Question ID c40a1964

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: c40a1964
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Leigh Torres is a marine ecologist.
She conducted a study of blue whales in New Zealand’s South Taranaki Bight region.
She wanted to know how ocean temperature affects where the whales forage for krill in that region.
She found that during a marine heat wave, the whales foraged farther offshore than they had during cooler
periods.
The offshore waters, which were colder than areas closer to shore, had a higher relative abundance of krill.

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

Analyzing ocean temperature data, Torres found that during a marine heat wave, blue whales foraged farther offshore
A. than they had during cooler periods.

In her study, Torres sought to determine how ocean temperature affects where blue whales forage for krill in the
B. South Taranaki Bight region.

C. Torres’s study revealed that blue whales were attracted to offshore waters with a relatively high abundance of krill.

D. Torres, a marine ecologist, studied blue whales in the South Taranaki Bight region, where the whales forage.
Question ID fc95a352
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: fc95a352
When designing costumes for film, American artist Suttirat Larlarb typically custom fits the garments to each actor.
______ for the film Sunshine, in which astronauts must reignite a dying Sun, she designed a golden spacesuit and had a
factory reproduce it in a few standard sizes; lacking a tailor-made quality, the final creations reflected the ungainliness of
actual spacesuits.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Nevertheless,

B. Thus,

C. Likewise,

D. Moreover,
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,
Question ID 56b000d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 56b000d0
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The factors that affect clutch size (the number of eggs laid at one time) have been well studied in birds but not in
lizards.
A team led by Shai Meiri of Tel Aviv University investigated which factors influence lizard clutch size.
Meiri’s team obtained clutch-size and habitat data for over 3,900 lizard species and analyzed the data with
statistical models.
Larger clutch size was associated with environments in higher latitudes that have more seasonal change.
Lizards in higher-latitude environments may lay larger clutches to take advantage of shorter windows of
favorable conditions.

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

Researchers wanted to know which factors influence lizard egg clutch size because such factors have been well
A. studied in birds but not in lizards.

After they obtained data for over 3,900 lizard species, researchers determined that larger clutch size was associated
B. with environments in higher latitudes that have more seasonal change.

We now know that lizards in higher-latitude environments may lay larger clutches to take advantage of shorter
C. windows of favorable conditions.

Researchers obtained clutch-size and habitat data for over 3,900 lizard species and analyzed the data with statistical
D. models.
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 structural
A. 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.
Question ID 4d2736f0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 4d2736f0
In her poetry collection Thomas and Beulah, Rita Dove interweaves the titular characters’ personal stories with broader
historical narratives. She places Thomas’s journey from the American South to the Midwest in the early 1900s within the
larger context of the Great Migration. ______ Dove sets events from Beulah’s personal life against the backdrop of the US
Civil Rights Movement.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Specifically,

B. Thus,

C. Regardless,

D. Similarly,
Question ID 39ccb463
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 39ccb463
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The Atlantic Monthly magazine was first published in 1857. The magazine focused on politics, art, and literature.
In 2019, historian Cathryn Halverson published the book Faraway Women and the “Atlantic Monthly.”
Its subject is female authors whose autobiographies appeared in the magazine in the early 1900s.
One of the authors discussed is Juanita Harrison.

The student wants to introduce Cathryn Halverson’s book to an audience already familiar with the Atlantic Monthly. Which
choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Cathryn Halverson’s Faraway Women and the “Atlantic Monthly” discusses female authors whose autobiographies
A. appeared in the magazine in the early 1900s.

B. A magazine called the Atlantic Monthly, referred to in Cathryn Halverson’s book title, was first published in 1857.

Faraway Women and the “Atlantic Monthly” features contributors to the Atlantic Monthly, first published in 1857 as a
C. magazine focusing on politics, art, and literature.

