SAT Question of the Day
2014-01-31 09:00:21
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 of 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.
This passage is best described as
(A) a personal recollection
(B) an objective analysis
(C) a persuasive grievance
(D) an eloquent synopsis
(E) a dismissive summary
The correct answer is C
Explanation: In the passage, the author complains about how loud the world is getting, then "begs of humanity" to get quieter. Thus, the passage is both a grievance, as it makes a complaint, and persuasive because it asks society to change.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-01-29 09:00:25
Bat rays are relatively small eagle rays that live in a variety of waters in the Pacific with venomous tails used for self defense.
(A) that live in a variety of waters in the Pacific with venomous tails used for self defense
(B) who live in a variety of waters in the Pacific and who have venomous tails used for self defense
(C) that live in a variety of waters in the Pacific, they have venomous tails used for self defense
(D) with venomous tails used for self defense and that live in a variety of waters in the Pacific
(E) with venomous tails used for self defense, living in a variety of waters in the Pacific
The correct answer is D
Explanation: As written, this sentence contains an ambiguous modifier, as the phrase "with venomous tails used for self defense" seems to describe "Pacific" because of its placement next to "Pacific." The sentence means to imply that the bat rays themselves have venomous tails, and choice D changes the word order of the sentence around to make this relationship clear.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-02-05 09:00:38
The couple loved vacationing in Florida in the wintertime, especially when (A) (B)
it is so cold in New York that both of them would have to wear sweaters even (C) (D)
indoors. No error (E)
The correct answer is C
Explanation: The error in this sentence occurs at choice C, where the verb “is” is in the present tense, even though the rest of the sentence is in the past tense. Thus, “is” should be in the same tense as “loved,” and so this error could be corrected by changing “is” to “was.”
SAT Question of the Day
2014-02-07 09:00:29
A regular hexagon is inscribed inside a circle so that each vertex of the hexagon is tangent to the circle. If the circle has an area of 36π, what is the perimeter of the hexagon?
The correct answer is 36
Explanation: If the circle has an area of 36π, its radius is 6, since the area of a circle is calculated by multiplying π by the square of the radius, and 6 squared times π is 36π.
A regular hexagon divides into six equilateral triangles, with each side of the hexagon being a base of each triangle. Since this regular hexagon is inside the circle, a radius of the circle will double as a side any of the triangles. Thus, each triangle has a side length of 6, meaning that the perimeter of the hexagon is 6 x 6, or 36.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-02-14 09:00:11
Because viruses mutate as they infect hosts, just as many are more harmful when spread between family members, as a virus has less mutating to do between people with similar genetics.
(A) just as many are more harmful when spread between family members, as a virus has less mutating to do between people with similar genetics
(B) it is true that many are more harmful when spread between family members, a virus has less mutating to do between people with similar genetics
(C) just as many are more harmful when spread between family members, and a virus has less mutating to do between people with similar genetics
(D) many are more harmful when spread between family members, due to a virus has less mutating to do between people with similar genetics
(E) many are more harmful when spread between family members, as a virus has less mutating to do between people with similar genetics
The correct answer is E
Explanation: As written, this sentence contains a sentence structure error, as it lacks an independent clause. Each of the three written clauses starts with a conjunction, meaning that none of the clauses could stand alone. Choice E corrects this error by making the second clause independent by removing the phrase "just as."
Doodle 4 Google
2014-02-06 18:09:57
This month, the world’s most frequently visited web page and consummate purveyor of information, Google, is kicking off its yearly Doodle 4 Google competition. This unique competition provides students, K-12, with the opportunity to redesign the company’s iconic home page around a particular theme. According to Google, the contest aims to "give students a blank canvas but to spark their curiosity with a broad theme". This year’s theme is focused on imagination and possibility, requiring students to complete the phrase "If I could invent one thing to make the world a better place…”. On its blog, the search engine juggernaut says the idea for the theme emerged from the desire to encourage students and young artists to “explore the past, present or future as well as to uncover moments or thoughts that range from very small and personal to broad and far-reaching—maybe even out of this universe".
It is also important to note that students Doodle-ing for Google aren’t just competing for some formidable bragging rights. The winner of the competition will receive a $30,000 college scholarship as well as a $50,000 Google For Education tech grant for the triumphant student’s school, making the stakes even higher and more meaningful. Submissions are currently being accepted and must be in by March 20th. For more information about the competition visit the link here. Best of luck, and remember to dream BIG!
SAT Question of the Day
2014-02-10 09:00:07
The meetings of the Third Estate were habitually full of ______, but on the day the Tennis Court Oath was made, the members of the Third Estate put aside petty squabbles and functioned nearly ______.
