Question ID ed314256

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: ed314256
The most recent iteration of the immersive theater experience Sleep No More, which premiered in New York City in 2011,
transforms its performance space—a five-story warehouse—into a 1930s-era hotel. Audience members, who wander through
the labyrinthine venue at their own pace and follow the actors as they play out simultaneous, interweaving narrative loops,
confront the impossibility of experiencing the production in its entirety. The play’s refusal of narrative coherence thus hinges
on the sense of spatial fragmentation that the venue’s immense and intricate layout generates.

What does the text most strongly suggest about Sleep No More’s use of its performance space?

A. The choice of a New York City venue likely enabled the play’s creators to experiment with the use of theatrical space in a
way that venues from earlier productions could not.

B. Audience members likely find the experience of the play disappointing because they generally cannot make their way
through the entire venue.

C. The production’s dependence on a particular performance environment would likely make it difficult to reproduce exactly
in a different theatrical space.

D. Audience members who navigate the space according to a recommended itinerary will likely have a better grasp of the
play’s narrative than audience members who depart from that itinerary.
Question ID 1a2b29c9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: 1a2b29c9
The following text is adapted from María Cristina Mena’s 1914 short story “The Vine-Leaf.”

It is a saying in the capital of Mexico that Dr. Malsufrido carries more family secrets under his hat than any archbishop.
The doctor’s hat is, appropriately enough, uncommonly capacious, rising very high, and sinking so low that it seems to
be supported by his ears and eyebrows, and it has a furry look, as if it had been brushed the wrong way, which is
perhaps what happens to it if it is ever brushed at all. When the doctor takes it off, the family secrets do not fly out like
a flock of parrots, but remain nicely bottled up beneath a dome of old and highly polished ivory.

Based on the text, how do people in the capital of Mexico most likely regard Dr. Malsufrido?

A. Many have come to tolerate him despite his disheveled appearance.

B. Few feel concerned that he will divulge their confidences.

C. Some dislike how freely he discusses his own family.

D. Most would be unimpressed by him were it not for his professional expertise.
Question ID 2fdfe002
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: 2fdfe002
The following text is adapted from Countee Cullen’s 1926 poem “Thoughts in a Zoo.”

They in their cruel traps, and we in ours,

Survey each other’s rage, and pass the hours
Commiserating each the other’s woe,
To mitigate his own pain’s fiery glow.
Man could but little proffer in exchange
Save that his cages have a larger range.
That lion with his lordly, untamed heart
Has in some man his human counterpart,
Some lofty soul in dreams and visions wrapped,
But in the stifling flesh securely trapped.

Based on the text, what challenge do humans sometimes experience?

A. They cannot effectively tame certain wild animals because of a lack of compassion.

B. They cannot focus on setting attainable goals because of a lack of motivation.

C. They quickly become frustrated when faced with difficult tasks because of a lack of self-control.

D. They have aspirations that cannot be fulfilled because of certain limitations.

Question ID 701126bc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: 701126bc
In superfluorescence, electrical charges known as dipoles emit light in synchronized bursts so intense that they are visible to
the eye. Until recently, this phenomenon has only been observed at extremely cold temperatures because dipoles cannot
synchronize at higher temperatures. But in a study, Melike Biliroglu and colleagues observed superfluorescence at room
temperature in thin films made of perovskite and other similarly crystalline materials; the researchers propose that the
formation of shock-absorbing quasiparticles called polarons in the material protects dipoles from thermal interference.

Based on the text, how are polarons believed to be involved in the superfluorescence observed in Biliroglu and colleagues’
study?

A. Polarons enable superfluorescent bursts to cross from one crystalline material to another.

B. Polarons allow for the dipoles to synchronize despite higher temperatures.

C. Polarons accelerate the dipoles’ release of superfluorescent bursts.

D. Polarons decrease the intensity of the superfluorescent burst.

Question ID 9731a22b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: 9731a22b
Paleontologist Lucas E. Fiorelli and colleagues have reported the discovery at a mine in Brazil of several egg clutches, partially
preserved single eggs, and egg shells from the Late Cretaceous period. The researchers have concluded that the area was
once a nesting and breeding site for titanosaurs, a group of sauropod dinosaurs. The finding is significant given the previous
lack of known nesting sites in northern regions of South America, which led many paleontologists to assume that titanosaurs
migrated south to lay eggs.

What does the text most strongly suggest about the site discovered by the researchers?

