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Question ID e185a21f
ID: e185a21f
One theory behind human bipedalism speculates that it originated in a mostly ground-based ancestor that practiced four-legged “knuckle-walking,” like chimpanzees and gorillas do today, and eventually evolved into moving upright on two legs. But recently, researchers observed orangutans, another relative of humans, standing on two legs on tree branches and using their arms for balance while they reached for fruits. These observations may suggest that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text? A. bipedalism evolved because it was advantageous to a tree-dwelling ancestor of humans.
B. bipedalism must have evolved simultaneously with knuckle-walking and tree-climbing.
C. moving between the ground and the trees would have been difficult without bipedalism.
D. a knuckle-walking human ancestor could have easily moved bipedally in trees.
ID: e185a21f Answer
Correct Answer: A Rationale Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the evolution of bipedalism in humans. According to the text, one potential explanation for humans walking upright on two legs is that the behavior evolved from an ancestor that mostly stayed on the ground and walked on four limbs, as modern chimpanzees and gorillas do. However, the finding that orangutans, also a relative of humans, sometimes stand on two legs in trees while using their arms to balance and reach for fruits suggests another possible explanation: perhaps a tree-dwelling ancestor of humans began moving on two legs because it offered an advantage, such as access to certain foods.
Choice B is incorrect because the finding that modern orangutans (a relative of humans) sometimes stand on two legs in trees doesn’t offer any insight into when either bipedalism or tree-climbing behavior emerged in human ancestors. Additionally, the text indicates that one theory is that bipedalism evolved from a mostly ground-based ancestor that was already practicing knuckle- walking, not that bipedalism and knuckle-walking developed at the same time. Choice C is incorrect because the finding that orangutans (a relative of humans) sometimes stand on two legs in trees doesn’t offer any insight into how difficult it would’ve been to move between the ground and the trees without bipedalism; there’s no suggestion that climbing or moving in trees depends on the ability to walk on two legs rather than four, even if that ability might be helpful in certain circumstances. Choice D is incorrect because the finding that orangutans (a relative of humans) sometimes stand on two legs in trees doesn’t suggest that a knuckle- walking human ancestor could’ve easily moved on two legs in trees. Although the text indicates that bipedalism may have evolved from a human ancestor that mostly stayed on the ground and walked on four limbs, it gives no indication of how easy it would’ve been for such an ancestor to move bipedally in trees.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Assessment
SAT
Test
Reading and Writing
Domain
Information and Ideas
Skill
Inferences
Difficulty
Question ID 20000f5f
ID: 20000f5f
Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories about detective Sherlock Holmes were published between 1887 and 1927. They have inspired countless successful adaptations, including comic strips, movies, and a television series Sherlock Hound , directed by Hayao Miyazaki, who is celebrated for his animated movies. Until 2014, these stories were copyrighted. The right to adapt was only available to those who could afford the copyright fee and gain approval from the strict copyright holders of Doyle’s estate. Some journalists predict that the number of Sherlock Holmes adaptations is likely to increase since the end of copyright means that
Which choice most logically completes the text? A. Doyle’s original stories will become hard to find.
B. people will become more interested in detective stories than they were in the 1800s.
C. producing adaptations will become easier and less expensive.
D. the former copyright holders of Doyle’s estate will return fees they collected.
ID: 20000f5f Answer
Correct Answer: C Rationale Choice C is the best answer. The text tells us that because of the copyright, adapting Sherlock Holmes stories used to be expensive and difficult. This suggests that after the copyright ends, it will be less expensive and less difficult to adapt these stories.
Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never suggests that the copyright ending will make Sherlock Holmes stories harder to find. Instead, it suggests that adaptations of these stories will be easier and less expensive to make. Choice B is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses people’s interest in detective stories, so there is no basis to make this inference. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never suggests that copyright fees from the past are returned after a copyright ends, so there is no basis to make this inference.
