SAT Question of the Day
2014-05-30 09:00:16
In Triangle JKL, angle J is obtuse, and angle L measures 26°. If the measure of angle K is an integer equal to x°, what is the maximum possible value of x?
The correct answer is 63
Explanation: To find the maximum value of the measure of angle K, start by finding the minimum values of the other angles. Angle L is 26°, and angle J is obtuse, meaning it must be larger than 90°. Since x, which is the measure of angle K, must be an integer, it follows that J's measure must also be an integer value. The minimum value angle J could measure, then, is 91°. The interior angles of a triangle must sum to 180°, so the maximum value of x will be 180° - 91° - 26°, or 63°. x must be less than or equal to 63.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-06-02 09:00:33
When slicing tomatoes, it is best to use a knife with ______ blade, since the jagged teeth allow the tomato to be sliced neatly without applying pressure that might crush the fruit.
(A) a dilated
(B) an emaciated
(C) a sophisticated
(D) a macerated
(E) a serrated
The correct answer is E
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by using keywords in the prompt. Here, the main clue is "since," which implies a causal relationship. That is, the second clause explains why it is best to use the type of knife described by the missing word to cut tomatoes. The second clause refers to that knife having "jagged teeth," so it follows that the knife in question has a "blade" that includes "jagged teeth." Thus, choice E is correct: "serrated" means "sawlike, or containing a jagged edge."
None of the other choices work, either:
dilated: widened or made more open
emaciated: abnormally thin or week
sophisticated: highly complex or advanced
macerated: softened as a result of soaking in liquid
SAT Question of the Day
2014-06-04 09:00:20
If a, b, and c are all unique prime numbers, which of the following CANNOT be true?
I. abc is even
II. abc is prime
III. abc is negative
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III
The correct answer is D
Explanation: Check each of the Roman numeral choices. If there is one instance that works, then the choice can be eliminated, since the question is looking for something that must not be true in any case.
I. is incorrect. Because a, b, or c could be 2, abc could be even. Say a is 2, then b and c must both be odd. b x c is also going to be odd, as the product of two odd numbers is always odd. bc x a, then, would be even, since the product of an odd number and an even number is always even. This means abc can be even.
II. is correct. A prime number only has two factors: itself and 1. abc will be not be prime, even though a, b, and c are prime numbers. That is, abc will have more than two factors, as it will be divisible by 1, a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc. This means abc cannot possibly be prime.
III. is correct. A prime number cannot be negative, as a prime number can only have two factors. Negative numbers are divisible by at least four numbers (for example, -3 is divisible by 1, 3, -1, and -3), so they are not prime. The product of three positive numbers will definitely be positive, so it cannot be true that abc is negative.
As II and III are both true, choice D is correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-06-06 09:00:34
In the newspaper today, they said that the fire downtown was caused by an electrical problem.
(A) they said that the fire downtown was caused by an electrical problem
(B) there was an article that stated that the fire downtown was caused by an electrical problem
(C) I read that an electrical problem was what was the cause of the fire that was downtown
(D) there was an article, it states that the fire downtown was caused by an electrical problem
(E) they stated that the fire in the building downtown was an electrical problem
The correct answer is B
Explanation: As written, this sentence contains a pronoun error. The plural pronoun "they" is ambiguous, as it lacks a clear antecedent. The sentence implies that something was read in the newspaper, but the newspaper would be singular, and there is no "they" that would exist physically in the newspaper. Choice B corrects this error by eliminating the errant pronoun and replacing it with the phrase "there was an article that stated."
SAT Question of the Day
2014-06-11 09:00:32
Rockabilly music is ______ of two other genres: it combines elements of rock & roll and country music.
(A) a chasm
(B) an amalgamation
(C) an impression
(D) a tonic
(E) a fission
The correct answer is B
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by using clues in the sentence. Here, the main clue is the colon, which separates explanatory information from the rest of the sentence. In this sentence, the fact that rockabilly "combines elements" of other music forms describes what rockabilly music is in relation to "to other genres": a mixture. The correct answer, thus, is B, as an "amalgamation" is "the result of combining or uniting separate things."
None of the other choices work, either:
chasm: a profound division or difference
impression: an imitation of something or someone done for comic effect
tonic: a medicinal substance taken to give energy or a feeling of well-being
fission: the action or result of dividing something into two parts
SAT Question of the Day
2014-06-13 09:00:01
If a punch recipe is 3/4 orange juice, how many gallons of orange juice are required to make 84 gallons of punch?
