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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Nine Answers and Explanations 81 9
I
17. D
Difficulty: Medium
In the quoted lines, the author says the term cavemen evokes
an image of hairy brutes, but then says that the Cro-Mags
actually had needles, buttons, parkas, and trail signs in their
caves. In other words, they're misrepresented as stupid brutes
when in fact they were quite sophisticated. Choice (D) sums
this up and is correct. Choice (A) is too specific-the author's
not comparing Cro-Mags with Neanderthals. She is talking
about the contrast between the popular image of Cro-Mags
and the reality of their existence. Choices (B) and (E) are not
discussed-don't go making huge inferences! Choice (C) refers
to a nearby detail but misses the bigger point.
18. B
Difficulty: Low
This question asks you to make a not-too-subtle inference.
The passage says, garbage left in caves is more likely to
have been preserved than other artifacts, which is almost
the same as saying that artifacts in other locations are
more likely to have decayed. Choice (B) is correct: it makes
common sense, and it matches what's in the passage.
Choice (A) is out because the author actually says that
Cro-Mags lived both in caves and far from them; she says
nothing about the majority of them. Archaeologists found
trail signs inside caves, not outside them, (C). The author
says nothing about what sites archaeologists are more
likely to study-(D) infers too much. Choice (E) is never
mentioned.
19. E
Difficulty: Medium
Never skip a Vocabulary-in-Context question-they're less
time-consuming than the other question types. What's
going on in the lines around the word notable? The
author's describing some specific examples of cave art,
and she then says that some especially notable works
were done on irregular wall surfaces in order to suggest
three-dimensionality. The best substitute for notable in
that sentence is remarkable, choice (E). Two choices, (A)
and (D), are negative sounding and easy to eliminate.
Conspicuous, (B), and important, (C), are much trickier, but
they don't fit the sentence as well as (E). Be sure to check
every choice before you make your move. The best answer
may be hiding in (E).
20. D
Difficulty: Medium
In this question, you have to make a mild interpretationbut
remember, don't go overboard. Read a line or two
before the one you're referred to. The phrases used to
believe and we now realize indicate a contrast. What did
archaeologists formerly believe? That the paintings were of
the animals most often hunted by Cro-Magnons. So now,
scientists must've found out that animals in cave paintings
were not the most hunted, (D). A too-quick reading of
these lines might've led you to (A). But the author says,
the most frequently painted animals were indeed hunted,
so (A) is out. If you picked (B), (C), or (E), you're focusing
too narrowly on the quoted phrase itself. Remember to
read a line or two around it to properly understand the
context.
21. D
Difficulty: Medium
This question is easier than it looks-it's basically just a
Vocabulary-in-Context question, asking about a term rather
than a single word. If you read a little before and after the
quoted line, you find that functional interpretations simply
means explanations, (D)-explanations (mostly wrong ones)
of why Cro-Magnons created cave art.
22. B
Difficulty: Medium
You probably read the theories this question refers to while
answering question 21, so just go back and find out why
these theories fell into disfavor. The following lines say that
they became unpopular when anthropologists began asking
contemporary native Australians why they create their rock
art. The reasons are diverse, (B). Choice (D) goes too far:
the author doesn't say the Cro-Magnon paintings were
identical to present-day aboriginal paintings. Neanderthals,
(A), and trail signs, (C), are not discussed in paragraph 4.
And (E) makes no sense.
23. E
Difficulty: High
This is a Big Picture question. Unlike the questions
you've been dealing with, this one doesn't give you a
line reference. You need an answer that represents the