Digital SAT · Reading & Writing · Exam Prep · NYC Test Prep
Digital SAT Practice Test 6 — Module 1 Reading & Writing: Full Walkthrough of All 33 Questions with Answers & Explanations
Every question on Digital SAT Practice Test #6, Reading & Writing Module 1, transcribed verbatim, with the official College Board answer key, a plain-English explanation for every choice, theory refreshers on every tested skill, and a free PDF download. Built by SOMATH, the math school on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Looking for the answers, explanations, and full walkthrough of Digital SAT Practice Test 6 — Reading & Writing Module 1? You are in the right place. This is a complete, question-by-question walkthrough of SAT Test #6, R&W Module 1 — every one of the 33 questions transcribed verbatim (passages, prompts, and all four answer choices), with the official College Board answer for each item and a plain-English explanation showing exactly why the correct choice works and why each distractor fails. Theory refreshers on every skill category are included, plus a free PDF download of the entire practice test for offline studying.
Module 1 is the first Reading & Writing module on the Digital SAT. Your performance on Module 1 helps determine which version of Module 2 you receive, so drilling it question by question, skill by skill, is one of the fastest ways to raise your composite score.
Whether you are a student prepping for the next SAT test date, a parent looking for answer explanations, or a teacher building a review packet, this walkthrough is designed to be a complete, honest, and student-friendly Digital SAT Reading & Writing resource. Written by the same team that teaches Digital SAT prep at SOMATH, a math-focused school on the Upper West Side of New York City run by Northwestern-trained cofounder Marcelo Ambrozio and Harvard-trained cofounder Vivianne Wright.
Answer key at a glance
All 33 answers in one table for quick review:
| Question # | Correct Answer |
|---|---|
| 1 | D |
| 2 | B |
| 3 | B |
| 4 | D |
| 5 | D |
| 6 | A |
| 7 | B |
| 8 | B |
| 9 | D |
| 10 | D |
| 11 | A |
| 12 | A |
| 13 | A |
| 14 | D |
| 15 | B |
| 16 | D |
| 17 | D |
| 18 | B |
| 19 | A |
| 20 | C |
| 21 | D |
| 22 | D |
| 23 | D |
| 24 | C |
| 25 | B |
| 26 | D |
| 27 | D |
| 28 | C |
| 29 | C |
| 30 | B |
| 31 | A |
| 32 | B |
| 33 | C |
Sections
Theory refresher · What R&W Module 1 tests
The Digital SAT Reading & Writing section has two timed modules. Every question is a short, self-contained passage followed by one question and four answer choices — there are no multi-question passage sets. The four content domains are:
1 · Craft & Structure
Words in Context. Pick the word or phrase that most precisely fits the logic and grammar of the sentence. Text Structure & Purpose. Identify how a text or sentence functions in the passage. Cross-Text Connections. Determine how the author or idea in one text would respond to another text’s claim.
2 · Information & Ideas
Central Ideas & Details. Identify the main point supported by the whole text. Command of Evidence (Textual). Select the evidence that best supports a stated claim. Command of Evidence (Quantitative). Read a table or graph accurately and choose the statement the data support. Inferences. Draw only the conclusion logically supported by the information given.
3 · Standard English Conventions
Boundaries. Choose correct punctuation between and within sentences. Form, Structure & Sense. Apply grammar and usage: agreement, verb forms, modifiers, and sentence structure.
4 · Expression of Ideas
Transitions. Select the connector that accurately signals contrast, cause and effect, addition, sequence, or substitution. Rhetorical Synthesis. Use only the relevant notes to accomplish the exact stated goal, such as emphasizing a similarity, an achievement, or a generalization.
Every question below is transcribed verbatim from College Board’s Practice Test 6 booklet. Try each one on your own, then click Show answer & explanation to see the correct answer and a plain-English explanation for every choice.
Section 1 · Craft & Structure
Words in Context, Text Structure & Purpose, and Cross-Text Connections — the questions that open the module.
Question 1 · Words in Context
Though not closely related, the hedgehog tenrecs of Madagascar share basic _______ true hedgehogs, including protective spines, pointed snouts, and small body size—traits the two groups of mammals independently developed in response to equivalent roles in their respective habitats.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
- A) examples of
- B) concerns about
- C) indications of
- D) similarities with
Answer: D) similarities with
One-line summary: The traits named in the sentence are traits the tenrecs have in common with true hedgehogs, so the blank needs “similarities with.”
✓ D) similarities with
“Similarities with” fits both the meaning and the grammar: the two groups share similarities with one another, including spines, pointed snouts, and small size.
✗ Why the other choices fail
“Examples of” and “indications of” do not express the relationship between the two groups, and “concerns about” is unrelated to the traits being compared.
Question 2 · Words in Context
In editor Lisa Yaszek’s introduction to her anthology The Future Is Female! More Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, Yaszek identifies an increasing sense of _______ feminist mode of writing in the 1970s, in contrast to many woman-authored science fiction stories of the 1920s to 1960s whose politics were less deliberately signaled.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
- A) a prudently
- B) an overtly
- C) a cordially
- D) an inadvertently
Answer: B) an overtly
One-line summary: Because the earlier stories’ politics were less deliberately signaled, the 1970s mode is more openly feminist.
✓ B) an overtly
“An overtly feminist mode of writing” means a plainly or openly feminist mode. That directly contrasts with politics that were less deliberately signaled.
✗ Why the other choices fail
“Prudently” describes caution, “cordially” describes friendliness, and “inadvertently” means accidentally; none provides the needed contrast with openly signaled politics.
Question 3 · Words in Context
_______ the long-standing trend of overemphasizing teenagers and young adults in research on social media use, scholars have recently begun to expand their focus to include the fastest-growing cohort of social media users: senior citizens.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
- A) Exacerbating
- B) Redressing
- C) Epitomizing
- D) Precluding
Answer: B) Redressing
One-line summary: Expanding research to include older adults corrects an earlier overemphasis on younger people.
