with this full-length

PSAT/NMSQT

Timing The PSAT/NMSQT® has five sections. You will have 25 minutes each for
Sections 1-4 and 30 minutes for Section 5.

Scoring For each correct answer, you receive one point For questions you omit, you
receive no points. For a wrong answer to a multiple-choice question, you lose
a quarter (•/<) of a point. For a wrong answer to a math question that is not
multiple choice, you do not lose any points.

The best way to

get ready for the
Guessing If you can eliminate one or more choices as wrong, you increase your chances
PSAT/NMSQT
of choosing the correct answer and earning one point. If you can't eliminate any
is to take the
choices, move on. You can return to the question later if there is time.
practice test.
Find time!
Marking You must mark all of your answers on your answer sheet fo receive credit. Make
Answers sure each mark is dark and completely fills the oval. If you erase, do so
completely. You may write in the test book, but you won't receive credit for
anything you write there.

Checking You may check your work on a particular section if you finish it before time is.
Answers called, but you may npj turn to any other section.

DO NOT OPEN THE TEST BOOK UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO!

Unauthorized reproduction or use of any part of this test is prohibited.

Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test

C cosponsored by
9 /!■■ NATIONAL MERIT
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4APT1

2006 PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide: Practice Test 1

TAKE THE PRACTICE TEST
Take the practice test on the following pages to become familiar with the kinds of questions (critical reading, math, and writing
skills) on the PSAT/NMSQT. The test you take in October will be similar, containing 5 sections: critical reading questions in 2
sections, math questions in 2 sections, and writing skills questions in 1 section.
Set aside time to take the entire test; you'll need about 2 hours and 10 minutes. Use the practice answer sheet on pages 3 and 4.
Have your calculator available for the math sections. After the test, check your answers and see how you did.

TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES
Try these out when you take the practice test:

■ Expect easy questions at the beginning of each set Mark your answers in the correct row of ovals on
of sentence completion questions (in the critical the answer sheet Be especially careful if you skip
reading sections) and math questions. Within a questions.
set, questions generally get harder as you go along.
However, sets of passage-based reading questions Write your answers to math questions 29 - 38

(in the critical reading sections) and writing skills in the boxes above the ovals. Then enter your
questions are not necessarily arranged by difficulty. answer accurately and as completely as the grid will
accommodate. You MUST grid the correct answer
■ Earn as many points as you can on easy questions. in the ovals to receive credit. If the correct answer
For each correct answer you receive one point, no is written above the grid, but the incorrect ovals are
matter how hard or easy the questions are. Beware of marked, the answer is incorrect. A common mistake is
careless errors on questions you know how to answer. marking two ovals in the same column, so be sure to
double-check your grids.
■ You don't have to answer every question. Vou can do
well even though you omit some questions. Try guessing when you can eliminate at least one
answer to a multiple-choice question.
■ Work steadily. Don't waste time on a question that
is hard for you. If you can't answer it, mark it in your
test book and go on. Go back to it later if there is
time. Bring a watch with you to help with pacing.

GET CREDIT FOR ALL YOU KNOW

> Mark only one answer to each question.

J> Make dark marks, and fill ovals.

|> Erase completely if you change a

response.

|> Follow instructions for grids.

p> Use a No. 2 pencil.

wrong Incomplete
column erasure

correct

2 2006 PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide: Practice Test

 mmmmm
Name,
Timing
Section Questions Time Start Stop

Critical Reading 25 min. KEEP TRACK

Mathematics 25 min. of your starting and
stopping times.
Critical Reading 25 min.
Mathematics 25 min.
Writing Skills 30 min.
(5 min. longer than 1 - 4)

The actual test will include much more space for scratchwork around each math question than is available on this practice test

Make each mark a dark mark that completely fills the oval and Is as dark as all your other marks. If you erase,
do so completely. Incomplete erasures may be read as intended responses.

2006 PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide: Practice Test 3

 Reminder: If you erase, do so completely.

21 CD CD CD CD CD 25

22 CS>, :|Cjps<Sp' © CD
23 C£> Cf)'cD CD <© 27 <3> d> CD CD CD
MATHEMATICS 24 CD CD CD CD CD 28 CD CD © CD CD
25 minutes

29 30 31 32 33

Only answers
entered In the
ovals in each
grid area will be
scored.
Mark only one
oval in any
column. You
will not receive
credit for
anything
written in the
boxes above
the ovals.

