Some CR answers are just SO CLOSE!

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>How on Earth can I distinguish between them? I always get tripped up on these. Here are some examples all from one section:</p>

<ol>
<li>With its large circulation, Essence magazine has enjoyed ---- only recently challenged by new publications aggressively seeking female African American readers.</li>
</ol>

<p>A. an aggregation
B. an inclination
C. a prognosis
D. a retrenchment
E. a preeminence</p>

<p>Both A and E make PERFECT sense. A makes sense because an aggregation is something composed of diverse parts, and the absence of female African American readers would reduce the diversity of its demographics. E makes sense because a stealing of an audience would harm its preeminence.</p>

<p>"Raindrops pounded the hard streets, captured the dim silver glow of street lamps, bounced against sidewalks in glistening sparks, then disappeared like tiny ephemeral jewels, into the darkness."</p>

<ol>
<li>Lines 4-8 ("Raindrops... darkness") are particularly notable for their</li>
</ol>

<p>A. despairing mood
B. vivid imagery
C. humorous wordplay
D. nostalgic atmosphere
E. abstract language</p>

<p>How can you discern between A and B? They're both equally true!</p>

<p>"A girl came out of the building next door, a jump rope in her hand. She appraised me shyly; I pretended to ignore her. She stepped on the rope, stretched the ends overhead as if to measure their length, and then began to skip, slowly, grunting each time she came down on the sidewalk. Swish splat grunt swish, she turned her back to me; swish splat grunt swish, she faced me again and smiled. I smiled back, and she hopped over."</p>

<ol>
<li>Which of the following best describes the initial reaction of the "girl" (line 23) and the narrator?</li>
</ol>

<p>A. Neither was in a mood to hear something new.
B. Neither wanted to show her fear of the other.
C. They acted as if they already knew each other.
D. They studied each other suspiciously.
E. They cautiously took note of each other.</p>

<p>How do you discern between D and E?</p>

<p>I'll say the answers in a later post. If I told you them right away then you'd try to rationalize it. First of explain these, and secondly, please tell me how to decide between REALLY close answers in the future. </p>

2

<h1>20… there is no evidence that shows that the girl nor the boy took note of each other… it’s logical to be shy around someone you may know (such as a crush…)</h1>

<p>think about it: if you have a crush on somebody, you are usually shy around them, right?</p>

3

<p>@medicsz Actually the narrator there (I forgot to add) is a girl who just moved in to Brooklyn, NY. So that may change your interpretation of the dynamics there. </p>

4

<p>@BassGuitar - Are the answers E, B, E? If so, I could provide an explanation for all three.</p>

5

<p>@EngineBus2015 They are exactly those! Do tell!</p>

6

<h1>4 I’m not sure how to explain this but I would choose E because i “feel” it has more strength in the sentence.</h1>

<h1>5 -B- THE SENTENCE ALONE only shows that the writers closely pays attention to details in her description.</h1>

<p>It does show a dark scene, yet it does not necesarrily convey a bad mood, not even close to “despairing”-which is too strong a word. In fact, it does not have any word (i mean, at all) that convey a poor mood. It only describes the raindrops bounce from here and bounce from there, then turn into jewels and disappear. In fact, I think it convey a comical journey of the raindrops.
Btw, don’t get tricked by the “into the darkness”, it just sketches the “dark scene”, not “dark mood”.</p>

<p>@BassGuitar‌ @medicsz‌ Actually, I think the answer for #20 is E. The key terms to distinguish these sentences are not quite between “studied” and “took note”, which, in fact, I don’t think they studied each other, but is between “suspicious” and “cautious”. In this case, they just carefully pay attention to each other’s behaviors and reactions.
While “suspicious” often gives a feeling of guilt and distrust, it conveys a totally bad mood here: it is as if the girls are watching to mock each other. </p>

<p>Still, what are the answers lol? Correct me if I’m wrong.</p>

7

<p>@Phongtheha‌ Those are the correct answers! Nice explanations btw</p>

8

<p>Seeing as @Phongtheha‌ has already replied, I’ll just add to what he/she said.</p>

<p>4) Yeah - just go with your gut feel. “Preeminence” sounds better since it speaks more to the competitiveness of the existing magazine, which was threatened by new publications. An “aggregation” refers to a collection, which doesn’t quite fit in this context.</p>

<p>17) Agreed with the above</p>

<p>20) There’s nothing suspicious about a shy appraisal, a smile and a hop. Rather, the shyness conveys a cautious tone. Thus, E is the correct answer.</p>

9

<p>What’s the source of these questions?</p>

10

<p>@CHD2013 First edition Blue Book.</p>

11

<p>Yeah, it should be E for the last question as there was no evidence of them being “suspicious” of each other (Just two new people). When two people meet, they would usually be “cautious” with one another and follow standard routine, especially if its in literature. The comparison in the question is most likely between those two words, and therefore cautious sounds less harmful for the situation.</p>