SAT Lesson 16

READING: SOCIAL SCIENCE

1. 2.
Philosophers note that many people have an intuitive
sense that while we ought not to lie, there may be
circumstances in which lying is permissible. If this
intuition is correct and we lack an inviolable duty to
speak truthfully, what grounds opposition to lying in
the first place? Japa Pallikkathayil has advanced one
answer by appealing to a duty to respect others' agential
interests: the possession of false beliefs constrains
agency, and thus we ought not to impede the formation
of true beliefs unless doing so prevents a greater
constraint on someone's agency or an otherwise
impermissible end.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. Pallikkathayil's argument suggests that if we have a
duty to respect other people's agential interests and
if possession of false beliefs constrains agency, then
we have an inviolable duty to speak truthfully.
B. Pallikkathayil's argument shows that if our intuition
that circumstances may make lying permissible is
correct, then it is unclear whether there are any
grounds for an opposition to lying in the first place.
C. One potential means of justifying opposition to
lying is Pallikkathayil's argument that we have an
obligation to respect other people's agency that
entails a commitment to truthfulness except in
certain circumstances.
D. Many people have an intuitive sense that lying is
permissible in some circumstances but lack a
principled way to identify those circumstances, and
Pallikkathayil's argument may provide a means of
resolving that problem.
SAT Lesson 16
3. 4.
Studies of ocean wave breaking have predominantly In their meta-analysis of research on advergames (video
focused on travelling waves (those propagating along games developed to promote products or services),
the horizontal plane), so Mark McAllister et al. utilized Zeph M.C. van Berlo et al. confirm that such games,
a circular wave tank to produce and study spike waves, though they can elicit player interest, may not facilitate
axisymmetric standing waves that can erupt vertically subsequent recall of product and brand information.
when travelling waves propagating in opposing is phenomenon can be explained by the finite nature
directions intersect. Travelling waves break when wave of cognitive capacity as it is articulated in Annie Lang’s
steepness (height-to-length ratio) passes a critical limited capacity model of motivated mediated message
threshold; breaking thus constrains wave height. processing. In this case, players’ cognitive resources are
McAllister et al. found that spike waves can exceed that directed foremost toward the advergame’s mechanics,
constraint, as other factors than just steepness (e.g. jet leaving little or no capacity for encoding and storing the
stability and cavity shape) mediate spike-wave breaking. information the advertiser intends to be salient.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text? Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. e process of breaking limits the height of A. e meta-analysis by van Berlo et al. reveals that
travelling waves, but the study by McAllister et al. higher engagement in advergame mechanics is
suggests that spike waves can exceed those limits if linked to lower effectiveness in persuading players
their height-to-length ratio reaches a critical to purchase particular brands and products.
threshold. B. e limited capacity model of motivated mediated
B. e study by McAllister et al. suggests that when message processing, developed by Lang provides a
travelling waves intersect in specific ways, the means of explaining the finding by van Berlo et al.
resulting wave may be higher than would be that players may not readily recollect the brand and
expected based on the properties of travelling waves. product information embedded in advergames.

C. Previous studies have suggested that steepness C. Although the limited capacity model of motivated
mediates breaking in traveling waves, but the study mediated message processing developed by Lang
by McAllister et al. shows that jet stability and cavity suggests otherwise, advergames can succeed as
shape may also influence breaking in such waves. marketing tools, provided that they achieve a
balance between game mechanics and the
D. McAllister et al. suggest that spike waves can form
promotion of a brand or product.
when traveling waves propagating in opposing
directions intersect and that spike waves tend to be D. Research by van Berlo et al. corroborates Lang’s
higher than traveling waves. conclusion that because people predominantly focus
on game mechanics when playing video games, it is
difficult for advergames to communicate brand and
product information in ways that are highly
memorable.
SAT Lesson 16
5. 6.
SAT Lesson 16
7