34 35 36 37

1 CD CD © © © 14 CD © © © CD 27 C£> © © © CD
2 <3) CD CD CD CD' 15 CD © © © CD 28 CD © © © ©
3 c£> CD CD, CS> <©, 16 CD © © © CD 29 C£> © © © ©
4 CS> CD Cg) .<S> Cf> 17. C2> CD CD CD Cg> 30 CD © © © CD
5 (§> CD CD CD'CD CD '(p 31 CD © © © ©
6 <£> dp © CD d> cg> cp CD -dp 32 <3D, CD q> CD CD
7 ® d> cd CD CD' 20 CS> CJD © CD (3D' 33 CS> <3D Cp CD CD
WRITING SKILLS
30 minutes
8 CD CD CD © © 21 CS> CD CD <D CJ> 34 'c£>'CD ■CD' <D; d> •
9 CD CD © © © 2* ,CS> CDs ,<§}, CD ,■<©.'.' £5 <§3j ,CD iCD.CD (M>
10 CD CD © © © 23 ® cb © CD CD 36 dp CD CD CD <i>
11 CD CD © © CD 24 CD ® © © CD 37 <3> CD ©''cD .d>!'
12 CD © © © CD 25 CD © © © CD 38 CD © © © CD
13 CD CD © © CD 26 CD © © © CD 39 <X> CD © © ©

4 2006 PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide: Practice Test

 A PRACTICE TEST
A
SECTION 1
Time — 25 minutes
24 Questions
(1-24)

Directions: For each question in this section, select the best answer from among the choices given and fill in the corresponding
oval on the answer sheet.

4. Scholars who consider science a force argue that

Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank
scientific benefit society.
indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath "
the sentence are five words or sets of words labeled A (A) progressive.. breakthroughs
through E. Choose the word or set of words that, when (B) logical.. blunders
inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the (C) contentious.. interactions
sentence as a whole. (D) misguided. .'indicators
(E) pernicious.. goals
Example:

Hoping to the dispute, negotiators proposed 5. Neurological impairment can present symptoms,
a compromise that they felt would be —-— to both such as total paralysis, or more ones, such as
labor and management barely perceptible tremblings in one hand.

(A) enforce.. useful (A) consequential.. devastating

(B) end.. divisive (B) dramatic .. subtle
(C) overcome.. unattractive (C) troubling.. significant
(D) extend.. satisfactory (D) imaginary.. capricious
(E) resolve.. acceptable CD CD <£> CD < (E) disquieting.. emphatic

6. The dance numbers were of contrasting styles:

1. The ancient structure of the Moon Temple is under solos, inviting meditation and instilling tranquillity,
going a facelift: workers are its front surface were intermixed with ensemble performances that were
and pillars. ™— in nature, full of wild, excited movements.

(A) excavating (B) barricading (C) restoring (A) plaintive.. languorous

(D) dislodging (E) duplicating (B) staccato .. boisterous
(C) contemplative.. frenetic
2. Because the age of early cave paintings cannot (D) cacophonous.. grandiose
be —— by their appearance, archaeologists must (E) brazen .. rambunctious
locate and the tools with which the artists
worked. 7. The dinner party's host was truly -: he impressed
his guests with his elegant manners, discriminating
(A) observed.. obfuscate
taste, and broad education.
(B) identified.. disregard
(C) amplified.. examine (A) sardonic (B) innovative (C) diminutive
(D) decided ., direct (D) urbane (E) surreal
(E) determined P. analyze
8. Though friends, Jaelyn and Sean are temperamental
3. The Marian Anderson Award gala feted Harry opposites: while Jaelyn is outgoing and -, Sean
Belafonte, his myriad achievements as an • is usually reserved and -.
entertainer and humanitarian.
(A) gregarious .. ingratiating
(A) thwarting (B) slighting (C) celebrating (B) reclusive. .imperious
(D) humoring (E) refining (C) affable.. aloof
(D) demure.. introverted
(E) jovial.. congenial

(The passages for this test have been adapted from published material. The ideas
© 2004 The College Board. All rights reserved. Unauthorized -5~ contained in them do not necessarily represent the opinions of the College Board,
reproduction or use of any part of this test is prohibited. National Merit Scholarship Corporation, or Educational Testing Service.)
 A PRACTICE TEST
A
The passages below are followed by questions based on their content; questions following a pair of related passages may also
be based on the relationship between the paired passages. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the
passages and in any introductory material that may be provided.

Questions 9-10 are based on the following passage. Questions 11-12 are based on the following passage.

In late 1977,1 visited Jorge Luis Borges, the Argentine It is easiest to see how food choices reflect the eater's
writer. He was blind and lonely, and asked me if I would identity when we focus on culinary conservatism. Humans
read to him. He knew exactly where on the shelf, and cling tenaciously to familiar foods because they become,
Line on what page, I would find Kipling's "Harp Song of Line associated with nearly every dimension of human social.
5 the Dane Women." As I began reading, he. beseeched 5 and cultural life. Whether in New Guinea or New Bedford,
me, "Long sips, please—more slowly." humans share particular foods with family and friends; they
I had never read the poem with such attention before, pursue good health through unique diets; they pass on food
and had not noticed until then that it is largely composed lore and create stories and myths about food's meaning and
of words derived from Anglo-Saxon rather than Latin. taste; they celebrate rites of passage and religious beliefs
10 It was a leathery old aficionado of Anglo-Saxon, sitting 10 with distinctive dishes. Food thus entwines intimately with
in a darkened room in South America, who lovingly drew much that makes a culture unique, binding taste and satiety
this to my attention. to group loyalties.

