1- ] Model SAT Practice Exercises - Exercise A

1 - ] Model SAT Practice Exercises

 

Sentence Completion Exercise A

Select the best answer to each of the following questions : then blacken the appropriate space on your answer sheet .

1 . The selection committee for the exhibit was amazed to see such fine work done by a mere ….

(A) connoisseur (B) artist (C) amateur (D) entrepreneur (E) exhibitionist

2 . The teacher suspected cheating as soon as he noticed the pupil’s …. glances at his classmate’s paper .

(A) futile (B) sporadic (C) furtive (D) cold (E) inconsequential

3 . Known for his commitment to numerous worthy causes , the philanthropist deserved …. for his …. .

(A) recognition …. folly

(B) blame …. hypocrisy

(C) reward …. modesty

D) admonishment …. wastefulness

(E) credit …. altruism

4 . Miss Watson termed Huck’s behavior …. because in her opinion nothing could excuse his deliberate disregard of her commands .

(A) devious (B) intolerant (C) irrevocable (D) indefensible (E) boisterous

5 . Either the surfing at Maui is …. , or I went there on an off day .

(A) consistent (B) thrilling (C) invigorating (D) overrated (E) scenic

6 . Your …. remarks spoil the effect of your speech : try not to stray from your subject

(A) innocuous (B) digressive (C) derogatory (D) persistent (E) enigmatic

7 . We need both ornament and implement in our society ; we need the artist and the …. .

(A) beautician  (B) writer (C) politician (D) artisan (E) model

8 . When such …. remarks are circulated , we can only blame and despise those who produce them .

(A) adulatory (B) chance (C) rhetorical (D) redundant (E) reprehensible

9 . The stereotypical image of masculinity assumes that weeping is …. “unmanly” behavior , and not simply a human reaction which may be …. by either sex .

(A) inexplicably …. repented

(B) excessively …. discerned

(C) essentially …. defined

(D) inherently …. adopted

(E) intentionally …. exaggerated

10 . We need more men and women of culture and enlightenment in our society ; we have too many …. among us .

(A) pedants (B) philistines (C) ascetics (D) paragons (E) apologists

11 . There was a hint of carelessness about her appearance , as though the cut of her blouse or the fit of her slacks was a matter of …. to her .

(A) satisfaction (B) aesthetics (C) indifference (D) significance (E) controversy

12 . Many educators argue that a …. grouping of students would improve instruction because it would limit the range of student abilities in the classroom .

(A) heterogeneous (B) systematic (C) homogenous (D) sporadic (E) fragmentary

13 . As news of his indictment spread through the town , the citizens began to …. him and to avoid meeting him

(A) ostracize (B) congratulate (C) desecrate (D) minimize (E) harass

14 . After years of talking down to his students as if they couldn’t understand a word , the teacher finally acknowledged that his attitude was a ….

(A) colloquial (B) condescending (C) professional (D) justifiable (E) logical

15 . There are too many …. and not enough serious workers .

(A) sycophants (B) kleptomaniacs (C) novices (D) dilettantes (E) zealots

16 . Unlike W.E.B Dubois , who was …. of the vocational emphasis in black education , Booker T. Washington favored …. the limited funds available for educating blacks to programs that prepared people for practical jobs .

(A) critical …. restricting

(B) aware …. confining

(C) suspicious …. denying

(D) protective …. allotting

(E) appreciative …. allocating

17 . Many elderly people are capable of working , but they are kept from gainful employment by the …. of those employers who mistakenly believe that young people alone can give them adequate service .

(A) philosophy (B) parsimony (C) conservatism  (D) rationalizations (E) short sightedness

18 . The college president made the …. statement that no student athlete on academic probation , not even the top-scorer of the varsity team , would be allowed to participate in intercollegiate sports . 

(A) impertinent  (B) uncontroversial (C) opinionated (D) categorical (E) equivocal

19 . The fire marshalls spend many house seeking the cause of the …. in which so many people were killed and so many others hospitalized with major burns .

(A) maelstrom (B) labyrinth (C) conflagration (D) torpor (E) carnage

20 . If you come to the conference table with such an …. attitude , we cannot expect to reach any harmonious agreement .

(A) exemplary (B) iridescent (C) indolent (D) obdurate (E) unwonted

21 . I can vouch for his honesty ; I have always found him …. and carefully observant of the truth .

(A) arbitrary (B) plausible (C) volatile (D) veracious  (E) innocuous

22 . This well-documented history is of importance because it carefully …. the …. accomplishments of Indian artists who are all too little known to the public at large .

