Digital SAT Mock Test - 3 - SAT MCQ

Choice 1 is the best answer because it presents the quotation that most directly illustrates the claim that Cather portrays Alexandra as having a deep emotional connection to her natural surroundings. This quotation states that the country meant a great deal to Alexandra and then goes on to detail several ways in which her natural surroundings affect her emotionally: the insects sound like “the sweetest music,” she feels as though “her heart were hiding” in the grass “with the quail and the plover,” and near the ridges she feels “the future stirring.”
Choice 2 is incorrect because the quotation doesn’t suggest that Alexandra had a deep emotional connection to her natural surroundings but instead describes how she interacts with the people around her to learn more about crops, poultry, and experiments with clover hay.
Choice 3 is incorrect because the quotation doesn’t suggest that Alexandra has a deep emotional connection to her natural surroundings but instead describes her nighttime departure in a wagon. The quotation says nothing about Alexandra’s emotional state.
Choice 4 is incorrect because the quotation doesn’t convey Alexandra’s deep emotional connection to her natural surroundings; instead, this quotation describes how well she understands the markets and livestock.

Choice 1 is the best answer. The narrator is “embarrassed” about the route he took, which ends up leaving him lost and confused about how to get to his destination for the evening.
Choice 2 is incorrect. This choice doesn’t match the passage. The narrator is embarrassed, rather than fond, and he doesn’t describe the beauty of the place.
Choice 3 is incorrect. This choice doesn’t match the passage. We don’t know from this excerpt whether or not the narrator has visited this part of New York multiple times.
Choice 4 is incorrect. This choice doesn’t match the passage. The narrator doesn’t explain how he overcame being lost in this excerpt.

Choice 1 is the best answer because it most effectively illustrates the claim that Lowell describes an element of nature as an active participant in the experience of a nighttime scene on a body of water. The quotation presents the image of the moon shining on a body of water. However, instead of describing the moon in passive terms or simply stating that it reflects through the water and onto the sandy shore, the quotation portrays the moon as being engaged in the humanlike action of writing a legend. In other words, the moon is participating actively in the nighttime scene.
Choice 2 is incorrect. Although the quotation describes a nighttime scene on a body of water, the element of nature in these lines—the waves—isn’t portrayed as an active participant in an experience; instead, the waves merely ripple softly against a canoe, as waves would normally do.
Choice 3 is incorrect because the quotation doesn’t present a nighttime scene on a body of water; instead, it describes petals falling from a rose.
Choice 4 is incorrect. Although the quotation presents an image of an element of nature—the moon—it doesn’t mention a body of water; moreover, it portrays the moon not as an active participant in a scene but instead as static or unchanging (“ever and always the same”).

Choice 4 is the best answer because it uses data from the graph to effectively illustrate the text’s claim about general economic policy uncertainty in the United Kingdom. The graph presents values for economic policy uncertainty in tax and public spending policy, trade policy, and general economic policy in the UK from 2005 to 2010. The graph shows that in 2005, the value for general economic policy uncertainty (approximately 90) was substantially lower than the value for uncertainty about trade policy specifically (approximately 160). It also shows that in 2010, the value for general economic policy uncertainty (approximately 120) was substantially higher than the value for uncertainty about trade policy (approximately 70). The substantial differences between these values in 2005 and 2010 support the claim that a general measure may not fully reflect uncertainty about specific areas of policy.
Choice 1 is incorrect because the graph shows that the level of general economic policy uncertainty was similar to the level of uncertainty about tax and public spending policy in both 2005 (with values of approximately 90 and 100, respectively) and 2009 (with values of approximately 80 and 75, respectively).
Choice 2 is incorrect because the graph shows that general economic policy uncertainty was higher than uncertainty about tax and public spending policy in 2006, 2007, and 2009, not that it was lower each year from 2005 to 2010.
Choice 3 is incorrect because the graph shows that general economic policy uncertainty reached its highest level in 2010, which was when uncertainty about tax and public spending policy also reached its highest level, not its lowest level.

