accessory spleen may
actually have a role in supporting the whales’ diving mechanisms. This context therefore conveys the idea that the
assumption that baleen whale accessory spleens are latent may be incorrect.

Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the role of the accessory spleen is “replicable,” or
capable of being reproduced. The text indicates that the role of the accessory spleen seems to have no function, but
some researchers think it does have a role; the text doesn’t address whether the role of the accessory spleen could or
couldn’t be reproduced. Choice B is incorrect because suggesting that the role of the accessory spleen is
“predetermined,” or decided in advance, wouldn’t make sense in context. Although the researchers may agree that the
role of the accessory spleen or any other organ hasn’t been determined in advance, the text focuses on the idea that the
accessory spleen was thought to have been functionless but may in fact serve an active role for baleen whales. Choice C
is incorrect because it’s the opposite of what the context of the text is conveying. The second sentence of the text
indicates that baleen whale accessory spleens may not be useless, not that they aren’t “operative,” or functional.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a756aa95
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: a756aa95
The province of Xoconochco was situated on the Pacific coast, hundreds of kilometers southeast of Tenochtitlan, the
capital of the Aztec Empire. Because Xoconochco’s location within the empire was so ______, cacao and other trade
goods produced there could reach the capital only after a long overland journey.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. unobtrusive

B. concealed

C. approximate

D. peripheral

ID: a756aa95 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the location of the province of
Xoconochco within the Aztec Empire. As used in this context, “peripheral” means situated toward the outer bounds rather
than the center. The text indicates that Xoconochco was located on a coast, hundreds of kilometers away from the
capital of the Aztec Empire. The text also states that trade between the province and the capital required “a long overland
journey.” This context suggests that Xoconochco was situated toward an edge of the empire’s territory rather than near
its center.

Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to refer to Xoconochco’s location within the Aztec
Empire as “unobtrusive,” or not blatant or undesirably prominent; it’s not clear how a province’s physical location would or
wouldn’t be blatant. Instead of focusing on how noticeable Xoconochco’s location was, the text emphasizes the
province’s distance from the capital of the empire, pointing out that because of this distance trade between the two
required “a long overland journey.” Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that the province of Xoconochco was
located on a coast far from the capital of the Aztec Empire, not that it was “concealed,” or kept out of sight or hidden
from view. Nothing in the text suggests that Xoconochco was actually hidden such that people couldn’t see it, and being
hidden wouldn’t necessarily result in trade between the province and the capital requiring “a long overland journey.”
Choice C is incorrect because to say that Xoconochco’s location within the Aztec Empire was “approximate” would mean
that the location either wasn’t precisely correct or was close to some other location. Neither of these meanings would
make sense in context because the text indicates that Xoconochco’s location is known and that it was far from the
empire’s capital, so there’s no reason to characterize the location as either not precisely correct or close to another
location.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0ed8f24f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 0ed8f24f
K.D. Leka and colleagues found that the Sun’s corona provides an advance indication of solar flares—intense eruptions of
electromagnetic radiation that emanate from active regions in the Sun’s photosphere and can interfere with
telecommunications on Earth. Preceding a flare, the corona temporarily exhibits increased brightness above the region
where the flare is ______.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. antecedent

B. impending

C. innocuous

D. perpetual

ID: 0ed8f24f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of advance indications of solar
flares. In this context the word "impending" means imminent or approaching. The text mentions a study by Leka and
colleagues that found that the Sun’s corona provides an advance indication of solar flares. The text then points out why
such an advance indication would be useful—solar flares can interfere with communications on Earth—and concludes by
describing the characteristic of the corona that gives warning of a solar flare. The text indicates that this characteristic—
increased brightness in a particular region of the corona—comes before the appearance of the flare. Therefore, in
context, the best answer would indicate that the flare is approaching, or impending.

Choice A is incorrect. The best answer would be one that indicates that the increased brightness of the Sun’s corona
precedes the appearance of the flare. But if the flare were "antecedent," or previous, then the flare would instead precede
the appearance of the increased brightness of the corona, a statement that is logically inconsistent. Choice C is
incorrect. The word "innocuous," or harmless, does not logically complete the text; since solar flares can interfere with
communications on Earth, they cannot reasonably be described as innocuous. Choice D is incorrect. If the solar flares
have an advance indication of their appearance, then there must therefore be a time before the appearance of the flares
when they do not exist. But the word "perpetual," or never-ending, would in context indicate that the flare exists at the
same time as the advance indication provided by the Sun’s corona, which would not make logical sense.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 35e21b06
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 35e21b06
Text 1
Dominique Potvin and colleagues captured five Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) to test a new design for
attaching tracking devices to birds. As the researchers fitted each magpie with a tracker attached by a small harness,
they noticed some magpies without trackers pecking at another magpie’s tracker until it broke off. The researchers
suggest that this behavior could be evidence of magpies attempting to help another magpie without benefiting
themselves.
Text 2
It can be tempting to think that animals are deliberately providing help when we see them removing trackers and other
equipment from one another, especially when a species is known to exhibit other cooperative behaviors. At the same
time, it can be difficult to exclude the possibility that individuals are simply interested in the equipment because of its
novelty, curiously pawing or pecking at it until it detaches.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the researchers’ perspective in Text 1 on the
behavior of the magpies without trackers?

That behavior might have been due to the novelty of the magpies’ captive setting rather than to the novelty of the
A. tracker.

That behavior likely indicates that the magpies were deliberately attempting to benefit themselves by obtaining the
B. tracker.

