Question ID afec1a70

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 Question ID afec1a70
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: afec1a70
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
As engineered structures, many bird nests are uniquely flexible yet cohesive.
A research team led by Yashraj Bhosale wanted to better understand the mechanics behind these structural
properties.
Bhosale’s team used laboratory models that simulated the arrangement of flexible sticks into nest-like
structures.
The researchers analyzed the points where sticks touched one another.
When pressure was applied to the model nests, the number of contact points between the sticks increased,
making the structures stiffer.

The student wants to present the primary aim of the research study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Bhosale’s team wanted to better understand the mechanics behind bird nests’ uniquely flexible yet cohesive
A. structural properties.

The researchers used laboratory models that simulated the arrangement of flexible sticks and analyzed the points
B. where sticks touched one another.

After analyzing the points where sticks touched, the researchers found that the structures became stiffer when
C. pressure was applied.

D. As analyzed by Bhosale’s team, bird nests are uniquely flexible yet cohesive engineered structures.

ID: afec1a70 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. It describes the reason Bhosale’s team wanted to study the structures of bird nests—that
is to say, the study’s primary aim.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t present the primary aim of the research study. It describes how the study
worked, but not why it was done. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t present the primary aim of the research
study. It describes a result of the experiment, but not why it was carried out. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t
present the primary aim of the research study.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID b46e0c8a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: b46e0c8a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Organisms release cellular material into their environment by shedding substances such as hair or skin.
The DNA in these substances is known as environmental DNA, or eDNA.
Researchers collect and analyze eDNA to detect the presence of species that are difficult to observe.
Geneticist Sara Oyler-McCance’s research team analyzed eDNA in water samples from the Florida Everglades
to detect invasive constrictor snake species in the area.
The study determined a 91% probability of detecting Burmese python eDNA in a given location.

The student wants to present the study to an audience already familiar with environmental DNA. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Sara Oyler-McCance’s researchers analyzed eDNA in water samples from the Florida Everglades for evidence of
A. invasive constrictor snakes, which are difficult to observe.

An analysis of eDNA can detect the presence of invasive species that are difficult to observe, such as constrictor
B. snakes.

Researchers found Burmese python eDNA, or environmental DNA, in water samples; eDNA is the DNA in released
C. cellular materials, such as shed skin cells.

Sara Oyler-McCance’s researchers analyzed environmental DNA (eDNA)—that is, DNA from cellular materials
D. released by organisms—in water samples from the Florida Everglades.

ID: b46e0c8a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. This choice presents the study in a way that assumes the audience is already familiar with
eDNA.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t present the study. It only states a general fact about eDNA analysis. Choice C
is incorrect. This choice isn’t suited for an audience already familiar with eDNA. A familiar audience wouldn’t need to
have the term defined or explained. Choice D is incorrect. This choice isn’t suited for an audience already familiar with
eDNA. A familiar audience wouldn’t need to have the term defined or explained. It also doesn’t present the study.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID aa7e10d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: aa7e10d0
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Species belonging to the Orchidaceae (orchid) family can be found in both tropical and temperate
environments.
Orchidaceae species diversity has not been well studied in temperate forests, such as those in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Arelee Estefanía Muñoz-Hernández led a study to determine how many different Orchidaceae species are
present in the forests of Oaxaca.
Muñoz-Hernández and her team collected orchids each month for a year at a site in Oaxaca.
Seventy-four Orchidaceae species were present at the site.

The student wants to present the study and its findings. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from
the notes to accomplish this goal?

A study led by Arelee Estefanía Muñoz-Hernández identified a total of 74 Orchidaceae species in the temperate
A. forests of Oaxaca, Mexico.

B. There are orchids in many environments, but there are 74 Orchidaceae species in Oaxaca, Mexico.

C. Oaxaca, Mexico, is home to temperate forests containing 74 Orchidaceae species.

Arelee Estefanía Muñoz-Hernández and her team wanted to know how many different Orchidaceae species are
D. present in the forests of Oaxaca, Mexico, so they conducted a study to collect orchids.

ID: aa7e10d0 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. This choice most effectively presents the study and its findings. It opens with the study
and names its lead researcher, then tells us its finding: that they identified 74 Orchidaceae species in the temperate
forests of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t include the study’s findings, so it fails to achieve the goal. It doesn’t mention
that there was a study at all. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t present the study, so it fails to achieve the goal.
It doesn’t mention that there was a study at all. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t include the study’s findings,
so it fails to achieve the goal.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID e3edc138
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: e3edc138
In a heated debate in biogeography, the field is divided between dispersalists and vicariancists. ______ there are those
who argue that dispersal is the most crucial determining factor in a species’ distribution, and those who insist that
vicariance (separation due to geographic barriers) is. Biogeographer Isabel Sanmartín counts herself among neither.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Furthermore,

B. By contrast,

C. Similarly,

D. That is,

ID: e3edc138 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. “That is” logically signals that this sentence clarifies the terms of the scientific debate
introduced in the previous sentence by explaining the difference between dispersalists and vicariancists.

Choice A is incorrect because “furthermore” illogically signals that the information in this sentence is merely additional
to (and separate from) the information in the previous sentence about the scientific debate. Instead, the information
about dispersalists and vicariancists clarifies the terms of that debate. Choice B is incorrect because “by contrast”
illogically signals that the information in this sentence contrasts with the information in the previous sentence about
the scientific debate. Instead, the information about dispersalists and vicariancists clarifies the terms of that debate.
Choice C is incorrect because “similarly” illogically signals that the information in this sentence is merely similar to the
information in the previous sentence about the scientific debate. Instead, the information about dispersalists and
vicariancists clarifies the terms of that debate.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 00221c00
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 00221c00
In 1815, while in exile in Jamaica, Venezuelan revolutionary Simón Bolívar penned a letter praising England’s republican
government and expressing hope that Latin American nations seeking independence from Spain might achieve
something similar. The letter was addressed to a local merchant, Henry Cullen; ______ though, Bolívar’s goal was to
persuade political leaders from England and Europe to support his cause.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. additionally,

B. ultimately,

C. accordingly,

D. consequently,

ID: 00221c00 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. “Ultimately” means “in the long run” or “at the highest level.” Although Bolívar wrote to a
local merchant, his ultimate goal was to send a message to political leaders in Europe. Therefore, “ultimately” fits
perfectly in this context.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses a transition that indicates the addition of an agreeing idea. However, the second
part of the sentence actually disagrees with the first part. Bolívar addressed the letter to Cullen, but he was really
sending a message to someone else. Notice how the contrast word “though” also acts as a transition between these
ideas. Choice C is incorrect. This choice uses a cause-and-effect transition. Bolívar’s writing of the letter to Cullen
would not cause him to have a goal of persuading European powers to support him. Choice D is incorrect. This choice
uses a cause-and-effect transition. Bolívar’s writing of the letter to Cullen would not cause him to have a goal of
persuading European powers to support him.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 16631d34
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 16631d34
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The Million Song Dataset (MSD) includes main audio features and descriptive tags for popular songs.
Audio features include acoustic traits such as loudness and pitch intervals.
Many algorithms use these audio features to predict a new song’s popularity.
These algorithms may fail to accurately identify main audio features of a song with varying acoustic traits.
Algorithms based on descriptive tags that describe fixed traits such as genre are more reliable predictors of
song popularity.

The student wants to explain a disadvantage of relying on audio features to predict a song’s popularity. Which choice
most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Many popularity-predicting algorithms are based on a song’s audio features, such as loudness and pitch intervals.

Algorithms based on audio features may misidentify the main features of a song with varying acoustic traits,
B. making such algorithms less reliable predictors of popularity than those based on fixed traits.

Audio features describe acoustic traits such as pitch intervals, which may vary within a song, whereas descriptive
C. tags describe fixed traits such as genre, which are reliable predictors of popularity.