Choice 1 is the best answer because it presents an explanation that is directly stated in the text for why ecologists are worried about Pando. The text states that Pando is a colony of about 47,000 quaking aspen trees that represents one of the largest organisms on Earth. According to the text, ecologists are worried that Pando’s growth is declining, partly because animals are feeding on the trees. In other words, the ecologists are worried that Pando isn’t growing at the same rate it used to.
Choice 2 is incorrect. Rather than indicating that Pando isn’t producing young trees anymore, the text reveals that Pando is indeed producing young trees, stating that those trees can be protected from grazing deer by strong fences.
Choice 3 is incorrect because the text states that fences can be used to prevent deer from eating Pando’s young trees, not that Pando itself can’t grow in new areas because it’s blocked by fences.
Choice 4 is incorrect because the text offers no evidence that Pando’s root system is incapable of supporting new trees or is otherwise a cause of worry for ecologists.

Choice 4 is the best answer. The text metaphorically likens humans to animals in a zoo, suggesting that humans have dreams that they cannot fulfill because they are trapped.
Choice 1 is incorrect. The speaker says that the lion has an “untamed heart,” but the speaker doesn’t actually mention anything about humans taming wild animals or a lack of compassion.
Choice 2 is incorrect. The speaker doesn’t suggest that humans lack motivation. Rather, the speaker thinks that humans are “trapped” and prevented from achieving their dreams.
Choice 3 is incorrect. The speaker doesn’t mention anything about humans becoming frustrated or lacking self-control. Rather, the speaker thinks that humans are “trapped” and prevented from achieving their dreams.

Choice 4 is the best answer because it describes data from the graph that support the researchers’ conclusion that there is a growing interest among CEOs in connecting with more departments in their companies. The graph shows the average number of individuals reporting directly to CEOs during three different time periods: the individuals are divided into managers and department leaders. The average number of department leaders directly reporting to their CEO during the 1991–1995 period was slightly more than three, during the 1996–2001 period it was four, and during the 2001–2008 period it was almost seven. Thus, the average number of department leaders reporting directly to their CEO rose over the three periods studied, which suggests that CEOs were connecting with more departments.

Choice 1 is incorrect because the average number of managers and department leaders reporting directly to their CEO rose for both categories between the 1991–1995 and 2001–2008 periods; thus, it isn’t true that the average numbers didn’t fluctuate.

Choice 2 is incorrect because the average number of managers reporting directly to their CEO was highest in the 2001–2008 period, not in the 1996–2001 period.

Choice 3 is incorrect. Although it correctly describes a feature of the graph, the observation that more department leaders than managers are reporting to CEOs does not by itself address the question of whether CEOs are connecting with more departments over time—to address that question, one needs to know whether the number of department leaders reporting to CEOs is increasing over time.

Choice 4 is the best answer because it presents a statement about the site discovered by the researchers that is supported by the text. The text discusses Fiorelli and colleagues’ discovery of egg clutches, single eggs, and eggshells in a Brazilian mine. According to the text, the presence of these eggs, which are from the Late Cretaceous period, led the researchers to conclude that the location was once a nesting and breeding site for titanosaurs. The text then explains that the finding is important because of the “previous lack of known nesting sites in northern regions of South America.” If there haven’t been any other discoveries of a nesting site in South America’s northern regions and the site in the Brazilian mine is the first, then the text strongly suggests that the site is farther north than other nesting sites that have been discovered in South America.

