My super detailed approach to every single question of CR

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
19

<p>I am a bit disappointed that I made some needless mistakes but I must see the good side - I can see where my thinking goes wrong and have the opportunity to correct it.</p>

<p>Practice Test no 3 from the Blue Book, 1st edition (5th in 2nd edition)</p>

<p>Section 3

  1. “harmless; now, however,…” says that I should look for an opposite word. D – toxic.
  2. “critically examining” tells me to look for a word of similar meaning. D – scrutinizes.
  3. “Frequent name changes” and “political turbulence” are connected directly: “has undergone” and “recent history” tells me that they were happening at the same time. Common sense tells me that “frequent name changes” shows political problems present in the country. So C, testify to, fits that logic.
  4. “30,000 species” shows the variety. I stop between A and C. The correct answer is C because multifarious is an accurate word to reflect the variety. Even if you don’t know the word “multifarious”, you can guess that “multi” = varied. Anything that starts with “multi” means variety.
  5. “so elaborately contrived” that only what kind of student can master them? A skilled student. A is the only with a fitting second word. I don’t know what “byzantine” means, but I know that no other option is possible.
  6. I read the question and note that I need to detect words that would denote Wilson’s letters’ characteristics. The most important clues for the answer are: “was not a self-conscious letter writer”, “undesguisedly reflect his changing moods”. These characteristics mean that Wilson was spontaneous (B), not considering carefully what he writes. A – there was no mention of him being cynical. C – yes, he was a critic, but the descriptions do not reveal him being critical. D – the descriptions do not depict him as preachy. That would require him to be passionate, but it was mentioned in the text that it wasn’t his prevailing tone. E – no mention of him being humorous or witty.
  7. The line implies that no matter how old, Wilson always stayed the same. I look to the choices. A – the opposite is true. B – all the ages are lined in one line like equal, so no such thing could be implied, eliminate. C – I just noted that he didn’t change while aging, eliminate. D – that’s not what the author is trying to say/not the point. E – yes, exactly. The correct answer is this.
  8. I read the first 3 sentences. I get the main idea – Black leaders are portrayed as perfect and unflawed only. I look to the choices. A – no emotions were mentioned. B – no complexity was implied, only one-sidedness. C – yes, exactly. The correct answer is this. D – out of topic. E – not correct.
  9. I read the second half of the passage. I got the idea that “paintings” are used as a metaphor referring to “Black leaders”. Looking at the choices. A – “scultpures” out of topic. B – the correct answer. C – out of topic. D – “cartoons” out of topic. E – “theorems” out of topic.
  10. Here I made a mistake. I didn’t like the word “dramatize” in the correct answer. I thought I didn’t detect “drama” in author’s tone (I am automatically thrown off by any signs of drama in real life and this unconscious prejudice impaired my judgement here. The exact thought that misguided me was “there is no drama in science”). That was an overthinking and being overly captious. The correct approach: I underline the word and read the first two sentences. I leave A and B as possibilities. I eliminate C as completely out of topic. D – there was no mention of the discovery of Andromeda galaxy. E – no one is talking about “the age of the universe” here. Now I must find a fault with one of the possible answers. A – “evolutionary progression in the physical world” – actually, to find a fault with this, I need to know what the rest of the passage is about. Then I can see that evolution is not the topic of this passage at all so the author must be saying something else by mentioning Australopithecus. Maybe the best would be to leave this question and answer it later. After tackling other questions, I would have a better understanding of what the passage is about and confidently eliminate A as out of topic. I would be left with a correct answer B.
  11. I underline the statement and finish the first paragraph. I get that it is too bad we can’t observe the Earth how it was 2 million years ago from some planet in Andromeda. I look to the choices. A fits perfectly. I look the other choices to be safe. B – no one is talking about “space travel”. C – “study of Andromeda” is not the point here, scientists would like to observe the Earth. D – it wasn’t implied that it is a possibility for the future. E – we don’t know the age of it. Okay, then, my answer is A.
  12. I underline the words and read the second paragraph. “The possibilities are staggering” and then the author tells what it would be possible to do if time travel was possible. I look at the choices. A – “novels” out of topic. B – “future”, among examples there are past events. C – “scoff at” – there is no sign of doing that. D – “subjects scientists are interested in” – wrong. E – fits the idea I got. The correct answer is this.
  13. I read the first sentence of the third paragraph. “Being a scientist” conveys that the author knows what he is talking about; he knows the subject well. I look at the choices. B fits that logic. I skim the other choices being quite confident that B is the correct answer.
