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

Section 6
788 Practice Test Nine
Questions 10-15 are based on the following passage.
The following is an excerpt from a magazine article on
our changing use of leisure time.
Twenty years ago Staffan Linder, a Swedish
economist, wrote a book arguing that higher
wages did not necessarily mean an increase in
Line well-being. Linder observed that with increased
(5) productivity came the possibility of shorter work
hours and a wider availability of consumer goods.
People had a choice: more "leisure" time or more
consumption. Only the wealthy could have both.
If the average person wanted to indulge in expen-
(10) sive recreation like skiing or sailing, it would be
necessary to work more-to trade free time for
overtime or a second job. Whether because of the
effectiveness of advertising or from simple acquisitiveness,
most people chose consumption over
(15) time. According to U.S. News and World Report,
in 1989 Americans spent more than $13 billion
on sports clothing; put another way, more than
a billion hours of potential leisure time were
exchanged for leisure wear-for increasingly elab-
(20) orate running shoes, certified hiking shorts, and
monogrammed warm-up suits. In 1989, to pay for
these indulgences, more workers than ever before
recorded-6.2 percent-held more than two jobs.
There is no contradiction between the surveys
(25) that indicate a loss of free time and the claim
that the weekend dominates our leisure. Longer
work hours and more overtime cut mainly into
weekday leisure. So do longer commutes, driving
the kids, and Friday-night shopping. The week-
(30) end-or what's left of it after Saturday household
chores-is when we have time to relax. But the
weekend has imposed a rigid schedule on our
free time, which can result in a sense of urgency
("soon it will be Monday") that is at odds with
(35) relaxation. The freedom to do anything has
become the obligation to do something, and the
list of dutiful recreations includes strenuous disciplines
intended for self-improvement, competitive
sports, and skill-testing pastimes. Recreations like
(40) tennis and sailing are hardly new, but before the
arrival of the weekend they were for most people
mostly seasonal activities. Once a year, when vacations
came around, tennis rackets were removed
from the back of the cupboard, swimwear was
( 45) taken out of mothballs, or skis were dusted off.
The accent was less on technique than on having a
good time.
Today, however, the availability of free time has
changed this casual attitude. The very frequency
(50) of weekend recreations allows continual participation
and improvement, which encourages the
development of proficiency and skill. The desire
to do something well, whether it is sailing a boat
or building a boat, reflects a need that was previ-
( 55) ously met in the workplace. Competence was
shown on the job-holidays were for messing
around. Now the situation is reversed. Technology
has removed craft from most occupations. Hence
an unexpected development in the history of
( 60) leisure: for many people weekend free time has
become not a chance to escape work but a chance
to create work that is more meaningful-to work
at recreation-in order to realize the personal satisfaction
that the workplace no longer offers.
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