CollegePrepRoom

Free SAT Reading & Writing practice questions

These free questions are grouped by topic, and each one comes with its answer and a full explanation.

Practice these questions

Information and Ideas

  1. Q1 · Command of Evidence (textual)A team analyzing an iridescent glass fragment recovered from a first-century Roman burial proposed that its color…
  2. Q2 · Command of Evidence (textual)A curator claims that a museum's newly acquired painting was created by a specific well-known Renaissance workshop,…
  3. Q3 · Central Ideas and DetailsA historian examining merchant correspondence from an eighteenth-century port found repeated complaints that official…
  4. Q4 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A team tested whether a short retrieval exercise improved retention of newly learned terms. Students were randomly…
  5. Q5 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A school compared the percentage of students submitting an assignment on time before and after adding a reminder…
  6. Q6 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)Researchers tested whether an intervention changed both average performance and variability. | Condition | Mean score…
  7. Q7 · InferencesSome broken prehistoric ceramic vessels have paired holes drilled precisely along the crack lines, consistent with the…
  8. Q8 · InferencesAn art historian studying a series of self-portraits painted by the same artist over four decades notices that the…
  9. Q9 · Central Ideas and DetailsIn a poem, the speaker describes repairing a watch inherited from a parent. Each time the watch begins ticking again,…
  10. Q26 · Command of Evidence (textual)A popular claim holds that the QWERTY keyboard layout was deliberately designed to slow typists down, preventing the…
  11. Q27 · Central Ideas and DetailsA museum placed short labels beside several abstract paintings. Visitors who read the labels spent slightly longer…
  12. Q28 · Command of Evidence (textual)A theater historian claims that a controversial ending added to a classic play during a famous twentieth-century…
  13. Q29 · Command of Evidence (textual)A stream ecologist claims that the isotopic signature of marine-derived nitrogen found in forest soils near…
  14. Q30 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A gardener recorded the average height of the same variety of plant under two light conditions after six weeks. |…
  15. Q31 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)Two wetlands were surveyed before and after a restoration project. | Wetland | Species before | Species after |…
  16. Q32 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)Ecologists measured seedling survival in plots with and without a temporary shade cloth during an unusually hot…
  17. Q33 · InferencesIn controlled experiments, playing recorded traffic noise near owl hunting grounds reduced the owls' hunting success,…
  18. Q34 · InferencesA musicologist studying handwritten manuscripts of a composer's symphonies notices that the tempo markings in the…
  19. Q35 · Central Ideas and DetailsA botanist studying alpine plants notes that several species open their flowers only during a narrow part of the day.…
  20. Q36 · Central Ideas and DetailsWhen a city library eliminated overdue fines for children’s books, the number of long-overdue books returned…
  21. Q52 · Command of Evidence (textual)Cleaner wrasse fish sometimes "cheat" by biting a client fish's protective mucus instead of removing parasites as…
  22. Q53 · Command of Evidence (textual)A biographer claims that a famous novelist's reclusive later years were driven entirely by a fear of public criticism…
  23. Q54 · Command of Evidence (textual)Female superb fairy-wrens sing a distinctive call while incubating their eggs, and their nestlings later incorporate…
  24. Q55 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A researcher measured the percentage of participants who remembered a warning under two presentation formats and two…
  25. Q56 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A transit agency compared average weekday ridership before and after increasing peak-hour train frequency on one line.…
  26. Q57 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A cafe tracked reusable-cup use after introducing a small discount. | Week | Discount offered? | Orders using reusable…
  27. Q58 · InferencesIn studies where an adult demonstrates a series of actions to solve a puzzle box, including some steps that are…
  28. Q59 · Central Ideas and DetailsIn a nineteenth-century novel, a young clerk repeatedly walks past an expensive restaurant on his way home but never…
  29. Q60 · Central Ideas and DetailsIn a short story, an elderly woman keeps a cracked blue bowl on the highest shelf in her kitchen even though she owns…
  30. Q75 · Command of Evidence (textual)Some tropical bat species bite the structural veins of large leaves so precisely that the leaf collapses into a…
  31. Q76 · Command of Evidence (textual)When a snapping shrimp closes its specialized claw, it does so fast enough to form a rapidly collapsing cavitation…
  32. Q77 · Command of Evidence (textual)Certain sacoglossan sea slugs ingest algae and retain the algae's chloroplasts within their own tissue for weeks or…
  33. Q78 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)Economists compared average commute times in three neighborhoods before and after a new rail station opened. |…
  34. Q79 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)Researchers measured the time required for two groups to locate a target symbol in a visual display. | Display type |…
  35. Q80 · InferencesStudents often rate rereading their notes as a highly effective study method because the material feels familiar and…
