Question ID 22a41819

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 22a41819 3.1

Rejecting the premise that the literary magazine Ebony and Topaz (1927) should present a unified vision of Black
American identity, editor Charles S. Johnson fostered his contributors’ diverse perspectives by promoting their
authorial autonomy. Johnson’s self-effacement diverged from the editorial stances of W.E.B. Du Bois and Alain
Locke, whose decisions for their publications were more ______.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. proficient
B. dogmatic
C. ambiguous
D. unpretentious

ID: 22a41819 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. A person who is "dogmatic" believes strongly that their principles and opinions
are true. Because Du Bois and Locke are implied to have one "unified vision" of Black American identity that
they prioritize over the "diverse perspectives" of different writers, they can be described as dogmatic.

Choice A is incorrect. "Proficient" means "skilled." Du Bois and Locke are contrasted with Johnson, but nothing
in the text suggests that Johnson was not skilled at making editorial decisions. Based on the text, the three
editors just have different styles; they’re not necessarily more or less skilled. Choice C is incorrect.
"Ambiguous" means "unclear" or "open to multiple interpretations." However, it’s actually Johnson who
encouraged multiple interpretations ("diverse perspectives"). Since Du Bois and Locke are said to "diverge"
from Johnson, we can assume that the views they published were not ambiguous, but instead clear and firm (a
"unified vision"). Choice D is incorrect. "Unpretentious" means "not trying to impress others with greater skill
or importance than is actually possessed." Du Bois and Locke are contrasted with Johnson, but nothing in the
text suggests that Johnson is pretentious (trying to impress others).

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5e57efec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 5e57efec 3.2

Economist Marco Castillo and colleagues showed that nuisance costs—the time and effort people must spend to
make donations—reduce charitable giving. Charities can mitigate this effect by compensating donors for nuisance
costs, but those costs, though variable, are largely ______ donation size, so charities that compensate donors will
likely favor attracting a few large donors over many small donors.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. supplemental to
B. predictive of
C. independent of
D. subsumed in

ID: 5e57efec Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. We’re told that charities that pay donors back for nuisance costs will attract a few
large donors instead of many small donors. This suggests that nuisance costs are not linked to donation size.

Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If nuisance costs are supplemental to (meaning in
addition to) donation size, that wouldn’t result in charities that compensate donors for those costs attracting a
few large donors over many small donors. Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If
nuisance costs can predict donation size, that wouldn’t necessarily result in charities that compensate donors
for those costs attracting a few large donors over many small donors. Choice D is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the
logic of the text. If nuisance costs are subsumed in (meaning included in) donation size, that wouldn’t result in
charities that compensate donors for those costs attracting a few large donors over many small donors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e459076b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e459076b 3.3

The following text is adapted from George Eliot’s 1871–72 novel Middlemarch.
[Mr. Brooke] had travelled in his younger years, and was held in this part of the country to have contracted a
too rambling habit of mind. Mr. Brooke’s conclusions were as difficult to predict as the weather.
As used in the text, what does the word “contracted” most nearly mean?
A. Restricted
B. Described
C. Developed
D. Settled

ID: e459076b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “contracted” most nearly means developed. The text
explains that Mr. Brooke has a “too rambling habit of mind,” which the text likens to a disease, saying he is
thought to have contracted it. To contract a disease means to acquire or develop a disease. In other words, the
text indicates that Mr. Brooke is believed to have acquired, or developed, the habit of mind described in the
text.

Choice A is incorrect. Although “contracted” can mean limited or restricted in some contexts, here Mr. Brooke
is said to draw unpredictable conclusions, suggesting that he exhibits this “too rambling habit of mind,” not
that it has been somehow limited or restricted. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text describes Mr. Brooke’s
habit of mind, nothing suggests that those are his descriptions or, indeed, that he described his habit of mind
at all. Choice D is incorrect because settled means calmed or mitigated, but here Mr. Brooke is said to draw
unpredictable conclusions, suggesting that he exhibits this “too rambling habit of mind,” not that it has been
somehow calmed or mitigated.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 76e4c51d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 76e4c51d 3.4

The güiro, a musical instrument traditionally made from a dried and hollowed gourd, is thought to have originated
with the Taíno people of Puerto Rico. Players use a wooden stick to scrape along ridges cut into the side of the
gourd, creating sounds that are highly ______: the sounds produced by güiros can differ based on the distance
between the ridges, the types of strokes the player uses, and the thickness of the gourd.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. overlooked
B. powerful
C. routine
D. variable

ID: 76e4c51d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the sounds made by
güiros. In this context, “variable” means able to change. The text begins by explaining that güiros are
instruments made out of hollowed gourds with ridges cut into their sides and that players scrape the ridges
with wooden sticks to produce sounds. The text goes on to say that güiros’ sounds can change depending on
gourd thickness, the distance between ridges, and the types of strokes the player uses, thus supporting the
idea that the sounds created by these instruments are variable.

