27 original Reading & Writing questions in the digital test's own format and domain order. Answer them all, then submit once to see every answer explained.
Optional. The clock never submits for you — it just tells you where you are against the real pacing.
The chef's tasting menu was praised for its ______ pacing: each course built naturally on the flavors of the one before it, so that no dish ever felt disconnected from the meal as a whole.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A — cohesive. Each course building naturally on the last, with nothing feeling disconnected, describes a unified, well-connected sequence. 'Cohesive' captures this; 'erratic' and 'redundant' contradict the description.
Because the region's winters are unusually harsh, local architects have developed ______ building techniques, such as steeply pitched roofs, to prevent heavy snow from accumulating.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
D — adaptive. Developing techniques specifically to address harsh winters (preventing snow accumulation) describes purposeful adjustment to conditions. 'Adaptive' fits; the other options don't capture this deliberate problem-solving.
The retired teacher's classroom notes were so ______ that a substitute could step in mid-lesson and know exactly what to cover next.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
C — meticulous. Notes detailed enough that a substitute could seamlessly continue a lesson describe extremely careful, thorough record-keeping. 'Meticulous' fits; 'vague' is the opposite.
The old lighthouse keeper's logbook entries were remarkably ______, recording the exact time and weather conditions of every ship that passed for over thirty years.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A — diligent. Recording exact time and weather conditions for every ship over thirty years describes careful, consistent effort. 'Diligent' fits; 'careless' is the opposite.
The essay opens by acknowledging that ride-sharing apps have made transportation more convenient in many cities, but the bulk of the essay focuses on documenting their effects on traditional taxi driver income.
Which choice best describes the function of the first sentence in relation to the rest of the text?
C — It concedes a benefit before shifting focus to a related concern.. Conceding a benefit (convenience) before pivoting to spend most of the essay on a concern (taxi driver income) is a concession-then-shift structure, not the central thesis, an anecdote, or a disproven counterargument.
The op-ed begins with a striking statistic about declining bee populations before spending the rest of the piece discussing which agricultural practices are most responsible for the decline.
Which choice best describes the function of the opening statistic?
C — It establishes the scale of the problem that the rest of the piece will analyze.. A striking statistic at the start that establishes scale before the piece analyzes causes is a scene-setting device, not the full argument, a later-retracted claim, or a counterargument to be refuted.
Text 1: Urban planner Ines Duarte advocates for replacing street parking with dedicated bus lanes on major corridors, arguing it would substantially speed up public transit. Text 2: Retail association representative Marcus Coleman notes that many small businesses along those corridors depend on nearby street parking for customer access, meaning removing it could reduce foot traffic and revenue in ways that offset the transit benefits Duarte describes.
Which choice best describes how the information in Text 2 relates to the proposal described in Text 1?
A — It raises a practical economic concern not addressed in Text 1's description of the proposal.. Coleman's point about reduced customer access introduces a practical economic concern that Duarte's description (focused on transit speed) does not mention—a new complication, not a confirmation or refutation of the proposal.
Text 1: Theater critic Anaya Bhatt praises a director's decision to cast the same actor in multiple roles throughout a play, arguing this choice highlights unexpected thematic connections between characters. Text 2: Dramaturg Elliot Sung, who has worked on similar productions, cautions that multi-role casting can also confuse audiences unfamiliar with the technique, particularly during fast-paced scene transitions.
Which choice best describes the relationship between the two texts?
D — Sung identifies a potential drawback of the technique that Bhatt praises.. Bhatt praises multi-role casting for highlighting thematic connections; Sung warns this same technique can confuse audiences during transitions—a caution about a drawback of the very approach Bhatt endorses.
Elephants communicate over long distances using infrasound, low-frequency vibrations below the range of human hearing that can travel through the ground and air for several miles, allowing separated herd members to coordinate movement even when far out of visual range.
According to the text, how do elephants coordinate movement when far out of visual range of each other?
D — By using infrasound vibrations that travel for several miles.. The text directly states elephants 'communicate over long distances using infrasound' to coordinate movement when separated—this is stated explicitly, unlike the other unsupported options.
Beavers are considered a keystone species because their dam-building activity creates wetland habitats that support a wide range of other plants, fish, birds, and amphibians that would not otherwise thrive in the area.
According to the text, why are beavers considered a keystone species?
