<p>Hi everyone and thanks for reading this!
So I took the first practice test in the Official SAT Study Guide yesterday, and I just had a few questions that I got wrong and I really didn’t understand how they got the right answer. I was wondering if anyone of you had an explanation…</p>
<p>Section 2 - page 393 (all of these questions are about the passage concerning misconceptions of Native Americans)
14. In line 12, “charged” most nearly means
a. commanded
b. indicated
c. replenished
d. inspired
e. attacked
I narrowed it down to a and d and then picked d, which was right but when I looked at it again, I actually thought that a was a better answer since “inspired” is not actually a definition of “charged”, but “commanded” is.</p>
<li><p>The phrase “international crowd pleaser” (line 28) refers to
a. an anthropological fallacy
b. an entertaining novelty
c. a harmless deception
d. a beneficial error
e. a cultural revolution
I narrowed it down to a and c, and then picked c but the right answer was a. I can kind of understand their reasoning, but it’s still a little confusing.</p></li>
<li><p>In lines 66-70, the author portrays Western historians as
a. oblivious to the value of archaeological research
b. disadvantaged by an overly narrow methodology
c. excessively impressed by prestigious credentials
d. well meaning but apt to do more harm than good
e. anxious to contradict the faulty conclusions of their predecessors
I narrowed it down to a and b and then picked a but the correct answer was b.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Section 7
8. The primatologist has argued that sustained observation of a few animals (provides better behavioral data than does intermittent observation of many animals).
a. as is
b. provides better behavioral data than many animals are observed intermittently
c. providing better behavioral data than does intermittent observation of many animals
d. do provide better behavioral data than intermittent observation of many animals do
e. in contrast to intermittent observation of many animals, provides better behavioral data
I picked e but it was a </p>
<li>(With billions of tons) yet to be mined, some argue that coal conservation measures are unnecessary.
a. as is
b. because billions of tons of coal are
c. because of coal in billions of tons
d. by considering that there are billions of tons
e. aware of the coal in billions of tons
I picked a but the correct answer was b. Shouldn’t b be wrong because it should be “because of tons of coal have” (not are) yet to be mined?</li>
</ol>
<p>Section 8 - double passage
10. In line 6, “modest” most nearly means
a. shy
b. self-conscious
c. secretive
d. decent
e. moderate
I picked b but the correct answer was e. </p>
<li>In the context of Passage 1, “insignificant” (line 21) suggests that
a. Jerry’s lying is unlikely to have major consequences in Africa
b. Jerry does not realize how commonplace his behavior is in Africa
c. Jerry has lost the ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy
d. the narrator’s own reputation has been harmed by association with Jerry
e. the narrator believes Jerry’s behavior is silly
I picked e but the correct answer was a. </li>
</ol>
<p>I’m probably going to end up getting the BB solutions manual but sometimes, their answer explanations are not the best (just restating the question and plugging in the correct answer). Is it any good?
Also, it seems that I’m having some trouble with critical reading sections. I had thought that I had done pretty well but it turns out that I missed a total of 6 in one practice test 
I’m averaging about a 219 on PSAT and from 2100-2200 on SAT, so is there anything I can still do to raise my score other than just doing practice test? (I’m taking PSAT this fall and SAT next spring)
Thanks! I really appreciate all your advice! :)</p>