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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test One Answers and Explanations I
133
Getting to the Answer:
Start with (C) and assume that there are 60 employees
in Company X. Then i of the total staff would be 30, so
when the 30 more employees arrived at 1 PM, that would
mean that there were 0 employees at work at noon. That
doesn't make sense. We need more total employees in the
company, so now choose between (D) and (E).
Work with (D) and assume that there are 120 employees at
Company X. That would make i of the total staff 60. When
the 30 more employees arrived at 1 PM, that would mean
that there were 30 employees to start off with at noon
(60- 30 = 30). Then 30 t equals of Company X's total
employees, so (D) works.
13. A
Difficulty: Medium
Strategic Advice: A bisecting line cuts another line in half.
For this problem, take the information you know and fill in
the diagram. We know that BO and AC bisect each other, so
we know the base of MCO is 16, and since the height of
MCO is half of BO, the height is 6.
A =
.lbh
2
A = + (16)(6)
A=48
Getting to the Answer:
14. B
Difficulty: Medium
Strategic Advice: When solving a question with multiple
variables, plug in for the values you know and then solve as
you would a single-variable equation.
Getting to the Answer:
50 ...;-
50 = 2- 4 (2)t
50 = _!Q 4 t
J.Q = 50 x _1._
4 10 = 20
t=20
15. E
Difficulty: Medium
Strategic Advice: For geometry problems that do not
provide a figure, take the time to sketch a figure. This will
help you visualize the problem.
Getting to the Answer:
Test the answer choices by sketching m in different
positions.
0 1 2 4
Since all of the answer choices other than (E) are possible,
(E) is the correct answer.
It also helps to remember that a line can intersect a circle
at most twice. Therefore, a line can intersect two circles at
most four times.
16. B
Difficulty: High
Strategic Advice: Use your knowledge of special triangles
and the Pythagorean theorem to find the length of the sides
of right triangles.
Getting to the Answer:
In the new position, the ladder is 15 feet away from the
wall, and the ladder is 25 feet long. Therefore, the sides
of the triangle that the ladder forms are 15, x, 25. This fits
the pattern of the 3-4-5 special triangle (3, 4, and 5 are all
multiplied by 5 to get the sides of our triangle). The missing
side xis therefore 20, so the ladder in the new position
touches the wall 20 feet above the ground. In the original
position, the ladder was 4 feet higher, or 24. The triangle
formed by the original position has sides measuring (y, 24,
25). Use the Pythagorean theorem to find the missing base:
y 2 +
24 2 = 25 2
y 2 + 576 = 625
y 2 =49
y = 7, which is (B)