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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
560 Practice Test Six Answers and Explanations
17. E
Difficulty: Medium
Function questions require you to determine the purpose
of a component of the passage, such as a paragraph or, in
this case, a detail. Your task is to determine why the author
included this detail in the passage. Your notes should tell
you that the author uses most of paragraph l to bemoan or
lament the decline of artistic appreciation and awareness in
America. Since the author thinks that it is sad that America
concerns itself with teen movies and boy bands, then he
must think that film noir, jazz, and abstract expressionism
are better. Thus, he must be mentioning them in order to
draw a comparison and suggest their superiority. Look for
that in the answer choices.
Choice (A) is distortion; while the author does seem to be
appealing to a sense of a lost golden age, he uses that as
part of the comparison to newer art to suggest its inferiority.
Choice (B) is an opposite; far from making a historical
parallel, the author suggests that newer works are inferior.
Choice (C) is out of scope; the author never examines the
history of art. Choice (D) is a misused detail; the author
uses different details in a later paragraph to remind readers
of this. Choice (E) matches our prediction.
18. E
Difficulty: Medium
Answer a Vocab-in-Context question as you would a
Sentence Completion question. Remove the target word;
then find the word in the answer choices that best fits in
that blank given the context of the sentence.
The sentence in question states: Many claim that our
discussion can be seen as snobby, even culturally
imperious. The author must be using imperious to mean a
higher degree of snobby.
Choice (A) is out of scope; imperative is not a higher
degree of snobbery. Choice (B) is out of scope; when
something is arbitrary, it is not carefully chosen, which
means that it cannot relay the meaning of snobbery. Choice
(C) is out of scope; regal simply means elegant in a royal
way. While this may be associated with snobbery, it does
not convey the same meaning. Choice (D) is out of scope;
urgent is a dictionary meaning of imperious, but it makes
no sense in the context of the original sentence. Choice
(E) is correct; arrogant can be used to mean a high degree
of snobbery. When placed into the original sentence, it
replaces imperious perfectly.
19. B
Difficulty: High
As with all Inference questions, always keep in mind that a
valid inference must be true based on the relevant facts in
the passage. Reread the lines in question in order to find
evidence of what distinguishes the author's hypothetical
United States. Parents read to their children and educate
them. These parents also give their children art books,
classical recordings, and plays as gifts. Now evaluate each
answer choice, choosing the one that must be true based
on the author's statements.
Choice (A) is out of scope; the author's statements deal
with a new interest in art, not new interests in general.
Choice (B) is correct; the lines in question describe a
country in which parents share their interests in and
enjoyment of art with their children, so this must be what
the author finds distinguishing about this hypothetical
country. Choice (C) is a misused detail; the author never
mentions school in the lines cited by the question. Choice
(D) is out of scope; the author's statements discuss sharing
enthusiasm for art, not other activities. Choice (E) is
distortion; in the referenced lines, the author never alludes
to the value of artistic skill.
20. B
Difficulty: Low
Do not mistake Function questions for Detail questions.
While both Function and Detail questions require you
to find the relevant information in the passage, Function
questions require you to answer why the author includes
the relevant information in the passage. Your notes might
indicate that in paragraph 3, the author advances a vision of
an artistically educated society. If your notes do not indicate
this, then simply skim the paragraph and then evaluate
what the author does in this paragraph. The author provides
an example of a more artistically educated America. Thus,
the author must have included the paragraph in order to
propose or provide a vision of a more artistically educated
society.
Choice (A) is distortion; the author merely provides a vision
of a more artistically educated society, not a utopian one.
Choice (B) is correct; it is exactly as we predicted. Choice
(C) is out of scope; in the third paragraph, the author never
examines whether pop culture leaves a lasting impact on
society. Choice (D) is out of scope; the author never deals
with classic literature and reluctant students. Choice (E)