Digital SAT Reading and Writing Practice Flashcards

Passage: "The architect's design was both _____ and functional; it drew visitors with its striking silhouette while offering efficient use of interior space." Which word best completes the sentence?

Answer: aesthetic

'Aesthetic' means visually pleasing, which fits the description of a design that attracts visitors with its appearance.

Passage: "Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor yet support approximately 25% of all marine species." Which conclusion is best supported by this data?

Answer: Coral reefs are disproportionately important to marine biodiversity.

Supporting 25% of marine species while covering only 1% of the floor shows reefs provide outsized biodiversity value.

Select the option that best improves the underlined portion: 'The committee, which had been meeting for several months, they finally reached a unanimous decision.'

Answer: The committee, which had been meeting for several months, finally reached a unanimous decision.

The original has a redundant pronoun 'they'; removing it eliminates the subject-repetition error.

Text 1 claims that social media increases political polarization. Text 2 presents a study showing that most users rarely engage with political content on social media. What is the relationship between the texts?

Answer: Text 2 challenges the premise underlying Text 1's claim.

If most users don't engage with political content, Text 2 questions whether social media truly drives polarization as Text 1 claims.

Passage: "The novelist's earlier work was characterized by spare prose and minimalist settings; her later novels, by contrast, embraced elaborate description and richly layered narratives." The passage primarily serves to:

Answer: Contrast the stylistic evolution of the novelist's writing across two periods.

The passage explicitly contrasts earlier and later stylistic traits using the phrase 'by contrast.'

Which transition word most logically completes the sentence: 'The new treatment reduced symptoms in clinical trials; ______, further research is needed before it can be approved for wide use.'

Answer: nevertheless

'Nevertheless' correctly signals a concession — positive trial results exist, but approval still requires more research.

Passage: "Rising sea levels are documented; what remains debated is the precise timeline and regional variation in their impact." The author distinguishes between:

Answer: An established fact and an area of ongoing scientific uncertainty.

The passage treats rising sea levels as 'documented' (fact) while describing timeline and regional impact as 'debated' (uncertain).