An author discussed by Cathryn Halverson is Juanita Harrison, whose autobiography appeared in the Atlantic Monthly
D. in the early 1900s.
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,
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,
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, making
B. 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.
Question ID 42e6cc83
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 42e6cc83
In hindsight, given the ideas about the natural world circulating among British scientists in the 1800s, the theory of
natural selection was an obvious next step. It may not have been a coincidence, ______ that Charles Darwin and Alfred
Wallace arrived at the concept independently. Indeed, contrary to the popular myth of the lone genius, theirs is not the
first paradigm-shifting theory to have emerged from multiple scholars working in parallel.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. however,

B. then,

C. moreover,

D. for example,
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 autobiography,
A. 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 in
C. 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 to
D. new legislation (concerning the slave trade and food safety, respectively).
Question ID a965c6ed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: a965c6ed
A turtle shell appears external to the animal, protecting its body like armor. ______ the shell is often incorrectly assumed
to be an exoskeleton, a rigid outer casing like that of a crustacean or an insect, when in fact it is an endoskeleton, a part
of the turtle’s internal bone structure, more akin to a spine or a pair of ribs.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. That being said,

B. However,

C. For instance,

D. Hence,
Question ID 8fe4f4ab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 8fe4f4ab
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
One of history’s greatest libraries was the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, Iraq.
It was founded in the eighth century with the goal of preserving all the world’s knowledge.
Scholars at the House of Wisdom collected ancient and contemporary texts from Greece, India, and elsewhere
and translated them into Arabic.
Writings included those of the Greek philosopher Aristotle and the Indian mathematician Aryabhata.
The House of Wisdom used Chinese papermaking technology to create paper versions to be studied and shared.

The student wants to explain how the House of Wisdom preserved the world’s knowledge. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

The House of Wisdom was known for bringing together knowledge from around the world, including from Greece,
A. India, and China.

B. Founded in Iraq in the eighth century, the House of Wisdom employed many scholars as translators.

Writings from the Greek philosopher Aristotle and the Indian mathematician Aryabhata were preserved at the House
C. of Wisdom.

The House of Wisdom collected writings from different countries and created paper versions in Arabic to be studied
D. and shared.
Question ID 3b02e88a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 3b02e88a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The ancient Arab dhow was a sailing vessel distinguishable by its triangular sails and stitched hull construction.
Dhows were used primarily for trade along the coasts of Arab, South Asian, and East African countries.
Contemporary shipbuilders in Oman use a mix of modern and traditional materials to build replicas of ancient
dhows.
Most of the materials used are traditional.
Replica hulls are stitched together using the same traditional coconut palm fiber rope used on the hulls of ancient
dhows.

The student wants to make a generalization about the materials used in dhow replicas. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A traditional material that was used to stitch together the hulls of ancient dhows, coconut palm fiber rope is still used
A. by shipbuilders.

B. The ancient Arab dhow was a sailing vessel used primarily for trade and distinguishable by its triangular sails.

C. Although most materials used in dhow replicas are traditional, some modern materials are used.

Contemporary shipbuilders in Oman build replicas of the dhow, which was an ancient sailing vessel with a stitched
D. hull construction.
Question ID 8112b7e3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 8112b7e3
Ugandan American professor Peter Nazareth believed that Elvis Presley’s music is best understood not as a
homogeneous collection but as an anthology (because Elvis showcased the contributions of a wide range of gospel,
blues, and rock artists). ______ Nazareth entitled his college course on Elvis and his music, which focused on Elvis’s many
musical influences, “Elvis as Anthology.”

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. To that end,

B. In sum,

C. That is,

D. In addition,
Question ID 8e9677e6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 8e9677e6
In 2009, the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles hosted a special exhibition, Sueños/Yume, showcasing the works
of local sculptor Dora de Larios. As suggested by the show’s title (sueños and yume mean “dreams” in Spanish and
Japanese, respectively), de Larios’s art reflects a mix of cultural influences. ______ her work is grounded in the artistic
traditions of both Mexico and Japan.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. In addition,

B. In contrast,

C. Specifically,

D. Therefore,
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,
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; Meditation
A. 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 Meditation
D. V instructs participants to “walk.”
Question ID 2c61e0b9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 2c61e0b9
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
British musicians John Lennon and Paul McCartney shared writing credit for numerous Beatles songs.
Many Lennon-McCartney songs were actually written by either Lennon or McCartney, not by both.
The exact authorship of specific parts of many Beatles songs, such as the verse for “In My Life,” is disputed.
Mark Glickman, Jason Brown, and Ryan Song used statistical methods to analyze the musical content of Beatles
songs.
They concluded that there is 18.9% probability that McCartney wrote the verse for “In My Life,” stating that the
verse is “consistent with Lennon’s songwriting style.”

