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
16. A
Difficulty: High
Strategic Advice: Picking Numbers is a good choice for
word problems with expressions in the answer choices.
Getting to the Answer:
Say there are 4 friends, each of whom contributes 10
dollars, and 5 charities. This means that there would be 4 x
1 O = $40 in the pot and 5 charities to split it, so $ : O = $8
per charity. Find an answer choice that equals 8 when you
plug in these numbers. The only one that does so is (A).
Algebraically, there are k x d dollars available. This is divided
equally among c charities, so each charity receives kd dollars.
c
SECTION 9
1. B
Difficulty: Medium
Independent clauses can be joined by a semicolon splice.
The sentence as written is a run-on. Choice (B) fixes the
problem by replacing the comma splice with a semicolon.
Choices (C) and (D) change the arrangement of the words,
but neither addresses the problem of the run-on. Choice
(E) adds the semicolon, but it also adds because, which
makes the second clause dependent and thus incorrect
after a semicolon.
2. c
Difficulty: Medium
In a sentence with multiple errors, make sure your answer
choice addresses all of them.
This sentence has two problems: it compares hills to San
Luis Obispo County, and the singular verb does not agree
with its plural subject. Choice (C) replaces is with are and
fixes the sentence so it is the hills in both counties that are
being compared. Choices (B) and (D) don't correct the
subject-verb error. Choice (E) corrects the verb problem,
but it still has the incorrect comparison between hills and a
whole county.
3. c
Difficulty: Medium
The clauses in this sentence are not properly related by
the conjunction and. Choice (C) properly relates the two
clauses without introducing any additional errors. Choices
(B), (D), and (E) all violate the rules of parallel structure for
compounds.
4. D
Difficulty: Low
Make sure verb tenses properly express the time frames
referred to.
The structure of the underlined phrase is incorrect because
a transition is needed after weight. Choice (D) corrects this
error by adding the appropriate transition by and changing
tried to the participle trying. Choice (B) creates a run-on
sentence. Choice (C) incorrectly joins two dependent
clauses with a semicolon. Choice (E) is unnecessarily wordy.
5. B
Difficulty: Low
Whenever you encounter a list, make sure that each
element of the list is constructed in the same way.
Lists should be constructed of parallel elements. The
second element of this list reiterates the verb, making it
different from the other two elements. Choice (B) fixes
this by removing the second to find. Choice (C) is incorrect
grammatical structure. Choices (D) and (E) eliminate to find,
but change the phrasing so the items are no longer parallel.
6. E
Difficulty: Medium
A pronoun must agree in number with its antecedent,
which may not be the noun closest to it in the sentence.
This sentence incorrectly uses the singular pronoun it to refer
to a plural noun, monkeys. Choice (E) uses the correct plural
pronoun without introducing any new errors. (B) corrects the
pronoun, but both (B) and (D) use the adjective quick instead
of the adverb quickly to modify the verb grew. By eliminating
the conjunction and, (C) creates a run-on sentence.
7. E
Difficulty: Low
Familiarize yourself with common idioms; they are not
common as the main error in a sentence, but they
frequently appear in wrong answer choices.
As to is incorrect following found. Choices (C), (D), and (E)
fix this error by replacing as to with that. However, (C) is a
sentence fragment and (D) is unnecessarily wordy. Choice
(B), although it uses as to correctly, is also unnecessarily
wordy.