  36. Q81 · InferencesDetailed worked examples reduce the mental effort required for beginners learning a new skill, but the same level of…
  37. Q82 · Central Ideas and DetailsAn archivist comparing drafts of a speech finds that the speaker repeatedly replaced absolute claims such as “this…
  38. Q106 · Command of Evidence (textual)Freshwater stickleback fish in many separate lakes have independently evolved reduced pelvic armor, and researchers…
  39. Q107 · Command of Evidence (textual)A population of Italian wall lizards introduced to a new island developed larger heads and new internal gut structures…
  40. Q108 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A conservation team counted nests of a shorebird before and after closing one section of beach to vehicles during…
  41. Q109 · InferencesWhen high schools shift their start times later in the morning, students often end up sleeping longer on school…
  42. Q110 · Central Ideas and DetailsResearchers analyzing a century of bird observations found that several species now arrive at northern breeding…
  43. Q121 · Command of Evidence (textual)Researchers studying mosquito populations living within the London Underground transit system found that these…
  44. Q122 · Command of Evidence (textual)The ability to digest lactose into adulthood is associated with different genetic regulatory variants in European…
  45. Q123 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A study compared two ways of estimating the age of the same archaeological samples against independently established…
  46. Q124 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A laboratory measured enzyme activity at three temperatures. | Temperature | Relative enzyme activity | |---|---| | 15…
  47. Q125 · InferencesStudents who are chronically absent from school tend to score lower on academic assessments than students with regular…
  48. Q126 · InferencesA coffee shop began offering a punch card that gives customers a free drink after ten purchases. Over the following…
  49. Q155 · Command of Evidence (textual)The classic story of the peppered moth describes dark-colored moths becoming more common in polluted regions of…
  50. Q156 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)Students read passages presented in two font sizes. Researchers then measured average reading speed. | Font size |…
  51. Q157 · InferencesIn a randomized housing-mobility program, some families were given assistance to move from high-poverty to…
  52. Q158 · InferencesA city library added a small children's reading nook with soft chairs and colorful rugs. Within a month, the number of…
  53. Q164 · Command of Evidence (textual)In Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, intense ivory poaching during a period of civil conflict was followed by a…
  54. Q165 · Command of Evidence (textual)Killifish populations living in several heavily polluted American estuaries independently evolved tolerance to toxic…
  55. Q166 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A historian counted the number of advertisements for three kinds of products in two issues of the same newspaper, one…
  56. Q167 · InferencesField experiments have found that text-message reminders linked to a specific savings goal, such as saving for a…
  57. Q168 · InferencesA dog trainer noticed that puppies who were introduced to many different sounds, surfaces, and people during their…
  58. Q183 · Command of Evidence (textual)Galápagos flightless cormorants have small, reduced wings along with genetic changes in pathways related to skeletal…
  59. Q184 · Command of Evidence (textual)Bacterial resistance to a particular antibiotic often declines after the antibiotic is used less frequently, because…
  60. Q185 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)Researchers surveyed the same participants before and after a public-information campaign. | Response | Before | After…
  61. Q186 · InferencesThe rapid expansion of a mobile money service in Kenya allowed households to send and receive financial transfers…
  62. Q187 · Central Ideas and DetailsA linguist recorded speakers from three neighboring towns and found that younger speakers used several pronunciations…
  63. Q202 · Command of Evidence (textual)In a decades-long laboratory evolution experiment, one population of E. coli bacteria evolved the ability to use…
  64. Q203 · Command of Evidence (textual)A local bakery owner claims that switching to a new flour supplier improved the taste of their bread. Which finding…
  65. Q204 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A community garden measured tomato yield in plots receiving two watering schedules. | Schedule | Average yield per…
  66. Q205 · InferencesStudies of mandatory calorie labeling on restaurant menus have found that, on average, customers make only modest…
  67. Q206 · InferencesIn a Victorian novel, a wealthy character repeatedly insists that he has no interest in his estranged daughter's…
  68. Q236 · Command of Evidence (textual)Many snowshoe hares molt to white fur for winter camouflage largely in response to seasonal changes in daylight…
  69. Q237 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A scientist tested material strength after two treatments at two temperatures. | Treatment | 20 C strength | 60 C…
  70. Q238 · InferencesHome energy reports that compare a household's electricity use to that of similar neighboring households have been…
  71. Q255 · Command of Evidence (textual)A genetic variant called CCR5-Δ32, which provides resistance to some strains of HIV, is relatively common in parts of…
  72. Q256 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A city tested two tree-planting designs on blocks with similar starting summer temperatures. | Design | Mean afternoon…
