SAT Reading and Writing - Practice Flashcards (Information and Ideas, Craft and Structure, and Conventions)

Flashcards drawn from the provided SAT Reading and Writing notes, covering key concepts, main ideas, data interpretation, and conventions.

Which choice most logically completes the text? The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is projected to maintain operation until at least 2030, but it has already revolutionized high-resolution imaging of solar-system bodies in visible and ultraviolet (UV) light wavelengths, notwithstanding that only about 6% of the bodies imaged by the HST are within the solar system. NASA researcher Cindy L. Young and colleagues assert that a new space telescope dedicated exclusively to solar-system observations would permit an extensive survey of minor solar-system bodies and long-term UV observation to discern how solar-system bodies change over time. Young and colleagues’ recommendation therefore implies that the HST will likely continue to be used primarily to observe objects outside the solar system.

will likely continue to be used primarily to observe objects outside the solar system.

Which finding from the researchers’ study on awe would most strongly support the claim that awe increases altruistic behavior?

Participants who had been looking at the trees helped the experimenter pick up significantly more pens than did participants who had been looking at the building.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to illustrate the claim about UK economic policy uncertainty, 2005–2010?

General economic policy uncertainty reached its highest level in 2010, while uncertainty about trade policy remained lower (around 70) or significantly lower, illustrating that a general measure may not fully reflect uncertainty about specific areas of policy.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the claim that experiencing awe increases altruistic behavior?

Participants who had been looking at the tall trees helped the experimenter pick up more pens than participants who had been looking at the building.

Neural networks vs. brains: Which finding would most directly support the claim that the apparent similarity between neural networks and biological brains is due to the rules programmed into the networks?

The rules that allow for networks to exhibit behaviors like those of grid cells have no equivalent in the function of biological brains.

Maize export data 2012/2013: Which statement best uses the graph data to complete the sentence about that year?

Argentina decreased from the previous year but remained the highest exporter among the three countries.

From the data on language distribution in New York City, which conclusion is best supported?

Correlations in a country between languages and regions where they are spoken can replicate themselves in a new country to which the original country’s citizens emigrate.

What is the main idea of the text on observing wild vs. lab studies of Western scrub-jays?

Wild and lab studies each have drawbacks, so differing results may occur when the same species is studied in different environments.

In the tomato plant study, which finding best supports the conclusion about whiteflies inducing defenses?

Tomato plants exposed to air from whitefly-free plants produced higher jasmonic acid upon subsequent infestation than control plants.

In the study of jasmonic and salicylic acids, which data point best supports the conclusion that whiteflies cause nearby plants to defend against microbes rather than herbivory when infested?

Plants exposed to air from whitefly-free plants and then infested produced higher jasmonic acid; plants exposed to air from whitefly-infested plants produced comparatively more salicylic acid.

Which choice best describes the data support regarding the claim that general economic policy uncertainty differs from specific policy uncertainty?

In 2005, general uncertainty was about 90 while trade policy uncertainty was about 160; in 2010, general uncertainty was about 120 while trade policy was about 70, showing that a general measure may not reflect specific uncertainties.

Which option best explains how the data in the plant study support the conclusion that whiteflies redirect defense toward microbes?

The data show that plants exposed to air from whitefly-infested plants had lower jasmonic acid but higher salicylic acid when infested, indicating a shift toward microbial-defense signaling.

What is the main idea of the jellyfish fossils article, given the evidence from portable X-ray fluorescence?

With a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer, researchers can determine the likely origin (kilns) of bowls from a shipwreck by comparing chemical signatures.

Which statement would most directly weaken Caron and colleagues’ claim that the Chinese and U.S. fossils are jellyfish vs. ctenophores?

If the fossils are so poorly preserved that they cannot be conclusively identified as either jellyfish or ctenophores, the claim about their identity is weakened.

Which choice best completes the sentence to conform to Standard English: The Limón technique, developed by Jose Limón, is known for its emphasis on breath control and its interplay of weight and , dancers may explore, for example, the moment of mid-air suspension at the top of a jump.

weightlessness

Which option correctly completes the sentence about genomes and epigenomes, using proper punctuation?

functions: The relationship between genomes and epigenomes reveals how cells with identical DNA develop different functions.

