SAT® question of the day

Today's five

Covering Standard English Conventions, Expression of Ideas, Problem-Solving and Data Analysis, Information and Ideas, Algebra. Each one carries the worked explanation that its subject page carries, so a miss ends in a method rather than a letter.

Pick an answer before you look. Tapping a choice shows which one was right and opens the worked explanation, and a miss is remembered so Weak Skills can replay that skill. It stays in this browser.

1. 1Sentence boundariesChallenge

   Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?The tunnel was surveyed in 1911 ______Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The tunnel was surveyed in 1911 ______

   • A, but no plan of it survives., but no plan of it survives.
   • B, no plan of it survives., no plan of it survives.
   • Cno plan of it survives.no plan of it survives.
   • D, no plan of it surviving, and., no plan of it surviving, and.
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   Answer: , but no plan of it survives., but no plan of it survives.

   Two complete sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction take a comma before it. A comma alone splices them, no punctuation fuses them, and the last choice ends on a conjunction with nothing after it.Two complete sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction take a comma before it. A comma alone splices them, no punctuation fuses them, and the last choice ends on a conjunction with nothing after it.

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2. 2Rhetorical synthesisStandard

   A student is working from these notes:•The bridge opened in 1826.•At 176 m it was then the longest suspension span in the world.•The longest suspension span today is 2,023 m.•The 1826 bridge still carries traffic.This time the student wants to emphasize how much the scale of suspension bridges has changed. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?A student is working from these notes: - The bridge opened in 1826. - At 176 m it was then the longest suspension span in the world. - The longest suspension span today is 2,023 m. - The 1826 bridge still carries traffic. This time the student wants to emphasize how much the scale of suspension bridges has changed. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?

   • AThe bridge opened in 1826 and still carries traffic.The bridge opened in 1826 and still carries traffic.
   • BThe bridge was the longest suspension span in the world when it opened.The bridge was the longest suspension span in the world when it opened.
   • CSuspension bridges have been built for two hundred years.Suspension bridges have been built for two hundred years.
   • DThe record span of 176 m set in 1826 is under a tenth of today's longest, at 2,023 m.The record span of 176 m set in 1826 is under a tenth of today's longest, at 2,023 m.
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   Answer: The record span of 176 m set in 1826 is under a tenth of today's longest, at 2,023 m.The record span of 176 m set in 1826 is under a tenth of today's longest, at 2,023 m.

   A change in scale needs both figures and the relation between them, which only one choice supplies. Note that the same notes served a different goal a moment ago: what makes a choice best is the goal, not the notes.A change in scale needs both figures and the relation between them, which only one choice supplies. Note that the same notes served a different goal a moment ago: what makes a choice best is the goal, not the notes.

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3. 3Proportional relationshipsFoundation

   A recipe for 6 servings uses 300 grams of rice. How much rice is needed for 9 servings?A recipe for 6 servings uses 300 grams of rice. How much rice is needed for 9 servings?

   • A450 grams450 grams
   • B350 grams350 grams
   • C400 grams400 grams
   • D500 grams500 grams
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   Answer: 450 grams450 grams

   Find the unit rate first: 3006 = 50 grams a serving, so 9 servings need 50 × 9 = 450 grams. Scaling the original by 96 gives the same answer in one step.Find the unit rate first: 300/6 = 50 grams a serving, so 9 servings need 50 × 9 = 450 grams. Scaling the original by 9/6 gives the same answer in one step.

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4. 4Command of evidenceStandard

   A researcher claims that a town's new cycle lane increased the amount of cycling rather than simply moving existing cyclists onto it. Which finding, if true, would most strongly support the claim?A researcher claims that a town's new cycle lane increased the amount of cycling rather than simply moving existing cyclists onto it. Which finding, if true, would most strongly support the claim?

   • AThe lane carries about 400 cyclists a day.The lane carries about 400 cyclists a day.
   • BCyclist numbers on the parallel road fell by roughly the number now using the lane.Cyclist numbers on the parallel road fell by roughly the number now using the lane.
   • CTotal cycling trips across the town rose by 30 percent, with no fall on other routes.Total cycling trips across the town rose by 30 percent, with no fall on other routes.
   • DMost people using the lane say they find it pleasant.Most people using the lane say they find it pleasant.
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   Answer: Total cycling trips across the town rose by 30 percent, with no fall on other routes.Total cycling trips across the town rose by 30 percent, with no fall on other routes.

   The claim is about the total, so the evidence has to be about the total. A count on the lane alone cannot separate new cyclists from moved ones, the second choice is the rival explanation rather than a refutation of it, and enjoyment says nothing about numbers.The claim is about the total, so the evidence has to be about the total. A count on the lane alone cannot separate new cyclists from moved ones, the second choice is the rival explanation rather than a refutation of it, and enjoyment says nothing about numbers.

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5. 5Systems of equationsStandard

   If 2x + 5y = 26 and x = y + 1, what is the value of y?If 2x + 5y = 26 and x = y + 1, what is the value of y?

   • A26726/7
   • B33
   • C24724/7
   • D44
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   Answer: 24724/7

   Substitute x = y + 1: 2(y + 1) + 5y = 26, so 7y + 2 = 26 and 7y = 24, giving y = 247.Substitute x = y + 1: 2(y + 1) + 5y = 26, so 7y + 2 = 26 and 7y = 24, giving y = 24/7.

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If five is not enough today