The student wants to make a generalization about the kind of study conducted by Glickman, Brown, and Song. Which
choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Based on statistical analysis, Glickman, Brown, and Song claim that John Lennon wrote the verse of “In My Life.”

There is only an 18.9% probability that Paul McCartney wrote the verse for “In My Life”; John Lennon is the more likely
B. author.

C. It is likely that John Lennon, not Paul McCartney, wrote the verse for “In My Life.”

D. Researchers have used statistical methods to address questions of authorship within the field of music.
Question ID 9dc4e640
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 9dc4e640
The mineral mtorolite is most commonly found in Zimbabwe. Mtorolite is cryptocrystalline, meaning that its crystalline
structure is so fine that the individual crystals cannot be distinguished by the naked eye or even under a microscope. The
crystals in microcrystalline minerals are also not visible to the naked eye; ______ they can usually be seen under a
microscope.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. thus,

B. for example,

C. that said,

D. similarly,
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 High
A. 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.
Question ID 9551ef8b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 9551ef8b
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The magnificent frigatebird (fregata magnificens) is a species of seabird that feeds mainly on fish, tuna, squid,
and other small sea animals.
It is unusual among seabirds in that it doesn’t dive into the water for prey.
One way it acquires food is by using its hook-tipped bill to snatch prey from the surface of the water.
Another way it acquires food is by taking it from weaker birds by force.
This behavior is known as kleptoparasitism.

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

A. A magnificent frigatebird never dives into the water, instead using its hook-tipped bill to snatch prey from the surface.

B. Neither of a magnificent frigatebird’s two ways of acquiring food requires the bird to dive into the water.

C. Of the magnificent frigatebird’s two ways of acquiring food, only one is known as kleptoparasitism.

In addition to snatching prey from the water with its hook-tipped bill, a magnificent frigatebird takes food from other
D. birds by force.
Question ID 9502ec65
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 9502ec65
When soil becomes contaminated by toxic metals, it can be removed from the ground and disposed of in a landfill. ______
contaminated soil can be detoxified via phytoremediation: plants that can withstand high concentrations of metals
absorb the pollutants and store them in their shoots, which are then cut off and safely disposed of, preserving the health
of the plants.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Alternatively,

B. Specifically,

C. For example,

D. As a result,
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,
Question ID 5fa51c86
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 5fa51c86
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia. The city’s population is 907,802.
Ulaanbaatar contains 31.98 percent of Mongolia’s population. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam.
The city’s population is 7,781,631. Hanoi contains 8.14 percent of Vietnam’s population.

The student wants to emphasize the relative sizes of the two capitals’ populations. Which choice most effectively uses
information from the given sentences to emphasize the relative sizes of the two capitals’ populations?

Mongolia’s capital is Ulaanbaatar, which has 907,802 people, and Vietnam’s capital is Hanoi, which has 7,781,631
A. people.

Comparing Vietnam and Mongolia, 7,781,631 is 8.14 percent of Vietnam’s population, and 907,802 is 31.98 percent of
B. Mongolia’s.

Even though Hanoi (population 7,781,631) is larger than Ulaanbaatar (population 907,802), Ulaanbaatar accounts for
C. more of its country’s population.

The populations of the capitals of Mongolia and Vietnam are 907,802 (Ulaanbaatar) and 7,781,631 (Hanoi),
D. respectively.
Question ID 3a715eca
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 3a715eca
In retrospect, one of the lessons of the 2003 Human Genome Project is that a gene is affected by many factors, not the
least of which is its interactions with the protein products of other genes. ______ rather than just focusing on the human
genome, efforts to better understand gene mutations related to disease have begun to consider the human proteome,
the complete set of proteins expressed by human genes.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. In other words,

B. That said,

C. For example,

D. Accordingly,
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 common
C. 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.
Question ID 0fab0c90
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 0fab0c90
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The Gullah are a group of African Americans who have lived in parts of the southeastern United States since the
18th century.
Gullah culture is influenced by West African and Central African traditions.
Louise Miller Cohen is a Gullah historian, storyteller, and preservationist.
She founded the Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, in 2003.
Vermelle Rodrigues is a Gullah historian, artist, and preservationist.
She founded the Gullah Museum of Georgetown, South Carolina, in 2003.

