Question ID 359902ae

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 359902ae
The following text is adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1837 story “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment.” The main character, a
physician, is experimenting with rehydrating a dried flower.

At first [the rose] lay lightly on the surface of the fluid, appearing to imbibe none of its moisture. Soon, however, a
singular change began to be visible. The crushed and dried petals stirred and assumed a deepening tinge of
crimson, as if the flower were reviving from a deathlike slumber.

As used in the text, what does the phrase “a singular” most nearly mean?

A. A lonely

B. A disagreeable

C. An acceptable

D. An extraordinary

ID: 359902ae Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because as used in the text, “singular” most nearly means extraordinary. The text portrays an
experiment in which a character rehydrates a dried rose by infusing it with moisture. After prolonged contact with the
liquid, the rose begins to absorb it, undergoing an exceptional transformation: its color deepens, its previously “crushed
and dried” petals shift, and the entire flower revives “from a deathlike slumber.” In other words, an extraordinary change is
visible in the flower.

Choice A is incorrect. Although in some contexts “singular” can mean of or relating to an individual or to a single instance
of something, this usage doesn’t imply loneliness or an otherwise unsatisfactory condition of isolation. Moreover, the text
doesn’t attribute such a condition to the rose. Choice B is incorrect. Although “singular” has several related meanings,
none of them relate to being disagreeable or unpleasant. Moreover, the text doesn’t portray the change undergone by the
rose as necessarily disagreeable. Choice C is incorrect because “singular” means extraordinary, not acceptable. The
change is portrayed as striking, not barely satisfactory.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 c977cfcf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: c977cfcf
According to a team of neuroeconomists from the University of Zurich, ease of decision making may be linked to
communication between two brain regions, the prefrontal cortex and the parietal cortex. Individuals tend to be more
decisive if the information flow between the regions is intensified, whereas they make choices more slowly when
information flow is ______.

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

A. reduced

B. evaluated

C. determined

D. acquired

ID: c977cfcf Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of how the flow of information
between two regions of the brain may affect the ease of people’s decision making. In this context, "reduced" means
decreased. The text presents the finding from a team of neuroeconomists that decision making may be connected to
communication between the prefrontal cortex and the parietal cortex. In presenting this finding, the text suggests a
contrast between people who tend to be more decisive and people who make decisions more slowly. According to the
text, people tend to be more decisive when the flow of information between the two brain regions is intensified, or
strengthened. On the other hand, this context suggests that people make choices more slowly when the flow of
information between the two brain regions is decreased.

Choice B is incorrect because "evaluated" means assessed, which wouldn’t make sense in context. According to the text,
people tend to be more decisive when the flow of information between two brain regions is intensified, or strengthened.
This suggests that people’s ease of decision making varies based on the rate of information traveling between the
regions, not based on an effort to assess the information. Choice C is incorrect because "determined" means judged or
influenced, neither of which would make sense in context. According to the text, people tend to be more decisive when
the flow of information between two brain regions is intensified, or strengthened. This suggests that people’s ease of
decision making varies based on the rate of information traveling between the regions, not based on an effort to judge or
influence the information. Choice D is incorrect because "acquired" means developed or attained, neither of which would
make sense in context. According to the text, people tend to be more decisive when the flow of information between two
brain regions is intensified, or strengthened. This suggests that people’s ease of decision making varies based on the
rate of information traveling between the regions, not based on the development or attainment of the information.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 1c7fe9be
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 1c7fe9be
At the turn of the twentieth century, Black residents of Richmond, Virginia, had few formal options for banking and other
financial services. To ______ this situation, Maggie Lena Walker chartered the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in 1903. The
bank went on to provide home loans and savings opportunities to thousands of Black families over the following
decades.

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

A. prolong

B. rectify

C. retain

D. highlight

ID: 1c7fe9be Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of how Maggie Lena Walker
addressed the lack of financial services available to Black residents in Richmond, Virginia, at the turn of the twentieth
century. In this context, "rectify" means to correct or remedy something undesirable. The text indicates that by chartering
the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in 1903, Walker took action to provide local Black residents with greater access to
financial services like home loans and savings opportunities. This context supports the idea that she aimed to rectify the
undesirable situation affecting these residents.

