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Taking the SAT® I: Reasoning Test

Practice Test Sections

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Practice Test
SAT I: Reasoning Test

About the REVIEWING YOUR PERFORMANCE

After you score your practice test, analyze your performance.
Practice Test Asking yourself these questions and following the sugges-
tions can help you improve your scores:
Take the practice test, which starts on page 35, to rein-
force your test-taking skills and to be more comfortable ❚ Did you run out of time before you finished a section?
when you take the SAT. This practice test will give you a Try to pace yourself so you will have time to answer
good idea of what to expect on the actual test. However, all the questions you can. Don’t spend too much time
the test you eventually take will differ in some ways. It on any one question.
may, for example, contain a different number of reading ❚ Did you hurry and make careless mistakes? You may
passages, and its sections may be in a different order. have misread the question, neglected to notice the word
Although some editions of the SAT may be slightly easier “except” or “best,” solved for the wrong value, or
or harder than others, statistical adjustments are made reversed column A and column B in your mind.
to ensure that each score indicates the same level of ❚ Were there questions you omitted that you might
performance. have gotten right if you had guessed? Did you lose
Also, this practice SAT includes only six of the seven points because of random guessing? Read page 4 again
sections that the actual test contains. Section 5 has been to determine when guessing might be helpful.
omitted on this test because it contains questions that ❚ Did you spend too much time reading directions? You
may be used in future editions of the SAT and because it should be familiar with the test directions so you don’t
does not count toward the scores. have to spend as much time reading them when you take
The practice test will help you most if you take it under the actual test.
conditions as close as possible to those of the actual test.
MORE ABOUT SCORING
FINDING YOUR SCORES
Your SAT answer sheet is scanned by machine and the
Your raw test scores are placed on the College Board scale of oval you filled in for each question is recorded on a com-
200 to 800. Use the table on page 63 to find the scaled scores puter tape. Next, the computer compares the oval filled in
that correspond to your raw scores on this edition of the SAT. for each question with the correct response.

Practice Test Tips

1. Set aside 21/2
hours of uninterrupted
3. Allow yourself
the specified amount
4. Have a calcu-
lator at hand when
5. Read the
instructions on page
time. That way you can of time for each sec- you take the math 35. They are reprinted
complete the entire test tion. Have a timer or sections. This will help from the back cover of the
at one sitting. clock in front of you for you determine how much test book. On test day, you
pacing yourself on the to use a calculator the will be asked to read them

2. Sit at a desk
or table cleared of any
sections. day of the test. before you begin answer-
ing questions.

other papers or books.

You won’t be able to take
a dictionary, books, or
6. After you
finish, read page 63.
notes into the test room.

30 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test

Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 31
32 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test
Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 33
 e q u a ting
o n 5 , t he t ice
S e c t i p r a c
n o f t his e d.
e c t i o m i t t
s
a s b e en o
test, h

34 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test

Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 35
 Unauthorized copying or reuse of
any part of this page is illegal.

SECTION 1
Time — 30 minutes
35 Questions

Directions: For each question in this section, select the best answer from among the choices given and fill in the corresponding
oval on the answer sheet.

Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank 5. Even though the programmers are ------- about their
indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath the new software, they are wary of publicly ------- its
sentence are five words or sets of words labeled A through capabilities until further testing.
E. Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in
(A) anxious . . commending
the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a
(B) apprehensive . . substantiating
whole.
(C) confident . . disclosing
Example: (D) positive . . decrying
(E) cynical . . celebrating
Medieval kingdoms did not become constitutional
republics overnight; on the contrary, the change
was -------. 6. Mary Ellen Pleasant, as a ------- supporter of Black
emancipation before the Civil War, spurned politicians
(A) unpopular (B) unexpected who advocated quiet dissent.
(C) advantageous (D) sufficient
(A) cavalier (B) vociferous (C) sanguine
(E) gradual A B C D E
(D) premature (E) noncommittal
1. The doctor does not believe in conservative approaches 7. Although we as laypeople expect scientific accounts of
to teaching medicine: she uses the latest techniques, the world to be ------- our commonsense understanding
including ------- ones. of reality, the paradoxes of modern physics seem to
(A) outmoded (B) figurative (C) experimental ------- our personal expectations.
(D) cursory (E) permanent (A) parallel to . . confirm
(B) consistent with . . undermine
2. Cookery ------- the ------- of science, for the observa- (C) aligned against . . resist
tions of prehistoric cooks laid the foundations of early (D) congruent with . . buttress
chemistry. (E) implied in . . augment
(A) ignored . . precision
(B) advanced . . development 8. The play closed after only a week because critics gave
(C) retarded . . supremacy the performance ------- reviews.
(D) aided . . decline (A) innocuous (B) caustic (C) rave
(E) betrayed . . methodology (D) gaudy (E) contrite
3. The United States Congress has the power to -------, 9. The essay was both ------- and ------- : although
that is, to charge an elected federal official for a major concise, it was profoundly moving.
crime.
(A) meandering . . denigrating
(A) veto (B) convict (C) demote (B) compact . . enervating
(D) impeach (E) exonerate (C) fictional . . touching
(D) argumentative . . rationalistic
4. “Bedlam,” a popular name for the first English insane (E) terse . . poignant
asylum, has come to signify any scene of ------- and
confusion. 10. The consequence of the conspirators’ ------- was severe
(A) collaboration (B) treachery (C) secrecy punishment of all those involved in the unsuccessful
(D) turmoil (E) placidity revolt.
(A) machinations (B) ruminations
(C) reservations (D) forebodings
(E) consolations

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36 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test

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17. EULOGY : TRIBUTE ::

Each question below consists of a related pair of words
(A) editorial : opinion
or phrases, followed by five pairs of words or phrases
(B) speech : audience
labeled A through E. Select the pair that best expresses a
(C) book : preface
relationship similar to that expressed in the original pair.
(D) poetry : lyrics
Example: (E) pun : words
CRUMB : BREAD ::
(A) ounce : unit 18. CONTRACT : AGREEMENT ::
(B) splinter : wood (A) recipe : menu
(C) water : bucket (B) diploma : school
(D) twine : rope (C) ticket : theater
(E) cream : butter A B C D E
(D) loan : reimbursement
(E) summons : command

19. CONTRARY : CONFORM ::

11. MUSICIAN : ORCHESTRA :: (A) conspiratorial : plot
(A) worker : product (B) indebted : repay
(B) composer : score (C) heretical : expel
(C) soloist : accompanist (D) skeptical : believe
(D) player : team (E) propagandistic : persuade
(E) dancer : stage
20. PARAGON : EXCELLENCE ::
12. EARTHWORM : SOIL :: (A) coward : bravery
(A) whale : ocean (B) aggressor : confidence
(B) salmon : net (C) traitor : disloyalty
(C) swimmer : pool (D) buyer : bargain
(D) horse : stable (E) orator : attention
(E) bird : nest
21. CACOPHONOUS : SOUND ::
13. CREVICE : OPENING :: (A) delicious : taste
(A) well : water (B) dark : vision
(B) crack : stress (C) pungent : odor
(C) slit : cut (D) faded : color
(D) base : summit (E) tactile : touch
(E) leak : seal
22. RUTHLESS : COMPASSION ::
14. PEN : INSCRIBE :: (A) unwitting : awareness
(A) copper : polish (B) euphoric : mania
(B) pencil : erase (C) bitter : resentment
(C) telephone : listen (D) unknowable : comprehension
(D) needle : embroider (E) diplomatic : tact
(E) flame : boil
23. NEMESIS : HARM ::
15. GRAZE : SCRAPE :: (A) sycophant : criticism
(A) float : sink (B) apprentice : learning
(B) tap : hear (C) prodigy : talent
(C) relieve : injure (D) muse : inspiration
(D) weigh : measure (E) commentator : disinterest
(E) dampen : wet

16. ACRE : AREA ::

(A) horizon : distance
(B) thermometer : heat
(C) size : volume
(D) ounce : weight
(E) water : fluid

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Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 37

 Unauthorized copying or reuse of
any part of this page is illegal.