  14. I mark the two paragraphs and read them underlining the main points. I look at the choices. I must eliminate anything that was mentioned. A – this was supported by “for the way things should behave under a given set of forces and initial conditions would no longer be valid”. This says that scientists anticipate how things should go under a given set of conditions. Eliminate. B – is supported by “physicists do rely on deterministic universe”, eliminate. C – the word “mechanics” give me a feelings it doesn’t fit here. Possibly the correct answer. D – this was mentioned in line 21: “cause would no longer always precede the effect”, eliminate. E – they were mentioned in line 28, eliminate. I am left with C as my correct answer.
  15. I answered this incorrectly because I got confused between A and B. With time pressuring me I lost the track what was what. Correct approach: I mark the lines and go to read them with an intention to determine author’s assumption: Before mechanical clocks people associated time with their mental and physiological processes. I look to the choices with the intention to find something contradicting the assumption. A – it mixes my mind so I leave it for later. B – aha, this one is contradicting author’s assumption. Author is saying that only with mechanical clocks people were introduced to time as composed of discrete, uniform intervals. This is the correct answer, no need to understand A. C – this is not the point here. D – out of context. E – isn’t stated in the passage.
  16. I underline the words and finish the paragraph. “Body contains… excuisitive timepieces, all with their separate rythms”. Author names them as separate clocks. I look to the choices. A – “timepieces” are not the topic here. B – “mechanical clocks” are not the topic in these lines. C – no mention of interaction. D – correct. E – “demystify the precision” is incorrect.
  17. I mark the word and read the sentence. Idea: ruthless clocks cause aging. I look to the choices. A – there is no mention of people being “bewildered” by aging. B – no such thing was implied. C – no such thing implied. D – no such thing implied. E – the same idea written useing a synonym “relentless”. Correct answer is this.
  18. I mark the lines and read the last paragraph. My clues: “something got delightfully twisted in time for a moment”, “there is a kind of time travel to be had”. Author implies that he experienced a kind of time travel. I look to the choices. A – out of topic, B – nope. C – possible. D – out of topic. E – out of topic. I am puzzled why 3 of the choices are mentioning “reading”. He is not reading anything! Well, the better for me, as I easily eliminate the choices.
  19. I circle this question and leave for later. After the 24th question I write a note “go back to question 19” as a reminder. A – “lives artists lead” clearly not the topic of this passage. B – I can’t object to this yet, I leave it. C – possible. D – “wide variety of responses” only 2 kinds of responses were discussed. E – out of topic. Now trying to discern the flawed answer. B – “emotional impact” is not really the topic. I choose C.
  20. I mark the word and read the passage paying attention to what the author is saying and trying to determine the main idea. After I read the sentence with “figures”, I look to the choices. C seems to be the best choice.
  21. I locate “John and Susie” and read the paragraph with it, tracking the idea the author is trying to convey. I stop in line 34. I got the idea. John and Susie is a representation of a realistic pair that people can identify with. I look to the choices. A – wrong, it is not a name of a work. B – “typical narrative” – possible. C – “in a form of a mystery” out of topic. D – it wasn’t portrayed like that. E – nope. Then the answer is B.
  22. According to the author, when do people resist the art? When they can’t relate with it. When they can’t find anything in common. I look to the choices. I eliminate A, B and E as out of topic. I read the main points I underlined in the passage to remind me of the main idea. D must be the correct answer. C – no one is talking about “social message” in the passage.
  23. I through the choices. A – author clearly isn’t puzzled; he understands and explains the preferences of majority of people. B – definitely not. C – hmm… not sure of what “solemnly” means. What about the “respect”? possible… D – author is not indifferent. E – possible. Now I try to determine which is better of the two possibilities. What does “condescendingly” mean? “Looking down on someone”. Again, I see that I could leave this for a bit later. After reading the last paragraph it becomes clear that E is the correct answer. Author doesn’t agree with the majority but he tolerates them. I have to remind myself also of the lines in the opening paragraph: “It is an art not for people in general but for a special class who may not be better but who are evidently different”. So the opinion of the author is expressed in a little opening paragraph and a little closing paragraph. The bigger two paragraphs are telling how the majority (those who cannot really understand the point of it) perceives the arts.
  24. I see that in the last paragraph the author contradicts the whole picture I painted in my head how the art is viewed. I look to the choices. A – possible. B – “artist’s intentions” and “accoplishments” weren’t discussed. C – “responses cannot be easily defined” is wrong; the author had no problems defining. D – these things weren’t discussed. E – “artistic technique” wrong. So the answer must be A. Going back to 19.</p>