Choice 1 is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the site discovered by Fiorelli and colleagues is the earliest titanosaur nesting and breeding site known to paleontologists but rather that it’s the first nesting site found in northern regions of South America. Moreover, the text doesn’t suggest how the timeline of the newly discovered site compares with that of other titanosaur nesting and breeding sites.
Choice 2 is incorrect because there is no mention in the text about any difficulties that Fiorelli and colleagues faced when they were excavating the nesting and breeding site in the Brazilian mine.
Choice 3 is incorrect because the text doesn’t support the idea that the nesting and breeding site in the Brazilian mine was occupied by sauropods other than titanosaurs. The text simply mentions that titanosaurs are sauropod dinosaurs and presents the researchers’ conclusion that the site they discovered was for titanosaurs.

Choice 3 is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text begins by stating that the Black Pearl orchestra performs classical music, and then goes on to explain that the orchestra offers an iConduct! program. According to the text, this program offers community members the opportunity to learn some basics about conducting and then apply what they learn by conducting the orchestra themselves. Thus, the main idea of the text is that community members can both listen to and participate in a classical music performance.

Choice 1 is incorrect. Although the text states that the Black Pearl orchestra is based in Philadelphia, it doesn’t indicate that most of the music it plays was composed by Philadelphians.

Choice 2 is incorrect. Although the text does state that Johnson founded the Black Pearl orchestra, this is just a detail and not the main focus of the text. Moreover, while the text does say that the orchestra sometimes plays music by Montgomery, it doesn’t assert that the orchestra was founded solely for the purpose of performing Montgomery’s work.

Choice 4 is incorrect. Although the text explains that community members are invited to conduct the Black Pearl orchestra after participating in the iConduct! program, the text doesn’t indicate that Johnson allows community members to do this for the specific purpose of showing how difficult the task is.

Choice 2 is the best answer because it presents a statement about Dorian that is directly supported by the text. The narrator of the text says that when Dorian sees his portrait, “his cheeks flushed for a moment with pleasure” and “a look of joy came into his eyes.” The narrator goes on to say that Dorian looked at the portrait “in wonder” and presents him as being so entranced by the portrait that he doesn’t notice what Hallward is saying to him. All these details support the description of Dorian as being delighted by what he sees in the portrait.

Choice 1 is incorrect because Dorian isn’t depicted as interested in Hallward’s opinion of the portrait but rather as so enraptured by the painting that he’s hardly even aware of Hallward.

Choice 3 is incorrect because the portrait of Dorian is the only painting that is mentioned in the text, so there’s no evidence that Dorian prefers portraits to other types of paintings. Although Dorian is depicted as delighted with this particular portrait, there’s no way of knowing from the text whether he likes portraits better than other kinds of paintings.

Choice 4 is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Dorian is uncertain about Hallward’s talent. Instead, the text is focused on Dorian’s delight with the portrait.

Choice 1 is the best answer because it best states the main idea of the text. According to the text, jalis’ traditional role has been to maintain information about families’ histories and significant events. The text goes on to say that although technological changes have altered jalis’ role somewhat, jalis are still valued for preserving the histories of their communities.

Choice 2 is incorrect because the text says nothing about jalis’ views of the various tasks they perform. There is no information to support the idea that many jalis prefer teaching to other tasks.
Choice 3 is incorrect because the text doesn’t describe jalis as being sources of entertainment. Rather, jalis are presented as valued sources of knowledge. Additionally, the text gives no indication of how long jalis have been serving their communities.
Choice 4 is incorrect because the main focus of the text is on jalis’ role and their continued value despite the effects of technology, not on what technology can now do. Although the text indicates that jalis’ role has changed as a result of technological changes, the text doesn’t present any specific information about technology performing tasks that jalis once performed.

Choice 3 is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the mechanisms underlying associative memory. The text explains that fan cells—a type of brain cell—are necessary for the acquisition of new associative memories, and that activity among these cells requires a chemical known as dopamine, which the brain produces in response to rewards. Since the brain cells that enable the formation of associative memories require dopamine in order to function, and since the brain produces dopamine in response to rewards, it can be inferred that receiving a reward should likely help to increase an individual’s capacity to form associative memories.

