SAT Day 1

When fashion designer Lloyd Henri Kiva New opened his store in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1945, he quickly became known for creating delicately crafted leather goods, like belts and hats. He was perhaps most renowned for his colorful handbags, which he made by hand using a long and painstaking process. As he gained more customers, New began using sewing machines and other tools to help him produce bags more efficiently, though he continued to handcraft the crucial details that made each bag unique.

Based on the text, what would have been the most likely consequence if New had not begun using sewing machines?

• He would have been unable to ensure that each bag included unique, handcrafted details.

• He would have struggled to meet the increasing demand for his bags.

• He would have had to individually design each bag he produced.

• He would not have been able to generate as much interest in his bags.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.3

CCSS.RI.4.3

CCSS.RI.5.3

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Microbes that live in shallow lakes and ponds produce methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. Ecologist Ralf Aben and his team wanted to see how different types of shallow-water plants might affect the amount of methane that escapes into the atmosphere. Aben’s team set up some water tanks with soil and microbes from local ponds. Some tanks had a type of underwater plant that grows in the soil called watermilfoil. Other tanks had either duckweed, a type of plant that floats on the water’s surface, or algae. Aben and his team found that tanks with duckweed and algae released higher levels of methane than tanks with watermilfoil did. This finding suggests that ______ Which choice most logically completes the text?

• the presence of some kinds of underwater plants like watermilfoil helps prevent methane from escaping shallow lakes and ponds.

• shallow lakes and ponds release more methane than deeper bodies of water because shallow bodies of water usually have more plants than deep bodies of water do.

• shallow lakes and ponds are more likely to contain algae than to contain either watermilfoil or duckweed.

• having a mix of algae, underwater plants, and floating plants is the best way to reduce the amount of methane in shallow lakes and ponds.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

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CCSS.RL.9-10.1

Ochre sea stars live in tidal pools along the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean. At night, they move to higher shore levels in search of prey. But scientists Corey Garza and Carlos Robles noticed that ochre sea stars stayed at lower levels at night after heavy rains. Garza and Robles hypothesized that a layer of fresh water formed by rainfall was a barrier to the sea stars. To test their hypothesis, the scientists did an experiment. They placed some sea stars in a climbable tank of seawater and other sea stars in a similar tank of seawater with a layer of fresh water on top. Then, the scientists watched the sea stars’ behavior at night. 

Which finding from the experiment, if true, would most directly support Garza and Robles’s hypothesis?

• None of the sea stars climbed to the tops of the tanks, but sea stars in the tank with only seawater moved around the bottom of the tank more than sea stars in the other tank did.

• Sea stars in the tank with only seawater climbed to the top of the tank, but sea stars in the other tank stopped climbing just below the layer of fresh water.

• Both groups of sea stars climbed to the tops of the tanks, but sea stars in the tank with only seawater climbed more slowly than sea stars in the other tank did.

• Sea stars in the tank with only seawater mostly stayed near the bottom of the tank, but sea stars in the other tank climbed into the layer of fresh water.

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.1

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A student is writing an essay about four pyramids for a history class and wants to note how long ago each pyramid was built and how tall each pyramid is. Consulting the table, the student finds that el Castillo was built 1,100 to 1,400 years ago and is  ______  Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the text?

• 33 meters tall.

• 47 meters tall.

• 40 meters tall.

• 60 meters tall.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.7

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.7

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CCSS.RI.9-10.7

Botanist Al Kovaleski has pointed out that maple trees already thrive in a wide variety of climates and thus may ______ changes in climate better than some other tree species do. The alterations maples may undergo in response to a changing climate are likely to be relatively small and easily achieved.  Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• relocate from

• refer to

• originate from

• adapt to

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

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Ordinary soap bubbles usually exist for a minute or less before popping due to either a rupture forced by gravity-induced drainage or the evaporation of the liquid from which the bubble is composed. But physicist Aymeric Roux and colleagues discovered ways to mitigate these factors, resulting in bubbles that can last for a year or more. For example, glycerol tends to adhere to water molecules, so a bubble with a shell that contains both water and glycerol is able to draw additional water molecules from the surrounding air and thereby compensate for evaporation. Which choice best states the purpose of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

• It describes the effects of a process devised by researchers that increases the longevity of an object discussed in the text.

• It details the circumstances that prompted the research discussed in the text.

• It presents a reason why the phenomenon discussed in the text that the researchers wanted to avoid will inevitably occur.

• It mentions a method discussed in the text that researchers intend to test in future experiments.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

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CCSS.RI.7.5

text 1 Public policy researcher Anthony Fowler studied the history of elections in Australia, a country that requires citizens to vote. Fowler argues that requiring citizens to vote leads to a significant increase in voters who would otherwise not have the time or motivation to vote. Thus, election results in countries that require citizens to vote better reflect the preferences of the country as a whole.  Text 2 Governments in democratic countries function better when more people vote. However, forcing people to vote may have negative consequences. Shane P. Singh and Jason Roy studied what happens when a country requires its citizens to vote. They found that when people feel forced to vote, they tend to spend less time looking for information about their choices when voting. As a result, votes from these voters may not reflect their actual preferences.

Based on the texts, how would Singh and Roy (Text 2) most likely respond to the research discussed in Text 1?

• Only countries of a certain population size should implement mandatory voting.

• People who are forced to vote are likely to become politically engaged in other ways, such as volunteering or running for office.

• Requiring people to vote does not necessarily lead to election outcomes that better represent the preferences of the country as a whole.

• Countries that require voting must also make the process of voting easier for their citizens.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.7

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While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: Sue is the nickname of a dinosaur fossil specimen housed at the Field Museum of Natural History. The Field Museum of Natural History is located in Chicago, Illinois. Sue is a member of the genus Tyrannosaurus. Big Mike is the nickname of a dinosaur fossil specimen housed at the Museum of the Rockies.  The Museum of the Rockies is located in Bozeman, Montana. Big Mike is a member of the genus Tyrannosaurus. The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the two specimens.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

• The Field Museum of Natural History, where Sue is housed, is located in Chicago, Illinois.

• Big Mike is the nickname of a Tyrannosaurus fossil specimen housed at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana.

• The dinosaur fossil specimens Sue and Big Mike are both members of the genus Tyrannosaurus.

• While Sue is housed at the Field Museum of Natural History, Big Mike is housed at the Museum of the Rockies.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.1

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In 1942, the 1,500-mile Alaska Highway was constructed in under nine months, largely due to the skilled work of nearly 4,000 African American soldiers from US Army engineering regiments. The soldiers’ contribution was overlooked for decades. ______ in 2017, lawmakers declared October 25 a day of recognition—“Alaska Highway Day”—for the troops who helped build this critical roadway.

• Lastly,

• Then,

• Similarly,

• For example

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

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Generations of mystery and horror ______ have been influenced by the dark, gothic stories of celebrated American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849).

• writers

• writers,

• writers—

• writers;

Tags

CCSS.RF.3.3B

CCSS.RF.3.3C

CCSS.RF.3.3D

CCSS.RF.4.3A

CCSS.RF.5.3A