SAT Question of the Day
2014-05-09 09:00:25
Of the three races that make up the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby is the better (A) (B) known by the general public, but the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes are of (C)
similar import to breeders and race enthusiasts. No Error (D) (E)
The correct answer is B
Explanation: The error in this sentence occurs at choice B where the comparative adverb "better" is incorrectly used to modify the verb "known." Since there are more than two things being compared in the sentence, a comparative modifier is inappropriate. This comparison error could thus be corrected by replacing "better" with the superlative "best."
SAT Question of the Day
2014-05-12 09:00:11
y = -x/2 + 2
Which of the following is an equation of a line that is perpendicular to the line above and passes through the point (3,1)?
(A) y = 2x - 5
(B) y = -2x - 5
(C) y = 2x + 3
(D) y = -x/2 - 3
(E) y = -x/2 + 2.5
The correct answer is A
Explanation: Perpendicular lines have slopes that are negative reciprocals of each other. Thus, to be perpendicular to -x/2, the slope of the new line would have to be 2x, as 2 is positive, unlike -x/2, and as 2 is the reciprocal of x/2. To find the y-intercept, plug in the two points listed for x and y in the equation y = 2x + b:
1 = 2(3) + b
1 = 6 + b
Subtract 6 from both sides to get b = -5. Thus, the equation of the line is y = 2x - 5
SAT Question of the Day
2014-05-14 09:00:01
The professor affected such ______ air when he presented his thesis that students in his class came to ______ that his thesis that the Earl of Oxford wrote Shakespeare's plays as fact, rather than conjecture.
(A) a supercilious ... repudiate
(B) a magisterial ... believe
(C) a pompous ... deduce
(D) a humble ... conclude
(E) an authoritative ... reject
The correct answer is B
Explanation: To find the missing words, try to predict their meanings by using clues in the sentence. Here, the best clues are that the thesis became "fact" for the students and the construction of the phrase that includes the missing words—"such ______ that _____," implying a causal relationship. Thus, it can be concluded that the professor spoke confidently, leading his students to accept the thesis as fact, meaning the first word should mean confident and the second accept.
Choice B is correct, then, as "magisterial" means "showing great authority or officialdom," while "believe" is "to accept something as true." None of the other choices work, either:
supercilious: behaving as though one thinks he/she is superior to others
repudiate: to deny the truth of
(neither word really makes sense in context, especially since the prompt implies the class accepted the thesis as fact, rather than denying it)
pompous: affectingly and irritatingly grand or self-important
deduce: t0 arrive at a fact by reasoning
(the professor might have been pompous, but the prompt implies that his lectures convinced the class of his thesis, not that the students reasoned it themselves)
humble: showing a modest or low estimate of self worth
conclude: to arrive at a judgment by reasoning
(the prompt implies that his lectures convinced the class of his thesis, not that the students reasoned it themselves; further, humble lectures would be unconvincing)
authoritative: commanding and self-confident
reject: to dismiss as inappropriate or not to one's taste
(the prompt does imply that the professor spoke with confidence, but the confidence led the students to believe his thesis, not to deny or dismiss it)
SAT Question of the Day
2014-05-16 09:00:41
Eight friends—Adam, Barry, Carla, Diego, Edith, Frankie, Gio, and Han—are going to a movie together and plan on sitting in a row of eight seats. If Adam and Edith need to be on the ends of the row, how many seating combinations are possible?
The correct answer is 1440.
Explanation: There are 8 seats to fill, and the best way to approach this question is to find the number of people who could theoretically occupy each seat, then multiply them together. Thus, start with 8 spaces:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Since Adam and Edith need to be on the ends, there are 2 people who could theoretically occupy the first end seat, and 1 person who could occupy the other end (because once Adam or Edith occupies the first seat, the other one has to take the other seat).
2 _ _ _ _ _ _ 1
For the second seat, there are 6 possible occupants, as two of the eight people are already accounted for:
2 6 _ _ _ _ _ 1
Then, there are 5 people that could occupy the third seat (as three are accounted for), 4 that could occupy the fourth seat, and so forth:
2 6 5 4 3 2 1 1
Multiply these together to find the total number of combinations possible: 2 • 6 • 5 • 4 • 3 • 2 • 1 • 1 = 1440.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-05-21 09:00:05
At Taft High School, 140 students tried out for the school musical. 30% of all students got parts in the musical, and 2/3 of the boys who tried out got parts. If twice as many girls as boys got roles in the musical, how many girls auditioned?
