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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Six Answers and Explanations I
559
of media reports, then it can be concluded that these
newspapers were popular because they fulfilled this
particular need.
Choice (A) is an irrelevant detail; while this point is
made earlier in the passage, it is not being made by this
particular content. Choice (B) is out of scope; nothing in the
paragraph describes these newspapers as quickly and easily
readable. Choice (C) is correct; the inhabitants of urban
America were living constantly changing, unstable lives,
making newspapers a vital source of current information
for news that could impact them in any number of ways.
Choice (D) is an irrelevant detail; although this point is
made later in the paragraph, the cited content does not
refer to this characteristic. Choice (E) is out of scope; while
the author indicates that this readership used the papers to
inform their constantly changing lives, nothing suggests that
these specific topics were the focus.
Questions 1 5-24
In paragraph 1, the author starts by saying that we can't
really be surprised by the decline in artistic taste. He cites
two causes, but he says that discussing the causes won't
change anything. Instead, we should address the problem.
In paragraph 2, the author says that before addressing artistic
decline, the word art needs to be defined. He says that we
shouldn't waste time debating whether boy bands or teen
movies are art but rather accept all artistic endeavors as art.
In paragraph 3, the author imagines a world in which parents
teach their kids about art and schools teach pop culture
alongside art history. He says that will allow children to judge
new, trendier art, leading to higher-quality art when the
kids grow up. In paragraph 4, the author says that because
better education can result in higher artistic taste, the one
fundamental cause of declining artistic taste is that schools
have been forced to cut art and music programs because of
tightening budgets. He goes on to say that to improve artistic
awareness, the first step is to bring back these programs in
schools. More funding and higher taxes will be needed, but
the investment will be well worth it.
15. c
Difficulty: Medium
When asked about a detail, don't try to answer from
memory. Make sure to find the relevant detail or details by
checking your notes and then rereading the passage.
Your notes should list something like a discussion on
defining art as the purpose of paragraph 2; if not, skim
for the words endeavor and problematic. Either way, you
should find the first sentence of paragraph 2: Before we can
begin a discussion of artistic decline, we must first define
the word art, an endeavor that has proven problematic.
Choice (A) is distortion; the author discusses improving
the education system in later paragraphs, but he never
characterizes this as a problematic endeavor. Choice
(B) is distortion; in later paragraphs, the author discusses
how education can make art more relevant by linking it
to historical and sociological developments, but he never
characterizes this as a problematic endeavor. Choice (C)
is correct; it is exactly as we predicted and exactly as the
passage states. Choice (D) is distortion; in later paragraphs,
the author discusses what students should learn in school,
but the author never characterizes this as a problematic
endeavor. Choice (E) is distortion; in later paragraphs, the
author discusses whether or not to teach art, but the author
never characterizes this as a problematic endeavor.
16. B
Difficulty: Medium
Use the relevant part of the passage as evidence from
which to draw your own conclusion. Since you are given
the part of the passage from which you must draw the
inference, skim paragraph 2 to find evidence of what the
author characterizes as too much time spent. In lines
36-40, the author says that far too much time has been
spent arguing over whether a teen movie is more or less
art than Citizen Kane, or whether a boy band is more or
less art than Sondheim. Now examine the answer choices
by comparing them to this information, and eliminate those
that do not necessarily have to be true.
Choice (A) is an opposite; while the author discusses
comparisons of classics, he does so in order to highlight the
comparison of such classics to modern works. Choice (B)
is correct; the author implies that too much time has been
spent comparing modern works to more established
works in order to judge the modern works' artistic merits.
Choice (C) is a misused detail; the author mentions this
in a later paragraph. Choice (D) is a misused detail; the
author mentions this in a later paragraph. Choice (E) is
distortion. The author never discusses comparisons of works
traditionally considered classics to each other; he discusses
their comparison to newer works.