SAT Writing & Language Practice

SAT Practice Test #8, Section 2, Questions 23-33

Court Reporting: Humans v. Machines

Court reporters for years have been the record keepers of the court, taking scrupulous notes during hearings; depositions, and other legal proceedings.

Does the underlined word fit with the vocabulary of the rest of the paragraph?

Multiple Choice

23. Which choice best fits with the tone of the rest of the passage?

• NO CHANGE

• super-rigorous

• spot-on

• intense

Champions of court reporting, though, argue the opposite. They argue that with the increased reliance on technology, errors actually increase.

quickest, easiest way to combine two sentences

Multiple Choice

29. Which choice most effectively combines the sentences at the underlined portion?

• opposite, such

• opposite -

• opposite, which is

• opposite; their opinion

Court reporters for years have been the record keepers of the court, taking scrupulous notes during hearings; depositions, and other legal proceedings.

grammatically correct?

Multiple Choice

24.

• NO CHANGE

• hearings; depositions;

• hearings, depositions

• hearings, depositions;

Despite the increasing use of digital recording technologies, court reporters still play a vital role in courtrooms. 25 Although machines can easily make digital audio recordings of court events, they lack the nuance of human court reporters in providing a precise record.

What is this saying?

Multiple Choice

25. At this point, the writer is considering adding the following graph.

Should the writer make this addition here?

• Yes, because it supports the claim that court reporting is an import part of a trial.

• Yes, because it offers a relevant counterpoint to the argument that the use of digital recorders is on the rise.

• No, because it presents information that is not directly related to the paragraph's discussion of the role of court reporters.

• No, because it does not provide information about the pay scale for the more experienced court reporters.

Proponents of going digital say that technology is the easiest way to get the most accurate record of the proceedings, as the machine records everything faithfully as it occurs and is not subject to human errors such as mishearing or mistyping.

grammatically correct?

Multiple Choice

26.

• NO CHANGE

• subjected to

• subjected from

• subject for

However, with the rise of high-quality recording technology, reliance on court reporters as a record keeper is decreasing.

grammatically correct?

Multiple Choice

27.

• NO CHANGE

• each as record keepers

• as record keepers

• to be a record keeper

[6] However, with the rise of high-quality recording technology, reliance on court reporters as a record keeper is decreasing.

Multiple Choice

28. To make this paragraph most logical, sentence 6 should be placed

• where it is now

• after sentence 1

• after sentence 3

• after sentence 4

Because digital systems record indiscriminately; they cannot discern important parts of proceeding from other noises in the courtroom.

Multiple Choice

30.

• NO CHANGE

• indiscriminately, they

• indiscriminately. They

• indiscriminately, therefore they

Despite this, a digital device does indeed record everything, but that includes loud noises, such as a book dropping, that can make the actual words spoken impossible to hear.

Does this transition phrase work with the paragraph?

Multiple Choice

31.

• NO CHANGE

• In other words,

• Therefore,

• Consequently,

A court reporter, however, can distinguish between the words and distinguish between the extrinsic noises that need not be recorded.

edit for wordiness

Multiple Choice

32.

• NO CHANGE.

• also between the

• and when there are

• and the

In some cases, digital recording makes it necessary for the judge to make additional announcements at the beginning of a trial.

Is this paragraph for or against digital recording?

Multiple Choice

33. Which choice provides the best supporting example for the main idea of the paragraph.

• NO CHANGE

• requires a courtroom monitor to ensure the equipment is functioning properly.

• leads to changes in the roles and duties of several members of the courtroom staff.

• has led to the need for retrial because of indistinct testimony from key witnesses.