SAT English Questions

"To You" is an 1856 poem by Walt Whitman. In the poem, Whitman suggests that he deeply understands the reader, whom he addresses directly, writing, ______ Which quotation from "To You" most effectively illustrates the claim?

"Your true soul and body appear before me."

When digging for clams, their primary food, sea otters damage the roots of eelgrass plants growing on the seafloor. Near Vancouver Island in Canada, the otter population is large and well established, yet the eelgrass meadows are healthier than those found elsewhere off Canada's coast. To explain this, conservation scientist Erin Foster and colleagues compared the Vancouver Island meadows to meadows where otters are absent or were reintroduced only recently. Finding that the Vancouver Island meadows have a more diverse gene pool than the others do, Foster hypothesized that damage to eelgrass roots increases the plant's rate of sexual reproduction; this, in turn, boosts genetic diversity, which benefits the meadow's health overall. Which finding, if true, would most directly undermine Foster's hypothesis?

At several sites not included in the study, eelgrass meadows' health correlates negatively with the length of residence and size of otter populations.

Researchers hypothesized that a decline in the population of dusky sharks near the mid-Atlantic coast of North America led to a decline in the population of eastern oysters in the region. Dusky sharks do not typically consume eastern oysters but do consume cownose rays, which are the main predators of the oysters. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers' hypothesis?

Cownose rays have increased in regional abundance as dusky sharks have decreased in regional abundance.

The mimosa tree evolved in East Asia, where the beetle Bruchidius terrenus preys on its seeds. In 1785, mimosa trees were introduced to North America, far from any B. terrenus. But evolutionary links between predators and their prey can persist across centuries and continents. Around 2001, B. terrenus was introduced in southeastern North America near where botanist Shu-Mei Chang and colleagues had been monitoring mimosa trees. Within a year, 93 percent of the trees had been attacked by the beetles. Which choice best describes the function of the third sentence in the overall structure of the text?

It presents a generalization that is exemplified by the discussion of the mimosa trees and B. terrenus.

The following text is adapted from William Shakespeare's 1609 poem "Sonnet 27." The poem is addressed to a close friend as if he were physically present. Weary with toil, I [hurry] to my bed, The dear repose for limbs with travel tired; But then begins a journey in my head To work my mind, when body's work's expired: For then my thoughts—from far where I abide [Begin] a zealous pilgrimage to thee, And keep my drooping eyelids open wide, What is the main idea of the text?

The speaker is thinking about the friend instead of immediately falling asleep.

During the English neoclassical period (1660-1789), many writers imitated the epic poetry and satires of ancient Greece and Rome. They were not the first in England to adopt the literary modes of classical ___ some of the most prominent figures of the earlier Renaissance period were also influenced by ancient Greek and Roman literature. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

antiquity, however;

Stomata, tiny pore structures in a leaf that absorb gases needed for plant growth, open when guard cells surrounding each pore swell with water. In a pivotal 2007 article, plant cell ______ showed that lipid molecules called phosphatidylinositol phosphates are responsible for signaling guard cells to open stomata. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

biologist Yuree Lee

Both Sona Charaipotra, an Indian American, and Dhonielle Clayton, an African American, grew up frustrated by the lack of diverse characters in books for young people. In 2011, these two writers joined forces to found CAKE Literary, a book packaging ___ specializes in the creation and promotion of stories told from diverse perspectives for children and young adults. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

company that

Like the 1945 play it reimagines—Federico García Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba—Marcus Gardley's 2014 play The House That Will Not Stand prominently features women. In both plays, the all-female cast ______blank an array of female characters, including a strong mother and several daughters dealing with individual struggles. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

comprises

Some scientists have suggested that mammals in the Mesozoic era were not a very ____ group, but paleontologist Zhe-Xi Luo's research suggests that early mammals living in the shadow of dinosaurs weren't all ground-dwelling insectivores. Fossils of various plant-eating mammals have been found in China, including species like Vilevolodon diplomylos, which Luo says could glide like a flying squirrel. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

diverse

Researchers studying the "terra-cotta army," the thousands of life-size statues of warriors found interred near the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang of China, were shocked to realize that the shape of each statue's ears, like the shape of each person's ears, _____ unique. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

is

The province of Xoconochco was situated on the Pacific coast, hundreds of kilometers southeast of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire. Because Xoconochco's location within the empire was so ______blank, cacao and other trade goods produced there could reach the capital only after a long overland journey. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

peripheral

In Death Valley National Park's Racetrack Playa, a flat, dry lakebed, are 162 rocks—some weighing less than a pound but others almost 700 pounds—that move periodically from place to place, seemingly of their own volition. Racetrack-like trails in the ______ mysterious migration. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

playa's sediment mark the rocks'

Compared to that of alumina glass, ______ silica glass atoms are so far apart that they are unable to re-form bonds after being separated. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

silica glass's atomic arrangement is more dispersed, resulting in a significant disadvantage:

Sociologist Alton Okinaka sits on the review board tasked with adding new sites to the Hawai'i Register of Historic Places, which includes Pi'ilanihale Heiau and the 'Ōpaeka'a Road Bridge. Okinaka doesn't make such decisions ______ all historical designations must be approved by a group of nine other experts from the fields of architecture, archaeology, history, and Hawaiian culture. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

single-handedly, however;

The author's claim about the relationship between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens is ___, as it fails to account for several recent archaeological discoveries. To be convincing, his argument would need to address recent finds of additional hominid fossils, such as the latest Denisovan specimens and Homo longi. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

tenuous

In 2016, engineer Vanessa Galvez oversaw the installation of 164 bioswales, vegetated channels designed to absorb and divert stormwater, along the streets of Queens, New York. By reducing the runoff flowing into city sewers, ____ Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

the bioswales have mitigated both street flooding and the resulting pollution of nearby waterways.

Gathering accurate data on water flow in the United States is challenging because of the country's millions of miles of ______ the volume and speed of water at any given location can vary drastically over time. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

waterways and the fact that