Digital SAT Practice Test 11 — Module 1 Reading & Writing: Full Walkthrough of All 33 Questions with Answers & Explanations

Question 1 · Craft & Structure — Words in Context

Ezra Pound's poetry can be hard to __________: it is dense, experimental, and so full of references and allusions that many readers have a difficult time even identifying the poems' subjects.

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

• A) comprehend
• B) dislike
• C) interrupt
• D) overlook

Question 2 · Craft & Structure — Words in Context

The unique subak water management system used to irrigate the rice paddy fields of the Indonesian island of Bali has a rich cultural, philosophical, and historical significance dating back to the ninth century. The many elements of subak—terraces, canals, and water temples—are __________: they are joined together into a single cohesive unit.

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

• A) outmoded
• B) informal
• C) interconnected
• D) optional

Question 3 · Craft & Structure — Words in Context

Although the government of the Soviet Union attempted to __________ Georgi Vladimov's novel Faithful Ruslan, copies of the book circulated in secret among readers in several parts of the country.

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

• A) replicate
• B) critique
• C) import
• D) suppress

Question 4 · Craft & Structure — Words in Context

Scholars long thought that the initial spread of silk beyond China occurred in the second century CE, but this view has been __________ by new archaeological evidence from South Asia that reveals that the people of the Indus Civilization made use of silk at least 1,000 years earlier.

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

• A) investigated
• B) misinterpreted
• C) anticipated
• D) contradicted

Question 5 · Craft & Structure — Words in Context

A casual description of Scherezade García's 2019 mural Blame It on the Bean: The Power of Coffee can make the work seem __________—a painting that is housed in a coffee shop and that depicts three women drinking coffee may not sound particularly ambitious—but in fact the work is a complex, dynamic meditation on gender and the legacy of colonialism that demands serious attention.

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

• A) unassuming
• B) shrewd
• C) incongruous
• D) pretentious

Question 6 · Craft & Structure — Text Structure & Purpose

The following text is adapted from Akwaeke Emezi's 2019 novel Pet. Jam is a teenager who lives with her father, Aloe, and her mother, Bitter, who is a painter.

Bitter finished the painting in the dark morning of a day—it was well past midnight when Jam heard the studio door creak open. She stared into the velvet black of her room and listened to her mother's footsteps walking in her [mother] and Aloe's bedroom. There was a weight thrumming through the floorboards in a low song, and that was how Jam knew the painting was done. Bitter's feet were singing the news.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

• A) It indicates that Jam is more interested in music than in art.
• B) It adds to the idea that Bitter's footsteps reveal something to Jam.
• C) It indicates that Bitter always sings when working on a painting.
• D) It describes Aloe's reaction upon seeing the painting for the first time.

Question 7 · Craft & Structure — Text Structure & Purpose

The following text is from Bram Stoker's 1911 novel The Lair of the White Worm. Adam is meeting his great-uncle Richard at a port.

The meeting so auspiciously begun proceeded well. Adam, seeing that the old man was interested in the novelty of the ship, suggested that he should stay the night on board, and that he would himself be ready to start at any hour and go anywhere that the other suggested. This affectionate willingness to fall in with his own plans quite won the old man's heart. He warmly accepted the invitation, and at once they became not only on terms of affectionate relationship, but almost like old friends.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

• A) It states the reasons why Adam and his great-uncle Richard decide to sleep on the ship rather than finding lodging on land.
• B) It showcases how Adam's flexibility and consideration strengthen his relationship with his great-uncle Richard.
• C) It describes why Adam and his great-uncle Richard are excited for their upcoming journey on the ship.
• D) It contrasts great-uncle Richard's wary first impressions of Adam with his ultimate affection toward him.

Question 8 · Craft & Structure — Text Structure & Purpose

Curious about how people visually perceive objects in their dreams, Stephen LaBerge and team recruited lucid dreamers—people aware that they're dreaming as it's happening—for a research study. These participants were reliably able to signal when they had entered a dream state; the team then observed participants' eye movements as they slept. The smoothness with which participants' eyes tracked objects in their dreams closely matched how sighted people who are awake visually track objects around them, suggesting to the team that the brain perceives dream objects as the product of something other than pure imagination.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

• A) To offer key evidence that undermines LaBerge and team's initial hypothesis
• B) To show the unexpected result that led LaBerge and team to change the focus of their study
• C) To illustrate an important real-world implication of LaBerge and team's main finding
• D) To identify a comparable circumstance that helps justify LaBerge and team's conclusion

Question 9 · Craft & Structure — Cross-Text Connections

Text 1. Good art often challenges and disrupts social and aesthetic norms, but the creation of public art—paintings, sculptures, and performance pieces displayed in nonmuseum or nontheatrical public settings—typically requires broad agreement among artists, civic officials, and community members about the works' message and artistic goals. Public art that fails to appease everyone by being sufficiently aesthetically and conceptually bland almost inevitably provokes backlash.

