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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
81 8 Practice Test Nine Answers and Explanations
not explore what most people assume about the American
crocodile, (C), or indicate which animal is better suited to
the Everglades habitat, (D).
12. B
Difficulty: Medium
You need to be careful here-you're looking for the
wrong answer. Eliminate those answers that are clearly
supported by the text. The author describes the manatees
as endearing, so they are capable of invoking affection,
(A). In the last sentence, he calls them bulbous, which is
close to bloated, (C). The author thinks of the manatees as
symbolic, or representative of the Everglades, (D). Finally,
the manatees are fragile, needing a specific water temperature
to survive. This matches (E). Only (B), then, is not
mentioned in the passage.
Questions 13-24
There are some disconcerting place-names and scientific
terms in this passage, but you don't need to know any
of them to get the points the author makes about some
of the earliest preserved art-cave paintings. The first
paragraph ends with a few questions: What sort of people
were the cave painters? Why did they paint at all, and
specifically why in caves? These questions outline the rest of
the passage for you. Keep this in mind if you ever encounter
a passage with a similar format-it gives you a handle on the
material.
13. B
Difficulty: Low
If you figure out what big points the author makes in the
lines you're referred to, you'll probably have no trouble
understanding why the author mentions body painting
(or whatever specific detail a question asks about). To
do this, you usually have to read a line or two around the
line reference you've been given. These lines tell us that if
prehistoric humans made art, they haven't left us any trace
of it. Body painting is mentioned as an example of the kind
of art they may have made, but which we can't have any
evidence of, (B). None of the other choices matches the
point the author makes in these lines. The author is not
making a point about when people began using paint, (A).
Choices (C), (D), and (E) bring up things not discussed until
later in the passage.
14. c
Difficulty: Low
Again, go back to the passage and read around the line
reference. The author says the paintings rivet our attention
because they are great art and because they raise questions
about the people who painted them. Now check the answer
choices. Choice (B) probably jumped out because it starts,
raise questions about . . . . But read carefully! The rest of the
choice doesn't make sense. Choice (C), although not as
eye-catching, is correct. Choice (A) is from left field. We do
know some things about the people and animals depicted
in cave paintings, so (D) is wrong. Finally, the point is that
the paintings raise questions, not that they cast doubt, so
(E) is out.
15. B
Difficulty: Medium
Don't let strange words throw you-in this or any question.
Even if you don't know where Gargas and Rouffignac are,
or what stalactites or stalagmites are, the point is in plain
English: they fill us with awe and stun us with their beauty.
The author speculates that the cave painters must have
felt the same way. This should lead you to (B). The other
choices provide reasons that might sound sensible, but they
don't come from the passage. Don't choose an answer just
because it makes sense to you; be sure there's evidence in
the passage.
16. A
Difficulty: Medium
Assuming you've already gone to the line where riot is used
(as you should do with all Vocabulary-in-Context questions),
which choices can you eliminate? Certainly (C), brawl, and
(E), violence, since the word is used to describe something
of great beauty. The most common definitions of a word are
usually wrong, so you can also eliminate (B). That leaves (A)
and (D). Only (A), profusion, makes sense in context.