The two passages below are followed by questions based on their content and on the relationship between the two passages.
Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passages and in any introductory material that may be
provided.

Questions 24-35 are based on the following passages. “Weary Willie and Tired Tim.” Weary Willie and
45 Tired Tim made their debut on the front of Illustrated
The following two passages are from critical commentaries Chips in 1896 when Chaplin was an energetic eight year
on “the Tramp,” the comic character created by silent-film old. In his book, My Autobiography, Chaplin only mentions
star Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977). his love of comics in passing, commenting that one of his
rare pleasures was reading “my weekly comic on a serene
Passage 1 50 Sunday morning.”
He was much more forthcoming— and revealing —
Before Charlie Chaplin came along, tramps and hoboes in 1957 while talking to journalist Victor Thompson.
had long been a part of the cartoon and comic strip tradi- Chaplin began reminiscing about his younger days—and
tion, represented most prominently in England in 1896 one particular occasion when he had a short-lived job at
Line by Tom Browne’s “Weary Willie and Tired Tim” and 55 a glass-blowing establishment in London.
5 in the United States in 1900 by Frederick Burr Opper’s “In the lunch breaks, I used to entertain the men with
“Happy Hooligan.” But Chaplin was to bring a definitive sand dances,” he told Thompson. “On one occasion I
genius to the tramp figure, raising it to heights of poetic danced so furiously, I got sick and had to be sent home.
and mythic power in his first year with the Keystone studios. I sat on the curb feeling I was dying. A woman gave me a
That Chaplin had considered using the tramp figure earlier 60 penny to go home by horse-bus, but I walked and bought
10 is suggested by the title of one of his childhood stage teams, a comic with the windfall.
“Bristol and Chaplin, the Millionaire Tramps.” But the “Ah, those comics,” Chaplin went on, “the wonderfully
tramp character was not fully realized until 1914, when vulgar paper for boys with ‘Casey Court’ pictures, and the
Chaplin donned the baggy pants, the floppy shoes, the cane, ‘Adventures of Weary Willie and Tired Tim,’ two famous
the derby hat, and the little moustache for his second film. 65 tramps with the world against them. There’s been a lot said
15 As Chaplin would later explain, “The moment I was dressed, about how I evolved the little tramp character who made my
the clothes and makeup made me feel the character. By the name. Deep, psychological stuff has been written about
time I walked on stage ‘the Tramp’ was fully born.” He how I meant him to be a symbol of all the class war, of
would polish and revise the character through other film the love-hate concept, the death-wish and what-all.
roles until 1915, when he was featured in his own two-reel 70 “But if you want the simple Chaplin truth behind the
20 film, The Tramp. Chaplin legend, I started the little tramp simply to make
In his own comments on the Tramp, Chaplin put his people laugh and because those other old tramps, Weary
finger on many of the elements that made the character- Willie and Tired Tim, had always made me laugh.”
ization so powerful and universally relevant. As he said If one glances through old copies of Illustrated Chips,
after introducing the character to his director, “this fellow 75 it is possible to find similarities between the scrapes that
25 is many-sided, a tramp, a gentleman, a poet, a dreamer, a Weary Willie and Tired Tim got into and those in some of
lonely fellow, always hopeful of romance and adventure. Chaplin’s films: even the titles of Chaplin’s early movies
He would have you believe he is a scientist, a musician, a seem derived from the adventures of the comic book heroes.
duke, a polo player. However, he is not above picking up And if further proof of the influence is needed, isn’t the
cigarette butts or robbing a baby of its candy.” The Tramp, 80 very appearance of the gaunt Weary Willie strikingly
30 in other words, is a human being down and out on his luck similar to that of Chaplin’s Little Tramp?
and full of passion for life and hope that things will get
better. He is imaginative and creative, and thus a romantic
and an artist, who brings style to his meager existence and
art to his struggle for survival. Yet when things become
35 worse, he is willing to place practicality above sentiment
and violate the usual social amenities. He is indeed complex
and many-sided, thereby touching most human beings at
one or more points in our character and makeup. There is a
good deal in his nature that most of us identify with in our
40 secret selves, apart from what we are in the public world
we inhabit.
Passage 2
There is no doubt that Charlie Chaplin was a regu-
lar reader of the most famous of the early comic strips,

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38 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test
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24. In line 8, the phrase “first year” emphasizes how 28. How does Chaplin’s comment about comic strips in
Chaplin lines 62-73 (“Ah . . . laugh”) relate to his reaction to
comics in lines 47-50 (“In . . . morning”) ?
(A) underwent a dramatic change that surprised
everyone (A) It shows that Chaplin told his audiences what he
(B) accomplished something highly significant in a thought they wanted to hear rather than the truth.
very short time (B) It suggests that Chaplin was more enthralled
(C) demanded creative freedom from the start of his with comic strips than he indicated in his
career autobiography.
(D) rarely showed allegiance to any film studio for (C) It refutes the criticism that Chaplin’s humor was
more than one year not original but was borrowed in large part from
(E) quickly won over the critics who had panned his early comic-strip tramps.
first films (D) It proves that Chaplin intended his Tramp to be
more thought-provoking than the tramps depic-
25. The comment in lines 28-29 (“However . . . candy”) ted in comic strips.
suggests that the Tramp (E) It explains why Chaplin’s attitude toward comic
strips changed as he evolved from a young
(A) is honorable even when he is down on his luck amateur to a mature professional.
(B) is willing to violate society’s sense of acceptable
behavior
29. The last paragraph in Passage 2 functions primarily to
(C) can be compassionate one minute and aloof
the next (A) show how Chaplin’s true character was very
(D) tries to exercise restraint but is too passionate different from his public image
to hide his feelings (B) compare Chaplin’s adoration of comic book
(E) pretends to be oblivious to his surroundings but heroes with the public’s adoration of Chaplin
is a shrewd observer (C) emphasize how the Tramp character changed over
the years
26. In the concluding sentence of Passage 1, the author (D) foster a greater appreciation for Chaplin’s comic
suggests that most people genius
(E) provide explicit evidence of what inspired Chaplin
(A) believe that the Tramp’s blatant disregard for
societal norms is a bad influence on the public 30. According to both passages, the year 1896 was
(B) do not comprehend their own true nature, whereas
significant because it was then that
the Tramp is known for his self-awareness
(C) inhabit a world of one-dimensional personalities (A) the comic book Illustrated Chips became avail-
(D) share an emotional affinity with the Tramp able in the United States
(E) admire the Tramp’s resilience in hard times (B) theater audiences first saw Chaplin’s interpre-
tation of the Tramp
27. In Passage 2, the conversation with journalist (C) Weary Willie and Tired Tim were introduced
Victor Thompson proved significant primarily to the public
because it (D) Chaplin’s comic genius was first recognized
(E) the development of silent film technology got
(A) provided insight into what influenced Chaplin to under way
create the Tramp
(B) explained how difficult it was for Chaplin to per-
fect the role of the Tramp
(C) helped Chaplin understand more clearly his own
attitudes toward the Tramp
(D) gave Chaplin an opportunity to respond to critics
of his autobiography
(E) covered new ground in compiling a psychological
profile of the Tramp