Text 2. Public art is commonly displayed in spaces intended for purposes other than meaningful aesthetic engagement. Some critics of public art therefore note that norm-defying pieces that aren't effectively integrated within their surroundings in a manner that primes passersby to appreciate the pieces' merits (as is often the case) tend to be regarded more unfavorably than similarly provocative art encountered in museums is.

Based on the texts, how would the critics mentioned in Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined claim in Text 1?

• A) By arguing that the reason members of the general public might disagree about a public artwork's merits is unrelated to the unconventionality of its appearance and ideas
• B) By agreeing with the idea that only works of art that are universally appealing are suitable for displaying in public spaces
• C) By disputing the notion that civic leaders and community members are easily placated by art that is intended mainly to reinforce social norms
• D) By contending that the kinds of reactions controversial public artworks often receive aren't exclusively the result of attributes inherent in the works themselves

Question 10 · Information & Ideas — Inferences

The average age at which people in the United States start businesses is 35. Economist Andrés Hincapié studied why young adults are relatively less likely to start businesses and whether there are ways to increase entrepreneurship in early adulthood. Hincapié found that one impediment is lack of knowledge about the practical details of how businesses are started; he further found that simply providing young adults with good informational resources on the topic significantly alleviates this problem.

Based on the text, what would Hincapié most likely say is a promising way to increase entrepreneurship in early adulthood?

• A) Creating social networks of young adults who are interested in starting a business
• B) Encouraging young adults to brainstorm business ideas
• C) Providing young adults with practical information about how to start a business
• D) Giving young adults training opportunities at a variety of businesses

Question 11 · Information & Ideas — Central Ideas & Details

Few animals are known to spit: among them are humans, cobras, and camels. But in January 2022 at a nature preserve in southern England, bird-watcher Clare Jacobs observed a gray seal spitting a jet of water at a white-tailed eagle flying overhead. Seals had never been seen spitting before. Biologist Sean Twiss, who studies gray seals, believes that the seal may have been attempting to scare the eagle away from a food source or that the seal may have just been playing.

Which choice best states the main topic of the text?

• A) Bird-watching in southern England
• B) A previously unseen behavior of gray seals
• C) How white-tailed eagles defend their territory against other predators
• D) Differences between gray seals and white-tailed eagles

Question 12 · Information & Ideas — Central Ideas & Details

The following text is from Mark Haber's 2022 novel Saint Sebastian's Abyss. The narrator and Schmidt are both art critics.

When my first wife admitted to Schmidt over dinner that she didn't find art, painting in particular, especially compelling, Schmidt winced, set down his fork, and sighed dramatically; he then excused himself, explaining an appointment he'd forgotten about had suddenly and inexplicably been remembered, while making it abundantly clear there was no appointment at all.

Based on the text, what is notable about Schmidt's behavior?

• A) Schmidt is only given to theatrical behavior when in the company of the narrator and his first wife.
• B) Schmidt's absentmindedness regarding his schedule is uncharacteristic of him.
• C) Schmidt's departure is occasioned by the resumption of a previous disagreement with the narrator's first wife about a particular painting.
• D) Schmidt conveys his feelings about one of his dining companions without explicitly stating them.

Question 13 · Information & Ideas — Central Ideas & Details

The following text is from Mick Herron's 2023 novel The Secret Hours. The narrator is describing members of a government committee.

Finally, and adding much-needed gravitas, was Sir Winston Day, whose features seemed moulded to adorn a bust, or possibly a stamp, and whose forehead was so evidently bulging with grey matter that it would have been impertinent to inquire too closely into the actual achievements his half century of public service had produced. His recently published memoirs possibly cast light on this enigma, but given that such details were not provided until after the thirty-page mark, they might as well have remained state secrets.

Based on the text, which choice best describes Sir Winston Day?

• A) He has the appearance of a distinguished figure, but it is uncertain whether he has accomplished anything to earn distinction.
• B) He looks like a person worthy of respect, but his memoirs reveal that some of his actions were dishonorable.
• C) He would be a celebrated public figure if his achievements did not have to be kept secret.
• D) He has maintained a modest profile even though he has served the public capably for many years.

