1.
The senator's rhetoric was so incendiary that even her supporters felt compelled to distance themselves. As used in line 3, "incendiary" most nearly means:
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: D โ deliberately provocative and inflammatory
Why not A? The literal meaning (fire) doesn't fit the context of speech/rhetoric. SAT always tests contextual meaning. Why D? "Rhetoric" + supporters distancing = the speech was dangerously inflammatory. Key skill: use surrounding words as clues.
Strategy: Replace the word with each option. Only D makes the sentence logically coherent.
๐ง
Incendiary โ "incend" = fire (Latin) โ ๋ถ๊ฐ์ด ์๊ทน์ ์ธ
2.
Choose the option that best corrects the underlined portion: Sentence: "Neither the committee members nor the chairperson were willing to sign the amended bill."
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: C โ was
With Neitherโฆnor and Eitherโฆor, the verb agrees with the subject closest to the verb (the one right before the verb).
"the chairperson" = singular โ use was, not "were".
Trap: "committee members" (plural) distracts you โ but the rule is about the NEAREST subject!
๐ง
Neither A nor B โ verb agrees with B (nearest subject)
The transition to renewable energy sources is not merely an environmental imperative; it represents a profound economic opportunity. Nations that invest aggressively in solar and wind infrastructure today will dominate the energy markets of tomorrow. Critics who argue that such investments strain public budgets ignore the mounting costs of climate inaction โ costs borne not by future abstractions but by present citizens.
3.
The author's primary purpose in this passage is to:
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: B
The passage uses persuasive language: "not merely," "profound economic opportunity," rebutting critics. This is an argument, not an explanation (A) or neutral overview (D).
C is too narrow โ the author's goal is constructive, not purely critical.
Tip: "Primary purpose" = ask yourself: what is the WHOLE passage trying to DO?
์๊ธฐํฌ์ธํธ: Primary purpose โ "์ค๋ช vs ์ฃผ์ฅ vs ๋นํ" ๊ตฌ๋ถ! ์ง๋ฌธ ์ ์ฒด ํค(tone)์ ๋ด์ผ ํจ
Punctuation & Styleโญโญโญโญโญ
โ ์ธ๋ฏธ์ฝ๋ก vs ์ฝค๋ง โ SAT ๋จ๊ณจ ํจ์ !
4.
Which punctuation correctly joins these two independent clauses? "The experiment yielded unexpected results the team celebrated."
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: C โ semicolon
B is WRONG โ this is a "comma splice" (two independent clauses joined by only a comma). SAT heavily penalizes comma splices. A is also correct grammatically, but C is more concise โ SAT favors concision when both are grammatically valid. D (colon) is used to introduce an explanation or list, not simply to connect two related actions.
๐ง
Comma splice = BIG mistake! Semicolon = two complete sentences, closely related.
6.
Which sentence is the most concise and avoids redundancy?
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: D
A: "unexpected surprise" is redundant (surprises are by definition unexpected), plus "without warning" repeats the idea again. B: "suddenly and unexpectedly" is redundant with "surprise" C: "unexpected surprise" is still redundant D: Clean, no repetition. "Surprise" alone contains all meaning.
SAT Rule: If a word is already implied, don't repeat it!
Dr. Chen published her findings without first consulting her colleagues. The department head called an emergency meeting. The following week, Dr. Chen's office was conspicuously empty during the annual research showcase.
7.
What can most reasonably be inferred from the passage?
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: C
The passage implies a causal chain: independent publication โ emergency meeting โ conspicuous absence at showcase. This strongly implies professional repercussions.
Key word: "conspicuously empty" = she was notably absent, suggesting she was excluded or resigned.
A, B, D are not supported by evidence in the text.
"Each" is singular. SAT formal writing standard = use "his or her" (not "their") for singular indefinite pronouns. A: "their" with singular "each" = technically informal (acceptable in everyday speech, but SAT penalizes this) B: Assumes masculine gender โ not inclusive C: "its" is for objects, not people
Note: SAT Writing section still follows traditional grammar rules.
๐ง
Each / Everyone / Nobody / Anyone = ๋จ์! โ his or her (SAT formal standard)
Lines 1โ3: Urban green spaces have been shown to reduce residents' stress levels significantly. Lines 4โ6: Cities with more parks report lower rates of anxiety-related hospital visits. Lines 7โ9: Architects increasingly prioritize rooftop gardens in high-density urban designs. Lines 10โ12: However, access to these spaces remains unequal across income levels.
9.
Which lines provide the best evidence that urban greenery has measurable health benefits?
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: B โ Lines 1โ3 and 4โ6
Lines 1โ3: directly states stress reduction โ health benefit evidence.
Lines 4โ6: hospital visit data โ direct health measurement.
Lines 7โ9: architectural trend, not health evidence.
Lines 10โ12: addresses inequality, not measurable health benefits.
Key: "measurable health benefits" = find lines with data or direct health outcomes.
10.
Identify the sentence with a dangling modifier:
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: A โ dangling modifier!
In A: "Running to catch the bus" modifies the subject โ but "my phone" can't run! The phone is incorrectly made the subject.
B, C, D: All use "I" as the subject โ the modifier correctly describes the person who is running.
Rule: The subject right after a participial phrase must be the one performing the action.
์๊ธฐํฌ์ธํธ: ๋ถ์ฌ๊ตฌ๋ฌธ ๋ค ์ฃผ์ ์ ์ฃผ์ด = ๋ถ์ฌ์ ํ์์์ฌ์ผ ํจ! "Walking in the rain, the umbrella broke" = ์ค๋ต!