<p>Section 7

  1. “goods for goods” says I should look for a word “trade”. E is the answer.
  2. “government, industry and the public agree” says that the word could be something like “argument”. The answer is E.
  3. I am looking for a word meaning “the ability to perceive without conscious reasoning”. C.
  4. “in a coordinated manner” says that I should look for a second word that means “combines”. A is the only choice that works.
  5. Firstly I see that the second word could mean something like “example”, and I eliminate D and E. “of what they detested” tells me that it is not “advocates” or “proponents” that are talking. I eliminate B and C. So the answer is A.
  6. “her keen judgment and insight” defines the word. C is the answer.
  7. “filled with obscure references and baffling disgressions” defines the words. I look through the choices. B.
  8. First word should match with “openhanded” and the second word should contradict it. I eliminate A, B and D according to the first word. E should be eliminated because the words do not contrast. The correct answer is C.
    I see from the questions that I need to read both passages. I underline the most important things as I read. First paragraph says we need huge cars to express “rugged individualism, mastery over wilderness, cowboy endurance”, they appeal to us because they are “Frankensteinian (no idea what that means) concoctions of our private anxieties and desires”. The second paragraph explores the “subtleties of cars’ names”. That they are used to “plant the image in people’s heads that they can”, “SUV is the perfect transportation shelter to protect us from fears both real and imagined”.
  9. Which both passages support? A – none of the passages support that. B – we don’t know where they wish to live, C – only passage 2 says something about financial status. D – true, the correct answer is this. E – while something was mentioned about fears and anxieties, their origins weren’t stemming from insecurity about social status.
  10. I am looking for an aspect which was addressed in passage 1 and is absent of passage 2. A – true, possibly the answer. B – passage 2 material, though “escalating cost” isn’t really what was stated. C – both passages say something about that. D – none of the passages. E – only passage 2. So the answer is A.
  11. I look what kind of the subtleties: names. Something that arouses some kind of feelings in the buyer. What does passage 1 say about them? They are discussed starting with the line 6. You can already eliminate A and B. The author says the things listed in C are insignificant, eliminate. The clue is “what matters is their connotations”. Connotation=subtlety. Here is the answer – D.
  12. BOTH agree that the names were chosen in order to… Arouse feelings of “rugged individualism, mastery over wilderness, cowboy endurance” (passage 1) and “to plant the image that they can conquer the rugged terrains” (passage 2). Looking at the choices. A – I am not sure of this one yet. B – nope. C – “power and control” seem to match the main point I determined. D – nope. E – nope. I have two options. I read the main points I extracted again. C feels right.
  13. I leave it for later. After the question 21, I write a note “go back to 13”. How passage 2 is unique? A – passage 1 material. B – the view stated was not “official” but of women. C – bingo. The whole passage was concerned with women and passage 1 doesn’t do that at all. D – out of topic for both passages. E – passage 1 material.
  14. I mark the word and read the first paragraph. What is the “fissure”? The gap between the soldiers and thr civilians who do not know the reality of the war. I look to the choices. A fits fine. Other choices are out of topic.
  15. I mark the footnote and read on from where I previously left, noting the main points. I stop reading after I finish the sentence with Somme. I read the footnote. The point is that such a large number of casualties was ignored and reported falsely as successful attack in the newspaper. I look to the choices. A – “history rewriten” would be a pretty huge thing to undertake, eliminate. B – hmm… possible. C – this is a better choice, I eliminate B. What was reported and what really happened was a huge discrepancy. D – no one is discussing the costs. E – false. So my final answer is C.
