http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-question-of-the-day?src=R&questionId=20130124 (This link takes you to today’s question. If you use my archive, you will see the question related to my SAT explanation for that date.)
The answer is C. The SAT folks provide a fine explanation. I would add to it that “in” is a more appropriate preposition than “for.” It is “in” his books, not “for” (or on behalf of) his books that he achieves the rare feat.
The writing part of the test is going to require you to know the standard rules of written (not spoken) English and composition. Get yourself a list of the common mistakes that both the SAT and ACT test writers include on their exams. Then learn how those rules are tested, i.e., how they appear in the questions. It’s going to take some practice and it’s well worth the effort.
I wonder what the ACT folks are up to this morning.
http://www.act.org/qotd/ (The ACT staff does not put a date on their questions so if you click on an archived blog, you’ll get today’s question and the old explanation. Sorry. The SAT staff has dated their questions; so, the archive is helpful. The ACT folks simply don’t do that.)
The answer is G. F says “bare rock” and the Figure says “bare field.” H says the height of the plants decreases and you can see that the plants increase in height. J is wrong since the “age in years” shows increasing time periods which means the changes are slowing down.
This is a good question to use as an example of a couple of strategies I teach. First, don’t worry about what science courses you’ve taken or not taken. All of the science is on the page. There is rarely a question on the ACT that is based on prior knowledge. So, remember my Pillar VI: Don’t Be Intimidated.
Second, focus your practice on reading charts and graphs. Pay careful attention to labels and trends but don’t worry about learning the details when you first look at the diagrams. Let the questions guide you in focusing on the specific information. For example, in this case, you can see over time that the plants get bigger. That’s enough information–you know what is being measured (time and plant types). The questions will direct you to the important details.
Classes start in Dr. Phillips, Lake Nona, and Celebration next week. Register now and save a seat.
Osceola students–if you’ve done the practice test and have a question about any of the items, let me know and I’ll help you. The test is only a few days away.
If you are taking the January SAT and/or February ACT, time is running short. I recommend you watch my online Tips and Tricks videos to help you prepare. In addition to the free ones on the home page, it only costs $3 to watch an hour of my best test-taking techniques for taking the SAT and ACT tests.
The Wizard
