SAT Practice Test 1 - SAT Reading & Writing

1. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the scholar's claim?
   Answer: In matched field plots with equivalent floral resources and nesting habitat, colonies exposed to region-typical residues showed 30% lower foraging return rates and reduced brood production than unexposed controls. The scholar's key move is isolating pesticide exposure while keeping habitat quality constant, then checking colony performance. The winning finding does exactly that: plots are matched for floral resources and nesting habitat, so the only difference is exposure, and the exposed colonies show lower foraging returns and less brood production—the very metrics named. The county-sales finding is only a correlation, and because those counties also differ in wildflowers, habitat is left as a competing explanation—precisely the confound the scholar wants to eliminate. The museum-collections finding compares the 1880s and 1910s, a timeframe irrelevant to today's decline, and reflects collecting effort rather than pesticide effects. The single organic farm shows the wrong scope: one uncontrolled site with no exposed comparison cannot separate pesticides from habitat, weather, or chance. Only the matched-plot experiment supplies the controlled contrast the claim requires.
2. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
   Answer: plans The singular subject "committee" takes the singular verb "plans"; the phrase "along with" does not change the number. The other choices either mismatch the subject in number or use an incorrect verb form for this context.
3. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
   Answer: the researchers The introductory modifier implies people performed the review, so "the researchers" is the logical subject. The other choices are not entities that could perform the act of reviewing and concluding.
4. Which choice most logically completes the text?
   Answer: goat grazing, rather than unusual weather or soil shifts, best explains the shrub decline and seedling rebound A follows because declines were concentrated where goats grazed while weather and soils were stable. B reverses causality, C overgeneralizes beyond the study, and D is a non sequitur.
5. Which choice most logically completes the text?
   Answer: delaying start times allowed students to sleep longer without going to bed earlier C follows directly: later start shifted wake times later without earlier bedtimes, increasing sleep. A and B are unsupported or overgeneralized, and D reverses cause and effect.
6. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
   Answer: collectives' new Because the gallery is shared by multiple collectives, the plural possessive 'collectives'' is required. The singular possessive and the comma options are incorrect for the context.
7. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
   Answer: years' experience In expressions of time used attributively, the plural possessive is correct: 'two years' experience.' The other choices are nonpossessive or use an incorrect form.
8. Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
   Answer: Presents evidence that challenges an initial interpretation. The sentence introduces wear-pattern evidence that contradicts the earlier ritual-only interpretation. It neither defines a term (A), offers context (B), nor merely transitions sections (C).
9. Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
   Answer: Acknowledges a potential drawback that complicates the proposed solution. The sentence flags a risk that complicates straightforward transparency, setting up the debate over alternatives. It does not introduce a policy (A), offer an anecdote (B), or summarize the central claim (D).
10. Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
    Answer: Repairing the clock teaches the narrator patience and renews a bond with a grandparent. The narrative centers on patience and connection to the grandfather through the clock. The other options elevate minor details or claim regret or expertise not supported by the text.
11. Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
    Answer: Incremental, imperfect restoration can still produce meaningful ecological and social gains. The passage argues that partial, incremental changes yield real benefits. The other choices either contradict the text, elevate a minor element, or overstate the author's stance toward critics.
12. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
    Answer: different The context in this sentence should tell you that there was a problem that needed to be solved: sentence 1 tells us that wartime led to new ways to solve problems, and sentence two tells us that something didn't work as intended (shells failed to detonate). Therefore you should look for a cause of that problem in the answer choices.  Similar, innovative and well-documented all seem to be positive things for manufacturers, but "different definitions" of a unit of measure can explain why there was a problem.
13. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
    Answer: others In this example, we want to aim to express a meaning that is concise and logical. In order to do so, we'll want to address what "that of" or "those of" is meant to refer to in the answer options. Since the comparison is between "their own species and (that of/those of) others, it would seem as though the "those of" is attempting to refer to the species. However, the term "others" already refers to the species, so it would be completely illogical and redundant to draw a comparison between "their own species and the species of other species." This leaves us with only our correct answer, "others," which draws a succinct and logical comparison.
14. Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
    Answer: However, Contrast is needed because early excitement is set against disappointing initial results. Cause/effect, addition, and time do not capture the reversal in outcome.
15. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the scholar's claim?
    Answer: Ancient DNA from 80 individuals shows two distinct ancestry clusters tied to nonoverlapping burial layers, with radiocarbon dates indicating arrivals roughly 800 years apart. A provides temporally separated genetic and stratigraphic evidence for distinct arrivals. B is the wrong timeframe, C is the wrong scope (one burial), and D indicates trade-driven mixing rather than separate migrations.
16. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
    Answer: refutes She argues against the chart's premise, so refutes fits. Endorses and concedes express agreement, and equivocates is intransitive and does not take a direct object.
17. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
    Answer: scarce Because supplies are dwindling, water is best described as scarce. Ornate concerns decoration, candid means frank, and stationary means unmoving, none of which fits the context of limited availability.
18. Which choice best describes data from the table that support the claim?
    Answer: Among adults 65+, adoption rose from 45% in 2018 to 68% in 2024 but still trailed 18–29-year-olds at 96% in 2024. The 65+ group increased from 45% to 68% yet remained below the 96% rate for 18–29 in 2024. This statistic is true from the table and directly supports both pieces of the claim: the oldest group's smartphone adoption significantly increased over that time period, but is still less than a younger group's figure. The other choices are all irrelevant to the specific claim, which 1) must be about senior citizens in the 65+ group and 2) must be true based on the table. Nether of the stats in B and C are relevant to 65+, and the notion in choice D may well be true but is not data from the table nor would it directly impact the claim of "grew, but still lagged behind other groups."
19. Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the text?
    Answer: By 2023, Museum A rose to 620,000, above its 2019 level of 600,000, while Museum B reached 520,000, below its 2019 level of 540,000. In graph/table questions that ask you to strengthen or support a claim, the correct answer must do two things: 1\) Directly support the specific claim given. 2\) Be true based on the information in the table or graph. And almost always, at least two if not all three incorrect answers will fail the test in #1. Note here that three choices use "both" to lead with facts that are true of both museums, but the claim is about a difference (A recovered its attendance, B did not). Only the correct answer leads to a difference, showing that by 2023 Museum A's attendance had not only recovered to its 2019 figure but exceeded it, while Museum B's attendance was still below its highest point. Note also that the the answer that says they both surpassed their 2019 attendance not only doesn't support the claim, but is factually incorrect based on the graph too.
20. Which choice best describes data from the chart that support the report's claim?
    Answer: West End's average rose by about 500 commuters, the largest increase shown. West End increases from about 600 to about 1100, a gain of about 500—larger than Downtown (+200), North Side (+50), or East Harbor (+100). A is true but irrelevant, B cites a timeframe not shown, and C misstates West End's increase.
21. The underlined sentence primarily serves to $\underline{\hspace{2em}}$.
    Answer: challenge a prevailing interpretation by citing overlooked evidence It directly disputes the impulsive-genius narrative by pointing to letters that show planning. The other options miscast it as a concession, a new question, or an anecdote.
22. Which of the following, if true, would most support the scholar's theory?
    Answer: Soon after signing Copeland as a brand ambassador, Under Armour featured her in campaigns for its athleisure lines of casual activewear meant for day-to-day use. Whenever you're asked to support a theory or claim, it's important to go find that claim and understand specifically what it says. Here the claim is that the company chose Copeland as a brand ambassador to create an image as an overall lifestyle and fitness brand and not just a team sports apparel brand.  Choice C connects directly to that plan: Under Armour didn't just choose her as an ambassador, but used her to promote a new line of activewear different from team sports apparel. Among the other answer choices, choices A and D each provide more context around Copeland, but don't connect directly to that theory. And if anything choice B goes against the theory, more directly tying Copeland to "sports" and not overall lifestyle.
23. Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
    Answer: Despite negative initial reactions, Claude Monet's painting, Impression, Sunrise, inspired an entire artistic movement. Beware that in questions that ask about the main idea of text, many incorrect answers will cite things that appeared in that text but that weren't the main point.  Here the author tells a full story: Monet painted a painting that critics didn't like, but nonetheless other artists began to emulate its style and that style grew into an entire movement, impressionism, that took its name from that painting. And choice C reflects that entire story.  Choices A, B, and D all occur in the passage, but each emphasizes just one point of the story while the author's main point is to tell the entire tale.
24. Which of the following best uses data from the table to support the graduate student's hypothesis?
    Answer: The only whales to dive deeper than 300 meters measure, on average, 6 meters or less. The student's hypothesis is that larger whales do shallower dives and smaller whales do deeper dives.  Choice B is consistent with that: the three whales with the deepest dives (Beluga, Culver's, and Narwhal) are the three smallest whales.  Note that choices A and D go the opposite direction, working against the student's hypothesis, by highlighting comparisons of larger whales doing deeper dives and smaller whales doing shallower dives.
25. Which of the following best uses evidence from the graph to support the claim?
    Answer: unemployment rates were significantly lower for degree-holders than for those who did not have a degree An important factor on any questions that ask you to find evidence in a graph or table is reading the prompt to determine specifically what the claim or conclusion is. Here the claim is that "a college degree leads to dramatically lower levels of unemployment." For that reason, both A and D are incorrect as they focus on earnings and not on unemployment rate. And choice B is incorrect because it compares types of degrees when the claim is specific to having "a college degree."  Choice C directly addresses the specific claim and matches evidence from the graph: for groups with a degree of any kind, unemployment rates were indeed significantly lower than for those without.
26. The student wants to emphasize cost-effectiveness. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
    Answer: Because planting street trees costs far less than installing built shade or stormwater hardware, and maintenance averages modest per-tree expenses while lowering summer cooling bills through shading, they represent a highly cost-effective urban investment. Choice C cites lower installation costs, modest maintenance, and reduced cooling bills to stress cost-effectiveness. A and B are true but focus on equity or general benefits; D contradicts the notes about relative costs and maintenance.
27. The student wants to emphasize the need for controlled excavation to preserve context. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
    Answer: Because looting and unrecorded digging destroy stratigraphic context, controlled excavation guided by noninvasive mapping is essential, especially since organic remains decay rapidly once exposed and must be carefully removed and conserved immediately. Choice B uses evidence about stratigraphy loss and rapid decay to justify controlled, targeted excavation. A and C discuss logistics rather than preservation; D supports control but inaccurately claims volunteers are already trained.
28. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the scholar's claim?
    Answer: In a randomized trial across 40 villages with identical transfer values and monitored prices, households receiving cash recorded significantly lower Food Insecurity Experience Scale scores over the first 12 weeks than voucher recipients. The scholar's claim is narrow: over a short horizon, and under equivalent market conditions, cash beats vouchers at reducing food insecurity. The winning finding matches every piece of that claim—a randomized comparison, identical transfer values, monitored prices, and lower food-insecurity scores in the first 12 weeks. That is exactly the controlled, short-horizon test the scholar says is needed. The survey about feeling more respected and less stigmatized speaks only to the symbolic value of cash, which the scholar explicitly sets aside; dignity is not a food-insecurity outcome. The three-year follow-up measures long-run convergence, the wrong timeframe—the claim is about the first few weeks, not years later. The township hotline decline lacks any comparison group and controls, so it cannot show that cash outperformed vouchers rather than reflecting some other change. Only the randomized short-term result directly supports the claim.
29. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the scholar's claim?
    Answer: Minutes from a 1928 municipal planning board meeting state that crescents and cul-de-sacs were adopted "to minimize through-traffic speeds and volumes in residential districts." B provides contemporaneous documentation of planners' intent to deter through-traffic. A is aesthetic, C is the wrong timeframe, and D is correlation with confounds.
30. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
    Answer: has grown The time marker "Since 2010" calls for the present perfect "has grown." The other choices use incorrect tenses or forms for a continuing situation from the past to the present.
31. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
    Answer: the astronomers The modifier "Eager to record the comet" must describe people, so "the astronomers" is the logical subject. The other options are inanimate and cannot logically be eager.
