SAT Section 6
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For each question in this section, select the best answer from among the choices given and fill in the corresponding circle on the answer sheet.
- 1.As a child, Mary ------- her stringent upbringing; however, as she grew older she began to appreciate her grandmother’s strict -------.
- A.
Tolerated . . autonomy
- B.
Despised . . discipline
- C.
Embraced . . authority
- D.
Disavowed . . abstinence
- E.
Loathed . . liberality
- 2.His mouth stinging and burning, Virgil hurried to the kitchen for water to wash away the dish’s ------- taste.
- A.
Earthy
- B.
Exotic
- C.
Cloying
- D.
Acrid
- E.
Succulent
- 3.Since other seabirds customarily nest in colonies on ocean cliffs and islands, the marbled murrelet’s ------- nesting in forests many miles from the sea must be considered -------.
- A.
Ambivalence about . . hypothetical
- B.
Indifference to . . bold
- C.
Insistence upon . . evident
- D.
Aversion to . . dangerous
- E.
Predilection for . . atypical
- 4.The cause of Mozart’s ------- is a long-standing medical -------: over the years, physicians have suggested more than 100 possibilities, including poisoning, malnutrition, kidney disease, and heart failure.
- A.
Mortality . . phenomenon
- B.
Bereavement . . controversy
- C.
Genius . . enigma
- D.
Demise . . mystery
- E.
Death . . trial
- 5.At first the children were -------, but as the morning progressed they began to laugh and talk eagerly.
- A.
Ostentatious
- B.
Myopic
- C.
Solicitous
- D.
Puerile
- E.
Reticent
- 6.Oren missed the play’s overarching significance, focusing instead on details so minor that they would best be described as -------.
- A.
Pragmatic
- B.
Indelible
- C.
Moribund
- D.
Picayune
- E.
Impervious
- 7.Questions 7-19 are based on the following passage. Click Here to Read the Passage. In the opening paragraph, the author assumes that the “meaning” (line 8) is
- A.
Culturally determined
- B.
Intensely personal
- C.
Essentially moralistic
- D.
Permanently inscrutable
- E.
Uniquely artistic
- 8.In the context of the passage, which “expression of art” (line 9) would be the most difficult to interpret?
- A.
A contemporary play written by a prolific playwright
- B.
A fable from a nonliterate society with which anthropologists are very familiar
- C.
A single text produced by a previously unknown society
- D.
A sitcom from the early days of television
- E.
A single myth from an ancient culture
- 9.How does the author respond to the question posed in lines 3-9 ?
- A.
By proposing an innovative strategy
- B.
By confirming the futility of such analysis
- C.
By describing a personal experience with the problem
- D.
By illustrating his point within a particular context
- E.
By documenting a traditional approach to the problem
- 10.The author discusses Tanaina culture from the perspective of
- A.
A concerned parent
- B.
A bewildered visitor
- C.
A performance artist
- D.
An informed outsider
- E.
An indignant reader
- 11.The sentence in which "difficult" appears (lines 54-55) indicates that the author considers the word to be
- A.
An exaggeration
- B.
An estimate
- C.
An understatement
- D.
A contradiction
- E.
A preconception
- 12.Questions 7-19 are based on the following passage. Click Here to Read the Passage. In relation to the passage, the statements in lines 59-65 serve a function most similar to which of the following items?
- A.
A menu in a restaurant
- B.
The key or legend to a map
- C.
A department store directory
- D.
The outline of a term paper
- E.
An illustration of a fairytale
- 13.Questions 7-19 are based on the following passage. Click Here to Read the Passage. The author’s analysis of the folktale offers which insight into Tanaina beliefs?
- A.
A fanciful story is most suitable for an audience of children.
- B.
A verbal exchange can establish a binding contract.
- C.
A person who behaves impulsively is most often sincere.
- D.
A shared task should be divided fairly between two people.
- E.
A painstaking plan may nonetheless fail to anticipate all problems.
- 14.The “porcupine women of this world” (lines 76-77) are best described as people who
- A.
Plan inadequately for their own needs
- B.
Postpone necessary work in favor of leisure
- C.
Depend heavily upon help from their close friends
- D.
Return repeatedly to their favorite places
- E.
Flee quickly from any laborious task
- 15.The final paragraph (lines 76-87) suggests that the bear path mentioned in lines 51-52 is significant because it
- A.
Foreshadows the arrival of a benevolent character from Tanaina folklore
- B.
Suggests an alarming alternative to crossing the river
- C.
Marks the boundary of the beaver’s natural surroundings
- D.
Explains the porcupine woman’s fear of unfamiliar territory
- E.
Poses a new peril for the porcupine woman
- 16.In lines 83-87, the description of the porcupine woman emphasizes the discrepancy between her
- A.
Social position and her private feelings
- B.
Physical wealth and her moral poverty
- C.
Hostile action and her ultimate gratitude
- D.
Original goal and her actual situation
- E.
Grandiose ambition and her real needs
- 17.As a commentary on legal relations, this folktale is best described as
- A.
An example of traditional practices
- B.
An outline for social behavior
- C.
A warning about ill-conceived assent
- D.
A criticism of obsolete customs
- E.
A parody of actual situations
- 18.As a commentary on legal relations, this folktale is best described as
- A.
Excitement at an unexpected discovery
- B.
Admiration of the storyteller’s performance
- C.
Appreciation of the folktale as a means of communicating values
- D.
Enthusiasm for the Tanaina culture’s concept of legality
- E.
Enjoyment of the comical aspects of the folktale
- 19.Which statement is most consistent with the author’s argument?
- A.
Translating a literary text requires formal linguistic training.
- B.
Tales transmitted by a nonliterate society elude transcription in later eras.
- C.
Listening to a skilled storyteller is more instructive than entertaining.
- D.
Simple enjoyment of a tale is incompatible with scholarly analysis.
- E.
To read a text is not necessarily to understand it.
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