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
17. E
Difficulty: Medium
Even w h en answering Detai l questions, it can b e h e l pfu l to
step b ack from t h e passage and consider its overa ll purpose
and focus.
In t h is case, t h e paragrap h focuses on descri b ing p l asticity of t h e h uman b rain, a c h aracteristic t h at t h e aut h or
presents as fact; it is c l ear t h at h e finds t h e descri b ed
experiment, t h e on l y piece of evidence to b ack h is main
idea, credi b l e an d revea l ing.
C h oice (A) is extreme; w h i l e t h e aut h or considers t h e
descri b ed experiment revea l ing and never mentions any
criticism, h e does not go so far as to descri b e it as flawless.
C h oice (B) is extreme; w h i l e t h e aut h or indicates t h at h e
finds t h e experiment exciting, not h ing in t e paragrap
indicates t h at its resu l ts were particu l ar l y s h ocking.
h
C h oice (C) is extreme; just b ecause t e aut h or does not
mention any dou b ts does not mean t h at t h e experiment
is impossi b l e to question. C h oice (D) is an opposite; t h e
aut h or c l ear l y considers t h e experiment quite important.
C h oice (E) is t h e b est fit given your prediction.
18. B
Difficulty: Medium
W h enever a Detai l question asks you to identify t h e tone of
a given text, carefu ll y reexamine t h e specific adjectives and
adver b s used b y t h e aut h or.
Words l ike truly impressive organ, remarkable flexibility, and
provocative experiments indicate t h at t h e aut h or is excited
wit h t h is particu l ar su b ject, b ut h is apparent excitement is
a l so tempered t h roug h out t h e passage b y a c l ear focus on
th h e facts and information known a b out t h e p l asticity of t h e
uman b rain.
C h oice (A) is extreme; w h i l e t h e aut h or expresses
excitement, to descri b e h is ent h usiasm as extreme l y or
intense l y passionate is going too far. C h oice (B) is a perfect
matc h for your prediction. C h oice (C) is out of scope; as
t h e word optimism suggests t h at one fee l s confident or
positive a b out t e future, t h is c h aracterization does not fit
t h e passage, w h ic h makes no statements a b out t e future.
C h oice (D) is distortion; now h ere in t h e paragrap h is t h e
aut h or playful, and t h roug h out h e is carefu l not to b e too
subjective. C oice (E) is distortion; neit h er of t h e words fits
t h e paragrap h , as t h e aut h or is c l ear l y taken wit h t h is su b ject
and never expresses any dou b ts.
SECTION 9
1. B
Difficulty: Low
Look for t h e most concise answer c h oice t h at does not
introduce any additiona l grammatica l errors.
As written, t h is sentence is unnecessari l y wordy. C h oice (B)
is concise and contains no errors. C h oices (C) and (E) are
grammatica ll y incorrect. C h oice (D) is sti ll over l y wordy.
2. c
Difficulty: Low
One way to correct a run-on sentence is to make one of t h e
independent c l auses su b ordinate.
As b written, is is a run-on sentence. C h oice (C) corrects t h is
y ma king t h e first c l ause su b ordinate. C h oices (B) and (D)
use transition words t at are inappropriate in context.
C h oice (E) misuses t h e semico l on sp l ice.
3. E
Difficulty: Medium
Transition b words must express t h e correct re l ations h ip
etween c l auses.
T h e transition word although indicates contrast. In
t h is sentence, t h e second c l ause exp l ains t e first, so
although is incorrect. C h oice (E) corrects t h is error wit h an
appropriate transition word, because. C h oice (B) creates a
brun-on sentence ecause two independent c l auses cannot
e joine d simp l y b y a comma. T h e first c l ause of (C) s h ou
modify h ld
Charles Schulz; owever, as written, it modifies
the name; t h e second c l ause is a l so unnecessari l y in t h e
passive voice. C h oice (D) misuses t h e semico l on sp l ice,
w h ic h is on l y correct b etween two independent c l auses.
4. B
Difficulty: Medium
A ll pronouns must h ave c l ear antecedents.
As written, t h e pronoun it
does not h ave a c l ear antecedent.
C h oice (B) corrects t h is error b y rep l acing t h e am b iguous
pronoun wit h t h e appropriate noun. C h oice (C) corrects t h e
pronoun error b ut is unnecessari l y wordy. T h e pronouns
them in (D) and their in (E) a l so l ack antecedents.