(A) recognizes …. negligible

(B) overlooks …. purported

(C) scrutinizes …. illusory

(D) distorts …. noteworthy

(E) substantiates …. considerable

23 . Perhaps because he feels …. by an excess of parental restrictions and rules , at adolescences the repressed child may break out dramatically .

(A) nurtured (B) appeased (C) confined (D) fascinated (E) liberated

24 .Sue felt that Jack’s …. in the face of the compelling evidence which she had presented was an example of his …. mind .

(A) truculence …. unbiased

(B) skepticism …. open

(C) incredulity …. closed

(D) acquiescence …. keen

(E) reluctance …. impartial

25 . As a girl , Emily Dickinson was …. but also …. extraordinarily intense about her poetry yet exceptionally inhibited socially .

(A) zealous …. gregarious

(B) ardent …. repressed

(C) prudent …. reserved

(D) rash …. intrusive

(E) impulsive …. dedicated

26 . The good night’s sleep had …. effect on the weary climber , who woke refreshed and eager to resume the ascent .

(A) an innocuous (B) a tonic (C) a minor (D) an enervating (E) a detrimental

27 . She is an interesting …. , an infinitely shy person who , in apparent contradiction , possesses an enormously intuitive …. for understanding people .

(A) aberration …. disdain

(B) caricature …. talent

(C) specimen …. loathing

(D) phenomenon … disinclination

(E) paradox …. gift

28 . The coach’s harsh rebuke deeply wounded the star quarterback , who had never been …. like that before .

(A) summoned (B) reprimanded (C) stimulated (D) placated (E) ignored

29 . At the present time , we are suffering from …. of stories about the war ;try writing about another subject .

(A) a calumny (B) a dearth (C) an insurgence (D) a plethora (E) an inhibition

30 . Because he was …. , he shunned human society .

(A) a misanthrope (B) an oligarch (C) an anomaly (D) a stereotype (E) a nonentity

31 . Ernest Hemingway’s prose is generally esteemed for its …. , as one critic puts it , Hemingway “cuts out unneeded words .”

(A) sensitivity (B) economy (C) gusto (D) breadth (E) intricacy

33 . After Bob had broken the punch bowl , we sensed the extent of his …. from the way he shamefacedly avoided meeting his hostess’s eye .

(A) composure (B) perspicacity (C) discomfiture (D) forbearance (E) benevolence

34 . Crowther maintained that the current revival was the most fatuous and …. production of the entire theatrical season .

(A) gripping (B) inane (C) prophetic (D) memorable (E) salubrious

35 . His olfactory sense was so highly developed that he was often called in to judge …. .

(A) productivity (B) colors (C) litigation (D) perfume (E) acoustics

36 . jean Georges was famous for his …. cuisine , which brought together ingredients from many cooking traditions …. Thai , Chinese , French -- and combined them in innovative ways .

(A) aesthetic (B) clandestine (C) homogeneous (D) eclectic (E) conventional

37 . Believing that all children possess a certain natural intelligence , the headmaster exhorted the teachers to discover and …. each student’s …. talents .

(A) suppress …. unrecognized

(B) develop …. intrinsic

(C) redirect …. specious

(D) belittle …. dormant

(E) cultivate …. gratuitous

38 . Micawber’s habit of spending more than he earned left him in a state of perpetual …. , but he …. hoping to see a more affluent day .

(A) indigence ….persevered in

(B) confusion …. compromised by

(C) enervation …. retaliated by

 (D) motion …. responded by

(E) opulence …. insisted on

39 . The …. of such utopia notions is reflected by the quick disintegration of the idealistic community at Brooke Farm .

(A) timeliness (B) creativity (C) impracticability (D) effervescence (E) vindication

40 . We were amazed that a man who had been heretofore the most …. of public speakers could , in a single speech , electrify an audience and bring them cheering to their feet .

(A) enthralling (B) accomplished (C) pedestrian (D) auspicious (E) masterful

41 . Despite the mixture’s …. , we found that by lowering its temperature in the laboratory we could dramatically reduce its tendency to vaporize .

(A) resilient (B) volatile (C) homogeneous (D) insipid (E) acerbic

42 . surrounded by a host of besiegers and unable to …. their supplies , the defenders of the castle feared their food would soon be ….  .

(A) replenish …. exhausted

(B) consume …. hoarded

(C) replace …. obtainable

(D) estimate …. superfluous

(E) deplete …. rationed

43 . Fitness experts claim that jogging is …. once you begin to jog regularly , you may be unable to stop , because you are sure to love it more and more all the time .

(A) exhausting (B) illusive (C) addictive (D) exotic (E) overrated

44 . Although newscasters often use the terms Chicano and Latino …. , students of Hispanic-American culture are profoundly aware of the …. the two .

