SAT Question of the Day
2012-05-08 09:00:23
The dissolution of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
(A)
in 1969 has been read as the end of consensus of any kind in
(B)
American life, and the violent protests and acts that resulted
(C)
has come to define the second half of the 1960s. No error
(D) (E)
The correct answer is D
Explanation: The error in this sentence occurs at choice D, where the singular verb phrase "has come" does not agree in number with its plural subject, the noun clause "the violent protests and acts that resulted." This error could be corrected by changing "has come" to the plural "have come."
SAT Question of the Day
2012-05-09 09:00:28
If a = 4x - 13 and b = 4(x + 13), what is the value of b - a?
(A) -65
(B) -13
(C) 0
(D) 52
(E) 65
The correct answer is E
Explanation: Start by simplifying the b equation by distributing the 4 to get b = 4x + 52. Now, subtract 4x - 13 from 4x + 52 to find b - a: (4x + 52) - (4x - 13), which simplifies to 4x + 52 - 4x + 13. This simplifies to 65, or choice E.
SAT Question of the Day
2012-05-10 09:00:00
The always ______ Lila was always irked by her habitually insolent nephew, and so she made it a point to never visit his slovenly household.
(A) punctilious
(B) pulchritudinous
(C) prurient
(D) prudent
(E) pretentious
The correct answer is choice A
Explanation: Look for keywords in the sentence to predict the missing word. Here, the keywords are "insolent" and "slovenly," words that describe the behavior or household of the nephew that "irked" Lila. Because "insolent" means "showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect," and "slovenly" means "messy or extremely casual," both of which angered or annoyed Lila, Lila must be one who prefers politeness, formality, and tidiness. Thus, the missing word must mean "polite," "formal," or "tidy." ChoiceA is the best choice, since "punctilious" means "showing great attention to proper form, manners, and conduct."
None of the other answer choices work, either:
Pulchritudinous: beautiful (Lily might be beautiful, but nothing in the prompt implies that she is)
Prurient: having lustful thoughts and desires (this is practically the opposite of Lily, since Lily is irked by "insolence" and "slovenliness")
Prudent: cautious or careful (Lily might be cautious, but if that were the case, she'd be more likely to be "irked" by someone who was "reckless," not "insolent")
Pretentious: pompous or arrogant (the prompt does not imply that Lily thinks highly of herself)
SAT Question of the Day
2012-05-11 09:00:43
What is a possible value of xy if x² + 7x + 10 = 0 and y² + 2x +1 = 0?
The correct answer is 2 or 5
Explanation: Start by factoring out the two equations.
x² + 7x + 10 = 0 can be factored to (x + 5)(x + 2) = 0 (the trick here is to look for two numbers that add together to be 7 and multiply to be 10). This means that either x + 5 = 0 or x + 2 = 0. This means that x = -2 or - 5 (from subtracting 5 and 2 from both sides of their respective equations).
Do the same thing for the y equation: y² + 2x +1 = 0 simplifies to (y + 1)(y + 1) = 0, meaning y + 1 = 0, making y = -1.
Multiply either x term by y to get -5 x -1 = 5, or -2 x -1 = 2. This means either 2 or 5 would be acceptable answers to grid in on your answer sheet.
Can you Crack 700 with a 3-scoring SAT essay?
2012-05-08 22:58:02
A few months ago, I wrote about how many questions students can miss and still crack 600 or 700 on the Critical Reading and Math sections of the SAT. Recently, a kind commenter (thank you!) reminded me that I still need to address this topic as it pertains to the Writing section.
Breaking down the Writing section is tricky. Unlike the Critical Reading and Math portions of the SAT, the Writing section contains an essay in addition to multiple choice (MC) questions. This essay (graded on a scale from 2 – 12) counts for 30% of your total writing score, and the MC raw score (out of 49) contributes 70%.
What do I need to crack 700 on the Writing section of the SAT?
--- Perfect-12 essays must combine with 40 raw MC points. This means you can either omit 9 MC questions or get 7 wrong, if you answer every Writing question on the test.
--- You can still break 700 with a 3-scoring essay, if you get every multiple choice question correct.
--- If your essay scores a 10 or 11, you can either omit 6, or miss 5 if every MC question is answered.
--- 8-scoring essays must combine with 46 raw points. To achieve this, you can omit 3 or miss 2 (if every question is answered).
--- A 6-scoring essay needs a grammar fiend! Omit or miss only 1 question to break 700.
--- If your essay got a 4, or 5 you need to get every MC question right to break 700.
How about 600?
--- A perfect 12 essay means you can break 600 with just 28 raw points. Thus, you can omit 21 questions, or get 17 wrong if you answer every writing question on the test.