✓ B) Redressing
“Redressing” means correcting or remedying. Including senior citizens addresses the imbalance created by the long-standing overemphasis on teenagers and young adults.
✗ Why the other choices fail
“Exacerbating” would mean making the imbalance worse, “epitomizing” means exemplifying it, and “precluding” means preventing it; all contradict the scholars’ corrective action.
Question 4 · Words in Context
The following text is adapted from James Baldwin’s 1956 novel Giovanni’s Room. The narrator is riding in a taxi down a street lined with food vendors and shoppers in Paris, France.
The multitude of Paris seems to be dressed in blue every day but Sunday, when, for the most part, they put on an unbelievably festive black. Here they were now, in blue, disputing, every inch, our passage, with their wagons, handtrucks, their bursting baskets carried at an angle steeply self-confident on the back.
©1956 by James Baldwin
As used in the text, what does the word “disputing” most nearly mean?
- A) Arguing about
- B) Disapproving of
- C) Asserting possession of
- D) Providing resistance to
Answer: D) Providing resistance to
One-line summary: The vendors and shoppers physically crowd the taxi’s path, so they are resisting its passage.
✓ D) Providing resistance to
“Providing resistance to” captures the literal scene: wagons, handtrucks, and baskets occupy every inch of the street and impede the taxi’s movement.
✗ Why the other choices fail
The passage is not about people arguing about or disapproving of the taxi, and “asserting possession of” is too narrow; the image is of physical obstruction.
Question 5 · Words in Context
While recent scholarship has undermined claims that the works of twelfth-century Islamic philosopher Ibn Rushd were _______ other Muslim philosophers of his time, it is indisputable that his location in the Muslim-ruled area of what is now Spain meant that his works were primarily available thousands of miles west of the era’s center of Islamic thought.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
- A) controversial among
- B) antagonistic toward
- C) imitated by
- D) inconsequential to
Answer: D) inconsequential to
One-line summary: The scholarship has challenged the idea that Ibn Rushd’s work had no importance to other philosophers.
✓ D) inconsequential to
“Inconsequential to” means unimportant to. The sentence says recent scholarship has undermined claims of that lack of importance, while separately noting that geography limited the works’ availability.
✗ Why the other choices fail
“Controversial among” and “antagonistic toward” concern conflict, not influence or significance. “Imitated by” reverses the meaning of the claim being undermined.
Question 6 · Text Structure & Purpose
On painter William H. Johnson’s return to the United States in 1938 after a decade in Europe, his style underwent an abrupt transformation. Turning away from landscapes painted in an expressionist style—a style that often involves using fluid, distorted shapes and thick, textured brushstrokes to express the artist’s subjective experience of reality—Johnson began painting portraits of Black Americans in a bold new way. Evocative of African sculpture and American and Scandinavian folk art, these portraits feature flat, deliberately oversimplified figures in a vibrant but limited color palette.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
- A) It elaborates on the previous sentence’s statement about a transitional moment in Johnson’s artistic career.
- B) It provides information about Johnson’s travels in support of a claim about his artistic influences, which is advanced in the following sentence.
- C) It recounts a moment in Johnson’s personal life that enabled the success of his subsequent career, which is summarized in the following sentence.
- D) It presents evidence that calls into question the previous sentence’s characterization of Johnson’s artistic development.
Answer: A) It elaborates on the previous sentence’s statement about a transitional moment in Johnson’s artistic career.
One-line summary: The underlined sentence specifies what Johnson’s stated artistic transformation consisted of.
✓ A) It elaborates on the previous sentence’s statement about a transitional moment in Johnson’s artistic career.
The first sentence announces an abrupt change in style. The underlined sentence then explains that change: Johnson moved away from expressionist landscapes and began bold portraits of Black Americans.
✗ Why the other choices fail
Choice B invents a function about travel and influences; C shifts to personal life and career success; D is wrong because the sentence supports, rather than questions, the description of transformation.
Question 7 · Text Structure & Purpose
When classical pianist Martha Argerich performs, it appears as if the music is coming to her spontaneously. She’s highly skilled technically, but because of how freely she plays and her willingness to take risks, she seems relaxed and natural. Her apparent ease, however, is due to a tremendous amount of preparation. Despite Argerich’s experience and virtuosity, she never takes for granted that she knows a piece of music. Instead, she approaches the music as if encountering it for the first time and tries to understand it anew.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
- A) To provide details about how Argerich identifies which pieces of music she will perform
- B) To assert that Argerich’s performances look effortless because of how she prepares for them
- C) To discuss the kinds of music Argerich feels most comfortable encountering for the first time
- D) To describe the unique way that Argerich approaches music she hasn’t performed before
Answer: B) To assert that Argerich’s performances look effortless because of how she prepares for them
One-line summary: The text contrasts Argerich’s spontaneous-looking performances with the intensive preparation behind them.
✓ B) To assert that Argerich’s performances look effortless because of how she prepares for them
The central claim is that her apparent ease results from preparation. Her habit of reapproaching music anew explains the preparation that makes the performance look effortless.
✗ Why the other choices fail
The text says nothing about selecting pieces (A) or what music she is comfortable with (C). D is too narrow because it assumes the music is unfamiliar rather than explaining her approach to any piece.
Question 8 · Text Structure & Purpose
The following text is adapted from Herman Melville’s 1855 novel Israel Potter. Israel is a young man wandering through New England during the late eighteenth century.
