SAT Question of the Day
2014-01-10 09:00:54
Running a marathon in hot and humid conditions is certainly harder to do than run one in cool and dry days.
(A) than run one in cool and dry days
(B) as compared to running one in cool and dry conditions
(C) as compared to run one in cool and dry days
(D) than running one in cool and dry days
(E) than running one in cool and dry conditions is
The correct answer is E
Explanation: As written, this sentence contains a parallelism error. As the sentence opens by describing "running a marathon," the verb phrase to which it is compared needs to be in the same form. Thus, "run" is inappropriate. Choice E corrects this error by changing "run" to "running" and adding the verb "is" at the end of the sentence to make a grammatically appropriate compariosn.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-01-13 09:00:21
In square ABCD, the length of AC is 3√2. What is its area?
(A) 9
(B) 9√2
(C) 9√3
(D) 18
(E) 27
The correct answer is A
Explanation: If AC has a length of 3√2, then the diagonal of the square has the length of 3√2. Diagonals of squares are proportional to the sides by a factor of √2. This means that if one side is s, the diagonal is s√2. In this case, then, since the diagonal has a length of 3√2, the square must have lengths of side 3. The area of such a square is 9 (as 3 x 3 is 9). Thus, A is correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-01-15 09:00:59
The customer felt abused by the customer service team at the cable company, and he left the conversation feeling more ______ than he had felt before he asked the company to explain why it had double billed him.
(A) encumbered
(B) malodorous
(C) allayed
(D) burdened
(E) irate
The correct answer is E
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by using keywords in the sentence. Here, the keywords are in the phrase "and he left the conversation feeling," a phrase that implies that the missing word is the effect of the cause listed in the first part of the sentence. Thus, because he felt "abused," he would have likely felt angered by the customer service team's treatment. This means choice E is best, as "irate" means "feeling great anger."
None of the other choices work, either:
encumbered: burdened or saddled with debt
malodorous: smelling very unpleasant
allayed: relieved or alleviated
burdened: saddled with hardship or distress
SAT Question of the Day
2014-01-17 09:00:56
m and n are two unique factors of 320. If m > n and if both m and n are odd, what is the largest possible value of m - n?
The correct answer is 4
Explanation: Since m is greater than n and both are odd factors, this question really boils down to finding the difference between the largest and smallest odd factors of 320. The latter is easy to find: it's 1. The smallest factor of any number is 1. To find the largest odd factor, set up a T-chart, in which you match the factor pairs of 320:
_____
1 | 320
2 | 160
4 | 80
5 | 64
8 | 40
10 | 32
16 | 20
The only odd factor of 320 besides 1 is 5, so m must be 5 and n must be 1. Thus, m - n is 4.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-01-20 09:00:37
Many European nations are planning ceremonies to commemorate the start of the the so- (A)
called "war to end all wars," but the ceremonies are not expected to be as large as (B)
those commemorating the anniversary of the end of World War II have been. No error (C) (D) (E)
The correct answer is E
Explanation: This sentence contains no error and is correct as written, meaning choice E is correct.
Choice (A) is incorrect because the plural verb phrase "are planning" agrees in number with its plural subject "many European nations" and is in the proper present tense.
Choice (B) is incorrect because the coordinating conjunction "but" correctly separates two independent clauses and is contextually appropriate, as it links two clauses that are contrasting in nature.
Choice (C) is incorrect because the plural pronoun "those" is appropriate in context as it agrees in case and number with its implied plural antecedent, "ceremonies" that commemorate the end of World War II.
Choice (D) is incorrect because the plural verb phrase "have been" agrees in number with its plural subject, "those" ceremonies commemorating the end of World War II, and is in the proper present perfect tense.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-01-22 09:00:26
If a is equivalent to the sum of b and 12, and if c is equivalent to the sum of b and 6, then what is the difference between a and c?
(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 6
(D) 2b
(E) 2b + 6
The correct answer is C
Explanation: This question is more about understanding relationships between terms than it is about working with complicated expressions or math concepts. If a = b + 12 and c = b + 6, then a - c is equivalent to (b + 12) - (b + 6). In that expression, the b's cancel out, and one is left with 12 - 6, which is 6, making C correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-01-24 09:00:23
There is no doubt in my head that the world is getting louder. Everywhere I go, I am surrounded by a chorus of cacophony. All at once, horns honk, trains whistle, dogs bark, advertisements and announcements blare, and people... people are the worst offenders of all. Seeking to be heard over the hubbub and clamor, they decide the only solution is to talk ever louder. Even within my own house, my children are playing piano and video games, watching television at full volume, or just screaming for the apparent fun that accompanies it. Virginia Woolf said that a woman writer just needed a room of her own in which to write. Well, I have that, and yet I still cannot write for want not of solitude but quietude! I beg of humanity. Just be a little quieter. Being ever louder does not prove that we existed, for all sounds are ephemeral, but peace (and quiet) is eternal.
