JUNIORS: IT’S TIME TO GET READY!!! I CAN HELP!

        

 (BEFORE) 

(AFTER)

 

 If you are looking for the answer to the practice question, please keep scrolling down.

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THE FINAL WORD ON “SUPERSCORING”

I get this question all the time. Which universities superscore? Different universities have different policies on this. Go here to get the details: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/sat-score-use-practices-list.pdf

PRACTICE QUESTION 9/9/10

Running towards the official, the official looked at me like I was some sort of madman.

	A.	Running towards the official, the official looked at me like I was some sort of madman.
	B.	The official looked at me running toward him like a madman.
	C.	Running toward me, the official looked at me like I was some sort of madman.
	D.	Running toward the official, the official looks at me like I am some sort of madman.
	E.	I was running toward the official and he was looking at me like I was being a madman.

When a sentence begins with a dependent clause, it must be followed immediately by the subject of that dependent clause. For example, if a sentence begins, “After a long trek up the mountain. . .,” the next word would need to be the subject of that clause, which, in this case, would perhaps be “the hiker,” or “the climber.”

The sentence in question begins with a dependent clause, the subject of which is “I,” not “the official.” Does any of the choices above make that correction? (C) and (D) have the same problem as (A). That narrows it down to (B) and (E). (E) is overly wordy, especially the phrase “I was being.” That leaves us with (B). The answer is (B).

source:  proprofs.com

PRACTICE QUESTION 8/26/10

If Sam can do a job in 4 days that Lisa can do in 6 days and Tom can do in 2 days, how long would the job take if Sam, Lisa, and Tom worked together to complete it?

A. 0.8 days
B. 1.09 days
C. 1.23 days
D. 1.65 days
E. 1.97 days

source:  testpreppreview.com

From the information given, it can be concluded that: Sam can do 1/4 of the job in one day, Lisa can do 1/6 of the job in one day, and Tom can do 1/2 of the job in one day. In one day, if they work together they can complete 11/12(1/4+1/6+1/2) of the job. To finish the other 1/12 of the job, it will take 1/11 of the second day, because 1/11 times 11/12 is equal to the other 1/12 necessary to complete the job. If they worked together, it would take 1 1/11 days. The answer is (B).

PRACTICE QUESTION 8/13/10

There is great unevenness in his later plays; there are moments of the greatest ____ in the midst of great ____.

A. lucidity – enlightenment
B. frivolity – triteness
C. insight – banality
D. obscurity – ambivalence
E. profundity – wisdom

If a writing is “uneven” then it is inconsistent. The two missing words are therefore going to be in opposition to one another. Let’s look at the word pairs and see which ones we can eliminate on that basis alone:  “lucidity” and “enlightenment” pretty much mean the same thing, so do “frivolity” and “triteness”, as well as (to a certain extent) “profundity” and “wisdom.” This leaves us with choices (C) and (D). “Obscurity” and “ambivalence” don’t really have any kind of relationship to each other; they’re “apples and oranges,” so to speak. This leaves us with (C):  occasionally the writing displayed insight, but it also had a lof of banality (which means “trite” or “devoid of freshness.” The answer is (C).

source:  majortests.com

PQOTD 7/29/10

In circle O, central angle AOB measures 72 degrees. The radius of the circle is r. The perimeter of sector AOB consists of line segments AO and BO and arc AB. Which expression gives the perimeter of sector AOB in terms of r?

(A)  (π + 10) · r / 5
(B)  (π + 8 ) · r / 4
(C)  (π + 6) · r / 3
(D)  (π + 2) · r / 5
(E)  (2π + 10) · r / 5

If the radius of the circle is r, then the circumference is 2πr. The angle AOB measures 72 degrees, which is 1/5 of the total degrees in a circle. Therefore, the measure of arc AB is 2πr/5. The perimeter of the whole section, then, would be 2πr/5 + 2r. If you work it through, you’ll find that the answer is (E).

 

source:  crushthetest.com

PQOTD 7/19/10

The driver needs to ________ his anger before someone becomes a victim of road rage.

(a) ameliorate
(b) protract
(c) embrace
(d) venerate
(e) escalate

Here again we have a sentence completion question that is doing nothing other than testing your vocabulary. We know we’re looking for a word that has something to do with easing or lessening. If you know the definitions of these words, it’s an easy question. If you don’t, it’s not. If you go to a dictionary, you’ll see that (A) is the only choice that fits. I’ll let you l0ok up these words on your own! The answer is (A).

source:  collegeapps.about.com

PQOTD 5/27/10

A wheel has a diameter of x inches and a second wheel has a diameter of y inches. The first wheel covers a distance of d feet in 100 revolutions. How many revolutions does the second wheel make in covering d feet?

