SAT Inferences (Medium) - English – Real Collegeboard Practice Questions with Answers and Explanations

Choice C is the best answer. Because “song preference plays a role in songbird mate selection,” and because F. hypoleuca nestlings display a preference for local dialects, we can infer that they will be more likely to choose mates from local populations. Choice A is incorrect. We don’t have any information suggesting that this preference disappears, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice B is incorrect. Although the passage discusses the number of begging calls made in response to various F. hypoleuca dialects, no mention is made about the amount of food received based on dialect preference. Therefore, there’s no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. There’s no mention in the passage of methods of other types of local songbirds, so there’s no basis for this inference.

Choice C is the best answer. The text tells us that lemons—an expensive imported product—feature in Dutch paintings of the period more frequently than dairy products do. Since it’s unlikely lemons were eaten more often than dairy, this fact casts doubt on the theory that these paintings realistically depicted Dutch diets. Choice A is incorrect. In fact, the text suggests the opposite: it says that dairy products were a "major component of the Dutch diet," while lemons were an expensive import item, so we can infer that lemons were eaten much more rarely than dairy products. Choice B is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention painters from other countries, so there’s no basis to make this inference. Choice D is incorrect. In fact, the text suggests that Dutch painters do have reasons for depicting foods other than to show what Dutch people typically ate. For example, lemons in a painting could indicate wealth or prosperity.

Choice C is the best answer because it is the choice that most logically completes the text. The text mentions a dialect of Spanish spoken in New Mexico, which was colonized by Spain in the 1600s. The text then states that the New Mexican dialect differs greatly from other Spanish dialects in that it still has characteristics of an older Spanish that other dialects eventually lost. After asking why this might be, the text points out that the New Mexico colony was distant from Spain’s other colonies, making it less attractive to colonists after the initial colonization. This geographic isolation limited the colony’s exposure to other Spanish colonists who would have otherwise introduced the changes to the Spanish language that occurred in their respective colonies. It can therefore be inferred that this isolation is a reason why the New Mexican dialect still has characteristics of an older Spanish, while the Spanish dialects spoken in less isolated areas that have more interaction with speakers of other dialects would lose those characteristics over time. Thus, the most logical completion of the text is that geographical isolation can influence how a language develops. Choice A is incorrect because the text discusses different dialects of Spanish, not different languages altogether. Choice B is incorrect because the text focuses on how the New Mexican dialect has stayed the same over time in some ways, not on how it has changed from one generation to the next. Choice D is incorrect because though the text discusses how the New Mexican dialect of Spanish is different from others, it does not discuss how speakers of different dialects are able to understand each other.

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Lemay, Zyats, and Bezur’s 2021 analysis of the Vinland Map. The text indicates that while some scholars have believed that the map was drawn in the mid- 1400s, the 2021 analysis showed the presence of the compound titanium dioxide in the ink used to draw the map. The text goes on to say that titanium dioxide wasn’t used to manufacture ink until the early 1900s, which means that ink containing this compound couldn’t have been available to mapmakers in the 1400s. Since mapmakers in the mid-1400s couldn’t have used ink with titanium dioxide, it follows that the Vinland Map couldn’t have been drawn by mid-1400s mapmakers. Choice A is incorrect because the 2021 finding that the ink used to draw the Vinland Map wasn’t available until the early 1900s doesn’t imply that Europeans in the mid-1400s couldn’t have known about the eastern coast of North America. While this finding suggests that the map couldn’t have been created in the mid-1400s, it doesn’t preclude the possibility that Europeans nevertheless had knowledge—and perhaps even drew other maps that are no longer in existence or are yet to be discovered by researchers—of the eastern coast of present-day North America as early as the mid-1400s. Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text that suggests that the 2021 discovery of the presence of titanium dioxide in the ink used to draw the Vinland Map caused Lemay, Zyats, and Bezur to question or reach a new conclusion about when mapmakers began using ink containing titanium compounds. Instead, the text indicates that titanium dioxide wasn’t used in ink before the early 1900s. This knowledge led the team to conclude that the map, which was drawn with ink containing titanium dioxide, couldn’t have been created in the mid-1400s. Choice D is incorrect because although the text doesn’t indicate that Lemay, Zyats, and Bezur established an exact date for the creation of the ink that was used to draw the Vinland Map, the text does say that titanium dioxide was introduced in ink manufacturing in the early 1900s. This fact provides Assessment SAT Test Reading and Writing Domain Information and Ideas Skill Inferences Difficulty enough information to determine that the ink that was used to draw the map was created no earlier than the early 1900s. This finding, in turn, led the team to conclude that the Vinland Map couldn’t have been drawn in the mid-1400s.

