betterMateusz/SAT_Writting_Reading_Assessment_Question_Bank huggingface dataset:
Yawn contagion occurs when one individual yawns in response to another’s yawn. Studies of this behavior in primates have
focused on populations in captivity, but biologist Elisabetta Palagi and her colleagues have shown that it can occur in wild
primate populations as well. In their study, which focused on a wild population of gelada monkeys (Theropithecus gelada) in
Ethiopia, the researchers further reported that yawn contagion most commonly occurred in males and across different
social groups instead of within a single social group.

Question: Which choice best describes the function of the ﬁrst sentence in the text as a whole?
A) It deﬁnes a phenomenon that is discussed in the text.
B) It introduces a problem that is examined in the text.
C) It makes a claim that is challenged in the text.
D) It presents a hypothesis that is evaluated in the text.

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the ﬁrst sentence functions in the text as a whole.
The ﬁrst sentence introduces what yawn contagion is, explaining that it occurs when an individual yawns in response to the
yawn of another individual. The text goes on to describe Elisabetta Palagi and her colleagues’ study of this phenomenon in a
wild population of gelada monkeys. According to the text, the study showed that wild primate populations experience yawn
contagion and that the behavior occurs most commonly in male monkeys and across social groups. Thus, the function of
the ﬁrst sentence is to deﬁne the phenomenon of yawn contagion that is discussed in the text.
Choice B is incorrect. Although the ﬁrst sentence introduces the text’s discussion of yawn contagion, it doesn’t present this
behavior, or anything else, as a problem. Choice C is incorrect because the ﬁrst sentence doesn’t present a claim but instead
explains what yawn contagion is. Moreover, the text doesn’t challenge anything; it’s an informative text that describes the
ﬁndings of a research study about yawning in wild primate populations. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text describes a
scientiﬁc study, and most scientiﬁc studies are guided by a hypothesis, the text doesn’t say what Palagi and her colleagues’
hypothesis was; the text discusses their ﬁndings instead.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
The following text is from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables. Anne, an eleven-year-old girl, has
come to live on a farm with a woman named Marilla in Nova Scotia, Canada.
 Anne reveled in the world of color about her.
“Oh, Marilla,” she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, “I’m so
glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November,
wouldn’t it? Look at these maple branches. Don’t they give you a thrill—several thrills? I’m going to decorate my room
with them.”
“Messy things,” said Marilla, whose aesthetic sense was not noticeably developed. “You clutter up your room entirely
too much with out-of-doors stuff, Anne. Bedrooms were made to sleep in.”

Question: Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A) To demonstrate that Anne has a newly developed appreciation of nature
B) To describe an argument that Anne and Marilla often have
C) To emphasize Marilla’s disapproval of how Anne has decorated her room
D) To show that Anne and Marilla have very different personalities

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The text begins by noting
that Anne “reveled in the world of color about her”—that is, she takes great delight in colorful things. It then relates a scene
when she enthusiastically enters the house with autumn foliage and announces that she will decorate her room with it. The
focus of the text then shifts to Marilla, who has an undeveloped “aesthetic sense,” or appreciation of beauty, as can be seen
when she dismisses the maple leaves as “messy things” and criticizes Anne for cluttering her room with objects from
outside. This episode thus illustrates that Anne and Marilla differ in their appreciation of beauty and, more generally, in their
basic character: Anne is exuberant and joyful, while Marilla is stern and critical. Therefore, the purpose of the text is to show
that Anne and Marilla have very different personalities.
Choice A is incorrect because the text presents Anne’s appreciation of nature as a basic personality trait, not as a newfound
enthusiasm, and never indicates how recently she developed that appreciation. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text
portrays Anne and Marilla as having different personalities and attitudes toward natural beauty and home decoration, it
doesn’t show them engaging in an argument about this difference or suggest that they often argue about it. Choice C is
incorrect. Although the text does indicate that Marilla disapproves of how Anne plans to decorate her room, Marilla’s
disapproval is a supporting detail that serves to develop her personality, which the text as a whole contrasts with Anne’s
personality.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
Researchers have found a nearly 164,000-year-old molar from a member of the archaic human species known as
Denisovans in a cave in Laos, suggesting that Denisovans lived in a wider range of environments than indicated by earlier
evidence. Before the discovery, Denisovans were thought to have lived only at high altitudes in relatively cold climates in
what are now Russia and China, but the discovery of the tooth in Laos suggests that they may have lived at low altitudes in
relatively warm climates in Southeast Asia as well.