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Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 39
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31. How does the reference to what Chaplin “put his finger 33. Which statement best describes how each passage
on” (lines 21-22, Passage 1) differ from the “Chaplin addresses the influence of comic strips on Chaplin’s
truth” (line 70, Passage 2) ? Tramp?
(A) The first implies that Chaplin’s views were widely (A) Passage 1 denies that the early comic strips bear
accepted; the second implies that few people any similarity to Chaplin’s character, while
embraced Chaplin’s beliefs. Passage 2 argues for a direct resemblance.
(B) The first addresses Chaplin’s ability to fool (B) Passage 1 argues that comic strips inspired
people; the second focuses on Chaplin’s ability Chaplin, while Passage 2 identifies Chaplin’s
to persuade them. silent film colleagues as his chief inspiration.
(C) The first reveals the profound elements of the (C) Passage 1 argues that Chaplin had a scholarly
Tramp; the second suggests that the primary interest in the history of comic strip tramps,
purpose of the Tramp was to provide humor. while Passage 2 argues that he merely found
(D) The first conveys Chaplin’s sense of accom- them funny.
plishment; the second downplays Chaplin’s (D) Passage 1 argues that Chaplin added meaning to
contributions to the development of the Tramp. his comic strip predecessors, while Passage 2
(E) The first presents a cynical view of comedy; the simply recognizes their comic influence.
second offers a more whimsical outlook. (E) Passage 1 focuses on Chaplin’s contempt for
comic strip humor, while Passage 2 highlights
32. Lines 70-73 in Passage 2 suggest that the interpretation why Chaplin found comic strips entertaining.
of the Tramp by the author of Passage 1
34. Compared to the description of Chaplin’s Tramp in
(A) misconstrues Chaplin’s fundamental motivation
Passage 1, the portrayal of the Tramp in Passage 2
for the Tramp figure
is less
(B) wrongly assumes that society embraced Chaplin’s
unconventional ideas (A) compassionate
(C) erroneously credits Weary Willie and Tired Tim (B) personal
with conceiving the idea for the Tramp figure (C) generous
(D) conveys the false impression that the Tramp was (D) complicated
the only character that Chaplin played (E) humorous
(E) ignores the way in which Chaplin sought to render
social commentary through his humor 35. According to Passage 2, Chaplin would most probably
characterize the concluding sentence of Passage 1
(lines 38-41) as
(A) “forthcoming —and revealing” (line 51)
(B) “wonderfully vulgar” (lines 62-63)
(C) “Deep, psychological stuff” (line 67)
(D) “the simple Chaplin truth” (line 70)
(E) “further proof of the influence” (line 79)

STOP
If you finish before time is called, you may check your work on this section only.
Do not turn to any other section in the test.

40 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test

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SECTION 2
Time — 30 minutes
25 Questions

Directions: In this section solve each problem, using any available space on the page for scratchwork. Then decide
which is the best of the choices given and fill in the corresponding oval on the answer sheet.

Notes:
1. The use of a calculator is permitted. All numbers used are real numbers.
2. Figures that accompany problems in this test are intended to provide information useful in solving the problems.
They are drawn as accurately as possible EXCEPT when it is stated in a specific problem that the figure is not
drawn to scale. All figures lie in a plane unless otherwise indicated.

l r
Reference Information

r h
h
h c 2x 60° x s 45° √2 s
w b
w 30° 45°
b l
A = πr 2 a √3 x s
A = lw
C = 2πr A = 1– bh V = lwh V = πr 2h c2 = a2 + b2
2 Special Right Triangles
The number of degrees of arc in a circle is 360.
The measure in degrees of a straight angle is 180.
The sum of the measures in degrees of the angles of a triangle is 180.

1. If 5 p + m = 7 and m = 7, what is the value of p ? 2. There are 20 packages of bagels on a shelf in a store
and each package contains the same number of bagels.
(A) 0 If 3 of these packages contain a total of 18 bagels, how
1 many bagels are there in 7 of these packages?
(B)
5 (A) 21
2 (B) 36
(C) (C) 40
5
(D) 42
7 (E) 49
(D)
5
14
(E)
5

Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 41

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5. If xyz = z and the value of x is 0, which of the

following must be true?
(A) y = 0
(B) z = 0
(C) xy = 1
(D) y = 1
(E) z = 1

3. According to the graph above, when the wind velocity

is 70 miles per hour, which of the following is closest
to the pressure, in pounds per square foot?
(A) 13.5
(B) 14.0
(C) 15.0
(D) 16.0
(E) 16.5

x°
O

6. The circle above has center O and is divided into 9

equal arcs. What is the value of x ?

4. In the number 0.257, which of the following does the (A) 110
digit 7 represent? (B) 118
(C) 120
1 (D) 124
(A) 7 ×
10 (E) 125
1
(B) 7 ×
100
1
(C) 7 ×
1,000
1
(D) 7 ×
10,000
1
(E) 7 ×
100,000

42 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test

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9. The price of a certain type of cherry can range from

$2.50 to $3.00 per pound, and the price of a certain
type of roll can range from $0.80 to $1.10 per dozen.
To be sure of having enough money to buy c pounds
of these cherries and r dozen of these rolls, a person
needs at least how many dollars, in terms of c and r ?
c+ r
(A)
3 + 11
.
c r
(B) +
3 11.
(C) 2.5c + 0.8r

(D) 3c + 11
.r

(E) (3 + 11
. ) (c + r )

7. The bar graph above shows the number of houses started

by the XYZ Construction Company over a 6-month
period. For which of the following months was there
the greatest increase over the previous month in the
number of housing starts?
(A) May
(B) June
(C) July
(D) August
(E) September

10. In the figure above, point O lies on line AB. What is

the value of x ?
(A) 90
(B) 120
(C) 144
(D) 156
(E) 168

8. In quadrilateral PQRS above, what is the value of

2 2
a +b ?
(A) 8
(B) 10
(C) 11
(D) 12
(E) 13

Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 43

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11. If s = a + 2 and t = a - 2, which of the 14. Line l, line m, and point P lie in a plane such that
following represents the product of s and t l || m and P is between l and m. If line t in the same
for every number a ? plane passes through point P, which of the following
(A) 2a could be true?
(B) 4 I. t intersects l but not m.
(C) a
2 II. t intersects both l and m.
2 III. t does not intersect either l or m.
(D) a − 4
2 (A) I only
(E) a − 4a − 4 (B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II
(E) II and III