Choice D is the best answer. The passage tells us that participants were “more than seven times likelier to characterize the modified songs as having swing than to characterize the original versions as having swing.” Because the modified songs had been changed by altering the timing of the downbeats and offbeats, this suggests that the timing of downbeats and offbeats may play a crucial role in giving a song swing. Choice A is incorrect. Although the passage mentions that the researchers “synchronized the offbeats” in the modified songs, they also “delayed the downbeats” in those songs. Because we can’t disentangle whether it was the synchronized offbeats, the delayed downbeats, or the combination of both that increased the song’s swing, we don’t have enough information to make this inference. Choice B is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention whether or not it’s difficult for a jazz musician to give a song swing, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage doesn’t compare jazz songs that feature piano to those that don’t, so there’s no basis for this inference.

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Indus River valley civilization. The text establishes that archaeologists haven’t been able to interpret the Indus River valley civilization’s writing system but have nevertheless acquired information about the civilization through historical artifacts. The fact that archaeologists have been able to learn about the Indus River valley civilization’s customs and community organization from historical artifacts suggests that it isn’t necessary to understand an ancient civilization’s language to learn about the civilization. Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss how easy it is to investigate ancient civilizations with or without knowledge of the civilization’s language; rather, it states that even though researchers have not yet deciphered the language of the Indus River valley civilization, they are still able to learn about it through historical artifacts. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t make any claims as to what the focus of archaeological research should be. Rather, the text discusses how archaeologists have been able to learn about an ancient civilization through historical artifacts despite not understanding the civilization’s language. Choice D is incorrect because the text states that the civilization’s language has not yet been interpreted; it makes no mention of a debate about the language. Instead, the text suggests that examination of the historical artifacts has allowed archaeologists to learn about the civilization but has not aided thus far in deciphering its language.

Choice A is the best answer. Because researchers found “Acasta rocks dating to about 3.75 bya” were similar to “modern rocks formed in a subduction setting,” we can infer that subduction-like processes must have begun occurring in the Acasta Gneiss Complex by this time. Choice B is incorrect. We only know about geological processes at the Acasta Gneiss Complex, so we do not have information to make inferences about geological processes in general. Also, notice that the rocks dated to 4.02 bya were found to still be formed in a plume setting, so the transition must have happened after this time. Choice C is incorrect. There’s no mention in the passage of what proportion of the rocks within Acasta Gneiss Complex were formed through subduction, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. The passage discusses various rocks in the Acasta Gneiss Complex that are dated to different periods of time, but nothing in the passage suggests that these dates are or were wrong.

Choice D is the best answer. The passage tells us that the declaration was written in a language important to European diplomacy but not most Haitians, states that the declaration included "a reassurance to the United States," and made implicit references to colonies in the Americas. Because of the messages within the declaration that were largely irrelevant to the Haitian people, we can assume that the Haitian people were not the only audience for this document. Choice A is incorrect. There’s no mention in the passage of similar documents in other countries, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice B is incorrect. Although there’s an implicit reference to European governments when the passage discusses how the declaration was written in French, "which was used throughout Europe as the language of international diplomacy," there is no discussion of the French government’s response to the declaration. Therefore, there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention the popularity of the revolution and declaration among the Haitian people, so there’s no basis for this inference.

