SAT Reading and Writing Module 2

The Mule Bone, a 1930 play written by Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, is perhaps the best-known of the few examples of ______ in

literature. Most writers prefer working alone, and given that working together cost Hurston and Hughes their friendship, it is not hard to see why.

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

• characterization

• interpretation

• collaboration

• commercialization

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'collaboration' because the passage discusses the joint effort of Hurston and Hughes in writing the play, highlighting the rarity of such partnerships in literature and the personal cost it incurred.

The process of mechanically recycling plastics

is often considered ______ because of the environmental impact and the loss of material quality that often occurs. But chemist Takunda Chazovachii has helped develop a cleaner process of chemical recycling that converts superabsorbent polymers from diapers into a desirable reusable

adhesive.

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

• resilient

• inadequate

• dynamic

• satisfactory

Answer explanation

The term 'inadequate' fits best as it highlights the shortcomings of mechanical recycling, specifically regarding environmental impact and material quality loss, making it the most logical choice in this context.

Interruptions in the supply chain for microchips

used in personal electronics have challenged an

economist’s assertion that retailers can expect robust

growth in sales of those devices in the coming

months. The delays are unlikely to ______ her

projection entirely but will almost certainly extend

its time frame.

Which choice completes the text with the most

logical and precise word or phrase?

• dispute

• withdraw

• underscore

• invalidate

Answer explanation

The word 'invalidate' means to make something no longer valid or acceptable. In this context, the economist's projection is not completely negated by the delays, making 'invalidate' the most logical choice to convey that the projection remains largely intact.

For her 2021 art installation Anthem, Wu Tsang

joined forces with singer and composer Beverly

Glenn-Copeland to produce a piece that critics

found truly ______: they praised Tsang for

creatively transforming a museum rotunda into a

dynamic exhibit by projecting filmed images of

Glenn-Copeland onto a massive 84-foot curtain and

filling the space with the sounds of his and other

voices singing.

Which choice completes the text with the most

logical and precise word or phrase?

• restrained

• inventive

• inexplicable

• mystifying

Answer explanation

The critics praised Tsang for creatively transforming the space, indicating that the work was innovative and original. 'Inventive' fits best as it highlights the creativity involved in the art installation.

Some scientists have suggested that mammals in the

Mesozoic era were not a very ______ group, but paleontologist Zhe-Xi Luo’s research suggests that early mammals living in the shadow of dinosaurs weren’t all ground-dwelling insectivores. Fossils of various plant-eating mammals have been found in China, including species like Vilevolodon diplomylos, which Luo says could glide like a flying squirrel.

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

• predatory

• obscure

• diverse

• localized

Answer explanation

The context suggests that early mammals were not just simple insectivores but included various species, indicating they were 'diverse'. The other options do not fit the context as well as 'diverse' does.

The following text is adapted from Gwendolyn

Bennett’s 1926 poem “Street Lamps in Early Spring.”

Night wears a garment

All velvet soft, all violet blue...

And over her face she draws a veil

As shimmering fine as floating dew...

And here and there

In the black of her hair

The subtle hands of Night

Move slowly with their gem-starred light.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

• It presents alternating descriptions of night in a

  rural area and in a city.

• It sketches an image of nightfall, then an image

  of sunrise.

• It makes an extended comparison of night to a

  human being.

• It portrays how night changes from one season

  of the year to the next.

Answer explanation

The text personifies night as a human figure, describing her with soft garments and a veil, emphasizing the beauty and gentleness of night, which aligns with the choice that states it makes an extended comparison of night to a human being.

According to historian Vicki L. Ruiz, Mexican American women made crucial contributions to the

labor movement during World War II. At the time, food processing companies entered into contracts to supply United States armed forces with canned goods. Increased production quotas conferred greater bargaining power on the companies’ employees, many of whom were Mexican American women: employees insisted on more favorable benefits, and employers, who were anxious to fulfill the contracts, complied. Thus, labor activism became a platform for Mexican American women to assert their agency.

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

• It elaborates on a claim about labor relations in a

  particular industry made earlier in the text.

• It offers an example of a trend in the World

  War II–era economy discussed earlier in the text.

• It notes a possible exception to the historical

  narrative of labor activism sketched earlier in the

  text.

• It provides further details about the identities of

  the workers discussed earlier in the text.

Answer explanation

The underlined portion elaborates on the claim that Mexican American women gained bargaining power in the labor movement, highlighting their role in negotiating better benefits during World War II, thus supporting the overall discussion of labor relations.

The following text is adapted from Zora Neale Hurston’s 1921 short story “John Redding Goes to

Sea.” John is a child who lives in a town in the woods.

Perhaps ten-year-old John was puzzling to the

folk there in the Florida woods for he was an

imaginative child and fond of day-dreams. The

St. John River flowed a scarce three hundred feet

from his back door. On its banks at this point

grow numerous palms, luxuriant magnolias

and bay trees. On the bosom of the stream

float millions of delicately colored hyacinths.

[John Redding] loved to wander down to the

water’s edge, and, casting in dry twigs, watch

them sail away down stream to Jacksonville, the

sea, the wide world and [he] wanted to follow

them.

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

• It provides an extended description of a location

  that John likes to visit.

• It reveals that some residents of John’s town are

  confused by his behavior.

• It illustrates the uniqueness of John’s

  imagination compared to the imaginations

  of other children.

• It suggests that John longs to experience a larger

  life outside the Florida woods.

Answer explanation

The underlined sentence highlights John's desire to explore beyond his familiar surroundings, indicating his longing for adventure and a broader life beyond the confines of the Florida woods.

The following text is adapted from Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian Gray is taking his first look at a portrait that Hallward has painted of him.

Dorian passed listlessly in front of his picture

and turned towards it. When he saw it he drew

back, and his cheeks flushed for a moment with

pleasure. A look of joy came into his eyes, as if he

had recognized himself for the first time. He

stood there motionless and in wonder, dimly

conscious that Hallward was speaking to him,

but not catching the meaning of his words. The

sense of his own beauty came on him like a

revelation. He had never felt it before.

According to the text, what is true about Dorian?

• He wants to know Hallward’s opinion of the

  portrait.

• He is delighted by what he sees in the portrait.

• He prefers portraits to other types of paintings.

• He is uncertain of Hallward’s talent as an artist.

Answer explanation

Dorian's reaction to the portrait shows he is delighted by what he sees, as indicated by his flushed cheeks and the joy in his eyes. This suggests he is experiencing a newfound appreciation for his own beauty.

Economists Kerwin Kofi Charles and Melvin Stephens Jr. investigated a variety of factors that influence voter turnout in the United States. Using survey data that revealed whether respondents voted in national elections and how knowledgeable respondents are about politics, Charles and Stephens claim that the likelihood of voting is driven in part by potential voters’ confidence in their assessments of candidates—essentially, the more informed voters are about politics, the more confident they are at evaluating whether candidates share their views, and

thus the more likely they are to vote.

Which choice best describes data in the graph that support Charles and Stephens’s claim?

• At each point on the political orientation scale,

  high-information voters were more likely than

  low-information voters to vote.

• Only low-information voters who identify

  as independents had a voting probability

  below 50%.

• The closer that low-information voters are to the

  ends of the political orientation scale, the more

  likely they were to vote.

• High-information voters were more likely to

  identify as strong Democrats or strong

  Republicans than low-information voters were.

Answer explanation

The correct choice highlights that at every level of political orientation, high-information voters consistently showed a higher likelihood of voting compared to low-information voters, supporting the claim about informed voters' confidence.