Choice 1 is incorrect because the relationship between rewards and dopamine sketched by the text is that rewards result in the production of dopamine, not that they cause an individual’s capacity to utilize dopamine to decrease.

Choice 2 is incorrect. The text suggests that receiving a reward would produce dopamine and thereby assist with associative memory formation. However, the text never suggests that associative memory involves the capacity to recognize differences between unrelated things, indicating only that associative memory involves remembering what connects those things.

Choice 4 is incorrect because the text never discusses how fan cells are initially created and therefore provides no evidence for a conclusion about how receiving a reward would affect their creation.

• Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense. In this choice, the present tense verb “is,” used in conjunction with the word “today,” correctly indicates that Paik is currently considered the first video artist.
• Choice A is incorrect because the future-indicating verb “will be” doesn’t indicate that Paik is currently considered the first video artist.
• Choice B is incorrect because the past perfect tense verb “had been” doesn’t indicate that Paik is currently considered the first video artist.
• Choice C is incorrect because the past tense verb “was” doesn’t indicate that Paik is currently considered the first video artist.

• Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the collaboration between the Crow Tribe and Montana State University. As used in this context, “exemplifies” means demonstrates. The text conveys how the Crow Tribe–Montana State University collaboration serves to illustrate the model of community-based participatory research introduced earlier in the text and expanded on later in the text.
• Choice A is incorrect because referring to “circumvents,” or avoids, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text suggests that the Crow Tribe–Montana State University collaboration serves as an example of the principles of community-based participatory research, not that the collaboration evades this model.
• Choice B is incorrect because referring to “eclipses,” or overshadows, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text describes the Crow Tribe–Montana State University collaboration as an equal partnership, which indicates that it’s an example of the community-based participatory research model, not that it overshadows the model.
• Choice C is incorrect because saying that the collaboration “fabricates,” or creates, the model wouldn’t make sense in context. The text indicates that the Crow Tribe–Montana State University collaboration serves as an example of the model, not that it created the model.

• Choice C is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of the fossil record from the Cambrian period. In this context, “abrupt” means sudden. The text explains that the fossil record reflects the unexpected appearance and rapid diversification, or increase in variety, of animal remains during the Cambrian period. This context establishes that these remains’ entry into the fossil record was sudden.
• Choice A is incorrect. Although the word “explosion” appears in the name of the event marked by the fossil record change, the text never suggests that the change was “catastrophic,” or disastrous. In context, “explosion” refers to the rapid diversification, or the swift increase in variety, of animal remains in the fossil record—a phenomenon that the text presents in a relatively neutral manner, without commenting on whether it was negative or positive.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text never suggests that the change toward greater diversification is “elusive,” or difficult to locate, in the fossil record. Rather, the text notes that the change occurred about 541 million years ago, suggesting that scientists have indeed been able to locate it.
• Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to describe the change in the fossil record as “imminent,” or about to occur, since the text indicates that the change already occurred millions of years ago.

• Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is finite and nonfinite verb forms within a sentence. A main clause requires a finite verb to perform the action of the subject (in this case, “embryos”), and this choice supplies the clause with the finite present tense verb “enter” to indicate how the embryos achieve diapause.
• Choice B is incorrect because the nonfinite to-infinitive “to enter” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.
• Choice C is incorrect because the nonfinite participle “having entered” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.
• Choice D is incorrect because the nonfinite participle “entering” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.

• Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between a main clause and a supplementary noun phrase. This choice correctly uses a comma to mark the boundary between the main clause (“scholar… materialism”) and the supplementary noun phrase (“an apt assessment”) that describes Waid’s observation about how The House of Mirth depicts the upper classes of New York society.
• Choice A is incorrect because a semicolon and the conjunction “and” can’t be used in this way to mark the boundary between a main clause and a supplementary noun phrase.
• Choice B is incorrect. Joining the main clause (“scholar…materialism”) and the following noun phrase with the conjunction “and” results in a confusing and illogical sentence that suggests that the novel depicts the upper classes of New York society as “an apt assessment,” which doesn’t make sense in this context.
• Choice D is incorrect because it fails to mark the boundary between the main clause and the supplementary noun phrase with appropriate punctuation.