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically follows from the text’s discussion of André Izidoro, Rajdeep Dasgupta, and colleagues’ computer simulations of our solar system’s development. The text begins by stating that the simulations led the researchers to conclude that the solar system likely formed from three giant dust rings that encircled the Sun. The text explains that the four inner planets, including Earth, formed from the innermost ring and that the remaining planets formed from the middle ring. It then explains that in one simulation, the researchers delayed the formation of the middle ring—that is, they tested to see what would happen if the middle ring had formed later than it actually did. They found that doing so affected the size of the innermost planets, resulting in oversized super-Earths, planets that are much larger than Earth. Since the delayed timing had the effect of changing the size of Earth in the simulation relative to Earth’s real size, it’s reasonable to conclude that the timing of the middle ring’s formation was important in determining Earth’s eventual size. Choice A is incorrect. Although the text explains that when the researchers delayed the formation of the middle ring in one simulation, the size of the innermost planets was affected (which suggests that the middle ring likely formed earlier than it did in this simulation), the text doesn’t indicate that this was an initial simulation—that is, a simulation that was conducted before other simulations. Moreover, the text makes no reference to the specific results of any other simulations; therefore, there is no basis for comparing any conclusions based on the simulation in which the middle ring’s formation was delayed with conclusions based on other simulations. Choice C is incorrect because the text discusses how altering the timing of the formation of the middle ring, not the outermost ring, affected the four innermost planets’ eventual size in the researchers’ Assessment SAT Test Reading and Writing Domain Information and Ideas Skill Inferences Difficulty simulation; therefore, the simulation offers no basis for a conclusion about how the outermost ring’s formation affected the size of the planets. Choice D is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to suggest that the innermost ring produced all the solar system’s planets. Rather, the text states that the simulations showed that the innermost planets formed from the innermost ring and that the remaining planets formed from the middle ring.

Choice A is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of the Arabia Terra region of Mars. According to the text, there are craters in Arabia Terra that could be the result of volcanic activity, and researchers have found evidence of ash deposits consistent with a large eruption. The text goes on to note, however, that erosion and other events could have altered the surface of Mars. This observation suggests that current conditions on Mars’s surface are not necessarily a reliable guide to past events—some signs of past events could have been transformed or erased entirely—and thus the current makeup of Arabia Terra may not accurately reflect past volcanic activity. Choice B is incorrect because the text suggests only that past events could have changed Mars’s surface such that its current appearance isn’t a reliable guide to past activity, not that it’s likely that past eruptions were not as massive as astronomers previously believed. Nothing in the text supports a conclusion about the likely size of past eruptions. Choice C is incorrect because the observation that resurfacing events could have changed the appearance of Mars doesn’t imply that the ash discussed in the text likely came from multiple volcanoes. Although it’s possible that the ash came from different volcanoes, there’s no information in the text supporting a conclusion about how likely that possibility is. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the Arabia Terra craters had to have been created by something other than volcanic eruptions. Although the text does suggest that the evidence consistent with volcanic eruptions shouldn’t be taken as definitive proof of past eruptions, that doesn’t mean that the craters couldn’t have been created by eruptions, only that we can’t be certain they were.

Choice B is the best answer. Dramaturges help playwrights with storytelling and characterization. Choreographers often tell stories through dance, so they are also concerned with storytelling and characterization. This suggests that the fact that choreographers seek the help of dramaturges with the storytelling aspects of their dances should be “unsurprising.” Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The beginning of the text does imply that this is true, but the end is leading to a conclusion about how choreographers use dramaturges. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never mentions dances by choreographers who don’t incorporate narrative elements. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text mentions in passing that directors use dramaturges to conduct research, but it never suggests that directors and actors are too reliant on them. Also, the text is leading to a conclusion about how choreographers use dramaturges.

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ana Castillo’s 1986 novel The Mixquiahuala Letters. The text states that the novel consists entirely of letters from the narrator to her friend—a format that some students reading the novel in a class found intimidating. According to the text, those students also found the novel’s treatment of gender to be old-fashioned. In response to the students’ concerns, their professor emphasized the novel’s relevance: it’s written in modern-sounding language and addresses issues that still matter. This, in turn, suggests that The Mixquiahuala Letters is more relevant to contemporary audiences than it may initially seem. Choice A is incorrect because the professor’s response to the students only mentions The Mixquiahuala Letters: it doesn’t compare the novel to others from the same period. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the professor’s response to the students compares The Mixquiahuala Letters to contemporary novels about friendship. Choice D is incorrect because the professor’s response to the students doesn’t address the idea of reading the novel’s letters multiple times and in different orders.

