SAT Critical Reading Answer Guide: Section 3 (Critical Reading)

Answer Guide: Section 3 (Critical Reading)

• The test is available here: https://satonlinecourse.collegeboard.org
• Sentence Completions
• Question 1:Which word means “givers”?
• Eliminate Choice A; it means “teachers”.
• You can eliminate Choices B, C, and D; administrators, monitors, and accountants are all likely to be university employees.
• E looks promising; a benefactor is one who does good things for another.
• Answer: E
• Question 2:Which word means “defiant”?
• Choice A is right on the nose–“rebellious”.
• No other choice is even close to being right.
• Answer: A
• Question 3:Which word pair means “camouflaged / detect”?
• Eliminate Choices A and D; neither “vexed” nor “impatient” has anything to do with camouflage.
• Eliminate C and E; neither “interrupt” nor “classify” has much to do with detection.
• B meets both criteria.
• Answer: B
• Question 4:Which word pair means “fulfilled / distribution”?
• Only Choice A has a first word meaning anything like “met” or “fulfilled”.
• A and B both have good second words–in fact, B’s second word actually is “distribution”–but only A has both words correct.
• Answer: A
• Question 5:Which word means “restricted”?
• Eliminate Choices B, C, and E; all these words are relatively positive, and this question calls for a somewhat negative word.
• A means “closely hemmed in”; D has nothing to do with the topic at hand.
• Answer: A
• Passage-Based Questions
• Question 6:What is the purpose of Passage 1, which describes spam and the problems it causes?
• Eliminate Choice A; no comparison is made.
• Eliminate Choices B and C; no existing controversy or hypothesis is mentioned.
• Choice D looks promising, but is separating spam from regular e-mail really such a fine distinction?
• Choice E is a solid description of the passage’s purpose.
• Answer: E
• Question 7:What is the purpose of Passage 2, which describes the legal view of unsolicited communication?
• Eliminate Choice A; the widely held belief is disputed, not confirmed.
• Eliminate Choice B; the ruling is not analyzed too deeply.
• Eliminate C; no one defends spam.
• D is promising, but it doesn’t go far enough.
• E is consistent with the recommendation made in the last sentence.
• Answer: E
• Question 8:How would the author of Passage 1 react to Passage 2?
• Eliminate Choices A, B, D, and E; they all express varying degrees of disagreement or confusion, while the authors of Passages 1 and 2 agree that spam is a real problem.
• Answer: C
• Question 9:What does Passage 2 do that Passage 1 doesn’t?
• In the last sentence, Passage 2 suggests a way to solve the problem.
• Only Choice C acknowledges this.
• Answer: C
• Question 10:What is the tone of Line 1?
• Look at the phrase “with grave sincerity.”
• Only Choice A, “great conviction”, matches this meaning.
• Answer: A
• Question 11:What is the purpose of Mr. Beebe’s question?
• Mr. Beebe goes on to elaborate on his idea, so it’s clear that his question is rhetorical–designed to get his listener to think about the problem from another point of view.
• Only Choice A is consistent with this idea.
• Answer: A
• Question 12:What is the meaning of Mr. Beebe’s “water-tight compartments” remark?
• Eliminate Choices A and B; there is no suggestion that he is concerned only, or primarily, with her music.
• Eliminate Choice D; there isn’t much suggestion that Beebe takes a negative view of Lucy’s future.
• Eliminate Choice E; marriage isn’t mentioned at first.
• Answer: C
• Question 13:What is the meaning of “sense” in Line 24?
• Plug each word into the sentence and select the one that does not alter the sentence’s meaning.
• Only E accomplishes this feat.
• Answer: E
• Question 14:What does “picture number two” represent?
• It’s clear that the picture is designed to appear in sequence after its predecessor. Eliminate A and B; they’re off-topic.
• Eliminate C; Mr. Beebe does not think this outcome “unlikely”.
• Eliminate E; there is no suggestion that this outcome could or should be avoided.
• Answer: D
• Question 15:How does Cecil come to view his remark in Line 34?
• Clearly he comes to regret it!
• Eliminate A and B; these are positive choices, and Cecil’s attitude is negative.
• Eliminate D; the remark was in no way critical.
• Eliminate E; he doesn’t regret the remark’s underhandedness because it wasn’t very underhanded.
• Answer: C
• Question 16:How does Cecil think Mr. Beebe will view him?
• Cecil sees his remark as arrogant, portraying himself as “above” Lucy.
• Eliminate A; originality is not mentioned.
• B and C are both promising, but Cecil seems more worried about the content of the remark than about Lucy possibly hearing it.
• Eliminate D; it’s off-topic.
• Eliminate E: again, Cecil doesn’t seem worried about future actions.
• Answer: B
• Question 17:What is the “dark cloud” described on the horizon?
• Early questions are usually big-picture questions, and the big-picture “dark cloud” is the conflict between general relativity and quantum physics.
• Choice E contains the word “contradiction.” Big clue there!
• None of the other choices talk about conflict.
• Answer: E
• Question 18:Which pairing best represents the two different models described in lines 7-14?
• Lines 53-56 provide your clue–can the universe really have one set of rules for big things and another for little things?
• Choice A, “big and little”, is perfect.
• Answer: A
• Question 19:Why does the author use italics in Line 20?
• How did that line sound in your head? Did it sound like someone speaking firmly and emphatically?
• Only Choices B, D, and E mention emphasis.
• Eliminate B; this is not speculation.
• Eliminate E; if the theories agreed, the sentence in Line 20 would not exist.
• Answer: D
• Question 20:Why does the author compare the two theories to a malfunctioning automobile?
• Eliminate Choice A; there is little reference to professionals.
• Eliminate B; most people don’t consider automobiles intrinsically unreliable.
• Eliminate D and E; if the equations were easy to adjust or based on dated math, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
• Answer: C
• Question 21:Which evidence would refute superstring theory?
• Superstring theory is described as an attempt to unite general relativity and quantum mechanics. Only D and E touch on both theories.
• Eliminate D; it describes evidence that would support superstring theory.
• Answer: E
• Question 22:What makes this new theory useful?
• This is a main-idea question. Superstring theory matters, according to the passage, because it brings general relativity and quantum mechanics together.
• Only Choice E says anything like this.
• Answer: E
• Question 23:How would believers in the incompatibility of the two theories react to the intermingling of the two theories?
• Such theorists would not believe the two theories could be combined.
• Choice E uses the word “impossible” correctly to describe this view of the situation.
• Answer: E
• Question 24:What is the effect of the dance metaphor?
• Notice that the metaphor repeatedly combines disparate or contradictory elements.
• Only Choice B mentions “extremes” without focusing tightly on a single element (such as quarks and binary stars) that cuts out the rest of the metaphor.
• Answer: B
• Recommended supplementary material to view SAT questions featured in lesson answer guides: The Official SAT Study Guide by the College Board.