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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Three Answers and Explanations 287
I
16. D
Difficulty: Medium
The narrator says she had wanted to have something bad in
her history, but she realized that instead of being unhappy
about her circumstances, she needed to be grateful for her
fortune. Predict something that reflects this change.
Choice (A) is out of scope; though the narrator begins
the passage with admiration for her friends, nothing in
the passage ever suggests that she disapproves of them.
Choice (B) is out of scope; you are given no information
about how isolated the narrator feels or how close. Choice
(C) is an opposite; the narrator's attitude at the end of the
passage changes to a more positive outlook, not a more
negative one. Choice (0) works with your prediction. Choice
(E) is an opposite; the narrator was not self-satisfied to
begin with and does not become more solicitous than she
already was.
17. A
Difficulty: Medium
Be careful not to go beyond what the passage immediately
suggests. Things that only might be true are probably wrong
answers. The passage describes how Jessie cultivates a
self-conscious attitude toward both her disorder and her
intellect. She tries to create a particular impression of them,
and played suggests that she does this consciously, as a
performance, as though in a play.
Choice (A) matches your prediction nicely. Choice (B) is
out of scope; we don't have information one way or the
other about how seriously Jessie took her disorder. Choice
(C) is an opposite; the narrator has a keen perception of
Jessie's self-consciousness and performance. Choice (0)
is extreme; there is nothing in the passage to indicate
that Jessie is not aware of what is real and what is not.
Choice (E) is out of scope; the narrator is drawn to Jessie
but never indicates that she is entertained by Jessie's
behavior.
18. E
Difficulty: Medium
The statement is the narrator's analysis of why she forgives
Jessie for her manipulations-the narrator says she does
not feel inferior around Jessie because Jessie is insecure.
Predict that the statement implies that the narrator would
not forgive Jessie if Jessie did make her feel inferior.
Choice (A) is out of scope; though she does describe
herself as a misfit, there is no specific information that she
is uncomfortable with herself. Choice (B) is a misused
detail; while this may be true, this is not implied by the cited
lines. Choice (C) is an opposite; if she does not feel inferior
to Jessie, she must feel equal or superior to Jessie, which
precludes being able to look up to her. Choice (0) is out
of scope; whether or not the narrator is making the details
about Jessie up, it is not clear in the passage that this is the
case. Choice (E) matches your prediction.
19. A
Difficulty: Low
Always research the passage before making your
prediction-the answer is often spelled out there, and
something you don't recall could be the key. The narrator
says and yet I couldn 't help but like her (line 62) and that
her transparent manipulation was so clearly a product of
a true discomfort with who she really was that I could not
feel inferior around her (lines 73-76). The narrator feels
confident around Jessie because of this insecurity.
Choice (A) matches your prediction. Choice (B) is a
distortion; she notices Jessie's skill but does not express
admiration toward it. Choice (C) is an opposite; this would
not explain why the narrator likes Jessie. Choice (0) is
out of scope; Jessie's feelings about the narrator are not
discussed. Choice (E) is a distortion; though they do have
chemistry class together, there is no mention of homework.
20. B
Difficulty: Medium
Author 1 is insecure because her emotional health is
regarded as uncool by her friends; Jessie in Passage 2 is
described as insecure about who she is and her battle
with bipolar disorder. Look for an answer that says they are
insecure about their respective states of emotional health.
Choice (A) is a misused detail; Author 1 may feel this, but
there is no evidence to support that Jessie does. Choice (B)
matches your prediction. Choice (C) is a misused detail; while
Jessie may use deceptive manipulation, she is not particularly
successful since the narrator is aware of it. And Author 1 does
not attempt to practice deception. Choice (0) is an opposite;
Jessie in Passage 2 is manipulative, which is nearly the
opposite of being genuine. Choice (E) is out of scope; while
this may be true of the narrator in Passage 1, there is nothing
to support that this is true of Jessie in Passage 2.