32. Which choice most logically completes the text?
    Answer: differences in output are associated with the relative quiet or noise of employees' workspaces The passage reports that output rose for workers with quiet offices and fell for those in noisy spaces, while tools, training, and assignments stayed the same. The best completion says output differences are associated with how quiet or noisy the workspace was—exactly what the data show. Recommending that the company pay for soundproofing for everyone is a policy leap the passage never supports; the trial only observed a pattern, it did not argue for a spending decision. Claiming noise is the single factor that determines any remote worker's productivity overgeneralizes: the passage explicitly says it was not designed to test every factor, so it cannot rule out other causes. Saying that higher output enabled workers to build quieter spaces reverses the direction of the relationship; the quiet came from where people already worked, and nothing suggests productivity created those conditions. Only the associational statement matches the evidence without adding claims the text does not make.
33. Which choice most logically completes the text?
    Answer: prolonged drought conditions that made the basin difficult to inhabit A best fits because depopulation aligns with drought and there is no evidence of war or plague. B and C are unsupported or contradicted by recovery, and D reverses cause and effect.
34. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
    Answer: as follows: free Use a colon after 'as follows' to introduce a list. A comma or semicolon is inappropriate here, and D lacks the necessary punctuation.
35. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
    Answer: species' For the plural noun 'species,' the correct possessive form is species'. The other options are either singular possessive forms or misuse commas/apostrophes.
36. Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
    Answer: Illustrates the preceding claim with a specific example. The sentence gives a concrete example (sea urchins) to illustrate the trophic cascade described. It does not propose an alternative hypothesis (B), discuss methods (C), or conclude the passage (D).
37. Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
    Answer: Limits the scope of the preceding claim and motivates the need for corroborating evidence. The sentence cautions that transit signals can be misleading, setting up the need for further confirmation. It does not introduce a new technique (A), recount history (B), or simply restate a thesis (C).
38. Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
    Answer: Introduces a policy debate, presents evidence addressing a concern, and recommends a course of action The op-ed sets up a claim, counters a concern with evidence, and ends with a recommendation. The other choices mischaracterize the content or its cohesiveness.
39. Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
    Answer: To caution that focusing solely on metrics can distort a nonprofit's mission and to propose a balanced approach The author warns against metric-only thinking and suggests combining quantitative and qualitative measures. The other choices exaggerate, narrow, or misrepresent the scope of the discussion.
40. The student wants to emphasize reliability during outages. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
    Answer: When a 2022 cyclone severed the undersea cable, the microgrid islanded and kept clinics powered for five days, prioritizing essential services even after diesel reserves could supply only a few hours. Choice D spotlights sustained power during a cable failure and prioritization of essential services, directly addressing reliability. A, B, and C are accurate but focus on emissions, training, or funding rather than outage performance.
41. The student wants to emphasize the crucial demonstration that built public trust. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
    Answer: By dramatically cutting the hoisting rope at the Crystal Palace and stopping the platform safely, Otis earned public trust; widespread newspaper coverage carried the spectacle beyond attendees, priming the surge in safety elevator orders. Choice A centers on the rope-cut demonstration and ensuing press coverage that built trust. B and C recount technical details or later sales without tying them to trust; D misstates the location of the event.
42. Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
    Answer: In addition, Addition is appropriate because the second sentence lists another improvement. Cause/effect, concession, and time sequencing are not supported by the content.
43. Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
    Answer: As a result, Cause/effect is best because the strategic shift led to measurable engagement gains. Contrast, addition, and pure time sequencing do not capture a resulting outcome.
44. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
    Answer: scarce Given the drought and conservation, water is scarce. The other options either suggest abundance (copious) or unrelated qualities (ornamental, volatile).
45. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
    Answer: pragmatic Pragmatic fits the focus on practical, measurable gains. The other choices suggest symbolism, impulsiveness, or abstraction, none of which match the context.
46. Which choice best describes data from the table that support the claim?
    Answer: Information services rose from 1.3 days per week at home in 2019 to 3.4 in 2024, the largest increase among the industries shown. Information increased by 2.1 days (1.3 to 3.4), more than finance (+1.2), manufacturing (+0.6), and retail (+0.4). A is irrelevant to the claim, B is not shown by the table, and D uses the wrong timeframe.
