SAT Critical Reading : SAT Critical Reading
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Critical Reading
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Example Questions
Example Question #41 : Sat Critical Reading
The following passage is adapted from “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, published 1892.
It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral halls for the summer.
A colonial mansion, a hereditary estate, I would say a haunted house, and reach the height of romantic felicity—but that would be asking too much of fate!
Still I will proudly declare that there is something queer about it.
Else, why should it be let so cheaply? And why have stood so long untenanted?
John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage.
John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures.
John is a physician, and PERHAPS—(I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind)—PERHAPS that is one reason I do not get well faster.
You see he does not believe I am sick!
And what can one do?
If a physician of high standing, and one's own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do?
My brother is also a physician, and also of high standing, and he says the same thing.
So I take phosphates or phosphites—whichever it is, and tonics, and journeys, and air, and exercise, and am absolutely forbidden to "work" until I am well again.
Personally, I disagree with their ideas.
Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good.
But what is one to do?
I did write for a while in spite of them; but it DOES exhaust me a good deal—having to be so sly about it, or else meet with heavy opposition.
I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus—but John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad.
Why would the fact that her husband is a trained physician prevent the narrator from getting better?
He is an incompetent physician and does more harm than good in his practice.
He assumes that she is hysterical.
He overloads her with medical advice and stresses her out.
Medical science was not very well developed at the time.
He has the professional credibility to announce that her condition is unimportant, and therefore not give her treatment she needs.
He has the professional credibility to announce that her condition is unimportant, and therefore not give her treatment she needs.
The key sentence is here: “If a physician of high standing, and one's own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do?” He is using his professional standing to assure everyone, including her, that her depression is a minor problem.
Example Question #41 : Sat Critical Reading
The following passage is adapted from The Call of the Wild by Jack London, published in 1903.
Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tide-water dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair, from Puget Sound to San Diego. Because men, groping in the Arctic darkness, had found a yellow metal, and because steamship and transportation companies were booming the find, thousands of men were rushing into the Northland. These men wanted dogs, and the dogs they wanted were heavy dogs, with strong muscles by which to toil, and furry coats to protect them from the frost.
Buck lived at a big house in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley. Judge Miller's place, it was called. It stood back from the road, half hidden among the trees, through which glimpses could be caught of the wide cool veranda that ran around its four sides. The house was approached by gravelled driveways which wound about through wide-spreading lawns and under the interlacing boughs of tall poplars. At the rear things were on even a more spacious scale than at the front. There were great stables, where a dozen grooms and boys held forth, rows of vine-clad servants' cottages, an endless and orderly array of outhouses, long grape arbors, green pastures, orchards, and berry patches. Then there was the pumping plant for the artesian well, and the big cement tank where Judge Miller's boys took their morning plunge and kept cool in the hot afternoon.
And over this great demesne Buck ruled. Here he was born, and here he had lived the four years of his life. It was true, there were other dogs. There could not but be other dogs on so vast a place, but they did not count. They came and went, resided in the populous kennels, or lived obscurely in the recesses of the house after the fashion of Toots, the Japanese pug, or Ysabel, the Mexican hairless,—strange creatures that rarely put nose out of doors or set foot to ground. On the other hand, there were the fox terriers, a score of them at least, who yelped fearful promises at Toots and Ysabel looking out of the windows at them and protected by a legion of housemaids armed with brooms and mops.
But Buck was neither house-dog nor kennel-dog. The whole realm was his. He plunged into the swimming tank or went hunting with the Judge's sons; he escorted Mollie and Alice, the Judge's daughters, on long twilight or early morning rambles; on wintry nights he lay at the Judge's feet before the roaring library fire; he carried the Judge's grandsons on his back, or rolled them in the grass, and guarded their footsteps through wild adventures down to the fountain in the stable yard, and even beyond, where the paddocks were, and the berry patches. Among the terriers he stalked imperiously, and Toots and Ysabel he utterly ignored, for he was king,—king over all creeping, crawling, flying things of Judge Miller's place, humans included.
The fourth paragraph primarily serves to __________.
justify Buck’s imperious attitude
describe Buck’s relationship with his cohabitants in the house
describe the grounds of the house
provoke sympathy in the reader for Buck’s condition
demonstrate his importance in the narrative
describe Buck’s relationship with his cohabitants in the house
This paragraph says that “The whole realm was his.” It continues to describe Buck’s activities with the different family members and his attitude towards the other dogs. This description, coupled with the sense of ownership, gives us a sense of his relationship with the people and dogs of the house. To “describe the grounds of the house” is a secondary purpose, especially since the previous two paragraphs served that purpose as well. To “demonstrate his importance in the narrative” is too vague of a purpose.
