100 RCs for Digital SAT - 1 | 100 Reading Comprehensions for Digital SAT PDF Download

Directions:

• The questions in this section address a number of important reading and writing skills.
• Each question includes one or more passages, which may include a table or graph.
• Read each passage and question carefully, and then choose the best answer to the question based on the passage(s).
• All questions in this section are multiple-choice with four answer choices. Each question has a single best answer.

Q1: Passage
In 2007, computer scientist Luis von Ahn was working on converting printed books into a digital format. He found that some words were distorted enough that digital scanners couldn’t recognize them, but most humans could easily read them. Based on that finding, von Ahn invented a simple security test to keep automated “bots” out of websites. The first version of the reCAPTCHA test asked users to type one known word and one of the many words scanners couldn’t recognize. Correct answers proved the users were humans and added data to the book-digitizing project.

Q. Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
(a) To discuss von Ahn’s invention of reCAPTCHA
(b) To explain how digital scanners work
(c) To call attention to von Ahn’s book-digitizing project
(d) To indicate how popular reCAPTCHA is

Ans: (a)

• Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main purpose of the text. After providing a brief introduction to computer scientist Luis von Ahn, the text focuses on discussing how von Ahn’s digitization work led to the invention of a digital security test known as reCAPTCHA.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t address how digital scanners work.
• Choice C is incorrect. Although the text mentions von Ahn’s book-digitizing project, that information is provided as a detail, not as the main purpose of the text.
• Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t provide any indication of reCAPTCHA’s popularity; instead, it describes reCAPTCHA’s origin.

Q2: Passage
The following text is from Edith Wharton’s 1905 novel The House of Mirth. Lily Bart and a companion are walking through a park.
Lily had no real intimacy with nature, but she had a passion for the appropriate and could be keenly sensitive to a scene which was the fitting background of her own sensations. The landscape outspread below her seemed an enlargement of her present mood, and she found something of herself in its calmness, its breadth, its long free reaches. On the nearer slopes the sugar-maples wavered like pyres of light; lower down was a massing of grey orchards, and here and there the lingering green of an oak-grove.

Q. Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
(a) It creates a detailed image of the physical setting of the scene.
(b) It establishes that a character is experiencing an internal conflict.
(c) It makes an assertion that the next sentence then expands on.
(d) It illustrates an idea that is introduced in the previous sentence.

Ans: (d)

• Choice D is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The first sentence of the text establishes that Lily can be “keenly sensitive to” scenes that serve as a “fitting background” or her feelings—that is, she’s very aware of when a setting seems to reflect her mood. The next sentence, which is underlined, then demonstrates this awareness: Lily views the landscape she’s in as a large-scale reflection of her current mood, identifying with elements such as its calmness. Thus, the function of the underlined sentence is to illustrate an idea introduced in the previous sentence.
• Choice A is incorrect because the underlined sentence describes the scene only in very general terms, referring to its calmness, breadth, and long stretches of land. It’s the next sentence that adds specific details about colors, light, and various trees nearby.
• Choice B is incorrect because nothing in the underlined sentence suggests that Lily is experiencing an internal conflict. In fact, the sentence indicates that Lily thinks the landscape reflects her own feeling of calmness.
• Choice C is incorrect because the only assertion in the underlined sentence is that Lily feels that broad aspects of the landscape, such as its calmness, reflect her current mood, and that assertion isn’t expanded on in the next sentence. Instead, the next sentence describes specific details of the scene without connecting them to Lily’s feelings.

Q3: Passage
A study by a team including finance professor Madhu Veeraraghavan suggests that exposure to sunshine during the workday can lead to overly optimistic behavior. Using data spanning from 1994 to 2010 for a set of US companies, the team compared over 29,000 annual earnings forecasts to the actual earnings later reported by those companies. The team found that the greater the exposure to sunshine at work in the two weeks before a manager submitted an earnings forecast, the more the manager’s forecast exceeded what the company actually earned that year.

Q. Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
(a) To summarize the results of the team’s analysis
(b) To present a specific example that illustrates the study’s findings
(c) To explain part of the methodology used in the team’s study
(d) To call out a challenge the team faced in conducting its analysis
Ans: (c)

• Choice C is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The first sentence presents the implications of Veeraraghavan’s team’s study: sunshine exposure during work hours can cause overly optimistic behavior. The underlined sentence then describes the data the team consulted and how they were used (comparing predictions about earnings to what the companies actually earned), and the final sentence presents what the team found in their examination of the data. Thus, the underlined sentence mainly functions to explain part of the methodology used in the team’s study.
• Choice A is incorrect because the underlined sentence explains in part how the team conducted their analysis of the effect of sunshine but doesn’t address what the team found; a broad summary is instead given in the other two sentences.
• Choice B is incorrect because the underlined sentence doesn’t present any specific examples from the team’s comparisons of 29,000 earnings predictions to actual earnings; it simply explains in part how the team conducted their analysis.
• Choice D is incorrect because the underlined sentence simply explains in part how the team conducted their analysis; the text never mentions any challenges that the team encountered in their study

