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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT j
Practice Test Two Answers an d Exp l anations
199
10. A
Difficu l ty: Medium
In this passage, the author depicts his intellectual journey
to a deeper understanding of global conflicts, like the one
that scarred his childhood. He goes on to describe how he
discovered a different way to analyze international conflicts.
Choice (A) is correct; this matches the thrust of the
prediction. Choice (B) is a distortion; the author never
mentions social justice. Choice (C) is out of scope;
the author does not discuss this. Choice (D) is out of
scope; while the author does expand his understanding,
well-rounded is not an appropriate description of this
development. Choice (E) is out of scope; the author
did come to view local populations as worthy of study,
but that is too narrow to be the purpose of the entire
passage.
11. D
Difficu l ty: Medium
Knowledge of vocabulary can save time in finding correct
answers. The author states that his introduction into the
field of social history was fortuitous. When something is
fortuitous, it represents a lucky accident. If you didn't know
this, you still could find the correct answer here by reading
further in the paragraph for context.
Choice (A) is out of scope; nothing in the passage
suggests that the author's entry into the field was difficult.
Choice (B) is out of scope; nothing in the passage
suggests that the author's entry was confusing. Choice
(C) is out of scope; nothing in the passage suggests that
the author's entry was unavoidable. Choice (D) is correct;
this matches your prediction. Choice (E) is out of scope;
nothing in the passage suggests that the author's entry
was controversial.
12. D
Difficu l ty: Low
Find the relevant detail and reread the applicable text. Find
the answer that restates that detail. In paragraph 2, the
author discusses a professor who urged him to redirect his
studies from the global system to the local one. I . .. scoffed
at the suggestion, for that type of study was the job of
historians. So the author considered that type of analysis
the job of historians.
Choice (A) is out of scope; the author never considers the
professor's tenure. Choice (B) is out of scope; the author
never discusses or defines loftier goals. Choice (C) is out
of scope; the author does not discuss other job offers.
Choice (D) is correct; this matches the text. Choice (E) is a
distortion; the author never makes a value judgment of the
suggestion.
13. B
Difficu l ty: Medium
Be careful about answering a Detail question from memory.
You may fall for a tempting, but wrong, choice. From a
general recollection of the passage or from your notes, you
should know to look at the first paragraph. Near the end,
the author writes, I am still embarrassed by the fact that I
went to school in order to contribute to world peace but
found myself becoming a hawkish supporter of militarized
solutions. Look for a match among the choices.
Choice (A) is a misused detail; the author escaped his
country's civil war as a child, years before going to school.
Choice (B) is correct; this matches the detail in the text.
Choice (C) is an opposite; the author states that while
this was the result, it was not the reason why he went to
school. Choice (D) is a distortion; the author eventually
found this method superior to others, but it is not why he
went to school. Choice (E) is a distortion; this happened
much later.
14. D
Difficu l ty: Medium
Gain context from the reference and predict before
peeking at the answer choices. The sentence in question
provides strong context: By overlaying the two studies,
I was eventually able to see how political motivations,
calculations, and missteps affected groups and
individuals who then fell into conflict. The author was
able to understand more about the interplay between
governments and the people, two groups he states have
been traditionally studied separately. Predict something like
combining.
Choice (A) is a distortion; this doesn't reflect the sense of
combination that the author conveys. Choice (B) is out of
scope; this doesn't make sense in context. Choice (C) is an
opposite; the author is making best use of the studies rather
than discarding them. Choice (D) is correct; this matches
your prediction. Choice (E) is out of scope; this doesn't
make sense in context.