  16. I mark the line. I already know that those who are at home are misinformed. Now why are they misinformed? There were some lines in the passage: „If they did ever write the truth, it was excised by company officers, who censored all outgoing mail“(9-11) and “Lord Northecliff assumed full charge of government propaganda” (21-22). I look to the choices. A – government was organizing propaganda itself so no need to control it. B – soldiers did write home but their truths were censored. C – out of topic (passage is not discussing men and women). D – out of topic (no pacifists were discussed). E – the correct answer. Actually, lines 21-22 and the last paragraph itself was enough to answer this question.
  17. I underline the word and read the sentence. I sense from the context that what author means is “believe”. I look to the choices. B – my anticipation exactly.
  18. I locate Vera Brittain and read the first paragraph. Author says that the events of the war had very different meanings for men and women and that Vera Braittain example supports this fact (“a point understood almost at once…”). You can sense that it will be an example illustrating author’s statement. I look to the choices. A – a perfect fit. Let’s see the other choices to be safe. B – example doesn’t illustrate “the power women had”. C – out of topic. D – it is not literature the example cites. E – out of topic.
  19. I made a mistake here because I failed to follow the clues. The correct approach: I underline the words and read the second paragraph. The point of this paragraph is that while men are out at war, women are taking the lead everywhere in their homeland. The big clue: „women seemed to become ever more powerful… even as wives and mothers“ (which means <code>even at home</code>). Now I look to the choices. A – “families prospered more” was not discussed. B – the discussion is not soldiers right now. C – I mistakenly chose this answer failing to note “outside the home” which makes the choice incorrect. D – nothing was mentioned about women becoming anxious. E – this statement is correct.
  20. I underline the word and read the sentence. I get the idea that the revolution means “women finally getting a chance to vote and pursue careers “they had never before possessed” (68). I look to the choices. A – the point is not literature here. B – a perfect fit. C – the focus is not on the men here. D – no one is discussing “upper and middle class” here. E – no one is discussing “wages” here.
  21. I underline the line and read the rest of the passage. I have no idea why it is labeled “morbid gloating” yet but I note the fact that Virginia Wolf is usually a pacifist (line 76) so the idea of her writing should be contradictory to that fact (“otherwise known for her”). From reading I get that women started conquering all the fields and were pushing their men to go to war willingly(“…to persuade young men that to fight was heroic?” (81), “would undertake any task, however menial, exercise any fascination, however fatal, that enabled her to escape” (84-85), and “unconsciously she desired our splendid war” (87)). I look to the choices. A – no such thing was implied. B – “peacemakers” definitely not. C – that wasn’t stated in the passage. D – that wasn’t stated in the passage. E – sounds correct. I am going back to question 13.
  22. I locate the words and see that I already grasped the idea. I look to the choices. A – “consequences” are not discussed here. B – sounds correct. Women were so “stifled” by being at home that they were willing to push men away to undertake their places. C – “women idealizing the war” wasn’t the topic here. D – “escaping horrors of war” is out of topic. E – definitely women were not fighting in the war.
  23. I locate the “Behind the Scenes at the Front” and see my previously written note beside this example “liar” (false information was presented). Now I locate “wartime poems, stories and memoirs”. I form the idea in my mind: those writings are concerned with women being liberated. I look to the choices. A – wrong since the first example was lying to the citizens to keep them calm. B – “views of the government” weren’t their concern. C – “women” was only the topic of the second example. D – out of topic. E – correct.
  24. Which effect was supported by both passages? A – no such things were mentioned. B – the material of only passage 2. C – True for both. Correct answer. D – “writers” were never a topic. E – “European conflict” out of topic.</p>

