SAT practice test

During her travels and field work, anthropologist Margaret Mead recorded the customs of communities in the South Pacific. She emphasized that these societies had unique traditions worth studying. Her research was ______ in changing how Americans thought about culture.

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

In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine suffered a _______ explosion. Radioactive material spread across Europe, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes and never return. The disaster revealed serious flaws in reactor design and emergency response. Decades later, the site remains one of the most contaminated places on Earth.

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

Cesar Chavez grew up in a family of Mexican American farmworkers who faced _______ in California’s fields. In 1962, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which became the United Farm Workers union. Through boycotts and peaceful protest, Chavez fought for fair wages and safe working conditions. His leadership advanced labor rights in the United States.

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

Linguist Noam Chomsky’s theory of universal grammar reshaped debates about human language. While earlier models treated language acquisition as a matter of habit, Chomsky insisted that deep structures guide linguistic ability. Many found his theory radical, even ______.

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

Anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston conducted fieldwork in Haiti and Jamaica, documenting spiritual practices with both rigor and narrative style. Her blending of ethnography and storytelling challenged academic conventions of her time. Some contemporaries dismissed her work as implausible, but today it is regarded as remarkably ______.

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

In 1773, Phillis Wheatley published her first collection of poems in London, becoming the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry. Enslaved as a child, she learned English and Latin within a few years of arriving in Boston; audiences who encountered her literary talent were _______. Her work gained praise from figures such as George Washington. Wheatley’s poetry challenged stereotypes about race and intellect in colonial America.

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

The following text was written for this course.

Lily Bart entered the ballroom conscious of every eye upon her. Yet the admiration she inspired carried an undertone of scrutiny; she knew that her beauty, though dazzling, had become a subject of calculation among those around her. In that glittering room, she felt herself both prized and endangered.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined phrase “both prized and endangered” in the text as a whole?

Text 1
Biologist E. O. Wilson argued that protecting “biodiversity hotspots” is crucial. These are regions with an unusually high number of species found nowhere else on Earth. Saving such areas, Wilson suggested, ensures the survival of countless unique plants and animals.

Text 2
Many conservationists hold that hotspots are vital to conserving biodiversity. They add, however, that focusing only on hotspots overlooks broader ecosystems. Protecting entire landscapes, such as grasslands or wetlands, may help species that live outside designated hotspots.

Based on the texts, with which of the following statements would both Wilson and the theorists mentioned in Text 2 most likely agree?

In the late nineteenth century, sculptor Edmonia Lewis gained international attention for her marble works depicting historical and biblical figures. Born to a Native American mother and an African American father, she faced substantial barriers to formal training in the United States. After moving to Rome, she found greater artistic freedom and began creating sculptures that celebrated emancipation and cultural identity. Her decision to work abroad suggests that ______

Which choice most logical completes the text?

The astronomer Henrietta Leavitt analyzed hundreds of photographic plates showing variable stars—stars that brighten and dim over time. She discovered an exact mathematical relationship between a star’s brightness and the time it takes to complete one brightness cycle. This finding enabled astronomers to calculate the distance to faraway galaxies for the first time, greatly expanding knowledge of the universe. Leavitt’s research suggests that ______

Which choice most logical completes the text?

The table shows fall enrollment at public two-year colleges in the United States, most of which are community colleges, from 2006 to 2013. A researcher claims that the pattern in the table reflects the colleges' advertising. According to the researcher, many community colleges launched advertising campaigns in the mid-2000s and repeated the same message year after year. The ads drew new students at first, the researcher argues, but the public eventually grew tired of the unchanging message and stopped responding to it, which is why enrollment rose and then fell.

Which additional piece of information, if true, would most weaken the researcher's claim?

“The Gift of the Magi” is a 1905 short story by O. Henry. In the story, a young married couple gives up their most prized possessions to buy each other Christmas gifts. In crafting a story of mutual self-sacrifice, the story emphasizes the selflessness of the couple’s love.

Which quotation from “The Gift of the Magi” most effectively illustrates the claim?

