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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Nine Answers and Explanations 827
I
9
18. 7
Difficulty: High
Strategic Advice: If you draw yourself an 8-by-8
checkerboard, you'll see that the only unit squares that
are not completely surrounded by other unit squares are
the unit squares on the border. Also, the unit squares that
are completely surrounded by other unit squares make up
a bigger square, which is 6 by 6. That is, there are 6 unit
squares along each dimension of this larger 6-by-6 square.
Getting to the Answer:
So the number of unit squares that are completely
surrounded by other squares is 6 x 6 or 36. There are 8 x
8 or 64 squares on the checkerboard. So the number of
unit squares that are not completely surrounded by other
squares, which is also the number of unit squares on the
border, is 64 - 36 = 28. The ratio of the number of unit
squares that are completely surrounded by other squares to
the number of unit squares on the border is .
Dividing the numerator and denominator by 4, you find that
the ratio is t·
SECTION 6
1. D
Difficulty: Low
Since the veteran boxer won most of his bouts by knockouts,
you can assume that he was pretty successful. Choice (D),
unbroken, is the only choice that describes his series of
wins in a way that suggests success; an unbroken series
of victories would be a winning streak with no losses.
Choices (A) and (B) are both contradicted by the rest of
the sentence. Choice (C), able-bodied, may seem to fit in a
sentence about a boxer, but what's an able-bodied series of
wins? This choice sounds odd when you plug it in. Only (D)
makes sense.
2. B
Difficulty: Medium
Look for context clues. The first major clue in the sentence
is everyday. You're looking for a word with a similar meaning
for the first blank. In the second, you need something to
describe what the objects were transformed into, a word to
contrast with everyday. That takes you to (B). Mundane is
almost a synonym for everyday. The second word in (B),
resplendent, or visually stunning, is a good contrast and fits
when plugged into the sentence. Choices (C) and (E) can
be eliminated because their first words don't work. Everyday
things like vegetables aren't small or artificial. Choice (A),
inexpensive, might seem to fit with the idea of everyday
items such as vegetables. But (A)'s second word, tawdry, or
cheap and gaudy, makes no sense. In (D), vegetables might
be decorative, but functional doesn't provide the contrast
we're looking for.
3. B
Difficulty: Medium
Here, you know that the issues go far beyond the
immediate controversy referred to in the sentence. So
you can predict they have implications or consequences
beyond the matter presently under discussion. The best
match for this prediction is (B), ramifications. Ramifications
are resulting developments or consequences. Choice (C),
proponents, are advocates or supporters. Choice (D),
inferences, are conclusions.
4. D
Difficulty: Medium
The phrase even accepting in the second part of the
sentence implies that Chamberlain's approach to German
aggression was not a particularly tough or militant one,
especially since he tolerated Germany's annexation of
Austria. Therefore, it's likely that Chamberlain adopted a
nonaggressive, accepting approach to Hitler. The choice
that comes closest to this prediction is (D), conciliatory,
meaning tending to pacify or accommodate. Choice (B),
precarious, means uncertain or dangerous, and (C),
haughty, means arrogant, snobby, huffy. Choice (A), hasty,
means fast.
5. c
Difficulty: High
Although we don't know what kind of performance
Redgrave gave, we can infer that it was either good or bad. If
it was good, we can predict people who were lucky enough
to see the performance say it was the height of his career.
Basically, we want two positive words if Redgrave did a good
job, or two negative words if he bombed. The only choice
showing this relationship is (C): Those fortunate enough to
witness Redgrave's performance say it was the pinnacle, or
height, of his career. Choice (A), scourge, means something