Question ID ca50de52

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: ca50de52
“How lifelike are they?” Many computer animators prioritize this question as they strive to create ever more realistic
environments and lighting. Generally, while characters in computer-animated films appear highly exaggerated, environments
and lighting are carefully engineered to mimic reality. But some animators, such as Pixar’s Sanjay Patel, are focused on a
different question. Rather than asking first whether the environments and lighting they’re creating are convincingly lifelike,
Patel and others are asking whether these elements reflect their films’ unique stories.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined question in the text as a whole?

A. It reflects a primary goal that many computer animators have for certain components of the animations they produce.

It represents a concern of computer animators who are more interested in creating unique backgrounds and lighting
B. effects than realistic ones.

It conveys the uncertainty among many computer animators about how to create realistic animations using current
C. technology.

D. It illustrates a reaction that audiences typically have to the appearance of characters created by computer animators.

ID: ca50de52 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the function of the underlined question in the text as a
whole. The text begins with the underlined question, “How lifelike are they?” The text then explains that many computer
animators pose this question about the environments and lighting that they create for animated films, striving for realistic
animation of those components even if the characters themselves aren’t portrayed in realistic terms. The focus of the text
then shifts to describe how some animators strive to create environments and lighting that reflect the film’s unique stories
rather than making them appear realistic. Therefore, the function of the underlined question is to reflect a primary goal that
many computer animators have for certain components of the animations they produce.

Choice B is incorrect because, as the text makes clear, the underlined question is one posed by computer animators who
wish to create realistic backgrounds and lighting effects, not by those who, instead, wish to create effects that reflect films’
unique stories and aren’t necessarily realistic; this latter group of animators is discussed later in the text. Choice C is
incorrect. As the text explains, many computer animators strive for realistic environments and lighting, while others do not;
this difference of approach relates to whether these components should be realistic, not to how realism can be achieved
using current technology, and the text never suggests that animators are uncertain how to achieve it. Choice D is incorrect
because the underlined question pertains to the perspective of computer animators, not the audience, and the text never
considers audience’s reactions to characters in animated films.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 82cb7dda
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 82cb7dda
The field of study called affective neuroscience seeks instinctive, physiological causes for feelings such as pleasure or
displeasure. Because these sensations are linked to a chemical component (for example, the release of the neurotransmitter
dopamine in the brain when one receives or expects a reward), they can be said to have a partly physiological basis. These
processes have been described in mammals, but Jingnan Huang and his colleagues have recently observed that some
behaviors of honeybees (such as foraging) are also motivated by a dopamine-based signaling process.

What choice best describes the main purpose of the text?

A. It describes an experimental method of measuring the strength of physiological responses in humans.

B. It illustrates processes by which certain insects can express how they are feeling.

It summarizes a finding suggesting that some mechanisms in the brains of certain insects resemble mechanisms in
C. mammalian brains.

It presents research showing that certain insects and mammals behave similarly when there is a possibility of a reward
D. for their actions.

ID: 82cb7dda Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to summarize a
finding suggesting that some mechanisms in the brains of certain insects resemble mechanisms in mammalian brains. The
text begins by explaining that feelings such as pleasure and displeasure are linked to chemical processes in the brain, such
as the release of dopamine when one receives a reward. The text then indicates that such processes have been seen in
mammals but that researchers have recently observed similar processes involving dopamine in honeybees. Taken together,
this information serves to sum up the discovery that some mechanisms in the brains of certain insects may resemble
mechanisms linked to feelings such as pleasure and displeasure in mammals.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t describe any experiments or experimental methods. Instead, the text
describes a phenomenon that has been observed in mammals and then presents the recent observations of Huang and
colleagues that this phenomenon is also seen in honeybees. Choice B is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to
suggest that certain insects can express how they’re feeling through particular processes. The text does indicate that certain
honeybee behaviors such as foraging are linked to dopamine, but it doesn’t suggest that these behaviors enable honeybees
to communicate feelings or sensations. Choice D is incorrect because the text presents research showing that certain
honeybee behaviors such as foraging are linked to dopamine and therefore may be motivated by similar mechanisms to
those in mammalian brains, not that honeybees and mammals behave similarly when there is the possibility of reward for
their actions.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID c966ad55
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: c966ad55
The following text is from Srimati Svarna Kumari Devi’s 1894 novel The Fatal Garland (translated by A. Christina Albers in
1910). Shakti is walking near a riverbank that she visited frequently during her childhood.

She crossed the woods she knew so well. The trees seemed to extend their branches like welcoming arms. They
greeted her as an old friend. Soon she reached the river-side.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A. It suggests that Shakti feels uncomfortable near the river.

B. It indicates that Shakti has lost her sense of direction in the woods.

C. It emphasizes Shakti’s sense of belonging in the landscape.

D. It conveys Shakti’s appreciation for her long-term friendships.

ID: c966ad55 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a
whole. The first sentence of the text states that Shakti knows the woods she is walking in well. The next sentence, which is
underlined, emphasizes Shakti’s familiarity with, and sense of security within, the woods by describing how the tree branches
are friendly and “welcoming,” as they are depicted as extending open arms to her. The remainder of the text also shows that
Shakti is comfortable and content in the woods by describing her as “an old friend” of the trees. Thus, the function of the
underlined portion is to emphasize Shakti’s sense of belonging in the wooded landscape that she visits.

Choice A is incorrect because the text and underlined portion suggest that Shakti is comfortable, not uncomfortable, in her
surroundings: the trees around her are described as welcoming and reassuring. Moreover, the underlined portion discusses
Shakti’s feelings in the forest, not the river, since she hasn’t reached the river yet. Choice B is incorrect because the text and
underlined portion emphasize Shakti’s familiarity with the woods. The trees are inviting, and she feels like “an old friend” to
the woods, so she isn’t lost or confused there. Choice D is incorrect because the third sentence uses the phrase “as an old
friend” figuratively in reference to Shakti’s sense of familiarity with the landscape, not in reference to her long-standing
friendships with other people, and the text and underlined portion never discuss her feelings about such friendships.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 2af2016f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 2af2016f
A study by Dr. Paul Hanel and colleagues concluded that people are more likely to behave politely when listening to ideas
they disagree with if they think about values before they engage in a discussion. Study participants were assigned to one of
two groups. The experimental group spent a few minutes writing about one of their personal values before they had a group
discussion on a controversial topic. And the control group spent a few minutes writing about a drink (tea, milk, etc.) before
their group discussion on that topic. Hanel and colleagues found that the experimental group’s discussion was more civil
than the control group’s discussion was.

Which choice best describes the main purpose of the text?

A. To describe a widely held belief and how a study’s results support that belief

B. To argue that researchers were surprised by the results of a certain study

C. To suggest ways to improve a certain study’s experimental design

D. To explain a study’s conclusion and how a research team arrived at that conclusion

ID: 2af2016f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to explain a study’s
conclusion and how researchers involved in the study arrived at that conclusion. The text begins by summarizing the main
conclusion of the study conducted by Paul Hanel and colleagues: when confronted with ideas they disagree with in
discussions about controversial topics, people are more likely to respond politely if they think about their personal values
before engaging in such discussions. The text then goes on to describe the design of Hanel and colleagues’ experiment. By
comparing interactions between members of an experimental group (who had been prompted to write about their personal
values beforehand) to those between members of a control group (who had been prompted to write about a beverage), the
team found that people in the experimental group behaved more civilly, or politely, than people in the control group did during
discussions about a controversial topic. This finding led to the conclusion described at the beginning of the text.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text discusses the results of a study, it doesn’t provide any indication that the conclusion
the study supported—that when facing disagreement, people behave more politely when they have thought about their
values—is a belief that is widely held. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t indicate that the researchers found the
results of their study to be surprising, or contrary to what they expected. In fact, there’s no indication provided in the text
about how the researchers felt about the study’s results or that the results should be considered surprising. Choice C is
incorrect. Although the text discusses the experimental design of a study, it doesn’t suggest any improvements to that
design; instead, it focuses on how the design enabled the researchers to draw a particular conclusion.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b13378c8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: b13378c8
Early in the Great Migration of 1910–1970, which involved the mass migration of Black people from the southern to the
northern United States, political activist and Chicago Defender writer Fannie Barrier Williams was instrumental in helping
other Black women establish themselves in the North. Many women hoped for better employment opportunities in the North
because, in the South, they faced much competition for domestic employment and men tended to get agricultural work. To
aid with this transition, Barrier Williams helped secure job placement in the North for many women before they even began
their journey.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

To introduce and illustrate Barrier Williams’s integral role in supporting other Black women as their circumstances
A. changed during part of the Great Migration

To establish that Barrier Williams used her professional connections to arrange employment for other Black women,
B. including jobs with the Chicago Defender

To demonstrate that the factors that motivated the start of the Great Migration were different for Black women than they
C. were for Black men

To provide an overview of the employment challenges faced by Black women in the agricultural and domestic spheres in
D. the southern United States

ID: b13378c8 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the text’s purpose, which is to discuss the important role
Barrier Williams played in supporting many other Black women as they relocated to the northern United States during the
early years of the Great Migration. After introducing Barrier Williams, the text describes how she helped find jobs for other
Black women, who in many cases relocated in search of better employment prospects than the South could offer at the time.
The text indicates that by doing so, she eased these women’s transition as their circumstances changed.

Choice B is incorrect. Although the text mentions Barrier Williams’s work as a political activist and writer for the Chicago
Defender, it doesn’t discuss any professional connections she made in these roles or indicate that she used any such
connections in her work to secure employment for other Black women. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text discusses a
factor that caused many women to relocate during the Great Migration, their difficulty finding employment in the South, the
text doesn’t indicate that this factor motivated the start of the Great Migration. Moreover, the text doesn’t discuss the factors
that motivated Black men to migrate. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text mentions the difficult employment prospects
for Black women in the domestic and agricultural sectors in the South during the Great Migration, the text’s main purpose
isn’t to provide an overview of the employment challenges Black women faced in these sectors. Rather, it provides this
information to show that Barrier Williams played a crucial role in supporting many Black women who relocated to the North
by helping them achieve one of their main goals, securing a job.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d4732483
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: d4732483
Studying late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century artifacts from an agricultural and domestic site in Texas, archaeologist
Ayana O. Flewellen found that Black women employed as farm workers utilized hook-and-eye closures to fasten their clothes
at the waist, giving themselves a silhouette similar to the one that was popular in contemporary fashion and typically
achieved through more restrictive garments such as corsets. Flewellen argues that this sartorial practice shows that these
women balanced hegemonic ideals of femininity with the requirements of their physically demanding occupation.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

To describe an unexpected discovery that altered a researcher’s view of how rapidly fashions among Black female
A. farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Texas changed during the period

To discuss research that investigated the ways in which Black female farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early
B. twentieth-century Texas used fashion practices to resist traditional gender ideals

To evaluate a scholarly work that offers explanations for the impact of urban fashion ideals on Black female farmworkers
C. in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Texas

To summarize the findings of a study that explored factors influencing a fashion practice among Black female
D. farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Texas

ID: d4732483 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The text provides an overview of a scholarly work discussing the fashion practices of Black
female farmworkers in late 19th- and early 20th-century Texas, and how these practices were influenced by both the fashion
ideals of the time and the demands of farmwork.

Choice A is incorrect. The text never discusses the rate of fashion change among Black female farmworkers. The text also
never categorizes Flewellen’s findings as "unexpected." Choice B is incorrect. The text actually explains that Black female
farmworkers were trying to achieve traditional feminine ideals, not resist them. Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t
evaluate a scholarly work but rather simply describes it. Furthermore, the text is focused on "agricultural and domestic"
fashion, not urban fashion as this choice suggests.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d9915c15
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: d9915c15
In 2020, rap artist and professor A.D. Carson published the first peer-reviewed rap album about his experiences with Black
masculinity called “i used to love to dream.” Typically in peer review, experts evaluate scholarly articles prior to publication.
For Carson’s album, dubbed a “mixtap/e/ssay,” peer review involved both scholars and rap artists. In combining elements of
a mixtape album with scholarly essays that connect Carson’s lyrics to historical and contemporary contexts for listeners
both inside and outside academia, Carson’s album helped redefine how scholarship is created and shared.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To compare the relative public impact of scholarly articles and albums

B. To capture one scholar’s opinion of a new rap album

C. To explain why a certain rap album is particularly innovative

D. To describe how each step of the peer review process unfolds

ID: d9915c15 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it best describes the main purpose of the text, which is to explain why a certain rap
album is particularly innovative. The text mentions rap artist and professor A.D. Carson, who published "the first peer-
reviewed rap album." The text also describes the unusual process of having the work evaluated by both scholars and rap
artists before its release, and details how the album combines elements of a mixtape album with elements of scholarly
essays. All of these characteristics of the album and the way in which it was developed help to demonstrate the album’s
novelty.

Choice A is incorrect because though the text mentions an album that combines elements of scholarly essays and mixtapes,
it does not compare the relative public impact of scholarly articles and albums. Choice B is incorrect because the text does
not present the opinion of a scholar regarding the rap album. Choice D is incorrect because though the text mentions that
the album was peer reviewed, it does not detail the steps of the review.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e818241b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: e818241b
Astronomers are confident that the star Betelgeuse will eventually consume all the helium in its core and explode in a
supernova. They are much less confident, however, about when this will happen, since that depends on internal
characteristics of Betelgeuse that are largely unknown. Astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance and colleagues recently
investigated whether acoustic waves in the star could be used to determine internal stellar states but concluded that this
method could not sufficiently reveal Betelgeuse’s internal characteristics to allow its evolutionary state to be firmly fixed.

Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the overall structure of the text?

A. It describes a serious limitation of the method used by Nance and colleagues.

B. It presents the central finding reported by Nance and colleagues.

C. It identifies the problem that Nance and colleagues attempted to solve but did not.

D. It explains how the work of Nance and colleagues was received by others in the field.

ID: e818241b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it best describes how the second sentence functions in the text as a whole. The first
sentence establishes something astronomers believe with some certainty: that Betelgeuse will explode in a supernova. The
second sentence then introduces a problem: astronomers aren’t certain when Betelgeuse will explode because they don’t
have enough information about the star’s internal characteristics. Finally, the third sentence indicates that researcher
Sarafina El-Badry Nance and colleagues investigated a possible method of obtaining the necessary information about
Betelgeuse’s internal characteristics, though they found that the method wouldn’t be sufficient. Thus, the function of the
second sentence is to identify the problem that Nance and colleagues attempted to solve but didn’t.

Choice A is incorrect because the second sentence introduces the general problem Nance and colleagues hoped to solve,
not a serious limitation of how Nance and colleagues tried to solve it. It is the third sentence that introduces Nance and
colleagues, but no serious limitation of their approach to studying a method of determining internal stellar states is
described. Choice B is incorrect because the second sentence introduces the general problem Nance and colleagues hoped
to solve, not the central finding they ultimately reported. It is the third sentence that presents Nance and colleagues’
conclusion that a potential method for determining internal stellar states would be insufficient. Choice D is incorrect
because the second sentence doesn’t indicate how other astronomers or astrophysicists responded to the work done by
Nance and colleagues; the text doesn’t address this information at all.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 236fee8e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 236fee8e
Archeological excavation of Market Street Chinatown, a nineteenth-century Chinese American community in San Jose,
California, provided the first evidence that Asian food products were imported to the United States in the 1800s: bones from
a freshwater fish species native to Southeast Asia. Jinshanzhuang—Hong Kong–based import/export firms—likely
coordinated the fish’s transport from Chinese-operated fisheries in Vietnam and Malaysia to North American markets. This
route reveals the (often overlooked) multinational dimensions of the trade networks linking Chinese diaspora communities.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

It explains why efforts to determine the country of origin of the items mentioned in the previous sentence remain
A. inconclusive.

It provides information that helps support a claim about a discovery’s significance that is presented in the following
B. sentence.

C. It traces the steps that were taken to locate and recover the objects that are described in the previous sentence.

D. It outlines a hypothesis that additional evidence discussed in the following sentence casts some doubt on.

ID: 236fee8e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The underlined sentence provides information about import/export firms, showing how Chinese
communities across the world were connected by trade routes.

Choice A is incorrect. The underlined sentence never suggests that the countries of origin of the fish are in question—in fact,
it tells us exactly where they came from. Choice C is incorrect. The passage never describes the steps taken to discover the
fish bones described in the previous sentence. Choice D is incorrect. The underlined sentence doesn’t outline a hypothesis
but instead provides evidence. And the following sentence agrees with the underlined sentence, so we could eliminate this
choice just for saying that the following sentence "casts some doubt on" the underlined one—partly wrong is all wrong.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID eaea6f8f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: eaea6f8f
Ordinary soap bubbles usually exist for a minute or less before popping due to either a rupture forced by gravity-induced
drainage or the evaporation of the liquid from which the bubble is composed. But physicist Aymeric Roux and colleagues
discovered ways to mitigate these factors, resulting in bubbles that can last for a year or more. For example, glycerol tends
to adhere to water molecules, so a bubble with a shell that contains both water and glycerol is able to draw additional water
molecules from the surrounding air and thereby compensate for evaporation.

Which choice best states the purpose of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

It describes the effects of a process devised by researchers that increases the longevity of an object discussed in the
A. text.

B. It details the circumstances that prompted the research discussed in the text.

C. It presents a reason why the phenomenon discussed in the text that the researchers wanted to avoid will inevitably occur.

D. It mentions a method discussed in the text that researchers intend to test in future experiments.

ID: eaea6f8f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it describes how the underlined portion of the sentence functions in the text as a
whole. The text begins by discussing ordinary soap bubbles, objects that usually exist for less than a minute before popping
due to either evaporation or gravity-induced drainage. The text then goes on to mention work by researchers Aymeric Roux
and colleagues, who have discovered how to increase the longevity of bubbles by altering their chemical composition.
Finally, the underlined portion of the text describes how this process works: since the bubble contains both water and
glycerol, it can draw water molecules from the surrounding air to replace those lost to evaporation. Therefore, the underlined
portion of the sentence describes the effects of a process devised by researchers that increases the longevity of an object
described in the text.

Choice B is incorrect because the circumstance that prompted the research is discussed in the first sentence of the text, not
the underlined portion. Choice C is incorrect because the underlined portion of the text does not address why soap bubbles
must eventually rupture. Rather, it explains how the longevity of soap bubbles can be extended. Choice D is incorrect
because the underlined portion of the text does not mention any future experiments.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 7d8224f9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 7d8224f9
In 1154, Muhammad al-Idrisi completed a collection of maps of the lands known to medieval Arabic and European scholars.
This collection was titled Al-Kitāb al-Rujārī (The Book of Roger), after the Norman king Roger II who hired him to create it. To
create the collection, al-Idrisi consulted Arabic and Greek maps and interviewed travelers about the lands they visited. He
included these travelers’ stories alongside the map illustrations.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To discuss the benefits of studying mapmaking

B. To explain how travelers created maps

C. To describe a collection of medieval maps and how it was created

D. To compare medieval Arabic and Greek mapmaking techniques

ID: 7d8224f9 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately states the main purpose of the text, which is to describe a collection
of medieval maps and how it was created. The text begins by mentioning Muhammad al-Idrisi’s collection of maps of lands
known to medieval Arabic and European scholars. It then states that the Norman king Roger II hired al-Idrisi to create the
collection and details al-Idrisi’s methods of creation: consulting Arabic and Greek maps and interviewing travelers. In short,
the text presents a collection of medieval maps and then goes on to describe how that collection came to be.

Choice A is incorrect because the text describes a collection of maps and the process of creating that collection but does
not discuss the benefits of studying mapmaking in general. Choice B is incorrect because though the text mentions that al-
Idrisi interviewed travelers, the text does not describe how those travelers created maps. Choice D is incorrect because
though the text mentions that al-Idrisi consulted Arabic and Greek maps, the text does not offer a comparison of Arabic and
Greek mapmaking techniques.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 2903a041
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 2903a041
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.

