Explanations – SAT Practice Test 3 VERBAL 1. D Since the veteran boxer won most of his bouts by knockouts, you can assume that he was pretty successful. Unbroken is the only choice that describes his series of wins in a way that suggests success; an unbroken series of victories would be a winning streak with no losses. (A) and (B) are both contradicted by the rest of the sentence. Choice (C) able-bodied may seem to fit in a sentence about a boxer, but what’s an able-bodied series of wins? This choice sounds odd when you plug it in. Only (D) makes sense. 2. E Sitting still for hours and remaining alert to the slightest sound or motion amounts to having (E) limitless patience and keen powers of observation. Powers of (A) persuasion, (C) reasoning, or (D) trust have nothing to do with the description of bird watching given. In (B), powers of concentration are certainly required but it doesn’t make sense to speak of patience as skilled. 3. B One of the main things with Sentence Completions is to look for context clues—words and ideas in the sentence that strongly suggest the answer you’re looking for. Here, the first major clue in the sentence is the word “everyday.” You know you’re looking for a word with a similar meaning for the first blank. In the second blank, you need something to describe what the everyday objects were transformed into, a word to contrast with “everyday.” That takes you to (B). Mundane is almost a synonym for “everyday.” The second word in (B), resplendent, or extraordinary, is a good contrast, and fits when plugged into the sentence: Weston’s camera transformed mundane things into objects of resplendent beauty. (C) and (E) can be eliminated because their first words don’t work. Everyday things like vegetables are not always small or artificial. In (A), inexpensive might seem to fit with the idea of “everyday items such as vegetables.” But (A)’s second word, tawdry, or cheap and gaudy, makes no sense. In (D), you might imagine that vegetables can be decorative, but (D)’s second word functional doesn’t provide the contrast we’re looking for. 4. B Here, you know that the issues “go far beyond” the immediate controversy referred to in the sentence. So you can predict they have “implications” or “consequences” beyond the matter presently under discussion. The best match for this prediction is (B) ramifications. Ramifications are resulting developments or consequences. (C) proponents are advocates or supporters. (D) inferences are conclusions. 5. D The phrase “even accepting” in the second part of the sentence implies that Chamberlain’s approach to German aggression was not a particularly tough or militant one, especially since he tolerated Germany’s annexation of Austria. Therefore, it’s likely that Chamberlain adopted a non-aggressive, accepting For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org approach to Hitler. The choice that comes closest to this prediction is (D) conciliatory, meaning “tending to pacify or accommodate.” Choice (B) precarious means “uncertain or dangerous,” and choice (C) haughty means “arrogant, snobby, huffy.” 6. C Although we don’t know what kind of performance Redgrave gave, we can infer that it was either good or bad. If it was good, we can predict people who were lucky enough to see the performance say it was the height of his career. Basically, we want two positive words if Redgrave did a good job, or two negative words if he bombed. The only choice showing this relationship is (C): those fortunate enough to witness Redgrave’s performance say it was the pinnacle, or height, of his career. (A) scourge means “something that annoys or destroys.” (B) astute means shrewd or perceptive. (D) hapless means “unlucky.” (E) nadir means “the lowest point.” 7. C This woman relieves her after-work exhaustion by walking along the beach. Thus the implied adjective in the first blank, describing the sea air, will reinforce this idea. In the second blank, we need a synonym for “relieve.’’ Thus (C): the bracing, or invigorating, sea air always manages to alleviate her fatigue. The other choices make no sense. The sea air might be (A) humid, (B) salty, (D) damp, or (E) chilly, but those qualities wouldn’t hasten, exacerbate (worsen), reprove (scold), or aggravate the woman’s exhaustion. 8. A The word in the blank will describe terms which refer indirectly to some thing or idea. The right answer is (A) — euphemisms are polite, inoffensive or less explicit terms which are used to name an unpleasant, frightening or offensive reality. "Passed away" is an example of a euphemism. You say “passed away” instead of “died.” (B) banalities are things that are commonplace or worn-out. (D) apostrophes are marks used to indicate the omission of one or more letters in a word, as in the word “can’t.” (E) eulogies are formal speeches of praise. At a funeral, speakers might deliver eulogies about the person that died. 9. E A good vocabulary will help you figure out this one. The bookkeepers altered some financial records and completely fabricated others, so you need a word like “altered,” “falsified,” or “fake” for the blank. (E) spurious means “false, lacking authenticity,” so it’s a good match. 