Choice B is the best answer. Both explanations suggest that the bacteria come from the same place: either they come from the ground and make their way to the leaves, or they come from above the ground and make their way to the roots. Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses any benefits of any kind of bacteria. Choice C is incorrect. This conflicts with the text. One of the theories is that the bacteria in the leaves were deposited by rain splashing off soil. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text only discusses “naturally occurring” bacteria. It never mentions either the harms or benefits of these bacteria.

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the sound quality of Cremonese and modern violins. The text states that violins made in Cremona in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries sound superior to modern violins. It then indicates that some experts attribute the difference to different woods being used to make these violins, but both Cremonese and modern violins are made of the same woods (maple and spruce); thus this cannot account for the difference. The text then says that recent analysis suggests the wood in Cremonese violins was chemically treated by the craftspeople who made them, thereby providing an alternate explanation for the sound differences: the chemical alteration that is present in the Cremonese violins but absent from the modern ones. Choice A is incorrect because the text does not discuss how the sound quality of Cremonese violins compares with the sound quality of other instruments made during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Instead it focuses on how the sound of the Cremonese violins compares with that of modern violins. Choice C is incorrect. The text states that there are differences in sound quality between the Cremonese and modern violins, and that both types of violin are made with maple or spruce. Thus the type of wood alone does not determine a violin’s sound quality. Furthermore, even if the type of wood alone could account for differences in sound quality, the text makes no mention of other woods, so there is no basis to judge how modern violins would sound if they were made using woods besides maple and spruce. Choice D is incorrect because the text states that there is evidence that Cremonese craftspeople chemically treated the wood used in Cremonese violins. This evidence is attributed to “new analysis,” which strongly suggests that this process was unknown to modern violin makers before that analysis. If the chemical treatment was unknown until recently, the manufacturing process for modern violins must differ with respect to the previously unknown practice of chemically treating the wood. Assessment SAT Test Reading and Writing Domain Information and Ideas Skill Inferences Difficulty

Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of potential benefits of interruptions in the workplace. The text indicates that a common belief in business is that interruptions to working employees decrease energy and productivity levels. However, the text goes on to explain that a research team led by Harshad Puranik has found that there could be a social benefit to these interruptions. Since the team found that workplace interruptions can increase employees’ sense of belonging and job satisfaction, it follows that the interpersonal benefits of some interruptions can offset the perceived negative effects. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text presents research findings that suggest some workplace interruptions can have a positive effect on employee job satisfaction, no further information is presented to suggest at what frequency these interruptions are ideal. Furthermore, the text doesn’t tie workplace interruptions to increased productivity, but rather links it to social benefits such as sense of belonging. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t address employees’ motives for choosing not to interrupt their colleagues. The text presents research findings that suggest that there are some positive interpersonal effects of workplace interruptions that can increase employee job satisfaction. Choice D is incorrect because asking businesses to discourage workplace interruptions doesn’t follow from the team’s research about the benefits of workplace interruptions, nor does the text describe an ideal work environment. Instead, the text presents research suggesting that there may be positive aspects to workplace interruptions that haven’t previously been considered.

Choice D is the best answer. Johnson collected “ephemera,” or things that are meant to be thrown away. Scholars thought his collection was worthless to them, then later realized that it was potentially valuable. This suggests that scholars went from disregarding ephemera to recognizing their usefulness. Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text tells us that the Bodleian Library acquired Johnson’s large collection of ephemera back in 1968, so we can assume that contemporary historians conducting research there do have access to that collection. Choice B is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text tells us that “Oxford University’s Bodleian Library acquired the collection,” but it never suggests that it was a challenge to do so. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text actually suggests the opposite: the example of Johnson’s collection lends support to arguments that ephemera does hold value for scholars.