He hired himself out for three months; at the end of that time to receive for his wages two hundred acres of land lying in New Hampshire. […] His employer proving false to the contract in the matter of the land, and there being no law in the country to force him to fulfil it, Israel—who, however brave-hearted, and even much of a dare-devil upon a pinch, seems nevertheless to have evinced, throughout many parts of his career, a singular patience and mildness—was obliged to look round for other means of livelihood than clearing out a farm for himself in the wilderness.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
- A) It implies that Israel treasures a particular characteristic of his personality when that characteristic should usually be regarded as a flaw.
- B) It suggests that if not for a certain aspect of his character, Israel might not have been as easily thwarted in his ambition to establish a farm.
- C) It shows why Israel would not have been able to undertake the enormous amount of labor necessary to run a farm even if he had owned the necessary property.
- D) It explains why, when the situation requires it, Israel is able to undertake courageous acts that others would generally avoid.
Answer: B) It suggests that if not for a certain aspect of his character, Israel might not have been as easily thwarted in his ambition to establish a farm.
One-line summary: Israel’s unusual patience and mildness help explain why his employer’s broken promise leaves him unable to pursue the farm.
✓ B) It suggests that if not for a certain aspect of his character, Israel might not have been as easily thwarted in his ambition to establish a farm.
The parenthetical contrasts Israel’s bravery with his habitual patience and mildness. That characterization suggests he might have resisted the employer more forcefully if he lacked those traits.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A claims he prizes a flaw, which the passage never says. C is about physical labor, and D emphasizes courageous action rather than explaining how he was thwarted.
Question 9 · Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
In 1954 George Balanchine choreographed a production of The Nutcracker, a ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It has since become a tradition for hundreds of dance companies in North America to stage The Nutcracker each year. But the show is stuck in the past, with an old-fashioned story and references, so it should no longer be produced. Ballet needs to create new traditions if it wants to stay relevant to contemporary audiences.
Text 2
The Nutcracker is outdated, but it should be kept because it’s a holiday favorite and provides substantial income for some dance companies. Although it can be behind the times, there are creative ways to update the show. For example, Debbie Allen successfully modernized the story. Her show Hot Chocolate Nutcracker combines ballet, tap, hip-hop, and other styles, and it has been gaining in popularity since it opened in 2009.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined claim in Text 1?
- A) By questioning the idea that the story of The Nutcracker is stuck in the past and by rejecting the suggestion that contemporary audiences would enjoy an updated version
- B) By agreeing that contemporary audiences have largely stopped going to see performances of The Nutcracker because it’s so old-fashioned
- C) By pointing out that most dance companies could increase their incomes by offering modernized versions of The Nutcracker
- D) By suggesting that dance companies should consider offering revised versions of The Nutcracker instead of completely rejecting the show
Answer: D) By suggesting that dance companies should consider offering revised versions of The Nutcracker instead of completely rejecting the show
One-line summary: Text 2 accepts that the ballet is outdated but argues that it can be modernized rather than abandoned.
✓ D) By suggesting that dance companies should consider offering revised versions of The Nutcracker instead of completely rejecting the show
Text 2 gives an example of a successful modernization and says there are creative ways to update the show. The author would therefore recommend revised versions instead of eliminating The Nutcracker.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A and B deny Text 2’s admission that the show can be outdated. C makes an unsupported claim about most companies’ incomes; Text 2 says only that the original provides income for some companies.
Section 2 · Information & Ideas
Central Ideas & Details, Command of Evidence, and Inferences.
Question 10 · Central Ideas & Details
To understand how Paleolithic artists navigated dark caves, archaeologist Maa Ángeles Medina-Alcaide and her team tested different lighting methods in a cave in Spain using replicas of artifacts found in European caves with art. They used three different Paleolithic light sources—torches, animal-fat lamps, and fireplaces—determining that each likely had a specific purpose. For instance, the team learned that the animal-fat lamps were less useful than torches while walking because the lamps didn’t illuminate the cave floor.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
- A) Medina-Alcaide and her team’s study demonstrated that fireplaces were essential to the creators of Paleolithic cave art.
- B) Medina-Alcaide and her team discovered that Paleolithic cave artists in Spain used animal-fat lamps more often than they used torches.
- C) Medina-Alcaide and her team were reluctant to draw many conclusions from their study because of the difficulty they had replicating light sources based on known artifacts.
- D) Medina-Alcaide and her team tested Paleolithic light sources and learned some details about how Paleolithic artists traveled within dark caves.
Answer: D) Medina-Alcaide and her team tested Paleolithic light sources and learned some details about how Paleolithic artists traveled within dark caves.
One-line summary: The study tested several lighting sources and used the findings to understand movement in dark caves.
✓ D) Medina-Alcaide and her team tested Paleolithic light sources and learned some details about how Paleolithic artists traveled within dark caves.
Choice D states the overall study and its takeaway. The lamps-versus-torches result is one example supporting that broader point.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A and B overstate details that the text does not make. C contradicts the team’s stated determinations; they did draw conclusions about the lights’ purposes.
Question 11 · Command of Evidence (Quantitative)
| Annual Car Production in the United States, 1910–1925 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Number of cars produced | Number of companies producing cars |
| 1910 | 123,990 | 320 |
| 1915 | 548,139 | 224 |
| 1920 | 1,651,625 | 197 |
| 1925 | 3,185,881 | 80 |
A student is using the table as part of a social studies class presentation on the US auto industry in the early twentieth century. The student notes that, according to the table, from 1910 to 1925 _______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
- A) the number of cars produced increased but the number of companies producing cars decreased.
- B) both the number of cars produced and the number of companies producing cars remained unchanged.
- C) the number of cars produced decreased but the number of companies producing cars remained unchanged.
- D) both the number of cars produced and the number of companies producing cars increased.
Answer: A) the number of cars produced increased but the number of companies producing cars decreased.
One-line summary: From 1910 to 1925, car production rises sharply while the number of producing companies falls.
✓ A) the number of cars produced increased but the number of companies producing cars decreased.