  73. Q257 · InferencesRandomized studies of employment assistance programs have often found that services such as job counseling,…
  74. Q273 · Command of Evidence (textual)Populations of Mexican cavefish living in separate, isolated caves have independently evolved reduced eyes and…
  75. Q274 · Command of Evidence (quantitative)A study tracked two measures after participants learned a new procedure. | Test time | Accuracy | Average completion…
  76. Q275 · Central Ideas and DetailsA coastal town restored a salt marsh along a section of shoreline that had previously been protected by a concrete…
  77. Q288 · Command of Evidence (textual)Parasitic dodder plant seedlings have been observed growing directionally toward nearby host plants before making any…
  78. Q289 · Central Ideas and DetailsA literary critic notes that a novelist introduces a minor character as boastful and unreliable, encouraging readers…

Craft and Structure

  1. Q10 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Excavators at the Shanidar Cave site in Iraq found dense clusters of ancient pollen surrounding a…
  2. Q11 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** An architecture critic praises a newly restored cathedral facade for faithfully preserving the building's…
  3. Q12 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** A restaurant critic praises a new restaurant for its creative menu, noting that several dishes combine…
  4. Q16 · Words in ContextFor decades, a leading textbook's account of a chemical reaction mechanism went essentially unquestioned, cited in…
  5. Q17 · Words in ContextCritics initially found the sculptor's use of industrial scrap metal ______, associating fine art with traditional…
  6. Q18 · Text Structure and PurposeFor over a century, the standard account of a particular insect's mating call held that its pitch was fixed by body…
  7. Q19 · Text Structure and PurposeA school newsletter article begins by describing a common problem many students face: forgetting locker combinations.…
  8. Q37 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Forest ecologists studying fire-adapted ecosystems have found that regular, carefully controlled…
  9. Q38 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** A philosopher argues that translated poetry inevitably loses something essential from the original, since…
  10. Q39 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** A city council member argues that the new bike lanes have made downtown streets safer for cyclists, citing…
  11. Q42 · Words in ContextFor years, the committee's decisions on grant funding had been made behind closed doors, with no public record of how…
  12. Q43 · Words in ContextThe new employee asked so many thoughtful questions during her first week that her manager described her as remarkably…
  13. Q44 · Text Structure and PurposeFor most of the twentieth century, a particular species of deep-sea fish was known only from a handful of damaged…
  14. Q45 · Text Structure and PurposeA music historian's article opens by describing the immediate, largely negative reception of a composer's…
  15. Q61 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Early observational studies that tracked postmenopausal women over time found that those who chose to take…
  16. Q62 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** A literary scholar argues that a poet's frequent use of nautical imagery, ships, storms, harbors,…
  17. Q63 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Observational studies found that people whose diets were naturally high in antioxidant-rich foods,…
  18. Q66 · Words in ContextThe philosopher's argument was widely admired for its ______, building each conclusion so carefully on the last that…
  19. Q67 · Words in ContextThe playwright's dialogue was praised for its ______ quality, capturing the rhythms and hesitations of real…
  20. Q68 · Text Structure and PurposeA city government's initial traffic study concluded that a proposed highway expansion would reduce commute times by…
  21. Q83 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Nutritional studies have long noted that beta-carotene, an antioxidant compound abundant in many fruits and…
  22. Q84 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Public health researchers studying organized breast-cancer screening programs have found that regular…
  23. Q85 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Large cohort studies following hundreds of thousands of participants over many years have found that people…
  24. Q88 · Words in ContextThe endorsement was carefully ______: the committee praised the drug's early results while explicitly declining to…
  25. Q89 · Words in ContextAlthough the two research teams had reached their conclusions independently, using different methods and working in…
  26. Q90 · Text Structure and PurposeA widely cited economic model predicted that a particular trade policy would reduce domestic manufacturing employment…
  27. Q111 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Older observational studies tracking large populations found that people who drank moderate amounts of red…
  28. Q112 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Radiologists note that MRI scans of patients experiencing back pain frequently reveal structural…
  29. Q115 · Words in ContextThe senator's speech was praised for its ______ argument, one that moved logically from a single observation to a…
  30. Q116 · Words in ContextBecause the two archives were assembled for different purposes, their records are not directly comparable. The…
  31. Q117 · Text Structure and PurposeGPS measurements show that the Himalayan mountain range continues to rise tectonically by several millimeters each…
