SAT Question of the Day
2013-12-06 09:00:32
Lexi, Yu, and Emma are splitting the cost of dinner. With a 20% gratuity added, their bill came to $24 a person. In dollars, how much was the cost of the bill before the gratuity was added?
The correct answer is 60
Explanation: Start by finding out the total cost of the check. This would be 24 x 3 (as each person paid $24 and there are 3 of them): $72. Now, find how much the cost of the original bill was. If the bill was $72 after 20% gratuity was added, then $72 is 120% of the bill. 120% can be calculated as 1.2 times the original bill: 1.2x = 72. Divide both sides by 1.2 to get 72/1.2 = 60. Thus, the bill originally cost $60.
SAT Question of the Day
2013-12-09 09:00:12
Legal thrillers by authors such as John Grisham make the events in courtrooms seem exciting and dramatic, but boring is how most Americans find an actual courtroom proceeding.
(A) boring is how most Americans find an actual courtroom proceeding
(B) most Americans find actual court proceedings boring
(C) an actual courtroom would be described as boring by most Americans
(D) boring is how an actual court proceedings would be described by most Americans
(E) most Americans find an actual courtroom as boring
The correct answer is B
Explanation: As written, this sentence is in the passive voice. It places the recipient of the action (how courtroom proceedings are found) in the subjective case. Instead, the active voice is preferable. Thus, choice B is correct, as it places the actor ("most Americans") in the subjective case.
SAT Question of the Day
2013-12-11 09:00:08
A rectangle's length is four times its width. If its perimeter is 30, what is the perimeter of a rectangle that has the same width but half the length?
(A) 12
(B) 15
(C) 18
(D) 21
(E) 24
The correct answer is C
Explanation: Start by finding the length and width of the rectangle by using the perimeter formula: 2l + 2w = perimeter. If its perimeter is 30, the 2l + 2w = 30. Since length here is 4 times width, l = 4w. Substitute 4w in for l in the perimeter equation to get 2(4w) + 2w = 30. This means that 8w + 2w = 30, and 10w = 30, making w = 3. Since the width of the rectangle is 3, its length is 12. Thus, the rectangle that has the same width but a length half that of the other rectangle would have a width of 3 and a length of 6. This would create a perimeter of 3 + 3 + 6 + 6, or 18, making choice C correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2013-12-13 09:00:47
The mutineers who took part in the Sepoy Rebellion wanted to oust the British from India altogether, but the ______ of the revolt actually involved a tightening of British authority and an increase in British power in the region.
(A) repercussions
(B) transgressions
(C) remonstrations
(D) foundations
(E) ambivalences
The correct answer is A
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by finding keywords in the sentence. Here, the keyword is "but," which suggests a contrasting relationship between the two clauses. Thus, though the mutineers intended for something to happen, something else actually happened. This implies that the missing word must mean something akin to "effects." "Repercussions" are "unintended consequences or effects," so choice A is correct.
None of the other choices work, either:
transgressions: acts that go against laws or that are offensive
remonstrations: verbal protests
foundations: underlying bases or principles for something
ambivalences: states of having mixed or contradictory feelings about something
SAT Question of the Day
2013-12-16 09:00:10
If xy is a positive integer, which of the following must be true?
(A) x > 0
(B) y > 0
(C) x + y > 0
(D) x/y is a positive integer
(E) None of the above
The correct answer is E
Explanation: If xy is a positive integer, then x and y have to be the same sign, but they don't both have to be positive. The product of two negative numbers is also positive. Thus, neither x nor y needs to be greater than 0, so long as the other is similarly not greater than 0. This eliminates A and B. Further, since x and y could both be negative, the sum of x and y could likewise be negative (example: -2 + -3 is -5, but -2 • -3 is 6), eliminating C. Finally, x/y does have to be positive, but it does not have to be an integer. For example, if x = 2 and y = 3, then 2 • 3 is 6, making xy a positive integer. However, 2/3 is 2/3, which is not an integer. Thus, D is not necessarily true either.
Since none of the choices MUST be true, choice E is correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2013-12-18 09:00:39
Charles Johnson modeled his best-known work, Oxherding Tale, after slave narratives (A) like Frederick Douglass and William Grimes, but the work also blends in the (B) (C) transcendental theories popular at the time the book takes place, creating a strange (D) confluence of seemingly antithetical, though contemporary, ideas. No error (E)
The correct answer is B
Explanation: The error in this sentence occurs at choice B where the sentence incorrectly compares "slave narratives" to "Frederick Douglass and William Grimes." Comparisons can only be made between logical things, and one cannot logically compare books to people. This comparison error could be corrected by changing "like" to "like those of" to make it clear that the author is actually comparing "slave narratives" to slave narratives about or from "Frederick Douglass and William Grimes."
SAT Question of the Day
2013-12-20 09:00:51
If x% of 50 is equal to y% of 60, and if x% of y is 30, what is the positive difference between x and y?
The correct answer is 10
Explanation: Set up two equations. x% and y% are the same as x/100 and y/100, respectively. Thus, if x% of 50 equals y% of 60, then 50(x/100) = 60(y/100). Additionally, x% of y is 15, so y(x/100) = 15.
Since 50(x/100) = 60(y/100), then 50x/100 = 60y/100, meaning that 50x = 60y. Divide both sides by 50 to get x = 60y/50, which reduces to x = 6y/5.
Since y(x/100) = 30, then xy/100 = 30, and xy = 3000. Thus, x = 3000/y. Substitute that in for x in the equation one step above:
3000/y = 6y/5
Cross multiply to get 15000 = 6y2
Divide both sides by 6 to get 2500 = y2
Square root both sides to get y = 50.
