SAT PRACTICE TEST 1

Answers and Explanations

MATH TEST: NO-CALCULATOR
1. B/Difficulty: Easy

Category: Heart of Algebra / Linear Equations

Getting to the Answer: In a real-world scenario, the slope of a line

represents a unit rate and the y-intercept represents a flat fee or a
starting amount. The cost of one linear foot is the same as the unit rate
(the cost per linear foot), which is represented by the slope of the line.
Use the grid-lines and the axis labels to count the rise and the run from
the y-intercept of the line (0, 150) to the next point that hits an
intersection of two grid-lines. Pay careful attention to how the grid-lines
are marked (by 5s on the x-axis and by 25s on the y-axis). The line rises
75 units and runs 5 units, so the slope is dollars per linear foot
of fence, which is (B). Note that you could also use the slope formula
and two points from the graph to find the unit rate.

2. C/Difficulty: Easy

Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Exponents

 Getting to the Answer: Don’t be tempted—you can’t simply cancel one
term when a polynomial is divided by a monomial. Instead, find the
greatest common factor of both the numerator and the denominator.
Factor out the GCF from the numerator and from the denominator, and
then you can cancel it. The GCF is 12x 2.

This matches (C).

3. C/Difficulty: Easy

Category: Additional Topics in Math / Geometry

Getting to the Answer: Corresponding sides of similar triangles are

proportional, so write a proportion (paying careful attention to the
order of the sides) using the sides that you know and the side that
you’re looking for. Then, solve the proportion for the missing side.

Call the missing side x. Write a proportion using words first, and then fill
in the lengths of the sides that you know:
 The length of is 4, so (C) is correct.

4. A/Difficulty: Easy

Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Quadratics

Getting to the Answer: Recognizing the different forms of a quadratic

equation can save valuable time on Test Day. Each of the answer choices
is given in vertex form, so start by matching the vertex of the parabola in
the graph to the correct equation.

When a quadratic equation is written in vertex form, y = a(x – h)2 + k,

the vertex is (h, k). The vertex of the parabola in the graph is (2, 5);
therefore, the equation should look like y = a(x – 2)2 + 5. This means you
can eliminate B and C. To choose between (A) and D, consider the value
of a. The parabola in the graph opens downward, so a must be negative.
This means (A) is correct.

5. B/Difficulty: Medium

Category: Heart of Algebra / Linear Equations

 Getting to the Answer: You can approach this question conceptually or
concretely. Drawing a quick sketch is most likely the safest approach.
Line L shown in the graph rises from le to right, so it has a positive
slope. Once reflected over the x-axis, it will fall from le to right, so the
new line will have a negative slope. This means you can eliminate C and
D. Now, draw a quick sketch of the reflected line on the coordinate plane
in your test booklet and count the rise (or fall) and the run from one
point to the next.

The reflected line falls 2 units and runs 4 units, so the slope is
, which reduces to , making (B) the correct choice.

6. B/Difficulty: Medium

Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Exponents

Getting to the Answer: To answer this question, you need to combine

like terms, being careful to distribute negative signs where appropriate.
Break the calculation into steps: Find 2p, find q + r, and then subtract
 the results. Arranging the terms in descending order will help keep them
organized.

This matches (B).

7. A/Difficulty: Medium

Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Quadratics

Getting to the Answer: The roots of an equation are the same as its
solutions. The answer choices contain radicals, which tells you that the
equation can’t be factored. Instead, either complete the square or solve
the equation using the quadratic formula, whichever you are most
comfortable using. The equation is already written in the form y = ax 2 +
bx + c and the coefficients are fairly small, so using the quadratic
formula is probably the quickest method. Jot down the values that
you’ll need: a = 2, b = 4, and c = –3. Then, substitute these values into
the quadratic formula and simplify:
 This is not one of the answer choices, so simplify the radical. To do this,
look for a perfect square that divides into 40 and take its square root.

Be careful—you can’t simplify the answer any further because you

cannot divide the square root of 10 by 2, so (A) is correct.

