SAT Question Paper Pattern and Paper

SECTION 3
24 Questions--25 Minutes
Select the best answer to each of the following questions; then blacken the appropriate space on your answer sheet.
Each of the following sentences contains one or two blanks; each blank indicates that a word or set of words has been left out. Below the sentence are five words or phrases, lettered A through E. Select the word or set of words that best completes the sentence.
Example:
Fame is ---------; today's rising star is all too soon tomorrow's washed-up has been.
(A) rewarding
(B) gradual
(C) essential
(D) spontaneous
(E) transitory

1. Like foolish people who continue to live near an active volcano, many of us are --- about the --- of atomic warfare and its attendant destruction.
(A) worried...possibility
(B) unconcerned...threat
(C) excited...power
(D) cheered...possession
(E) irritated...news
2. By communicating through pointing and making gestures, Charles was able to overcome any --- difficulties that arose during his recent trip to Japan.
(A) peripatetic
(B) linguistic
(C) plausible
(D) monetary
(E) territorial
3. In order that future generations may --- the great diversity of animal life, it is the task of the International Wildlife Preservation Commission to prevent endangered species from becoming ---.
(A) recollect...tamed
(B) value...evolved
(C) enjoy...extinct
(D) anticipate...specialize
(E) appreciate...widespread
4. We find it difficult to translate a foreign text literally because we cannot capture the --- of the original passage exactly.
(A) novelty
(B) succinctness
(C) connotations
(D) ambivalence
(E) alienation
5. It is remarkable that a man so in the public eye, so highly praised and imitated, can retain his ---.
(A) magniloquence
(B) dogmas
(C) bravado
(D) idiosyncrasies
(E) humility
6. For all the --- involved in the study of seals, we Arctic researchers have occasional moments of pure --- over some new discovery.
(A) tribulations...despair
(B) hardships...exhilaration
(C) confusions...bewilderment
(D) inconvenience...panic
(E) thrills...delight
7. Despite the growing --- of Hispanic actors in the American theater, many Hispanic experts feel that the Spanish-speaking population is --- on the stage.
(A) decrease...inappropriate
(B) emergence...visible
(C) prominence...underrepresented
(D) skill...alienated
(E) number...misdirected
8. As sportscaster, Cosell was apparently never ---; he made --- comments about every boxing match he covered.
(A) excited...hysterical
(B) relevant...pertinent
(C) satisfied...disparaging
(D) amazed...awe-struck
(E) impressed...laudatory


