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

Section s 1
Practice Test Six 527
Directions: The passages below are followed by questions based on their content; questions following a pair of related
passages may also be based on the relationship between the paired passages. Answer the questions on the basis of
what is stated or implied in the passages and in any introductory material that may be provided.
Questions 9-10 are based on the following passage.
Having been born on Christmas Day-a
coincidence that once inevitably left me feeling
shortchanged on presents and the requisite center­
Line of-attention distinction that usually accompanies
(5) a child's birthday-I now consider it a means to
evade a birthday's inane pageantry. What degree
of sincerity can a cake littered with candles really
have if it is absolutely required that it be made,
decorated, and given? And what if one's birthday
(10) is forgotten? Embarrassment and sadness usually
ensue from such a mistake, hardly the ingredients
for a day that is supposed to be enjoyed. So it is
Christmas that provides my cover and supplies a
powerful excuse for any lapses.
Questions 11-12 are based on the following passage.
The rarely sighted three-toed sloth, long mistaken
for a species of monkey, is one of the most
unusual animals on earth. In fact, many charac­
Line teristics of this tree-dwelling mammal seem to
(5) run counter to the instincts displayed by almost
all wild animals. First, sloths are incredibly slow,
tending to move no faster than six feet per minute,
even when confronted by a predator. As a
result, most sloths spend years in a single tree,
(10) making their way from branch to branch almost
imperceptibly. Second, sloths spend almost their
entire lives hanging upside down, even when eating,
sleeping, mating, and-perhaps most remarkably-giving
birth.
9. In line 2, "coincidence" most nearly refers to a
(A) concurrence of events
(B) shocking unlikelihood
(C) stroke of good luck
(D) twist offate
(E) quirky happenstance
10. In line 13, "cover" is best understood as meaning
(A) armor
(B) diversion
( C) concealment
(D) canopy
(E) disguise
11. In lines 10-11, the author's description of sloths
moving "almost imperceptibly" suggests that these
animals
(A) move in ways that can be difficult to detect
(B) intentionally hide their movements
(C) rely upon stealth for survival
(D) are physically unable to move with any speed
(E) are essentially impossible to observe
12. According to the passage, the three-toed sloth's
lack of speed and tendency to hang upside down
are
(A) entirely unique evolutionary traits
(B) characteristics shared by some monkeys
( C) apparently contrary to the usual behavior of
most wild animals
(D) detrimental to their eating, sleeping, and
mating habits
(E) the most important causes of the sloth's vulnerability
to predators
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