Question ID afec1a70

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: afec1a70
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
As engineered structures, many bird nests are uniquely flexible yet cohesive.
A research team led by Yashraj Bhosale wanted to better understand the mechanics behind these structural
properties.
Bhosale’s team used laboratory models that simulated the arrangement of flexible sticks into nest-like structures.
The researchers analyzed the points where sticks touched one another.
When pressure was applied to the model nests, the number of contact points between the sticks increased, making
the structures stiffer.

The student wants to present the primary aim of the research study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information
from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Bhosale’s team wanted to better understand the mechanics behind bird nests’ uniquely flexible yet cohesive structural
A. properties.

The researchers used laboratory models that simulated the arrangement of flexible sticks and analyzed the points where
B. sticks touched one another.

After analyzing the points where sticks touched, the researchers found that the structures became stiffer when pressure
C. was applied.

D. As analyzed by Bhosale’s team, bird nests are uniquely flexible yet cohesive engineered structures.

ID: afec1a70 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. It describes the reason Bhosale’s team wanted to study the structures of bird nests—that is to
say, the study’s primary aim.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t present the primary aim of the research study. It describes how the study worked,
but not why it was done. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t present the primary aim of the research study. It
describes a result of the experiment, but not why it was carried out. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t present the
primary aim of the research study.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b46e0c8a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: b46e0c8a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Organisms release cellular material into their environment by shedding substances such as hair or skin.
The DNA in these substances is known as environmental DNA, or eDNA.
Researchers collect and analyze eDNA to detect the presence of species that are difficult to observe.
Geneticist Sara Oyler-McCance’s research team analyzed eDNA in water samples from the Florida Everglades to
detect invasive constrictor snake species in the area.
The study determined a 91% probability of detecting Burmese python eDNA in a given location.

The student wants to present the study to an audience already familiar with environmental DNA. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Sara Oyler-McCance’s researchers analyzed eDNA in water samples from the Florida Everglades for evidence of invasive
A. constrictor snakes, which are difficult to observe.

B. An analysis of eDNA can detect the presence of invasive species that are difficult to observe, such as constrictor snakes.

Researchers found Burmese python eDNA, or environmental DNA, in water samples; eDNA is the DNA in released cellular
C. materials, such as shed skin cells.

Sara Oyler-McCance’s researchers analyzed environmental DNA (eDNA)—that is, DNA from cellular materials released by
D. organisms—in water samples from the Florida Everglades.

ID: b46e0c8a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. This choice presents the study in a way that assumes the audience is already familiar with
eDNA.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t present the study. It only states a general fact about eDNA analysis. Choice C is
incorrect. This choice isn’t suited for an audience already familiar with eDNA. A familiar audience wouldn’t need to have the
term defined or explained. Choice D is incorrect. This choice isn’t suited for an audience already familiar with eDNA. A
familiar audience wouldn’t need to have the term defined or explained. It also doesn’t present the study.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID aa7e10d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: aa7e10d0
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Species belonging to the Orchidaceae (orchid) family can be found in both tropical and temperate environments.
Orchidaceae species diversity has not been well studied in temperate forests, such as those in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Arelee Estefanía Muñoz-Hernández led a study to determine how many different Orchidaceae species are present in
the forests of Oaxaca.
Muñoz-Hernández and her team collected orchids each month for a year at a site in Oaxaca.
Seventy-four Orchidaceae species were present at the site.

The student wants to present the study and its findings. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the
notes to accomplish this goal?

A study led by Arelee Estefanía Muñoz-Hernández identified a total of 74 Orchidaceae species in the temperate forests of
A. Oaxaca, Mexico.

B. There are orchids in many environments, but there are 74 Orchidaceae species in Oaxaca, Mexico.

C. Oaxaca, Mexico, is home to temperate forests containing 74 Orchidaceae species.

Arelee Estefanía Muñoz-Hernández and her team wanted to know how many different Orchidaceae species are present in
D. the forests of Oaxaca, Mexico, so they conducted a study to collect orchids.

ID: aa7e10d0 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. This choice most effectively presents the study and its findings. It opens with the study and
names its lead researcher, then tells us its finding: that they identified 74 Orchidaceae species in the temperate forests of
Oaxaca, Mexico.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t include the study’s findings, so it fails to achieve the goal. It doesn’t mention that
there was a study at all. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t present the study, so it fails to achieve the goal. It doesn’t
mention that there was a study at all. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t include the study’s findings, so it fails to
achieve the goal.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e3bbf2bf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: e3bbf2bf
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In World War I, US soldiers who were members of the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma participated in the Choctaw Code
Talkers program.
The Choctaw Code Talkers were trained to relay coded military information in their native language.
In World War II, the US Army recruited Navajo (Diné) soldiers to transmit coded messages in their native language.
These soldiers were known as the Navajo Code Talkers.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the Choctaw Code Talkers and the Navajo Code Talkers. Which choice
most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

US soldiers who were members of the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma used their native language to relay coded
A. information.

B. In World War II, one group of Navajo (Diné) soldiers was known as the Navajo Code Talkers.

Both the Choctaw Code Talkers and the Navajo Code Talkers transmitted coded military messages in the soldiers’ native
C. languages.

D. The Choctaw Code Talkers, not the Navajo Code Talkers, served in World War I.

ID: e3bbf2bf Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes a similarity between the Choctaw Code Talkers and the Navajo Code
Talkers by explaining that both groups used their native languages to transmit coded messages for the military.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence describes the Choctaw Code Talkers; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity between the
Choctaw Code Talkers and the Navajo Code Talkers. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence introduces the Navajo Code Talkers;
it doesn’t emphasize a similarity between the Choctaw Code Talkers and the Navajo Code Talkers. Choice D is incorrect. The
sentence emphasizes a difference between the Choctaw Code Talkers and the Navajo Code Talkers; it doesn’t emphasize a
similarity.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 4c43bf61
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 4c43bf61
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The International Center for the Arts of the Americas (ICAA) is directed by Mari Carmen Ramírez.
Ramírez oversaw an initiative to create an online archive of historical documents related to the history of Latin
American and Latino visual art.
The ICAA digitized over 10,000 documents, including the writings of Latin American and Latino artists and critics.
The creation of the archive didn’t require historical documents to be removed from their countries of origin.
Scholars now have more access to these documents.

The student wants to explain an advantage of the ICAA’s archive being digital. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Over 10,000 documents related to the history of Latin American and Latino visual art are part of the ICAA archive.

By offering online versions of historical documents, the ICAA’s archive provides more access to these materials without
B. removing them from their countries of origin.

C. Among the historical documents in the ICAA’s archive are the writings of Latin American and Latino artists and critics.

The ICAA’s director, Mari Carmen Ramírez, oversaw the creation of an online archive of historical documents related to
D. Latin American and Latino visual art.

ID: 4c43bf61 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence explains an advantage of the ICAA’s archive being digital, noting that the archive
provides more access to historical documents since they don’t have to be removed from their countries of origin.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the number of documents in the ICAA archive; it doesn’t explain an
advantage of the archive being digital. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence notes the types of historical documents the
ICAA’s archive contains; it doesn’t explain an advantage of the archive being digital. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence
identifies who oversaw the creation of the ICAA’s online archive; it doesn’t explain an advantage of the archive being digital.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 441f0505
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 441f0505
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
A lever is a simple machine consisting of a rigid beam and a fulcrum.
The fulcrum is the point about which the beam pivots. The input force (effort) is the force applied to the lever.
The output force (load) is the force that the lever exerts on another object.
In first-class levers, the fulcrum is located between the effort and the load.
In second-class levers, the load is located between the effort and the fulcrum.

The student wants to contrast first-class levers and second-class levers. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

In levers, the effort is the force applied to the lever; the load, in contrast, is the force that the lever exerts on another
A. object.

B. In first-class and second-class levers, the fulcrum and the load are in different locations.

First-class levers are simple machines consisting of a rigid beam and a fulcrum, but then again, the same is true of
C. second-class levers.

In first-class levers, the fulcrum is located between the effort and the load, but in second-class levers, the load is located
D. between the effort and the fulcrum.

ID: 441f0505 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence contrasts first-class levers and second-class levers, explaining that the fulcrum in
a first-class lever is between the effort and the load, whereas in a second-class lever the load is between the effort and the
fulcrum.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence defines two terms associated with levers; it doesn’t contrast first-class levers and
second-class levers. Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence seems to acknowledge a general difference in fulcrum and
load locations between first-class and second-class levers, it does not specify what this difference is. Moreover, the
sentence could be read as emphasizing a similarity—that in both types of levers, the fulcrum and load are in different
locations. The sentence thus fails to effectively contrast the two types of levers. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence
describes a similarity between first-class and second-class levers; it doesn’t contrast them.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ca4ff52d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: ca4ff52d
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Muslins are woven cotton fabrics with a variety of uses.
Dhaka muslin is a handmade fabric produced in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
It has an extremely fine weave and is primarily used to make luxury clothing.
Sheeting muslin is a machine-made fabric produced in factories.
It has a coarse weave and is primarily used to upholster furniture and create backdrops for theater sets.

The student wants to emphasize a difference between the two muslins. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Dhaka muslin is a handmade fabric with an extremely fine weave, while sheeting muslin is machine made with a coarse
A. weave.

B. Dhaka muslin and sheeting muslin are two different types of woven cotton fabrics.

Muslins can be used in a variety of ways, from making luxury clothing to upholstering furniture and creating backdrops
C. for theater sets.

D. Sheeting muslin is machine made, has a coarse weave, and is used for furniture and theater sets.

ID: ca4ff52d Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The difference between the two different kinds of muslin is emphasized.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice lists two kinds of muslins, but does not say how they are different from one another.
Choice C is incorrect. This choice does not emphasize a difference between the two muslins. Choice D is incorrect. This
choice does not emphasize a difference between the two muslins. It only describes sheeting muslin.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 16631d34
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 16631d34
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The Million Song Dataset (MSD) includes main audio features and descriptive tags for popular songs.
Audio features include acoustic traits such as loudness and pitch intervals.
Many algorithms use these audio features to predict a new song’s popularity.
These algorithms may fail to accurately identify main audio features of a song with varying acoustic traits.
Algorithms based on descriptive tags that describe fixed traits such as genre are more reliable predictors of song
popularity.

The student wants to explain a disadvantage of relying on audio features to predict a song’s popularity. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Many popularity-predicting algorithms are based on a song’s audio features, such as loudness and pitch intervals.

Algorithms based on audio features may misidentify the main features of a song with varying acoustic traits, making
B. such algorithms less reliable predictors of popularity than those based on fixed traits.

Audio features describe acoustic traits such as pitch intervals, which may vary within a song, whereas descriptive tags
C. describe fixed traits such as genre, which are reliable predictors of popularity.

D. The MSD’s descriptive tags are reliable predictors of a song’s popularity, as the traits they describe are fixed.

ID: 16631d34 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. This choice uses relevant information from the notes to explain a disadvantage of relying on
audio features to predict a song’s popularity—namely, that it may misidentify features of certain songs. It also contrasts
audio features with descriptive tags, which are more reliable predictors.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice only states a fact about the algorithms without evaluating their reliability or accuracy.
Choice C is incorrect. This choice only describes the difference between audio features and descriptive tags without
indicating why this difference matters for predicting popularity. Choice D is incorrect. This choice only mentions descriptive
tags, which are not the focus of the student’s rhetorical goal.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e2693197
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: e2693197
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Oracles of the Pink Universe was a 2021 exhibition at the Denver Museum of Art in Colorado.
It featured eight artworks by South African artist Simphiwe Ndzube.
One of these works is a painting titled Assertion of Will. Assertion of Will depicts three standing figures.
The figures wear clothing made of fabric pieces stitched to the painting’s canvas.

The student wants to describe how fabric is used in Assertion of Will. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. In Assertion of Will, the figures’ clothing is made of fabric pieces stitched to the painting’s canvas.

B. The exhibition Oracles of the Pink Universe featured artworks by artist Simphiwe Ndzube.

C. Depicting three standing, clothed figures, Assertion of Will is a painting by Simphiwe Ndzube.

Simphiwe Ndzube’s Assertion of Will was one of eight artworks exhibited in Oracles of the Pink Universe at the Denver
D. Museum of Art.

ID: e2693197 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. This choice directly describes how fabric is used in Assertion of Will, by explaining that the
fabric pieces are part of the painting itself.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice provides contextual information about the exhibition, but it doesn’t mention anything about
the painting or the fabric. Choice C is incorrect. This choice mentions that the figures are clothed, but it doesn’t explain how
the fabric is integrated into the painting. Choice D is incorrect. This choice provides contextual information about the
painting, but it doesn’t mention anything about the fabric or how it is used.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 84e108cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 84e108cf
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Platinum is a rare and expensive metal. It is used as a catalyst for chemical reactions.
Platinum catalysts typically require a large amount of platinum to be effective.
Researcher Jianbo Tang and his colleagues created a platinum catalyst that combines platinum with liquid gallium.
Their catalyst was highly effective and required only trace amounts of platinum (0.0001% of the atoms in the
mixture).

The student wants to explain an advantage of the new platinum catalyst developed by Jianbo Tang and his colleagues.
Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Researcher Jianbo Tang and his colleagues created a platinum catalyst that combines platinum, a rare and expensive
A. metal, with liquid gallium.

B. Like other platinum catalysts, the new platinum catalyst requires a particular amount of the metal to be effective.

Platinum is a rare and expensive metal that is used as a catalyst for chemical reactions; however, platinum catalysts
C. typically require a large amount of platinum to be effective.