--- 10-scoring essays require 32 raw points to break 600. So, you can omit 17, or get max 14 wrong.
--- For an essay that scores an 8 or 9, you can omit 13 challengers, or get 10 wrong (if every MC question is answered).
--- A 6-scoring essay needs 40 raw points. As we saw above, this means you can either omit 9 MC questions or get 7 wrong, if you answer every Writing question on the test.
--- If your essay is a 3, 4, or 5, you can omit 5 questions, or get 4 wrong, if all MC questions are answered.
--- 0-scoring essays (!) must combine with 46 raw points to crack 600. To achieve this, you can omit 3 multiple choice questions, or miss 2 (if every MC question is answered).
SAT Question of the Day
2012-05-14 09:00:22
At the Department of Motor Vehicles, they told Carlos that he needed to fill out the proper paperwork before he could renew his driver's license.
(A) they told Carlos that he needed to fill out the proper paperwork before he could renew his driver's license.
(B) they told Carlos that he needed to fill out the proper paperwork before renewing his driver's license.
(C) Carlos was told he needed to fill out the proper paperwork before he could renew his driver's license.
(D) they told Carlos he needed to fill out the proper paperwork and renew his driver's license.
(E) Carlos was told to fill out the proper paperwork in order to be renewing his driver's license.
The correct answer is C
Explanation: As written, this sentence contains a pronoun error. The plural pronoun "they" lacks a clear antecedent. There is no indication given in the sentence who "they" references, and, presumably, only one person would have given Carlos any instructions. Choice (C) corrects this by getting rid of "they" altogether, which works since "they" is completely unnecessary.
SAT Question of the Day
2012-05-15 09:00:09
If it takes seven pounds of food to feed four dogs for two weeks, how many days will 21 pounds of food last for eight dogs?
(A) 8
(B) 14
(C) 16
(D) 21
(E) 24
The correct answer is D
Explanation: Start by finding out how many pounds of food each dog eats in a day. If four dogs require seven pounds for two weeks, then four dogs eat 1/2 pound of food each day (from seven pounds divided by fourteen days equals 1/2 pound). If there are 8 dogs, then twice that amount of food is needed per day, meaning 8 dogs would require 1 pound of food per day. Thus, 21 pounds of food would last 8 dogs 21 days. This makes choice D correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2012-05-16 09:00:06
While ______ alone cannot be blamed for all of World War I, most historians would agree that the war would not have escalated so quickly without the fervent nationalism that such propaganda incited.
(A) pride
(B) jingoism
(C) veneration
(D) prudence
(E) bombast
The correct answer is B
Explanation: To predict the missing word, look for keywords in the sentence. Here, the keywords are "the fervent nationalism that such propaganda incited," a phrase that is used in place of the missing word in the second clause. Thus, the missing word must be one that relates to "fervent nationalism" and "propaganda." This makes choice B the best answer, since "jingoism" means "words used to stir up exaggerated patriotism."
None of the other answer choices work, either:
pride: a feeling of accomplishment
veneration: great respect
prudence: wisdom or caution
bombast: high-sounding language that lacks actual meaning but is designed to impress people
SAT Question of the Day
2012-05-17 09:00:59
If x is chosen at random from the set {2, 3, 5, 7, 8} and y is chosen at random from the set {1, 3, 5, 7, 9}, what is the probability that xy > 27?
(A) 1/5
(B) 7/25
(C) 8/25
(D) 18/25
(E) 21/25
The correct answer is C
Explanation: Probability is the number of desired outcomes divided by the number of possible outcomes. The number of possible outcomes here is 25 (from 5 numbers chosen from set x multiplied by 5 numbers chosen from set y), while the number of desired outcomes can be found by seeing which combinations of numbers from x and y will multiply together to be greater than 27. Any number from set y will not multiply with 2 or 3 (from x) to be greater than 27. However, 5 (from x) will multiply by 7 and 9 to be greater than 27; as will 7 (from x) and 5, 7, or 9 (from y); and 8 (from x) and 5, 7, or 9 (from y). This means 8 combinations of numbers will work, meaning the probability in question is 8/25, or choice C.
SAT Question of the Day
2012-05-18 09:00:05
Because of the proliferation of e-books, many authors now
(A)
feel pressure to be even more prolific, but many best-selling
(B) (C)
authors are now expected to write three or four books per year.
(D)
No error
(E)
The correct answer is C
Explanation: The error in this sentence occurs at choice C where the conjunction "but" is illogical in context, since "but" is used to link clauses that provide contradictory information. The two clauses here relate to each other, though, since the first clause explains the pressure authors feel to "be more prolific," while the second clause discusses how many books authors are expected to publish each year. This word choice error could be corrected by changing "but" to something such as "and" or "since."