http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-question-of-the-day?src=R&questionId=20130101
Happy New Year!
As is all too often the case, the SAT (and ACT) staff’s explanation is much more complicated than it needs to be. They get off on the right track and then they get confusing. Maybe they are still suffering from too much partying last night!
Slope is rise/run or change in y/change in x which they tell you is 3/2. You can see from the coordinate points that the change in y is 6 which is twice as big as 3; so the change in x has to be twice as big as 2 which is 4. 6/4=3/2. Now the tricky part-don’t forget to add the 4 to the original coordinate of x (1)!! That gives you (B) for the right answer–5.
There’s a question my students do in my SAT and ACT prep program that deals with this exact trap. It is a very common mistake students make on the test and you need to avoid it. In part, that’s what solid SAT and ACT prep is all about–teaching/warning you what traps are on the the test that you are likely to make, then showing you test-taking tips for how to avoid them.
Well, I wonder what the ACT folks are going to do to greet the New Year!
They were nice and gentle to kick off the New Year. Both the SAT and ACT folks like this common grammar/compositional mistake. Watch out for subject/predicate agreement. In this case, the possibilities didn’t see anything. They were what organizations saw–possibilities. H is the only sensible answer. G and J are humorous alternatives. For example, I don’t think in the middle of anarchy organizations are thinking about commercials.
In case you are new to my blog, you need to hear my rant about the ACT “directions” for the English Test. They tell you to read the whole passage before doing the questions. Shame on them for suggesting such a thing; don’t waste your time. This question is an example, you can get this question right by only reading this sentence and that is almost always the case.
I hope my SAT and ACT Question of the Day explanations are helpful and, if so, you are spreading the word.
If you are getting ready for the SAT or ACT this spring, I hope to meet you in one of my classes, on my DVD set, or on the Internet.
The Wizard