The table shows production increasing from 123,990 to 3,185,881 cars and the number of companies decreasing from 320 to 80. Choice A accurately states both trends.
✗ Why the other choices fail
B and C incorrectly say the number of companies stayed unchanged, and C also gets the production trend backward. D incorrectly says both measures increased.
Question 12 · Command of Evidence (Textual)
External shopping cues are a type of marketing that uses obvious messaging—a display featuring a new product, for example, or a “buy one, get one free” offer—to entice consumers to make spontaneous purchases. In a study, data scientist Sam K. Hui and colleagues found that this effect can also be achieved with a less obvious cue: rearranging a store’s layout. The researchers explain that trying to find items in new locations causes shoppers to move through more of the store, exposing them to more products and increasing the likelihood that they’ll buy an item they hadn’t planned on purchasing.
Which response from a survey given to shoppers who made a purchase at a retail store best supports the researchers’ explanation?
- A) “I needed to buy some cleaning supplies, but they weren’t in their regular place. While I was looking for them, I saw this interesting notebook and decided to buy it, too.”
- B) “I didn’t buy everything on my shopping list today. I couldn’t find a couple of the items in the store, even though I looked all over for them.”
- C) “The store sent me a coupon for a new brand of soup, so I came here to find out what kinds of soup that brand offers. I decided to buy a few cans because I had the coupon.”
- D) “This store is larger than one that’s closer to where I live, and it carries more products. I came here to buy some things that the other store doesn’t always have.”
Answer: A) “I needed to buy some cleaning supplies, but they weren’t in their regular place. While I was looking for them, I saw this interesting notebook and decided to buy it, too.”
One-line summary: The needed evidence is a shopper finding an item moved, walking through more of the store, and then buying an unplanned item.
✓ A) “I needed to buy some cleaning supplies, but they weren’t in their regular place. While I was looking for them, I saw this interesting notebook and decided to buy it, too.”
Choice A supplies every part of the researchers’ explanation: a needed item is in a new location, the shopper searches, encounters another product, and makes an unplanned purchase.
✗ Why the other choices fail
B describes searching but no spontaneous purchase. C is an obvious coupon cue, and D concerns a store’s size and selection—not a layout change causing an unplanned purchase.
Question 13 · Command of Evidence (Textual)
The 2021 exhibition This Is the Day at Arkansas’s Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art featured works dealing with expressions of faith and spirituality in the Black community. The museum’s 2022 exhibition The Dirty South, meanwhile, focused on Black culture in the American South from 1920 to 2020, with a particular focus on the intersections between visual arts and music. Together, these exhibitions don’t merely highlight the diversity of the Black experience in the US; they also showcase the diverse media through which artists have depicted and engaged with that experience.
Which statement about the exhibitions, if true, would most directly support the underlined claim?
- A) Between them, This Is the Day and The Dirty South included drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures, textiles, videos, costumes, and music.
- B) This Is the Day included works by fewer than two dozen artists, whereas The Dirty South included works by more than 80 artists.
- C) This Is the Day exclusively included works in the permanent collection of the museum, whereas The Dirty South included works from multiple sources outside the museum.
- D) Between them, This Is the Day and The Dirty South included works depicting more than 300 years of Black experience in the United States.
Answer: A) Between them, This Is the Day and The Dirty South included drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures, textiles, videos, costumes, and music.
One-line summary: The claim is specifically about a variety of artistic media, so the strongest evidence lists varied media.
✓ A) Between them, This Is the Day and The Dirty South included drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures, textiles, videos, costumes, and music.
Choice A directly names many forms—drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures, textiles, videos, costumes, and music—thereby demonstrating diversity of media.
✗ Why the other choices fail
B concerns the number of artists, C concerns the sources of the works, and D concerns time span. None directly establishes that artists used diverse media.
Question 14 · Command of Evidence (Quantitative)
To investigate potential cognitive benefits of taking leave from work, psychologist Jan Packer and colleagues conducted a six-month study of Australian university staff members who took no leave from work during the study, took 2–4 days of leave, or took 1–5 weeks of leave. Tests of attentiveness were administered to participants three times during the study: at random for the no-leave staff, and for the rest, one week before their leave, one week following their return to work, and one week after the second test administration. After analyzing the results, the researchers concluded that longer leave times might not confer a greater cognitive benefit than shorter leave times do.
Which choice best describes data from the graph that support the researchers’ conclusion?
See figure in the original College Board PDF above.
- A) In the second test administration, participants who took 2–4 days of leave had higher average attentiveness scores than did those who took no leave, but in the third test administration, those who took no leave had higher average scores than those who took 1–5 weeks of leave.
- B) In the first test administration, participants who took 2–4 days of leave had lower average attentiveness scores than did those who took 1–5 weeks of leave and those who took no leave.
- C) In both the second and third test administrations, participants who took 2–4 days of leave had higher average attentiveness scores than did participants who took 1–5 weeks of leave.
- D) In the second and third test administrations, participants who took 2–4 days of leave had higher average attentiveness scores than did those who took no leave.
Answer: D) In the second and third test administrations, participants who took 2–4 days of leave had higher average attentiveness scores than did those who took no leave.
One-line summary: The graph shows that the shorter-leave group outperformed the longer-leave group on the later tests, so longer leave did not produce a greater benefit.
✓ D) In the second and third test administrations, participants who took 2–4 days of leave had higher average attentiveness scores than did those who took no leave.
In both the second and third administrations, the 2–4 days group has higher attentiveness scores than the 1–5 weeks group. That directly supports the conclusion that a longer leave did not confer greater cognitive benefit.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A combines observations that do not compare shorter with longer leave in both later tests. B describes only the first administration, and D compares short leave with no leave rather than with the longer-leave group.