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.

It examines how a group of scientists reached a conclusion, then shows how other scientists have challenged that
D. conclusion.

ID: 2903a041 Answer

Correct 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.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 066a3295
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 066a3295
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.

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.

ID: 066a3295 Answer

Correct 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.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID ac9a3a26
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: ac9a3a26
According to historian Vicki L. Ruiz, Mexican American women made crucial contributions to the labor movement during
World War II. At the time, food processing companies entered into contracts to supply United States armed forces with
canned goods. Increased production quotas conferred greater bargaining power on the companies’ employees, many of
whom were Mexican American women: employees insisted on more favorable benefits, and employers, who were anxious to
fulfill the contracts, complied. Thus, labor activism became a platform for Mexican American women to assert their agency.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A. It elaborates on a claim about labor relations in a particular industry made earlier in the text.

B. It offers an example of a trend in the World War II–era economy discussed earlier in the text.

C. It notes a possible exception to the historical narrative of labor activism sketched earlier in the text.

D. It provides further details about the identities of the workers discussed earlier in the text.

ID: ac9a3a26 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a whole. The text
says that the increased production quotas of food processing companies during World War II enabled employees to make
better bargains in exchange for their labor. The underlined portion presents an example of this increased bargaining power:
employees requested more favorable benefits, and employers complied because they were under pressure to fulfill the
demanding terms of their contracts. Thus, the underlined portion of the text elaborates on a claim about labor relations in a
particular industry (food processing) made earlier in the text.

Choice B is incorrect because there is no indication in the text that the economic factors that influenced food processing
also influenced other parts of the economy; thus, the bargaining described in the underlined portion of the text cannot be
called an example of a trend. Choice C is incorrect because the underlined portion supports the historical narrative of labor
activism in food processing that is sketched in the text, instead of noting an exception to that narrative. Choice D is incorrect
because while the underlined portion does discuss the demands that workers made in exchange for their labor, it does not
discuss the identities of the workers.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 03c9f327
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 03c9f327
The following text is from Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel Jane Eyre. Jane, the narrator, works as a governess at Thornfield
Hall.
I went on with my day’s business tranquilly; but ever and anon vague suggestions kept wandering across my brain of
reasons why I should quit Thornfield; and I kept involuntarily framing advertisements and pondering conjectures about
new situations: these thoughts I did not think to check; they might germinate and bear fruit if they could.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To convey a contrast between Jane’s outward calmness and internal restlessness

B. To emphasize Jane’s loyalty to the people she works for at Thornfield Hall

C. To demonstrate that Jane finds her situation both challenging and deeply fulfilling

D. To describe Jane’s determination to secure employment outside of Thornfield Hall

ID: 03c9f327 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to show that while
Jane calmly goes about her daily tasks, she is experiencing internal agitation about possibly seeking a new job. At the start
of the text, Jane says, “I went on with my day’s business tranquilly,” indicating that she is outwardly calm. This outward
calmness is then contrasted with her intense internal restlessness, as Jane says that thoughts of leaving her job keep
running through her mind, that she is “involuntarily framing advertisements” (meaning that she can’t stop herself from
thinking up potential listings for jobs), and that she often wonders what new “situations” (or jobs) would be like.

Choice B is incorrect because the text gives no indication of Jane’s feelings, either positive or negative, about the people she
works for at Thornfield Hall. And rather than emphasizing that Jane feels particularly loyal to her employers, the text focuses
on her constant consideration of leaving her job. Choice C is incorrect because the text gives no indication that Jane finds
her current situation fulfilling, or satisfying. Given that much of the text is focused on Jane’s thoughts about possibly leaving
her job for a new one, it might be the case that she finds her situation challenging, but there is no evidence in the text that
Jane also finds that situation satisfying—she says nothing positive about her current job at all, in fact. Choice D is incorrect
because the text describes Jane as wondering about getting a new job, not as determined to definitely do so. Jane keeps
thinking about reasons why she “should” quit her current job (indicating that she hasn’t yet decided to) and imagining
possible new situations she could find, but she says at the end of the text that these thoughts “might germinate and bear
fruit if they could,” meaning that the thoughts haven’t yet led to a decision—that Jane isn’t yet determined to get a new job
somewhere else.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 47598085
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 47598085
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.

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.

ID: 47598085 Answer

Correct 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.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b0f7541b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: b0f7541b
The following text is adapted from Herman Melville’s 1857 novel The Confidence-Man. Humphry Davy was a prominent
British chemist and inventor.

Years ago, a grave American savant, being in London, observed at an evening party there, a certain coxcombical fellow,
as he thought, an absurd ribbon in his lapel, and full of smart [banter], whisking about to the admiration of as many as
were disposed to admire. Great was the savant’s disdain; but, chancing ere long to find himself in a corner with the
jackanapes, got into conversation with him, when he was somewhat ill-prepared for the good sense of the jackanapes,
but was altogether thrown aback, upon subsequently being [informed that he was] no less a personage than Sir
Humphry Davy.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. It portrays the thoughts of a character who is embarrassed about his own behavior.

B. It presents an account of a misunderstanding.

C. It offers a short history of how a person came to be famous.

D. It explains why one character dislikes another.

ID: b0f7541b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The text tells a story of a first impression that turned out to be wrong: a serious American
savant was dismissive of a goofy-looking, wisecracking guest at a British party, and then was shocked to learn that the guest
was actually a prominent British chemist and inventor.

Choice A is incorrect. This is too strong and too narrow. Only at the very end is the savant "thrown aback" by the fact that the
man was Sir Humphry Davy—he’s not "embarrassed about his own behavior." Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the main
purpose. The text never provides the history of how Sir Humphry Davy came to be famous. Nor does it provide any history for
the American savant. Choice D is incorrect. This is too narrow. It doesn’t include the second half of the text, where the savant
gets into a conversation with the man and then finds out that the man is Sir Humphry Davy.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4c4db685
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 4c4db685
On painter William H. Johnson’s return to the United States in 1938 after a decade in Europe, his style underwent an abrupt
transformation. Turning away from landscapes painted in an expressionist style—a style that often involves using fluid,
distorted shapes and thick, textured brushstrokes to express the artist’s subjective experience of reality—Johnson began
painting portraits of Black Americans in a bold new way. Evocative of African sculpture and American and Scandinavian folk
art, these portraits feature flat, deliberately oversimplified figures in a vibrant but limited color palette.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It elaborates on the previous sentence’s statement about a transitional moment in Johnson’s artistic career.

It provides information about Johnson’s travels in support of a claim about his artistic influences, which is advanced in
B. the following sentence.

It recounts a moment in Johnson’s personal life that enabled the success of his subsequent career, which is summarized
C. in the following sentence.

D. It presents evidence that calls into question the previous sentence’s characterization of Johnson’s artistic development.

ID: 4c4db685 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a
whole. The first sentence of the text indicates that Johnson returned to the US in 1938 at which time his painting style
suddenly changed. The second sentence is underlined and gives more detail about this stylistic change, noting that his
earlier work consisted largely of landscapes in an expressionist style and his new works were highly stylized portraits of
Black Americans. In other words, the function of the underlined sentence is to elaborate on a transitional moment in
Johnson’s painting career.

Choice B is incorrect. Although the text does mention that Johnson spent a decade in Europe, it does not discuss what other
travel Johnson might have done. Furthermore, although the text mentions African, American, and Scandinavian artistic
elements in Johnson’s work, it does not indicate that he traveled to different locations to learn about these practices. Choice
C is incorrect because the text does not focus on Johnson’s personal life nor does it address how successful his career was
in general. Choice D is incorrect because, rather than call it into question, the underlined sentence continues the discussion
of Johnson’s career by adding further relevant detail of Johnson’s artistic transformation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID cf46f239
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: cf46f239
The following text is adapted from Herman Melville’s 1855 novel Israel Potter. Israel is a young man wandering through New
England during the late eighteenth century.

He hired himself out for three months; at the end of that time to receive for his wages two hundred acres of land lying in
New Hampshire. [...] His employer proving false to the contract in the matter of the land, and there being no law in the
country to force him to fulfil it, Israel—who, however brave-hearted, and even much of a dare-devil upon a pinch, seems
nevertheless to have evinced, throughout many parts of his career, a singular patience and mildness—was obliged to
look round for other means of livelihood than clearing out a farm for himself in the wilderness.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

It implies that Israel treasures a particular characteristic of his personality when that characteristic should usually be
A. regarded as a flaw.

It suggests that if not for a certain aspect of his character, Israel might not have been as easily thwarted in his ambition
B. to establish a farm.

It shows why Israel would not have been able to undertake the enormous amount of labor necessary to run a farm even if
C. he had owned the necessary property.

It explains why, when the situation requires it, Israel is able to undertake courageous acts that others would generally
D. avoid.

ID: cf46f239 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole. The text
describes the failed attempt of Israel Potter to establish a farm in New England during the late eighteenth century: according
to his contract, he was to receive two hundred acres in exchange for three months’ work, but his employer then refused to
fulfill the bargain and Israel had no recourse to law to obtain the land he was owed. Israel was therefore forced to find
another means of supporting himself. To explain why Israel was particularly susceptible to his employer’s dishonesty, the
underlined portion states that though Israel was "brave-hearted, and even much of a dare-devil upon a pinch," he also
possessed "a singular patience and mildness." In other words, Israel could be courageous in certain circumstances, but he
was usually meek and disinclined to argument, from which it is reasonable to infer that Israel was often taken advantage of.
Thus, the underlined portion suggests that if not for a certain aspect of his character, Israel might not have been as easily
thwarted in his ambition to establish a farm.

Choice A is incorrect because although the underlined portion describes aspects of Israel’s personality, it does not address
how he feels about his own personality. Choice C is incorrect because the underlined portion addresses Israel’s occasional
courage and frequent meekness but does not address whether he would have the skills and resolve necessary to operate a
farm if he owned sufficient property. Choice D is incorrect. Though the underlined portion does indicate that Israel could be
courageous in certain circumstances, it does not say that he undertook acts of courage that others avoided, but rather that
he was habitually meek. Even if the underlined portion did say that Israel was more courageous than most, this would not
explain why he found himself under the circumstances described in the text—that is, as a consequence of his meek nature,
cheated of the property to which he had a right.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 617a8a10
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 617a8a10
Very little is known about the role nocturnal insects, such as moths, play in flower pollination because it is difficult to monitor
insects at night. To address this problem, a team of scientists used time-lapse cameras to record pollinator visits to red
clover all day and night. The recordings showed that while most pollinator visits were by bumblebees, one-third of visits were
by moths. Additionally, flowers that were visited by both moths and bees produced more seeds than flowers that were only
visited by bees.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence?

A. To describe an approach a team of scientists used to study pollinators

B. To question a claim scientists make about pollinators

C. To explain why moths prefer red clover to other flowers

D. To announce an unexpected research finding about red clover

ID: 617a8a10 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the function of the underlined sentence. The sentence
indicates that scientists used time-lapse photography during both day and night to detect pollinators visiting red clover.
Therefore, the underlined sentence has the function of describing an approach scientists used in the pollinator study
discussed in the text.

Choice B is incorrect because the underlined sentence discusses equipment the scientists used to conduct their study, and
the text provides nothing to suggest these elements of their experimental design could, by themselves, question claims
resulting from the study. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in either the underlined sentence or the rest of the text
addresses whether moths have a preference for red clover or any other flowers. Choice D is incorrect. Although the
sentences that follow the underlined sentence discuss research findings, nothing in the text suggests that these findings
were unexpected. Moreover, the underlined sentence describes part of the scientists’ experimental design (day and night
time-lapse photography), not a finding of the scientists’ study.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e13171c4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: e13171c4
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.

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.

It shows why Loguen decided to write in great detail about his experiences traveling from Tennessee to Canada in his
B. autobiography.

It argues that autobiographies are particularly important sources of information about geography in the United States
C. before the Civil War.

It suggests that most historians believe that Neshnabé villagers were more successful in assisting freedom seekers than
D. other people were.

ID: e13171c4 Answer

Correct 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.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID df46a2ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: df46a2ee
The following text is from Joseph Conrad’s 1907 novel The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale. Mr. Verloc is navigating the London
streets on his way to a meeting.
Before reaching Knightsbridge, Mr. Verloc took a turn to the left out of the busy main thoroughfare, uproarious with the traffic
of swaying omnibuses and trotting vans, in the almost silent, swift flow of hansoms [horse-drawn carriages]. Under his hat,
worn with a slight backward tilt, his hair had been carefully brushed into respectful sleekness; for his business was with an
Embassy. And Mr. Verloc, steady like a rock—a soft kind of rock—marched now along a street which could with every
propriety be described as private.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined phrase in the text as a whole?

A. It qualifies an earlier description of Mr. Verloc.

B. It emphasizes an internal struggle Mr. Verloc experiences.

C. It contrasts Mr. Verloc with his surroundings.

D. It reveals a private opinion Mr. Verloc holds.

ID: df46a2ee Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The underline phrase qualifies (meaning adds limits or conditions to) the description of Mr.
Verloc as “steady like a rock,” adding that he is a “soft” rock.

Choice B is incorrect. In fact, the passage never mentions Mr. Verloc experiencing any internal struggles. Choice C is
incorrect. The underlined phrase doesn’t contrast Mr. Verloc with his surroundings, but is instead modifying the description
of him as a rock. Choice D is incorrect. The underlined phrase doesn’t reveal a private opinion Mr. Verloc holds: instead, it
further describes his character for the reader.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ff97fd53
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: ff97fd53
In 1973, poet Miguel Algarín started inviting other writers who, like him, were Nuyorican—a term for New Yorkers of Puerto
Rican heritage—to gather in his apartment to present their work. The gatherings were so well attended that Algarín soon had
to rent space in a cafe to accommodate them. Thus, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe was born. Moving to a permanent location in
1981, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe expanded its original scope beyond the written word, hosting art exhibitions and musical
performances as well. Half a century since its inception, it continues to foster emerging Nuyorican talent.

Which choice best describes the overall purpose of the text?

A. To explain what motivated Algarín to found the Nuyorican Poets Cafe

B. To situate the Nuyorican Poets Cafe within the cultural life of New York as a whole

C. To discuss why the Nuyorican Poets Cafe expanded its scope to include art and music

D. To provide an overview of the founding and mission of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe

ID: ff97fd53 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The text presents a brief history of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, from how it got started in the ’70s,
to its expansion in the ’80s, to its ongoing mission today.

Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the overall purpose. The text never mentions Algarín’s motivations. Choice B is incorrect. This
isn’t the overall purpose. The text never discusses the cultural life of New York as a whole. Choice C is incorrect. This is too
narrow. One sentence mentions that the Nuyorican Poets Cafe expanded its scope to include art and music, but this is only
one point in the broader history of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, which is the overall focus of the text.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c61a7c4a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: c61a7c4a
Some studies have suggested that posture can influence cognition, but we should not overstate this phenomenon. A case in
point: In a 2014 study, Megan O’Brien and Alaa Ahmed had subjects stand or sit while making risky simulated economic
decisions. Standing is more physically unstable and cognitively demanding than sitting; accordingly, O’Brien and Ahmed
hypothesized that standing subjects would display more risk aversion during the decision-making tasks than sitting subjects
did, since they would want to avoid further feelings of discomfort and complicated risk evaluations. But O’Brien and Ahmed
actually found no difference in the groups’ performance.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

It argues that research findings about the effects of posture on cognition are often misunderstood, as in the case of
A. O’Brien and Ahmed’s study.

It presents the study by O’Brien and Ahmed to critique the methods and results reported in previous studies of the effects
B. of posture on cognition.

It explains a significant problem in the emerging understanding of posture’s effects on cognition and how O’Brien and
C. Ahmed tried to solve that problem.

It discusses the study by O’Brien and Ahmed to illustrate why caution is needed when making claims about the effects of
D. posture on cognition.

ID: c61a7c4a Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The text notes that although
some studies have suggested that posture may have an effect on cognition, this phenomenon should not be overstated. In
other words, the text begins by urging caution and restraint when discussing the effects of posture on cognition, implying
that even though some studies have shown posture to affect cognition, we should not assume that posture always affects
cognition or does so in a strong way. The text goes on to discuss O’Brien and Ahmed’s study as a "case in point" (that is, as
an example of the point made previously). According to the text, O’Brien and Ahmed hypothesized that since standing is
more cognitively demanding than sitting, standing subjects in their experiment would respond differently to decision-making
tasks than sitting subjects would, which would show an effect of posture on cognition. What the researchers actually found,
however, was that the standing and sitting subjects performed the same—posture did not affect cognition. By presenting a
circumstance in which posture does not appear to affect cognition, the discussion of O’Brien and Ahmed’s study shows why
it is important not to overstate the phenomenon. The purpose of the text, therefore, is to discuss O’Brien and Ahmed’s study
to illustrate why caution is needed when making claims about posture’s effects on cognition.

Choice A is incorrect because the text discusses O’Brien and Ahmed’s study as an example of why caution is needed when
discussing posture’s effects on cognition, not as an example of how research findings related to posture and cognition are
often misunderstood. Although the text does warn against misunderstanding the scope of the relationship between posture
and cognition that has been reported in some previous studies, O’Brien and Ahmed’s study is not one of those studies, and
there is no suggestion that anyone has misunderstood O’Brien and Ahmed’s findings. Choice B is incorrect because the text
makes no mention of the methods used in previous studies of the effects of posture on cognition. Although the text does
urge caution when discussing posture’s effects on cognition, it does not critique the results of studies that suggested that
posture can affect cognition. Instead, the text suggests that such results should not be exaggerated or taken too broadly.
Choice C is incorrect because although the text implies that overstating posture’s effects on cognition would be a problem,
nothing in the text suggests that O’Brien and Ahmed share that view or that they attempted to solve that problem. O’Brien
and Ahmed are presented as hypothesizing that posture would affect cognition in their study, not as trying to resolve the
problem the text describes.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID acb852e7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: acb852e7
The following text is from the 1923 poem “Black Finger” by Angelina Weld Grimké, a Black American writer. A cypress is a
type of evergreen tree.
I have just seen a most beautiful thing,
Slim and still,
Against a gold, gold sky,
A straight black cypress,
Sensitive,
Exquisite,
A black finger
Pointing upwards.
Why, beautiful still finger, are you black?
And why are you pointing upwards?

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. The speaker assesses a natural phenomenon, then questions the accuracy of her assessment.

B. The speaker describes a distinctive sight in nature, then ponders what meaning to attribute to that sight.

C. The speaker presents an outdoor scene, then considers a human behavior occurring within that scene.

D. The speaker examines her surroundings, then speculates about their influence on her emotional state.

ID: acb852e7 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes the overall structure of the text. First, the speaker
describes observing a “most beautiful” sight: a tree (“black cypress”) standing out from the golden sky behind it, looking like
a person’s finger “pointing upwards” and appearing “sensitive” and “exquisite.” Then the speaker wonders about the image’s
meaning, asking why the finger is black and why it’s pointing upward. Thus, the text moves from the speaker’s description of
a distinctive sight in nature to her pondering about what meaning to attribute to that sight.