The student wants to emphasize the duration and purpose of Cohen’s and Rodrigues’s work. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

At the Gullah Museums in Hilton Head Island and Georgetown, South Carolina, visitors can learn more about the
A. Gullah people who have lived in the region for centuries.

Louise Miller Cohen and Vermelle Rodrigues have worked to preserve the culture of the Gullah people, who have lived
B. in the United States since the 18th century.

Since 2003, Louise Miller Cohen and Vermelle Rodrigues have worked to preserve Gullah culture through their
C. museums.

Influenced by the traditions of West and Central Africa, Gullah culture developed in parts of the southeastern United
D. States in the 18th century.
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,
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,
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,
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.
Question ID 1773fa73
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 1773fa73
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
A commodity chain is the series of links connecting the production and purchase of a commodity on the world
market.
Chinese American anthropologist Anna Tsing studies the contemporary commodity chain of matsutake
mushrooms.
At one end of the matsutake chain are mushroom pickers in Oregon.
At the other end are wealthy consumers who buy the costly matsutake in Japan.
According to Tsing, “Japanese traders began importing matsutake in the 1980s, when the scarcity of matsutake
in Japan first became clear.”

The student wants to provide an overview of the matsutake commodity chain. Which choice most effectively uses
relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

The contemporary matsutake commodity chain has its origins in the 1980s when, according to Tsing, “the scarcity of
A. matsutake in Japan first became clear.”

Commodity chains include the linked production and purchase of commodities, such as the matsutake mushroom,
B. on the world market.

Decades after the Japanese import of matsutake began, a commodity chain now links matsutake pickers in Oregon
C. with wealthy consumers of the costly mushrooms in Japan.

D. Wealthy consumers who buy the costly mushrooms in Japan are at one end of the matsutake commodity chain.
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.
Question ID 0acc26b2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 0acc26b2
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Astronomers estimate that the number of comets orbiting the Sun is in the billions.
81P/Wild is one of many comets whose orbit has changed over time.
81P/Wild’s orbit once lay between the orbits of Uranus and Jupiter.
The comet’s orbit is now positioned between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars.

The student wants to make and support a generalization about the orbits of comets. Which choice most effectively uses
relevant information from the notes to accomplish these goals?

Astronomers estimate that the number of comets orbiting the Sun is in the billions; the comets’ orbits may change
A. over time.

B. Like Uranus, Jupiter, and Mars, billions of comets orbit the Sun.

One example of a comet is 81P/Wild, whose orbit around the Sun once lay between Uranus’s and Jupiter’s orbits but
C. is now positioned between those of Jupiter and Mars.

A comet’s orbit around the Sun may change over time: the orbit of comet 81P/Wild once lay between the orbits of
D. Uranus and Jupiter but is now positioned between those of Jupiter and Mars.
Question ID 1c6e1d55
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 1c6e1d55
Historically, most conductors of major orchestras and opera companies have been European men, but a new, more
diverse generation of artists is stepping up to the podium. Mexico’s Alondra de la Parra took over as conductor for the
Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 2017, ______ and Colombia’s Lina Gonzalez-Granados did the same for the Los
Angeles Opera in 2022.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. in addition,

B. lastly,

C. granted,

D. for instance,
Question ID 9336f63b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 9336f63b
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
A small number of US Navy sailors of Filipino descent served during the US Civil War (1861–1865).
Stephen Amos was born in the Philippines around 1830. He enlisted in the US Navy in November 1863.
Raphael Ignases was born in the Philippines around 1834. He enlisted in the US Navy in July 1861.

The student wants to emphasize the historical significance of Stephen Amos’s enlistment date. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Both Stephen Amos and Raphael Ignases were US Navy sailors of Filipino descent, but Amos enlisted in the Navy in
A. 1863, two years later than Ignases.

