March 2012 SAT I Critical Reading Thread

<p>A blanket can be “dark”…does that make it sinister? No, it makes it a blanket that is dark.</p>

<p>@Monepo
I’m not sure what difference that would make because the entire story, including the 1st paragraph, was a description that the author provided. There is still no concrete proof that it was vital, I felt that she felt sorta impartial about her Chinese cultural identity, especially in the beginining because the descriptions are sort of neutral.</p>

<p>Can someone explain why the electoral college one was “divided among battleground states” rather than “peoples opinions not represented” or whatever? or were those 2 different questions?</p>

<p>@msteiny1212
But dark was definitely not used in the color/shade sense. Also why would a blanket be dark. Dark is an adjective–if not used to define dark corridors or alleys–used to describe sinister things in my opinion.</p>

<p>I put people’s opinions weren’t represented for an answer, fairly sure.</p>

<p>@michael
I think it … was describing the color/shade? What else could it be describing? I think you’re reading too much into it.</p>

<p>hmmm, maybe if I had the exact sentence, I could make sure. Ok now im not as confident. If dark was used as shade then :/</p>

<p>Yeah it was “dark mahogoney” (spelling is so wrong), I think. Who really knows at this point, though, haha?</p>

<p>In the sentences indicated by the question, what led anyone to believe that the chest was described as regal?</p>

<p>Regal

  1. Of or relating to a monarch; royal.
  2. Belonging to or befitting a monarch: regal attire.
  3. Magnificent; splendid.</p>

<p>did someone get like conformity for a chaplin question???</p>

<p>It held court with the other furniture.</p>

<p>I don’t know what on earth I was doing when I saw that question, probably, sleeping, because I said familiar… hahaha. “the trunk had everything…secrets, history, china stuff…blah blah” = vital (the “important” definition, not the definition that it is necessary to live). I said it wasn’t regal because it stood in a corner with some other things, and the footnote said that those were like famous and beautiful furniture. Dark and clawing tiger stuff seemed kind of sinister. And sinister and imposing both seemed to have a similar connotation to me, so I eliminated both. I don’t know, I said familiar because of the part where she was fiddling with the handle or whatever, so it seemed like she was kind of unfamiliar with it. I thought she was familiar with that one dress thing from her great aunt, but nothing in the lines seemed to suggest that she was familiar with the actual chest. </p>

<p>^just trying to make myself feel better since I immediately eliminated sinister, and that’s the answer most people are agreeing on hahaha.</p>

<p>THANK ME NOW
Chinese passage is portions of this: [Bound</a> feet and Western dress - Pang-Mei Natasha Chang - Google Books](<a href=“Bound Feet & Western Dress: A Memoir - Pang-Mei Chang - Google Books”>Bound Feet & Western Dress: A Memoir - Pang-Mei Chang - Google Books)</p>

<p>Start from the prologue at the beginning. It seems that “dark” is an aesthetic element, so maybe sinister?</p>

<p>The carved mahogany trunk from China still stands in the living room of my parents’ home in Connecticut, the house where I grew up. Dark and gleaming, its carved tiger-claw feet grip the ground tenaciously, holding court in a corner of the room shared by Eames and Le Corbusier. I go to the trunk, fiddling with its complicated brass fixtures, and throw back the heavy lid. There is everything in this trunk: the secrets of China, the smell of camphor and clothing, dresses of another time and place.</p>

<p>ok, I think the answer is sinister now. Aww man.</p>

<p>Any chance that regal was the right answer to the chest question? I have a hard time seeing how “held court” discounts the possibility…although it diminishes it.</p>

<p>is the experimental question for research purposes only or does it affect ur score?</p>

<p>I wish collegeboard would have used “important” instead of “vital”</p>

<p>Experimental sections are for research purposes only and do not impact score in any way. That’s why no one bothers to discuss them because…who cares.</p>

<p>The experimental section does not affect your score. You could theoretically guess which section is experimental, guess blindly, and still get a 2400 if you answer the other sections perfectly.</p>