Choice A is incorrect because the speaker assesses a natural sight—a “black cypress” tree standing “against a gold, gold
sky” like a pointed finger—but doesn’t question the accuracy of her own assessment. Although she wonders why the finger,
which is really a tree, is black and why it’s pointing, the speaker doesn’t suggest that her belief that the tree resembles a
finger is wrong. Choice C is incorrect. Although the speaker describes seeing a “black cypress” tree standing “against a gold,
gold sky” like a pointed finger, she wonders about that natural image (asking why the finger, which is really a tree, is black
and why it’s pointing) and doesn’t give any indication that any people are present in the scene. Choice D is incorrect.
Although the speaker examines and wonders about one thing in her surroundings—a “black cypress” tree standing “against a
gold, gold sky” like a pointed finger—she doesn’t address her own emotional state or consider how it’s affected by her
surroundings.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID aa5897b8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: aa5897b8
In Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park, an almost imperceptible smile from potential suitor Henry Crawford causes the
protagonist Fanny Price to blush; her embarrassment grows when she suspects that he is aware of it. This moment—in
which Fanny not only infers Henry’s mental state through his gestures, but also infers that he is drawing inferences about her
mental state—illustrates what literary scholar George Butte calls “deep intersubjectivity,” a technique for representing
interactions between consciousnesses through which Austen’s novels derive much of their social and psychological drama.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

It states a claim about Austen’s skill at representing psychological complexity that is reinforced by an example presented
A. in the following sentence.

It advances an interpretation of an Austen protagonist who is contrasted with protagonists from other Austen novels
B. cited in the following sentence.

It describes a recurring theme in Austen’s novels that is the focus of a literary scholar’s analysis summarized in the
C. following sentence.

It provides a synopsis of an interaction in an Austen novel that illustrates a literary concept discussed in the following
D. sentence.

ID: aa5897b8 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The underlined sentence provides a concrete example to ground readers’ understanding of the
“deep intersubjectivity” described in the next sentence as central to Austen’s work.

Choice A is incorrect. There is no evaluation made of Austen’s skill in this sentence, and no examples are given in the
following sentence. This choice essentially flips the paragraph: it’s this first sentence that provides an example. Choice B is
incorrect. There are no other Austen protagonists mentioned in this passage, so this couldn’t be the answer. Choice C is
incorrect. The underlined sentence doesn’t identify any “recurring theme,” but instead simply describes one interaction from
one book. This interaction exemplifies the literary technique of “deep intersubjectivity” that is introduced in the next
sentence.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9421ed62
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 9421ed62
In 2007, computer scientist Luis von Ahn was working on converting printed books into a digital format. He found that some
words were distorted enough that digital scanners couldn’t recognize them, but most humans could easily read them. Based
on that finding, von Ahn invented a simple security test to keep automated “bots” out of websites. The first version of the
reCAPTCHA test asked users to type one known word and one of the many words scanners couldn’t recognize. Correct
answers proved the users were humans and added data to the book-digitizing project.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To discuss von Ahn’s invention of reCAPTCHA

B. To explain how digital scanners work

C. To call attention to von Ahn’s book-digitizing project

D. To indicate how popular reCAPTCHA is

ID: 9421ed62 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main purpose of the text. After providing a brief
introduction to computer scientist Luis von Ahn, the text focuses on discussing how von Ahn’s digitization work led to the
invention of a digital security test known as reCAPTCHA.

Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t address how digital scanners work. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text
mentions von Ahn’s book-digitizing project, that information is provided as a detail, not as the main purpose of the text.
Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t provide any indication of reCAPTCHA’s popularity; instead, it describes
reCAPTCHA’s origin.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 39857700
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 39857700
The following text is from Edith Wharton’s 1905 novel The House of Mirth. Lily Bart and a companion are walking through a
park.
Lily had no real intimacy with nature, but she had a passion for the appropriate and could be keenly sensitive to a scene
which was the fitting background of her own sensations. The landscape outspread below her seemed an enlargement of
her present mood, and she found something of herself in its calmness, its breadth, its long free reaches. On the nearer
slopes the sugar-maples wavered like pyres of light; lower down was a massing of grey orchards, and here and there the
lingering green of an oak-grove.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It creates a detailed image of the physical setting of the scene.

B. It establishes that a character is experiencing an internal conflict.

C. It makes an assertion that the next sentence then expands on.

D. It illustrates an idea that is introduced in the previous sentence.

ID: 39857700 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The first
sentence of the text establishes that Lily can be “keenly sensitive to” scenes that serve as a “fitting background” for her
feelings—that is, she’s very aware of when a setting seems to reflect her mood. The next sentence, which is underlined, then
demonstrates this awareness: Lily views the landscape she’s in as a large-scale reflection of her current mood, identifying
with elements such as its calmness. Thus, the function of the underlined sentence is to illustrate an idea introduced in the
previous sentence.

Choice A is incorrect because the underlined sentence describes the scene only in very general terms, referring to its
calmness, breadth, and long stretches of land. It’s the next sentence that adds specific details about colors, light, and various
trees nearby. Choice B is incorrect because nothing in the underlined sentence suggests that Lily is experiencing an internal
conflict. In fact, the sentence indicates that Lily thinks the landscape reflects her own feeling of calmness. Choice C is
incorrect because the only assertion in the underlined sentence is that Lily feels that broad aspects of the landscape, such
as its calmness, reflect her current mood, and that assertion isn’t expanded on in the next sentence. Instead, the next
sentence describes specific details of the scene without connecting them to Lily’s feelings.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e929fe98
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: e929fe98
Composer Florence Price won first place for her score Symphony in E Minor at the 1932 Wanamaker Foundation Awards.
The piece was performed the following year by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a significant recognition of its quality.
Price continued to compose many musical pieces throughout her career, blending traditional Black spirituals with classical
European Romantic musical traditions. In recent years, Price’s concertos and symphonies have been performed and
recorded by several major orchestras, further preserving her work for others to enjoy.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To provide examples of Price’s importance as a composer

B. To argue that more major orchestras should perform Price’s compositions

C. To describe the musical styles that inspired many of Price’s symphonies

D. To compare Price’s scores with those of classical European composers

ID: e929fe98 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The text provides an overview of Florence Price’s importance by describing her success at the
1932 Wanamaker Foundation Awards, her blending of Black spirituals and classical European Romantic musical traditions,
and the recent performances and recordings of her concertos and symphonies by major orchestras.

Choice B is incorrect. The text does mention that Price’s compositions have been performed and recorded by major
orchestras, but it doesn’t argue that more orchestras should do so. Choice C is incorrect. The text does mention the blending
of Black spirituals and classical European Romantic musical traditions, but only briefly, as part of a broader overview of
Price’s career. Choice D is incorrect. The text mentions Price’s blending of Black spirituals with classical European Romantic
musical traditions, but it doesn’t directly compare Price’s scores with those of classical European composers.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 2aaee77f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 2aaee77f
Some bird species don’t raise their own chicks. Instead, adult females lay their eggs in other nests, next to another bird
species’ own eggs. Female cuckoos have been seen quickly laying eggs in the nests of other bird species when those birds
are out looking for food. After the eggs hatch, the noncuckoo parents will typically raise the cuckoo chicks as if they were
their own offspring, even if the cuckoos look very different from the other chicks.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It introduces a physical feature of female cuckoos that is described later in the text.

B. It describes the appearance of the cuckoo nests mentioned earlier in the text.

C. It offers a detail about how female cuckoos carry out the behavior discussed in the text.

D. It explains how other birds react to the female cuckoo behavior discussed in the text.

ID: 2aaee77f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The first
two sentences establish that birds of some species don’t raise their own young; instead, they lay their eggs in the nests of
birds of other species. The underlined sentence then states that female cuckoo birds engage in this behavior, having been
observed specifically laying their eggs in other nests while the other birds are out finding food. According to the text, the
cuckoo chicks are then raised by the other birds. Thus, the underlined sentence provides a particular detail about how female
cuckoos carry out the behavior of laying eggs for other birds to raise.

Choice A is incorrect. Rather than mentioning a physical feature of female cuckoos, the underlined sentence introduces a
specific behavior of female cuckoos: laying eggs in the nests of birds of other species when the other birds are away. The
only reference to physical features is the last sentence’s general mention of cuckoo chicks looking different from chicks of
other species. Choice B is incorrect because the underlined sentence refers to the nests of birds other than cuckoos and
doesn’t describe how any nests look, cuckoo or otherwise. Instead, the sentence addresses how female cuckoos use other
birds’ nests. Choice D is incorrect because the underlined sentence describes only female cuckoo behavior (laying eggs in
the nests of birds of other species when the other birds are away); it’s the last sentence of the text that addresses the other
birds’ reaction, indicating that those birds usually raise the cuckoo chicks once they’ve hatched.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f61c22f3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: f61c22f3
Changes to vegetation cover and other human activities influence carbon and nitrogen levels in soil, though how deep these
effects extend is unclear. Hypothesizing that differences in land use lead to differences in carbon and nitrogen levels that are
not restricted to the topsoil layer (0–30 cm deep), Chukwuebuka Okolo and colleagues sampled soils across multiple land-
use types (e.g., grazing land, cropland, forest) within each of several Ethiopian locations. They found, though, that across
land-use types, carbon and nitrogen decreased to comparably low levels beyond depths of 30 cm.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It describes a phenomenon that scientists do not fully understand, explains a research team’s hypothesis about that
A. phenomenon, and then describes a finding that led the team to refine the hypothesis.

It introduces an unresolved scientific question, presents a research team’s hypothesis pertaining to that question, and
B. then describes an observation made by the team that conflicts with that hypothesis.

It discusses a process that scientists are somewhat unclear about, introduces competing hypotheses about that
C. process, and then explains how a research team concluded that one of those hypotheses is likely correct.

It explains a hypothesis that has been the subject of scientific debate, discusses how a research team tested that
D. hypothesis, and then presents data the team collected that validate the hypothesis.

ID: f61c22f3 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes the overall structure of the text. The text begins by
explaining that human activities influence carbon and nitrogen levels in soil, but how deeply these effects are seen in the soil
remains an unresolved question. Next, the text summarizes Okolo and colleagues’ hypothesis regarding this question—
which is that the different effects on carbon and nitrogen levels associated with different types of land use would also be
observed below the topsoil layer—and then briefly explains the methods they used to test this hypothesis. Finally, the text
states that the researchers found that at depths below the topsoil layer, carbon and nitrogen decreased to similarly low
levels across all land-use types, a finding that conflicts with the team’s hypothesis presented earlier in the text. Thus, the text
introduces an unresolved scientific question, presents a research team’s hypothesis pertaining to that question, and then
describes an observation that the team made that conflicted with their hypothesis.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text introduces a phenomenon (the fact that human activities influence carbon and
nitrogen levels in the soil) that isn’t fully understood by scientists and explains a research team’s hypothesis about the
phenomenon, the text doesn’t describe how the team refined their hypothesis when a research finding contradicted it. Choice
C is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss a process at all; rather, it poses an unsolved scientific question and presents
a hypothesis that Okolo and colleagues tested to answer that question. Moreover, the text only describes one hypothesis; it
doesn’t mention any competing hypotheses, nor does it suggest that Okolo’s team was able to determine which hypothesis
was correct. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t begin by presenting a hypothesis that is under scientific debate;
rather, it presents a question that scientists have been unable to answer and then introduces a hypothesis formulated by
Okolo and colleagues. While the text does explain how Okolo’s team tested their hypothesis, the text goes on to say that their
data conflicted with their hypothesis, not that the data validated, or supported, their hypothesis.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2e744883
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 2e744883
Historians have argued that a crucial component of the Civil Rights Movement’s success in the 1960s was the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference’s Citizen Education Program (CEP), which invited promising activists from across the South
to its one-week training sessions in Dorchester, Georgia. Led by experienced organizers such as Dorothy Cotton and Septima
Clark, CEP attendees—more than 7,000 in all—participated in workshops on topics ranging from public speaking to legal
doctrine before returning home and using their newly acquired knowledge to spearhead local civil rights initiatives.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A. It underscores the extent of the CEP’s impact on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

B. It illustrates the CEP organizers’ efforts to educate participants on a wide variety of topics.

It suggests that CEP attendees held a diverse array of opinions about the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s
C. political philosophy.

D. It establishes that criticism of the CEP was limited to a few individuals in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

ID: 2e744883 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a
whole. The first sentence of the text states that the CEP had a positive impact on the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
The next sentence explains that the CEP organized workshops for attendees, who later used the knowledge they gained to
lead civil rights initiatives. And the underlined portion indicates the number of activists—more than 7,000—who participated
in the workshops. Thus, the underlined portion provides a number that underscores the extent of the CEP’s impact on the
Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

Choice B is incorrect. Although the sentence that contains the underlined portion mentions some CEP workshop topics, the
underlined portion itself addresses the number of participants in the CEP workshops, not the number of topics covered.
Choice C is incorrect. Although the underlined portion refers to attendees of the CEP workshops, nothing in the underlined
portion or the text as a whole addresses the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s philosophy or the attendees’
opinions thereof. Choice D is incorrect because neither the underlined portion nor the text as a whole mentions any criticism
of the CEP by members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b4887dae
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: b4887dae
Mathematician Claude Shannon is widely regarded as a foundational figure in information theory. His most important paper,
“A Mathematical Theory of Communication,” published in 1948 when he was employed at Bell Labs, utilized a concept called
a “binary digit” (shortened to “bit”) to measure the amount of information in any signal and determine the fastest rate at
which information could be transmitted while still being reliably decipherable. Robert Gallagher, one of Shannon’s colleagues,
said that the bit was “[Shannon’s] discovery, and from it the whole communications revolution has sprung.”

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It presents a theoretical concept, illustrates how the name of the concept has changed, and shows how the name has
A. entered common usage.

It introduces a respected researcher, describes an aspect of his work, and suggests why the work is historically
B. significant.

It names the company where an important mathematician worked, details the mathematician’s career at the company,
C. and provides an example of the recognition he received there.

D. It mentions a paper, offers a summary of the paper’s findings, and presents a researcher’s commentary on the paper.

ID: b4887dae Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The text starts with a general statement that introduces Shannon, then describes a specific
contribution from one of his papers, then provides a quote that illustrates just how important this contribution was.

Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text only mentions very briefly, in parentheses, that “binary digit”
was shortened to “bit.” It doesn’t go into detail about this name change, and it doesn’t discuss any “common usage” of the
name at all. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. Shannon’s employment at Bell Labs is only mentioned once,
very briefly: the text never goes into detail about his career there, and it never mentions any recognition he received there.
Choice D is incorrect. This is too narrow. Overall, the text is about Shannon’s importance in his field, not just this one paper of
his.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cf9a00e0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: cf9a00e0
Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth. Mary Beth Wilhelm and other astrobiologists search for life, or its
remains, in this harsh place because the desert closely mirrors the extreme environment on Mars. The algae and bacteria
found in Atacama’s driest regions may offer clues about Martian life. By studying how these and other microorganisms
survive such extreme conditions on Earth, Wilhelm’s team hopes to determine whether similar life might have existed on
Mars and to develop the best tools to look for evidence of it.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. To contrast the conditions in the Atacama Desert with those on Mars

B. To explain why many life-forms cannot survive in the Atacama Desert

C. To indicate why astrobiologists choose to conduct research in the Atacama Desert

D. To describe certain limitations to conducting scientific study in the Atacama Desert

ID: cf9a00e0 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a
whole. The first sentence describes a unique location on Earth, the Atacama Desert. The next sentence, which is the
underlined sentence, states that the reason why astrobiologists study life, or its remains, in this unique location is that
Atacama is a harsh environment that closely resembles the extreme environment of Mars. The remainder of the text
explains that the researchers hope their work in Atacama will support inquiry into life on Mars. Thus, the underlined portion
functions mainly to indicate why astrobiologists choose to conduct research in the Atacama Desert.

Choice A is incorrect because to contrast two things means to show the differences between them, and the phrase "closely
mirrors" in the underlined sentence indicates that the extreme environment in the Atacama Desert is similar to, not different
from, that on Mars. This similarity is why, according to the underlined sentence, astrobiologists conduct research in
Atacama. Choice B is incorrect because the underlined sentence doesn’t address forms of life that are unable to survive the
harsh environment of the Atacama Desert. Instead, the underlined sentence explains why astrobiologists study life, or its
remains, in this environment. Choice D is incorrect because the underlined sentence doesn’t suggest that the scientific
research in the Atacama Desert is limited in any way; instead, the sentence explains that the similarity between the
environments of Atacama and Mars is the reason why astrobiologists search for life, or its remains, in Atacama.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3e6ad72d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 3e6ad72d
A study by a team including finance professor Madhu Veeraraghavan suggests that exposure to sunshine during the
workday can lead to overly optimistic behavior. Using data spanning from 1994 to 2010 for a set of US companies, the team
compared over 29,000 annual earnings forecasts to the actual earnings later reported by those companies. The team found
that the greater the exposure to sunshine at work in the two weeks before a manager submitted an earnings forecast, the
more the manager’s forecast exceeded what the company actually earned that year.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?

A. To summarize the results of the team’s analysis

B. To present a specific example that illustrates the study’s findings

C. To explain part of the methodology used in the team’s study

D. To call out a challenge the team faced in conducting its analysis

ID: 3e6ad72d Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The first
sentence presents the implications of Veeraraghavan’s team’s study: sunshine exposure during work hours can cause overly
optimistic behavior. The underlined sentence then describes the data the team consulted and how they were used
(comparing predictions about earnings to what the companies actually earned), and the final sentence presents what the
team found in their examination of the data. Thus, the underlined sentence mainly functions to explain part of the
methodology used in the team’s study.

Choice A is incorrect because the underlined sentence explains in part how the team conducted their analysis of the effect
of sunshine but doesn’t address what the team found; a broad summary is instead given in the other two sentences. Choice
B is incorrect because the underlined sentence doesn’t present any specific examples from the team’s comparisons of
29,000 earnings predictions to actual earnings; it simply explains in part how the team conducted their analysis. Choice D is
incorrect because the underlined sentence simply explains in part how the team conducted their analysis; the text never
mentions any challenges that the team encountered in their study.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5336f2e4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 5336f2e4
The following text is adapted from Zora Neale Hurston’s 1921 short story “John Redding Goes to Sea.” John is a child who
lives in a town in the woods.
Perhaps ten-year-old John was puzzling to the folk there in the Florida woods for he was an imaginative child and fond of
day-dreams. The St. John River flowed a scarce three hundred feet from his back door. On its banks at this point grow
numerous palms, luxuriant magnolias and bay trees. On the bosom of the stream float millions of delicately colored
hyacinths. [John Redding] loved to wander down to the water’s edge, and, casting in dry twigs, watch them sail away down
stream to Jacksonville, the sea, the wide world and [he] wanted to follow them.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It provides an extended description of a location that John likes to visit.

B. It reveals that some residents of John’s town are confused by his behavior.

C. It illustrates the uniqueness of John’s imagination compared to the imaginations of other children.

D. It suggests that John longs to experience a larger life outside the Florida woods.

ID: 5336f2e4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it accurately describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole.
The text establishes that John has a strong imagination and then goes on to describe the St. John River near John’s home in
the Florida woods. The underlined sentence depicts John sending twigs sailing down the river while he imagines them
reaching “Jacksonville, the sea, the wide world,” where he wishes he could follow. This suggests that John longs to expand
his life experiences beyond the Florida woods.

Choice A is incorrect because the second and third sentences of the text provide an extended description of the riverbank
where John likes to go, whereas the underlined sentence describes what John does at that location. Choice B is incorrect
because the first sentence of the text suggests that John’s behavior “was puzzling” to others around him, whereas the
underlined sentence concerns the content of John’s imaginings. Choice C is incorrect because the underlined sentence
elaborates on John’s imagination but doesn’t mention any other children to whom John could be compared.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6f5fc289
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 6f5fc289
The following text is adapted from Charles Dickens’s 1854 novel Hard Times. Coketown is a fictional town in England.
[Coketown] contained several large streets all very like one another, and many small streets still more like one another,
inhabited by people equally like one another, who all went in and out at the same hours, with the same sound upon the same
pavements, to do the same work, and to whom every day was the same as yesterday and tomorrow, and every year the
counterpart of the last and the next.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To emphasize the uniformity of both the town and the people who live there

B. To explain the limited work opportunities available to the town’s residents

C. To reveal how the predictability of the town makes it easy for people lose track of time

D. To argue that the simplicity of life in the town makes it a pleasant place to live

ID: 6f5fc289 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The author describes Coketown as having streets that are all very similar and residents who live
similarly and do the same work. This repetition of similarities emphasizes how everything in Coketown is alike.