Choice A is incorrect because “overlooked” means not being seen or noticed, and there is nothing in the text to
suggest that the sounds produced by güiros are overlooked or not noticed. Choice B is incorrect because in this
context, “powerful” would mean having a great ability to produce an effect. While it’s possible that the sounds
produced by güiros have a strong effect on listeners, the text doesn’t discuss this aspect of their sounds.
Choice C is incorrect because “routine” means usual and unvarying, and there is nothing in the text to suggest
that the sounds produced by güiros are unvarying. In fact, the text describes how the sounds produced by
güiros can differ based on several factors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 54804e10
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 54804e10 3.5

While scholars believe many Mesoamerican cities influenced each other, direct evidence of such influence is difficult to
ascertain. However, recent excavations in a sector of Tikal (Guatemala) unearthed a citadel that shows ______
Teotihuacán (Mexico) architecture—including a near replica of a famed Teotihuacán temple—providing tangible
evidence of outside influence in portions of Tikal.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. refinements of
B. precursors of
C. commonalities with
D. animosities toward

ID: 54804e10 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of architectural influences
among Mesoamerican cities. In this context, “commonalities with” means similarities to or shared attributes with.
The text indicates that a recently discovered citadel in Tikal includes a close imitation of a famous temple in
Teotihuacán (another Mesoamerican city) and other evidence of Teotihuacán influence, which suggests that the
citadel possesses features that resemble architectural features found in Teotihuacán. This context thus indicates
that the Tikal citadel shows commonalities with Teotihuacán architecture.

Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text that suggests that the Tikal citadel shows “refinements of,”
or improvements on, Teotihuacán architecture. Although the text suggests that the architecture of Teotihuacán
influenced the architecture of the Tikal citadel, and although it’s possible that later architectural designs could
make improvements on earlier designs, the text doesn’t discuss whether, in imitating Teotihuacán architecture, the
Tikal citadel’s builders improved on it. Choice B is incorrect because describing the citadel in Tikal as showing
“precursors of” Teotihuacán architecture—or features that preceded and foreshadowed those of Teotihuacán
architecture—would imply the opposite of what the text suggests about the relationship between the architecture
found in Tikal and Teotihuacán. The text claims that the discovery of similarities between the Tikal citadel and the
architecture of Teotihuacán, including a replica of a temple in Teotihuacán, provides evidence of outside influences
on Tikal architecture. If the Tikal citadel was influenced by Teotihuacán architecture, then the Teotihuacán
architecture must predate the citadel, not the other way around. In this context, therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to
say that the Tikal citadel shows precursors of Teotihuacán architecture. Choice D is incorrect because the text
discusses how the citadel in Tikal indicates the influence of Teotihuacán architecture, which implies that the
makers of the Tikal citadel likely admired aspects of Teotihuacán architecture enough to imitate it. Thus, there’s no
reason to think that the Tikal citadel provides evidence of the Tikal people’s “animosities toward,” or feelings of
strong dislike or hostility toward, Teotihuacán architecture.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c14daa3c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: c14daa3c 3.6

Close analysis of the painting Girl with a Flute, long attributed to the seventeenth-century Dutch painter Johannes
Vermeer, has revealed subtle deviations from the artist’s signature techniques. These variations suggest that the work
may be that of a student under Vermeer’s tutelage—potentially ______ our understanding of Vermeer as a solitary
artist.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. negating
B. prefiguring
C. entrenching
D. substantiating

ID: c14daa3c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. "Negating" means "reversing" or "making invalid." Proving that Vermeer worked with
students would reverse the view of him as a solitary artist.