Question 14 · Information & Ideas — Central Ideas & Details

Studies of ocean wave breaking have predominantly focused on traveling waves (those propagating along the horizontal plane), so Mark McAllister et al. utilized a circular wave tank to produce and study spike waves, axisymmetric standing waves that can erupt vertically when traveling waves propagating in opposing directions intersect. Traveling waves break when wave steepness (height-to-length ratio) passes a critical threshold; breaking thus constrains wave height. McAllister et al. found that spike waves can exceed that constraint, as other factors than just steepness (e.g., jet stability and cavity shape) mediate spike-wave breaking.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

• A) Previous studies have suggested that steepness mediates breaking in traveling waves, but the study by McAllister et al. shows that jet stability and cavity shape may also influence breaking in such waves.
• B) The process of breaking limits the height of traveling waves, but the study by McAllister et al. suggests that spike waves can exceed those limits if their height-to-length ratio reaches a critical threshold.
• C) McAllister et al. suggest that spike waves can form when traveling waves propagating in opposing directions intersect and that spike waves tend to be higher than traveling waves.
• D) The study by McAllister et al. suggests that when traveling waves intersect in specific ways, the resulting wave may be higher than would be expected based on the properties of traveling waves.

Question 15 · Information & Ideas — Command of Evidence (Quantitative)

A team of researchers used bacteria to create a biofuel (a renewable fuel produced from plants, algae, or other living materials). The team called the new fuel POP biofuel. To determine how much energy is stored in POP biofuel compared to other fuels, the team calculated the fuels' energy density, in megajoules per liter (MJ/L). The team found that the fuel with the highest energy density is __________

See the "Energy Density of Four Fuels" bar graph in the original College Board PDF above (four fuels: gasoline, ethanol, POP biofuel, jet fuel).

• A) jet fuel.
• B) POP biofuel.
• C) ethanol.
• D) gasoline.

Question 16 · Information & Ideas — Command of Evidence (Textual)

Founded in 1965 and originally established as a cultural extension of the United Farm Workers—a union representing many Mexican American agricultural workers at the time—the theater troupe El Teatro Campesino has achieved recognition as a source of inspiration for subsequent Chicano theater companies and as a contributor to the dramatic arts. In an article about the company, a theater historian posits that a significant stylistic influence on El Teatro's early performances was the audience-mediated slapstick comedy of carpa theater, vaudeville-style shows popular in Mexico and the US Southwest in the 1920s and '30s.

Which quotation from the article would best illustrate the theater historian's claim?

• A) "The company presented actos, short comedy sketches, that often relied on exaggerated physical humor to groups of agricultural workers, whose reactions—enthusiastic cheers of appreciation and, occasionally, loud boos of disapproval—promoted improvisation."
• B) "The company was focused on the reality of the present situation and discovered that humor was often found in that reality; consequently, comedy became a tool to convey social critique while entertaining and inspiring audiences."
• C) "The company relied heavily on satire, humor, and references to contemporary popular culture as well as a make-do aesthetic—often referred to as rasquache—that reflected not only the troupe's limited financial resources but also its sociopolitical message."
• D) "The members of the company, which in addition to founder Luis Valdez consisted entirely of nonprofessional actors, traveled into farm fields, where they, with minimal props and costumes, performed comedy in the form of brief humorous vignettes."

Question 17 · Information & Ideas — Inferences

Researchers Eugeni Vidal-Tortosa and Robin Lovelace looked at the relationship between street lighting in a city and people's willingness to ride a bicycle. Their results suggest that poor street lighting can deter new or inexperienced cyclists from riding in a city but has little effect on experienced cyclists. Therefore, increasing the number of streetlights in a city could potentially __________

Which choice most logically completes the text?

• A) decrease the number of new or inexperienced cyclists riding in the city.
• B) increase the number of experienced cyclists riding in the city.
• C) decrease the number of experienced cyclists riding in the city.
• D) increase the number of new or inexperienced cyclists riding in the city.

Question 18 · Information & Ideas — Inferences

Like many other genera of wild bees, bumblebees have in recent decades experienced population collapse caused by, among other factors, habitat destruction and climate variation. Bumblebees are also one of the most researched bee genera, second only to honeybees. As a result, ecologists have gained much of their insight about wild-bee declines from bumblebees. In a 2021 paper, zoologist Guillaume Ghisbain notes that bumblebees are among the relatively few wild-bee genera that display social behaviors and dietary generalism (ability to obtain nectar and pollen from a diversity of plant species), two traits that are associated with increased resilience to some specific environmental changes. Ghisbain therefore contends that __________

Which choice most logically completes the text?

