SAT ELA Exam 9 (Full Module 2)

Marine biologists expected coral fragments attached to flexible frames to grow more slowly than fragments attached to fixed frames, since the flexible frames moved slightly in ocean currents. _________________ the fragments on flexible frames grew at nearly the same rate as those on fixed frames.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• In a 2018 study, marine scientist Elena Alvarez measured microplastics in surface water by towing fine nets behind research boats.
• Alvarez estimated the concentration of floating microplastics during one summer.
• In a 2021 study, geologist Marcus Chen analyzed sediment cores taken from a harbor floor.
• Chen used the cores to reconstruct how microplastic accumulation had changed over thirty years.
• Both studies investigated microplastics in coastal environments.

The student wants to emphasize a difference in the methods used by Alvarez and Chen. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Neither the wall labels nor the museum guide _________________ the date of the sculpture’s restoration, so visitors must consult the museum’s online catalog for that information.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

For years, the sketches in architect Lina Bo Bardi’s notebooks were exhibited mainly because they were visually striking. A recent curator argues that the sketches are also _________________: they show how Bo Bardi revised structural details before construction began, revealing decisions not visible in the finished buildings.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

The newly discovered notes did not settle the debate over when the settlement was abandoned, but they narrowed it: several timelines once thought plausible could no longer be reconciled with the evidence.

As used in the text, what does the word narrowed most nearly mean?

Many histories of the printing press emphasize Johannes Gutenberg’s development of metal movable type. That emphasis is understandable, since the technology transformed book production in Europe. Still, focusing only on Gutenberg can obscure earlier printing traditions in East Asia, where woodblock printing and movable type had developed centuries before. A fuller account therefore treats Gutenberg’s work as a crucial episode in a longer global history rather than as an isolated beginning.

Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the text as a whole?

Urban ecologist Priya Menon argues that trees cool city streets not only by casting shade but also through transpiration, the process by which water moves through plants and evaporates from their leaves. According to Menon, this evaporation can lower air temperature near trees even when shade is not the main factor.

Which finding, if true, would most strongly support Menon’s argument?

A team of materials scientists tested three roof coatings designed to reduce building temperatures by reflecting sunlight. The table shows each coating’s solar reflectance when newly applied and after twelve months outdoors.

Roof Coating Data

Coating X
Initial reflectance: 0.91
Reflectance after twelve months: 0.54

Coating Y
Initial reflectance: 0.86
Reflectance after twelve months: 0.79

Coating Z
Initial reflectance: 0.72
Reflectance after twelve months: 0.70

The scientists concluded that Coating Y was the best candidate for long-term cooling.

Which choice best uses data from the table to support the scientists’ conclusion?

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• In a 2014 study, researcher Ana Ortiz used satellite images to map the area covered by mangrove forests in one coastal bay.
• Ortiz’s study focused only on changes in total mangrove area.
• In a 2021 study, researcher Kenji Nakamura combined satellite images with drone surveys.
• Nakamura’s study estimated both mangrove area and canopy height across five coastal bays.
• Canopy height can help researchers understand forest maturity and storm protection.

The student wants to show how Nakamura’s study expanded on Ortiz’s study.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

The researchers reached a cautious conclusion _________________ the pattern was suggestive, but the sample was too small to support a broad claim.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

For much of the twentieth century, archaeologists assumed that settlements in one rainforest region had been small and widely separated because few large structures had been excavated there. Recent lidar surveys, however, revealed roads, terraces, and building foundations spread across a much larger area than expected. These findings make the older view of the region’s population not merely incomplete but _________________.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

In coastal marshes, dense mats of plant roots can mediate the movement of sediment by slowing water and trapping particles that would otherwise be carried out to sea. Over time, this process can help marshes build enough elevation to keep pace with gradual sea-level rise.

As used in the text, what does the word mediate most nearly mean?

Many nineteenth-century novels were first published in newspapers or magazines in weekly or monthly installments. This commercial context matters: authors often ended installments at moments of uncertainty, not only to create artistic suspense but also to encourage readers to buy the next issue. Thus, some features now praised as literary techniques were also shaped by the publishing conditions in which the novels first appeared.

Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the text as a whole?

