12.Practice.Tests.for.the.SAT_2015-2016_1128p

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1 1 2 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Eleven Answers and Explanations
3. B
Difficulty: Low
The key is that the players now charge for their signatures.
Either the fans who believe that the players are not greedy
would be surprised or disappointed, or the fans who
believe that the players are greedy would be confirmed.
Choice (B) fits the former prediction.
4. B
Difficulty: Medium
The words though and absence indicate contrast, so
the missing word has to be nearly opposite in meaning
to isolation and the longing for connection. Choice (B),
fraternity-brotherhood or fellowship-is the best choice.
Choie (D) may be tempting, but the term socialism refers
to a specific set of political and economic doctrines, not to
socializing with other people.
5. D
Difficulty: High
To answer this question using context, ask yourself what
kind of response might warrant a chat with the principal.
In (D), flippant means disrespectful lightheartedness, which
has the correct connotation. Choice (B), inveterate, means
firmly established, usually with regard to attitude or habit.
Pecuniary, (C), refers to money; and reactionary, (A),
means extremely conservative, especially in politics. Choice
(E), lax, means loose or slack, often in the figurative sense
of lacking in rigor or strictness.
6. A
Difficulty: High
Straight definition-style questions can still be challenging
if the word being defined is tough. What kind of artists
create new and experimental art? A good prediction is
experimental or creative. Choice (A) fits perfectly. In (B),
artists might be competitive, but this doesn't match the rest
of the sentence. In (C) and (D), the words are challenging
but don't have anything to do with the rest of the sentence,
as impugned means to attack verbally or to call into
question, and dilatory means slow or lazy. In (E), artists
might be mannered, but this doesn't match the second half
of the sentence.
Questions 7-19
Passage 1
The first paragraph of Passage l introduces the Waltham­
Lowell system. It is described as a system of factory
organization and rules implemented in the 19th century to
increase profits. Then, you learn that for economic reasons,
women were preferred as factory workers. The second
paragraph discusses the requirement that factory girls live
in company boarding houses. The adverse consequences
of this rule are described, but it is also pointed out that
one of the reasons for this rule was to placate the girls'
families. The third paragraph describes another problem
with the boarding house regulation: health issues related
to overcrowding and unsanitary conditions. The final
paragraph concludes the passage with a partial justification
of the Waltham-Lowell system and the factory leadership.
The author argues that economic demands, including the
threat of bankruptcy, made the poor conditions in American
factories necessary.
Passage 2
The first paragraph of Passage 2 describes the Waltham­
Lowell system as mandating atrocious factory conditions.
The health risks of the system are detailed. The second
paragraph then describes factory agents as supervisors
who enforced regulations and often fired workers with
little provocation. The third paragraph describes the
practice of locking factory doors to keep workers inside the
building. This led to a tragic accident at a factory in New
York City, but the owners of the factory were not punished
significantly. The final paragraph makes clear the author's
opinion that the working conditions of the factories were
inexcusable, regardless of economic conditions.
7. A
Difficulty: Low
In questions about the author's attitude, beware of extreme
answer choices. The answer is often quite moderate.
From the description of boarding-house life in the third
paragraph, you know that the author feels sorry for the
women. But the last paragraph suggests that the author also
feels the conditions were perhaps necessary in order for the
factories to be economically successful. Look for something
that sums up these mixed feelings.