Read each passage below, and then answer the questions that follow the passage. The correct response may be stated outright or merely suggested in the passage.
Questions 9 and 10 are based on the following passage.
The Rosetta Stone! What a providential find that was. And what a remarkable set of circumstances it took for people to be able to read Egyptian hieroglyphics after a hiatus of some 1400 years. It even took a military campaign. In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte's army attacked British-held Egypt, seeking to cut off England from the riches of the Middle East. Rebuilding a fortress, a French soldier uncovered a block of basalt inscribed with writing in three distinct scripts; Greek, demotic script (an everyday cursive form of Egyptian), and Egyptian hieroglyphs. At that moment, modern Egyptology began.
9. The primary purpose of lines 1-5 is to
(A) describe the physical attributes of an artifact
(B) underscore the difficulty of translating ancient texts
(C) indicate a new direction for linguistic research
(D) qualify an excessively sweeping generalization
(E) emphasize the unusual background of a discovery
10. The author's tone in writing of the discovery of the Rosetta Stone can best be characterized as
(A) ironic
(B) enthusiastic
(C) condescending
(D) nostalgic
(E) objective
Questions 11 and 12 are based on the following passage.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man recounts the tale of Stephen Dedalus, a sensitive young Dubliner. As a child, he suffers because of his classmates' cruelty, his Jesuit teachers' authoritarianism, and his country's political turmoil. Growing older, Stephen becomes increasingly isolated from his friends, his church, and his country, viewing them all as heartless and hypocritical. Intent on becoming a writer, he eventually concludes he must sever all ties --- family, friends, church, and country---to achieve fulfillment as an artist. The hero must leave Ireland, leave the Church, to set off alone "to forge in the sanity of [his] soul the uncreated conscience of [his] race."
11. The passage as a whole suggests that achieving "fulfillment as an artist" (lines 9-10) might best be characterized as
(A) a modest accomplishment
(B) a worthwhile endeavor
(C) an unrealistic goal
(D) a painful process
(E) a passing phase
12. As used in line 11, the word "forge" most nearly means
(A) counterfeit
(B) fashion
(C) duplicate
(D) alter
(E) melt
Questions 13-24 are based on the following passage.
In this excerpt from a novel, Catherine's Aunt Lavinia comes to make her home with Catherine and her father and becomes involved in Catherine's upbringing.
When the child was about ten years old, he invited his sister, Mrs. Penniman, to come and stay with him. His sister Lavinia had married a poor clergyman, of a sickly constitution and of flowery style of eloquence, and then, at the age of thirty-three, had been left a widow - without children, without fortune - with nothing but the memory of Mr. Penniman's flowers of speech, a certain vague aroma of which hovered about her own conversation. Nevertheless, he had offered her a home under his own roof, which Lavinia accepted with the alacrity of a woman who had spent the ten years of her married life in the town of Poughkeepsie. The doctor had not proposed to Mrs. Penniman to come and live with him indifinitely; he had suggested that she should make an asylum of his house while she looked about for unfurnished lodgings. It is uncertain whether Mrs. Penniman ever instituted a search for unfurnished lodgings, but it is beyond dispute that she never found them. She settled herself with her brother and never went away, and, when Catherine was twenty years old, her Aunt Lavinia was still one of the most striking features of her immediate entourage. Mrs. Penniman's own account of the matter was that she had remained to take charge of her niece's education. She had given this account, at least, to everyone but the Doctor, who never asked for explanations which he could entertain himself any day with inventing. Mrs. Penniman, moreover, though she had a good deal of a certain sort of artificial assurance, shrunk, for indefinable reasons, from presenting herself to her brother as a fountain of instruction. She had not a high sense of humor, but she had enough to prevent her from making this mistake; and her brother, on his side, had enough to excuse her, in her situation, for laying him under contribution during a considerable part of a lifetime. He therefore assented tacitly to the proposition which Mrs. Penniman had tacitly laid down, that it was of importance near her. His assent could only be tacit, for he had never been dazzled by his sister's intellectual luster. Save when he fell in love with Catherine Harrington, he had never been dazzled, indeed, by any feminine characteristics whatever; and