Example Question #43 : Sat Critical Reading
She thought that she could get away with sliding the entire issue under the rug, and her friends were much too insistent that she divulge all of the details.
She thought that she could get away with sliding the entire issue under the rug, her friends were much too insistent that she divulge all of the details.
She thought that she could get away with sliding the entire issue under the rug, but her friends were much too insistent that she divulge all of the details.
She thought that she could get away with sliding the entire issue under the rug, and her friends were much too insistent that she divulge all of the details. (No change)
She thought that she could get away with sliding the entire issue under the rug, so her friends were much too insistent that she divulge all of the details.
She thought that she could get away with sliding the entire issue under the rug; her friends were much too insistent that she divulge all of the details.
She thought that she could get away with sliding the entire issue under the rug, but her friends were much too insistent that she divulge all of the details.
The original sentence does not use the logical conjunction. The two parts of the sentence contrast, so “but” is a better transition than “and.” A semi-colon doesn’t let us know the relationship between the two parts, and a comma is not grammatically correct.
Example Question #44 : Sat Critical Reading
The story was long but well-received; people found themselves drawn into the intricate web of the plot and the compelling voice of the storyteller.
The story was long but well-received, so people found themselves drawn into the intricate web of the plot and the compelling voice of the storyteller.
The story was long but well-received, people finding themselves drawn into the intricate web of the plot and the compelling voice of the storyteller.
The story was long but well-received, people found themselves drawn into the intricate web of the plot and the compelling voice of the storyteller.
The story was long but well-received; people found themselves drawn into the intricate web of the plot and the compelling voice of the storyteller. (No change)
The story was long but well-received, but people felt themselves drawn into the intricate web of the plot and the compelling voice of the storyteller.
The story was long but well-received; people found themselves drawn into the intricate web of the plot and the compelling voice of the storyteller. (No change)
The original sentence was well-written. The alternatives play with the transition between the two phrases, but a further transition is not necessary. Since the second half is an independent clause expounding on the information of the first, a semi-colon is appropriate.
Example Question #45 : Sat Critical Reading
The author never described the physical appearance of the main character, but she went into great detail about the perceptions of the other characters that he formed.
The author never described the physical appearance of the main character, going into great detail about the perceptions of the other characters that he formed.
The author never described the main character’s physical appearance, but she went into great detail about his perceptions of the other characters.
The author never described the physical appearance of the main character, but she went into great detail about the perceptions of the other characters that he formed. (No change)
The author never described the main character’s physical appearance, going into great detail about his perceptions of the other characters.
The author never described his physical appearance, but she went into great detail about the perceptions of the other characters that the main character formed.
The author never described the main character’s physical appearance, but she went into great detail about his perceptions of the other characters.
The correct sentence is more concise: it rewords the sentence to be more straightforward and less clunky. It maintains, however, the transition “but” which clues the reader in to the logic of the sentence.
Example Question #41 : Sat Critical Reading
Many people find it absurd that water, a natural resource that falls from the sky, has been bottled, packaged, and sold at incredibly marked-up prices to millions of eager consumers.
Many people found it absurd that water, a natural resource that falls from the sky, has been bottled, packaged, and sold at incredibly marked-up prices to millions of eager consumers.
It is found to be absurd that water, a natural resource that falls from the sky, has been bottled, packaged, and sold at incredibly marked-up prices to millions of eager consumers.
Many people have found it to be absurd, but nevertheless water, a natural resource falling from the sky, has been bottled, packaged, and sold at incredibly marked-up prices to millions of eager consumers.
Many people have found it to be absurd that a natural resource falling from the sky, water, has been bottled, packaged, and sold at incredibly marked-up prices to millions of eager consumers.
Many people find it absurd that water, a natural resource that falls from the sky, has been bottled, packaged, and sold at incredibly marked-up prices to millions of eager consumers. (No change)
Many people find it absurd that water, a natural resource that falls from the sky, has been bottled, packaged, and sold at incredibly marked-up prices to millions of eager consumers. (No change)
The original sentence was well-written. The alternatives given here either change it to be passive, expand it needlessly, or mess with the timeline of the verb tenses.