Choice C is the best answer. Because “song preference plays a role in songbird mate selection,” and because F. hypoleuca nestlings display a preference for local dialects, we can infer that they will be more likely to choose mates from local populations. Choice A is incorrect. We don’t have any information suggesting that this preference disappears, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice B is incorrect. Although the passage discusses the number of begging calls made in response to various F. hypoleuca dialects, no mention is made about the amount of food received based on dialect preference. Therefore, there’s no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. There’s no mention in the passage of methods of other types of local songbirds, so there’s no basis for this inference.

Choice C is the best answer. The text tells us that lemons—an expensive imported product—feature in Dutch paintings of the period more frequently than dairy products do. Since it’s unlikely lemons were eaten more often than dairy, this fact casts doubt on the theory that these paintings realistically depicted Dutch diets. Choice A is incorrect. In fact, the text suggests the opposite: it says that dairy products were a "major component of the Dutch diet," while lemons were an expensive import item, so we can infer that lemons were eaten much more rarely than dairy products. Choice B is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention painters from other countries, so there’s no basis to make this inference. Choice D is incorrect. In fact, the text suggests that Dutch painters do have reasons for depicting foods other than to show what Dutch people typically ate. For example, lemons in a painting could indicate wealth or prosperity.

Choice C is the best answer because it is the choice that most logically completes the text. The text mentions a dialect of Spanish spoken in New Mexico, which was colonized by Spain in the 1600s. The text then states that the New Mexican dialect differs greatly from other Spanish dialects in that it still has characteristics of an older Spanish that other dialects eventually lost. After asking why this might be, the text points out that the New Mexico colony was distant from Spain’s other colonies, making it less attractive to colonists after the initial colonization. This geographic isolation limited the colony’s exposure to other Spanish colonists who would have otherwise introduced the changes to the Spanish language that occurred in their respective colonies. It can therefore be inferred that this isolation is a reason why the New Mexican dialect still has characteristics of an older Spanish, while the Spanish dialects spoken in less isolated areas that have more interaction with speakers of other dialects would lose those characteristics over time. Thus, the most logical completion of the text is that geographical isolation can influence how a language develops. Choice A is incorrect because the text discusses different dialects of Spanish, not different languages altogether. Choice B is incorrect because the text focuses on how the New Mexican dialect has stayed the same over time in some ways, not on how it has changed from one generation to the next. Choice D is incorrect because though the text discusses how the New Mexican dialect of Spanish is different from others, it does not discuss how speakers of different dialects are able to understand each other.

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Lemay, Zyats, and Bezur’s 2021 analysis of the Vinland Map. The text indicates that while some scholars have believed that the map was drawn in the mid- 1400s, the 2021 analysis showed the presence of the compound titanium dioxide in the ink used to draw the map. The text goes on to say that titanium dioxide wasn’t used to manufacture ink until the early 1900s, which means that ink containing this compound couldn’t have been available to mapmakers in the 1400s. Since mapmakers in the mid-1400s couldn’t have used ink with titanium dioxide, it follows that the Vinland Map couldn’t have been drawn by mid-1400s mapmakers. Choice A is incorrect because the 2021 finding that the ink used to draw the Vinland Map wasn’t available until the early 1900s doesn’t imply that Europeans in the mid-1400s couldn’t have known about the eastern coast of North America. While this finding suggests that the map couldn’t have been created in the mid-1400s, it doesn’t preclude the possibility that Europeans nevertheless had knowledge—and perhaps even drew other maps that are no longer in existence or are yet to be discovered by researchers—of the eastern coast of present-day North America as early as the mid-1400s. Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text that suggests that the 2021 discovery of the presence of titanium dioxide in the ink used to draw the Vinland Map caused Lemay, Zyats, and Bezur to question or reach a new conclusion about when mapmakers began using ink containing titanium compounds. Instead, the text indicates that titanium dioxide wasn’t used in ink before the early 1900s. This knowledge led the team to conclude that the map, which was drawn with ink containing titanium dioxide, couldn’t have been created in the mid-1400s. Choice D is incorrect because although the text doesn’t indicate that Lemay, Zyats, and Bezur established an exact date for the creation of the ink that was used to draw the Vinland Map, the text does say that titanium dioxide was introduced in ink manufacturing in the early 1900s. This fact provides Assessment SAT Test Reading and Writing Domain Information and Ideas Skill Inferences Difficulty enough information to determine that the ink that was used to draw the map was created no earlier than the early 1900s. This finding, in turn, led the team to conclude that the Vinland Map couldn’t have been drawn in the mid-1400s.