12. In 䉭 ABC above, the bisector of ∠ BAC is perpen-

dicular to BC at point D. If AB = 6 and BD = 3,
what is the measure of ∠ BAC ? x 5
15. If x is positive and = , then x =
5 x
(A) 15°
(B) 30° (A) 0
(C) 45° (B) 1
(D) 60° (C) 5
(E) 75° (D) 5
(E) 25

13. In January the price of a certain item was $120. In

February the price increased by 10 percent. During a
sale in March, the February price was discounted by
10 percent. What was the price of the item during the
sale in March?
(A) $106.80
(B) $118.80
(C) $120.00
(D) $121.20
(E) $132.00

44 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test

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18. The school nurse at Pine Street High School surveyed

the heights of all of the female students at the school.
The median of the heights was 165 centimeters and the
mode was 162 centimeters. Which of the following
statements must be true?
(A) The height of half of the female students is
165 centimeters.
(B) The most frequently occurring height of the
female students is 162 centimeters.
(C) The average (arithmetic mean) of the heights of
the female students is 163.5 centimeters.
(D) More female students are 165 centimeters tall than
16. The height of each solid shown above is 7. The base of
162 centimeters tall.
solid I has 6 sides of equal length, 6 angles of equal
(E) More female students are shorter than 165
measure, and center P. The base of solid II is a circle
centimeters than are taller than 165 centimeters.
with center Q. The base of solid III is a square with
center R. Which of the following is true?
(A) Solid I has the greatest volume.
(B) Solid II has the greatest volume.
(C) Solid III has the greatest volume.
(D) The volumes of solids I and II are equal. 19. If 5n + p = 3 and 2m − 10n = 2, what is the value
(E) The volumes of solids II and III are equal. of m + p ?
(A) 2
(B) 4
(C) 5
(D) 7
(E) 8

3 2
x ≥ x for all positive numbers x.
x
17. Which of the following values for x shows that the 20. If 2 = y, which of the following must be equal
statement above is false? to 2 x + 1 ?
(A) −1 (A) y + 1

(B) 0 (B) y + 2
1 (C) 2y
(C)
2
(D) 1 (D) 4y
2
(E) 2 y
(E)
2

Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 45

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21. If x is 5 percent of r and r is 20 percent of s, what 24. The average (arithmetic mean) of three different posi-
percent of s is x ? tive integers is 12. If the first of these integers is 9 times
the second integer, what is the least possible value of
(A) 1%
the third integer?
(B) 4%
(C) 10% (A) 6
(D) 40% (B) 4
(E) 100% (C) 3
(D) 2
(E) 1

(4, 6)
(–1, 5)

(5, 1)
x
O

22. What is the area of the square shown above? 25. If n is a positive integer, which of the following
(A) 5 n
CANNOT be the units digit of 3 ?
(B) 6
(C) 20 (A) 1
(D) 25 (B) 3
(E) 26 (C) 5
(D) 7
(E) 9

23. For all values of a, let p a f be defined as

p a f = 4a - 4 . Which of the following
equals p 6 f - p 5 f ?
(A) p 2f
(B) p 3f
(C) p 4 f
(D) p 5f
(E) p 6f

STOP
If you finish before time is called, you may check your work on this section only.
Do not turn to any other section in the test.

46 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test

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SECTION 3
Time — 30 minutes
25 Questions

Directions: This section contains two types of questions. You have 30 minutes to complete both types. You may use
any available space for scratchwork.

Notes:
1. The use of a calculator is permitted. All numbers used are real numbers.
2. Figures that accompany problems in this test are intended to provide information useful in solving the problems.
They are drawn as accurately as possible EXCEPT when it is stated in a specific problem that the figure is not
drawn to scale. All figures lie in a plane unless otherwise indicated.

l r
Reference Information

r h
h
h c 2x 60° x s 45° √2 s
w b
w 30° 45°
b l
A = πr 2 a √3 x s
A = lw
C = 2πr A = 1– bh V = lwh V = πr 2h c2 = a2 + b2
2 Special Right Triangles
The number of degrees of arc in a circle is 360.
The measure in degrees of a straight angle is 180.
The sum of the measures in degrees of the angles of a triangle is 180.

Directions for Quantitative Comparison Questions

Questions 1-15 each consist of two quantities in EXAMPLES

boxes, one in Column A and one in Column B.
You are to compare the two quantities and on the Column A Column B Answers
answer sheet fill in oval

A if the quantity in Column A is greater; E1 52 20 A B C D E

B if the quantity in Column B is greater;
C if the two quantities are equal;
D if the relationship cannot be determined
from the information given.
AN E RESPONSE WILL NOT BE SCORED. 150° x°
Notes:
1. In some questions, information is given about E2 x 30 A B C D E
one or both of the quantities to be compared.
In such cases, the given information is centered
above the two columns and is not boxed.
2. In a given question, a symbol that appears in both r and s are integers.
columns represents the same thing in Column A as
it does in Column B. E3 r+1 s−1
A B C D E
3. Letters such as x, n, and k stand for real numbers.

Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 47

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SUMMARY DIRECTIONS FOR COMPARISON QUESTIONS

Answer: A if the quantity in Column A is greater;
B if the quantity in Column B is greater;
C if the two quantities are equal;
D if the relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

Column A Column B Column A Column B

x = 0 m and p are 3-digit integers greater than 100.

The tens digit of m is 5.
1. x +1 The tens digit of p is 7.
0
x −1
5. m p

Set S consists of all integers from -50 to 0, inclu-

a > 0
sive. Set T consists of all integers from 0 to 50,
inclusive. a
= 3
b
2. The number of integers The number of integers
in set S in set T 6. a b

3. k 16

7. y 180 - 2 x

The sum of k and 7 equals the sum of m and 8.

R, S , and T are nonzero digits of the positive
4. k m decimal numerals RS. T and 0.0RST

8. 10 ™ RS . T
0.0RST
10 ,000

48 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test

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SUMMARY DIRECTIONS FOR COMPARISON QUESTIONS

Answer: A if the quantity in Column A is greater;
B if the quantity in Column B is greater;
C if the two quantities are equal;
D if the relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

Column A Column B Column A Column B

x, y, and z are consecutive prime numbers in

increasing order, and x = 2.

9.
13. 0 5
a b − c + f ab − c + f
1 1 1
+ + 1
x y z

The volume of a sphere with radius r is equal

4 3
to pr .
3
Eight different chemical elements make up more
10. The volume of The total volume than 99 percent of Earth’s crust.
a sphere with of two spheres,
radius 6 each with radius 3 14. The percent of Earth’s
crust made up of all
1 percent
chemical elements
other than those eight

When tossed in the air, a coin is equally as likely to

land with heads up as it is with tails up. The coin is
to be tossed twice.