Choice B is incorrect. "Prefiguring" means "being an early indicator of." There already existed views of Vermeer as a
solitary painter, so a new painting would not be an early indicator of those views. Rather, a painting proving that
Vermeer had a student would contradict those earlier views. Choice C is incorrect. "Entrenching" means
"solidifying." A painting proving that Vermeer had a student would not solidify views of him as solitary, but would
rather contradict those views. Choice D is incorrect. "Substantiating" means "supporting with proof." A painting
proving that Vermeer had a student would not support views of him as solitary, but would rather contradict those
views.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e4f312c5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e4f312c5 3.7

While most animals are incapable of passing somatic mutations—genetic alterations that arise in an organism’s
nonreproductive cells—on to their offspring, elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) presents an intriguing ______: in a 2022
study, researchers found that elkhorn coral produced offspring that inherited somatic mutations from a parent.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. hypothesis
B. affinity
C. anomaly
D. corroboration

ID: e4f312c5 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. An "anomaly" is something that deviates from norms or expectations. In this case, the
elkhorn coral is an anomaly because it can pass on somatic mutations, whereas most other animals can’t.

Choice A is incorrect. A "hypothesis" is "a theory about something," but no theories are provided about elkhorn coral
in this text, just facts. Choice B is incorrect. "Affinity" represents "an inclination or liking toward something." As
genetic mutations tend to occur without any conscious effort, you can’t really have an inclination toward passing on
somatic mutations. Choice D is incorrect. "Corroboration" means "evidence to support or prove something." Because
elkhorn coral do the opposite of what most animals do, they do not provide corroboration of the theory that somatic
mutations can’t be passed onto offspring. Rather, they show the opposite.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3d658a5a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 3d658a5a 3.8

Some foraging models predict that the distance bees travel when foraging will decline as floral density increases, but
biologists Shalene Jha and Claire Kremen showed that bees’ behavior is inconsistent with this prediction if flowers in
dense patches are ______: bees will forage beyond patches of low species richness to acquire multiple resource types.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. depleted
B. homogeneous
C. immature
D. dispersed

ID: 3d658a5a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jha and Kremen’s finding
about bees’ foraging behavior. In this context, “homogeneous” means uniform or of the same kind. The text indicates
that some models predict that the distance that bees travel when they’re foraging declines as the density of flowers
increases. The text goes on to say, however, that Jha and Kremen identified a circumstance in which bees don’t
behave this way. Specifically, if bees encounter “patches of low species richness”—that is, patches in which the
flowers are largely from the same species—they’ll travel beyond those patches to get varied food resources. This
context thus suggests that bees don’t behave as some models predict if the dense patches of flowers the bees
encounter are homogeneous.

Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that Jha and Kremen found that bees will behave differently than
some models predict if the bees encounter flower patches that are not rich in species, not if the flowers are
“depleted,” or emptied or reduced in quality or quantity. Although it could be true that bees are likely to leave
depleted patches in search of more resources, the text doesn’t indicate that Jha and Kremen investigated that
possibility. Choice C is incorrect because there’s no information in the text suggesting that bees will not behave as
some models predict if flowers in patches are “immature,” or not fully developed. Instead, the text indicates that Jha
and Kremen found that bees will behave contrary to some models’ predictions if the flower patches are not rich in
species. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that bees’ behavior will be inconsistent with the
predictions of some models if the flower patches that the bees encounter are of low species richness, not if the
flowers are in patches that are “dispersed,” or widely scattered. Although the text does describe bees as leaving
patches that are not rich in species to forage elsewhere, there’s no suggestion that Jha and Kremen found that the
distance between dense flower patches affects whether the bees behave as some models predict.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3f753a8e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 3f753a8e 3.9

Investigating whether shared false visual memories—specific but inaccurate and widely held recollections of images
such as product logos—are caused by people’s previous ______ incorrect renditions of the images, researchers
Deepasri Prasad and Wilma Bainbridge found that, in fact, such memories are often not explained by familiarity with
erroneous versions of the images.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. compliance with
B. exposure to
C. criteria for
D. forfeiture of

ID: 3f753a8e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. "Exposure to" means "having contact with." It makes sense that Prasad and Bainbridge
were investigating whether seeing false versions of images was a cause of false visual memories. Notice how
"exposure to incorrect renditions" matches the idea of "familiarity with erroneous versions," which appears later in
the sentence.