9. The quoted remarks in line 6 primarily suggest that 11. In line 5, the phrase "Whether in..,. New Bedford"
Borges serves to

(A) doubts the author's skill as a reader (A) take issue with a previous statement
(B) is having trouble understanding a poem (By celebrate the diversity of a specific culture
(C) is unaccustomed to listening to poetry (C) indicate the broad applicability of a claim
(D) wants to savor an experience (D) point out the preferences of different groups
(E) wants to extend the speaker's visit (E) challenge a commonly held belief

10. The author's general attitude toward Borges 12. The primary argument of the passage is that
is best described as
(A) food and culture are intricately interconnected
(A) subtle sarcasm (B) people should experiment with new cuisines
(B) sympathetic concern (C) people rarely alter their diets as adults
(C) vague uneasiness (D) food is a reflection of a society's ethical values
(D) historical objectivity (E) studying food choices helps us understand ancient
(E) respectful appreciation societies

■6-
 A PRACTICE TEST

Questions 13-24 are based on the following passages. psi the instant evidence accumulates that can be reliably
replicated. Unfortunately, for fifty years parapsychology
The passages below have been adapted from discussions has rolled along the same murky road of statistical tests that
ofparapsychology (the science that investigates psychic " can be repeated with positive results only by true believers.
phenomena—or "psi"). The author of Passage 1 has 50 Psi forces have a curious habit of fading away when con
written many books on science and philosophy. The trols are tightened or when the experimenter is a skeptic—
author of Passage 2 is a parapsychologist. sometimes even when a skeptic is just there to observe.

Passage 1 Passage 2

Parapsychologists are fond of ah argument that goes As a researcher at the Institute for Parapsychology, I am
like this: Orthodox science is making such colossal strides, often asked by a reporter whether I believe in ESP. I always
putting forth such bizarre theories, that no one should 55 .reply that I don't believe in it, an answer which usually
Line hesitate to accept the reality of psi. It is a theme that startles my questioner. I then explain that I regard "belief'
5 pervades Arthur Koestler's Roots of Coincidence. As as something appropriate in matters of faith, such as in
parapsychology becomes "more rigorous, more statistical," religious questions, but not in matters of science. One's
Koestler writes on the very first page, theoretical physics religious beliefs might require what a theologian would call
becomes 60 a "leap of faith" precisely because there is no evidence to,
... more and more "occult," cheerfully breaking support them. As a scientist I do not take leaps of faith with
w . practically every previously sacrosanct "law of my subject matter. I study the evidence.
nature." Thus to some extent the accusation could Occasionally, you will hear some scientific pundit
even be reversed: parapsychology has laid itself proclaim there is no evidence for parapsychological
open to the charge of scientific pedantry, quantum 65 phenomena, therefore parapsychology is a pseudoscience
physics to the charge of leaning toward such with no subject matter to study. That is patent nonsense.
15 "supernatural" concepts as negative mass and time For over two thousand years people have been reporting
flowing backwards. One might call this a negative a class of human experiences—the kind commonly called
sort of [reconciliation]—negative in the sense that psychic—and for almost as long, scholars and scientists
the unthinkable phenomena of ESP [extrasensory 70 have been trying to understand them. Two millennia
perception] appear somewhat less preposterous of human experience is a subject matter. Surveys have
20 in the light of the unthinkable propositions of repeatedly shown that anywhere from one-half to three-
physics. quarters of the population have-had experiences they
believe were psychic. That constitutes a subject matter with
But there is a problem with Koestler's rhetoric: the extra 75 a rather large initial database. There is no doubt that people
ordinary claims of modern science rest on extraordinary have experiences that are apparently psychic in nature, and
evidence, and the extraordinary claims of parapsychology therefore parapsychology does have something to study.
25 are not backed by extraordinary evidence. The question put to parapsychology as a science is: How
For reasons that spiritualists have never been able to are we to explain these experiences?
explain, the great mediums of the nineteenth century could so Obviously, the very first step in dealing with experi
perform their greatest miracles only in darkness. The equiv ences of this kind is to examine how far "normal" or
alent of that darkness today is the darkness of the statistics conventional mechanisms and knowledge can go in
30 used to verify psi, and why psi phenomena flourish best in explaining them. Investigators must consider such factors
such darkness is equally hard to comprehend. If a mind can as malobservation, faulty memory, and deceit. If it proves
alter the statistical outcome of many tosses of heavy dice, 85 that all normal explanations fail to explain the experience
why is it powerless to rotate a tiny arrow under strictly, adequately, then what do we have? Actuallyt all we have
controlled laboratory conditions? The failure of such direct, at that point is an anomaly, something that science at its
35 unequivocal tests is, in my opinion, one of the great scan present stage is unable to explain.
dals of parapsychology. At any particular time science is confronted by a variety
No skeptic known to me rules psi forces outside the 90 of anomalies; anomalies are what fuel scientific advances.
bounds of the possible. They are merely waiting for Meteors—stones falling from the sky—were long dis
evidence strong enough to justify such extraordinary missed as the ravings of lunatics. X rays were thought by
40 claims. Their skepticism is not mollified when they find many scientists to be a hoax. The anomalies encompassed
the raw data of sensational experiments sealed off from by parapsychology are only a small portion of the
inspection by outsiders or when failures of replication by 95 anomalies that face science today.
unbelievers are blamed on unconscious negative vibes.
I am convinced that today's skeptics would not have
45 the slightest difficulty—/ certainly would not—accepting