11. The probability that The probability that the

the coin will land heads coin will land heads up
up both times on the first toss and
tails up on the second
toss
15. The area of a rectangle The area of a rectangle
with perimeter 40 with perimeter 60

For all positive numbers n and k, let n ð k be

0
defined by n ð k = n − k k . 5
0 < r < s
12. rð s s ð r

Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 49

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Directions for Student-Produced Response Questions

Each of the remaining 10 questions requires you to solve the problem and enter your answer by marking the ovals
in the special grid, as shown in the examples below.
7 Answer: 201
Answer: 12 or 7 12 Answer: 2.5 Either position is correct.
Write answer
in boxes.
Fraction
• • • • line • • • • Decimal • • • • • • • •
0 0 0 0 0 0 point 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Grid in 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
result.
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
Note: You may start your answers
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
in any column, space permitting.
9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
Columns not needed should be left
blank.

• Mark no more than one oval in any column. • Decimal Accuracy: If you obtain a decimal
answer, enter the most accurate value the grid
• Because the answer sheet will be machine- will accommodate. For example, if you obtain
scored, you will receive credit only if the ovals an answer such as 0.6666 . . . , you should
are filled in correctly. record the result as .666 or .667. Less accurate
values such as .66 or .67 are not acceptable.
• Although not required, it is suggested that you
write your answer in the boxes at the top of the 2
Acceptable ways to grid = .6666 . . .
columns to help you fill in the ovals accurately. 3

• Some problems may have more than one correct

answer. In such cases, grid only one answer.
• • • • • • • • • • • •
• No question has a negative answer. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

• Mixed numbers such as 2 1 must be gridded as

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2.5 or 5 2. (If is gridded, it will be 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
21
interpreted as , not 2 1 .) 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
2 2

3 x j j+k
16. If = , what is the value of x ? 17. If 3 = 27 and 3 = 243, what is the value of k ?
5 2.5

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18. The first term of a sequence of numbers is 2. If each 23. For a concert, tickets that were purchased in advance
term after the first is 3 more than twice the preceding of the day of the concert cost $5.00 each and tickets
term, what is the fourth term of this sequence? purchased the day of the concert cost $8.00 each. The
total amount collected in ticket sales was the same as if
every ticket purchased had cost $5.50. If 100 tickets
were purchased in advance, what was the total number
of tickets purchased?
19. If 3 + a = 5.3, what is the value of 3 - a?

24. Each of the 8 edges of a pyramid with a square base is

4 inches long, and each edge of a cube is 4 inches long.
20. If a, b, and c are the lengths of the sides of 䉭 ABC, The base of the pyramid is set on one face of the cube
a so that their vertices coincide. The new solid that is
what is one possible value of ?
b + c formed has how many faces?

21. A circus clown has 8 different hats, 10 different ties,

4 different pairs of pants, and 5 different jackets from 25. Chairs ready for shipment at the Northern Chair
which to choose when dressing for a performance. factory come down a ramp in single file. Inspector A
What is the total number of different combinations of checks every third chair, beginning with the third.
1 hat, 1 tie, 1 pair of pants, and 1 jacket from which the Inspector B checks every fifth chair, beginning with
clown can choose when dressing for a performance? the fifth. If 98 chairs came down the ramp while both
inspectors were working on Monday, how many of
these chairs were not checked by either of these two
inspectors?

22. In the figure above, the circle with center O

has radius 7, AB is a diameter, and AC = BC.
What is the area of 䉭 ABC ?

STOP
If you finish before time is called, you may check your work on this section only.
Do not turn to any other section in the test.

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SECTION 4
Time — 30 minutes
31 Questions

Directions: For each question in this section, select the best answer from among the choices given and fill in the corresponding
oval on the answer sheet.

Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank 5. A story’s theme is sometimes -------, that is, stated
indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath the directly by the author, but more often it is -------.
sentence are five words or sets of words labeled A through
(A) obvious . . indisputable
E. Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in
(B) capricious . . dramatic
the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a
(C) convoluted . . simple
whole.
(D) enigmatic . . veiled
Example: (E) explicit . . implied
Medieval kingdoms did not become constitutional
6. The biologists who breed California condors jokingly
republics overnight; on the contrary, the change
was -------. refer to the outdoor -------, the enclosures that house
the birds, as “condorminiums.”
(A) unpopular (B) unexpected
(C) advantageous (D) sufficient (A) arboretums (B) aquariums (C) depots
(D) aviaries (E) kennels
(E) gradual A B C D E

7. New York is a cosmopolitan city; its numerous

1. Officials charged that the bakery had engaged in
newspapers in many languages reflect its -------
------- practices by misleading consumers about population.
the nutritional value of certain products.
(A) polyglot (B) insular (C) bemused
(A) legitimate (B) exacting (C) intelligible (D) vapid (E) homogeneous
(D) inordinate (E) deceptive
8. If people continually suppress their impulse to complain,
2. As a young physics instructor, Richard Feynman whether the vexation is ------- or grave, they will appear
discovered that he had the gift of sharing his ------- to be automatons, ------- feeling.
his subject and making that excitement -------.
(A) fluid . . defined by
(A) passion for . . contagious (B) severe . . bereft of
(B) knowledge of . . inaudible (C) deserving . . incapable of
(C) contempt for . . praiseworthy (D) frivolous . . consumed by
(D) propensity for . . futile (E) trivial . . devoid of
(E) commitment to . . impersonal
9. Louisa May Alcott’s ------- the philosophical brilliance
3. Even after hungrily devouring their entire lunch, the
of her father’s intellect was ------- by her impatience
children were still ------- and clamored for more. with his unworldliness.
(A) scrupulous (B) innocuous (C) remorseful (A) exasperation with . . contradicted
(D) ravenous (E) compliant (B) concealment of . . supplanted
(C) respect for . . augmented
4. Some entertainers, their egos inflated by celebrity, (D) rebellion against . . qualified
see themselves as ------- figures to whom ordinary (E) reverence for . . tempered
moral ------- do not necessarily apply.
(A) penitent . . rules
(B) privileged . . constraints
(C) pedagogical . . enticements
(D) redundant . . conventions
(E) gifted . . benefits