e authors of the two texts would disagree in their answer to which question below?
A. Did the use of gold frames conflict with the visual goals of Impressionist art?
B. Were Impressionist painters intentional about the frames they selected for their works?
C. Did Impressionist painters choose their frames primarily to separate themselves from traditional
institutions?
D. Did Impressionist painters use colorful frames instead of gold ones?
8 Text 1
Studies contributing to the body of evidence that people generally enjoy socializing have routinely focused
on interactions in ongoing relationships (from spouses to classmates), but psychologist Selin salman-Engin
and colleagues have demonstrated the benefit of making connections with strangers. Greater positive affect
was reported by participants in their study who warmly thanked a shuttle driver than by those who didn't
speak to the driver.
Text 2
Social relations research commonly draws on a model that centers an individual within three concentric
circles. e innermost circle holds one's strongest ties (e.g., a treasured friend), the next holds close but less
important ties (e.g., a teammate), and the outermost holds weak ties (those more distant but important
enough to be counted as part of one's social network).
Based on the text, what would Salman-Engin and colleagues (Text 1) most likely say about the discussion of
the model in Text 2?
A. It underscores that most research on social interaction fails to capture a category of connection that
has the capacity to contribute positively to individuals’ sense of wellbeing.
B. It reflects an overemphasis on relationship longevity in researchers’ evaluations of the relative
importance of various connections in an individual’s social network.
C. It explains researchers’ observations that individuals typically expect interactions with familiar
people to be more positive than their interactions with unfamiliar people would be.
D. It emphasizes distinctions among types of close connections that aren’t adequately represented in
social relations research, since most studies categorize relationships as either close or casual.
SAT Lesson 16
9 Text 1 is adapted from E.M. Forster’s 1910 novel Howards End. Text 2 discusses Howards End. King's Cross
and St. Pancras are adjacent railway terminals in London from which trains travel to the countryside.
Text 1
To Margaret the station of King’s Cross had always suggested Infinity. Its very situation—withdrawn a
little behind the facile splendours of St. Pancras—implied a comment on the materialism of life. ose
two great arches, colourless, indifferent, shouldering between them an unlovely clock, were fit portals for
some eternal adventure, whose issue might be prosperous, but would certainly not be expressed in the
ordinary language of prosperity.
Text 2
e interplay between opposing ideological positions in Howards End is broadly articulated in the novel’s
organization of geographic space. On the one hand, the modern metropolis of London represents
capitalism’s emphasis on pragmatism and the accumulation of material wealth; on the other, the English
countryside, accessible via King’s Cross, fosters an idealism that values tradition, authentic personal
connection, and the aesthetic—what the novel calls “the infinite.”
Based on the texts, the author of Text 2 would most likely agree with which statement about King’s Cross,
as it is depicted in Text 1?
A. Because it is situated at the beginning of Margaret’s journey from the city to the country, King’s Cross
emblemizes the intrusion of the forces of materialism and modernity into the rural spaces that the novel
associates with idealism and tradition.
B. King’s Cross has a relatively unassuming appearance whose sharp contrast with the more aesthetically
pleasing appearance of St. Pancras suggests to Margaret the ascendancy of the pragmatic capitalistic
outlook among London’s inhabitants.
C. e austerity conveyed by King’s Cross’s appearance mirrors Margaret’s disillusionment with the
prospect of having authentic connections with other people in a world that chiefly values more
conventional forms of prosperity.
D. As a point of connection between London and the countryside, King’s Cross suggests to Margaret the
possibility of acquiring the intangible abundance promised by the kinds of authentic engagements that the
novel’s rural spaces seem to offer.