-7-
 A PRACTICE TEST
A
13. According to Koestler's argument, the advances of 18. The use of italics in lines 71 and 77 of Passage 2 adds
modem physics make the claims of parapsychology emphasis to the author's
appear
(A) belief that two thousand years represents a
(A) relevant to the experience of everyday life comparatively short span of human history
(B) less outlandish than they did originally (B) claim that all people possess at least some psychic
(C) easier than before to verify scientifically potential
(D) credible to untrained laypersons (C) conviction that surveys about psychic experiences
(E) too ordinary to merit much consideration cannot all be inaccurate
(D) response to the criticism that parapsychology has
14. The author of Passage 1 would most likely insufficient data
characterize "the great mediums of the (E) rebuttal of the notion that parapsychologists rely
nineteenth century" (line 27) as too much on surveys

(A) possessing no special psychic powers

19. The author of Passage 2 suggests that the "factors"
(B) relying on esoteric scientific knowledge
(line 83) are ones that would
"(C) believing in the authenticity of their
own feats (A) be pervasive in all excellent scientific
(D) being superior to their present-day research
counterparts (B) characterize the research done by
(E) endorsing some contemporary scientific parapsychologists
theories (C) indicate the presence of a scientific
anomaly
15. lines 40-43 ("Their skepticism... vibes") contain (D) expose investigators to legal
accusations of complications
(E) render reports of psychic experiences
(A) arrogance and malice
invalid
(B) ignorance and incompetence
(C) complacency and obtuseness
20. The references to "Meteors" (line 91) and "X rays"
(D) secrecy and deception
(line 92) primarily serve to suggest that
(E) bias and elitism
(A) scientific progress is sometimes a result of
16. The word "curious" in line 50 conveys a sense of accidents
(B) psychic phenomena may someday come to
(A) mild disappointment
have a generally accepted explanation
(B) sarcastic disbelief (C) allegations of deception are often made by
(C) slight impatience those who most fear the truth
(D) interest (D) unexplained phenomena are feared by the
(E) bafflement . general public
(E) scientific irregularities defy explanation
17. In line 66, "patent" most nearly means

(A) spreading
(B) proprietary
(C) unobstructed
(D) privileged
(E) obvious
 A PRACTICE TEST

21. The author of Passage 2 would most likely react 23. The author of Passage 2 would most likely respond to
to Arthur Koestler's assessment of the status of the statement in Passage 1 about "the great mediums"
parapsychology in Passage 1 with (line 27) by arguing that

(A) mild amusement (A) the popularity of certain performers reflects the
(B) scientific detachment culture that fosters them
(C) cool indifference (B) the standards of nineteenth-century science seem
(D) muted outrage primitive to trie modern researcher
(E) general agreement (C) clairvoyance cannot be proved or disproved
because it is a matter of faith
22. How might the author of Passage 1 respond to the (D) mediums require darkness just as scientists need
reference to the "Surveys" (line 71) in Passage 2 ? equipment
(E) deceit cannot fully account for all reports of
(A) Surveys are not considered reliable because
psychic events
they are a relatively new development.
(B) Surveys are not as useful as reports made
24. The author of Passage 2 would probably characterize
immediately after an event.
the author of Passage 1 as most like which of the
(C) Subjective reports of psychic experiences do
following?
not constitute proper evidence.
(D) Appropriately used statistics can bolster the (A) The "reporter" (line 54)
credibility of parapsychology. (B) A "theologian" (line 59)
(E) If the reported percentages are true, psychic (C) A "pundit" (line 63)
events are more common than one would (D) One of the "people" (line 75)
expect. (E) An "anomaly" (line 87)

STOP
If you finish before time is called, you may check your work on this section only.
Do not turn to any other section in the test.

-9-
 2 □ PRACTICE TEST
□ 2
SECTION 2
Time — 25 minutes
20 Questions
(1-20)

Directions: For this section, solVe each problem and decide which is the best of the choices given. Fill in the corresponding
oval on the answer sheet. You may use any available space for scratchwork.

1. The use of a calculator is permitted.

2. All numbers used are real numbers.
3. Figures that accompany problems in this test are intended to provide information useful in solving the problems.
They are.drawn as accurately as possible EXCEPT when it is stated in a specific problem that the figure is not
drawn to scale. All figures lie in a plane unless otherwise indicated.
4. Unless otherwise specified, the domain of any function / is assumed to be the set of all real numbers x for which
/(*) is a real number. .

Special Right Triangles

The number of degrees of arc in a circle is 360.

The sum of the measures in degrees of the angles of a triangle is 180.