Stephen Amos was a US Navy sailor of Filipino descent, along with Raphael Ignases, who was born in the Philippines
B. around 1834.

Stephen Amos enlisted in the US Navy in 1863, making him one of the few sailors of Filipino descent to serve in the
C. US Civil War (1861–1865).

When Stephen Amos enlisted in the US Navy in November 1863, he joined sailors such as Raphael Ignases, who had
D. been born in the Philippines around 1834.
Question ID de01ccef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: de01ccef
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The background colors of US and UK road signs are used to denote each sign’s purpose.
Directional signs are a type of sign containing information such as route names, distance to a destination, etc.
Highways, major roadways, and minor roadways in the US generally use green for directional signs.
Highways in the UK generally use blue for directional signs.
Major roadways in the UK generally use green for directional signs.

The student wants to contrast how green backgrounds are used in US and UK road signs. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Blue backgrounds are generally used on directional highway signs in the UK, in contrast to the green highway signs
A. used in the US.

In the US, green signs indicate directional information on both highways and major roadways, but in the UK,
B. directional signs of this color generally appear only on major roadways.

Green road signs are used in both the US and UK to denote directional information on major roadways, like distance
C. to a destination or route names.

Both the UK and the US use directional signs, which include information on route names and distance to a
D. destination.
Question ID cfade68d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: cfade68d
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Marcela Guerrero is a curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
She curated the Whitney’s 2018 exhibition Pacha, Llaqta, Wasichay: Indigenous Space, Modern Architecture, New
Art.
This exhibition featured works by seven emerging Latino artists.
She curated the Whitney’s 2020 exhibition Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945.
This exhibition included nearly 200 works by twentieth-century Latino and Mexican artists.

The student wants to describe the exhibition that Guerrero curated in 2018. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Held at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the exhibition Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art,
A. 1925–1945 included nearly 200 works by twentieth-century Mexican and Latino artists.

Pacha, Llaqta, Wasichay: Indigenous Space, Modern Architecture, New Art, an exhibition at the Whitney Museum of
B. American Art, featured works by seven emerging Latino artists.

C. In both 2018 and 2020, Marcela Guerrero curated exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

While one exhibition that Marcela Guerrero curated featured works by emerging artists, another included works by
D. twentieth-century artists.
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,
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.
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.
Question ID 1e31470f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 1e31470f
To perform a quad axel, a figure skater must leap into the air and complete four and a half rotations before landing, an
extreme feat. ______ in 2022, when 17-year-old Ilia Malinin landed the first quad axel—considered the most difficult quad
jump—in a high-level competition, the audience was left awestruck.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Moreover,

B. Fittingly,

C. Next,

D. However,
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,
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 Norway
A. 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.
Question ID 96a86bce
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 96a86bce
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Cambodia’s Angkor Wat was built in the 1100s to honor the Hindu god Vishnu.
It has been a Buddhist temple since the sixteenth century.
Decorrelation stretch analysis is a novel digital imaging technique that enhances the contrast between colors in a
photograph.
Archaeologist Noel Hidalgo Tan applied decorrelation stretch analysis to photographs he had taken of Angkor
Wat’s plaster walls.
Tan’s analysis revealed hundreds of images unknown to researchers.

The student wants to present Tan’s research to an audience unfamiliar with Angkor Wat. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Tan photographed Angkor Wat’s plaster walls and then applied decorrelation stretch analysis to the photographs.

Decorrelation stretch analysis is a novel digital imaging technique that Tan used to enhance the contrast between
B. colors in a photograph.

Using a novel digital imaging technique, Tan revealed hundreds of images hidden on the walls of Angkor Wat, a
C. Cambodian temple.

Built to honor a Hindu god before becoming a Buddhist temple, Cambodia’s Angkor Wat concealed hundreds of
D. images on its plaster walls.
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.
Question ID 973632d2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 973632d2
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In North America, woodlands have expanded into areas that were once grasslands.
Thomas Rogers and F. Leland Russell of Wichita State University investigated whether woodland expansion is
related to changes in climate.
Rogers and Russell analyzed core samples from oak trees on a site that was not wooded in the past and indexed
the age of the trees with historical climate data to see if tree populations and climate were correlated.
Tree population growth was associated with dry intervals.
Droughts may have played a role in woodland expansion.