In his paintings of the American Southwest, artist Georgia O’Keeffe used bright colors and sweeping shapes to capture the region’s deserts and cliffs. She believed that ordinary objects—like flowers or animal bones—could reveal beauty if viewed closely. Over time, her work came to symbolize both independence and a deep appreciation for nature.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

While mapping coral reefs, marine biologists discovered that fish populations were highest near reef areas that had been undisturbed for at least ten years. In contrast, regions affected by tourism and boat traffic had fewer fish and more signs of coral stress. These data suggest that _______.

Which choice most logical completes the text?

A survey polled residents of several different countries about their expectations for the next five years--specifically, whether they would be better off, worse off, or about the same in five years. Responses were catalogued and shown in the graph, where responses of "worse off" or "about the same" were grouped together. Reviewing the data, a researcher concluded that people in Latin America and Africa tend to be more optimistic about the future than do those in North America and Europe.

Which observation from the table would most strengthen the researcher's conclusion?

The Mona Lisa is housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Visitors often wait in line for hours to view the painting. When they finally arrive in front of the ______ many are surprised by its relatively small size.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

The Titanic, hailed as “unsinkable,” tragically went down to the seafloor on its maiden voyage in 1912 after striking an iceberg. More than 1,500 passengers and crew perished in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Survivors recalled the chaos as _______ lifeboats launched half-empty. The disaster prompted sweeping reforms in maritime safety.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

In 1908, a huge explosion flattened about 800 square miles of forest in Siberia. Known as the Tunguska Event, _______. Witnesses described a fireball streaking across the sky, followed by a shockwave that shattered windows hundreds of kilometers away. No impact crater was ever found.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

In 1799, a French soldier in Egypt discovered a large black stone inscribed with three languages: Greek, Demotic, and hieroglyphics. Known as the Rosetta Stone, it provided the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian writing. Linguist Jean-François Champollion eventually _______ the code two decades later. This discovery opened a new era of Egyptology.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

The Amazon rainforest is sometimes called the “lungs of the Earth” because of its ability to absorb carbon dioxide. However, widespread deforestation threatens this balance, since it promotes the profusion of carbon _______ portends the loss of biodiversity.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

In 1969, humans first set foot on the Moon during NASA’s Apollo 11 mission. Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s _______ small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”—were broadcast worldwide. Millions watched as astronauts gathered lunar samples and planted a flag on the surface. The landing marked a turning point in space exploration.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire raged for three days, destroying thousands of buildings. Legend blamed a cow kicking over a _______ historians now doubt that story. The fire transformed urban planning, leading to stricter building codes and the rise of skyscrapers. In the aftermath, Chicago rebuilt itself into one of the fastest-growing cities in America.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. _______ she faced harsh weather and limited navigation tools, she landed safely in Ireland after more than 14 hours. Her flight earned worldwide admiration. Earhart’s boldness inspired generations of women to pursue aviation.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

The Cherokee scholar Sequoyah created a written syllabary (a set of symbols representing syllables) for his people in the early 19th century. Though he never learned English, he developed symbols representing every sound in Cherokee. Within a few years, literacy spread rapidly among the Cherokee Nation. _______, his invention remains a cornerstone of Cherokee cultural identity.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• The Amazon rainforest covers more than 2 million square miles.
• It is home to over 400 billion trees.
• It is home to about 10 percent of the world’s known species.

The student wants to emphasize the rainforest’s size. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes?

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• The Rosetta Stone was discovered in Egypt in 1799.
• It contained the same text in Greek, Demotic, and hieroglyphic scripts.
• French scholar Jean-François Champollion used it to decipher hieroglyphs in the 1820s.
• The discovery opened the field of Egyptology.
• The stone is now displayed in the British Museum.

The student wants to explain the significance of the Rosetta Stone for understanding ancient Egypt. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes?

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• The Challenger Deep is the deepest known point in Earth’s oceans.
• It is located in the Mariana Trench, about 36,000 feet below sea level.
• Few crewed submersibles have reached it.
• In 1960, Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh made the first descent.
• In 2012, filmmaker James Cameron also reached the bottom solo.

The student wants to emphasize the rarity of crewed descents to Challenger Deep. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes?

Which of the following expressions is equivalent to $4(x-3y)-3$?

