SAT — Scholastic Assessment Test (Digital SAT)
Take the SAT Reading and Writing — Information, Ideas, Craft and Structure, Set 2: 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: The ballpoint pen Although ballpoint pens seem simple, early versions often leaked or skipped because their ink was too thin or too thick. Success came only when inventors paired a precisely made rolling ball with ink thick enough to stay inside the pen but thin enough to flow onto paper. Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Answer: C. The ballpoint pen worked only once the ball and the ink were matched carefully
Explanation: The text explains early failures and the solution: a precise ball with ink of the right thickness.
Q2. Read the passage: A remarkable recall The young chess player's ______ was remarkable: she could recall entire games, move by move, weeks after playing them. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word?
Answer: A. memory
Explanation: Recalling whole games weeks later describes memory.
Q3. Read the passage: An honest film The documentary gives a ______ account of the expedition, describing its failures as openly as its successes. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word?
Answer: C. candid
Explanation: Describing failures openly is candid, the opposite of flattering.
Q4. Read the passage: Fast-growing bamboo Bamboo can grow almost a metre in a single day. This speed, combined with its strength, makes it an attractive building material in many regions. Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence?
Answer: A. It explains why the growth rate matters for practical uses
Explanation: It connects the fast growth (and strength) to bamboo's use as a building material.
Q5. Read the passage: Street trees A city planner claims that planting trees along streets lowers summer temperatures. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the planner's claim?
Answer: A. Streets with many trees were on average 3°C cooler in summer than nearby streets without trees
Explanation: Only this finding links trees directly to lower summer temperatures.
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Q6. Read the passage: E-book loans A library recorded the number of e-books borrowed each year: 4,000 in 2019; 9,500 in 2020; 11,000 in 2021; and 10,200 in 2022. A librarian says that e-book borrowing peaked in 2021. Which choice best uses the data to support the librarian's claim?
Q7. Read the passage: A guessable plot Critics found the film's plot ______, since nearly every twist could be guessed in advance. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word?
Q8. Read the passage: Minimum wage Text 1: Some economists argue that raising the minimum wage reduces the number of jobs available. Text 2: A study of two neighbouring regions found that employment did not fall in the region that raised its minimum wage. How would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the argument in Text 1?
Q9. Read the passage: Can bats see? Many people believe that bats are blind. In fact, all bat species can see, and some see quite well. Bats also use echolocation, which helps them hunt in the dark. Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
Q10. Read the passage: Glaciers Glaciers move slowly, but over thousands of years they can carve deep valleys by grinding the rock beneath their massive weight. What is the main purpose of the text?
Q11. Read the passage: The busy bakery The bakery sold out of bread before noon every day for a week, so the owner decided to bake twice as many loaves. Which choice most logically follows from the text?
Q12. Read the passage: Meeting halfway Because both sides gave up some of their demands, the negotiators described the final deal as a ______. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word?
Q13. Read the passage: Learning words A teacher claims that students learn vocabulary better from reading stories than from memorising word lists. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the teacher's claim?
Q14. Read the passage: Difficult poems Some readers find the poet's later work puzzling, but its unusual imagery rewards anyone willing to read slowly and carefully. Which choice best describes the author's attitude toward the poet's later work?
Q15. Read the passage: An old bridge The bridge, built entirely by hand in 1890, still carries traffic today. What is the function of the phrase "built entirely by hand in 1890"?
Q16. Read the passage: The metronome The athlete's performances were so consistent that her coaches nicknamed her "the metronome." What does the nickname "the metronome" suggest about the athlete?
Q17. Read the passage: Rainforests Rainforests cover only about 6 percent of Earth's land surface. However, they contain more than half of the world's plant and animal species. Protecting them therefore ______ Which choice most logically completes the text?
Q18. Read the passage: Light and growth In an experiment, plants given 2 hours of light a day grew 4 cm, plants given 6 hours grew 9 cm, and plants given 10 hours grew 11 cm. Which statement is best supported by the data?
Q19. Read the passage: Decorated maps Early maps were often decorated with sea monsters and imaginary islands. These additions reflected both the limits of geographic knowledge and the mapmakers' wish to make their work attractive to buyers. Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Q20. Read the passage: Otters and kelp Sea otters eat sea urchins, which feed on kelp. Where sea otters disappeared, urchin numbers rose sharply and kelp forests shrank. This suggests that ______ Which choice most logically completes the text?