D. The MSD’s descriptive tags are reliable predictors of a song’s popularity, as the traits they describe are fixed.

ID: 16631d34 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. This choice uses relevant information from the notes to explain a disadvantage of relying
on audio features to predict a song’s popularity—namely, that it may misidentify features of certain songs. It also
contrasts audio features with descriptive tags, which are more reliable predictors.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice only states a fact about the algorithms without evaluating their reliability or accuracy.
Choice C is incorrect. This choice only describes the difference between audio features and descriptive tags without
indicating why this difference matters for predicting popularity. Choice D is incorrect. This choice only mentions
descriptive tags, which are not the focus of the student’s rhetorical goal.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 326017ce
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 326017ce
For years, biologists have experimented with using grime-eating bacteria rather than harsh chemicals to clean
artworks, and results have been impressive overall. ______ these bacterial strains—which can metabolize centuries’
worth of oil, glue, dirt, and other surface impurities without creating harmful byproducts—have proven more effective
than traditional chemical cleaning methods.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. However,

B. In many cases,

C. As a result,

D. Additionally,

ID: 326017ce Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. The first sentence makes the claim that using grime-eating bacteria has led to “impressive
results.” This sentence supports that claim by describing the specific findings of the biologists’ experimentation. The
transition “in many cases” fits the context perfectly.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses a disagreement transition. But this sentence actually agrees with the previous
sentence. Both claim that grime-eating bacteria are better at cleaning artworks than chemicals. Choice C is incorrect.
This choice uses a cause-and-effect transition, which doesn’t make sense in context. The fact that the results of the
experimentation have been impressive overall doesn’t cause the bacteria to have proven more effective. Choice D is
incorrect. This choice uses a transition that indicates the addition of a new idea. But this sentence doesn’t introduce a
new idea. Instead, it elaborates on the same idea laid out in the previous sentence by describing the “impressive
results” in more detail.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 84e108cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 84e108cf
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Platinum is a rare and expensive metal. It is used as a catalyst for chemical reactions.
Platinum catalysts typically require a large amount of platinum to be effective.
Researcher Jianbo Tang and his colleagues created a platinum catalyst that combines platinum with liquid
gallium.
Their catalyst was highly effective and required only trace amounts of platinum (0.0001% of the atoms in the
mixture).

The student wants to explain an advantage of the new platinum catalyst developed by Jianbo Tang and his colleagues.
Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Researcher Jianbo Tang and his colleagues created a platinum catalyst that combines platinum, a rare and
A. expensive metal, with liquid gallium.

B. Like other platinum catalysts, the new platinum catalyst requires a particular amount of the metal to be effective.

Platinum is a rare and expensive metal that is used as a catalyst for chemical reactions; however, platinum
C. catalysts typically require a large amount of platinum to be effective.

While still highly effective, the new platinum catalyst requires far less of the rare and expensive metal than do other
D. platinum catalysts.

ID: 84e108cf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The sentence explains an advantage of Tang and his colleagues’ platinum catalyst, noting
that it requires far less platinum (which is rare and expensive) than other platinum catalysts do.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence describes the platinum catalyst that Tang and his colleagues created; it doesn’t
explain an advantage of their platinum catalyst. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes a similarity between
the new platinum catalyst and other platinum catalysts; it doesn’t explain an advantage of the new platinum catalyst.
Choice C is incorrect. The sentence connects the metal platinum to the functioning of platinum catalysts, noting that
large amounts of platinum are typically required for platinum catalysts to be effective; it doesn’t explain an advantage
of Tang and his colleagues’ platinum catalyst.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 6c9df5d1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 6c9df5d1
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Some powerful works of literature have so influenced readers that new legislation has been passed as a result.
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789) is the autobiography of a man who endured
slavery on both sides of the Atlantic.
Equiano’s book contributed to the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.
The Jungle (1906) is a fictional work by Upton Sinclair that describes unsanitary conditions in US meatpacking
plants.
Sinclair’s book contributed to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906.

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

Although both are powerful works of literature that contributed to new legislation, Equiano’s book is an
A. autobiography, while Sinclair’s is fictional.

B. They may have written about different topics, but Equiano and Sinclair both influenced readers.

The 1807 Slave Trade Act resulted in part from a book by Equiano, while the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act resulted
C. in part from a book by Sinclair.

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano and The Jungle are two works of literature that contributed
D. to new legislation (concerning the slave trade and food safety, respectively).

ID: 6c9df5d1 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. This choice emphasizes a difference between the two books by using relevant information
from the notes to contrast their genres.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice mentions a difference between the books (their different topics), but it emphasizes a
similarity between the books (their influence on readers). Choice C is incorrect. This choice provides information about
the books that reflects both a similarity (both resulted in new laws) and a difference (the specific laws that resulted),
without emphasizing either. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize a difference between the two books.
Instead, it emphasizes a similarity.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 221ecf0f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 221ecf0f
Alexander Lawrence Posey (1873–1908) varied his focus and tone depending on the genre in which he was writing. In
his poetry, he used heartfelt language to evoke the beauty and peacefulness of his natural surroundings; in his
journalism, ______ he employed humor and satire to comment on political issues affecting his Muskogee Creek
community.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. that is,

B. granted,

C. similarly,

D. by contrast,

ID: 221ecf0f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. This sentence compares two examples of Posey’s tone: the “heartfelt language” he used
in his poetry versus the “humor and satire” he used in his journalism. We know from these descriptions and from the
claim in the previous sentence that the two tones are very different from each other. So the transition “by contrast” fits
the context perfectly.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses a transition that indicates a restatement of the same idea in other words. But
the text isn’t restating the first example here. Instead, it’s offering a second, totally different example. Choice B is
incorrect. This choice uses a transition that means “admittedly.” But the text isn’t admitting or conceding anything here.
Instead, these two examples work together to support the claim made in the first sentence. Choice C is incorrect. This
choice uses a transition that indicates the addition of an agreeing idea. But these two examples are intentionally very
different from each other, so “similarly” doesn’t make sense here.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 97e2e364
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 97e2e364
Okot p’Bitek’s poem Song of Lawino (1966) explores postcolonial Ugandan life through the eyes of a woman living in a
rural village. With its vibrant imagery, bitingly satiric tone, and dexterous use of traditional Acholi song and phraseology,
the poem inspired a generation of East African writers. ______ those who adopted its style are often referred to as Okot
School poets.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Nevertheless,

B. Fittingly,

C. By comparison,

D. Instead,

ID: 97e2e364 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. “Fittingly” is a transition that means “appropriately” or “suitably,” and it is appropriate that
writers who adopted their style from Okot p’Bitek would be known as the Okot School poets.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses a disagreement transition. But this sentence is not disagreeing with anything—
rather, it’s discussing how it makes sense for those writers who adopted Okot’s style to be known as the Okot School
poets. Choice C is incorrect. This choice uses a transition that compares two ideas. But this sentence is not comparing
the Okot School poets and their style to Okot’s style. Choice D is incorrect. This choice uses a disagreement transition.
But this sentence is not disagreeing with anything—rather, it’s discussing how it makes sense for those writers who
adopted Okot’s style to be known as the Okot School poets.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 11df9b99
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 11df9b99
Because an achiral molecule is symmetrical, flipping it yields a structurally identical molecule. A flipped chiral
molecule, ______ can be compared to a glove that has been turned inside out: it produces a structurally inverted
molecule rather than an identical one.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. in other words,

B. by contrast,

C. for example,

D. similarly,

ID: 11df9b99 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. This sentence compares a chiral molecule to an achiral one. It discusses how when a
chiral molecule is flipped, it results in something very different than when an achiral molecule is flipped. So the
transition "by contrast" fits the context perfectly.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses a transition that indicates a restatement of the same idea in different words.
But this sentence doesn’t restate the same idea as the previous sentence. Instead, it makes a new point about a
different type of molecule (chiral instead of achiral). Choice C is incorrect. This choice uses a transition that introduces
an example, which doesn’t make sense here. The second sentence isn’t an example of the first sentence’s claim about
achiral molecules: it actually introduces an entirely different idea that focuses on chiral molecules. Choice D is
incorrect. This choice uses a transition that indicates the addition of an agreeing idea. But this sentence shows a
contrast with the first sentence—namely, that a chiral molecule acts very differently from an achiral molecule when
flipped.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 30438650
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 30438650
Jhumpa Lahiri’s story collection Interpreter of Maladies features multiple stories about romantic relationships. In “This
Blessed House,” newlyweds argue over whether to replace items left by the previous owners of their new home. ______
in “A Temporary Matter,” a husband and wife attempt to rekindle their relationship during a four-night blackout.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Granted,

