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

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Section 81<br />

Practice Test Two<br />

185<br />

fact that this communication is emanating from<br />

(75) such distant participants has a real impact.<br />

There is much less social accountability<br />

demanded of one who says something awful in<br />

an Internet chat room than of one who offends<br />

at a party. Should one person be rude to ano<strong>the</strong>r<br />

(80) online, <strong>the</strong> act seems nearly free of consequences-<strong>the</strong><br />

offender needn't be subjected to<br />

<strong>the</strong> sight of <strong>the</strong> emotional discom<strong>for</strong>t he or she is<br />

causing, and since interactions online are usually<br />

anonymous, he or she need take no responsibility<br />

(85) <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> remark in any meaningful way. The effects<br />

of this can be devastating, and "Internet bullies"<br />

are capable of wreaking enormous havoc among<br />

younger, less socialized pockets of society, such as<br />

high school students. In <strong>the</strong> wake of <strong>the</strong> first gen-<br />

(90) eration of Americans who have grown up knowing<br />

<strong>the</strong> Internet, we are scrambling to redefine social<br />

behavior in a time when <strong>the</strong> meaning of "social"<br />

has expanded to include interactions between<br />

strangers who are potentially thousands of miles<br />

(95) apart in physical reality.<br />

We are surrounded by appeals to join <strong>the</strong><br />

twenty-first century and high praise <strong>for</strong> new<br />

advances in communications technology. But <strong>the</strong><br />

very technology that purports to make connections<br />

(100) and bring everyone closer toge<strong>the</strong>r is offering only<br />

a substitute, a false notion of tightly knit community,<br />

that drives us out of one ano<strong>the</strong>r's homes and<br />

awareness. Enthusiasts of convenience overlook<br />

<strong>the</strong>se drawbacks and do not recognize <strong>the</strong> real,<br />

(105) human contact that is being replaced by a much<br />

vaster and less personal network. They would have<br />

us interact more and more as virtual beings, ef<strong>for</strong>tlessly<br />

increasing <strong>the</strong> sheer number of interactions<br />

without regard <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir quality or duration.<br />

7. The author's analysis of new communications<br />

technology supports <strong>the</strong> proposition that<br />

(A) only those with high-speed Internet connections<br />

should have access to new technologies<br />

(B) <strong>the</strong> communications industry should be<br />

worried about profits, not improving<br />

relationships between people<br />

(C) today's high school students are less vulnerable<br />

than adults to <strong>the</strong> distancing effects of<br />

new technology<br />

(D) convenience is <strong>the</strong> most important criteria by<br />

which new technologies are judged<br />

(E) such technology should not be embraced<br />

without reservation<br />

8. In line 3, "verge" most nearly means<br />

(A) joint<br />

(B) pinnacle<br />

( C) toge<strong>the</strong>rness<br />

(D) brink<br />

(E) interest<br />

9. The last sentence of <strong>the</strong> first paragraph (lines<br />

16-18) is intended to express <strong>the</strong><br />

(A) best way of looking at <strong>the</strong> impact of new<br />

communications technology<br />

(B) belief that being social is beneficial to human<br />

psyches<br />

(C) way everybody thinks today about communications<br />

technology<br />

(D) conception of new technology as endorsed by<br />

<strong>the</strong> communications industry<br />

(E) view of communications technology that<br />

people might take in <strong>the</strong> future<br />

I GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE>

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