Q4: Passage
The following text is adapted from Edith Nesbit’s 1906 novel The Railway Children. Mother did not spend all her time in paying dull [visits] to dull ladies, and sitting dully at home waiting for dull ladies to pay [visits] to her. She was almost always there, ready to play with the children, and read to them, and help them to do their home-lessons. Besides this she used to write stories for them while they were at school, and read them aloud after tea, and she always made up funny pieces of poetry for their birthdays and for other great occasions. 
Q. According to the text, what is true about Mother?
(a) She wishes that more ladies would visit her.
(b) Birthdays are her favorite special occasion.
(c) She creates stories and poems for her children.
(d) Reading to her children is her favorite activity.
Ans: (c)

• Choice C is the best answer because it describes something that is true of Mother, as presented in the text. The text indicates that in addition to other activities, Mother writes stories for her children while they are at school and makes up “funny pieces of poetry” for certain occasions.
• Choice A is incorrect because the text suggests that Mother prefers to spend her time with her children and doesn’t sit at home hoping that ladies will visit her.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text says only that Mother makes up poetry for the children’s birthdays, not that she likes birthdays more than other special occasions.
• Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that Mother prefers reading to her children over the other activities she does with them, such as playing with them and writing stories and poems for them.

Q5: Passage
The following text is from Maggie Pogue Johnson’s 1910 poem “Poet of Our Race.” In this poem, the speaker is addressing Paul Laurence Dunbar, a Black author. Thou, with stroke of mighty pen, Hast told of joy and mirth, And read the hearts and souls of men As cradled from their birth. The language of the flowers, Thou hast read them all, And e’en the little brook Responded to thy call.
Q. Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
(a) To praise a certain writer for being especially perceptive regarding people and nature
(b) To establish that a certain writer has read extensively about a variety of topics
(c) To call attention to a certain writer’s careful and elaborately detailed writing process
(d) To recount fond memories of an afternoon spent in nature with a certain writer
Ans: (a)

• Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main purpose of the text. In the first part of the text, the speaker addresses Paul Laurence Dunbar’s ability to understand people (he has “read the hearts and souls of men” and written of their “joy and mirth”). In the second part of the text, the speaker describes Dunbar’s thorough understanding of the natural world (he has read “the language of the flowers” and engaged with “the little brook”). Thus, the text mainly praises Dunbar for being especially perceptive about people and nature.
• Choice B is incorrect because the speaker describes Dunbar as having read the “hearts and souls of men” and the “language of flowers” to convey Dunbar’s ability to comprehend people and nature, not to suggest that Dunbar has literally read any of these things or has read a great deal about them.
• Choice C is incorrect because the text notes how well Dunbar has made sense of the topics he’s written about but doesn’t address any specific parts of Dunbar’s writing process beyond the suggestion that he used a pen.
• Choice D is incorrect because the text focuses on Dunbar’s understanding of people and nature as expressed in his writing. Nothing in the text suggests that the speaker is recalling a particular afternoon actually spent in nature with Dunbar; even if there had been a shared experience, the text isn’t focused on reminiscing.

Q6: Passage
Born in 1891 to a Quechua-speaking family in the Andes Mountains of Peru, Martín Chambi is today considered to be one of the most renowned figures of Latin American photography. In a paper for an art history class, a student claims that Chambi’s photographs have considerable ethnographic value—in his work, Chambi was able to capture diverse elements of Peruvian society, representing his subjects with both dignity and authenticity.
Q. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the student’s claim?
(a) Chambi took many commissioned portraits of wealthy Peruvians, but he also produced hundreds of images carefully documenting the peoples, sites, and customs of Indigenous communities of the Andes.
(b) Chambi’s photographs demonstrate a high level of technical skill, as seen in his strategic use of illumination to create dramatic light and shadow contrasts.
(c) During his lifetime, Chambi was known and celebrated both within and outside his native Peru, as his work was published in places like Argentina, Spain, and Mexico.
(d) Some of the peoples and places Chambi photographed had long been popular subjects for Peruvian photographers.
Ans: (a)