10 Text 1 is adapted from Virginia Woolf’s 1927 novel To the Lighthouse. Text 2 discusses To the Lighthouse.
In the novel, the Ramsay family is vacationing on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
Text 1
What is the meaning of life? at was all—a simple question; one that tended to close in on one with years.
e great revelation had never come. e great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead, there were little
daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark; here was one.
Text 2
Woolf ’s To the Lighthouse meditates on the elusiveness of profound truths and the fragmentary nature of
human experience. e novel resists conventional narrative closure, favoring instead a modernist aesthetic in
which meaning emerges through fleeting perceptions and the inner consciousness of characters. e
philosophical arc of the novel suggests that fulfillment lies not in definitive revelations but in transient, oen
private moments of insight.
SAT Lesson 16
Based on the texts, the author of Text 2 would most likely agree with which statement about the search for
meaning, as it is depicted in Text 1?
A. e character’s search for meaning is ultimately frustrating and fruitless, highlighting the existential
despair that results from the absence of revelation.
B. e passage suggests that philosophical questions are best ignored in favor of practical engagement with
daily life and tangible goals.
C. Rather than expecting a grand or final truth, the character’s experience affirms the novel’s theme that
meaning is found in ephemeral but vivid moments of awareness.
D. e repeated reference to revelation implies a deep religious yearning that aligns with the novel’s broader
endorsement of spiritual fulfillment.
11 Almost all works of fiction contain references to the progression of time, including the time of day when
events in a story take place. In a 2020 study, Allen Kim, Charuta Pethe, and Steven Skiena claim that an
observable pattern in such references reflects a shi in human behavior prompted by the spread of electric
lighting in the late nineteenth century. e researchers drew this conclusion from an analysis of more than
50,000 novels spanning many centuries and cultures, using soware to recognize and tally both specific time
references – that is, clock phrases, such as 7 a.m. or 2:30p.m. – and implied ones, such as mentions of meals
typically associated with a particular time of day.
Which finding from the study, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ conclusion?
A. Novels published aer the year 1800 include the clock phrase 10 a.m. less oen than novels published
before the year 1800 do.
B. Among novels published in the nineteenth century, implied time references become steadily more
common than clock phrases as publication dates approach 1900.
C. e time references of noon (12p.m.) and midnight (12 a.m.) are used with roughly the same frequency
in the novels.
D. Novels published aer 1880 contain significantly more references to activities occurring aer 10p.m.
than do novels from earlier periods.
12 An art historian is studying public murals commissioned during the Great Depression as part of the Works
Progress Administration (WPA). ese murals were intended to upli communities and celebrate collective
labor and everyday life. One prominent example is the 1934 mural Industry and Agriculture, which depicts
workers harvesting crops and assembling machines in vibrant, optimistic tones. e historian, however, claims
that the artists behind these murals were ultimately more concerned with making political statements than
with promoting community morale.
Which nding, if true, would most directly support the historian’s claim?
A. Industry and Agriculture includes a background scene showing a wealthy factory owner sitting idly while
laborers toil in the foreground.
B. Industry and Agriculture features sunlit fields and smiling workers, with little sign of hardship or inequality.
C. In one corner of Industry and Agriculture, a child waves an American flag beside a banner reading
“Strength rough Unity.”
D. Industry and Agriculture places a group of farmers at the center, shown passing harvest baskets to each
other in perfect coordination.
SAT Lesson 16
13 Since the 1980s, a wave of contemporary Nigerian theater has emerged that draws heavily on Yoruba masquerade
performance and oral storytelling traditions, while also addressing current issues such as urbanization, political
corruption, and generational conflict. As this movement expands beyond Nigeria, the breadth of media increases.
Which example, if true, would best illustrate the underlined claim?
A. A Chilean street performance troupe stages an adaptation of the cueca, a traditional folk dance, to depict
contemporary protests against rising transportation costs and income inequality.
B. A recent Nigerian play stages a traditional Egungun masquerade ceremony but reinterprets it to depict political
leaders as ancestral spirits judging contemporary corruption in city government.
C. An Indonesian shadow puppet performance (wayang kulit) dramatizes the Mahabharata, using it to teach
traditional Javanese values of harmony and filial duty.
D. A South Korean digital web series critiques generational tensions around housing affordability and youth
unemployment using animated satire and viral online memes.
14 Scholars cite Mr. President, the 1946 novel by Guatemalan author Miguel Angel Asturias, as a foundational text of
magical realism, the Latin American style of fiction in which antirealistic plot devices oen borrowed from the
folkloric traditions of Indigenous and colonial societies in the Americas are deployed in an otherwise realistic
mode of representation typical of the modern novel. is style ahs exerted a decisive influence on authors around
the world, including Mo Yan, whose 1986 novel Red Sorghum resembles classic magical realist novels in its
juxtaposition of literary realism with folklore, namely, that of China.
Which quotation from a literary scholar would most directly support the claim in the underlined portion of the
text?
A. “Like many works in the Latin American magical realist tradition, Red Sorghum is indebted to antirealistic
elements in the folkloric tradition of China.”
B. “e logic of the realistic plot of Red Sorghum is repeatedly and productively disputed by the presence of
imagery and situations drawn from Chinese folklore.”
C. “While Red Sorghum alternates between realistic and antirealistic modes of representation, details
suggesting the influence of Chinese folklore nevertheless occur throughout the novel.”
D. “Although Chinese folklore clearly informs the style and occasionally antirealistic plot of Red Sorghum, the
novel also shows the inarguable influence of the magical realist tradition of Latin America.”
15 In her 1982 novel Glass Town, author Laila Menon uses shiing narrative perspectives to explore the instability of
identity in a rapidly modernizing society. Literary scholar Farah Kim argues that the novel’s alternation between
first-, second-, and third-person narration does more than stylistically experiment — it reflects the disorientation
felt by characters who struggle to situate themselves within conflicting social roles. In this interpretation, the form
of the narration functions as a formal enactment of the novel’s central theme.
Which quotation from a literary scholar would most directly support the claim made by Kim?
A. “e shiing narrative voices mirror a broader trend in postmodern fiction toward playing with literary
conventions.”
B. “While the switches in narrative voice may appear jarring at times, they allow the author to explore characters’
inner lives from various angles.”
C. “e choice to include second-person narration adds a surreal tone, prompting readers to reflect on their own
lives.”
D. “By moving fluidly among narrative perspectives, the novel captures how individuals caught between tradition
and change oen feel their sense of self shi depending on context.”
SAT Lesson 16
16

