SAT Question of the Day
2012-03-09 09:00:42
Unlike his fair-weather-fan brother who constantly wavered in support of the local team, Stuart was ______ and attended every home game.
(A) steadfast
(B) reticent
(C) equivocal
(D) subjective
(E) ameliorative
The correct answer is A
Explanation: The key word in this sentence is “unlike,” which suggests contrast between Stuart and his brother. Since his brother “constantly wavered in support of the local team,” Stuart must have done the opposite of that. The opposite of “wavering in support” is being loyal. This means choice A is the best answer, since “steadfast” means "loyal or unswerving."
None of the other choices work, either:
Reticent: uncommunicative, quiet
Equivocal: ambiguous or intentionally misleading
Subjective: biased or based on one's emotions or opinions
Ameliorative: possessing improving qualities
Ace the College Interview!
2012-03-08 13:31:15
Although most colleges don’t require an interview, there are many benefits of sitting down one-on-one with a college admissions officer. Interviews allow students to show colleges that they are more than just test scores and grades. You get to display your unique personality, conversational style, and enthusiasm for the school. In addition, interviews are an opportunity to ask questions and learn about schools from knowledgeable reps, so you can be sure the college is a good fit.
But… interviews are scary! After all, you get one chance to show the school who you are and how you behave!
It’s true that you only get a small (usually 30-minute) window of time for your interview, but this doesn’t mean that the whole event is a one-shot-deal. In this blog entry, I will offer a few tips to help you prepare for the interview in advance. Following this, I will list some common college interview questions. I hope that this information keeps you from feeling too jittery on interview-day!
Practice for the Interview in advance!
--- Look over the list of common interview questions below. Can you answer every one of them comfortably and conversationally?
--- Do NOT wait to look at the questions until the night before the interview. You should leave yourself ample time to think deeply about and practice answering every question, so you don't feel "put on the spot" on interview day!
--- Do NOT practice by writing down and memorizing answers to each question. You don't want to sound like a robot!
--- Anticipate follow up questions whenever possible.
--- Remember, you're talking about yourself--a topic you presumably know well. No matter what the interviewer asks you, you already know the answer. It's just a matter of figuring out the best, most impressive way to say it.
Schedule Interviews Strategically:
--- If you're going to fumble, it will probably be in your first couple of interviews. Therefore, it's in your best interest to interview with your lowest-choice schools early on, saving interviews with the schools you're most interested in for last.
--- Some students even schedule interviews with schools they have NO interest in--just for practice!
"Does your high school record accurately reflect your ability?"
Thinking about the Best Way to Explain Variations in Your Record:
--- Dreaded by some, welcomed by others, this common interview question is likely to come up. Be careful when answering--you don't want to sound like someone who can't take responsibility for a bad grade.
--- That said, if poor performance really can be attributed to extenuating circumstances (such as a death in the family, parents' divorce, or your own medical condition) you should let the college know.
--- You might also take this as an opportunity to discuss why you persisted in subjects that are especially challenging for you.
--- Don't be afraid of being honest! It's OK to say something like, "I didn't work hard in ninth and tenth grade, but, by eleventh, I'd figured out how to be a successful student." Such an answer shows maturity, the ability to take responsibility for one's mistakes, as well as an upward academic trend.
Prepare Questions to ask the Interviewer:
--- Asking thoughtful questions is one of the best ways to demonstrate serious interest in a school. Be sure to have some good questions prepared!
--- The best questions cannot be answered by looking at the school's website or brochures.
--- Research and ask questions about extracurricular activities, classes and majors offered, as well as the research professors are doing in your prospective field. Show the interviewer that you want a relationship with the school by pursuing information about such topics.
Some Common Interview Questions:
1.) Tell me about yourself.
2.) Why are you interested in our college?
3.) Who in your life has most influenced you?
4.) If you could talk with any (living or deceased) person, who would it be and why?
5.) What about you is unique?
6.) What do you expect to be doing 10 years from now?
7.) What are your strengths and weaknesses?
8.) Tell me about a challenge that you overcame.
9.) What do you do for fun in your free time?
10.) Does your high school record accurately reflect your effort and ability?
11.) Recommend a good book to me.
12.) If you could do one thing in high school differently, what would it be?
A Few Last Tips for Interview-Day:
--- Dress professionally and arrive early on interview day. Also, make sure your cell phone is turned OFF!
--- Smile and be polite to everyone you meet
--- Arrive to the interview alone--do not bring your parents
--- Be yourself!
Best of luck with your college interviews!
SAT Question of the Day
2012-03-12 09:00:39
In the correctly worked out addition problem below, each symbol represents a different digit. What is the value of #?
4#
+ #4
!^!
