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

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12 Practice Tests for t h e SAT
Practice Test Four Answers and Explanations
14. E
Difficulty: Medium
To correct y get t h e sense of t h e aut h or's tone h ere, you
need a l itt l e context-make sure you read at l east t h e entire
sentence containing t h e p h rase in question.
T h e aut h or seems to fee l t h at suc h d epictions were too
optimistic and oversimp l ified t h e era. Look for t h e answer
c h oice t h at refl ects t h is tone.
C h oice (A) is an opposite; t h e tone is actua ll y a l itt l e
negative, certain l y not admiring. C h oice (B) is distortion;
a l t h oug h t h is is more negative, pessimistic
doesn't rea ll y
make sense in t h is context. C h oice (C) is extreme; a l t h oug
t h is is certain l y negative, h
revolted is muc h too strong a term
for t h is passage. C h oice (D) is a misused detai l ; not h ing
in t h is sentence rea ll y suggests t h at t h e aut h or is curious
about anyt h ing. C h oice (E) fits t h e aut h or's tone in t h e
sentence we ll .
15. c
Difficulty: Medium
A l t h oug h no specific l ine is referenced, remember t h at
questions wi ll sti ll go in order of t h eir p l ace in t h e passage.
Look around t h e rig h t genera l area for a discussion of
Vonnegut's uniqueness.
Th h e passage mentions t h at Vonnegut's sty l e of breaking up
is prose into c h un ks is a unique aspect of h is nove l s. Loo k
for t h e answer c h oice t h at captures t h is statement.
C h oice (A) is out of scope; t h e passage doesn't rea ll y ta l k
about Vonnegut's characterizations. C h oice (B) is out of
scope; again, setting and specific p l ot e l ements aren't rea ll y
mentioned. C h oice (C) para ll e l s w h at t h e aut h or is saying.
C h oice (D) is extreme; t h e aut h or finds some aspects of
Vonnegut unique but never says t h at h e rejects nearly
every convention of writing. C h oice (E) is a misused detai l ;
actua ll y, t h e aut h or wou ld probabl y say t h at Vonnegut's
vision is not as chaotic and frightening as ot h er writers'.
16. E
Difficulty: Hig
A reasoning question h l ike t h is re l ies on a firm grasp of
w h at t h e aut h or is saying at t h is point in t h e passage-go
back and make sure you remember t h e content and
tone correct l y.
T h e aut h or seems to disagree wit h t h e critics but says t h ey
are not entirely without justification-look for t h e answer
c h oice t h at agrees wit h bot h attitudes.
C h oice (A) is an opposite; actua ll y, t h e aut h or t h inks t h ese
peop l e are incorrect. C h oice (B) is extreme; t h e aut h or
disagrees wit h t h e critics in question, but not so strong l y
as t h is. C h oice (C) is distortion; t h e aut h or actua ll y takes
quite a certain stance h ere. C h oice (D) is out of scope; t h is
answer c h oice is too genera l for a fair l y specific question l ike
t h is one. C h oice (E) matc h es t h e aut h or's opinion and tone
nice l y.
17. D
Difficulty: Medium
For Vocab-in-Context questions, remember t h at t h e
obvious-sounding c h oices are frequent l y wrong-you need
to re l y on t h e passage rat h er t h an your gut instinct about
t h e word itse l f.
T h e fu ll p h rase h ere is a single brilliant point of clarity and
truth, so l ook for t h e answer c h oice t h at refl ects somet h ing
c l ear and true.
C h oice (A) is distortion; t h is may not be far from aut h or's tone, but it is a stretc h as a meaning for t h e word
brilliant. C h oice (B) is out of scope; not h ing h ere seems to
indicate t h at t h e point in question is difficult to comprehend.
C h oice (C) is a misused detai l ; t h is cou ld be a meaning of
brillian but it is not rea ll y appropriate h ere. C oice (D) fits
we ll wit h t e aut h or's ot h er word c h oices in t h is part of t h e
passage. C h oice (E) is distortion; revolutionary
l mig h t fit a
itt l e, but headstrong is inappropriate for t h is sentence.
18. D
Difficulty: Medium
T h e wording of t h e question sounds genera l , but it refers
to a specific part of t h e passage. T h is is your c l ue t h at t h e
correct answer is probabl y going to be found near t h e
quoted materia l .
T e aut h or's own words say t h at Vonnegut t h inks t h e artist
s ou ld reveal the order and beauty behind it all. Look for
t h e answer c h oice t h at parap h rases t h is idea.
C h oice (A) is a misused detai l ; pointlessness and drudgery
seem more appropriate for writers more pessimistic t h an
Vonnegut. C h oice (B) is out of scope; not h ing in t h e