Example Question #31 : Sentence Completion Questions
The lost cameo ring, which held priceless family value and sentiment but was never found.
The lost cameo ring was never found, even though it held priceless family value and sentiment
Nobody ever found the lost cameo ring, even though it held priceless family value and sentiment.
The cameo ring, which held priceless family and value and sentiment but was lost, was never found.
The lost cameo ring, which held priceless family value and sentiment, was never found.
The lost cameo ring, which held priceless family value and sentiment but was never found. (No change)
The lost cameo ring, which held priceless family value and sentiment, was never found.
The original sentence is a fragment; the entire phrase is just a subject. To fix this, end the “which” phrase after sentiment so that “was” becomes the main verb. Nothing else needs to be changed. The options with “even though” introduce a transition that is illogical; the family value does not make it more likely to be found.
Example Question #32 : Sentence Completion Questions
I would much rather take a vacation to the mountains than my husband; he likes to explore the city.
I, rather than my husband, would like to take a vacation to the mountains; he likes to explore the city.
I would much rather take a vacation to the mountains than my husband would; he likes to explore the city.
Taking a vacation to the mountains is much more preferable to me than my husband; he likes to explore the city.
I would much rather take a vacation to the mountains than my husband; he likes to explore the city. (No change)
Taking a vacation to the mountains is something I would much rather do than my husband; he likes to explore the city.
I would much rather take a vacation to the mountains than my husband would; he likes to explore the city.
The problem with the original sentence is that it compares two unlike things: the action of taking a vacation to the mountains to the person of the husband. To correct this, simply add “would” after husband. Now the sentence compares the speaker’s preferences to her husband’s.
Example Question #33 : Sentence Completion Questions
We could either go to the movies, get ice cream, or also we could go to the park.
We could go to the movies, get ice cream, or also we could go to the park. (No change)
We could either go to the movies, go to get ice cream, or also we could go to the park.
We could either go to the movies, get ice cream, or go to the park.
We could either go to see the movies, get ice cream, or we could go to the park.
We could either go to the movies, go to get ice cream, or also go to the park.
We could either go to the movies, get ice cream, or go to the park.
This sentence does not show parallel structure. The correct answer structures all three items in the list in the same way. It is also more concise; the words “also” and “we could” aren’t really necessary.
Example Question #46 : Sat Critical Reading
Excerpted from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890)
Hallward got up from the seat and walked up and down the garden. After some time he came back. "Harry," he said, "Dorian Gray is to me simply a motive in art. You might see nothing in him. I see everything in him. He is never more present in my work than when no image of him is there. He is a suggestion, as I have said, of a new manner. I find him in the curves of certain lines, in the loveliness and subtleties of certain colours. That is all."
"Then why won't you exhibit his portrait?" asked Lord Henry.
"Because, without intending it, I have put into it some expression of all this curious artistic idolatry, of which, of course, I have never cared to speak to him. He knows nothing about it. He shall never know anything about it. But the world might guess it, and I will not bare my soul to their shallow prying eyes. My heart shall never be put under their microscope. There is too much of myself in the thing, Harry—too much of myself!"
"Poets are not so scrupulous as you are. They know how useful passion is for publication. Nowadays a broken heart will run to many editions."
"I hate them for it," cried Hallward. "An artist should create beautiful things, but should put nothing of his own life into them. We live in an age when men treat art as if it were meant to be a form of autobiography. We have lost the abstract sense of beauty. Some day I will show the world what it is; and for that reason the world shall never see my portrait of Dorian Gray."
"I think you are wrong, Basil, but I won't argue with you. It is only the intellectually lost who ever argue. Tell me, is Dorian Gray very fond of you?"
The painter considered for a few moments. "He likes me," he answered after a pause; "I know he likes me. Of course I flatter him dreadfully. I find a strange pleasure in saying things to him that I know I shall be sorry for having said. As a rule, he is charming to me, and we sit in the studio and talk of a thousand things. Now and then, however, he is horribly thoughtless, and seems to take a real delight in giving me pain. Then I feel, Harry, that I have given away my whole soul to some one who treats it as if it were a flower to put in his coat, a bit of decoration to charm his vanity, an ornament for a summer's day."
The passage is narrated in which style?
Third person
First person
First-person omniscient
Second person
None of the other answers
Third person
A narrator refers to the events in the story and characters; the narrator is unnamed. It is third person.
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