Digital SAT Practice Seven module 1

1

 The study of marginalia—the handwritten notes in the margins of books—may appear trivial, but scholars have found that such markings can be invaluable. Marginalia can ___ the ways in which readers interpreted, resisted, or expanded upon the texts they encountered.

2
In agricultural science, hydroponics involves growing plants without soil, instead relying on a nutrient-rich water solution. ___ of hydroponics emphasize the efficiency of water use and the ability to grow crops in urban environments with limited space.

3
The Framingham Heart Study, initiated in 1948, has tracked multiple generations of participants to examine the causes of cardiovascular disease. Maintaining such a longitudinal study requires a large initial group of volunteers because of ___; many participants may pass away, relocate, or lose interest before the study concludes.

4
Psychologists often debate whether creativity is best understood as a stable trait or as a response to situational pressures. For example, someone who writes poetry only when distressed may not be considered genuinely creative but rather ___ creative.

5
The “Life Between Buildings” exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York highlighted the work of architects and designers from across the globe who prioritize social interaction in public spaces. The exhibition was notable because, unlike most MoMA shows, it was curated primarily with temporary loans from other institutions rather than works from MoMA’s own collection.

6
The Codex Mendoza (1541), created in Mexico shortly after the Spanish conquest, was intended to document Aztec culture for the Spanish king. It contains colorful illustrations of Aztec life—depictions of rulers, conquests, and daily activities—accompanied by explanatory Spanish commentary. Many European manuscripts from the same period, such as the Relacion de Michoacán, present Native cultures largely through the lens of Spanish colonial officials, emphasizing military victories and conversions to Christianity. By contrast, the Codex Mendoza incorporates significant amounts of information recorded by Indigenous scribes, thereby preserving aspects of Aztec social and economic systems that would otherwise be absent from colonial accounts.

7
In evolutionary biology, “convergent evolution” describes the process by which unrelated species develop similar traits due to similar environmental pressures. For example, wings have evolved independently in bats (mammals), birds (reptiles), and insects. By contrast, “divergent evolution” occurs when related species accumulate differences that lead to the formation of new species. While divergent evolution is widely recognized in the fossil record—for instance, the split between wolves and domestic dogs—convergent evolution demonstrates how nature often finds multiple pathways to solve the same adaptive challenge.

8
Text 1 is an excerpt from a letter written by Galileo Galilei in 1610 to a fellow scientist.
Text 2 is an excerpt from a poem by John Milton, published in 1645.

Text 1
“I have observed through my telescope four wandering stars near Jupiter, which, to my astonishment, move about that planet as our own moon does around the Earth. Such an arrangement persuades me that not all celestial bodies revolve about our world, as was long maintained.”

Text 2
“Fair planet Jupiter, with retinue bright, / Your moons in loyal company attend; / No longer lone, but sovereign still you shine, / A beacon fixed amidst the turning spheres.”

9
Marine biologist Carlos Hernández and colleagues analyzed how sea turtle nesting patterns relate to sand temperature and coastal light pollution. Their research relied on data gathered by conservation volunteers across multiple beaches. Reviewing six years of records, the researchers noted that hatchlings emerged more successfully on darker beaches with little artificial light and that warmer sand temperatures produced a higher proportion of female hatchlings.

10
Economic historians Jane Humphries and Jacob Weisdorf recently examined the wages of English day laborers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, connecting their work to broader studies of European economic history, such as Allen’s research on the “Great Divergence” between Europe and Asia. Humphries and Weisdorf’s distinctive contribution lies in their compilation of a new dataset of thousands of labor contracts, which reveals that day laborers were often paid more generously than previously assumed. This finding challenges the prevailing view that low wages alone explain why industrialization first took root in Britain.

11
The following text is adapted from Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone (441 BCE). Antigone is speaking to her sister Ismene after deciding to bury their brother Polynices in defiance of the king’s decree.

ANTIGONE:
“And even if you were willing to help, I would not welcome your aid. Choose your own path; I shall bury him myself. To die performing this act will be noble. I love him still, and I shall lie with him in death, beloved by him who loves me, sinless in my crime. But if you choose to dishonor what the gods honor, that is your choice.”

12
In what is now the American Southwest, the Hohokam people (ca. 300–1450 CE) engineered extensive canal systems to irrigate desert farmlands. Archaeological evidence suggests that the canals supported large-scale maize and bean production, sustaining sizable settlements. Some researchers, however, including James Vint, have proposed that certain canals were designed not for irrigation but to facilitate fish farming. Vint bases this view partly on concentrations of fish bones found near some canal junctions.

13

Interpretation:

• The “pollinator scarcity hypothesis” predicts flowers in low-visitation meadows should last longer.
• But the data show flower lifespan is about the same (≈6 days) regardless of pollinator visitation.
• That supports the conclusion: the hypothesis is not supported.