10. D ANCHOR is being used as a verb here. You can tell because some of the first position words in the answer choices can only be used as verbs, and if one of them is a verb, then all of them are verbs. To ANCHOR a BOAT is to secure it in one place. Likewise, to tether a horse is to secure him in one place. Hope you weren’t fooled by same subject temptations—in choices (A) and (B), the words ship and pier might remind you of the stem pair, but that isn’t a good reason to pick them. For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org 11. C The related prefixes CO-, COL-, and COM- mean “with” or “together.” COLLABORATE contains the prefix CO- and the root LABOR, so it means “to WORK together.” The word habit has come a long way from its root, HABIT, over the centuries, but the original root meaning is still visible in such words as inhabit, habitat, and habitation. In those words, HABIT means “to live or reside.” So cohabit means “to live together,” and (C) is correct. In (D), SYN-, like CO-, means “with” or “together”; CHRON- means “time.” So synchronize means “to make happen at the same time.” When one watch is synchronized with another, it displays the same time as the other watch. But watch in choice (D) isn’t a noun, it’s a verb. Always “watch” the parts of speech in an analogy to make sure you understand what meaning of a word is intended. 12. E In questions where the vocabulary is easy it is very important to state the connection between the stem words absolutely precisely. In this case an APRON is worn to protect one’s CLOTHES. Once this is clear, answer choice (E) jumps out as correct: a helmet is worn to protect the head. The other answer choices, even those with strong bridges, can be eliminated easily: (A) is strong—a parasol is used to protect against the sun—but that bridge is inappropriate. (B) is moderately strong: gloves are sometimes worn to protect against the cold; since this bridge is identical to that in (A), both answer choices would have to be eliminated because only one answer can have the same bridge as the stem words. (C) and (D) have totally different bridges—so (E) is the correct answer. 13. B Answer choice (B) is correct. A PULPIT is a platform on which a PREACHER stands in church when addressing the congregation. In (B), the podium is a raised platform where the conductor stands. Choice (A) has a strong bridge— every teacher has a student—but it is not the one which we need here. Choices (C), (D) and (E) can be eliminated because they have weak bridges: an artist, if he or she is a painter, may use a canvas (C) but the connection is not a really strong one; (D) and (E) are even weaker. In (D) a gallery is a balcony in a theater. 14. A Here’s a tougher stem pair, but, as always, there is a strong bridge: The word ADULATION is a very strong kind of PRAISE. In the same way, with (A), loathing is a very strong kind of dislike. (B) doesn’t work because disdain and contempt mean practically the same thing. The stem pair involves one word that’s an extreme form of the other. Scholarship is not an extreme kind of eloquence (C). Sympathy is not an extreme kind of emotion (D). And pleasure is not an extreme form of hedonism. If you had trouble, you might have tried eliminating choices—(C) and (D) both seem like weak bridges (words with unclear relationships)—and then guessing. 15. B An ANALGESIC is used to relieve PAIN. Likewise, an emollient is used to relieve dryness. There were a lot of “doctor” words here—especially in For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org choices (D) and (E). You might have spotted them as SST’s (same subject temptations), especially since this was supposed to be a tough question. On tough questions, the ones at the end of the set, the “obvious” answer is usually wrong. In (A), a purgative is a medicine that purges or cleans you out, like mineral oil. But a purgative doesn’t produce purity, exactly. In (C) a humidifier provides moisture, not ventilation (air circulation). Medical Pair Although these two passages discuss issues in medical research, don’t be intimidated by the subject matter. Read through the passages once to get a general feel for them. The question stems will direct you back to the specific sentences you’ll need to understand to get the answers. Also, it’s a good idea to read through Passage 1 and do the questions that refer to it, and then read through Passage 2 and do the rest of the questions. Passage 1 talks about the difficulty of reconstructing or replacing certain bones in humans. A recent advance has been the creation of bone substitutes from muscle using the protein osteogenin. While osteogenin can’t be used directly on