Choice A is incorrect. "Compliance with" means "going along with a command or directive." False versions of images
can’t give commands or directives, so this doesn’t apply. Choice C is incorrect. "Criteria" means "standards by which
to judge something." It’s not clear how people would come to have standards for the wrong version of an image in
the first place, let alone how those standards would cause them to falsely remember the correct version. In other
words, this choice would result in a confusing, unclear sentence. Choice D is incorrect. "Forfeiture of" means "a
giving up of something." It wouldn’t make sense to say that false memories of an image might be caused by giving
up the wrong version of the image.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e8fb0744
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e8fb0744 3.10

As an undergraduate researcher in anthropology, Jennifer C. Chen contributed to a groundbreaking study challenging
the accepted view that among prehistoric peoples, female participation in hunting was ______. The research team’s
review of data from late Pleistocene and early Holocene burials in the Americas revealed that, in fact, as many as half of
the hunters in those populations were female.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. inevitable
B. satisfactory
C. negligible
D. commonplace

ID: e8fb0744 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the study of female
participation in hunting among prehistoric peoples. In this context, “negligible” means not significant enough to be
worth considering. The text says that the study challenged the accepted view of female participation in hunting
among prehistoric peoples. The text goes on to say that the researchers found that “in fact, as many as half” the
hunters in the groups studied were female. The phrase “in fact” establishes a contrast indicating that the finding
that as many as half the hunters were female differs from the accepted view. This context suggests, then, that the
accepted view is that female participation in hunting was negligible.

Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that as
many as half of hunters among prehistoric peoples were female, which suggests that the accepted view is that
female participation was low, not that female participation was “inevitable,” or unavoidable. Nothing in the text
suggests that the accepted view is that prehistoric peoples could not avoid female participation in hunting. Choice
B is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the accepted view of female participation in hunting among
prehistoric peoples is that such participation was “satisfactory,” or sufficient to meet a requirement or demand.
There is no information in the text about any demands or requirements regarding female participation in hunting,
let alone any information about how much female participation in hunting would be enough to satisfy those
demands or requirements. Instead, the text indicates that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that
as many as half the hunters in the groups studied were female, suggesting that the accepted view is that female
participation in hunting was low. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that the study challenged the
accepted view by showing that as many as half of hunters among the prehistoric peoples studied were female,
which suggests that the accepted view is that female participation was low, not that female participation was
“commonplace,” or ordinary or unremarkable. Although the study under discussion suggests that female
participation may have been commonplace, that study is presented as challenging the accepted view, not as
reinforcing the accepted view.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9b22bf7b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 9b22bf7b
3.11
The following text is from the 1989 novel The Ancient Child by Kiowa writer N. Scott Momaday. The main character has
achieved tremendous commercial success as a painter.

More and more often he was asked to compromise his art or himself in one way or another, and more often than not he
did so, for he was inclined to be passive and naïve; it was difficult for him to say no. Those who exhibited his work, who
praised and purchased it, and who demanded its proliferation began to determine it.
©1989 by N. Scott Momaday

As used in the text, what does the word “determine” most nearly mean?

A. Conclude

B. Dictate

C. Evaluate

D. Select

ID: 9b22bf7b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because as used in the text "determine" most nearly means "dictate." The text describes the
relationship between the main character and those who exhibit, praise, and purchase his artwork. The text states that the
main character is often asked to change his art or himself based on outside influences, and he usually acquiesces. Because
the main character admits that those who support his work often shape it based on their demands, it follows that those
outside influences dictate, or guide or dominate, the direction his work takes.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that outside influences "conclude," or end, the main character’s work.
The text states that many supporters of the main character’s art "demand its proliferation," not its conclusion. Choice C is
incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that outside influences are "evaluating," or judging the main character’s work.
According to the text, the main character’s art has already achieved great commercial success, with many people exhibiting,
purchasing, and praising his work. Thus, outsiders have already supported the main character’s work and are not questioning
or evaluating its success or worth. They are instead influencing its initial direction. Choice D is incorrect because the text
doesn’t suggest that outside influences "select," or choose the main character’s work. According to the text, the main
character’s art has already achieved great commercial success, with many people exhibiting, purchasing, and praising his
work. Thus, outsiders have already supported the main character’s work and are not selecting it. They are instead influencing
its initial direction.

Question Difficulty: Hard