(A)  interchangeably …. dissimilarities

(B) indifferently …. equivalence of

(C) deprecatingly …. controversies about

(D) unerringly …. significance of

(E) confidently …. origins of

45 . She maintained that the proposed legislation was …. because it simply established an affirmative action task force without making any appropriate provision to fund such a force .

(A) inevitable  (B) inadequate (C) prudent (D) necessary (E) beneficial

46 . The faculty senate warned that , if its recommendations were to go unheeded , the differences between the administration and the teaching staff would be …. and eventually rendered irreconcilable .

(A) rectified (B) exacerbated (C) imponderable (D) eradicated (E) alienated

47 . Hroswitha the nun , though hidden among the cloisters and …. time , is now considered an important literary figure of the medieval period .

(A) oppressed by (B) fighting against (C) celebrated throughout (D) elapsed from

(E) obscured by

48 . Famed athlete Bobby Orr was given his first pair of skates by a …. Canadian woman who somehow “knew” he would use them to attain sporting greatness .

(A) prosperous (B) prescient (C) notorious (D) skeptical (E) fallible

49 . The supervisor’s evaluation was …. , for she noted the employee’s strong points and limitations without overly emphasizing either .

(A) equitable (B) laudatory (C) practicable (D) slanted (E) dogmatic

50  . She has sufficient tact to …. the ordinary crises of diplomatic life , however , even her diplomacy is insufficient to enable her to …. the current emergency .

(A) negotiate …. comprehend

(B) survive …. exaggerate

(C) handle …. weather

( D) ignore …. transform

(E) aggravate …. resolve . 

49 - ] Model SAT Tests - Test Forty Nine

49 - ] Model SAT Tests

Test Forty Nine

The passage below is the unedited draft of a student’s essay . Parts of the essay need to be rewritten to make the meaning clearer and more precise . Read the essay carefully .

The essay is followed by six questions about changes that might improve all or part of the organization , development , sentence structure , use of language , appropriateness to the audience ,or use of standard written English . In each case , choose the answer that most clearly and effectively expresses the student’s intended meaning . Indicate your choice by blackening the corresponding space on the answer sheet .

          [1] Members of our community have objected to the inclusion of various pieces of art in the local art exhibit . [2] They say that these pieces offend community values . [3] The exhibit in its entirety should be presented .

            [4] The reason for this is that people have varied tastes , and those who like this form of art have a right to see the complete exhibit . [5] An exhinit like this one gives the community a rare chance to see the latest modern art nearby , and many people have looked forward to it with great anticipation . [6] It would be an unfortunate blow to those people for it not to be shown .

            [7] The exhibit may contain pieces of art that tend to be slightly erotic , but what is being shown that most people haven’t already seen ? [8] So , give it an Ror an X rating and don’t  let small children in . [9] But how many small children voluntarily go to see art exhibit ? [10] The exhibit includes examples of a new style ogf modern art . [11] The paintings show crowds of nude people . [12] The exhibit is at the library’s new art gallery . [13] For centuries artists have been painting and sculpting people in the nude . [14] Why are these works of art different ? [15] Perhaps they are more graphic in some respects , but we live in an entirely different society than from the past . [16] It is strange indeed for people in this day and age to be offended by the sight of the human anatomy .

            [17] If people don’t agree with these pieces , they simply should just not go . [18] But they should not be allowed to prevent others from seeing it .

1 . With regard to the sentences that precede and follow sentence 3 , which of the following is the best revision of sentence 3 ?

(A) On the other hand , the whole exhibit should be presented .

(B) The exhibit , however , should be presented in its entirety .

(C) The exhibit should be entirely presented regardless of what the critics say .

(D) But another point of view is that the exhibit should be presented in its entirety .

(E) Still other members also say the whole exhibit should be presented in its entirety .

2 . In the context of paragraph 3 , which of the following is the best revision of sentence 8 ?

(A) So , an R or X rating will warn people with small children to keep them out .

(B) Therefore , giving it an R or an X rating and not letting small children in

(C) To satisfy everyone objecting to the exhibit , perhaps the exhibit could be given an R or an X rating to adviser parents that some of the art on exhibit may not be suitable for young children .

(D) Let an R or an X rating caution the public that some of the art may be offensive and be unsuitable for young children .

(E) In conclusion , small children will be kept out by giving it an R or an X rating .

3 . In this context of paragraph 3 , which of the following is the best revision of sentences 10 , 11 , and 12 ?

(A) Paintings on exhibition at the library showing crowds of nude people and done in a new style of modern art .

