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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
828 Practice Test Nine Answers and Explanations
that annoys or destroys. Choice (B), astute, means shrewd
or perceptive. Choice (D), hapless, means unlucky. Choice
(E), nadir, means the lowest point.
Questions 6-9
Both passages address the issue of diseases that are
becoming resistant to treatment with antibiotics. The first
passage indicates that antibiotic overuse among people
has led to this problem. The second passage indicates that
increased antibiotic use in livestock has also contributed to
the problem.
6. A
Difficulty: Medium
Notice that in the cited lines the author connects high
antibiotic usage with the growth of HMOs, which are
described as notoriously stingy and more concerned about
patient turnover than patient care. This evidence suggests
that the author is implying that antibiotics are overprescribed
by HMOs because they are relatively inexpensive and don't
take a lot of time to prescribe, (A). The paragraph does
not explore whether or not HMOs are aware of antibioticresistance
problems, so (B) is out of scope. Choice (C)
is an opposite answer. The sentence suggests that such
treatments are popular because they are cheap. Choice
(D) is wrong because the paragraph doesn't go so far as to
suggest that HMOs are unconcerned about their patients.
Finally, (E) is out because the author only implies that
private practices do not prescribe as many antibiotics as
HMOs, not necessarily that they are more careful.
7. c
Difficulty: Low
By going back to the referenced sentence, you can see
that the author uses open to describe a risky situation that
involves disease. In other words, the larger herds were more
vulnerable to disease, (C). Choices (A), unobstructed, (B),
free, and (E), accessible, are all primary definitions of open,
but they do not work within the context of the passage.
Choice (D), receptive, is close, but it mistakenly suggests
that the herd would welcome disease.
8. D
Difficulty: Medium
In this case, the intersection comes most clearly in the
opening sentence of Passage 2. Here the author says
that arguments attributing antibiotic-resistant problems to
excessive human use of such medications ignore the fact
that animal medications also play a role. This is the exact
focus of Passage 1, so the author of Passage 2 would
consider the argument made by the author of Passage 1 to
be rather inadequate or limited, (D). The author of Passage
2 clearly thinks this is an important issue, so it is unlikely
that he would find the author of Passage 1 to be overly
critical, (A). Choice (B) is a distortion; while the author of
Passage 2 states that the first author's perspective ignores
important information, he clearly indicates that such a case
can be made. Choice (C) is also a distortion. The second
author only asserts that the first has not given enough
weight to the impact of animal medications, not necessarily
that the first author is unaware of this impact. Finally, (E) is
wrong because the second author clearly believes the first
author is overlooking important information.
9. A
Difficulty: High
Ignore the first author's views on HMOs and the second
author's description of how bacteria can transfer from
animals to humans. Instead, focus on how each author
describes the antibiotic-resistance problem itself. Passage 1
refers to a growing number of Americans who suffer from
this problem, while Passage 2 describes how the effect
of animal medications began roughly 30 years ago. This
convergence of information indicates that both authors
agree the problem is worse today than it was in the past,
(A). Only Passage 1 cites overprescription as a definitive
cause of the problem or specifically mentions a history of
documentation, so (B) and (C) are out. Choice (D) comes
close to capturing the area of commonality between the
two paragraphs, but neither author really suggests that the
problem was not serious in the past, only that it is more
widespread today. Choice (E) is too extreme. While both
authors describe the problem as serious, neither suggests it
is a devastating threat.