Choice A is incorrect because in this context, "prolong" would mean to lengthen something in time. The text indicates
that at the turn of the twentieth century, Black residents in Richmond, Virginia, were faced with a lack of formal banking
options. The text then states that Walker founded a new bank that provided these residents with financial services.
Therefore, instead of prolonging the situation, she took steps to rectify, or correct, it. Choice C is incorrect because in this
context, "retain" would mean to continue to have or to keep something. According to the text, at the turn of the twentieth
century, Black residents in Richmond, Virginia, had few formal banking options, and Walker chartered a new institution to
provide these residents with expanded financial services; therefore, she took steps to rectify, not retain, the situation.
Choice D is incorrect because in this context, "highlight" would mean to emphasize or call attention to something, but the
text indicates that Walker took concrete steps beyond merely drawing attention to the situation Black residents were
facing in Richmond, Virginia, at the turn of the twentieth century. According to the text, Walker worked to rectify, or
correct, the lack of formal banking options that were available to these residents by establishing a bank that provided
them with home loans and savings opportunities.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 757077f9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 757077f9
During a 2014 archaeological dig in Spain, Vicente Lull and his team uncovered the skeleton of a woman from El Algar, an
Early Bronze Age society, buried with valuable objects signaling a high position of power. This finding may persuade
researchers who have argued that Bronze Age societies were ruled by men to ______ that women may have also held
leadership roles.

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

A. waive

B. concede

C. refute

D. require

ID: 757077f9 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the significance of the 2014
archaeological finding at El Algar. In this context, “concede” means to admit something is true after first resisting that
admission. The text indicates that some researchers believe “Bronze Age societies were ruled by men.” But the Bronze
Age burial of a woman at El Algar included “valuable objects signaling a high position of power,” which would raise the
possibility that “women may have also held leadership roles.” Thus, the text is calling into question the notion that only
men were leaders in these societies and speculating that people holding this view may reconsider their opinion.

Choice A is incorrect because “waive” means to refrain from insisting that something, such as a right or a requirement, be
observed; the word isn’t used, however, in contexts where someone acknowledges that an opinion they hold may be
invalid, as is the case in the text. Choice C is incorrect. According to the text, the finding from the El Algar burial site
undermines the view that Bronze Age societies were exclusively ruled by men. However, “refute” means to demonstrate
that something is false and would not make sense in context. Lull and team’s finding supports the view that women may
have also held leadership roles, not that they did not participate in such roles. Choice D is incorrect because in this
context, “require” means to demand or specify as mandatory. However, it would not make sense for contemporary
researchers to demand that Bronze Age “women may have also held leadership roles.”

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 2af2016f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 2af2016f
A study by Dr. Paul Hanel and colleagues concluded that people are more likely to behave politely when listening to ideas
they disagree with if they think about values before they engage in a discussion. Study participants were assigned to one
of two groups. The experimental group spent a few minutes writing about one of their personal values before they had a
group discussion on a controversial topic. And the control group spent a few minutes writing about a drink (tea, milk,
etc.) before their group discussion on that topic. Hanel and colleagues found that the experimental group’s discussion
was more civil than the control group’s discussion was.

Which choice best describes the main purpose of the text?

A. To describe a widely held belief and how a study’s results support that belief

B. To argue that researchers were surprised by the results of a certain study

C. To suggest ways to improve a certain study’s experimental design

D. To explain a study’s conclusion and how a research team arrived at that conclusion

ID: 2af2016f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to explain a
study’s conclusion and how researchers involved in the study arrived at that conclusion. The text begins by summarizing
the main conclusion of the study conducted by Paul Hanel and colleagues: when confronted with ideas they disagree
with in discussions about controversial topics, people are more likely to respond politely if they think about their personal
values before engaging in such discussions. The text then goes on to describe the design of Hanel and colleagues’
experiment. By comparing interactions between members of an experimental group (who had been prompted to write
about their personal values beforehand) to those between members of a control group (who had been prompted to write
about a beverage), the team found that people in the experimental group behaved more civilly, or politely, than people in
the control group did during discussions about a controversial topic. This finding led to the conclusion described at the
beginning of the text.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text discusses the results of a study, it doesn’t provide any indication that the
conclusion the study supported—that when facing disagreement, people behave more politely when they have thought
about their values—is a belief that is widely held. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t indicate that the
researchers found the results of their study to be surprising, or contrary to what they expected. In fact, there’s no
indication provided in the text about how the researchers felt about the study’s results or that the results should be
considered surprising. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text discusses the experimental design of a study, it doesn’t
suggest any improvements to that design; instead, it focuses on how the design enabled the researchers to draw a
particular conclusion.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b13378c8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: b13378c8
Early in the Great Migration of 1910–1970, which involved the mass migration of Black people from the southern to the
northern United States, political activist and Chicago Defender writer Fannie Barrier Williams was instrumental in helping
other Black women establish themselves in the North. Many women hoped for better employment opportunities in the
North because, in the South, they faced much competition for domestic employment and men tended to get agricultural
work. To aid with this transition, Barrier Williams helped secure job placement in the North for many women before they
even began their journey.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

To introduce and illustrate Barrier Williams’s integral role in supporting other Black women as their circumstances
A. changed during part of the Great Migration