While still highly effective, the new platinum catalyst requires far less of the rare and expensive metal than do other
D. platinum catalysts.

ID: 84e108cf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence explains an advantage of Tang and his colleagues’ platinum catalyst, noting that it
requires far less platinum (which is rare and expensive) than other platinum catalysts do.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence describes the platinum catalyst that Tang and his colleagues created; it doesn’t explain
an advantage of their platinum catalyst. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes a similarity between the new
platinum catalyst and other platinum catalysts; it doesn’t explain an advantage of the new platinum catalyst. Choice C is
incorrect. The sentence connects the metal platinum to the functioning of platinum catalysts, noting that large amounts of
platinum are typically required for platinum catalysts to be effective; it doesn’t explain an advantage of Tang and his
colleagues’ platinum catalyst.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ff8d2125
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: ff8d2125
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Crown shyness is a phenomenon in which the tops (crowns) of neighboring trees grow close together but don’t
overlap.
To explain how this happens, Australian forester M.R. Jacobs proposes the mutual abrasion theory.
According to Jacobs’s theory, when trees brush against one another, branches break off.
Malaysian scholar Francis S.P. Ng posits the mutual shade avoidance theory.
According to Ng’s theory, when tree branches detect shade from nearby trees’ branches, they stop growing.

The student wants to compare the causes of crown shyness proposed in the two theories. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

While Jacobs proposes that crown shyness is caused by neighboring tree branches brushing against one another, Ng
A. posits that it occurs when branches detect shade from nearby trees’ branches.

B. Both Jacobs and Ng have proposed theories to explain what causes crown shyness.

C. Ng posits the mutual shade avoidance theory, whereas Jacobs proposes an alternative theory.

Jacobs’s mutual abrasion theory proposes that when neighboring trees brush against one another, branches break off,
D. resulting in a phenomenon in which the tops of trees grow close together but don’t overlap.

ID: ff8d2125 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The sentence compares the two proposed causes of crown shyness, noting the theories’
differences: Jacobs cites branches brushing against one another as the cause, while Ng cites branches detecting shade
from other branches as the cause.

Choice B is incorrect. The sentence merely identifies the existence of two theories for crown shyness; it doesn’t compare the
causes proposed by each theory. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence merely indicates that there are two different theories
for crown shyness; it doesn’t compare the causes proposed by each theory. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence merely
explains one theory for crown shyness; it doesn’t compare two theories.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID dd11e5ab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: dd11e5ab
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Muckrakers were journalists who sought to expose corruption in US institutions during the Progressive Era (1897–
1920).
Ida Tarbell was a muckraker who investigated the Standard Oil Company.
She interviewed Standard Oil Company executives, oil industry workers, and public officials.
She examined thousands of pages of the company’s internal communications, including letters and financial
records.
Her book The History of the Standard Oil Company (1904) exposed the company’s unfair business practices.

The student wants to emphasize the thoroughness of Ida Tarbell’s investigation of the Standard Oil Company. Which choice
most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Ida Tarbell not only interviewed Standard Oil executives, oil industry workers, and public officials but also examined
A. thousands of pages of the company’s internal communications.

Ida Tarbell, who investigated the Standard Oil Company, was a muckraker (a journalist who sought to expose corruption
B. in US institutions during the Progressive Era, 1897–1920).

C. As part of her investigation of the Standard Oil Company, muckraker Ida Tarbell conducted interviews.

Published in 1904, muckraker Ida Tarbell’s book The History of the Standard Oil Company exposed the company’s unfair
D. business practices.

ID: dd11e5ab Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. It describes Tarbell’s investigation and the lengths she went to complete it.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe how thorough Tarbell was. Instead, it gives a biographical sketch. Choice
C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe how thorough Tarbell was. Tarbell didn’t only conduct interviews—she also
“examined thousands of pages of the company’s internal communications.” Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t
describe how thorough Tarbell was. It describes her book but doesn’t include anything about her investigation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 00460c13
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 00460c13
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Novelist Willa Cather grew up in Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Some of Cather’s best-known novels are set in Nebraska.
Two such novels are O Pioneers! (1913) and My Ántonia (1918).
Cather’s novels describe the experiences of immigrants who settled in the Great Plains.

The student wants to identify the setting of Cather’s novel My Ántonia. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. My Ántonia is set in Nebraska, where Cather grew up.

B. Cather, author of My Ántonia, described the experiences of immigrants in her novels.

C. Among Cather’s best-known novels are O Pioneers! (1913) and My Ántonia (1918).

D. Cather attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and set some of her novels in Nebraska.

ID: 00460c13 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. This choice directly identifies the setting of Cather’s novel My Ántonia as Nebraska.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice mentions that Cather wrote about immigrants, but it doesn’t indicate where they lived.
Choice C is incorrect. This choice mentions that My Ántonia is one of Cather’s best-known novels but doesn’t state where it
takes place. Choice D is incorrect. This choice mentions that some of Cather’s novels are set in Nebraska, but it doesn’t
specify which ones, so we can’t be certain that My Ántonia is one of them. It also includes irrelevant information about
Cather’s education.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 3b02e88a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 3b02e88a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The ancient Arab dhow was a sailing vessel distinguishable by its triangular sails and stitched hull construction.
Dhows were used primarily for trade along the coasts of Arab, South Asian, and East African countries.
Contemporary shipbuilders in Oman use a mix of modern and traditional materials to build replicas of ancient
dhows.
Most of the materials used are traditional.
Replica hulls are stitched together using the same traditional coconut palm fiber rope used on the hulls of ancient
dhows.

The student wants to make a generalization about the materials used in dhow replicas. Which choice most effectively uses
relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A traditional material that was used to stitch together the hulls of ancient dhows, coconut palm fiber rope is still used by
A. shipbuilders.

B. The ancient Arab dhow was a sailing vessel used primarily for trade and distinguishable by its triangular sails.

C. Although most materials used in dhow replicas are traditional, some modern materials are used.

Contemporary shipbuilders in Oman build replicas of the dhow, which was an ancient sailing vessel with a stitched hull
D. construction.

ID: 3b02e88a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The sentence makes a generalization about the materials used in dhow replicas, noting that
while some modern materials are used, most of the materials are traditional.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence provides an example of a traditional material used in ancient dhows; it doesn’t indicate
that the material is used in dhow replicas or make any other generalization about materials used in those replicas. Choice B
is incorrect. The sentence explains what an ancient dhow was; it doesn’t make a generalization about materials used to
make dhow replicas. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence introduces the construction of dhow replicas to an audience
unfamiliar with the vessel; it doesn’t make a generalization about the materials used in those replicas.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a3204ab0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: a3204ab0
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Yellowstone is a national park in the northwest United States. In 1995, gray wolves were reintroduced into the park.
Since then, the number of gray wolves in the park has stabilized at roughly 100.
This number is believed to be the park’s carrying capacity.
Carrying capacity describes the maximum number of a species that a specific environment’s resources can sustain
over time.

The student wants to specify the number of gray wolves in Yellowstone. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Gray wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone, a national park in the northwest United States, in 1995.

B. As of 1995, there were gray wolves living in Yellowstone, a national park in the northwest United States.

The carrying capacity of an environment, such as Yellowstone, describes the maximum number of species that the
C. environment can sustain over time.

D. Yellowstone is a national park that has roughly 100 gray wolves living in it.

ID: a3204ab0 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. This choice uses relevant information from the third bullet point to state the approximate
number of gray wolves in Yellowstone.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice mentions the year gray wolves in Yellowstone were reintroduced but not how many there
are currently. Choice B is incorrect. This choice mentions the year gray wolves in Yellowstone were reintroduced but not how
many there are currently. Choice C is incorrect. This choice defines the term carrying capacity but doesn’t connect it to the
specific number of gray wolves currently living in Yellowstone.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 6c9df5d1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 6c9df5d1
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Some powerful works of literature have so influenced readers that new legislation has been passed as a result.
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789) is the autobiography of a man who endured slavery on
both sides of the Atlantic.
Equiano’s book contributed to the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.
The Jungle (1906) is a fictional work by Upton Sinclair that describes unsanitary conditions in US meatpacking
plants.
Sinclair’s book contributed to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906.

The student wants to emphasize a difference between the two books. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Although both are powerful works of literature that contributed to new legislation, Equiano’s book is an autobiography,
A. while Sinclair’s is fictional.

B. They may have written about different topics, but Equiano and Sinclair both influenced readers.

The 1807 Slave Trade Act resulted in part from a book by Equiano, while the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act resulted in part
C. from a book by Sinclair.

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano and The Jungle are two works of literature that contributed to new
D. legislation (concerning the slave trade and food safety, respectively).

ID: 6c9df5d1 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. This choice emphasizes a difference between the two books by using relevant information from
the notes to contrast their genres.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice mentions a difference between the books (their different topics), but it emphasizes a
similarity between the books (their influence on readers). Choice C is incorrect. This choice provides information about the
books that reflects both a similarity (both resulted in new laws) and a difference (the specific laws that resulted), without
emphasizing either. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize a difference between the two books. Instead, it
emphasizes a similarity.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4b99b481
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 4b99b481
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Scientists have developed a “freeze-thaw” battery that can retain 92% of its charge after twelve weeks.
The battery contains molten salt (a type of salt that liquifies when heated and solidifies at room temperature).
When the salt is in a liquid state, energy flows through the battery.
When the salt is in a solid state, energy stops flowing and is stored in the battery.
The stored (frozen) energy can be used by reheating (thawing) the battery.

The student wants to specify how the salt enables energy storage. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information
from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Scientists have developed a freeze-thaw battery that contains molten salt, which liquifies when heated and solidifies at
A. room temperature.

B. The stored energy in a freeze-thaw battery, which contains molten salt, can be used by reheating the battery.

When the molten salt in a freeze-thaw battery solidifies at room temperature, energy stops flowing and can be stored in
C. the battery.

D. Molten salt allows a freeze-thaw battery to retain 92% of its charge after twelve weeks.

ID: 4b99b481 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The sentence specifies how the salt in a freeze-thaw battery enables energy storage, explaining
that energy stops flowing and can be stored when the salt solidifies at room temperature.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence explains some properties of molten salt; it doesn’t specify how that salt enables energy
storage. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence indicates how the energy in a freeze-thaw battery can be released; it doesn’t
specify how the salt in the battery enables energy storage. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence specifies how much charge
the freeze-thaw battery retains when storing energy; it doesn’t specify how the salt in the battery enables energy storage.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 296801d2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 296801d2
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The Azores is a group of islands about 870 miles off the coast of Portugal.
Historians have long believed that in the fifteenth century Portuguese mariners were the first humans to populate the
Azores.
A 2015 study coauthored by Sofia Gabriel and Maria da Luz Mathias found that Vikings from Scandinavia may have
populated the Azores as early as the ninth century.
The researchers found a genetic connection between house mice in the Azores and house mice in Scandinavia.
House mice may have traveled from Scandinavia to the Azores on Viking ships.

The student wants to specify who may have first populated the Azores, according to the 2015 study. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Historians have long believed that the first humans to populate the Azores, a group of islands about 870 miles off the
A. coast of Portugal, arrived in the fifteenth century.

B. Portuguese mariners may not have been the first humans to populate the Azores.

In their 2015 study, the researchers found a genetic connection between house mice in the Azores and those in
C. Scandinavia.

According to a 2015 study, the first humans to populate the Azores may have been Vikings from Scandinavia, not
D. mariners from Portugal as previously believed.

ID: 296801d2 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. This choice effectively specifies who may have first populated the Azores, according to the
2015 study: the Vikings.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t effectively specify who may have first populated the Azores, according to the 2015
study. It only mentions the historical belief that the Portuguese were first. The 2015 study drew a different conclusion.
Choice B is incorrect. This choice casts doubt on the Portuguese claim but doesn’t name the group of people who may have
arrived before the Portuguese. Choice C is incorrect. This choice mentions the evidence that the researchers found but not
the conclusion they drew from it. It doesn’t name the possible group of people who may have arrived before the Portuguese.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID e876e395
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: e876e395
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The melting rate of glaciers varies based on air temperature.
In the warm summer months, massive glaciers on the coast of Greenland melt into the surrounding water.
The melting glaciers contribute to rising sea levels each summer.
Huge icebergs also break off Greenland’s glaciers into the water and melt.
In 2017, geoscientist Twila Moon found that the iceberg melting rate depends not on air temperature but on water
temperature.
Because water temperature is consistent, melting icebergs contribute to rising sea levels all year.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between glaciers and icebergs in Greenland. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Because icebergs break off Greenland’s glaciers into the water, their melting rate depends on water temperature.

B. Greenland’s glaciers and icebergs both melt during the year, contributing to rising sea levels.

Geoscientist Twila Moon found that the melting rate of Greenland’s icebergs, unlike that of glaciers, does not depend on
C. air temperature.

Glaciers on the coast of Greenland melt during the warm summer months into the surrounding water, the temperature of
D. which remains consistent throughout the year.

ID: e876e395 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes a similarity between glaciers and icebergs in Greenland, noting that
both melt and thereby contribute to rising sea levels.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence provides information about the melting rate of icebergs in Greenland; it doesn’t
emphasize a similarity between glaciers and icebergs in Greenland. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes a
difference between glaciers and icebergs in Greenland, noting that their melting rates depend on different factors; it doesn’t
emphasize a similarity. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence explains the conditions under which glaciers in Greenland melt; it
doesn’t emphasize a similarity between glaciers and icebergs in Greenland.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6249b173
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 6249b173
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 2018 researchers Adwait Deshpande, Shreejata Gupta, and Anindya Sinha were observing wild macaques in India’s
Bandipur National Park.
They saw macaques calling out to and gesturing at humans who were eating or carrying food.
They designed a study to find out if the macaques were intentionally communicating to try to persuade the humans
to share their food.
In the study trials, macaques frequently called out to and gestured at humans holding food.
In the study trials, macaques called out to and gestured at empty-handed humans less frequently.