• Choice A is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a whole. The text says that the increased production quotas of food processing companies during World War II enabled employees to make better bargains in exchange for their labor. The underlined portion presents an example of this increased bargaining power: employees requested more favorable benefits, and employers complied because they were under pressure to fulfill the demanding terms of their contracts. Thus, the underlined portion of the text elaborates on a claim about labor relations in a particular industry (food processing) made earlier in the text.
• Choice B is incorrect because there is no indication in the text that the economic factors that influenced food processing also influenced other parts of the economy; thus, the bargaining described in the underlined portion of the text cannot be called an example of a trend.
• Choice C is incorrect because the underlined portion supports the historical narrative of labor activism in food processing that is sketched in the text, instead of noting an exception to that narrative.
• Choice D is incorrect because while the underlined portion does discuss the demands that workers made in exchange for their labor, it does not discuss the identities of the workers.

• Choice A is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would most strongly support the team’s conclusion that cattle were likely raised closer to human settlements than sheep and goats were. The text explains that Vaiglova, Liu, and their colleagues analyzed the chemical composition of sheep, goat, and cattle bones from the Bronze Age in China in order to investigate the animals’ domestication, or their adaptation from a wild state to a state in which they existed in close connection with humans. According to the text, the team’s analysis showed that sheep and goats of the era fed largely on wild plants, whereas cattle fed on millet—importantly, a crop cultivated by humans. If analysis of the animal bones shows that the cattle’s diet also consisted of wheat, another crop cultivated by humans in China during the Bronze Age, the finding would support the team’s conclusion by offering additional evidence that cattle during this era fed on human-grown crops—and, by extension, that humans raised cattle relatively close to the settlements where they grew these crops, leaving goats and sheep to roam farther away in areas with wild vegetation, uncultivated by humans.
• Choice B is incorrect because if it were true that sheep’s and goats’ diets consisted of small portions of millet, which the text states was a crop cultivated by humans, the finding would suggest that sheep and goats were raised relatively close to human settlements, weakening the team’s conclusion that cattle were likely raised closer to those settlements than sheep and goats were.
• Choice C is incorrect because the finding that cattle generally require more food and nutrients than do sheep and goats wouldn’t support the team’s conclusion that cattle were likely raised closer to human settlements than sheep and goats were. Nothing in the text suggests that cattle were incapable of obtaining sufficient food and nutrients without access to human-grown crops. Hence, even if cattle’s diets are found to have different requirements than the diets of sheep and goats, the cattle could have met those requirements from food located far from human settlements.
• Choice D is incorrect because if it were true that the diets of sheep, goats, and cattle varied based on what the farmers in each Bronze Age settlement could grow, the finding would weaken the team’s conclusion that cattle were likely raised closer to human settlements than sheep and goats were, suggesting instead that all three types of animals were raised close enough to human settlements to feed on those settlements’ crops.

• Choice C is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes the aim, or goal, of the research study, noting what Terada set out to do: determine whether some of the Moon’s oxygen was coming from Earth.
• Choice A is incorrect. The sentence focuses on how the Kaguya satellite collected data; it doesn’t emphasize the aim of the research study.
• Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence mentions what Terada was curious about before conducting the research study, it doesn’t emphasize his study’s aim.
• Choice D is incorrect. The sentence presents the research study’s conclusion; it doesn’t emphasize the study’s aim.

