SAT ELA Exam 5 (Full Module 1)

Although the biologist initially proposed the theory only as a tentative explanation, later fossil evidence helped _____ concerns that the claim rested on too little data.

A policy analyst notes that the law’s original framework was ambitious but that uneven enforcement across states produced inconsistent outcomes. The analyst concludes that evaluations of the law should focus less on its stated goals and more on the conditions under which it was carried out.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

Archaeologists have long assumed that the settlement was abandoned after a severe drought. However, pollen samples collected near the site suggest that farming continued there for several decades.

In the text, the second sentence primarily serves to?

Text 1 argues that raising transit fares can discourage ridership, particularly among low-income commuters. Text 2 reports that in several cities, fare increases initially reduced ridership but that ridership partially rebounded after service frequency improved.

Which choice best describes the relationship between the texts?

Scientists once believed that the species migrated only seasonally, but newly analyzed tracking records indicate that some populations remain in the same region year-round.

Which choice best describes the function of the sentence?

The first paragraph explains that heat waves have become more frequent in the region. The next paragraph cites records showing that the city experienced 6 such events per decade in the 1980s, 11 in the 1990s, and 19 in the 2000s.

The statistics in the second paragraph primarily serve the purpose of?

A study of after-school tutoring programs found substantial score gains among students in several large urban districts. The authors note, however, that the participating districts all used similar staffing models and received comparable state grants. The researchers caution that the results may not apply to smaller districts with different funding structures.

Which choice best describes the role of the final sentence in the passage?

Although the novelist’s later essays were once treated as minor works, recent scholarship has argued that they should not _____ the innovations of her earlier fiction, since the essays develop many of the same formal concerns in a different genre.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

The passage opens by describing a single neighborhood library forced to reduce its hours after losing public funding. It then broadens its focus to examine how budget cuts have affected access to public services across the region.

Which choice best describes the function of the opening description?

Because the company’s public statement avoided addressing the central allegation directly, journalists responded with even greater _____, pressing executives for more precise explanations during the press conference.

Text 1 explains that some bird species migrate earlier in spring when temperatures rise sooner than usual. Text 2 reports that in coastal regions, however, migration timing did not shift in years when temperatures rose early but food sources remained scarce. Which choice best describes the relationship between the texts?

The report concludes that the river’s pollution levels declined after new treatment systems were installed. The authors add, however, that because several monitoring stations were relocated during the same period, the exact magnitude of the decline is difficult to determine.

Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence?

A review of warehouse logs found that deliveries had been delayed for weeks before store shelves were emptied, _____ . Which choice most logically completes the text?

The passage argues that legal disputes often arise not from factual disagreement but from competing interpretations of the same language. The author then analyzes one sentence from a nineteenth-century contract, showing how two courts read the same phrase differently. The discussion of the contract sentence primarily serves to?

Which choice best describes the relationship between the two sentences?

Although the senator’s proposal initially seemed unlikely to gain support, a series of endorsements from local officials helped _____ its credibility among undecided voters.

An art historian notes that the exhibition was controversial when it opened and that many critics dismissed its unconventional style as fragmented, unfinished, or overly experimental. Some reviewers argued that the work departed too sharply from accepted artistic standards to have lasting value. The historian argues, however, that the exhibition later influenced a generation of painters who adopted many of its methods, especially its unusual approach to composition, color, and spatial arrangement. In the historian’s view, the exhibition’s importance lies not mainly in how it was received at first but in the lasting effect it had on later artistic practice.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

The passage begins by describing one farmer’s difficulty securing enough water for crops during an extended drought, showing how changing weather patterns can affect individual decisions about planting, irrigation, and survival from season to season. It then broadens its focus to explain how shifting rainfall patterns, declining water reliability, and longer dry periods have affected agricultural planning across the region as a whole. By moving from one person’s experience to a wider discussion of regional trends, the passage connects a specific example to a broader environmental and economic problem.

Which choice best describes the function of the opening description?

Because the company’s revised statement answered only one of the three allegations raised in the investigation, reporters responded with renewed _____, asking for documentation rather than general assurances.

Text 1 explains that many tree species produce fewer seeds during unusually dry years, noting that limited water availability can reduce flowering, interrupt normal reproductive development, and leave trees with fewer resources to devote to seed production. Text 2 notes, however, that in mountain forests with unusually cool summers, seed production remained stable even in years with little rainfall, suggesting that under some conditions the broader pattern described in Text 1 may not apply in the same way.

A report finds that students in several large districts improved their reading scores after participating in a summer literacy program. The authors note, however, that all of the districts in the study used similar staffing models and had access to comparable outside funding.

The final sentence primarily serves to?

A review of construction logs found that repair work had been halted several times by malfunctioning machinery, _____ .

Which choice most logically completes the text?

The passage argues that disagreements often arise not because readers have access to different facts but because they interpret the same wording differently. The author then analyzes a sentence from a court opinion and explains how two judges drew opposing conclusions from it.

The discussion of the court opinion primarily serves to?

Early maps portrayed the coastline as relatively stable over centuries. More recent surveys, however, indicate that several sections changed substantially after repeated storms and erosion. Which choice best describes the relationship between the two sentences?

Because the newly discovered journals describe the same sequence of events as the official record, they appear to _____ rather than challenge the account accepted by most historians.