A boat rental shop has small and large boats available for rent; the small boats hold $4$ passengers each and the large boats hold $8$ passengers each. The total capacity of all the boats rented from the shop on a particular day is represented by the equation $4x+8y=68$. If $7$ small boats were rented on that day, then according to this model, how many large boats were rented?

A system of equations consists of a quadratic equation and a linear equation. The equations in this systems are graphed in the $xy$-plane shown. How many solutions does this systems have?

To create rectangle B, the length of rectangle A is doubled and the width of rectangle A is divided by two. How does the area of rectangle B compare to the area of rectangle A?

Lydia walked $7{,}000$ steps, according to her smart watch, on a given day. She then walked $7{,}100$ steps the next day. Her goal on the third day is to walk $5{,}000$ fewer steps than the previous two days combined. What is the least number of steps Lydia could walk on the third day to meet her goal?

$4x-y=7$
$4x=-11$

If $(x,y)$ is the solution to the given system of equations, what is the value of $y$?

A book subscription service offers members who pay a fixed monthly cost the opportunity to order unlimited books at a reduced rate. If this service can be modeled by the equation $c=7b+25$, what is the best interpretation of $b$ in this context?

$g(x)=\frac{5-2x}{2x}$

For the function $g$ defined as shown, what is the value of $g(-2)-g(2)$?

A biology lab group measures the lengths of several earthworms and divides them into them into three categories: those of length than $6$ centimeters, those of length between $6$ and $16$ centimeters, and those of length greater than $16$ centimeters. The lab group finds at least one earthworm in each category. Which of the could NOT be the range of lengths measured by the lab group?

A cube has a surface area of 96 square meters. What is the volume, in cubic meters, of the cube?

A student purchases 500 beads of many different colors at a craft store. While sorting them, she calculates that the probability of randomly drawing a blue bead is between $0.27$ and $0.3$. Which of the following could be the number of blue beads present?

Twenty different positive numbers comprise data set A. The median, mean, sum, and standard deviation of the set are calculated, then the following changes are made to create set B: the smallest three numbers are each divided by $3$, while the largest three numbers are each multiplied by $3$. Which of the following values in set B must stay the same compared to set A?

A new car model hit the market in February of a certain year. A certain number of cars were sold in February. Each month after February for the rest of the year, sales of the new model increased by $3\%$ each month. Which of the following equations gives the total number of cars of the new model sold, $s$, $m$ months after February?

Joe scored $8$, $11$, and $7$ points, respectively, in the first three games of the basketball season. Solving which inequality gives all the possible point totals, $P$, that Joe would need in his fourth game to bring his scoring average to at least $10$ points per game after four games?

$\frac{3(x+2)}{x-4}+3=\frac{24}{x-5}$

What is the product of the solutions to the given equation?

$f(x)=(x-7)(x+1)(x+3)$

In the $xy$-plane, where the graph of the function $f$ is shifted down 4 units, the resulting function is denoted $g$. If the graph of $y=g(x)$ passes through the point $(-2,b)$, where $b$ is a constant, what is the value of $b$?

The table shows five values of $x$ and their corresponding values of $y$. There is a linear relationship between $x$ and $y$. If an equation representing this relationship is written in the form $15x+By=C$, where $B$ and $C$ are constants, what is the value of $C$?

The function $P$ models this population of a certain town $t$ years after the year 2013. If the population grows by $2.5\%$ every $n$ months after 2013, what is the value of $n$?

In the $xy$-plane, the equation of a circle is given by $x^2+6x+y^2+y+17=\frac{131}{4}$. What is the circumference of the circle?

The equation above is true for all $x$, where $c$ and $d$ are constants. What is the value of $d$?

In the given equation, $c$ is a constant. If $10$ is a solution to the equation and $c > -10$, what is a possible value of $c$?

On a spring day, the temperature in a room is artificially raised by setting the thermostat to 100°. The temperature reaches exactly 100° at 4:00 p.m., at which the thermostat is turned off, and the temperature begins decreasing. The temperature in the room reaches 93° at 4:30 p.m. and 88° at 5:00 p.m. Of the following functions, which best models the temperature $T(h)$, in degrees, of the room $h$ hours after 4:00 p.m.?