SAT Question of the Day
2014-10-13 09:00:22
If a and b are integers, and if 3a + 4b = 17, which of the following could be the value of a?
(A) 0
(B) 1
(C) 2
(D) 3
(E) 4
The correct answer is D
Explanation: Plug in the answer choices for a and solve for b. If the resulting b is an integer, then the answer is correct. If it isn't, then it's not, since the prompt makes clear that a and b are both integers.
(A) a = 0: 3(o) + 4b = 17 means 4b = 17. That would make b = 17/4, not an integer.
(B) a = 1: 3(1) + 4b = 17 means 3 + 4b = 17. That would make 4b = 14 and b = 7/2, not an integer.
(C) a = 2: 3(2) + 4b = 17 means 6 + 4b = 17. That would make 4b = 11 and b = 11/4, not an integer.
(D) a = 3: 3(3) + 4b = 17 means 9 + 4b = 17. That would make 4b = 8 and b = 2. This is an integer!
(E) a = 4: 3(4) + 4b = 17 means 12 + 4b = 17. That would make 4b = 5 and b = 5/4, not an integer.
As only choice D results in both a and b being integers, choice D is correct, and a = 3 and b = 2.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-10-16 09:00:54
One of the goals of the United Nations is to solve global conflicts as they arise using diplomacy so as to ______ nations from fighting each other.
(A) harken
(B) deter
(C) delineate
(D) hearten
(E) depress
The correct answer is B
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by using clues in the sentence. Here, the best clue is the phrase "so as to," which sets up a cause-and-effect relationship between the two parts of the sentence. Thus, the missing word describes what the UN does to "nations from fighting" as a result of trying "to solve global conflicts... using diplomacy." It follows that the UN would seek to prevent nations from going to war, so the missing word must mean "prevent." As such, choice B is correct: "deter" means "to discourage someone from doing something."
None of the other choices work, either:
harken: to listen
delineate: to describe precisely
hearten: to make more confident or cheerful
depress: to make someone feel unhappy or dispirited
SAT Question of the Day
2014-10-18 09:00:18
A restaurant has a lunch special that includes one appetizer, one entree, and one beverage. The restaurant offers four different appetizers, six different entrees, and 5 different beverages. If a meal is considered unique if it contains a different combination of appetizer, entree, and beverage, how many such unique meals can be made at the restaurant?
The correct answer is 120
Explanation: To find the total number of combinations available, imagine the menu is made up of three slots: appetizer, entree, beverage:
___ ___ ___
Now, think of how many options are available in each:
4 6 5
Next, multiply the number of options for each slot: 4 x 6 x 5 = 120. Thus, the correct answer is 120.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-10-20 09:00:38
When Neville Chamberlain and others agreed to appease Adolf Hitler in 1938, they thought they had avoided a major war, only in retrospect did the agreement look like one of history's great blunders.
(A) they had avoided a major war, only in retrospect did the agreement look like one of history's great blunders
(B) a major war had been avoided, only in retrospect did the agreement look like one of the great blunders of history
(C) they had avoided a major war, but only in retrospect the agreement looked like one of the great blunders of history
(D) they had avoided a major war; only in retrospect did the agreement look like one of history's great blunders
(E) a major war had been avoided; but only in retrospect the agreement looked like one of history's great blunders
The correct choice is D
Explanation: As written, the underlined portion creates a run-on, as it links two independent clauses ("they thought... war" and "only in retrospect... blunders") using a comma alone. Choice D corrects this sentence structure error by replacing the errant comma with a semicolon.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-10-22 09:00:09
A store sells all T-shirts for $15 and all sweatshirts for $40. Gorgui bought 9 shirts at the store and spent a total of $285 on them. How many MORE sweatshirts did he buy than t-shirts?
(A) 1
(B) 3
(C) 4
(D) 6
(E) 8
The correct answer is B
Explanation: Set up two equations to solve this, letting T be the number of T-shirts Gorgui bought and S be the number of sweatshirts he bought. One equation will represent the total amount he spent, the other the number of shirts he bought:
15T + 40S = 285
T + S = 9
Solve for S in the second equation by subtracting T from both sides, leaving S = 9 - T. Now, substitute that expression in for S in the top equation:
15T + 40(9 - T) = 285.