Question 15 · Command of Evidence (Quantitative)
It may seem that the optimal strategy for an animal pursuing prey or escaping predators is to move at maximal speed, but the energy expense of exploiting full speed capacity can disfavor such a strategy even in escape contexts, as evidenced by the fact that _______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the text?
See figure in the original College Board PDF above.
- A) most lizard species use about the same percentage of their maximal speed when escaping predation as they do when pursuing prey.
- B) multiple lizard species move at an average of less than 90% of their maximal speed while escaping predation.
- C) more lizard species use, on average, 90%–100% of their maximal speed while escaping predation than use any other percentage of their maximal speed.
- D) at least 4 lizard species use, on average, less than 100% of their maximal speed while pursuing prey.
Answer: B) multiple lizard species move at an average of less than 90% of their maximal speed while escaping predation.
One-line summary: The graph provides direct evidence that several lizard species escape at less than 90% of their maximal speed.
✓ B) multiple lizard species move at an average of less than 90% of their maximal speed while escaping predation.
Choice B is the relevant observation: more than one species is represented in escape-speed categories below 90%. That supports the idea that even escape does not always require full speed.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A asserts a cross-condition similarity the graph does not establish. C says the opposite of the intended point, and D switches to pursuing prey rather than the sentence’s focus on escape contexts.
Question 16 · Inferences
Under normal atmospheric pressure at Earth’s surface, water molecules form a tetrahedral network stabilized by hydrogen bonds between adjacent molecules. Extreme high pressure, such as can be found in deep ocean waters, destabilizes these bonds and compresses water’s structure, allowing water molecules within organisms to permeate proteins and impede crucial biological functions; yet deep-sea organisms known as piezophiles have adapted to extreme pressure. Studies have found a positive correlation between the depths that various piezophiles inhabit and concentrations of a compound called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in their muscle tissues, which has led a team of researchers to hypothesize that TMAO reduces water’s compressibility.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ hypothesis?
- A) Water molecules are found to be impervious to TMAO even when the water molecules’ tetrahedral configuration has been distorted by high pressure.
- B) Examination of TMAO’s molecular structure shows that TMAO molecules retain their shape even as pressure increases.
- C) A positive correlation is found between concentrations of TMAO and the rate at which water’s molecular structure compresses as pressure increases.
- D) Analysis of water’s molecular structure under high pressure reveals that hydrogen bonds are more stable when TMAO is present than when it is not.
Answer: D) Analysis of water’s molecular structure under high pressure reveals that hydrogen bonds are more stable when TMAO is present than when it is not.
One-line summary: If TMAO reduces compressibility, it should help preserve water’s hydrogen-bonded structure under pressure.
✓ D) Analysis of water’s molecular structure under high pressure reveals that hydrogen bonds are more stable when TMAO is present than when it is not.
Choice D shows exactly that: when TMAO is present, high pressure leaves hydrogen bonds more stable. More stable bonds make the water structure less susceptible to compression.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A says TMAO has no effect, B concerns TMAO’s own shape rather than water’s compressibility, and C would suggest that more TMAO accompanies faster compression—the opposite of the hypothesis.
Question 17 · Inferences
The Cretaceous pterosaur Tupandactylus navigans is known for having an anomalously oversized head crest. Until an almost complete fossil skeleton was found in Brazil, paleontologists had been able to study only skull specimens from T. navigans, though it was presumed that, like other pterosaurs, the species’s primary form of locomotion was powered flight. Examining the fuller skeleton in 2016, Victor Beccari and his team determined that T. navigans had long hind legs, short wings, and an unusually long neck—characteristics that, combined with the creature’s large-crested head, would have made sustained flight difficult and walking upright relatively comfortable. Based on these findings the team suggests that T. navigans likely _______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
- A) flew for longer distances than did other pterosaur species that had oversized head crests.
- B) had longer wings than other pterosaur species considered to have been comfortable walking.
- C) had a smaller head than researchers expected based on the earlier T. navigans skull specimens.
- D) flew for shorter distances and spent more time walking than researchers previously thought.
Answer: D) flew for shorter distances and spent more time walking than researchers previously thought.
One-line summary: Short wings and a body suited to upright walking make prolonged flight less likely and walking more likely.
✓ D) flew for shorter distances and spent more time walking than researchers previously thought.
Choice D follows both findings: sustained flight would be difficult, whereas upright walking would be relatively comfortable. It also properly contrasts the new inference with the earlier flight-based presumption.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A and B contradict the short-wings/limited-flight evidence. C contradicts the established oversized crest and does not address locomotion.
Question 18 · Inferences
Consumer psychologists have theorized that the likelihood that people who identify as ethical consumers—meaning that they strive to purchase goods and services with positive or neutral social and ecological effects—will purchase a given product positively correlates with their perception of that product’s effects. In a recent study of the attitudes of self-identified ethical consumers toward purchasing a specific mobile phone coming to market, researchers found that, on average, study participants in their twenties rated the phone’s social and ecological effects much less positively than did participants in other age groups. All other things being equal, if consumer psychologists’ theory is correct, this finding suggests that _______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
- A) the phone is less appealing to ethical consumers in their twenties than other similar phones on the market are.
- B) ethical consumers in their twenties are less likely to purchase the phone than ethical consumers in other age groups are.
- C) there is not a meaningful difference in the likelihood of purchasing the phone among ethical consumers in different age groups.
- D) ethical consumers in their twenties are more likely than ethical consumers in other age groups to consider a phone’s social and ecological effects when deciding whether to purchase that phone.
Answer: B) ethical consumers in their twenties are less likely to purchase the phone than ethical consumers in other age groups are.
One-line summary: The theory links more positive perceived effects to a greater chance of purchase; twenties participants perceived the effects less positively.
✓ B) ethical consumers in their twenties are less likely to purchase the phone than ethical consumers in other age groups are.
