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

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12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Three Answers and Explanations
3. B
Difficulty: Medium
She made the best of a lousy situation. The key word is
instead. Instead of letting her boss get her down, the young
professional found something positive in the workplace that
helped her move up. For the second blank, you're looking
for a word with a positive charge.
In (A), discouraged would work, but it wouldn't make
sense that she would have found reconciliation when
nothing in the sentence implies she was feeling sorry for
anything. Choice (B) works. Instead of being defeated, or
beaten, she rose above the difficulty and found prosperity.
In (C), people aren't generally elevated by oppressive
things. In (D), again, oppressive things rarely aid in
anything. In (E), even if she was delayed by her oppressive
boss, how would finding unity in the workplace help her be
upwardly mobile?
4. A
Difficulty: Medium
The pottery had a purpose, such as to carry water. We
consider it art now, but it was originally made with a
purpose in mind. Look for a synonym for "functional."
Choice (A) works. Utilitarian is a synonym for "functional."
In (B), carrying water does not exemplify a grandiose
reason for making pottery. In (C), carrying water is an
everyday function and not particularly imaginative. In (D),
if it were made originally for aesthetic reasons, then it was
probably art to begin with. Choice (E) doesn't really make
sense at all.
5. c
Difficulty: Medium
The key word is not. You're looking for two words that make
sense in a contradictory way. She likes to use something,
even though her dresses are not something else. Try out
each word pair in this context.
In (A), ancient and condescending to do not make sense
in this sentence. In (B), modest could work, but what would
that have to do with the designs being concerned with her
country? Choice (C) works. Even though she uses native
materials, her designs are not limited to her country. In (D),
ordinary could work, but lobbying for certainly doesn't. In (E),
there is no correlation between cosmopolitan materials and
being indebted to one's country.
6. c
Difficulty: Medium
If the damage was surprising, then it must have gone
unnoticed. Start with the second blank; the word ultimate
indicates that an end result for the building is being
described, and considering the damage mentioned, that
end result is probably the building's destruction. If this result
was surprising, then the first blank could be filled with a
word that refers to subtle damage.
In (A), if the structural damage was clear and
understandable, or manifest, then the destruction, or
eradication, of the building would not have been a
surprise. In (B), nothing in the sentence indicates that the
damage was immoral or wicked or that the building was
separated into groups. Choice (C) is a good match for your
prediction. In (D), damage that occurred in a systematic, or
methodical, manner is wholly unrelated to the unification,
or amalgamation, of a building. In (E), a building structure
itself cannot become motionless or inactive.
7. A
Difficulty: Medium
The key words despite and apparently clue you in to the
fact that his lifestyle was not what the word in the blank
describes. What word describes someone who does not
drink to excess? A good prediction would be someone who
leads an abstinent or self-restrained lifestyle.
Choice (A) is the correct answer. Temperate means
disciplined or self-restrained. In (B), laconic means brief
or concise. The fact that the man is old and has therefore
lived a long life is not what is being contrasted by the key
words and the word in the blank. In (C), duplicitous means
deceitful; who was the old man deceiving? He would only be
deceptive if he were trying to hide his drinking habits. Choice
(D) can mean either artistic or tasteful. Whether or not his
lifestyle was aesthetic is not related to his drinking habits.
Someone can drink alcohol and still be regarded as being
tasteful. In (E), the man being talkative or not has nothing to
do with drinking.
Questions 8-9
This short passage looks at the early life of Cary Grant, who
joined a traveling carnival before abandoning it for the stage.