• Choice A is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would support the claim about Chambi’s photographs. The text describes a student advancing the claim that Chambi’s photographs “have considerable ethnographic value”—meaning that they are valuable as records of cultures—and that they “capture diverse elements of Peruvian society” in a respectful way. If it’s true that Chambi carefully photographed people from a range of different communities in Peru as well as photographed the customs and sites of different communities, that would lend support to the claim that the photographs have ethnographic value as depictions of diverse elements of society in Peru.
• Choice B is incorrect because the student’s claim is that Chambi’s photographs have considerable ethnographic value because they depict diverse elements of Peruvian society; the student doesn’t claim anything about the technical skill demonstrated in the photographs.
• Choice C is incorrect because neither Chambi’s reputation nor the locations where his photographs may have been published would be relevant to the student’s claim that his photographs are valuable as an ethnographic record of Peru’s diverse society.
• Choice D is incorrect because the popularity among other photographers of the people and places that Chambi photographed would be irrelevant to the student’s claim that Chambi’s photographs are valuable as an ethnographic record of Peru’s diverse society.

Q7: Passage
In the mountains of Brazil, Barbacenia tomentosa and Barbacenia macrantha—two plants in the Velloziaceae family—establish themselves on soilless, nutrient-poor patches of quartzite rock. Plant ecologists Anna Abrahão and Patricia de Britto Costa used microscopic analysis to determine that the roots of B. tomentosa and B. macrantha, which grow directly into the quartzite, have clusters of fine hairs near the root tip; further analysis indicated that these hairs secrete both malic and citric acids.

Q. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ hypothesis?
(a) Other species in the Velloziaceae family are found in terrains with more soil but have root structures similar to those of B. tomentosa and B. macrantha.
(b) Though B. tomentosa and B. macrantha both secrete citric and malic acids, each species produces the acids in different proportions.
(c) The roots of B. tomentosa and B. macrantha carve new entry points into rocks even when cracks in the surface are readily available.
(d) B. tomentosa and B. macrantha thrive even when transferred to the surfaces of rocks that do not contain phosphates.
Ans: (c)

• Choice C is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would support the researchers’ hypothesis about the plants’ dependence on dissolving rock. The text indicates that the roots of the two plant species grow directly into quartzite rock, where hairs on the roots secrete acids that dissolve the rock. The researchers hypothesize that the plants depend on this process because dissolving rock opens spaces for the roots to grow and releases phosphates that provide the plants with phosphorous, a vital nutrient. If the plants carry out this process of dissolving rock even when the rock already has spaces into which the roots could grow, that would support the researchers’ hypothesis because it suggests that the plants are getting some advantage—such as access to phosphorous—from the action of dissolving rock. If the plants don’t benefit from dissolving rock, they would be expected to grow in the cracks that already exist, as doing so would mean that the plants don’t have to spend energy creating and secreting acids; if, however, the plants create new entry points by dissolving rock even when cracks already exist, that would support the hypothesis that they depend on dissolving rock for some benefit.
• Choice A is incorrect because the existence of soil-inhabiting members of the Velloziaceae family with similar root structures to those of the two species discussed in the text wouldn’t support the researchers’ hypothesis that the species discussed in the text depend on dissolving rock. If other such members exist, that might suggest that the root structures can serve more functions than secreting acids to dissolve rock (since dissolving rock may not be necessary for plants living in soil), but that wouldn’t suggest anything about whether the species discussed in the text benefit from dissolving rock.
• Choice B is incorrect because differences in the proportions of citric and malic acid secreted by the two species would be irrelevant to the hypothesis that the plants depend on dissolving rock. There’s no information in the text to suggest that the proportion of each acid has any bearing on the process of dissolving rock or on any benefits the plants might receive from that process.
• Choice D is incorrect because if the two species thrive on rocks without phosphates, that would weaken the researchers’ hypothesis that the plants depend on dissolving rock partly because dissolving rock gives them access to phosphates. If the plants can survive on rocks without getting a vital nutrient by dissolving those rocks, then either the nutrient isn’t actually vital for those plants or they can get the nutrient in some way other than by dissolving rocks.

Q8: Passage
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• Pterosaurs were flying reptiles that existed millions of years ago.
• In a 2021 study, Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan analyzed fragments of pterosaur jawbones located in the Sahara Desert.
• She was initially unsure if the bones belonged to juvenile or adult pterosaurs.
• She used advanced microscope techniques to determine that the bones had few growth lines relative to the bones of fully grown pterosaurs.
• She concluded that the bones belonged to juveniles.

