26 - ] Model SAT Tests - Test Twenty Six

26 - Model SAT Tests

Test Twenty Six .

Read each passage below , and then answer the questions that follow the passage . The correct response may be stated outright or merely suggested in the passage .

Questions 1 and 2 are based on the following passage .

            Today , more than ever , Hollywood depends on adaptations rather than original screenplays for its story material . This is a far cry from years ago when studio writers created most of a producer’s scripts . To filmmakers , a best-selling novel has a peculiar advantage over an original script : already popular with the public , the story must be a potential box-office success . Furthermore , it is usually easier and less time-consuming for a script writer to adapt a major work than to write one . The rub for producers is that they pay such extravagant prices for these properties that the excess load on the budget often puts the movie into the red .

1 . The underlined word “peculiar” most nearly means  

(A) quaint  (B) bizarre (C)  unfortunate (D) particular (E) artistic

2 . The primary drawback to basing a screenplay on a best-selling novel is  

(A) the amount of time required to create a script based on a novel

(B) the public’s resentment of changes the script writer makes to the novel’s story

(C) the degree of difficulty involved in faithfully adapting a novel for the screen .

(D) the desire of studio writers to create their own original scripts

(E) the financial impact of purchasing rights to adapt the novel

Questions 3 and 4 are based on the following passage .

This excerpt from Jack London’s Call of the Wild describes the sled dog Buck’s attempt to rescue his master from the rapids .

            When Buck felt Thornton grasp his tail , he headed for the bank , swimming with all his splendid strength . From below came the fatal roaring where the wild current went wilder and was rent in shreds and spray by the rocks that thrust through like the teeth of an enormous comb . The suck of the water as it took the beginning f the last steep pitch was frightful , and Thornton knew that the shore was impossible . He scraped furiously over a rock , bruised across as second , and struck a third with crushing force . He clutched its slippery top with both hands , releasing Buck , and above the roar of the churning water shouted : “Go , Buck! Go !”  

3 . The underlined word “pitch” most nearly means

(A) high tone (B) viscous substance(C) recommendation(D) intensity (E) slope

4 . The tone of the passage is best described as

(A) lyrical (B) informative (C) urgent (D) ironic (E) resigned