In line 2, the word "chorus" most nearly means
(A) a group of singers
(B) a refrain
(C) a simple song
(D) a simultaneous utterance
(E) a literary device
The correct answer is D
Explanation: This vocabulary-in-context question can best be answered by looking at the surrounding phrases of the word "chorus." It is clear that the "chorus" is being heard, as the author references it after describing things "getting louder." Because the author refers to a "chorus of cacophony," it follows that the sounds created by the "chorus" are not pleasant, as a "cacophony" is "a harsh, discordant mix of sounds." Finally, the sentence that follows implies that the sounds listed all occur "all at once." This suggests that a "chorus" is "a simultaneous utterance," making choice D correct.
Each of the other choices provides another usage of "chorus" that is correct in a different context.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-04-02 09:00:31
Lincoln believed the South was flaunting the rules of the US Constitution and would not (A) (B) agree with those in Washington who argued that he should try to compromise with the (C) (D) newly seceded states. No error
(E)
The correct answer is A
Explanation: The error in this sentence occurs at choice A where the verb "flaunting" is incorrectly used. "Flaunting" means "displaying something ostentatiously." The sentence means to say "flouting," which means "openly disregarding a rule or law." Thus, this word choice error could be corrected by changing "flaunting" to "flouting."
The 25 US High Schools With The Highest Standardized Test Scores
2014-01-24 16:05:52
As high school seniors enter the doldrums of the college admission process and patiently await letters of admission, high school juniors are beginning to complete their SAT’s and ACT's. With that in mind, school analysis site Niche surveyed 909 public and private high schools between 2012 and 2014, and ranked schools by students' average SAT/ACT scores. Unsurprisingly, New York City High Schools are well represented throughout the list with four schools in the top 10 and three schools in the top 5!
High schools with the highest standardized test scores:
1. Thomas Jefferson High - Alexandria, VA
2. The Harker School - San Jose, CA
3. Dalton School - New York City, NY
4. Stuyvesant High School - New York City, NY
5. Regis High School - New York City, NY
6. Marlborough School - Los Angeles, CA
7. Lynbrook High - San Jose, CA
8. Lick-Wilmerding High School - San Francisco, CA
9. The Hotchkiss School - Lakeville, CT
10. Packer Collegiate Institute - Brooklyn, NY
11. IL Mathematics & Science Academy - Aurora, IL
12. Henry M. Gunn High - Palo Alto, CA
13. Phillips Exeter Academy - Exeter, NH
14. Middlesex School - Concord, MA
15. Monta Vista High - Cupertino, CA
16. Sidwell Friends School - Washington, D.C.
17. Choate Rosemary Hall - Wallington, CT
18. Mission San Jose High - Fremont, CA
19. Noble & Greenough School - Dedham, MA
20. Leland High - San Jose, CA
21. Ransom Everglades School - Coconut Grove, FL
22. Leland Public School - Leland, MI
23. Ethical Culture Fieldston Middle & Upper - Bronx, NY
24. Brentwood School - Merrimack, NH
25. The Shipley School - Bryn Mawr, PA
SAT Question of the Day
2014-01-27 09:00:53
If a > b, which of the following must be true?
I. 2a > 2b
II. a2 > b2
III. a + 2 > b + 2
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
(D) I and III only
(E) I, II, and III
The correct answer is D
Explanation: Take the Roman numerals one at a time. If a > b, then 2a will be greater than 2b. Double a larger number will always be a larger number than double a smaller number, regardless of if those numbers are positive, negative, even, odd, or zero. (That is, 2 x 0 is greater than 2 x -1, and 2 x -4.25 is greater than 2 x -4.5.) Thus, I is true.
a2 > b2 is not necessarily true. If a is .75 and b is -1, then a2 is (.75)2, and b2 is (-1)2. These become .5625 and 1, but 1 is greater than .5625. Thus II is not true.
Finally, regardless of a and b, a + 2 will be greater than b + 2, as a larger number added to two will be larger than a smaller number added to 2. Thus, III is true.
Because I and III are true, choice D is correct.