A) 4
B) 5
C) 6
D) 7
E) 8
The correct answer is D
Explanation: In this prompt, each symbol represents one integer, but each symbol represents one number throughout the prompt (i.e. if # = 0, then #4 would be 04 and 4# would be 40). There is no way of figuring out what numbers are represented on sight alone, but you can use the answer choices to your advantage. For two two-digit numbers to sum to a three-digit one, the two must sum to something greater than 100. This would mean that if one of the numbers starts with 4 (as is the case of 4#), then the other would have to start with a number greater than 5 (because 50 + 40 is only 90). Thus, you can eliminate choices (A) and (B). Now, simply plug in the remaining choices for # in the problem.
(C) 46 + 64 = 110. This does not work, since !^! cannot be 110, as 110 could only be expressed as !!^.
(D) 47 + 74 = 121. This works, since !^! could be 121 if ! = 1 and ^ = 2.
(E) 48 + 84 = 132. This does not work, since !&! cannot be 132, since 132 lacks a repeating integer.
Therefore, choice D is the correct answer.
SAT Question of the Day
2012-03-13 09:00:20
Recent researchers have contended that the Depression
brought families closer together, and they cite a declining
(A)
divorce rate in the 1930s; however, many historians have
(B)
criticized the researchers for being naive and
forgetting to include the high rate of desertion in their articles.
(C) (D)
No error
(E)
The correct answer is E
Explanation: The sentence is correct as written.
There is no error at (A), since “and” is the proper conjunciton to use for linking the two related clauses, and the pronoun “they” agrees in number with its antecedent, “researchers.”
There is no error at (B), since “however” is the proper transition word to use for introducing the final clause of the sentence, since the final clause provides contradictory information from what is provided before the semicolon.
There is no error at (C), since the preposition “to” agrees idiomatically and logically with its verb, “forgetting.”
Finally, there is no error at (D), since “their articles” must refer to those written by “researchers,” and since there are plural researchers, there must likewise be plural articles possessed by a plural pronoun.
As there is no error in the sentence, choice E is correct.
SAT Question of the Day
2012-03-14 09:00:33
If xy < 0, which of the following must be negative?
A) x³
B) (xy)²
C) xy²
D) x²y³
E) x³y³
The correct answer is E
Explanation: The product of a positive number and a negative one is negative. Thus, if xy is negative, then x and y are opposite signs (i.e. x is negative and y positive or x is positive and y negative). A negative number raised to an odd power (e.g. 3) will be negative. This means that either x³ or y³ will be negative, and the other will be positive. The product of a negative number and a positive number is negative, so choice E will be negative. This can be confirmed by picking numbers too: let x = -2 and y = 1. Then, xy would be (-2)(1), or -2, which is less than 0. (-2)³ = -8 and 1³ = - 1. -8 • 1 = -8. This holds true if y = -2 and x = 1 too.
SAT Question of the Day
2012-03-15 09:00:15
The specious claims made by the politician were later proven to be false, and it became clear that she had intentionally made _______ statements to mislead voters.
A) guileless B) spurious C) ornate D) superfluous E) hypocritical
The correct answer is B
Explanation: To predict the meaning of the missing word, look for key words in the sentence. Here, the key word is “specious,” which modifies the types of “claims” the politician made. As the missing word describes the “statements” the politician made, and since “claims” and “statements” are synonymous, the missing word must likewise mean “specious.” “Specious” means “seemingly true or plausible but actually false.” Because “spurious” means “not true,” choice B is correct.
None of the other answer choices work, either:
Guileless: sincere, honest
Ornate: elaborately adorned
Superfluous: unnecessary or excessive
Hypocritical: having the pretense of having virtues that one does not actually possess
SAT Question of the Day
2012-03-16 09:00:46
x and y are integers where x < 0 < y. If |x - 3| < 4 and |y| < 6, what is the maximum value |xy| could be?
The correct answer is 30
Explanation: Since the question asks for the maximum value of a quantity, try to find the maximum values of x and y. The absolute value of xy will always be positive, so x or y could be negative numbers of positive numbers. If |y| < 6, then -y < 6 or y < 6. Since y has to be an integer, y could be no higher than 5. If |x - 3| < 4, then x - 3 < 4 and -(x - 3) < 4. These require some work to simplify:
x - 3 < 4 simplifes to x < 7 (from adding 3 to both sides of the inequality).
-(x - 3) < 4 simplifies to x > -1 (the first step is to divide both sides by -1, which flips the < sign; after that, add 3 to both sides to get x > -1). This means x has to be between -1 and 7 to hold true, meaning the maximum value x could be is 6.
6 x 5 = 30, so the maximum value of |xy| is 30.
SAT Question of the Day
2012-03-19 09:00:58
A recent survey concluded that most Americans do not fully understand how today’s credit cards operated and have gotten into debt because of a lack of
understanding.
A) operated and have gotten
B) operate and have gotten
C) operated; going
D) operate; going
E) operated, and have got
The correct answer is B
Explanation: As written, this sentence contains a verb tense error. The sentence should be in present tense, since “today’s credit cards” are still operating today. However, as written, the verb “operated” is in the improper past tense. Choice (B) corrects this error by changing “operated” to the present tense “operate.”
