SAT Diagnostic Practice Test 1

Solve for x: 

• 12 < x < 13

• -12 < x < -13

• -5 < x < -5

• -25 < x < 25

• -12 < x < 13

Alda can complete a test in  .

• N

• Ab

• Nab

• A

• B

An operation * is defined as follows: For any two positive numbers x and y,

• 11 * 4

• 4 * 9

• 4 * 16

• 7 * 4

• 9 * 9

If x²y > 0 and xy² < 0,then which of the following are true?  

• A. x = 0

• B. y = 0

• C. x > 0 and y < 0

• D. x < 0 and y > 0

• E. x > 0 and y > 0

A jar contains 10 red marbles and 30 green ones. How many red marbles must be added to the jar so that 60% of the marbles will be red?

• A. 30

• B. 25

• C. 35

• D. 27

• E. 125

What will be the value of x, if 8^x+2 = 2^4x-3?  

• A. 0.9

• B. 1.9

• C. 18

• D. 9

• E. 11

A monkey climbs a slippery pole by thrusts. The pole is 30 feet high. With every thrust, it goes up 5 feet in 5 seconds and slips down 3 feet in 1 second. How many seconds will it take to climb the pole?  

• A. 74

• B. 82

• C. 94

• D. 78

• E. 92

As were many colonial administrators, Gregory was ____ in his knowledge of the grammar of the local language, though his accent was ____ .

• Deficient - poor

• Competent - adequate

• Faultless - awful

• Well-versed - effective

• Erratic - eccentric

Although alarmed by the ____ , Professor Symes had no reason to doubt the ____ of his student's results, for this student was nothing if not reliable.

• Conclusions - folly

• Deductions - impudence

• Implications - veracity

• Errors - truth

• Inferences - invalidity

The statements made by the husband in the passage reveal:

• A man with ulterior and sinister motives.

• A plain and simple man who prefers to have no social life.

• A man who wants desperately to please his wife.

• A man who aspires to be wealthy.

The wife's approach to obtaining a new dress can best be described as:

• Manipulating her husband so he'll agree to give her money for a new dress.

• A willingness on her part to sacrifice other expenses to pay for it.

• Acknowledging that the couple's finances are already stained.

• Thinking of ways to redesign her old dress to make it suitable.

As he is revealed in the section where he presents the invitation to his wife, the husband best be characterized as:

• Concerned about appropriate attire for the ball.

• Proud that he, a mere clerk, received such an invitation.

• Worried that his wife will not want to attend the ball.

• Unsure that he wants to attend the ball with his wife.

Information in Paragraph 4 reveals that the husband is unhappy about the 400 francs because he was planning to spend the same amount on:

• Theater tickets.

• Some treats for his friends.

• A pretty dress for his wife.

• A gun and hunting trip.

It can most reasonably be inferred from the second paragraph that the statement “lt looks very well .. to me" is:

• An attempt on the husband's part to keep his wife from buying a new dress.

• The husband's opinion that his wife is not very thoughtful.

• Reflective of the wife's feelings.

• An acknowledgement that perhaps the dress isn't adequate.

In the passage, a comparison can be made between the wife's and husband's desires. This comparison is best stated as:

• The wife's desires to please her husband, while the husband wants to be successful in his work.

• The wife wishes to be envied, while the husband wants to spend time with his friends.

• The wife wants a career of her own, but her husband wants her to stay home.

• The wife s very social, while the husband prefers to keep to himself.

Paragraph two paints a picture of a woman who is

• An incapacitated invalid

• Mentally shattered

• Stubborn and querulous

• Physically weak but mentally indomitable

• Purposeful yet tiresome

The series of questions in paragraphs 2 and 3 are

• The author's attempt to show the thoughts running through Miss Nightingale's mind

• Miss Nightingale questioning her own conscience

• Miss Nightingale's response to an actual questioner

• Responses to the doctors who advised rest

• The author's device to highlight the reactions to Miss Nightingale's plans

The reason that television networks air such trashy programs is because it is what the viewers want to see.

• Because it is what the

• That these are what

• That this is what

• Because they are the things that

• That it is these that

As a writer, it is surprising to me that so few high school graduates can write a coherent sentence.

