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

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112 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Twelve Answers and Explanations
17. E
Difficulty: Medium
With "EXCEPT" questions, eliminate all answers that are
included in the passage. Sometimes the right answer will
be a choice that could be true, but is not supported by
the passage. Verify each of the statements against the
information in the passage.
Choice (A) is true; this is a direct quote from the passage.
Choice (B) is true; the passage says it has ten times the
star clusters that the Milky Way has. Choice (C) is true; it is
another direct quote from the passage. Choice (D) is true;
the passage describes it as massive. As for (E), the Hubble
Heritage Project is five years old, but the passage doesn't
mention when the Sombrero was discovered.
Questions 18-24
The passage traces the development of Impressionism,
noting especially the contributions of Claude Monet.
Paragraph 1 describes the gradual development of
Impressionism under Monet and his colleagues. The author
concentrates on the artistic goals and techniques of the
artists. Paragraph 2 explores how the development of
photography helped create a new role for painting-a role
embraced by the Impressionists. Paragraph 3 explores the
critical reception of the Impressionists. Their contemporaries
disparaged their works, but these paintings today are some
of the most prized works in the art world.
18. D
Difficulty: Medium
A quick scan at the first word of each answer choice can
often help you rule out several choices. With answer choices
like these, look at the beginning verbs. Think first of the
tone of the passage, which in this case is pretty neutral-the
author gives a brief history of Impressionism with a focus
on Claude Monet. Eliminate all verbs that are not in keeping
with that tone.
Choice (A) is extreme; the word condemn is too negative.
Choice (B) is out of scope; the author doesn't talk about
the other painters enough for the word contrast to work
here. Choice (C) is a distortion; the word describe sounds
good, but this choice is too specific. The author doesn't
talk too much about the paintings themselves, and this
choice leaves out the bigger picture of Impressionism in
general. Choice (D) explains the overall purpose pretty well.
Choice (E) is a distortion; the author never really argues for
anything here. The purpose is simply to describe or explain.
19. D
Difficulty: Medium
In "EXCEPT" questions, you're looking for four true statements
and one false one; the false one is the correct answer to the
question. Hunt for each of these details in the passage.
Choice (A) : This group . .. made it a common practice
among them to paint the same scene many times in a
day . . .. Choice (B): . .. an interest that led him to attempt
to paint light itself rather than the objects off of which light
reflected. Choice (C) : . .. using small patches of color rather
than the large brushstrokes and blended color . .. Choice
(D): This is the opposite of what happened, as described in
paragraph 3. People didn't like the paintings at first. Choice
(E): This freed the Impressionists to find new roles for their
medium and encouraged the public to think about painting
ma new way.
20. D
Difficulty: Medium
In Function questions, be sure to consider the role of a
detail in both the paragraph and the passage as a whole.
At the end of paragraph 1, where this phrase occurs, the
author mentions that the Impressionists used a techniquepatches
of colors-to capture the light. This is different, she
states, from the large brushstrokes and blended color that
characterized painting technique at this time.
Choice (A) is distortion; while it's true that the Impressionists
painted outdoors, the author never offers a description of
the light they encountered there. Choice (B) is extreme;
the author says that the Impressionists were innovators, but
never implies that the old paintings were inferior. Choice
(C) is extreme; you don't know from the passage that a//
modern painters used this technique-you only know that the
Impressionists did. Choice (D) is a good fit. Choice (E) is out
of scope; this comes from the wrong part of the passage-it's
from paragraph 2.
21. c
Difficulty: Medium
With Function questions, be sure to answer 'Why?" The
author mentions photography in paragraph 2. She says