PSAT Practice

The following text is adapted from Amy Lowell’s 1912 poem “Summer.” It is summer, glorious, deep-toned summer, The very crown of nature’s changing year When all her surging life is at its full. To me alone it is a time of pause, A void and silent space between two worlds, When inspiration lags, and feeling sleeps, Gathering strength for efforts yet to come. As used in the text, what does the phrase “a void” most nearly mean?

• a useless

• an empty

• a forgotten

• an incomplete

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In the 1960s, Sam Gilliam, a Black painter from the southern United States, became the first artist to drape painted canvases into flowing shapes. He later explored a different style, _______ quilt-like paintings inspired by the patchwork quilting tradition of Black communities in the South. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• predicting

• refusing

• hiding

• creating

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Studying how workload affects productivity, Maryam Kouchaki and colleagues found that people who chose to do relatively easy tasks first were less _______ compared to those who did hard tasks first. Finishing easy tasks gave participants a sense of accomplishment, but those who tackled hard tasks first actually became more skilled and productive workers over time. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• secretive

• efficient

• outgoing

• unsympathetic

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The following text is from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. The narrator is being driven in a carriage through a remote region at night. The baying of the wolves sounded nearer and nearer, as though they were closing round on us from every side. I grew dreadfully afraid, and the horses shared my fear. The driver, however, was not in the least disturbed; he kept turning his head to left and right, but I could not see anything through the darkness. As used in the text, what does the word “disturbed” most nearly mean?

• disorganized

• alarmed

• offended

• interrupted

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CCSS.L.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

The following text is adapted from Sadakichi Hartmann’s 1894 short story “Magnolia Blossoms.” The narrator is standing on the deck of a boat. What a night it was! My soul had left its body to lose itself in the wild unrestrained beauty around me—from where it came—and only left a trembling suggestion of its existence within me. The other passengers moved around me like shadows, and again and again my eyes drank in all the glory and wealth of that night. As used in the text, what does the word “suggestion” most nearly mean?

• trace

• opinion

• dispute

• command

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Archaeologists studying an ancient amphitheater in Switzerland believe that it dates back to the fourth century CE. Their discoveries of a coin made between 337 and 341 CE and era-appropriate building materials _______ evidence for this theory. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• dismiss

• provide

• regulate

• refuse

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Paleontologist Lucas E. Fiorelli and colleagues have reported the discovery at a mine in Brazil of several egg clutches, partially preserved single eggs, and egg shells from the Late Cretaceous period. The researchers have concluded that the area was once a nesting and breeding site for titanosaurs, a group of sauropod dinosaurs. The finding is significant given the previous lack of known nesting sites in northern regions of South America, which led many paleontologists to assume that titanosaurs migrated south to lay eggs. What does the text most strongly suggest about the site discovered by the researchers?

• It is the earliest known example of a titanosaur nesting and breeding site.

• It was very difficult to excavate given that it was discovered in a mine.

• It may have been occupied by other sauropods in addition to titanosaurs.

• It is farther north than any other nesting site discovered in South America.

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When ancient oak planks were unearthed during subway construction in Rome, Mauro Bernabei and his team examined the growth rings in the wood to determine where these planks came from. By comparing the growth rings on the planks to records of similar rings in oaks from Europe, the team could trace the wood to the Jura region of France, hundreds of kilometers from Rome. Because timber could only have been transported from distant Jura to Rome by boat, the team’s findings suggest the complexity of Roman trade routes. Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

• It presents a conclusion about Roman trade routes based on the team’s findings.

• It questions how the team was able to conclude that the planks were used to build a boat.

• It explains why the planks were made from oak rather than a different kind of wood

• It describes common methods used in Roman subway construction.

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For his 1986 album Keyboard Fantasies, Beverly Glenn-Copeland wrote songs grounded in traditional soul and folk music, then accompanied them with futuristic synthesizer arrangements featuring ambient sounds and complex rhythms. The result was so strange, so unprecedented, that the album attracted little attention when first released. In recent years, however, a younger generation of musicians has embraced the stylistic experimentation of Keyboard Fantasies. Alternative R&B musicians Blood Orange and Moses Sumney, among other contemporary recording artists, cite the album as an influence. Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

• It urges contemporary musicians to adopt the unique sound of Keyboard Fantasies.

• It responds to criticism of Keyboard Fantasies by some younger musicians.

• It offers examples of younger musicians whose work has been impacted by Keyboard Fantasies.

• It contrasts Keyboard Fantasies with the recordings of two younger musicians.

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How many teaspoons are equivalent to 44 tablespoons? (3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon)

• 47

• 88

• 132

• 176