■+-•-

-3 -2 -1 0 1

1. In the figure above, if the coordinates of points P and m

Q are added together, the result will be the coordinate
of a point between which two Consecutive integers?

(A) -3 and -2
(B) -2 and -1
(C) Oand 1
2 and 3 Note: Figure not drawn to scale.
(D)
(E) 3 and 4
3. In the figure above, lines I, m, and k are parallel.
If y = 135, what is the value of x + z ?

2. Erik owned 50 marbles. After winning w marbles in (A) 70

one game and losing k marbles in the next game, he (B) 75
owned 60 marbles. What is the value of w - k ? (C) 80
(D) 85
(A) 10 (E) 90
(B) 20
(C) 30
(D) 40
(E) 50

-10-
2 ■□ □ 2
ATTENDANCE OF 6. A container in the shape of a right circular cylinder is
GARDEN CLUB MEMBERS 12 inches high and has a capacity of 3 quarts. What is
the number of quarts of liquid in the container when it
is filled to a height of 4 inches?

■ 3 #

(B) 1

2 3 4
Week

(D) l|
4. The graph above shows attendance of members
at meetings of a garden club over 5 weeks. All but
(E) 2
2 members of the club attended the meeting in the first
week, and no members joined or left the club over the
5-week period. What fraction of the members attended
the meeting in the 4th week?

7. If ax + bx = 36, what is the value Of x when

(B) I a+b = 12 7

(A) 3
(C) 44 (B) 6
(C) 12
(D) 24
(D) 4 (E) 48
o

(E) |

8. On a map, the scale is 4 inches to 24 miles. How many

miles apart are two cities if they are 9— inches apart

8 3 9 8 5 on the map?

5. When a number is chosen at random from the (A) 224

six numbers listed above, the probability that
(B) 56
this number will be less than 7 is —. Which
2 , (C) 52
of the following could be the value of x ?
(D) 48
(A) 6 *
(B) 7
(E) 37i
(C) 8
(D) 9
(E) 10

-11-
 2 D o 2
12. Typing at a rate of w words in 20 seconds, a typist can
' type how many words, in terms of w, in 15 minutes?

9. In the figure above, AC passes through point O,

and OB is perpendicular to OD. What is the measure

of ZA0D1

(A) 122°
(B) 128°
(C) 132° , .
(D) 138°
(E) 148°

13. For how many values of jc is the equation above true?

(A) None
(B) One
10. At a certain hotel, s dollars is the overnight rate for a - (C) Two
single room and d dollars is the overnight rate for a (D) Four
(E) More than four
double room. If s is at least 15 more than — of it,
2
which of the following describes this relationship?

(A) ,S<±4
(B) s f+15 14. If 0 < a < 2 < b < c, each of the following could

be less than - EXCEPT

(C) s <, d + — 2

(A) \
b
15 ,
(E) 5 > d +

(C) r
b

(D) ±.

11. If x + 4v = f and r + w = y, what is y in terms of x

and w ?

(A) *- w-
(B) ^ + w
(C) ^ + 2w
(D) 2x + w
(E)" 2x - w !

-12-
 2 -□ PRACTICE TEST
□ 2
15i If the average (arithmetic mean) of two numbers is 24 3x .
and the smaller number is one^third of the larger
number, what is the smaller number?

(A) 6
(B) 8
. (C) 12
(D) 15
(E) 18 18. In the rectangle above, the sum of the areas of the
shaded regions is 1. What is the area of the unshaded
region?

(A) 2

(B) 3

16. The set S has the property that if a is in S, then (Q 4

a2 + a is also in S. Which of the following sets could (D) V2

be 5 ?
(E) 2V2 . .
(A) {-2,-1,0}

(B) {-1,0}

(C) {-1,0,1} 19. ff a and b are numbers such that (a + 8)(b - 8) = 0,

what is the smallest possible value of a2 + b2 ?
(D) {0,1}

(E) {0,1,2} (A) 0

(B) 8
(Q 16
(D) 64
(E) 128

3_2
17. If jr, y, and z are positive and xy z > xJ1..2
y z2
wfeich of the following must be true?

I. x < y
II. x < z
in. y < Z

(A) I only Note: Figure not drawn to scale.

(B) Honly
(C) IE only 20., In A ABC above, which of the following Inequalities
(D) II and HI only involving lengths x and y is true?
(E) I,n,andm
(A) 0 <, (x + y)2 < 10
(B) 10 < (x + y)2 < 20
(C) 20 .S (^ + y)2 < 50
(D) 50.£ (* + }>)2 < 100
(E) 100 <(x + y)2 '

STOP
If you finish before time is called, you may check your work on this section only.
Do not turn to any other section in the test.