  32. Q127 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Orthopedic surgeons have long reasoned that arthroscopic surgery to wash out or trim damaged cartilage in…
  33. Q128 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Surgeons have traditionally treated appendicitis with prompt appendectomy, viewing surgical removal of the…
  34. Q131 · Words in ContextThe committee's report was praised for its unusually ______ tone, acknowledging the limitations of its own data and…
  35. Q132 · Words in ContextThe old contract's language was so ______ that two lawyers reviewing the same clause reached entirely opposite…
  36. Q133 · Text Structure and PurposeA classicist's essay on an ancient Greek tragedy begins by summarizing the play's central plot, then shifts to…
  37. Q159 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** For years, pediatric guidance recommended that parents of infants at high risk for food allergies avoid…
  38. Q160 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** An early single-center study suggested that keeping critically ill patients' blood sugar within a very…
  39. Q161 · Words in ContextThe city's new zoning proposal drew criticism for being needlessly ______, requiring separate permits and reviews for…
  40. Q162 · Words in ContextCritics initially dismissed the small startup's technology as a minor novelty, but within five years it had become so…
  41. Q163 · Text Structure and PurposeLizards living in cities have been found to have differences in limb length and toe-pad structure compared to their…
  42. Q169 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Physicians have long reasoned that compression stockings should help prevent dangerous blood clots in…
  43. Q170 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** An influential early study reported that holding an expansive, "powerful" body posture for a few minutes…
  44. Q173 · Words in ContextThe professor's lecture style was notoriously ______, weaving through several tangential stories before eventually,…
  45. Q174 · Words in ContextThe new measurements did not overturn the earlier estimate, but they substantially ______ the range of values…
  46. Q175 · Text Structure and PurposeFor centuries, a particular fresco was attributed to a minor, largely forgotten painter based on a signature in the…
  47. Q188 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** An influential early experiment asked participants to hold a pen in their mouth in a way that activated…
  48. Q189 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Psychologists have described a pattern in which people who perform poorly on a task tend to overestimate…
  49. Q192 · Words in ContextThe panel's report was criticized for reaching a conclusion that seemed ______ by the limited data actually presented,…
  50. Q193 · Words in ContextThe two proposals seemed at first to be entirely different approaches, but a closer reading revealed several ______…
  51. Q194 · Text Structure and PurposeBefore widespread vaccination, the United States recorded hundreds of thousands of measles cases annually. Following…
  52. Q207 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** A widely cited psychological framework describes "grit," a combination of sustained perseverance and…
  53. Q208 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Many students report a clear preference for having information presented in a particular format, such as…
  54. Q211 · Words in ContextDespite the merger announcement, financial analysts described investor confidence as ______, pointing to unusually low…
  55. Q212 · Words in ContextDespite repeated warnings from engineers about the design's structural weaknesses, management remained ______,…
  56. Q213 · Text Structure and PurposeMotor-vehicle deaths per mile driven in the United States fell dramatically over the course of the twentieth century,…
  57. Q239 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Laboratory studies measuring short-term outcomes have found that participants who played a violent video…
  58. Q240 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Clinical trials comparing mindfulness meditation programs to no treatment at all have found that…
  59. Q241 · Words in ContextThe scholar's argument, though built on an impressive volume of historical detail, ultimately rested on a single…
  60. Q242 · Words in ContextThe two studies appear to disagree, but the conflict is partly ______ once their sampling methods are considered: one…
  61. Q243 · Text Structure and PurposeA contagious facial tumor disease has caused severe population declines in Tasmanian devils since it first appeared,…
  62. Q258 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Advocates of open-plan office design have argued that removing walls and private offices increases…
  63. Q259 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Several cash-transfer experiments providing unconditional payments to participants have found little…
  64. Q260 · Words in ContextThe committee's final recommendation was notably ______, avoiding any specific numerical targets or firm deadlines…
  65. Q261 · Text Structure and PurposeTibetan and Andean populations living at high altitude both face similarly low oxygen levels, yet researchers have…
  66. Q276 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Advocates of rent control policies argue that limiting how much landlords can raise rent protects existing…
  67. Q277 · Words in ContextThe committee's decision to postpone the vote was met with ______ from board members who had traveled long distances…
  68. Q278 · Text Structure and PurposeRail birds have independently lost the ability to fly on many separate islands around the world, a pattern researchers…
