SAT

Totti Li

SAT
Practice 7

Critical Reading
Question 18

TOP LEVEL
30mins

1.

Although normally __, Alison felt so strongly about the issue that she put
aside her reserve and spoke up at the committee meeting.
A. diffident
B. contentious
C. facetious
D. presumptuous
E. intrepid

2.

Recent research indicates that a system of particles which has apparently

decayed to randomness from __ state can be returned to that state; thus the
system exhibits a kind of memory of its __ condition.
A. an equilibrium...lesser
B. an ordered...earlier
C. an unusual...settled
D. a chaotic...last
E. a higher...present

3.

This project is the first step in a long-range plan of research whose __ goal,
still many years off, is the creation of a new prototype.
A. cooperative
B. reasoned
C. original
D. ultimate
E. intentional

4.

Numerous historical examples illustrate both the overriding influence that

scientists __ have on their interpretation of data and the consequent __ of
their intellectual objectivity.
A. prejudices...impairment
B. instruments...abandonment
C. theories...independence
D. conclusions...coloration
E. suppositions...reinforcement

5.

Artificial light __ the respiratory activity of some microorganisms in the

winter but not in the summer, in part because in the summer their respiration
is already at its peak and thus cannot be __.
A. stimulates...lessened

SAT

Totti Li
B. inhibits...quickened
C. reflects...expanded
D. elevates...measured
E. enhances...increased

6.

Foucaults rejection of the concept of continuity in Western thought, though

radical, was not unique; he had __ in the United States who, without
knowledge of his work, developed parallel ideas.
A. critics
B. counterparts
C. disciples
D. readers
E. publishers

7.

Jones was unable to recognize the contradictions in his attitudes that were
obvious to everyone else; even the hint of an untruth was __ to him, but he
__ serious trouble by always cheating on his taxes.
A. acceptable risked
B. exciting...averted
C. repugnant...courted
D. anathema...evaded
E. tempting...hazarded

Questions 8-11 are based on the following passages.

Passage 1
The belief that art originates in intuitive rather than rational faculties was
worked out historically and philosophically in the somewhat wearisome volumes of
Benedetto Croce, who is usually considered the originator of a new aesthetic. Croce
was, in fact, expressing a very old idea. Long before the Romantics stressed intuition
and self-expression, the frenzy of inspiration was regarded as fundamental to art, but
philosophers had always assumed it must be controlled by law and by the intellectual
power of putting things into harmonious order. This general philosophic concept of art
was supported by technical necessities. It was necessary to master certain laws and to
use intellect in order to build Gothic cathedrals, or set up the stained glass windows of
Chartres. When this bracing element of craftsmanship ceased to dominate artists
outlook, new technical elements had to be adopted to maintain the intellectual element
in art. Such were linear perspective and anatomy.
8.

The passage suggests that which of the following would most likely have
occurred if linear perspective and anatomy had not come to influence artistic
endeavor
A. The craftsmanship that shaped Gothic architecture would have continued to

SAT

Totti Li

dominate artists outlooks.

Some other technical elements would have been adopted to discipline
artistic inspiration.
C. Intellectual control over artistic inspiration would not have influenced
painting as it did architecture.
D. The role of intuitive inspiration would not have remained fundamental to
theories of artistic creation.
E. The assumptions of aesthetic philosophers before Croce would have been
invalidated.
B.

9. The author mentions linear perspective and anatomy in the last sentence in
order to do which of the following?
A. Expand his argument to include painting as well as architecture
B. Indicate his disagreement with Croces theory of the origins of art
C. Support his point that rational order of some kind has often seemed to
discipline artistic inspiration
D. Explain the rational elements in Gothic painting that corresponded to
craftsmanship in Gothic architecture
E. Show the increasing sophistication of artists after the Gothic period

Passage 2
Whether the languages of the ancient American peoples were used for
expressing abstract universal concepts can be clearly answered in the case of Nahuatl.
Nahuatl, like Greek and German, is a language that allows the formation of extensive
compounds. By the combination of radicals or semantic elements, single compound
words can express complex conceptual relations, often of an abstract universal
character.
The tlamatinime (those who know) were able to use this rich stock of abstract
terms to express the nuances of their thought. They also availed themselves of other
forms of expression with metaphorical meaning, some probably original, some
derived from Toltec coinages. Of these forms the most characteristic in Nahuatl is the
juxtaposition of two words that, because they are synonyms, associated terms, or even
contraries, complement each other to evoke one single idea. Used as metaphor, the
juxtaposed terms connote specific or essential traits of the being they refer to,
introducing a mode of poetry as an almost habitual form of expression.
10.