That behavior may not be evidence of selflessness in Gymnorhina tibicen because not all the captured magpies
C. demonstrated it.

That behavior might be adequately explained without suggesting that the magpies were attempting to assist the
D. other magpie.

ID: 35e21b06 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it reflects how the author of Text 2 would most likely respond to the researchers’
perspective in Text 1 on the behavior of the magpies without trackers. According to Text 1, Dominique Potvin and
colleagues observed magpies without trackers pecking at a tracker on another magpie until the device fell off. The
researchers suggested that the birds might have been attempting to help the other bird, with no benefit to themselves.
Text 2 generally discusses scenarios in which animals have been observed removing trackers from each other. The text
cautions that it shouldn’t be assumed that these animals are helping one another deliberately, since they might simply be
pecking at trackers out of curiosity, causing them to fall off eventually. Therefore, the author of Text 2 would most likely
respond to Potvin and colleagues’ perspective in Text 1 by saying that the behavior of the magpies without trackers could
be adequately explained without suggesting that they were attempting to assist the other magpie.

Choice A is incorrect because Text 2 never discusses the novelty, or the newness and unusual quality, of the captive
settings in which animals have been observed to remove trackers from other animals, nor does it suggest that such
novelty might account for this behavior. Instead, the text suggests that it’s the novelty of the tracking equipment itself
that might cause the behavior: interested in the trackers because they’re unusual, animals might paw or peck at them
until they fall off. Choice B is incorrect because Text 2 never suggests that when animals remove trackers from other
animals, they do so because they wish to obtain the trackers for themselves. Instead, Text 2 argues that animals paw or
peck at trackers because they are merely curious about them. Choice C is incorrect because Text 2 doesn’t argue that
when captured animals are observed removing trackers from each other, their behavior should be regarded as selfless
only if all of them participate in it. Instead, the text argues that the behavior may not be selfless at all and may instead be
attributed to animals’ curiosity about the new and unusual trackers.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9b01bcf4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 9b01bcf4
The 1967 release of Harold Cruse’s book The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual isolated him from almost all other scholars
and activists of the American Civil Rights Movement—though many of those thinkers disagreed with each other, he
nonetheless found ways to disagree with them all. He thought that activists who believed that Black people such as
himself should culturally assimilate were naïve. But he also sharply criticized Black nationalists such as Marcus Garvey
who wanted to establish independent, self-contained Black economies and societies, even though Cruse himself
identified as a Black nationalist.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It describes a direction that Cruse felt the Civil Rights Movement ought to take.

B. It indicates that Cruse’s reputation as a persistent antagonist of other scholars is undeserved.

C. It describes a controversy that Cruse’s work caused within the Black nationalist movement.

D. It helps explain Cruse’s position with respect to the community of civil rights thinkers.

ID: 9b01bcf4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The text as a whole claims that Cruse disagreed with virtually all other Civil Rights scholars
and activists. The underlined sentence describes one way that Cruse both did and didn’t fit in with those thinkers: he
criticized Black nationalists, even though he identified as one.

Choice A is incorrect. The underlined sentence doesn’t do this. It describes Cruse’s criticisms—it never mentions what
Cruse did want the movement to do instead. Choice B is incorrect. This conflicts with the text, which argues that Cruse
did disagree with almost all other scholars of the Civil Rights Movement. Choice C is incorrect. This is a step too far. The
text never says that Cruse’s work caused controversy within the Black nationalist movement.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e8fb0744
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e8fb0744
As an undergraduate researcher in anthropology, Jennifer C. Chen contributed to a groundbreaking study challenging the
accepted view that among prehistoric peoples, female participation in hunting was ______. The research team’s review of
data from late Pleistocene and early Holocene burials in the Americas revealed that, in fact, as many as half of the
hunters in those populations were female.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. inevitable

B. satisfactory

C. negligible

D. commonplace

ID: e8fb0744 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the study of female participation
in hunting among prehistoric peoples. In this context, “negligible” means not significant enough to be worth considering.
The text says that the study challenged the accepted view of female participation in hunting among prehistoric peoples.
The text goes on to say that the researchers found that “in fact, as many as half” the hunters in the groups studied were
female. The phrase “in fact” establishes a contrast indicating that the finding that as many as half the hunters were
female differs from the accepted view. This context suggests, then, that the accepted view is that female participation in
hunting was negligible.

Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that as many as
half of hunters among prehistoric peoples were female, which suggests that the accepted view is that female
participation was low, not that female participation was “inevitable,” or unavoidable. Nothing in the text suggests that the
accepted view is that prehistoric peoples could not avoid female participation in hunting. Choice B is incorrect because
nothing in the text suggests that the accepted view of female participation in hunting among prehistoric peoples is that
such participation was “satisfactory,” or sufficient to meet a requirement or demand. There is no information in the text
about any demands or requirements regarding female participation in hunting, let alone any information about how much
female participation in hunting would be enough to satisfy those demands or requirements. Instead, the text indicates
that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that as many as half the hunters in the groups studied were
female, suggesting that the accepted view is that female participation in hunting was low. Choice D is incorrect because
the text indicates that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that as many as half of hunters among the
prehistoric peoples studied were female, which suggests that the accepted view is that female participation was low, not
that female participation was “commonplace,” or ordinary or unremarkable. Although the study under discussion
suggests that female participation may have been commonplace, that study is presented as challenging the accepted
view, not as reinforcing the accepted view.

Question Difficulty: Hard