Given the theory, the twenties group’s less positive rating predicts a lower likelihood of purchasing this phone than ethical consumers in other age groups.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A compares this phone with other phones, which the evidence does not do. C contradicts the predicted group difference, and D addresses attention to effects rather than likelihood of purchase.
Section 3 · Standard English Conventions
Form, Structure & Sense and Boundaries questions.
Question 19 · Form/Structure/Sense
The Boston Saloon was one of the most popular African American–owned establishments in nineteenth-century Nevada. _______ by businessman William A.G. Brown, the saloon was known to offer elegant accommodations and an inclusive environment.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A) Created
- B) Creates
- C) Creating
- D) Create
Answer: A) Created
One-line summary: The saloon was created by Brown, so the introductory modifier must be the past participle “Created.”
✓ A) Created
“Created by businessman William A.G. Brown, the saloon …” correctly uses a past-participial phrase to modify the saloon, the entity that was created.
✗ Why the other choices fail
“Creates” and “create” are present-tense verb forms that do not fit this modifier. “Creating” would mean the saloon itself was doing the creating.
Question 20 · Boundaries
Louise Bennett (1919–2006), also known as “Miss Lou,” was an influential Jamaican poet and folklorist. Her innovative poems _______ the use of Jamaican Creole (a spoken language) in literature.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A) popularized;
- B) popularized,
- C) popularized
- D) popularized:
Answer: C) popularized
One-line summary: The sentence is complete when “popularized” is followed directly by its object, “the use.”
✓ C) popularized
“Her innovative poems popularized the use of Jamaican Creole …” is a single complete sentence with a transitive verb and its object, so no punctuation belongs after “popularized.”
✗ Why the other choices fail
A semicolon would wrongly split a verb from its object; B inserts an unnecessary comma; D uses a colon where there is neither a complete clause before it nor an explanation or list after it.
Question 21 · Form/Structure/Sense
“He was just the man for such a place, and it was just the place for such a man.” This line is from Frederick Douglass’s autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845). It’s an example of antimetabole, a writing technique that _______ emphasis by repeating a statement in a reversed order.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A) create
- B) are creating
- C) have created
- D) creates
Answer: D) creates
One-line summary: The singular subject “a writing technique” needs the singular present-tense verb “creates.”
✓ D) creates
The relative clause describes what one technique does: “a writing technique that creates emphasis.” Singular “technique” takes singular “creates.”
✗ Why the other choices fail
“Create” mismatches the singular subject, “are creating” is plural and unnecessarily progressive, and “have created” is plural and shifts to an unsupported completed action.
Question 22 · Boundaries
Researchers Amit Kumar and Nicholas Epley investigated how _______ In a series of experiments conducted in 2022, they found that people performing small acts of kindness underestimated the positive effect their actions had on others.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A) do people perceive acts of kindness.
- B) do people perceive acts of kindness?
- C) people perceive acts of kindness?
- D) people perceive acts of kindness.
Answer: D) people perceive acts of kindness.
One-line summary: The word “how” introduces an indirect question, which uses statement word order and ends with a period.
✓ D) people perceive acts of kindness.
“Researchers … investigated how people perceive acts of kindness.” is a complete declarative sentence containing an indirect question. It correctly uses subject-verb order and a period.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A and B use direct-question word order (“do people”). C has correct word order but the wrong end punctuation because the whole sentence is a statement, not a direct question.
Question 23 · Form/Structure/Sense
In a painting titled “The Milkmaid” by Johannes Vermeer, the artist prominently features a bread basket, milk pitcher, and bowl. Such quotidian objects, depicted in exquisite detail by Vermeer, a painter celebrated for his naturalism, _______ the daily minutiae of a seventeenth-century Dutch household.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A) was revealing
- B) has revealed
- C) reveals
- D) reveal
Answer: D) reveal
One-line summary: The plural subject “objects” requires the plural verb “reveal.”
✓ D) reveal
The head of the subject is “objects,” not “Vermeer.” Therefore the present-tense verb must be plural: “objects … reveal the daily minutiae.”
✗ Why the other choices fail
A is singular past progressive, B is singular present perfect, and C is singular present. Each conflicts with plural “objects.”
Question 24 · Boundaries
Jamaican British artist Willard Wigan is known for his remarkable _______ so small that they are best viewed through a microscope, Wigan’s sculptures are made from tiny natural materials, such as spiderweb strands.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A) microsculptures creations
- B) microsculptures, creations
- C) microsculptures. Creations
- D) microsculptures and creations
Answer: C) microsculptures. Creations
One-line summary: The first sentence ends after “microsculptures”; the next independent clause begins “Creations so small ….”
✓ C) microsculptures. Creations
Choice C correctly separates two independent clauses with a period: Wigan is known for his microsculptures. “Creations so small that they are best viewed …” then has “Wigan’s sculptures” as its main subject.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A jams the nouns together, B leaves a comma splice-like construction, and D produces an illogical noun phrase that does not form the needed sentence boundary.
Question 25 · Boundaries
Consider the mechanics of the pinhole camera: light passes through a small hole, resulting in a focused projected image. A ray diagram reveals how this _______ the hole’s small size restricts light to a single ray, all light passing through the hole can only arrive at a single destination, eliminating diffraction and ensuring a clear image.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A) works because
- B) works. Because
- C) works, it’s because
- D) works: it’s because
Answer: B) works. Because
One-line summary: The text needs a complete sentence ending after “works,” followed by a complete explanation beginning with “Because.”
✓ B) works. Because
“A ray diagram reveals how this works. Because the hole’s small size restricts light to a single ray, all light … can only arrive …” gives two correctly punctuated sentences.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A creates an ungrammatical construction after “how this”; C and D add “it’s because,” which makes the explanation awkward and does not produce the intended sentence structure.
Section 4 · Expression of Ideas
Transitions and Rhetorical Synthesis — the final stretch of the module.
