2016SHSAT_English

Sample Test – VerbalExplanations of Correct AnswersBForm42. (G) This question requires you to choose the correctanswer based on information that is not directly stated.Evaluate each option to determine whether tree-ring datingwould be useful for that purpose. The passage givesno information about the kinds of trees, so Option F isnot correct. Lines 10-12 support the correct answer that“tracking the historical sequence of weather cycles in aregion” (Option G) is both possible and useful using treeringdating. Lines 62-65 also support Option G. Read theremaining options to make sure that Option G is the bestanswer. Options H and K cannot be answered by tree-ringdating. Comparing growing seasons around the world isnot possible (Option J), since only one part of the world,the southwestern United States, is discussed with relationto tree-ring dating.43. (A) We must refer to several parts of the passage toanswer the question. The second paragraph states thatarchaeologists had established a continuous tree-ringchronology going back to a.d. 1260, based on ring patternsof trees with overlapping lifetimes (the “established”chronology). The third paragraph, where the quotationappears, describes the development of a “floating” chronologythat did not overlap the established chronology. Thefact that they did not overlap implies that the years ofthe floating chronology preceded the years of the establishedchronology, which is Option A. Option B cannot betrue because the logs used in Oraibi went as far back asa.d. 1260, but no further. The remaining options do notexplain the archaeologists’ conclusion.44. (H) The abandonment of the Pueblo villages is mentionedin lines 24-25 and line 36, but only in the context ofdetermining when the villages were occupied. The reasonfor their abandonment is not brought up until the lastparagraph, where the author suggests that the villagersleft their homes to find a more hospitable climate (lines63-65). This is restated in Option H, the correct answer.Options F, G, J, and K might sound reasonable, but thereis no evidence in the passage to support them.46. (K) After volunteers said the required words,researchers assessed how happy the volunteers felt(lines 25-28), which is Option K. Option F is relatedto the theory, but was never carried out. Option G isruled out because volunteers who smiled were not in thegroup that said words like “few” (lines 25-28). Option His contradicted by lines 23-24. The volunteers, not theresearchers, placed their own facial muscles into smilesor frowns (lines 21-23), eliminating Option J.47. (A) In the first paragraph, Darwin’s theory isdescribed as controversial and impossible to prove, and itthus never gained acceptance (lines 10-12). Option Abest summarizes this idea. Options B and D are contradictedby the passage. Options C and E don't answer thequestion.48. (H) Volunteers who said words such as “cheese” weremeasurably happier than volunteers who said otherwords (lines 25-28), implying that the act of smilingleads to feelings of happiness. According to the theoryin lines 33-36, a smile may lower the temperature of theblood flowing to the hypothalamus (lines 44-47), whichis Option H. Options F, J, and K are contradicted by thepassage. Option G is not mentioned.49. (A) The notion of a smile in one’s heart (lines 19-20)signifies a feeling of happiness. Consciously smiling canproduce a smile in one's heart, which is Option A. Noneof the other options correspond to this “notion.”50. (G) The hypothalamus is an area of the brainbelieved to regulate emotions (lines 40-41). Regulatingand managing emotions are the same process, and thusOption G is the best answer. None of the other optionsis supported by the passage. Option H may seem attractive,but the passage theorizes that the act of smiling, notthe hypothalamus, changes the temperature of blood.Smiles45. (A) Options B and D are important details, not themain theme. Option C is too broad. The passage is abouttesting only one theory on the relationship between emotionsand facial expressions, not about the use of facialexpressions in any type of research. Option A is best. Itis broad enough to encompass Darwin’s theory and moremodern theories, and it correctly identifies the issue, thecausation of emotions. Option E is a detail mentionedonly in the last paragraph.101