(A) unity … cordially
(B) rancor … harmoniously
(C) enmity … pugnaciously
(D) nascence… amicably
(E) malevolence … discordantly
The correct answer is B
Explanation: To find the missing words, try to predict their meanings by using clues in the sentence. Here, there are two big clues. The first is the use of the coordinating conjunction “but,” which separates clauses that provide contradictory information. Thus, here, the two clauses must likewise provide contrast, meaning that how the meetings were “habitually,” the “Tennis Court Oath” day’s meeting functioned the opposite way. The second clue in the sentence is the phrase “put aside petty squabbles.” This implies that the meetings usually involved squabbling, suggesting that the first word must be close in meaning to squabbles, while the second must imply that the meeting went smoothly. Choice B is correct because of this: “rancor” is “bitterness or resentfulness,” while “harmoniously” means “done in a unified and pleasant manner.”
None of the other choices work, either:
unity: the state of being joined as one and not having disagreements
cordially: done in a warm and friendly matter
(the second word could work on its own, but unity is not the opposite of cordialness)
enmity: the state of being hostile or opposed to someone
pugnaciously: acting in a pugnacious manner; pugnacious = eager or quick to fight
(the first word could work on its own, but pugnaciousness is not the opposite of enmity)
nascence: the state of being just coming into existence
amicably: done in a way that is friendly and lacks rancor or hostility
(the second word could work on its own, but amicableness is not the opposite of nascence)
malevolence: the condition of being evil or showing ill will toward others
discordantly: done in a way that is disagreeing or incongruous
(the first word could work on its own, but discordance is not the opposite of malevolence)
SAT Question of the Day
2014-02-12 09:00:47
On an exam consisting of 100 questions, Emily answered 80% of the the first 60 questions correctly. What percent of the other 40 questions did she need to answer correctly for her grade on the entire exam to be 84%?
(A) 84%
(B) 88%
(C) 90%
(D) 94%
(E) 100%
The correct answer is C
Explanation: Start by finding the number of questions Emily has already answered correctly. To do so, multiply 60 x .8, which equals 48. To get 84% on all 100 questions, she would need to answer 84/100 correctly. Since she's already answered 48 correctly, she would just need 84 - 48, or 36, more correct answers. 36/40 is 90% of the remaining 40 questions, as 36/40 is .9, and .9 x 100% is 90%. As such, choice C is correct.
MIT Admissions Mistake
2014-02-13 17:49:24
April Fools came early this year for nearly 4,000 applicants to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In what is now being referred to as an “e-mail goof”, the MIT admissions office accidently sent a mass email to regular decision applicants as well as accepted early action applicants containing an automated tag line that read, "You are on this list because you are admitted to MIT!" For prospective students already accepted through MIT’s early action program, the tag line was simply part of a routine mistake. But for the many applicants still awaiting a final admissions decision in March, those eleven words may have raised false hopes of admission to one of the world's most prestigious institutions of higher education.
According to Chris Peterson, an MIT admissions counselor, the intended footer of the email sent to applicants still awaiting a decision from MIT was supposed to have read: "You are receiving this email because you applied to MIT, and we sometimes have to tell you things about stuff.” The problem, Peterson explained, was that they had recently combined two lists of students- those who had been admitted early and those still awaiting an official admissions decision. Evidently, the e-mail “footer” from the admitted group was somehow transposed onto all of the e-mails through the office's MailChimp marketing system.
Since becoming aware of the mistake, the MIT admissions office has apologized to all applicants via their blog, and will be answering any questions or concerns via email. Despite the unseemly gaffe, scores of “hoaxed” applicants, who have taken to posting about the email on a college admissions forum, have been generally accepting of the university’s mea culpa. Time will tell if their forgiveness will extend past official admissions decisions when only 1 in 10 applicants will receive an “official” letter of admission.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-02-17 09:00:17
In a set of 501 consecutive integers, decreasing the first 250 numbers by 1 will affect which of the following?
I. The average (arithmetic mean) of the list
II. The median of the list
III. The range of the list
(A) I only
(B) I and II
(C) I and III
(D) II and III
(E) I, II, and III
The correct answer is C
Explanation: There is no need to figure out 501 numbers. Instead, think about the principles of consecutive numbers. In 501 consecutive numbers, the mean and median are both the middle number, which is the 251st number. The range is the difference between the first number and the 501st number. Thus, decreasing the first 250 numbers by 1 will not affect the median, as the 251st number will not change. However, it will impact the average and range. The average will go down slightly, and the range will increase by 1 (as the smallest number is now 1 less than the previous smallest number). Therefore, choice C is correct.