The student wants to present the study’s results. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to
accomplish this goal?

Macaques in the study called out to and gestured more frequently at humans holding food than at empty-handed
A. humans.

In 2018, researchers who had observed macaques in India’s Bandipur National Park calling out to and gesturing at
B. humans designed a study.

The researchers hoped to find out if the macaques were intentionally communicating to try to persuade humans to share
C. their food.

D. The researchers studied how macaques behaved around both humans holding food and empty-handed humans.

ID: 6249b173 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. This choice presents the study’s results from the last two bullet points.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice describes the background and motivation of the study but not the outcome or findings.
Choice C is incorrect. This choice describes the research question or hypothesis of the study but not the evidence or
conclusion. Choice D is incorrect. This choice describes the method or design of the study but not the actual results.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID af88c47a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: af88c47a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Freddie Wong (born 1985) is a director and special effects artist from the United States.
He is best known for the action-comedy web series Video Game High School (VGHS).
VGHS premiered in 2012 on RocketJump, a YouTube channel that Wong cocreated.
The series was celebrated for its inventive video game–centric world and high-quality special effects.
VGHS was nominated for a Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Digital Series.

The student wants to begin a narrative about Wong’s award-nominated web series. Which choice most effectively uses
relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

In 2012, director and visual effects artist Freddie Wong launched a new action-comedy web series: Video Game High
A. School.

Video Game High School was celebrated for its inventive video game–centric world and high-quality special effects, and
B. it was nominated for a Producer’s Guild Award for Outstanding Digital Series.

Wong, cocreator of the YouTube channel RocketJump, would go on to see his web series be nominated for a Producers
C. Guild Award.

D. In 2012, Video Game High School premiered on RocketJump; it would later be nominated for an award.

ID: af88c47a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. This choice introduces Wong and VGHS in an active and specific way, as if to an audience
unfamiliar with the series. It also sets up the time and genre of the web series, which are useful ways to introduce the series
of events in a narrative.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice isn’t suited for beginning a narrative. A narrative is a story that follows a sequence of
events and creates interest and suspense for the reader. This choice jumps to the end, explaining the success of VGHS
without explaining what it is. Choice C is incorrect. This choice isn’t suited for beginning a narrative. It doesn’t actually
introduce the web series by name. It just jumps to later in the story without sufficient explanation. Choice D is incorrect. This
choice is not very effective for beginning a narrative. It doesn’t explain what VGHS is, and it doesn’t mention Wong.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f4b63a04
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: f4b63a04
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 2013, paleontology professor Hesham Sallam and his students from Mansoura University in Egypt made a
discovery.
The team found a partial dinosaur skeleton at a site in Egypt’s Dakhla Oasis.
The skeleton belonged to a dinosaur species that lived approximately 80 million years ago.
The new species was named Mansourasaurus to recognize the team that discovered it.

The student wants to explain the origin of the species’ name. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from
the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Mansourasaurus, a new species discovered in Egypt in 2013, lived approximately 80 million years ago.

B. A partial dinosaur skeleton found in Egypt’s Dakhla Oasis belonged to a species named Mansourasaurus.

Mansourasaurus, a species that lived approximately 80 million years ago, was discovered in 2013 by Egyptian
C. paleontologist Hesham Sallam and a team of university students.

The new species was named Mansourasaurus to recognize the team that discovered it, a professor and students from
D. Mansoura University.

ID: f4b63a04 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. It explains where the dinosaur’s name came from.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice does not explain the origin of the dinosaur’s name. Choice B is incorrect. This choice does
not explain the origin of the dinosaur’s name. Choice C is incorrect. This choice does not explain the origin of the dinosaur’s
name.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID d436a2b2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: d436a2b2
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world. They live on four islands in Komodo National Park, Indonesia.
The park has a total of twenty-nine islands.

The student wants to emphasize how many islands in Komodo National Park have Komodo dragons living on them. Which
choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Komodo dragons, the world’s largest lizards, live on islands in Komodo National Park, Indonesia.

B. The largest lizards in the world are found in Komodo National Park.

C. Only four of the twenty-nine islands in Komodo National Park have Komodo dragons living on them.

D. There are twenty-nine islands in Indonesia’s Komodo National Park.

ID: d436a2b2 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes the number of islands in Komodo National Park that have Komodo
dragons living on them, noting that four of the park’s twenty-nine islands have Komodo dragons.

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence does explain that Komodo dragons live on the islands of Komodo National Park, it
doesn’t emphasize how many of those islands Komodo dragons live on. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence explains that
Komodo National Park contains the world’s largest lizards; it doesn’t identify these lizards as Komodo dragons or emphasize
how many of the park’s islands the lizards live on. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence specifies the total number of islands
in Komodo National Park; it doesn’t emphasize how many of those islands have Komodo dragons.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 113f16da
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 113f16da
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Some animals have evolved to physically resemble another animal, plant, or object. This is known as mimicry.
Crab spiders mimic the appearance of flowers. This helps crab spiders ambush their prey.
Katydids mimic the appearance of leaves. This helps katydids hide from their predators.

The student wants to emphasize a difference in how katydids and crab spiders use mimicry. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Katydids mimic the appearance of flowers, and crab spiders mimic that of leaves.

B. Katydids and crab spiders are two examples of animals that use mimicry.

C. Unlike crab spiders, which use mimicry to ambush prey, katydids use mimicry to hide from predators.

D. Animals that use mimicry have evolved to resemble another animal, plant, or object.

ID: 113f16da Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The sentence uses "unlike" to emphasize a difference in how katydids and crab spiders use
mimicry, noting that crab spiders use mimicry to ambush prey while katydids use it to hide from predators.

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence does contrast katydids and crab spiders, it misrepresents the information in the
notes. Katydids mimic the appearance of leaves (not flowers), whereas crab spiders mimic the appearance of flowers (not
leaves). Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence indicates that katydids and crab spiders use mimicry, it doesn’t emphasize
a difference in how they use it. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence describes what mimicry is; it doesn’t emphasize a
difference in how katydids and crab spiders specifically use mimicry.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 64e88c58
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 64e88c58
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 1971, experimental musician Pauline Oliveros created Sonic Meditations.
Sonic Meditations is not music but rather a series of sound-based exercises called meditations.
Each meditation consists of instructions for participants to make, imagine, listen to, or remember sounds.
The instructions for Meditation V state, “walk so silently that the bottoms of your feet become ears.”
Those for Meditation XVIII state, “listen to a sound until you no longer recognize it.”

The student wants to provide an explanation and an example of Oliveros’s Sonic Meditations. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Sonic Meditations is not music but rather a series of sound-based meditations that consist of instructions; Meditation
A. XVIII, for instance, instructs participants to “listen to a sound until you no longer recognize it.”

In 1971, Oliveros created Sonic Meditations, a series of meditations that consist of instructions for participants to make,
B. imagine, listen to, or remember sounds.

“Walk so silently that the bottoms of your feet become ears” is one example of the instructions found in Oliveros’s Sonic
C. Meditations.

While both meditations consist of instructions, Meditation XVIII instructs participants to “listen,” whereas Meditation V
D. instructs participants to “walk.”

ID: 64e88c58 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. It describes what a “Sonic Meditation” is, and then gives an example in the form of Meditation
XVIII.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice describes what a “Sonic Meditation” is, but doesn’t give an example of one. Choice C is
incorrect. This choice gives an example of a “Sonic Meditation,” but doesn’t explain what the meditations are. Choice D is
incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe what a “Sonic Meditation” is.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5a2a4b36
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 5a2a4b36
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Pauline Hopkins (1859-1930) was an African American writer. In her career, she created many genre-defining stories.
Her serialized novel Hagar’s Daughter was published from 1901 to 1902 in The Colored American Magazine.
It is considered the first African American mystery novel.

The student wants to introduce Pauline Hopkins to an audience unfamiliar with her career. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Pauline Hopkins is the author of Hagar’s Daughter, a serialized novel published from 1901 to 1902.

African American writer Pauline Hopkins created many genre-defining stories during her career, including the first African
B. American mystery novel, Hagar’s Daughter.

Published in The Colored American Magazine from 1901 to 1902, Hagar’s Daughter is a serialized novel by Pauline
C. Hopkins.

D. Hagar’s Daughter by Pauline Hopkins is considered the first African American mystery novel.

ID: 5a2a4b36 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence introduces Pauline Hopkins to an audience unfamiliar with her career, identifying
her as a genre-defining African American writer and noting a career accomplishment.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes that Pauline Hopkins wrote a serialized novel but doesn’t introduce Hopkins
to an audience unfamiliar with her career. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence introduces Hopkins’s novel; it doesn’t
introduce Hopkins. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence explains that a novel written by Hopkins is considered the first
African American mystery novel; it doesn’t introduce Hopkins to an audience unfamiliar with her career.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 23da9791
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 23da9791
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Scientists have long sought to determine the origin of glass in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
A 2017 study concluded that ancient grass fires had melted the area’s sandy soil into glass.
In 2021, a different study revealed that the mineral signatures of glass samples were consistent with the mineral
signatures of comet samples collected by NASA.
That study concluded that the glass had formed as a result of a cometary explosion close to the desert’s surface.

The student wants to describe how scientific understanding about the glass’s origin has evolved. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Scientists have long sought to determine the origin of the glass, with one study concluding that it formed when ancient
A. grass fires melted the area’s sandy soil.

B. Studies in 2017 and 2021 offered different explanations for the origin of the glass.

Mineral signatures of glass samples are consistent with those of comet samples collected by NASA, according to new
C. research.

A 2017 study concluded that ancient grass fires had caused the glass’s formation, but new research suggests that the
D. glass formed as a result of a cometary explosion close to the desert’s surface.

ID: 23da9791 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence describes how scientific understanding of the glass’s origin has evolved,
explaining that new research suggests the glass formed as a result of a cometary explosion instead of being caused by
grass fires (as was previously believed).

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence explains the conclusion of the older study; it doesn’t describe how scientific
understanding of the glass’s origin has evolved. Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence indicates that the two studies
provided different explanations, it doesn’t describe how scientific understanding of the glass’s origin has evolved. Choice C
is incorrect. The sentence references a recent finding but doesn’t effectively describe how scientific understanding of the
glass’s origin has evolved.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 878f835a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 878f835a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Some atoms contain an excess of neutrons. Often, these neutrons form a “skin” on the atom’s surface.
An atom of lead-208 has a neutron skin.
The thickness of its neutron skin is approximately 0.28 trillionths of a millimeter.

The student wants to emphasize the thickness of lead-208’s neutron skin. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. The neutron skin surrounding an atom of lead-208 measures about 0.28 trillionths of a millimeter.

B. Atoms with excess neutrons will often acquire a neutron skin.

C. An atom of lead-208, like some other atoms, is surrounded by a neutron skin.

D. Neutrons surround the surface of an atom of lead-208.

ID: 878f835a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes the thickness of lead-208’s neutron skin, noting that it is about 0.28
trillionths of a millimeter thick.

Choice B is incorrect. The sentence makes a generalization about atoms, stating that atoms with excess neutrons will often
acquire a neutron skin; it doesn’t emphasize the thickness of lead-208’s neutron skin. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence
states that lead-208 has a neutron skin; it doesn’t emphasize the thickness of that skin. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence
indicates that lead-208 is surrounded by neutrons; it doesn’t emphasize the thickness of lead-208’s neutron skin.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 8432a140
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 8432a140
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Marine biologist Camille Jazmin Gaynus studies coral reefs.
Coral reefs are vital underwater ecosystems that provide habitats to 25% of all marine species.
Reefs can include up to 8,000 species of fish, such as toadfish, seahorses, and clown triggerfish.
The Amazon Reef is a coral reef in Brazil. It is one of the largest known reefs in the world.

The student wants to introduce the scientist and her field of study to a new audience. Which choice most effectively uses
relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Located in Brazil, the Amazon Reef is one of the largest known coral reefs in the world.

Marine biologist Camille Jazmin Gaynus studies coral reefs, vital underwater ecosystems that provide homes to 25% of
B. all marine species.

Providing homes to 25% of all marine species, including up to 8,000 species of fish, coral reefs are vital underwater
C. ecosystems and thus of great interest to marine biologists.

As Camille Jazmin Gaynus knows well, coral reefs are vital underwater ecosystems, providing homes to thousands of
D. species of fish.

ID: 8432a140 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. We’re asked to select the sentence that "introduce[s] the scientist and her field of study." This
choice introduces scientist Camille Jazmin Gaynus as a marine biologist and explains what marine life she studies.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t mention Camille Jazmin Gaynus, so it fails to "introduce the scientist." Choice C is
incorrect. This choice doesn’t mention Camille Jazmin Gaynus, so it fails to "introduce the scientist." Choice D is incorrect.
This choice mentions Camille Jazmin Gaynus, but it doesn’t identify her as a marine biologist. It says she "knows well" about
coral reefs, but doesn’t identify her expertise as a "field of study."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 94f48106
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 94f48106
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 2022, University of Miami researchers discovered brine pools in the Gulf of Aqaba.
A brine pool is an underwater lake that sits on the ocean floor.
The water in brine pools is three to eight times saltier than the surrounding ocean.
The extreme saltiness of this water makes it toxic to most sea life.
Some forms of bacteria are able to survive in brine pools.