B. For example,

C. Likewise,

D. Hence,

ID: 30438650 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. "Likewise" is a transition that indicates the addition of a new but related idea. In this
sentence, the author is providing another similar example to that discussed in the previous sentence. Therefore,
"likewise" works best in this context.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses a transition that means "admittedly." But the text isn’t admitting or conceding
anything here. Instead, these two examples work together to support the claim made in the first sentence. Choice B is
incorrect. This choice uses an exemplification transition, which doesn’t make sense here. The second story is not an
example of the story in the previous sentence—it’s another, similar story. And while both stories exemplify the first
sentence in the text, the transition we’re looking for isn’t actually connected to that sentence. Choice D is incorrect. This
choice uses a cause-and-effect transition, which doesn’t make sense here. The first story didn’t result in the events of
the second story.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 6249b173
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 6249b173
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 2018 researchers Adwait Deshpande, Shreejata Gupta, and Anindya Sinha were observing wild macaques in
India’s Bandipur National Park.
They saw macaques calling out to and gesturing at humans who were eating or carrying food.
They designed a study to find out if the macaques were intentionally communicating to try to persuade the
humans to share their food.
In the study trials, macaques frequently called out to and gestured at humans holding food.
In the study trials, macaques called out to and gestured at empty-handed humans less frequently.

The student wants to present the study’s results. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the
notes to accomplish this goal?

Macaques in the study called out to and gestured more frequently at humans holding food than at empty-handed
A. humans.

In 2018, researchers who had observed macaques in India’s Bandipur National Park calling out to and gesturing at
B. humans designed a study.

The researchers hoped to find out if the macaques were intentionally communicating to try to persuade humans to
C. share their food.

D. The researchers studied how macaques behaved around both humans holding food and empty-handed humans.

ID: 6249b173 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. This choice presents the study’s results from the last two bullet points.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice describes the background and motivation of the study but not the outcome or
findings. Choice C is incorrect. This choice describes the research question or hypothesis of the study but not the
evidence or conclusion. Choice D is incorrect. This choice describes the method or design of the study but not the
actual results.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID dd11e5ab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: dd11e5ab
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Muckrakers were journalists who sought to expose corruption in US institutions during the Progressive Era
(1897–1920).
Ida Tarbell was a muckraker who investigated the Standard Oil Company.
She interviewed Standard Oil Company executives, oil industry workers, and public officials.
She examined thousands of pages of the company’s internal communications, including letters and financial
records.
Her book The History of the Standard Oil Company (1904) exposed the company’s unfair business practices.

The student wants to emphasize the thoroughness of Ida Tarbell’s investigation of the Standard Oil Company. Which
choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Ida Tarbell not only interviewed Standard Oil executives, oil industry workers, and public officials but also examined
A. thousands of pages of the company’s internal communications.

Ida Tarbell, who investigated the Standard Oil Company, was a muckraker (a journalist who sought to expose
B. corruption in US institutions during the Progressive Era, 1897–1920).

C. As part of her investigation of the Standard Oil Company, muckraker Ida Tarbell conducted interviews.

Published in 1904, muckraker Ida Tarbell’s book The History of the Standard Oil Company exposed the company’s
D. unfair business practices.

ID: dd11e5ab Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. It describes Tarbell’s investigation and the lengths she went to complete it.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe how thorough Tarbell was. Instead, it gives a biographical sketch.
Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe how thorough Tarbell was. Tarbell didn’t only conduct interviews—
she also “examined thousands of pages of the company’s internal communications.” Choice D is incorrect. This choice
doesn’t describe how thorough Tarbell was. It describes her book but doesn’t include anything about her investigation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 8432a140
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 8432a140
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Marine biologist Camille Jazmin Gaynus studies coral reefs.
Coral reefs are vital underwater ecosystems that provide habitats to 25% of all marine species.
Reefs can include up to 8,000 species of fish, such as toadfish, seahorses, and clown triggerfish.
The Amazon Reef is a coral reef in Brazil. It is one of the largest known reefs in the world.

The student wants to introduce the scientist and her field of study to a new audience. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Located in Brazil, the Amazon Reef is one of the largest known coral reefs in the world.

Marine biologist Camille Jazmin Gaynus studies coral reefs, vital underwater ecosystems that provide homes to
B. 25% of all marine species.

Providing homes to 25% of all marine species, including up to 8,000 species of fish, coral reefs are vital underwater
C. ecosystems and thus of great interest to marine biologists.

As Camille Jazmin Gaynus knows well, coral reefs are vital underwater ecosystems, providing homes to thousands
D. of species of fish.

ID: 8432a140 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. We’re asked to select the sentence that "introduce[s] the scientist and her field of study."
This choice introduces scientist Camille Jazmin Gaynus as a marine biologist and explains what marine life she
studies.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t mention Camille Jazmin Gaynus, so it fails to "introduce the scientist." Choice
C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t mention Camille Jazmin Gaynus, so it fails to "introduce the scientist." Choice D is
incorrect. This choice mentions Camille Jazmin Gaynus, but it doesn’t identify her as a marine biologist. It says she
"knows well" about coral reefs, but doesn’t identify her expertise as a "field of study."

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 6e0c60da
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 6e0c60da
When one looks at the dark craggy vistas in Hitoshi Fugo’s evocative photo series, one’s mind might wander off to the
cratered surfaces of faraway planets. ______ it’s the series’ title, Flying Frying Pan, that brings one back to Earth,
reminding the viewer that each photo is actually a close-up view of a familiar household object: a frying pan.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Consequently,

B. Alternatively,

C. Ultimately,

D. Additionally,

ID: 6e0c60da Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. The first sentence describes an experience that the viewer has when they’re looking at the
photos: they imagine other planets. This sentence describes an experience that the viewer has afterward: the title
reminds them that the photos are of frying pans, bringing them back to reality. “Ultimately” is a transition that means
“eventually” or “in the end,” so it fits the context perfectly.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses a cause-and-effect transition, which doesn’t make sense here. The viewer
imagining other planets when they’re looking at the photos doesn’t cause the title to bring them back to reality. Choice
B is incorrect. This choice uses a transition that indicates another option or possibility, which doesn’t make sense here.
Rather, the viewer has both experiences: first the viewer imagines that they’re looking at another planet, and then the
title reminds them that it’s just a frying pan. Choice D is incorrect. This choice uses a transition that indicates the
addition of an agreeing idea. But the viewer’s experience in the second sentence is actually the opposite of the viewer’s
experience in the first sentence. In the first sentence, the viewer is imagining that they’re seeing a landscape from
another planet. In the second sentence, the viewer is reminded that they’re looking at a frying pan.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 64e88c58
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 64e88c58
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 1971, experimental musician Pauline Oliveros created Sonic Meditations.
Sonic Meditations is not music but rather a series of sound-based exercises called meditations.
Each meditation consists of instructions for participants to make, imagine, listen to, or remember sounds.
The instructions for Meditation V state, “walk so silently that the bottoms of your feet become ears.”
Those for Meditation XVIII state, “listen to a sound until you no longer recognize it.”

The student wants to provide an explanation and an example of Oliveros’s Sonic Meditations. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Sonic Meditations is not music but rather a series of sound-based meditations that consist of instructions;
A. Meditation XVIII, for instance, instructs participants to “listen to a sound until you no longer recognize it.”

In 1971, Oliveros created Sonic Meditations, a series of meditations that consist of instructions for participants to
B. make, imagine, listen to, or remember sounds.

“Walk so silently that the bottoms of your feet become ears” is one example of the instructions found in Oliveros’s
C. Sonic Meditations.

While both meditations consist of instructions, Meditation XVIII instructs participants to “listen,” whereas
D. Meditation V instructs participants to “walk.”

