Digital SAT — Reading & Writing, Module 1 (Practice Test A)

Format: 27 questions · 32 minutes Coverage (in test order): Craft & Structure · Information & Ideas · Standard English Conventions · Expression of Ideas Each question has one short passage or prompt and four choices. Work quickly — about 71 seconds per question. Answer key and explanations follow. (Correct answers are deliberately spread across A–D so practice builds reasoning, not letter-guessing.)

Craft & Structure (Words in Context, Text Structure, Cross-Text)

1. As used in the sentence, "The committee's decision was provisional, pending a final vote," provisional most nearly means: A) permanent B) temporary C) unanimous D) controversial

2. "Far from being innocuous, the additive was later banned for its health risks." Innocuous most nearly means: A) harmful B) expensive C) common D) harmless

3. A scientist writes: "While my colleague emphasizes rainfall, I find temperature the decisive factor." The relationship between the two views is best described as one of: A) full agreement B) shared uncertainty C) disagreement over the primary cause D) unrelated topics

4. "The novel's structure—three narrators recounting one night—fragments the reader's sense of time." Fragments most nearly means: A) breaks up B) clarifies C) lengthens D) ignores

5. An author opens with a vivid anecdote before stating a thesis. The anecdote most likely serves to: A) confuse the reader B) engage interest and introduce the topic C) conclude the argument D) cite a source

6. Text 1 argues remote work boosts productivity; Text 2 presents data showing collaboration declines remotely. The author of Text 2 would most likely respond to Text 1 by: A) fully agreeing B) changing the subject C) noting a trade-off Text 1 overlooks D) repeating Text 1's claim

7. "Her tone grew caustic as the debate wore on." Caustic most nearly means: A) gentle B) cheerful C) uncertain D) bitingly critical

Information & Ideas (Central Ideas, Command of Evidence, Inferences)

8. Studies show urban trees lower nearby temperatures by up to 5°C and cut cooling costs. Which choice best states the main idea? A) Urban trees provide measurable cooling benefits. B) Trees are expensive to plant. C) Cities are too hot. D) Cooling costs are rising.

9. A researcher claims a diet improves memory. Which finding would best support this? A) Participants enjoyed the meals. B) The diet was affordable. C) Participants scored higher on memory tests after the diet. D) The study lasted six weeks.

10. Sea otters eat sea urchins, which graze on kelp. Where otters vanished, urchins multiplied and kelp forests collapsed. It can reasonably be inferred that otters: A) harm kelp B) indirectly protect kelp forests C) eat kelp D) have no ecological role

11. A passage states a city's bike-share trips rose 40% after new lanes opened. The data most directly support the conclusion that: A) cars were banned B) bikes are cheap C) the city is small D) infrastructure can increase cycling

12. Although the comet appears every 76 years, written records of it span two millennia. This best supports the idea that: A) observers across history recorded the same recurring comet B) the comet is new C) records are unreliable D) the comet has vanished

13. A study found students who slept 8+ hours scored higher than those who slept fewer. The best-supported claim is that: A) sleep causes wealth B) tests are unfair C) sleep and performance are positively associated D) students dislike sleep

14. Which detail would most weaken the claim "the new policy reduced traffic"? A) Traffic counts fell after the policy. B) Traffic counts were already falling before the policy. C) Drivers praised the policy. D) The policy was popular.

Standard English Conventions (Grammar, Usage, Punctuation)

15. Choose the option that conforms to standard English: "The data ____ that the trend is accelerating." A) suggests B) suggesting C) to suggest D) suggest

16. "The scientist, along with her assistants, ____ presenting tomorrow." A) is B) are C) were D) being

17. Select the correctly punctuated option: "We visited three cities ____ Rome, Cairo, and Lima." A) cities, Rome B) cities: Rome C) cities; Rome D) cities Rome

18. "Each of the proposals ____ merit." A) have B) having C) has D) have had

19. Choose the correct option: "The team celebrated ____ win." A) it's B) its' C) their's D) its

20. "By the time the train arrived, the passengers ____ for an hour." A) had waited B) wait C) waiting D) waits

