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

376
12 Practice Tests for t h e SAT
Practice Test Four Answers and Explanations
7. D
Difficulty: Hig
T h ere's an imp h l icit comparison in t h is sentence b etween
ta b l e etiquette an d somet h ing e l se. W h at is ta b l
b e etiquette
eing compare d to? T h ink a b out h ow t h e emp h asis on
"subtle" reinforces t h is comparison.
W h en a Function question asks a b out t h e aut h or's
emp h asis on a particu l ar word, t h ink a b out t h e meaning of
t h e word b efore l oo king for t h e ro l e of t h e emp h asis.
T h e aut h or says t h at ta b l e etiquette can b
l e even trickier to
earn t h an t h e strict re l igious pro h i b itions mentione d ear l ier
in t h e passage. Since ru l es are "subtle" w h en t h ey are not
particu l ar l y o b vious or apparent, you can infer t h at t h e
aut h or is emp h asizing t h e fact t h at ta b l e etiquette can b
h e
ar der for a foreigner to figure out t h an religious rules are.
C h oice (A) is distortion; t h e cited word is used to descri b e
ta b l e etiquette, not vio l ations of re l igious customs. C h oice
(B) is b extreme; t h e aut h or on l y indicates t h at ta b l e etiquette
can e more c h a ll enging to figure out, not t h at it always is.
C h oice (C) is out of scope; t h e aut h or makes no mention
of t h e very nature of ta b l e etiquette. C h oice (D) matc es
your prediction nicely. C h oice (E) is distortion; t h e aut h or
does not mention anyone's ta b l e manners b eing cautious l
h y
i dden or protected.
Questions 8-9
T h e aut h or of t h is passage reca ll s h is favorite c h i ldh ood dis h ,
one so h ot wit h peppers t h at h is friends didn't dare try it.
8. A
Difficulty: Low
Notice t h e co l on in t h e relevant sentence. W h at idea does it
ca ll particular attention to? T e cited description most l ike l y
reinforces or e l a b orates on t h at idea.
Pay attention to t h e punctuation in t h e sentence, since it
can serve as a structura l c l ue to h e l p emp h asize an idea.
T h e cited words come in a sentence descri b ing one
possi b l e reason w h y t aut h or as ked
l for t h e cassero l e- h e
i ked its appearance. T h e co l on makes it c l ear t h at aesthetic
reasons for l iking t h e cassero l e are t h e focus of t h e
sentence. Since t h e brilliant hues of the peppers
h
descri b es
ow t h e peppers l oo k, you can expect t h at t h e aut h or
uses t h is p h rase in order to explain w h y h e finds t h e dis
aest h etica ll y p l easing.
h
C h oice (A) is a good matc h for your prediction. C h oice (B)
is distortion; t h e aut h or does not connect t h e h otness of
t h e peppers to t h eir appearance. C oice (C) is a misused
detai l ; se l fis h ness is mentioned in t e l ast sentence, b ut it is
not connected to t h is description. C h oice (D) is distortion;
again, t h e appearance of t e peppers is not given as a
reason for t h eir h otness. C h oice (E) is an opposite; t h e
sentence descri b es w h y its appearance was potentia ll y
important to t h e aut h or.
9. D
Difficulty: Medium
W h at point is t h e aut h or trying to make in t h is sentence?
T h ink a b out h ow t h e description contri b utes to t h e purpose
of t h e sentence as a w h o l e.
In questions a b out t h e function of a particu l ar word, t h ink
a b out h ow t h at word contri b utes to t h e purpose of t h e
sentence in w h ic h it occurs.
T h e aut h or mentions two possi b l e exp l anations for w h y h e
his so fond of t h e cassero l e: h e likes t h e way it l ooks, and
e l i kes t h e contrast in tastes. Pepper juice is descri b ed
as intimidating in t h e context of a discussion of contrast
in tastes. Specifica ll y, it is compared to t h e tame taste of
c h eese.
C h oice (A) is out of scope; t h e dis h may b e unusua l , b ut
t h e aut h does not make t h is c l aim in t h e passage. C h oice
(B) is distortion; t h e aut h or is discussing h is own fondness
for t h e dis , not warning t h e reader. C h oice (C) is an
opposite; h t h e aut h or l iked t e peppers precise l y b ecause
e knew t h ey would singe
h is tongue. C h oice (D) is a nice
matc h for your prediction. C h oice (E) is a misused detai l ;
t h e appearance of t h e dis h is descri b ed in t h e previous
sentence, not t h is one.
Questions 1 0-19
Paragrap h 1 introduces readers to Modernism, a l iterary
movement wit h roots in Wor ld War I. Modern nove l s
were c h aracterized b y a loss of innocence an d were
depressing and incompre h ensi b l e to t h e genera l pu bl ic.
Paragrap h 2 l ooks at Postmodernism, w h ic h arose after