Question: Which choice best states the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
A) It dismisses as untrue the research presented in the previous sentence.
B) It deﬁnes a term used in the description that follows in the rest of the sentence.
C) It emphasizes the main goal of the research introduced in the previous sentence.
D) It provides context that clariﬁes the signiﬁcance of the information that follows in the rest of the sentence.

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The text describes how a new discovery expands our understanding of Denisovans. The
underlined portion describes what we used to believe about Denisovans, which helps the reader understand the signiﬁcance
of the discovery of the molar: it suggests that they lived in more places than we’d previously thought.
Choice A is incorrect. The underlined portion doesn’t do this. Instead, it explains what we used to believe about Denisovans
before the discovery—it doesn’t dismiss the new discovery as false. Choice B is incorrect. The underlined portion doesn’t do
this. No term is deﬁned here. Choice C is incorrect. The underlined portion doesn’t do this. The text never tells us what the
“goal” of the research was, just what its discovery was.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
In 2018, a team of researchers led by Dr. Caitlin Whalen compiled every available measurement of ocean mixing rates from
the past two decades. With this novel data set, the team was able to determine how current-driven mixing varies across
______ and what impact it has on the distribution of heat and nutrients in the ocean.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) regions,
B) regions:
C) regions;
D) regions

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between coordinates in a sentence. The two
elements "how…regions" and "what…ocean" work together as coordinates to complete the description of what the team was
able to determine. Because there are only two coordinates in this case (as opposed to a series of three or more), no
punctuation is needed between them.
Choice A is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the coordinates "how…regions" and "what…ocean." Choice
B is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the coordinates "how…regions" and "what…ocean." Choice C is
incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the coordinates "how…regions" and "what…ocean."

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
For painter Jacob Lawrence, being ______ was an important part of the artistic process. Because he paid close attention to
all the details of his Harlem neighborhood, Lawrence’s artwork captured nuances in the beauty and vitality of the Black
experience during the Harlem Renaissance and the Great Migration.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) skeptical
B) observant
C) critical
D) conﬁdent

Answer: B

Rationale: Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jacob Lawrence’s artistic process.
In this context, “observant” means watchful and perceptive. The text emphasizes that the “close attention” Lawrence paid to
“all the details” of his neighborhood allowed him to reﬂect subtle elements of “the beauty and vitality of the Black
experience” in his artwork. This context indicates that being observant of his surroundings was an important part of
Lawrence’s work as an artist.
Choice A is incorrect because the text gives no indication that Lawrence was “skeptical,” or had an attitude of doubt in
general or about particular things, let alone that skepticism was important to him as an artist. Rather than indicating that he
was skeptical, the text focuses on how Lawrence paid careful attention to everything around him and reﬂected his
observations in his artwork. Choice C is incorrect because the text gives no indication that Lawrence was “critical,” which in
this context would mean inclined to criticize harshly or unfairly. Rather than indicating that Lawrence found fault in things,
the text suggests that he paid careful attention to everything around him and that his artwork reﬂects this careful attention.
Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that Lawrence was “conﬁdent,” or self-assured. Rather than
addressing how Lawrence felt about himself and how that feeling affected his artistic process, the text emphasizes the
careful attention Lawrence paid to everything around him—attention that allowed him to capture subtle elements of a
particular place and time in his artwork.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
The haiku-like poems of Tomas Tranströmer, which present nature- and dream-inﬂuenced images in crisp, spare language,
have earned the Swedish poet praise from leading contemporary ______ them Nigerian American essayist and novelist Teju
Cole, who has written that Tranströmer’s works “contain a luminous simplicity.”

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) writers. Among
B) writers among
C) writers; among
D) writers, among

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a main clause and a supplementary
phrase. This choice correctly uses a comma to mark the boundary between the main clause (“The haiku-like…writers”) and
the supplementary phrase (“among…Cole”) that speciﬁes a contemporary writer who has praised Tomas Tranströmer’s
haiku-like poems. 
Choice A is incorrect because it results in a rhetorically unacceptable sentence fragment beginning with “among.” Choice B
is incorrect because it fails to mark the boundary between the main clause and the supplementary phrase with appropriate
punctuation. Choice C is incorrect because a semicolon can’t be used in this way to join the main clause (“The haiku-like…
writers”) and the supplementary phrase (“among…Cole”).

