SAT For Dummies. Ron Woldoff

Most of Passage II concerns Hatshepsut’s trip to Punt, and the passage also refers to “Deir el Bahri in Luxor” (Line 58). Do you know where these sites are? Many readers wouldn’t, so a map would be helpful. Choice (C) is the answer.

      6 C. Passage I gives you information about Hatshepsut’s “grand schemes” (Line 45) and the fleet of ships she had built. Passage II goes into more detail on her “shopping expedition” (Line 53) to Punt. Put these ideas together and you see that she was planning for the future by building boats and trading for the seeds of incense trees. Choice (C) works well here. The other choices are possible, but you don’t have enough information to know for sure.

      7 C. As you see in the explanation for Question 17, Hatshepsut planned ahead by building ships and using them for trade, bringing back seeds of incense trees, as Choice (C) says.

      8 D. In Passage I, the author calls Hatshepsut “clever, enterprising, vindictive, and unscrupulous” (Lines 9–10). The first two descriptions are positive, but not the last two. Vindictive people hold grudges and seek revenge; unscrupulous people don’t spend much time worrying about right and wrong. Nothing in Passage II is negative. The author portrays Hatshepsut’s journey to Punt as an attempt to make Egypt less dependent on imported goods, something a good ruler should do. In fact, Passage II calls Hatshepsut “ever industrious” (Lines 67–68). True, the author mentions that Hatshepsut’s trip was something “a king and not a queen” would do (Line 56), but you see no evidence that the author opposes this act. Choice (D) is best here.

      9 B. As the explanation to Question 19 states, the author of Passage 1 drops two negative words into the list of descriptions. Passage 2, on the other hand, calls her “ever industrious” and portrays her more positively. Choice (B) is the answer.

      10 A. In Lines 10–12 in Passage 1, you see a description of a “portrait bust” (sculpture) of Hatshepsut, which the author says “gives a fair indication of [her] character.” Out goes Choice (B). You also learn that she “took the title” of a king (Line 29), so you can rule out Choice (C). In Line 71 of Passage 2, you learn that pits of incense trees may be seen at her “mortuary temple” (tomb), so Choice (D) isn’t the answer. You’re left with Choice (A), the answer.

Science Passages

       Questions 22–31 are based on the following passage.

      This excerpt is from Reality’s Mirror by Bryan Bunch (Wiley).

      ¹A type of flower. ²A type of tree.

      22. In the first paragraph (Lines 1–19), the author discusses a garden to

      (A) explain the attraction of Nature

      (B) advocate balance in Nature

      (C) show that scientific thought may be applied to commonplace things

      (D) provide a concrete image of symmetry

      23. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

      (A) Lines 2–5 (“When people trim … things, a balance”)

      (B) Lines 17–18 (“Other concepts or entities … balancing act”)

      (C) Line 8 (“The same is true of ideas”)

(D) Lines 12–14 (“The balance required, however, is not between large and small ideas”)

      24. In the context of Line 8, what is the best definition of “adequate”?

      (A) complete

      (B) satisfactory

      (C) plenty

      (D) permissible

      25. According to the passage, with which statement would a philosopher agree?

      (A) No one can define “true” or “good” or “beautiful.”

      (B) Good can exist only if evil exists.

      (C) Nature tends toward imbalance.

      (D) Opposites attract.

      26. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

      (A) Line 8 (“The same is true of ideas”)

      (B) Lines 17–18 (“Other concepts or entities can exist … balancing act”)

      (C) Lines 26–27 (“The true, the good, and the beautiful … their opposite partners”)

      (D) Lines 50–51 (“The belief among scientists … even deeper”)

      27. According to the ideas expressed in the passage, each of the following is an example of symmetry EXCEPT

      (A) a forest

      (B) a butterfly

      (C) a human face

      (D) armies attacking and defending a fort

      28. One reason scientists predict that someday “antimass” (Line 31) will be found is that

      (A) antimatter exists

      (B) some evidence of antimass has already been discovered

      (C) the need for balance is extremely strong

      (D) antimass is a natural quality

      29. The author discusses antimatter in order to

      (A) show that mathematics is useful

      (B) explain why some entities appear unbalanced

      (C) focus the reader’s attention on scientific theories

      (D) support the idea that Nature seeks balance

      30. In the context of Line 39, which of these is the best definition of “conclusion”?

      (A) judgment

      (B) termination

      (C) goal

      (D) end

      31. Given “the belief among scientists in this kind of balance” (Line 50), with which of the following statements would scientists also agree?

      (A) A system may be unbalanced only for a limited period of time or under certain conditions.

      (B) Scientific theories are more often wrong than right.

      (C) Balance is always temporary.

(D) Only the past can predict the future.

Passage III Answers

      1 D. The first paragraph “shows” the reader a garden that’s lopsided, with all the “tall delphiniums off center … or the large yews on one side” (Lines 5–6). The garden image is preceded by the statement that “people trim the natural shapes” (Lines 2–3) because of a need for “balance” (Line 5). Symmetry means balance, so Choice (D) is your answer. Were you fooled by Choice (A)? True, the first paragraph talks about what human beings find “more appealing” (Lines 1–2), but Choice (A) is too vague.

      2 A. Take a look at the explanation for Question 22. You see that all the garden comments support a need for balance, with the garden as an example. Choice (A) is correct.

      3 B. The passage explains that a garden with all the tall plants on one side or all the big trees clumped together “just does not seem adequate” (Lines 7–8),