A main purpose of the passage is to

A. delineate the function of the tlamatinime in Nahuatl society
B. explain the abstract philosophy of the Nahuatl thinkers
C. argue against a theory of poetic expression by citing evidence about the
Nahuatl
D. explore the rich metaphorical heritage the Nahuatl received from the Toltecs
E. describe some conceptual and aesthetic resources of the Nahuatl language

SAT

Totti Li

11. According to the passage, some abstract universal ideas can be expressed in
Nahuatl by
A. taking away from a word any reference to particular instances
B. removing a word from its associations with other words
C. giving a word a new and opposite meaning
D. putting various meaningful elements together in one word
E. turning each word of a phrase into a poetic metaphor

Question 12-18 are based on the following passage.

10

15

20

25

30

Computer programmers often remark that computing machines, with a

perfect lack of discrimination, will do any foolish thing they are told to do.
The reason for this lies, of course, in the narrow fixation of the computing
machines intelligence on the details of its own perceptionsits inability to
be guided by any large context. In a psychological description of the computer
intelligence, three related adjectives come to mind: single-minded,
literal-minded, and simpleminded. Recognizing this, we should at the same
time recognize that this single-mindedness, literal-mindedness, and
simplemindedness also characterizes theoretical mathematics, though to a
lesser extent.
Since science tries to deal with reality, even the most precise sciences
normally work with more or less imperfectly understood approximations
toward which scientists must maintain an appropriate skepticism. Thus, for
instance, it may come as a shock to mathematicians to learn that the
Schrodinger equation for the hydrogen atom is not a literally correct
description of this atom, but only an approximation to a somewhat more
correct equation taking account of spin, magnetic dipole, and relativistic
effects; and that this corrected equation is itself only an imperfect
approximation to an infinite set of quantum field-theoretical equations.
Physicists, looking at the original Schrodinger equation, learn to sense in it the
presence of many invisible terms in addition to the differential terms visible,
and this sense inspires an entirely appropriate disregard for the purely
technical features of the equation. This very healthy skepticism is foreign to
the mathematical approach. Mathematics must deal with well-defined
situations. Thus, mathematicians depend on an intellectual effort outside of
mathematics for the crucial specification of the approximation that
mathematics is to take literally. Give mathematicians a situation that is the
least bit ill-defined, and they will make it well-defined, perhaps appropriately,
but perhaps inappropriately. In some cases, the mathematicians
literal-mindedness may have unfortunate consequences. The mathematicians
turn the scientists theoretical assumptions, that is, their convenient points of
analytical emphasis, into axioms, and then take these axioms literally. This
brings the danger that they may also persuade the scientists to take these
axioms literally. The question, central to the scientific investigation but

SAT
35

40

Totti Li
intensely disturbing in the mathematical contextwhat happens if the axioms
are relaxed?is thereby ignored.
The physicist rightly dreads precise argument, since an argument that
is convincing only if it is precise loses all its force if the assumptions on which
it is based are slightly changed, whereas an argument that is convincing
though imprecise may well be stable under small perturbations of its
underlying assumptions.

12. The author discusses computing machines in the first paragraph primarily in
order to do which of the following?
A. Indicate the dangers inherent in relying to a great extent on machines
B. Illustrate his views about the approach of mathematicians to problem
solving
C. Compare the work of mathematicians with that of computer programmers
D. Provide one definition of intelligence
E. Emphasize the importance of computers in modern technological society
13.

In line 11~13, scientists are skeptical toward their equations because scientists
A. work to explain real, rather than theoretical or simplified, situations
B. know that well-defined problems are often the most difficult to solve
C. are unable to express their data in terms of multiple variables
D. are unwilling to relax the axioms they have developed
E. are unable to accept mathematical explanations of natural phenomena

14.

According line 29~36, mathematicians present a danger to scientists for which

of the following reasons?
A. Mathematicians may provide theories that are incompatible with those
already developed by scientists.
B. Mathematicians may define situation in a way that is incomprehensible to
scientists.
C. Mathematicians may convince scientists that theoretical assumptions are
facts.
D. Scientists may come to believe that axiomatic statements are untrue.
E. Scientists may begin to provide arguments that are convincing but
imprecise.

15.

In line 40, perturbation mostly means

A. plausibility
B. reliance
C. removal
D. interference
E. conspicuousness

SAT

Totti Li

16.

The author suggests that a mathematician asked to solve a problem in an

ill-defined situation (line 28) would first attempt to do which of the following?
A. Identify an analogous situation
B. Simplify and define the situation
C. Vary the underlying assumptions of a description of the situation
D. Determine what use would be made of the solution provided
E. Evaluate the theoretical assumptions that might explain the situation

17.

According to paragraph 2&3, the author suggests that the approach of physicists
to solving scientific problems is which of the following?
A. Practical for scientific purposes
B. Detrimental to scientific progress
C. Unimportant in most situations
D. Expedient, but of little long-term value
E. Effective, but rarely recognized as such

18.

The author implies that scientists develop a healthy skepticism because they are
aware that
A. mathematicians are better able to solve problems than are scientists
B. changes in axiomatic propositions will inevitably undermine scientific
arguments
C. well-defined situations are necessary for the design of reliable experiments
D. mathematical solutions can rarely be applied to real problems
E. some factors in most situations must remain unknown