Choice D is the best answer. The passage tells us that participants were “more than seven times likelier to characterize the modified songs as having swing than to characterize the original versions as having swing.” Because the modified songs had been changed by altering the timing of the downbeats and offbeats, this suggests that the timing of downbeats and offbeats may play a crucial role in giving a song swing. Choice A is incorrect. Although the passage mentions that the researchers “synchronized the offbeats” in the modified songs, they also “delayed the downbeats” in those songs. Because we can’t disentangle whether it was the synchronized offbeats, the delayed downbeats, or the combination of both that increased the song’s swing, we don’t have enough information to make this inference. Choice B is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention whether or not it’s difficult for a jazz musician to give a song swing, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage doesn’t compare jazz songs that feature piano to those that don’t, so there’s no basis for this inference.

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Indus River valley civilization. The text establishes that archaeologists haven’t been able to interpret the Indus River valley civilization’s writing system but have nevertheless acquired information about the civilization through historical artifacts. The fact that archaeologists have been able to learn about the Indus River valley civilization’s customs and community organization from historical artifacts suggests that it isn’t necessary to understand an ancient civilization’s language to learn about the civilization. Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss how easy it is to investigate ancient civilizations with or without knowledge of the civilization’s language; rather, it states that even though researchers have not yet deciphered the language of the Indus River valley civilization, they are still able to learn about it through historical artifacts. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t make any claims as to what the focus of archaeological research should be. Rather, the text discusses how archaeologists have been able to learn about an ancient civilization through historical artifacts despite not understanding the civilization’s language. Choice D is incorrect because the text states that the civilization’s language has not yet been interpreted; it makes no mention of a debate about the language. Instead, the text suggests that examination of the historical artifacts has allowed archaeologists to learn about the civilization but has not aided thus far in deciphering its language.

Choice A is the best answer. Because researchers found “Acasta rocks dating to about 3.75 bya” were similar to “modern rocks formed in a subduction setting,” we can infer that subduction-like processes must have begun occurring in the Acasta Gneiss Complex by this time. Choice B is incorrect. We only know about geological processes at the Acasta Gneiss Complex, so we do not have information to make inferences about geological processes in general. Also, notice that the rocks dated to 4.02 bya were found to still be formed in a plume setting, so the transition must have happened after this time. Choice C is incorrect. There’s no mention in the passage of what proportion of the rocks within Acasta Gneiss Complex were formed through subduction, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. The passage discusses various rocks in the Acasta Gneiss Complex that are dated to different periods of time, but nothing in the passage suggests that these dates are or were wrong.

Choice D is the best answer. The passage tells us that the declaration was written in a language important to European diplomacy but not most Haitians, states that the declaration included "a reassurance to the United States," and made implicit references to colonies in the Americas. Because of the messages within the declaration that were largely irrelevant to the Haitian people, we can assume that the Haitian people were not the only audience for this document. Choice A is incorrect. There’s no mention in the passage of similar documents in other countries, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice B is incorrect. Although there’s an implicit reference to European governments when the passage discusses how the declaration was written in French, "which was used throughout Europe as the language of international diplomacy," there is no discussion of the French government’s response to the declaration. Therefore, there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention the popularity of the revolution and declaration among the Haitian people, so there’s no basis for this inference.