  69. Q279 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Advocates of right-to-work laws, which prohibit requiring union membership as a condition of employment,…
  70. Q280 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Studies of paid parental leave policies have found that access to paid leave increases the amount of time…
  71. Q281 · Words in ContextThe scientist's early papers were largely ______ by the field, cited only rarely for decades until a chance discovery…
  72. Q282 · Words in ContextThe city's proposed budget contained several line items that seemed ______, appearing in the document without any…
  73. Q283 · Words in ContextYears of drought had left the reservoir at a fraction of its normal capacity, and engineers described the water supply…
  74. Q284 · Text Structure and PurposeThe Hawaiian silversword alliance includes an unusually diverse group of plants, ranging from trees to shrubs to…
  75. Q285 · Text Structure and PurposeYoung sunflower heads follow the sun's path from east to west during the day, then reorient back toward the east…
  76. Q290 · Words in ContextThe negotiator's reputation for finding a middle ground made her the obvious choice to ______ the dispute between the…
  77. Q291 · Words in ContextThe museum's new wing was praised for its ______ design, allowing visitors to move naturally from one exhibit to the…
  78. Q292 · Text Structure and PurposeGenomic studies have revealed a complex history of gene flow between polar bears and brown bears, with some…
  79. Q293 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Economists studying a particular industry have found that companies adopting a new automation technology…
  80. Q294 · Words in ContextThe startup's early investors were praised for their ______ patience, waiting nearly a decade for the company to…
  81. Q295 · Words in ContextThe biographer avoids treating the subject’s diary as a transparent record of events. Because the entries were often…
  82. Q296 · Text Structure and PurposeA city's initial plan to convert an abandoned rail line into a public walking path was projected to cost relatively…
  83. Q297 · Cross-Text Connections**Text 1** Nutrition researchers studying large populations have found that people who report eating diets high in…
  84. Q298 · Text Structure and PurposeA small manufacturing company initially resisted adopting new automated equipment, citing the high upfront cost…

Expression of Ideas

  1. Q13 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched fast radio bursts and compiled the following notes: - Fast radio bursts are…
  2. Q14 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched the Atacama Desert and compiled the following notes: - Parts of the Atacama receive almost no…
  3. Q15 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched public libraries and compiled the following notes: - Public libraries allow community members…
  4. Q20 · TransitionsA city's new streetlight program was expected to reduce nighttime crime by improving visibility. Crime statistics…
  5. Q21 · TransitionsA new species of frog was identified in a remote mountain range based on distinct coloration and call pattern. Genetic…
  6. Q40 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched tuned mass dampers and compiled the following notes: - A tuned mass damper is a large…
  7. Q41 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched community gardens and compiled the following notes: - Community gardens allow neighborhood…
  8. Q46 · TransitionsA pharmaceutical company reported that its new drug showed a statistically significant reduction in symptoms compared…
  9. Q47 · TransitionsThe team practiced every day for two months leading up to the tournament. ______, they won the championship for the…
  10. Q64 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched Helicobacter pylori and compiled the following notes: - H. pylori is a bacterium that…
  11. Q65 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched CAR-T cell therapy and compiled the following notes: - CAR-T therapy involves modifying a…
  12. Q69 · TransitionsThe startup's founders had projected profitability within its first eighteen months of operation. ______, rising costs…
  13. Q70 · TransitionsThe weather forecast predicted heavy rain for the entire weekend. ______, the skies remained clear and sunny for both…
  14. Q86 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched mRNA vaccine technology and compiled the following notes: - mRNA vaccines deliver genetic…
  15. Q87 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched bariatric surgery and its effect on type 2 diabetes and compiled the following notes: -…
  16. Q91 · TransitionsA new species of orchid was discovered in a remote cloud forest, and initial genetic analysis suggested it was closely…
  17. Q92 · TransitionsThe volunteer program initially struggled to attract participants in its first year. ______, word of mouth from early…
  18. Q113 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched wastewater disease surveillance and compiled the following notes: - Infected people can shed…
  19. Q114 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched Wolbachia-based mosquito programs and compiled the following notes: - Wolbachia bacteria can…
  20. Q118 · TransitionsThe city's new recycling program was projected to reduce landfill waste by a third within its first year. ______,…
  21. Q119 · TransitionsThe archaeological team had expected to find pottery fragments at the site based on similar excavations nearby.…
  22. Q129 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched the Guinea worm eradication campaign and compiled the following notes: - Guinea worm disease…
  23. Q130 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched iodized salt programs and compiled the following notes: - Iodine deficiency can cause goiter…