Distribute the 40 to get 15 T + 360 - 40T = 285, or 360 - 25T = 285.
Subtract 360 from both sides to get -25T = -75. Divide both sides by -25 to get T = 3. Thus, Gorgui bought 3 T-shirts.
Use 3 for T in the second equation from above: T + S = 9 to get (3) + S = 9, meaning S = 6. Thus, he bought 6 sweatshirts. Since the question asks for how many more sweatshirts Gorgui bought than T-shirts, the answer is 6 - 3, or 3, making B correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-10-24 09:00:30
At the Halloween party, most of the guests' faces were ______ by masks, so it was hard for everyone to recognize each other.
(A) implied
(B) delineated
(C) debilitated
(D) obviated
(E) obscured
The correct answer is E
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by using keywords in the sentence. Here, the best clue comes in the final clause of the sentence: "so it was hard for everyone to recognize each other." This sets up a causal relationship between the clauses and implies that what the masks did to the guests' faces made it "hard for everyone to recognize each other." Thus, the masks must have hidden the faces, so the correct choice will provide a word similar in meaning to "hidden." Choice E is correct, then, as "obscured" means "covered up or concealed."
None of the other choices work, either:
implied: suggested or hinted at
delineated: described precisely
debilitated: weakened or infirm
obviated: prevented or avoided
SAT Question of the Day
2014-10-27 09:00:26
Brett wants to put wallpaper in a room of his house. The room measures 8 feet by 6 feet, and the walls have a height of 10 feet. Brett wants to put wallpaper over all four walls but not over the doorway, which measures 3 feet by 8 feet. If the wallpaper he wants to use only comes in strips that measure 20 square feet, how many strips of wallpaper does Brett need to buy?
(A) 9
(B) 10
(C) 12
(D) 13
(E) 14
The correct answer is D
Explanation: Start by finding out the surface area Brett needs to wallpaper. Two of the walls are 8 by 10, meaning they have an area of 80 feet, and two are 6 by 10, meaning they have an area of 60 feet. Thus, the four walls have a total area of 80 + 80 + 60 + 60, or 280 square feet. However, the doorway will not be covered and measures 24 square feet (3 x 8 = 24). Thus, the total amount of wallpaper Brett needs is 280 - 24, or 256 square feet. Since the wallpaper only comes in strips of 20 square feet, divide 256 by 20 to find the number of strips Brett needs: 256/20 = 12.8.
Since Brett cannot buy .8 strips of wallpaper, he will need to round up and buy 13 strips, making choice D correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-10-29 09:00:12
The educational landscape is being altered by new technologies, but most experts (A) (B) still believe a good teacher is most important than are any of the myriad electronic (C) (D)
devices. No error (E)
The correct answer is D
Explanation: The error in this sentence occurs at choice D where the superlative adjective "most" is incorrectly used to make a comparison between two things: "a good teacher" and "any [one] of the myriad electronic devices." Grammatically, such a comparison requires a comparative adjective; thus, this comparison error could be corrected by changing "most" to "more."
SAT Question of the Day
2014-10-31 09:00:51
Four friends decided to split a check at a restaurant. However, one forgot his wallet, so the others offered to cover his portion. If each one was supposed to contribute $24 to the check, how much more, in dollars, will each person have to pay to cover their share plus the third friend's?
The correct answer is 8.
Explanation: Since each of the three remaining friends will be covering the $24 not covered by the absentminded friend, each will be responsible for 1/3 of what the wallet-less friend will owe. Thus, each will owe an additional $8, as 1/3 of $24 is $8.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-11-03 09:00:38
Sightings of Bigfoot and Sasquatch are never confirmed, and, unfortunately, the proliferation of TV shows devoted to capturing proof only creates more ______ sightings, rather than the authenticated ones the shows advertise.
(A) ingenuous
(B) validated
(C) expurgated
(D) corroborated
(E) spurious
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 the phrase "rather than the authenticated ones," which contrasts the types of "sightings" the missing word describes. As such, it seems the missing word must mean something similar to "inauthentic" or "false." Choice E is correct, then, as "spurious" means "false or fake."
None of the other choices work, either:
ingenuous: innocent or naive
validated: supported and confirmed by fact
expurgated: edited and cleared of objectionable content
corroborated: confirmed by other evidence