Botanist Elena Varga argues that some flowers attract pollinators not only through color and scent but also through small differences in temperature. According to Varga, certain flowers maintain slightly warmer centers, and pollinators use that warmth as a cue that nectar is likely to be available.

Which finding, if true, would most strongly support Varga’s argument?

Researchers evaluated three restored grassland sites five years after restoration began. The table shows the percentage of ground covered by native plants and the number of native bee species observed at each site.

Restored Grassland Data

Site A
Native plant cover: 82%
Native bee species observed: 9

Site B
Native plant cover: 67%
Native bee species observed: 21

Site C
Native plant cover: 74%
Native bee species observed: 14

The researchers concluded that native plant cover alone is not a reliable measure of restoration success.

Which choice best uses data from the table to support the researchers’ conclusion?

Designed to detect faint radio signals from distant galaxies, _________________ across a remote desert valley to reduce interference from human-made noise.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

The committee rejected the simplest explanation for one clear reason _________________ the dates recorded in the ledger were inconsistent with it.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Researchers once assumed that the deep-sea snail’s iron-rich shell functioned mainly as protection from predators. _________________ later experiments showed that the shell also helps the snail tolerate chemical conditions near hydrothermal vents.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• In a 2016 study, historian Maya Feld examined shipping records from one Caribbean port between 1780 and 1800.
• Feld used the records to identify changes in the types of goods exported from that port.
• In a 2022 study, historian Daniel Okafor analyzed shipping records from twelve Caribbean ports between 1750 and 1820.
• Okafor used the records to compare trade patterns across different islands.
• Both studies used shipping records to study Caribbean trade.

The student wants to show how Okafor’s study expanded on Feld’s study.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

The scientist’s explanation of the results, along with the charts and supplementary tables, _________________ included in the report’s final section.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

In studies of ancient pigments, researchers often avoid identifying a paint mixture based on color alone: two visually similar blues, for example, may have been produced from entirely different minerals. Chemical analysis can therefore make an attribution more _________________ by showing not just what a pigment looks like but what it is composed of.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

Text 1
Some scholars argue that early printed recipe books should be read mainly as practical manuals. Because many include instructions for preserving food, preparing medicines, and managing household supplies, these scholars emphasize the books’ usefulness in everyday domestic life.

Text 2
Historian Livia Ren suggests that early printed recipe books also served a social purpose. Their owners often copied family names, local remedies, and personal notes into the margins, transforming the books into records of community knowledge and family identity.

Based on the texts, how would Ren in Text 2 most likely respond to the view described in Text 1?

Archaeologist Samira Patel argues that beads found at a coastal excavation site were produced locally rather than imported from inland workshops. The beads are made from shells common along the nearby shore, but Patel’s claim depends on more than the availability of raw material; she argues that the manufacturing process itself points to local production.

Which finding, if true, would most strongly support Patel’s claim?

A team of researchers studied three manuscripts containing the same medieval poem. They counted the number of spelling variants unique to each manuscript and the number of line omissions each manuscript shared with Manuscript Q.

Manuscript Data

Manuscript R
Unique spelling variants: 48
Line omissions shared with Manuscript Q: 2

Manuscript S
Unique spelling variants: 17
Line omissions shared with Manuscript Q: 11

Manuscript T
Unique spelling variants: 39
Line omissions shared with Manuscript Q: 1

The researchers concluded that Manuscript S was more closely related to Manuscript Q than either R or T was.

Which choice best uses data from the table to support the researchers’ conclusion?

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• In a 2017 study, linguist Nora Kim analyzed recordings of bilingual speakers switching between two languages during informal conversation.
• Kim focused on where switches occurred within sentences.
• In a 2022 study, linguist Mateo Ruiz analyzed text messages written by bilingual speakers.
• Ruiz focused on why speakers switched languages, including humor, emphasis, and audience.
• Both studies examined language switching among bilingual speakers.

The student wants to emphasize a difference in the focus of the two studies. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Because the first clause of a sentence often establishes a reader’s expectations, _________________ can alter not only the sentence’s rhythm but also its emphasis.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

The council approved the restoration plan only after engineers submitted a revised estimate showing that the older bridge could be reinforced rather than replaced _________________ a change that reduced the project’s expected cost by nearly forty percent.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?