though he was to a certain extent what is called a ladies' doctor, his private opinion of the more complicated *** was not exalted. He nevertheless, at the end of six months, accepted his sister's permanent presence as an accomplished fact, and as Catherine grew older, perceived that there were in effect good reasons why she should have a companion of her own imperfect ***. He was extremely polite to Lavinia, scrupulously, formally polite; and she had never seen him in anger but once in her life, when he lost his temper in a theological discussion with her late husband. With her he never discussed theology, nor, indeed, discussed anything; he contented himself with making known, very distinctly in the form of a lucid ultimatum, his wishes with regard to Catherine.
Once, when the girl was about twelve years old, he had said to her - "Try and make a clever woman of her, Lavinia; I should like her to be a clever woman."
Mrs. Penniman, at this, looked thoughtful a moment.
"My dear Austin," She then inquired, "do you think it is better to be clever than to be good?"
From this assertion Mrs. Penniman saw no reason to dissent; she possibly reflected that her own great use in the world was owing to her aptitude for many things.
"Of course I wish Catherine to be good," the Doctor said next day; "but she won't be any the less virtuous for not being a fool. I am not afraid of her being wicked; she will never have the salt of malice in her character. She is 'as good as good bread,' as the French say; but six years hence I don't want to have to compare her to good bread-and-butter."
"Are you afraid she will be insipid? My dear brother, it is I who supply the butter; so you need not fear!" said Mrs. Penniman, who had taken in hand the child's "accomplishments," overlooking her at the piano, where Catherine displayed a certain talent, and going with her to the dancing class, where it must be confessed that she made but a modest figure.
13. The word "constitution" in line 4 means
(A) establishment (B) charter (C) ambience (D) physique (E) wit
14. From the description of how Mrs. Penniman came to live in her brother's home (line 1-12), we may infer all of the following EXCEPT that
(A) she readily became dependent on her brother
(B) she was married at the age of twenty-three
(C) she was physically delicate and in ill health
(D) she ad not found living in Poughkeepsie particularly gratifying
(E) she occasionally echoed an ornate manner of speech
15. The word "asylum" in line 14 means
(A) institution (B) sanitarium (C) refuge (D) sanction (E) shambles
16. In the passage the Doctor is portrayed most specifically as
(A) benevolent and retiring
(B) casual and easy-going
(C) sadly ineffectual
(D) civil but imperious
(E) habitually irate
17. Lines 25-29 introduce which aspect of the Doctor's and Mrs. Penniman's relationship?
(A) Their mutual admiration
(B) the guilt Mrs. Penniman feels about imposing on him
(C) The Doctor's burdensome sense of responsibility
(D) His inability to excuse her shortcomings
(E) Her relative lack of confidence in dealing with him
18. The reason the Doctor gives only tacit assent to Mrs. Penniman's excuse for living with him is that he
(A) actually regrets ever having allowed her to move in
(B) does not believe in his sister's purported brilliance
(C) objects to her taking part in his daughter's education
(D) is unable to reveal the depth of his respect for her
(E) does not wish to embarrass his sister with his praise
19. It can be inferred that the Doctor views children primarily as
(A) a source of joy and comfort in old age
(B) innocent sufferers for the sins of their fathers
(C) clay to be molded into an acceptable image
(D) the chief objective of the married state
(E) their parents' sole chance for immortality
20. The word "reflected" in line 63 means
(A) mirrored (B) glittered (C) considered (D) indicated
(E) reproduced
21. In lines 70 and 71, the Doctor's analogy to "good bread-and-butter" is used to emphasize
(A) the wholesomeness of Catherine's character
(B) his fear that his daughter may prove virtuous but uninteresting
(C) the discrepancy between Catherine's nature and her education
(D) his hostility toward his sister's notions of proper diet
(E) his appreciation of the simple things in life
22. The word "overlooking" in line 75 means
(A) ignoring
(B) slighting
(C) forgiving
(D) watching over
(E) towering above
23. Mrs. Penniman's opinion of her ability to mold Catherine successfully (lines 72 and 73) can best be described as
(A) characteristically modest
(B) moderately ambivalent
(C) atypically judicious
(D) unrealistically optimistic
(E) cynically dispassionate
24. The remarks about Catherine in the last paragraph reveal her
(A) limited skill as a dancer
(B) virtuosity as a pianist
(C) shyness with her dancing partners
(D) indifference to cleverness
(E) reluctance to practice