(B) The exhibit , on display at the library , includes paintings of crowds of nude people done in a new style of modern art .

(C) The exhibit includes paintings in a new style of modern art , which shows crowds of nude people at the library

(D) The library is the site of the exhibit which shows a new style of modern art , with paintings showing crowds of nude people .

(E) The new style of modern art includes examples of paintings showing criwds of nude peple on exhibit in the library .

4 . T improve the clarity and coherence of the whole essay , where is the best place to relocate the ideas contained in sentences 10  , 11 , and 12 ?

(A) Before sentence

(B) 1 Between sentences 1 and 2

(C) Between sentences 8 and 9

(D) Between sentences 15 and 16

(E) After sentence 18

5 . Which of the following is the best revision of the underlined segment of sentence 15 below ?

Perhaps they are more graphic in some respects , but we live in an entirely different society than from the past .

(A) an entirely different society than of the past

(B) a completely different society than the past

(C) a society completely different than from past societies

(D) a society that is entirely different from the way societies have been in the past

(E) an entirely different society from that of the past

6 . Which of the following revisions of sentence 17 provides the best transition between paragraphs 3 and 4 ?

(A) If anyone doesn’t approve of these pieces , they simply should not go to the exhibit .

(B) Anyone disagreeing with the pieces in the exhibit shouldn’t go to it .

(C) Anyone who disapproves of nudity in art simply shouldn’t go to the exhibit .

(D) If anyone dislikes the sight of nudes in art , this show isn’t for them .

(E) Don’t go if you disapprove of nudity in art .

Essay

The excerpt below makes a point about a particular topic . Read the statement carefully , and think about the assignment that follows .

In her novel Sense and Sensibility , Jane Austen wrote , “It is time or opportunity that is to determine intimacy . Seven years would be insufficient to make some people acquainted with each other , and seven days are more than enough for others .” Now Austen may have been writing somewhat tongue in n cheek , for she attributes these sentiments to the excessively romantic . Marianne Dashwood , whose extreme sensibility or emotional susceptibility gets its comeuppance by the novel’s end . Nonetheless the point that young Miss Dashwood makes is valid . No amount of time spent in another person’s company can guarantee that the two of you will become friends .

ASSIGNMENT : What are your thoughts on the statement above ? Compose an essay in which you express your views on this topic . Your essay may support , refute , or qualify the view expressed in the statement . What you write , however , must be relevant to the topic under discussion . Additionally , you must support your viewpoint , indicating your reasoning and providing examples based on your studies and / or experience .  

48 - ] Model SAT Tests - Test Forty Eight

48 - ] Model SAT Tests

Test Forty Eight

Some or all the parts of the following sentences are underlined . The first answer choice , (A) , simply repeats the underlined part of the sentence . The other four choices present four alternative ways to phrase the underlined part . Select the answer that produces the most effective sentence , one that is clear and exact , and blacken the appropriate space on your answer sheet . In selecting your choice , be sure that it is standard written English , and that it expresses the meaning of the original sentence .

Example

The first biography of author Eudora Welty came out in 1998 and she was 89 years old at the time .

 (A) and she was 89 years old at the time

(B) at the time when she was 89

(C) upon becoming an 89 year old

(D) when she was 89

(E) at the age of 89 years old

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

1 . Nowhere do the problems of urban decay seem more evident than in this dying city .

(A) Nowhere do the problems of urban decay seem more evident than in this dying city .

(B) Nowhere more than in this dying city is there  evidence of the problems urban decay .

(C) In this dying city more so than in other places they evidently  seem to have  problems of urban decay .

(D) The problems of urban decay do seem more evident in this dying city than other place.

(E) In this dying city more so than elsewhere ,the problems of urban decay are evident it seems  .

2 . The average citizen today is surprisingly knowledgeable about landmark court decisions concerning such questions as affirmative action , reproductive rights and whether students can pray in school .

(A) rights and whether students can pray in school .

(B) rights and whether students could pray in school .

(C) rights or whether students can pray in school .

(D) rights and the issue of praying in school .

(E) rights and school prayer.

3 . Georgette Heyer is best known for her two dozen romances set in the Regency era , and her novel The Conqueror takes place over seven hundred years earlier at the time of the Battle of Hastings .

(A) Georgette Heyer is best known for her two dozen romances set in the Regency era , and her novel

 (B) Georgette Heyer is best known for her two dozen romances set in the Regency era nevertheless

(C) AlthoughGeorgette Heyer is best known for her two dozen romances set in the Regency era ,

(D) Georgette Heyer is best known for her two dozen romances set in the Regency era ,

(E) Insofar as Georgette Heyer is best known for her two dozen romances set in the Regency era ,

4 . The inventive pianist Guy Livingston , an American living in Paris, specializes in contemporary music has long had a fascination with the works of the modern French composer George Antheil .