Which quotation from a literary scholar would most directly illustrates the text’s claim about Southern poets?
A. “What is the disturbed, and disturbing, speaker of Dickey’s best poems if not a stock character of the
Gothic novel, refracted through the speech and ethos of the South and conditioned by the structures of
lyric poetry?”
B. “e Gothic genre emerged in England and Ireland in the 1700s and was later naturalized to the
cultural landscape of the Northeastern US, as in the novels of Nathaniel Hawthorne, which Dickey had
almost certainly read.”
C. “With its rural settings and rustic characters, Dickey’s poems suggest the influence of the genre of
pastoral fiction, yet Dickey may have instead obtained these elements from pastoral poetry, which
preceded its namesake in fiction.”
D. “When Dickey invokes one genre of poetry and, within the space of a few lines, abandon it for another
genre of poetry, what can we infer from this gesture if not the poet’s fascination with genre per se, as
well as his discomfort with it?”
17 A student in a political science course is writing a paper on Aristotle’s e Politics, in which Aristotle offers
his opinion on political instability and gives advice on how constitutions can be preserved. Aristotle observes
that different forms of government can fall in different ways – for example, oligarchies might grant power to
military leaders during wartime who refuse to relinquish that power during peacetime – but some methods
of preserving order apply across all forms of government. e student claims that in particular Aristotle
asserts that in a healthy state, obedience to law must be as close to absolute as possible and that even minor
refractions should not be ignored.
Which quotation from a philosopher’s analysis of e Politics would best support the student’s claim?
A. “When contrasting different forms of government, Aristotle hold that ‘oligarchies may last, not from
any inherent stability in such forms of government, but because the rulers are on good terms both with
the unenfranchised and with the governing classes.’ at is, oligarchies leaders who wish to hold on to
power will introduce members of disenfranchised classes into government in a participatory role.”
B. “When Aristotle considers the health of constitutions, he states that Constitutions are preserved when
their destroyers are at a distance, and sometimes also because they are near, for the fear of them makes
the government keep in hand the constitution.’ He holds that rulers who wish to see constitutions
preserved must continually remind the populace of the dangers that would result from a constitutional
collapse.”
C. “When Aristotle writes on the necessity of avoiding corruption in government, he proposes that ‘every
state should be so administered and so regulated by law that its magistrates cannot possibly make
money.’ In particular, he thinks oligarchies are particularly susceptible to corruption through bribery.”
SAT Lesson 16
D. “When constructing his argument regarding the characteristics of a well-functioning government,
Aristotle asserts that ‘Transgression creeps in unperceived and at last ruins the state,’ illustrating this
idea with a comparison to frequent small expenditures slowly and almost imperceptibly chipping away
at a fortune until it is ultimately depleted.”
18
SAT Lesson 16
HOMEWORK
1

2 At over a thousand pages across two volumes, e Fiy-Year Mission, compiled by Edward Gross and Mark
A. Atlman, is presented as the “complete, uncensored, unauthorized oral history” as told by the people behind
the media franchise Star Trek. e work aspires to be comprehensive by, for example, including accounts
from cast and crew members of every Star Trek television series and film to date. But while e Fiy-Year
Mission is clearly a unique and valuable resource, it has a shortcoming common among oral histories: it lacks
a clear authorial point of view that could otherwise unite the various accounts into a cohesive whole.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. e Fiy-Year Mission includes more accounts from people involved with Star Trek television shows
than it does from people involved with Star Trek films.
B. e compilers of e Fiy-Year Mission had loy goals for their oral history of the Star Trek franchise,
but the published work lacks information about many key events in the franchise’s history.
C. e large amount of material compiled into e Fiy-Year Mission is surprising given that many of
the people involved in Star Trek franchise did not participate in the oral history project.
D. e Fiy-Year Mission represents a worthwhile attempt to thoroughly recount the history of the Star
Trek franchise, but its approach has an important limitation.
SAT Lesson 16
3

According to the text, how do historians view pachuca style?

