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

308
12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Three Answers and Explanations
supporting at least one kind of life. Choice (B) is out of
scope; there is no information in the passage to indicate
that extreme environmental conditions is an exaggeration.
The passage presents it as a factual type of environment.
Choice (C) is close to your prediction; check the other
answers. Choice (D) is out of scope; the passage never
addresses the issue of conquering disease. Choice (E)
is a misused detail; uses for bacteria in industry aren't
mentioned until paragraph 4.
12. B
Difficulty: High
Examine the surrounding context to find the overarching
point the author made before forming your prediction.
The waste products referred to are oxygen and carbon
dioxide, which made it possible for plants and animals
to live on the planet. Predict that the reference to waste
products is showing how bacteria made the planet livable
for other organisms.
Choice (A) is an opposite; oxygen and carbon dioxide are
actually beneficial. Choice (B) matches your prediction.
Choice (C) is a misused detail; though it is true that bacteria
can live in extreme environments, the waste products are
referring to the gases they produced. Choice (D) is an
opposite; this is the reverse of the correct relationship. It is
bacteria that made the planet livable for plants and animals,
not the other way around. Choice (E) is a misused detail;
this is true, but that's not mentioned until paragraph 4.
13. A
Difficulty: Low
You can pluck the answer to a Detail question directly from
the passage.
The author says that One thing that makes bacteria such ·
hardy survivors is their ability to alter their living DNA (lines
35-36). Use that sentence as your ready-made prediction.
Choice (A) matches your prediction. Choice (B) is a
misused detail; this is not a reason they can survive well,
only a fact mentioned in the first paragraph about how
ubiquitous they are. Choice (C) is a misused detail; this is
true, but not the explanation the author puts forth for why
they survive so well. Choice (D) is out of scope; there is no
information in the passage about whether causing disease
helps bacteria survive well. Choice (E) is out of scope; there
is nothing in the passage indicating the life span of bacteria.
14. D
Difficulty: Medium
Beware the common definition of the cited word-always
return to the passage to discover the context.
The sentence is discussing how bacteria can take on
evolutionary characteristics from other animals or bacteria
by exchanging DNA with them. The word it refers to the
evolutionary progress the bacteria are gaining, so predict
gaining as a replacement for assuming.
Choice (A) is out of scope; notice that this is the common
definition of the word assuming, but not the one used in
the passage. Choice (B) is out of scope; ascending means
rising, which has nothing to do with the sentence. Choice
(C) is out of scope; no bacteria are doing any calculating
here. Choice (D) matches your prediction. Choice (E) is an
opposite; the bacteria are actually receiving the evolutionary
progress, not rejecting it.
15. E
Difficulty: Medium
When asked about the author's intention, look for the point
being supported by the cited details.
The author begins the paragraph with the argument that
While bacteria are the cause of many annoying and
deadly diseases, most species are harmless, and many
ore actually beneficial. She then goes on to list the ways
in which bacteria are useful, so predict that she mentions
the industries as examples of ways that bacteria can be
beneficial.
Choice (A) is distortion; only a few uses are listed, not all
of them. Choice (B) is a misused detail; though bacteria
in mining is described as an environmentally friendly
alternative, that is not the point being made by the rest of
the examples. Choice (C) is an opposite; this paragraph
is about how bacteria can be helpful. Choice (D) is out of
scope; we don't know a lot of details about these bacteria
species, only a few examples of how they are useful. Choice
(E) matches your prediction nicely.
16. B
Difficulty: Medium
Use your notes to determine the purpose of the relevant
paragraph and what would be appropriate to add to it.