How would you do on the first SAT?
2012-04-03 10:47:45
Ever wondered about the history of the SAT? Probably not... but it makes for an interesting blog post, nevertheless! How has the SAT changed over time?
A Brief History of the SAT
On June 23, 1926, the first SAT was administered to about 8,000 young men, most of whom applied to Yale University. It contained nine sub-tests, 7 with verbal content, and 2 that tested math. Time-limits were fierce: students had 97 minutes to answer 314 questions and were told, in rather bizarre language, that they should not expect to finish.
An outgrowth of IQ tests given to army recruits during World War 1, the original SAT aimed to objectively measure intelligence. By 1945, however, most question types rooted in intelligence testing were eliminated--subsumed by problems that more directly assessed learned academic skills. No longer a test of inborn intelligence, the SAT became a way to quantify college preparedness. This shift in emphasis harbingers the exam's eventual name change; originally an acronym for "Scholastic Aptitude Test," SAT no longer stands for anything at all.
An example of this shift can be seen by comparing a 1934 "six-choice antonym" question to contemporary sentence completion questions. "Six-choice antonym" questions required students to look at a group of four words and choose the two that are "opposite in meaning." They are called "six-choice" questions because students select from six possible answer choices: (1, 2); (1, 3); (1, 4); (2, 3); (2, 4); and (3, 4).
Here is a medium-level "six-choice antonym" question:
gregarious (1) solitary (2) elderly (3) blowy (4)
(Answer: 1, 2)
Source: A Historical Perspective on the SAT: 1926 - 2001
Click here for two additional early SAT questions
As an official College Board report explains, "six-choice antonym" questions act a bit like a puzzle. There are two basic ways to solve this type of question. The first requires students to look at the words as a group and instantly determine which two are opposites. Another approach has students cross-check the words, one by one. (Is (1) the opposite of (2)? If not, is (1) the opposite of (3)?" And so on.) Of course, this method takes a lot longer than the first method, and given the intense time-limits of the early SAT, students who employed it were at a serious disadvantage, regardless of the solidity and breadth of their vocabulary.
Today's Sentence Completion questions place more emphasis on vocabulary and reading because their format allows students to anticipate precisely what kind of word is needed. As College Board's official report states, "In the sentence completion item the candidate is asked to do a kind of thing which he does naturally when reading: to make use of the element of redundancy inherent in much verbal communication to obtain meaning from something less than the complete communication." In other words, rather than a puzzle, sentence completion questions are akin to a matching game: we already know what the sentence means, so what words can we insert to maintain or reinforce this meaning?
Other changes to the SAT have similarly aimed to make the test a better measure of content knowledge. For example, time-limits are frequently reset to reduce the impact of time on test performance. As mentioned above, the first SAT gave students 97 minutes to complete 9 sub-tests. In 1928, the test was reduced to 7 sub-tests, and test-takers were given 115 minutes. The current test (as you hopefully know) is 10 sections, completed in 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Other changes, such as the 1994 addition of student-produced responses to the math section, strive to reduce the effectiveness of guessing, test-taking strategy and special preparation. (By special preparation, I mean last-minute, superficial memorization of formulas & facts, not reading widely and understanding math concepts).
Both the SAT and it's place in society have evolved greatly since 1926. Once a marginal assessment taken only by 8,000 ivy-bound men, the SAT is now given to over 2,000,000 students annually and plays an essential role in scholarship and college admissions decisions. I hope that this small history helps you better understand the SAT's purpose & point, as it has evolved over time.
Glossary
These Key SAT Words are Expertly Identified by Sentia Tutors
harbinger: to foreshadow a future event
contemporary: of the present time; modern
SAT Question of the Day
2012-03-20 09:00:18
Alexandra drove 150 miles to her aunt's house. If she had driven 10 miles per hour faster, she would have gotten there a half hour faster. What was her speed for the journey?
A) 40 mph
B) 50 mph
C) 55 mph
D) 60 mph
E) 100 mph
The correct answer is B
Explanation: The best approach to this question is to plug in the answer choices. Start with 55 mph. If Alexandra drove 150 miles at 55 mph, she would have gotten to her aunt’s house in just under 2 hours and 44 minutes (from 150/55 = 2.72 hours). If she went 10 mph faster than 55 mph, she would have gone 65 mph and gotten to her aunt’s house in 2 hours and 18 minutes, which is less than a half hour difference. Anything faster than that is going to have even less of time difference because of a 10 mph speed increase, so eliminate C, D, and E. Move on to B.
If Alexandra drove 150 miles at 50 mph, she would have gotten to her aunt’s house in 3 hours. If she’d gone 10 mph first, she would have gone 60 mph. This would get her to her aunt’s house in 2.5 hours, which is a ½ hour shorter, making choice B the right answer.