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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations I
1069
Questions 11- 13
This short passage looks at poetry translations. The writer
believes that translators should take some poetic license to
preseNe the spirit of the original poem, rather than perform
a literal translation.
11. B
Difficulty: Low
The phrase but I believe the spirit of the original should be
preserved shows that the passage's author is taking a stance
different from that of people who think translators should
be as faithful as possible to the original author's wording.
Choice (B) fits here; the passage's author goes on to say that
the translator who preseNed the original's tone and flow was
delightful. Choices (A) and (C) are both alternate meanings
of spirit, but neither fits here. Choice (D) does not fit either.
Creativity, (E), is needed in translating to preseNe the
original's mood, but it isn't what needs to be preserved.
12. E
Difficulty: Medium
When you see the words even if, you can expect some
qualification or drawback to follow. In the context of the
sentence as a whole, you see that the qualification is
associated with preseNing the spirit of the original rather
than being as faithful as possible to the author's wording.
Choices (A) and (D) are both distortions, and the phrase
totally unrelated makes (B) extreme.
13. A
Difficulty: Medium
For questions about an author's attitude, first look for words
and phrases indicating whether his or her attitude is positive
or negative. Once you have narrowed down the choices,
think about which answer reflects the tone of the passage
most accurately. The phrase some people think suggests
that the author may not agree. This prediction is reinforced
by the following phrase but I believe, which contrasts the
view of some people with the author's own view. Only (A)
expresses disagreement and is consistent with the author's
overall tone in the passage. Choices (B) and (C) are both
distortions; nothing in the passage indicates puzzlement
or curiosity about the view. Choice (D) is opposite to our
prediction. Choice (E) is too negative. The author disagrees
but does not express scorn or disdain for the view.
Questions 14-24
This passage is about the societal prejudices women
musicians had to overcome in the 19th century.
The introduction describes music's 19th-century shift from a
male-dominated, aristocratic activity to one that encompassed
the rising middle class. The second paragraph tells us
that while women were encouraged to pursue music-to
better lure potential husbands-the support of a man was
still necessary for a woman to forge a musical career. The
misogynist views of 17th-century philosophers Rousseau and
Campe, who believed women inferior and better suited to
raising children, are then discussed. In the fourth paragraph,
we learn that the views of these philosophers were widely
held by both men and women; even Clara Schumann,
the best-known woman composer of her day, had doubts
about her musical abilities. The final paragraph describes
Schumann's musical accomplishments.
14. c
Difficulty: Low
With the exception of the first paragraph, which seNes as
the introduction, the entire passage is about the societal
prejudice that women musicians had to overcome in the
19th century. Choice (C) is correct.
Choice (A) focuses too narrowly on the end of the passage.
Choice (B) is wrong because the author never explores
the reasons women were held to be incapable of artistic
creativity. Nor is the author out to criticize 19th-century men;
she always maintains a historian's distance from her subject.
Choice (E) is wrong because the status of women before
the 19th century is discussed in only one paragraph.
15. c
Difficulty: Medium
According to the first paragraph, the new political and social
currents in Europe led to increased involvement of the
middle class in the arts, which was formerly the exclusive
province of the aristocracy. Also, the author says the middle
class began to enjoy elevated status. Choice (C) captures
these ideas.
Choice (A) is wrong because the point is not that music
was lowered; it's that the middle class was elevated. We
can see from the information in the passage that (B) is
inaccurate. Choice (D) exaggerates a detail at the end of the
first paragraph concerning the growth of the music industry.