• It is surprising to me that so few

• It is surprising that hardly any

• I am surprised that so few

• It surprises me that so few

• I am surprised of the fact that so few

When one of my seizures strikes, I feel as if I were paralyzed, if only for a moment.

• Strikes, I feel as if I were

• Strikes, I feel as if I was

• Strike, I feel like I was

• Strikes, it is a feeling like being

• Strikes, I feel like being

My uncle, who _A was _B on vacation, along with my two cousins and I _C, went _D fishing down by the river. No error_E.

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

All the trapped miners began _A to lose _B hope, it _C had been twenty four hours since _D the tunnel collapsed. No error_E.

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

Because _A they played by _B the rules, the members of the team were given _C a standing ovation even though it _D did not win the match. No error_E.

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

He was expected not merely _A  to contribute funds to the project, but _B to work as hard as _C the other _D patrons. No error_E.

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

The teacher sat _A down besides _B the frightened child and tried to reassure _C him that the monster was merely _D imaginary. No error_E.

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

If p > 0, which of the following is equal to √48p³

• 4p√3p

• 3p√4p

• 2√12p

• 3√8p

• 16p√3p

The average of 11 numbers is 21 . The average of seven of those numbers is 25. What is the average of the remaining four numbers?

• 4

• 12

• 14

• 21

• 25

The question, "And what do you want me to put on my back?" in the second paragraph helps establish that the wife is anxious because:

• She knows the weather will require her to wear a warm coat, which doesn't have.

• She is concerned about wearing the same dress to this event that she wore to the last event.

• She wants to help her husband carry some of the burden of their finances.

• She has nothing new or suitable in her eyes to wear to the party.

The author implies that the 'professional schoolmaster' (line 7) has

• No interest in teaching science

• Thwarted attempts to enliven education

• Aided true learning

• Supported the humanists

• Been a pioneer in both science and humanities.

If x, y and z are three consecutive odd integers such that 10< x < y < z< 20 and if y and z are prime numbers, what is the value of x + y?

• 24

• 27

• 19

• 32

• 15

If 4(3x - 3) = 24, what is 5x - 5?

• 10

• 6

• 24

• 3

• 4

If 2 dots are equal to 3 dashes and 5 dashes equal to 7 stars, what is the ratio of one dot to one star?

• 10 ⁄ 21

• 3 ⁄ 5

• 5 ⁄ 3

• 21 ⁄ 10

• 2 ⁄ 3

It can most reasonably be inferred that the husband 'grew a little pale" in the next-to-last paragraph because:

• He was disturbed by the amount of money his wife requested.

• He feared that his wife would refuse to attend the event.

• He was beginning to feel ill.

• He knew he would need to borrow money to go on his hunting trip.

In her statement (lines 53-54) Miss Nightingale intended to

• Criticize the conditions in hospitals

• Highlight the unhealthy conditions under which ordinary soldiers were living

• Prove that conditions in the barracks were as bad as those in a military hospital

• Ridicule the dangers of army life

• Quote important statistics

having no more food in her backpack, it was necessary for Maria to begin foraging for edible berries.