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Each question below consists of a related pair of words Each passage below is followed by questions based on its
or phrases, followed by five pairs of words or phrases content. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated
labeled A through E. Select the pair that best expresses a or implied in each passage and in any introductory material
relationship similar to that expressed in the original pair. that may be provided.
Example:
Questions 16-21 are based on the following passage.
CRUMB : BREAD ::
(A) ounce : unit For centuries, Western society looked to the ancient Greek
(B) splinter : wood city-state of Athens as a model of a successful democracy.
(C) water : bucket Solon (638?-559? B.C.) laid the groundwork for the
(D) twine : rope Athenian excellence of subsequent years.
(E) cream : butter A B C D E
Though later generations tended to glorify him with
one voice as the founder of the Athenian democracy, Solon
did not command such unqualified devotion during his life.
10. WAGE : WORKER :: Line The Athens in which he grew up in the latter part of the
(A) pension : retiree 5 seventh century B.C. was a land torn by political and social
(B) donation : patron dissension. The Athenian nobles of Solon’s day were a
(C) tip : diner single-minded crew of hard-riding, high-living country
(D) fine : judge squires, untroubled by the slightest doubt of their god-given
(E) fee : member right to the land and all the goods that sprang from it,
10 including political power. Because of the nobles’ rapacity,
11. CRATER : CONCAVE :: a good proportion of the commoners of Athens had lost
(A) slope : steep their land and even their freedom when failure to pay debts
(B) plateau : flat resulted in their demotion to slave status. Eventually the
(C) reef : marine strife between the haves and the have-nots came to the
(D) volcano : dormant 15 verge of civil war, and Solon was elected arbitrator and
(E) moon : eclipsed chief magistrate. His strategy was a simple one. As he
himself wrote later, he “held his shield over both parties,”
12. LECTURE : AUDIENCE :: fighting each on behalf of the other. Solon’s impartiality
(A) text : translator had negative effects for himself, however, and the result
(B) essay : reader 20 was that both groups turned on him and he found himself
(C) role : understudy “at bay like a wolf among many hounds.”
(D) novel : protagonist Solon was no leveler. He pitied the wretchedness of
(E) symphony : composer the common folk and was indignant at the callous greed
of their exploiters, but he had no intention of overturning
13. PENCHANT : INCLINATION :: 25 the traditional balance of nobles and commoners. Their
(A) whim : decision relationships were to be governed by justice and the rule
(B) aversion : taste of law.
(C) fascination : interest Solon’s description of the rule of law is broad in spirit
(D) clue : solution but intensely practical. He saw law and reason as the cement
(E) suspicion : certainty 30 that holds the body politic together. His twin goals were
freedom and unity for Athens, but he saw that freedom
14. DOGGEREL : VERSE :: could only be guaranteed by law and that unity could only
(A) animation : cinema be based on reasonable consent. Solon stands as the dis-
(B) scroll : document coverer of the principle that has remained the core belief
(C) burlesque : drama 35 of traditional Western democracies ever since: balancing
(D) chisel : sculptor freedom and responsibility, consent and authority, the mor-
(E) headline : article ally autonomous individual and the demands of society.
The verses in which Solon proclaims how he held his
15. SOPHISTICATE : CALLOW :: shield over both parties and allowed neither to win more
(A) misanthrope : introverted 40 than it deserved attest to his faith in justice, and to his
(B) stockbroker : financial desire to discover the commonalities, rather than the dif-
(C) novice : unproved ferences, shared by disputing parties. This approach made
(D) procrastinator : habitual Solon an innovative thinker, but it ultimately was the
(E) malcontent : satisfied source of his disfavor in his own time.

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Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 53

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16. The author’s characterization of the Athenian nobility 19. Which of the following is the most accurate description
(lines 6-13) indicates that they of Solon’s tenure as arbitrator?
(A) abused their power and authority (A) Athens recognized the need for a leader like Solon
(B) established a stable economic system to head a new government.
(C) derided the movement for democratic reform (B) The commoners never expected Solon to rule in
(D) objected to lending money to commoners their favor.
(E) supported the commoners’ political rights (C) Solon envisioned himself as the future ruler of
Athens.
17. Solon’s claim about his “shield” (line 17) would be (D) Solon wanted the commoners, not the nobles, to
most directly contradicted by which hypothetical rule Athens.
statement? (E) Solon desired fairness, but he did not advocate
radical changes in Athens.
(A) Solon favored the nobles after receiving large
gifts from them.
20. In line 28, “spirit” most nearly means
(B) Solon empathized with the plight of the
commoners. (A) bodiless being
(C) Solon refused to meet with anyone when he (B) sentient state
was making an important decision. (C) essential principle
(D) Solon accepted exile from Athens after he (D) animated disposition
established democracy. (E) enthusiastic loyalty
(E) Solon listened to the concerns of both the nobles
and the commoners. 21. Solon’s achievement is best described as
(A) founding a tradition of public service
18. Solon’s comparison of himself to a wolf (line 21)
(B) punishing a systematic abuse of power
emphasizes his
(C) destroying a popular illusion
(A) inability to cooperate with others (D) implementing a lasting concept
(B) unpopularity with both of Athens’ warring (E) educating a generation of Athenians
factions
(C) stamina in pursuing a goal
(D) vulnerability to human interference
(E) cunning and bravery in competition

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Questions 22-31 are based on the following passage. 55 logical filters that cut through the bewildering mix of signal
and noise in a visual scene. By breaking down the graphic
The following passage, taken from a book written in 1992, or pictorial vocabulary to a bare minimum, maps achieve a
discusses the relative ease with which people can discern visual minimalism that, physiologically speaking, is easy
meaning from maps. on the eyes. They turn numbers into visual images, create
60 pattern out of measurements, and thus engage the highly
The eye and the brain seem to be particularly felic- evolved human capacity for pattern recognition. Some of
itous partners in the act of map-reading. It is as if we are the most intense research in the neurosciences today is
physiologically disposed to extract information from maps devoted to elucidating what are described as maps of
Line more rapidly, more intuitively, more globally than from, perception: how perception filters and maps the relentless
5 for example, a text or visual scene. That process of visual 65 torrent of information provided by the sense organs, our
mining begins with perception—a process that touches on biotic instruments of measurement. Maps enable humans to
both the physiological and the conceptual processing of use inherent biological skills of perception, their “educated”
map knowledge. Bearing that in mind, we might take a eyes, to separate the message from the static, to see the story
walk with astronomer Patrick Thaddeus, removing him line running through random pattern.
10 from his preferred milieu, which is mapping carbon
monoxide molecules in the Milky Way with a radio
telescope at Harvard University, and placing him in 22. The primary purpose of the passage is to
a rather less exotic environment —namely, the woods
surrounding his country home in upstate New York. (A) discuss cultural differences in human navigation
15 “The forest goes on for miles and miles,” Thaddeus (B) draw attention to an important human ability
explains. “And I love just walking through the woods by (C) express admiration for the skills of mapmakers
myself. You’re not alone, in the sense that the forest is (D) explain the significance of Thaddeus’ research
crisscrossed with deer trails. These deer trails are quite (E) provide background for a discussion of artificial
imperceptible. But after a while you know how to recog- intelligence
20 nize them and you can see them. They’re just very faint
patterns that generally tend to go in a straight line. Now I 23. Taking the reader on a “walk” (line 9) primarily
followed one of these trails for a mile through the woods. serves to
And I suddenly stopped and asked myself, ‘How do I know
(A) provide a vicarious experience of moving
I’m on this trail?’ But I am on it, and I suddenly get shaken
through space
25 off. The signal-to-noise ratio [the relevant information, or
(B) make a hypothesis more concrete through a
‘signal,’ compared to irrelevant information, or noise] must
narrative
be one in a thousand, or much less than that. That is, I know
(C) demonstrate the ease with which anyone can
I’m on the trail because of a little leaf here, a very faint linear
create a map
line. But there are much stronger sources of noise. Trees
(D) increase respect for the science of astronomical
30 across the path, great rocks, and things like that —no
mapping
computer in the world could possibly filter out that path
(E) suggest the irony of an astronomer’s becoming
from all of the conflicting signals around.”
lost in the woods
Thaddeus can do this, he believes, because of evolution.
“Finding your way home, getting back to your babies, your
24. Which statement best summarizes Thaddeus’ point
35 families, is something which we and our ancestors, both
about signals and noise in lines 25-27 ?
human and animal, have had to do for not just millions
but tens of millions of years,” he continues. “Animals are (A) A low ratio provides important information about
astonishingly adept at that, following both visual traces and signal strength.
smell. Smell in humans is a very atrophied sense, but we’re (B) Sometimes the noise is more interesting than the
40 particularly good at visual recognition. So it is technically signal.
true that I can follow these trails with a high degree of (C) A signal often begins strongly and then diminishes.
confidence, where I don’t think any computer in the world (D) Relative to noise, there is very little signal.
has ever been constructed, or could be programmed, to filter (E) Signals that are powerful are often infrequent.
out all the noise and not lock onto the tree trunk or things
45 like that. The point is, human beings think in terms of
images, and they know what they are looking for. The
educated eye knows what it’s looking for, can see things
that are, in the technical sense of signal to noise, way, way
below one. A very weak, astonishingly weak signal. That
50 is, the human brain is an incredible filter for extracting
information from confusion.”
Confusion is another name for the world unfiltered, and
maps are external, constructed filters that make sense of the
confusion, just as the eye and brain are internal, physio-
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25. The phrase “educated eye” (line 47) refers to the 29. In lines 63-64, the phrase “maps of perception” refers to
(A) knowledge of a disciplined scientist (A) drawings of the organs of human perception
(B) ability to notice significant details (B) depictions of how the world actually appears to
(C) appreciation of individual places the human eye
(D) habit of seeing only those things that are (C) models of the way humans process what they
considered pleasant encounter
(E) skill needed to create a map that is aesthetically (D) illustrations of how the human eye functions at
pleasing the cellular level
(E) representations of a place from one person’s
26. The portion of the passage relating to Thaddeus furthers perspective
the author’s discussion primarily by
30. The author’s reference to the “story line” (lines 68-69)
(A) providing immediate relevance to an abstract
serves the same illustrative purpose as what other
hypothesis
example?
(B) introducing an extended example of an insoluble
problem (A) “carbon monoxide molecules in the Milky Way”
(C) analyzing a now-discredited explanation of map (lines 10-11)
reading (B) “deer trails” (line 18)
(D) presenting a scientific view of social behavior (C) “any computer” (line 42)
(E) comparing humans and animals to filtration (D) “the tree trunk” (line 44)
devices (E) “graphic or pictorial vocabulary” (lines 56-57)