-13-
3 PRACTICE TEST 3
SECTION 3
Time—25 minutes
24 Questions
(25-48)

Directions: For each question in this section, select the best answer from among the choices given and fill in the corresponding
oval on the answer sheet. '

27. The overly warm auditorium induced a drowsiness

Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank in the audience that the speaker's droning voice and
indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath uninspired, truly—-— words compounded.
the sentence are five words or sets of words labeled A
through E. Choose the word or set of words that, when (A) alarming (B) agreeable (C) lifeless
inserted in the sentence, feejl fits the meaning of the (D) eloquent (E) descriptive
sentence as a whole.
28. The diners were eagerly anticipating meal and
Example: were, therefore, by the meager repast presented
Hoping to the dispute, negotiators proposed to them.
a compromise that they felt would be to both (A) an abundant.. relieved
labor and management.
(B) a sumptuous.. disappointed
(A) enforce .. useful (C) a delicious.. intrigued
(B) end.. divisive (D) a light.. discouraged
(C) overcome.. unattractive (E) a spartan.. nonplussed
(D) extend.. satisfactory
(E) resolve.. acceptable CS> CD <3D CS>« 29. Unfortunately, Stella was typically so - — that she
was often excluded from events where — was of
paramount importance.
25. Jazz entertainer Josephine Baker had a gift for
(A) diligent.. etiquette
making people laugh; this quality served her
(B) obstreperous.. propriety
well throughout her career.
(C) duplicitous.. indiscretion
(A) comedic (B) political (C) stagestruck (D) modest.. decorum
(D) poetic (E) vocal (E) odious.. flagrancy

26. As a coping mechanism against unpleasant and painful

. memories, some people will —— those memories that
they find too .

(A) remember, .disagreeable

(B) minimize.. tolerable
(C) suppress... disturbing
(D) intensify.. threatening
(E) subdue.. enjoyable

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 3 PRACTICE TEST 3
The passages below are followed by questions based on their content; questions following a pair of related passages may also
be based on the relationship between the paired passages. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the
passages and in any introductory material that may be provided.

Questions 30-33 are based on the following passages. 31. Passage 1 best supports which statement about Stein's
"attack" (line 10, Passage 2) ?

Passage 1 (A) It betrays her envy of other, more accom

plished writers.
Writers, those self-consuming solitaries, are fasci
(B) It was atypical of her overall judgment
nated by other writers. They know how curious and,
of Hemingway.
in the sought-for fusion of word and thing, arduous the
(C) It stemmed from an unpleasant personal
Line trick of their trade is, and yet how commonly available
experience with Hemingway.
5 the tools are—a little learning, a little imagination. They
(D) It was most likely inspired by professional
eye each other with a vigorous jealousy and suspicion.
rivalry.,
They are swift to condemn and dismiss, as a means of
(E) It probably spurred Hemingway to improve
keeping the field from getting too crowded.
his writing.
Passage 2
32. Which best describes the relationship between the
In 1933 Gertrude Stein launched the most massive two passages?
10 attack on Ernest Hemingway since he came under fire by
Austrian trench mortars in 1918. Her novel Autobiography (A) Passage 1 belittles a literary theory that is
of Alice B. Tdklas stabbed at Hemingway's most vulner discussed in Passage 2.
able points and was all the more wounding because of the (B) Passage 1 offers a personal anecdote that
core truth at the heart of each bitter accusation. Hemingway explains the quarrel described in Passage 2.
15 believed he had created an original style; she demoted him (C) Passage 2 presents information that supports
to a dull-witted disciple "who does it without understanding a claim made in Passage 1.
it." He thought he was sophisticated and cosmopolitan; she (D) Passage 2 introduces an argument that chal
reduced him to a country provincial. But Hemingway out lenges a theory put forth in Passage 1.
lived Stein by fifteen years and so had the last word in this (E) Passage 2 celebrates a literary phenomenon
20 quarrel. In A Moveable Feast he wrote, "I cannot remember that Passage .1 dismisses.
Gertrude Stein ever speaking well of any writer who had
not written favorably about her work or done something 33. Which best characterizes the rhetorical approaches
to advance her career except for Ronald Firbank and,. of Passage 1 and Passage 2 ?
later, Scott Fitzgerald."
(A) The first presents theories while the second
discusses the author's personal experience.
30. In line 23, "advance" most nearly means
(B) The first makes generalizations while the
(A) furnish second draws upon literary history.
(B) ascend (C) The first refers to specific literary sources
(C) further while the second quotes historical documents.
(D) propose (D) The first acknowledges multiple view
(E) exceed points while the second presents only
one side of an argument.
(E) The first employs a severe tone while the
second relies on humorous understatement.