The student wants to explain why brine pools are toxic to most sea life. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Though brine pools are toxic to most sea life, some bacteria can survive there.

B. The water in brine pools is toxic to most sea life because it is three to eight times saltier than the surrounding ocean.

C. The brine pools in the Gulf of Aqaba are toxic to most sea life and were discovered by researchers in 2022.

D. Brine pools are salty underwater lakes that sit on the ocean floor.

ID: 94f48106 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence explains why brine pools are toxic to most sea life, noting that the water in the
pools is three to eight times saltier than the surrounding ocean.

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence states that brine pools are toxic to most sea life, it doesn’t explain why the pools
are toxic. Choice C is incorrect. While the sentence states that brine pools are toxic to most sea life, it doesn’t explain why
the pools are toxic. Choice D is incorrect because the sentence describes brine pools, mentioning that they are salty, but
doesn’t explain why they are toxic to most sea life.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 1b94a80a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 1b94a80a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Wool is a natural—and economically important—fiber that is obtained from animals like sheep.
Australia is a leading producer of wool. The thickness of wool fibers varies across sheep breeds.
Merino sheep produce fine wool that is used for apparel.
Rambouillet sheep produce fine wool that is used for apparel.
Romney sheep produce thick wool that is used for rugs and blankets.

The student wants to emphasize how Romney wool differs from Merino and Rambouillet wool. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Romney wool is just one of the many kinds of wools, each originating from a different breed of sheep.

B. Sheep wool varies from breed to breed, so Romney wool will be different than other kinds of wool.

The fine wool produced by Merino and Rambouillet sheep is used for apparel, whereas the thicker wool of Romney sheep
C. is used in rugs and blankets.

Wool is an economically important fiber—especially in Australia—that can be used to make apparel or even rugs and
D. blankets.

ID: 1b94a80a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. This choice most effectively emphasizes how Romney wool differs from Merino and
Rambouillet wool. It describes the difference in thickness and the difference in what they’re used for.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize how Romney wool differs from Merino and Rambouillet wool. It doesn’t
mention Merino or Rambouillet wool at all. Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize how Romney wool differs
from Merino and Rambouillet wool. It doesn’t mention Merino or Rambouillet wool at all. Choice D is incorrect. This choice
doesn’t emphasize how Romney wool differs from Merino and Rambouillet wool. It doesn’t mention Romney, Merino or
Rambouillet wool at all.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID fdd9a360
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: fdd9a360
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The popular wood-wide web theory posits that trees can communicate and exchange resources with one another via
common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) of fungi.
Ecologist Dr. Suzanne Simard first suggested this theory in 1997. She described trees as “super-cooperators.”
In the 2022 study “The Decay of the Wood-Wide Web?,” mycologist Dr. Justine Karst and colleagues evaluated
dozens of CMN studies.
They write that CMNs “have captured the interest of broad audiences. We are concerned, however, that recent claims
about CMNs in forests are disconnected from evidence.”

The student wants to use a quotation to emphasize a potential problem with the wood-wide web theory. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Describing trees as “super-cooperators,” Simard first suggested that trees can exchange resources with one another in
A. 1997.

In “The Decay of the Wood-Wide Web?,” Karst and colleagues note that common mycorrhizal networks “have captured
B. the interest of broad audiences.”

After evaluating dozens of CMN studies, Karst and colleagues expressed concern that recent claims about common
C. mycorrhizal networks are “disconnected from evidence.”

Despite the concerns expressed in the 2022 study “The Decay of the Wood-Wide Web?,” the wood-wide web theory
D. remains popular.

ID: fdd9a360 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. This choice uses a quotation to convey the authors’ criticism and challenge to the wood-wide
web theory due to an absence of evidence.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize a potential problem with the wood-wide web theory. It uses a quotation
to introduce the theory and its originator. It doesn’t mention any criticism or challenge to the theory. Choice B is incorrect.
This choice uses a quotation, but it doesn’t emphasize a potential problem with the wood-wide web theory. It uses a
quotation to describe the appeal and interest of the theory, but it doesn’t indicate why the authors are concerned or what
evidence they have. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t use a quotation at all. It paraphrases the main idea of the 2022
study, but it doesn’t include any specific words or phrases from the notes. It also doesn’t emphasize a potential problem with
the theory, but rather its popularity.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 35507eba
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 35507eba
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Pointillism is a painting technique in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image.
Betty Acquah is an artist from Ghana who uses pointillism in her work.
“By extending dabs of color in the subject matter into the background and vice-versa, an illusion of movement is
created,” she says about pointillism.
Her work often portrays Ghanaian women, whom she sees as the “unsung heroines of the Ghanaian Republic.”
Her pointillist painting “Exquisite” (2016) features five dancing women twirling their skirts.

The student wants to provide a quotation from Acquah that explains why she used pointillism in “Exquisite.” Which choice
most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

In painting “Exquisite,” Acquah applied pointillism to create what she called an “illusion of movement” within the
A. painting’s five dancing women and their twirling skirts.

B. Pointillism, the technique used in Acquah’s “Exquisite,” involves the application of small, distinct dots of color.

In “Exquisite,” Acquah uses a technique that she says involves “extending dabs of color in the subject matter into the
C. background and vice-versa.”

D. “Exquisite” portrays Acquah’s fellow Ghanaian women as she sees them: the “unsung heroes of the Ghanaian Republic.”

ID: 35507eba Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The sentence provides Acquah’s quotation about pointillism’s "illusion of movement" to explain
that she used pointillism to create the illusion of movement in her painting of women dancing.

Choice B is incorrect. The sentence explains pointillism and indicates that Acquah used the technique in her painting, but it
doesn’t provide a quotation or explain why. Choice C is incorrect. While the sentence provides a quotation from Acquah
about pointillism, the quotation merely describes a specific aspect of the technique; the sentence doesn’t explain why
Acquah used pointillism in her painting. Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence provides a quotation from Acquah, the
quotation illustrates Acquah’s views on Ghanaian women; the sentence doesn’t explain why Acquah used pointillism in her
painting.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7572131d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 7572131d
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Elizabeth Catlett’s sculpture Recognition (1970) shows two African American figures with rounded, indistinct
features.
The figures reach out to each other in a pose that symbolizes a close, supportive relationship.
Her sculpture Students Aspire (1978) shows two African American figures with sharply defined features.
The figures hold an equal sign above their heads with one hand and embrace each other with the other hand.
This pose symbolizes their support for each other in the pursuit of equality.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the two sculptures. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Catlett’s Students Aspire depicts two figures supporting each other in the pursuit of equality.

B. Recognition and Students Aspire both show African American figures in poses that symbolize supportive relationships.

C. Catlett completed Recognition in 1970 and Students Aspire in 1978.

The figures in Recognition have features that are rounded and indistinct, while the figures in Students Aspire have sharply
D. defined features.

ID: 7572131d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes a similarity between the sculptures Recognition and Students Aspire,
noting that both sculptures show African American figures in poses that symbolize supportive relationships.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence describes one of the sculptures; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity between the two
sculptures. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence specifies the different years the sculptures were completed in; it doesn’t
emphasize a similarity between the two sculptures. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes a difference between
the two sculptures, noting that the figures in the sculptures have different feature definition; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity
between the two sculptures.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ff3865b3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: ff3865b3
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
A wok is a cooking pan that originated in China during the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE).
The wok’s round, wide base helps to cook food evenly. The wok’s high, angled sides help to contain oil splatters.
Grace Young is a cook and culinary historian. Her book The Breath of a Wok (2004) traces the history of the wok.

The student wants to describe the wok’s shape. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to
accomplish this goal?

A. Grace Young’s 2004 book, The Breath of a Wok, traces the history of the cooking pan.

B. Able to cook food evenly and contain oil splatters, the wok is the subject of Grace Young’s 2004 book.

C. A wok is a cooking pan with a round, wide base and high, angled sides.

The design of a wok, a type of cooking pan that originated in China during the Han dynasty, helps the pan cook food
D. evenly and contain oil splatters.

ID: ff3865b3 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. It summarizes the information that describes the wok’s shape from the second and third bullet
points.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe the shape of a wok. Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe
the shape of a wok, just some of its features. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe the shape of a wok, only
some of its benefits or functions.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID bce57278
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: bce57278
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Some US reformers sought to improve society in the 1800s by building utopias.
A utopia is a community intended to represent a perfect society based on a specific set of principles.
One such community was Brook Farm near Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1841 by writer George Ripley.
Ripley wrote in a letter that his goal for Brook Farm was “to guarantee the highest mental freedom, by providing all
with labor, adapted to their tastes and talents, and securing to them the fruits of their industry.”

The student wants to explain the goal of Brook Farm using a quotation from George Ripley. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. In a letter, writer George Ripley explained his goal to “guarantee the highest mental freedom.”

Utopias, such as Brook Farm, founded by George Ripley in 1841, were based on a specific set of principles intended to
B. create a perfect society.

Founded by George Ripley near Boston, Massachusetts, Brook Farm was part of a trend in the 1800s, when reformers in
C. the United States built utopias.

Established in 1841, Brook Farm was a utopian community created to “guarantee the highest mental freedom, by
D. providing all with labor... [and] the fruits of their industry,” according to founder George Ripley.

ID: bce57278 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. This choice explains the goal of Brook Farm—to provide mental freedom to all by engaging
individuals in labor suited to their interests—using a quotation from George Ripley.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice only mentions part of Ripley’s goal, and it doesn’t mention Brook Farm at all. Choice B is
incorrect. This choice defines what a utopia is but doesn’t use Ripley’s words to describe his vision for Brook Farm. Choice C
is incorrect. This choice provides some background information about Brook Farm, but it doesn’t explain its goals or include
Ripley’s words.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 1bb4aec8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 1bb4aec8
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Meteorites found on Earth are divided into two categories.
A meteorite that was observed falling to Earth before being recovered is known as a meteorite fall.
All other meteorites found on Earth are known as meteorite finds.
There have been about 1,200 recorded meteorite falls. There have been over 60,000 recorded meteorite finds.

The student wants to contrast the number of meteorite falls with the number of meteorite finds. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A meteorite that was observed falling to Earth before being recovered is known as a meteorite fall; all others are known
A. as meteorite finds.

B. Meteorites found on Earth are divided into two categories: meteorite falls and meteorite finds.

C. There have been about 1,200 recorded meteorite falls, or meteorites observed falling to Earth.

D. While there have been only about 1,200 recorded meteorite falls, there have been over 60,000 meteorite finds.

ID: 1bb4aec8 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence contrasts the number of meteorite falls with the number of meteorite finds, noting
that there have been over 60,000 meteorite finds but only about 1,200 recorded meteorite falls.

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence explains the difference between meteorite falls and meteorite finds, it doesn’t
contrast the number of meteorite falls and meteorite finds. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence indicates the two categories
of meteorites found on Earth; it doesn’t contrast the number of meteorite falls and meteorite finds. Choice C is incorrect.
While the sentence notes the number of recorded meteorite falls, it doesn’t contrast this with the number of meteorite finds.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d8aa8ba2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: d8aa8ba2
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In astronomy, the mass of stars can be described in units called solar masses.
One solar mass is roughly equal to the mass of the Sun.
The mass of the star Proxima Centauri is 0.122 solar masses. The mass of the star Sirius A is 2.063 solar masses.

The student wants to emphasize the mass of Sirius A. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the
notes to accomplish this goal?

A. The mass of stars, like Proxima Centauri, can be described in units called solar masses.

In astronomy, the mass of stars can be described in units called solar masses, and one solar mass is roughly equal to the
B. mass of the Sun.

C. The Sun is more massive than Proxima Centauri, which has a mass of 0.122 solar masses.

D. With a mass of 2.063 solar masses, Sirius A is more massive than the Sun.

ID: d8aa8ba2 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes the mass of Sirius A, noting that it has a mass of 2.063 solar masses
and that it is larger than the Sun.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence makes a generalization about how the mass of stars can be measured; it doesn’t
emphasize the mass of Sirius A. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence introduces solar masses as a unit of measurement; it
doesn’t emphasize the mass of Sirius A. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the mass of Proxima Centauri, not
the mass of Sirius A.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6de02dfa
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 6de02dfa
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:​
Thailand’s annual Songkran Water Festival is held each April. It marks Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year.
People splash and spray each other for fun at the festival’s community-wide water fights.
In Bangkok, thousands gather along Silom Road for the city’s largest water fight.
In Chiang Mai, thousands gather at a historical monument called the Tha Phae Gate for the city’s largest water fight.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity in how people in Bangkok and Chiang Mai celebrate Songkran. Which choice
most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

The largest water fight in Bangkok takes place along a city street, whereas the largest water fight in Chiang Mai takes
A. place at a historical monument.

B. In both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, thousands gather to celebrate Songkran with water fights.

C. People in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai celebrate Songkran, but they don’t do so in exactly the same way.

D. Each April, people in Thailand celebrate Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year.

ID: 6de02dfa Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes a similarity in how people in Bangkok and Chiang Mai celebrate
Songkran, indicating that people in both cities gather to celebrate with water fights.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence notes the different locations of the largest water fight in Bangkok and the largest water
fight in Chiang Mai; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity in how people in Bangkok and Chiang Mai celebrate Songkran. Choice C
is incorrect. The sentence indicates that people in Bangkok and Chiang Mai don’t celebrate Songkran in exactly the same
way; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity in how people in the two cities celebrate Songkran. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence
explains when people in Thailand celebrate Songkran; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity in how people in Bangkok and Chiang
Mai celebrate Songkran.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c92ea686
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: c92ea686
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The Ramayana is a Sanskrit epic poem from ancient India.
In The Ramayana, the character Kaikeyi is often portrayed as a villain. Kaikeyi is a 2022 novel by Vaishnavi Patel.
The novel is a retelling of the epic poem from Kaikeyi’s point of view. It often portrays Kaikeyi as heroic.

