Question ID 359902ae

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 Question ID 359902ae
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 359902ae
The following text is adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1837 story “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment.” The main character,
a physician, is experimenting with rehydrating a dried flower.

At first [the rose] lay lightly on the surface of the fluid, appearing to imbibe none of its moisture. Soon, however, a
singular change began to be visible. The crushed and dried petals stirred and assumed a deepening tinge of
crimson, as if the flower were reviving from a deathlike slumber.

As used in the text, what does the phrase “a singular” most nearly mean?

A. A lonely

B. A disagreeable

C. An acceptable

D. An extraordinary

ID: 359902ae Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer because as used in the text, “singular” most nearly means extraordinary. The text portrays
an experiment in which a character rehydrates a dried rose by infusing it with moisture. After prolonged contact with
the liquid, the rose begins to absorb it, undergoing an exceptional transformation: its color deepens, its previously
“crushed and dried” petals shift, and the entire flower revives “from a deathlike slumber.” In other words, an
extraordinary change is visible in the flower.

Choice A is incorrect. Although in some contexts “singular” can mean of or relating to an individual or to a single
instance of something, this usage doesn’t imply loneliness or an otherwise unsatisfactory condition of isolation.
Moreover, the text doesn’t attribute such a condition to the rose. Choice B is incorrect. Although “singular” has several
related meanings, none of them relate to being disagreeable or unpleasant. Moreover, the text doesn’t portray the
change undergone by the rose as necessarily disagreeable. Choice C is incorrect because “singular” means
extraordinary, not acceptable. The change is portrayed as striking, not barely satisfactory.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 22a41819
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 22a41819
Rejecting the premise that the literary magazine Ebony and Topaz (1927) should present a unified vision of Black
American identity, editor Charles S. Johnson fostered his contributors’ diverse perspectives by promoting their
authorial autonomy. Johnson’s self-effacement diverged from the editorial stances of W.E.B. Du Bois and Alain Locke,
whose decisions for their publications were more ______.

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

A. proficient

B. dogmatic

C. ambiguous

D. unpretentious

ID: 22a41819 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. A person who is "dogmatic" believes strongly that their principles and opinions are true.
Because Du Bois and Locke are implied to have one "unified vision" of Black American identity that they prioritize over
the "diverse perspectives" of different writers, they can be described as dogmatic.

Choice A is incorrect. "Proficient" means "skilled." Du Bois and Locke are contrasted with Johnson, but nothing in the
text suggests that Johnson was not skilled at making editorial decisions. Based on the text, the three editors just have
different styles; they’re not necessarily more or less skilled. Choice C is incorrect. "Ambiguous" means "unclear" or
"open to multiple interpretations." However, it’s actually Johnson who encouraged multiple interpretations ("diverse
perspectives"). Since Du Bois and Locke are said to "diverge" from Johnson, we can assume that the views they
published were not ambiguous, but instead clear and firm (a "unified vision"). Choice D is incorrect. "Unpretentious"
means "not trying to impress others with greater skill or importance than is actually possessed." Du Bois and Locke are
contrasted with Johnson, but nothing in the text suggests that Johnson is pretentious (trying to impress others).

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 5e57efec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 5e57efec
Economist Marco Castillo and colleagues showed that nuisance costs—the time and effort people must spend to make
donations—reduce charitable giving. Charities can mitigate this effect by compensating donors for nuisance costs, but
those costs, though variable, are largely ______ donation size, so charities that compensate donors will likely favor
attracting a few large donors over many small donors.

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

A. supplemental to

B. predictive of

C. independent of

D. subsumed in

ID: 5e57efec Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. We’re told that charities that pay donors back for nuisance costs will attract a few large
donors instead of many small donors. This suggests that nuisance costs are not linked to donation size.

Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If nuisance costs are supplemental to (meaning in addition
to) donation size, that wouldn’t result in charities that compensate donors for those costs attracting a few large donors
over many small donors. Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If nuisance costs can predict
donation size, that wouldn’t necessarily result in charities that compensate donors for those costs attracting a few
large donors over many small donors. Choice D is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If nuisance costs are
subsumed in (meaning included in) donation size, that wouldn’t result in charities that compensate donors for those
costs attracting a few large donors over many small donors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 97e5bf55
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 97e5bf55
Text 1
In 1916, H. Dugdale Sykes disputed claims that The Two Noble Kinsmen was coauthored by William Shakespeare and
John Fletcher. Sykes felt Fletcher’s contributions to the play were obvious—Fletcher had a distinct style in his other
plays, so much so that lines with that style were considered sufficient evidence of Fletcher’s authorship. But for the
lines not deemed to be by Fletcher, Sykes felt that their depiction of women indicated that their author was not
Shakespeare but Philip Massinger.
Text 2
Scholars have accepted The Two Noble Kinsmen as coauthored by Shakespeare since the 1970s: it appears in all major
one-volume editions of Shakespeare’s complete works. Though scholars disagree about who wrote what exactly, it is
generally held that on the basis of style, Shakespeare wrote all of the first act and most of the last, while John Fletcher
authored most of the three middle acts.

Based on the texts, both Sykes in Text 1 and the scholars in Text 2 would most likely agree with which statement?

A. John Fletcher’s writing has a unique, readily identifiable style.

B. The women characters in John Fletcher’s plays are similar to the women characters in Philip Massinger’s plays.

C. The Two Noble Kinsmen belongs in one-volume compilations of Shakespeare’s complete plays.

D. Philip Massinger’s style in the first and last acts of The Two Noble Kinsmen is an homage to Shakespeare’s style.

ID: 97e5bf55 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. Text 1 states that Sykes felt Fletcher’s contributions to the play were obvious because he
had a distinct style in his other plays. Text 2 states that scholars generally agree “on the basis of style” that Fletcher
wrote most of the three middle acts. Both texts imply that Fletcher’s writing has a unique, readily identifiable style that
can be used to distinguish his work from others.

Choice B is incorrect. While Text 1 refers to the women in Massinger plays, neither text compares the women of

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 Fletcher’s plays to the women of Massinger’s plays. Text 2 doesn’t mention Massinger at all. Choice C is incorrect. Text
1 states that Sykes disputed that Shakespeare coauthored the play, and implied that it was coauthored by Fletcher and
Massinger instead. Sykes, therefore, would disagree that The Two Noble Kinsmen belongs in a Shakespeare
compilation. Choice D is incorrect. Text 1 doesn’t suggest that Massinger was inspired by Shakespeare, and Text 2
doesn’t mention Massinger at all.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID d4732483
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: d4732483
Studying late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century artifacts from an agricultural and domestic site in Texas,
archaeologist Ayana O. Flewellen found that Black women employed as farm workers utilized hook-and-eye closures to
fasten their clothes at the waist, giving themselves a silhouette similar to the one that was popular in contemporary
fashion and typically achieved through more restrictive garments such as corsets. Flewellen argues that this sartorial
practice shows that these women balanced hegemonic ideals of femininity with the requirements of their physically
demanding occupation.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

To describe an unexpected discovery that altered a researcher’s view of how rapidly fashions among Black female
A. farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Texas changed during the period

To discuss research that investigated the ways in which Black female farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early
B. twentieth-century Texas used fashion practices to resist traditional gender ideals

To evaluate a scholarly work that offers explanations for the impact of urban fashion ideals on Black female
C. farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Texas

To summarize the findings of a study that explored factors influencing a fashion practice among Black female
D. farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Texas

ID: d4732483 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The text provides an overview of a scholarly work discussing the fashion practices of
Black female farmworkers in late 19th- and early 20th-century Texas, and how these practices were influenced by both
the fashion ideals of the time and the demands of farmwork.

Choice A is incorrect. The text never discusses the rate of fashion change among Black female farmworkers. The text
also never categorizes Flewellen’s findings as "unexpected." Choice B is incorrect. The text actually explains that Black
female farmworkers were trying to achieve traditional feminine ideals, not resist them. Choice C is incorrect. The text
doesn’t evaluate a scholarly work but rather simply describes it. Furthermore, the text is focused on "agricultural and
domestic" fashion, not urban fashion as this choice suggests.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 236fee8e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 236fee8e
Archeological excavation of Market Street Chinatown, a nineteenth-century Chinese American community in San Jose,
California, provided the first evidence that Asian food products were imported to the United States in the 1800s: bones
from a freshwater fish species native to Southeast Asia. Jinshanzhuang—Hong Kong–based import/export firms—likely
coordinated the fish’s transport from Chinese-operated fisheries in Vietnam and Malaysia to North American markets.
This route reveals the (often overlooked) multinational dimensions of the trade networks linking Chinese diaspora
communities.

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

It explains why efforts to determine the country of origin of the items mentioned in the previous sentence remain
A. inconclusive.

It provides information that helps support a claim about a discovery’s significance that is presented in the following
B. sentence.

C. It traces the steps that were taken to locate and recover the objects that are described in the previous sentence.

D. It outlines a hypothesis that additional evidence discussed in the following sentence casts some doubt on.

ID: 236fee8e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. The underlined sentence provides information about import/export firms, showing how
Chinese communities across the world were connected by trade routes.

Choice A is incorrect. The underlined sentence never suggests that the countries of origin of the fish are in question—in
fact, it tells us exactly where they came from. Choice C is incorrect. The passage never describes the steps taken to
discover the fish bones described in the previous sentence. Choice D is incorrect. The underlined sentence doesn’t
outline a hypothesis but instead provides evidence. And the following sentence agrees with the underlined sentence, so
we could eliminate this choice just for saying that the following sentence "casts some doubt on" the underlined one—
partly wrong is all wrong.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID e459076b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e459076b
The following text is adapted from George Eliot’s 1871–72 novel Middlemarch.

[Mr. Brooke] had travelled in his younger years, and was held in this part of the country to have contracted a too
rambling habit of mind. Mr. Brooke’s conclusions were as difficult to predict as the weather.

As used in the text, what does the word “contracted” most nearly mean?

A. Restricted

B. Described

C. Developed

D. Settled

ID: e459076b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “contracted” most nearly means developed. The text explains
that Mr. Brooke has a “too rambling habit of mind,” which the text likens to a disease, saying he is thought to have
contracted it. To contract a disease means to acquire or develop a disease. In other words, the text indicates that Mr.
Brooke is believed to have acquired, or developed, the habit of mind described in the text.

Choice A is incorrect. Although “contracted” can mean limited or restricted in some contexts, here Mr. Brooke is said to
draw unpredictable conclusions, suggesting that he exhibits this “too rambling habit of mind,” not that it has been
somehow limited or restricted. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text describes Mr. Brooke’s habit of mind, nothing
suggests that those are his descriptions or, indeed, that he described his habit of mind at all. Choice D is incorrect
because settled means calmed or mitigated, but here Mr. Brooke is said to draw unpredictable conclusions, suggesting
that he exhibits this “too rambling habit of mind,” not that it has been somehow calmed or mitigated.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 105ea6de
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 105ea6de
Text 1
Growth in the use of novel nanohybrids—materials created from the conjugation of multiple distinct nanomaterials,
such as iron oxide and gold nanomaterials conjugated for use in magnetic imaging—has outpaced studies of
nanohybrids’ environmental risks. Unfortunately, risk evaluations based on nanohybrids’ constituents are not reliable:
conjugation may alter constituents’ physiochemical properties such that innocuous nanomaterials form a nanohybrid
that is anything but.
Text 2
The potential for enhanced toxicity of nanohybrids relative to the toxicity of constituent nanomaterials has drawn
deserved attention, but the effects of nanomaterial conjugation vary by case. For instance, it was recently shown that a
nanohybrid of silicon dioxide and zinc oxide preserved the desired optical transparency of zinc oxide nanoparticles
while mitigating the nanoparticles’ potential to damage DNA.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the assertion in the underlined portion of
Text 1?

By concurring that the risk described in Text 1 should be evaluated but emphasizing that the risk is more than offset
A. by the potential benefits of nanomaterial conjugation

By arguing that the situation described in Text 1 may not be representative but conceding that the effects of
B. nanomaterial conjugation are harder to predict than researchers had expected

By denying that the circumstance described in Text 1 is likely to occur but acknowledging that many aspects of
C. nanomaterial conjugation are still poorly understood

By agreeing that the possibility described in Text 1 is a cause for concern but pointing out that nanomaterial
D. conjugation does not inevitably produce that result

ID: 105ea6de Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The author of Text 2 acknowledges that nanohybrids may be more toxic than their
constituent parts, but also provides an example of a nanohybrid that has reduced toxicity compared to its components:
silicon dioxide and zinc oxide together have all the benefits of zinc oxide nanoparticles without any of the DNA harm

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 zinc oxide has on its own.

Choice A is incorrect. While the author of Text 2 gives an example of a nanohybrid that isn’t as toxic as its constituent
parts, they don’t argue that the benefit outweighs the risk. They merely argue that “the effects of nanomaterial
conjugation vary by case.” Choice B is incorrect. The author of Text 2 states that the effects of nanomaterial
conjugation “vary by case,” and that the attention that their potential toxicity has drawn is warranted. If the situation in
Text 1 weren’t representative, then there would be less attention to the potential danger of these materials.
Furthermore, neither passage suggests that researchers had expected that they could predict the effects of
nanomaterial conjugation. Choice C is incorrect. The author of Text 2 agrees that the potential toxicity of nanohybrids
“has drawn deserved attention,” so they aren’t denying the problem.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 2903a041
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 2903a041
Using NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Mercedes López-Morales and colleagues measured the
wavelengths of light traveling through the atmosphere of WASP-39b, an exoplanet, or planet outside our solar system.
Different molecules absorb different wavelengths of light, and the wavelength measurements showed the presence of
carbon dioxide (CO₂) in WASP-39b’s atmosphere. This finding not only offers the first decisive evidence of CO₂ in the
atmosphere of an exoplanet but also illustrates the potential for future scientific breakthroughs held by the JWST.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. It discusses a method used by some researchers, then states why an alternative method is superior to it.

