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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
558 Practice Test Six Answers and Explanations
founding of the press, not its specific structure or appearance.
Choice (0) is correct; formative marks the use of constitution
as referring to the early stages of the American press. Choice
(E), temperament, is a primary definition of the cited word,
but it is used to refer to a person, not an entire industry.
11. E
Difficulty: Medium
Inference questions require you to read between the lines
and come to conclusions not explicitly stated in text, but
the correct answer choice must still be firmly supported
by evidence from the paragraph. Notice that the author
specifically refers to these decades as constituting the most
profound change, which implies that changes described
earlier in the paragraph were less significant than those of
this particular period.
Choice (A) is out of scope; the paragraph describes
newspapers as popular, but never specifically as the
publication of choice. Choice (B) is distortion; the author
is referring to the formative years of the American press,
not necessarily urban culture. Choice (C) is out of scope;
the paragraph never compares the historical significance
of these events, only their significance in regards to the
formation of the press. Choice (0) is distortion; the cited
sentence only suggests that these years were more
important than any preceding period, not necessarily any
periods that followed this time. Choice (E) is correct; this
choice clearly states that these decades saw the American
press's most significant moments of transformation,
reflecting the statement made at the end of the first
paragraph.
12. B
Difficulty: Low
Reexamining the details of the cited word's context is
frequently helpful when considering the more general focus
of the passage.
In this case, the author is essentially describing how the
technological changes made newspaper production
cheaper, as shown by references to newsprint prices falling
dramatically and color techniques becoming cheap. Given
this focus, it seems that the cited word is describing costs
that were so low that they would have been previously
considered improbable or unimaginable.
Choice (A), impossible, is tempting but, given the fact
that prices actually did fall dramatically, it is too strong for
this context. Choice (B) is correct; the costs of newspaper
production had never been so low. In (C), while the
cited word can be used to refer to something considered
offensive or rude, this meaning doesn't match the context
of the paragraph. Choice (0), inconsistent, matches neither
the cited word nor its context. Choice (E), uncommon,
doesn't fit; the author is referring to prices that would have
been considered unlikely, not infrequent.
13. c
Difficulty: High
Pay careful attention to the scope and focus of the
context of the cited lines when predicting and ultimately
choosing your answer. The referenced content refers to
two areas of change, a direct reference to the focus of the
preceding sentences on industrialization and the mass
migrations that altered the American urban landscape
and technological advancements. The author describes
the finances of the industry: unheard of costs; prices fell
dramatically; printing techniques also became cheap. In
other words, the union of these two changes would be
newspapers becoming accessible to this new demographic
of migrants. Look for an answer choice that comes to a
similar conclusion.
Choice (A) is out of scope; while the author mentions
striking visual images, nothing suggests that this quality
made newspapers more visually appealing to the average
American. Choice (B) is distortion; the paragraph never
suggests that newspapers exploited this demographic,
only that the decreased costs allowed them to tap into this
readership. Choice (C) is correct; if lowering production
costs was connected to reaching this new readership,
then it follows that this group was not able to afford
newspapers before. Choice (D) is out of scope; the
paragraph in question does not refer to a rural readership.
Choice (E) is out of scope; the paragraph does not discuss
a connection between these technological changes and
urbanization.
14. c
Difficulty: Medium
Don't go out of your way to make an answer choice work;
stick to the most immediate conclusions that can be drawn
from the evidence found in the cited content.
In this case, if the newspapers were popular with a
readership fervently reliant upon the relative immediacy