Question ID c966ad55
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose
ID: c966ad55 1.1
The following text is from Srimati Svarna Kumari Devi’s 1894 novel The Fatal Garland (translated by A. Christina
Albers in 1910). Shakti is walking near a riverbank that she visited frequently during her childhood.
She crossed the woods she knew so well. The trees seemed to extend their branches like welcoming arms.
They greeted her as an old friend. Soon she reached the river-side.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
A. It suggests that Shakti feels uncomfortable near the river.
B. It indicates that Shakti has lost her sense of direction in the woods.
C. It emphasizes Shakti’s sense of belonging in the landscape.
D. It conveys Shakti’s appreciation for her long-term friendships.
Question ID 066a3295
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose
ID: 066a3295 1.2
Researchers have found a nearly 164,000-year-old molar from a member of the archaic human species known as
Denisovans in a cave in Laos, suggesting that Denisovans lived in a wider range of environments than indicated by
earlier evidence. Before the discovery, Denisovans were thought to have lived only at high altitudes in relatively
cold climates in what are now Russia and China, but the discovery of the tooth in Laos suggests that they may
have lived at low altitudes in relatively warm climates in Southeast Asia as well.
Which choice best states the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
A. It dismisses as untrue the research presented in the previous sentence.
B. It defines a term used in the description that follows in the rest of the sentence.
C. It emphasizes the main goal of the research introduced in the previous sentence.
D. It provides context that clarifies the significance of the information that follows in the rest of the sentence.
Question ID e13171c4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose
ID: e13171c4 1.3
Historians Tiya Miles and Roy E. Finkenbine have both documented the assistance Indigenous peoples gave to
Black freedom seekers leaving the South before the US Civil War. Much of the historical evidence of this help
comes from Indigenous oral traditions and from autobiographies written by the freedom seekers. One such
narrative is Jermain Loguen’s autobiography, which tells about how Neshnabé (Potawatomi) villagers offered him
food, lodging, and directions during his 1835 journey from Tennessee to Canada.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence?
A. It provides an example of an autobiography that describes help given by an Indigenous people to a Black
freedom seeker.
B. It shows why Loguen decided to write in great detail about his experiences traveling from Tennessee to
Canada in his autobiography.
C. It argues that autobiographies are particularly important sources of information about geography in the United
States before the Civil War.
D. It suggests that most historians believe that Neshnabé villagers were more successful in assisting freedom
seekers than other people were.
Question ID e929fe98
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose
ID: e929fe98 1.4
Composer Florence Price won first place for her score Symphony in E Minor at the 1932 Wanamaker Foundation
Awards. The piece was performed the following year by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a significant
recognition of its quality. Price continued to compose many musical pieces throughout her career, blending
traditional Black spirituals with classical European Romantic musical traditions. In recent years, Price’s concertos
and symphonies have been performed and recorded by several major orchestras, further preserving her work for
others to enjoy.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To provide examples of Price’s importance as a composer
B. To argue that more major orchestras should perform Price’s compositions
C. To describe the musical styles that inspired many of Price’s symphonies
D. To compare Price’s scores with those of classical European composers
Question ID ea971260
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose
ID: ea971260 1.5
The following text is adapted from Louisa May Alcott’s 1869 novel An Old-Fashioned Girl. Polly, a teenager, is
visiting her friend Fanny.
Fanny’s friends did not interest Polly much; she was rather afraid of them [because] they seemed so much
older and wiser than herself, even those younger in years. They talked about things of which she knew
nothing and when Fanny tried to explain, she didn’t find them interesting; indeed, some of them rather
shocked and puzzled her.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To portray Polly’s reaction to Fanny’s friends
B. To identify the topics Polly talks about with Fanny’s friends
C. To explain how Fanny met some of her friends
D. To illustrate how Fanny’s friends feel about Polly
Question ID c8603ed7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose
ID: c8603ed7 1.6
San Francisco is known for the colorful murals painted on many of its buildings. The densest collection of murals
is found on Balmy Alley in the Mission District neighborhood. In the 1970s, Latina artists painted vivid scenes of
community life on walls along this block. As the original murals have faded, later generations of artists have
painted new ones over them. As a result, Balmy Alley has become a living showcase of San Francisco’s artistic
spirit, with its murals reflecting changes in the cultural life of the city.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To compare the Balmy Alley murals to other murals in San Francisco
B. To offer an overview of the history and importance of the Balmy Alley murals
C. To urge people to protect the murals of San Francisco from decay
D. To describe the rise of mural painting in San Francisco beginning in the 1970s
Question ID a68239ed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose
ID: a68239ed 1.7
The following text is adapted from Oscar Wilde’s 1897 nonfiction work De Profundis.
People whose desire is solely for self-realisation never know where they are going. They can’t know. In one
sense of the word it is of course necessary to know oneself: that is the first achievement of knowledge. But
to recognise that the soul of a man is unknowable, is the ultimate achievement of wisdom. The final mystery
is oneself. When one has weighed the sun in the balance, and measured the steps of the moon, and mapped
out the seven heavens star by star, there still remains oneself. Who can calculate the orbit of his own soul?
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined question in the text as a whole?
A. It reinforces the text’s skepticism about the possibility of truly achieving self-knowledge.
B. It speculates that some readers will share the doubts expressed in the text about the value of self-knowledge.
C. It cautions readers that the text’s directions for how to achieve self-knowledge are hard to follow.
D. It concedes that the definition of self-knowledge advanced in the text is unpopular.
Question ID a2dd51c1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose
ID: a2dd51c1 1.8
In most building demolitions, the building materials are destroyed and sent to landfills. City officials in Portland,
Oregon, wanted to reduce this waste. The officials passed a law requiring demolition companies to deconstruct
some buildings instead. Deconstruction involves carefully taking buildings apart piece by piece. Damage to the
materials is avoided so that they can be reused in new constructions. A 2019 study found that 27 percent of
materials from deconstructions in Portland were able to be reused. The remaining materials were processed for
recycling instead of going to a landfill.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To explain an effort made by the city of Portland to reduce demolition waste and some results of that effort
B. To show that popular support for measures that reduce demolition waste has increased since 2019
C. To argue that building deconstruction is not as effective as other measures at reducing demolition waste
D. To discuss laws aimed to reduce demolition waste in Portland and compare them to similar laws in other cities
Question ID 48e4021d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose
ID: 48e4021d 1.9
The following text is from Holly Goldberg Sloan’s 2017 novel Short.
More than two years ago my parents bought a piano from some people who were moving to Utah. Mom and
Dad gave it to my brothers and me for Christmas. I had to act really happy because it was such a big present,
but I pretty much hated the thing from the second it was carried into the hallway upstairs, which is right next
to my bedroom. The piano glared at me. It was like a songbird in a cage. It wanted to be set free.
©2017 by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. It explains why the narrator always wanted a piano close to her bedroom.
B. It establishes how the narrator feels about the piano.
C. It suggests that the narrator’s brothers are talented piano players.
D. It describes the event that led the narrator’s parents to buy a piano.