Word Choice โ Precise Languageโญโญโญโญ
11.
The CEO's decision to restructure the company was โ employees had long anticipated significant changes. Choose the word that best completes the sentence with the most precise meaning:
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: B โ inevitable
The second half says employees "long anticipated" changes โ the decision was expected, not surprising. Inevitable = unavoidable, expected to happen โ perfectly matches the context.
A contradicts context. C/D are vague and unsupported by evidence in the sentence.
12.
"The new treatment showed promising results in early trials. , larger studies found no statistically significant improvement." Choose the best transition:
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: D โ However
The two sentences are contrasting: early trials = good; larger studies = no improvement.
โ Use a contrast transition: However, Nevertheless, Yet, On the other hand.
A (Furthermore) = addition. B (Therefore) = conclusion/result. C (Similarly) = comparison.
One might generously describe the administration's environmental policy as "cautious." A more candid assessment would call it what it is: willful neglect dressed in bureaucratic language, a slow-motion surrender to industrial interests.
13.
The author's tone in this passage can best be described as:
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: C โ sardonic and critical
"One might generously describeโฆ" = sarcasm. "Willful neglect," "slow-motion surrender" = harshly critical language. Sardonic = grimly mocking, scornfully sarcastic โ perfect match.
A: "objective" would mean no emotional language. B/D: nothing positive in the passage.
๐ง
Tone vocabulary: sardonic(๋น๊ผฌ๋) / wistful(๊ทธ๋ฆฌ์ด) / didactic(๊ตํ์ ) / reverent(๊ฒฝ๊ฑดํ)
14.
Which version maintains correct parallel structure?
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: C
Parallel structure = all items in a series must use the same grammatical form.
C: reading (gerund) / hiking (gerund) / swimming (gerund) โ โ all gerunds
A/B/D: mix gerunds, infinitives, bare verbs โ โ not parallel
SAT Rule: X, Y, and Z โ all three must be the same form!
๐ง
Parallel = X, Y, and Z โ ๊ฐ์ ๋ฌธ๋ฒ ํํ (๋ชจ๋ -ing, ๋ชจ๋ to V, ๋ชจ๋ ๋ช ์ฌ)
15.
The scientist's hypothesis, once considered heterodox, is now accepted as canonical. As used here, "canonical" most nearly means:
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: D โ officially accepted as standard
The contrast: "once heterodox (nonstandard)" โ "now canonical." This contrast tells us canonical = the opposite of heterodox = standard, authoritative, accepted.
B: "canonical" has religious origins but here it's used in academic context.
Context clues (the contrast word "once") are the key to solving this.
์๊ธฐํฌ์ธํธ: ๋์กฐ ๋จ์ ํ์ฉ! "once A, now B" โ A์ B๋ ๋ฐ์์ด ๊ด๊ณ!
Adding/Deleting Sentencesโญโญโญโญโญ
โ ๋ฌธ์ฅ ์ถ๊ฐ/์ญ์ โ ๋ ผ๋ฆฌ ํ๋ฆ ์ ์ง!
[1] The printing press revolutionized the spread of knowledge in Europe. [2] Gutenberg developed his press around 1440. [3] Interestingly, modern inkjet printers use similar principles of ink distribution. [4] Within decades, books became affordable for ordinary citizens, transforming literacy rates across the continent.
16.
Should sentence [3] be kept or deleted?
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: B
The passage is about the historical impact of the printing press on knowledge/literacy. Sentence [3] introduces modern inkjet printers โ a topic shift that doesn't support the central argument. SAT Rule: "Should this sentence be kept?" โ Only keep it if it directly supports the paragraph's main idea. "Interesting" alone is NOT enough justification!
17.
Choose the correct verb form:
"The data collected from over forty separate studies that sleep deprivation impairs cognitive function."
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: C โ suggests
The true subject is "The data" โ not "studies." In academic/formal SAT English, "data" can be treated as singular (collective noun).
The phrase "collected from over forty separate studies" is a prepositional phrase โ don't let it fool you into using plural verb!
A is incorrect because "data" here is used as singular in formal context.
"The economy is a ship in a storm, and the government's policies are the anchor it threw overboard in a moment of panic."
18.
The author's use of the metaphor in the passage primarily suggests that government policies:
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: C
An anchor thrown overboard in panic = something that weighs down and drags a ship under, rather than stabilizing it.
The metaphor conveys reckless, panicked action making things worse.
"In a moment of panic" = impulsive, poorly planned (eliminates B).
The ship is still in a storm, not saved (eliminates A and D).
Passage 1: Social media platforms have democratized information sharing, giving ordinary citizens a voice once reserved for journalists and academics. This unprecedented access to public discourse has strengthened participatory democracy.
Passage 2: The so-called democratization of information through social media is, in fact, the proliferation of misinformation. Without editorial standards, unverified claims spread faster than corrections, eroding the public's capacity for informed decision-making.
20.
Both authors would most likely agree that social media has:
๐ Explanation
โ Correct Answer: B
Both passages acknowledge that social media changed who shares information:
โข P1: "giving ordinary citizens a voice once reserved for journalists"
โข P2: "the proliferation of misinformation" (implying broad, non-professional sharing)
They disagree on whether this change is positive (P1) or negative (P2). Find what they BOTH say, not where they differ!
D is only P1's view. C contradicts both. A contradicts both.