To be continued...

SECTION 4
35 Questions - 25 Minutes
Select the best answer to each of the following questions; then blacken the appropriate space on your answer sheet.
Some or all parts of the following sentences are underlines. The first answer choice, (A), simply repeats the underlined part of the sentence. The other four choices present four alternative ways to phrase the underlined part. Select the answer that produces the most effective sentence, one that is clear and exact, and blacken the appropriate space on your answer sheet. In selecting your choice, be sure that it is standard written English, and that is expresses the meaning of the original sentence.
Example:
The first biography of author Eudora Welty came out in 1998 and she was 89 years old at the time.
(A) and she was 89 years old at the time
(B) at the time when she was 89
(C) upon becoming an 89 year old
(D) when she was 89
(E) at the age of 89 years old

1. In the tennis match Don was paired with Bill; Ed, with AI.
(A) was paired with Bill; Ed, with AI
(B) was paired with Bill; but Ed was paired with AI
(C) was paired with Bill, and it was Ed with AI
(D) pairing with Bill; Wd being with AI
(E) pairing with Bill; Ed was with AI
2. In the Middle Ages, a lord's intricate wall hangings were more than mere tapestries they were a measure of his consequence and wealth.
(A) mere tapestries they were a measure
(B) merely tapestries they were a measure
(C) mere tapestries and were a measure
(D) mere tapestries; they were a measure
(E) mere tapestries, while they were a measure
3. With the exception of Frank and I, everyone in the class finished the assignment before the bell rang.
(A) Frank and I, everyone in the class finished
(B) Frank and me, everyone in the class finished
(C) Frank and me, everyone in the class had finished
(D) Frank and I, everyone in the class finished
4. The automated teller machine is an efficient device for handling financial transactions; it is sure to be superseded in time, however, when the growth of electronic banking will make it obsolete.
(A) transactions; its sure to be superseded in time, however,
(B) transaction, for it is sure to be superseded in time, however,
(C) transaction; however, surely being superseded in time
(D) transaction, being sure to be superseded in time
(E) transactions; but will be sure to be superseded in time
5. It is possible for a student to do well in class all semester and then you fail because of a poor performance on the final examination.
(A) then you fail
(B) then one fails
(C) then you get a failing grade
(D) later he fails
(E) then to fail
6. Having an exceptionally hardy and well-preserved physique, NASA officials chose 77-year-old John Glenn to participate in a study of the effects of space weightlessness on the human body.
(A) Having and exceptionally hardy and well-preserved physique, NASA officials chose 77-year-old John Glenn
(B) NASA officials who chose 77-year-old John Glenn for his exceptionally hardy and well-preserved physique
(C) Based on his exceptionally hardy and well-preserved physique, 77-year-old John Glenn was chosen by NASA officials
(D) Because his physiques was exceptionally hardy and well-preserved, NASA officials chose 77-year-old John Glenn
(E) Having an exceptionally hardy and well-preserved physique, NASA officials therefore chose 77-year-old John Glenn
7. In addition to being vital to the formation and maintenance of strong bones and teeth, calcium is used by the body in transmitting nerve impulses, binding together cells, and producing enzymes and hormones.
(A) calcium is used by the body is transmitting nerve impulses, binding together cells, and producing enzymes and hormones
(B) the body uses calcium in transmitting nerve impulses, binding together cells, and producing enzymes and hormones
(C) calcium's uses include transmitting nerve impulses, binding together cells, and the production of enzymes and hormones
(D) transmitting nerve impulses, binding together cells, and producing enzymes and hormones are ways in which the body is using calcium
(E) in the body calcium being used for transmitting nerve impulses, binding together cells, and producing enzymes and hormones
8. As the protest mounted, small skirmishes between students and police that broke out everywhere, flaring up like sudden brush fires on all sides.
(A) skirmishes between student and police that broke
(B) skirmishes between student and police which broke
(C) skirmishes between student and police broke
(D) skirmishes between student and police which were breaking
(E) skirmishes between student and police breaking
9. Great plans for the future were made by Huck and Tom that depended on their finding the gold hidden in the cave.
(A) Great plans for the future were made by Huck and Tom that
(B) Great plans fro the future were made by Huck and Tom which
(C) Huck and Tom, who made great plans for the future that
(D) Huck and Tom made great plans for the future that
(E) Great plans for the future were being made by Huck and Tom that
10. Many classic recordings have been reissued in compact disc format, some perennial favorites have not.
(A) Many classic recordings have been reissued
(B) Many classic recordings have reissued
(C) Many a classic recording have been reissued
(D) Despite many classic recordings which have been reissued
(E) Although many classic recordings have been reissued
11. Although now engaged in writing background music for television show, his next musical project will be to compose a symphony in memory of the Challenger crew.
(A) his next musical project will be to compose a symphony
(B) the next musical project he will undertake will be the composition of a symphony
(C) he will next compose a symphony
(D) therefore the will next compose a symphony
(E) his next musical project will be the composition of a symphony
The sentences in this section may contain errors in grammar, usage, choice of words, or idioms. Either there is just one error in a sentence or the sentence is correct. Some words or phrases are underlined and lettered; everything else in the sentence is correct.
If an underlined word or phrase is incorrect, choose that letter; if the sentence is correct, select No error. Then blacken the appropriate space on your answer sheet.
Example:
The region has a climate so severe that plants growing there rarely had been more than twelve inches high. No error

12. It was reported that the identities of them to be called as witnesses would be released on Tuesday by the district attorney. No error
13. The ad stated that a piano was needed for the school play in good condition. No error
14. The fishing fleet left the harbor when the fisherman heard that a school of bluefish were near the wreak. No error
15. In consideration about his ling service to the theater, the Tony Awards committee made a special presentation honoring producer George Abbott, who had recently celebrated his hundredth birthday. No error
16. A minority group comprising 30% of the community and represented by only one member out of 25 on the City Council. No error
17. In spite of a superficial simplicity, there are many aspects of the prose style of Ernest Hemingway that would be profitable subjects for further study. No error
18. Among George, Henry, and I, there can be no secrets. No error
19. Neither the reporters nor the editor were satisfied with the salary offer made by the publisher. No error
20. The workers who I see the subway every afternoon seem tired and dejected. No error
21. The article was rejected because of its length, verbosity, and it presented only one point of view. No error
22. Mr. Jones's decision to retire came as a shock to all who respected his ability. No error
23. When she spoke with the police, she reported her loss; she states that a large quantity of clothing and of valuable jewelry were missing. No error
24. Between the small shops and boutiques of Greenwich village and the giant department stores of midtown Manhattan lie the ethnically varied residential neighborhood of Chelsea. No error
25. Bailing vigorously, we managed to remain afloat until we were rescued by the Coast Guard. No error
26. We had ought to finish out trip before dark because it gets very cold after the sun goes down. No error
27. Does that remark infer that you are displeased with the way I am managing the business? No error
28. The success of recent Victorian art exhibitions in London, Paris, and New York illustrate a shift in both scholarly assessment and public taste. No error
29. Just as some teenagers adore video games, so others condemn it as a utter waste of time. No error
The passage below is the unedited draft of a student's essay. Parts of the essay need to be rewritten to make the meaning clearer and more precise. Read the essay carefully.
The essay is followed by six questions about changes that might improve all or part of the organization, development, sentence structure, use of language, appropriateness to the audience, or use of standard written English. In each case, choose the answer the most clearly and effectively expresses the student's intended meaning. Indicate your choice by blackening the corresponding space on the answer sheet.

