SAT, October 2026 North America Form B, Reading and Writing module 2.
Question 1
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-craft
The following text is adapted from a 1909 republication of Henry James’s 1882 travel essay “Venice.” Venice is an Italian city filled with canals, and boats are the primary form of transportation there. The fault of Venice is that, though she is easy to admire, she is not so easy to live with as you count living in other places. After you have stayed a week and the bloom of novelty has rubbed off you wonder if you can accommodate yourself to the peculiar conditions. Your old habits become impracticable and you find yourself obliged to form new ones. As used in the text, what does the word “count” most nearly mean? A. Signify B. Enumerate C. Establish D. Deem
Question 2
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-craft
The extensive use of the costly pigment ultramarine in the paintings of Johannes Vermeer—creator of masterpieces such as The Astronomer (1668)—was likely ____ as much by the pigment’s chemical durability as by its exclusiveness and vivid blue hue: relative to indigo and other blue pigments employed by Vermeer and his contemporaries, ultramarine is less susceptible to degradation. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? A. constrained B. motivated C. preempted D. expedited
Question 3
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-craft
Single-celled foraminifera inhabiting coastal waters experience significant environmental salinity changes during tidal cycles. How, then, do they _____ internal salt levels? Some organisms maintain high concentrations of phosphates that allow them to affect the concentration of internal electrolytes—including salt—in response to external changes. It may be that coastal foraminifera do the same. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? A. elude B. tolerate C. regulate D. counteract
Question 4
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-craft
The extensive use of the costly pigment ultramarine in the paintings of Johannes Vermeer—creator of masterpieces such as A Maid Asleep (ca. 1656–1657)—was likely _____ as much by the pigment’s chemical durability as by its exclusiveness and vivid blue hue: relative to azurite and other blue pigments employed by Vermeer and his contemporaries, ultramarine is less susceptible to degradation. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? A. constrained B. preempted C. motivated D. expedited
Question 5
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-craft
The Wasp’s ability to shrink to the size of an insect is illustrative of the lamentably lackluster powers bestowed on many female superheroes, but even those with more formidable powers have been subject to unflattering portrayals that often serve as ____: as Talisman, Elizabeth Twoyoungmen loses control of a vast mystic force and turns on her teammates in Alpha Flight, showing the pitfalls of possessing great power. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? A. exonerations B. admonitions C. venerations D. obfuscations
Question 6
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-craft
In her first project, Karunaratne House (1947–1951), architect Minnette de Silva fused modern design with traditional Sri Lankan arts and crafts. By countering the stylistic homogenization associated with international modernism—whose proponents ______ ornamentation evocative of local aesthetics in favor of abstract forms—the house presents an early example of critical regionalism in architecture. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? A. divulged B. exonerated C. encroached on D. abstained from
Question 7
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-craft
Some researchers hypothesize that the species inhabiting the island of Grande Terre are members of clades that inhabited nearby islands before Grande Terre emerged 37 million years ago. While Anna Papadopoulou et al. found that the crown age (the age of the most recent common ancestor of all living species in the clade) is 59.9 million years for Grande Terre’s clade of leaf beetles, most studies of the island’s clades have reported more recent crown ages: Peter Arensburger et al., for example, found that the crown age of Grande Terre’s clade of cicadas is 8.9 million years. Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole? A. It explains why a finding that may appear to support a hypothesis introduced earlier in the text actually weakens that hypothesis. B. It presents a discrepancy between two studies’ results that the text later implies is due to one set of results being inaccurate. C. It concedes that there is some evidence consistent with a hypothesis that the text goes on to suggest is largely unsupported. D. It acknowledges that there is compelling evidence both for and against a hypothesis presented earlier in the text.
Question 8
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-craft
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole? A. It makes a claim about a problem faced by researchers who perform isotopic analysis in marine environments that the text goes on to demonstrate is a consequence of failures to establish sufficiently rigorous sampling protocols. B. It presents a potential challenge in studying uranium isotopes in water that can negatively affect the robustness of research findings but that was not observed in the study described in the next sentence. C. It introduces a methodological limitation that could undermine scientific understanding of certain hydrological and environmental phenomena and that motivated a group of researchers to employ the sampling approach described later in the text. D. It identifies a concern about the distribution of uranium isotopes in water that the research project described in the next sentence dispelled by comparing samples from two different lakes.
