
SAT ANSWER EXPLANATIONS
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READING AND WRITING: MODULE 1
3 SAT PRACTICE TEST #7 ANSWER EXPLANATIONS
QUESTION 2
Choice D is the best answer because as used in the text, “clear” most nearly
means transparent, or see-through. Muir states that the water beneath the boat
“was so clear that it was almost invisible,” suggesting that those on the boat were
able to see through the water and easily observe plants and fish below the
surface.
Choice A is incorrect. In some contexts “clear” can mean “simple,” or
uncomplicated, but Muir is describing the water, and water isn’t typically
described as either simple or complicated. Muir emphasizes the water’s
transparency, not its simplicity. Choice B is incorrect. In some contexts “clear” can
mean “understandable,” or reasonable or easily comprehended, but Muir is
describing the water, and it doesn’t make much sense to describe water as
understandable. Muir emphasizes the water’s transparency, not how easily the
water can be understood. Choice C is incorrect. Although “clear” can mean
“obvious,” or easily seen or understood, in some contexts, Muir’s description
emphasizes that the water “was almost invisible” and that the boat seemed to be
“sustained in the air,” suggesting that the water was almost impossible to see, not
that it was obvious.
QUESTION 3
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s
discussion of how Maggie Lena Walker addressed the lack of financial services
available to Black residents in Richmond, Virginia, at the turn of the twentieth
century. In this context, “rectify” means to correct or remedy something
undesirable. The text indicates that by chartering the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank
in 1903, Walker took action to provide local Black residents with greater access to
financial services like home loans and savings opportunities. This context
supports the idea that she aimed to rectify the undesirable situation affecting
these residents.
Choice A is incorrect because in this context, “prolong” would mean to lengthen
something in time. The text indicates that at the turn of the twentieth century,
Black residents in Richmond, Virginia, were faced with a lack of formal banking
options. The text then states that Walker founded a new bank that provided these
residents with financial services. Therefore, instead of prolonging the situation,
she took steps to rectify, or correct, it. Choice C is incorrect because in this
context, “retain” would mean to continue to have or to keep something. According
to the text, at the turn of the twentieth century, Black residents in Richmond,
Virginia, had few formal banking options, and Walker chartered a new institution to
provide these residents with expanded financial services; therefore, she took
steps to rectify, not retain, the situation. Choice D is incorrect because in this
context, “highlight” would mean to emphasize or call attention to something, but
the text indicates that Walker took concrete steps beyond merely drawing
attention to the situation Black residents were facing in Richmond, Virginia, at the
turn of the twentieth century. According to the text, Walker worked to rectify, or
correct, the lack of formal banking options that were available to these residents
by establishing a bank that provided them with home loans and savings
opportunities.