A. 100xy
B. 100y – x
C. 100x – y
D. 100y / x
E. 100x/y

A wheel with a diameter of x inches covers a distance of d feet in 100 revolutions. This can be expressed in the following equation:  d=100x. The second wheel, with a diameter of y inches, covers the same distance, i.e. 100x. So 100x = ?y. Using simple algebra, ? = 100x/y. The answer is (E).

Source:  majortests.com

PQOTD 5/20/10

To register as a free member, the individual has to complete a long questionnaire where a _______ of personal information has to be _______.
	A. plethora..divulged  B. calumny..concealed  C. phenomena..publicized  D. dearth..disclosed  E. penury..delineated

 If it is a long questionnaire, then it must be asking for a significant amount of personal information. The first blank needs to have something to do with a large quantity. The only word that fits that requirement is “plethora.” “Divulged” also works for the second blank. The purpose of any questionnaire is to get one to divulge information. By the way, notice the first word in (C):  “phenomena.” The indefinite article “a” precedes the first blank, so the word following “a” must be singular. “Phenomena” is the plural form of “phenomenon.” The answer is (A).

source:  syvum.com

PQOTD 5/14/10

 

The most important bit of information here, besides the fact the AC = 6, is the fact that the exterior angle measures 150°. This means that angle ACB measures 30° (remember, a straight line has an angle measure of 180°). Since this is a right triangle, and one of the other angles measures 90°, we know that other angle measures 60° (because a triangle always has a total of 180°). This is a 30-60-90 triangle. In a 30-60-90 triangle, the ratio of the lengths of the sides is always 1::√3::2. AC, which measures 6, is the longest side. AB is the shortest side. The longest side of a 30-60-90 triangle is always twice the length of the shortest side. Half of 6 is 3. The answer is (B).

source:  charlottemathtutor.com

PQOTD 5/13/10

What is the value of (x + y)(x + y) if xy = -3 and x² + y² = 10?

A.      1          B.       2             C.      3            D.      4               E.   5

First we have to use the FOIL method for multiplying binomials.  

Using that, (x + y)(x + y) becomes x² + 2xy + y².

If x² + y² = 10, and xy = -3,

then (x² + y²) + 2(xy) = 10 + 2(-3),

or 10 – 6, which is 4.

The answer is (D).

source:  math.rice.edu

PQOTD 5/7/10

Identify the error, if any, in the following sentence.

After you have written_A a definition in your vocabulary notebook, add a few_B ways to use the word or_C a sentence to illustrate it’s_D meaning. No error_E

One of the most common errors students of mine have made is confusing “its” and “it’s.” We learned in grade school that an apostrophe is used to indicate possession. So when “its” is possessive, the temptation is to use “it’s.” “It’s”, of course, is actually a contraction of “it is,” whereas “its” is the possessive. The answer is (D).

source: majortests.com

PQOTD 5/6/10

Looking up from the base of the mountain, the trail seemed more treacherous than it really was.

(A) Looking up

(B) While looking up

(C) By looking up

(D) Viewing

(E) Viewed

As written, this sentence would suggest that the trail was looking up from the base of the mountain. Now, this could perhaps work as a metaphor in a poem, but it doesn’t work for an SAT Improving Sentences question. When a sentence begins with a dependent clause, the first word after the comma must be the subject of that clause. Here, however, the first two words of the independent clause are underlined, so we can’t make that change. Which choice will fix this problem? The only one that fixes the problem is (E). The answer is (E). 

source:  ochs.orecity.k12.or.us

PQOTD 5/3/10

It is astonishing to see such extraordinary results from a mere _______.
	A.  epicure  B.  connoisseur  C.  glutton  D.  confidant  E.   tyro

First of all, an epicure is one who delights in earthly pleasures. A connoisseur is an expert in something. A glutton is one who overindulges, especially in eating. A confidant is someone you can confide in. By default, the only one that works is tyro, which comes from the Latin tiro, which means “young soldier.” It also can mean “novice,” or “beginner.”  I had never heard this word before doing this question, but I knew the answer because I was able to easily eliminate all of the other choices. The answer is (E).

source:  http://www.syvum.com

PQOTD 4/29/10

Line l contains the points (3,1) and (4,4).
If line m is a different line, parallel to line l in the same coordinate plane, which of the following could be the equation of line m?

A. y = 3x – 8
B. y = 1/3x – 3
C. y = -3x – 8
D. y = 3x + 1
E. y = -8x + 3

Knowing the slope formula will help tremendously here. We can determine the slope of line l by plugging in the coordinates of the two points given:

(4-1)/(4-3), which equals 3.

The equation of a line is y = mx + b, in which m is the slope. We know, then, that either (A) or (D) has to be correct. We also know that line m is a different line from line l. If you plug in the the coordinates for the equation in choice (A), you’ll see that this is the exact equation for line l. The equation for line m must therefore be the one in choice (D). The answer is (D).

source:  majortests.com