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Nine months before Rosa Parks made history by refusing to comply with the segregated seating policy on a Montgomery,
Alabama, bus, a ﬁfteen-year-old Montgomery girl named Claudette Colvin was arrested for the same ______ to some
historians, Colvin’s arrest led to Parks’s action and eventually to the desegregation of Montgomery’s bus system.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) offense. According
B) offense, according
C) offense according
D) offense and according

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer. “Nine months…offense” and “according to…system” are both independent clauses. Separating
them with a period and turning them into their own sentences is the only grammatically correct choice among the provided
options.
Choice B is incorrect. This choice results in a comma splice error, which is a punctuation error that occurs when two
independent clauses are joined by only a comma. “Nine months…offense” and “according to…system” are both independent
clauses, so they need to be either joined by a semicolon, joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction, or separated by
a period. Choice C is incorrect. This choice results in a run-on sentence, which occurs when two independent clauses are
joined without punctuation. “Nine months…offense” and “according to…system” are both independent clauses, so they need
to be either joined by a semicolon, joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction, or separated by a period. Choice D is
incorrect. This choice results in a run-on sentence, which occurs when two independent clauses are joined without
punctuation. “Nine months…offense” and “according to…system” are independent clauses, so we would need to put a
comma before the coordinating conjunction “and” to join them properly.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
The recent discovery of a carved wooden ﬁgure dating to around 2,000 years ago in a ditch in England was truly surprising.
Wooden objects ______ survive for so long due to their high susceptibility to rot, but archaeologists suspect layers of
sediment in the ditch preserved the ﬁgure by creating an oxygen-free environment.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) sturdily
B) carelessly
C) rarely
D) simply

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the discovery of a carved wooden
ﬁgure dating to around 2,000 years ago. In this context, “rarely” means infrequently. The text states that the discovery of the
ﬁgure was “truly surprising” and notes that wooden objects are highly prone to rot. This context conveys the idea that
wooden objects infrequently survive for as long as the carved ﬁgure has survived.
Choice A is incorrect because “sturdily” means strongly, which wouldn’t make sense in context. If wooden objects in general
could strongly survive for long periods of time, then the discovery of a wooden ﬁgure that’s around 2,000 years old wouldn’t
be surprising. Choice B is incorrect because “carelessly” means accidentally. The text conveys the idea that wooden objects
in general don’t survive for very long because they rot, not that wooden objects in general accidentally survive despite this.
Choice D is incorrect because the text conveys the idea that wooden objects in general don’t survive for very long because
they rot, not that wooden objects in general “simply,” or merely, survive for long periods of time. If wooden objects in general
could merely survive for as long as the ﬁgure has survived, then the discovery of the ﬁgure wouldn’t have been surprising.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
The following text is adapted from Charles Chesnutt’s 1899 short story “Mars Jeems’s Nightmare.” The narrator and his wife
have recently moved to the southern United States, and Julius is their carriage driver.
Julius [was] very useful when we moved to our new residence. He had a thorough knowledge of the neighborhood, was
familiar with the roads and the watercourses, knew the qualities of the various soils and what they would produce, and
where the best hunting and ﬁshing were to be had. He was a marvelous hand in the management of horses and dogs.

Question: Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A) To compare the narrator’s reaction to a new home with his wife’s reaction
B) To give an example of Julius’s knowledge about soil
C) To show that the narrator and Julius often hunt and ﬁsh together
D) To explain different ways in which Julius was helpful

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to explain different
ways in which Julius was helpful. The text begins with the narrator stating that Julius was very helpful to him and his wife
when they moved to their new residence. The narrator then provides a list of examples to illustrate Julius’s helpfulness. For
instance, the narrator states that Julius was familiar with the neighborhood’s roads, which suggests that he was helpful in
navigating them, and that Julius helped manage the horses and dogs. The text’s many examples of Julius’s usefulness
reinforce just how helpful he was and in how many different ways.
Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t portray either the narrator’s or his wife’s reaction to their new home. Rather,
the text focuses on how Julius was useful to the narrator and his wife in their new home. Choice B is incorrect. Although the
text states that Julius was knowledgeable about the soil, this is one of several supporting details that illustrate how helpful
Julius was. Moreover, the text merely states that Julius was knowledgeable about soil; it doesn’t provide an example of that
knowledge. Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest the frequency with which the narrator and
Julius hunted and ﬁshed together. In fact, it’s unclear from the text whether the narrator and Julius hunted and ﬁshed
together at all. The text merely indicates that Julius knew the best places to hunt and ﬁsh—a detail that supports the text’s
main purpose by conveying Julius’s usefulness.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
A member of the Cherokee Nation, Mary Golda Ross is renowned for her contributions to NASA’s Planetary Flight Handbook,
which ______ detailed mathematical guidance for missions to Mars and Venus.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) provided
B) having provided
C) to provide
D) providing