Next, if y = 50, and x % of y is 30, then 50(x/100) = 30, meaning x/100 is .6, and x is 60. The question asks for the positive difference between x and y, which is 60 - 50, or 10.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-01-06 09:00:32
The teacher could see through the student’s feigned cough, sniffles, and sneezes and came to the correct conclusion that the so-called illness was nothing more than ______ to get more time to complete the project.
(A) an avowal
(B) an entreaty
(C) a lummox
(D) a ploy
(E) an enigma
The correct answer is D
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by using keywords in the sentence. Here, the keywords are “feigned coughs, sniffles, and sneezes” and “came to the correct conclusion.” The prompt establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between what the student did and what the teacher concluded he or she was doing “to get more time.” Thus, the feigned and “so-called illness” was just a trick to try to get the teacher to give the student an extension, meaning the missing word most likely is synonymous with a trick. Choice D is correct, then: “a ploy” is “a cunning plan or trick designed to turn a situation to one’s own advantage.”
None of the other choices work, either:
avowal: a confession or admission
entreaty: a humble or sincere request
lummox: a clumsy, stupid person
enigma: a thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand
ACT Question of the Day
2014-01-08 09:00:16
While this question would not appear on the SAT, questions like it appear often on the ACT.
In triangle ABC, sin A is 12/13, and cos A is -5/13. What is tan A?
(A) -5/12
(B) -5/13
(C) -12/5
(D) 5/12
(E) 12/13
The correct answer is C
Explanation: If sin A is 12/13, then that means the side opposite angle A has a length of 12 (or a number proportional to 12) and the hypotenuse of the triangle has a length of 13 (or a number proportional to 13). Since cosine of A is -5/13, the adjacent side to A must have a length of 5 (or a number proportional to 5). Since cosine is negative, the triangle must exist in quadrant II, where sine is positive and cosine negative. The tangent of A must be the opposite over the adjacent, or 12/5, and, since the triangle is in quadrant II, tangent must also be negative. Thus, tan A is -12/5, making C correct.
Back to Your Future...
2014-01-07 09:00:22
Hello, and welcome back from winter break! With your short reprieve from reality now over, we thought now would be the perfect time to remind you of your future realities: college!
Your school year is now about halfway over (yes, the technical midpoint of your school year is a month or so away, but winter break certainly seems like a midpoint), and that means you still have a lot of work to do. In addition to the mandatory schoolwork, you also have the odious tasks of college admissions to think about. So, with that in mind, here are our suggestions for what you should be working on for those frigid and gelid winter evenings!
Seniors
For the most part, your hard work should already be done. You’ve already applied to most of your colleges, right? If you have any applications left, complete them now. Literally. Right. Now. Do not delay anymore, as deadlines are final!
After your applications are in, wait patiently. Plan a reward for yourself for when those acceptance letters start to roll in. And don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get into your first-choice schools. That’s why you didn’t just apply to one school. In general, relax!
That being said, don’t slack in school. Keep up your hard work for a few more months, and make sure colleges don’t reconsider their decisions to admit you.
Juniors
You have the most on your plates this spring. Make sure you registered for winter or spring SAT and ACT administrations. Find out how many SAT Subject Tests you need to take for the schools you’ve been looking at, and register for those.
Next, study, study, study for the tests. Consult this blog for SAT and ACT practice questions, and don’t hesitate to ask for help from one of our talented and charismatic tutors.
Additionally, you should plan on visiting colleges in the spring and summer. Find out what schools are the best fits for you, and ask counselors at the schools what they need from you for your application. Try to narrow your list of schools down to a top 20 or 25. Sentia also provides college-consulting services, and our talented admissions experts would be more than happy to help you in your search.
Finally, keep up those grades! Your junior year is far and away the most important of your academic career, at least in terms of college admissions. Set a goal for yourself to get the best grades you’ve ever had in your life. A new year is a great (albeit arbitrary) time to turn a new leaf and become the best student in the history of the world. If you need help with your grades, don’t hesitate to ask Sentia for help there too. (See a trend, here? Ask for help in any areas of school. Better to be over prepared than underprepared, right?)
Sophomores
You should begin thinking of registering for standardized tests. You’ll need to take them at some point over the next two years, so you may as well get them out of the way earlier than the rest of your peers do. Take a practice ACT and SAT, and see which test is a better fit for you.
Regardless of which test you take, start improving your vocabulary now. Vocabulary is a major part of the SAT, but it can’t hurt you on the ACT to have an extensive vocabulary either. There really is no such thing as knowing too many words. And it is easier (and better) to learn vocabulary words slowly over several years, rather than cramming them into your brain a month before you sit for any tests. Read books and magazines at your difficulty level or even above your difficulty level, and improve your critical reading skills alongside your vocabulary.
You should also start looking at colleges and considering your options. Do you want to go to a big school or a small school? Close to home or far from home? In a city or in the middle of nowhere? Get at least a general idea of what kind of school you want to attend. Trust us. It’ll save you hours of time in the future.
Finally, keep your grades up. Having consistently high grades will make you a more attractive applicant to colleges, and now is also a great time to instill important study skills for your future academic career. If you need help with your grades, don’t hesitate to ask Sentia for help there too.
Glossary
These Key SAT Words are Expertly Identified by Sentia Tutors
reprieve: a short break or recess
odious: unpleasant
frigid: very cold
gelid: icy
charismatic: charming
arbitrary: based on personal choice or whim
instill: gradually but firmly establish