A. It is the earliest known example of a titanosaur nesting and breeding site.

B. It was very difficult to excavate given that it was discovered in a mine.

C. It may have been occupied by other sauropods in addition to titanosaurs.

D. It is farther north than any other nesting site discovered in South America.
Question ID f7bd14de
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: f7bd14de
Several scholars have argued that conditions in England in the late ninth through early eleventh centuries—namely,
burgeoning literacy amid running conflicts between England’s Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and Danish invaders—were especially
conducive to the production of the Old English epic poem Beowulf, and they have dated the poem’s composition
accordingly. It is not inconceivable that Beowulf emerged from such a context, but privileging contextual fit over the linguistic
evidence of an eighth- or even seventh-century composition requires a level of justification that thus far has not been
presented.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. Although there are some grounds for believing that Beowulf was composed between the late ninth and early eleventh
centuries, advocates for that view tend to rely on evidence that has been called into question by advocates for an earlier
date.

B. Although several scholars have dated Beowulf to the late ninth through early eleventh centuries, others have argued that
doing so privileges a controversial interpretation of the social conditions of the period.

C. Although Beowulf fits well with the historical context of England in the late ninth through early eleventh centuries, it fits
equally well with the historical context of England in the seventh and eighth centuries.

D. Although the claim of a late ninth- through early eleventh-century composition date for Beowulf has some plausibility,
advocates for the claim have not compellingly addressed evidence suggesting an earlier date.
Question ID 96802cc0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: 96802cc0
For centuries, the widespread acknowledgment of the involvement of the cerebellum—a dense brain structure in vertebrates
—in coordinating motor control in humans has hindered recognition of other possible functions of the structure.
Neuroscience research from the last two decades now suggests that the cerebellum regulates emotion and social behavior,
and recent research by Ilaria Carta and colleagues has identified a pathway connecting the cerebellum to a center for
motivation and reward processing known as the ventral tegmental area (VTA).

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. The recent verification of a pathway between the VTA and the cerebellum confirms the cerebellum’s long-suspected role
in motor coordination.

B. Recent advances in the field of neuroscience have challenged widely accepted claims about the function of a pathway
connecting the VTA and the cerebellum.

C. The cerebellum has primarily been thought to regulate motor functioning, but in recent years neuroscience researchers
have been uncovering additional functions.

D. Technological limitations have historically hindered the study of the cerebellum, but the recent development of new
technologies has led to greater insights into its functions.
Question ID d0f51067
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: d0f51067
Modern dog breeds are largely the result of 160 years of owners crossbreeding certain dogs in order to select for particular
physical appearances. Owners often say that some breeds are also more likely than others to have particular personality traits
—basset hounds are affectionate; boxers are easy to train—but Kathleen Morrill and colleagues found through a
combination of owner surveys and DNA sequencing of 2,000 dogs that while physical traits are predictably heritable among
purebred dogs, behavior varies widely among dogs of the same breed.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. Dog breeds would not exist without many years of human intervention in dogs’ reproduction.

B. Research fails to confirm a commonly held belief about dog breeds and behavior.

C. The dog breeds most popular among owners have often changed over the past 160 years.

D. A study of dog breeds is notable for its usage of both opinion surveys and DNA sequencing.
Question ID 1c69ff20
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: 1c69ff20
For many years, the only existing fossil evidence of mixopterid eurypterids—an extinct family of large aquatic arthropods
known as sea scorpions and related to modern arachnids and horseshoe crabs—came from four species living on the
paleocontinent of Laurussia. In a discovery that expands our understanding of the geographical distribution of mixopterids,
paleontologist Bo Wang and others have identified fossilized remains of a new mixopterid species, Terropterus xiushanensis,
that lived over 400 million years ago on the paleocontinent of Gondwana.

According to the text, why was Wang and his team’s discovery of the Terropterus xiushanensis fossil significant?

A. The fossil constitutes the first evidence found by scientists that mixopterids lived more than 400 million years ago.

B. The fossil helps establish that mixopterids are more closely related to modern arachnids and horseshoe crabs than
previously thought.

C. The fossil helps establish a more accurate timeline of the evolution of mixopterids on the paleocontinents of Laurussia
and Gondwana.

D. The fossil constitutes the first evidence found by scientists that mixopterids existed outside the paleocontinent of
Laurussia.
Question ID d0fbf1ae
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: d0fbf1ae
Algae living within the tissues of corals play a critical role in keeping corals, and the marine ecosystems they are part of,
thriving. Some coral species appear brown in color when healthy due to the algae colonies living in their tissues. In the event
of an environmental stressor, the algae can die or be expelled, causing the corals to appear white. To recover the algae, the
bleached corals then begin to produce bright colors, which block intense sunlight, encouraging the light-sensitive algae to
recolonize the corals.

What does the text most strongly suggest about corals that produce bright colors?