B. It describes how researchers made a scientific discovery, then explains the importance of that discovery.

C. It outlines the steps taken in a scientific study, then presents a hypothesis based on that study.

It examines how a group of scientists reached a conclusion, then shows how other scientists have challenged that
D. conclusion.

ID: 2903a041 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. The text begins by describing how the researchers used the JWST to detect CO₂ in WASP-
39b’s atmosphere. Then the text discusses the significance of this finding, both as the first evidence of CO₂ in an
exoplanet’s atmosphere and as an illustration of the JWST’s potential for making new discoveries in general.

Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t compare two different methods, but rather focuses on one study that used the
JWST. Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t present a hypothesis, but rather reports on the findings of a study. Choice
D is incorrect. The text doesn’t mention any scientists challenging the conclusion reached by López-Morales and
colleagues.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID c4737d6a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: c4737d6a
Text 1
Africa’s Sahara region—once a lush ecosystem—began to dry out about 8,000 years ago. A change in Earth’s orbit that
affected climate has been posited as a cause of desertification, but archaeologist David Wright also attributes the shift
to Neolithic peoples. He cites their adoption of pastoralism as a factor in the region drying out: the pastoralists’
livestock depleted vegetation, prompting the events that created the Sahara Desert.
Text 2
Research by Chris Brierley et al. challenges the idea that Neolithic peoples contributed to the Sahara’s desertification.
Using a climate-vegetation model, the team concluded that the end of the region’s humid period occurred 500 years
earlier than previously assumed. The timing suggests that Neolithic peoples didn’t exacerbate aridity in the region but,
in fact, may have helped delay environmental changes with practices (e.g., selective grazing) that preserved vegetation.

Based on the texts, how would Chris Brierley (Text 2) most likely respond to the discussion in Text 1?

By pointing out that given the revised timeline for the end of the Sahara’s humid period, the Neolithic peoples’ mode
A. of subsistence likely didn’t cause the region’s desertification

By claiming that pastoralism was only one of many behaviors the Neolithic peoples took part in that may have
B. contributed to the Sahara’s changing climate

C. By insisting that pastoralism can have both beneficial and deleterious effects on a region’s vegetation and climate

By asserting that more research needs to be conducted into factors that likely contributed to the desertification of
D. the Sahara region

ID: c4737d6a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. Brierley et al.’s research directly challenges Wright’s claim that pastoralism turned the
Sahara into a desert, suggesting that, in a Sahara that turned arid 500 years earlier than previously thought, pastoral
practices may have actually “preserved vegetation” rather than depleting it.

Choice B is incorrect. Brierley et al.’s research actually disputes the idea that any Neolithic peoples’ behaviors, including

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 pastoralism, could have contributed to the Sahara’s changing climate. In fact, their research implies that the Neolithic
peoples’ practices did not “exacerbate aridity” (i.e., make things worse), but may have slowed environmental changes.
Choice C is incorrect. Brierley et al.’s research does not acknowledge that pastoralism can have deleterious (i.e.,
negative) effects on a region’s vegetation and climate. It only describes one possible beneficial effect: preserving
vegetation through practices like selective grazing. Choice D is incorrect. Brierley et al.’s research does not call for more
research into factors that likely contributed to the desertification of the Sahara region.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID a87c3925
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: a87c3925
Text 1
Soy sauce, made from fermented soybeans, is noted for its umami flavor. Umami—one of the five basic tastes along
with sweet, bitter, salty, and sour—was formally classified when its taste receptors were discovered in the 2000s. In
2007, to define the pure umami flavor scientists Rie Ishii and Michael O’Mahony used broths made from shiitake
mushrooms and kombu seaweed, and two panels of Japanese and US judges closely agreed on a description of the
taste.
Text 2
A 2022 experiment by Manon Jünger et al. led to a greater understanding of soy sauce’s flavor profile. The team initially
presented a mixture of compounds with low molecular weights to taste testers who found it was not as salty or bitter
as real soy sauce. Further analysis of soy sauce identified proteins, including dipeptides, that enhanced umami flavor
and also contributed to saltiness. The team then made a mix of 50 chemical compounds that re-created soy sauce’s
flavor.

Based on the texts, if Ishii and O’Mahony (Text 1) and Jünger et al. (Text 2) were aware of the findings of both
experiments, they would most likely agree with which statement?

On average, the diets of people in the United States tend to have fewer foods that contain certain dipeptides than
A. the diets of people in Japan have.

Chemical compounds that activate both the umami and salty taste receptors tend to have a higher molecular
B. weight than those that only activate umami taste receptors.

Fermentation introduces proteins responsible for the increase of umami flavor in soy sauce, and those proteins
C. also increase the perception of saltiness.

The broths in the 2007 experiment most likely did not have a substantial amount of the dipeptides that played a key
D. part in the 2022 experiment.

ID: a87c3925 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. Ishii and O’Mahony were trying to isolate the pure umami flavor, while Jünger was trying to

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 recreate soy sauce, which has a mix of flavors that includes umami. Accordingly, the broths from Text 1 are not
described as having any soy sauce in them—just “shiitake mushrooms and kombu seaweed.” So they probably don’t
have as much of the dipeptides described in Text 2, which were found to be a key part of soy sauce’s umami-ness and
its saltiness.

Choice A is incorrect. Neither text supports this. Neither text gets into the diets of people in the United States, nor the
diets of people in Japan. Choice B is incorrect. Neither text supports this. Text 2 does talk about the molecular weights
of chemical compounds, but there isn’t enough information provided about molecular weights in Text 1 to make an
inference about what the scientists in Text 1 would say. Choice C is incorrect. Neither text supports this. Text 1 briefly
mentions that soy sauce is “made from fermented soybeans,” but it never claims that fermentation is responsible for
its flavor in any way. And Text 2 never mentions fermentation at all.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID b0f7541b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: b0f7541b
The following text is adapted from Herman Melville’s 1857 novel The Confidence-Man. Humphry Davy was a prominent
British chemist and inventor.

Years ago, a grave American savant, being in London, observed at an evening party there, a certain coxcombical
fellow, as he thought, an absurd ribbon in his lapel, and full of smart [banter], whisking about to the admiration of
as many as were disposed to admire. Great was the savant’s disdain; but, chancing ere long to find himself in a
corner with the jackanapes, got into conversation with him, when he was somewhat ill-prepared for the good
sense of the jackanapes, but was altogether thrown aback, upon subsequently being [informed that he was] no
less a personage than Sir Humphry Davy.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. It portrays the thoughts of a character who is embarrassed about his own behavior.

B. It presents an account of a misunderstanding.

C. It offers a short history of how a person came to be famous.

D. It explains why one character dislikes another.

ID: b0f7541b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. The text tells a story of a first impression that turned out to be wrong: a serious American
savant was dismissive of a goofy-looking, wisecracking guest at a British party, and then was shocked to learn that the
guest was actually a prominent British chemist and inventor.

Choice A is incorrect. This is too strong and too narrow. Only at the very end is the savant "thrown aback" by the fact
that the man was Sir Humphry Davy—he’s not "embarrassed about his own behavior." Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t
the main purpose. The text never provides the history of how Sir Humphry Davy came to be famous. Nor does it provide
any history for the American savant. Choice D is incorrect. This is too narrow. It doesn’t include the second half of the
text, where the savant gets into a conversation with the man and then finds out that the man is Sir Humphry Davy.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID df46a2ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: df46a2ee
The following text is from Joseph Conrad’s 1907 novel The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale. Mr. Verloc is navigating the
London streets on his way to a meeting.
Before reaching Knightsbridge, Mr. Verloc took a turn to the left out of the busy main thoroughfare, uproarious with the
traffic of swaying omnibuses and trotting vans, in the almost silent, swift flow of hansoms [horse-drawn carriages].
Under his hat, worn with a slight backward tilt, his hair had been carefully brushed into respectful sleekness; for his
business was with an Embassy. And Mr. Verloc, steady like a rock—a soft kind of rock—marched now along a street
which could with every propriety be described as private.

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

A. It qualifies an earlier description of Mr. Verloc.

B. It emphasizes an internal struggle Mr. Verloc experiences.

C. It contrasts Mr. Verloc with his surroundings.

D. It reveals a private opinion Mr. Verloc holds.

ID: df46a2ee Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. The underline phrase qualifies (meaning adds limits or conditions to) the description of
Mr. Verloc as “steady like a rock,” adding that he is a “soft” rock.

Choice B is incorrect. In fact, the passage never mentions Mr. Verloc experiencing any internal struggles. Choice C is
incorrect. The underlined phrase doesn’t contrast Mr. Verloc with his surroundings, but is instead modifying the
description of him as a rock. Choice D is incorrect. The underlined phrase doesn’t reveal a private opinion Mr. Verloc
holds: instead, it further describes his character for the reader.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 5a278f24
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 5a278f24
The work of molecular biophysicist Enrique M. De La Cruz is known for ______ traditional boundaries between
academic disciplines. The university laboratory that De La Cruz runs includes engineers, biologists, chemists, and
physicists, and the research the lab produces makes use of insights and techniques from all those fields.

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

A. epitomizing

B. transcending

C. anticipating

D. reinforcing

ID: 5a278f24 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to "mak[ing] use
of insights and techniques from all those fields." "Transcending" means "going beyond," so "transcending traditional
boundaries" would mean crossing into all those various fields of research, which is exactly the meaning we want.

Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something
similar to "mak[ing] use of insights and techniques from all those fields." To "epitomize" means to "be a perfect example
of," so "epitomizing traditional boundaries" would mean the opposite of what we want: keeping the fields of research
separate. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means
something similar to "mak[ing] use of insights and techniques from all those fields." "Anticipating" means "expecting" or
"waiting for," and would result in a confusing sentence with an unclear meaning. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t a
logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to "mak[ing] use of
insights and techniques from all those fields." "Reinforcing traditional boundaries" would mean the opposite: keeping
the fields of research separate.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID ff97fd53
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: ff97fd53
In 1973, poet Miguel Algarín started inviting other writers who, like him, were Nuyorican—a term for New Yorkers of
Puerto Rican heritage—to gather in his apartment to present their work. The gatherings were so well attended that
Algarín soon had to rent space in a cafe to accommodate them. Thus, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe was born. Moving to a
permanent location in 1981, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe expanded its original scope beyond the written word, hosting art
exhibitions and musical performances as well. Half a century since its inception, it continues to foster emerging
Nuyorican talent.

Which choice best describes the overall purpose of the text?

A. To explain what motivated Algarín to found the Nuyorican Poets Cafe

B. To situate the Nuyorican Poets Cafe within the cultural life of New York as a whole

C. To discuss why the Nuyorican Poets Cafe expanded its scope to include art and music

D. To provide an overview of the founding and mission of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe

ID: ff97fd53 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The text presents a brief history of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, from how it got started in
the ’70s, to its expansion in the ’80s, to its ongoing mission today.

Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the overall purpose. The text never mentions Algarín’s motivations. Choice B is
incorrect. This isn’t the overall purpose. The text never discusses the cultural life of New York as a whole. Choice C is
incorrect. This is too narrow. One sentence mentions that the Nuyorican Poets Cafe expanded its scope to include art
and music, but this is only one point in the broader history of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, which is the overall focus of the
text.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID c61a7c4a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: c61a7c4a
Some studies have suggested that posture can influence cognition, but we should not overstate this phenomenon. A
case in point: In a 2014 study, Megan O’Brien and Alaa Ahmed had subjects stand or sit while making risky simulated
economic decisions. Standing is more physically unstable and cognitively demanding than sitting; accordingly, O’Brien
and Ahmed hypothesized that standing subjects would display more risk aversion during the decision-making tasks
than sitting subjects did, since they would want to avoid further feelings of discomfort and complicated risk
evaluations. But O’Brien and Ahmed actually found no difference in the groups’ performance.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

It argues that research findings about the effects of posture on cognition are often misunderstood, as in the case of
A. O’Brien and Ahmed’s study.

It presents the study by O’Brien and Ahmed to critique the methods and results reported in previous studies of the
B. effects of posture on cognition.

It explains a significant problem in the emerging understanding of posture’s effects on cognition and how O’Brien
C. and Ahmed tried to solve that problem.

It discusses the study by O’Brien and Ahmed to illustrate why caution is needed when making claims about the
D. effects of posture on cognition.

ID: c61a7c4a Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The text notes that
although some studies have suggested that posture may have an effect on cognition, this phenomenon should not be

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 overstated. In other words, the text begins by urging caution and restraint when discussing the effects of posture on
cognition, implying that even though some studies have shown posture to affect cognition, we should not assume that
posture always affects cognition or does so in a strong way. The text goes on to discuss O’Brien and Ahmed’s study as
a "case in point" (that is, as an example of the point made previously). According to the text, O’Brien and Ahmed
hypothesized that since standing is more cognitively demanding than sitting, standing subjects in their experiment
would respond differently to decision-making tasks than sitting subjects would, which would show an effect of posture
on cognition. What the researchers actually found, however, was that the standing and sitting subjects performed the
same—posture did not affect cognition. By presenting a circumstance in which posture does not appear to affect
cognition, the discussion of O’Brien and Ahmed’s study shows why it is important not to overstate the phenomenon.
The purpose of the text, therefore, is to discuss O’Brien and Ahmed’s study to illustrate why caution is needed when
making claims about posture’s effects on cognition.