ID: 64e88c58 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. It describes what a “Sonic Meditation” is, and then gives an example in the form of
Meditation XVIII.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice describes what a “Sonic Meditation” is, but doesn’t give an example of one. Choice C
is incorrect. This choice gives an example of a “Sonic Meditation,” but doesn’t explain what the meditations are. Choice
D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe what a “Sonic Meditation” is.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID af88c47a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: af88c47a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Freddie Wong (born 1985) is a director and special effects artist from the United States.
He is best known for the action-comedy web series Video Game High School (VGHS).
VGHS premiered in 2012 on RocketJump, a YouTube channel that Wong cocreated.
The series was celebrated for its inventive video game–centric world and high-quality special effects.
VGHS was nominated for a Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Digital Series.

The student wants to begin a narrative about Wong’s award-nominated web series. Which choice most effectively uses
relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

In 2012, director and visual effects artist Freddie Wong launched a new action-comedy web series: Video Game
A. High School.

Video Game High School was celebrated for its inventive video game–centric world and high-quality special effects,
B. and it was nominated for a Producer’s Guild Award for Outstanding Digital Series.

Wong, cocreator of the YouTube channel RocketJump, would go on to see his web series be nominated for a
C. Producers Guild Award.

D. In 2012, Video Game High School premiered on RocketJump; it would later be nominated for an award.

ID: af88c47a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. This choice introduces Wong and VGHS in an active and specific way, as if to an audience
unfamiliar with the series. It also sets up the time and genre of the web series, which are useful ways to introduce the
series of events in a narrative.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice isn’t suited for beginning a narrative. A narrative is a story that follows a sequence of
events and creates interest and suspense for the reader. This choice jumps to the end, explaining the success of VGHS
without explaining what it is. Choice C is incorrect. This choice isn’t suited for beginning a narrative. It doesn’t actually
introduce the web series by name. It just jumps to later in the story without sufficient explanation. Choice D is incorrect.
This choice is not very effective for beginning a narrative. It doesn’t explain what VGHS is, and it doesn’t mention Wong.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 2df7b582
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 2df7b582
Plato believed material objects to be crude representations of unseen ideal forms. In his view, such abstract,
nonmaterial forms are the ultimate source of knowledge. Aristotle disagreed, positing that knowledge is best obtained
through direct engagement with the material world; ______ sensory experience of the material is the ultimate source of
knowledge.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. regardless,

B. admittedly,

C. in other words,

D. meanwhile,

ID: 2df7b582 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. “In other words” logically signals that the claim about sensory experience that follows—
that sensory experience is the source of knowledge—is a restatement of Aristotle’s theory from earlier in the sentence.

Choice A is incorrect because “regardless” illogically signals that the claim about sensory experience that follows is
true in spite of Aristotle’s theory from earlier in the sentence. Instead, this claim is a restatement of his theory. Choice B
is incorrect because “admittedly” illogically signals that the claim about sensory experience that follows is an
exception to Aristotle’s theory from earlier in the sentence. Instead, this claim is a restatement of his theory. Choice D is
incorrect because “meanwhile” illogically signals that the claim about sensory experience that follows is separate from
(while occurring simultaneously with) Aristotle’s theory from earlier in the sentence. Instead, this claim is a restatement
of his theory.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID bce57278
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: bce57278
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Some US reformers sought to improve society in the 1800s by building utopias.
A utopia is a community intended to represent a perfect society based on a specific set of principles.
One such community was Brook Farm near Boston, Massachusetts.
It was founded in 1841 by writer George Ripley.
Ripley wrote in a letter that his goal for Brook Farm was “to guarantee the highest mental freedom, by providing
all with labor, adapted to their tastes and talents, and securing to them the fruits of their industry.”

The student wants to explain the goal of Brook Farm using a quotation from George Ripley. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. In a letter, writer George Ripley explained his goal to “guarantee the highest mental freedom.”

Utopias, such as Brook Farm, founded by George Ripley in 1841, were based on a specific set of principles intended
B. to create a perfect society.

Founded by George Ripley near Boston, Massachusetts, Brook Farm was part of a trend in the 1800s, when
C. reformers in the United States built utopias.

Established in 1841, Brook Farm was a utopian community created to “guarantee the highest mental freedom, by
D. providing all with labor... [and] the fruits of their industry,” according to founder George Ripley.

ID: bce57278 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. This choice explains the goal of Brook Farm—to provide mental freedom to all by engaging
individuals in labor suited to their interests—using a quotation from George Ripley.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice only mentions part of Ripley’s goal, and it doesn’t mention Brook Farm at all. Choice
B is incorrect. This choice defines what a utopia is but doesn’t use Ripley’s words to describe his vision for Brook Farm.
Choice C is incorrect. This choice provides some background information about Brook Farm, but it doesn’t explain its
goals or include Ripley’s words.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID fdd9a360
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: fdd9a360
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The popular wood-wide web theory posits that trees can communicate and exchange resources with one
another via common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) of fungi.
Ecologist Dr. Suzanne Simard first suggested this theory in 1997. She described trees as “super-cooperators.”
In the 2022 study “The Decay of the Wood-Wide Web?,” mycologist Dr. Justine Karst and colleagues evaluated
dozens of CMN studies.
They write that CMNs “have captured the interest of broad audiences. We are concerned, however, that recent
claims about CMNs in forests are disconnected from evidence.”

The student wants to use a quotation to emphasize a potential problem with the wood-wide web theory. Which choice
most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Describing trees as “super-cooperators,” Simard first suggested that trees can exchange resources with one another
A. in 1997.

In “The Decay of the Wood-Wide Web?,” Karst and colleagues note that common mycorrhizal networks “have
B. captured the interest of broad audiences.”

After evaluating dozens of CMN studies, Karst and colleagues expressed concern that recent claims about
C. common mycorrhizal networks are “disconnected from evidence.”

Despite the concerns expressed in the 2022 study “The Decay of the Wood-Wide Web?,” the wood-wide web theory
D. remains popular.

ID: fdd9a360 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. This choice uses a quotation to convey the authors’ criticism and challenge to the wood-
wide web theory due to an absence of evidence.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize a potential problem with the wood-wide web theory. It uses a
quotation to introduce the theory and its originator. It doesn’t mention any criticism or challenge to the theory. Choice B
is incorrect. This choice uses a quotation, but it doesn’t emphasize a potential problem with the wood-wide web theory.
It uses a quotation to describe the appeal and interest of the theory, but it doesn’t indicate why the authors are
concerned or what evidence they have. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t use a quotation at all. It paraphrases
the main idea of the 2022 study, but it doesn’t include any specific words or phrases from the notes. It also doesn’t
emphasize a potential problem with the theory, but rather its popularity.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 1b94a80a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 1b94a80a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Wool is a natural—and economically important—fiber that is obtained from animals like sheep.
Australia is a leading producer of wool. The thickness of wool fibers varies across sheep breeds.
Merino sheep produce fine wool that is used for apparel.
Rambouillet sheep produce fine wool that is used for apparel.
Romney sheep produce thick wool that is used for rugs and blankets.

The student wants to emphasize how Romney wool differs from Merino and Rambouillet wool. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Romney wool is just one of the many kinds of wools, each originating from a different breed of sheep.

B. Sheep wool varies from breed to breed, so Romney wool will be different than other kinds of wool.

The fine wool produced by Merino and Rambouillet sheep is used for apparel, whereas the thicker wool of Romney
C. sheep is used in rugs and blankets.

Wool is an economically important fiber—especially in Australia—that can be used to make apparel or even rugs and
D. blankets.

