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12 Practice <strong>Tests</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>SAT</strong><br />

Practice Test Five Answers and Explanations<br />

493<br />

I<br />

is <strong>the</strong> best match <strong>for</strong> your prediction; <strong>the</strong> choice offers <strong>the</strong><br />

best explanation <strong>for</strong> Oscar's obliviousness. Choice (E) is<br />

distortion; this choice also implies that Oscar was purposely<br />

ignoring <strong>the</strong> doorman, which is contradicted by <strong>the</strong> use of<br />

<strong>the</strong> word oblivious.<br />

14. A<br />

Difficulty: Medium<br />

Why would a person be reluctant to look in a mirror?<br />

Often a question that references a specific detail from<br />

a passage can be answered not only from <strong>the</strong> detail in<br />

question but by surrounding details in context. The passage<br />

states that <strong>the</strong> poem from which Celia quoted was written<br />

from <strong>the</strong> point of <strong>the</strong> view of <strong>the</strong> mirror. There<strong>for</strong>e, Celia<br />

was not referring to herself when she whispered <strong>the</strong> lines<br />

"! am not cruel, only truthful." She was referring to <strong>the</strong><br />

fact that a mirror does not lie. Taking this into account,<br />

along with <strong>the</strong> added details that she looked at her<br />

reflection reluctantly (line 52) and <strong>the</strong>n sighed, look <strong>for</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> answer that contains <strong>the</strong> truth of what Celia saw in <strong>the</strong><br />

mirror.<br />

Choice (A) is correct; it makes sense that a person<br />

reluctant to look in <strong>the</strong> mirror probably doesn't like what<br />

she sees. Choice (B) is a misused detail; it's possible Celia<br />

is a talented writer, but her ability to quote a line from a<br />

famous poem does not demonstrate that. Choice (C) is an<br />

opposite; a girl conceited about her good looks would not<br />

be reluctant to look in a mirror. Choice (D) is extreme; one<br />

line from one Sylvia Plath poem does not indicate that Celia<br />

has read all of Plath's works. Choice (E) is out of scope; <strong>the</strong><br />

quoting of one of Plath's lines does not necessarily mean<br />

Celia feels a connection with <strong>the</strong> poet.<br />

15. D<br />

Difficulty: High<br />

Authors often use phrases that seem contradictory to<br />

help describe a character's internal conflict. The author<br />

characterized Celia's feeling like a young girl with <strong>the</strong><br />

seemingly contradictory phrase disappointing blessing<br />

because of her internal contradiction: having an appreciation<br />

<strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> gift of her own youth (line 71), while longing to<br />

be a more mature woman. The urge to feel older is <strong>the</strong><br />

disappointment-look <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> choice that best represents<br />

her appreciation of <strong>the</strong> blessing.<br />

Choice (A) is a distortion; lines 55-56 state that Celia<br />

came to New York to spend <strong>the</strong> summer taking care of<br />

her grandmo<strong>the</strong>r. Choice (B) is a misused detail; blessing<br />

does have some religious connotations, but <strong>the</strong>y do not<br />

apply here. Choice (C) is distortion; it is not suggested in<br />

<strong>the</strong> passage that Celia was looking <strong>for</strong> her fa<strong>the</strong>r. Choice (D)<br />

is <strong>the</strong> best match; Celia's urge to be older was lessened by<br />

her understanding that getting older is inevitable. Choice (E)<br />

is distortion; <strong>the</strong>re is no indication in <strong>the</strong> passage that <strong>the</strong><br />

grandmo<strong>the</strong>r resents Celia's youth.<br />

16. A<br />

Difficulty: Medium<br />

Celia is a beautiful girl who believes she is not. What<br />

might this tell you about Celia? When a passage presents<br />

characters with divergent points of view on <strong>the</strong> same<br />

situation, <strong>the</strong> differences often serve to highlight certain<br />

aspects of a character. Oscar's first impression of Celia was<br />

that she was a very beautiful girl, which directly contradicted<br />

her own impression of herself offered throughout <strong>the</strong> fifth<br />

paragraph. Look <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> choice that best describes what this<br />

revelation emphasizes about Celia.<br />

Choice (A) is your best choice. Oscar's revelation of Celia's<br />

beauty emphasizes <strong>the</strong> insecurities she has about her<br />

looks. Choice (B) is distortion; Oscar sensed something<br />

strange about Celia, but he did not immediately know she<br />

was his daughter. Choice (C) is distortion; Oscar's ability to<br />

recognize physical beauty does not particularly emphasize<br />

his sensitive nature. Choice (D) is an opposite; nothing<br />

about Celia is boastful. Choice (E) is out of scope; this<br />

cliche makes no sense in <strong>the</strong> context of <strong>the</strong> passage.<br />

17. E<br />

Difficulty: High<br />

The author presents Grandma as loud and obnoxious.<br />

Think of some o<strong>the</strong>r words that would describe such an<br />

attitude. Essentially, this is a difficult vocabulary question<br />

that masquerades as a simple Inference question. In <strong>the</strong><br />

passage, Grandma's frankness is presented as a contrast to<br />

Oscar and Celia's reserve. This is most evident in line 97,<br />

where Grandma asked Oscar if he was just going to stand<br />

<strong>the</strong>re like an idiot, despite <strong>the</strong> fact she apparently did not<br />

know him. Look <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> choice that contains <strong>the</strong> word that<br />

best describes this sort of attitude.<br />

Choice (A) is out of scope; her attitude cannot be<br />

characterized as flattering or fawning. Choice (B) is an<br />

opposite; Grandma's attitude displayed an absence of tact.<br />

Choice (C) is an opposite; Grandma's attitude, though

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