Choice A is incorrect because the text discusses O’Brien and Ahmed’s study as an example of why caution is needed
when discussing posture’s effects on cognition, not as an example of how research findings related to posture and
cognition are often misunderstood. Although the text does warn against misunderstanding the scope of the
relationship between posture and cognition that has been reported in some previous studies, O’Brien and Ahmed’s
study is not one of those studies, and there is no suggestion that anyone has misunderstood O’Brien and Ahmed’s
findings. Choice B is incorrect because the text makes no mention of the methods used in previous studies of the
effects of posture on cognition. Although the text does urge caution when discussing posture’s effects on cognition, it
does not critique the results of studies that suggested that posture can affect cognition. Instead, the text suggests that
such results should not be exaggerated or taken too broadly. Choice C is incorrect because although the text implies
that overstating posture’s effects on cognition would be a problem, nothing in the text suggests that O’Brien and
Ahmed share that view or that they attempted to solve that problem. O’Brien and Ahmed are presented as
hypothesizing that posture would affect cognition in their study, not as trying to resolve the problem the text describes.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID aa5897b8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: aa5897b8
In Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park, an almost imperceptible smile from potential suitor Henry Crawford causes the
protagonist Fanny Price to blush; her embarrassment grows when she suspects that he is aware of it. This moment—in
which Fanny not only infers Henry’s mental state through his gestures, but also infers that he is drawing inferences
about her mental state—illustrates what literary scholar George Butte calls “deep intersubjectivity,” a technique for
representing interactions between consciousnesses through which Austen’s novels derive much of their social and
psychological drama.

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

It states a claim about Austen’s skill at representing psychological complexity that is reinforced by an example
A. presented in the following sentence.

It advances an interpretation of an Austen protagonist who is contrasted with protagonists from other Austen
B. novels cited in the following sentence.

It describes a recurring theme in Austen’s novels that is the focus of a literary scholar’s analysis summarized in the
C. following sentence.

It provides a synopsis of an interaction in an Austen novel that illustrates a literary concept discussed in the
D. following sentence.

ID: aa5897b8 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The underlined sentence provides a concrete example to ground readers’ understanding
of the “deep intersubjectivity” described in the next sentence as central to Austen’s work.

Choice A is incorrect. There is no evaluation made of Austen’s skill in this sentence, and no examples are given in the
following sentence. This choice essentially flips the paragraph: it’s this first sentence that provides an example. Choice
B is incorrect. There are no other Austen protagonists mentioned in this passage, so this couldn’t be the answer.
Choice C is incorrect. The underlined sentence doesn’t identify any “recurring theme,” but instead simply describes one
interaction from one book. This interaction exemplifies the literary technique of “deep intersubjectivity” that is
introduced in the next sentence.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 8de51658
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 8de51658
Text 1
The idea that time moves in only one direction is instinctively understood, yet it puzzles physicists. According to the
second law of thermodynamics, at a macroscopic level some processes of heat transfer are irreversible due to the
production of entropy—after a transfer we cannot rewind time and place molecules back exactly where they were
before, just as we cannot unbreak dropped eggs. But laws of physics at a microscopic or quantum level hold that those
processes should be reversible.
Text 2
In 2015, physicists Tiago Batalhão et al. performed an experiment in which they confirmed the irreversibility of
thermodynamic processes at a quantum level, producing entropy by applying a rapidly oscillating magnetic field to a
system of carbon-13 atoms in liquid chloroform. But the experiment “does not pinpoint ... what causes [irreversibility] at
the microscopic level,” coauthor Mauro Paternostro said.

Based on the texts, what would the author of Text 1 most likely say about the experiment described in Text 2?

It would suggest an interesting direction for future research were it not the case that two of the physicists who
A. conducted the experiment disagree on the significance of its findings.

It provides empirical evidence that the current understanding of an aspect of physics at a microscopic level must
B. be incomplete.

C. It is consistent with the current understanding of physics at a microscopic level but not at a macroscopic level.

It supports a claim about an isolated system of atoms in a laboratory, but that claim should not be extrapolated to a
D. general claim about the universe.

ID: 8de51658 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. Author 1 describes the puzzle that physicists still can’t solve: at a microscopic level, the
“laws of physics” suggest that we should be able to reverse processes that are not reversible at a macroscopic level
(and, maybe, turn back time!). The experiment confirmed that those processes are not reversible even on the
microscopic level, but it didn’t explain why. This supports Author 1’s point that physicists still don’t fully understand

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 microscopic level, but it didn’t explain why. This supports Author 1’s point that physicists still don’t fully understand
how things work at a microscopic level—maybe the laws need to be revised.

Choice A is incorrect. We can’t infer that the author of Text 1 would respond this way to the experiment. Text 2 does
name two of the physicists involved in the experiment, but it never suggests that they disagree on anything. Choice C is
incorrect. This is the opposite of what the experiment suggests. The experiment confirmed that the macroscopic-level
law (“these things can’t be reversed—like time”) was still true on the microscopic level—meaning it supports the current
understanding of physics at a macroscopic level. Choice D is incorrect. We can’t infer that the author of Text 1 would
respond this way to the experiment. Neither text makes this distinction between laboratory findings and the way the
universe works in general.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID d72b325e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-text

Connections

ID: d72b325e
Text 1
What factors influence the abundance of species in a given ecological community? Some theorists have argued that
historical diversity is a major driver of how diverse an ecological community eventually becomes: differences in
community diversity across otherwise similar habitats, in this view, are strongly affected by the number of species
living in those habitats at earlier times.
Text 2
In 2010, a group of researchers including biologist Carla Cáceres created artificial pools in a New York forest. They
stocked some pools with a diverse mix of zooplankton species and others with a single zooplankton species and
allowed the pool communities to develop naturally thereafter. Over the course of four years, Cáceres and colleagues
periodically measured the species diversity of the pools, finding—contrary to their expectations—that by the end of the
study there was little to no difference in the pools’ species diversity.

Based on the texts, how would Cáceres and colleagues (Text 2) most likely describe the view of the theorists presented
in Text 1?

A. It is largely correct, but it requires a minor refinement in light of the research team’s results.

B. It is not compelling as a theory regardless of any experimental data collected by the research team.

C. It may seem plausible, but it is not supported by the research team’s findings.

D. It probably holds true only in conditions like those in the research team’s study.

ID: d72b325e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. This is how Cáceres and co. would most likely describe the view presented in Text 1. The
view in Text 1 is that historical diversity affects how diverse an ecological community eventually becomes. But Cáceres
and co. did not get this result: they found no difference in eventual diversity between a zooplankton pool that started

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 out diverse and a zooplankton pool that started out with only a single species.

Choice A is incorrect. Cáceres and co. would probably not describe the view presented in Text 1 this way. The view in
Text 1 is that historical diversity affects how diverse an ecological community eventually becomes. Cáceres and co’s
findings directly undermine this view: they found no difference in eventual diversity between a zooplankton pool that
started out diverse and a zooplankton pool that started out with only a single species. Choice B is incorrect. Cáceres
and co. would probably not describe the view presented in Text 1 this way. Their experiment was designed to test this
hypothesis, and their findings were "contrary to their expectations." In other words, before the study, they predicted the
theory was correct. Choice D is incorrect. Cáceres and co. would not describe the view presented in Text 1 this way.
Their research finding directly undermines the view presented in Text 1: so it definitely doesn’t hold true in conditions
like those in the study.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 54804e10
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 54804e10
While scholars believe many Mesoamerican cities influenced each other, direct evidence of such influence is difficult to
ascertain. However, recent excavations in a sector of Tikal (Guatemala) unearthed a citadel that shows ______
Teotihuacán (Mexico) architecture—including a near replica of a famed Teotihuacán temple—providing tangible
evidence of outside influence in portions of Tikal.

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

A. refinements of

B. precursors of

C. commonalities with

D. animosities toward

ID: 54804e10 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of architectural influences

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 among Mesoamerican cities. In this context, “commonalities with” means similarities to or shared attributes with. The
text indicates that a recently discovered citadel in Tikal includes a close imitation of a famous temple in Teotihuacán
(another Mesoamerican city) and other evidence of Teotihuacán influence, which suggests that the citadel possesses
features that resemble architectural features found in Teotihuacán. This context thus indicates that the Tikal citadel
shows commonalities with Teotihuacán architecture.

Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text that suggests that the Tikal citadel shows “refinements of,” or
improvements on, Teotihuacán architecture. Although the text suggests that the architecture of Teotihuacán influenced
the architecture of the Tikal citadel, and although it’s possible that later architectural designs could make
improvements on earlier designs, the text doesn’t discuss whether, in imitating Teotihuacán architecture, the Tikal
citadel’s builders improved on it. Choice B is incorrect because describing the citadel in Tikal as showing “precursors
of” Teotihuacán architecture—or features that preceded and foreshadowed those of Teotihuacán architecture—would
imply the opposite of what the text suggests about the relationship between the architecture found in Tikal and
Teotihuacán. The text claims that the discovery of similarities between the Tikal citadel and the architecture of
Teotihuacán, including a replica of a temple in Teotihuacán, provides evidence of outside influences on Tikal
architecture. If the Tikal citadel was influenced by Teotihuacán architecture, then the Teotihuacán architecture must
predate the citadel, not the other way around. In this context, therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to say that the Tikal
citadel shows precursors of Teotihuacán architecture. Choice D is incorrect because the text discusses how the citadel
in Tikal indicates the influence of Teotihuacán architecture, which implies that the makers of the Tikal citadel likely
admired aspects of Teotihuacán architecture enough to imitate it. Thus, there’s no reason to think that the Tikal citadel
provides evidence of the Tikal people’s “animosities toward,” or feelings of strong dislike or hostility toward,
Teotihuacán architecture.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 9aa44886
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 9aa44886
The following text is from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby.

[Jay Gatsby] was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so
peculiarly American—that comes, I suppose, with the absence of lifting work in youth and, even more, with the
formless grace of our nervous, sporadic games. This quality was continually breaking through his punctilious
manner in the shape of restlessness.

As used in the text, what does the word “quality” most nearly mean?

A. Standard

B. Prestige

C. Characteristic

D. Accomplishment

ID: 9aa44886 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. “This quality” refers to Gatsby’s “resourcefulness of movement,” which is described as a
characteristic or trait of his.

Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t what “quality” means in this context. Here, “this quality” refers to Gatsby’s
“resourcefulness of movement,” which is described as a characteristic or trait of his. “Standard” is a synonym for a
different definition of “quality”: the degree of excellence of something. Choice B is incorrect. This isn’t what “quality”
means in this context. Here, “this quality” refers to Gatsby’s “resourcefulness of movement,” which is described as a
characteristic or trait of his. “Prestige” would suggest a high status or an admirable reputation, which doesn’t match
that description. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t what “quality” means in this context. Here, “this quality” refers to
Gatsby’s “resourcefulness of movement,” which is described as a characteristic or trait of his. “Accomplishment” would
suggest an achievement, which doesn’t match that description.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID b4887dae
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: b4887dae
Mathematician Claude Shannon is widely regarded as a foundational figure in information theory. His most important
paper, “A Mathematical Theory of Communication,” published in 1948 when he was employed at Bell Labs, utilized a
concept called a “binary digit” (shortened to “bit”) to measure the amount of information in any signal and determine
the fastest rate at which information could be transmitted while still being reliably decipherable. Robert Gallagher, one
of Shannon’s colleagues, said that the bit was “[Shannon’s] discovery, and from it the whole communications revolution
has sprung.”

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It presents a theoretical concept, illustrates how the name of the concept has changed, and shows how the name
A. has entered common usage.

It introduces a respected researcher, describes an aspect of his work, and suggests why the work is historically
B. significant.

It names the company where an important mathematician worked, details the mathematician’s career at the
C. company, and provides an example of the recognition he received there.

It mentions a paper, offers a summary of the paper’s findings, and presents a researcher’s commentary on the
D. paper.

ID: b4887dae Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. The text starts with a general statement that introduces Shannon, then describes a
specific contribution from one of his papers, then provides a quote that illustrates just how important this contribution
was.

Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text only mentions very briefly, in parentheses, that “binary
digit” was shortened to “bit.” It doesn’t go into detail about this name change, and it doesn’t discuss any “common
usage” of the name at all. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. Shannon’s employment at Bell Labs is
only mentioned once, very briefly: the text never goes into detail about his career there, and it never mentions any
recognition he received there. Choice D is incorrect. This is too narrow. Overall, the text is about Shannon’s importance
in his field, not just this one paper of his.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID f3c45b4f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: f3c45b4f
Text 1
Fossils of the hominin Australopithecus africanus have been found in the Sterkfontein Caves of South Africa, but
assigning an age to the fossils is challenging because of the unreliability of dating methods in this context. The
geology of Sterkfontein has caused soil layers from different periods to mix, impeding stratigraphic dating, and dates
cannot be reliably imputed from those of nearby animal bones since the bones may have been relocated by flooding.
Text 2
Archaeologists used new cosmogenic nuclide dating techniques to reevaluate the ages of A. africanus fossils found in
the Sterkfontein Caves. This technique involves analyzing the cosmogenic nucleotides in the breccia—the matrix of
rock fragments immediately surrounding the fossils. The researchers assert that this approach avoids the potential for
misdating associated with assigning ages based on Sterkfontein’s soil layers or animal bones.