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of ﬁnite verbs in a relative clause. Relative clauses, such
as the one beginning with “which,” require a ﬁnite verb, a verb that can function as the main verb of a clause. This choice
correctly supplies the clause with the ﬁnite past tense verb “provided.”
Choice B is incorrect because the non-ﬁnite participle “having provided” doesn’t supply the clause with a ﬁnite verb. Choice C
is incorrect because the non-ﬁnite to-inﬁnitive “to provide” doesn’t supply the clause with a ﬁnite verb. Choice D is incorrect
because the non-ﬁnite participle “providing” doesn’t supply the clause with a ﬁnite verb.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Using satellite remote sensing, Dr. Catherine Nakalembe, director of NASA’s Harvest Africa initiative, gathers important data
on crop health. Nakalembe doesn’t just compile the ______ she also shares her ﬁndings with African farmers, enabling them
to make data-driven decisions about managing critical food crops.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) information, though;
B) information, though,
C) information; though
D) information though,

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer. This choice uses a semicolon to join two independent clauses ("Nakalembe doesn’t just…
though" and "she also shares..."). This choice also appropriately includes "though" in the ﬁrst clause, where it logically
belongs.
Choice B is incorrect. This choice results in a grammar error called a comma splice. It incorrectly joins two independent
clauses with only a comma instead of a comma and a coordinating conjunction like "and" or "but." "Though" is a transition
word, but it’s not a coordinating conjunction. Choice C is incorrect. This choice results in a punctuation error. A semicolon
can only be used to link two independent clauses. However, if "though" is included in the second clause, it turns the second
clause into a dependent clause, so a semicolon can’t be used after "information." Choice D is incorrect. This choice results in
a grammar error called a comma splice. It incorrectly joins two independent clauses with only a comma instead of a comma
and a coordinating conjunction like "and" or "but."

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Osage Nation citizen Randy Tinker-Smith produced and directed the ballet Wahzhazhe, which vividly chronicles Osage history
and culture. Telling Osage stories through ballet is ______ choice because two of the foremost ballet dancers of the twentieth
century were Osage: sisters Maria and Marjorie Tallchief.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) a suitable
B) a determined
C) an arbitrary
D) an unpredictable

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer. “Suitable” means “appropriate for a particular purpose.” Since the text indicates that two of the
best ballet dancers of the twentieth century were Osage, we can infer that the author believes that ballet is a very suitable
artform for telling Osage stories.
Choice B is incorrect. The text never suggests that Tinker-Smith’s choice was determined. That would imply that Tinker-
Smith initially faced some kind of obstacle or opposition, and nothing like that is mentioned in the passage. Choice C is
incorrect. The text implies the opposite of this. “Arbitrary” means “based on random choice or whim rather than reason.” But
the text does give us a good reason behind the choice to tell Osage stories through ballet: two of the best ballet dancers of
the twentieth century were Osage. Choice D is incorrect. The text never suggests that Tinker-Smith’s choice was
“unpredictable.” Rather, the fact that two of the best ballet dancers of the twentieth century were Osage makes ballet
especially appropriate for telling Osage stories.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
Using NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Mercedes López-Morales and colleagues measured the
wavelengths of light traveling through the atmosphere of WASP-39b, an exoplanet, or planet outside our solar system.
Different molecules absorb different wavelengths of light, and the wavelength measurements showed the presence of
carbon dioxide (CO₂) in WASP-39b’s atmosphere. This ﬁnding not only offers the ﬁrst decisive evidence of CO₂ in the
atmosphere of an exoplanet but also illustrates the potential for future scientiﬁc breakthroughs held by the JWST.

Question: Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
A) It discusses a method used by some researchers, then states why an alternative method is superior to it.
B) It describes how researchers made a scientiﬁc discovery, then explains the importance of that discovery.
C) It outlines the steps taken in a scientiﬁc study, then presents a hypothesis based on that study.
D) It examines how a group of scientists reached a conclusion, then shows how other scientists have challenged that