ID: 1b94a80a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. This choice most effectively emphasizes how Romney wool differs from Merino and
Rambouillet wool. It describes the difference in thickness and the difference in what they’re used for.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize how Romney wool differs from Merino and Rambouillet wool. It
doesn’t mention Merino or Rambouillet wool at all. Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize how Romney
wool differs from Merino and Rambouillet wool. It doesn’t mention Merino or Rambouillet wool at all. Choice D is
incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize how Romney wool differs from Merino and Rambouillet wool. It doesn’t
mention Romney, Merino or Rambouillet wool at all.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 00e0170f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 00e0170f
Magnetic levitation (maglev) trains are suspended above a track by powerful electromagnets, reducing friction and
thus allowing for much faster speeds. Though maglev advocates in the US have long imagined these trains
crisscrossing the country, their dream remains unrealized. ______ of the handful of maglev trains currently in operation,
all are in Asia.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. In fact,

B. To that end,

C. Nevertheless,

D. That said,

ID: 00e0170f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. This sentence emphasizes just how far maglev advocates’ dreams are from coming true.
“In fact” is a transition used to emphasize the truth of a statement that modifies the previous statement and therefore
fits perfectly in this context.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice uses a cause-and-effect transition, which doesn’t make sense here. Maglev
advocates’ dream remaining unrealized would not cause there to be only a few maglev trains, all located in Asia.
Choice C is incorrect. This choice uses a disagreement transition, which doesn’t make sense here. In fact, this sentence
agrees with the previous sentence—both talk about how maglev trains are far from becoming common in the US.
Choice D is incorrect. This choice uses a disagreement transition, which doesn’t make sense here. In fact, this sentence
agrees with the previous sentence—both talk about how maglev trains are far from becoming common in the US.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID c071eca2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: c071eca2
Iraqi artist Nazik Al-Malaika, celebrated as the first Arabic poet to write in free verse, didn’t reject traditional forms
entirely; her poem “Elegy for a Woman of No Importance” consists of two ten-line stanzas and a standard number of
syllables. Even in this superficially traditional work, ______ Al-Malaika was breaking new ground by memorializing an
anonymous woman rather than a famous man.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. therefore,

B. in fact,

C. moreover,

D. though,

ID: c071eca2 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The first sentence tells us that Al-Malaika sometimes used "traditional forms". The second
tells us that even when she used traditional forms, Al-Malaika was "breaking new ground". To connect these ideas, we
need a contrast word like "but." "Though" is a contrast word similar to "but."

Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t a logical transition. The first sentence tells us that Al-Malaika sometimes used
"traditional forms". The second tells us that even when she used traditional forms, Al-Malaika was "breaking new
ground". To connect these ideas, we need a contrast word like "but." "Therefore" doesn’t show contrast; it shows cause
and effect. Choice B is incorrect. This isn’t a logical transition. The first sentence tells us that Al-Malaika sometimes
used "traditional forms". The second tells us that even when she used traditional forms, Al-Malaika was "breaking new
ground". To connect these ideas, we need a contrast word like "but." "In fact" is a phrase that usually emphasizes the
truth of the previous statement. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t a logical transition. The first sentence tells us that Al-
Malaika sometimes used "traditional forms". The second tells us that even when she used traditional forms, Al-Malaika
was "breaking new ground". To connect these ideas, we need a contrast word like "but." "Moreover" doesn’t show
contrast—it introduces additional information that continues or supports the previous idea.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 176edca6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 176edca6
A 2017 study of sign language learners tested the role of iconicity—the similarity of a sign to the thing it represents—in
language acquisition. The study found that the greater the iconicity of a sign, the more likely it was to have been
learned. ______ the correlation between acquisition and iconicity was lower than that between acquisition and another
factor studied: sign frequency.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. In fact,

B. In other words,

C. Granted,

D. As a result,

ID: 176edca6 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. “Granted” logically signals that the following information—that iconicity is not as highly
correlated with acquisition as sign frequency—is true in spite of the information about the correlation between iconicity
and acquisition in the previous sentence.

Choice A is incorrect because “in fact” illogically signals that the sentence that follows either emphasizes or refutes the
information in the previous sentence regarding the correlation between iconicity and acquisition. Instead, the sentence
that follows provides additional information that is true in spite of the preceding information; it neither emphasizes nor
refutes that information. Choice B is incorrect because “in other words” illogically signals that the sentence that follows
is a restatement of the information in the previous sentence; instead, the sentence that follows provides additional
information that is true in spite of the preceding information. Choice D is incorrect because “as a result” illogically
signals that the sentence that follows is a result of the information in the previous sentence regarding the correlation
between iconicity and acquisition; instead, the sentence that follows is true in spite of the preceding information.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 10cd0327
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 10cd0327
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
A thermal inversion is a phenomenon where a layer of atmosphere is warmer than the layer beneath it.
In 2022, a team of researchers studied the presence of thermal inversions in twenty-five gas giants.
Gas giants are planets largely composed of helium and hydrogen.
The team found that gas giants featuring a thermal inversion were also likely to contain heat-absorbing metals.
One explanation for this relationship is that these metals may reside in a planet’s upper atmosphere, where
their absorbed heat causes an increase in temperature.

The student wants to present the study’s findings to an audience already familiar with thermal inversions. Which choice
most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Heat-absorbing metals may reside in a planet’s upper atmosphere.

B. The team studied thermal inversions in twenty-five gas giants, which are largely composed of helium and hydrogen.

Researchers found that gas giants featuring a thermal inversion were likely to contain heat-absorbing metals, which
C. may reside in the planets’ upper atmospheres.

Gas giants were likely to contain heat-absorbing metals when they featured a layer of atmosphere warmer than the
D. layer beneath it, researchers found; this phenomenon is known as a thermal inversion.

ID: 10cd0327 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. It describes the study’s findings in a way that assumes the audience is already familiar
with thermal inversions.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t fully describe the findings of the study, because it doesn’t include anything
about thermal inversions. Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe the study’s findings. Choice D is incorrect.
This choice isn’t suited for an audience already familiar with thermal inversion. A familiar audience wouldn’t need to
have the term defined.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 388b45aa
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 388b45aa
Establishing Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is no easy task. Each month, readings of a single second from atomic
clocks around the world are taken and sent to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) in France.
______ BIPM metrologists perform the meticulous work of assembling these minutely disparate readings into a globally
shared time standard.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. There,

B. In particular,

C. For example,

D. Conversely,

ID: 388b45aa Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. "There" indicates that the work of calculating Coordinated Universal Time takes place at
the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France. Because "there" indicates a location, it fits the context
perfectly.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice uses an exemplification transition, which doesn’t make sense here. This sentence is
describing where the work of coordinating Coordinated Universal Time takes place, not giving an example of the work
described in the previous sentence. Choice C is incorrect. This choice uses an exemplification transition, which doesn’t
make sense here. This sentence is describing where the work of coordinating Coordinated Universal Time takes place,
not giving an example of the work described in the previous sentence. Choice D is incorrect. This choice uses a
disagreement transition. But this sentence doesn’t disagree with the previous sentence. They both describe the work
involved in calculating Coordinated Universal Time.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 81315093
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 81315093
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
A marathon is a long-distance running race that is 26.2 miles long.
An ultramarathon is a long-distance running race of more than 26.2 miles.
The Kepler Challenge is a one-day, 37.3-mile ultramarathon in New Zealand.
The Spreelauf is a six-day, 261-mile ultramarathon in Germany.

The student wants to make a generalization about ultramarathons. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Examples of ultramarathons include the 37.3-mile Kepler Challenge in New Zealand and the 261-mile Spreelauf in
A. Germany.

B. A marathon is 26.2 miles long, but the Spreelauf ultramarathon, at 261 miles, is far longer.

C. Ultramarathons range widely in length, from a few dozen miles to a few hundred.

D. While the Kepler Challenge is a one-day ultramarathon, the Spreelauf is a six-day ultramarathon.

ID: 81315093 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. This is the only choice that makes a generalization about ultramarathons.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice gives specific examples of ultramarathons but doesn’t say anything about them as a
category. Choice B is incorrect. This choice compares marathons in general to one specific ultramarathon but doesn’t
say anything about ultramarathons as a category. Choice D is incorrect. This choice contrasts two specific
ultramarathons but doesn’t say anything about them as a category.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 5b8b69a2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 5b8b69a2
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Archaeologist Jon Erlandson and colleagues argue that humans first arrived in the Americas by sea.
They propose that humans traveled between Pacific Ocean islands and coastlines from northeast Asia to the
Americas.
Many of these islands and coastal zones were later submerged as glaciers melted and sea levels rose.
The researchers think that “a coastal route, including kelp forests and estuaries, would have provided a rich mix
of marine, estuarine, riverine, and terrestrial resources” such as seaweeds, fish, and birds.
This proposed scenario is known as the kelp highway hypothesis.

The student wants to summarize the kelp highway hypothesis. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information
from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Pacific Ocean islands and coastlines likely contained “a rich mix of marine, estuarine, riverine, and terrestrial
A. resources” such as seaweeds, fish, and birds, according to researchers.

