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

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Section 8
Practice Test Eight
for a minute that it takes a special talent to write
anything approaching literary merit. To an extent,
writers are born rather than made; it's an imaginative
response to narrative, a sensitivity towards
(80) language, and a curiosity about human nature
that drives people to write in the first place. But I
think it's very important that young people who
aspire to write realize that there are years of experience
behind the first few pages of a great novel.
(85) For me, learning to write was a long and hard
apprenticeship. I had a library wall of books to
read before I understood what kind of novels I
wanted to write, and an enormous amount of
bruising self-questioning to undertake. Today,
(90) there's such a strong emphasis placed on novelty
and originality in the publishing world that virtues
such as craft and maturity of vision are often
overlooked. In the long term, however, I think it's
the work that strikes the balance between the liter-
(95) ary tradition and the individual talent that stands
the test of time, and this is the attitude I try to
bring to my work.
7. In line 4, the word "mechanically" most nearly
means
(A) awkwardly
(B) efficiently
(C) unimaginatively
(D) eloquently
(E) technically
8. In context, the phrase "unlocking the floodgates"
(line 12) suggests that creative writing
(A) is a skill that almost anyone can acquire
(B) can be an overwhelmingly difficult process
( C) derives its power from depicting dramatic
events
(D) requires a rigid sense of structure and form
(E) is in part beyond the writer's conscious
control
9. In lines 16-25, the author attempts to convey the
creative writer's sense of
(A) frustration at the unpredictability of writing
(B) regret at not having planned a project
completely
( C) wonder at the seemingly magical process of
creation
(D) gratitude at discovering an unsuspected talent
(E) pride in the fruits of his or her hard labors
10. In line 23, "dim" means
(A) vague
(B) ignorant
( C) pessimistic
(D) dark
(E) simple-minded
11. In lines 30-34, the author refers to forms of writing
other than poems and stories in order to
(A) suggest that all forms of writing are born out
of a search for order
(B) underline the difficulty of moving from one
genre of writing to another
(C) dispel some misconceptions about the
superiority of literature to nonfiction
(D) portray the frustration of writing in obscurity
(E) indicate the differences between literature
and other forms of writing
12. The author of Passage 2 adopts a "professional
attitude to writing" (lines 51-52) in order to
(A) stay competitive with younger writers
(B) maintain a high level of productivity
(C) compensate for his lack of inspiration
(D) reserve time for other important activities
(E) avoid the arrogant attitudes of self-styled
"artists"
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