A. ey think that pachuca style was similar to other fashion trends that different groups of women
adopted in the same period.
B. ey think that pachuca style was celebrated because it enabled some Mexican American women to
show their support for the United States during World War II.
C. ey think that pachuca style was a popular trend that it continues to influence fashion in the United
States to the present day. `
D. ey think that pachuca style was a way for some Mexican American women to express themselves
4 and resist strict social expectations.
Which choice best states the overall sequence of the text?
A. It describes an aesthetic tradition of a period, then gives a notable example of this style by a figure,
and cites the popularity of this style.
B. It depicts a fashion style popular in a period, then explains the social context in which this style
originated.
C. It presents a popular fashion trend of a period, then lists the different groups that participated in the
trend.
D. It elaborates on a fashion style and different opinions regarding this style.
5 Advancements like the emergence of ceramics manufacturing in central Europe circa 28,000 BCE are
overemphasized in innovation studies, contributing to the idea that technological change always brings
greater complexity. Research by Nathaniel Erb-Satullo reveals an important exception: gold metallurgy
flourished in the Caucasus in the Bronze Age, but a steep drop during that time (circa 1500 BCE) in objects
featuring gold filigree (in which fine threads of gold are arranged in intricate patterns) and other
sophisticated goldsmithing techniques suggests that simpler processes supplanted advanced methods.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
A It explains that a particular interpretation of technological development has been perpetuated in an
academic field and then provides a counterexample demonstrating that the interpretation isn't always
accurate.
B It summarizes the findings of several studies into the origins of a particular invention and then presents
additional evidence from a more recent study that contradicts those findings.
C It advances a claim made by researchers in one academic field about the nature of technological change and
then critiques a contrasting claim presented by a researcher from a related academic field.
D It details the near-consensus among researchers in a particular field of study regarding how technology
evolves and then indicates the controversial nature of a study challenging that broadly accepted view.
SAT Lesson 16
6 During Rome's republican period, which ended in the first century BCE, libraries were predominantly owned by
wealthy individuals who tightly controlled access to their book collections. e first public library became
available in Rome in 28 BCE and was soon followed by one commissioned by Emperor Augustus. As modern
scholar Fabio Fernandes notes, however, these two traditions aren't as distinct as they seem, as both the emperor
and the private library owners viewed their libraries as extensions of their personal patronage, just on vastly
differing scales.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To call into question the notion that private Roman libraries disappeared during the first century BCE.
B. To contend that early imperial leaders in Rome wielded too much influence over libraries.
C. To give a brief overview of public access to libraries throughout Rome’s republican period.
D. To assert that private and early public libraries in ancient Rome had an essential similarity.
7

Which choice best describes the overall sequence of the text?

A. It describes an aesthetic framework shared by a particular group of artists and then makes and illustrates
the claim that individuals introduced variations within that framework.
B. It describes the common perception that a particular group of artists’ works are derivative and then
provides a specific piece of evidence that reinforces that perception.
C. It explains how a particular group of artists began collaborating and then recounts how one member of
that group became influential among them.
D. It offers historical context that accounts for a particular group of artists’ shared style and then indicates the
circumstances under which several members of that group began exploring more unconventional themes.
8 Driven to sell as many paintings as possible, Afred Hair, an influential figure among the landscape artists known as
the Florida Highwaymen, pioneered “fast painting,” a technique (which in part involved swi applications of
paint) that many Highwaymen, including Isaac Knight, adopted. To conclude that this approach accounts for the
ethereal qualities now synonymous with the Highwaymen aesthetic is tempting but inaccurate, as Hair’s methods
weren’t universally practiced by his affiliates: Roy McLendon, for example, painted with greater deliberateness but
achieved the same effects.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
A. It details evidence that contradicts a claim mentioned earlier in the text about a long-standing
disagreement within a group of artists.
B. It explains how an artist mentioned earlier in the text developed a distinctive style by adapting a particular
approach to painting originated by his colleagues.
C. It considers and rebuts an interpretation of the effect of a painting technique mentioned earlier in the text
on the perception of work by a group of artists.
D. It establishes a contrast between the aesthetic qualities of works by artists who were central to a movement
introduced earlier in the text and those of an artist who was more peripheral to that movement.
SAT Lesson 16
9

Based on the texts, what do the author of Text 1 and the author of Text 2 mainly disagree about?
A) What inspired a Spanish writer in the 1700s to write a play about the Inca Empire
B) Whether Ollantay is an Inca play from the 1500s or was instead created much later, in the 1700s
C) How the Inca author of Ollantay knew so much about plays from Spain
D) Why Inca plays became more popular in the 1700s than they had been when they were first performed in
the 1500s.
10

