SAT Question of the Day
2014-11-05 09:00:00
Marie is making cookies and has already rolled out the dough into a 12" by 18" rectangle. She wants to cut out circular cookies using a circular cookie cutter that has a diameter of 1 inch. For the first batch, Marie cuts the maximum number of cookies she can out of the rectangle. She then rolls out the remaining dough to make another batch. How many circular cookies can she make from the excess dough?
(A) 46
(B) 49
(C) 59
(D) 216
(E) 275
The correct choice is A
Explanation: For the first batch of cookies, Marie can make 216 cookies. The rectangle has a total area of 12 x 18 or 216 square inches. This could be divided into 216 one-inch-by-one-inch squares. The one-inch-diameter cookies would fit perfectly into those squares, meaning she could make 216 cookies in the first batch. Each of those cookies would have a radius of 1/2 inch, meaning they would all have areas of (1/2)(1/2)π inches (since the area of a circle is pi times the square of the radius), or π/4 inches. The total amount of dough left would be 216 - (216 x π/4) inches or approximately 46.35 inches. If Marie rolled that out, she could then cut 46 more cookies out of the dough, again based on the logic of one cookie being cut from one-inch-by-one-inch squares. Thus, 46 is correct, making A correct, even though Marie could theoretically roll out the trimmings again to make even more cookies.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-11-07 09:00:19
The red panda is among the most popular animals on display at the zoo, and the number of red panda videos online has only made even more zoo visitors flock to them.
(A) has only made even more zoo visitors flock to them
(B) has only made even more zoo visitors flock to see them
(C) have only made even more zoo visitors flock to the red panda
(D) has only made even more zoo visitors flock to the red panda
(E) have only made even more zoo visitors flock to see them
The correct answer is D
Explanation: As written, this sentence contains a pronoun error. The plural pronoun "them" does not agree in number with its singular antecedent, "the red panda." Choice D corrects this error by replacing the errant pronoun with the grammatically correct singular phrase "the red panda."
SAT Question of the Day
2014-11-10 09:00:04
A bus is driving through Smithtown. At the bus stop on A Street, half the passengers get off and 5 get on. At the bus stop on B Street, half get off, and 4 get on. At the final stop, on C Street, all of the remaining 12 passengers get off. How many people were on the bus before it stopped at A Street?
(A) 8
(B) 13
(C) 16
(D) 22
(E) 24
The correct answer is D
Explanation: Work backwards from the most specific information in the passage: the number of people who exited the bus at C Street. There were 12 people on the bus at that time, and that includes the 4 who got on at B Street. Thus, there were 8 passengers on the bus after half the bus exited at B Street, meaning that there were 16 passengers on the bus before it stopped at B Street. That includes the 5 who got on at A Street, meaning there were 11 people who did not exit the bus at B Street. As 11 people is half the passengers on the bus at A street, there must have been 22 people on the bus at that time.
This can be expressed in a table too:
Before A Street: 22 passengers
At A Street: 11 get off, 5 get on
Before B Street: 16 passengers
At B Street: 8 get off, 4 get on.
At C Street: all 12 passengers get off.
Thus, the bus had 22 passengers before it got to A Street, so choice D is correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-11-12 09:00:20
Many of railed against the influence of ______ on Congress, arguing that legislators in a democracy should not be cajoled and convinced to vote certain ways by outside interest groups.
(A) deputies
(B) adversaries
(C) dunderheads
(D) adjutants
(E) lobbyists
The correct answer is E
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by using clues in the sentence. Here, the main clue comes after the comma, where the job done by the missing word is described as "cajoling and convincing" legislators "to vote certain ways" and where the missing word itself is associated with "outside interest groups." Thus, the missing word must describe a group of people who represent outside interest groups and attempt to convince legislators to vote certain ways. Choice E presents such a word: "lobbyists" are "people who seek to influence politicians on issues."
None of the other choices work, either:
deputies: people designated to represent their immediate higher-ups as substitutes
adversaries: opponents
dunderheads: stupid people
adjutants: military personnel who act as administrative assistants to higher-ups
SAT Question of the Day
2014-11-14 09:00:49
10 < xy < 30
x + y < 9
If x and y are positive integers that satisfy the above conditionals where x > y, what is one possible value of x - y ?