• A) although bumblebees and many other wild bees have experienced similar population declines in the past, compared with other wild bees, bumblebees are likely at greater risk of being harmed by climate variation than by habitat destruction.
• B) although bumblebees have been more extensively studied than most wild bees, researchers should not use bumblebees to draw conclusions about the decline of other wild bees, even ones with feeding patterns and levels of sociability that are similar to those of bumblebees.
• C) because bumblebees and other bees with generalist diets are less negatively affected by environmental stress than bees with specialized diets are, they are less likely to experience major population changes in the future than bees with specialized diets are.
• D) because the responses of bumblebees and other wild bees to environmental threats are not always comparable, researchers need to exercise caution when extrapolating information about wild-bee population declines from bumblebees.

Question 19 · Standard English Conventions — Sentence Boundaries

When using a search engine, many people click just the first one or two results. Click restraint is the practice of scanning a search results page and evaluating what you see before deciding which link __________

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

• A) should you choose.
• B) you should choose?
• C) should you choose?
• D) you should choose.

Question 20 · Standard English Conventions — Verb Form

Following her debut album release in 2002, Mexican singer-songwriter Natalia Lafourcade quickly shot to fame. By 2023, she __________ one of the most celebrated musicians in Latin America, having released twelve albums and won seventeen Latin Grammy awards—more than any other female artist in history.

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

• A) will become
• B) becomes
• C) will have become
• D) had become

Question 21 · Standard English Conventions — Subject-Verb Agreement

The rough frog is a species of amphibian native to Australia. Currently, the frog's range __________ parts of northern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland.

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

• A) includes
• B) included
• C) will have included
• D) had included

Question 22 · Standard English Conventions — Punctuation

According to the original text of the US Constitution, written in 1787, the presidential candidate receiving the second-most Electoral College votes becomes vice president. The 12th amendment, ratified in __________ separated the elections for the two offices.

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

• A) 1804—
• B) 1804,
• C) 1804:
• D) 1804

Question 23 · Standard English Conventions — Modifier Placement

The musical scores of Japanese composer Hiroyuki Sawano are famous for their mysterious titles. Laden with emojis and seemingly meaningless words, and driven largely by Sawano's "personal feeling and mood," __________

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

• A) the listener can approach each piece free from expectations because of the titles.
• B) the titles allow the listener to approach each piece free from expectations.
• C) each piece can be approached by the listener free from expectations because of the titles.
• D) the listener's approach to each piece because of the titles can be free from expectations.

Question 24 · Standard English Conventions — Subject-Verb Agreement

Artist Yto Barrada's exhibition Ways to Baffle the Wind incorporates sculptures, textiles, and films. Barrada's pieces, utilizing elements as disparate as plant-dyed fabrics, wire crab traps filled with stones, and cotton balls dangling above a fan, __________ the ways humans attempt to organize and regulate nature.

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

• A) explore
• B) has explored
• C) explores
• D) exploring

Question 25 · Standard English Conventions — Punctuation

Helical __________ widely understood to confer stability and efficiency in the locomotion of a variety of microscopic organisms—including bacteria, eukaryotic algae, and ciliates—bestows similar advantages, albeit via different propulsive modes, to larger oceanic macroplanktons, such as salps.

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

• A) swimming, is
• B) swimming is
• C) swimming has been
• D) swimming,

Question 26 · Expression of Ideas — Transitions

The tiny transistors that control the flow of electricity in modern devices may one day be made of wood. Researchers in Switzerland have found a way to use heat and chemicals to widen the grooves in dry pieces of balsa wood. __________ these grooves become wide enough that electrical conductors can be passed through them.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

• A) For example,
• B) Previously,
• C) In contrast,
• D) As a result,

Question 27 · Expression of Ideas — Transitions

Al-Andalus, the historical region of the Iberian Peninsula that includes most of modern-day Spain, was ruled by various Arabic-speaking Muslim states between the eighth and fifteenth centuries. __________ many Arabic words, such as "alacrán"—meaning "scorpion"—made their way into the Spanish language.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

• A) For example,
• B) Instead,
• C) Specifically,
• D) Consequently,

Question 28 · Expression of Ideas — Transitions

Imagine a magazine that a reader has thrown away. This magazine is post-consumer waste, as it became waste after reaching the consumer. __________ the paper scraps left over from printing the magazine are pre-consumer waste, as they became waste before reaching the consumer.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

• A) By contrast,
• B) For example,
• C) As a result,
• D) Specifically,

Question 29 · Expression of Ideas — Transitions

In astrophysics, a ring of debris orbiting a larger object within the object's Roche limit is expected to persist as a ring, whereas a ring of debris orbiting outside this limit would likely accrete into a satellite (e.g., a moon). Bruno Morgado and colleagues, __________ detected a dense ring of material orbiting the trans-Neptunian object Quaoar at a distance of 2,500 miles, well outside the calculated Roche limit of 1,100 miles, that has remained intact.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