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely answer the underlined question in Text 1?
A) Although the programs may seem to produce positive results, close analysis of studies of the programs shows
that they produce negative results just as frequently.
B) It is unknown what results the programs produce because studies of them are oen designed in ways that do
not allow for definitive conclusions.
C) Most of the programs do not actually produce positive results even though program participants tend to regard
them as beneficial.
D) e programs tend to produce inconsistent results because they vary substantially in their methods and aims.
SAT Lesson 16
11 Text 1
Isaac Asimov, author of e Caves of Steel and e Stars, Like Dust, is highly regarded despite his mediocre writing
style. His prose is workmanlike; his characters are flat and discuss ideas rather than emotions. at his work is
enjoyable despite this is a testament to his prodigious imagination—even if people read his books only for the
ideas, they will have plenty to consider.
Text 2
Asimov is critiqued for his style, but it is wrong to fault a writer for failing to do what he never intended to do. For
example, although most of his novel Foundation consists of people discussing science and politics and we find out
little about his characters’ lives, Asimov wanted to convey the vast sweep of human history over centuries, and one
of his points is that at such a timescale, individuals don’t matter. us his lack of characterization is central to his
thematic aims.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the description of Asimov’s
characters in the underlined portion of Text 1?
A. Asimov’s characterizations would have been richer if he had possessed a deeper understanding of history.
B. e flatness of Asimov’s characters is a feature of e Caves of Steel and e Stars, Like Dust but not of
Foundation.
C. e flatness of Asimov’s characters should not necessarily be considered a flaw in his writing.
D. Asimov’s characterizations would have been more believable if his writing had discussed fewer ideas.
12 A film scholar is analyzing 1950s American science fiction films, which were oen interpreted as straightforward
tales of alien invasion or technological disaster. One such film, e Last Warning (1956), follows a small town’s
efforts to contain a mysterious radioactive creature. While many viewers see the film as a standard monster
thriller, the scholar argues that the movie should be understood as a critique of Cold War paranoia and the
dangers of conformity.
Which nding, if true, would most directly support the scholar’s claim?
A. e Last Warning opens with a town hall meeting where officials vote unanimously to suppress news of the
creature’s existence, fearing public panic.
B. e film’s climax features the creature being destroyed by a newly developed military weapon.
C. roughout the film, citizens wear matching uniforms and repeat slogans about safety and unity.
D. e Last Warning ends with the protagonist explaining that the real threat came from nature, not from outer
space.
13 Since the 1980s, a wave of contemporary Nigerian theater has emerged that draws heavily on Yoruba masquerade
performance and oral storytelling traditions, while also addressing current issues such as urbanization, political
corruption, and generational conflict. ese works oen blend ritualistic elements with realist settings,
highlighting the continuity between cultural heritage and present-day social realities.
Which example, if true, would best illustrate the underlined claim?
A. A recent Nigerian play stages a traditional Egungun masquerade ceremony but reinterprets it to depict political
leaders as ancestral spirits judging contemporary corruption in city government.
B. A Nigerian spoken word performance, set in a digital media installation, critiques the nation’s rising wealth
inequality through fragmented, experimental verse.
C. A village drama in the Yoruba tradition is performed entirely in the Yoruba language and incorporates music,
drumming, and symbolic costuming.
D. A French film about the legacy of colonialism in West Africa includes archival footage and interviews with
former soldiers.
SAT Lesson 16
14

Which detail about songs associated with nueva cancion , if true, would best illustrate the underlined claim?
A. Many feature political commentary addressing contemporary issues that stemmed from shared
experiences of European colonization in Latin American countries.
B. Many demonstrate the stylistic influence of corrido, a genre of narrative songs from Mexico that had come
to be characterized by political themes in the early 1800s.
C. Many were produced by Argentinian artists in the late 1950s, with others by artists in additional Latin
American countries first emerging soon aer.
D. Many were written with parts meant to be played on the quena , a traditional flute used across Andean
countries, including Chile.
15