<p>Section 9

  1. “scarcer” tells me that the divers must go deeper. And “to more dangerous depths” tells me that the “potential for injuries” should then increase. B.
  2. “habitual boasting” tells what kind of a word I need (I have in mind “arrogant” for reference). B is the correct word.
  3. I should be looking for words meaning “steadfast in his beliefs” and “tactful in his negotiations”.According to the first definition I eliminate A and E. Looking at the second definition I eliminate B and C. D is the answer.
  4. Noting that “women had little control”, I see that I should look for a contrasting word (“remarkable degree of”) meaning “independant”. Looking through the choices I find C – autonomy.
  5. I rephrase the sentence in my mind: “banning” some kind of <code>unwanted</code> acts, dealing with <code>disobedient person</code> by aggressive means (“be forcibly detained without filing of formal charges”). First I search among first words for “unwanted acts” and eliminate E. Then I look for the kind of person who would need such an aggressive management. A, B and D can be eliminated because “comformist”, “loyalist” and “nonpartisan” would not need to be arrested. The answer is C.
  6. I made a mistake here failing to get the main idea of the sentence. Noting “a wide spectrum of characters in his one-man show” and “tendency to offer a limited range of roles”, I narrowed down to A and C. I chose C thinking that one results from the other but the correct idea was that the statements are contradicting. So one corrects the other. The correct answer is A. John Leguizamo’s “wide spectrum of characters” worked as a corrective for theater’s prejudice that Latinos cannot handle wider range of roles.
  7. I am leaving this for later. I write a note under the question 19 “go back to 7”. I look to the choices. A – “classical musicians” out of topic. B – “students in college orchestras” seems to be too broad for this passage. C – the passage is not about the relationship of one person and “many others”. D – possible. E – there was no mention of their relationship being “strained”. So the answer is D.
  8. I underline the lines and read the first paragraph. I get the idea that his skin’s tone is changing under a different lighting. I look to the choices. A – incorrect because it isn’t “demeanor” that changes color and also the changing of tone of skin wasn’t because “Virginia was nearby” but because of lighting. B – out of topic. C – could be. She was attentive so she was noticing the changing tones. D – no “monotony” and “routine” was mentioned. E – no such thing was stated or implied.
  9. I underline the lines. “an uncanny complexion” is suficient here to answer the question (because I have no idea what the other part is saying). I look to the choices. A – possible. B – no “erratic reactions” were mentioned. C – there was no mention of “complacency”. D – there was no talk about “loyalty”. E – there was no mention about “arguing”. So even though I don’t know how in the changing tones of the skin his complicated nature was discovered, all the other choices are clearly wrong. A is my choice.
  10. I made a mistake here failing to see the clue in the question: “As contrasted with the language”. Now that the clue is noticed, the correct answer is clear: A – break the mood of abstracted musing. I was trapped with the choice B. I thought “hot duets” is forboding the possible romance but I was inferring too far and also, the question asks what the phrase means “as a contrast to the language”. This answer doesn’t fit logically with the question. C – “romantic music” out of topic. D – out of logic. E – “sense of humor” has nothing to do with the phrase.
  11. I mark the lines and read the paragraph. Clues: “lined up like novitiates (read the footnote)”, “a strange reverence” and “cool serenity”. What kind of atmosphere does it make? Church. D – sanctity.
  12. I mark the word and read on from where I left till I finish the paragraph with the word. Clue: “sailing above the mob”. Mob=crowd. B.
  13. Clues: “Clayton was not rushing”, humming a melody, “sailing above the mob”. What mood does it convey? Let’s see the choices. A – nothing was mentioned about a conversation. B – “other musicians” out of topic. C – “effect on other people” was not mentioned. D – nothing was implied about “showing off his talent”. E – logical, fitting with the clues. I choose this for my answer.
  14. I mark the line and read it. For now I have no idea what to think, I just take into consideration that it should mean something in the context of the passage. I look through the choices. A – he doesn’t seem “dramatic” to me. B – by going to practice he is not disrupting the routine. C – possible. D – no “competition” was mentioned. E – no “insecurity” was mentioned. So the answer is C.
  15. I mark the words and notice that I should look for disruptions (“tempered by”) of the pleasure in the paragraph. Clues: „the wind off the lake whipping her blue“, „she was nearly frozen through“. A – definitely not Clayton made her frozen. B – I am starting to be amused by the consistent efforts of the test makers to plant an idea in my mind that Clayton is uneasy, uncomfortable, being restraint, insecure and alike (words from the incorrect answer choices of different questions). There is no mention of any anxieties in the lines I read. C – yep, the freezing wind is causing discomfort. The correct answer. D – no „self-consciousness“ is mentioned. E – out of topic.
  16. I mark the lines and read the sentence. I read the footnote (I am moved by the sweetness of the situation). Clayton is on Virginia‘s mind. My clue is from the footnote: “and thou”. I look to the choices. A – seems right. B – maybe, but not the point here. C – no such thing mentioned, all she is seeing is Clayton. D – lol, again Clayton being uneasy. No such thing mentioned in the passage still. E – on the contrary, the romance is in the air. So the answer is A.
  17. I locate the lines and read them. So Virginia is looking at Clayton and seeing a cello in him. Base your answer strictly on these lines. Look nowhere else. I look to the choices. A – no “famous musicians” were mentioned. B – again the famous uneasiness of Clayton, just this time in other words. Still resisting this idea. No mention about it still. C – no one is affected by music in these lines. D – pretty straightforward. An answer is this. E – the point is not “identifying with the situation” here.
  18. I read the part where he talks about the bumblebee. The idea: he played the cello no matter what others said. I look to the choices. A – superstition has nothing to do with anything here. B – no one is “cunning” here. C – no mention of the “pride” here. D – most probably. E – the talk is not about volatile temperament here. So my choice is D.
  19. I mark the lines and having in mind that I should find a contrast, I finish reading the passage. I underline “Music was the only landscape in which he seemed at ease” and “in that raunchy kitchen… he was fidgety, even a little awkward”. Finally, here is where all those hints about him being “uneasy” come from. If you would read the whole passage first and then start answering the questions, you could be trapped in all those consistent suggestions. I skim through the choices and see that E fits well with the clues. Going back to 7.</p>