Based on the texts, how would the researchers in Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined portion in Text 1?

They would emphasize the fact that the A. africanus fossils found in the Sterkfontein Caves may have been
A. corrupted in some way over the years.

They would contend that if analyses of surrounding layers and bones in the Sterkfontein Caves were combined,
B. then the dating of the fossils there would be more accurate.

They would argue that their techniques are better suited than other methods to the unique challenges posed by the
C. Sterkfontein Caves.

They would claim that cosmogenic nuclide dating is reliable in the context of the Sterkfontein Caves because it is
D. applied to the fossils directly.

ID: f3c45b4f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. Text 2 states that the researchers used cosmogenic nuclide dating to "avoid the potential
for misdating" caused by the geology of Sterkfontein, which Text 1 describes as "challenging" and unreliable.

Choice A is incorrect. Neither text suggests that the A. africanus fossils have been "corrupted," but only that traditional
dating methods are difficult in Sterkfontein because of floods and soil mixing where the fossils were found. Nothing is
implied to have compromised the fossils themselves. Choice B is incorrect. This choice misreads Text 2. Text 2 agrees
that stratigraphy and other methods are prone to error in the context of Sterkfontein: there’s a "potential for misdating"
when evaluating age based on soil layers and bones. Choice D is incorrect. Text 2 does not state that cosmogenic
nuclide dating is applied to the fossils directly but rather to the breccia that surrounds them.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID e8c26398
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e8c26398
To develop a method for measuring snow depth with laser beams, NASA physicist Yongxiang Hu relied on ______;
identifying broad similarities between two seemingly different phenomena, Hu used information about how ants move
inside colonies to calculate how the particles of light that make up laser beams travel through snow.

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

A. a collaboration

B. an accessory

C. a contradiction

D. an analogy

ID: e8c26398 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The text after the semicolon tells us that Hu "identif[ied] broad similarities between two
seemingly different phenomena," comparing ants with light particles. Since an analogy seeks similarities between
seemingly unrelated phenomena, this fits the context perfectly.

Choice A is incorrect. "A collaboration" refers to "an act of working with others," but what comes after the semicolon
doesn’t describe collaboration with other researchers. Instead, it shows a comparison between two different (but
ultimately similar) scientific phenomena. Choice B is incorrect. "An accessory" can refer to "something added to
increase attractiveness or usefulness." No accessories are described in this text. Choice C is incorrect. "A
contradiction" means "a set of ideas or things that are opposed to or inconsistent with each other." The text describes
how Hu used the similarity between ant and light particle movement to develop his method, so a word that refers to
difference would not make sense here.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 6f5fc289
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 6f5fc289
The following text is adapted from Charles Dickens’s 1854 novel Hard Times. Coketown is a fictional town in England.
[Coketown] contained several large streets all very like one another, and many small streets still more like one another,
inhabited by people equally like one another, who all went in and out at the same hours, with the same sound upon the
same pavements, to do the same work, and to whom every day was the same as yesterday and tomorrow, and every
year the counterpart of the last and the next.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To emphasize the uniformity of both the town and the people who live there

B. To explain the limited work opportunities available to the town’s residents

C. To reveal how the predictability of the town makes it easy for people lose track of time

D. To argue that the simplicity of life in the town makes it a pleasant place to live

ID: 6f5fc289 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. The author describes Coketown as having streets that are all very similar and residents
who live similarly and do the same work. This repetition of similarities emphasizes how everything in Coketown is alike.

Choice B is incorrect. While the text mentions that all the residents “do the same work,” it never explains what that work
is or why everyone does it. Besides, the idea that they all do the same work is just one of several similarities among the
townspeople described in the text. Choice C is incorrect. While the last sentence states that “every day was the same
as yesterday and tomorrow, and every year the counterpart of the last and the next,” it never suggests that people
actually “lose track of time.” This is also too narrow to be the main idea, since time is just one of many aspects of
Coketown that the text describes as always being the same. Choice D is incorrect. The text never mentions whether life
is simple in Coketown, and the town sounds as though it’s probably a pretty dull place to live, rather than a pleasant
one.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID f7c02e89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: f7c02e89
Text 1
Films and television shows commonly include a long list of credits naming the people involved in a production. Credit
sequences may not be exciting, but they generally ensure that everyone’s contributions are duly acknowledged.
Because they are highly standardized, film and television credits are also valuable to anyone researching the careers of
pioneering cast and crew members who have worked in the mediums.
Text 2
Video game scholars face a major challenge in the industry’s failure to consistently credit the artists, designers, and
other contributors involved in making video games. Without a reliable record of which people worked on which games,
questions about the medium’s development can be difficult to answer, and the accomplishments of all but its best-
known innovators can be difficult to trace.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 1 most likely respond to the discussion in Text 2?

By recommending that the scholars mentioned in Text 2 consider employing the methods regularly used by film and
A. television researchers

By pointing out that credits have a different intended purpose in film and television than in the medium addressed
B. by the scholars mentioned in Text 2

By suggesting that the scholars mentioned in Text 2 rely more heavily on credits as a source of information than
C. film and television researchers do

By observing that a widespread practice in film and television largely prevents the kind of problem faced by the
D. scholars mentioned in Text 2

ID: f7c02e89 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer because it reflects how the author of Text 1 would most likely respond to Text 2 based on
the information provided. Text 2 discusses how the inconsistent use of credits to identify the contributors to video
games can pose an obstacle to scholars of the medium, who rely on such credits to answer questions about the

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 medium’s development. Text 1 notes that in film and television, on the other hand, credits are used consistently and are
valuable to researchers studying the cast and crew members in these mediums. Since Text 1 asserts how the
consistent use of credits benefits scholars of film and television, it can be inferred that this text’s author would respond
to the discussion in Text 2 by observing that the kind of problem faced by scholars of video games—the inability to
know who contributed to a particular production and how—is, in film and television studies, largely prevented by the
widespread practice of credits in these mediums.

Choice A is incorrect. Although Text 1 discusses a method used by film and television researchers—namely, relying on
credits to research the careers of cast and crew members—the author doesn’t explicitly recommend that or any other
method. Moreover, Text 1 states that films and television shows themselves, not their researchers, regularly use the
method of listing credits. Choice B is incorrect. It can be inferred from Text 2 that when video games do feature credits,
they have essentially the same function as credits in film and television—namely, to identify the individuals who worked
on a particular production. Therefore, it is unlikely that the author of Text 1 would characterize video game credits as
differing in purpose from film and television credits. Choice C is incorrect because, as Text 2 explains, credits are not
consistently used in video games. Therefore, it is unlikely that the author of Text 1 would argue that scholars of the
medium discussed in this text—video games—rely more heavily on credits than scholars of film and television, two
mediums where credits consistently appear.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 82c05b34
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 82c05b34
Text 1
The live music festival business is growing in event size and genre variety. With so many consumer options, organizers
are finding ways to cement festival attendance as a special experience worth sharing. This phenomenon is linked to
the growing “experiential economy,” where many find it gratifying to purchase lived experiences. To ensure a profitable
event, venues need to consider the overall consumer experience, not just the band lineup.
Text 2
Music festival appearances are becoming a more important part of musicians’ careers. One factor in this shift is the
rising use of streaming services that allow access to huge numbers of songs for a monthly fee, subsequently reducing
sales of full-length albums. With this shift in consumer behavior, musicians are increasingly dependent on revenue
from live performances.

Based on the texts, both authors would most likely agree with which statement?

Consumers are more interested in paying subscription fees to stream music than in attending music festivals in
A. person.

B. Consumers’ growing interest in purchasing experiences is mostly confined to the music industry.

C. Changing consumer behaviors are leading to changes in music-related businesses.

D. The rising consumer demand for live music festivals also generates higher demand for music streaming platforms.

ID: 82c05b34 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. Both authors mention how consumer behaviors have shifted, and how this affects
different aspects of the music industry. Text 1 states that consumers enjoy purchasing “lived experiences,” and that
this influences how organizers design music festivals. Text 2 states that consumers are using streaming services

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 more, and that this reduces album sales and increases the importance of live performances for musicians.

Choice A is incorrect. Neither text claims that consumers prefer streaming to festivals, or that these are mutually
exclusive options. Text 1 implies that festivals are popular and profitable, and Text 2 never suggests that streaming
services diminish the demand for live music. Choice B is incorrect. This choice misreads Text 1, which identifies music
festivals as just one example of a broader trend of purchasing “lived experiences.” Text 2 doesn’t mention growing
interest in purchasing experiences, in the music industry or otherwise. Choice D is incorrect. Neither text establishes a
cause/effect relationship between the demand for festivals and the demand for streaming platforms. Text 1 does not
mention streaming platforms at all, and Text 2 does not imply that streaming platforms benefit from the popularity of
festivals.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 8b46bb51
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 8b46bb51
A journalist and well-respected art critic of nineteenth-century Britain, Lady Elizabeth Rigby Eastlake did not hesitate to
publish reviews that went against popular opinion. One of her most divisive works was an essay questioning the idea of
photography as an emerging medium for fine art: in the essay, Eastlake ______ that the value of photographs was
informational rather than creative.

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

A. exposed

B. asserted

C. discovered

D. doubted

ID: 8b46bb51 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. "Asserted" means "stated confidently." Eastlake "did not hesitate to publish reviews going
against popular opinion," so we can assume that she was confident in sharing her opinions.

Choice A is incorrect. "Exposed" means "made visible by uncovering" and, when talking about ideas, tends to be used in
relation to uncovering the truth. Eastlake was sharing an opinion, not uncovering a truth. Choice C is incorrect.
"Discovered" means "found," but Eastlake was writing an opinion essay. She was writing her own opinion, not
"discovering" a new universal truth. Choice D is incorrect. "Doubted" means "didn’t believe in." We’re told that Eastlake
"questioned" the idea that photography could be fine art. Placing "doubted" in the blank would actually suggest that
Eastlake argued that photos were valuable for creativity and not for information, which is the opposite of what we were
told she believes.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID c14daa3c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: c14daa3c
Close analysis of the painting Girl with a Flute, long attributed to the seventeenth-century Dutch painter Johannes
Vermeer, has revealed subtle deviations from the artist’s signature techniques. These variations suggest that the work
may be that of a student under Vermeer’s tutelage—potentially ______ our understanding of Vermeer as a solitary artist.

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

A. negating

B. prefiguring

C. entrenching

D. substantiating

ID: c14daa3c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. "Negating" means "reversing" or "making invalid." Proving that Vermeer worked with
students would reverse the view of him as a solitary artist.

Choice B is incorrect. "Prefiguring" means "being an early indicator of." There already existed views of Vermeer as a
solitary painter, so a new painting would not be an early indicator of those views. Rather, a painting proving that
Vermeer had a student would contradict those earlier views. Choice C is incorrect. "Entrenching" means "solidifying." A
painting proving that Vermeer had a student would not solidify views of him as solitary, but would rather contradict
those views. Choice D is incorrect. "Substantiating" means "supporting with proof." A painting proving that Vermeer had
a student would not support views of him as solitary, but would rather contradict those views.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID d3ca5d59
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: d3ca5d59
Stephen Hannock’s luminous landscape paintings are appealing to viewers but have elicited little commentary from
contemporary critics, a phenomenon that may be due to the very fact that the paintings seem so ______. Many critics
focus their attention on art that is cryptic or overtly challenging.

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

A. innovative

B. subversive

C. profound

D. accessible

ID: d3ca5d59 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. When talking about a thing, “accessible” means “easy to understand.” This sets up the
contrast in the next sentence, which tells us that critics mostly focus on art that is “cryptic or challenging” (meaning not
easy to understand).

Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. The next sentence tells us that critics focus on art that is
mysterious and challenging. If Hannock’s paintings are “innovative” (meaning advanced and original), then critics
probably would comment on them. Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. The next sentence tells us
that critics focus on art that is mysterious and challenging. If Hannock’s paintings are “subversive” (meaning disruptive
and revolutionary), then critics probably would comment on them. Choice C is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the
text. The next sentence tells us that critics focus on art that is mysterious and challenging. If Hannock’s paintings are
“profound” (meaning very deep and insightful), then critics probably would comment on them.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID f2c48e47
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: f2c48e47
The following text is from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1910 poem “The Earth’s Entail.”
No matter how we cultivate the land, Taming the forest and the prairie free; No matter how we irrigate the sand,
Making the desert blossom at command, We must always leave the borders of the sea; The immeasureable reaches
Of the windy wave-wet beaches, The million-mile-long margin of the sea.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. The speaker argues against interfering with nature and then gives evidence supporting this interference.

The speaker presents an account of efforts to dominate nature and then cautions that such efforts are only
B. temporary.

C. The speaker provides examples of an admirable way of approaching nature and then challenges that approach.

D. The speaker describes attempts to control nature and then offers a reminder that not all nature is controllable.

ID: f2c48e47 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. This best describes the overall structure of the text. In the first half of the text, the speaker
describes our attempts to control nature: cultivating, taming, and irrigating different kinds of land. In the second half,
the speaker states that we can never tame the sea or the beach.

Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t describe the overall structure of the text. The speaker never argues that we should
not interfere with nature. Rather, the speaker says that we are able to tame many different kinds of land, but we are
unable to tame the sea or beaches. Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t describe the overall structure of the text. The
speaker never describes our cultivation, taming, and irrigation of land as “temporary.” Rather, the speaker says that we
are able to tame many different kinds of land, but we are unable to tame the sea or beaches. Choice C is incorrect. This
doesn’t describe the overall structure of the text. The speaker never describes our cultivation, taming, and irrigation of
land as an “admirable” approach to nature.” Rather, the speaker says that we are able to tame many different kinds of
land, but we are unable to tame the sea or beaches.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID f1c9d2c1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: f1c9d2c1
Text 1
Stage lighting theorist Adolphe Appia was perhaps the first to argue that light must be considered alongside all the
various elements of a stage to create a single, unified performance. Researcher Kelly Bremner, however, has noted that
Appia lacked technical expertise in the use of light in the theater. As a result of Appia’s inexperience, Bremner argues,
Appia’s theory of light called for lighting practices that weren’t possible until after the advent of electricity around 1881.
Text 2
Adolphe Appia was not an amateur in the practice of lighting. Instead, it is precisely his exposure to lighting techniques
at the time that contributed to his theory on the importance of light. When working as an apprentice for a lighting
specialist in his youth, Appia observed the use of portable lighting devices that could be operated by hand. This
experience developed his understanding of what was possible in the coordination of elements on the stage.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the claim about Appia’s level of technical
expertise made by Bremner in Text 1?

A. Many lighting technicians dismissed Appia’s ideas about light on the stage.

B. Appia likely gained a level of technical expertise during his time as an apprentice.

C. Theater practitioners who worked with Appia greatly admired his work.

D. Appia was unfamiliar with the use of music and sound in theater.

ID: f1c9d2c1 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. The author of Text 2 directly contradicts Bremner’s claim that Appia lacked technical
expertise by stating that Appia was “not an amateur in the practice of lighting.” His experience as a lighting specialist’s
apprentice would have, the author of Text 2 argues, allowed Appia to “[develop] his understanding of what was
possible” with the elements of theatrical design.

Choice A is incorrect. Neither text describes how other lighting technicians responded to Appia’s ideas. Furthermore,
this claim isn’t relevant to Bremner’s evaluation of Appia’s technical expertise. Choice C is incorrect. Neither text
mentions anything about the opinions of theater practitioners who worked with Appia, so this answer choice does not
relate to the claim about Appia’s level of technical expertise made by Bremner in Text 1. Choice D is incorrect. Neither
text mentions anything about Appia’s familiarity with or ignorance of the use of music and sound in theater. Both focus
on his expertise (or lack thereof) in lighting.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 34d7bb25
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 34d7bb25
According to Indian economist and sociologist Radhakamal Mukerjee (1889–1968), the Eurocentric concepts that
informed early twentieth-century social scientific methods—for example, the idea that all social relations are reducible
to struggles between individuals—had little relevance for India. Making the social sciences more responsive to Indians’
needs, Mukerjee argued, required constructing analytical categories informed by India’s cultural and ecological
circumstances. Mukerjee thus proposed the communalist “Indian village” as the ideal model on which to base Indian
economic and social policy.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

The text recounts Mukerjee’s early training in the social scientific disciplines and then lists social policies whose
A. implementation Mukerjee oversaw.

The text mentions some of Mukerjee’s economic theories and then traces their impact on other Indian social
B. scientists of the twentieth century.

The text presents Mukerjee’s critique of the social sciences and then provides an example of his attempts to
C. address issues he identified in his critique.

The text explains an influential economic theory and then demonstrates how that theory was more important to
D. Mukerjee’s work than other social scientists have acknowledged.

ID: 34d7bb25 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. The text does indeed present Mukerjee’s critique of the social sciences—that they were
too Eurocentric—and then provides an example of how he attempted to address the issues he identified: by suggesting
a social science model based on the Indian village.

Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t discuss Mukerjee’s early training or his oversight of the implementation of social
policies at all. Choice B is incorrect. The text never discusses any other Indian social scientists. Choice D is incorrect.
The text never mentions other social scientists’ responses to Mukerjee’s work.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID c0e1b70a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: c0e1b70a
The following text is adapted from Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto’s 1925 memoir A Daughter of the Samurai. As a young
woman, Sugimoto moved from feudal Japan to the United States.

The standards of my own and my adopted country differed so widely in some ways, and my love for both lands
was so sincere, that sometimes I had an odd feeling of standing upon a cloud in space, and gazing with
measuring eyes upon two separate worlds. At first I was continually trying to explain, by Japanese standards, all
the queer things that came every day before my surprised eyes; for no one seemed to know the origin or
significance of even the most familiar customs, nor why they existed and were followed.

Which choice best describes the main purpose of the text?

To convey the narrator’s experience of observing and making sense of differences between two cultures she
A. embraces

To establish the narrator’s hope of forming connections with new companions by sharing customs she learned as a
B. child

To reveal the narrator’s recognition that she is hesitant to ask questions about certain aspects of a culture she is
C. newly encountering

To emphasize the narrator’s wonder at discovering that the physical distance between two countries is greater than
D. she had expected

ID: c0e1b70a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The narrator asserts

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 that she loves both her “own” country (Japan) and her “adopted country” (the United States) even though the two
countries differ “widely.” She also indicates that, at first, she would try to explain unfamiliar experiences that she had in
the United States using the standards ingrained in her from growing up in Japan. Thus, the main purpose of the text is
to convey the narrator’s experience of observing and making sense of the differences between two cultures she
embraces.

Choice B is incorrect because the text makes no reference to possible companions. Although the text does indicate
that the narrator sometimes used the cultural framework she acquired growing up in Japan to explain some
experiences she’s had, there is no suggestion that this was in service of making friends. And although “no one seemed
to know” strongly implies that the narrator has interacted with other people in the United States, there is no indication
that these conversations involved her discussing Japanese customs. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text
suggests that the narrator was hesitant to ask questions. In fact, the narrator indicates that “no one seemed to know
the origin” of various customs, which provides evidence that, rather than being hesitant, she sought information from
several people. Choice D is incorrect because the text makes no reference to the physical distance between Japan and
the United States. Although the narrator indicates that the two countries differ “widely” and likens them to “two
separate worlds,” these descriptions relate to cultural aspects of the countries and the narrator’s feelings about the two
countries, not the physical distance between them.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID f631132b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: f631132b
In the Here and Now Storybook (1921), educator Lucy Sprague Mitchell advanced the then controversial idea that books
for very young children should imitate how they use language, since toddlers, who cannot yet grasp narrative or
abstract ideas, seek reassurance in verbal repetition and naming. The most enduring example of this idea is Margaret
Wise Brown’s 1947 picture book Goodnight Moon, in which a young rabbit names the objects in his room as he drifts off
to sleep. Scholars note that the book’s emphasis on repetition, rhythm, and nonsense rhyme speaks directly to
Mitchell’s influence.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

The text outlines a debate between two authors of children’s literature and then traces how that debate shaped
A. theories on early childhood education.

The text summarizes an argument about how children’s literature should be evaluated and then discusses a
B. contrasting view on that subject.

The text lists the literary characteristics that are common to many classics of children’s literature and then
C. indicates the narrative subjects that are most appropriate for young children.

The text presents a philosophy about what material is most suitable for children’s literature and then describes a
D. book influenced by that philosophy.

ID: f631132b Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The text starts by introducing Mitchell’s philosophy about using simple, repetitive
language in books for young children. Then it describes a book influenced by that philosophy, Goodnight Moon.

Choice A is incorrect. Although two authors are mentioned in the text, they both agree about the type of language that
should be contained in books for young children. Choice B is incorrect. The text never discusses the evaluation of
children’s literature. It does provide one view of how children’s books should be written, but never introduces a
competing view. Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t mention “many classics of children’s literature.” Instead, it
describes an educational theory and identifies one example of a famous children’s book that was influenced by that
theory.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID eae66bf9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: eae66bf9
Text 1
In 2021, a team led by Amir Siraj hypothesized that the Chicxulub impactor—the object that struck the Yucatán
Peninsula sixty-six million years ago, precipitating the mass extinction of the dinosaurs—was likely a member of the
class of long-period comets. As evidence, Siraj cited the carbonaceous chondritic composition of samples from the
Chicxulub impact crater as well as of samples obtained from long-period comet Wild 2 in 2006.
Text 2
Although long-period comets contain carbonaceous chondrites, asteroids are similarly rich in these materials.
Furthermore, some asteroids are rich in iridium, as Natalia Artemieva points out, whereas long-period comets are not.
Given the prevalence of iridium at the crater and, more broadly, in geological layers deposited worldwide following the
impact, Artemieva argues that an asteroid is a more plausible candidate for the Chicxulub impactor.

Based on the texts, how would Artemieva likely respond to Siraj’s hypothesis, as presented in Text 1?

A. By insisting that it overestimates how representative Wild 2 is of long-period comets as a class

By arguing that it does not account for the amount of iridium found in geological layers dating to the Chicxulub
B. impact

C. By praising it for connecting the composition of Chicxulub crater samples to the composition of certain asteroids

By concurring that carbonaceous chondrites are prevalent in soil samples from sites distant from the Chicxulub
D. crater

ID: eae66bf9 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. Siraj’s hypothesis is that the Chicxulub impactor was a long-period comet. But Artemieva
points to the iridium found in the crater and in “geological layers that were deposited worldwide after the impact” as
evidence that it was actually an asteroid, not a long-period comet.

Choice A is incorrect. We can’t infer that this is how Artemieva would respond to Siraj’s hypothesis. Text 2 never

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 discusses whether Wild 2 is representative of long-period comets in general. Rather, Text 2 presents Artemieva’s
argument that the Chicxulub impactor was an asteroid, not a long-term comet. Choice C is incorrect. We can’t infer that
this is how Artemieva would respond to Siraj’s hypothesis. Siraj’s hypothesis doesn’t make this connection: rather, Siraj
hypothesizes that the Chicxulub impactor was a long-term comet. Choice D is incorrect. We can’t infer that this is how
Artemieva would respond to Siraj’s hypothesis. “Soil samples from sites distant from the Chicxulub crater” is too
vague. Only soil samples from sites that are connected to the impact in some way are involved in either hypothesis.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 03080769
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 03080769
Text 1
Philosopher G.E. Moore’s most influential work entails the concept of common sense. He asserts that there are certain
beliefs that all people, including philosophers, know instinctively to be true, whether or not they profess otherwise:
among them, that they have bodies, or that they exist in a world with other objects that have three dimensions. Moore’s
careful work on common sense may seem obvious but was in fact groundbreaking.
Text 2
External world skepticism is a philosophical stance supposing that we cannot be sure of the existence of anything
outside our own minds. During a lecture, G.E. Moore once offered a proof refuting this stance by holding out his hands
and saying, “Here is one hand, and here is another.” Many philosophers reflexively reject this proof (Annalisa Coliva
called it “an obviously annoying failure”) but have found it a challenge to articulate exactly why the proof fails.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 1 most likely respond to proponents of the philosophical stance
outlined in Text 2?

By agreeing with those proponents that Moore’s treatment of positions that contradict his own is fundamentally
A. unserious

By suggesting that an instinctive distaste for Moore’s position is preventing external world skeptics from
B. constructing a sufficiently rigorous refutation of Moore

By arguing that if it is valid to assert that some facts are true based on instinct, it is also valid to assert that some
C. proofs are inadequate based on instinct

By pointing out that Moore would assert that external world skepticism is at odds with other beliefs those
D. proponents must unavoidably hold

ID: 03080769 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. According to the author of Text 1, Moore’s definition of common sense—things we
instinctively know are true—includes the belief that we all “exist in a world with other objects.” The author of Text 1

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 describes this notion as both “obvious” and “groundbreaking.” So it’s safe to infer that the author would observe that
Moore would respond to external world skeptics by arguing that since everyone instinctively knows that things exist
outside of their own minds, then external world skepticism must be wrong.

Choice A is incorrect. We can’t infer that the author of Text 1 would respond this way to external world skeptics. If
anything, the author of Text 1 seems to agree with Moore. Choice B is incorrect. We can’t infer that the author of Text 1
would respond this way to external world skeptics. The author of Text 1 never mentions external world skeptics directly,
let alone why they have a hard time refuting Moore’s position. Choice C is incorrect. We can’t infer that the author of
Text 1 would respond this way to external world skeptics. Text 1’s presentation of Moore’s concept of common sense
only includes the idea that some facts are true based on instinct—it doesn’t mention the idea that some proofs are
inadequate based on instinct.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID fce80a36
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: fce80a36
In 2008 a complete set of ancient pessoi (glass game pieces) was uncovered from beneath a paving stone in modern-
day Israel. Due to their small size, pessoi were easily misplaced, making a whole set a rare find. This has led some
experts to suggest that the set may have been buried intentionally; however, without clear evidence, archaeologists are
left to ______ what happened.

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

A. speculate about

B. dismiss

C. expand on

D. catalog

ID: fce80a36 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. "Speculate" means "to form a theory or guess without any clear evidence." This makes
sense because, due to the lack of "clear evidence," the archaeologists can only guess how the pessoi set might have
come to be there.

Choice B is incorrect. "Dismiss" can mean "send away" or "treat as unworthy of consideration." The text implies that the
archaeologists are trying to figure out the truth—they wouldn’t "dismiss" what really happened. Choice C is incorrect.
"Expand on" means "give more details about," but there aren’t any details to give. Without any "clear evidence," the
archaeologists can’t give any more details. Choice D is incorrect. "Catalog" means "carefully record" or "make a list of."
However, there’s no "clear evidence," so there’s no real information to "catalog."

