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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Five Answers and Explanations
483
I
Questions 11- 12
The author of this passage describes a personal experience
with macular degeneration, a condition in which the person
becomes blind in a short period of time.
11. D
Difficulty: Low
Think about how the meaning of the sentence would be
different without the word quick. Notice how the author's
phrasing conveys his impression of the passage of time.
The author's vision deteriorated Over the course of three
quick years, until he found himself unable to work. This
phrasing indicates that he feels like blindness gained on
him rapidly, before he really had a chance to adjust to
it. Look for a choice that captures this unexpectedly fast
progression of the illness.
Choice (A) is distortion; the passage says that macular
degeneration is among the top causes of blindness in
adults, suggesting that the illness is not particularly rare.
Choice (B) is distortion; the author states that his doctors
gave his treatment their best efforts. Choice (C) is an
opposite; if the days were slow and plodding, they would
not have passed in three quick years. Choice (D) is a
good match for your prediction. Choice (E) is an irrelevant
detail; the author does not connect the three years leading
up to his blindness to his development of new sensory
skills afterward.
12. B
Difficulty: Medium
Think about what role the other senses are described
as playing in the author's life. How are the other senses
connected to relearning his job? When a cited line implies
that some sort of change has taken place, try to identify
exactly what that change is. According to the passage, the
author never used to pay much attention to touch, smell,
and hearing, but when his sight deteriorated, he realized
that these senses could help him relearn his job. Look for a
choice that mentions this change in focus.
Choice (A) is out of scope; the author does not suggest
that it is ironic that he has become blind. Choice (B) is a
good match for your prediction. Choice (C) is distortion; the
author only makes positive comments about the best efforts
of doctors and does not mention other senses in order to
lament doctors' inability to prevent blindness. Choice (D)
is out of scope; the author does not discuss commonly
held beliefs. Choice (E) is extreme; the passage focuses on
one person's experience, not on issues of importance to all
mankind.
Questions 13-24
These paired passages offer different opinions on whether
DJs are musicians. The author of Passage 1 starts by saying
he's qualified to enter this debate on DJs as musicians.
Then he contrasts turntablist DJs with wedding DJs and
dance club DJs. He says a turntablist fits the definition of
a musician because turntablists create music, practicing
for long hours to create the sounds they want. He says
turntablists are like jazz musicians, who improvise around
a melody and make it their own. Passage 2's author
distinguishes between master turntablists and hacks. He
says he considers himself an artist, rather than a musician.
He says turntablists are more like painters than guitar
players in that they treat the music as paint-they don't
create it, but they are free to do what they wish with it to
create a desired effect.
13. c
Difficulty: Low
Ask yourself what role these references play. Note that
they make the same point, so the correct choice will reflect
something with which both authors would agree. These
two descriptions function in their respective passages to
illustrate that both turntablists are established professionals.
Look for the choice that best sums this up.
Choice (A) is extreme; from the descriptions, it would not
be a stretch to assume that both performers are successful,
but exorbitantly wealthy is too extreme a statement to be
the correct answer. Choice (B) is out of scope; it is not out
of the realm of possibility that both turntablists have worked
with each other in the past, but neither description makes
this distinction. Choice (C) is a good match. Choice (D) is
out of scope; neither author makes this distinction. Choice
(E) is an opposite; both authors mention that they use
prerecorded materials that they did not personally create.
14. D
Difficulty: Medium
You can eliminate any answer choice that contains an
idea that even one of the authors would disagree with. In
Passage 1, after the author compares his craft to jazz, he
relates how both jazz and rock were not immediately