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically follows from the text’s discussion of André Izidoro, Rajdeep Dasgupta, and colleagues’ computer simulations of our solar system’s development. The text begins by stating that the simulations led the researchers to conclude that the solar system likely formed from three giant dust rings that encircled the Sun. The text explains that the four inner planets, including Earth, formed from the innermost ring and that the remaining planets formed from the middle ring. It then explains that in one simulation, the researchers delayed the formation of the middle ring—that is, they tested to see what would happen if the middle ring had formed later than it actually did. They found that doing so affected the size of the innermost planets, resulting in oversized super-Earths, planets that are much larger than Earth. Since the delayed timing had the effect of changing the size of Earth in the simulation relative to Earth’s real size, it’s reasonable to conclude that the timing of the middle ring’s formation was important in determining Earth’s eventual size. Choice A is incorrect. Although the text explains that when the researchers delayed the formation of the middle ring in one simulation, the size of the innermost planets was affected (which suggests that the middle ring likely formed earlier than it did in this simulation), the text doesn’t indicate that this was an initial simulation—that is, a simulation that was conducted before other simulations. Moreover, the text makes no reference to the specific results of any other simulations; therefore, there is no basis for comparing any conclusions based on the simulation in which the middle ring’s formation was delayed with conclusions based on other simulations. Choice C is incorrect because the text discusses how altering the timing of the formation of the middle ring, not the outermost ring, affected the four innermost planets’ eventual size in the researchers’ Assessment SAT Test Reading and Writing Domain Information and Ideas Skill Inferences Difficulty simulation; therefore, the simulation offers no basis for a conclusion about how the outermost ring’s formation affected the size of the planets. Choice D is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to suggest that the innermost ring produced all the solar system’s planets. Rather, the text states that the simulations showed that the innermost planets formed from the innermost ring and that the remaining planets formed from the middle ring.

Choice A is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of the Arabia Terra region of Mars. According to the text, there are craters in Arabia Terra that could be the result of volcanic activity, and researchers have found evidence of ash deposits consistent with a large eruption. The text goes on to note, however, that erosion and other events could have altered the surface of Mars. This observation suggests that current conditions on Mars’s surface are not necessarily a reliable guide to past events—some signs of past events could have been transformed or erased entirely—and thus the current makeup of Arabia Terra may not accurately reflect past volcanic activity. Choice B is incorrect because the text suggests only that past events could have changed Mars’s surface such that its current appearance isn’t a reliable guide to past activity, not that it’s likely that past eruptions were not as massive as astronomers previously believed. Nothing in the text supports a conclusion about the likely size of past eruptions. Choice C is incorrect because the observation that resurfacing events could have changed the appearance of Mars doesn’t imply that the ash discussed in the text likely came from multiple volcanoes. Although it’s possible that the ash came from different volcanoes, there’s no information in the text supporting a conclusion about how likely that possibility is. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the Arabia Terra craters had to have been created by something other than volcanic eruptions. Although the text does suggest that the evidence consistent with volcanic eruptions shouldn’t be taken as definitive proof of past eruptions, that doesn’t mean that the craters couldn’t have been created by eruptions, only that we can’t be certain they were.

Choice B is the best answer. Dramaturges help playwrights with storytelling and characterization. Choreographers often tell stories through dance, so they are also concerned with storytelling and characterization. This suggests that the fact that choreographers seek the help of dramaturges with the storytelling aspects of their dances should be “unsurprising.” Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The beginning of the text does imply that this is true, but the end is leading to a conclusion about how choreographers use dramaturges. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never mentions dances by choreographers who don’t incorporate narrative elements. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text mentions in passing that directors use dramaturges to conduct research, but it never suggests that directors and actors are too reliant on them. Also, the text is leading to a conclusion about how choreographers use dramaturges.

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ana Castillo’s 1986 novel The Mixquiahuala Letters. The text states that the novel consists entirely of letters from the narrator to her friend—a format that some students reading the novel in a class found intimidating. According to the text, those students also found the novel’s treatment of gender to be old-fashioned. In response to the students’ concerns, their professor emphasized the novel’s relevance: it’s written in modern-sounding language and addresses issues that still matter. This, in turn, suggests that The Mixquiahuala Letters is more relevant to contemporary audiences than it may initially seem. Choice A is incorrect because the professor’s response to the students only mentions The Mixquiahuala Letters: it doesn’t compare the novel to others from the same period. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the professor’s response to the students compares The Mixquiahuala Letters to contemporary novels about friendship. Choice D is incorrect because the professor’s response to the students doesn’t address the idea of reading the novel’s letters multiple times and in different orders.