One argument about how humans first arrived in the Americas is the kelp highway hypothesis proposed by Jon
B. Erlandson and colleagues.

Humans may have first arrived in the Americas by sea, traveling between Pacific Ocean islands and coastlines and
C. subsisting on a variety of resources.

D. As glaciers melted and sea levels rose, many Pacific Ocean islands and coastal zones were submerged.

ID: 5b8b69a2 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. This choice summarizes the main idea of the kelp highway hypothesis, providing a high-
level overview of how the hypothesis explains human migration to the Americas.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice describes one aspect of the proposed scenario but doesn’t discuss human migration,
which is the main focus of the kelp highway hypothesis. Choice B is incorrect. This choice introduces the kelp highway
hypothesis but doesn’t explain what it entails. Choice D is incorrect. This choice describes one element of the proposed
scenario but doesn’t discuss human migration, which is the main focus of the kelp highway hypothesis.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 164a32e7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 164a32e7
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Claude McKay (1889–1948) was a Jamaican American writer.
Songs of Jamaica (1912) and Constab Ballads (1912) are two acclaimed poetry collections that McKay
published while living in Jamaica.
McKay moved to Harlem in New York City in 1914.
He is best known as a poet and novelist of the Harlem Renaissance, a literary and cultural movement of the
1920s and 1930s.
His most famous works include the poetry collection Harlem Shadows (1922) and the novel Home to Harlem
(1928).

The student wants to emphasize Claude McKay’s accomplishments before moving to Harlem. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Jamaican American writer Claude McKay is the author of works such as Songs of Jamaica (1912), Constab Ballads
A. (1912), Harlem Shadows (1922), and Home to Harlem (1928).

Although he is best known as a Harlem Renaissance writer, Claude McKay had published two acclaimed poetry
B. collections in 1912 while living in Jamaica: Songs of Jamaica and Constab Ballads.

In 1914, Claude McKay moved to Harlem, where he would become known as a poet and novelist of the Harlem
C. Renaissance (a literary and cultural movement of the 1920s and 1930s).

Before moving to Harlem, Claude McKay—author of the poetry collection Harlem Shadows (1922) and the novel
D. Home to Harlem (1928)—lived in Jamaica.

ID: 164a32e7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. This choice contrasts McKay’s fame as a Harlem Renaissance writer with his earlier
achievements as a Jamaican poet, and it names the two collections he published before moving to Harlem.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize McKay’s accomplishments before moving to Harlem. It lists some
of his works but doesn’t distinguish between those he wrote in Jamaica and those he wrote in Harlem. Choice C is
incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize McKay’s accomplishments before moving to Harlem. It only mentions the
year he moved and what he would become known for afterwards. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize
McKay’s accomplishments before moving to Harlem. It mentions that he lived in Jamaica, but it doesn’t name any of
the works he published there.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 9f1a0d91
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 9f1a0d91
“Tulip mania”—the rapid rise and sudden fall of the price of tulip bulbs in seventeenth-century Amsterdam—is often
cited as an example of the perils of rampant market speculation. However, recent research has demonstrated that the
episode was neither as frenzied nor as disastrous as has been thought. The popular myth surrounding it, ______ should
be regarded with some skepticism.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. for example,

B. by contrast,

C. nevertheless,

D. therefore,

ID: 9f1a0d91 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. This sentence is arguing that new evidence contradicting popular beliefs about “tulip
mania” should cast doubt on those beliefs. “Therefore” is a cause-and-effect transition, which fits perfectly in this
context.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses an exemplification transition, which doesn’t make sense here. Skepticism about
the popular beliefs is not an example of recent evidence contradicting those beliefs—rather, skepticism is an effect of
that recent evidence. Choice B is incorrect. This choice uses a disagreement transition. But this sentence doesn’t
disagree with the previous sentence. Instead, it connects a cause from the previous sentence (new evidence that tulip
mania was not as disastrous as thought) to an effect (that we should look with skepticism upon the myth about its
disastrousness). Choice C is incorrect. This choice uses a disagreement transition. But this sentence doesn’t disagree
with the previous sentence. Instead, it connects a cause from the previous sentence (new evidence that tulip mania
was not as disastrous as thought) to an effect (that we should look with skepticism upon the myth about its
disastrousness).

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 5222ffab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 5222ffab
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Neuroscientists Krishnan Padmanabhan and Zhen Chen sought to better understand the workings of the brain’s
olfactory system.
They devised a study using mathematical models.
They found that certain fibers allow the brain to toggle from one method of processing smells to another.
In one method, cells in the piriform cortex (where the perception of odor forms) capture olfactory information
at a given moment.
In the other, the cells track changes in olfactory information over time.

The student wants to summarize the study’s findings. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from
the notes to accomplish this goal?

To arrive at these findings, which describe dual methods of processing smells in the piriform cortex, Padmanabhan
A. and Chen devised a study using mathematical models.

Padmanabhan and Chen showed that olfactory information is captured by cells in the piriform cortex, where the
B. perception of odor forms.

Using mathematical models, Padmanabhan and Chen devised a study to better understand the workings of the
C. brain’s olfactory system.

According to Padmanabhan and Chen, the brain can toggle between capturing olfactory information at a given
D. moment and tracking changes in that information over time.

ID: 5222ffab Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The sentence effectively summarizes the study’s findings, explaining what Padmanabhan
and Chen found: that the brain can toggle between one method of processing smells (capturing information at a given
moment) and another (tracking changes in information over time).

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence mentions findings, it mainly focuses on Padmanabhan and Chen’s
methodology. It doesn’t effectively summarize the study’s findings. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence notes a fact
about the olfactory system—that the perception of odor forms in the piriform cortex—but doesn’t summarize the
findings of Padmanabhan and Chen’s study. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence presents the goal of Padmanabhan
and Chen’s study; it doesn’t summarize the study’s findings.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 3dcc7140
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 3dcc7140
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Nissologists are scientists who study islands.
Some nissologists define an island as any piece of land surrounded by water.
Using that definition, they determined that Sweden has 221,000 islands.
Other nissologists define an island as being 1 kilometer square, a certain distance from the mainland, and
having at least 50 permanent residents.
Using that definition, they determined that Sweden has 24 islands.

The student wants to make and support a generalization about nissologists’ definition of an island. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish these goals?

The definition of an island as any piece of land surrounded by water is supported by some nissologists, scientists
A. who study islands.

B. Multiple counts of Sweden’s islands have been based on different definitions of an island.

C. Based on a recent count, Sweden has a relatively small number of islands with at least 50 permanent residents.

Nissologists’ different definitions can result in huge disparities in counts of islands, as the example of Sweden
D. shows.

ID: 3dcc7140 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The sentence makes a generalization about nissologists’ definition of an island—
specifically, that the use of one definition rather than another can result in huge disparities in the number of islands
counted—and supports that generalization by citing Sweden as an example.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence introduces one definition of an island to an audience unfamiliar with nissologists; it
doesn’t make a generalization about nissologists’ definition of an island. Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence
synthesizes information from the notes about counts of Sweden’s islands, it doesn’t make and support a generalization
about nissologists’ definition of an island. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence makes an inference about islands in
Sweden; it doesn’t mention nissologists’ definition of an island or make a generalization about it.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 47e238be
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 47e238be
Seismologists Kaiqing Yuan and Barbara Romanowicz have proposed that the magma fueling Iceland’s more than 30
active volcano systems emerges from deep within Earth. The great depths involved—nearly 3,000 km—mark Iceland’s
volcanoes as extreme outliers; ______ many of Earth’s volcanoes are fed by shallow pockets of magma found less than
15 km below the surface.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. indeed,

B. nevertheless,

C. in addition,

D. consequently,

ID: 47e238be Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is the best answer. The second part of the sentence says that many volcanoes use shallow pockets of
magma. This is an elaboration of the same underlying idea from the first part of the sentence, which says that the
super deep magma of Icelandic volcanoes’ makes them outliers. “Indeed” is a transition used for elaborating on the
same idea, so it fits the context perfectly.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice uses a disagreement transition. But these two parts of the sentence agree with each
other, so “nevertheless” doesn’t make sense. Choice C is incorrect. This choice uses a transition that indicates the
addition of a new idea. But the second part of the sentence isn’t adding a new idea: it’s elaborating on the same idea
expressed in the first part of the sentence. Choice D is incorrect. This choice uses a cause-and-effect transition, which
doesn’t make sense here. The fact that Iceland’s deep-magma volcanoes are outliers doesn’t cause many other
volcanoes to get fed by shallow pockets of magma.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 622a351d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 622a351d
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 1978, Sámi activists staged protests to block the construction of a dam on the Alta River in Norway.
The dam would disrupt Sámi fishing and reindeer herding.
The dam was ultimately built, but the Alta conflict had a lasting impact.
It brought international attention to the issue of Sámi rights.
It led to a set of 2005 legal protections establishing Sámi rights to lands, waters, and resources.