Choice B is incorrect. While the text mentions that all the residents “do the same work,” it never explains what that work is or
why everyone does it. Besides, the idea that they all do the same work is just one of several similarities among the
townspeople described in the text. Choice C is incorrect. While the last sentence states that “every day was the same as
yesterday and tomorrow, and every year the counterpart of the last and the next,” it never suggests that people actually “lose
track of time.” This is also too narrow to be the main idea, since time is just one of many aspects of Coketown that the text
describes as always being the same. Choice D is incorrect. The text never mentions whether life is simple in Coketown, and
the town sounds as though it’s probably a pretty dull place to live, rather than a pleasant one.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ea971260
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: ea971260
The following text is adapted from Louisa May Alcott’s 1869 novel An Old-Fashioned Girl. Polly, a teenager, is visiting her
friend Fanny.

Fanny’s friends did not interest Polly much; she was rather afraid of them [because] they seemed so much older and
wiser than herself, even those younger in years. They talked about things of which she knew nothing and when Fanny
tried to explain, she didn’t find them interesting; indeed, some of them rather shocked and puzzled her.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To portray Polly’s reaction to Fanny’s friends

B. To identify the topics Polly talks about with Fanny’s friends

C. To explain how Fanny met some of her friends

D. To illustrate how Fanny’s friends feel about Polly

ID: ea971260 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to show how Polly
reacted to some of Fanny’s other friends. The text describes Polly as being frightened of Fanny’s friends because they
seemed “much older and wiser” to her and elaborates that they “talked about things of which” Polly was unfamiliar,
uninterested, and shocked. Thus, the main purpose of the text is to describe Polly’s impressions of Fanny’s other friends.

Choice B is incorrect because the text does not provide any of the topics Polly discussed with Fanny’s friends, stating only
that Polly found the topics unfamiliar, uninteresting, and shocking. Choice C is incorrect because the text says nothing about
how Fanny and her other friends first met. Choice D is incorrect because the focus of the text is on Polly’s feelings about
Fanny’s other friends, not on the other friends’ feelings about Polly.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 975b0602
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 975b0602
A number of Indigenous politicians have been elected to the United States Congress since 2000 as members of the country’s
two established political parties. In Canada and several Latin American countries, on the other hand, Indigenous people have
formed their own political parties to advance candidates who will advocate for the interests of their communities. This
movement has been particularly successful in Ecuador, where Guadalupe Llori, a member of the Indigenous party known as
Pachakutik, was elected president of the National Assembly in 2021.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To trace the history of an Indigenous political movement and speculate about its future development

B. To argue that Indigenous politicians in the United States should form their own political party

C. To highlight two approaches to achieving political representation for Indigenous people

To consider how Indigenous politicians in the United States have influenced Indigenous politicians in Canada and Latin
D. America

ID: 975b0602 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to illustrate two
approaches that Indigenous politicians have taken to achieve political representation for their communities. The text begins
by explaining that one approach is exemplified by Indigenous politicians in the United States who, in an effort to ensure that
the interests of their communities are represented in government, joined preexisting political parties and were subsequently
elected to Congress. The text goes on to highlight a second approach adopted by Indigenous leaders in Canada and several
Latin American countries: rather than joining established political parties, many Indigenous politicians in these countries
have instead formed their own parties to promote candidates for office who support causes that are important to their
communities.

Choice A is incorrect because the text’s focus is on the contrasting approaches adopted by different Indigenous political
movements in different countries; thus, it isn’t accurate to say that the text traces the history of one political movement.
Moreover, the text only discusses examples from 2000 to 2021, a relatively short period of time; therefore, it provides very
little in the way of discussion of larger historical developments, nor does it make any predictions about how these
movements might continue to develop in the future. Choice B is incorrect because the text never urges Indigenous
politicians in the US to alter their strategy of striving for representation through the established political parties, nor does it
suggest that this strategy is inferior to that of Indigenous politicians in Canada and Latin America, who have formed their
own parties. In fact, the text notes that both strategies have resulted in the election of Indigenous politicians to national
governments. Choice D is incorrect because the text never suggests that Indigenous politicians in the US have influenced
those in Canada and Latin America; instead, it stresses how Indigenous politicians’ approach toward achieving
representation in the US government has differed from the approach Indigenous politicians have taken to achieve
representation in national governments elsewhere in the Americas.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2b085bc6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 2b085bc6
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.

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.

ID: 2b085bc6 Answer

Correct 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.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 213a25d1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 213a25d1
The following text is from Paul Laurence Dunbar’s 1913 poem “The Poet and His Song.”

A song is but a little thing, And yet what joy it is to sing! In hours of toil it gives me zest, And when at eve I long for rest;
When cows come home along the bars, And in the fold I hear the bell, As Night, the shepherd, herds his stars,
I sing my song, and all is well.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To convey how engaging in song makes the speaker feel

B. To compare the speaker to a singing shepherd

C. To portray the speaker’s excitement about farming

D. To describe the pieces of music the speaker enjoys hearing

ID: 213a25d1 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because is accurately states the main purpose of the text. The text begins by declaring that
although a song is "but a little thing," or seemingly insignificant, singing it brings joy and gives the speaker of the text "zest,"
or excitement, in "hours of toil." The remainder of the text explores the idea that as night is falling, singing allows the speaker
to feel that "all is well." Thus, the main purpose of the text is to convey how engaging in song makes the speaker feel.

Choice B is incorrect. Although the text mentions a shepherd, it neither indicates that the shepherd is singing nor does it
compare the shepherd to the speaker. Choice C is incorrect. The text indicates that the speaker works hard, engaging in
"hours of toil," and it can be inferred that the speaker likely lives in a rural area, since cows and a cowbell can be heard
nearby. However, the text does not suggest that the speaker is a farmer or feels excited about farming. Moreover, the
shepherd in the text is not a literal reference to someone who herds sheep but instead a figurative description of the moon
as the shepherd of the stars. Choice D is incorrect because in the text, the speaker is singing a song, not listening to others
sing one. Moreover, the text describes the feelings that the speaker has when singing a song, not the song itself.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c8603ed7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: c8603ed7
San Francisco is known for the colorful murals painted on many of its buildings. The densest collection of murals is found
on Balmy Alley in the Mission District neighborhood. In the 1970s, Latina artists painted vivid scenes of community life on
walls along this block. As the original murals have faded, later generations of artists have painted new ones over them. As a
result, Balmy Alley has become a living showcase of San Francisco’s artistic spirit, with its murals reflecting changes in the
cultural life of the city.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To compare the Balmy Alley murals to other murals in San Francisco

B. To offer an overview of the history and importance of the Balmy Alley murals

C. To urge people to protect the murals of San Francisco from decay

D. To describe the rise of mural painting in San Francisco beginning in the 1970s

ID: c8603ed7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it best states the main purpose of the text. The text begins by briefly stating that San
Francisco is known for its murals, then transitions to a discussion of a single collection of murals, which is found on Balmy
Alley in the city’s Mission District. The text explains that the murals in this area were originally created in the 1970s, then
observes that they have changed over time: as some have faded through the decades, others have been painted in their
place. The text ends by emphasizing that these murals are significant because they reflect San Francisco’s artistic spirit and
cultural life. Therefore, the text provides an overview of the history and importance of the Balmy Alley murals.

Choice A is incorrect. Although it can be inferred from the text that there are murals in other areas of San Francisco besides
Balmy Alley, the text doesn’t specifically discuss murals in other areas or compare the murals of Balmy Alley to those in other
areas. Choice C is incorrect. By observing that some of the murals of Balmy Alley have been replaced due to fading, the text
implies that murals can decay, but it never urges readers to protect this specific collection of murals—or any murals
elsewhere in San Francisco, for that matter. Indeed, by describing the ever-changing murals of Balmy Alley as “a living
showcase of San Francisco’s artistic spirit,” the text emphasizes the positive aspects of the fact that the original Balmy Alley
murals have faded and been replaced with new murals. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t describe the rise of
mural painting in San Francisco generally or note when this occurred. The only historical development of the 1970s
mentioned in the text is the origin of the murals in a specific area of the city: Balmy Alley in the Mission District.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 9c759a09
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 9c759a09
Go forth, my son,
Winged by my heart’s desire!
Great reaches, yet unknown,
Await
For your possession.
I may not, if I would,
Retrace the way with you,
My pilgrimage is through,
The following text is from Georgia Douglas Johnson’s 1922 poem “Benediction.” But life is calling you!

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To express hope that a child will have the same accomplishments as his parent did

B. To suggest that raising a child involves many struggles

C. To warn a child that he will face many challenges throughout his life

D. To encourage a child to embrace the experiences life will offer

ID: 9c759a09 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it accurately states the text’s main purpose. The poem begins with the speaker urging a
child to “go forth” with her encouragement (“my heart’s desire”). The speaker goes on to suggest that new experiences
(“Great reaches, yet unknown”) lie ahead for the son that “life is calling” him to seek out. Thus, the main purpose is to
encourage a child to embrace the experiences available to him in his life.

Choice A is incorrect because the speaker encourages the child to pursue new experiences (“Great reaches”) without
knowing exactly what those experiences will be (“yet unknown”) or suggesting that they should match the speaker’s own
accomplishments. Choice B is incorrect because the speaker focuses on positive possibilities for her son (“Great reaches,
yet unknown”) and her enthusiastic encouragement to embrace those possibilities (“life is calling you!”), while there is no
mention of raising a child or associated struggles. Choice C is incorrect because the speaker frames the possibilities for her
son in a positive light when she says that “great reaches, yet unknown” are waiting for him, and this positive outlook for the
son is consistent throughout the text.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID c7265342
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: c7265342
The following text is from the 1895 poem “Marshlands” by Emily Pauline Johnson, a Kanienkahagen (Mohawk) writer also
known as Tekahionwake.

Among the wild rice in the still lagoon, In monotone the lizard shrills his tune.
The wild goose, homing, seeks a sheltering, Where rushes grow, and oozing lichens cling.
Late cranes with heavy wing, and lazy flight, Sail up the silence with the nearing night.
And like a spirit, swathed in some soft veil, Steals twilight and its shadows o’er the swale.
Hushed lie the sedges, and the vapours creep, Thick, grey and humid, while the marshes sleep.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. It names animal species found in a place, then names plant species there.

B. It sketches a setting by presenting a series of images of nature.

C. It makes an extended comparison of nature to human emotions.

D. It identifies a location, then refers to a person living there.

ID: c7265342 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it best describes the overall structure of the text. The text first establishes the setting, a
"still lagoon," and then goes on to provide more details about the lagoon by presenting several descriptive images of nature,
including a lizard that "shrills his tune," "oozing lichens," and "thick, grey and humid" vapors.

Choice A is incorrect. Instead of simply naming species, the text presents descriptive images of nature; further, instead of
naming animals and then moving on to name plants, the text refers first to a plant ("the wild rice"), then to two animals ("the
lizard," "the wild goose"), then to another plant ("rushes"), and so on. Choice C is incorrect because the text does not draw
any comparison between nature and human emotions; it does not refer to human emotions at all. Choice D is incorrect.
While the text does begin by identifying a specific location, a "still lagoon," it makes no mention of a person living there.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 8963273a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 8963273a
Musician Joni Mitchell, who is also a painter, uses images she creates for her album covers to emphasize ideas expressed in
her music. For the cover of her album Turbulent Indigo (1994), Mitchell painted a striking self-portrait that closely resembles
Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889). The image calls attention to the album’s title song, in which
Mitchell sings about the legacy of the postimpressionist painter. In that song, Mitchell also hints that she feels a strong
artistic connection to Van Gogh—an idea that is reinforced by her imagery on the cover.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. It presents a claim about Mitchell, then gives an example supporting that claim.

B. It discusses Van Gogh’s influence on Mitchell, then considers Mitchell’s influence on other artists.

C. It describes a similarity between two artists, then notes a difference between them.

D. It describes the songs on Turbulent Indigo, then explains how they relate to the album’s cover.

ID: 8963273a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it accurately describes the organization of the elements within the text. The text begins
with the claim that Joni Mitchell’s album covers use images she creates in order to emphasize ideas embedded in her
albums. It then goes on to provide an example of how Mitchell’s self-portrait on the cover of Turbulent Indigo resembles a
painting by Van Gogh, which the text indicates helps emphasize the strong connection Mitchell feels toward Van Gogh, a
connection that is also expressed in the album’s title song.

Choice B is incorrect because there are no references in the text to artists other than Joni Mitchell and Van Gogh. Choice C is
incorrect because there is nothing in the text that calls attention to any similarities or differences between Joni Mitchell and
Van Gogh. Instead, it mentions that Mitchell feels a strong “artistic connection” to Van Gogh. Choice D is incorrect because
the text discusses the cover before referring to any songs, and it only references one song from the album not all the songs.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c4900368
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: c4900368
The following text is from the 1924 poem “Cycle” by D’Arcy McNickle, who was a citizen of the Confederated Salish and
Kootenai Tribes.
There shall be new roads wending,
A new beating of the drum—
Men’s eyes shall have fresh seeing,
Grey lives reprise their span—
But under the new sun’s being,
Completing what night began,
There’ll be the same backs bending,
The same sad feet shall drum—
When this night finds its ending
And day shall have come.....

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To consider how the repetitiveness inherent in human life can be both rewarding and challenging

To question whether activities completed at one time of day are more memorable than those completed at another time
B. of day

C. To refute the idea that joy is a more commonly experienced emotion than sadness is

D. To demonstrate how the experiences of individuals relate to the experiences of their communities

ID: c4900368 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it accurately states the main purpose of the text. The text begins by discussing the
promise of the future, with positive references to renewal such as “new roads,” “new beating of the drum,” and “fresh seeing.”
But with the “new sun,” the text continues, there will still be “the same backs bending” and “the same sad feet” drumming,
indicating that these difficulties will follow people into this new day. The poem thus considers both the rewards and
challenges associated with the repetitiveness of human life.

Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t say anything about how memorable activities are, let alone compare the
memorability of activities completed at different times of the day. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text contrasts hope
with difficulty, it does not compare the relative frequency of joyful feelings with that of sad feelings. Choice D is incorrect
because the text makes no distinction between the experiences of individuals and the experiences of their communities.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a68239ed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: a68239ed
The following text is adapted from Oscar Wilde’s 1897 nonfiction work De Profundis.

People whose desire is solely for self-realisation never know where they are going. They can’t know. In one sense of the
word it is of course necessary to know oneself: that is the first achievement of knowledge. But to recognise that the
soul of a man is unknowable, is the ultimate achievement of wisdom. The final mystery is oneself. When one has
weighed the sun in the balance, and measured the steps of the moon, and mapped out the seven heavens star by star,
there still remains oneself. Who can calculate the orbit of his own soul?

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined question in the text as a whole?

A. It reinforces the text’s skepticism about the possibility of truly achieving self-knowledge.

B. It speculates that some readers will share the doubts expressed in the text about the value of self-knowledge.

C. It cautions readers that the text’s directions for how to achieve self-knowledge are hard to follow.

D. It concedes that the definition of self-knowledge advanced in the text is unpopular.

ID: a68239ed Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The text repeatedly claims that true self-knowledge can’t possibly be achieved, and this
rhetorical question emphasizes that point.

Choice B is incorrect. The underlined question doesn’t do this. The text never expresses doubts about the value of self-
knowledge—rather, the text expresses doubts about the possibility of achieving self-knowledge. Choice C is incorrect. The
underlined question doesn’t do this. The text doesn’t provide directions for how to achieve self-knowledge—rather, it claims
that true self-knowledge is impossible to achieve. Choice D is incorrect. The underlined question doesn’t do this. The text
doesn’t ever define self-knowledge, and popularity isn’t mentioned in the text at all.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 422c5068
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 422c5068
Generally it takes Tule geese about four days to migrate south for the winter. From their summer breeding grounds in Cook
Inlet, Alaska, the birds begin by flying over the Gulf of Alaska, keeping about 100 miles from the Canadian shore. They pause
to rest on the Pacific Ocean, then fly toward Summer Lake, Oregon, before finally arriving at their winter destination of
Sacramento Valley, California. In 2020, however, it took the geese over twice as long to make their way from Cook Inlet to
Sacramento Valley. According to researchers, the reason was airborne pollutants.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A. It illustrates a change in Tule geese’s usual flight behavior.

B. It suggests an explanation for why Tule geese breed in Alaska.

C. It describes part of the Tule geese’s typical winter migration journey.

D. It compares Tule geese to other birds that migrate south for the winter.

ID: 422c5068 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it best states how the underlined portion functions in the text as a whole. The first
sentence states that Tule geese typically take four days to migrate south. Then in the next sentence, which contains the
underlined portion, the text describes the first part of that journey, which begins with the geese flying over the Gulf of Alaska
while keeping about 100 miles from the Canadian shore. The rest of the text details the remainder of the geese’s typical
journey and then mentions circumstances in 2020 that resulted in the geese taking an unusually long time to complete it.
Thus, the underlined portion describes part of the Tule geese’s typical winter migration journey.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text concludes by stating that in 2020, Tule geese took twice as long to complete their
typical migration, which suggests a change in their usual flight behavior, the underlined portion doesn’t discuss this. Instead,
the underlined portion describes the first part of the Tule geese’s typical winter migration journey over the Gulf of Alaska.
Choice B is incorrect. Although the sentence containing the underlined portion mentions that Tule geese breed in Alaska, the
underlined portion doesn’t explain why the geese breed in that location. Rather, the text mentions Alaska to explain that it’s
the starting point of the Tule geese’s typical winter migration. Choice D is incorrect because the underlined portion doesn’t
discuss any other birds that migrate south for the winter. In fact, the text is only concerned with the migration of Tule geese.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 74446089
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 74446089
For his 1986 album Keyboard Fantasies, Beverly Glenn-Copeland wrote songs grounded in traditional soul and folk music,
then accompanied them with futuristic synthesizer arrangements featuring ambient sounds and complex rhythms. The
result was so strange, so unprecedented, that the album attracted little attention when first released. In recent years,
however, a younger generation of musicians has embraced the stylistic experimentation of Keyboard Fantasies. Alternative
R&B musicians Blood Orange and Moses Sumney, among other contemporary recording artists, cite the album as an
influence.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It urges contemporary musicians to adopt the unique sound of Keyboard Fantasies.

B. It responds to criticism of Keyboard Fantasies by some younger musicians.

C. It offers examples of younger musicians whose work has been impacted by Keyboard Fantasies.

D. It contrasts Keyboard Fantasies with the recordings of two younger musicians.

ID: 74446089 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a
whole. The text’s subject is Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s 1986 album Keyboard Fantasies, notable for its innovative,
experimental arrangements. According to the text, the album was not initially admired, but in recent years it has become
popular among younger musicians. The underlined portion of the text mentions two of those musicians, Blood Orange and
Moses Sumney, who “cite the album as an influence.” Therefore, the underlined portion of the text offers examples of
younger musicians whose work has been impacted by Keyboard Fantasies.