  24. Q134 · TransitionsThe new water treatment facility was designed to handle the city's projected population growth for the next thirty…
  25. Q135 · TransitionsThe company's first product launch failed to attract significant customer interest. Its second product, ______, sold…
  26. Q149 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched ring vaccination strategy and compiled the following notes: - Ring vaccination targets the…
  27. Q150 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched syringe service programs and compiled the following notes: - Syringe service programs provide…
  28. Q151 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched naloxone distribution programs and compiled the following notes: - Naloxone reverses the…
  29. Q152 · TransitionsThe pilot program was designed to test whether small classroom sizes alone could improve reading scores, holding every…
  30. Q153 · TransitionsThe museum's new acquisition was initially believed to be a minor work from an unknown regional painter. ______,…
  31. Q154 · TransitionsThe company's customer service ratings had declined steadily for three consecutive years. ______, after a new training…
  32. Q171 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched study techniques and compiled the following notes: - Massed practice, or cramming, often…
  33. Q172 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched context-dependent memory and compiled the following notes: - Recall can improve when the…
  34. Q176 · TransitionsThe startup's engineers had built their entire system assuming that user demand would be highest during weekday…
  35. Q177 · TransitionsThe restaurant's original menu featured over sixty dishes, many of which sold only a handful of times per month.…
  36. Q190 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched flashbulb memories and compiled the following notes: - People often report vivid, detailed…
  37. Q191 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched the peak-end rule in psychology and compiled the following notes: - People's retrospective…
  38. Q195 · TransitionsThe airline's new boarding procedure was tested extensively in simulations and was projected to reduce average…
  39. Q196 · TransitionsThe novelist's early manuscripts were rejected by every publisher she approached over nearly a decade. ______, her…
  40. Q209 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched the choice blindness phenomenon and compiled the following notes: - In some experiments,…
  41. Q210 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched inattentional blindness and compiled the following notes: - People focused intently on one…
  42. Q214 · TransitionsThe new employee training program was expected to reduce the number of workplace safety incidents within its first…
  43. Q215 · TransitionsThe town's annual festival had drawn modest crowds for over a decade. ______, a single viral social media post about…
  44. Q231 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched the serial position effect and compiled the following notes: - Items presented at the…
  45. Q232 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched the Stroop effect and compiled the following notes: - People are slower to name the ink color…
  46. Q233 · TransitionsThe pharmaceutical company had projected that its new drug would face little competition for at least five years after…
  47. Q234 · TransitionsThe city's bike-share program lost money in each of its first three years of operation. ______, ridership had grown…
  48. Q235 · TransitionsThe archaeologist had spent years searching for evidence of the ancient trade route based on written historical…
  49. Q251 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched the McGurk effect and compiled the following notes: - Viewing one mouth movement while…
  50. Q252 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched the Moving to Opportunity housing experiment and compiled the following notes: - The program…
  51. Q253 · TransitionsThe city had invested heavily in a new light-rail line, projecting that it would draw riders away from congested…
  52. Q254 · TransitionsThe small bakery had struggled to attract customers throughout its first winter in business. ______, a local food…
  53. Q269 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched résumé audit studies and compiled the following notes: - Audit studies send matched résumés…
  54. Q270 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched the broken-windows policing theory and compiled the following notes: - The broken-windows…
  55. Q271 · TransitionsThe city council had assured residents that the new tax would fund only road repairs. ______, an audit later revealed…
  56. Q272 · TransitionsThe small nonprofit had relied entirely on volunteer labor for its first five years. ______, growing demand for its…
  57. Q286 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched lead exposure and compiled the following notes: - Lead is a neurotoxin, and no blood lead…
  58. Q287 · Rhetorical SynthesisA student has researched historical redlining and present-day urban temperatures and compiled the following notes: -…
  59. Q299 · TransitionsThe city's bid to host the international conference was considered a long shot given its limited experience hosting…
  60. Q300 · TransitionsThe research team had budgeted six months to complete the field study. ______, unexpected equipment failures and…

Standard English Conventions

  1. Q22 · BoundariesA marine biologist who had spent thirty years studying a single coral reef system ______ she had witnessed nearly the…
  2. Q23 · BoundariesThe observatory's oldest telescope, ______ has been in continuous use since 1932, still produces images sharp enough…