[1] Teenagers under eighteen can now receive a major credit card as long as the credit card's use is supervised by a parent or guardian. [2] This is a good idea since it gives these teenagers the responsibility of managing their money. [3] Another is because teenagers can develop good habits of spending that will be useful later in life.
[4] A teenagers can legally hold a job at age sixteen. [5] This means that many teenagers have a steady income, which they should be able to spend as they wish. [6] Being in control of their own finances not only teaches them the value of money but how to spend it wisely.
[7] An example of a teenager with a credit card is Bonita Robbins. [8] Bonita is a junior in high school. [9] She is seventeen years old. [10] She works after school in a real estate office. [11] She earns about $100 a week. [12] After three months of work she applied for a credit card. [13] Her bank gave her one but said that there will be a "trial period" in which her parent will be responsible. [14] Most of the time Bonita paid her bills punctually and on time. [15] However, during one month Bonita charged more than she could pay, so her parents loaned her the money. [16] The next month Bonita saved her income and paid it back. [17] This was a good lesson for Bonita, because next time she'll probably be more careful about spending money.
[18] This plan also lets the parents and the teenagers plan how the credit card will be used. [19] teenagers might use the card freely to buy things for less that $25. [20] For items costing more, talk to your parents before buying them. [21] Parents could help their teenager to plan a budget or set priorities for spending money. [22] Since parents are going to assume responsibility for the card's use or abuse, they will way to have some input on how it will be used.
30. Which is the best revision of the underlined segment of sentence 3 below?
Another is because teenagers can develop good habits of spending that will be useful later in life.
(A) reason is because teenagers develop
(B) reason is that teenagers may develop
(C) idea is due to the fact that teenagers may develop
(D) may come about due to teenagers' developing
(E) idea may be because teenagers develop
31. Given the context of paragraph 3, which revision of sentences 8, 9, 10, and 11 is the most effective?
(A) Bonita, a junior in high school, earning about $100 a week by working after school in a real estate office, is seventh years old.
(B) As a junior in high school and being seventeen, she works after school in a real estate office, earns about $100 a week.
(C) A seventh-year-old high school junior, she earns $100 a week at an after-school job in a real office.
(D) Bonita Robbins earns office; she is seventeen and is a high school junior.
(E) Being a junior in high school, Bonita, seventeen years old, earning about $100 a week in a real estate office at an after-school job.
32. Which of the following is the best revision of sentence 14?
(A) Bills were paid punctually.
(B) Usually Bonita had paid her bills on time.
(C) Most of the time the bills were paid by Bonita on time.
(D) Usually Bonita paid her bills punctually and on time.
(E) Usually Bonita paid her bills when they were due.
33. With regard to the whole essay, which of the following best describes the function of paragraph 3?
(A) To summarize the discussion presented in earlier paragraphs
(B) To persuade readers to change their point of view
(C) To provide an example
(D) To ridicule an idea presented earlier in the essay
(E) To draw a conclusion
34. Which revision of the underlined segment of sentence 18 below provides the best transition between the third and fourth paragraphs?
This plan also lets the parents and the teenagers plan how the credit card will be used.
(A) Another advantage of this plan is that it
(B) Another advantage of "trial" credit card program like Bonita's is that it
(C) A different advantage to Bonita's experience
(D) All of a sudden, it
(E) Together, it
35. In the context of the fourth paragraph, which is the best revision of sentence 20?
(A) Before buying items worth more teenagers might consult a parent.
(B) Teenagers should be talking to their parents before buying something that costs more that $25.
(C) But first talking about things costing more than $25 between parents and teenagers.
(D) First teenagers and parents must talk before buying something that costs more than $25.
(E) Buying something that costs more than $25 to purchase must be talked over between parents and teenagers beforehand.


The questions on remaining sections 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are similar to the section 1, 2, and 3.