Choice A is incorrect because even though the underlined sentence states that Blood Orange and Moses Sumney were
influenced by Keyboard Fantasies, it doesn’t say that all other musicians should also embrace the album’s experimental
style. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text states that Keyboard Fantasies was not admired on its first release, the text
doesn’t present any criticism of the album by younger musicians: it only presents two younger musicians who cite it as an
influence. Choice D is incorrect because the underlined sentence doesn’t mention any differences between Keyboard
Fantasies and the work of Blood Orange and Moses Sumney.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a2dd51c1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: a2dd51c1
In most building demolitions, the building materials are destroyed and sent to landfills. City officials in Portland, Oregon,
wanted to reduce this waste. The officials passed a law requiring demolition companies to deconstruct some buildings
instead. Deconstruction involves carefully taking buildings apart piece by piece. Damage to the materials is avoided so that
they can be reused in new constructions. A 2019 study found that 27 percent of materials from deconstructions in Portland
were able to be reused. The remaining materials were processed for recycling instead of going to a landfill.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To explain an effort made by the city of Portland to reduce demolition waste and some results of that effort

B. To show that popular support for measures that reduce demolition waste has increased since 2019

C. To argue that building deconstruction is not as effective as other measures at reducing demolition waste

D. To discuss laws aimed to reduce demolition waste in Portland and compare them to similar laws in other cities

ID: a2dd51c1 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The author first describes a Portland law aimed at reducing demolition waste, and then goes on
to explain that 27% of materials from building deconstructions were able to be reused and the rest were recycled.

Choice B is incorrect. The text never discusses the popularity of the law. Choice C is incorrect. The text never compares
building deconstruction to other measures designed to reduce demolition waste. Choice D is incorrect. The text never
mentions laws in cities other than Portland, Oregon.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID d168e7c5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: d168e7c5
The following text is from Annie Dillard’s 1987 autobiographical novel An American Childhood. The narrator is a young girl
living in Pittsburgh.

I walked. My mother had given me the freedom of the streets as soon as I could say our telephone number. I walked
and memorized the neighborhood. I made a mental map and located myself upon it. At night in bed I rehearsed the
small world’s scheme and set challenges: Find the store using backyards only. Imagine a route from the school to my
friend’s house.
©1987 by Annie Dillard

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A. It describes the narrator trying to memorize her telephone number.

B. It provides examples of what the narrator thinks about at night.

C. It gives directions to the narrator’s favorite local store.

D. It portrays the narrator’s relationship with her mother.

ID: d168e7c5 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a whole. In
the text, the narrator explains that she walks around her neighborhood, making a "mental map" of the area that she imagines
herself navigating through. She then states that she rehearses "the small world’s scheme"—that is, imagines moving through
her mental map—and challenges herself to use the map in her mind while lying in bed at night. The underlined portion
presents two such challenges (getting to the store through backyards and traveling from school to a friend’s house) and thus
provides examples of what the narrator thinks about at night.

Choice A is incorrect because the underlined portion makes no mention of memorizing a telephone number. Although the
narrator mentions that she had to learn the home telephone number before her mother would give her permission to walk
around the neighborhood, there is nothing in the underlined portion or the rest of the text about memorizing the telephone
number. Choice C is incorrect. Although the underlined portion refers to navigation tasks like finding a route to a store only
through backyards, the text contains no specific directions to any store, nor is any store identified as the narrator’s favorite.
Choice D is incorrect because the underlined portion makes no mention of the narrator’s mother and doesn’t address the
narrator’s relationship with her. Although the narrator mentions that her mother gave her permission as a child to walk
around the neighborhood, there is nothing in the underlined portion or the rest of the text about the mother or her
relationship to her child.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 1090b367
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 1090b367
Today composer Scott Joplin is mainly celebrated for his catchy ragtime pieces “Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer.”
However, by overlooking his less famous works, listeners will miss the full range of Joplin’s creativity. For instance, his waltz
“Pleasant Moments” and his opera Treemonisha skillfully blend ragtime and classical music. These masterpieces deserve as
much fame as Joplin’s biggest hits.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To describe the similarities and differences between ragtime music and opera

B. To argue that more attention should be given to Joplin’s lesser-known works

C. To encourage music lovers to listen to music by many different composers

D. To explain how Joplin learned to compose and perform ragtime music

ID: 1090b367 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it best states the main purpose of the text, which is to make a case for the importance
of Scott Joplin’s less famous works. The text begins by introducing Joplin’s most popular works and then goes on to assert
that gaining a full understanding of Joplin’s creativity requires a consideration of his lesser-known pieces as well. The text
concludes by characterizing the lesser-known works "Pleasant Moments" and Treemonisha as masterpieces that deserve to
be famous. These details indicate that the text’s main purpose is to argue that more attention should be given to Joplin’s
lesser-known works.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text discusses some of the ragtime music and an opera that Joplin composed, it does
not compare the two types of music in general. Instead, the text argues that Joplin’s lesser-known works, including his opera,
deserve as much attention as his more famous ragtime pieces receive. Choice C is incorrect because the text discusses only
Joplin’s music and does not ask music lovers to listen to a variety of composers. Instead, the text encourages listeners to
pay attention to Joplin’s lesser-known works in order to gain a full understanding of his creativity. Choice D is incorrect
because the text does not discuss how Joplin learned to compose and perform ragtime music. Instead, the text focuses on
Joplin’s less famous works and makes a case for their importance.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 9b01bcf4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 9b01bcf4
The 1967 release of Harold Cruse’s book The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual isolated him from almost all other scholars and
activists of the American Civil Rights Movement—though many of those thinkers disagreed with each other, he nonetheless
found ways to disagree with them all. He thought that activists who believed that Black people such as himself should
culturally assimilate were naïve. But he also sharply criticized Black nationalists such as Marcus Garvey who wanted to
establish independent, self-contained Black economies and societies, even though Cruse himself identified as a Black
nationalist.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It describes a direction that Cruse felt the Civil Rights Movement ought to take.

B. It indicates that Cruse’s reputation as a persistent antagonist of other scholars is undeserved.

C. It describes a controversy that Cruse’s work caused within the Black nationalist movement.

D. It helps explain Cruse’s position with respect to the community of civil rights thinkers.

ID: 9b01bcf4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The text as a whole claims that Cruse disagreed with virtually all other Civil Rights scholars and
activists. The underlined sentence describes one way that Cruse both did and didn’t fit in with those thinkers: he criticized
Black nationalists, even though he identified as one.

Choice A is incorrect. The underlined sentence doesn’t do this. It describes Cruse’s criticisms—it never mentions what Cruse
did want the movement to do instead. Choice B is incorrect. This conflicts with the text, which argues that Cruse did disagree
with almost all other scholars of the Civil Rights Movement. Choice C is incorrect. This is a step too far. The text never says
that Cruse’s work caused controversy within the Black nationalist movement.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f6352bd3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: f6352bd3
Many archaeologists assume that large-scale engineering projects in ancient societies required an elite class to plan and
direct the necessary labor. However, recent discoveries, such as the excavation of an ancient canal near the Gulf Coast of
Alabama, have complicated this picture. Using radiocarbon dating, a team of researchers concluded that the 1.39-kilometer-
long canal was most likely constructed between 576 and 650 CE by an Indigenous society that was relatively free of social
classes.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. It describes a common view among archaeologists, then discusses a recent finding that challenges that view.

B. It outlines a method used in some archaeological fieldwork, then explains why an alternative method is superior to it.

It presents contradictory conclusions drawn by archaeologists, then evaluates a study that has apparently resolved that
C. contradiction.

D. It identifies a gap in scientific research, then presents a strategy used by some archaeologists to remedy that gap.

ID: f6352bd3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The text starts by introducing a common view among archaeologists about the need for an elite
class to direct large-scale engineering projects. Then, it discusses the discovery of a large canal most likely built by a society
without an elite class, which challenges the first view.

Choice B is incorrect. Although the text discusses carbon dating as an archaeological method, it doesn’t compare it to any
other alternative methods. Choice C is incorrect. The study doesn’t resolve any contradictions—rather, it introduces a
contradiction to the one view presented at the beginning of the text. Choice D is incorrect. The text never identifies any gaps
in scientific research.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b4d29611
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: b4d29611
Michelene Pesantubbee, a historian and citizen of the Choctaw Nation, has identified a dilemma inherent to research on the
status of women in her tribe during the 1600s and 1700s: the primary sources from that era, travel narratives and other
accounts by male European colonizers, underestimate the degree of power conferred on Choctaw women by their traditional
roles in political, civic, and ceremonial life. Pesantubbee argues that the Choctaw oral tradition and findings from
archaeological sites in the tribe’s homeland supplement the written record by providing crucial insights into those roles.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It details the shortcomings of certain historical sources, then argues that research should avoid those sources
A. altogether.

It describes a problem that arises in research on a particular topic, then sketches a historian’s approach to addressing
B. that problem.

C. It lists the advantages of a particular research method, then acknowledges a historian’s criticism of that method.

It characterizes a particular topic as especially challenging to research, then suggests a related topic for historians to
D. pursue instead.

ID: b4d29611 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The text begins by stating a problem with research on the status of Choctaw women in the
1600s and 1700s: written primary sources underestimate the power they had in their traditional roles. Then it presents one
historian’s solution: looking to oral tradition and archeological findings for more insight into these roles.

Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text never says that research should avoid written primary sources,
just that research should also use oral tradition and archeological sites as sources. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the
overall structure. The text never mentions the advantages of using written primary sources. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t
the overall structure. The text never says that the status of Choctaw women during the 1600s and 1700s is too challenging
to research. And it doesn’t mention any other topics to research instead.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6bc0ba75
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 6bc0ba75
The mimosa tree evolved in East Asia, where the beetle Bruchidius terrenus preys on its seeds. In 1785, mimosa trees were
introduced to North America, far from any B. terrenus. But evolutionary links between predators and their prey can persist
across centuries and continents. Around 2001, B. terrenus was introduced in southeastern North America near where
botanist Shu-Mei Chang and colleagues had been monitoring mimosa trees. Within a year, 93 percent of the trees had been
attacked by the beetles.

Which choice best describes the function of the third sentence in the overall structure of the text?

A. It states the hypothesis that Chang and colleagues had set out to investigate using mimosa trees and B. terrenus.

B. It presents a generalization that is exemplified by the discussion of the mimosa trees and B. terrenus.

C. It provides context that clarifies why the species mentioned spread to new locations.

D. It offers an alternative explanation for the findings of Chang and colleagues.

ID: 6bc0ba75 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes the function of the third sentence within the overall
structure of the text. The third sentence makes a generalization, asserting that evolutionary links between predators and prey
can persist across great expanses of time and distance. This generalization is exemplified by the text’s discussion of the
relationship between mimosa trees and B. terrenus beetles. When mimosa trees were introduced to North America in 1785,
no B. terrenus beetles were present, so the relationship between the trees and the beetles that exists in their native East Asia
was disrupted. When the beetles were introduced to North America more than 200 years later, however, they quickly attacked
mimosa trees, illustrating the generalization that links between predators and prey "can persist across centuries and
continents."

Choice A is incorrect because the third sentence doesn’t indicate that Chang and colleagues were investigating any
hypothesis. According to the text, Chang and colleagues were simply monitoring mimosa trees when the beetles happened
to be introduced to the area. Choice C is incorrect because the third sentence doesn’t discuss any particular species, let
alone the species mentioned elsewhere in the text, nor does the sentence explain why species spread to new locations.
Choice D is incorrect because the third sentence offers a generalization about the relationship between predators and prey,
not an explanation for the findings by Chang and colleagues that’s an "alternative" to an explanation presented elsewhere in
the text.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7a0e31ea
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 7a0e31ea
The following text is from Betty Smith’s 1943 novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Francie, a young girl, visits the library often.

Francie thought that all the books in the world were in that library and she had a plan about reading all the books in the
world. She was reading a book a day in alphabetical order and not skipping the dry ones. She remembered that the first
author had been Abbott. She had been reading a book a day for a long time now and she was still in the B’s. Already she
had read about bees and buffaloes, Bermuda vacations and Byzantine architecture. For all her enthusiasm, she had to
admit that some of the B’s had been hard going. But Francie was a reader.
©1947 by Betty Smith

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To illustrate Francie’s enjoyment of an unusual topic

B. To explain why Francie prefers reading over other activities

C. To portray Francie’s determination to meet a goal

D. To describe a book that Francie greatly admires

ID: 7a0e31ea Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to portray Francie’s
determination to reach her goal of reading all the books in the world. The text indicates that to achieve this aim, Francie
works systematically and persistently: she reads all the books in the library in alphabetical order and devotes much time and
effort to the project, finishing one book per day over a long period of time. The text then suggests that even though she
progresses slowly ("she was still in the B’s") and that she struggled with some books ("some of the B’s had been hard going"),
she doesn’t give up because she thinks of herself as "a reader." These details show Francie’s resolve.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text mentions several topics (bees and buffaloes, Bermuda vacations, and Byzantine
architecture) that Francie has read about, it doesn’t indicate that any of these topics are unusual or that she especially
enjoyed reading about one of these topics in particular. If anything, the text suggests that she may have found some of these
topics to be dull, saying that she even read the "dry ones"—that is, the boring books—and that some of the books were "hard
going," meaning they were difficult to get through. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss Francie’s
involvement in other activities, only her dedication to reading. Although it’s possible that Francie dedicates herself to reading
because she prefers it to other activities, the text doesn’t indicate whether this is the case. Choice D is incorrect. Although
the text mentions one author (Abbott) whose book Francie has read as well as several topics (bees and buffaloes, Bermuda
vacations, and Byzantine architecture) she has encountered, the text doesn’t say whether Francie admires any of the books
she’s read so far. Instead, the text focuses on the time and effort she devotes to reaching her goal of reading all the books in
the world—even ones she doesn’t enjoy.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 8bc66f89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 8bc66f89
Part of the Atacama Desert in Peru has surprisingly rich plant life despite receiving almost no rainfall. Moisture from winter
fog sustains plants once they’re growing, but the soil’s tough crust makes it hard for seeds to germinate in the first place.
Local birds that dig nests in the ground seem to be of help: they churn the soil, exposing buried seeds to moisture and
nutrients. Indeed, in 2016 Cristina Rengifo Faiffer found that mounds of soil dug up by birds were far more fertile and
supported more seedlings than soil in undisturbed areas.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A. It elaborates on the idea that the top layer of Atacama Desert soil forms a tough crust.

B. It describes the process by which seeds are deposited into Atacama Desert soil.

C. It identifies the reason particular bird species dig nests in Atacama Desert soil.

D. It explains how certain birds promote seed germination in Atacama Desert soil.

ID: 8bc66f89 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a
whole. The first two sentences establish a natural phenomenon: there is a richness of plant life found in the Atacama Desert
despite the hard soil that makes it challenging for seeds to germinate. The next sentence, which contains the underlined
portion, offers a potential explanation for the phenomenon: local birds dig ground nests exposing seeds to moisture and
materials in the soil necessary for germination. The last sentence summarizes a study that compared the fertileness of
mounds of dirt dug up by birds to mounds that were undisturbed to support the explanation in the underlined portion. Thus,
the underlined portion mainly functions to explain how certain birds promote seed germination in the Atacama Desert soil.

Choice A is incorrect because the underlined portion doesn’t address the topic of the soil’s tough crust or its formation.
Instead, the text elaborates on the idea that local birds that build ground nests may help seeds germinate in the hard
soil. Choice B is incorrect because the underlined portion describes how some birds may support seed germination in
Atacama Desert soil but doesn’t describe how the seeds are deposited into the soil before germination begins. Choice C is
incorrect because neither the underlined portion nor the text as a whole identifies a reason that a particular bird species may
choose to dig ground nests in the Atacama Desert soil.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ae2b3112
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: ae2b3112
By combining Indigenous and classical music, Cree composer and cellist Cris Derksen creates works that reflect the diverse
cultural landscape of Canada. For her album Orchestral Powwow, Derksen composed new songs in the style of traditional
powwow music that were accompanied by classical arrangements played by an orchestra. But where an orchestra would
normally follow the directions of a conductor, the musicians on Orchestral Powwow are led by the beat of a powwow drum.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To examine how Derksen’s musical compositions blend cultures

B. To argue that Derksen should be recognized for creating a new style of music

C. To describe the difficulties Derksen encountered when producing her album

D. To establish a contrast between Derksen’s classical training and her Cree heritage

ID: ae2b3112 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to discuss how
Derksen’s compositions incorporate elements from both Indigenous and classical music. After introducing Derksen, the text
describes how the songs Derksen composed for her album Orchestral Powwow feature aspects of the two musical
traditions. Specifically, the text notes that Derksen wrote songs in the style of traditional powwow music but accompanied
them with classical arrangements played by an orchestra that followed the beat of a powwow drum rather than the
directions of a conductor. In this way, Derksen’s compositions blend different cultures.

Choice B is incorrect because although the text suggests that Derksen’s songs contain innovative elements since they blend
styles from two different musical traditions, it doesn’t discuss whether her compositions constitute a new style of music, let
alone whether Derksen should be recognized for creating a new style of music. Choice C is incorrect because the text
doesn’t mention any difficulties Derksen encountered when producing her album. Rather, the text describes how the songs
on the album exemplify how Derksen combines music from two different cultures. Choice D is incorrect because although
the text mentions Derksen’s Cree heritage and suggests that she relies on knowledge of both Indigenous and classical music
when she composes her songs, it doesn’t discuss her musical training. Additionally, the text is primarily focused on how
Derksen combines different cultural traditions, not on contrasting Derksen’s training with her heritage.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e7247766
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: e7247766
Horizontal gene transfer occurs when an organism of one species acquires genetic material from an organism of another
species through nonreproductive means. The genetic material can then be transferred “vertically” in the second species—
that is, through reproductive inheritance. Scientist Atma Ivancevic and her team have hypothesized infection by invertebrate
parasites as a mechanism of horizontal gene transfer between vertebrate species: while feeding, a parasite could acquire a
gene from one host, then relocate to a host from a different vertebrate species and transfer the gene to it in turn.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A. It explains why parasites are less susceptible to horizontal gene transfer than their hosts are.

B. It clarifies why some genes are more likely to be transferred horizontally than others are.

C. It contrasts how horizontal gene transfer occurs among vertebrates with how it occurs among invertebrates.

D. It describes a means by which horizontal gene transfer might occur among vertebrates.

ID: e7247766 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The text defines horizontal gene transfer and then gives one possibility for how it happens in
vertebrates (via infection by parasites). The underlined part describes how that mechanism could work.

Choice A is incorrect. The underlined portion doesn’t do this. Parasites are only described as the mechanism that does the
transferring, not the species that gives or receives the genes. Choice B is incorrect. The underlined portion doesn’t do this.
The text never discusses which genes are more likely to be transferred. Choice C is incorrect. The underlined portion doesn’t
do this. The text never discusses how horizontal gene transfer occurs among invertebrates.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 48555763
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 48555763
The following text is from Herman Melville’s 1854 novel The Lightning-rod Man.
The stranger still stood in the exact middle of the cottage, where he had first planted himself. His singularity impelled a
closer scrutiny. A lean, gloomy figure. Hair dark and lank, mattedly streaked over his brow. His sunken pitfalls of eyes were
ringed by indigo halos, and played with an innocuous sort of lightning: the gleam without the bolt. The whole man was
dripping. He stood in a puddle on the bare oak floor: his strange walking-stick vertically resting at his side.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?

A. It elaborates on the previous sentence’s description of the character.

B. It introduces the setting that is described in the sentences that follow.

C. It establishes a contrast with the description in the previous sentence.

D. It sets up the character description presented in the sentences that follow.

ID: 48555763 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. This best states the function of the underlined sentence. The sentence basically says: “He
stood out, so I looked more closely at him.” Then the rest of the text describes him in detail.

Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t state the function of the underlined sentence. The previous sentence basically says: “He
was still standing in the middle of the cottage”—it doesn’t include any description of the character himself. Choice B is
incorrect. This doesn’t state the function of the underlined sentence. The following sentences describe the character, not the
setting. Choice C is incorrect. This doesn’t state the function of the underlined sentence. The underlined sentence basically
says: “He stood out, so I looked more closely at him.” The previous sentence basically says: “He was still standing in the
middle of the cottage.” There’s no contrast between these two sentences.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e23f50b9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: e23f50b9
The people of medieval Europe have traditionally been seen as uninterested in cleanliness and hygiene, but modern research
has shown that this is largely a myth. According to historian Eleanor Janega, most medieval towns in Europe had at least
one public bathhouse, which often offered both full-immersion baths and—more affordably—steam baths. While such
amenities were available mainly to town dwellers, regular bathing in rivers and streams or daily sponge baths at home were
common practices throughout medieval Europe.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion?