8. D/Difficulty: Medium

Category: Heart of Algebra / Systems of Linear Equations

Getting to the Answer: Although this question asks where the graphs of
the functions intersect, it is not necessary to actually graph them. Two
graphs intersect at the point where they have the same x-value and the
same y-value. The notations g(x) and h(x) can both be interpreted as
 “the y-value at a given value of x,” so set g(x) equal to h(x) and solve for
x. Then, if needed, plug this value into either function to find the
corresponding y-value. Don’t let the fraction intimidate you—you can
write g(x) as a fraction over 1 and use cross-multiplication.

There is only one answer choice for which the x-coordinate is 6, (D), so
the graphs of the functions will intersect at (6, 13).

9. A/Difficulty: Medium

Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Exponents

Getting to the Answer: When you write an equation in terms of a specific

variable, you are simply solving the equation for that variable. In this
question, you’ll need to relate fractional exponents to radicals and
understand how to use negative exponents. Be careful—you’re not just
rewriting the equation, you’re solving it for k.

Raising a quantity to the one-third power is the same as taking its cube
root. Applying a negative exponent to a quantity is the same as writing
its reciprocal. Rewrite the equation using these properties and then
solve for k using inverse operations. Note that the inverse of taking a
cube root of a quantity is cubing the quantity.
 Choice (A) is correct.

10. D/Difficulty: Medium

Category: Heart of Algebra / Linear Equations

Getting to the Answer: There are two variables and only one equation,
so you can’t actually solve the equation for c. Instead, recall that an
equation has infinitely many solutions when the le side is identical to
the right side. When this happens, everything cancels out and you get
the equation 0 = 0, which is always true.

Start by simplifying the le side of the equation. Don’t forget to

distribute the negative sign to both terms inside the parentheses.
 Next, quickly compare the le side of the equation to the right side.
Rather than distributing the c, notice that if c were 2, then both sides of
the equation would equal 6x − 10, and it would have infinitely many
solutions. Therefore, c is 2, which is (D).

11. D/Difficulty: Medium

Category: Heart of Algebra / Inequalities

Getting to the Answer: You don’t need to separate this compound

inequality into pieces. Just remember, whatever you do to one piece,
you must do to all three pieces. Don’t forget to flip the inequality
symbols if you multiply or divide by a negative number. Here, the
fractions make it look more complicated than it really is, so start by
clearing the fractions by multiplying everything by the least common
denominator, 6.

Now, read the inequality symbols carefully. The value of a is between 1.5
and 3, including 1.5, but not including 3, so (D) is the correct answer.
12. D/Difficulty: Hard

Category: Heart of Algebra / Inequalities

Getting to the Answer: The only way a system of inequalities can have
no solution is if the graph consists of two parallel lines with shading in
opposite directions so that there is no overlap.

Start by writing each equation in slope-intercept form to help you

envision what the graphs will look like. You’ll need to multiply the
second equation by –2, so don’t forget to flip the inequality symbol.

Now, think about the graphs. The first equation has a slope of , a y-
intercept of 0, and is shaded below the line. The second equation also
has a slope of , but it has a y-intercept of 2 and is shaded above the
line. This means that no matter what value of k is used (other than 0),
the two lines are parallel and shaded in opposite directions, and thus
there are infinitely many values of k that result in a system with no
solution, (D).

13. C/Difficulty: Hard

Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Exponents

 Getting to the Answer: When solving a rational equation, start by getting
a common denominator. Then, you can set the numerators equal and
solve for the variable. Don’t forget, however: If the answer produces zero
in any denominator, then it is not a valid answer. The denominators are
almost the same already; you just need to multiply the top and bottom
of the first term by 2, factor the denominator of the second term, and
you’ll be ready to solve the equation.

Now that the denominators are all the same, you can solve the equation
represented by the numerators.

Be careful—this isn’t the correct answer. Because there are variables in

the denominator, you must check the solution to make sure it isn’t
extraneous, or in other words, doesn’t cause a 0 in the denominator of
any term. Here, if x = 7, then all of the denominators are zero (and
division by zero is not possible), so the equation has no solution, (C).