47. Which of the following provides data from the table that supports the manufacturer's claim?
    Answer: Nova increased battery life by 3.5 hours from 2023 to 2024, compared to increases of 1.5 for Zephyr, 1.2 for Toro, and 0.8 for Quill. Any time you're asked to support a claim, it is critical to identify the specifics of that claim. Here the claim in question is about which laptop brand improved its battery life the most from 2023 to 2024, not which one had the highest. So while "Nova had the highest figure in 2024 with 12.5" is a very tempting choice, it doesn't speak at all to improvement so it doesn't help the claim. In contrast, the choice that directly compares the improvement for all four brands directly supports the claim and is correct.
48. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
    Answer: the researchers The modifier 'After examining...' must modify the noun that follows, which logically is 'the researchers.' The other options either cannot perform the action (a sensor or a cause) or provide an unclear/mismatched pronoun ('it').
49. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
    Answer: have The relative pronoun 'who' refers to 'researchers,' a plural antecedent, so the verb should be plural 'have.' 'Has,' 'having,' and 'has been' do not agree in number or do not fit the sentence structure.
50. Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
    Answer: It introduces a specific example that the paragraph then uses to demonstrate a method. It presents a concrete case (the 8.2 ka event) that the paragraph uses to illustrate the alignment procedure. It neither states the conclusion, marks an exception, nor summarizes prior studies.
51. Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
    Answer: It presents a proposal, addresses a likely objection, and supports the proposal with an example. The author proposes citizen science, acknowledges accuracy concerns, and cites eBird as evidence of workable safeguards. The other options do not match the sequence or purpose of the argument.
52. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
    Answer: persistent Note the phrase after the blank, "with hypotheses and projections filling the minds of determined physicists…" This tells us that physicists are diligently working to find these particles, meaning that "persistent" is a perfect fit to describe the search.  "Inevitable" would mean that the search is bound to start but hasn't yet. "Stagnant" would mean that the search has stalled or paused. And "adrift" would mean that the search doesn't have direction or purpose, but we know that scientists are working on the issue in a structured way (as evidenced by "hypotheses").  So the correct answer must be persistent.
53. Which of the following most supports the biologists' hypothesis?
    Answer: Between 2000 and 2010, the rabbit population on several islands off the coast that are inaccessible to coyotes did not decline. In this problem the biologists hypothesize that coyote predation was likely the cause of a dramatic decrease in rabbit population. And notice that the case for coyotes being the culprit is largely made by ruling out other potential factors: disease and undernourishment. Choice A is a great piece of supporting evidence because it helps to tie the coyotes specifically to the population decline: where coyotes are present, the population declined, but where coyotes are not, it did not.  Among the other choices, B and D perform similar roles in that they each talk about other animals in the ecosystem, but do not directly connect coyotes to rabbits. And choice C seems to undermine the hypothesis, not support it, by stating that coyotes would not have needed to eat rabbits to survive.
54. Historically, travel agents have provided a variety of services to prospective travelers, from booking transit and accommodation to recommending itineraries to scheduling activities. Their relationships with service providers, including tour guides and hoteliers, have enabled travel agents to book custom trips suited to each traveler's preferences. Technology has allowed travelers to replace many of the individual functions of a travel agent–for example booking one's own flights or researching and scheduling activities–but in creating a deluge of options for travelers to sort through has, somewhat ironically, strengthened the importance of the travel agent's role.
    Answer: Even amidst technological change, travel agents have maintained their importance to travelers. "Main idea" questions almost always include multiple answer choices that appear in the passage, but aren't the main point. And this problem is a great example. Both of A and B are true and mentioned specifically in the passage, but the main point of the passage is to discuss the role that travel agents play even as technology has changed their service to an extent, not to highlight a particular function (B) or simply say that technology is replacing functions (A).  And part of D is true, as well, but again that's not the main point, which is to shed light on a variety of things that travel agents do even as technology has altered their role.

Take this practice test