• It was necessary for Maria

• Made it necessary for Maria

• Maria had

• Was why Maria had

• Required Maria

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 Passage I Fiction: This passage is adapled from The Diamond Necklace by Guy De Maupaussant, originally published in 1907; English adaptation from Original Short Stories - Volume 4, published prior to 1923. She had no gowns. no jewels. nothing. And she loved nothing but that. She felt made for that. She would have liked so much to please. lo be envied, to be charming, to be sought after. She had a friend, a former schoolmate at the convent. who was rich, and whom she did not like to go and see any more. because she suffered so much when she came back But, one evening, her husband returned home with a triumphant air, holding a large envelope in his hand. “There,' said he, “here is something for you.” She tore the paper sharply and drew out a printed card which bore these words: The Minister of Public Instruction and Mme. Georges Ramponneau request the honor of M. and Mme. Loisels' company at the palace of the Ministry on Monday evening, January 18th. Instead of being delighted, as her husband hoped she threw the invitation on the table with disdain, murmuring, “What do you want me to do with that?" "But, my dear.” he said. “I thought you would be glad. You never go out, and this is such a fine oppor- tunity. I had awful trouble to get it. Every one wants to go; it is vary select, and they are not giving many invitations to clerks. The whole official world will be there. She looked at him with an irritated eye and said. impatiently, “And what do you want me to put on my back?" He had not thought Of that; he Stammered, “Why the dress you go to the theater in. lt looks very well … to me.” He stopped. distracted. seeing that his wife was crying. Two great tears descended slowly from the corners of her eyes towards the comers of her mouth He stuttered, “What`s the matter? What's the matter? But, by a violent effort, she had conquered her grief and replied. with a calm voice. while she wiped her wet cheeks, “Nothing Only I have no dress. and therefore I can't go to this ball. Give your card to some colleague whose wife is better equipped than I He was in despair. He resumed, "Come, let us see. Mathilde. How much would it cost. a suitable dress. which you could use on other occasions, something very simple?" She reflected several seconds. making her calcu- lations and wondering also what sum she could ask without drawing on herself an immediate refusal and a frightened exclamation from the economical clerk. Finally, she replied, hesitatingly: “I don‘t know exactly, but I think I could manage it with four hundred francs.” He grew a little pale, because he was laying aside just that amount to buy a gun and treat himself to a little shooting next summer on the plain of Nanterre, with several friends who went to shoot larks down there, of a Sunday. But he said: “All right. I will give you four hundred francs. And try to have a pretty dress.”

The extract is taken from a book written sixty years ago by a British scientist in which he considers the relationship between science and society.      The pioneers of the teaching of science imagined that its      introduction into education would remove the conventionality,      artificiality, and backward-lookingness which were characteristic;      of classical studies, but they were gravely disappointed. So, too, in 5   their time had the humanists thought that the study of the classical      authors in the original would banish at once the dull pedantry and      superstition of medieval scholasticism. The professional      schoolmaster was a match for both of them, and has almost      managed to make the understanding of chemical reactions as dull 10 and as dogmatic an affair as the reading of Virgil's Aeneid.      The chief claim for the use of science in education is that it      teaches a child something about the actual universe in which he is      living, in making him acquainted with the results of scientific 15 discovery, and at the same time teaches him how to think logically      and inductively by studying scientific method. A certain limited      success has been reached in the first of these aims, but practically      none at all in the second. Those privileged members of the      community who have been through a secondary or public school 20 education may be expected to know something about the      elementary physics and chemistry of a hundred years ago, but they      probably know hardly more than any bright boy can pick up from      an interest in wireless or scientific hobbies out of school hours.      As to the learning of scientific method, the whole thing is palpably 25 a farce. Actually, for the convenience of teachers and the      requirements of the examination system, it is necessary that the      pupils not only do not learn scientific method but learn precisely      the reverse, that is, to believe exactly what they are told and to      reproduce it when asked, whether it seems nonsense to them or 30 not. The way in which educated people respond to such quackeries      as spiritualism or astrology, not to say more dangerous ones such      as racial theories or currency myths, shows that fifty years of      education in the method of science in Britain or Germany has      produced no visible effect whatever. The only way of learning the 35 method of science is the long and bitter way of personal      experience, and, until the educational or social systems are altered      to make this possible, the best we can expect is the production of a      minority of people who are able to acquire some of the techniques      of science and a still smaller minority who are able to use and 40 develop them. Adapted from: The Social Function of Science, John D Bernal (1939)