Answer: B

Rationale: Choice B is the best answer. The text begins by describing how the researchers used the JWST to detect CO₂ in WASP-39b’s
atmosphere. Then the text discusses the signiﬁcance of this ﬁnding, both as the ﬁrst evidence of CO₂ in an exoplanet’s
atmosphere and as an illustration of the JWST’s potential for making new discoveries in general.
Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t compare two different methods, but rather focuses on one study that used the JWST.
Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t present a hypothesis, but rather reports on the ﬁndings of a study. Choice D is
incorrect. The text doesn’t mention any scientists challenging the conclusion reached by López-Morales and colleagues.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
As British scientist Peter Whibberley has observed, “the Earth is not a very good timekeeper.” Earth’s slightly irregular rotation
rate means that measurements of time must be periodically adjusted. Speciﬁcally, an extra “leap second” (the 86,401st
second of the day) is ______ time based on the planet’s rotation lags a full nine-tenths of a second behind time kept by
precise atomic clocks.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) added, whenever
B) added; whenever
C) added. Whenever
D) added whenever

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between a verb and a preposition. When, as in this
case, a verb (“is added”) is immediately followed by a preposition (“whenever”), no punctuation is needed.
Choice A is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the verb and the preposition. Choice B is incorrect because
no punctuation is needed between the verb and the preposition. Choice C is incorrect because no punctuation is needed
between the verb and the preposition.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Rejecting the premise that the literary magazine Ebony and Topaz (1927) should present a uniﬁed vision of Black American
identity, editor Charles S. Johnson fostered his contributors’ diverse perspectives by promoting their authorial autonomy.
Johnson’s self-effacement diverged from the editorial stances of W.E.B. Du Bois and Alain Locke, whose decisions for their
publications were more ______.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) proﬁcient
B) dogmatic
C) ambiguous
D) unpretentious

Answer: B

Rationale: Choice B is the best answer. A person who is "dogmatic" believes strongly that their principles and opinions are true.
Because Du Bois and Locke are implied to have one "uniﬁed vision" of Black American identity that they prioritize over the
"diverse perspectives" of different writers, they can be described as dogmatic.
Choice A is incorrect. "Proﬁcient" means "skilled." Du Bois and Locke are contrasted with Johnson, but nothing in the text
suggests that Johnson was not skilled at making editorial decisions. Based on the text, the three editors just have different
styles; they’re not necessarily more or less skilled. Choice C is incorrect. "Ambiguous" means "unclear" or "open to multiple
interpretations." However, it’s actually Johnson who encouraged multiple interpretations ("diverse perspectives"). Since Du
Bois and Locke are said to "diverge" from Johnson, we can assume that the views they published were not ambiguous, but
instead clear and ﬁrm (a "uniﬁed vision"). Choice D is incorrect. "Unpretentious" means "not trying to impress others with
greater skill or importance than is actually possessed." Du Bois and Locke are contrasted with Johnson, but nothing in the
text suggests that Johnson is pretentious (trying to impress others).

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
Emperor Ashoka ruled the Maurya Empire in South Asia from roughly 270 to 232 BCE. He is known for enforcing a moral
code called the Law of Piety, which established the sanctity of animal ______ the just treatment of the elderly, and the
abolition of the slave trade.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) life
B) life;
C) life:
D) life,

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. Notice that "the sanctity of animal life" is the ﬁrst item in a list of three things. We must use a
comma to separate the ﬁrst two items in the list, just as a comma is used to separate "the just treatment of the elderly" and
"the abolition of the slave trade."
Choice A is incorrect. This choice creates a punctuation error. Notice that "the sanctity of animal life" is the ﬁrst item in a list
of three things. To appropriately format the list, we need punctuation to separate each item. Choice B is incorrect. This
choice creates a punctuation error. Notice that "the sanctity of animal life" is the ﬁrst item in a list of three things. While
semicolons are sometimes used to separate list items, this list uses commas to separate the other list items, and lists must
use the same punctuation throughout. Choice C is incorrect. This choice creates a punctuation error. Notice that "the
sanctity of animal life" is the ﬁrst item in a list of three things. While colons can be used to introduce lists, they can’t be used
to separate items within a list.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
The following text is adapted from Jane Austen’s 1814 novel Mansﬁeld Park. The speaker, Tom, is considering staging a play
at home with a group of his friends and family.
We mean nothing but a little amusement among ourselves, just to vary the scene, and exercise our powers in something
new. We want no audience, no publicity. We may be trusted, I think, in choosing some play most perfectly unexceptionable;
and I can conceive no greater harm or danger to any of us in conversing in the elegant written language of some
respectable author than in chattering in words of our own.