A. These corals have likely been subjected to stressful environmental conditions.

B. These corals are likely more vulnerable to exposure from intense sunlight than white corals are.

C. These corals have likely recovered from an environmental event without the assistance of algae colonies.

D. These corals are more likely to survive without algae colonies than brown corals are.
Question ID 14189fbb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: 14189fbb
Having written the impassioned call to arms “Letter to the Spanish Americans” in 1791, Peruvian intellectual Juan Pablo
Viscardo y Guzmán is often considered a forerunner for the independence movements in Latin America. But Viscardo’s role in
history would have remained insignificant were it not for Venezuelan revolutionary Francisco de Miranda, who was handed
the unpublished letter after Viscardo’s death. Miranda not only helped circulate the letter, but his edits and footnotes to the
text position Miranda as a central figure in the text’s creation.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. The original authorship of “Letter to the Spanish Americans” is disputed by contemporary historians.

B. The majority of the most eloquently stated arguments in “Letter to the Spanish Americans” were written by Miranda.

C. Miranda played a crucial role in influencing the content and distribution of “Letter to the Spanish Americans.”

D. “Letter to the Spanish Americans” persuaded many people in Latin America to pursue national independence.
Question ID 4d3e3c52
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: 4d3e3c52
In a paper about p-i-n planar perovskite solar cells (one of several perovskite cell architectures designed to collect and store
solar power), Lyndsey McMillon-Brown et al. describe a method for fabricating the cell’s electronic transport layer (ETL) using
a spray coating. Conventional ETL fabrication is accomplished using a solution of nanoparticles. The process can result in a
loss of up to 80% of the solution, increasing the cost of manufacturing at scale—an issue that may be obviated by spray
coating fabrication, which the researchers describe as “highly reproducible, concise, and practical.”

What does the text most strongly suggest about conventional ETL fabrication?

A. It is less suitable for manufacturing large volumes of planar p-i-n perovskite solar cells than an alternative fabrication
method may be.

B. It is more expensive when manufacturing at scale than are processes for fabricating ETLs used in other perovskite solar
cell architectures.

C. It typically entails a greater loss of nanoparticle solution than do other established approaches for ETL fabrication.

D. It is somewhat imprecise and therefore limits the potential effectiveness of p-i-n planar perovskite solar cells at capturing
and storing solar power.
Question ID d1b8a9ad
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: d1b8a9ad
Disco remains one of the most ridiculed popular music genres of the late twentieth century. But as scholars have argued, the
genre is far less superficial than many people believe. Take the case of disco icon Donna Summer: she may have been
associated with popular songs about love and heartbreak (subjects hardly unique to disco, by the way), but like many Black
women singers before her, much of her music also reflects concerns about community and identity. These concerns are
present in many of the genre’s greatest songs, and they generally don’t require much digging to reveal.

What does the text most strongly suggest about the disco genre?

A. It has been unjustly ignored by most scholars despite the importance of the themes addressed by many of the genre’s
songs.

B. It evolved over time from a superficial genre focused on romance to a genre focused on more serious concerns.

C. It has been unfairly dismissed for the inclusion of subject matter that is also found in other musical genres.

D. It gave rise to a Black women’s musical tradition that has endured even though the genre itself faded in the late twentieth
century.
Question ID 16025337
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: 16025337
The following text is adapted from William Shakespeare’s 1609 poem “Sonnet 27.” The poem is addressed to a close friend as
if he were physically present.
Weary with toil, I [hurry] to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head
To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired:
For then my thoughts—from far where I abide—
[Begin] a zealous pilgrimage to thee,
And keep my drooping eyelids open wide,

What is the main idea of the text?

A. The speaker is asleep and dreaming about traveling to see the friend.

B. The speaker is planning an upcoming trip to the friend’s house.

C. The speaker is too fatigued to continue a discussion with the friend.

D. The speaker is thinking about the friend instead of immediately falling asleep.
Question ID db2da2bf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: db2da2bf
In 2019, 20 previously unknown moons were confirmed to be orbiting Saturn. Three of the moons have prograde orbits
(orbiting in the direction the planet spins), and the other 17 have retrograde orbits (orbiting in the opposite direction of the
planet’s spin). All but one of the 20 moons are thought to be remnants of bodies that orbited Saturn until they broke apart in
collisions. Although the one exceptional moon orbits in the same direction as the planet’s spin, its orbit is highly eccentric
compared to the rest, which may suggest that it has a different origin than the other 19 moons.

Based on the text, which choice best describes the moon with the eccentric orbit?