21. Select the option that correctly joins the clauses: "The bridge was closed ____ traffic was diverted." A) closed traffic B) closed, so traffic C) closed traffic, D) closed; so, traffic

22. "Neither the manager nor the employees ____ aware of the change." A) was B) is C) were D) being

Expression of Ideas (Transitions, Rhetorical Synthesis)

23. "The prototype passed every test. ____, the team approved it for production." Which transition best fits? A) However B) Nevertheless C) In contrast D) Therefore

24. "Sales fell sharply in winter. ____, summer brought record highs." Best transition: A) However B) Likewise C) Consequently D) For example

25. A writer wants to add a supporting statistic. Best choice: A) On the contrary, B) Despite this, C) In fact, surveys show 78% agree. D) Regardless,

26. Goal: emphasize an unexpected result. Best option: A) As expected, the outcome was typical. B) Surprisingly, the outcome reversed the prediction. C) The outcome occurred. D) The outcome was an outcome.

27. A student has these notes: (1) The festival began in 1950. (2) It now draws 200,000 visitors. Goal: emphasize growth. Best single sentence: A) The festival began in 1950. B) The festival draws visitors. C) The festival is old. D) From its 1950 start, the festival has grown to draw 200,000 visitors.

Answer key

Key distribution: A×6, B×7, C×7, D×7.

Explanations

1. (B) "Pending a final vote" signals the decision is not yet permanent — temporary. 2. (D) "Far from being innocuous … banned for health risks" sets up a contrast, so innocuous = harmless. 3. (C) "While my colleague emphasizes X, I find Y decisive" = disagreement over the primary cause. 4. (A) Three narrators of one night "fragments" time = breaks up. 5. (B) An opening anecdote before a thesis engages interest and introduces the topic. 6. (C) Text 2's collaboration data highlights a trade-off Text 1's productivity claim overlooks. 7. (D) "Caustic" tone in a heated debate = bitingly critical. 8. (A) The sentence's point is the measurable cooling benefit of urban trees. 9. (C) Direct evidence for "improves memory" is higher memory-test scores. 10. (B) Otters eat urchins that destroy kelp, so otters indirectly protect kelp forests. 11. (D) A 40% rise after new lanes supports that infrastructure can increase cycling. 12. (A) Records spanning millennia for a 76-year comet imply repeated observations of the same recurring object. 13. (C) More sleep → higher scores describes a positive association (not proven causation of wealth, etc.). 14. (B) If traffic was already declining beforehand, the policy may not be the cause — this weakens the claim. 15. (D) "Data" is treated as plural here → suggest. 16. (A) The subject is singular ("The scientist"); "along with…" is parenthetical → is. 17. (B) A colon introduces the list after a complete clause. 18. (C) "Each" is singular → has. 19. (D) Possessive "its" (no apostrophe). 20. (A) Past perfect "had waited" for an action completed before another past event. 21. (B) Comma + coordinating conjunction "so" correctly joins two independent clauses. 22. (C) With "neither…nor," the verb agrees with the nearer subject "employees" → were. 23. (D) Passing every test logically leads to approval → Therefore. 24. (A) A drop then record highs is a contrast → However. 25. (C) "In fact, surveys show 78% agree" adds supporting data. 26. (B) "Surprisingly … reversed the prediction" emphasizes an unexpected result. 27. (D) Combining the 1950 start with the current 200,000 emphasizes growth.

Scoring & routing note

Count correct out of 27.

• 0–11: Module 2 would be the easier form. Prioritize the Standard English Conventions and Craft & Structure guides — these are the most learnable, rule-based gains.
• 12–18: Solid. Drill Information & Ideas (evidence/inference) and transitions to push higher.
• 19–27: You'd route to the harder R&W Module 2. Focus on cross-text reasoning and the subtlest words-in-context items.

Pedagogy: Reading & Writing rewards two habits — (1) using context signals ("far from," "while," "pending") to pin word meaning and author stance, and (2) for Conventions, naming the rule (subject–verb agreement, colon-after-complete-clause, past perfect) rather than guessing by ear. Each explanation above names the rule or signal so practice transfers to new questions.