SAT Reading Comprehension 4

Question 1

A passage compares the economy to 'an engine sputtering on low fuel.' This figurative language conveys that the economy is:

Accepted Answer

Struggling and underpowered

Answer

An engine sputtering on low fuel functions weakly, mirroring a faltering economy.

Question 2

When two passages disagree, a question may ask how the Passage 2 author would 'most likely respond' to Passage 1. The best answer is:

Accepted Answer

A response consistent with Passage 2's stated views

Answer

Predicted responses must align with the author's positions established in their own passage.

Question 3

An author writes that critics 'dismissed the idea out of hand.' The phrase 'out of hand' means the critics rejected it:

Accepted Answer

Immediately without consideration

Answer

To dismiss something 'out of hand' is to reject it instantly without weighing it.

Question 4

A data-interpretation question pairs a graph with a passage. If the passage claims sales 'rose steadily,' the graph best supports this if it shows:

Accepted Answer

A consistent upward trend

Answer

'Rose steadily' matches a line that climbs consistently over time.

Question 5

A narrator describes a town as 'frozen in a vanished century.' This suggests the town is:

Accepted Answer

Old-fashioned and unchanged

Answer

Being 'frozen in a vanished century' implies the town clings to outdated ways.

SAT Practice Test