A. It doesn’t have a retrograde orbit, but it likely has the same origin as the moons with retrograde orbits.

B. Its orbit is so tilted with respect to the other moons’ orbits that it’s neither prograde nor retrograde.

C. It has a prograde orbit that is likely the result of having collided with another body orbiting Saturn.

D. It has a prograde orbit and may not be a remnant of an earlier body that orbited Saturn.
Question ID 5eda42a3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: 5eda42a3
The following text is from Maggie Pogue Johnson’s 1910 poem “Poet of Our Race.” In this poem, the speaker is addressing
Paul Laurence Dunbar, a Black author.
Thou, with stroke of mighty pen,
Hast told of joy and mirth,
And read the hearts and souls of men
As cradled from their birth.
The language of the flowers,
Thou hast read them all,
And e’en the little brook
Responded to thy call.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To praise a certain writer for being especially perceptive regarding people and nature

B. To establish that a certain writer has read extensively about a variety of topics

C. To call attention to a certain writer’s careful and elaborately detailed writing process

D. To recount fond memories of an afternoon spent in nature with a certain writer

Question ID d2e0cba5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: d2e0cba5
In a study of new technology adoption, Davit Marikyan et al. examined negative disconfirmation (which occurs when
experiences fall short of one’s expectations) to determine whether it could lead to positive outcomes for users. The team
focused on established users of “smart home” technology, which presents inherent utilization challenges but tends to attract
users with high expectations, often leading to feelings of dissonance. The researchers found that many users employed
cognitive mechanisms to mitigate those feelings, ultimately reversing their initial sense of disappointment.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. Research suggests that most users of smart home technology will not achieve a feeling of satisfaction given the
utilization challenges of such technology.

B. Although most smart home technology is aimed at meeting or exceeding users’ high expectations, those expectations in
general remain poorly understood.

C. Research suggests that users with high expectations for a new technology can feel content with that technology even
after experiencing negative disconfirmation.

D. Although negative disconfirmation has often been studied, little is known about the cognitive mechanisms shaping users’
reactions to it in the context of new technology adoption.
Question ID 7c9a65bb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: 7c9a65bb
Optical tweezers are specialized scientific tools—particularly useful in biology and medicine—that use high-powered beams
of light to trap and manipulate minuscule particles for study. Use of the tool has led to several scientific and medical
breakthroughs over the last few decades, but the particles are often under prolonged exposure to the intense heat of the
light beams. To overcome the risk of overheating, and thereby damage, researchers sometimes attach nano-sized glass
beads to particles, allowing the light to focus on the beads instead of the particles.

Based on the text, what is one advantage of attaching glass beads to particles when using optical tweezers?

A. It decreases the time it takes for the optical tweezers to locate and capture the particles.

B. It facilitates the maneuvering of particles without directly heating the particles themselves.

C. It allows researchers to use weaker light beams to manipulate particles.

D. It adds a material to which particles can transfer any heat absorbed from the optical tweezers’ light beam.
Question ID 303537cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: 303537cf
The following text is adapted from Lewis Carroll’s 1889 satirical novel Sylvie and Bruno. A crowd has gathered outside a room
belonging to the Warden, an official who reports to the Lord Chancellor.
One man, who was more excited than the rest, flung his hat high into the air, and shouted (as well as I could make out)
“Who roar for the Sub-Warden?” Everybody roared, but whether it was for the Sub-Warden, or not, did not clearly appear:
some were shouting “Bread!” and some “Taxes!”, but no one seemed to know what it was they really wanted.
All this I saw from the open window of the Warden’s breakfast-saloon, looking across the shoulder of the Lord Chancellor.
“What can it all mean?” he kept repeating to himself. “I never heard such shouting before—and at this time of the
morning, too! And with such unanimity!”

Based on the text, how does the Lord Chancellor respond to the crowd?

A. He asks about the meaning of the crowd’s shouting, even though he claims to know what the crowd wants.

B. He indicates a desire to speak to the crowd, even though the crowd has asked to speak to the Sub-Warden.

C. He expresses sympathy for the crowd’s demands, even though the crowd’s shouting annoys him.

D. He describes the crowd as being united, even though the crowd clearly appears otherwise.
Question ID a3fb5e77
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Information and Central Ideas and

Ideas Details

ID: a3fb5e77
Some animal-behavior studies involve observing wild animals in their natural habitat, and some involve capturing wild
animals and observing them in a laboratory. Each approach has advantages over the other. In wild studies, researchers can
more easily presume that the animals are behaving normally, and in lab studies, researchers can more easily control factors
that might affect the results. But if, for example, the results from a wild study and a lab study of Western scrub-jays
(Aphelocoma californica) contradict each other, one or both of the studies must have failed to account for some factor that
was relevant to the birds’ behavior.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. When the results of a natural-habitat study and those from a lab study of a wild animal such as the Western scrub-jay
conflict, the study in the natural habitat is more likely than the lab study to have accurate results.

B. Studying wild animals such as the Western scrub-jay in both their natural habitat and lab settings is likely to yield
conflicting results that researchers cannot fully resolve.

C. Wild animals such as the Western scrub-jay can be effectively studied in their natural habitat and in the lab, but each
approach has drawbacks that could affect the accuracy of the findings.

D. Differing results between natural-habitat and lab studies of wild animals such as the Western scrub-jay are a strong
indication that both of the studies had design flaws that affected the accuracy of their results.