SAT Central Ideas (Hard) - English – Real Collegeboard Practice Questions with Answers and Explanations

Choice C is the best answer. The text says that the production’s use of its large, winding space has a very specific effect on the audience. Given that the space itself is so important to creating this effect, it would be difficult to reproduce the production in a different space. Choice A is incorrect. The fact that the venue is in New York City isn’t connected to the experimental nature of the performance. It’s the size of the venue, not its location in New York, that affects the theatrical experience. Choice B is incorrect. The text never suggests that audience members are disappointed because they can’t see the entire production. In fact, it suggests that that’s an important part of the experience. Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t mention a recommended itinerary for audience members.

Choice B is the best answer. The text describes a saying in the capital that Malsufrido keeps more secrets than an archbishop. It also says that when he takes off his hat, “the family secrets do not fly out… but remain nicely bottled up,” suggesting that he will not betray his confidences. Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t reflect the text. While his hat is large and appears to have been brushed in the wrong direction, Dr. Malsufrido does not seem to be regarded as ill-dressed or disheveled. Choice C is incorrect. This choice is the opposite of what the text says. The secrets of families (his and others’) remain “bottled up” in his head. Choice D is incorrect. This choice isn’t supported by the text. His professional expertise is not discussed in the passage.

Choice D is the best answer. The text metaphorically likens humans to animals in a zoo, suggesting that humans have dreams that they cannot fulfill because they are trapped. Choice A is incorrect. The speaker says that the lion has an “untamed heart,” but the speaker doesn’t actually mention anything about humans taming wild animals or a lack of compassion. Choice B is incorrect. The speaker doesn’t suggest that humans lack motivation. Rather, the speaker thinks that humans are “trapped” and prevented from achieving their dreams. Choice C is incorrect. The speaker doesn’t mention anything about humans becoming frustrated or lacking self- control. Rather, the speaker thinks that humans are “trapped” and prevented from achieving their dreams.

Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes Biliroglu and colleagues’ claim about how the polarons function in relation to superfluorescence. The text indicates that “until recently,” superfluorescence (intense, synchronized bursts of light emitted by dipoles) has solely been observed at very cold temperatures. However, it also states that, recently, Biliroglu and colleagues report observing the phenomenon at room temperature. They achieved this using “thin films made of perovskite and other similarly crystalline materials,” which the researchers claim allows for the formation of polarons. They also suggest that these polarons might absorb the thermal shocks that typically disrupt dipole synchronization at warmer temperatures. Thus, based on the text, Biliroglu and colleagues believe that polarons help dipoles synchronize at temperatures well above those at which superfluorescence had previously been observed. Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t address the prospect of a superfluorescent burst moving between crystalline materials or any other mediums. Choice C is incorrect because the text’s discussion of polarons is about how they might enable superfluorescence at higher temperatures than those at which it had previously been observed. Rather than suggesting that polarons speed up superfluorescent bursts, the text suggests that no superfluorescence can occur at room temperature in the absence of polarons. Thus, the text indicates that polarons make superfluorescent bursts more likely to occur at higher temperatures than those at which it had previously been observed, not that polarons accelerate the bursts. Choice D is incorrect because the text’s discussion of polarons is about how they might enable superfluorescence at higher temperatures than those at which it had previously been observed. In the absence of polarons, the text suggests there would be no superfluorescence at room temperature. Thus, rather than decrease the intensity of superfluorescent bursts, polarons make them more likely to occur under certain circumstances. Assessment SAT Test Reading and Writing Domain Information and Ideas Skill Central Ideas and Details Difficulty

Choice D is the best answer because it presents a statement about the site discovered by the researchers that is supported by the text. The text discusses Fiorelli and colleagues’ discovery of egg clutches, single eggs, and eggshells in a Brazilian mine. According to the text, the presence of these eggs, which are from the Late Cretaceous period, led the researchers to conclude that the location was once a nesting and breeding site for titanosaurs. The text then explains that the finding is important because of the “previous lack of known nesting sites in northern regions of South America.” If there haven’t been any other discoveries of a nesting site in South America’s northern regions and the site in the Brazilian mine is the first, then the text strongly suggests that the site is farther north than other nesting sites that have been discovered in South America. Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the site discovered by Fiorelli and colleagues is the earliest titanosaur nesting and breeding site known to paleontologists but rather that it’s the first nesting site found in northern regions of South America. Moreover, the text doesn’t suggest how the timeline of the newly discovered site compares with that of other titanosaur nesting and breeding sites. Choice B is incorrect because there is no mention in the text about any difficulties that Fiorelli and colleagues faced when they were excavating the nesting and breeding site in the Brazilian mine. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t support the idea that the nesting and breeding site in the Brazilian mine was occupied by sauropods other than titanosaurs. The text simply mentions that titanosaurs are sauropod dinosaurs and presents the researchers’ conclusion that the site they discovered was for titanosaurs.

Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text states that some scholars have dated the composition of Beowulf to the late ninth through early eleventh centuries due to the poem’s fit with that period’s historical context. The text goes on to say that while it is “not inconceivable that Beowulf emerged from such a context”—that is, it is possible that Beowulf was composed during the late ninth through eleventh centuries—there is linguistic evidence that the poem was composed earlier, in the seventh or eighth century. According to the text, favoring the historical context over the linguistic evidence requires justification that scholars have not yet supplied. In other words, the text suggests that scholars who favor the later composition date need to explain why the poem’s fit with historical context should take precedence over the linguistic evidence, but they have not yet done so. Thus, the main idea of the text is that while there is some plausibility to the later composition date, advocates for the later date have not compellingly addressed evidence suggestive of an earlier date. Choice A is incorrect because the text says that scholars who date the poem to the late ninth through early eleventh centuries have failed to account for the linguistic evidence that the poem may have been composed earlier, not that the evidence those scholars cite in favor of their view is unreliable or that anyone has cast doubt on that evidence. In other words, the text does not suggest that there are problems with the evidence cited by advocates of the later composition date, Assessment SAT Test Reading and Writing Domain Information and Ideas Skill Central Ideas and Details Difficulty only that there is other evidence of an earlier composition date that those advocates need to consider. Choice B is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that those scholars who date the poem to the late ninth through early eleventh centuries are giving priority to a controversial view of the social conditions at that time. The text makes no reference to any controversy about how scholars interpret that historical period. Instead, the text suggests that scholars who date the poem on the basis of its fit with the historical context of England in the late ninth through early eleventh centuries have failed to account for linguistic evidence that the poem may have been composed earlier. Choice C is incorrect because the text says nothing about how well the poem fits the historical context of England in the seventh and eighth centuries, let alone that it fits that historical context as well as it fits the historical context of the late ninth through early eleventh centuries. Rather, the text says that there is linguistic evidence that the poem may have been composed in the seventh or eighth century.

Choice C is the best answer. The text says that the cerebellum has long been thought to regulate motor functioning, but new research shows that it may also have other functions—including regulating emotion and social behavior and some connection to motivation and rewards processing. Choice A is incorrect. The VTA is described as “a center for motivation and reward processing,” and the discovery of the pathway between the VTA and the cerebellum supports the theory that the cerebellum is involved in functions other than motor coordination. Choice B is incorrect. The text says that recent research has identified this pathway, but it doesn’t discuss any previous “widely accepted claims” about the pathway’s function. The “widespread acknowledgement” mentioned early in the passage is about the cerebellum alone, not its connection to the VTA. Choice D is incorrect. The text never discusses any technological limitations or any new technologies.

Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text indicates that dog owners typically claim that some dog breeds are “more likely than others to have particular personality traits.” In other words, the text points out that a commonly held belief about dog breeds is that their personality traits are heritable. The text then states that Kathleen Morrill and colleagues undertook research about dog trait heritability and found that “behavior varies widely among dogs of the same breed.” Because Morrill and colleagues found evidence for variability rather than consistency in the behavior of dogs of the same breed, the statement that research fails to uphold a commonly held belief about dog breeds and behavior accurately reflects the main idea of the text. Choice A is incorrect. Although the text mentions that humans have long intervened in dogs’ reproduction by intentionally crossbreeding certain dogs, it doesn’t argue that such intervention is essential to the existence of dog breeds. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss the popularity of any dog breeds; breeds are mentioned as having certain traits, but the text says nothing about the popularity of these breeds or traits. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text briefly mentions that Morrill and colleagues conducted a study about dog traits using both surveys and DNA sequencing, this is not the main focus of the text. The text concerns the study’s results about the heritability of dog traits, not the particular methodology used by Morrill and colleagues.

Choice A is the best answer. The text says that corals produce bright colors to block sunlight and encourage algae to recolonize after “an environmental stressor.” From this, we can infer that corals that produce bright colors have probably been subjected to an environmental stressor. Choice B is incorrect. The text says that corals produce bright colors to block intense sunlight, which protects the light- sensitive algae that keep the coral healthy. In other words, bright colors make the coral’s health less vulnerable to intense sunlight. Choice C is incorrect. The text says that corals produce bright colors to encourage algae to recolonize, not that they have recovered without the assistance of algae colonies. Choice D is incorrect. The text never compares the likelihood of differently colored corals surviving without algae colonies.

Choice C is the best answer. The text describes how Miranda circulated, edited, and added footnotes to “Letter to the Spanish Americans,” and it claims that the letter and its author would have “remained insignificant” if it weren’t for Miranda’s efforts. Choice A is incorrect. The text only says that Viscardo wrote the letter and that Miranda edited it: it never suggests that the original authorship of the letter is up for debate. Choice B is incorrect. This contradicts the text. The text says that Miranda edited and footnoted the letter, but it identifies Viscardo as the letter’s author. It also never identifies certain arguments as more eloquent than others. Choice D is incorrect. This is outside the scope of the text. The paragraph describes Miranda’s role in the creation and distribution of the letter, but it doesn’t get into the effects of the letter on other people.