Q. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish the goal?
(a) In 2021, Chinsamy-Turan studied pterosaur jawbones and was initially unsure if the bones belonged to juveniles or adults.
(b) Pterosaur jawbones located in the Sahara Desert were the focus of a 2021 study.
(c) In a 2021 study, Chinsamy-Turan used advanced microscope techniques to analyze the jawbones of pterosaurs, flying reptiles that existed millions of years ago.
(d) In a 2021 study, Chinsamy-Turan determined that pterosaur jawbones located in the Sahara Desert had few growth lines relative to the bones of fully grown pterosaurs and thus belonged to juveniles.
Ans: (d)

• Choice D is the best answer. The sentence presents both the study and its findings, noting the study’s date and the researcher’s name as well as describing what the researcher determined about the jawbones and how she determined it.
• Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence describes the study and the researcher’s initial assessment, it doesn’t present the study’s findings.
• Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence describes the study and its focus, it doesn’t present the study’s findings or the name of the researcher who conducted it.
• Choice C is incorrect. While the sentence mentions the study’s methodology and provides information about pterosaurs, it doesn’t present the study’s findings.

Q9: Passage
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• African American women played prominent roles in the Civil Rights Movement, including at the famous 1963 March on Washington.
• Civil rights activist Anna Hedgeman, one of the march’s organizers, was a political adviser who had worked for President Truman.
• Civil rights activist Daisy Bates was a well-known journalist and advocate for school desegregation.
• Hedgeman worked behind the scenes to make sure a woman was included in the lineup of speakers at the march.
• Bates was the sole woman to speak, delivering a brief but memorable address to the cheering crowd.

Q. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish the goal?
(a) Hedgeman and Bates contributed to the march in different ways; Bates, for example, delivered a brief but memorable address.
(b) Hedgeman worked in politics and helped organize the march, while Bates was a journalist and school desegregation advocate.
(c) Although Hedgeman worked behind the scenes to make sure a woman speaker was included, Bates was the sole woman to speak at the march.
(d) Many African American women, including Bates and Hedgeman, fought for civil rights, but only one spoke at the march.
Ans: (c)

• Choice C is the best answer. The sentence compares the two women’s contributions to the march: Hedgeman worked behind the scenes to make sure a woman speaker was included, whereas Bates actually spoke at the event.
• Choice A is incorrect. While it acknowledges that the two women both contributed to the march, it doesn’t indicate what Hedgeman did, so no comparison is made.
• Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence provides information about the two women, it doesn’t mention anything about Bates’s contribution to the march.
• Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence indicates that the two women both fought for civil rights, it doesn’t compare their individual contributions to the march.

Q10: Passage
The following text is from Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel Jane Eyre. Jane works as a governess at Thornfield Hall.
I went on with my day’s business tranquilly; but ever and anon vague suggestions kept wandering across my brain of reasons why I should quit Thornfield; and I kept involuntarily framing advertisements and pondering conjectures about new situations: these thoughts I did not think to check; they might germinate and bear fruit if they could.
Q. Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
(a) To convey a contrast between Jane’s outward calmness and internal restlessness
(b) To emphasize Jane’s loyalty to the people she works for at Thornfield Hall
(c) To demonstrate that Jane finds her situation both challenging and deeply fulfilling
(d) To describe Jane’s determination to secure employment outside of Thornfield Hall
Ans: (a)

• Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to show that while Jane calmly goes about her daily tasks, she is experiencing internal agitation about possibly seeking a new job. At the start of the text, Jane says, “I went on with my day’s business tranquilly,” indicating that she is outwardly calm. This outward calmness is then contrasted with her intense internal restlessness, as Jane says that thoughts of leaving her job keep running through her mind, that she is “involuntarily framing advertisements” (meaning that she can’t stop herself from thinking up potential listings for jobs), and that she often wonders what new “situations” (or jobs) would be like.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text gives no indication of Jane’s feelings, either positive or negative, about the people she works for at Thornfield Hall. And rather than emphasizing that Jane feels particularly loyal to her employers, the text focuses on her constant consideration of leaving her job.
• Choice C is incorrect because the text gives no indication that Jane finds her current situation fulfilling, or satisfying. Given that much of the text is focused on Jane’s thoughts about possibly leaving her job for a new one, it might be the case that she finds her situation challenging, but there is no evidence in the text that Jane also finds that situation satisfying—she says nothing positive about her current job at all, in fact.
• Choice D is incorrect because the text describes Jane as wondering about getting a new job, not as determined to definitely do so. Jane keeps thinking about reasons why she “should” quit her current job (indicating that she hasn’t yet decided to) and imagining possible new situations she could find, but she says at the end of the text that these thoughts “might germinate and bear fruit if they could,” meaning that the thoughts haven’t yet led to a decision—that Jane isn’t yet determined to get a new job somewhere else.