I took Model Test 4 in my Barron’s New SAT practice book today, and here were some doubts I had to whether the answer key was valid or not:
Question 23: The primary purpose of the passage is to:
A) report on controversial new discoveries about spider behavior
B) summarize what is known about the physical and social responses of tarantulas
C) challenge the findings of historic laboratory experiments involving tarantulas
D) discuss the physical adaptations that make tarantulas unique
The right answer was B, according the the answer key. However, the passage never talks about the SOCIAL responses of tarantulas, only physical responses. However, the passage does discuss the three types of touch that tarantulas possess, which are all physical adaptations. The solution only explains how A and C are wrong, but never specifies how question D is also wrong.
Question 32: in this one, the answer key and the solution contradicted themselves.
Question 50: same thing here; the solution talks about the right answer, but it contradicts the answer that is listed in the answer key.
(If anyone has the Barron’s New SAT book, 28th edition with 5 model tests and a study prep thing, could you let me know whether you encountered these problems also?)
Are these types of mistakes common? This was the second time I’ve found a mistake in the Barron’s book, and the first time that I’ve gotten three dubious answers in one test. If so, can I trust the Barron’s book to gauge my SAT scores in the future?