Question 9
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-info
Last-mile delivery, the final stage in the delivery of products to customers, is subject to increasing pressure as consumers place greater emphasis on convenience and immediacy, often expecting next-day delivery. In response to this challenge and others, such as complex and inefficient delivery routes, delivery companies are continually looking for ways to make last-mile delivery more efficient. One advance in last-mile delivery is consumer vehicle delivery (couriers leave parcels inside a customer’s vehicle). This approach, while promising, also introduces new obstacles (e.g., many consumers are hesitant to give couriers unsupervised access to their vehicle trunks). It is therefore likely that _______ Which choice most logically completes the text? A. delivery companies will continue promising next-day delivery out of a desire to meet consumers’ expectations. B. innovations in the use of trunk delivery for last-mile delivery will stall unless delivery companies shift their focus to methods with fewer complications. C. delivery companies will need to keep experimenting with new ideas for last-mile delivery if they hope to keep pace with consumers’ expectations. D. advances in last-mile technologies will slow as delivery companies focus more on meeting customer expectations for increased convenience.
Question 10
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-info
Rare species advantage (RSA) describes the situation in which there are few conspecifics (other members of the same species) in an organism’s immediate surroundings, enabling the organism to avoid competition with conspecifics for the same resources; RSA is widely believed to play a crucial role in maintaining ecological stability. Among tree species in the Mo Singto plot (latitude 14.26°N) and other tropical forest sites, there is little correlation between conspecific aggregation and the abundance of a given species in the wider local area, so RSA is expected, but in the Tyson Research Center (latitude 38.52°N) and other temperate forest sites, the aggregation-abundance correlation for tree species is strongly negative. Mathematical modeling suggests, however, that ecological niche distinction may mitigate the apparent risk to temperate ecological stability engendered by this pattern: _______ Which choice most logically completes the text? A. while an increase in abundance in one tree species often leads to a reduction in abundance of nearby species, temperate tree species tend to play different roles in the same ecosystem, reducing the expected effect of abundance on aggregation. B. even though rare tree species in temperate forests tend to cluster with conspecifics more than rare tree species in tropical forests do, they are sufficiently rare locally that they benefit from RSA more than rare tropical species do. C. as a tree species in temperate forests becomes more abundant, individuals of that species are more likely to be found near conspecifics, enabling abundant species to exploit localized resources to a greater extent than rare species can. D. although rare tree species in temperate forests encounter relatively high local competition from conspecifics, they can thrive by exploiting resources that are underexploited by other local species.
Question 11
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-info
Many linguists support the steppe hypothesis, which holds that the Indo-European language family originated approximately 6,000 years before present (YBP) on the Pontic-Caspian Steppe. Using the novel linguistics approach of computational phylogenetics, a research team proposed an age of approximately 8,120 YBP. As part of their findings, the team also presented a hypothesis as to how Indo-European spread, proposing that a major branch of Indo-European traveled northward from the language family’s source to the Pontic-Caspian Steppe, expanding from there across much of Europe. What does the text most strongly suggest about the steppe hypothesis? A. It is weakened by the team’s findings, though the team’s hypothesis nevertheless accounts for the slight possibility that a minor branch of Indo-European originated on the Pontic-Caspian Steppe. B. It is incompatible with the team’s findings, though the team’s hypothesis nevertheless accords a position of importance to the Pontic-Caspian Steppe in the spread of Indo-European. C. It is more popular among linguists than other, competing hypotheses, which are better supported by the team’s findings than the steppe hypothesis is. D. It is based on older and less reliable research approaches than those used by the team, which included the innovative method of computational phylogenetics.
Question 12
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-info
Biologist Rosanna Alegado believes that we might learn how multicellular organisms developed from single-celled ones if we understand why the single-celled organism Salpingoeca rosetta , the oldest living relative of animals, sometimes forms colonies of cells. Alegado and colleagues reviewed data from many studies about how S. rosetta responds when exposed to another type of single-celled organism, bacteria, including Jean-François Bernardet’s work with Flavobacterium johnsoniae bacteria and George M. Garrity’s work with Microscilla marina bacteria. Alegado and colleagues concluded that neither F. johnsoniae nor M. marina are likely to have played a significant role in the development of multicellular organisms. Which finding, if true, would most directly support Alegado and colleagues’ conclusion? A. S. rosetta did not tend to form colonies when exposed to either F. johnsoniae or M. marina . B. S. rosetta tended to form colonies when exposed to F. johnsoniae , but not when exposed to M. marina . C. S. rosetta tended to form colonies when exposed to F. johnsoniae and when exposed to M. marina . D. S. rosetta tended to form colonies when exposed to M. marina , but not when exposed to F. johnsoniae .