Question: Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A) To offer Tom’s assurance that the play will be inoffensive and involve only a small number of people
B) To clarify that the play will not be performed in the manner Tom had originally intended
C) To elaborate on the idea that the people around Tom lack the skills to successfully stage a play
D) To assert that Tom believes the group performing the play will be able to successfully promote it

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately portrays the main purpose of the text. At the beginning of the text,
Tom asserts that he and the other people staging the play are doing so only for “a little amusement among ourselves” and
aren’t interested in attracting an audience or any attention with the production. Then, Tom promises that the play they chose
is modest and appropriate, and he further reasons that using the well-written prose of “some respectable author” is better
than using their own words. Overall, the main purpose of the text is to convey Tom’s promise that the play will be inoffensive
and involve only a few people.
Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t indicate that Tom had earlier intentions for the play’s performance or that
anything has changed since the group ﬁrst decided to stage a play. Instead, the text focuses on how harmless the entire
endeavor will be. Choice C is incorrect. Although Tom mentions that using the words of a “respectable author” will be better
than using their own words, he never addresses the idea that the people around him generally aren’t skilled enough to stage
a play. Choice D is incorrect because in the text Tom speciﬁcally says that they “want no audience, no publicity,” which
indicates that they don’t plan on promoting the play at all.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
To humans, it does not appear that the golden orb-weaver spider uses camouﬂage to capture its ______ the brightly colored
arachnid seems to wait conspicuously in the center of its large circular web for insects to approach. Researcher Po Peng of
the University of Melbourne has explained that the spider’s distinctive coloration may in fact be part of its appeal.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) prey, rather,
B) prey rather,
C) prey, rather;
D) prey; rather,

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the coordination of main clauses within a sentence. The
semicolon is correctly used to join the ﬁrst main clause (“To humans…prey”) and the second main clause (“rather…
approach”). Further, the comma after the adverb “rather” is correctly used to separate the adverb from the main clause (“the
brightly…approach”) it modiﬁes, logically indicating that the information in this clause (how the spider’s behavior appears to
humans) is contrary to the information in the previous clause (how the spider’s behavior does not appear to humans).
Choice A is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. Without a conjunction following it, a comma can’t be used in this
way to join two main clauses. Choice B is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. The two main clauses are fused
without appropriate punctuation and/or a conjunction. Choice C is incorrect. Placing the comma between the ﬁrst main
clause “To humans…prey” and the adverb “rather” illogically indicates that the information in the ﬁrst main clause is contrary
to what came before, which doesn’t make sense in this context.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
In Death Valley National Park’s Racetrack Playa, a ﬂat, dry lakebed, are 162 rocks—some weighing less than a pound but
others almost 700 pounds—that move periodically from place to place, seemingly of their own volition. Racetrack-like trails
in the ______ mysterious migration.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) playas sediment mark the rock’s
B) playa’s sediment mark the rocks
C) playa’s sediment mark the rocks’
D) playas’ sediment mark the rocks’

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural and possessive nouns. The singular possessive
noun “playa’s” and the plural possessive noun “rocks’” correctly indicate that the sediment is that of one playa (the Racetrack
Playa) and that there are multiple rocks that have mysteriously migrated across the sediment.
Choice A is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun “playa’s” and the plural possessive noun
“rocks’,” not the plural noun “playas” and the singular possessive noun “rock’s.” Choice B is incorrect because the context
requires the plural possessive noun “rocks’,” not the plural noun “rocks.” Choice D is incorrect because the context requires
the singular possessive noun “playa’s,” not the plural possessive noun “playas’.”

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
The following text is adapted from Paul Laurence Dunbar’s 1902 novel The Sport of the Gods. Joe and some of his family
members have recently moved to New York City.
[Joe] was wild with enthusiasm and with a desire to be a part of all that the metropolis meant. In the evening he saw the
young fellows passing by dressed in their spruce clothes, and he wondered with a sort of envy where they could be
going. Back home there had been no place much worth going to, except church and one or two people’s houses.

Question: Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A) It illustrates a character’s reaction to a new environment.
B) It explains why a character has traveled to a city.
C) It compares a character’s thoughts about an event at two different times of day.
D) It presents a character feeling regret over leaving home.

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The narrator describes how
Joe responds to being in “the metropolis”: he’s excited and “wild with enthusiasm.” He also envies the young fellows who
walk by because, dressed as they are, they look as if they have somewhere special to go. The text contrasts this new place
with the place Joe comes from, where apparently there wasn’t as much to do. Thus, the main purpose of the text is to
illustrate Joe’s reaction to a new environment.
Choice B is incorrect because the text makes no reference to why Joe has moved. The narrator indicates that Joe is
enthusiastic about being in a city, but there’s no explanation provided for the move. Choice C is incorrect because the text
makes no reference to how Joe thinks about an event. The narrator describes young men passing by in the evening and then
recalls places worth going to at home—church and a few people’s houses—but there’s no explicit comparison made nor is a
time of day mentioned for these events back home. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t support the idea that Joe
feels regret over leaving home. Instead, Joe is described as “wild with enthusiasm” at being in the city. Joe’s home is
mentioned, but only to compare it unfavorably with the city.