27. The effect of “breaking down” (line 56) is to 31. Which of the following, if true, would suggest a basic
flaw in the author’s reasoning?
(A) accentuate selected information
(B) make details small (A) Charting chemicals in the Milky Way bears little
(C) create momentary confusion resemblance to mapping terrain.
(D) minimize the distinction between words and (B) The human brain is quite adept at extracting
numbers important information from text.
(E) eliminate words that would clarify the meaning (C) The ability to read visual cues is largely inherited
of images rather than learned.
(D) Humans create maps not by perceiving existing
28. In line 60, “engage” most nearly means patterns but by inventing patterns to cover up
chaos.
(A) reserve (E) All primates have a highly evolved ability to
(B) involve perceive patterns in confusion.
(C) promise
(D) lure
(E) combat

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56 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test

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SECTION 6
Time — 15 minutes
12 Questions

Directions: For each question in this section, select the best answer from among the choices given and fill in the corresponding
oval on the answer sheet.

The passage below is followed by questions based on its content. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied
in the passage and in any introductory material that may be provided.

Questions 1-12 are based on the following passage. approaching middle age. And her resemblance to me was
jarring. Same eyes. Similar facial bone structure. I looked
The passage is adapted from the introduction to a memoir at her and saw the family I came from. She had brought
by a contemporary Native American writer. As a young 45 along her little ten-year-old daughter (who resembled her)
woman, the author had decided to separate permanently whom I’d never seen before. The three of us spent the day
from her family. together: shopping at a mall, having lunch. I treated my
great-niece to a professional haircut and style (French
In 1987 I had a dream about a turtle. (We are the last braid), the first one she’d ever had. My niece and I spoke
family left of the Turtle clan.) A dream, in other words, 50 as we waited.
about the family. My niece, at thirty-nine, was a person who had devel-
Line I am walking along the shore of a lake or a bay toward
oped herself, learned through a long process to trust her
5 a house in the distance. I step on a small turtle I did not see
own perceptions. We talked about the family and how
lying among the rocks and think I’ve killed it. I am filled
dysfunction begets dysfunction.
with grief. I leave it there and hurry away towards the
55 She had written a master’s thesis about dysfunctional
house. I come back to that place on the shore later and see
families and how the dysfunction gets passed down from
that the turtle is not only alive but is no longer the size of a
one generation to the next. Not intentionally. It almost has
10 small rock. It has grown a hundred times its previous size.
a life of its own. She told me how she and some of her sib-
It’s like a giant sea turtle and is very strong. I am filled
with joy now. I watch as the great turtle walks into the lings and cousins discussed their own healing, their desire
water and swims away. 60 to break the cycle. “The family is so important,” she said.
“Sometimes I reach out and I’m rebuffed. Well, I just
The dream was saying that our family only appeared
figure they’re not ready. Everyone has to heal in their own
15 to be dead, stepped on, broken into a million little pieces.
time and in their own way. And I’m just going to keep on
The family — or the power of the family — lives on in
reaching out.”
some form and is strong. The dream didn’t make sense.
65 Once I longed to belong to the family I came from. Not
It was only an expression of my longing. My unconscious
anymore. I’m one of its broken-off pieces now. But this
would not, after all these years, accept what I knew to be
20 true. The family isn’t dead, it said. Give it up, I said. Let niece and others were trying to make what’s left of it strong
it go. again. I would like to believe the family has the power to
regenerate itself. I told my niece about the dream I’d had
In late 1992, just days before this memoir was to go into
70 that was about the family, the dream of the turtle.
print, a niece I hadn’t seen for fifteen years called me at
Eastern Washington University and left a message on my
25 answering machine. This is your niece (she said her name).
I would love to see you. Please give me a call if you would 1. The dream discussed in lines 4-13 most directly intro-
like to get together. Her voice was still familiar to me after duces which aspect of the narrator?
all these years. I played the message several times, listening (A) The intensity of her feelings on a personal subject
to her voice, remembering. (B) The urgency of her need to create
30 She is only seven years younger than I am. That was a (C) The strength of her desire to live among new
lot when I was a child. She was my little baby doll then. I’d people
seen her only a few times after I left home at the age of (D) The depth of her disillusionment with the modern
fifteen. It wasn’t my intention to see any family members family
while I was at Eastern. I wasn’t going to contact any of (E) The persistence of her determination to meet a
35 them. I’d wanted to leave that door closed. They can’t hurt specific goal
me, I thought, as long as I stay away. This is your niece. I
would love to see you. I picked up the phone and called her.
She would take the day off work on Friday, she said, and
come out to see me.
40 She did and didn’t look the same as I remembered. I was
amazed (though I shouldn’t have been) to see that she was
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Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 57