Question 13
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-info
A report from an international organization that monitors the numbers of women serving as judges or magistrates on various nations’ highest courts, such as the Supreme Court in Sweden and the Supreme Court in the Philippines, indicated that some countries had the same number of women on these courts in 2013 as they had in 2009 but nevertheless had greater numbers than some other countries. For instance, the number of women judges and magistrates on high courts in _______ Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the example? A. Gabon was lower in 2013 than in 2009, but the number in Sweden was the same in 2013 as in 2009. B. Gabon was greater in 2013 than in 2009, but the number in Sweden was the same in 2013 as in 2009. C. Sweden was the same in 2013 as in 2009, but it had more women on its high courts than either Gabon or the Philippines did in 2013. D. the Philippines was greater in 2013 than in 2009, but the number in Gabon was lower in 2013 than in 2009.
Question 14
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-info
Some solar radiation absorbed by plants is reemitted as solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), which is observable via satellite and can serve as a proxy for photosynthesis. To assess the utility of SIF data sets for tracking processes associated with photosynthesis onset (e.g., emergence of new growth) and cessation (e.g., leaf color change), Xuan Zheng et al. calculated correlations between SIF-derived estimates of growing-season dates and length with those determined from direct observation. One explanation the team advanced of the findings (a sampling of which are shown in the graph) is that compared with start-of-season processes, end-of-season processes are more gradual and dynamic, making precise estimation of the latter more difficult. Which choice best describes data from the graph that illustrate Zheng et al.’s explanation for their findings? A. Length-of-season estimates derived from data set C indicated that on average, the growing season ended substantially later than direct observation indicated. B. SIF-derived estimates of start-of-season dates were substantially closer to those determined through direct observation than SIF-derived estimates of end-of-season dates were for all three data sets. C. Though SIF-derived estimates of start-of-season dates closely aligned with those determined through direct observation, the observed end of the growing season generally occurred somewhat earlier than estimates from all three SIF data sets would suggest. D. The greater negative correlation between SIF-derived estimates and direct observation for end-of-season dates for data set E relative to the other data sets suggests that end-of-season estimates derived from data set E varied more widely than those derived from data set A and data set C did.
Question 15
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-info
Erin Grabarczyk and Sharon Gill analyzed changes in house wrens’ song characteristics following playback of serialized recordings mimicking environmental noise. Because recordings earlier in a series may have carryover effects that influence vocal responses to later recordings, the effects of a recording’s position within a series on changes in song characteristics were also evaluated. Larger absolute t-values indicate stronger evidence that song characteristics change systematically with recording position (negative t-values show that characteristics decreased), while p-values below 0.05 suggest that the effects of recording position on song characteristics are statistically significant. The researchers concluded that the possibility of carryover effects cannot be excluded, given that _______ Song characteristic T-value P-value Change in peak frequency (Hz) -1.0 0.4 Change in song rate (songs/min) -2.2 0.03 Change in song duration (s) -3.2 0.002 A. vocal responses to later recordings were on average 3.2 seconds longer than responses to earlier recordings, a change that was statistically significant. B. vocal responses were likely affected by extraneous factors in addition to the position of recordings, as shown by the wider range of t-values relative to the narrower range of p-values. C. the position of recordings had a significant effect on change in song rate and change in song duration, as shown by p-values of 0.03 and 0.002, respectively. D. later recordings had a more significant effect on change in peak frequency than on change in song duration, as shown by p-values of 0.4 and 0.002, respectively.
Question 16
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-conv
Gearldine Westbrook’s quilt Strips , created in 1980 and now housed in the Art Institute of Chicago, is composed of rectangles of contrasting multicolored fabric. Like other quiltmakers from the community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, Westbrook drew on a body of shared _____ and conveyed her individual artistic perspective. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? A. patterns, improvised with available materials, B. patterns; improvised with available materials, C. patterns, improvised with available materials; D. patterns: improvised with available materials;
Question 17
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-conv
An attack by herbivorous cotton leafworms, which are among the purple tephrosia plant’s most common insect predators, _____ to produce foul-tasting chemicals that repel the leafworms. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? A. the plant triggered B. will trigger the plant C. the plant will be triggered D. triggering the plant
Question 18
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-conv
In 1801, Great Britain joined with Ireland to form the United Kingdom (UK). Writers from every part of the UK, not just England, deserve credit for the literary outpouring that followed, with Scottish novelist Dorothea Primrose Campbell ( Harley Radington , 1821), Irish novelist Julia Crottie ( The Nest in Kilcrona , 1883), and Welsh novelist Anne Puddicombe ( A Welsh Singer , 1896) all _____ Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? A. contributed. B. would contribute. C. had contributed. D. contributing.