14. B/Difficulty: Hard

Category: Additional Topics in Math / Geometry

 Getting to the Answer: The shortest distance from A to B is through the
center of the circle, along the diameter, which is twice the radius. When
the equation of a circle is written in the form (x – h)2 + (y – k)2 = r 2, you
can easily find the center and the radius of the circle. To find r, complete
the square for the x terms and for the y terms. Start by reordering the
terms. Then, take the coefficient of the x term and divide it by 2, square
it, and add the result to the two terms with x variables. Do the same with
the y term. Remember, you must also add these amounts to the other
side of the equation. This creates a perfect square of x terms and
y terms, and the equation will look more like a circle.

This means that the radius of the circle is , so the diameter is

10, which is also the distance from A to B, making (B) correct. Note that
you can do a quick check of your work by looking at the center;
according to the equation, the center is (–3, 2), which appears to match
the location of the center on the graph.

15. C/Difficulty: Hard

Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions

Getting to the Answer: The key to answering this question is in having a

conceptual understanding of function notation. Here, the input (x – 1)
has already been substituted and simplified in the given function. Your
 job is to determine what the function would have looked like had x been
the input.

To keep things organized, let u = x – 1, the old input. This means x = u +

1. Substitute this into g and simplify:

This means g(u) = 3u 2 + 11u + 1. When working with function notation,

you evaluate the function by substituting a given input value for the
variable in the parentheses. Here, if the input value is x, then g(x) = 3x 2 +
11x + 1, which matches (C).

16. 15/Difficulty: Easy

Category: Heart of Algebra / Systems of Linear Equations

Getting to the Answer: The equilibrium price occurs when the supply
and demand are equal. Graphically, this means where the two lines
intersect. The lines intersect at the point (6, 15). You can see from the
axis labels that price is plotted along the y-axis, so the equilibrium price
is $15.

17. 10.5 or 21/2/Difficulty: Medium

 Category: Heart of Algebra / Linear Equations

Getting to the Answer: The key word in this question is linear. In a real-
world scenario that involves a constant rate of change, you almost
always need to find the slope and the initial amount so you can write an
equation. The question states that the initial mass of the larva was
10 grams, so all you need to do is find the slope.

Write the information given in the question as ordered pairs (time, mass)
so you can find the slope. At t = 0, the larva has a mass of 10 grams, so
one pair is (0, 10). A er 48 hours, the larva has a mass of 14 grams, so a
second pair is (48, 14). Now, use the slope formula:

The equation is , where y represents the mass of the

larva a er x hours. Substitute 6 for x to find the mass a er 6 hours:
grams.

18. 4/Difficulty: Medium

Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Functions

Getting to the Answer: The notation f (g(x)) indicates a composition of

two functions which is read “f of g of x.” It means that the output when x
 is substituted in g(x) becomes the input for f (x). Use the second table to
find that g(–1) is 2. This is your new input. Now, use the first table to find
f (2), which is 4.

19. 10/Difficulty: Medium

Category: Additional Topics in Math / Imaginary Numbers

Getting to the Answer: Multiply the two complex numbers just as you
would two binomials (using FOIL). Then, combine like terms. The
question tells you that . If you square both sides of the
equation, this is the same as i 2 = –1, which is a more useful fact.

The question asks for a in a + bi, so the correct answer is 10.

20. 50.5/Difficulty: Hard

Category: Passport to Advanced Math / Scatterplots

Getting to the Answer: This question requires a conceptual

understanding of modeling data and properties of quadratic functions.
Because the regression model fits the data exactly, you can use what
you know about quadratic functions to answer the question.
The graph of a quadratic function is symmetric with respect to its axis of
symmetry. The axis of symmetry occurs at the x-value of the vertex,
which also happens to be where the maximum (or minimum) of the
function occurs. The question tells you this value—it’s x = 56.25. Because
x = 90 is 33.75 (because 90 – 56.25 = 33.75) units to the right of the axis of
symmetry, you know that the y-value will be the same as the point that
is 33.75 units to the le of the axis of symmetry. This occurs at x = 56.25
– 33.75 = 22.5. Read the y-value from the graphing calculator screenshot
to find the answer, which is 50.5.