The student wants to emphasize whose point of view the novel is told from. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. From the point of view of The Ramayana, the character Kaikeyi is often a villain.

B. Vaishnavi Patel often portrays the character as heroic.

C. Kaikeyi is a retelling of The Ramayana from the character Kaikeyi’s point of view.

D. The Ramayana is an epic poem that features the character Kaikeyi.

ID: c92ea686 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes whose point of view the novel Kaikeyi is told from: the character
Kaikeyi’s.

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence does discuss point of view, it focuses on that of the epic poem rather than the
novel. Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence seems to be referring to Patel’s novel, it doesn’t establish whose point of
view the novel is told from. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence discusses the character Kaikeyi in the context of the epic
poem; it doesn’t discuss the novel’s point of view.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5222ffab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 5222ffab
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Neuroscientists Krishnan Padmanabhan and Zhen Chen sought to better understand the workings of the brain’s
olfactory system.
They devised a study using mathematical models.
They found that certain fibers allow the brain to toggle from one method of processing smells to another.
In one method, cells in the piriform cortex (where the perception of odor forms) capture olfactory information at a
given moment.
In the other, the cells track changes in olfactory information over time.

The student wants to summarize the study’s findings. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the
notes to accomplish this goal?

To arrive at these findings, which describe dual methods of processing smells in the piriform cortex, Padmanabhan and
A. Chen devised a study using mathematical models.

Padmanabhan and Chen showed that olfactory information is captured by cells in the piriform cortex, where the
B. perception of odor forms.

Using mathematical models, Padmanabhan and Chen devised a study to better understand the workings of the brain’s
C. olfactory system.

According to Padmanabhan and Chen, the brain can toggle between capturing olfactory information at a given moment
D. and tracking changes in that information over time.

ID: 5222ffab Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence effectively summarizes the study’s findings, explaining what Padmanabhan and
Chen found: that the brain can toggle between one method of processing smells (capturing information at a given moment)
and another (tracking changes in information over time).

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence mentions findings, it mainly focuses on Padmanabhan and Chen’s methodology. It
doesn’t effectively summarize the study’s findings. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence notes a fact about the olfactory
system—that the perception of odor forms in the piriform cortex—but doesn’t summarize the findings of Padmanabhan and
Chen’s study. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence presents the goal of Padmanabhan and Chen’s study; it doesn’t summarize
the study’s findings.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 804928b6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 804928b6
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Mary Kang is a Korean American portrait photographer. She is based in New York City and in Austin, Texas.
One of Kang’s photographs features artist Dominique Fung. In the portrait, Fung is seated on the floor.
Five of Fung’s paintings are resting against the wall behind her.

The student wants to describe where Fung is in the photograph to an audience already familiar with Kang and Fung. Which
choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Dominique Fung is in a photograph by Mary Kang, a portrait photographer based in New York City and Austin, Texas.

B. Mary Kang is a photographer based in both New York City and Austin, Texas.

C. Five paintings by artist Dominique Fung can be seen in the background of Mary Kang’s photograph.

D. In Kang’s portrait of her, Fung is seated on the floor, with five of her paintings resting against the wall behind her.

ID: 804928b6 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence describes Fung’s location in Kang’s photograph, noting that Fung is seated on the
floor. Additionally, because the sentence is intended for an audience already familiar with the artists, it omits the artists’ first
names and other biographical information about them.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence indicates that Fung appears in Kang’s photograph; it doesn’t describe Fung’s location in
Kang’s photograph. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence identifies Kang and where she is based; it doesn’t describe Fung’s
location in Kang’s photograph. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence describes the background of Kang’s photograph; it
doesn’t describe Fung’s location in Kang’s photograph.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID cfade68d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: cfade68d
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Marcela Guerrero is a curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
She curated the Whitney’s 2018 exhibition Pacha, Llaqta, Wasichay: Indigenous Space, Modern Architecture, New Art.
This exhibition featured works by seven emerging Latino artists.
She curated the Whitney’s 2020 exhibition Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945.
This exhibition included nearly 200 works by twentieth-century Latino and Mexican artists.

The student wants to describe the exhibition that Guerrero curated in 2018. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Held at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the exhibition Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art,
A. 1925–1945 included nearly 200 works by twentieth-century Mexican and Latino artists.

Pacha, Llaqta, Wasichay: Indigenous Space, Modern Architecture, New Art, an exhibition at the Whitney Museum of
B. American Art, featured works by seven emerging Latino artists.

C. In both 2018 and 2020, Marcela Guerrero curated exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

While one exhibition that Marcela Guerrero curated featured works by emerging artists, another included works by
D. twentieth-century artists.

ID: cfade68d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence describes the 2018 exhibition Guerrero curated, noting that the exhibition, which
was titled Pacha, Llaqta, Wasichay: Indigenous Space, Modern Architecture, New Art, featured the works of seven emerging
Latino artists.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence describes the exhibition Guerrero curated in 2020; it doesn’t describe her 2018
exhibition. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes a similarity between the two exhibitions Guerrero curated; it
doesn’t describe her 2018 exhibition. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes a difference between the two
exhibitions Guerrero curated; it doesn’t describe her 2018 exhibition.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fbffb352
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: fbffb352
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Archaeologist Dr. Sada Mire founded the Horn Heritage Foundation to preserve the cultural history of regions in the
Horn of Africa.
Horn Heritage has overseen a preservation project to create 3D digital scans of ancient rock art in Somaliland.
Paintings found at the Laas Geel caves are included in the scans.
The Laas Geel paintings feature human figures and animals.
Paintings found at the Dhagah Nabi Galay caves are included in the scans.
The Dhagah Nabi Galay caves feature what are thought to be the earliest examples of writing in East Africa.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the Laas Geel paintings and the Dhagah Nabi Galay paintings. Which
choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

The earliest examples of writing in East Africa are thought to be featured in the paintings at the Dhagah Nabi Galay caves
A. in Somaliland.

The paintings at the Dhagah Nabi Galay caves feature examples of writing, while those at the Laas Geel caves feature
B. humans and animals.

C. In Somaliland, the paintings in the Laas Geel caves feature human figures and animals.

D. The Laas Geel paintings and the Dhagah Nabi Galay paintings are both examples of ancient rock art found in Somaliland.

ID: fbffb352 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. This choice compares the Laas Geel paintings and the Dhagah Nabi Galay paintings to one
another and emphasizes what they have in common: they are both ancient rock art found in the same region.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice only mentions the Dhagah Nabi Galay paintings. It doesn’t compare them to the Laas Geel
paintings. Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize a similarity between the two paintings. Instead, it
emphasizes a difference: the type of content they depict. Choice C is incorrect. This choice only mentions the Laas Geel
paintings. It doesn’t compare them to the Dhagah Nabi Galay paintings.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 164a32e7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 164a32e7
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Claude McKay (1889–1948) was a Jamaican American writer.
Songs of Jamaica (1912) and Constab Ballads (1912) are two acclaimed poetry collections that McKay published
while living in Jamaica.
McKay moved to Harlem in New York City in 1914.
He is best known as a poet and novelist of the Harlem Renaissance, a literary and cultural movement of the 1920s
and 1930s.
His most famous works include the poetry collection Harlem Shadows (1922) and the novel Home to Harlem (1928).

The student wants to emphasize Claude McKay’s accomplishments before moving to Harlem. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Jamaican American writer Claude McKay is the author of works such as Songs of Jamaica (1912), Constab Ballads
A. (1912), Harlem Shadows (1922), and Home to Harlem (1928).

Although he is best known as a Harlem Renaissance writer, Claude McKay had published two acclaimed poetry
B. collections in 1912 while living in Jamaica: Songs of Jamaica and Constab Ballads.

In 1914, Claude McKay moved to Harlem, where he would become known as a poet and novelist of the Harlem
C. Renaissance (a literary and cultural movement of the 1920s and 1930s).

Before moving to Harlem, Claude McKay—author of the poetry collection Harlem Shadows (1922) and the novel Home to
D. Harlem (1928)—lived in Jamaica.

ID: 164a32e7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. This choice contrasts McKay’s fame as a Harlem Renaissance writer with his earlier
achievements as a Jamaican poet, and it names the two collections he published before moving to Harlem.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize McKay’s accomplishments before moving to Harlem. It lists some of
his works but doesn’t distinguish between those he wrote in Jamaica and those he wrote in Harlem. Choice C is incorrect.
This choice doesn’t emphasize McKay’s accomplishments before moving to Harlem. It only mentions the year he moved and
what he would become known for afterwards. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize McKay’s
accomplishments before moving to Harlem. It mentions that he lived in Jamaica, but it doesn’t name any of the works he
published there.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID de01ccef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: de01ccef
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The background colors of US and UK road signs are used to denote each sign’s purpose.
Directional signs are a type of sign containing information such as route names, distance to a destination, etc.
Highways, major roadways, and minor roadways in the US generally use green for directional signs.
Highways in the UK generally use blue for directional signs.
Major roadways in the UK generally use green for directional signs.

The student wants to contrast how green backgrounds are used in US and UK road signs. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Blue backgrounds are generally used on directional highway signs in the UK, in contrast to the green highway signs used
A. in the US.

In the US, green signs indicate directional information on both highways and major roadways, but in the UK, directional
B. signs of this color generally appear only on major roadways.

Green road signs are used in both the US and UK to denote directional information on major roadways, like distance to a
C. destination or route names.

D. Both the UK and the US use directional signs, which include information on route names and distance to a destination.

ID: de01ccef Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence contrasts how green backgrounds are used in US and UK road signs, noting that
the US uses them for both highways and major roadways while the UK uses them only for major roadways.

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence does contrast US and UK road signs, the contrast focuses on the use of blue
versus green backgrounds rather than on the use of green backgrounds specifically. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence
indicates a similarity between the uses of green road signs in the US and the UK rather than contrasting them. Choice D is
incorrect. The sentence indicates a similarity between road signs in the US and those in the UK; it doesn’t contrast how green
backgrounds are used in each country’s signs.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9336f63b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 9336f63b
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
A small number of US Navy sailors of Filipino descent served during the US Civil War (1861–1865).
Stephen Amos was born in the Philippines around 1830. He enlisted in the US Navy in November 1863.
Raphael Ignases was born in the Philippines around 1834. He enlisted in the US Navy in July 1861.

The student wants to emphasize the historical significance of Stephen Amos’s enlistment date. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Both Stephen Amos and Raphael Ignases were US Navy sailors of Filipino descent, but Amos enlisted in the Navy in
A. 1863, two years later than Ignases.

Stephen Amos was a US Navy sailor of Filipino descent, along with Raphael Ignases, who was born in the Philippines
B. around 1834.

Stephen Amos enlisted in the US Navy in 1863, making him one of the few sailors of Filipino descent to serve in the US
C. Civil War (1861–1865).

When Stephen Amos enlisted in the US Navy in November 1863, he joined sailors such as Raphael Ignases, who had
D. been born in the Philippines around 1834.

ID: 9336f63b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. Noting the time frame of the US Civil War and the fact that Amos enlisted during this time
frame, the sentence emphasizes that Amos’s enlistment date places him among the historically significant group of US Navy
sailors of Filipino descent who served during the Civil War.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence identifies Amos and Ignases and notes that Amos’s enlistment date was later than
Ignases’s; the sentence doesn’t explain the historical significance of the date. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence identifies
Amos and Ignases as US Navy sailors of Filipino descent, noting Ignases’s birth year; the sentence doesn’t provide Amos’s
enlistment date or its historical significance. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence provides Amos’s enlistment date and
mentions that he served alongside a sailor of Filipino descent; it doesn’t explain the historical significance of the date.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 10cd0327
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 10cd0327
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
A thermal inversion is a phenomenon where a layer of atmosphere is warmer than the layer beneath it.
In 2022, a team of researchers studied the presence of thermal inversions in twenty-five gas giants.
Gas giants are planets largely composed of helium and hydrogen.
The team found that gas giants featuring a thermal inversion were also likely to contain heat-absorbing metals.
One explanation for this relationship is that these metals may reside in a planet’s upper atmosphere, where their
absorbed heat causes an increase in temperature.

The student wants to present the study’s findings to an audience already familiar with thermal inversions. Which choice
most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Heat-absorbing metals may reside in a planet’s upper atmosphere.

B. The team studied thermal inversions in twenty-five gas giants, which are largely composed of helium and hydrogen.

Researchers found that gas giants featuring a thermal inversion were likely to contain heat-absorbing metals, which may
C. reside in the planets’ upper atmospheres.

Gas giants were likely to contain heat-absorbing metals when they featured a layer of atmosphere warmer than the layer
D. beneath it, researchers found; this phenomenon is known as a thermal inversion.

ID: 10cd0327 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. It describes the study’s findings in a way that assumes the audience is already familiar with
thermal inversions.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t fully describe the findings of the study, because it doesn’t include anything about
thermal inversions. Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe the study’s findings. Choice D is incorrect. This choice
isn’t suited for an audience already familiar with thermal inversion. A familiar audience wouldn’t need to have the term
defined.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 81315093
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 81315093
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
A marathon is a long-distance running race that is 26.2 miles long.
An ultramarathon is a long-distance running race of more than 26.2 miles.
The Kepler Challenge is a one-day, 37.3-mile ultramarathon in New Zealand.
The Spreelauf is a six-day, 261-mile ultramarathon in Germany.