Question 19
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-conv
With an installed capacity of 330 megawatts, the Sarulla geothermal power plant in Indonesia offers a dependable source of renewable energy. Power plants like Sarulla supply only a small fraction of Indonesia’s _____ the scarcity of sites with the necessary combination of high-temperature geothermal reservoirs and fractured rock limiting the widespread development of such systems. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? A. electricity; though, B. electricity, though, C. electricity, though; D. electricity, though
Question 20
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-conv
Extensive radiocarbon dating of reed samples from Caral confirmed Ruth Shady Solís’s hypothesis about the Peruvian site’s _____ nearly 5,000 years ago, the ancient city preceded the Olmec civilization to the north by a full millennium, a revelation that fundamentally altered our understanding of urban development in the Western Hemisphere. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? A. age and built B. age, built C. age built D. age: built
Question 21
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-conv
The statement “all ants have segmented bodies” is scientific because it could be proved false by a single observation to the contrary, according to Karl Popper. Popper’s theory that scientific hypotheses must be refutable, termed the criterion of falsifiability, rejects the confirmationist position that uses verifiability as the standard for scientific hypotheses, _______ that such hypotheses must instead be refutable. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? A. dictating B. was dictating C. dictates D. dictated
Question 22
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-conv
On most of the world’s beaches, sand is a predictable cream or beige color. The sand at Porto Côvo Beach in Portugal is a strikingly different ____ sand gets its shade from deposits of gray and tan hued quartz and feldspar, deposits of iron oxide and other organic matter lend the sand at Porto Côvo Beach a colorful orange tint. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? A. shade, though, most B. shade, though most C. shade: though most D. shade, though. Most
Question 23
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-express
Humans inherit specific physical traits (like having early- or late-onset gray hair) from their parents. _____ horses inherit specific physical traits (like having short or long coats) from their parents. Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition? A. Similarly, B. In conclusion, C. As a result, D. In other words,
Question 24
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-express
The Demak Sultanate, a Muslim sea power based on the island of Java that reached its height around 1500 CE, is considered a thalassocracy—a geopolitical entity whose hegemony resulted from control of the sea rather than of land. Historians classify thalassocracies as distinct from tellurocracies, or land-based powers. _____ the Spanish Empire (1500s-1900s CE) is known for both land and sea supremacy. Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition? A. Of course, the distinction is not always so neat: B. In other words, empires are classified according to their source of power: C. Likewise, thalassocracies are sea-based powers: D. For example, tellurocracies have long overpowered their rivals:
Question 25
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-express
Between May 1839 and February 1840, William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel Catherine was serialized in ten parts in Fraser’s Magazine . Scholars typically regard the serial version of Thackeray’s novel as less authoritative than the version later published in book form. _____ as scholar Philip Allingham notes, serialized texts were the versions in which the nineteenth-century readership first “saw itself and its world reflected, and to which it responded, often with great emotion.” Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition? A. However, others regard the serial version as a more faithful representation of Thackeray’s intentions; B. Still, the serial version is important to an understanding of the novel’s historical context; C. Consequently, the book version of the novel is often favored over the serial version; D. Accordingly, they emphasize the appeal of the serial version for Victorian audiences;
Question 26
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-express
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: Artist Augustus John of Wales won a Carnegie Prize gold medal in 1924. The Carnegie Prize is an international art competition. It is administered by the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. John’s winning artwork was a painting entitled Madame Suggia . The student wants to identify the painting for which John won a Carnegie Prize gold medal. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal? A. In 1924, an artist from Wales won a Carnegie Prize gold medal for a painting. B. The Carnegie Museum of Art awarded John a gold medal in 1924. C. The Carnegie Prize is an international art competition administered by the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. D. John won a Carnegie Prize gold medal for the painting Madame Suggia .
Question 27
SAT · Reading & Writing · sat-rw-express
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: Mug House is an Ancestral Puebloan dwelling site located in southwestern Colorado. It was built under a rock overhang and inhabited from approximately 1160-1290 CE. The overhanging rock ledges offered protection from heavy rain and snow. Escalante is an Ancestral Puebloan dwelling site located in southwestern Colorado. It was built on relatively flat terrain and inhabited from approximately 1120-1200 CE. This level surface allowed for the construction of large terraced buildings. The student wants to explain an advantage of the Mug House dwelling site. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal? A. Since it was built under a rock overhang, Mug House was naturally protected from heavy rain and snow. B. The relatively flat terrain on which Mug House was built allowed for the construction of large terraced buildings. C. The location of Mug House, an Ancestral Puebloan dwelling site in southwestern Colorado, provided an advantage to its inhabitants. D. Located in southwestern Colorado, Mug House is an Ancestral Puebloan dwelling site that was inhabited from approximately 1160-1290 CE.