A. It asserts that in medieval Europe steam baths were more popular in rural areas than in urban ones.

B. It describes a limitation of earlier historians’ studies of medieval European bathing habits.

C. It concedes that not all people in medieval Europe had access to public bathhouses.

D. It explains why Janega decided to study the popularity of public bathhouses in medieval Europe.

ID: e23f50b9 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most effectively describes the function of the underlined portion. The text discusses
the long-standing misconception that people in medieval Europe were uninterested in cleanliness and hygiene. As evidence
that this idea is false, the text cites historian Eleanor Janega’s assertion that in medieval Europe, towns usually had at least
one bathhouse, where people could take immersion baths or steam baths for a fee. The underlined portion then notes that
mainly town dwellers had access to these bathhouses. The remainder of the text explains that those who lacked such
access were nonetheless able to bathe in outdoor waterways or take sponge baths at home. Therefore, the underlined
portion concedes that some people in medieval Europe lacked access to public bathhouses.

Choice A is incorrect. The underlined portion establishes that amenities such as steam baths were mainly available to town
dwellers, which suggests in turn that steam baths were largely unavailable to people in rural areas. Thus, the distinction
made by the underlined portion is not between the popularity of steam baths in towns versus their lack of popularity in rural
areas but instead between their presence in towns and absence in rural areas. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text does
explain that recent historians have disproved the idea that medieval Europeans rarely bathed, it doesn’t attribute that
misconception to earlier historians of medieval Europe or suggest that their research was subject to limitations. Moreover,
the underlined portion addresses a limitation of life in medieval Europe, not of historical research. Choice D is incorrect
because the underlined portion doesn’t address why historian Eleanor Janega decided to study the popularity of public
bathhouses in medieval Europe—nor does any portion of the text. The text mentions Janega in passing, but it doesn’t go into
detail about why she decided to study the popularity of public bathhouses in medieval Europe.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID aa7fc89b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: aa7fc89b
The following text is adapted from Susan Glaspell’s 1912 short story “‘Out There.’” An elderly shop owner is looking at a
picture that he recently acquired and hopes to sell.
It did seem that the picture failed to fit in with the rest of the shop. A persuasive young fellow who claimed he was closing
out his stock let the old man have it for what he called a song. It was only a little out-of-the-way store which subsisted
chiefly on the framing of pictures. The old man looked around at his views of the city, his pictures of cats and dogs, his
flaming bits of landscape. “Don’t belong in here,” he fumed.
And yet the old man was secretly proud of his acquisition. There was a hidden dignity in his scowling as he shuffled about
pondering the least ridiculous place for the picture.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To reveal the shop owner’s conflicted feelings about the new picture

B. To convey the shop owner’s resentment of the person he got the new picture from

C. To describe the items that the shop owner most highly prizes

D. To explain differences between the new picture and other pictures in the shop

ID: aa7fc89b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The text begins by stating
that the new picture “failed to fit in” with the other items that the shop owner has. The text goes on to illustrate that point by
describing the other pictures the shop owner has, indicating that the shop owner is fuming because he doesn’t think the new
picture belongs in the store. In the second paragraph, however, the text indicates that the shop owner is “secretly proud of
his acquisition.” The main purpose of the text is thus to reveal the shop owner’s conflicted feelings about the new picture.

Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the shop owner resents the young man who sold him the new
picture; in fact, the text gives no indication of the owner’s feelings about the young man at all. Choice C is incorrect. Although
the text indicates that the new picture is different from the other items in the shop, there’s no suggestion that the shop owner
prizes either the new picture or the pictures of the city, pets, and landscapes more than he prizes any other items. Choice D
is incorrect because the text doesn’t describe what the new picture looks like; rather, the text identifies some of the other
kinds of images that the shop owner has and states that they’re different from the new picture without explaining how
they’re different.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 97360a00
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 97360a00
The following text is adapted from Gwendolyn Bennett’s 1926 poem “Street Lamps in Early Spring.”
Night wears a garment
All velvet soft, all violet blue...
And over her face she draws a veil
As shimmering fine as floating dew...
And here and there
In the black of her hair
The subtle hands of Night
Move slowly with their gem-starred light.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. It presents alternating descriptions of night in a rural area and in a city.

B. It sketches an image of nightfall, then an image of sunrise.

C. It makes an extended comparison of night to a human being.

D. It portrays how night changes from one season of the year to the next.

ID: 97360a00 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes the overall structure of the text. Throughout the text, the
speaker characterizes nighttime as if it were a person who wears clothing (“a garment” that is “velvet soft” and “violet blue”)
and a veil “over her face” and who moves her hands “slowly with their gem-starred light” through her dark hair. Thus, the text
is structured as an extended comparison of night to a human being.

Choice A is incorrect because the text never mentions any particular location; instead, it focuses on presenting a single
description of night as a person with certain clothing and features. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t make any
reference to the sun or sunrise; instead, it focuses on presenting a single image of night as a person with certain clothing
and features. Choice D is incorrect. Rather than describing how nighttime changes seasonally (or in any other way), the text
presents a single image of night as a person with certain clothing and features.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d563bf65
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: d563bf65
The following text is adapted from Jean Webster’s 1912 novel Daddy-Long-Legs. The narrator is a young college student
writing letters detailing her weekly experiences.

[The college is] organizing the Freshman basket-ball team and there’s just a chance that I shall make it. I’m little of
course, but terribly quick and wiry and tough. While the others are hopping about in the air, I can dodge under their feet
and grab the ball.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To compare basketball with other sports

B. To provide details of how to play basketball

C. To state how players will be chosen for the basketball team

D. To explain why the narrator thinks she might make the basketball team

ID: d563bf65 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. In the first sentence of the
text, the narrator states that she thinks there’s a chance she will become part of the basketball team at her college. She goes
on to explain that she is "quick" and "tough." Based on these characteristics, she thinks she has a chance to join the team.
Thus, the main purpose of the text is to explain why the narrator thinks she might make the basketball team.

Choice A is incorrect because the text focuses solely on basketball and doesn’t mention any other kinds of sports. Choice B
is incorrect because the text doesn’t describe aspects of the game of basketball. Instead, it provides the narrator’s reasoning
for thinking that she might make her school basketball team. Choice C is incorrect. Although the narrator explains why she
thinks she will be chosen for the basketball team at her school, the text doesn’t go into the general decision-making process
or the requirements for being picked for the team.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 02e49a0c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 02e49a0c
Genetic studies have led researchers to suggest that turtles are most closely related to the group that includes modern
crocodiles. But studies of fossils have suggested instead that turtles are most closely related to other groups, such as the
one that contains modern snakes. However, many of the fossil studies have relied on incomplete data sets. For a 2022
investigation, biologist Tiago R. Simões and colleagues examined more than 1,000 reptile fossils collected worldwide. From
this large data set, they found clear agreement with the results of the genetic studies.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence?

A. It offers an overview of the tools scientists use to examine fossils.

B. It describes a limitation of some studies about the origin of turtles.

C. It summarizes previous research on the evolution of crocodiles.

D. It criticizes a widely held belief about genetic studies of reptiles.

ID: 02e49a0c Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence mentions that some fossil studies have relied on incomplete data sets,
suggesting that these studies are limited in what they can tell us about turtles’ origins.

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence mentions the incompleteness of the data sets studied, it doesn’t mention any tools
or techniques used to examine fossils. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence doesn’t mention anything about the evolution of
crocodiles. Choice D is incorrect. This sentence doesn’t directly mention or criticize any "widely held belief," and it focuses on
a limitation of fossil studies of reptiles, not genetic studies.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID d69bc408
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: d69bc408
The following text is adapted from Aphra Behn’s 1689 novel The Lucky Mistake. Atlante and Rinaldo are neighbors who have
been secretly exchanging letters through Charlot, Atlante’s sister.
[Atlante] gave this letter to Charlot; who immediately ran into the balcony with it, where she still found Rinaldo in a
melancholy posture, leaning his head on his hand: She showed him the letter, but was afraid to toss it to him, for fear it
might fall to the ground; so he ran and fetched a long cane, which he cleft at one end, and held it while she put the letter
into the cleft, and stayed not to hear what he said to it. But never was man so transported with joy, as he was at the
reading of this letter; it gives him new wounds; for to the generous, nothing obliges love so much as love.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. It describes the delivery of a letter, and then portrays a character’s happiness at reading that letter.

It establishes that a character is desperate to receive a letter, and then explains why another character has not yet written
B. that letter.

C. It presents a character’s concerns about delivering a letter, and then details the contents of that letter.

It reveals the inspiration behind a character’s letter, and then emphasizes the excitement that another character feels
D. upon receiving that letter.

ID: d69bc408 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the overall structure of the text. The narrator begins by
explaining how Charlot carefully delivers Atlante’s letter to Rinaldo, and then relates that Rinaldo feels “transported with joy”
after reading the letter. Therefore, the overall structure of the text is best described as a description of the delivery of a letter
followed by the portrayal of a character’s happiness after reading the letter.

Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that the letter has been written; there’s no explanation why another character
hasn’t written one. In addition, the text’s description of Rinaldo “in a melancholy posture” suggests that he’s sad and
thoughtful, not that he’s desperate to receive the letter. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text states that Charlot won’t toss
the letter to Rinaldo because she doesn’t want it to fall, the text doesn’t refer to the contents of the letter. Instead, the text
describes how happy Rinaldo feels after reading it. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text does describe Rinaldo’s reaction
to the letter, the text doesn’t begin by discussing Atlante’s inspiration for writing the letter. Instead, the text begins by
discussing the delivery of the letter.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 19688783
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 19688783
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.”

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

ID: 19688783 Answer

Correct 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.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 590f0ad2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 590f0ad2
Industrial activity is often assumed to be a threat to wildlife, but that isn’t always so. Consider the silver-studded blue
butterfly (Plebejus argus): as forest growth has reduced grasslands in northern Germany, many of these butterflies have left
meadow habitats and are now thriving in active limestone quarries. In a survey of multiple active quarries and patches of
maintained grassland, an ecologist found silver-studded blue butterflies in 100% of the quarries but only 57% of the
grassland patches. Moreover, butterfly populations in the quarries were four times larger than those in the meadows.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A. It challenges a common assumption about the species under investigation in the research referred to in the text.

B. It introduces discussion of a specific example that supports the general claim made in the previous sentence.

C. It suggests that a certain species should be included in additional studies like the one mentioned later in the text.

D. It provides a definition for an unfamiliar term that is central to the main argument in the text.

ID: 590f0ad2 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a
whole. The first sentence presents the general claim that industrial activity is not always a threat to wildlife. The underlined
portion of the sentence that follows suggests that the silver-studded blue butterfly is an example of wildlife thriving in areas
of industrial activity: active limestone quarries. Thus, the function of the underlined portion is to introduce a specific example
in support of the general claim in the previous sentence.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the first sentence indicates that “industrial activity is often assumed” to harm wildlife, in the
case of the silver-studded blue butterfly the text mentions neither an assumption about this species nor any challenge to
such an assumption. Choice C is incorrect because the text mentions only one study: the “survey.” Additional studies are not
mentioned in the text. Choice D is incorrect because neither the underlined portion nor any other portion of the text provides
a definition for any of the terms used in the text’s argument.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6d44060a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 6d44060a
Works of moral philosophy, such as Plato’s Republic or Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, are partly concerned with how to live
a morally good life. But philosopher Jonathan Barnes argues that works that present a method of living such a life without
also supplying a motive are inherently useful only to those already wishing to be morally good—those with no desire for
moral goodness will not choose to follow their rules. However, some works of moral philosophy attempt to describe what
constitutes a morally good life while also proposing reasons for living one.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It provides a characterization about a field of thought by noting two works in it and then details a way in which some
A. works in that field are more comprehensive than others.

It mentions two renowned works and then claims that despite their popularity it is impossible for these works to serve
B. the purpose their authors intended.

It summarizes the history of a field of thought by discussing two works and then proposes a topic of further research for
C. specialists in that field.

D. It describes two influential works and then explains why one is more widely read than the other.

ID: 6d44060a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The text starts by stating what moral philosophy is concerned with and naming two examples
of works in the field. Then it describes a shortcoming of some works in that field (they say how but not why), and finally it
states that other works try to avoid that shortcoming (by including both how and why to live a morally good life).

Choice B is incorrect. This is too extreme. The text never mentions whether the two works are popular or not, and it never
argues that these works don’t serve their intended purpose of describing how to live a morally good life. Rather, the text
claims that works of moral philosophy that don’t include both how and why to be moral are not useful to readers who don’t
already want to be moral. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text never discusses the history of moral
philosophy at all, and it doesn’t propose any topic for further research. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure.
The text never discusses which of the two works is more widely read.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 1782cdd7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 1782cdd7
In many agricultural environments, the banks of streams are kept forested to protect water quality, but it’s been unclear what
effects these forests may have on stream biodiversity. To investigate the issue, biologist Xingli Giam and colleagues studied
an Indonesian oil palm plantation, comparing the species richness of forested streams with that of nonforested streams.
Giam and colleagues found that species richness was significantly higher in forested streams, a finding the researchers
attribute to the role leaf litter plays in sheltering fish from predators and providing food resources.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

It discusses research intended to settle a debate about how agricultural yields can be increased without negative effects
A. on water quality.

It explains the differences between stream-protection strategies used in oil palm plantations and stream-protection
B. strategies used in other kinds of agricultural environments.

It describes findings that challenge a previously held view about how fish that inhabit streams in agricultural
C. environments attempt to avoid predators.

It presents a study that addresses an unresolved question about the presence of forests along streams in agricultural
D. environments.

ID: 1782cdd7 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The author first describes an unresolved question: what effect do bank forests have on stream
biodiversity? Then the author presents a study that answers the question: bank forests increase stream biodiversity.

Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the main purpose of the text. The text never mentions agricultural yields. Choice B is
incorrect. This isn’t the main purpose of the text. The text never mentions other kinds of agricultural environments. Choice C
is incorrect. This isn’t the main purpose of the text. The text never mentions any previously held view about how fish in these
streams try to avoid predators.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 1c6b1fa0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 1c6b1fa0
In 1801, a Blackfoot chief named Ac Ko Mok Ki drew a finely detailed map of the Upper Missouri region. This work
demonstrates a vast amount of topographic knowledge, as the map features specific names of mountains and rivers, as well
as the first-known sketch of the drainage network of the Missouri River. The map is especially notable because Ac Ko Mok Ki
also included details about the numerous tribes that lived in the area.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It emphasizes Ac Ko Mok Ki’s desire to represent other tribes on the map.

B. It explains how Ac Ko Mok Ki developed an interest in mapmaking.

C. It identifies some reasons why the map is impressive.

D. It details how the map was used for hunting and trading purposes.

ID: 1c6b1fa0 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The text
presents information about a map drawn by Blackfoot chief Ac Ko Mok Ki in 1801. The underlined sentence states that the
map "demonstrates a vast amount of topographic knowledge" and mentions that it features the "specific names of
mountains and rivers" and includes the first-known sketch of the Missouri River’s drainage network. These are all
characteristics that indicate that the map was executed with remarkable skill. Thus, the underlined sentence identifies some
reasons why the map is impressive.

Choice A is incorrect. Though the sentence after the underlined sentence in the text mentions that Ac Ko Mok Ki included
information about other tribes on his map, the underlined sentence itself does not address this topic. Choice B is incorrect
because nothing in the underlined sentence indicates how Ac Ko Mok Ki became interested in mapmaking, only that his
mapmaking skills are impressive. Choice D is incorrect because though the underlined sentence describes several features
of the map, it does not specifically describe how the map was used.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 56ec23a0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 56ec23a0
Hiroshi Senju is known worldwide for his paintings of waterfalls. These paintings are large and tend not to show the entire
waterfall. Instead, Senju focuses on just the point where the falling water reaches the pool below, keeping the top of the
waterfall out of view. While Senju’s paintings are rooted in art movements originating in the United States, the artist uses
traditional Japanese techniques and materials that make his work instantly recognizable.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. It introduces an artist and then explains some common characteristics of well-known paintings by that artist.

B. It explains a specific painting technique and then provides examples of artists who use the technique.

C. It describes a famous painting and then compares it to a lesser-known painting from the same time period.

D. It gives an opinion on an artist and then suggests multiple reasons why the artist’s work has been largely overlooked.

ID: 56ec23a0 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The first sentence introduces Senju as a famous artist, while the next three sentences describe
the defining features of his art, such as it only showing part of the waterfall and its origins in US art movements and
Japanese techniques.

Choice B is incorrect. The text doesn’t provide examples of any other artists who use Senju’s techniques. Choice C is
incorrect. The text doesn’t describe any single famous painting or make comparisons between paintings. Choice D is
incorrect. The text doesn’t provide an opinion on Senju (just facts), nor does it suggest that his art has been overlooked—in
fact, it states that he is “known worldwide.”

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 14b7dced
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 14b7dced
The following text is from Walt Whitman’s 1860 poem “Calamus 24.”
I HEAR it is charged against me that I seek to destroy institutions; But really I am neither for nor against institutions
(What indeed have I in common with them?—Or what with the destruction of them?),
Only I will establish in the Mannahatta [Manhattan] and in every city of These States, inland and seaboard,
And in the fields and woods, and above every keel [ship] little or large, that dents the water,
Without edifices, or rules, or trustees, or any argument, The institution of the dear love of comrades.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. The speaker questions an increasingly prevalent attitude, then summarizes his worldview.

B. The speaker regrets his isolation from others, then predicts a profound change in society.

C. The speaker concedes his personal shortcomings, then boasts of his many achievements.

D. The speaker addresses a criticism leveled against him, then announces a grand ambition of his.

ID: 14b7dced Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it best describes the overall structure of the text. The speaker begins by stating that he
has heard that others are accusing him of seeking to destroy institutions. The speaker then addresses this criticism by
stating that he is “neither for nor against institutions.” Instead, the speaker states that his ultimate goal is to instill “the
institution of the dear love of comrades” everywhere in the country. Therefore, the overall structure of the text is best
described as an address of criticism followed by an announcement of a grand ambition.

Choice A is incorrect. While the speaker does address an opinion of him that he believes to be untrue, he doesn’t indicate
that this attitude has become increasingly prevalent. The speaker also concludes by explaining his goal for the future rather
than his current worldview. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t portray the speaker as isolated or regretful, and the
speaker gestures toward a hope for societal change but doesn’t offer an explicit prediction that it will happen. Choice C is
incorrect because the speaker addresses a criticism of him that he believes to be false; he doesn’t admit any personal
shortcomings. Moreover, the speaker concludes by stating a goal he has rather than showcasing his achievements.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d9e55268
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: d9e55268
The following text is adapted from Louise Erdrich’s 2020 novel The Night Watchman. Louis Pipestone is collecting
signatures for a petition from fellow members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa on the tribe’s reservation in North
Dakota.

