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SAT Reading & Writing Practice Test

SAT Practice Test
SAT
English

SAT Reading & Writing Practice Test

Question 1

The following text is from Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel Jane Eyre. Jane, the narrator, is describing her first impressions of Mr. Rochester's estate.
A very chill and vault-like air pervaded the stairs and gallery, suggesting cheerless ideas of space and solitude; and I was glad, when finally ushered into my chamber, to find it of small dimensions, and furnished in ordinary, modern style. When Mrs. Fairfax had bidden me a kind good-night, and I had fastened my door, gazed leisurely round, and in some measure effaced the eerie impression made by that wide hall, that dark and spacious staircase, and that long, cold gallery, by the livelier aspect of my little room, I remembered that, after a day of bodily fatigue and mental anxiety, I was now at last in safe haven.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
A. It highlights the contrast between Mrs. Fairfax's warmth and the coldness of Jane's chamber.
B. It emphasizes Jane's preference for grand architectural spaces over modest accommodations.
C. It marks a transition from Jane's discomfort with the estate's imposing architecture to her relief at finding a more intimate, comforting space.
D. It illustrates Jane's indifference to her physical surroundings after experiencing exhaustion.

Question 2

A team of marine biologists studied the feeding behaviors of humpback whales in the North Atlantic. The researchers observed that when hunting in groups, whales employ a technique called "bubble-net feeding," where they swim in circles while releasing air bubbles to create a cylindrical net that traps fish. Individual whales hunting alone, however, use a different strategy called "lunge feeding," where they accelerate rapidly toward prey with their mouths open. The study found that bubble-net feeding resulted in an average catch of 2,400 fish per whale per dive, while lunge feeding yielded approximately 800 fish per dive.
Based on the text, what can most reasonably be concluded about humpback whale feeding strategies?
A. The depth at which whales hunt determines whether they will use bubble-net or lunge feeding techniques.
B. Cooperative bubble-net feeding is more efficient than solitary lunge feeding in terms of the number of fish captured per dive.
C. Individual whales achieve better hunting results when they use lunge feeding rather than joining group hunts.
D. Humpback whales prefer bubble-net feeding because it requires less physical exertion than lunge feeding.

Question 3

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in 1903 for her work on radioactivity. • She won a second Nobel Prize in 1911 in Chemistry for discovering radium and polonium. • Curie was the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields. • Her daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie, also won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935. • The Curie family has received a total of five Nobel Prizes, more than any other family.
The student wants to emphasize Marie Curie's unprecedented achievement in Nobel Prize history. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Which choice most effectively emphasizes Marie Curie's unprecedented achievement?
A. After winning her first Nobel Prize in 1903, Marie Curie continued her groundbreaking research and became the first woman to win a second Nobel Prize.
B. The Curie family's five Nobel Prizes represent more awards than any other family has received in the prize's history.
C. Marie Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, making her the first woman to receive this honor.
D. Marie Curie became the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields, receiving the Physics prize in 1903 and the Chemistry prize in 1911.

Question 4

The ancient city of Petra in Jordan is renowned for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. _____ the Nabataeans, who established the city around 300 BCE, carved elaborate facades directly into the rose-colored sandstone cliffs, creating structures that have survived for over two millennia.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Meanwhile,
B. Specifically,
C. Therefore,
D. However,

Question 5

Text 1: Historian Marcus Webb argues that the printing press's primary impact on the Renaissance was economic. By reducing the cost of book production, printing enabled the rise of a merchant class that could afford educational materials, thereby creating new markets for knowledge and literacy.
Text 2: In her recent study, Professor Elena Rodriguez contends that while the printing press did have economic effects, its most significant contribution was cultural. The technology facilitated the rapid spread of humanist ideas across Europe, allowing scholars in different regions to engage in intellectual dialogue that would have been impossible through hand-copied manuscripts alone. This exchange of ideas, rather than mere economic access to books, fundamentally transformed European thought.
Based on the texts, how would Rodriguez (Text 2) most likely respond to Webb's argument (Text 1)?
A. She would argue that Webb overlooks how economic factors were actually less important than the spread of humanist philosophy.
B. She would contend that Webb's focus on the merchant class ignores the fact that most Renaissance scholars were not from this economic group.
C. She would acknowledge the economic impact Webb describes but argue that the printing press's facilitation of intellectual exchange across Europe was more historically significant.
D. She would suggest that both economic and cultural factors were equally important and cannot be separated in analyzing the printing press's impact.