Question Difficulty: Easy
Assessment
SAT
Test
Reading and Writing
Domain
Information and Ideas
Skill
Inferences
Difficulty
Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl’s idea would be supported by the finding that the likelihood of voting increases as political knowledge increases, nothing in the text suggests that the researchers’ idea hinges on the size of people’s social networks.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 25176ff
ID: 25176ff
“Mrs. Spring Fragrance” is a 1912 short story by Sui Sin Far. In the story, Mrs. Spring Fragrance, a Chinese immigrant living in Seattle, is traveling in California. In letters to her husband and friend, she demonstrates her concern for what’s happening at her home in Seattle while she is away: ______
Which quotation from Mrs. Spring Fragrance’s letters most effectively illustrates the claim? A. “My honorable cousin is preparing for the Fifth Moon Festival, and wishes me to compound for the occasion some American ‘fudge,’ for which delectable sweet, made by my clumsy hands, you have sometimes shown a slight prejudice.”
B. “Next week I accompany Ah Oi to the beauteous town of San José. There will we be met by the son of the Illustrious Teacher.”
C. “Forget not to care for the cat, the birds, and the flowers. Do not eat too quickly nor fan too vigorously now that the weather is warming.”
D. “I am enjoying a most agreeable visit, and American friends, as also our own, strive benevolently for the accomplishment of my pleasure.”
ID: 25176ff8 Answer
Correct Answer: C Rationale Choice C is the best answer because it presents a quotation that illustrates the claim that Mrs. Spring Fragrance demonstrates concern for what’s happening at home while she’s in California. By giving reminders to “care for the cat, the birds, and the flowers,” “not eat too quickly,” and avoid engaging in strenuous activity in the heat, Mrs. Spring Fragrance shows that she’s thinking about what’s happening at home and wants to ensure everything is taken care of.
Choice A is incorrect because the quotation, while it does suggest that Mrs. Spring Fragrance has made fudge at home before, is focused on preparations for an upcoming festival, not on concerns for anything happening at home while Mrs. Spring Fragrance is away. Choice B is incorrect because the quotation has to do with an upcoming event during Mrs. Spring Fragrance’s trip—visiting San José and meeting someone new—rather than her concern for what’s happening at home. Choice D is incorrect because the quotation is focused on how Mrs. Spring Fragrance feels about her trip and the friends she’s seeing, not on her concern for what’s happening at home.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Assessment
SAT
Test
Reading and Writing
Domain
Information and Ideas
Skill
Command of Evidence
Difficulty
Question ID c228bd
ID: c228bd
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.
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.
ID: c228bd45 Answer
Correct Answer: C Rationale 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.
Question Difficulty: Easy
Assessment
SAT
Test
Reading and Writing
Domain
Information and Ideas
Skill
Central Ideas and Details
Difficulty
Question ID 7edfb2c
ID: 7edfb2c
Temperature (°C)
L5_239 K5_106^ K3_
K3_
Estimated Temperatures to which
Evron Quarry Artifacts Were Exposed
artifact
Flint artifacts dating to 800,000 to 1,000,000 years ago have been recovered from the Evron Quarry in Israel. Likely created by the hominin Homo erectus , the artifacts have no visual features suggesting that they were exposed to fire, leading some scholars to conclude that these hominins had not acquired control of fire. But Zane Stepka and colleagues recently used a new method to determine whether these artifacts had been exposed to temperatures above 400°C (the typical temperature campfires reach) and concluded that the hominins who inhabited the site may have had control of fire.
Which choice best describes data in the graph that support the team’s conclusion? A. Artifacts K5_106 and K3_9 were exposed to temperatures above 400°C.
B. Artifacts L5_239 and K3_18 were exposed to temperatures of approximately 550°C and 650°C, respectively.
C. All of the artifacts were exposed to temperatures above 100°C.
D. Artifact K3_9 was exposed to a higher temperature than was artifact K5_106.
ID: 7edfb2c5 Answer
Correct Answer: B Rationale
Assessment
SAT
Test
Reading and Writing
Domain
Information and Ideas
Skill
Command of Evidence
Difficulty
Question ID 0c622cfb
ID: 0c622cfb
Although it’s clear that Mars once had liquid water on its surface, astronomers have debated whether the evidence of ancient water reflects a prolonged phase of warm, wet conditions—the so-called wet and warm scenario—or a brief period of melting in an otherwise consistently frozen environment. Researchers Benjamin T. Cardenas and Michael P. Lamb recently added to this debate by using data from NASA and the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter to map the topography of what is now a large basin in Mars’s northern hemisphere. Cardenas and Lamb concluded that the wet and warm scenario is likely correct.