The correct answer is 63
Explanation: Since the punch is 3/4 orange juice, in 84 gallons of punch, 3/4 of that would be orange juice. 3/4 of 84 is 63 gallons.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-06-23 09:00:30
Kareem averaged scores of 88 on the first four tests of the school year. He has two more tests to take, each of which is worth the same number of points as each of the other four tests were. If Kareem hopes to average a 92 in the class, what must he average on the next two tests?
(A) 92
(B) 94
(C) 96
(D) 98
(E) 100
The correct answer is E
Explanation: Average is calculated by summing the individual numbers together and dividing by the number of numbers. Here, let's assume that Kareem has averaged 88 by getting 88 on each exam (it doesn't actually matter what is individual scores were, since we're going to sum them together anyway). Let x be the total points Kareem needs to average a 92 on 6 tests. That would mean that x/6 = 92. Multiply both sides by 6 to get x = 552.
That 552 is made up of 6 tests, four of which were 88 points each. Let the other two tests be scores of y. Thus 4(88) + 2y = 552, or 352 + 2y = 552. Subtract 252 from both sides to get 2y = 200. By dividing both sides by 2, y = 100, so Kareem must average 100% on the next two exams.
2014-06-10 22:12:38
2014 graduation season is drawing to a close, so here are a few graduation speeches to help wrap up your time in school and prepare you for your next journey:
Dalai Lama: "Despite difficulties, always keep optimism. ‘I can overcome these difficulties.’ That mental attitude itself will bring inner strength and self-confidence."
http://tulane.edu/grads/dalai-lama-transcript.cfm
Amy Poeler: "As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life. No one is here today because they did it on their own."
http://www.graduationwisdom.com/speeches/0095-poehler.htm
Elie Wiesel: "All I can do is offer you my memories and experiences to help you in your quest, so that the years ahead will enable you to confront the inevitable fear and trembling which are inherent in the human condition in its fight for better times."
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2006/06/11a.html
Steve Jobs: "And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html
If you want more beautiful, inspirational words, NPR has a great database: http://apps.npr.org/commencement/
Happy Father's Day!
2014-06-13 13:30:43
Sunday is Father's Day, and there's still plenty of time to make your dad an endearing card that he will treasure forever (or that he might not lose until the end of the day). If you're having trouble coming up with synonyms for awesome or swell or grand, don't worry; we've got you covered.
Here are a few SAT vocab words to show daddy dearest how much you care while simultaneously proving how diligently you've been studying since summer vacation started.
1. Vivacious (adj.)
Definition: lively or animated
Sample Compliment: "Thank you for always being a vivacious bystander at my Little League games. Even when I didn't hit a single ball, I could always hear you cheering me on."
2. Taciturn (adj.)
Definition: tending to be quiet; not speaking frequently
Sample Compliment: "While not as verbose as other parents, I appreciate your taciturn nature; for when you do speak, you have something to say, and we all listen."
3. Jocular (adj.)
Definition: good-humored; cheerful
Sample Compliment: "Papa, your jocular nature makes it hard to stay angry with you even after you ground me for coming home past curfew... or for scratching the car... or for getting detention for using my phone in class..."
4. Intrepid (adj.)
Definition: fearless, adventurous
Sample Compliment: "Thanks for instilling a sense of adventure in me. Your intrepid personality taught me to take chances and to go after life."
5. Indefatigable (adj.)
Definition: incapable of defeat, failure or decay
Sample Compliment: "I'm sure everyone says this on Father's Day, but I truly mean it: you are a rock-star. I have seen you work ten hour days, come home to three children, cook dinner, bathe a baby, pre-pack lunches for the next day, go to bed at midnight, and wake up at 5 am to do it all over again. You are indefatigable."
SAT Question of the Day
2014-06-16 09:00:39
Malta is a small island nation in the Mediterranean that has English as an official language (A) (B)
it was a British territory from 1814 to 1964. No error (C) (D) (E)
The correct answer is C
The error in this sentence occurs at choice C, where the sentence creates a run-on: it links two independent clauses ("Malta is... language" and "it was... 1964") by using no grammatical devices. This sentence structure error could be corrected by inserting the word "because," which would make the second clause dependent.