a defect, it can be used to prefabricate bones in molds implanted in an animal’s abdomen. The process hasn’t been tried in humans, though, because osteogenin is scarce, and because it has to be tested on larger animals first. Passage 2 has a distinctly different tone. The author is not objective and impartial; he’s taking a stand on an issue: he argues that testing on humans is necessary in order to make improvements in artificial organs. Using animals, he says, isn’t good enough: there are no good animal models for human bones and joints. Moreover, testing on humans gives doctors crucial experience. The author concludes that there’s no point in developing new designs for artificial organs until present ones have been evaluated on people. 16. D Remember to read the sentences before and after the line reference. At the end of paragraph 1, the author talks about the difficulty of reconstructing and replacing bones. This is the “challenge” that’s further explained in paragraph 2—(D) is the answer. The author doesn’t mention tissue development in the human embryo until paragraph 3 (A). (B) contradicts the passage: the author states that it ’s impossible to reconfigure bones. It’s currently possible to replace joints with plastic or metal substitutes, but the author never says anything about designing better types of them (C). She never identifies “the causes of diseases that lead to bone losses” (E) either. 17. E The stem contains no line reference, but the only place the author talks about future experiments in making bone from muscle is the last paragraph. She says there that surgeons “have not yet tried the process in humans” and that it “must For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org first be tested on larger animals.” The author expects, therefore, that future experiments will “involve larger animals and perhaps humans” (E). There’s no evidence that future experiments will “encounter no serious problems” (A), that they will be hindered by surgeons (C), or that they “face enormous technical obstacles” (D). And despite the fact that all experiments have so far been limited to smaller animals (B), it’s clear that this isn’t what the author expects in the future. 18. C An example of the all/EXCEPT question type. Information about osteogenin is spread over the last three paragraphs, so scan through the choices to see if one jumps out before you start digging through the passage. (C), “its application can be easily controlled,” should strike you as false because the author says in paragraph 4 that osteogenin is hard to control—it might turn an entire area to bone if sprinkled on a defect. If you didn’t spot (C), you had to confirm the other choices. “Current supplies [of osteogenin] are limited” (A) is indicated in paragraph 6. This is also where the author says that “tests of its effectiveness have been limited” (B) to small animals, and that osteogenin’s “safety for human use is undetermined” (D). The fact that “some surgeons hesitate to use it” (E) because it’s hard to control is stated in paragraph 4. 19. A You’ve already had to go back and read through the last paragraph a couple of times by now, so glance through the choices. “A review of current knowledge” (A) looks good right away, because the author points out in the last paragraph how far surgeons have gone in experimenting with and learning about the new process. There’s no “qualification of an earlier remark” (B). (C) is out because the author never mentions, no less challenges, a contradictory view. The final paragraph presents new facts and ideas rather than a “summary of previous ideas” (D). As for (E), the author’s call for testing on larger animals is a demand not “for an alternative approach” but for a guarantee of safety and effectiveness before the process is tried on people. 20. D The phrase “to die young at a ripe age” doesn’t make much sense until you understand its context. The author’s discussing the eventual benefits of artificial organs: ordinary people can live longer or, even better, they can die young at a ripe age. “Dying young at a ripe age” does not mean “living longer” (E). Nor does it mean “dying prematurely” (A), “dying young of an illness” (B), or “extending one’s life despite being ill” (C)—none of these is a positive thing—the author’s talking about the benefits of artificial organs. “Dying young at a ripe age” means dying at a normal old age after having enjoyed a relatively young body during your life; in other words, it means “maintaining a healthier body into old age” (D). 21. C In paragraph 2 of Passage 2, the author accuses medical ethicists of hampering the activities of human volunteers. He declares that the ethicists are “well- intentioned” but “their standards are inappropriate.” Clearly, the author is For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org “disapproving” (C) of them. None of the other words comes close to describing the author’s attitude. 