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

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Section 2
Practice Test Two
Directions: The passages below are followed by questions based on their content; questions following a pair of related
passages may also be based on the relationship between the paired passages. Answer the questions on the basis of
what is stated or implied in the passages and in any introductory material that may be provided.
Questions 6-9 are based on the following passages.
Passage I
The French Revolution reverberated around
the world when it happened-a telling blow was
struck for the people's rights, and a step was taken
Line toward true democracy that could not be taken
(5) back. We are indebted to renegade artists for
lighting the match that set that blaze. In the eighteenth
century, it was unheard of for commoners
to speak out against the king. Several guerrilla
theater groups performing outside the castle,
(10) however, began doing shocking things; they
mocked the royalty, burned them in effigy, and
drenched them in scorn. The performances
gave the downtrodden commoners the courage
and license they required to form a body to rise
(15) against the monarchy.
Passage 2
The French Revolution was a powerful and
inevitable occurrence. Social and economic pressures
gave the peasants of France literally no
choice but to fight against their oppressive gov-
(20) ernment. Much has been made recently of the
impact of a few ragtag theater groups outside
the palace; while they probably did a good job of
reflecting the growing discontent of the people,
it is certain that a family's need to eat was a more
(25) compelling argument for revolution than a funny
play that Father saw on the way home from the
fields. These plays provided a mirror, not a catalyst,
for the mood of the populace.
7. The statement in lines 6-8 ("In the eighteenth . ..
the king.") is important to the overall argument of
Passage I in its suggestion of
(A) gradual development
(B) an inhibiting obstacle
(C) severe decorum
(D) a false conclusion
(E) time-honored tradition
8. Author 2 would most likely view the "shocking
things" mentioned in line 10, Passage 1, as
elements that
(A) changed the course of the French Revolution
(B) were unfit for public viewing
( C) the commoners considered unpleasant
(D) had no relevance to the French Revolution
(E) represented commoners' viewpoints about
the royalty
9. Author I would most likely regard the "social and
economic pressures" (lines 17-18, Passage 2) as
(A) noncontributing factors in the French
Revolution
(B) exaggerated by Author 2
( C) making the French Revolution less likely
(D) insufficient to incite the French Revolution
on their own
(E) the most important contributing factors to
the French Revolution
6. Both authors agree that the French Revolution
(A) was a natural outgrowth of extreme poverty
and oppression
(B) was a historically significant event
(C) was encouraged by plays mocking the royalty
(D) was similar to the American Revolution
(E) was an unlikely and impressive event
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