The “pollinator scarcity hypothesis” predicts that plants adjust their reproductive strategies in environments with limited pollinators by extending the lifespan of their flowers, thereby increasing the chance of attracting pollinators. To test this idea, ecologists observed populations of alpine buttercups, recording both flower lifespan and pollinator visitation rates across multiple high-altitude meadows. They concluded that their data did not support the hypothesis.

14
Some philosophers classify virtual reality (VR) primarily as a form of immersive cinema, emphasizing its narrative elements, while others compare VR to theater, given its capacity for participant interaction. Philosopher David Chalmers, however, argues that both approaches neglect VR’s defining feature: its ability to construct entire environments in which users can act freely. He describes VR as a “reality generator,” a medium that enables new modes of experience beyond traditional art forms. Therefore, Chalmers maintains that the cinematic and theatrical frameworks _____.

15
A 2005 study by oceanographer Julie Hall suggested that the growth of phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean was often limited by iron scarcity. Later research confirmed that iron availability can influence phytoplankton biomass but also noted that phytoplankton sometimes increase chlorophyll concentrations under low-iron conditions, enabling photosynthesis despite nutrient scarcity. In a recent study, marine biologists found that chlorophyll concentrations in certain Southern Ocean sites were unexpectedly high despite extremely low levels of dissolved iron. They therefore concluded that _____.

16.
In a large-scale psychological study, researchers examined whether laughter is primarily shaped by cultural norms, personal temperament, or universal human biology. They recorded laughter responses among urban professionals in Tokyo, rural farmers in Kenya, and hunter-gatherers in Papua New Guinea. Across these groups, participants consistently rated recordings of spontaneous laughter (such as giggling after a joke) as more contagious and pleasant than recordings of forced laughter. The researchers concluded that their findings undermine the claim that ______

17.
The Book of Healing, a manuscript produced by Islamic scholars in the eleventh century, survived centuries of war and conquest, ___ being preserved through successive generations of private libraries in Persia and North Africa. Today, a complete copy is housed in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University.

18.
The geological terms cataloged in John McPhee’s Annals of the Former World—such as “mélange,” describing a chaotic mixture of rock fragments, and “batholith,” referring to a massive intrusion of igneous rock—illustrate the specialized language scientists employ to depict the American ___ shaping how readers imagine the continent’s deep past.

19.
To celebrate the reunification of Germany in 1990, the Berlin Marathon organizers designed a new route that wound through neighborhoods of both East and West Berlin. The course was 26.2 miles long ___ symbolically crossing the once-divisive line of the Berlin Wall.

20.
For over four decades, artist Roman Opalka created a series of paintings in which he carefully inscribed ascending numbers—beginning with “1” and continuing without end—across gray canvases. This obsessive cataloging of sequential ___ a body of work that critics describe as a meditation on time, mortality, and the human drive for meaning.

21.
In her film Union Maids (1976), director Julia Reichert highlighted the voices of three women who had organized factory workers during the Great Depression. By featuring narrators who had personally led the ___, Reichert ensured that the story of labor activism was told with authenticity and conviction.

22
At a time when many scientists in the early nineteenth century wrote under institutional names rather than their own, the British duo Mary Somerville and Caroline Herschel stood out by publishing astronomy texts together under a single coauthorship. _____ the two were able to demonstrate that collaborative scientific inquiry could carry the same authority as the work of a single celebrated figure.

23
In a 2015 study, marine biologists set out to investigate how coral reefs in the Pacific respond to fluctuations in water temperature. _____ the researchers concentrated on how three specific coral species adapted to rising ocean heat: Acropora hyacinthus, Pocillopora damicornis, and Porites lobata.

24
When the poet Phillis Wheatley published her first collection in 1773, she often employed classical allusions that extended beyond simple literary ornamentation. _____ these references were deliberate rhetorical strategies through which Wheatley aligned her creative voice with the cultural authority of antiquity, a move that challenged stereotypes about the intellectual capacity of enslaved Africans.

25
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• Oranges contain vitamin C (ascorbic acid), an essential nutrient for humans.
• Red bell peppers also contain vitamin C.
• There is 127 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C per every 100 grams (g) of red bell peppers.
• There is 53 mg of vitamin C per every 100 g of oranges.
• Humans need vitamin C to prevent scurvy and maintain immune health.

26

• Paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim helps uncover fossils in the Sahara Desert.
• One important excavation site is the Kem Kem beds.
• Fossils from this site include Spinosaurus remains.
• Such discoveries help scientists reconstruct ancient ecosystems.
• The Sahara was once home to rivers and wetlands.

27
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• The metric system is based on units of ten, making calculations straightforward.
• Scientists around the world use the metric system to maintain consistency in research.
• The English system (feet, inches, pounds) is still commonly used in the United States.
• Using multiple measurement systems can complicate international collaboration.
• The metric system includes meters, liters, and grams as basic units.