To establish that Barrier Williams used her professional connections to arrange employment for other Black women,
B. including jobs with the Chicago Defender

To demonstrate that the factors that motivated the start of the Great Migration were different for Black women than
C. they were for Black men

To provide an overview of the employment challenges faced by Black women in the agricultural and domestic
D. spheres in the southern United States

ID: b13378c8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the text’s purpose, which is to discuss the important
role Barrier Williams played in supporting many other Black women as they relocated to the northern United States during
the early years of the Great Migration. After introducing Barrier Williams, the text describes how she helped find jobs for
other Black women, who in many cases relocated in search of better employment prospects than the South could offer at
the time. The text indicates that by doing so, she eased these women’s transition as their circumstances changed.

Choice B is incorrect. Although the text mentions Barrier Williams’s work as a political activist and writer for the Chicago
Defender, it doesn’t discuss any professional connections she made in these roles or indicate that she used any such
connections in her work to secure employment for other Black women. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text discusses
a factor that caused many women to relocate during the Great Migration, their difficulty finding employment in the South,
the text doesn’t indicate that this factor motivated the start of the Great Migration. Moreover, the text doesn’t discuss the
factors that motivated Black men to migrate. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text mentions the difficult employment
prospects for Black women in the domestic and agricultural sectors in the South during the Great Migration, the text’s
main purpose isn’t to provide an overview of the employment challenges Black women faced in these sectors. Rather, it
provides this information to show that Barrier Williams played a crucial role in supporting many Black women who
relocated to the North by helping them achieve one of their main goals, securing a job.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 84ece3f6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 84ece3f6
The following text is adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1844 short story “Drowne’s Wooden Image.” Drowne, a young
man, is carving a wooden figure to decorate the front of a ship.
Day by day, the work assumed greater precision, and settled its irregular and misty outline into distincter grace and
beauty. The general design was now obvious to the common eye.

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

A. Acquired

B. Acknowledged

C. Imitated

D. Speculated

ID: 84ece3f6 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because as used in the text, “assumed” most nearly means acquired, or came to possess.
The text portrays a character named Drowne carving a figure out of wood. At first “irregular and misty,” or haphazard and
indistinct, the figure’s outline gradually showed “distincter grace and beauty” until the general design of the carved object
“was now obvious to the common eye,” or plainly recognizable to anyone. In other words, as Drowne continued to carve,
the wooden object came to possess, or acquired, greater precision, changing from an indistinct outline or shape into a
graceful, beautiful, and clearly recognizable form.

Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts “assumed” can mean acknowledged, or recognized, it doesn’t have that
meaning in this context because an inanimate object like the wooden figure can’t acknowledge its own precision. Choice
C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that the wooden figure merely imitated, or mimicked,
precision. Rather, the text suggests that as Drowne carved his wooden figure, it gradually became more precise. Choice D
is incorrect. Although in some contexts “assumed” can mean speculated, or supposed based on incomplete information,
it doesn’t have that meaning in this context because an inanimate object like the wooden figure can’t speculate about its
own precision.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 d5ad34f0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: d5ad34f0
The results of randomized clinical trials testing the efficacy of common medical interventions sometimes fail to ______
conclusions that practitioners reach based on their real-world observations of patients. While there are several possible
reasons for this, one is that practitioners may overlook confounding variables that account for the results they attribute
to the interventions in question.

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

A. circumvent

B. corroborate

C. disseminate

D. implement

ID: d5ad34f0 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of a relationship between the
results of randomized clinical tests of how effective common medical interventions are and the conclusions practitioners
reach about such interventions in real-world settings. In this context, "corroborate" means confirm or support with
evidence. The text indicates that one possible explanation for the relationship being discussed is that practitioners may
overlook confounding variables—that is, additional factors other than the medical interventions being investigated that
affect the observed outcomes. This means that practitioners may assume that an outcome is the direct result of a
medical intervention when it is actually the result of a combination of factors. Clinical trials take steps to rule out factors
other than the one being studied, so if those extra factors are actually having an effect on real-world outcomes, the trials
are likely to produce conclusions different from those practitioners reach in their real-world observations. In other words,
clinical trials may fail to corroborate practitioners’ conclusions.

Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the results of clinical trials could "circumvent," or find a
way around or bypass, conclusions practitioners reach in real-world scenarios with patients; it’s possible that researchers
conducting the trials might avoid engaging with practitioners’ conclusions, but findings from a study can’t choose to get
around something. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the results of clinical trials could
"disseminate," or spread widely, conclusions practitioners reach in real-world scenarios with patients; the researchers
conducting the trials might choose to draw attention to practitioners’ conclusions, but findings from a study can’t spread
anything. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the results of clinical trials could "implement,"
or put into effect, conclusions practitioners reach in real-world scenarios with patients; the researchers conducting the
trials might consider practitioners’ conclusions, but findings from a study can’t put anything into effect.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 236fee8e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 236fee8e
Archeological excavation of Market Street Chinatown, a nineteenth-century Chinese American community in San Jose,
California, provided the first evidence that Asian food products were imported to the United States in the 1800s: bones
from a freshwater fish species native to Southeast Asia. Jinshanzhuang—Hong Kong–based import/export firms—likely
coordinated the fish’s transport from Chinese-operated fisheries in Vietnam and Malaysia to North American markets.
This route reveals the (often overlooked) multinational dimensions of the trade networks linking Chinese diaspora
communities.

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

It explains why efforts to determine the country of origin of the items mentioned in the previous sentence remain
A. inconclusive.

It provides information that helps support a claim about a discovery’s significance that is presented in the following
B. sentence.

C. It traces the steps that were taken to locate and recover the objects that are described in the previous sentence.

D. It outlines a hypothesis that additional evidence discussed in the following sentence casts some doubt on.

ID: 236fee8e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The underlined sentence provides information about import/export firms, showing how
Chinese communities across the world were connected by trade routes.

Choice A is incorrect. The underlined sentence never suggests that the countries of origin of the fish are in question—in
fact, it tells us exactly where they came from. Choice C is incorrect. The passage never describes the steps taken to
discover the fish bones described in the previous sentence. Choice D is incorrect. The underlined sentence doesn’t
outline a hypothesis but instead provides evidence. And the following sentence agrees with the underlined sentence, so
we could eliminate this choice just for saying that the following sentence "casts some doubt on" the underlined one—
partly wrong is all wrong.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID be612a26
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: be612a26
Recent measurements of the mass of the W boson (a subatomic particle) were notable not only for the mere fact that the
particle’s mass differed from expectations but for the ______ of that difference: the measured mass of the W boson was
seven standard deviations higher than predicted by the standard model of particle physics.

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

A. cause

B. existence

C. implication

D. scale

ID: be612a26 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the W boson. In this context,
"scale" means size or extent. The text indicates that recent measurements of the W boson were remarkable because they
revealed the subatomic particle’s mass to be much greater ("seven standard deviations higher") than had been expected
based on a standard model. This context conveys not only that the measurements differed from predictions but also that
the extent of the difference was very large.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text indicates that there was a very large difference between the predicted mass and
the actual measured mass of the subatomic particle, it doesn’t explain the cause of, or reason behind, that difference.
Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the measurements of the subatomic particle were
notable because they differed from expectations and also because a difference existed between the measurements and
what had been predicted; the text would be repeating the idea that there was a difference instead of adding to that idea.
Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t convey any implications of, or consequences of or conclusions drawn
from, the fact that the mass of the subatomic particle differed from expectations; the context indicates only that the
actual measured mass was much higher than the predicted mass.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6c9f1727
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 6c9f1727
One popular theory of the origin of the Moon, the “big whack,” posits that a protoplanet called Theia collided with Earth,
flinging debris into orbit that eventually coalesced into the Moon. Until recently, Theia was ______, but researcher Qian
Yuan and colleagues now claim to have identified pieces of the protoplanet in the lowermost section of Earth’s mantle.

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

A. desultory

B. spurious

C. veritable

D. notional

ID: 6c9f1727 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Theia and the origin of the
Moon. In this context, "notional" means theoretical or only an idea. The text indicates that although something was once
true of Theia, the protoplanet one theory holds collided with Earth and created debris that became the Moon, researchers
now claim to have identified pieces of it deep in Earth’s mantle. In other words, having direct evidence of Theia is a new
development. This context suggests that before evidence was found, Theia was only theoretical—that is, that it was
notional.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that Theia, a protoplanet, was "desultory," which in this context
would mean moving away from the matter at hand; indeed, the text focuses on the "big whack" theory of the origin of the
Moon and indicates that Theia is a central part of that theory. Choice B is incorrect because the text makes the point that
something was true of Theia until recently and suggests that this has changed now that researchers believe they have
found pieces of the protoplanet deep in Earth’s mantle. It wouldn’t make sense to say that Theia was actually "spurious,"
or false, until researchers found direct evidence of the protoplanet. (Although Theia’s existence might not have been
certain, it would not have been false simply because there was no evidence of it.) Choice C is incorrect because the text
makes the point that something was true of Theia until recently and suggests that this has changed now that researchers
believe they have found pieces of the protoplanet deep in Earth’s mantle. It wouldn’t make sense to say that Theia was
"veritable," or real, before researchers found direct evidence of its existence: the evidence would instead confirm that
Theia was real.

Question Difficulty: Hard