Choice A is the best answer. Conventional solar cell fabrication increases “the cost of manufacturing at scale,” but spray coating might get rid of that problem. Choice B is incorrect. This is not completely supported by the text. While it’s true that conventional ETL fabrication is expensive at scale, there’s nothing in the text that mentions other perovskite solar cell architectures. Choice C is incorrect. This choice does not match the text. Only one conventional method of ETL fabrication is described, so we can’t compare the solution loss in this method to that of other conventional methods. Choice D is incorrect. This choice isn’t supported by the text. The text never suggests that the effectiveness of solar cells changes based on their method of fabrication.

Choice C is the best answer. The text argues that disco is "far less superficial" than its popular perception might indicate, and that love and heartbreak are "subjects hardly unique to disco." Choice A is incorrect. This choice conflicts with the text, which says that scholars argue that disco "is far less superficial than many people believe." Choice B is incorrect. This choice says the opposite of what the text suggests. The writer argues that the genre is not as superficial as commonly believed, but that it always reflected "concerns about community and identity." Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t support this choice. There’s nothing in the text about disco giving rise to an enduring Black women’s musical tradition.

Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes the moon with the eccentric orbit. The text indicates that three of the 20 newly discovered moons have prograde orbits, meaning that they orbit Saturn in the same direction as the planet’s spin, while the other 17 moons have retrograde orbits, meaning that they orbit Saturn in the opposite direction of the planet’s spin. The text then states that 19 of the 20 moons appear to be the remains of earlier bodies that orbited Saturn but were broken apart in collisions. The one exception is a moon that orbits Saturn in the same direction as the planet’s spin, meaning that the exceptional moon’s orbit is prograde. The text goes on to state that the exceptional moon’s orbit is so eccentric that the moon may have formed through a different process than the other 19 moons. The moon with the eccentric orbit, therefore, has a prograde orbit and may not be a remnant of an earlier body that orbited Saturn. Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text supports the idea that the moon with the eccentric orbit likely has the same origin as the moons with retrograde orbits. Although it’s true that the moon has a prograde orbit (and thus doesn’t have a retrograde orbit), the only information the text provides about the moon’s origin is that it may be different than the origin of the other 19 moons. Choice B is incorrect because the text states that the moon in question orbits Saturn in the same direction as the planet’s spin, meaning that the moon’s orbit is prograde, not that its orbit is neither prograde nor retrograde. Choice C is incorrect because the text merely notes that the moon in question has a prograde orbit without giving any indication of what likely caused that orbit.

Choice C is the best answer. The passage begins by describing the study, and concludes with its results: "many users employed cognitive mechanisms to mitigate those feelings [of negative disconfirmation]." Choice A is incorrect. This is the opposite of what the text claims. Rather, the researchers found that "many users" reversed "their initial sense of disappointment." Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t reflect the text. What the expectations of smart home tech users are is not discussed. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t reflect the text. How often these topics have been studied is not mentioned.

Choice B is the best answer. The text says that the glass beads get the "focus" of the light beams so that the particles don’t overheat. From this, we can infer that the beads allow the particles to be manipulated without being directly heated by the light beams. Choice A is incorrect. The text never says that attaching the glass beads saves time in any way. Choice C is incorrect. The text never says that attaching the glass beads allows researchers to use weaker light beams. Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t say that the particles can transfer heat to the glass beads—rather, it says the heat from the light focuses on the glass beads instead of the particles.

Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text begins by explaining that wild animals can be studied in their natural habitat or in a laboratory setting, with each setting offering unique advantages to researchers. The text then highlights an instance in which Western scrub-jays were studied in both settings but with conflicting results, indicating that one or both studies may have failed to account for the disadvantages of its research setting. Thus, the main idea of the text is that while wild animals can be effectively studied in natural or lab settings, there are drawbacks to each that need to be considered to ensure accurate results. Choice A is incorrect because the text does not position one study setting (natural or lab) as superior to the other; rather, the text states that each one has advantages over the other. Choice B is incorrect. The text provides a hypothetical example of two studies in different environments with conflicting results, but this single example cannot be extrapolated to a general claim about the likelihood that results of studies in different environments will conflict. Additionally, the text does not assert anything about how researchers can or cannot resolve conflicting study results. Choice D is incorrect because the text does not state that discrepancies between natural-habitat and lab-based animal behavior studies are due to both of the designs being flawed. Rather, the text states that the conflict in results can be the consequence of one or both of the studies having failed to account for some factor. Assessment SAT Test Reading and Writing Domain Information and Ideas Skill Central Ideas and Details Difficulty