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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Eight Answers and Explanations
745
I
17. E
Difficulty: Medium
A few lines into the fifth paragraph, the author says that
the Arabs' way to be alone is to stop talking. Silence
doesn't mean that anything is wrong or that [the Arab}
is withdrawing, only that he wants to be alone with his
thoughts . .. The best paraphrase of this among the
answer choices is (E); silence is a way for Arabs to obtain
a psychological form of privacy. The dangerous choices
to be avoided are indicate displeasure with guests and
express unhappiness within families, both of which are ways
that silence can be used in American culture. Choice (B)
especially may have been tempting because of the author's
story at the end of the passage. Always be sure to read the
question stem carefully.
18. c
Difficulty: Low
In the author's story, the Arab exchange student does not
realize that his hosts are mad at him because silence does
not mean the same thing to him as it does to them. As you
know from the fifth paragraph, silence is not considered
unusual in Arab households, (C). Although it may be true
that Arabs visiting the United States often experience
homesickness and that ignoring other people is rarely an
effective punishment, the author doesn't tell his story to make
either of these points. Sense of humor isn't discussed in the
passage at all, so (D) is out. Finally, the story does show that
it can be difficult to recognize anger in foreign cultures, but
once again, this isn't what the author is trying to illustrate.
Questions 19-24
19. c
Difficulty: Low
Look for the main change the author undergoes. The
passage begins with a description of what the author
envisioned doing in her work at the shelter: conducting
intake interviews and traipsing around from organization to
organization seeking the legal, psychological, and financial
support that the women would need. At the end of the
passage, she relates how her unanticipated baking endeavor
made her a more sensitive and skillful social worker. Look
for a choice that expresses her changed view of social
work. Choice (C) works well, because the author came to
see social work as being more diverse than she originally
envisioned. Choice (A) is extreme; although the author's
reality did differ from what she expected, the passage does
not focus on her shock but rather on how she responded to
it. Choice (B) is out of scope; the passage does not address
the author's psychological constraints. Choices (D) and
(E) are misused details; though the bakery was for-profit,
business abilities are not the focus of the passage, and the
fact that the author was abroad in a developing country is
not emphasized.
20. B
Difficulty: Medium
The paragraph preceding the citation indicates that the
author had spent a significant amount of time imagining her
work and felt thoroughly prepared. It is thus likely that she
arrived at the shelter with a positive, confident attitude-she
was eager and interested, (B). Choices (A) and (D) are
opposites. Choice (C) is a misused detail; although she was
uninformed about the actual content of her job, the author
does not express this until later in the paragraph. Choice
(E) is distortion; the author was not incompetent, only
unprepared to run the bakery.
21. A
Difficulty: High
The author's enthusiasm at the beginning of the second
paragraph contrasts with her shock a few sentences later,
when she discovers she will be in charge of the bakery.
Her references to the case studies she researched reveal
that she was initially enthusiastic about the concept of the
bakery, not necessarily about her practical involvement in
it. Choice (A) matches your prediction nicely. Choice (B)
is the opposite; initially, the author felt out of her depth at
being put in charge of the bakery. Choices (C) and (D) are
distortion; initially, the author had little knowledge of baking
and only later found that the bakery improved the women's
self-esteem. Choice (E) is out of scope; the passage
does not address the author's beliefs about such projects
in general.
22. E
Difficulty: Low
The author believed that starting the bakery presented a
problem, and she never mentions any political experience
or ambitions. We can infer that the author feels she is
equally unsuited to perform either activity, (E). Choice (A)
is extreme; the fact that the author feels unprepared does