What completes the sentence about genomes vs. epigenomes with correct colon usage?

The relationship between genomes and epigenomes reveals how cells with identical DNA develop different: functions.

Which option correctly completes the sentence: The transport of nutrients is possible through the entanglement of pine trees’ roots and the fungus Tricholoma matsutake’s fungal hyphae, given the introductory clause about mycorrhizal networks?

the transport of nutrients is possible through the entanglement of pine trees’ roots and the fungus Tricholoma matsutake’s fungal hyphae.

In Larrazolo’s biographical sentence, which punctuation correctly joins two main clauses?

New Mexico and New Mexico, and New Mexico.

Which verb is correct for the subject in the sentence about Janaki Ammal’s chromosomal survey?

was

Which choice completes the sentence so that it conforms to Standard English: Known for her massive photorealistic paintings of African American figures floating or swimming in pools, Calida Garcia ___ was the logical choice to design the book cover for Ta-Nehisi Coates’s The Water Dancer?

was

During the American Civil War, Amplifying the voices and experiences of Black soldiers of particular importance to Chester, who later became an activist and lawyer during the postwar Reconstruction period. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to Standard English?

was

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to Standard English: In discussing Mary Shelley’s 1818 epistolary novel Frankenstein, Gayatri Spivak points out that Saville is not the protagonist of Shelley’s novel as the recipient of the letters that frame the book’s narrative, she’s the “occasion” of it.

novel; rather,

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the Johnson passage as a whole?

It elaborates on a transitional moment in Johnson’s artistic career.

In the 1920s excerpt, what does the underlined sentence function as in Hurston’s story?

It describes John’s longing to experience a larger life outside the Florida woods.

Which choice best completes the sentence so that it conforms to Standard English: Digital art isn’t really art at all; it doesn’t require as much skill as creating physical art. “Painting” with a tablet and stylus is much easier than using paint and a brush: the technology is doing most of the work. Text 2 would most likely respond by insisting that digital art requires artistic abilities and skill even if it employs less traditional tools.

It insists that digital art requires artistic abilities and skill even if it employs less traditional tools.

Which choice completes the sentence to conform to Standard English: Domesticated thousands of years ago by Indigenous people in South America, cacao deviates structurally from the wild plant it is descended from, maize shows so little resemblance to any wild plant that genetic research was necessary to confirm teosinte grass as its ancestor.

confirm

Which statement best completes the reasoning about the 1,000-year-old shipwreck bowls?

With a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer, researchers can pinpoint kilns by comparing chemical signatures of bowls to kiln-site materials.

Which statement best completes the sentence about the 2010s CC question: The underlined portion’s function is to contextualize a hypothesis about the origin of that trait that is advanced later in the text.

It introduces a trait shared by certain animals in order to contextualize a hypothesis about the origin of that trait that is advanced later in the text.

Which choice best completes the sentence about El Algar’s burial and leadership roles?

concede

Which option best describes the text structure of the ice-bleaching study: The text first explains a hypothesis about color change due to dissolved organic carbon, then weakens it with a finding that blue and green icebergs share similar carbon traces.

It describes a hypothesis and then presents data that both supports and challenges it, leading to a nuanced view.

In the Night and Day excerpt, what is the function of the underlined sentence concerning the group’s discussion about art?

To emphasize the extent of individuals’ struggles to articulate thoughts on art.

What is the main purpose of the 1154 map collection text about al-Idrisi?

To describe a collection of medieval maps and how it was created.

Which sentence best completes the idea about Sand cats’ hyoid and its effect on vocalization?

The same traits may also prevent most big cats from purring.

Which choice best completes the sentence to show the two approaches Indigenous politicians have taken to representation?

Two approaches: joining established political parties (US) and forming Indigenous parties (Canada and Latin America).

Which option best describes the structure of the El Algar finding text?

It introduces a historical claim and then presents the new evidence that challenges it.

Which choice best completes the sentence about the mammoth tusk strontium analysis?

It shows a pattern that the researchers interpret as evidence about range expansion and contraction.

Which statement best captures the main idea of the 1960s CEP paragraph?

It underscores the extent of CEP’s impact by noting the number of activists who attended and the workshops provided.

Which sentence best completes the 1920s Capek R.U.R. passage’s question option?

Defends