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 PRACTICE TEST 3
Questions 34-39 are based on the following passage. 34. The narrator would most likely characterize his
experience driving .from New York to Chicago as
This passage is adaptedfrom a novel. The narrator is a
(A) dramatic
Japanese national who works in the United States for a
(B) transformative
Japanese company. Here, he describes an episode that took
(C) exhausting
place when he was transferredfrom the New York office to
(D) treacherous
Chicago.
(E) informative
A change had come over me on the road. Perhaps it
was the driving itself, the semi-hallucinatory state, a 35. The narrator's "compulsion" (line 3) is best
compulsion to speed down the endless ribbon of highway described as
Line alone and conquer it. I could just as easily have, flown to
(A) a long-standing obsession
5 Chicago—I had so few possessions left—but I insisted
(B) a burdensome obligation
on driving. I had never really seen the country. Miles
(C) a sense of inevitability
and miles of green, cows and cornfields, white farmhouses
(D) an irresistible urge
lit up at dawn, small industrial cities throughout western
(E) an incomprehensible delusion
Pennsylvania and Ohio. I became something of a ronin
10 on that trip, a rootless person in limbo. Ronin are generally
36. The narrator's primary purpose in lines 9-15 is to
what we call students who are waiting to get into univer
sity, but the definition goes much deeper. Ronin used to (A) explain why he drove to Chicago
be samurai without masters, those who had strayed or been (B) lament the fate of a lost tradition
ejected from the clan. Black sheep, loners, still valiant but (C) reflect on his sense of betrayal
15. no longer affiliated. The meaningless speeding I did down (D) reconcile contrasting perspectives about life
Route 80, between the old life of Point A—now gone— (E) convey his feelings of dissociation from others
and the new life waiting at Point B, became more important
than the points themselves. I was dressed in a filthy pair of 37. The description in lines 18-23 ('1 was ... mirror")
chinos I had used for yardwork and a striped jersey from primarily serves to
20 college; I let my beard go. My hair, which badly needed
(A) depict a habitual condition
cutting; fell in a bang across my eyes, which I had covered
(B) justify a complaint
with dark glasses because I was tired of seeing them and
(C) convey a deep resentment
their broken blood vessels in the rearview mirror. In no
(D) explain a humiliating predicament
time, I became very fond of the glasses, their potential, as
(E) evoke a state of mind
25 they saved me the worry of my facial expression, whether I
was looking attentive or enthused enough, whether I should
38. In the context of the passage, "whether I... enough"
make eye contact or respectfully look away. I wished I
(lines 25-26) helps reveal the narrator's
could wear them constantly now—to the office, to staff
meetings, on the street. (A) feelings about the whole trip
30 For those fifteen or so hours I was no one; I had no (B) uncertainty about social encounters
obligations—I was just another car flanked by truckers on (C) optimism about his new life
the road. The feeling was numbing and pleasurable enough (D) fear of having his suspicions confirmed
so that I did not need food. I observed the hard grip of my (E) surprising reaction to a social situation
hands on the steering wheel, my pants double patched at
35 the knees, and I admired this new person. I felt I could 39. For the narrator, to be "no one" (line 30) is to
drive forever, to the edge of the country and then beyond,
deep into the Pacific, where I had come from. I did, (A) be free of the expectations of others
of course, stop, but even when I reached Chicago and (B) be alone and lost in a strange land
showered and shaved, the ronin feeling persisted, ticking (C) appear contemptible to others
40 in my head like the sound of the engine metal once the (D) start life all over again
car had been turned off, still burning hot after its eight- (E) reject material possessions
hundred-mile drive.

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 3 PRACTICE TEST 3
Questions 40-48 are based on the following passage. When I entered graduate school and began to read the
historical books on the Black community, the picture
In this 1991 passage, a college professor reflects on how 50 presented there did not merely contradict the liyes of
her experiences as an African American woman help shape the people I know personally, but (what I realize now
her work as a professional historian. The author's mother, was the biggest problem for me, which has sent me on my
born in 1916, lived and attended college in Louisville, continuing search for new methodologies and theoretical
Kentucky. perspectives) contradicted the, historical documents my
55 mother had daily laid before me: her record of people's
Any African American scholars engaged in the field
speeches, ideas, and actions. She taught me the importance
of Black studies must view the work from inside their
of preserving the historical record of the community as the
community rather than from an "objective," outside
people within it understood it and thus grounded me in a far
Line position. Black studies (and to some degree women's
different research tradition than the one I encountered in
5 studies) began from an understanding of the necessity of
60 my academic training. The manner in which I practice the
connecting the people doing the research and the people
historical craft is far different from my mother's, but the
who were the subjects of the inquiry ---to have the
fact that I do it and the assumptions that guide me are
academic concepts informed by the individuals whose
firmly grounded in her historical practice. She preserved in
very lives spoke to that about which we scholars intellec-
her mind and in her conversations with me a history and a
10 tualize. However, in the struggle to be seen as "legitimate" 65 way of historical understanding that I now attempt to pre
academic disciplines, many of these programs have
serve in my writing and in my classroom.
retreated from the community bascthat was their initial
With my mother's understanding to guide me, I am
core and support.
slowly becoming a historian in spite of my academic
Students and scholars sometimes question how much
training.
75 value we should give to African American women's
personal accounts of their lives. My mother has taught me .
40. The main purpose of the passage is to
the arrogance of such a question and she regularly combats
any signs of my succumbing to the tendency to assume that (A) provide a thorough understanding of a vital
those of us who have been trained to analyze people's lives research methodology
20 are better able to understand them .than the people whose (B) ponder the implications of a well-known histor
lives they actually are. I have come to have great respect ical study
for people's abilities to understand their own lives. And I (C) focus on the complexities of a mother-daughter
have learned to listen, not just to what they tell me about relationship
the particulars of their lives, but also to the ways in which (D) defend a particular approach to scholarship
25 they define them for themselves. (E) discuss the ramifications of a problematic
Yet, for all my efforts to understand my mother's decision
influence on my scholarship, I have only very recently
come to realize the real nature of this relationship. Limited 41. In line 10, "legitimate" most nearly means
by disciplinary and professional blinders, it has taken me
(A) reputable
30 years to be able to see my mother as a historian—that, in
(B) lawful
fact, I am a historian because my mother was one before
(C) unerring
me. My mother did not do what historians do, or so it might
(D) entitled
on the surface appear. She did not write an article or teach a
(E) logical
class. What she did do was record in her mind all the facts
35 about the people and community of Black Louisville and
42. Why does the author regard the "question" (line 17)
tell those to me on a daily basis. I grew up Icnowing the
as arrogant?
names of all the Black teachers and principals from the first
decades of the twentieth century. I knew about Black (A) It presumes that there is a definitive historical
ministers, barbers, beauticians, washerwomen, household . truth to be known. •
40 and factory workers, librarians, chauffeurs, and postal (B) It explores aspects of people's lives that deserve
clerks. I learned the history of institutions—schools, to remain private.
churches, families—and of neighborhoods. When my (C) It presumes that historians can remain objective
mother now says to me, "You remember Mrs. Dowery," I when writing about people's lives.
say, "Yes." I have never even seen Mrs. Dowery; she died (D) It insults historians who disregard personal narra
45 before I was born, but I know how many husbands she had tives as a form of research.
and the many ways in which she motivated the students in (E) It conveys doubts about the self-perceptions of
her classes. ordinary individuals.

