Question ID 4165e701

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context Hard

ID: 4165e701
Given that the conditions in binary star systems should make planetary formation nearly impossible, it’s not surprising that the existence of
planets in such systems has lacked ______ explanation. Roman Rafikov and Kedron Silsbee shed light on the subject when they used modeling
to determine a complex set of factors that could support planets’ development.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. a discernible

B. a straightforward

C. an inconclusive

D. an unbiased

ID: 4165e701 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s description of efforts to explain the existence of planets in binary star systems. As used
in this context, describing an explanation as “a straightforward” one would mean that the explanation is direct and uncomplicated. The text asserts that since it
should be “nearly impossible” for planets to form in binary star systems, it’s “not surprising” that there isn’t a straightforward explanation for the existence of
planets in such systems; the fact that one potential approach involves “complex” factors offers further contextual support for this idea.

Choice A is incorrect because it would not make sense in context to say that there isn’t “a discernible” explanation—meaning an explanation capable of being
perceived—for the existence of planets in binary star systems. The text discusses just such an explanation offered by Roman Rafikov and Kedron Silsbee, which
indicates that their explanation can be discerned. Choice C is incorrect because the text emphasizes how difficult it is to explain the existence of planets in binary
star systems, suggesting that the situation isn’t marked by the lack of “an inconclusive” explanation—an explanation that does not resolve the issue—but rather that
if any explanations have been offered, they’ve likely been inconclusive ones. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that there is a lack of “an
unbiased,” or impartial and unprejudiced, explanation for the existence of planets in binary star systems. The text indicates that it’s difficult to explain the existence
of planets in such systems and it describes one attempt to do so, but there is no evidence that explanations from Roman Rafikov and Kedron Silsbee or others are
biased.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 123cf5db
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context Hard

ID: 123cf5db
The work of Kiowa painter T.C. Cannon derives its power in part from the tension among his ______ influences: classic European portraiture,
with its realistic treatment of faces; the American pop art movement, with its vivid colors; and flatstyle, the intertribal painting style that rejects
the effect of depth typically achieved through shading and perspective.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. complementary

B. unknown

C. disparate

D. interchangeable

ID: 123cf5db Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the artistic styles that have influenced Cannon’s work. As used in this
context, “disparate” means distinct or dissimilar. The text indicates that a tension exists among the styles that have influenced Cannon’s work and goes on to
describe how those styles differ: classic European portraiture favors realism, American pop art uses vivid colors, and intertribal flatstyle rejects the use of shading
and perspective to achieve depth. This context suggests that the styles that have influenced Cannon’s work are disparate.

Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that there is a tension among the influences on Cannon’s artwork, so it wouldn’t make sense to say that the
influences are “complementary,” or that they complete one another or make up for one another’s deficiencies. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense
to characterize Cannon’s influences as “unknown,” or not familiar; it’s clear that the influences are known because the text goes on to list them. Choice D is incorrect
because the text indicates that there is a tension among the influences on Cannon’s work, not that they are “interchangeable,” or capable of being used in one
another’s place.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID a84b11c2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context Hard

ID: a84b11c2
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?
A. predatory

B. obscure

C. diverse

D. localized

ID: a84b11c2 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the kinds of mammals alive during the Mesozoic era. As used in this
context, “diverse” means to have a significant amount of variety. The text indicates that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals can’t be
characterized in a certain way, then contrasts the view put forward by those scientists with Luo’s research, which shows that Mesozoic mammals “weren’t all
ground-dwelling insectivores” and instead were “various.” This context suggests that some scientists have viewed Mesozoic mammals as being all alike, or not a
very diverse group.

Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals weren’t very “predatory,” or that they
didn’t prey on other animals, since the text establishes a contrast between what some scientists have suggested and Luo’s research showing that Mesozoic
mammals “weren’t all ground-dwelling insectivores.” This context suggests that some scientists have regarded Mesozoic mammals as all being insectivores, or
animals that prey on insects, not that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals didn’t prey on other animals. Choice B is incorrect because it
wouldn’t make sense to say that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals weren’t very “obscure,” or concealed or not well known, since the text
establishes a contrast between what some scientists have suggested and Luo’s research showing that Mesozoic mammals were a varied group. There’s no
contrast between saying that the mammals weren’t concealed or well known and the mammals being varied. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense
to say that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals weren’t very “localized,” or confined to a particular area, since the text establishes a contrast
between what some scientists have suggested and Luo’s research showing that Mesozoic mammals were a varied group. There’s no contrast between saying that
the mammals weren’t localized and the mammals being varied. Although the text mentions mammal fossils found in China, nothing in the discussion of Luo’s
research addresses the limits of Mesozoic mammal habitats.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 92328e3b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context Hard

ID: 92328e3b
As discussed by scholar Anna Mladentseva, many artworks produced in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s exclusively for exhibition on the
internet, such as Sinae Kim’s Genesis (2001), have become inaccessible because viewing them requires the use of ______ software (most
notably Adobe Flash, discontinued in 2021).

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A. defunct

B. arcane

C. ubiquitous

D. extraneous

ID: 92328e3b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of artworks that were produced for exhibition on the internet. In this context,
"defunct" means no longer existing or functioning. According to the text, many artworks that were produced in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s for exhibition on
the internet have become inaccessible due to their reliance on certain software. As an example, the text cites Sinae Kim’s Genesis, which relied on software that
was discontinued in 2021. This context supports the idea that the software is defunct.

Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that viewing artworks produced in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s for exhibition on the internet requires the use
of software. Artists generally want their works to be seen by many people, so it wouldn’t make sense for creators of internet art to require the use of software that
is "arcane," or known or knowable to only a few people. Moreover, the text states that a prominent example of software used to view these artworks is Adobe Flash,
which was discontinued in 2021, meaning it’s now defunct. Choice C is incorrect because "ubiquitous" would mean found everywhere, which wouldn’t make sense
in this context. The text indicates that the reason why many artworks that were produced in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s for exhibition on the internet have
become inaccessible has to do with the software required for viewing them. According to the text, one example of such software is Adobe Flash, which was
discontinued in 2021, meaning it’s now defunct. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the software used to view artworks produced in the
mid-1990s to the early 2000s for exhibition on the internet is "extraneous," or irrelevant. Instead, the text indicates that use of specific software is required to view
certain artworks from this period and that the discontinuation of the software renders the works inaccessible.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID bfad2097
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context Hard

ID: bfad2097
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: bfad2097 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