SAT — Scholastic Assessment Test (Digital SAT)
Take the SAT Reading and Writing — Information, Ideas, Craft and Structure, Set 1: 20 multiple-choice questions (30 minutes) with instant scoring and a…
What this test covers
The first 5 questions of this test, with the correct answer and explanation.
Q1. Read the passage: Coral reefs Coral reefs cover less than 1 percent of the ocean floor, yet they support roughly a quarter of all known marine species. Because so much life is concentrated in so small an area, researchers argue that reefs are especially useful for studying how ecosystems respond to warming water. Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Answer: B. Reefs are small in area but rich in species, which makes them useful for research on warming
Explanation: The text contrasts reefs' small area with their huge biodiversity and draws the research conclusion from that.
Q2. Read the passage: A careful report The committee's report was notably ______: it listed every expense, explained each decision and left no question unanswered. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word?
Answer: B. thorough
Explanation: Listing everything and answering every question describes a thorough report.
Q3. Read the passage: A changing reputation Although many early critics dismissed the novel as overly sentimental, later readers ______ its careful portrait of rural life, and it is now taught in many literature courses. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word?
Answer: D. praised
Explanation: "Although" signals a contrast with the early dismissal, and the novel is now taught, so later readers praised it.
Q4. Read the passage: Talking tomatoes Some plants warn each other of danger. When caterpillars chew the leaves of certain tomato plants, the plants release chemicals into the air. Nearby tomato plants that detect these chemicals begin producing compounds that make their leaves harder to digest. Which choice best describes the function of the last sentence?
Answer: A. It describes how neighbouring plants respond to the warning signal
Explanation: The last sentence completes the chain: signal released, signal detected, defensive response.
Q5. Read the passage: A dimming star Astronomers observed that a distant star dimmed by 2 percent every 13 days, always for the same length of time. They concluded that a planet was probably passing in front of the star at regular intervals. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the astronomers' conclusion?
Answer: C. A second telescope recorded the same 13-day dimming pattern
Explanation: An independent observation of the same regular pattern makes a real, repeating cause (an orbiting planet) more likely.
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Q6. Read the passage: Commuting survey In a survey of 400 commuters in a city, 52 percent travelled to work by bus, 30 percent by car and 18 percent by bicycle. A transport official claims that the bus is the most common way people in the survey get to work. Which choice best uses data from the text to support the official's claim?
Q7. Read the passage: A vindicated hypothesis The scientist's hypothesis was at first met with scepticism, but a series of careful experiments eventually ______ it, convincing even her harshest critics. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word?
Q8. Read the passage: The spread of printing Text 1: Historians long credited a single inventor with spreading the printing press across Europe. Text 2: Recent studies of trade records suggest the technology spread through networks of merchants and craftsmen working in many cities at once. Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the view in Text 1?
Q9. Read the passage: Soil study First, the researchers collected soil from twelve farms. Next, they measured the nitrogen content of each sample. Finally, they compared those measurements with each farm's crop yields over five years. Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
Q10. Read the passage: The waggle dance Honeybees perform a "waggle dance" to tell other bees where flowers are. The angle of the dance shows the direction relative to the sun, and the length of the dance indicates the distance. What is the main purpose of the text?
Q11. Read the passage: Breakfast and focus A nutrition researcher claims that eating breakfast improves students' concentration in morning classes. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researcher's claim?
Q12. Read the passage: A demanding trail Because the mountain trail was ______, hikers were advised to bring extra water and to begin early in the day. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word?
Q13. Read the passage: Museum hours The museum extended its weekend opening hours after visitor numbers on Saturdays and Sundays rose by 40 percent, while weekday numbers stayed the same. Which choice most logically follows from the text?
Q14. Read the passage: Easing traffic The new policy was intended to ______ traffic congestion by encouraging people to travel outside rush hour. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word?
Q15. Read the passage: The new library The city's new library is more than a place to borrow books: its free classes, study rooms and children's programmes have made it the busiest public space in the neighbourhood. Which choice best describes the author's attitude toward the library?
Q16. Read the passage: A sudden eruption The volcano, which had been dormant for nearly 300 years, erupted with little warning in 2021. What is the function of the phrase "which had been dormant for nearly 300 years"?
Q17. Read the passage: A lucky accident In 1928, Alexander Fleming noticed that mould growing on a culture plate had killed the bacteria around it. This chance observation led to the development of penicillin, one of the first antibiotics. As used in the text, "chance observation" most nearly means:
Q18. Read the passage: Solar angles Solar panels produce the most electricity when sunlight strikes them directly. In countries far from the equator, the sun stays lower in the sky, so panels there are often ______. Which choice most logically completes the text?
Q19. Read the passage: Screen time A study recorded the average daily screen time of students: ages 10–12, 3 hours; ages 13–15, 5 hours; ages 16–18, 6 hours. Which statement is best supported by the data?
Q20. Read the passage: Seeing skin Octopuses can change the colour and texture of their skin in a fraction of a second. Biologists have found that their skin contains light-sensitive proteins similar to those found in eyes. This suggests that ______ Which choice most logically completes the text?