  3. Q24 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe committee's recommendation was more cautious than ______ made by the previous panel three years earlier. Which…
  4. Q25 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe museum's newest exhibit ______ open to the public every day except Monday. Which choice completes the text so that…
  5. Q48 · BoundariesThe committee's final report, ______ took nearly eighteen months to complete, recommended sweeping changes to the…
  6. Q49 · BoundariesThe volunteers cleaned the park ______ tired but satisfied with their work. Which choice completes the text so that it…
  7. Q50 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe archive contains letters, photographs, and ______ that together document the family's three generations in the…
  8. Q51 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe board members reviewed the proposal and each gave ______ own assessment before the final vote. Which choice…
  9. Q71 · BoundariesThe archive's most fragile documents ______ handled only with cotton gloves and under controlled lighting, are stored…
  10. Q72 · BoundariesThe recipe requires three main ingredients ______ flour, butter, and sugar. Which choice completes the text so that it…
  11. Q73 · Form, Structure, and SenseBy next spring, the restoration team ______ every damaged fresco in the chapel, a project that began nearly a decade…
  12. Q74 · Form, Structure, and SenseEvery student in the class ______ required to submit the project by Friday. Which choice completes the text so that it…
  13. Q93 · BoundariesThe exhibit's centerpiece, a reconstructed skeleton assembled from fossils recovered at three separate sites decades…
  14. Q94 · BoundariesVisitors to the botanical garden are asked to stay on the marked paths ______ the soil around the root systems can…
  15. Q95 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe committee, along with its three subcommittees, ______ scheduled to present its final recommendations at next…
  16. Q96 · Form, Structure, and SenseFrustrated by months of unreliable internet service in their rural neighborhood, ______ Which choice most logically…
  17. Q97 · BoundariesThe conservator's notes, kept in a private journal never intended for publication, ______ became the primary source…
  18. Q98 · BoundariesThe city council rejected the initial budget proposal ______ a revised version, submitted only two weeks later, passed…
  19. Q99 · BoundariesThe lighthouse keeper's logbook records decades of shipping traffic ______ storms, near misses, and the occasional…
  20. Q100 · BoundariesEverything about the abandoned factory ______ its rusted machinery, shattered windows, and collapsed roof, suggested…
  21. Q101 · Form, Structure, and SenseBy the time investigators finally traced the source of the contamination, the affected water supply ______ several…
  22. Q102 · Form, Structure, and SenseEach of the finalists submitted a portfolio, but only one demonstrated the originality that the judges felt ______…
  23. Q103 · Form, Structure, and SenseWalking quickly through the crowded terminal, the suitcase nearly tripped a passing traveler. Which choice best…
  24. Q104 · Form, Structure, and SenseEach of the students in the discussion group ______ a chance to reconsider their initial answer before the class moved…
  25. Q105 · Form, Structure, and SenseAfter reviewing the applications for nearly a week, the position was finally offered to the most qualified candidate…
  26. Q120 · BoundariesThe orchestra's conductor insisted on a full dress rehearsal ______ every musician had already performed the piece…
  27. Q136 · BoundariesThe photograph was faded and deeply creased from decades in a shoebox ______ however, it turned out to be the only…
  28. Q137 · BoundariesThe town's oldest surviving building ______ a converted grain mill from the 1850s, now houses a small local history…
  29. Q138 · Form, Structure, and SenseBy the time the exhibition opened, the restoration project ______ nearly three years of the conservator’s working…
  30. Q139 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe board of directors, despite representing several competing business interests, ______ in complete agreement on the…
  31. Q140 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe new printer works faster and ______ than the model it replaced. Which choice completes the text so that it…
  32. Q141 · BoundariesThe manuscript's final chapter ______ discovered in a locked drawer decades after the author's death, changed how…
  33. Q142 · BoundariesThe city's water supply comes from a single reservoir ______ a fact that has worried engineers since a nearby wildfire…
  34. Q143 · BoundariesThe research vessel carried enough supplies for six months ______ far more than the original three-month expedition…
  35. Q144 · BoundariesThe archive's climate-control system ______ installed only after a flood damaged several rare manuscripts ______ now…
  36. Q145 · Form, Structure, and SenseBy the time the new librarian finished cataloging the rare-book collection, previous staff members ______ several…
  37. Q146 · Form, Structure, and SenseNeither the original blueprint nor any of the later revisions ______ how the building's foundation would handle the…
  38. Q147 · Form, Structure, and SenseDetermined to finish the marathon despite a sprained ankle, ______ Which choice most logically and grammatically…
  39. Q148 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe novel's ending, along with several plot threads left unresolved in the middle chapters, ______ frustrated many…
  40. Q178 · BoundariesThe observatory's newest telescope ______ built with funding from three separate international partners ______ will…