Question 26 · Transitions
In the search for extraterrestrial life, astrobiologists Stuart Bartlett and Michael L. Wong propose that scientists avoid using the term “life.” _______ researchers should use another word: “lyfe.” This new term, they argue, could be used to draw distinctions between the known characteristics of life on Earth and the potentially differing characteristics of lyfe on other planets.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
- A) Previously,
- B) Regardless,
- C) There,
- D) Instead,
Answer: D) Instead,
One-line summary: The researchers propose replacing one term with another, so the transition must signal substitution.
✓ D) Instead,
“Instead,” clearly signals the proposed alternative: rather than use “life,” researchers should use “lyfe.”
✗ Why the other choices fail
“Previously” signals time, “Regardless” signals concession, and “There” signals location. None communicates replacement.
Question 27 · Transitions
Before it unveiled a massive new gallery in 2009, the Art Institute of Chicago was only able to display about 5% of its art collection. _______ the museum is able to display close to 30% of its collection.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
- A) Additionally,
- B) For example,
- C) Nevertheless,
- D) Today,
Answer: D) Today,
One-line summary: The first sentence gives the museum’s pre-2009 situation; the second describes its current capacity.
✓ D) Today,
“Today,” correctly establishes the time contrast: before the gallery, the institute displayed about 5%; now it can display close to 30%.
✗ Why the other choices fail
“Additionally” adds a parallel fact, “for example” introduces an illustration, and “nevertheless” signals an unexpected contrast; none precisely marks the change over time.
Question 28 · Transitions
Working together with the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources, Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie analyzed data about snowpack levels in the Chuska Mountains. She found that the snowpack (the amount of snow on the ground) was deepest in early March at lower elevations. At higher elevations, _______ the snowpack was deepest in mid-March.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
- A) in other words,
- B) for instance,
- C) on the other hand,
- D) in summary,
Answer: C) on the other hand,
One-line summary: The sentence contrasts the timing at lower elevations with the timing at higher elevations.
✓ C) on the other hand,
“On the other hand,” signals the contrast: lower elevations reach the deepest snowpack in early March, while higher elevations reach it in mid-March.
✗ Why the other choices fail
“In other words” restates rather than contrasts, “for instance” gives an example, and “in summary” closes a discussion; none fits the two opposed elevation patterns.
Question 29 · Transitions
The Inca of South America used intricately knotted string devices called quipus to record countable information, like population data and payments. _______ they may have used quipus to record more complex information, like stories and myths, according to researchers.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
- A) As a result,
- B) In other words,
- C) In addition,
- D) For example,
Answer: C) In addition,
One-line summary: The possibility that quipus recorded stories and myths adds to the information about their recorded uses.
✓ C) In addition,
“In addition,” introduces an additional possible use of quipus beyond recording countable information such as population data and payments.
✗ Why the other choices fail
“As a result” claims cause and effect, “in other words” restates the first idea, and “for example” would make stories an example of countable information rather than a different, more complex use.
Question 30 · Transitions
In hindsight, given the ideas about the natural world circulating among British scientists in the 1800s, the theory of natural selection was an obvious next step. It may not have been a coincidence, _______ that Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace arrived at the concept independently. Indeed, contrary to the popular myth of the lone genius, theirs is not the first paradigm-shifting theory to have emerged from multiple scholars working in parallel.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
- A) however,
- B) then,
- C) moreover,
- D) for example,
Answer: B) then,
One-line summary: The claim that natural selection was an obvious next step leads to the conclusion that two scientists independently reaching it may not be coincidental.
✓ B) then,
“Then” expresses the logical next inference: if the idea was an obvious next step in the intellectual climate, Darwin and Wallace arriving at it independently may not have been coincidence.
✗ Why the other choices fail
“However” signals contrast, “moreover” simply adds a point, and “for example” introduces an illustration. The sentence needs a consequence drawn from the preceding claim.
Question 31 · Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- In the 1930s, the Imperial Sugar Cane Institute in India sought to limit the country’s dependence on imported sugarcane.
- The institute enlisted botanist Janaki Ammal to breed a local variety of sugarcane.
- She crossbred the imported sugarcane species Saccharum officinarum with grasses native to India.
- She succeeded in creating sugarcane hybrids well suited to India’s climate.
The student wants to emphasize Janaki Ammal’s achievement. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
- A) By crossbreeding the imported sugarcane species Saccharum officinarum with grasses native to India, Ammal succeeded in creating sugarcane hybrids well suited to India’s climate.
- B) In the 1930s, the Imperial Sugar Cane Institute, which enlisted Ammal, sought to limit dependence on imported sugarcane.
- C) Ammal was enlisted by the Imperial Sugar Cane Institute at a time when a local variety of sugarcane needed to be produced.
- D) As part of efforts to breed a local variety of sugarcane, an imported sugarcane species called Saccharum officinarum was crossbred with grasses native to India.
Answer: A) By crossbreeding the imported sugarcane species Saccharum officinarum with grasses native to India, Ammal succeeded in creating sugarcane hybrids well suited to India’s climate.
One-line summary: The goal is to foreground Ammal’s accomplishment: creating hybrids well suited to India’s climate.
✓ A) By crossbreeding the imported sugarcane species Saccharum officinarum with grasses native to India, Ammal succeeded in creating sugarcane hybrids well suited to India’s climate.
Choice A identifies Ammal, explains her method, and, most importantly, states the successful result. It directly emphasizes her achievement.
✗ Why the other choices fail
B and C provide background about the institute and her enlistment, not her accomplishment. D describes the crossbreeding but removes Ammal and omits the successful climate-suited hybrids.
Question 32 · Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Elizabeth Catlett’s sculpture Recognition (1970) shows two African American figures with rounded, indistinct features.
- The figures reach out to each other in a pose that symbolizes a close, supportive relationship.
