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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Two Answers an d Exp l anations
209
I
can't guess it. Notice how this meaning works well with
the rest of the sentence-the ambiguity, or uncertainty, is a
result of this lack of precision. In (B), the conjunction and,
which indicates additional, related information, is correctly
used. In (C), the present tense is correct since it expresses
something that the candidate does regularly. Choice (D) is
the correct preposition in this context.
27. B
Difficu l ty: High
Know the rules for less/fewer and amount/number.
Use fewer for countable nouns and less for uncountable
nouns. Adults is a countable noun, so (B) is incorrect.
In (A), where is an adverb that answers the question
"In what place?" It's correctly used in this sentence. In
(C), the singular verb is agrees with the singular subject
environment. In (D), the preposition to is correctly used
with the adjective conducive.
28. D
Difficu l ty: High
Always make sure that pronouns agree in number and
gender with the noun or pronoun to which they're referring.
The pronoun their, which is plural, is referring to the
pronoun each, which is singular. If you were correcting this
sentence, you would have to replace their with his or her.
Notice that the plural noun members is not the subject
of the verb but is placed in the sentence to distract the
unprepared test taker.
Choice (A), abouc is one of the prepositions that can be
used with concerned. In (B), the preposition on is used
correctly. In (C), the past-tense verb correctly expresses the
time indicated in the sentence.
29. B
Difficu l ty: High
The phrase about seat belts in the front and back seats
masks the fact that the singular subject new law doesn't
agree with the plural verb fove. Choice (B) should read has.
Requiring, (A), and repercussions for, (C), are idiomatically
correct, as is the adjective alike, (D).
30. D
Difficu l ty: High
It's tempting to assume that the main idea is always
expressed early on in a passage, but that may not be
the case. The first paragraph serves as an introduction
to microwave ovens and explains how they became
typical fixtures in American homes. The second paragraph
describes a claim that food cooked in microwave ovens may
have a negative effect on human health. The last paragraph
provides evidence that these claims are misleading or false.
Clearly, the author of the passage agrees with the viewpoint
expressed in the last paragraph and does not believe that
cooking in microwave ovens is harmful. Therefore, you're
looking for an answer choice that expresses skepticism
about the dangers of microwave cooking.
Choice (D) is a good candidate; it states that the claims
that microwave ovens have a negative effect on human
health are simply wrong. Choice (A) is too general. Choices
(B) and (C) are the opposite of what you seek; both come
from the second paragraph, which is critical of microwave
cooking. Choice (E) appears in the third paragraph, but as a
detail, not a statement of purpose.
31. A
Difficu l ty: Low
When asked to add a sentence to a passage, make sure
your choice matches the voice and tone of the passage
as a whole. Read through the first paragraph: microwaves
have many purposes, the most familiar of which is in
the microwave oven, an item that has become standard
equipment in American homes. Choice (A) follows directly
and logically from the thought begun in sentence 3. Choice
(B) introduces a concept-the government-that appears
nowhere else in the passage. Choices (C) and (E) distort
references to microwave ovens, long-distance, and television
programming in a way that does not follow from the
paragraph. Choice (D) uses the first person and adopts a
narrative tone that is inconsistent with the rest of the passage.
32. B
Difficu l ty: High
A pronoun may appear before its antecedent in a sentence;
make sure all pronouns agree with the proper antecedent
noun. In Improving Paragraphs sentences, the antecedent
to a pronoun may appear in an earlier sentence, and since
sentence 3 deals with microwave ovens, you might have
thought that was the antecedent for the pronoun their. But
context reveals that the plural pronoun their is being used
here to refer to the singular noun microwave cooking; (B)
corrects this error.