Difficulty: Medium | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
In 1990, California native and researcher Ellen Ochoa left her position as chief of the Intelligent Systems Technology Branch
at a NASA research center ______ the space agency’s astronaut training program.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) to join
B) is joining
C) joined
D) joins

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of nonﬁnite verb forms in a sentence. The nonﬁnite to-
inﬁnitive verb "to join" is correctly used to form a subordinate clause that expresses why Ochoa left her position (to join the
training program).
Choice B is incorrect because the ﬁnite verb "is joining" can’t be used in this way to indicate Ochoa’s action of joining the
training program. A conjunction such as "and" would be needed to coordinate "is joining" with the previous ﬁnite verb, "left."
Choice C is incorrect because the ﬁnite verb "joined" can’t be used in this way to indicate Ochoa’s action of joining the
training program. A conjunction such as "and" would be needed to coordinate "joined" with the previous ﬁnite verb, "left."
Choice D is incorrect because the ﬁnite verb "joins" can’t be used in this way to indicate Ochoa’s action of joining the training
program. A conjunction such as "and" would be needed to coordinate "joins" with the previous ﬁnite verb, "left."

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Researcher Lin Zhi developed a process for increasing the tensile strength—measured in gigapascals, or GPa—of silkworm
______ dissolving and reweaving the silk in a solution of iron metal ions, zinc, and sugar, Zhi increased the amount of force
required to stretch it from approximately 0.5 GPa to 2 GPa.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) silk, by
B) silk by
C) silk and by
D) silk. By

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The independent clauses "researcher Lin Zhi…silk" and "by dissolving…2 GPa" can be
grammatically separated by a period. They can stand alone as sentences, and this is the only choice that lets them do that.
Choice A is incorrect. This choice results in a grammar error called a comma splice. "Researcher Lin Zhi…silk" and "by
dissolving…2 GPa" are both independent clauses. They need to either be separated with punctuation like a period or a
semicolon, or they need to be connected by a comma and a coordinating conjunction like "and." A comma alone isn’t
enough. Choice B is incorrect. This choice results in a grammar error called a run-on sentence. "Researcher Lin Zhi…silk" and
"by dissolving…2 GPa" are both independent clauses. They need to either be separated with punctuation like a period or a
semicolon, or they need to be connected by a comma and a coordinating conjunction like "and." Choice C is incorrect. This
choice results in a grammar error called a run-on sentence. "Researcher Lin Zhi…silk" and "by dissolving…2 GPa" are both
independent clauses. The coordinating conjunction "and" isn’t enough to link them by itself. We need a comma, too.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Researcher Haesung Jung led a 2020 study showing that individual acts of kindness can ______ prosocial behavior across a
larger group. Jung and her team found that bystanders who witness a helpful act become more likely to offer help to
someone else, and in doing so, can inspire still others to act.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) require
B) remember
C) foster
D) discourage

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jung and her team’s study of acts
of kindness. In this context, “foster” means encourage or promote the development of. The text indicates that Jung and her
team found that seeing a helpful (or prosocial) act makes a bystander more likely to help someone else, which can in turn
inspire additional people to help others. That is, the team showed that single acts of kindness can foster additional prosocial
acts across a group.
Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Jung and her team found that single acts of kindness
“require,” or depend on or make obligatory, broader prosocial (or helpful) behavior across a group. There’s no suggestion in
the text that individual acts of kindness can only occur if other prosocial acts have already occurred, and the text indicates
only that an act of kindness can inspire additional helpful acts, not that it necessarily will do so. Choice B is incorrect
because the text focuses on a possible direct effect of individual acts of kindness, or single helpful actions, and it wouldn’t
make sense to suggest that actions can “remember,” or hold a memory of, something. Choice D is incorrect because the text
doesn’t indicate that Jung and her team found that single acts of kindness can “discourage,” or hinder, prosocial (or helpful)
behavior across a group. On the contrary, the text states that Jung and her team found that seeing a helpful act makes a
bystander more likely to help someone else, which can in turn inspire even more people to help others.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
Ofelia Zepeda’s contributions to the ﬁeld of linguistics are ______: her many accomplishments include working as a
linguistics professor and bilingual poet, authoring the ﬁrst Tohono O’odham grammar book, and co-founding the American
Indian Language Development Institute.