The student wants to make a generalization about ultramarathons. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information
from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Examples of ultramarathons include the 37.3-mile Kepler Challenge in New Zealand and the 261-mile Spreelauf in
A. Germany.

B. A marathon is 26.2 miles long, but the Spreelauf ultramarathon, at 261 miles, is far longer.

C. Ultramarathons range widely in length, from a few dozen miles to a few hundred.

D. While the Kepler Challenge is a one-day ultramarathon, the Spreelauf is a six-day ultramarathon.

ID: 81315093 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. This is the only choice that makes a generalization about ultramarathons.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice gives specific examples of ultramarathons but doesn’t say anything about them as a
category. Choice B is incorrect. This choice compares marathons in general to one specific ultramarathon but doesn’t say
anything about ultramarathons as a category. Choice D is incorrect. This choice contrasts two specific ultramarathons but
doesn’t say anything about them as a category.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5b8b69a2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 5b8b69a2
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Archaeologist Jon Erlandson and colleagues argue that humans first arrived in the Americas by sea.
They propose that humans traveled between Pacific Ocean islands and coastlines from northeast Asia to the
Americas.
Many of these islands and coastal zones were later submerged as glaciers melted and sea levels rose.
The researchers think that “a coastal route, including kelp forests and estuaries, would have provided a rich mix of
marine, estuarine, riverine, and terrestrial resources” such as seaweeds, fish, and birds.
This proposed scenario is known as the kelp highway hypothesis.

The student wants to summarize the kelp highway hypothesis. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from
the notes to accomplish this goal?

Pacific Ocean islands and coastlines likely contained “a rich mix of marine, estuarine, riverine, and terrestrial resources”
A. such as seaweeds, fish, and birds, according to researchers.

One argument about how humans first arrived in the Americas is the kelp highway hypothesis proposed by Jon Erlandson
B. and colleagues.

Humans may have first arrived in the Americas by sea, traveling between Pacific Ocean islands and coastlines and
C. subsisting on a variety of resources.

D. As glaciers melted and sea levels rose, many Pacific Ocean islands and coastal zones were submerged.

ID: 5b8b69a2 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. This choice summarizes the main idea of the kelp highway hypothesis, providing a high-level
overview of how the hypothesis explains human migration to the Americas.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice describes one aspect of the proposed scenario but doesn’t discuss human migration,
which is the main focus of the kelp highway hypothesis. Choice B is incorrect. This choice introduces the kelp highway
hypothesis but doesn’t explain what it entails. Choice D is incorrect. This choice describes one element of the proposed
scenario but doesn’t discuss human migration, which is the main focus of the kelp highway hypothesis.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 259d16ac
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 259d16ac
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 1859, the novel Adam Bede was published in England.
According to the novel’s title page, the author’s name was George Eliot.
George Eliot was widely assumed to be a pseudonym.
A pseudonym is a fake name used to conceal an author’s identity.
A woman named Mary Ann Evans later revealed herself as the novel’s real author.

The student wants to identify the real author of Adam Bede. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from
the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. The real author of Adam Bede was Mary Ann Evans, who published the novel using the pseudonym George Eliot.

George Eliot, which Adam Bede’s title page indicated was the name of the novel’s author, was widely assumed to be a
B. pseudonym.

C. The title page of the novel Adam Bede indicated that the author’s name was George Eliot.

D. A woman who had used a pseudonym to conceal her identity later revealed herself as the real author of Adam Bede.

ID: 259d16ac Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The sentence identifies the novel’s real author, explaining that Mary Ann Evans published the
novel under the pseudonym of George Eliot.

Choice B is incorrect. The sentence explains that George Eliot was assumed to be a pseudonym; it doesn’t identify the
novel’s real author. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence specifies the pseudonym used on the novel’s title page; it doesn’t
identify the novel’s real author. Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence indicates that the novel’s real author used a
pseudonym, it doesn’t identify that author as Mary Ann Evans.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 28a46cb0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 28a46cb0
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The international Slow Food movement was founded in 1989 with the signing of the “Slow Food Manifesto.”
The movement promotes universal access to healthy, high-quality food.
It calls for sustainable food production practices that protect local environments, ecosystems, and biodiversity.
It advocates for fair treatment of and compensation for food production workers.
The Slow Food USA organization was founded in 2000.

The student wants to introduce the Slow Food movement to a new audience. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

The international Slow Food movement, founded in 1989, promotes universal access to healthy, high-quality food that is
A. produced sustainably by workers who are treated and compensated fairly.

The signing of the “Slow Food Manifesto” in 1989 marked the founding of the international Slow Food movement, while
B. the Slow Food USA organization was founded in 2000.

C. The Slow Food movement advocates for food production workers.

D. Goals of the movement include universal access to healthy, high-quality food and sustainable food practices.

ID: 28a46cb0 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The sentence effectively introduces the Slow Food movement to a new audience, explaining
that the movement, which was founded in 1989, promotes universal access to high-quality and healthy food that is produced
sustainably by workers who are treated fairly.

Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence indicates when the international Slow Food movement and the Slow Food USA
organization were founded, it doesn’t effectively introduce the movement to a new audience. Choice C is incorrect. While the
sentence notes that the Slow Food movement includes advocacy for food production workers, it doesn’t effectively introduce
the movement to a new audience. Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence describes some of the goals of the Slow Food
movement, it doesn’t effectively introduce the movement to a new audience.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 1469d23a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 1469d23a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Etel Adnan was a Lebanese American poet and artist known for making many leporellos.
A leporello is an artist’s book that is folded accordion style.
When the book is expanded, the artist’s work is revealed, and its zigzag shape allows it to stand on its own.
Her leporello December from My Window (1993) features a panoramic landscape.
It is painted using ink and watercolor.

The student wants to describe Adnan’s December from My Window to an audience already familiar with leporellos. Which
choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Featuring a panoramic landscape, the 1993 work is one of Adnan’s many leporellos, which are accordion-style folded
A. books that when expanded reveal the artist’s work.

When expanded, Adnan’s 1993 leporello December from My Window reveals a panoramic landscape painted in ink and
B. watercolor.

Known for making many other accordion-style folded books called leporellos, Adnan created December from My Window
C. in 1993.

A leporello, such as Adnan’s December from My Window, is folded accordion style, and due to its zigzag shape it is able to
D. stand on its own when fully expanded.

ID: 1469d23a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. This choice describes Adnan’s December from My Window in a way that assumes the audience
is already familiar with leporellos and focuses on the specific features of the work—its content and medium.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice isn’t suited for an audience already familiar with leporellos. A familiar audience wouldn’t
need to have the term defined or explained. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t describe Adnan’s December from My
Window. It mentions the year and the type of work but not the content or the medium. In addition, it provides a simple
definition of leporellos, making this an inappropriate choice for an audience already familiar with leporellos. Choice D is
incorrect. This choice isn’t suited for an audience already familiar with leporellos. A familiar audience wouldn’t need to have
the term defined.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID db3ad406
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: db3ad406
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Stars form in a galaxy when gravity causes a massive cloud of dust and gas to collapse.
A galaxy in a phase of rapid star formation is called a starburst galaxy.
Quenching is a process in which a galaxy loses star-forming gas.
A galaxy that no longer forms stars is called a quenched galaxy.
A quenched galaxy has entered the poststarburst phase.

The student wants to explain what a quenched galaxy is. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the
notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Before quenching, a starburst galaxy will form stars at a rapid rate.

B. When it becomes quenched, a starburst galaxy enters the poststarburst phase.

C. Having entered the poststarburst phase, a quenched galaxy is one that no longer forms stars.

D. A starburst galaxy will lose star-forming gas and eventually become quenched.

ID: db3ad406 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. This choice defines a quenched galaxy as “one that no longer forms stars.”

Choice A is incorrect. This choice only describes what happens before quenching. Choice B is incorrect. This choice only
describes what happens after quenching. Choice D is incorrect. This choice only describes what causes quenching.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4223d4a6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 4223d4a6
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 1965, Yale University historians claimed that a world map called the Vinland Map was drawn in the fifteenth
century.
Since that time, the map’s age has been the subject of debate.
In 2021, researchers conducted a study to analyze the elemental composition of the map’s ink.
Their analysis revealed that the ink contains a titanium compound not used in inks until the 1920s.
The researchers concluded that the map was drawn in the twentieth century.

The student wants to present the study and its findings. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the
notes to accomplish this goal?

Given the debate about the Vinland Map’s age, researchers in 2021 conducted a study to analyze the elemental
A. composition of the map’s ink.

A 2021 study of the Vinland Map’s ink revealed that it contains a titanium compound not used in inks until the 1920s,
B. indicating that the map was drawn in the twentieth century.

C. The Vinland Map, believed by some to have been drawn in the fifteenth century, was the focus of a 2021 study.

Aware that a certain titanium compound was not used in inks until the 1920s, researchers in 2021 studied the elemental
D. composition of the Vinland Map’s ink.

ID: 4223d4a6 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence effectively presents the study and its findings, providing relevant information: a
2021 study of the Vinland Map found that the map’s ink contains a compound not used in inks until the twentieth century.

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence introduces the study, it does not present the study’s findings. Choice C is incorrect.
While the sentence mentions the study, it does not effectively present the study or its findings. Choice D is incorrect. While
the sentence introduces the study, it does not present the study’s findings.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 72ae9bca
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 72ae9bca
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In the early 1900s, suffragists organized marches for women’s voting rights.
Suffragists in the United Kingdom marched from Edinburgh to London.
This march began on October 12, 1912, and ended on November 16, 1912.
Suffragists in the United States marched from New York City to Albany, New York.
This march began on December 16, 1912, and ended on December 28, 1912.

The student wants to emphasize the order in which the two marches occurred. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

After suffragists in the UK marched from Edinburgh to London, suffragists in the US marched from New York City to
A. Albany, New York.

B. In the early 1900s, suffragists in the UK and the US marched for women’s voting rights.

A march from New York City to Albany, New York, was followed by one that began in Edinburgh and ended in London.
C.

D. From October 12 to November 16, 1912, suffragists in the UK marched from Edinburgh to London.

ID: 72ae9bca Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes the order in which the two marches occurred, correctly indicating
that the US march (December 16 to December 28, 1912) occurred after the march in the UK (October 12 to November 16,
1912).

Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence mentions that both marches took place in the early 1900s, it doesn’t emphasize the
order in which the two marches occurred. Choice C is incorrect. While the sentence does emphasize the order in which the
two marches occurred, the order is incorrect. The UK march took place from October 12 to November 16, 1912, which was
before the US march (December 1912). Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence specifies the dates of the UK march, it
doesn’t mention the US march or emphasize the order in which the two marches occurred.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3dcc7140
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 3dcc7140
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Nissologists are scientists who study islands.
Some nissologists define an island as any piece of land surrounded by water.
Using that definition, they determined that Sweden has 221,000 islands.
Other nissologists define an island as being 1 kilometer square, a certain distance from the mainland, and having at
least 50 permanent residents.
Using that definition, they determined that Sweden has 24 islands.

The student wants to make and support a generalization about nissologists’ definition of an island. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish these goals?

The definition of an island as any piece of land surrounded by water is supported by some nissologists, scientists who
A. study islands.

B. Multiple counts of Sweden’s islands have been based on different definitions of an island.

C. Based on a recent count, Sweden has a relatively small number of islands with at least 50 permanent residents.

D. Nissologists’ different definitions can result in huge disparities in counts of islands, as the example of Sweden shows.

ID: 3dcc7140 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence makes a generalization about nissologists’ definition of an island—specifically,
that the use of one definition rather than another can result in huge disparities in the number of islands counted—and
supports that generalization by citing Sweden as an example.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence introduces one definition of an island to an audience unfamiliar with nissologists; it
doesn’t make a generalization about nissologists’ definition of an island. Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence
synthesizes information from the notes about counts of Sweden’s islands, it doesn’t make and support a generalization
about nissologists’ definition of an island. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence makes an inference about islands in Sweden;
it doesn’t mention nissologists’ definition of an island or make a generalization about it.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4c26f18a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 4c26f18a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
By interlocking their bodies, ants can form bridges to help fellow ants cross gaps.
In 2020, Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin was inspired by ant behavior to design collaborative quadruped robots.
Over the course of a year, she designed, built, tested, and refined her robots.
Each robot is programmed to send a signal to another robot upon encountering a gap in a path.
The signaled robot connects to the back of the signaler robot via magnetic sensors and pushes it across the gap.

The student wants to begin a narrative about the creation of the robots. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

When one of Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin’s robots encounters a gap in its path, it sends a signal to another robot; the signaled
A. robot connects to the back of the signaler and pushes it across the gap.

B. After a year, Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin had designed, built, tested, and refined her robots.

Inspired by ants, which form bridges with their interlocked bodies to help fellow ants cross gaps, Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin
C. set out to design quadruped robots capable of similarly collaborative behavior.