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID e4e2aeb3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: e4e2aeb3
Text 1
Like the work of Ralph Ellison before her, Toni Morrison’s novels feature scenes in which characters deliver sermons of
such length and verbal dexterity that for a time, the text exchanges the formal parameters of fiction for those of oral
literature. Given the many other echoes of Ellison in Morrison’s novels, both in structure and prose style, these scenes
suggest Ellison’s direct influence on Morrison.
Text 2
In their destabilizing effect on literary form, the sermons in Morrison’s works recall those in Ellison’s. Yet literature by
Black Americans abounds in moments where interpolated speech erodes the division between oral and written forms
that literature in English has traditionally observed. Morrison’s use of the sermon is attributable not only to the
influence of Ellison but also to a community-wide strategy of resistance to externally imposed literary conventions.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely characterize the underlined claim in Text 1?

As failing to consider Ellison’s and Morrison’s equivalent uses of the sermon within the wider cultural context in
A. which they wrote

B. As misunderstanding the function of sermons in novels by Black American writers other than Ellison and Morrison

C. As disregarding points of structural and stylistic divergence between the works of Ellison and those of Morrison

As being indebted to the tradition of resisting literary conventions that privilege written forms, such as novels, over
D. sermons and other oral forms

ID: e4e2aeb3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. The author of Text 2 argues that Morrison’s use of the sermon is not only influenced by
Ellison, but also by a “community-wide strategy of resistance” to literary conventions practiced by Black American
authors. Ellison, Text 2 alleges, is only one of many influences on Morrison.

Choice B is incorrect. Neither text specifically mentions sermons in works by authors other than Morrison or Ellison,

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 only a tendency towards eroding “the division between oral and written forms” among Black American writers. Choice
C is incorrect. Both texts describe similarities between the works of Ellison and Morrison, and neither points out
instances of divergence. Text 2 simply suggests that Morrison was influenced by more than just Ellison. Choice D is
incorrect. While Text 2 does discuss Morrison’s resistance to certain literary conventions, it’s unclear what it would
mean for the underlined claim to be “indebted” to that tradition. This choice recycles language from the text, but not in
a way that makes any coherent point.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 6a1dc7c5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 6a1dc7c5
Text 1
Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando is an oddity within her body of work. Her other major novels consist mainly of
scenes of everyday life and describe their characters’ interior states in great detail, whereas Orlando propels itself
through a series of fantastical events and considers its characters’ psychology more superficially. Woolf herself
sometimes regarded the novel as a minor work, even admitting once that she “began it as a joke.”
Text 2
Like Woolf’s other great novels, Orlando portrays how people’s memories inform their experience of the present. Like
those works, it examines how people navigate social interactions shaped by gender and social class. Though it is
lighter in tone—more entertaining, even—this literary “joke” nonetheless engages seriously with the themes that
motivated the four or five other novels by Woolf that have achieved the status of literary classics.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the assessment of Orlando presented in Text
1?

By conceding that Woolf’s talents were best suited to serious novels but asserting that the humor in Orlando is
A. often effective

By agreeing that Orlando is less impressive than certain other novels by Woolf but arguing that it should still be
B. regarded as a classic

By acknowledging that Orlando clearly differs from Woolf’s other major novels but insisting on its centrality to her
C. body of work nonetheless

By concurring that the reputation of Orlando as a minor work has led readers to overlook this novel but maintaining
D. that the reputation is unearned

ID: 6a1dc7c5 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer because it reflects how the author of Text 2 would most likely respond to the assessment
of Orlando in Text 1. Both authors agree that Orlando is unusual for Woolf: Text 1 states that the novel examines its

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 characters’ psychologies more superficially than Woolf’s other novels do, and Text 2 describes it as being lighter in
tone. However, while Text 1 calls Orlando an “oddity” and mentions that Woolf “began it as a joke,” Text 2 asserts that
Orlando engages the same themes as Woolf’s other great novels. Hence, the author of Text 2 would most likely accept
that Orlando differs from Woolf’s other novels but would also insist on its importance in the context of Woolf’s work as
a writer.

Choice A is incorrect. Text 2 does suggest that the humor in Orlando is effective. However, there’s nothing in Text 2 to
suggest that the author would agree that Woolf’s talents were best suited to serious novels. Rather, the author of Text 2
compares Orlando favorably to other novels by Woolf that are implied to be darker in tone. Choice B is incorrect
because the author of Text 2 does not indicate that Orlando is less impressive than Woolf’s other novels, but instead
points out that it engages the same themes as other novels by Woolf that are considered classics. Choice D is
incorrect because there’s nothing in Text 1 or Text 2 to suggest that readers have generally ignored Orlando because of
its reputation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 12d81fc1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 12d81fc1
Text 1
Because literacy in Nahuatl script, the writing system of the Aztec Empire, was lost after Spain invaded central Mexico
in the 1500s, it is unclear exactly how meaning was encoded in the script’s symbols. Although many scholars had
assumed that the symbols signified entire words, linguist Alfonso Lacadena theorized in 2008 that they signified units
of language smaller than words: individual syllables.
Text 2
The growing consensus among scholars of Nahuatl script is that many of its symbols could signify either words or
syllables, depending on syntax and content at any given site within a text. For example, the symbol signifying the word
huipil (blouse) in some contexts could signify the syllable “pil” in others, as in the place name “Chipiltepec.” Thus, for
the Aztecs, reading required a determination of how such symbols functioned each time they appeared in a text.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely characterize Lacadena’s theory, as described in Text 1?

A. By praising the theory for recognizing that the script’s symbols could represent entire words

B. By arguing that the theory is overly influenced by the work of earlier scholars

C. By approving of the theory’s emphasis on how the script changed over time

D. By cautioning that the theory overlooks certain important aspects of how the script functioned

ID: 12d81fc1 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. Lacadena’s theory is that Nahuatl script symbols signified syllables, but the consensus
described in Text 2 is that they can signify either symbols or full words, depending on the context. So the author of Text
2 would likely consider Lacadena’s theory too simplistic: it’s missing the importance of the context in determining the
meaning of a symbol.

Choice A is incorrect. This conflicts with Text 1’s description of Lacadena’s theory. Lacadena’s theory is that Nahuatl
script symbols signified syllables. Choice B is incorrect. This conflicts with Text 1’s description of Lacadena’s theory.
Text 1 states that Lacadena’s theory differed from what earlier scholars believed. Choice C is incorrect. We can’t infer
that this is how the author of Text 2 would characterize Lacadena’s theory. Neither text mentions how or even if the
script changed over time.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID e4f312c5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e4f312c5
While most animals are incapable of passing somatic mutations—genetic alterations that arise in an organism’s
nonreproductive cells—on to their offspring, elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) presents an intriguing ______: in a 2022
study, researchers found that elkhorn coral produced offspring that inherited somatic mutations from a parent.

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

A. hypothesis

B. affinity

C. anomaly

D. corroboration

ID: e4f312c5 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. An "anomaly" is something that deviates from norms or expectations. In this case, the
elkhorn coral is an anomaly because it can pass on somatic mutations, whereas most other animals can’t.

Choice A is incorrect. A "hypothesis" is "a theory about something," but no theories are provided about elkhorn coral in
this text, just facts. Choice B is incorrect. "Affinity" represents "an inclination or liking toward something." As genetic
mutations tend to occur without any conscious effort, you can’t really have an inclination toward passing on somatic
mutations. Choice D is incorrect. "Corroboration" means "evidence to support or prove something." Because elkhorn
coral do the opposite of what most animals do, they do not provide corroboration of the theory that somatic mutations
can’t be passed onto offspring. Rather, they show the opposite.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 62a18353
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 62a18353
The following text is adapted from Zora Neale Hurston’s 1921 short story “John Redding Goes to Sea.” John wants to
travel far beyond the village where he lives near his mother, Matty.

[John] had on several occasions attempted to reconcile his mother to the notion, but found it a difficult task. Matty
always took refuge in self-pity and tears. Her son’s desires were incomprehensible to her, that was all.

As used in the text, what does the phrase “reconcile his mother to” most nearly mean?

A. Get his mother to accept

B. Get his mother to apologize for

C. Get his mother to match

D. Get his mother to reunite with

ID: 62a18353 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. The expression “reconcile to” means “to cause (a person) to accept something difficult or
disagreeable.” The text suggests that John wants his mother to accept his desire to travel, even though she doesn’t like
that idea.

Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t make sense. John doesn’t want his mother to apologize for his own desire to travel—
he wants her to accept his desire to travel. Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t suggest that John wants his mother
to match his desire to travel. Rather, he wants her to accept his desire to travel even though she doesn’t like it. Choice D
is incorrect. This is tempting, because it seems to pick up on the idea of people “reconciling” after a fight, but it actually
doesn’t make sense. The text never suggests that John’s mother was “united with” the idea of him traveling in the past
—if anything, it seems like she’s always been against it. Besides, it would be strange to say that a person “reunites with”
a notion.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 4eee64fa
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 4eee64fa
Space scientists Anna-Lisa Paul, Stephen M. Elardo, and Robert Ferl planted seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana in samples
of lunar regolith—the surface material of the Moon—and, serving as a control group, in terrestrial soil. They found that
while all the seeds germinated, the roots of the regolith-grown plants were stunted compared with those in the control
group. Moreover, unlike the plants in the control group, the regolith-grown plants exhibited red pigmentation, reduced
leaf size, and inhibited growth rates—indicators of stress that were corroborated by postharvest molecular analysis.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

It describes an experiment that addressed an unresolved question about the extent to which lunar regolith
A. resembles terrestrial soils.

It compares two distinct methods of assessing indicators of stress in plants grown in a simulated lunar
B. environment.

C. It presents evidence in support of the hypothesis that seed germination in lunar habitats is an unattainable goal.

D. It discusses the findings of a study that evaluated the effects of exposing a plant species to lunar soil conditions.

ID: 4eee64fa Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The text describes an experiment wherein space scientists compared plant growth in
terrestrial and lunar soil conditions. It then discusses the findings of the study, including the fact that all the seeds
germinated but that the plants grown in lunar soil exhibited signs of stress.

Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t address this question, and never describes any specific characteristics of either
soil. It merely describes the outcome of an experiment that exposed a plant species to lunar soil conditions. Choice B
is incorrect. The text never compares methods of assessing indicators of stress—instead, it simply mentions several
stress indicators observed in the study (red pigmentation, reduced leaf size, and inhibited growth rates). Choice C is
incorrect. The text doesn’t present any evidence that we could never achieve seed germination in lunar habitats, and in
fact states that the seeds in the lunar soil did germinate.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID a70cbc53
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: a70cbc53
Raymond Antrobus, an accomplished poet and writer of prose, recently released his debut spoken word poetry album,
The First Time I Wore Hearing Aids, in collaboration with producer Ian Brennan. The album contains both
autobiographical and reflective pieces combining Antrobus’s spoken words with Brennan’s fragmented audio elements
and pieces of music to convey how people who are deaf may experience sound, both its presence and absence. Some
critics suggest that the album questions the function of sound in the world, highlighting that the experience of sound is
multifaceted.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It introduces a collaborative spoken word poetry project, details the approach taken to produce the work, and then
A. provides an example of critique the album received upon release.

It mentions a collection of spoken word poems, distinguishes one poem as being an exemplar on the album, and
B. then offers a summary of the subject matter of the whole collection.

It summarizes the efforts to produce a collection of spoken word poems, presents biographies of two people who
C. worked on the album, and speculates about the meaning behind the poetry.

It connects two artists to the same spoken word poetry project, explains the extent of their collaboration on each
D. poem, and then provides an overview of the technique used to produce the work.

ID: a70cbc53 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. The text first introduces the album as being a collaboration between Antrobus and
Brennan, then describes the approach taken to produce it, then mentions how critics have said that it calls into
question the function of sound.

Choice B is incorrect. While the text does mention a collection of spoken word poems, it doesn’t single out one poem
as being particularly noteworthy. Additionally, the text doesn’t simply summarize the subject matter—it goes into detail
about the content and production of the album. Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t provide biographical information
about the two artists, and the text doesn’t speculate about the meaning behind the poetry—instead, it relays what some
critics have said about the album. Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t provide just an overview of the production
techniques used but instead goes into more detail about the content and audio elements of the album, as well as
critical response to the album.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 3d658a5a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 3d658a5a
Some foraging models predict that the distance bees travel when foraging will decline as floral density increases, but
biologists Shalene Jha and Claire Kremen showed that bees’ behavior is inconsistent with this prediction if flowers in
dense patches are ______: bees will forage beyond patches of low species richness to acquire multiple resource types.

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

A. depleted

B. homogeneous

C. immature

D. dispersed

ID: 3d658a5a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jha and Kremen’s finding
about bees’ foraging behavior. In this context, “homogeneous” means uniform or of the same kind. The text indicates
that some models predict that the distance that bees travel when they’re foraging declines as the density of flowers
increases. The text goes on to say, however, that Jha and Kremen identified a circumstance in which bees don’t behave
this way. Specifically, if bees encounter “patches of low species richness”—that is, patches in which the flowers are
largely from the same species—they’ll travel beyond those patches to get varied food resources. This context thus
suggests that bees don’t behave as some models predict if the dense patches of flowers the bees encounter are
homogeneous.

Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that Jha and Kremen found that bees will behave differently than some
models predict if the bees encounter flower patches that are not rich in species, not if the flowers are “depleted,” or
emptied or reduced in quality or quantity. Although it could be true that bees are likely to leave depleted patches in
search of more resources, the text doesn’t indicate that Jha and Kremen investigated that possibility. Choice C is
incorrect because there’s no information in the text suggesting that bees will not behave as some models predict if
flowers in patches are “immature,” or not fully developed. Instead, the text indicates that Jha and Kremen found that
bees will behave contrary to some models’ predictions if the flower patches are not rich in species. Choice D is
incorrect because the text indicates that bees’ behavior will be inconsistent with the predictions of some models if the
flower patches that the bees encounter are of low species richness, not if the flowers are in patches that are
“dispersed,” or widely scattered. Although the text does describe bees as leaving patches that are not rich in species to
forage elsewhere, there’s no suggestion that Jha and Kremen found that the distance between dense flower patches
affects whether the bees behave as some models predict.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 17bf10de
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 17bf10de
Text 1
Despite its beautiful prose, The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman’s 1962 analysis of the start of World War I, has
certain weaknesses as a work of history. It fails to address events in Eastern Europe just before the outbreak of
hostilities, thereby giving the impression that Germany was the war’s principal instigator. Had Tuchman consulted
secondary works available to her by scholars such as Luigi Albertini, she would not have neglected the influence of
events in Eastern Europe on Germany’s actions.
Text 2
Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August is an engrossing if dated introduction to World War I. Tuchman’s analysis of
primary documents is laudable, but her main thesis that European powers committed themselves to a catastrophic
outcome by refusing to deviate from military plans developed prior to the conflict is implausibly reductive.

Which choice best describes a difference in how the authors of Text 1 and Text 2 view Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of
August?

The author of Text 1 argues that Tuchman should have relied more on the work of other historians, while the author
A. of Text 2 implies that Tuchman’s most interesting claims result from her original research.

The author of Text 1 believes that the scope of Tuchman’s research led her to an incorrect interpretation, while the
B. author of Text 2 believes that Tuchman’s central argument is overly simplistic.

The author of Text 1 asserts that the writing style of The Guns of August makes it worthwhile to read despite any
perceived deficiency in Tuchman’s research, while the author of Text 2 focuses exclusively on the weakness of
C. Tuchman’s interpretation of events.

The author of Text 1 claims that Tuchman would agree that World War I was largely due to events in Eastern
Europe, while the author of Text 2 maintains that Tuchman would say that Eastern European leaders were not
D. committed to military plans in the same way that other leaders were.

ID: 17bf10de Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. Both texts are critical of The Guns of August, but for different reasons: the author of Text 1
argues that Tuchman missed an important factor leading up to the war because she didn’t consult secondary sources,
and the author of Text 2 argues that Tuchman’s main thesis is "reductive," which is a close synonym for "overly
simplistic."

Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t accurately describe the difference. This choice’s summary of Text 1 is accurate, but

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 Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t accurately describe the difference. This choice’s summary of Text 1 is accurate, but
Text 2 never says that Tuchman’s most interesting claims result from her original research. Choice C is incorrect. This
doesn’t accurately describe the difference. Text 1 never says that The Guns of August is worthwhile to read despite its
research weaknesses. Text 2 does call out a weakness of Tuchman’s interpretation of events, but it also praises her
analysis of primary sources. Choice D is incorrect. This doesn’t accurately describe the difference. Text 1 actually says
that Tuchman "fails to address" the influence of events in Eastern Europe, while Text 2 says that Tuchman’s thesis was
that European powers (not Eastern European leaders) were committed to military plans.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID d8d1ecaa
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: d8d1ecaa
Business researcher Melanie Brucks and colleagues found that remote video conference meetings may be less
conducive to brainstorming than in-person meetings are. The researchers suspect that video meeting participants are
focused on staring at the speaker on the screen and don’t allow their eyes or mind to wander as much, which may
ultimately ______ creativity.

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

A. recommend

B. criticize

C. impede

D. construct

ID: d8d1ecaa Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. The first sentence tells us that video meetings are “less conducive to” (meaning less good
for) brainstorming. This suggests that the video meeting participants’ focus is bad for their creativity. “Impede” means
“delay” or “prevent,” which works perfectly in this context.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice is too positive to fit the context. The first sentence tells us that video meetings are
“less conducive to” (meaning less good for) brainstorming. This suggests that the video meeting participants’ focus is
bad for their creativity. Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t make sense. The participants’ intense focus on the
screen is the subject of the missing verb. It wouldn’t make sense to say that their over-focusing “criticizes” their
creativity. Choice D is incorrect. “Construct” means “build” or “make,” which is too positive to fit the context. The first
sentence tells us that video meetings are “less conducive to” (meaning less good for) brainstorming. This suggests
that the video meeting participants’ focus is bad for their creativity.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID bce627d9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: bce627d9
Mineralogical differences are detectable in samples collected from two locations on the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu, but
such differences may not indicate substantial compositional variations in the asteroid. Cosmochemist Kazuhide
Nagashima and colleagues note that at the small scale of the samples, the distribution of minerals is unlikely to be
______.

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

A. neglected

B. redundant

C. ongoing

D. uniform

ID: bce627d9 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The text tells us that the samples are too "small scale" to reflect the composition of the
asteroid, which probably doesn’t show the same variation on a large scale. This suggests that the mineral composition
of the samples are unlikely to be exactly the same from sample to sample.

Choice A is incorrect. "Neglected" means "suffering a lack of proper care" or "abandoned," which doesn’t work here. The
text never suggests that the distribution of minerals in the samples would be neglected, so this statement doesn’t
logically follow. Choice B is incorrect. "Redundant" means "not or no longer useful or needed," which is too strong. The
text doesn’t suggest that the variation between the samples isn’t a useful finding at all—just that we can’t assume that
the large-scale composition of the asteroid will show the same variation. But the composition of the samples might be
useful for something else. Choice C is incorrect. "Ongoing" means "still in progress," which doesn’t make sense: the
distribution of minerals in a sample can’t be "ongoing."

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 6d44060a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 6d44060a
Works of moral philosophy, such as Plato’s Republic or Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, are partly concerned with how
to live a morally good life. But philosopher Jonathan Barnes argues that works that present a method of living such a
life without also supplying a motive are inherently useful only to those already wishing to be morally good—those with
no desire for moral goodness will not choose to follow their rules. However, some works of moral philosophy attempt
to describe what constitutes a morally good life while also proposing reasons for living one.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It provides a characterization about a field of thought by noting two works in it and then details a way in which
A. some works in that field are more comprehensive than others.

It mentions two renowned works and then claims that despite their popularity it is impossible for these works to
B. serve the purpose their authors intended.

It summarizes the history of a field of thought by discussing two works and then proposes a topic of further
C. research for specialists in that field.

D. It describes two influential works and then explains why one is more widely read than the other.

ID: 6d44060a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. The text starts by stating what moral philosophy is concerned with and naming two
examples of works in the field. Then it describes a shortcoming of some works in that field (they say how but not why),
and finally it states that other works try to avoid that shortcoming (by including both how and why to live a morally
good life).

Choice B is incorrect. This is too extreme. The text never mentions whether the two works are popular or not, and it
never argues that these works don’t serve their intended purpose of describing how to live a morally good life. Rather,
the text claims that works of moral philosophy that don’t include both how and why to be moral are not useful to
readers who don’t already want to be moral. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text never
discusses the history of moral philosophy at all, and it doesn’t propose any topic for further research. Choice D is
incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text never discusses which of the two works is more widely read.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 27d9bb69
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: 27d9bb69
Text 1
Many studies in psychology have shown that people seek out information even when they know in advance that they
have no immediate use for it and that they won’t directly benefit from it. Such findings support the consensus view
among researchers of curiosity: namely, that curiosity is not instrumental but instead represents a drive to acquire
information for its own sake.
Text 2
While acknowledging that acquiring information is a powerful motivator, Rachit Dubey and colleagues ran an
experiment to test whether emphasizing the usefulness of scientific information could increase curiosity about it. They
found that when research involving rats and fruit flies was presented as having medical applications for humans,
participants expressed greater interest in learning about it than when the research was not presented as useful.

Based on the texts, how would Dubey and colleagues (Text 2) most likely respond to the consensus view discussed in
Text 1?

A. By suggesting that curiosity may not be exclusively motivated by the desire to merely acquire information

By conceding that people may seek out information that serves no immediate purpose only because they think they
B. can use it later

By pointing out that it is challenging to determine when information-seeking serves no goal beyond acquiring
C. information

D. By disputing the idea that curiosity can help explain apparently purposeless information-seeking behaviors

ID: 27d9bb69 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. The researchers in Text 2 recognize that acquiring information is a powerful motivator, but
showed that this motivation can still be affected by other factors, like whether or not the information is expected to be
useful or not. This suggests that other desires may play a part in driving people to acquire information.

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 Choice B is incorrect. The consensus view in Text 1 is that people acquire information regardless of whether they think
they can use it later. Dubey and colleagues acknowledge this fact (so they don’t claim people seek out information
“only” because it might be useful later). Choice C is incorrect. This choice misreads the results of Dubey and
colleagues’ study in Text 2. Neither text discusses the difficulty of determining the motivation for information-seeking.
Choice D is incorrect. This choice contradicts Text 2, which starts with Dubey and colleagues “acknowledging that
acquiring information is a powerful motivator” (i.e., agreeing that curiosity explains the seeking of apparently
purposeless information). The research in Text 2 simply suggests that more than just curiosity can motivate
information-seeking behavior when the information has a purpose.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID de2c2f57
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: de2c2f57
Text 1
The fossil record suggests that mammoths went extinct around 11 thousand years (kyr) ago. In a 2021 study of
environmental DNA (eDNA)—genetic material shed into the environment by organisms—in the Arctic, Yucheng Wang
and colleagues found mammoth eDNA in sedimentary layers formed millennia later, around 4 kyr ago. To account for
this discrepancy, Joshua H. Miller and Carl Simpson proposed that arctic temperatures could preserve a mammoth
carcass on the surface, allowing it to leach DNA into the environment, for several thousand years.
Text 2
Wang and colleagues concede that eDNA contains DNA from both living organisms and carcasses, but for DNA to
leach from remains over several millennia requires that the remains be perpetually on the surface. Scavengers and
weathering in the Arctic, however, are likely to break down surface remains well before a thousand years have passed.

Which choice best describes how Text 1 and Text 2 relate to each other?

Text 1 discusses two approaches to studying mammoth extinction without advocating for either, whereas Text 2
A. advocates for one approach over the other.

Text 1 presents findings by Wang and colleagues and gives another research team’s attempt to explain those
B. findings, whereas Text 2 provides additional detail that calls that explanation into question.

Text 1 describes Wang and colleagues’ study and a critique of their methodology, whereas Text 2 offers additional
C. details showing that methodology to be sound.

Text 1 argues that new research has undermined the standard view of when mammoths went extinct, whereas Text
D. 2 suggests a way to reconcile the standard view with that new research.

ID: de2c2f57 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. Text 1 introduces Wang and colleagues’ study and its surprising results, and then
mentions Miller and Simpson’s hypothesis as a possible way to explain them. Text 2, however, challenges Miller and
Simpson’s hypothesis by pointing out the difficulties of preserving mammoth carcasses on the surface for thousands
of years: “scavengers and weathering” are the additional details that complicate the Miller/Simpson hypothesis.

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 Choice A is incorrect. Neither text compares two different approaches for studying mammoth extinction. Text 1
describes one study and one hypothesis pertaining to it. Text 2 critiques that hypothesis. Choice C is incorrect. Text 1
does not describe a critique of Wang and colleagues’ methodology, but rather an interpretation of their results by Miller
and Simpson. Text 2 does not offer additional details showing that methodology to be sound, but rather casts doubt on
the Miller/Simpson explanation. Choice D is incorrect. Both components mentioned here (the new “undermining”
research and the theory for reconciling this discovery) are contained in Text 1. Text 2 then shows how the attempt to
reconcile the standard view and new research is flawed, and still fails to explain the discrepancy.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 3f753a8e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 3f753a8e
Investigating whether shared false visual memories—specific but inaccurate and widely held recollections of images
such as product logos—are caused by people’s previous ______ incorrect renditions of the images, researchers Deepasri
Prasad and Wilma Bainbridge found that, in fact, such memories are often not explained by familiarity with erroneous
versions of the images.

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

A. compliance with

B. exposure to

C. criteria for

D. forfeiture of

ID: 3f753a8e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. "Exposure to" means "having contact with." It makes sense that Prasad and Bainbridge
were investigating whether seeing false versions of images was a cause of false visual memories. Notice how
"exposure to incorrect renditions" matches the idea of "familiarity with erroneous versions," which appears later in the
sentence.

Choice A is incorrect. "Compliance with" means "going along with a command or directive." False versions of images
can’t give commands or directives, so this doesn’t apply. Choice C is incorrect. "Criteria" means "standards by which to
judge something." It’s not clear how people would come to have standards for the wrong version of an image in the first
place, let alone how those standards would cause them to falsely remember the correct version. In other words, this
choice would result in a confusing, unclear sentence. Choice D is incorrect. "Forfeiture of" means "a giving up of
something." It wouldn’t make sense to say that false memories of an image might be caused by giving up the wrong
version of the image.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 48555763
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 48555763
The following text is from Herman Melville’s 1854 novel The Lightning-rod Man.
The stranger still stood in the exact middle of the cottage, where he had first planted himself. His singularity impelled a
closer scrutiny. A lean, gloomy figure. Hair dark and lank, mattedly streaked over his brow. His sunken pitfalls of eyes
were ringed by indigo halos, and played with an innocuous sort of lightning: the gleam without the bolt. The whole man
was dripping. He stood in a puddle on the bare oak floor: his strange walking-stick vertically resting at his side.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?

