GD1 SAT Practice Test Module 2

In the early 1800s, the Cherokee scholar Sequoyah created the first script, or writing system, for an Indigenous language in the United States. Because it represented the sounds of spoken Cherokee so accurately, his script was easy to learn and thus quickly achieved _______ use: by 1830, over 90 percent of the Cherokee people could read and write it.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• widespread
• careful

• unintended

• infrequent

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Researchers have struggled to pinpoint specific causes for hiccups, which happen when a person’s diaphragm contracts _______. However, neuroscientist Kimberley Whitehead has found that these uncontrollable contractions may play an important role in helping infants regulate their breathing.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• involuntarily

• beneficially

• strenuously

• smoothly

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The province of Xoconochco was situated on the Pacific coast, hundreds of kilometers southeast of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire. Because Xoconochco’s location within the empire was so _______, cacao and other trade goods produced there could reach the capital only after a long overland journey.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• unobtrusive

• concealed

• approximate

• peripheral

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Proposals to raise the age at which retirees begin receiving government transfers of funds are generally discussed in terms of the effects on transfer recipients, but Andria Smythe has argued that delaying such transfers could _______ wealth creation among working adults by lengthening the period in which they are providing financial support to their nonworking parents.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• stymie

• compound

• disparage

• outstrip

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Political blogs with conspicuous ideological alignments became an integral component of US media in the early 2000s. While some commentators lauded this development, asserting that such blogs had a welcome transparency missing from traditional news, less _______ observers countered that such blogs tended to ideological extremes that exacerbatedpolitical polarization to problematic levels.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• sanguine

• recalcitrant
• misanthropic

• earnest

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The following text is adapted from Pam Muñoz Ryan’s 2020 novel Mañanaland. In the village where Max lives, there is an old fortress called La Reina. Children in the village say that the fortress is haunted.

For as long as he could remember, Max had begged Papá [his father] to take him to see La Reina and the ruins up close. He’d be a hero among his friends if he was the first boy to cross the haunted gates! Just because Papá didn’t believe in ghosts didn’t mean they weren’t there. Maybe this summer Papá would finally take him. He was almost twelve.

Which choice best describes the overall purpose of the text?

• To portray how proud Max’s father is of Max

• To explain why Max doesn’t want to grow up yet

• To criticize Max for disliking summer

• To show how much Max wants to visit La Reina

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The following text is adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s 1912 play Pygmalion. Henry Higgins has just arrived at the house of his mother (Mrs. Higgins). She is expecting her friends to visit soon. MRS. HIGGINS: I’m serious, Henry. You offend all my friends: they stop coming whenever they meet you. HIGGINS: Nonsense! I know I have no small talk; but people don’t mind. MRS. HIGGINS: Oh! don’t they? Small talk indeed! What about your large talk? Really, dear, you mustn’t stay. Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

• To describe what Henry’s mother does when she goes out with her friends

• To show that Henry’s mother wants him to leave

• To present a detailed account of what Henry’s home looks like

• To explain why Henry often visits his mother

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The following text is from Charlotte Forten Grimké’s 1888 poem “At Newport.”

Oh, deep delight to watch the gladsome waves Exultant leap upon the rugged rocks; Ever repulsed, yet ever rushing on— Filled with a life that will not know defeat; To see the glorious hues of sky and sea. The distant snowy sails, glide spirit like, Into an unknown world, to feel the sweet Enchantment of the sea thrill all the soul, Clearing the clouded brain, making the heart Leap joyous as it own bright, singing waves!

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

• A) It portrays the surroundings as an imposing and intimidating scene.

• B) It characterizes the sea’s waves as a relentless and enduring force.

• C) It conveys the speaker’s ambivalence about the natural world.

• D) It draws a contrast between the sea’s waves and the speaker’s thoughts.

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Believing that living in an impractical space can heighten awareness and even improve health, conceptual artists Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa designed an apartment building in Japan to be more fanciful than functional. A kitchen counter is chest-high on one side and knee-high on the other; a ceiling has a door to nowhere. The effect is disorienting but invigorating: after four years there, filmmaker Nobu Yamaoka reported significant health benefits. Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

• Although inhabiting a home surrounded by fanciful features such as those designed by Gins and Arakawa can be rejuvenating, it is unsustainable.

• Designing disorienting spaces like those in the Gins and Arakawa building is the most effective way to create a physically stimulating environment.

• As a filmmaker, Yamaoka has long supported the designs of conceptual artists such as Gins and Arakawa.

• Although impractical, the design of the apartment building by Gins and Arakawa may improve the well-being of the building’s residents.

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Based on the text, how does the Lord Chancellor respond to the crowd?The following text is adapted from Lewis Carroll’s 1889 satirical novel Sylvie and Bruno. A crowd has gathered outside a room belonging to the Warden, an official who reports to the Lord Chancellor.

One man, who was more excited than the rest, flung his hat high into the air, and shouted (as well as I could make out) “Who roar for the Sub-Warden?” Everybody roared, but whether it was for the Sub-Warden, or not, did not clearly appear: some were shouting “Bread!” and some “Taxes!”, but no one seemed to know what it was they really wanted.

All this I saw from the open window of the Warden’s breakfast-saloon, looking across the shoulder of the Lord Chancellor. “What can it all mean?” he kept repeating to himself. “I never heard such shouting before—and at this time of the morning, too! And with such unanimity!”

Based on the text, how does the Lord Chancellor respond to the crowd?

• He asks about the meaning of the crowd’s shouting, even though he claims to know what the crowd wants.

• He indicates a desire to speak to the crowd, even though the crowd has asked to speak to the Sub-Warden.

• He expresses sympathy for the crowd’s demands, even though the crowd’s shouting annoys him.

• He describes the crowd as being united, even though the crowd clearly appears otherwise.

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