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

12 Practice Tests for the SAT
Practice Test Ten Answers and Explanations 921
I
13. D
Difficulty: Low
In paragraph 2, the author illustrates the importance of
making the whale a well-developed character, and the
questions at the end of paragraph help to describe the
problems involved in this task.
Choice (A) is an opposite; the author feels that Melville's
techniques are highly effective. Choice (B) is distortion;
these are questions asked by Author 2, not by Melville's
characters. Choice (C) is an opposite; this choice is too
negative in tone to fit with the passage. Choice (D) is a
good match. Choice (E) is distortion; this may be tempting,
but be careful. The questions at the end of paragraph 2
show a problem. It's Melville's solution to that problem that
forms an unusual approach to the form of the novel.
14. E
Difficulty: Medium
The passage notes that Dickens described London in order
to create a sense of light and shade on his characters, and
Melville described the sea in order to more fully reveal the
character of Moby Dick. So, both authors described places
in order to add to the descriptions of their characters.
Choice (A) is out of scope; the author doesn't describe
London or the underwater environment as dark or
mysterious. Choice (B) is a misused detail; this is true of
Melville, but the author never indicates that this is true
of Dickens. Choice (C) is distortion; although some of
Melville's techniques may be unusual, the author never says
this about Dickens's work. Choice (D) is an opposite; the
author feels that it adds to each author's novel in a positive
way. Choice (E) is a good match.
15. A
Difficulty: Low
Melville devoted several chapters to describing the process
of hunting and killing a whale, so a good prediction would
be that he worked hard to clearly portray the techniques
and culture of whaling.
Choice (A) is a good match. The word pains might make
(B) a tempting choice, but it doesn't fit in the sentence.
In (C), the author feels that the attempts to describe
whaling were successful. In (D), he doesn't just make
it possible, he actually does the describing. In (E), the
author would agree that Melville was wise to describe
whaling, but this doesn't follow from the phrase takes
considerable pains.
16. c
Difficulty: Medium
As the questions shift to focus on both passages, be
especially careful to keep straight the viewpoints of the two
authors. Author 1 feels that Moby Dick was unsuccessful
both as a novel and as an informational work. In paragraph
2 of Passage 2, Author 2 argues against exactly this point.
He says that critics who dismiss Moby Dick as a treatise on
whaling fail to realize that Melvilie is ... advancing the plot.
In other words, critics like Author 1 just don't get it.
Choice (A) is an opposite; this is the opinion of Author l,
not Author 2. Choice (B) is a misused detail; this addresses
only the issue of the descriptions of ocean plant life and not
the bigger issue of the many parts of Moby Dick that convey
information about whales and whaling. Choice (C) is a good
match. Choice (D) is an opposite; again, this is the view of
Author 1, not Author 2. Choice (E) is an opposite; Author 2
says that the information is important, but dry.
17. D
Difficulty: Low
Open-ended questions like this one often yield best to
elimination rather than prediction. The authors don't
agree about much, so go through the answer choices and
eliminate anything that applies only to one of the authors.
Choice (A) is an opposite; this applies only to Author 2.
Choice (B) is a misused detail; this is only mentioned
in Passage 2. Choice (C) is an opposite; only Author 2
discusses sense of place. Choice (D) is correct; this is
discussed in paragraph 2 of Passage 1 and is the main
focus of Passage 2. Choice (E) is a misused detail; only
Passage 1 discussed Melville's previous works.
18. A
Difficulty: Low
Note that this question asks about the reaction of Author 1
to the critics cited in Passage 2. It's not asking about his
reaction to Author 2. The critics feel that Moby Dick is a
treatise on whaling and that alternating such discursive
material with the narrative detracts from the work. Author l