(A) 21
(B) 23.5
(C) 42
(D) 119
(E) 121
The correct answer is D
Explanation: Start by finding out the number of students who got roles. If 30% of 140 students got parts, then 140 x .3, or 42, students got roles. Since twice as many girls as boys got parts, 2/3 of the cast is girls. 2/3 of 42 is 28, so 14 boys and 28 girls got roles. 14 boys represents the 2/3 of boys who got parts, so 21 must have auditioned (as 14/.6666 is 21). Finally, the question asks for the number of girls who auditioned, which must be 140 - 121, or 119.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-05-23 09:00:34
So-called snake oil salesmen were common sights in the Wild West, peddling potions advertised to have ______ effects but which actually had no medicinal benefits.
(A) salutatory
(B) saliferous
(C) salubrious
(D) salacious
(E) salient
The correct answer is C
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by using keywords and clues in the sentence. Here, the conjunction "but" is key, as it sets up a contrasting relationship between the advertised "effects," which the missing word describes, and the truth: that they "actually had no medicinal benefits." Thus, it follows that the missing word must similarly mean "medicinal," as such a word would complete the contradiction. Therefore, choice C is correct: "salubrious" means "health-giving, or health benefiting."
None of the other choices work, either:
salutatory: relating to salutations and greetings
saliferous: containing much salt
salacious: containing obscenity or sexually indecent materials
salient: most noticeable or important
SAT Question of the Day
2014-05-26 09:00:53
For a Memorial Day party, Milton has invited 17 guests. He plans on having enough hamburgers and buns to feed everyone at the party, including himself, two burgers (with each burger consisting of one bun and one hamburger patty). Pre-made hamburger patties come in packs of six, and hamburger buns come in packs of 8. If hamburger patty packs cost $4 and bun packages cost $2.50, and if Milton can only buy full packs of patties and buns, what is the total amount of money Milton needs to spend on hamburgers and buns?
(A) $32
(B) $32.50
(C) $35
(D) $36
(E) $36.50
The correct answer is choice E.
Explanation: Start by calculating the number of burgers he will need to serve. There are 18 people at the party (including Milton), and each one will have two burgers. Thus, Milton needs 36 completed burgers, meaning he needs 36 patties and 36 buns. Next, figure out how many packages of burgers and buns he needs. Patties are in packs of 6, and since he needs 36 patties, Milton needs 6 packages of patties (as 36/6 is 6). Buns come in packs of 8, and since Milton needs 36 buns, he needs 4.5 packages of buns (since 36/8 is 4.5). Milton cannot buy a half pack of buns, so he will need 5 packs of buns.
Next, apply the prices to these purchases. 6 packs of patties at $4 a pack will cost Milton $24. 5 packs of buns at $2.50 a pack will cost Milton $12.50. Thus, in total, he will need to spend $24 + $12.50, or $36.50 on patties and buns. Thus, E is correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-06-09 09:00:52
A square has a diagonal of 10 inches. What is its area?
(A) 25√2 square inches
(C) 25√3 square inches
(C) 50 square inches
(D) 50√2 square inches
(E) 100 square inches
The correct answer is A
Explanation: The diagonal of a square is equivalent to the length of one side of the square multiplied by √2. So if the diagonal is 10 inches, the square has sides of 10/√2. The area of a square is that squared, or (10/√2)(10/√2), which is 100/2, or 50.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-06-30 09:00:37
Like all politicians, Henry Clay had his enemies, but in general, few senators or congressman in history were as ______ as Clay was.
(A) substantial
(B) divisive
(C) prudent
(D) abhorred
(E) venerated
The correct answer is E
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by using clues in the sentence. Here, the best clue is "but," which implies that the two clauses that make up the sentence have opposite meanings. This means that, though Clay had enemies, he must have been the opposite of having enemies too. That means the missing word must mean something like respected or liked. Choice E is correct, because "venerated" means "revered, or regarded with great respect."
None of the other choices work, either:
substantial: of considerable size, importance, or worth (This almost works, but being important is not the opposite of having enemies)
divisive: tending to cause disagreement between people (this would work if the sentence used "and" instead of "but," as having enemies is similar to being divisive)
prudent: acting with or showing care for the future (nothing in the sentence implies that Clay was prudent)
abhorred: hated or detested (this would work if the sentence used "and" instead of "but," as having enemies is similar to being abhorred)
SAT Question of the Day
2014-05-28 09:00:16
Though they look almost nothing alike, rays and sharks are taxonomically very close, (A) (B) scientists have yet to find a common ancestor of them. No error (C) (D) (E)
The correct answer is C
Explanation: The error in this sentence occurs at choice C, where the sentence creates a run-on. It links two independent clauses ("rays and sharks are taxonomically very close" and "scientists have yet to find a common ancestor of them") using a comma alone. To correct this error, a word should be inserted in choice C to make the second clause dependent. For example, one could insert "though" or the coordinating conjunction "but."