D. Ants, which have inspired the design of robots, form bridges by interlocking their bodies.

ID: 4c26f18a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The sentence effectively begins a narrative about the creation of the robots, explaining that
ants’ gap-crossing technique inspired Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin to "set out to design" robots that could collaborate in a similar
manner.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence describes how the robots work together to cross gaps; it doesn’t effectively begin a
narrative about the creation of the robots. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence provides an overview of the steps Ozkan-Aydin
took in creating the robots; it doesn’t effectively begin a narrative about their creation. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence
explains how ants form bridges; it doesn’t effectively begin a narrative about the creation of the robots.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 622a351d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 622a351d
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 1978, Sámi activists staged protests to block the construction of a dam on the Alta River in Norway.
The dam would disrupt Sámi fishing and reindeer herding.
The dam was ultimately built, but the Alta conflict had a lasting impact.
It brought international attention to the issue of Sámi rights.
It led to a set of 2005 legal protections establishing Sámi rights to lands, waters, and resources.

The student wants to make and support a generalization about the Alta conflict. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

During the Alta conflict, Sámi activists staged protests to block the construction of a dam on the Alta River in Norway
A. that would disrupt local fishing and reindeer herding.

B. Although the dam that the Sámi activists had protested was ultimately built, the Alta conflict had a lasting impact.

Sámi rights to lands, waters, and resources received international attention and legal protections as a result of the Alta
C. conflict.

The Alta conflict had a lasting impact, resulting in international attention and legal protections for Sámi rights to lands,
D. waters, and resources.

ID: 622a351d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. It makes a generalization—the conflict had a lasting impact—and then supports it with evidence
—the attention and protections were results of the conflict.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t make a generalization about the conflict. It describes a specific event from the
conflict. Choice B is incorrect. This choice makes a generalization about the Alta conflict, but doesn’t support it. Choice C is
incorrect. This choice makes a statement about the aftermath of the conflict, but doesn’t support it. The statement is also a
little too specific to be a generalization.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 34e1124f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 34e1124f
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In geology, an Aeolian landform is one that has been created by the wind.
In Greek mythology, Aeolus is the keeper of the winds.
Aeolian landforms are created when the wind erodes, transports, or deposits material.
A mushroom rock is a rock formation in which the top is wider than the base.
A mushroom rock can be formed when the wind erodes the base and the top at different rates.

The student wants to provide an explanation and an example of Aeolian landforms. Which choice most effectively uses
relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Aeolian landforms are created by different wind-based processes; for example, some are created by wind erosion.

Aeolian landforms—landforms created by the wind—include the mushroom rock, a rock formation in which the wind
B. erodes the base of the rock faster than the top.

Erosion, transportation, and deposition are three examples of how the wind can create Aeolian landforms and mushroom
C. rocks.

A mushroom rock is a rock formation that owes its shape to the wind, a natural force associated with Aeolus in Greek
D. mythology.

ID: 34e1124f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence provides an explanation and an example of Aeolian landforms, explaining that
they are landforms created by wind and offering the mushroom rock as an example.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence explains that Aeolian landforms are created by wind but does not provide an example of
any specific Aeolian landforms. Rather, the example it provides is of a wind-based process. Choice C is incorrect. While the
sentence provides a partial explanation of Aeolian landforms, noting that they are created by the wind, it does not effectively
provide an example. The sentence seems to indicate that mushroom rocks, rather than being an example of Aeolian
landforms, are distinct from them. Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence provides an explanation of a mushroom rock,
which is a specific example of an Aeolian landform, it doesn’t provide an explanation of Aeolian landforms in general.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5a5e22b5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 5a5e22b5
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Gravitational waves are powerful ripples that originate in deep space and eventually pass through Earth.
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a physics study that began in 2002.
LIGO’s goal is to detect and analyze gravitational waves.
LIGO uses a pair of massive gravitational wave detectors called interferometers that are thousands of miles apart.
In 2015, for the first time in history, LIGO researchers detected a gravitational wave passing through Earth.

The student wants to present LIGO’s aim and methodology. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from
the notes to accomplish this goal?

In 2015, LIGO’s massive interferometers detected a powerful ripple that originated in deep space and eventually passed
A. through Earth.

B. Though the physics study LIGO began in 2002, its massive interferometers didn’t detect a gravitational wave until 2015.

C. To achieve its aims, LIGO uses a pair of massive interferometers that are thousands of miles apart.

A physics study designed to detect and analyze gravitational waves, LIGO uses a pair of massive interferometers that are
D. thousands of miles apart.

ID: 5a5e22b5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence effectively presents the LIGO study’s aim, noting that it is designed to detect and
analyze gravitational waves, and its methodology (it uses two interferometers to detect the waves).

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence describes a finding from the LIGO study; it doesn’t effectively present the study’s aim or
its methodology. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence provides background information about the LIGO study’s timeline; it
doesn’t effectively present the study’s aim or its methodology. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence touches on LIGO’s
methodology, noting that it uses two interferometers, but doesn’t indicate what the study’s aims are.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e3484c07
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: e3484c07
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Bioluminescence is the emission of light by living organisms.
This light is produced by chemical reactions in organisms’ cells. Jellyfish emit flashes of blue light.
This behavior serves to startle predators. Black dragonfish emit a steady red light.
This behavior helps them locate prey in deep waters.

The student wants to emphasize a difference between the behavior of jellyfish and that of black dragonfish. Which choice
most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Both jellyfish and black dragonfish are organisms that emit light, which is produced by chemical reactions in these
A. organisms’ cells.

B. Black dragonfish emit a steady red light, which helps them locate prey in deep waters.

C. Bioluminescence, the emission of light by living organisms, results from chemical reactions in organisms’ cells.

D. Jellyfish emit light to startle predators, whereas black dragonfish do so to locate prey.

ID: e3484c07 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes a difference between the behavior of jellyfish and that of black
dragonfish, noting that jellyfish and black dragonfish emit light as part of different behaviors (protection and predation,
respectively).

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes a similarity between jellyfish and black dragonfish; it doesn’t emphasize a
difference between the behavior of the two animals. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the type of
bioluminescence exhibited by black dragonfish, noting that it’s used in predation; it doesn’t emphasize a difference between
the behavior of the two animals. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence defines bioluminescence and explains how it works; the
sentence doesn’t mention either animal or emphasize a difference between them.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 2c7dced2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 2c7dced2
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915–1973) was a gospel musician.
She was known for her passionate vocals and electric guitar performances.
In 2018, Tharpe was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her major impact on the genre.
According to songwriter Roxie Moore, “[Tharpe] would sing until you cried and then she would sing until you danced
for joy.”
According to guitarist Celisse Henderson, “Tharpe is the unquestioned founding mother of rock ’n’ roll.”

The student wants to use a quotation to support a claim about Tharpe’s contribution to rock ’n’ roll. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Gospel musician Sister Rosetta Tharpe had a major impact on rock ’n’ roll, and she was known for her passionate electric
A. guitar performances.

B. Celisse Henderson believes that Sister Rosetta Tharpe had a major impact on the development of rock ’n’ roll.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe had such a major impact on rock ’n’ roll that Celisse Henderson called her “the unquestioned
C. founding mother” of the genre.

A gospel musician, Sister Rosetta Tharpe had the ability to “sing until you cried” and also “until you danced for joy,”
D. according to Roxie Moore.

ID: 2c7dced2 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The sentence uses the quotation from Henderson to support a claim about Tharpe’s
contribution to rock ’n’ roll, noting that the impact Tharpe had on the genre led Henderson to call her "the unquestioned
founding mother of rock ’n’ roll."

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence makes the claim that Tharpe had a major impact on rock ’n’ roll, it doesn’t use a
quotation to support this claim. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence presents Henderson’s opinion that Tharpe had a major
impact on rock ’n’ roll, but it doesn’t use a quotation to support this claim. Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence includes
a quotation about audience reactions to Tharpe’s music, the sentence describes Tharpe as a gospel musician; it doesn’t
support a claim about her contribution to rock ’n’ roll.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c40a1964
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: c40a1964
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Leigh Torres is a marine ecologist.
She conducted a study of blue whales in New Zealand’s South Taranaki Bight region.
She wanted to know how ocean temperature affects where the whales forage for krill in that region.
She found that during a marine heat wave, the whales foraged farther offshore than they had during cooler periods.
The offshore waters, which were colder than areas closer to shore, had a higher relative abundance of krill.

The student wants to emphasize the aim of the research study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information
from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Analyzing ocean temperature data, Torres found that during a marine heat wave, blue whales foraged farther offshore
A. than they had during cooler periods.

In her study, Torres sought to determine how ocean temperature affects where blue whales forage for krill in the South
B. Taranaki Bight region.

C. Torres’s study revealed that blue whales were attracted to offshore waters with a relatively high abundance of krill.

D. Torres, a marine ecologist, studied blue whales in the South Taranaki Bight region, where the whales forage.

ID: c40a1964 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes the aim, or goal, of the research study, noting that Torres sought to
determine how ocean temperature affects where blue whales forage for krill.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the results of the study, noting what Torres found at the end; it doesn’t
emphasize the aim, or goal, of the study, which is what Torres sought at the beginning. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence
makes a claim about the study’s results; it doesn’t emphasize the aim, or goal, of the study. Choice D is incorrect. The
sentence indicates the location of Torres’s study; it doesn’t emphasize the aim, or goal, of the study.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e2eb70b9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: e2eb70b9
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Traditionally, manufacturers have dyed denim jeans blue by dipping them in a solution containing indigo powder.
Indigo doesn’t dissolve in just water, so manufacturers must mix hazardous chemicals with water to dissolve the
powder.
Textile researcher Smriti Rai discovered a process for dyeing blue jeans without chemicals.
Rai added indigo powder to a hydrogel containing nanocellulose and produced a dye that could be spread directly
onto the denim.
Nanocellulose is a natural, plant-based substance that separates the molecules of indigo powder.

The student wants to emphasize a difference between the two approaches to dyeing blue jeans. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Though created using a different process, Rai’s dye contains the same ingredient as the dye produced by blue jean
A. manufacturers.

Nanocellulose is a natural, plant-based substance that separates the molecules of indigo powder, which doesn’t dissolve
B. in water.

C. The traditional approach to dyeing blue jeans is to dip them in a solution containing hazardous chemicals.

Rai’s approach substitutes a natural, plant-based substance for the hazardous chemicals that manufacturers have
D. traditionally used.

ID: e2eb70b9 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes a difference between the two approaches to dyeing blue jeans,
noting that Rai’s approach uses a natural, plant-based substance in place of hazardous chemicals.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes a similarity between the dyes used in the two approaches, noting that the
dyes contain the same ingredient; it doesn’t emphasize a difference between the two approaches to dyeing blue jeans.
Choice B is incorrect. The sentence explains what nanocellulose is; it doesn’t emphasize a difference between the two
approaches to dyeing blue jeans. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence explains the traditional approach to dyeing blue jeans;
it doesn’t emphasize a difference between the traditional approach and Rai’s approach.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID eaded344
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: eaded344
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The painter Frida Kahlo is one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.
She was born in Coyoacán, Mexico, in 1907. She is best known for her vivid and richly symbolic self-portraits.
The Two Fridas (1939) features two versions of Kahlo sitting together.
One version wears a European-style dress and the other a traditional Tehuana dress.

The student wants to introduce Kahlo to an audience unfamiliar with the artist. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Known for being vivid and richly symbolic, Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits include The Two Fridas (1939).

B. The 1939 painting The Two Fridas is one example of a self-portrait by Frida Kahlo.

One painting by Frida Kahlo features two versions of herself, with one version wearing a European-style dress and the
C. other a traditional Tehuana dress.

One of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, Mexican painter Frida Kahlo is best known for her self-
D. portraits, which are vivid and richly symbolic.

ID: eaded344 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. By identifying Kahlo as an influential artist from Mexico, and by describing the work she’s best
known for, this choice provides the background information necessary to introduce Kahlo to an unfamiliar audience.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t effectively introduce Kahlo. It doesn’t include any background information about
who Kahlo is or where she’s from. It simply identifies one of her paintings. Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t
effectively introduce Kahlo. It doesn’t include any background information about who Kahlo is or where she’s from. It simply
identifies one of her paintings. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t effectively introduce Kahlo. It doesn’t include any
background information about who Kahlo is or where she’s from. Instead, it describes one of her paintings in detail.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID ec03f090
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: ec03f090
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
A sestina is a thirty-nine-line poetic form.
Each line of the poem ends with one of six end words, which alternate according to a set pattern.
“Forage Sestina” is a sestina by Marilyn Hacker. Its end words are words, structure, wire, beam, wall, and room.
“Towards Autumn” is a sestina by Marilyn Hacker. Its end words are daughter, friend, bread, mother, lover, and myself.

The student wants to use one of the poems to illustrate the sestina form. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Hacker employs the sestina, a poetic form with thirty-nine lines and six end words, in both “Forage Sestina” and “Towards
A. Autumn.”

As a sestina, “Towards Autumn” contains thirty-nine lines and six end words—in this case, daughter, friend, bread, mother,
B. lover, and myself—that alternate in a set pattern.

The thirty-nine-line sestina form uses the words daughter, friend, bread, mother, lover, and myself, which are found in the
C. poem “Forage Sestina.”

Hacker has used the sestina form multiple times, as in “Towards Autumn,” which contains these six words: words,
D. structure, wire, beam, wall, and room.