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2. The narrator’s initial encounter with the turtle 8. The narrator’s statement about “that door” (line 35)
described in lines 5-6 suggests that she viewed stresses the
herself as
(A) appealing quality of the narrator’s opportunity to
(A) inadvertently destroying something valuable visit relatives
(B) unintentionally antagonizing a loved one (B) definite nature of a decision made before the
(C) unwittingly taking on an overwhelming task phone call
(D) mistakenly placing blame on an innocent party (C) patronizing tone of the narrator’s spoken
(E) unconsciously believing lies and misconceptions comments
(D) contemptuous attitude of the narrator toward her
3. In the narrator’s dream (lines 4-13), the two sizes of niece
the turtle most directly represent two (E) unrealistic assumptions about privacy made by the
narrator
(A) interpretations of past complaints made by
unhappy family members
9. The effect of including both the narrator’s thoughts and
(B) views of the goals openly embraced by the the niece’s voice in lines 35-37 (“They . . . you”) is to
narrator’s family
(C) predictions about the outcome of the narrator’s (A) emphasize the discrepancy between their
plans backgrounds
(D) impressions of the health of the narrator’s siblings (B) illustrate the tension between generations
(E) conceptions of the state of the narrator’s family (C) introduce the personal ambitions of the niece
(D) recreate the seemingly tumultuous setting of the
4. The passage suggests that for the dream to have made narrator’s childhood
“sense” (line 17) to the narrator in 1987, the dream (E) underscore the apparent differences between their
should have ended no later than at the point when the attitudes
(A) narrator first walks along the shore
10. The narrator’s visit with her niece is most similar to the
(B) narrator steps on something she does not see
narrator’s dream in that both episodes
(C) narrator thinks that she has killed the turtle
(D) turtle is one hundred times its original size (A) reveal that the narrator’s skepticism had unfore-
(E) narrator experiences great joy seen consequences
(B) suggest an alternative to the narrator’s sense of
5. The narrator most likely uses the present tense in her family’s condition
describing the dream in order to (C) indicate that the narrator’s beliefs contradicted
her family’s views
(A) emphasize the urgency of the danger (D) imply that the narrator’s desires had been shaped
(B) convey the shock of the unfamiliar setting by her childhood fantasies
(C) clarify the mysterious atmosphere of the dream (E) hint that the narrator’s impulses may have been
(D) capture the immediacy of the impressions unaccountably hostile
(E) express the recurring beauty of the images

6. In line 20, “dead” most nearly means

(A) closed
(B) obsolete
(C) stultifying
(D) empty of emotion
(E) beyond hope

7. In lines 18-21 (“My unconscious . . . Let it go”), the

narrator conveys conflicting impulses primarily by
(A) contrasting past and future actions
(B) exploring two sides of a long-standing
controversy
(C) presenting two voices in an argument
(D) juxtaposing two people’s views of a single
decision
(E) comparing abstract ethical principles with
actual behavior

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58 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test

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11. The narrator and her niece differ most on the subject of 12. In lines 44-46, the physical appearance of the child is
significant to the narrator because it
(A) how a dysfunctional family harms individual
members (A) confirms the narrator’s sense that outward impres-
(B) whether or not one generation’s problems affect sions are misleading
subsequent generations (B) reminds the narrator of her experiences with her
(C) why it would be desirable for their family to niece during childhood
overcome its difficulties (C) underscores the commonality that connects the
(D) whether it is worthwhile to make the effort to three people
reunite their family (D) illustrates the emotional ties inherent in relation-
(E) whether or not individual members of their family ships across generations
are likely to treat them kindly (E) reveals the continuity of aspirations from great-
aunt to great-niece

STOP
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Do not turn to any other section in the test.

Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 59

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SECTION 7
Time — 15 minutes
10 Questions

Directions: In this section solve each problem, using any available space on the page for scratchwork. Then decide
which is the best of the choices given and fill in the corresponding oval on the answer sheet.

Notes:
1. The use of a calculator is permitted. All numbers used are real numbers.
2. Figures that accompany problems in this test are intended to provide information useful in solving the problems.
They are drawn as accurately as possible EXCEPT when it is stated in a specific problem that the figure is not
drawn to scale. All figures lie in a plane unless otherwise indicated.

l r
Reference Information

r h
h
h c 2x 60° x s 45° √2 s
w b
w 30° 45°
b l
A= πr 2 a √3 x s
A = lw
C = 2πr A = 1– bh V = lwh V = πr 2h c2 = a2 + b2
2 Special Right Triangles
The number of degrees of arc in a circle is 360.
The measure in degrees of a straight angle is 180.
The sum of the measures in degrees of the angles of a triangle is 180.

1. A certain type of candy bar weighs 3 ounces. What 1. Add 3.

is the total weight, in pounds, of the contents of a 2. Multiply by 4.
box that contains 160 of these candy bars? 3. Subtract 6.
(16 ounces = 1 pound) 4. Divide by 5.
(A) 48 (B) 30 (C) 28 (D) 24 (E) 10 3. The sequence of operations above is to be applied, in
order, to a number x such that the result of each opera-
tion is used as the starting value for the next operation.
Which of the following expressions represents the
result after step 4 has been completed?
6
(A) 4 ( x + 3) −
5
4 ( x + 3)
(B) −6
5

(C)
0
4 x +3 - 6 5
5
4 ( x + 3 − 6)
(D)
5
4x + 3 - 6
(E)
5
2. In the figure above, three lines intersect at a point.
What is the value of y ?
(A) 65 (B) 70 (C) 75 (D) 80 (E) 85

60 Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test

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4. A crate contains 63 oranges, 47 apples, and 95 pears. 9. For integers q, r, s, and t, if q is a factor of r, and r
If 1 more of each type of fruit were added to the crate, is a factor of s, which of the following must be true?
each of the three types of fruit could be divided equally
I. q is a factor of s.
among a group of people. What is the greatest possible
II. If q is a factor of t, then r is a factor of t.
number of people in such a group?
III. If s is a factor of t, then q is a factor of t.
(A) 8 (B) 12 (C) 15 (D) 16 (E) 32
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
5. A 50-foot rope is cut into four pieces so that the
(D) I and III only
length of the second piece is twice the length of the
(E) I, II, and III
first piece, the length of the third piece is twice the
length of the second piece, and the length of the fourth
piece is 8 feet. What is the length, in feet, of the
shortest piece?
1 1
(A) 6 (B) 7 (C) 7 (D) 8 (E) 10
2 2

x
6. If < 12 and y = x + 3, which of the following
4
must be true?
(A) x < 3 (B) x < 16 (C) y > 6
(D) y < 19 (E) y < 51

7. If the average (arithmetic mean) of r and s is 20 and

the average of x, y, and z is 30, what is the average of
r, s, x, y, and z ?
(A) 23 (B) 24 (C) 25 (D) 26 (E) 27
10. In the figure above, the circle has center P and
radius r. Lines AB and AC are tangent to the circle.
If M is the midpoint of segment AC and the measure
of ∠ PMC equals the measure of ∠ MPC, what is the
length, in terms of r, of segment PA ?
(A) r + 1 (B) 2r (C) r 2
(D) r 3 (E) r 5

8. In the figure above, point P is the reflection of

point A through the line y = x. What is the slope
of the line that passes through points A and P ?
1 1
(A) −1 (B) − (C) 0 (D) (E) 1
2 2

STOP
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Do not turn to any other section in the test.

Taking the SAT I: Reasoning Test 61