SAT Reading Practice Test - 7

Instructions: Reading: Sentence Completion (5 questions)

1. The ------ Riddler always gave the ----- Batman something to ponder.
A)virulent ... benevolent
B)jejune ... debonair
C)enigmatic ... inscrutable
D)venal ... pertinacious
E)jocular ... diffident

2. Although the ----- for the fund-raising drive was to increase student scholarships, the campaign produced a ----- of benefactors.
A) precept ... lassitude
B) impetus ... dearth
C) encomium ... bastion
D) proclivity ... drivel
E) criterion ... disparity

3. Bob's ----- sense of humor caused women to view him as very -----
A) truculent ... urbane
B) salient ... pernicious
C) mawkish ... scrupulous
D) jaded ... hackneyed
E) sophomoric ... inconsequential

4. Although Susan's presentation was very bombastic, the ----- of her argument was quite cogent.
A) foment
B) epitome
C) gist
D) largesse
E) bellwether

5. It is a scintillating book about a winsome protagonist whose precocious personality will leave you -----
A) exhilarated
B) destitute
C) nonplussed
D) pusillanimous
E) noisome

Short Passage Comparisons

Passage 1
Climate change is a real problem, partly caused by human activities, but its importance has been grossly exaggerated. It is far less important than other social problems such as poverty, infectious diseases, deforestation, extinction of species on land and in the sea, not to mention war, nuclear weapons and biological weapons. We do not know whether the observed climate changes are on balance good or bad for the health of the biosphere. And the effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide as a fertilizer of plant growth are at least as important as its effects on climate.

Passage 2
Because we barely notice changes that happen gradually, we accept gradual changes that we would reject if they happened abruptly. Environmentalists despair that global warming is happening so fast. In fact, it isn't happening fast enough. If the President could jump in a time machine and experience a single day in 2056, he'd return to the present shocked and awed, prepared to do anything it took to solve the problem.

The human brain is a remarkable device that was designed to rise to special occasions. We are the progeny of people who hunted and gathered, whose lives were brief and whose greatest threat was a man with a stick. When terrorists attack, we respond with crushing force and firm resolve, just as our ancestors would have. Global warming is a deadly threat precisely because it fails to trip the brain's alarm, leaving us soundly asleep in a burning bed. It remains to be seen whether we can learn to rise to new occasions.

6. The primary purpose of Passage 1 is to
A) highlight a concern
B) make a comparison
C) state an opinion
D) dispute a hypothesis
E) analyze a problem

7. The primary purpose of Passage 2 is to
A) lay the foundation for a course of action
B) make a comparison
C) discuss the inadequacies of modern science
D) explain a controversial idea
E) propose a solution

8. How would the author of Passage 1 react to Passage 2?
A) Dismay at the lack of scientific support for the assumptions made by the author.
B) Appreciation of the levity introduced by the mention of a time machine.
C) Concern that the analogy of cavemen and terrorists will just obfuscate the issue.
D) Anger that more imperative social issues are not discussed.
E) Confusion because the author wants global warming to happen faster.

9. In lines 12-13 of Passage 2, what does the author mean by saying "leaving us soundly asleep in a burning bed"?
A) Global warming will burn our homes, towns, and cities.
B) He implies that many people spend too much time sleeping.
C) He believes we need to stay home and protect our families from this threat.
D) Ignoring the gravity of the threat is like helping terrorists.
E) Minimizing the impact of global warming is the same as sleeping through a fire alarm.

10. These two authors would agree that
A) global warming is a serious problem.
B) the observed climate changes are alarming.
C) global warming is actually happening.
D) not enough people are concerned about global warming.
E) the human mind cannot understand gradual changes.

ref: http://www.livescience.com/4144-global-warming-hot-air-dozen-views.html