• Choice D is the best answer because it provides a detail about Elinor that is established in the text. The text indicates that although Elinor is “only nineteen,” she gives good advice and exhibits such a high level of understanding and judgment that she serves as “the counsellor of her mother.” Thus, Elinor is mature beyond her years.
• Choice A is incorrect because it isn’t supported by the text: although the text says that Elinor advises her mother and often counteracts her mother’s impulses, there’s no mention of Elinor arguing with her mother or failing to change her mother’s mind.
• Choice B is incorrect because it isn’t supported by the text: although the text mentions that Elinor has strong feelings, it doesn’t indicate that she’s excessively sensitive when it comes to family issues.
• Choice C is incorrect because it isn’t supported by the text: there’s no mention of what Elinor thinks about her mother and no suggestion that she thinks her mother is a bad role model. Because she’s described as having “an excellent heart,” Elinor likely doesn’t think ill of her mother.

• Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the coordination of clauses within a sentence. This choice correctly uses a comma and the coordinating conjunction “but” to join a main clause (“Typically…value”) and a subordinate clause (“when…Whitman”) that precedes a main clause (“such… scholars”).
• Choice B is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. A main clause is fused without punctuation and/or a conjunction to a subordinate clause that precedes a main clause.
• Choice C is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can’t be used in this way to mark the boundary between a main clause and a subordinate clause that precedes a main clause.
• Choice D is incorrect. Without a comma preceding it, the conjunction “but” can’t be used in this way to join a main clause and a subordinate clause that precedes a main clause.

To subtract these expressions, change the subtraction to addition by changing the signs of all the terms in the second expression, then combine like terms (the terms with the same exponents and bases):
Original expression:
(-5x²y + 3xy - 7y²) - (5x²y - 7y² + 5xy)
Change signs of all terms in the second expression:
-5x²y + 3xy - 7y² - 5x²y + 7y² - 5xy
Combine like terms: -5x²y - 5x²y = -10x²y
3xy - 5xy = -2xy
-7y² + 7y² = 0
Resulting expression:    
-10x²y - 2xy

Because the population density equals the population of a region divided by the area of the region, we can set up the equation D = p/A, where D is the population density in people per km², P is the population, and A is the area in km².
Plug the information given into this equation: 70 = 3850/A
Multiply both sides by A: 70A = 3850
Divide both sides by 70:  A = 55 km²

The formula for the volume of a right circular cylinder is V = πr²h, where r is radius of the base and h is height of the cylinder. Since the diameter of each flower pot is 16 cm, the radius of each pot is 8 cm. The gardener fills them to a depth of 20 cm, so the volume of soil in each pot is V = π(8)²(20) ≈ 4021.24. Because there are three pots, the total volume of soil used will be 3 x 4021.24 = 12,063.72 cm³, which is equivalent to:

Subtract to find the amount of soil left in the bag: 1000 - 736 = 264 in³.  

Original equation: 2x - 3y = 9
Substitute y = 3: 2x - 3(3) = 9
Simplify: 2x - 9 = 9
Add 9: 2x = 18
Divide by 2: x = 9

We are given:

• Triangle ABC, with ∠C = 90°

• sin A = 0.6

• Need to find cos B

The fact that the denominators are equal in both fractions suggests that multiplying both sides will simplify the equation:

Multiply by bx - 3: 12x² + 6x - 23 = -2x(bx - 3) - 23
Distribute: 12x² + 6x - 23 = -2bx² + 6x - 23
Subtract 6x - 23: 12x² = -2bx²
Divide by x²: 12 = -2b
Divide by -2: -6 = b

For getting 32 questions correct and 40 - 32 = 8 questions wrong, the student earned 32(2) - 0.25(8) = 64 - 2 = 62 points.

The line of best fit appears to cross the points (10,000°K, 10² suns) and (5,000°K, 10^-1 suns), give or take a small error. This means that a Main Sequence star with a temperature of 10,000°K is about 10² ÷ 10^-1 = 10³ = 1,000 times as bright as a Main Sequence star with a temperature of 5,000°K. Choice (C) 900 is the only choice within an acceptable margin of error.