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

106
12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test One Answers and Explanations
Bowie Bonds, and now they're the norm. So, at the very
least, you can eliminate negative answers and then read
the remaining answers into the sentence. Negative answers
(A), (C), and (E) are out. Choice (B) is the better choice,
because it means to become the subject of great interest
and widespread enthusiasm. Choice (D) doesn't work; just
because the bonds were publicized doesn't mean that they
became popular and were bought by others. Many things
are publicized but do not become popular.
Questions 14-25
Paragraph l introduces readers to public examples of lipsynching
and how scandalous the revelation was that pop
duo Milli Vanilli had lip-synched. The writer says that people
who believe pop music is completely the work of the
musician are naive. In paragraph 2, the author compares
a record company's handling of a pop star to a magazine's
method of preparing a model for a photo shoot. Paragraph
3 presents the author's main argument: music is a product.
From the time a record company selects a young girl to
be the next pop star, several people help mold that girl to
become a star. When it's found that she lip-synchs on tour
to give the audience what they want to hear, the media start
questioning her talent. In paragraph 4, the author says the
pop star is not to blame when the audience expects the star
to perform live as well as she does in videos. Instead the
audience, who believes the illusions in the first place, is to
blame.
14. E
Difficulty: Low
According to the author usually indicates a Detail question,
meaning the answer is in the passage. The author offers his
personal views of the Milli Vanilli lip-synching scandal in the
first paragraph. Look for the answer choice that best sums
up his feelings on the subject.
Choice (A) is an opposite; in the second sentence of the
paragraph, the author states that lip-synching will forever
be associated with Milli Vanilli. Choice (B) is distortion; the
author does mention that the Beatles were known to have
lip-synched on television but never suggests any scandal
was involved. Choice (C) is distortion; the court ruling was a
result of the scandal, not the other way around. Choice (D)
is an opposite; the author states in line 7 that Milli Vanilli
admitted to lip-synching. Choice (E) best sums up the
author's view.
15. A
Difficulty: Medium
First find the reference and understand it; then you can
draw your inference. The author refers to the image on
the cover page that helps to sell magazines (lines 29-30)
as an illusion that is more appealing than one might find
in the frames of reality. This fits with the tone of the prior
paragraph's discussion of music. Look for an answer that
focuses on the illusionary aspect of the two vehicles.
Choice (A) is a good fit. Choice (B) is out of scope;
nowhere in the paragraph does the author suggest that
fashion magazines and pop music are shallow mediums of
expression. Choice (C) is out of scope; declining popularity
is never referred to in the passage. Choice (D) is out of
scope; important societal issues are never referred to in
the passage. Choice (E) is distortion; while the author's
reference to the word illusion definitely suggests a form of
deception, he never implies that there is anything inherently
malicious about it.
16. D
Difficulty: Medium
Determine how the description of the transformation serves
to support the author's opinion as presented in the passage.
In line 39, the author connects the concept of transforming
a model into a beautiful image that helps to sell magazines
to the thinking of record company executives. Look for a
choice that matches this idea.
Choice (A) is out of scope; the demands of a model's job
are never mentioned in the paragraph. Choice (B) is a
distortion; although the author's description of all that goes
into creating the images for a magazine may teach the
reader about fashion photography, this is not the function
of the description in the passage. Choice (C) is out of
scope; a comparison could be made between fashion
photographers and music video directors, but the author
does not specifically make any such comparison. Choice
(D) is a good match. Choice (E) is a distortion; the author
does state that the transformation requires a makeup artist
(lines 31-32), but this reference is a detail of the author's
description, not the main reason for it.
17. D
Difficulty: Low
Read the sentence and restate it in your own words
to get a predicted answer. Lines 28-34 state that the