- Her sculpture Students Aspire (1978) shows two African American figures with sharply defined features.
- The figures hold an equal sign above their heads with one hand and embrace each other with the other hand.
- This pose symbolizes their support for each other in the pursuit of equality.
The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the two sculptures. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
- A) Catlett’s Students Aspire depicts two figures supporting each other in the pursuit of equality.
- B) Recognition and Students Aspire both show African American figures in poses that symbolize supportive relationships.
- C) Catlett completed Recognition in 1970 and Students Aspire in 1978.
- D) The figures in Recognition have features that are rounded and indistinct, while the figures in Students Aspire have sharply defined features.
Answer: B) Recognition and Students Aspire both show African American figures in poses that symbolize supportive relationships.
One-line summary: Both works show two African American figures in symbolic poses of support, so that shared idea is the best similarity.
✓ B) Recognition and Students Aspire both show African American figures in poses that symbolize supportive relationships.
Choice B names both sculptures and accurately synthesizes their shared feature: figures in poses that symbolize supportive relationships.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A describes only one sculpture. C gives dates rather than a meaningful artistic similarity, and D highlights the contrast in the figures’ features.
Question 33 · Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The ancient Arab dhow was a sailing vessel distinguishable by its triangular sails and stitched hull construction.
- Dhows were used primarily for trade along the coasts of Arab, South Asian, and East African countries.
- Contemporary shipbuilders in Oman use a mix of modern and traditional materials to build replicas of ancient dhows.
- Most of the materials used are traditional.
- Replica hulls are stitched together using the same traditional coconut palm fiber rope used on the hulls of ancient dhows.
The student wants to make a generalization about the materials used in dhow replicas. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
- A) A traditional material that was used to stitch together the hulls of ancient dhows, coconut palm fiber rope is still used by shipbuilders.
- B) The ancient Arab dhow was a sailing vessel used primarily for trade and distinguishable by its triangular sails.
- C) Although most materials used in dhow replicas are traditional, some modern materials are used.
- D) Contemporary shipbuilders in Oman build replicas of the dhow, which was an ancient sailing vessel with a stitched hull construction.
Answer: C) Although most materials used in dhow replicas are traditional, some modern materials are used.
One-line summary: The notes say replicas use a mix of materials, but most of those materials are traditional; the best generalization states both parts.
✓ C) Although most materials used in dhow replicas are traditional, some modern materials are used.
Choice C accurately and efficiently generalizes the materials: traditional materials predominate, yet some modern materials are also used.
✗ Why the other choices fail
A gives one supporting example instead of the generalization. B is about ancient dhows, and D describes who builds replicas and the ancient vessel’s construction without addressing the mix of materials.
How SOMATH prepares NYC students for the Digital SAT
SOMATH (School of Math) is a math-focused school on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, cofounded by Marcelo Ambrozio (Northwestern-trained lead math teacher) and Vivianne Wright (Harvard-trained, also runs MBA House, one of the largest international GMAT/EA prep firms). Math is our core focus, but a strong Digital SAT score requires both sections, so our Digital SAT track covers Reading & Writing too.
- Small-group in-person classes (6–8 students max) at 226 W 79th Street on the Upper West Side.
- Structured curriculum aligned to all four Math domains and all four Reading & Writing domains.
- Skill-tagged drilling. We break every R&W question into the exact tested skill so students know exactly what to practice.
- Full-length timed modules for both Math and R&W with graded feedback and week-by-week score tracking.
- Free 30-minute in-person diagnostic evaluation before enrollment, with a written diagnostic within 48 hours.
Ready to raise your SAT Reading & Writing score?
Start with a free 30-minute in-person diagnostic at our Upper West Side classroom. Includes a written diagnostic report within 48 hours — yours to keep whether you enroll or not.
Book Free Evaluation → or call (646) 668-6151
Want your child in an SAT Math class at SOMATH?
Small-group Digital SAT Math prep on the Upper West Side. Full Bluebook + Desmos drilling, timed Modules 1 & 2, weekly score tracking, and a free 30-minute in-person diagnostic before enrollment. Enrollment fee: $99.
Digital SAT Practice Test 6 R&W Module 1 FAQ
How many questions are in Practice Test 6 Reading & Writing Module 1?
This module contains 33 multiple-choice questions. This walkthrough includes every question, all four answer choices, the official answer letter, and an explanation.
Which questions in this module use a graph or table?
Question 11 uses the car-production table. Questions 14 and 15 use graphs; this walkthrough points you to the original College Board PDF for those figures rather than redrawing them.
Which skills appear most often in this module?
Practice Test 6 Module 1 includes five Words in Context questions, Text Structure & Purpose, one Cross-Text Connections item, evidence and inference items, conventions questions, five transitions questions, and three Rhetorical Synthesis questions.
How should I review a missed Practice Test 6 question?
First identify the skill label at the top of the question. Then state the rule or textual evidence that eliminates each wrong choice before you redo the item without looking at the answer.
Where is SOMATH located?
226 West 79th Street, 1st Floor, New York, NY 10024, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Call (646) 668-6151 to book a free 30-minute in-person diagnostic evaluation.
Related posts
- Continue with Digital SAT Practice Test 6 — Module 2 Reading & Writing Walkthrough (All 33 Questions).
- Pair this with Digital SAT Practice Test 6 — Math Module 1 Walkthrough (All 27 Questions).
- Then complete Digital SAT Practice Test 6 — Math Module 2 Walkthrough (All 27 Questions).
- Compare another first R&W module: Digital SAT Practice Test 5 — Reading & Writing Module 1 Walkthrough.
- Digital SAT Practice Test 4 — Reading & Writing Module 1 Walkthrough.
- SAT Prep on the Upper West Side, NYC (2026 Guide).
- Digital SAT Tutoring in NYC: Structure, Dates & Scores (2026).