  41. Q179 · BoundariesThe vineyard's harvest depends on a delicate balance ______ too much rain rots the grapes, and too little leaves them…
  42. Q180 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe novelist's prose is often compared to that of her mentor, though her sentences tend to be longer and considerably…
  43. Q181 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe panel of judges, despite scoring the routines independently and without conferring, ______ remarkably close…
  44. Q182 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe professor's lecture covered three main topics: the causes of the conflict, its major battles, and ______. Which…
  45. Q197 · BoundariesThe marginal notes were added by an unknown reader a century after the manuscript was written ______ nevertheless,…
  46. Q198 · BoundariesThe expedition's final report listed everything the team had recovered ______ mineral samples, photographs, and…
  47. Q199 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe report's conclusions were nearly identical to ______ published by the rival laboratory the year before. Which…
  48. Q200 · Form, Structure, and SenseEvery one of the manuscript's marginal annotations ______ carefully cross-referenced against the original text before…
  49. Q201 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe results of the experiment ______ published in a peer-reviewed journal next spring. Which choice completes the text…
  50. Q216 · BoundariesThe bridge's original engineer ______ largely forgotten by history until a researcher rediscovered his detailed…
  51. Q217 · BoundariesThe chef's tasting menu changes seasonally ______ winter brings root vegetables and slow-braised dishes, while summer…
  52. Q218 · Form, Structure, and SenseWhichever intern finishes the data entry first ______ responsible for double-checking the totals before the deadline.…
  53. Q219 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe council of elders, despite having no formal legal authority in the modern government, ______ still consulted on…
  54. Q220 · Form, Structure, and SenseTrained specifically to identify counterfeit currency, ______ Which choice most logically and grammatically completes…
  55. Q221 · BoundariesThe retired judge's memoir ______ published quietly by a small university press ______ became required reading in law…
  56. Q222 · BoundariesThe satellite's onboard computer failed less than a year into the mission ______ a setback that forced engineers to…
  57. Q223 · BoundariesThe orchestra's principal cellist ______ who had performed with the ensemble for over thirty years ______ announced…
  58. Q224 · BoundariesThe vaccine trial enrolled volunteers from twelve countries ______ a scale that allowed researchers to detect rare…
  59. Q225 · BoundariesEvery artifact in the collection ______ from the smallest coin to the largest sarcophagus ______ has been individually…
  60. Q226 · Form, Structure, and SenseBy the time researchers sequenced the tumor's genome, the cancer ______ resistant to three separate rounds of…
  61. Q227 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe design team presented two prototypes, but the client found ______ appealing enough to move into production. Which…
  62. Q228 · Form, Structure, and SenseExhausted from the long flight and eager to see the exhibit before closing time, the museum was where the tourists…
  63. Q229 · Form, Structure, and SenseEach of the museum's donated paintings ______ examined by conservators before being placed on public display. Which…
  64. Q230 · Form, Structure, and SenseHaving reviewed decades of fisheries data, the marine biologists concluded that heavy fishing pressure ______ smaller,…
  65. Q244 · BoundariesThe expedition's only surviving photograph ______ taken moments before the storm that claimed three lives ______ hangs…
  66. Q245 · BoundariesThe contract required approval from every department ______ finance, legal, and operations ______ before it could be…
  67. Q246 · BoundariesThe lab's newest microscope can resolve details invisible to older equipment ______ individual protein molecules…
  68. Q247 · Form, Structure, and SenseWhen conservators removed the final layer of later paint, they discovered that the original plaster ______ a network…
  69. Q248 · Form, Structure, and SenseRarely ______ a proposal received such unanimous support from the committee. Which choice completes the text so that…
  70. Q249 · Form, Structure, and SenseUnaware that the bridge had been closed for repairs, ______ Which choice most logically and grammatically completes…
  71. Q250 · Form, Structure, and SenseIf the museum ______ additional funding next year, it would be able to restore the damaged wing. Which choice…
  72. Q262 · BoundariesThe lighthouse's original lens ______ removed for restoration in a distant workshop ______ will be reinstalled in time…
  73. Q263 · BoundariesThe survey asked residents about three specific concerns ______ traffic, noise, and access to green space. Which…
  74. Q264 · BoundariesThe city's oldest bookstore ______ a cramped, narrow space lined floor to ceiling with shelves ______ has occupied the…
  75. Q265 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe curator's approach to restoration was far more conservative than ______ favored by her predecessor, who often…
  76. Q266 · Form, Structure, and SenseNeither the tenants' association nor the individual landlords ______ willing to compromise on the proposed rent…
  77. Q267 · Form, Structure, and SenseReluctant to abandon a project that had consumed years of research, ______ Which choice most logically and…
  78. Q268 · Form, Structure, and SenseThe exhibit's centerpiece is a set of tools whose age and craftsmanship ______ remarkable for the period in which they…