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3 PRACTICE TEST 3
43. In lines 36-42 ("I grew ... neighborhoods"), the author 46. Which of the following would most likely be one of
mentions the things she knows in order to the "assumptions" referred to in line 62 ?

(A) imply that books are largely irrelevant to schol (A) Different historical methodologies produce
arship similar results regardless of their sources.
(B) support the claim that her mother was a historian (B) Many individuals view themselves as the keepers
(C) emphasize that all historians must pay attention to of their community' s history.
their surroundings (C) Traditional history books do not contain much
(D) suggest that community members rarely pursued useful information.
academic careers (D) Individuals can provide useful insights about then-
(E) counteract prevailing myths about women world.
scholars (E) It is not important for historians to publish articles
for purely academic audiences.
44. In the context of the passage, the discussion of
Mrs. Dowery (lines 43-47) best serves to 47. In their approaches to history, both the author and her
mother are motivated by the desire to
(A) give an example of the kind of historical infor
mation available to community members (A) pioneer a new research methodology
(B) give an example of a community member who (B) gain recognition as competent scholars
was concerned about the community's welfare (C) correct inaccuracies in earlier historical accounts
(C) encourage more community members to become (D) preserve an accurate record of their community
scholars and teachers (E) recognize admirable community members
(D) demonstrate that the author's mother had a good • publicly
relationship with the author
(E) make a value judgement about a particular life 48. The "theoretical perspectives" mentioned in
style lines 53-54 would be LEAST likely to make
use of the1
45. In lines 58 and 63, "grounded" most nearly means
(A) "personal accounts" mentioned in line 16
(A) insulated (B) "history of institutions" mentioned in line 41
(B) restricted (C) "historical books" mentioned in line 49
(C) justified (D) "historical documents" mentioned in line 54
(D) rooted , (E) "historical understanding" mentioned in line 65
(E) stranded

STOP
If you finish before time is called, you may check your work on this section only.
Do not turn to any other section in the test.

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4 D D □ PRACTICE TEST
D D 4
SECTION 4
Time — 25 minutes
18 Questions
(21-38)

Directions: This section contains two types of questions. You have 23 minutes to complete both types. For questions 21-28,
solve each problem and decide which is the best of the choices given. Fill in the corresponding oval on the answer sheet You
may use any available space for scratchwork.

1. The use of a calculator is permitted.

2. All numbers used are real numbers.
3. Figures that accompany problems in this test are intended to provide information useful in solving the problems.
They are drawn as accurately as possible EXCEPT when it is stated in a specific problem that the figure is not
drawn to scale. All figures lie in a plane unless otherwise indicated.
4. Unless otherwise specified, the domain of any function / is assumed to be the set of all real numbers .y for which
fix) is a real number.

c2-a2 + b2 Special Right Triangles

The number of degrees of arc in a circle is 360. ,

The sum of the measures in degrees of the angles of a triangle is 180.

21. If x = 1 and 2x + 3v = 8, what is the value of

3jc + 2y ? Sales

(A) 10 Expenses
(B) 9
(Q 8
(D) 7
(E) 6

Jan Feb Mar Apr May

22. If profit is defined to be sales minus expenses, then

according to the graph above, for which month was
profit greatest?
t

(A) January
(B) February
(C) March
(D) April
(E) May

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