Question: Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) pragmatic
B) controversial
C) extensive
D) universal

Answer: C

Rationale: Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of how Ofelia Zepeda has contributed
to the ﬁeld of linguistics. As used in this context, “extensive” means having a wide or considerable extent. The text indicates
that Zepeda’s many accomplishments in linguistics are varied, including teaching linguistics, writing poetry in more than one
language, creating a grammar book, and co-founding a language institute. This context supports the idea that Zepeda’s
contributions to the ﬁeld are extensive.
Choice A is incorrect because the sentence presents Zepeda’s accomplishments as examples to support the claim made in
the ﬁrst part of the sentence. It wouldn’t make sense to say that achievements as a professor, poet and author, and co-
founder of a language institute demonstrate that Zepeda’s contributions in her ﬁeld are “pragmatic,” or related to practical
matters and not involving intellectual or artistic matters. Choice B is incorrect because the sentence presents Zepeda’s
accomplishments as a professor, poet and author, and co-founder of a language institute as examples to support the claim
made in the ﬁrst part of the sentence. There’s no reason to believe that the positive achievements listed demonstrate that
Zepeda’s contributions in her ﬁeld are “controversial,” or have caused disputes and opposing viewpoints. Choice D is
incorrect because in this context, “universal” would mean including or covering everything in a group. The sentence presents
Zepeda’s accomplishments as examples to support the claim made in the ﬁrst part of the sentence, and it wouldn’t make
sense to say that these speciﬁc achievements—particularly as the author of a grammar book speciﬁc to the Tohono
O’odham language—demonstrate that Zepeda’s contributions relate to everything in the ﬁeld of linguistics.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure
A group of ecologists led by Axel Mithöfer at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany examined the
defensive responses of two varieties of the sweet potato ______ TN57, which is known for its insect resistance, and TN66,
which is much more susceptible to pests.

Question: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) plant.
B) plant;
C) plant
D) plant:

Answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a main clause and a supplementary
phrase. In this choice, a colon is correctly used to mark the boundary between the main clause (“A group…plant”) and the
supplementary element (“TN57…pests”) and to introduce the following elaboration on the speciﬁc varieties of sweet potato
plants that were examined.
Choice A is incorrect because it results in a rhetorically unacceptable sentence fragment beginning with “TN57.”  Choice B is
incorrect because a semicolon can’t be used in this way to join the main clause (“A group…plant”) and the supplementary
element (“TN57…pests”). A semicolon is conventionally used to join two main clauses, whereas a colon is conventionally
used to introduce an element that explains or ampliﬁes the information in the preceding clause. Choice C is incorrect
because it fails to mark the boundary between the main clause (“A group...plant”) and the supplementary element
(“TN57...pests”) with appropriate punctuation.

Difficulty: Hard | Domain: Standard_English_Conventions
Historians Tiya Miles and Roy E. Finkenbine have both documented the assistance Indigenous peoples gave to Black
freedom seekers leaving the South before the US Civil War. Much of the historical evidence of this help comes from
Indigenous oral traditions and from autobiographies written by the freedom seekers. One such narrative is Jermain Loguen’s
autobiography, which tells about how Neshnabé (Potawatomi) villagers offered him food, lodging, and directions during his
1835 journey from Tennessee to Canada.

Question: Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence?
A) It provides an example of an autobiography that describes help given by an Indigenous people to a Black freedom seeker.
B) It shows why Loguen decided to write in great detail about his experiences traveling from Tennessee to Canada in his
autobiography.
C) It argues that autobiographies are particularly important sources of information about geography in the United States
before the Civil War.
D) It suggests that most historians believe that Neshnabé villagers were more successful in assisting freedom seekers than

Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the best answer. The previous sentence broadly mentions "autobiographies written by the freedom seekers." This
sentence identiﬁes Loguen’s autobiography as a speciﬁc example.
Choice B is incorrect. The sentence never explains why Loguen chose to write about his experiences. Choice C is incorrect.
The previous sentence identiﬁes autobiographies as useful sources of historical information about a speciﬁc topic, but not
for "information about geography." The underlined sentence provides details of one autobiography as an example of a source
of information about that speciﬁc topic (interactions between Indigenous people and Black freedom seekers). Choice D is
incorrect. The text never discusses other speciﬁc people who helped freedom seekers, and therefore can’t make a
comparison between the Neshnabé and anyone else.

Difficulty: Easy | Domain: Craft_and_Structure