The passage is taken from a biography of Florence Nightingale who is mainly remembered for her heroic work as a nurse during the Crimean War.       The name of Florence Nightingale lives in the memory of the       world by virtue of the heroic adventure of the Crimea. Had she       died - as she nearly did - upon her return to England, her       reputation would hardly have been different; her legend would 5    have come down to us almost as we know it today - that gentle       vision of female virtue which first took shape before the adoring       eyes of the sick soldiers at Scutari. Yet, as a matter of fact, she       lived for more than half a century after the Crimean War; and       during the greater part of that long period all the energy and all the 10  devotion of her extraordinary nature were working at their       highest pitch. What she accomplished in those years of unknown       labor could, indeed, hardly have been more glorious than her       Crimean triumphs; but it was certainly more important. The true       history was far stranger even than the myth. In Miss Nightingale's 15  own eyes the adventure of the Crimea was a mere incident -       scarcely more than a useful stepping-stone in her career. It was the       fulcrum with which she hoped to move the world; but it was       only the fulcrum. For more than a generation she was to sit in       secret, working her lever: and her real life began at the very 20  moment when, in popular imagination, it had ended.       She arrived in England in a shattered state of health. The       hardships and the ceaseless efforts of the last two years had       undermined her nervous system; her heart was affected; she       suffered constantly from fainting-fits and terrible attacks of utter 25  physical prostration. The doctors declared that one thing alone       would save her - a complete and prolonged rest. But that was also       the one thing with which she would have nothing to do. She had       never been in the habit of resting; why should she begin now?       Now, when her opportunity had come at last; now, when the iron 30  was hot, and it was time to strike? No; she had work to do; and,       come what might, she would do it. The doctors protested in vain;       in vain her family lamented and entreated, in vain her friends       pointed out to her the madness of such a course. Madness? Mad -       possessed - perhaps she was. A frenzy had seized upon her. As 35  she lay upon her sofa, gasping, she devoured blue-books, dictated       letters, and, in the intervals of her palpitations, cracked jokes. For       months at a stretch she never left her bed. But she would not rest.       At this rate, the doctors assured her, even if she did not die, she       would become an invalid for life. She could not help that; there 40  was work to be done; and, as for rest, very likely she might rest ...       when she had done it.       Wherever she went, to London or in the country, in the hills       of Derbyshire, or among the rhododendrons at Embley, she was       haunted by a ghost. It was the specter of Scutari - the hideous 45  vision of the organization of a military hospital. She would lay that       phantom, or she would perish. The whole system of the       Army Medical Department, the education of the Medical Officer,       the regulations of hospital procedure ... rest? How could she rest       while these things were as they were, while, if the like necessity 50  were to arise again, the like results would follow? And, even in       peace and at home, what was the sanitary condition of the Army?       The mortality in the barracks, was, she found, nearly double the       mortality in civil life. 'You might as well take 1, 100 men every       year out upon Salisbury Plain and shoot them,' she said. After 55  inspecting the hospitals at Chatham, she smiled grimly. 'Yes, this       is one more symptom of the system which, in the Crimea, put to       death 16,000 men.' Scutari had given her knowledge; and it had       given her power too: her enormous reputation was at her back -       an incalculable force. Other work, other duties, might lie before 60  her; but the most urgent, the most obvious, of all was to look to       the health of the Army. Adapted from: Eminent Victorians, Lytton Strachey (1918)

SAT Essay Prompt: To what extent do the various media (television, radio, newspaper, etc.) influence people? Answer in area provided below.

Which of the following is equivalent to 6x ² + x - 12 ?

• (2x + 3)(3x - 4)

• (2x - 3)(3x - 4)

• (2x + 3)(3x + 4)

• (6x + 3)(x - 12)

• (x + 3)(2x - 12)

• 81

• 40

• 72

• 9

• 18

A social welfare organization spends 40% of the funds collected towards old-age homes. If during an year 1.6 million dollars was spent on old-age homes, what is the total amount of funds collected in millions of dollars?

• 4.0

• 6.0

• 4.6

• 40.0

• 1.6

In the given figure, Note: Figure not drawn to scale.

• 130 degrees

• 90 degrees

• 100 degrees

• 30 degrees

• 160 degrees

A car travels a distance of 250 miles, 700 miles and 325 miles at the rate of 50 miles/hr, 35 miles/hr and 13 miles/hr respectively.Find the average speed of the car in miles/hr.

• 30

• 25.5

• 42.5

• 13

• 50

By which of the following number is 98765432 exactly divisible?

• 9

• 7

• 5

• 8

• 11

In a class of 30 students, 14 take tea and 20 take coffee. How many take both tea and coffee?

• 16

• 10

• 14

• 30

• 4

In the given figure, area of square ABED is 9 square units, BC = 5 units, EF = 1 unit. Find the area of the rectangle BCGF. 

• 25 square units

• 30 square units

• 36 square units

• 20 square units

• 15 square units

If y² = c, where y and c are integers, which of the following could be the value of c?

• 45

• 17

• 64

• 34

• 10