The correct answer is 4, 2, 1
Explanation: The best way to do this is to guess and check on the numbers. Start with the second rule, that x + y < 9, and make a list of possible values, remembering that x has to be greater than y:
(x, y) = (7, 1), (6, 2), (6, 1), (5, 3), (5, 2), (5, 1), (4, 3), (4, 2), (4, 1), (3, 2), (3, 1), (2, 1)
Next, see which of those pairs would create a product between 10 and 30:
(7, 1): 7 x 1 = 7: No
(6, 2): 6 x 2 = 12: Yes
(6, 1) : 6 x 1 = 6: No
(5, 3): 5 x 3 = 15: Yes
(5, 2): 5 x 2 = 10: No
(5, 1): 5 x 1 = 5: No
(4, 3): 4 x 3 = 12: Yes
(4, 2): 4 x 2 = 8: No
(4, 1): 4 x 1 = 4: No
(3, 2): 3 x 2 = 6: No
(3, 1): 3 x 1 = 3: No
(2, 1): 2 x 1 = 2: No
Thus, three pairs work: (6, 2), (5, 3), and (4, 3).
The question asks for x - y, and x - y could thus equal 4, 2, or 1. Any one of those would be acceptable.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-11-17 09:00:41
There are dozens of breeds of cats, a staggering 95% of cats in the world defy
(A) (B)
classification because they are "moggies," cats that are the result of crossbreeding (C) (D)
or other mutations. No error
(E)
The correct answer is A
Explanation: The error in this sentence occurs at choice A where a run-on is created. Two independent clauses ("There are dozens of breeds of cats" and "a staggering... 'moggies'") are linked in the sentence using a comma alone. One way to correct this error is by inserting a word into choice A to make the first clause dependent. For example, the sentence structure error could be corrected by inserting "while" there, creating the clause "While there are dozens of breeds of cats."
SAT Question of the Day
2014-11-19 09:00:07
If f(3) = 21 and f(7) = 329, what is one possible value of f(x)?
(A) x3 - 2x
(B) 2x3 - 3x
(C) 2x2 + 3
(D) 3x2 - 2x
(E) x3 + 2x
The correct answer is A
Explanation: Simply plug in the two pairs of inputs and outputs into the possible functions to see which one works: Start with f(3) = 21:
(A) x3 - 2x = 33 - 2(3) = 21. Works.
(B) 2x3 - 3x = 2(3)3 - 3(3) = 45. Does not work.
(C) 2x2 + 3 = 2(3)2 + 3 = 21. Works.
(D) 3x2 + 2x = 3(3)2 - 2(3) = 21. Works.
(E) x3 + 2x = (3)3 + 2(3) = 33. Does not work.
Now, try just the ones that worked for f(3) for f(7):
(A) x3 - 2x = 73 - 2(7) = 329. Works.
(C) 2x2 + 3 = 2(7)2 + 3 = 101. Does not work.
(D) 3x2 + 2x = 3(7)2 - 2(7) = 133. Does not work.
Choice A is the only one that provides a function that works for both sets of input and output.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-11-21 09:00:13
Before she could help the two former business partners settle their dispute, the outside mediator had to ______ them enough to get them calm enough to negotiate.
(A) amplify
(B) confound
(C) purify
(D) compound
(E) mollify
The correct answer is E
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by using clues int he sentence. Here, the sentence provides a causal relationship: the two parties needed to have something done to them "before" they could "settle their dispute." The prompt adds that they needed to be "calm enough" and implies that the missing word must mean something like "make calm." Choice E provides such a word: "mollify" means "to reduce the anger or hurt feelings of someone."
None of the other words work, either:
amplify: to make something more intense
confound: to confuse or surprise
purify: to make clean
compound: to heighten a problem or make something worse
SAT Question of the Day
2014-11-24 09:00:00
The first term in a sequence is 1 and the second term is 3. After that, each term is found by taking the sum of the previous two terms and dividing it by 2. What is the 6th term in the sequence?
(A) 2
(B) 2.25
(C) 2.375
(D) 2.5
(E) 4
The correct answer is C
Explanation: The best approach to this question is to simply find the first six terms. The first two are given: 1, 3. The third will be the sum of those divided by 2: 1 + 3 = 4, 4/2 = 2.
The fourth term will be (2 + 3)/2 = 2.5
The fifth term will be (2.5 + 2)/2 = 2.25
The sixth term will be (2.25 + 2.5)/2 = 2.375.
The answer is 2.375, or choice C.
SAT Question of the Day
2014-11-26 09:00:00
At the first Thanksgiving, people would be surprised to learn how different it was from our own.
(A) At the first Thanksgiving, people would be surprised to learn how different it was from our own.
(B) At the first Thanksgiving, it would surprise people to learn how different it was from our own.
(C) Because the first Thanksgiving was so different from our own, it would surprise people.
(D) People would be surprised to learn that the first Thanksgiving, it was so different from our own.
(E) People would be surprised to learn how different the first Thanksgiving was from our own.
The correct answer is E
Explanation: As written, this sentence contains a modifier error. The phrase "at the first Thanksgiving" is an introductory modifier and, as such, should be followed by its subject. Here, though, it is followed by "people," not something that happened "at the first Thanksgiving." Choice E fixes this error by rewriting the sentence in a clear way and eliminating the contentious modifier.