(A) music has long had a fascination with the works of the modern French composer

(B) music , he has long had a fascination with the works of the modern French composer

(C) music ; and has long had a fascination with the works of the modern French composer

(D) music , whereas he has long had a fascination with the works of the modern French composer

(E) music ; and long has he had a fascination with the works of the modern French composer

5 . At an early stage in his travels , Henry James , writing from abroad , described the subtle differences distinguishing Americans fro Europeans .

(A) At an early stage in his travels , Henry James , writing

(B) At an early stage in his travels , Henry James  wrote

(C) At an early stage in his travels , Henry James , was written

(D) At an early stage in his travels , Henry James , was writing

(E) Henry James , whose  writing at an early stage in his travels

6. Fame as well as fortune were his goals in life .

(A) Fame as well as fortune were his goals in life .

(B) Fame as well as fortune was his goals in life .

(C) Fame as well as fortune were his goal in life .

(D) Fame and  fortune were his goals in life .

(E) Fame also  fortune were his goals in life .

7 . For recreation I like to watch these kind of programs in the evening .

(A) these kind of

(B) these sort of

(C) these kinds of

(D) them kind of

(E) this kind of a

8 .Whatever the surface appearances at the moment may be , modern men are fundamentally less tolerant of despots then men of old

(A) less tolerant of despots then men of old

(B) less tolerant of despots than of older men

(C) more intolerant of despots than of men of old

(D) more  intolerant of despots then men in former years

(E) less tolerant of despots than were men of old

9 . The method of how different viruses being transmitted from one patient to another depends on the particular viruses involved .

(A) of how different viruses being transmitted

(B) whereby the transmission of different viruses is

(C) by which different viruses are transmitted

(D) for different viruses that are being transmitted

(E) when different viruses being transmitted

10 . Because he wished to help alleviate the famine that followed the Russian civil war was why Armand Hammer , a young American millionaire , decided that he had to go to Moscow .

(A) Because he wished to help alleviate the famine that followed the Russian civil war was why Armand Hammer , a young American millionaire , decided that he had to go to Moscow .

(B) Because he wished to help alleviate the famine that followed the Russian civil war a young American millionaire named Armand Hammer , decided that this was whyhe had to go to Moscow .

(C) Armand Hammer Because , a young American millionaire , decided that he had to go to Moscow . to help alleviate the famine that followed the Russian civil war .

(D) Armand Hammer , a young American millionaire , deciding  that he had to go to Moscow  because he wished to help alleviate the famine that followed the Russian civil war.

(E) A young American millionaire named Armand Hammer decided that he had to go to Moscow to help alleviate the famine that followed the Russian civil war .

11 . The fierce competition for grades among premed student  is because of wanting to be accepted by a top medical school .

(A) is because of wanting to be accepted by a top medical school

(B) is because of a desire to be accepted by a top medical school

(C) stems out of wanting to be accepted by a top medical school

(D) stems from  the desire to be accepted by a top medical school

(E) is because of the desire for acceptance at a top medical school

12 . Jane Smiley makes a convincing case that horses like people , have their own natures , and that one can learn about them the same way you can learn about human beings : through observation , reading , and empathy .

(A) the same way you can learn about human beings

(B) in the same way you can learn about human beings

(C) the same way you could learn about human beings

(D) the same way one can learn about human beings

(E) only the same way one learns about human beings

13 . Brought up in a homogeneous , all white suburb , it was only when I moves to San Francisco that I realized how exciting life in an ethically diverse community could be .

(A) it was only when I moves to San Francisco that I realized how exciting life in an ethically diverse community could be

(B) I did not  realize until  I moves to San Francisco how exciting life in an ethically diverse community could be

(C ) when I moved to San Francisco that I realized how exciting life in an ethically diverse community could be

(D)an exciting life in an ethically diverse community was unrealized by me until I moved to San Francisco

(E) moving to San Francisco made me realize how exciting life in an ethically diverse community could be

14. For an overtly political cartoonist like Aaron McGruder , being free to criticize contemporary American society is more important than winning a large and admiring audience .

(A) being free to criticize contemporary American society is more important than

(B) there is  greater  importance in the freedom to criticize contemporary American society than in

(C) having  freedom  for criticism of contemporary American society is more important than

(D) to have the freedom to criticize contemporary American society is more important than

(E) freedom to criticize contemporary American society has more importance than does