22. E Looking down through the choices, you can see that the only one that can be eliminated right away is “slogans” (A), which is not a synonym for standards. To pick the right one, go back and locate "standards" in its context. The author says that the “standards,” or “principles” (E), of the medical ethicists are inappropriate. “Measurements” (B), “examples” (C), and “banners” (D) don’t make sense in the context of the sentence. 23. A Another vocabulary-in-context question. Checking the sentence, “critical” is used to mean “decisive“ (A): the author’s stating that the need to use humans leads to a decisive or very significant “bottleneck in the experimental process.” Critical isn’t used to mean “aggressive” (B), “skeptical” (C), “perceptive” (D), or “fault-finding” (E). 24. A The author discusses the use of artificial heart devices in paragraph 4. The design of the devices is not a problem, he says; rather, it’s the lack of experience researchers have had using them with human subjects. He points out that heart devices may work in one patient and not in another, depending on age, health and the quality of postoperative care. He repeats his point at the beginning of the next paragraph: what’s lacking in coronary care is simply more experience (A). The author isn’t “praising scientists’ ability to fight coronary disease” (B); he’s saying it could be much better if human testing were done. The author never mentions any “lingering doubts” about artificial heart implants (C). (D) contradicts the passage directly: the author says that “engineering design is not currently the main obstacle.” Finally, (E) is wrong because the author never discusses “several new treatments now available to heart patients.” 25. C The author poses the questions in the last paragraph in order to identify information that scientists still lack. He’s showing that their knowledge of coronary disease is incomplete (C)—that’s why human testing is so essential. He’s not illustrating the value of any new devices (A)—he’s opposed at present to new devices. Nobody else’s arguments are being refuted here (B). (D) turns the author’s ideas around: he supports human testing. As for (E), “widely publicized areas of research” misses the point. The point is simple: these are questions that need to be answered. 26. B The answer here has to be fairly general, because the connection between the two passages is indirect. Take the answer choices one by one and evaluate each one using evidence from the passages. For example, (A) is wrong because the author of Passage 1 doesn’t disagree with anyone or cite any views different from hers. (B), though, is accurate: the author of Passage 1 talks about the difficulty surgeons have in reconstructing and replacing bones, and the author of Passage 2 laments surgeons’ lack of experience in using artificial organs. (C) For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org and (D) are wrong because only the author of Passage 2 demands mentions cultural values as a barrier to research. As for (E), neither author advocates a more rapid development of new implant procedures. 27. B Passage 2 is devoted to arguing for the testing of artificial organs on humans, because restrictions on human testing are a major obstacle to improved devices. Before checking the choices, predict what the author of Passage 2 might say about the wider use of osteogenin. No doubt he’d say that gaining experience with the use of osteogenin on humans would be difficult—exactly what (B) says. (A) and (D) cite valid obstacles to the wider use of osteogenin, but they’re wrong because there’s no reason to think that the author of Passage 2 would stress them. (C) and (E) are out because they aren’t obstacles to the use of osteogenin at all. 28. D The last paragraph of Passage 1 states that the process of bone prefabrication has not yet been tried on humans—that it needs to be tested on large animals first. The last paragraph of Passage 2 features questions about coronary care that can only be answered through human testing. In other words, both authors are stressing the need to “gather information that’s relevant to the treatment of human patients” (D). (A) is out because neither author sees the need to “develop new and improved devices for human implantation.” The author of Passage 1 suggests that experiments should next be carried out on larger animals, which rules out (C), while the author of Passage 2 wants testing on humans, which eliminates (B). As for (E), neither author advocates “curbing the growing use of animals in testing.” For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org . previous ideas” (D). As for (E), the author’s call for testing on larger animals is a demand not for an alternative approach” but for a guarantee of safety. annexation of Austria. Therefore, it’s likely that Chamberlain adopted a non-aggressive, accepting For more material and information, please visit Tai