A. It elaborates on the previous sentence’s description of the character.

B. It introduces the setting that is described in the sentences that follow.

C. It establishes a contrast with the description in the previous sentence.

D. It sets up the character description presented in the sentences that follow.

ID: 48555763 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. This best states the function of the underlined sentence. The sentence basically says: “He
stood out, so I looked more closely at him.” Then the rest of the text describes him in detail.

Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t state the function of the underlined sentence. The previous sentence basically says:
“He was still standing in the middle of the cottage”—it doesn’t include any description of the character himself. Choice
B is incorrect. This doesn’t state the function of the underlined sentence. The following sentences describe the
character, not the setting. Choice C is incorrect. This doesn’t state the function of the underlined sentence. The
underlined sentence basically says: “He stood out, so I looked more closely at him.” The previous sentence basically
says: “He was still standing in the middle of the cottage.” There’s no contrast between these two sentences.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 8bc66f89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 8bc66f89
Part of the Atacama Desert in Peru has surprisingly rich plant life despite receiving almost no rainfall. Moisture from
winter fog sustains plants once they’re growing, but the soil’s tough crust makes it hard for seeds to germinate in the
first place. Local birds that dig nests in the ground seem to be of help: they churn the soil, exposing buried seeds to
moisture and nutrients. Indeed, in 2016 Cristina Rengifo Faiffer found that mounds of soil dug up by birds were far
more fertile and supported more seedlings than soil in undisturbed areas.

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

A. It elaborates on the idea that the top layer of Atacama Desert soil forms a tough crust.

B. It describes the process by which seeds are deposited into Atacama Desert soil.

C. It identifies the reason particular bird species dig nests in Atacama Desert soil.

D. It explains how certain birds promote seed germination in Atacama Desert soil.

ID: 8bc66f89 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a
whole. The first two sentences establish a natural phenomenon: there is a richness of plant life found in the Atacama
Desert despite the hard soil that makes it challenging for seeds to germinate. The next sentence, which contains the
underlined portion, offers a potential explanation for the phenomenon: local birds dig ground nests exposing seeds to
moisture and materials in the soil necessary for germination. The last sentence summarizes a study that compared the
fertileness of mounds of dirt dug up by birds to mounds that were undisturbed to support the explanation in the
underlined portion. Thus, the underlined portion mainly functions to explain how certain birds promote seed
germination in the Atacama Desert soil.

Choice A is incorrect because the underlined portion doesn’t address the topic of the soil’s tough crust or its formation.
Instead, the text elaborates on the idea that local birds that build ground nests may help seeds germinate in the hard
soil. Choice B is incorrect because the underlined portion describes how some birds may support seed germination in
Atacama Desert soil but doesn’t describe how the seeds are deposited into the soil before germination begins. Choice
C is incorrect because neither the underlined portion nor the text as a whole identifies a reason that a particular bird
species may choose to dig ground nests in the Atacama Desert soil.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID e7247766
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: e7247766
Horizontal gene transfer occurs when an organism of one species acquires genetic material from an organism of
another species through nonreproductive means. The genetic material can then be transferred “vertically” in the
second species—that is, through reproductive inheritance. Scientist Atma Ivancevic and her team have hypothesized
infection by invertebrate parasites as a mechanism of horizontal gene transfer between vertebrate species: while
feeding, a parasite could acquire a gene from one host, then relocate to a host from a different vertebrate species and
transfer the gene to it in turn.

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

A. It explains why parasites are less susceptible to horizontal gene transfer than their hosts are.

B. It clarifies why some genes are more likely to be transferred horizontally than others are.

C. It contrasts how horizontal gene transfer occurs among vertebrates with how it occurs among invertebrates.

D. It describes a means by which horizontal gene transfer might occur among vertebrates.

ID: e7247766 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The text defines horizontal gene transfer and then gives one possibility for how it happens
in vertebrates (via infection by parasites). The underlined part describes how that mechanism could work.

Choice A is incorrect. The underlined portion doesn’t do this. Parasites are only described as the mechanism that does
the transferring, not the species that gives or receives the genes. Choice B is incorrect. The underlined portion doesn’t
do this. The text never discusses which genes are more likely to be transferred. Choice C is incorrect. The underlined
portion doesn’t do this. The text never discusses how horizontal gene transfer occurs among invertebrates.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID b4d29611
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: b4d29611
Michelene Pesantubbee, a historian and citizen of the Choctaw Nation, has identified a dilemma inherent to research
on the status of women in her tribe during the 1600s and 1700s: the primary sources from that era, travel narratives
and other accounts by male European colonizers, underestimate the degree of power conferred on Choctaw women by
their traditional roles in political, civic, and ceremonial life. Pesantubbee argues that the Choctaw oral tradition and
findings from archaeological sites in the tribe’s homeland supplement the written record by providing crucial insights
into those roles.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It details the shortcomings of certain historical sources, then argues that research should avoid those sources
A. altogether.

It describes a problem that arises in research on a particular topic, then sketches a historian’s approach to
B. addressing that problem.

C. It lists the advantages of a particular research method, then acknowledges a historian’s criticism of that method.

It characterizes a particular topic as especially challenging to research, then suggests a related topic for historians
D. to pursue instead.

ID: b4d29611 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. The text begins by stating a problem with research on the status of Choctaw women in the
1600s and 1700s: written primary sources underestimate the power they had in their traditional roles. Then it presents
one historian’s solution: looking to oral tradition and archeological findings for more insight into these roles.

Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text never says that research should avoid written primary
sources, just that research should also use oral tradition and archeological sites as sources. Choice C is incorrect. This
isn’t the overall structure. The text never mentions the advantages of using written primary sources. Choice D is
incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text never says that the status of Choctaw women during the 1600s and
1700s is too challenging to research. And it doesn’t mention any other topics to research instead.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID f6352bd3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: f6352bd3
Many archaeologists assume that large-scale engineering projects in ancient societies required an elite class to plan
and direct the necessary labor. However, recent discoveries, such as the excavation of an ancient canal near the Gulf
Coast of Alabama, have complicated this picture. Using radiocarbon dating, a team of researchers concluded that the
1.39-kilometer-long canal was most likely constructed between 576 and 650 CE by an Indigenous society that was
relatively free of social classes.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. It describes a common view among archaeologists, then discusses a recent finding that challenges that view.

It outlines a method used in some archaeological fieldwork, then explains why an alternative method is superior to
B. it.

It presents contradictory conclusions drawn by archaeologists, then evaluates a study that has apparently resolved
C. that contradiction.

D. It identifies a gap in scientific research, then presents a strategy used by some archaeologists to remedy that gap.

ID: f6352bd3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. The text starts by introducing a common view among archaeologists about the need for
an elite class to direct large-scale engineering projects. Then, it discusses the discovery of a large canal most likely
built by a society without an elite class, which challenges the first view.

Choice B is incorrect. Although the text discusses carbon dating as an archaeological method, it doesn’t compare it to
any other alternative methods. Choice C is incorrect. The study doesn’t resolve any contradictions—rather, it introduces
a contradiction to the one view presented at the beginning of the text. Choice D is incorrect. The text never identifies
any gaps in scientific research.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 9b01bcf4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 9b01bcf4
The 1967 release of Harold Cruse’s book The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual isolated him from almost all other scholars
and activists of the American Civil Rights Movement—though many of those thinkers disagreed with each other, he
nonetheless found ways to disagree with them all. He thought that activists who believed that Black people such as
himself should culturally assimilate were naïve. But he also sharply criticized Black nationalists such as Marcus Garvey
who wanted to establish independent, self-contained Black economies and societies, even though Cruse himself
identified as a Black nationalist.

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

A. It describes a direction that Cruse felt the Civil Rights Movement ought to take.

B. It indicates that Cruse’s reputation as a persistent antagonist of other scholars is undeserved.

C. It describes a controversy that Cruse’s work caused within the Black nationalist movement.

D. It helps explain Cruse’s position with respect to the community of civil rights thinkers.

ID: 9b01bcf4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The text as a whole claims that Cruse disagreed with virtually all other Civil Rights
scholars and activists. The underlined sentence describes one way that Cruse both did and didn’t fit in with those
thinkers: he criticized Black nationalists, even though he identified as one.

Choice A is incorrect. The underlined sentence doesn’t do this. It describes Cruse’s criticisms—it never mentions what
Cruse did want the movement to do instead. Choice B is incorrect. This conflicts with the text, which argues that Cruse
did disagree with almost all other scholars of the Civil Rights Movement. Choice C is incorrect. This is a step too far.
The text never says that Cruse’s work caused controversy within the Black nationalist movement.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID f52cc78c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text

Connections

ID: f52cc78c
Text 1
Polar bears sustain themselves primarily by hunting seals on the Arctic sea ice, but rising ocean temperatures are
causing the ice to diminish, raising concerns about polar bear population declines as these large predators’ seal-
hunting habitats continue to shrink. A 2020 study examining polar bear populations across the Arctic concluded that
populations affected by sea-ice loss are at great risk of extinction by the end of the twenty-first century.
Text 2
Monitoring carried out by researchers from the Norwegian Polar Institute shows that the polar bear population on the
Arctic archipelago of Svalbard remains stable and well nourished despite rapidly declining sea ice in recent years. The
researchers attribute this population’s resilience in part to a shift in feeding strategies: in addition to hunting seals, the
Svalbard polar bears have begun relying on a diet of reindeer meat and birds’ eggs.

Based on the texts, how would the researchers in Text 2 most likely respond to the conclusion presented in the
underlined portion of Text 1?

A. By noting that it neglects the possibility of some polar bear populations adapting to changes in their environment

By suggesting that it is likely incorrect about the rates at which warming ocean temperatures have caused sea ice
B. to melt in the Arctic

C. By asserting that it overlooks polar bear populations that have not yet been affected by loss of seal-hunting habitats

D. By arguing that it fails to account for polar bears’ reliance on a single seal-hunting strategy

ID: f52cc78c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. Text 2 describes how the Svalbard polar bears have adapted to the loss of sea ice by
diversifying their diet and feeding on reindeer and seabird eggs, resulting in a “stable and well nourished” population
despite environmental challenges. This counters the underlined claim that polar bears facing a loss of sea ice are at
“great risk of extinction” by the end of the century.

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 Choice B is incorrect. Text 2 does not challenge the fact that sea ice is rapidly declining in the Arctic due to warming
ocean temperatures. In fact, it states that the Svalbard polar bears have faced “rapidly declining sea ice in recent
years.” Choice C is incorrect. The claim in Text 1 is specific to polar bear populations affected by the loss of seal
hunting habitats, so unaffected populations are irrelevant to the claim. Also, Text 2 doesn’t mention any polar bear
populations that haven’t yet been affected by loss of seal hunting habitats. It focuses on a population that has been
affected by sea-ice loss but has managed to survive and thrive nevertheless. Choice D is incorrect. Text 2 doesn’t imply
that polar bears rely on a single seal-hunting strategy. In fact, the researcher in Text 2 would say that Text 1 fails to
account for polar bears’ ability to develop other hunting strategies and food sources.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID e8fb0744
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e8fb0744
As an undergraduate researcher in anthropology, Jennifer C. Chen contributed to a groundbreaking study challenging
the accepted view that among prehistoric peoples, female participation in hunting was ______. The research team’s
review of data from late Pleistocene and early Holocene burials in the Americas revealed that, in fact, as many as half
of the hunters in those populations were female.

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

A. inevitable

B. satisfactory

C. negligible

D. commonplace

ID: e8fb0744 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the study of female

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 participation in hunting among prehistoric peoples. In this context, “negligible” means not significant enough to be
worth considering. The text says that the study challenged the accepted view of female participation in hunting among
prehistoric peoples. The text goes on to say that the researchers found that “in fact, as many as half” the hunters in the
groups studied were female. The phrase “in fact” establishes a contrast indicating that the finding that as many as half
the hunters were female differs from the accepted view. This context suggests, then, that the accepted view is that
female participation in hunting was negligible.

Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that as many
as half of hunters among prehistoric peoples were female, which suggests that the accepted view is that female
participation was low, not that female participation was “inevitable,” or unavoidable. Nothing in the text suggests that
the accepted view is that prehistoric peoples could not avoid female participation in hunting. Choice B is incorrect
because nothing in the text suggests that the accepted view of female participation in hunting among prehistoric
peoples is that such participation was “satisfactory,” or sufficient to meet a requirement or demand. There is no
information in the text about any demands or requirements regarding female participation in hunting, let alone any
information about how much female participation in hunting would be enough to satisfy those demands or
requirements. Instead, the text indicates that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that as many as half
the hunters in the groups studied were female, suggesting that the accepted view is that female participation in hunting
was low. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that
as many as half of hunters among the prehistoric peoples studied were female, which suggests that the accepted view
is that female participation was low, not that female participation was “commonplace,” or ordinary or unremarkable.
Although the study under discussion suggests that female participation may have been commonplace, that study is
presented as challenging the accepted view, not as reinforcing the accepted view.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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