Louis Pipestone tended the petition like a garden. He kept it with him at all times. In town, his eyes sharpened when he
noticed a tribal member who hadn’t yet signed. Wherever they were—at the gas pump, mercantile [general store], at
Henry’s [Café], on the road, or outside the clinic and hospital—Louis cornered them. If they were waiting for a baby to be
born, he’d have them sign. If they were laughing, if they were arguing. If they were taking a child home from school, they
signed.
©2020 by Louise Erdrich

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To suggest that some tribal members refuse to sign the petition because they dislike Louis Pipestone

B. To show that attitudes toward the petition within the tribal community change over time

C. To demonstrate that most tribal members are enthusiastic about signing the petition

D. To portray Louis Pipestone’s strong commitment to collecting signatures for the petition

ID: d9e55268 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the text’s main purpose. The text indicates that Louis always
had his petition with him, asked everyone he encountered to sign it if they hadn’t already, and lists several comical
circumstances in which he might try to get someone to sign. Thus, the main purpose of the text is to illustrate Louis’s
dedicated focus on getting people to sign the petition.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text suggests that Louis was aggressive in seeking signatures for the petition—for
example, saying that he "cornered" people—nothing in the text addresses how those people feel toward Louis, let alone that
they are refusing his request. Choice B is incorrect because, other than portraying Louis’s commitment to gathering
signatures, the text doesn’t discuss community members’ attitudes toward Louis or the petition. Choice C is incorrect
because the text never mentions the attitudes of the people Louis approaches toward the petition, but the text does indicate
that he "cornered" prospective signatories, strongly suggesting that their enthusiasm was neither needed nor considered.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5e732e67
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 5e732e67
Many films from the early 1900s have been lost. These losses include several films by the first wave of Black women
filmmakers. We know about these lost movies only from small pieces of evidence. For example, an advertisement for Jennie
Louise Touissant Welcome’s documentary Doing Their Bit still exists. There’s a reference in a magazine to Tressie Souders’s
film A Woman’s Error. And Maria P. Williams’s The Flames of Wrath is mentioned in a letter and a newspaper article, and one
image from the movie was discovered in the 1990s.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. The text identifies a complex problem, then presents examples of unsuccessful attempts to solve that problem.

B. The text summarizes a debate among researchers, then gives reasons for supporting one side in that debate.

C. The text describes a general situation, then illustrates that situation with specific examples.

The text discusses several notable individuals, then explains commonly overlooked differences between those
D. individuals.

ID: 5e732e67 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The first three sentences describe the general situation: these early films have been lost, and we
only know about them from small pieces of evidence. The rest of the text offers specific examples of the small pieces of
evidence.

Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The fact that we only know about these lost early films from small
pieces of evidence isn’t presented as a “complex problem”—that’s too extreme. And the examples presented are not
“unsuccessful attempts” to solve it. If anything, the examples represent a success, because we discovered that these films
existed in the first place. Choice B is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. There’s no “debate” presented in the text, so
there’s no “side” for the text to support. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t the overall structure. The text doesn’t discuss any
“differences” between the filmmakers.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID a2be625e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: a2be625e
The following text is from Sarah Orne Jewett’s 1899 short story “Martha’s Lady.” Martha is employed by Miss Pyne as a
maid.
Miss Pyne sat by the window watching, in her best dress, looking stately and calm; she seldom went out now, and it was
almost time for the carriage. Martha was just coming in from the garden with the strawberries, and with more flowers in
her apron. It was a bright cool evening in June, the golden robins sang in the elms, and the sun was going down behind the
apple-trees at the foot of the garden. The beautiful old house stood wide open to the long-expected guest.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To convey the worries brought about by a new guest

B. To describe how the characters have changed over time

C. To contrast the activity indoors with the stillness outside

D. To depict the setting as the characters await a visitor’s arrival

ID: a2be625e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately reflects the main purpose of the text. The text portrays Miss Pyne as
awaiting the arrival of a carriage while Martha brings strawberries and flowers from the garden into the house. The text also
describes the surroundings of the scene, stating that Miss Pyne looks “stately and calm,” the evening is bright and cool, and
birds are singing in the garden as the sun sets. Then the last sentence states that the house was “wide open to the long-
expected guest,” which strongly suggests that Miss Pyne’s anticipation and Martha’s activities were in preparation for the
guest who is expected to arrive in the carriage. Thus, the text depicts the setting and conveys what these characters are
doing as they await the arrival of their visitor.

Choice A is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to indicate that the characters feel any worry about the guest’s
arrival. The text indicates that the guest was “long-expected,“ but characterizing Miss Pyne as “stately and calm” conflicts
with the idea that the characters are worried about the guest. Choice B is incorrect because the text describes a moment in
time when two characters are awaiting the arrival of a visitor rather than an extended period over which characters could be
seen changing. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text describes the activity indoors (Miss Pyne sitting calmly), it describes
a higher level of activity, not stillness, outside (Martha bringing fruit and flowers and birds singing).

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a70cbc53
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: a70cbc53
Raymond Antrobus, an accomplished poet and writer of prose, recently released his debut spoken word poetry album, The
First Time I Wore Hearing Aids, in collaboration with producer Ian Brennan. The album contains both autobiographical and
reflective pieces combining Antrobus’s spoken words with Brennan’s fragmented audio elements and pieces of music to
convey how people who are deaf may experience sound, both its presence and absence. Some critics suggest that the
album questions the function of sound in the world, highlighting that the experience of sound is multifaceted.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It introduces a collaborative spoken word poetry project, details the approach taken to produce the work, and then
A. provides an example of critique the album received upon release.

It mentions a collection of spoken word poems, distinguishes one poem as being an exemplar on the album, and then
B. offers a summary of the subject matter of the whole collection.

It summarizes the efforts to produce a collection of spoken word poems, presents biographies of two people who
C. worked on the album, and speculates about the meaning behind the poetry.

It connects two artists to the same spoken word poetry project, explains the extent of their collaboration on each poem,
D. and then provides an overview of the technique used to produce the work.

ID: a70cbc53 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The text first introduces the album as being a collaboration between Antrobus and Brennan,
then describes the approach taken to produce it, then mentions how critics have said that it calls into question the function
of sound.

Choice B is incorrect. While the text does mention a collection of spoken word poems, it doesn’t single out one poem as
being particularly noteworthy. Additionally, the text doesn’t simply summarize the subject matter—it goes into detail about
the content and production of the album. Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t provide biographical information about the
two artists, and the text doesn’t speculate about the meaning behind the poetry—instead, it relays what some critics have
said about the album. Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t provide just an overview of the production techniques used but
instead goes into more detail about the content and audio elements of the album, as well as critical response to the album.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4eee64fa
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 4eee64fa
Space scientists Anna-Lisa Paul, Stephen M. Elardo, and Robert Ferl planted seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana in samples of
lunar regolith—the surface material of the Moon—and, serving as a control group, in terrestrial soil. They found that while all
the seeds germinated, the roots of the regolith-grown plants were stunted compared with those in the control group.
Moreover, unlike the plants in the control group, the regolith-grown plants exhibited red pigmentation, reduced leaf size, and
inhibited growth rates—indicators of stress that were corroborated by postharvest molecular analysis.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

It describes an experiment that addressed an unresolved question about the extent to which lunar regolith resembles
A. terrestrial soils.

B. It compares two distinct methods of assessing indicators of stress in plants grown in a simulated lunar environment.

C. It presents evidence in support of the hypothesis that seed germination in lunar habitats is an unattainable goal.

D. It discusses the findings of a study that evaluated the effects of exposing a plant species to lunar soil conditions.

ID: 4eee64fa Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The text describes an experiment wherein space scientists compared plant growth in terrestrial
and lunar soil conditions. It then discusses the findings of the study, including the fact that all the seeds germinated but that
the plants grown in lunar soil exhibited signs of stress.

Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t address this question, and never describes any specific characteristics of either soil. It
merely describes the outcome of an experiment that exposed a plant species to lunar soil conditions. Choice B is incorrect.
The text never compares methods of assessing indicators of stress—instead, it simply mentions several stress indicators
observed in the study (red pigmentation, reduced leaf size, and inhibited growth rates). Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t
present any evidence that we could never achieve seed germination in lunar habitats, and in fact states that the seeds in the
lunar soil did germinate.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1f2d6173
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 1f2d6173
Scholarly accounts of the Chicano movement—a movement that advocated for the social, political, and cultural
empowerment of Mexican Americans and reached its zenith in the 1960s and 1970s—tend to focus on the most militant,
outspoken figures in the movement, making it seem uniformly radical. Geographer Juan Herrera has shown, however, that if
we shift our focus toward the way the movement manifested in comparatively low-profile neighborhood institutions and
projects, we see participants espousing an array of political orientations and approaches to community activism.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

It presents a trend in scholarship on the Chicano movement that the text claims has been reevaluated by researchers in
A. light of Herrera’s work on the movement’s participants.

It identifies an aspect of the Chicano movement that the text implies was overemphasized by scholars due to their own
B. political orientations.

It describes a common approach to studying the Chicano movement that, according to the text, obscures the ideological
C. diversity of the movement’s participants.

It summarizes the conventional method for analyzing the Chicano movement, which the text suggests creates a
D. misleading impression of the effectiveness of neighborhood institutions and projects.

ID: 1f2d6173 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a
whole. The text begins by mentioning scholarly accounts of the Chicano movement, which the underlined portion describes
as tending "to focus on the most militant, outspoken figures in the movement," making the movement as a whole seem
uniformly radical. The text then indicates that the work of geographer Juan Herrera shows that focusing less on such
militant figures and instead paying more attention to manifestations of the Chicano movement in less widely known
neighborhood institutions and projects would reveal that the movement’s participants embraced a range of political
orientations and approaches. Thus, the underlined portion describes a common approach to studying the Chicano
movement that, according to the text, obscures the ideological diversity of the movement’s participants.

Choice A is incorrect. Though the underlined portion does present a trend in scholarship on the Chicano movement, the text
does not indicate that other scholars have reevaluated their methods in light of Herrera’s work. It only indicates that Herrera’s
work suggests that the work of those other scholars does not provide a complete picture of the Chicano movement. Choice
B is incorrect. Though the underlined portion does identify an aspect of the Chicano movement that the text indicates has
been overemphasized, the text does not discuss the political orientations of the scholars whose work is mentioned in the
text. Choice D is incorrect. Though the underlined portion does summarize the conventional method for analyzing the
Chicano movement, the rest of the text does not address the effectiveness of "comparatively low-profile neighborhood
institutions and projects." Instead, the text suggests that those projects were led by people with a variety of approaches to
community activism.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fcc328c6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: fcc328c6
Streams and rivers carry soil and rocks from one location to another. But there is another way for these geological materials
to move. Scientists call this process “aeolian transport.” In aeolian transport, winds move small particles of soil or rock over
potentially great distances. Geologist Melisa Diaz and her team studied dust in Antarctica to find out if it was moved by
aeolian transport. They discovered that the dust matched geological material in Australia. Aeolian transport had carried it
from one continent to another, across thousands of miles of open ocean.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A. It presents Melisa Diaz’s remarks about difficulties that her team encountered.

B. It introduces a scientific term that is used in the discussion that follows.

C. It emphasizes the surprising nature of the findings that are presented.

D. It explains the difference between two kinds of geological material.

ID: fcc328c6 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a
whole. The first two sentences introduce the idea that soil and rocks can be moved from one location to another by
something other than rivers and streams. The underlined sentence then states that the term used by scientists to refer to
this process is “aeolian transport.” The discussion that follows explains what aeolian transport is (the movement of small
geological materials over potentially great distances by the wind) and describes an example of a study that found that dust
particles had been moved by aeolian transport from Australia to Antarctica. Thus, the underlined portion introduces a
scientific term that is used in the discussion that follows.

Choice A is incorrect because the underlined portion of the text doesn’t present any remarks from Melisa Diaz, nor does it
suggest that Diaz and her team encountered difficulties in their study. Instead, the phrase in quotation marks in the
underlined portion simply presents a term that is used by scientists to refer to a specific process discussed in the
text. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in either the underlined portion or the text as a whole suggests that the findings
of the study presented in the text were surprising or unexpected. In fact, the text suggests that Diaz and her team wanted to
see if aeolian transport could explain the appearance of certain geological materials in Antarctica, and their findings did
indeed confirm the involvement of aeolian transport. Choice D is incorrect. Although the first sentence of the text mentions
soil and rocks, which are two different kinds of geological material, the underlined portion doesn’t refer to these materials,
nor does it explain the difference between them. Rather, the underlined portion introduces the scientific term “aeolian
transport,” which is used in the discussion that follows.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 1d9a09c0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 1d9a09c0
The following text is adapted from Jason Reynolds’s 2016 novel Ghost. The narrator, who is in middle school, is at a bus
stop.

I just go there [to the bus stop] to look at the people working out. See, the gym across the street has this big window—
like the whole wall is a window—and they have those machines that make you feel like you walking up steps and so
everybody just be facing the bus stop, looking all crazy like they’re about to pass out. And trust me, there ain’t nothing
funnier than that. So I check that out for a little while like it’s some kind of movie: The About to Pass Out Show, starring
stair-stepper person one through ten.
©2016 by Jason Reynolds

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To give a reason why the narrator is excited to start middle school

B. To describe an activity that the narrator finds amusing

C. To explain a problem that the narrator has overcome

D. To discuss a movie that the narrator saw in a theater

ID: 1d9a09c0 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The text describes how the
narrator watches people working out at a gym through a window near a bus stop. The narrator says that "there ain’t nothing
funnier" than watching people try to work out on the stair climber machine. Thus, the main purpose of the text is to describe
an activity that the narrator finds amusing.

Choice A is incorrect because the text isn’t about the narrator beginning middle school. The text describes how the narrator
finds people working out at a gym amusing and makes no mention of school life. Choice C is incorrect because the text
doesn’t mention any problems that the narrator currently has or has overcome. It just describes how the narrator finds
watching people work out amusing. Choice D is incorrect because the narrator invents the made-up movie mentioned in the
text. The text doesn’t indicate that the narrator has seen a movie in a theater. The focus of the text is on the narrator
watching people at the gym, not watching a movie.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 0a04cac5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 0a04cac5
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.

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

ID: 0a04cac5 Answer

Correct 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.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0ed94d4c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 0ed94d4c
Jackie Ormes’s Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem (1937–38) was the first comic strip by a Black woman to appear in a widely
read newspaper. The strip tells the story of Torchy, a young woman who leaves Mississippi to become a performer in New
York City. Torchy’s story reflects the experience of the Great Migration (1910–1970), when millions of Black Americans left
the South in search of opportunities in other parts of the United States. Torchy Brown thus shows how Ormes used comics
to comment humorously on issues affecting Black Americans, which she continued to do throughout her career.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To show how Ormes’s Torchy Brown inspired other Black women to write comic strips in the 1930s

B. To illustrate how the subjects Ormes addressed in her comic strips changed over the course of her career

C. To give an example of how Ormes presented the experiences of Black Americans in her comic strips

D. To claim that several characters in Torchy Brown were based on people that Ormes knew personally

ID: 0ed94d4c Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The text describes how Torchy Brown depicted the experiences of a young Black woman
experiencing America’s Great Migration. It further states that Ormes continued to use comics throughout her career to
humorously comment on important issues impacting Black Americans.

Choice A is incorrect. The text never mentions other Black women comic strip writers. Choice B is incorrect. The text never
mentions any changes in the subjects Ormes addressed. Choice D is incorrect. The text never mentions the inspiration for
characters in Torchy Brown.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 54c6128b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 54c6128b
When ancient oak planks were unearthed during subway construction in Rome, Mauro Bernabei and his team examined the
growth rings in the wood to determine where these planks came from. By comparing the growth rings on the planks to
records of similar rings in oaks from Europe, the team could trace the wood to the Jura region of France, hundreds of
kilometers from Rome. Because timber could only have been transported from distant Jura to Rome by boat, the team’s
findings suggest the complexity of Roman trade routes.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It presents a conclusion about Roman trade routes based on the team’s findings.

B. It questions how the team was able to conclude that the planks were used to build a boat.

C. It explains why the planks were made from oak rather than a different kind of wood.

D. It describes common methods used in Roman subway construction.

ID: 54c6128b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a
whole. The first sentence explains that Bernabei and his team studied growth rings to obtain information about the ancient
oak planks found during a construction project in Rome. The next sentence presents what the researchers learned: the wood
from the planks came from France’s Jura region, which is far from Rome. The underlined sentence then presents the
implications of the findings about the planks: the wood must have been brought to Rome by boat, a difficult task that
suggests Roman trade routes were complex. Thus, the underlined sentence mainly functions to present a conclusion about
Roman trade routes based on the team’s findings.

Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the team thought the ancient planks were used in the
construction of a boat, nor does the underlined sentence question that conclusion. Instead, the text states that the wood
could only have been transported from Jura to Rome in a boat. Choice C is incorrect because the underlined sentence simply
offers a conclusion drawn from the team’s findings about the likely place of origin of the ancient planks; the text never
mentions why oak was chosen for the planks instead of other wood. Choice D is incorrect because neither the underlined
sentence nor the text as a whole addresses any methods that Romans used in constructing subways. Instead, the underlined
sentence offers a conclusion drawn from the team’s findings about the likely place of origin of the ancient wooden planks
discovered.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6ae393f7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 6ae393f7
Asteroid 6478 Gault has experienced intermittent mass loss since at least 2013, but in contrast to some other asteroids with
repeated mass-loss episodes, 6478 Gault has not lost mass at its perihelion (the closest point of its orbit to the Sun), and
thus the loss is not attributable to solar energy–driven ice vaporization. And as Jane X. Luu et al. point out, the singular
nature of impact ejection makes it untenable as an account of multiple loss episodes of similar duration over several years.
Instead, Luu et al. are likely correct that 6478 Gault is shedding mass due to rotational instability.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

It presents a scientific observation, describes a contrast between that observation and other observations, and then
A. explains why those other observations should not be considered credible.

It describes an astronomical finding, discusses competing theories about that finding that the author regards as flawed,
B. and then describes new evidence that supports an alternative theory.

It introduces a natural phenomenon, refutes two potential explanations for that phenomenon, and then presents a third
C. explanation for that phenomenon that the author regards as plausible.

It discusses a physical process, evaluates possible causes of that process, and then states that a persuasive account of
D. the process has yet to be put forward.

ID: 6ae393f7 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes the overall structure of the text. The text begins by
introducing the natural phenomenon of intermittent mass loss with regard to Asteroid 6478 Gault and notes that it curiously
has not lost mass at its perihelion like other asteroids typically do. The text then refutes "solar energy–driven ice
vaporization" and "the singular nature of impact ejection" as two possible explanations for Asteroid 6478 Gault’s intermittent
mass loss. Finally, the text presents Luu et al.’s explanation that "6478 Gault is shedding mass due to rotational instability,"
which the author says is "likely correct." Thus, the overall structure of the text is that it introduces a natural phenomenon,
refutes two potential explanations for that phenomenon, and then presents a third explanation for that phenomenon that the
author regards as plausible.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t distinguish between multiple observations. It focuses on the single
observation that Asteroid 6478 Gault is losing mass and evaluates multiple explanations for the phenomenon. The text also
asserts that Luu et al.’s explanation is credible and "likely correct." Choice B is incorrect because the text describes a natural
phenomenon, not a specific astronomical finding. In addition, although the text does note flawed reasons for Asteroid 6478
Gault’s intermittent mass loss, it doesn’t mention that Asteroid 6478 Gault’s intermittent mass loss is based on new
evidence. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text does evaluate explanations for the cause of Asteroid 6478 Gault’s
intermittent mass loss, the text also asserts that Luu et al.’s explanation that they have put forth is persuasive and "likely
correct."

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID af43b0bd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: af43b0bd
Researchers have long hypothesized that woolly mammoths were hunted to extinction in North America by humans using
spears with grooved tips known as Clovis points. One anthropologist set out to test this hypothesis. Using a mechanical
spear-thrower, he launched spears with Clovis points into mounds of clay—substitutes for the animals’ large bodies. The
projectiles generally penetrated only a few inches into the clay, an amount insufficient to have harmed most woolly
mammoths. This led the anthropologist to conclude that hunters using spears with Clovis points likely weren’t the principal
drivers of the extinction.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To argue for the significance of new findings amid an ongoing debate among researchers

B. To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the method used in an experiment

C. To summarize two competing hypotheses and a major finding associated with each one

D. To describe an experiment whose results cast doubt on an established hypothesis

ID: af43b0bd Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the main purpose of the text, which is to describe an
experiment whose results cast doubt on an established hypothesis. The text begins by noting that researchers have long
believed that woolly mammoths were hunted to extinction in North America by humans using spears with Clovis points. The
text then describes an experiment conducted by an anthropologist to test this hypothesis. According to the text, the results
of the experiment led the anthropologist to conclude that hunters using spears with Clovis points likely weren’t the primary
cause of the extinction. The anthropologist’s results cast doubt on the long-held hypothesis presented at the beginning of
the text and suggest that woolly mammoths may have become extinct in North America due to some other cause.

Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that researchers have been involved in an ongoing
debate. On the contrary, the text suggests that most researchers agree on the cause of the woolly mammoth’s extinction in
North America. Choice B is incorrect because the text never mentions any advantages or disadvantages of the method used
in the experiment, focusing instead on the results achieved using that method. Choice C is incorrect because the text
addresses only one hypothesis, that mammoths were hunted to extinction in North America by humans using spears with
Clovis points. Rather than present a competing hypothesis, the text explains how one anthropologist designed an experiment
to test this long-held hypothesis.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 2d77660e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 2d77660e
In the late 1800s, Spanish-language newspapers flourished in cities across Texas. San Antonio alone produced eleven
newspapers in Spanish between 1890 and 1900. But El Paso surpassed all other cities in the state. This city produced
twenty-two newspapers in Spanish during that period. El Paso is located on the border with Mexico and has always had a
large population of Spanish speakers. Thus, it is unsurprising that this city became such a rich site for Spanish-language
journalism.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To compare Spanish-language newspapers published in Texas today with ones published there during the late 1800s

B. To explain that Spanish-language newspapers thrived in Texas and especially in El Paso during the late 1800s

To argue that Spanish-language newspapers published in El Paso influenced the ones published in San Antonio during
C. the late 1800s

D. To explain why Spanish-language newspapers published in Texas were so popular in Mexico during the late 1800s

ID: 2d77660e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The text begins by stating
that there were many Spanish-language newspapers in cities across Texas in the late 1800s, citing San Antonio as a city that
produced eleven such newspapers. The text then goes on to note that in El Paso, there were twenty-two newspapers
published in Spanish in the late 1800s, more than any other Texas city. The text then concludes by explaining that the reason
for this large number of Spanish-language newspapers was likely El Paso’s location near Mexico and its large population of
Spanish speakers. Therefore, the main purpose of the text is to explain that Spanish-language newspapers thrived in Texas
cities, especially in El Paso, in the late 1800s.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss Spanish-language newspapers published in Texas today, let alone
compare them with newspapers that were published in the 1800s. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text characterizes El
Paso as a particularly rich site for Spanish-language journalism in the late 1800s, the text doesn’t discuss whether
newspapers published in El Paso influenced the newspapers published in other cities across Texas, including San Antonio.
Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t mention whether Spanish-language newspapers published in Texas were also
widely read in Mexico. The text only focuses on the popularity of Spanish-language newspapers within Texas, and especially
in El Paso.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID df45f0eb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: df45f0eb
Several studies have found negligible electoral consequences for governments that impose fiscal austerity measures, yet
some European governments recently suffered electorally due to their austerity programs. Evelyne Huebscher and
colleagues attribute this incongruity to governments’ tendency—not followed in the recent European cases—to implement
austerity programs strategically to avoid electoral costs (e.g., setting spending cuts to take effect only after the next
election), which has obscured the inherent political risks of austerity measures in the election data scholars have examined.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

It explains a discrepancy between what has been observed in study settings and what has been observed in real-world
A. settings that the text goes on to assert is attributable to the studies not using real-world data.

It identifies a conflict between research findings and recent events that the text goes on to suggest is a consequence of a
B. complicating factor in the data used to generate those findings.

It presents a long-standing divergence in research findings that the text goes on to say is due to different groups of
C. researchers using data that derive from different electoral circumstances.

It describes a recent exception to a general pattern in research findings that the text goes on to explain is a result of
D. researchers underestimating the significance of inconsistencies in the data they’ve analyzed.

ID: df45f0eb Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The
underlined sentence explains that contrary to what several studies would suggest, recent European governments suffered
electorally after the launch of fiscal austerity programs. The text goes on to indicate that the researchers generated their
findings from data that didn’t reveal the true political risk of austerity measures because the data were based on cases in
which governments had set austerity programs to take effect after the next election, a practice the European governments
that recently suffered electorally didn’t adhere to, thus introducing a complicating factor resulting in a conflict between the
research findings and recent events.

Choice A is incorrect because the underlined sentence doesn’t indicate that the discrepancy described in the text is between
observations made in study settings and observations made in real-world settings. Rather, the underlined sentence indicates
that the outcome of recent events is contrary to what would be expected based on the findings of several studies.
Additionally, there is nothing in the text to suggest that the studies mentioned did not use real-world data; instead, the text
indicates that the data used was generated under potentially different circumstances than the recent events. Choice C is
incorrect because the underlined sentence doesn’t present a long-standing divergence in research findings but rather a
discrepancy between past research findings and recent events that the text goes on to attribute to researchers’ use of data
that didn’t reveal the true political risk of austerity measures. Choice D is incorrect because while the underlined sentence
notes that there have been some recent exceptions to a general pattern observed in several research studies, it does not go
on to attribute this exception to the researchers underestimating inconsistencies in the data. Rather, the text goes on to
attribute this to a circumstance (fiscal austerity measures being implemented before an election rather than after) which
adds a complicating factor into the data not accounted for in past studies.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e5da61f1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: e5da61f1
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.

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

ID: e5da61f1 Answer

Correct 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.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 749f3334
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 749f3334
The following text is from Charlotte Forten Grimké’s 1888 poem “At Newport.”
Oh, deep delight to watch the gladsome waves
Exultant leap upon the rugged rocks;
Ever repulsed, yet ever rushing on—
Filled with a life that will not know defeat;
To see the glorious hues of sky and sea.
The distant snowy sails, glide spirit like,
Into an unknown world, to feel the sweet
Enchantment of the sea thrill all the soul,
Clearing the clouded brain, making the heart
Leap joyous as it own bright, singing waves!

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A. It portrays the surroundings as an imposing and intimidating scene.

B. It characterizes the sea’s waves as a relentless and enduring force.

C. It conveys the speaker’s ambivalence about the natural world.

D. It draws a contrast between the sea’s waves and the speaker’s thoughts.

ID: 749f3334 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a
whole. The text presents the speaker’s experience of viewing the sea. In the underlined portion, the speaker focuses on the
idea that the waves hitting rocks on the shore are a relentless and enduring force: they are constantly pushed back (“ever
repulsed”) but always return (“ever rushing on”), as though they have an energy that can’t be overcome (“a life that will not
know defeat”).

Choice A is incorrect. Although the underlined portion characterizes the waves as a relentless force (always “repulsed” but
still “rushing on” and never being defeated), the speaker doesn’t suggest that the surroundings are intimidating. Instead, the
speaker presents the scene in a positive way, describing the “deep delight” of the “gladsome,” or cheerful, waves and feeling
“the heart / Leap joyous” while viewing the sea. Choice C is incorrect because the underlined portion doesn’t suggest that
the speaker is ambivalent, or has mixed feelings about, the natural world. Instead, it presents a single view of one part of the
immediate surroundings: the speaker characterizes the sea’s waves as an unstoppable force, since they are constantly
pushed back but always return (“ever repulsed, yet ever rushing on”). Choice D is incorrect. Although the text later suggests
the speaker’s view of her own thoughts by referring to a “clouded brain” and a heart that leaps joyously, this reference neither
occurs within the underlined portion nor establishes a clear contrast with the relentless determination of the waves. The
underlined portion addresses only the speaker’s view of the waves and doesn’t suggest what her own thoughts might be.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 570970cd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 570970cd
The following text is adapted from Indian Boyhood, a 1902 memoir by Ohiyesa (Charles A. Eastman), a Santee Dakota writer.
In the text, Ohiyesa recalls how the women in his tribe harvested maple syrup during his childhood.
Now the women began to test the trees—moving leisurely among them, axe in hand, and striking a single quick blow, to
see if the sap would appear. The trees, like people, have their individual characters; some were ready to yield up their life-
blood, while others were more reluctant. Now one of the birchen basins was set under each tree, and a hardwood chip
driven deep into the cut which the axe had made. From the corners of this chip—at first drop by drop, then more freely—the
sap trickled into the little dishes.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It portrays the range of personality traits displayed by the women as they work.

B. It foregrounds the beneficial relationship between humans and maple trees.

C. It demonstrates how human behavior can be influenced by the natural environment.

D. It elaborates on an aspect of the maple trees that the women evaluate.

ID: 570970cd Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text’s overall portrayal
of how the women in Ohiyesa’s tribe harvested maple syrup. The text states that the women used an axe to strike the maple
trees in order to find out which ones would produce sap. The underlined sentence compares the trees to people, with the sap
described as the trees’ “life-blood.” Some of the trees are ready to give out their sap, while others are unwilling to do so.
Using personification, the sentence provides greater detail about the aspect of the maple trees—their potential to give sap—
that the women are evaluating.

Choice A is incorrect because the personalities of the women are not discussed in the text. Although the underlined
sentence does mention “individual characters,” this reference is not to the women in the text but rather to the maple trees,
which the sentence compares to people with individual character traits. Choice B is incorrect because the underlined
sentence focuses on the trees’ willingness or refusal to yield sap, not on the beneficial relationship between the women and
the trees. Additionally, although the text does suggest that the women and their tribe benefit from the maple trees since the
trees allow the women to harvest syrup, there is nothing in the text to suggest that the trees benefit from this relationship in
turn. Choice C is incorrect because the underlined sentence is comparing maple trees to humans, not addressing the
influence of the natural environment on how the actual humans in the text, the women, behave.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f631132b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: f631132b
In the Here and Now Storybook (1921), educator Lucy Sprague Mitchell advanced the then controversial idea that books for
very young children should imitate how they use language, since toddlers, who cannot yet grasp narrative or abstract ideas,
seek reassurance in verbal repetition and naming. The most enduring example of this idea is Margaret Wise Brown’s 1947
picture book Goodnight Moon, in which a young rabbit names the objects in his room as he drifts off to sleep. Scholars note
that the book’s emphasis on repetition, rhythm, and nonsense rhyme speaks directly to Mitchell’s influence.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

The text outlines a debate between two authors of children’s literature and then traces how that debate shaped theories
A. on early childhood education.

The text summarizes an argument about how children’s literature should be evaluated and then discusses a contrasting
B. view on that subject.

The text lists the literary characteristics that are common to many classics of children’s literature and then indicates the
C. narrative subjects that are most appropriate for young children.

The text presents a philosophy about what material is most suitable for children’s literature and then describes a book
D. influenced by that philosophy.

ID: f631132b Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The text starts by introducing Mitchell’s philosophy about using simple, repetitive language in
books for young children. Then it describes a book influenced by that philosophy, Goodnight Moon.

Choice A is incorrect. Although two authors are mentioned in the text, they both agree about the type of language that should
be contained in books for young children. Choice B is incorrect. The text never discusses the evaluation of children’s
literature. It does provide one view of how children’s books should be written, but never introduces a competing view. Choice
C is incorrect. The text doesn’t mention “many classics of children’s literature.” Instead, it describes an educational theory
and identifies one example of a famous children’s book that was influenced by that theory.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c0e1b70a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: c0e1b70a
The following text is adapted from Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto’s 1925 memoir A Daughter of the Samurai. As a young woman,
Sugimoto moved from feudal Japan to the United States.

The standards of my own and my adopted country differed so widely in some ways, and my love for both lands was so
sincere, that sometimes I had an odd feeling of standing upon a cloud in space, and gazing with measuring eyes upon
two separate worlds. At first I was continually trying to explain, by Japanese standards, all the queer things that came
every day before my surprised eyes; for no one seemed to know the origin or significance of even the most familiar
customs, nor why they existed and were followed.

Which choice best describes the main purpose of the text?

A. To convey the narrator’s experience of observing and making sense of differences between two cultures she embraces

B. To establish the narrator’s hope of forming connections with new companions by sharing customs she learned as a child

To reveal the narrator’s recognition that she is hesitant to ask questions about certain aspects of a culture she is newly
C. encountering

To emphasize the narrator’s wonder at discovering that the physical distance between two countries is greater than she
D. had expected

ID: c0e1b70a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The narrator asserts that she
loves both her “own” country (Japan) and her “adopted country” (the United States) even though the two countries differ
“widely.” She also indicates that, at first, she would try to explain unfamiliar experiences that she had in the United States
using the standards ingrained in her from growing up in Japan. Thus, the main purpose of the text is to convey the narrator’s
experience of observing and making sense of the differences between two cultures she embraces.

Choice B is incorrect because the text makes no reference to possible companions. Although the text does indicate that the
narrator sometimes used the cultural framework she acquired growing up in Japan to explain some experiences she’s had,
there is no suggestion that this was in service of making friends. And although “no one seemed to know” strongly implies
that the narrator has interacted with other people in the United States, there is no indication that these conversations
involved her discussing Japanese customs. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the narrator was
hesitant to ask questions. In fact, the narrator indicates that “no one seemed to know the origin” of various customs, which
provides evidence that, rather than being hesitant, she sought information from several people. Choice D is incorrect
because the text makes no reference to the physical distance between Japan and the United States. Although the narrator
indicates that the two countries differ “widely” and likens them to “two separate worlds,” these descriptions relate to cultural
aspects of the countries and the narrator’s feelings about the two countries, not the physical distance between them.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 34d7bb25
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 34d7bb25
According to Indian economist and sociologist Radhakamal Mukerjee (1889–1968), the Eurocentric concepts that informed
early twentieth-century social scientific methods—for example, the idea that all social relations are reducible to struggles
between individuals—had little relevance for India. Making the social sciences more responsive to Indians’ needs, Mukerjee
argued, required constructing analytical categories informed by India’s cultural and ecological circumstances. Mukerjee thus
proposed the communalist “Indian village” as the ideal model on which to base Indian economic and social policy.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

The text recounts Mukerjee’s early training in the social scientific disciplines and then lists social policies whose
A. implementation Mukerjee oversaw.

The text mentions some of Mukerjee’s economic theories and then traces their impact on other Indian social scientists of
B. the twentieth century.

The text presents Mukerjee’s critique of the social sciences and then provides an example of his attempts to address
C. issues he identified in his critique.

The text explains an influential economic theory and then demonstrates how that theory was more important to
D. Mukerjee’s work than other social scientists have acknowledged.

ID: 34d7bb25 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The text does indeed present Mukerjee’s critique of the social sciences—that they were too
Eurocentric—and then provides an example of how he attempted to address the issues he identified: by suggesting a social
science model based on the Indian village.

Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t discuss Mukerjee’s early training or his oversight of the implementation of social
policies at all. Choice B is incorrect. The text never discusses any other Indian social scientists. Choice D is incorrect. The
text never mentions other social scientists’ responses to Mukerjee’s work.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1b5d4e3e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 1b5d4e3e
Were penguins always flightless? Theresa Cole and her team argue that penguins could fly at some point, but that they lost
that ability more than 60 million years ago as they adapted to marine life. After examining various penguin fossils and
genetic information, the researchers concluded that over time penguins developed underwater vision, blood oxygenation,
and bone density better suited for swimming than flying. Thus, environmental conditions might have driven penguins to
change from flyers to swimmers.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A. It defines a scientific term used in the sentence that follows.

B. It contradicts a description in the sentence that follows.

C. It provides an answer to the question in the previous sentence.

D. It notes that the question in the previous sentence has not been researched.

ID: 1b5d4e3e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The text
begins with a question: have penguins always been unable to fly? The underlined sentence then presents an answer that has
been offered by researchers, indicating that Theresa Cole and her team believe that penguins were once able to fly but lost
that ability long ago as they began living in the sea. The text then describes the research that led to that answer. Thus, the
function of the underlined sentence is to provide an answer to the question in the previous sentence.

Choice A is incorrect because none of the terms used in the sentence that follows are defined in the underlined sentence; no
definitions are given at all. Instead, the sentence presents Theresa Cole and her team’s answer to the earlier question about
penguins’ ability to fly. Choice B is incorrect because there is no contradiction between the underlined sentence and the
sentence that follows since both convey that at some point penguins underwent adaptations that limited their ability to fly
and helped them swim and live in the sea. Instead of contradicting later information, the underlined sentence presents an
answer to the earlier question about penguins’ ability to fly. Choice D is incorrect because the question in the previous
sentence is about penguins’ ability to fly and the underlined sentence presents Theresa Cole and her team’s answer to that
question based on their research into penguin flight, which is described in the rest of the text.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f2c48e47
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: f2c48e47
The following text is from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1910 poem “The Earth’s Entail.” No matter how we cultivate the land,
Taming the forest and the prairie free; No matter how we irrigate the sand, Making the desert blossom at command,
We must always leave the borders of the sea; The immeasureable reaches Of the windy wave-wet beaches,
The million-mile-long margin of the sea.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A. The speaker argues against interfering with nature and then gives evidence supporting this interference.

B. The speaker presents an account of efforts to dominate nature and then cautions that such efforts are only temporary.

C. The speaker provides examples of an admirable way of approaching nature and then challenges that approach.

D. The speaker describes attempts to control nature and then offers a reminder that not all nature is controllable.

ID: f2c48e47 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. This best describes the overall structure of the text. In the first half of the text, the speaker
describes our attempts to control nature: cultivating, taming, and irrigating different kinds of land. In the second half, the
speaker states that we can never tame the sea or the beach.

Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t describe the overall structure of the text. The speaker never argues that we should not
interfere with nature. Rather, the speaker says that we are able to tame many different kinds of land, but we are unable to
tame the sea or beaches. Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t describe the overall structure of the text. The speaker never
describes our cultivation, taming, and irrigation of land as “temporary.” Rather, the speaker says that we are able to tame
many different kinds of land, but we are unable to tame the sea or beaches. Choice C is incorrect. This doesn’t describe the
overall structure of the text. The speaker never describes our cultivation, taming, and irrigation of land as an “admirable”
approach to nature.” Rather, the speaker says that we are able to tame many different kinds of land, but we are unable to
tame the sea or beaches.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 48e4021d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Text Structure and
Purpose

ID: 48e4021d
The following text is from Holly Goldberg Sloan’s 2017 novel Short.

More than two years ago my parents bought a piano from some people who were moving to Utah. Mom and Dad gave it
to my brothers and me for Christmas. I had to act really happy because it was such a big present, but I pretty much
hated the thing from the second it was carried into the hallway upstairs, which is right next to my bedroom. The piano
glared at me. It was like a songbird in a cage. It wanted to be set free.
©2017 by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. It explains why the narrator always wanted a piano close to her bedroom.

B. It establishes how the narrator feels about the piano.

C. It suggests that the narrator’s brothers are talented piano players.

D. It describes the event that led the narrator’s parents to buy a piano.

ID: 48e4021d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it best states the main purpose of the text, which is to establish the narrator’s feelings
about the piano. The narrator reveals that she “had to act really happy” about the piano even though she “pretty much hated
the thing” as soon as it was placed upstairs near her bedroom. The narrator also describes the piano as glaring at her and
compares it to a caged bird that wants to be set free. These details establish the narrator’s feelings about the piano,
suggesting that it makes her uneasy.

Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that the narrator hated having the piano upstairs right next to her bedroom,
not that she wanted a piano to be close to her bedroom. Choice C is incorrect because the only information provided in the
text about the narrator’s brothers is that they were given the piano along with the narrator. Choice D is incorrect because the
text does not describe the event that led the narrator’s parents to buy the piano from the people moving to Utah. Instead, the
text focuses on the narrator’s feelings about the piano after it was given to her and her brothers.

Question Difficulty: Easy