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

Thomas Rogers and F. Leland Russell, researchers at Wichita State University, wanted to know if woodland expansion
A. is related to changes in climate.

Thanks to the work done by Thomas Rogers and F. Leland Russell, we now know that droughts may have played a
B. role in woodland expansion.

C. Wichita State University researchers have determined that tree population growth was associated with dry intervals.

Thomas Rogers and F. Leland Russell analyzed core samples from oak trees on a site that was not wooded in the
D. past, indexing the age of the trees with historical climate data.
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,
Question ID 8d1ddd1b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: 8d1ddd1b
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Ducklings expend up to 62.8% less energy when swimming in a line behind their mother than when swimming
alone.
The physics behind this energy savings hasn’t always been well understood.
Naval architect Zhiming Yuan used computer simulations to study the effect of the mother duck’s wake.
The study revealed that ducklings are pushed in a forward direction by the wake’s waves.
Yuan determined this push reduces the effect of wave drag on the ducklings by 158%.

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

A study revealed that ducklings, which expend up to 62.8% less energy when swimming in a line behind their mother,
A. also experience 158% less drag.

Seeking to understand how ducklings swimming in a line behind their mother save energy, Zhiming Yuan used
B. computer simulations to study the effect of the mother duck’s wake.

Zhiming Yuan studied the physics behind the fact that by being pushed in a forward direction by waves, ducklings
C. save energy.

Naval architect Zhiming Yuan discovered that ducklings are pushed in a forward direction by the waves of their
D. mother’s wake, reducing the effect of drag by 158%.
Question ID 480ade7e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions

ID: 480ade7e
In response to adverse environmental conditions, many plants produce abscisic acid (ABA), a stress hormone. ABA
triggers a slowdown in the biological processes of most plants. ______ when the mustard plant Schrenkiella parvula
produces ABA in response to an environmental stressor, the hormone triggers accelerated growth.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. Moreover,

B. In contrast,

C. For example,

D. Thus,
Question ID c34d6bff
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: c34d6bff
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
African American women played prominent roles in the Civil Rights Movement, including at the famous 1963
March on Washington.
Civil rights activist Anna Hedgeman, one of the march’s organizers, was a political adviser who had worked for
President Truman.
Civil rights activist Daisy Bates was a well-known journalist and advocate for school desegregation.
Hedgeman worked behind the scenes to make sure a woman was included in the lineup of speakers at the
march.
Bates was the sole woman to speak, delivering a brief but memorable address to the cheering crowd.

The student wants to compare the two women’s contributions to the March on Washington. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Hedgeman and Bates contributed to the march in different ways; Bates, for example, delivered a brief but memorable
A. address.

Hedgeman worked in politics and helped organize the march, while Bates was a journalist and school desegregation
B. advocate.

Although Hedgeman worked behind the scenes to make sure a woman speaker was included, Bates was the sole
C. woman to speak at the march.

Many African American women, including Bates and Hedgeman, fought for civil rights, but only one spoke at the
D. march.
Question ID ec03f090
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis

ID: ec03f090
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
A sestina is a thirty-nine-line poetic form.
Each line of the poem ends with one of six end words, which alternate according to a set pattern.
“Forage Sestina” is a sestina by Marilyn Hacker. Its end words are words, structure, wire, beam, wall, and room.
“Towards Autumn” is a sestina by Marilyn Hacker.
Its end words are daughter, friend, bread, mother, lover, and myself.

The student wants to use one of the poems to illustrate the sestina form. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Hacker employs the sestina, a poetic form with thirty-nine lines and six end words, in both “Forage Sestina” and
A. “Towards Autumn.”

As a sestina, “Towards Autumn” contains thirty-nine lines and six end words—in this case, daughter, friend, bread,
B. mother, lover, and myself—that alternate in a set pattern.

The thirty-nine-line sestina form uses the words daughter, friend, bread, mother, lover, and myself, which are found in
C. the poem “Forage Sestina.”

Hacker has used the sestina form multiple times, as in “Towards Autumn,” which contains these six words: words,
D. structure, wire, beam, wall, and room.