The student wants to make and support a generalization about the Alta conflict. Which choice most effectively uses
relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

During the Alta conflict, Sámi activists staged protests to block the construction of a dam on the Alta River in
A. Norway that would disrupt local fishing and reindeer herding.

B. Although the dam that the Sámi activists had protested was ultimately built, the Alta conflict had a lasting impact.

Sámi rights to lands, waters, and resources received international attention and legal protections as a result of the
C. Alta conflict.

The Alta conflict had a lasting impact, resulting in international attention and legal protections for Sámi rights to
D. lands, waters, and resources.

ID: 622a351d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. It makes a generalization—the conflict had a lasting impact—and then supports it with
evidence—the attention and protections were results of the conflict.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t make a generalization about the conflict. It describes a specific event from
the conflict. Choice B is incorrect. This choice makes a generalization about the Alta conflict, but doesn’t support it.
Choice C is incorrect. This choice makes a statement about the aftermath of the conflict, but doesn’t support it. The
statement is also a little too specific to be a generalization.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 0c13dea9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 0c13dea9
The chemical trimethylamine N-oxide not only gives fish their fishy smell but also protects them from crushing
hydrostatic pressure in deep waters. Trimethylamine N-oxide strengthens the bonds between water molecules in a
fish’s body. ______ these water molecules maintain their linked structure at extreme depths, thus preventing pressure-
related damage.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Nevertheless,

B. As a result,

C. However,

D. For instance,

ID: 0c13dea9 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. “As a result” indicates that water molecules maintaining their linked structure at high
pressures is caused by the strengthening of these water molecules by trimethylamine N-oxide. So the transition “as a
result” fits the context perfectly.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses a disagreement transition. But this sentence doesn’t disagree with the previous
one—rather, it’s describing an effect of the phenomenon described in the previous sentence. Choice C is incorrect. This
choice uses a disagreement transition. But this sentence doesn’t disagree with the previous one; it actually expands on
the previous sentence by describing an effect of the strengthened molecules. Choice D is incorrect. This choice uses
an exemplification transition, which doesn’t make sense here. The second sentence doesn’t provide an example or
instance of the idea in the previous sentence. Instead, it explores the effects of the previous idea in more depth.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 34e1124f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 34e1124f
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In geology, an Aeolian landform is one that has been created by the wind.
In Greek mythology, Aeolus is the keeper of the winds.
Aeolian landforms are created when the wind erodes, transports, or deposits material.
A mushroom rock is a rock formation in which the top is wider than the base.
A mushroom rock can be formed when the wind erodes the base and the top at different rates.

The student wants to provide an explanation and an example of Aeolian landforms. Which choice most effectively uses
relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Aeolian landforms are created by different wind-based processes; for example, some are created by wind erosion.

Aeolian landforms—landforms created by the wind—include the mushroom rock, a rock formation in which the wind
B. erodes the base of the rock faster than the top.

Erosion, transportation, and deposition are three examples of how the wind can create Aeolian landforms and
C. mushroom rocks.

A mushroom rock is a rock formation that owes its shape to the wind, a natural force associated with Aeolus in
D. Greek mythology.

ID: 34e1124f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. The sentence provides an explanation and an example of Aeolian landforms, explaining
that they are landforms created by wind and offering the mushroom rock as an example.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence explains that Aeolian landforms are created by wind but does not provide an
example of any specific Aeolian landforms. Rather, the example it provides is of a wind-based process. Choice C is
incorrect. While the sentence provides a partial explanation of Aeolian landforms, noting that they are created by the
wind, it does not effectively provide an example. The sentence seems to indicate that mushroom rocks, rather than
being an example of Aeolian landforms, are distinct from them. Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence provides an
explanation of a mushroom rock, which is a specific example of an Aeolian landform, it doesn’t provide an explanation
of Aeolian landforms in general.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID db3ad406
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: db3ad406
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Stars form in a galaxy when gravity causes a massive cloud of dust and gas to collapse.
A galaxy in a phase of rapid star formation is called a starburst galaxy.
Quenching is a process in which a galaxy loses star-forming gas.
A galaxy that no longer forms stars is called a quenched galaxy.
A quenched galaxy has entered the poststarburst phase.

The student wants to explain what a quenched galaxy is. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from
the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Before quenching, a starburst galaxy will form stars at a rapid rate.

B. When it becomes quenched, a starburst galaxy enters the poststarburst phase.

C. Having entered the poststarburst phase, a quenched galaxy is one that no longer forms stars.

D. A starburst galaxy will lose star-forming gas and eventually become quenched.

ID: db3ad406 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. This choice defines a quenched galaxy as “one that no longer forms stars.”

Choice A is incorrect. This choice only describes what happens before quenching. Choice B is incorrect. This choice
only describes what happens after quenching. Choice D is incorrect. This choice only describes what causes
quenching.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID ad729337
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: ad729337
With its clichéd imagery of suburban lawns and power lines, John Ashbery’s 2004 poem “Ignorance of the Law Is No
Excuse” may seem barren terrain for critical analysis. ______ cultural critic Lauren Berlant finds fertile ground in just its
first two stanzas, devoting most of a book chapter to deciphering the “weight of the default space” Ashbery creates in
this poem.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Likewise,

B. Nonetheless,

C. In turn,

D. That is,

ID: ad729337 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. “Nonetheless” is a transition that indicates disagreement. The first sentence describes the
unlikelihood of finding much for critical analysis in Ashbery’s poem (“barren terrain”), while the second sentence
describes how Berlant did in fact find much to analyze in Ashbery’s poem (“fertile ground”), so the transition
“nonetheless” fits perfectly.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses a transition that indicates the addition of a new but similar idea, which doesn’t
make sense here. The idea in this sentence directly contradicts the idea in the previous sentence. Choice C is incorrect.
This choice uses a cause-and-effect transition, which doesn’t make sense in this context—a poem seemingly having
little opportunity for critical analysis would not cause someone to write an extensive critical analysis (in fact, we might
expect the opposite). Choice D is incorrect. This choice uses a transition that indicates a restatement of the same idea
in other words. But the text isn’t restating the first idea here. Instead, it’s offering a contradiction to the idea expressed
in the first sentence.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID 1469d23a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 1469d23a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Etel Adnan was a Lebanese American poet and artist known for making many leporellos.
A leporello is an artist’s book that is folded accordion style.
When the book is expanded, the artist’s work is revealed, and its zigzag shape allows it to stand on its own.
Her leporello December from My Window (1993) features a panoramic landscape.
It is painted using ink and watercolor.

The student wants to describe Adnan’s December from My Window to an audience already familiar with leporellos.
Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Featuring a panoramic landscape, the 1993 work is one of Adnan’s many leporellos, which are accordion-style
A. folded books that when expanded reveal the artist’s work.

When expanded, Adnan’s 1993 leporello December from My Window reveals a panoramic landscape painted in ink
B. and watercolor.

Known for making many other accordion-style folded books called leporellos, Adnan created December from My
C. Window in 1993.

A leporello, such as Adnan’s December from My Window, is folded accordion style, and due to its zigzag shape it is
D. able to stand on its own when fully expanded.

