SAT ? of the Day

The stopping distance of a car is the number of feet that the car travels after the driver starts applying the brakes. The stopping distance of a certain car is directly proportional to the square of the speed of the car, in miles per hour, at the time the brakes are first applied. If the car’s stopping distance for an initial speed of 20 miles per hour is 17 feet, what is its stopping distance for an initial speed of 40 miles per hour?

1. 34 feet


2. 51 feet


3. 60 feet


4. 68 feet


5. 85 feet

The stopping distance is directly proportional to the square of the initial speed of the car. If s represents the initial speed of the car, in miles per hour, and d represents the stopping distance, you have that the stopping distance is a function of s and that
d(s) = cs², where c is a constant. Since the car’s stopping distance is 17 feet for an initial speed of 20 miles per hour, you know that 17 = c(20²). Therefore,
c = = 0.0425, and the car's stopping distance for an initial speed of 40 miles per hour is (0.0425)(40²) = 68 feet.

SAT ? of the Day

The following sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. If the sentence contains an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence contains no error, select choice E.

Long been	isolated	from	the outside world and
A		B

perched	high in	the Tibetan Himalayas, Lhasa
	C

is the capital of Tibet,	an autonomous region
	D

of the People’s Republic of China.	No error
	E

1. (A)


2. (B)


3. (C)


4. (D)


5. (E)

The error in this sentence occurs at (A), where there is awkward and wordy phrasing. The awkward “Long been” should simply be “Long” (“Long isolated...”).

Question Type: Identifying Sentence Errors
(Writing)

Snowden 12th Grade Meeting Tuesday January 27 1:15

The January meeting will be next Tuesday January 27 at 1:15.
See you there.

SAT ? of the Day

Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

It was difficult to believe that the sophisticated piece of technology had ------- through the centuries from such ------- and rudimentary apparatus.

1. developed . . an intricate


2. resulted . . a complicated


3. evolved . . a quaint


4. degenerated . . an obsolescent


5. differed . . an exotic

The phrase “through the centuries” suggests that the first missing term will describe how the “sophisticated piece of technology” developed over a period of time. The word “such” indicates that the second missing term will contrast with “sophisticated.” Only “evolved . . a quaint” satisfies both requirements.

Difficulty: Medium
Question Type: Sentence Completions
(Critical Reading)

SAT ? of the Day

Read the following SAT test question, then click on a button to select your answer.

A gasoline tank on a certain tractor holds 16 gallons of gasoline. If the tractor requires 7 gallons to plow 3 acres, how many acres can the tractor plow with a tankful of gasoline?

1. 6


2. 7


3. 7


4. 10


5. 37

In the question, you are told that 7 gallons of gasoline can plow 3 acres and you are asked to find how many acres, call it x, can be plowed by 16 gallons. You can set up a ratio of the number of gallons of gasoline used to the number of acres plowed. Therefore, you have = . Cross-multiplying and solving for x gives you the answer of x = acres, or 6 acres.




• Difficulty: Easy



• Question Type: Standard Multiple Choice
  
  (Mathematics)

SAT ? of the Day

Read the following SAT test question, then click on a button to select your answer.

Alice bought m pens for n dollars each, and Ben bought n pens for m dollars each. Which of the following is the average price per pen, in dollars, for all the pens that Alice and Ben bought?

1. 


2. 


3. 


4. 


5. 

Correct Answer: 2

• Here's Why:

  The average price per pen

  
  
  

  Alice spent dollars, and Ben spent the same amount, .
  The total number of pens they bought is . So the average price per pen will be .
  




• Question Type: Standard Multiple Choice
  
  (Mathematics)

SAT ? of the Day

Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Mr. Warmington considered himself a connoisseur of fine wines, claiming he could
------- variations in taste and quality among any range of vintages he was served.

1. purvey


2. discern


3. efface


4. mollify


5. debate

Correct Answer: B

Here's Why:
Choice (B) is correct. If this term were inserted into the sentence, the sentence would read “Mr. Warmington considered himself a connoisseur of fine wines, claiming he could discern variations in taste and quality among any range of vintages he was served.” A “connoisseur” has a sophisticated ability to appreciate and assess subtleties. If Mr. Warmington considered himself a connoisseur of wine, he would claim an ability to “discern,” or detect, variations in the taste and quality of different wines.

Question Type: Sentence Completions
(Criti

SAT ? of the Day

The following sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. If the sentence contains an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence contains no error, select choice E.

The tiger	usually	hunts by night and	feeds on
	A		B

a variety of animals,	but it	prefers fairly large prey
	C

such as	deer and wild pigs.	No error
D		E

1. (A)


2. (B)


3. (C)


4. (D)


5. (E)

(E) No Error

Snowden in the News (humor)

I saw this article in the Blogosphere about Snowden:




Click here to read article

-- Dan

SAT ? of the Day

Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Paradoxically, this successful entrepreneur is sometimes ------- and at other times reclusive.

1. autonomous


2. dispassionate


3. solitary


4. unthinking


5. gregarious

The paradox in the sentence is that the successful entrepreneur can be “reclusive” at times and “gregarious” at others. The entrepreneur alternately prefers isolation and its opposite, the company of people.

Difficulty: Medium
Question Type: Sentence Completions
(Critical Reading)

Party at Mary's 1/2/2009

Great food, Apples to Apples, Ginger Bread Houses, and Play Station III.
Click on pictures to enlarge.

SAT ? of the Day

The following sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. If the sentence contains an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence contains no error, select choice E.

Many types of dance music and jazz	call for
	A

special instruments,	which includes	the hi-hat,
	B

a pair of cymbals	operated by	a foot pedal;
	C

a cowbell struck with a wooden-tipped drumstick;

and wire brushes	used on both	drums and
	D

cymbals to produce a swishing sound.	No error
	E

1. (A)


2. (B)


3. (C)


4. (D)


5. (E)

The error in this sentence occurs at (B), where there is an inappropriate verb form. The singular “includes” does not agree with the plural “instruments.” This problem can be fixed by using “which include” or simply “including.”

Question Type: Identifying Sentence Errors
(Writing)

SAT ? of the Day

Read the following SAT test question, then click on a button to select your answer.

If a, b, and c are numbers such that and , then is equal to which of the following?

1. 


2. 


3. 


4. 


5. 21

Answer is 1.

Here's Why:

From is implied that (1)

And from is implied that (2)

If we multiply (1) and (2) together, we have that ( b is canceled out).

• Question Type: Standard Multiple Choice
  
  (Mathematics)

SAT ? of the Day

Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Contemporary novelist Alice Walker is quite the opposite of ------- ; through the ability of her heroines to rise above tragic setbacks, she expresses the belief that people can take charge of their own destinies.

1. an optimist


2. an idealist


3. a moralizer


4. a fatalist


5. a competitor

The most important phrase in this sentence is “quite the opposite.” The sentence says that Alice Walker is a person who believes people can take charge of their own destinies. A “fatalist” is one who believes that events are determined by fate and that individuals cannot take charge of their own destinies. So the term “fatalist” describes the opposite of Alice Walker and is thus the correct response.

Difficulty: Medium
Question Type: Sentence Completions
(Critical Reading)