Choice B is the best answer. Both explanations suggest that the bacteria come from the same place: either they come from the ground and make their way to the leaves, or they come from above the ground and make their way to the roots. Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses any benefits of any kind of bacteria. Choice C is incorrect. This conflicts with the text. One of the theories is that the bacteria in the leaves were deposited by rain splashing off soil. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text only discusses “naturally occurring” bacteria. It never mentions either the harms or benefits of these bacteria.

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the sound quality of Cremonese and modern violins. The text states that violins made in Cremona in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries sound superior to modern violins. It then indicates that some experts attribute the difference to different woods being used to make these violins, but both Cremonese and modern violins are made of the same woods (maple and spruce); thus this cannot account for the difference. The text then says that recent analysis suggests the wood in Cremonese violins was chemically treated by the craftspeople who made them, thereby providing an alternate explanation for the sound differences: the chemical alteration that is present in the Cremonese violins but absent from the modern ones. Choice A is incorrect because the text does not discuss how the sound quality of Cremonese violins compares with the sound quality of other instruments made during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Instead it focuses on how the sound of the Cremonese violins compares with that of modern violins. Choice C is incorrect. The text states that there are differences in sound quality between the Cremonese and modern violins, and that both types of violin are made with maple or spruce. Thus the type of wood alone does not determine a violin’s sound quality. Furthermore, even if the type of wood alone could account for differences in sound quality, the text makes no mention of other woods, so there is no basis to judge how modern violins would sound if they were made using woods besides maple and spruce. Choice D is incorrect because the text states that there is evidence that Cremonese craftspeople chemically treated the wood used in Cremonese violins. This evidence is attributed to “new analysis,” which strongly suggests that this process was unknown to modern violin makers before that analysis. If the chemical treatment was unknown until recently, the manufacturing process for modern violins must differ with respect to the previously unknown practice of chemically treating the wood. Assessment SAT Test Reading and Writing Domain Information and Ideas Skill Inferences Difficulty

Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of potential benefits of interruptions in the workplace. The text indicates that a common belief in business is that interruptions to working employees decrease energy and productivity levels. However, the text goes on to explain that a research team led by Harshad Puranik has found that there could be a social benefit to these interruptions. Since the team found that workplace interruptions can increase employees’ sense of belonging and job satisfaction, it follows that the interpersonal benefits of some interruptions can offset the perceived negative effects. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text presents research findings that suggest some workplace interruptions can have a positive effect on employee job satisfaction, no further information is presented to suggest at what frequency these interruptions are ideal. Furthermore, the text doesn’t tie workplace interruptions to increased productivity, but rather links it to social benefits such as sense of belonging. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t address employees’ motives for choosing not to interrupt their colleagues. The text presents research findings that suggest that there are some positive interpersonal effects of workplace interruptions that can increase employee job satisfaction. Choice D is incorrect because asking businesses to discourage workplace interruptions doesn’t follow from the team’s research about the benefits of workplace interruptions, nor does the text describe an ideal work environment. Instead, the text presents research suggesting that there may be positive aspects to workplace interruptions that haven’t previously been considered.

Choice D is the best answer. Johnson collected “ephemera,” or things that are meant to be thrown away. Scholars thought his collection was worthless to them, then later realized that it was potentially valuable. This suggests that scholars went from disregarding ephemera to recognizing their usefulness. Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text tells us that the Bodleian Library acquired Johnson’s large collection of ephemera back in 1968, so we can assume that contemporary historians conducting research there do have access to that collection. Choice B is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text tells us that “Oxford University’s Bodleian Library acquired the collection,” but it never suggests that it was a challenge to do so. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text actually suggests the opposite: the example of Johnson’s collection lends support to arguments that ephemera does hold value for scholars.