ID: 1469d23a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. This choice describes Adnan’s December from My Window in a way that assumes the
audience is already familiar with leporellos and focuses on the specific features of the work—its content and medium.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice isn’t suited for an audience already familiar with leporellos. A familiar audience
wouldn’t need to have the term defined or explained. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe Adnan’s
December from My Window. It mentions the year and the type of work but not the content or the medium. In addition, it
provides a simple definition of leporellos, making this an inappropriate choice for an audience already familiar with
leporellos. Choice D is incorrect. This choice isn’t suited for an audience already familiar with leporellos. A familiar
audience wouldn’t need to have the term defined.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID ed80971c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: ed80971c
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The Pueblo of Zuni is located about 150 miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
It is the traditional home of the A:shiwi (Zuni) people.
The A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center was established by tribal members in 1992.
Its mission is stated on its website: “As a tribal museum and heritage center for the Zuni people and by the Zuni
people we work to provide learning experiences that emphasize A:shiwi ways of knowing, as well as exploring
modern concepts of knowledge and the transfer of knowledge.”

The student wants to emphasize how long the museum has existed. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

The Pueblo of Zuni is home to the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center, which was founded by tribal
A. members.

B. The A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center has served the Pueblo of Zuni since 1992.

According to its website, the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center (founded in the 1990s) works to
C. “emphasize A:shiwi ways of knowing.”

Knowledge has been one of the central themes of the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center from its
D. founding.

ID: ed80971c Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is the best answer. This choice effectively uses information from the notes to emphasize how long the
museum has existed. It says that the museum has existed since 1992.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize how long the museum has existed. It doesn’t say when the
museum was founded. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize how long the museum has existed. It
doesn’t say the exact date of the museum’s founding. Rather, it emphasizes the museum’s mission. Choice D is
incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize how long the museum has existed. It doesn’t say when the museum was
founded.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 5a5e22b5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 5a5e22b5
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Gravitational waves are powerful ripples that originate in deep space and eventually pass through Earth.
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a physics study that began in 2002.
LIGO’s goal is to detect and analyze gravitational waves.
LIGO uses a pair of massive gravitational wave detectors called interferometers that are thousands of miles
apart.
In 2015, for the first time in history, LIGO researchers detected a gravitational wave passing through Earth.

The student wants to present LIGO’s aim and methodology. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information
from the notes to accomplish this goal?

In 2015, LIGO’s massive interferometers detected a powerful ripple that originated in deep space and eventually
A. passed through Earth.

Though the physics study LIGO began in 2002, its massive interferometers didn’t detect a gravitational wave until
B. 2015.

C. To achieve its aims, LIGO uses a pair of massive interferometers that are thousands of miles apart.

A physics study designed to detect and analyze gravitational waves, LIGO uses a pair of massive interferometers
D. that are thousands of miles apart.

ID: 5a5e22b5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. The sentence effectively presents the LIGO study’s aim, noting that it is designed to detect
and analyze gravitational waves, and its methodology (it uses two interferometers to detect the waves).

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence describes a finding from the LIGO study; it doesn’t effectively present the study’s
aim or its methodology. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence provides background information about the LIGO study’s
timeline; it doesn’t effectively present the study’s aim or its methodology. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence touches
on LIGO’s methodology, noting that it uses two interferometers, but doesn’t indicate what the study’s aims are.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID ecb31049
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: ecb31049
The Sun and other stars are powered by nuclear fusion reactions, in which two atoms collide to form a single heavier
atom, releasing energy. Scientists have long believed that fusion has the potential to meet humanity’s clean energy
needs. ______ prior to December 2022, no fusion reaction in a laboratory setting had ever generated a net energy gain.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. For this reason,

B. Moreover,

C. Specifically,

D. That said,

ID: ecb31049 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. Scientists believe in fusion’s potential as an energy source, but have struggled to actually
make it work—in other words, there is a contradiction between scientists’ beliefs and their reality. “That said” is a
disagreement transition that works perfectly in this context.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses a cause-and-effect transition, which doesn’t make sense here. Scientists not
being able to generate extra energy from lab fusion reactions isn’t an effect of them believing in fusion’s potential.
Choice B is incorrect. This transition indicates the addition of another supporting point. But this sentence is not adding
a supporting point to the previous sentence—scientists not being able to successfully generate energy from fusion isn’t
another point in favor of fusion meeting humanity’s clean energy needs. Choice C is incorrect. This choice uses a
transition that introduces or elaborates on a particular example. But this sentence doesn’t give an example of
scientists’ belief in fusion’s potential to meet humanity’s clean energy needs—in fact, it contrasts that optimistic belief
with the reality of past failures to successfully employ fusion for energy production.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 Question ID eea351c4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: eea351c4
“Wishcycling”—putting nonrecyclable items into recycling bins under the mistaken belief that those items can be
recycled—ultimately does more harm than good. Nonrecyclable items, such as greasy pizza boxes, can contaminate
recyclable materials, rendering entire batches unusable. ______ nonrecyclable products can damage recycling plants’
machinery.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Fittingly,

B. On the contrary,

C. Moreover,

D. Nevertheless,

ID: eea351c4 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. The first sentence tells us that “wishcycling” is harmful, the previous sentence gives us an
example, and this sentence gives us another example. So “moreover”—a transition that indicates the addition of
another supporting point—fits perfectly here.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice uses a transition that means “appropriately” or “suitably,” which doesn’t make sense
in context. This sentence adds another example of how “wishcycling” is harmful, so we’re looking for an addition
transition. Choice B is incorrect. This choice uses a disagreement transition. But this sentence actually agrees with the
previous sentence. Both provide examples of how “wishcycling” is harmful. Choice D is incorrect. This choice uses a
disagreement transition. But this sentence actually agrees with the previous sentence. Both provide examples of how
“wishcycling” is harmful.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 39d1a519
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 39d1a519
To discover which fruit varieties were grown in Italy’s Umbria region before the introduction of industrial farming,
botanist Isabella Dalla Ragione often turns to centuries-old lists of cooking ingredients. ______ she analyzes
Renaissance paintings of Umbria, as they can provide accurate representations of fruits that were grown there long
ago.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. In sum,

B. Instead,

C. Thus,

D. Additionally,

ID: 39d1a519 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. “Additionally” logically signals that the painting analysis discussed in this sentence is an
additional part of the botany research discussed in the previous sentence. That is, to research which fruits Umbrians
grew in the past, the botanist analyzes old paintings in addition to looking at old lists of ingredients.

Choice A is incorrect because “in sum” illogically signals that the painting analysis discussed in this sentence is a
concluding summary of the botany research discussed in the previous sentence. Instead, the painting analysis is an
additional part of that research. Choice B is incorrect because “instead” illogically signals that the painting analysis
discussed in this sentence is an alternative to the botany research discussed in the previous sentence. Rather, the
painting analysis is an additional part of that research. Choice C is incorrect because “thus” illogically signals that the
painting analysis discussed in this sentence is a result of the botany research discussed in the previous sentence.
Instead, the painting analysis is an additional part of that research.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 Question ID 92dec236
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 92dec236
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Maika’i Tubbs is a Native Hawaiian sculptor and installation artist.
His work has been shown in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Germany, among other places.
Many of his sculptures feature discarded objects.
His work Erasure (2008) includes discarded audiocassette tapes and magnets.
His work Home Grown (2009) includes discarded pushpins, plastic plates and forks, and wood.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the two works. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Erasure (2008) uses discarded objects such as audiocassette tapes and magnets; Home Grown (2009), however,
A. includes pushpins, plastic plates and forks, and wood.

B. Tubbs’s work, which often features discarded objects, has been shown both within the United States and abroad.

Like many of Tubbs’s sculptures, both Erasure and Home Grown include discarded objects: Erasure uses
C. audiocassette tapes, and Home Grown uses plastic forks.

D. Tubbs completed Erasure in 2008 and Home Grown in 2009.

ID: 92dec236 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is the best answer. This choice most effectively emphasizes "a similarity" by identifying a trait the works
share: "both Erasure and Home Grown include discarded objects."

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t "emphasize a similarity." Instead, this choice shows how the materials used
in the two works are different. Notice the use of the contrast word "however." Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t
"emphasize a similarity between the two works." While it says that Tubbs’s work "often features discarded objects," it
doesn’t provide details about the two works in question. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t "emphasize a
similarity." Instead, this choice shows how the works were produced at different times.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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