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the underlined claim?
A. As recorded in his manuscripts, some of Banchini’s calculations for the coordinates of the planets are
inaccurate due to the use of whole numbers rather than non-whole number decimals.
B. In a table in Bianchini’s astronomical latitude manuscript from the 1404, Tabluae primi mobilis B, a dot
appears between two numbers in a context that suggests the value is not a whole number.
C. Several dots appear in both Clavius’s Astrolabium and Bianchini’s Flores Almagesti, but the dot was
commonly used in manuscripts in the 1400s and 1500s as a means to separate letters or whole numbers
from each other.
D. In Clavius’s Astrolabium, he gives several examples of both interpolation and inverse interpolation using
decimal numbers and justifies the method to his readers by equating 45.7 with “457 tenths.”
SAT Lesson 16
16 Critics have noted that in her 1959 novel e Marble Orchard, author Inez Candelaria explores themes of historical
memory through a narrative structure that resists linear chronology. According to literary scholar Rana Malik, the
novel’s non-sequential storytelling not only reflects the fragmented recollections of its narrator but also enacts the
cultural disorientation experienced by a community reckoning with suppressed histories. In this view, the form of
the novel mirrors its themes: how the past is remembered and forgotten in uneven, disjointed ways.
Which quotation from a literary scholar would most directly support the claim made by Malik?
A. “e Marble Orchard relies heavily on a first-person narrator whose voice is steeped in personal trauma and
cultural displacement.”
B. “In rejecting a chronological structure, the novel allows readers to experience the fragmentation and distortion
that characterize historical memory in the community it depicts.”
C. “ough the narrative is nonlinear and fragmented, this technique mostly functions to keep readers in
suspense about key plot events.”
D. “e Marble Orchard’s jumbled structure occasionally distracts from character development, but it creates an
emotionally engaging atmosphere.”
17 In his 1971 novel Ashes of the River, author Emmanuel Toro employs repeated interruptions in the plot to insert
seemingly unrelated parables, oen derived from oral traditions of his native region. According to literature
professor Jeanette Okoro, these parables are not ornamental digressions but structural intrusions that challenge
the reader’s expectations of narrative cohesion. Okoro argues that this disruption is deliberate: it forces readers to
reckon with a central theme of the novel — that linear historical progress is an illusion imposed upon a reality
shaped by cyclical suffering and forgotten voices.
Which quotation from a literary scholar would most directly support the claim made by Okoro?
A. “While the parables interspersed throughout Ashes of the River at times obscure the novel’s central plotline, they
add texture by invoking the oral traditions that shaped the author’s early life.”
B. “e inclusion of traditional stories may initially seem extraneous, but these moments of narrative pause
ultimately enhance the novel’s cultural authenticity and stylistic richness.”
C. “e structural interruptions created by the parables subvert the reader’s desire for narrative resolution, thereby
reinforcing the novel’s rejection of a Western model of linear historical progress.”
D. “Toro’s interweaving of folklore with fiction contributes to a layered literary aesthetic, though the parables
function largely as atmospheric devices rather than vehicles of plot advancement.”
18 A student writing a research paper on American federalism argues that one key advantage the U.S. Constitution
has over the Articles of Confederation is that it enables the central government to act directly on individuals,
rather than merely through the states. According to the student, this capacity strengthens national unity and
enforcement of federal law.
Which quotation from a constitutional scholar’s analysis would best support the student’s argument?
A. “Unlike under the Articles of Confederation, the federal government created by the Constitution possesses the
authority to impose taxes, regulate commerce, and enforce laws directly upon citizens without relying on state
cooperation.”
B. “e U.S. Constitution distributes powers between the national and state governments, leaving certain
domains—such as education and policing—largely in the hands of the states.”
C. “e framers’ desire to preserve state sovereignty led to a system in which the Senate would represent states
equally, regardless of population.”
D. “Although the Constitution expanded central authority, its draers took care to include protections such as the
Tenth Amendment to guard against federal overreach.”
SAT Lesson 16
19 A student in an American government course is writing a paper on e Federalist Papers, particularly
Federalist No. 39 by James Madison. e student claims that Madison defends the new Constitution by
arguing that it strikes a balance between a purely national and a purely federal (confederate) system, which is
necessary to preserve both popular sovereignty and state authority under the new constitutional framework.
Which quotation from a historian’s commentary on Madison’s argument would best support the student’s
claim?
A. “In Federalist No. 39, Madison emphasizes that the Constitution derives its authority from the people, not
from the states as corporate entities—a departure from the Articles of Confederation’s model of state
sovereignty.”
B. “According to Madison, the proposed Constitution creates a government that is neither wholly national
nor wholly federal: it combines elements of both, with some powers delegated to the central government and
others reserved to the states.”
C. “Madison argues that under the Constitution, the central government would be better equipped to handle
foreign affairs, especially in forming treaties and raising armies, areas in which the Articles of Confederation
had proved insufficient.”
D. “ough Madison supports ratification of the Constitution, he acknowledges that not all states may
initially approve the new plan and that political compromise will be needed to bring dissenting states into the
union.”
20 A student writing a paper on John Locke's Second Treatise of Government argues that Locke believed
governments must be kept in check by legal constraints and that rulers who violate the law betray the very
foundation of civil society. e student claims that Locke warns against allowing even minor breaches of law
by authorities to go unchallenged, as this can erode the legitimacy of the entire system.
Which quotation from a political theorist’s analysis of Locke’s Second Treatise would best support the
student’s claim?
A. “When Locke discusses the dissolution of government, he emphasizes that the body politic dissolves
not when a single law is broken, but when the legislative or executive acts contrary to the trust placed in
them—particularly when that breach goes unpunished or unnoticed, undermining the rule of law.”
B. “Locke’s contract theory assumes that individuals give up some rights in exchange for security; thus, the
key obligation of the sovereign is to defend life and property, not to strictly enforce all laws, which
Locke views as tools rather than ends in themselves.”
C. “Although Locke is oen associated with a right to rebellion, he maintains that revolt is permissible only
under extreme oppression, such as arbitrary rule or extended failure to protect citizens’ liberties—not in
response to isolated mistakes or occasional overreach.”
D. “According to Locke, the legislative branch is the supreme power in the commonwealth, since it
represents the people’s collective will; however, its authority is not absolute, as it must still answer to the
moral law and natural rights that precede civil governance.”
SAT Lesson 16
21 In many West African griot traditions, storytelling is not simply the recitation of fixed tales but a highly
adaptive and improvisational performance, shaped by audience response and the social or political context of
the moment. Griots are not just custodians of oral history but also active cultural participants, dynamically
reinterpreting tradition as they perform. In recent decades, some griots have collaborated with documentary
filmmakers to capture their stories in recorded media. While such documentation fixes a previously fluid
tradition into a permanent form, griots have sometimes treated these opportunities as new forms of
performance, adjusting their style and narrative techniques to suit the medium. is may seem paradoxical—
how can an improvisational tradition be captured authentically on film?—but such a view overlooks how
griots have consciously adapted their art to preserve its improvisational essence even in fixed media.
Which quotation from a cultural historian would most directly support the final claim in the passage?
A. “While griots remain important transmitters of cultural memory, modern influences such as
recording technology and international recognition have diluted the traditional character of their
performances.”
B. “Although documentary films may seem to fossilize a living tradition, griots oen approach such
recordings as collaborative performances, modifying their delivery, cadence, and even story content
to reflect the context of the filming and the anticipated audience.”
C. “Griot storytelling is deeply tied to its local context, and even when performed for tourists or foreign
audiences, it retains an aura of cultural specificity that resists full translation.”
D. “Film, as a medium, is inherently at odds with oral traditions rooted in spontaneity and audience
interaction, and thus struggles to represent the full nuance of griot performance.”
22