ID: ec03f090 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence uses the poem "Towards Autumn" to illustrate the form of a sestina, explaining
that a sestina’s thirty-nine lines all end in one of six alternating words and showcasing that poem’s specific end words.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence identifies both of Hacker’s poems as sestinas; it doesn’t use one of the poems to
illustrate the form of a sestina. Choice C is incorrect. While the sentence appears to use the poem "Forage Sestina" to
illustrate a feature of the sestina form, it misrepresents the information in the notes. According to the notes, "Forage Sestina"
doesn’t use these six end words; it uses six other words instead. Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence uses the poem
"Towards Autumn" as an example of one of Hacker’s sestinas, it misrepresents the information in the notes. According to the
notes, "Towards Autumn" doesn’t use these six end words; it uses six other words instead.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ba263620
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: ba263620
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 1897, African American inventor Andrew Beard invented an automatic coupler.
It improved on the existing design of train car couplers. It made the job of connecting train cars safer.
In 1938, African American inventor Frederick Jones invented a mobile refrigeration system.
It improved on the existing design of food transport trucks. It enabled trucks to carry perishable foods farther.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between Beard’s invention and Jones’s invention. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Beard’s automatic coupler and Jones’s mobile refrigeration system both improved on existing designs.

B. In 1897, Beard invented an automatic coupler, which made the job of connecting train cars safer.

Beard’s invention made the job of connecting train cars safer, whereas Jones’s invention enabled food transport trucks to
C. carry perishables farther.

Jones’s mobile refrigeration system, which he invented in 1938, made it possible for food transport trucks to carry
D. perishable foods farther.

ID: ba263620 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. It compares Beard’s and Jones’s inventions to one another, and emphasizes what they have in
common.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize a similarity. It only mentions Beard’s invention. It doesn’t compare it to
Jones’s invention. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize a similarity between the two inventions. Instead, it
emphasizes a difference. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize a similarity. It only mentions Jones’s
invention. It doesn’t compare it to Beard’s invention.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID ed80971c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: ed80971c
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The Pueblo of Zuni is located about 150 miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
It is the traditional home of the A:shiwi (Zuni) people.
The A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center was established by tribal members in 1992.
Its mission is stated on its website: “As a tribal museum and heritage center for the Zuni people and by the Zuni
people we work to provide learning experiences that emphasize A:shiwi ways of knowing, as well as exploring
modern concepts of knowledge and the transfer of knowledge.”

The student wants to emphasize how long the museum has existed. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. The Pueblo of Zuni is home to the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center, which was founded by tribal members.

B. The A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center has served the Pueblo of Zuni since 1992.

According to its website, the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center (founded in the 1990s) works to “emphasize
C. A:shiwi ways of knowing.”

D. Knowledge has been one of the central themes of the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center from its founding.

ID: ed80971c Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. This choice effectively uses information from the notes to emphasize how long the museum
has existed. It says that the museum has existed since 1992.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize how long the museum has existed. It doesn’t say when the museum
was founded. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize how long the museum has existed. It doesn’t say the
exact date of the museum’s founding. Rather, it emphasizes the museum’s mission. Choice D is incorrect. This choice
doesn’t emphasize how long the museum has existed. It doesn’t say when the museum was founded.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 114bbce6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 114bbce6
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Earthquakes start at a point called a “focus” and spread out from there as seismic waves.
The two types of seismic waves that travel beneath Earth’s surface are primary waves (P waves) and secondary
waves (S waves).
P waves travel more quickly beneath Earth’s surface than do S waves.
P waves compress and expand the ground, causing it to move backward and forward.
S waves cause the ground to move from side to side.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between P waves and S waves. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. P waves and S waves both travel beneath Earth’s surface, causing the ground to move.

B. P waves travel away from an earthquake’s starting point at a higher rate of speed than do S waves.

C. Spreading out from the focus of an earthquake, P waves move the ground backward and forward.

D. Although P waves and S waves start at the same point, they behave very differently.

ID: 114bbce6 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes a similarity between P waves and S waves, noting that they both
travel beneath Earth’s surface, thereby causing the ground to move.

Choice B is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes a difference between P waves and S waves, noting that P waves travel
faster than S waves; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity between the two types of waves. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence
emphasizes how P waves move; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity between P waves and S waves. Choice D is incorrect.
While the sentence acknowledges that P waves and S waves start at the same point, it doesn’t emphasize a similarity;
instead, the sentence emphasizes a difference between the two types of waves, noting that they behave very differently.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d7f31e68
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: d7f31e68
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Annie Wu is a prominent American flutist who graduated from the New England Conservatory.
She has won multiple national flute competitions.
She is best known for a 2011 YouTube video that has been viewed over two million times.
The video shows her performing Three Beats for Beatbox Flute, an original work by composer Greg Pattillo.
Wu combines flute playing and beatboxing in the video.

The student wants to emphasize Wu’s most well-known achievement. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Annie Wu, who has won multiple national flute competitions, has also combined flute playing and beatboxing.

Among her many achievements, prominent American flutist Annie Wu graduated from the New England Conservatory
B. and has won multiple national flute competitions.

Annie Wu is best known for a 2011 YouTube video performance of Three Beats for Beatbox Flute that has been viewed
C. over two million times.

D. Composer Greg Pattillo’s original work Three Beats for Beatbox Flute combines flute playing and beatboxing.

ID: d7f31e68 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. This describes the achievement for which Wu is best known.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize Wu’s most well-known achievement. It mentions some of her general
achievements, but not the one for which she is “best known.” Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t emphasize Wu’s
most well-known achievement—it describes several of her achievements equally. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t
emphasize Wu’s most well-known achievement. It describes a piece of music featured in her most well-known achievement.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID e6b57c9b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: e6b57c9b
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Iranian scholar Abu Rayhan al-Biruni studied Earth’s physical features.
He theorized that a large landmass existed west of Europe and east of Asia.
Al-Biruni published his landmass theory in 1037 CE.

The student wants to specify when al-Biruni published his landmass theory. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. In 1037 CE, al-Biruni published his theory that a large landmass existed west of Europe and east of Asia.

B. Al-Biruni, who studied Earth’s physical features, published a theory about a large landmass.

C. Al-Biruni was an Iranian scholar who studied Earth’s physical features.

An Iranian scholar who studied Earth’s physical features, al-Biruni theorized that a large landmass existed west of Europe
D. and east of Asia.

ID: e6b57c9b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The sentence specifies when al-Biruni published his landmass theory, indicating that it was
published in the year 1037 CE.

Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence notes that al-Biruni published a landmass theory, it doesn’t specify when the theory
was published. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence identifies al-Biruni as a scholar of Earth’s physical features; it doesn’t
specify when he published his landmass theory. Choice D is incorrect. The sentence describes al-Biruni’s landmass theory; it
doesn’t specify when the theory was published.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 70538b9a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 70538b9a
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In the 1930s, the Imperial Sugar Cane Institute in India sought to limit the country’s dependence on imported
sugarcane.
The institute enlisted botanist Janaki Ammal to breed a local variety of sugarcane.
She crossbred the imported sugarcane species Saccharum officinarum with grasses native to India.
She succeeded in creating sugarcane hybrids well suited to India’s climate.

The student wants to emphasize Janaki Ammal’s achievement. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information
from the notes to accomplish this goal?

By crossbreeding the imported sugarcane species Saccharum officinarum with grasses native to India, Ammal
A. succeeded in creating sugarcane hybrids well suited to India’s climate.

In the 1930s, the Imperial Sugar Cane Institute, which enlisted Ammal, sought to limit dependence on imported
B. sugarcane.

Ammal was enlisted by the Imperial Sugar Cane Institute at a time when a local variety of sugarcane needed to be
C. produced.

As part of efforts to breed a local variety of sugarcane, an imported sugarcane species called Saccharum officinarum
D. was crossbred with grasses native to India.

ID: 70538b9a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes Janaki Ammal’s achievement, explaining that she successfully
created sugarcane hybrids that are well suited to India’s climate by crossbreeding an imported sugarcane species with
grasses native to India.

Choice B is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the goal of the Imperial Sugar Cane Institute in the 1930s; it doesn’t
emphasize Janaki Ammal’s achievement. Choice C is incorrect. While the sentence mentions Ammal, it doesn’t emphasize
her achievement of successfully creating sugarcane hybrids. Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence mentions the
achievement of crossbreeding imported sugarcane species with grasses native to India, it doesn’t emphasize the
achievement as belonging to Janaki Ammal.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 25adba4e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 25adba4e
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In 1897, twenty Black US Army infantrymen rode bicycles from Montana to Missouri.
The 1,900-mile journey took forty-one days. The goal was to test the idea of forming a military bicycle corps.
In 2022, Erick Cedeño, a Black long-distance cyclist, reenacted the journey.
Cedeño wanted to honor the infantrymen on the journey’s 125th anniversary.

The student wants to emphasize how far the infantrymen traveled. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information
from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. The US infantrymen rode their bicycles from Montana to Missouri—traveling a total of 1,900 miles.

B. The 125th anniversary of the infantrymen’s journey was in 2022.

C. The goal of the 1897 journey was to test the idea of forming a military bicycle corps.

D. Over a century later, Erick Cedeño honored the infantrymen by reenacting their 1897 journey.

ID: 25adba4e Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes how far the infantrymen traveled, indicating that they rode their
bicycles from Montana to Missouri, a total of 1,900 miles.

Choice B is incorrect because the sentence mentions when the anniversary of the journey occurred; it doesn’t emphasize
how far the infantrymen traveled. Choice C is incorrect because the sentence discusses the goal of the journey; it doesn’t
emphasize how far the infantrymen traveled. Choice D is incorrect because the sentence notes that Cedeño honored the
infantrymen by reenacting their journey; it doesn’t emphasize how far the infantrymen traveled.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 570dd854
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 570dd854
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Here I Have Returned is a sculpture by Egyptian American artist Sherin Guirguis.
It is a large, curved strip of wood inspired by the shape of a sistrum.
A sistrum is a curved musical instrument played by ancient Egyptian priestesses in ceremonies.
Guirguis says that the sculpture symbolizes “women who have lifted and supported Egyptian society and culture.”
Overall, Guirguis wants her works to “engage audiences in a dialogue about power, agency, and social
transformation.”

The student wants to use a quotation from Guirguis to explain what the sculpture represents. Which choice most effectively
uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Guirguis, whose works include a sculpture that is a large, curved strip of wood, has explained that she wants her work to
A. create a dialogue with audiences.

Inspired by the sistrum played by Egyptian priestesses, Here I Have Returned symbolizes “women who have lifted and
B. supported Egyptian society and culture,” according to Guirguis.

According to Guirguis, the curved strip of wood used in Here I Have Returned was inspired by the sistrum, a musical
C. instrument played by ancient Egyptian priestesses in ceremonies.

Guirguis, the sculptor of Here I Have Returned, wants her works to “engage audiences in a dialogue about power, agency,
D. and social transformation.”

ID: 570dd854 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The sentence uses a quotation from Guirguis to explain what Here I Have Returned represents,
noting that Guirguis said the sculpture symbolizes "women who have lifted and supported Egyptian society and culture."

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence explains what Guirguis says she wants her work to achieve and provides an example of
her work; it doesn’t use a quotation to explain what the sculpture represents. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence mentions
the instrument whose shape inspired the sculpture but doesn’t use a quotation to explain what the sculpture represents.
Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence does use a quotation from Guirguis, the quotation explains what she hopes her
works in general achieve, not what the sculpture in particular represents.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7fa2b1ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 7fa2b1ee
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
In meteorology, an air mass is a large body of air with generally uniform humidity and temperature.
Air masses are commonly classified by two-letter names.
The first letter indicates the humidity of the air mass, while the second letter indicates the temperature.
cA (continental arctic) means dry and cold, for example. mT (maritime tropical) means moist and warm.
This classification system is based on the work of a Swedish meteorologist named Tor Bergeron (1891–1977).

The student wants to provide an example of an air mass. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the
notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Air masses are large bodies of air with generally uniform humidity and temperature.

The air mass classification system uses two-letter names and is based on the work of Tor Bergeron, a Swedish
B. meteorologist.

C. Air masses are commonly classified by a two-letter name that indicates humidity and temperature.

D. One type of air mass is known as a cA, or continental arctic, air mass because it is dry and cold.

ID: 7fa2b1ee Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence provides an example of an air mass: the cA, or continental arctic, air mass.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence provides a general definition of air masses; it doesn’t provide an example of a specific air
mass. Choice B is incorrect. The sentence describes the system used to classify air masses; it doesn’t provide an example of
a specific air mass. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence explains how air masses are classified; it doesn’t provide an example
of a specific air mass.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 92dec236
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Rhetorical

Synthesis

ID: 92dec236
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Maika’i Tubbs is a Native Hawaiian sculptor and installation artist.
His work has been shown in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Germany, among other places.
Many of his sculptures feature discarded objects.
His work Erasure (2008) includes discarded audiocassette tapes and magnets.
His work Home Grown (2009) includes discarded pushpins, plastic plates and forks, and wood.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the two works. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Erasure (2008) uses discarded objects such as audiocassette tapes and magnets; Home Grown (2009), however,
A. includes pushpins, plastic plates and forks, and wood.

B. Tubbs’s work, which often features discarded objects, has been shown both within the United States and abroad.

Like many of Tubbs’s sculptures, both Erasure and Home Grown include discarded objects: Erasure uses audiocassette
C. tapes, and Home Grown uses plastic forks.

D. Tubbs completed Erasure in 2008 and Home Grown in 2009.

ID: 92dec236 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. This choice most effectively emphasizes "a similarity" by identifying a trait the works share:
"both Erasure and Home Grown include discarded objects."

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t "emphasize a similarity." Instead, this choice shows how the materials used in the
two works are different. Notice the use of the contrast word "however." Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t "emphasize
a similarity between the two works." While it says that Tubbs’s work "often features discarded objects," it doesn’t provide
details about the two works in question. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t "emphasize a similarity." Instead, this
choice shows how the works were produced at different times.

Question Difficulty: Medium