Which finding about the basin, if true, would most directly support Cardenas and Lamb’s conclusion? A. Its dimensions and shape indicate that it is unlikely to have formed as the result of an asteroid or comet impact.
B. It has features suggesting that it once held an ocean that underwent gradual sea-level changes over an extended time.
C. Its physical characteristics are most consistent with it having formed as a result of a massive but short-lived influx of liquid water.
D. It is surrounded by channels that could have been formed either by running water or by flowing lava.
ID: 0c622cfb Answer
Correct Answer: B Rationale Choice B is the best answer. This choice provides direct support for the researchers’ conclusion. If the basin once held an ocean of liquid water for "an extended time," that supports the "wet and warm scenario" on Mars, which involved a "prolonged" period of temperate conditions (and not just a "brief period of melting").
Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t provide support for the researchers’ conclusions. The dimensions of the basin have little bearing on whether or not it was filled with liquid water, and for how long, and that’s the evidence that would support the "wet and warm" theory. Similarly, whether or not the basin was formed by an asteroid or a comet is irrelevant to the question of whether or not there was water in the basin for a long period. Choice C is incorrect. This choice does not provide support for the researchers’ conclusions, but rather the opposite. A "massive but short lived influx" of liquid water is not the same as a "prolonged phase of warm, wet conditions." It more reflects the opposing theory, a "brief period of melting." Choice D is incorrect. This choice does not support Cardenas and Lamb’s conclusion. Both theories about liquid water on Mars ("wet and warm" and "brief period of melting") involve flowing water, but lava isn’t mentioned at all in the text. Therefore, this choice doesn’t provide exclusive support for either theory.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Assessment
SAT
Test
Reading and Writing
Domain
Information and Ideas
Skill
Command of Evidence
Difficulty
Question ID 5fb6ed
ID: 5fb6ed
The Land of Enchantment is a 1906 travel book by Lilian Whiting. In the book, which describes the experience of traveling through the southwestern United States by train, Whiting reflects on the escape from everyday life that such a journey provides: ______
Which quotation from The Land of Enchantment most effectively illustrates the claim? A. “The opportunities and advantages already offered and constantly increasing are greater than would at first be considered possible.”
B. “The social and the picturesque charm of the long journey is singularly enhanced by the leisurely stops made for refreshment.”
C. “The real journey begins, of course, at Chicago, and as these trains leave in the evening the traveller fares forth in the seclusion of his berth.”
D. “One experiences a certain sense of detachment from ordinary day and daylight duties that is exhilarating.”
ID: 5fb6ed10 Answer
Correct Answer: D Rationale Choice D is the best answer because. This quotation specifically describes a "sense of detachment from ordinary day," which matches the claim’s focus on "escape from everyday life."
Choice A is incorrect. While this quotation describes new opportunities associated with Whiting’s experience, it doesn’t frame these opportunities as "an escape," and it doesn’t directly compare Whiting’s journey with "everyday life." Choice B is incorrect. While this quotation includes a positive characterization of Whiting’s journey, it doesn’t specifically address the idea of an "escape from everyday life," which is the focus of the claim. Choice C is incorrect. This quotation focuses on where the journey begins, not on how it feels like an "escape from everyday life."
Question Difficulty: Medium
Assessment
SAT
Test
Reading and Writing
Domain
Information and Ideas
Skill
Command of Evidence
Difficulty
therapods, the one that left the La Torre 6B tracks had a shorter footprint, it didn’t have a shorter average stride: the table shows that its average stride length is 5.57 meters, while La Torre 6A’s average stride length is 5.23 meters.
Question Difficulty: Easy
