The sat skill exam 1 doc

incorrect. The passage suggests that building

materials have changed since 1970; these

asbestos-laden materials were used prior to

1970 before the various studies that show the

link between asbestos and lung cancer. Thus,

reforms in building materials have already

been made, and choice b is incorrect. The

passage describes effects of asbestos on

health, but not on the home, so choice c can￾not be correct.

7. c. The tone of this passage is informative, serving

to instruct the reader about asbestos. Choices a

and d (cautionary and admonitory) are syn￾onyms, and while the passage does show the

dangers of asbestos, the general tone is not

cautionary. Apathetic (choice b) means indif￾ferent and idiosyncratic (choice e) means dis￾tinctive, neither of which applies.

8. e. The author is writing for a lay person, mean￾ing a homeowner, parent, or student. Choices

a and d describe professionals, while b and c

describe people you would find in a school

setting, all of whom may be interested in this

information, but none of whom is the specific,

targeted audience.

9. c. This is the only choice that makes sense in the

given context. A clue to the correct answer can

be found in the prefix of the word itself—neo

means new.

10. b. While the blues may do all of the things listed

in the other answer choices, the primary pur￾pose of the blues is to lift the spirits of the lis￾tener. The passage states that it is a

fundamental principle of the blues that the

music have the power to overcome sadness

(lines 5–6).

11. a. The repetition of raw fish in the form of a

question suggests surprise, even shock, that

raw fish be included in a list of fast-food items

in the first sentence. Sushi is indeed very dif￾ferent from other types of fast foods, but the

repetition/question serves to register surprise,

not emphasize difference (choice b). The

author does not express his personal opinion

anywhere in the passage, so choice c is incor￾rect. Most sushi is raw fish, but if the author

were defining sushi (choice d), then he

wouldn’t express it as a question. The passage

does argue that sushi is much healthier than

other fast foods (choice e), but this is not sug￾gested by the repetition/question.

12. e. Line 9 states that sushi consumption in America

is 40% higher than it was in the late 1990s (five

years ago). While the other answers might be

true, they are not described in the passage.

13. b. Unpalatable may be defined as not agreeable

to taste. You might know the word palate as

the roof of the mouth, so unpalatable most

likely has to do with the sense of taste. A key

context clue is the phrase tastes have changed

(lines 2–3), suggesting that Americans have

learned to like something they once would not

have eaten.

14. d. The main idea of the passage is that sushi is a

healthy and popular fast-food alternative in

America. This is supported by specific statis￾tics cited in the passage—a 40% increase in

sushi consumption (lines 8–9) and the over

5,000 sushi bars in supermarkets (lines 11–12).

The passage does describe a few places where

sushi is sold (choice a), but that does far less to

support the main idea than the impressive

numbers. The passage does not provide any

real history of sushi in the United States before

1970, so choice b is incorrect. There is no spe￾cific comparison of sushi to other fast-food

options (choice c), just a general discussion of

a shift toward a healthier diet. The passage

does not discuss how sushi is made, so choice e

is incorrect.

–THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION–

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