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. A group of economists asserts that people with relatively high incomes are consequently enabled to take
certain considerations into account when voting.
B. A team of economists finds that people who vote for higher taxes on those with high incomes are likely to
think their moral values coincide with their material interests.
C. According to a group of economists, politicians who support higher taxes on those with high incomes
must convince a sufficient number of people with such incomes to vote against their material interest if
the politicians are to be elected.
D. According to a team of economists, the higher a voter’s income, the more likely that voter’s values are to
conflict with their material interests.
SAT Lesson 16
23 Why do some low-income individuals support economic policies that may not seem to benefit them directly, such
as reductions in government welfare programs or tax cuts for corporations? Political scientist Katherine Alvarez
and her colleagues suggest that these choices may reflect a belief in long-term economic mobility. eir research
indicates that many low-income voters are motivated not by their current financial situation but by their
aspirations for future success. According to Alvarez et al., such voters may view policies favoring business and
investment as laying the groundwork for opportunities they or their children might one day benefit from, even if
the immediate effects are not in their favor.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. A team of political scientists argues that low-income voters oen misunderstand which policies would benefit
them in the long term.
B. Researchers propose that some voters support economic policies based on aspirational thinking rather than
immediate material interests.
C. According to a group of scholars, corporate tax cuts are likely to provide more long-term benefits than direct
welfare programs.
D. A group of political scientists finds that voters tend to support politicians whose economic background mirrors
their own.
24 Political theorist Javier Morales suggests that the rise of populist movements cannot be explained solely by
economic hardship. Instead, his research points to a perceived loss of cultural status and identity among certain
groups as the primary motivator behind support for populist candidates. Morales contends that feelings of social
displacement and diminished influence in public discourse drive voters to back leaders who promise to restore
traditional norms, even when those leaders offer few concrete economic solutions.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. Populist leaders gain support primarily by offering economic solutions to people in financial distress.
B. According to one political theorist, cultural insecurity rather than economic hardship best explains support for
populist movements.
C. Voters who feel economically disadvantaged tend to support candidates promising cultural restoration.
D. Javier Morales argues that political leaders must address both cultural and economic issues to win populist
support.
25 Sociologist Dana Kwon argues that perceptions of fairness in economic systems influence voting behavior more
than actual financial outcomes. In her studies, voters oen supported policies that resulted in less personal gain if
those policies were perceived to distribute resources more "fairly" across society. According to Kwon, this suggests
that emotional and moral considerations about equity and justice can outweigh rational calculations of self-
interest in the political decision-making process.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. People tend to vote for policies that benefit them economically, provided the system delivering those benefits
appears fair.
B. Voter behavior is more predictable when outcomes are clearly aligned with self-interest and fairness
simultaneously.
C. Sociologists believe that people misunderstand how political policies affect economic fairness.
D. Sociological research finds that voters oen prioritize perceived fairness over financial self-interest when
supporting political policies.