SAT Question of the Day
2014-04-09 09:00:11
The greatest integer in a set of consecutive integers is 17. If the sum of the set of integers is 108, what is the difference between the greatest and lowest number in the set?
(A) 7
(B) 9
(C) 10
(D) 11
(E) 12
The correct answer is A
Explanation: To answer this question, find the highest and lowest number in the set by subtracting from 108, until you get to 0: 108 - 17 is 91; 91 - 16 is 75, etc. Doing so will reveal that the last number is 10. ( 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17 is 108, that is.) The highest and lowest numbers in the set are 17 and 10, and the difference between them is 7, making A correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-04-11 09:00:48
Compared to Henri Cartier-Bresson's work, which mostly explores urban life, Walker Evans is more interested in depicting the plight of those who live in rural areas.
(A) Compared to Henri Cartier-Bresson's work, which mostly explores urban life
(B) While Henri Cartier-Bresson, who mostly explored urban life in his work,
(C) Compared to Henri Cartier-Bresson, which mostly explores urban life
(D) Henri Cartier-Bresson's work mostly explores urban life,
(E) While Henri Cartier-Bresson mostly explores urban life in his work,
The correct answer is E
Explanation: As written, this sentence contains a comparison error. Comparisons can only be made between grammatically equivalent terms, but this sentence compares a person (Evans) to the work of another (Cartier-Bresson's work). Choice E corrects this comparison error by making the comparison between two artists, rather than one's work and one artist.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-04-14 09:00:05
A regular hexagon has a perimeter of 60 inches. What is its area in square inches?
(A) 36
(B) 36√3
(C) 60√3
(D) 216
(E) 150√3
The correct answer is E
Explanation: A regular hexagon divides into six equilateral triangles. As this hexagon has a perimeter of 60 inches, each triangle will have sides of 10 inches. And each one of those triangles will separately divide into 2 30°:60°:90° triangles with proportional sides of x:x√3:2x. Here, 2x will be 10, making x 5, so the altitude of each small triangle will be 5√3. Thus, the area of each triangle is 1/2 (10)(5√3), which is 25√3. Multiply that by 6 to find the area of the whole hexagon: 6 x 25√3 is 150√3, making E correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-03-24 09:00:25
Though many have lamented the deleterious effects video games have on children's health, research suggests that video games may help children develop problem-solving skills, improve social skills, and stress reduction.
(A) research suggests that video games may help children develop problem-solving skills, improve social skills, and stress reduction
(B) research suggests that video games may help children develop problem-solving skills, social skills, and reduce stress
(C) research suggests that they may develop problem-solving skills, improve social skills, and reduce stress
(D) research suggests that video games may help children develop problem-solving skills, improve social skills, and reduce stress
(E) research suggests that they are capable of problem solving, improving social skills, and reducing stress by playing them
The correct answer is D
Explanation: As written, this sentence contains a parallelism error. Items in a series or list must be parallel in form, but "stress reduction" is a noun clause; the other two items listed involve a verb. Choice D corrects this error by changing the errant "stress reduction" to the parallel "reduce stress."
Check out Billy Wheelan on Huffington Post Live!
2014-03-07 18:46:51
Today, Sentia Education Managing Director Billy Wheelan participated in a Huffington Post Live discussion on the recently announced redesign of the SAT. The conversation focused on content and format changes, the goals of the College Board, and the impact it will have on parents' and students' approach to taking the SAT.
Didn’t get a chance to watch it live? Check out this video and tell us your thoughts. Who will benefit the most from the new SAT? Will these changes pioneer the way towards adaptive test taking? Will a new test more accurately predict students' potential for college level work?
View the full interview and blog post here!
SAT Question of the Day
2014-03-10 09:00:55
Fitzgerald's first attempt at a novel was titled The Romantic Egotist, which was ______ title given the arrogance and self-centeredness of the protagonist.
(A) an apt
(B) an ingenuous
(C) an unctuous
(D) an unseemly
(E) an astute
The correct answer is A
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by looking for clues in the sentence. Here, the missing word serves as a bridge between the title of the book and the description of the protagonist, so the best clue is the title and description. Since the book's title concerned an "egotist" and since the main character had "arrogance and self-centeredness," it would seem that the title was suitable, as an egotist would be self-centered. Thus, the missing word must mean suitable, so choice A is correct: "apt" means "suitable or appropriate."
None of the other choices work, either:
ingenuous: innocent and unsuspecting
unctuous: excessively flattering
unseemly: inappropriate or improper
astute: shrewd or clever at assessing situations and turning them to one's own advantage
SAT Question of the Day
2014-03-12 09:00:19
A school cafeteria runs through 500 cartons of milk each school day. If milk cartons come 20 per container, how many containers of milk does the school need to order for every five-day school week?
(A) 120
(B) 125
(C) 126
(D) 400
(E) 2500
The correct answer is C
This easy-to-medium-level-difficulty question is best approached by taking everything one step at a time. Start by finding out how many cartons of milk are needed for a week. Do this by multiplying 500 x 5, to get 2500. Next, since cartons are sold 20 per container, divide 2500 by 20 to find the number of containers needed: 2500/20 = 125. Therefore, choice C is correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-03-14 09:00:24
Alfred Hitchcock had been making films in Britain for decades before David O. Selznick (A)
tapped the celebrated director to make Rebecca in the United States, the film would go (B) (C) on to be the only Hitchcock film to win an Oscar for Best Picture. No error (D) (E)
The correct answer is C
The error in this sentence occurs at choice C, where two independent clauses are incorrectly linked by a comma alone. One way of correcting this would be to insert a coordinating conjunction such as "and" before "the film."
SAT Question of the Day
2014-05-05 09:00:38
After receiving disappointing reviews during the soft opening, the restaurateurs decided to ______ the menu completely and start from scratch.
(A) amend
(B) scuttle
(C) snaffle
(D) approbate
(E) fulfill
The correct answer is B
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its definition by using clues in the sentence. Here, the main clue is the phrase "and start from scratch," which describes the result of what the restaurateurs did to the menu. If they started from scratch, they must have abandoned the menu, meaning the missing word should mean abandon or reject. Choice B is correct, then, as "scuttle" means "to abandon or destroy intentionally."
None of the other choices work, either:
amend: to make minor changes to something (the prompt implies that the restaurateurs wrote a brand new menu, not that they just altered it slightly)
snaffle: to take for oneself, without permission (the prompt does not imply that the restaurateurs stole the original menu)
approbate: to praise lavishly or formally sanction (the prompt implies that the restaurateurs wrote a brand new menu, not that they sanctioned the original one)
fulfill: to carry out a task (the prompt implies that the restaurateurs wrote a brand new menu, not that they attempted to carry out the existing one)
SAT Question of the Day
2014-05-07 09:00:11
If a ◊ b = a2 + 2b, what is the value of (3 ◊ 4) ◊ 5?
(A) 22
(B) 61
(C) 110
(D) 299
(E) 369
The correct answer is D
This is a function with two inputs. The first set of inputs, 3 and 4, will produce an output that will serve as the “a” input for the second operation. Thus, start by plugging 3 in for a and 4 in for b in the function:
(3)2 + 2(4) = 9 + 8, or 17.
Now, plug in 17 for a and 5 for b in the function:
(17)2 + 2(5) = 289 + 10, or 299, making D correct.