• A) though,
• B) for example,
• C) fittingly,
• D) likewise,

Question 30 · Expression of Ideas — Rhetorical Synthesis

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

• "Organ²/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible)" is a musical piece by avant-garde composer John Cage.
• A specially designed automated organ in St. Burchardi Church in Halberstadt, Germany, began playing the piece in 2001.
• It is scheduled to stop playing the piece in 2640.
• The performance will last 639 years.
• It will be the longest continuous musical performance in history.

The student wants to indicate how long John Cage's musical piece will last. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

• A) John Cage is the composer of the musical piece "Organ²/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible)."
• B) "Organ²/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible)" is a musical piece currently being played in St. Burchardi Church in Halberstadt, Germany.
• C) Lasting 639 years, John Cage's musical piece will be the longest continuous musical performance in history.
• D) An organ in St. Burchardi Church in Halberstadt, Germany, began playing a musical piece by avant-garde composer John Cage.

Question 31 · Expression of Ideas — Rhetorical Synthesis

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

• 1914: British explorer Ernest Shackleton and a small crew embarked on an expedition to Antarctica.
• 1915: Shackleton's ship Endurance became stuck in ice before eventually breaking apart and sinking.
• 1916: After more harrowing sea-ice adventures, the entire crew was rescued.
• 1959: Historian Alfred Lansing wrote a book called Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage.
• 2001: Filmmaker George Butler released a documentary called The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition.
• 2022: The wreckage of Endurance was discovered at the bottom of Antarctica's Weddell Sea.

The student wants to provide a historical overview of the Shackleton expedition. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

• A) Leaving in 1914 for Antarctica, Shackleton and his crew underwent many harrowing sea-ice adventures, including losing their ship in 1915, before being rescued in 1916.
• B) In 1914, the Shackleton expedition sailed to Antarctica, where, in 1916, they rescued the crew of a ship that had sunk, Endurance (the wreckage of which was discovered in 2022).
• C) Shackleton's expedition has inspired a 1959 book, a 2001 film, and a 2022 discovery.
• D) Alfred Lansing wrote about the history of Shackleton's 1914–16 expedition in the book Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage (1959); years later, in 2001, George Butler released a documentary about the expedition.

Question 32 · Expression of Ideas — Rhetorical Synthesis

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

• The meter of a poem is the rhythmic structure or pattern of accents in its lines.
• Alliterative meter is structured by a pattern of repeated sounds.
• Quantitative meter is structured by a pattern of long and short syllables.
• The Old English poem Widsith uses an alliterative meter.
• The Sanskrit poem Meghadūta uses a quantitative meter.

The student wants to emphasize a difference between the meters of the two poems. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

• A) The poem Widsith is written in Old English, but Meghadūta is written in Sanskrit.
• B) Alliterative meter is a pattern of repeated sounds, but quantitative meter is a rhythmic structure or pattern of accents.
• C) The Sanskrit poem Meghadūta uses a quantitative meter, while the meter of the Old English poem Widsith uses a pattern of long and short syllables.
• D) The lines of the poem Meghadūta use a pattern of long and short syllables, whereas Widsith's lines use a pattern of repeated sounds.

Question 33 · Expression of Ideas — Rhetorical Synthesis

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

• Leaders of the Province of Guatemala proclaimed independence for Central America from the Spanish Empire on September 15, 1821.
• The accompanying Declaration of Independence was written by Honduran scholar and politician José Cecilio del Valle.
• The 1812 Spanish Constitution had provided some degree of independence for Central America, but it was repealed by the Spanish king in 1814.
• Valle, a loyal advisor to the Spanish Empire's administrators in Central America, had long opposed independence.
• He changed his mind after Colonel Rafael del Riego's 1820 revolt, which demanded the return of rights lost in 1814.

The student wants to place the 1821 Declaration of Independence in the context of Valle's changing political beliefs. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

• A) Colonel Riego's revolt was the inspiration that Valle, a long-standing opponent of Central American independence, needed to change his political beliefs.
• B) Long an opponent of Central American independence, Valle changed his mind after an 1820 revolt and wrote the 1821 declaration.
• C) A change in Valle's political beliefs that occurred when the Spanish king repealed the 1812 constitution led to Valle writing Central America's Declaration of Independence.
• D) The writing of Central America's Declaration of Independence may not have happened were it not for Colonel Riego's 1820 revolt.