D — Their dam-building creates wetland habitats that support many other species.. The text directly states beavers are keystone species 'because their dam-building activity creates wetland habitats that support a wide range of other' species—matching choice D explicitly.
A marine biologist hypothesizes that underwater construction noise from offshore wind farms disrupts the mating calls of a species of fish that relies on sound to attract mates.
Which finding would most directly support the marine biologist's hypothesis?
D — Recordings show that fish mating calls near active wind farm construction sites are shorter and less frequent than calls recorded in quieter waters.. The hypothesis is specifically about disrupted mating calls; a direct comparison showing degraded calls near construction versus quiet waters most directly supports the claim. Increased construction alone, fisher awareness, and population growth don't address call disruption.
A marine biologist hypothesizes that noise pollution from shipping lanes disrupts the communication patterns of humpback whales.
Which finding would most directly support the marine biologist's hypothesis?
C — Recordings show that whale songs in high-traffic shipping lanes are shorter and less complex than songs recorded in quieter waters.. The hypothesis is specifically about disrupted communication; a direct comparison showing degraded whale songs in noisy areas versus quiet ones most directly supports the claim. Increased traffic alone, sailor awareness, and population growth don't address communication disruption.
A study tracked the percentage of survey respondents who reported reading at least one book per month, broken down by age group:
| 18–29 | 38% |
|---|---|
| 30–44 | 29% |
| 45–64 | 33% |
| 65+ | 45% |
A columnist claims that the data show reading rates decrease steadily as age increases.
Does the table support the columnist's claim?
C — No, because the percentage does not decrease steadily; it drops between the first two groups but then rises for the older groups.. The percentages go 38% → 29% → 33% → 45%, which drops then rises twice—not a steady decrease. Choice C correctly identifies this non-monotonic pattern; choice D misreads which group has the lowest value (30–44 is lowest, not 65+).
A survey asked residents of four towns how many minutes, on average, they spend socializing outdoors per week, and cross-referenced this with the number of public picnic tables within a half mile of the town square:
| Town A | 2 tables, 40 min/week |
|---|---|
| Town B | 7 tables, 95 min/week |
| Town C | 13 tables, 150 min/week |
| Town D | 19 tables, 210 min/week |
Which choice best describes the relationship shown in the data?
D — As the number of public picnic tables increases, average weekly outdoor socializing time also increases.. Socializing time rises steadily (40→95→150→210) as table count rises (2→7→13→19), a clear positive relationship, matching choice D exactly.
A study found that customers who used a grocery delivery app's 'quick reorder' feature for past purchases spent less time browsing the app overall but ultimately spent a similar amount per order compared with customers who did not use the feature, even though both groups saw identical product listings and prices.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A — browsing time alone may not be the primary factor determining a customer's total spending per order.. Since spending was similar despite different browsing behavior, this suggests browsing time itself isn't the deciding factor in total spending—matching choice A logically without the overstatements in D or C.
The museum's new wing features an impressive collection of ancient pottery, the pieces range in age from 500 to 3,000 years old.
Which choice fixes the sentence boundary error?
A — pottery. The pieces. The original is a comma splice joining two independent clauses. Choice A correctly separates them into two sentences with a period. Choice B adds an unnecessary comma after 'and,' and choice C misuses a semicolon by adding a stray comma.
The community center's expansion added a new gymnasium, the space hosts youth sports leagues every weekend.
Which choice fixes the sentence boundary error?
B — gymnasium. The space. The original is a comma splice joining two independent clauses. Choice B correctly separates them into two sentences with a period. Choice D adds an unnecessary comma after 'and,' and choice C misuses a semicolon by adding a stray comma.
The recreation center's expansion added a new indoor pool, the facility hosts swim lessons for children every Saturday.
Which choice fixes the sentence boundary error?
B — pool. The facility. The original is a comma splice joining two independent clauses. Choice B correctly separates them into two sentences with a period. Choice C adds an unnecessary comma after 'and,' and choice D misuses a semicolon by adding a stray comma.
The committee, after much debate finally reached a unanimous decision on the proposed budget.
Which choice fixes the punctuation error?
A — debate, finally. 'After much debate' is a parenthetical phrase set off by a comma after 'committee,' and needs a matching comma before 'finally' to close the interruption. Choice A correctly supplies this second comma.
The city's transit authority ______ several new express routes at a public hearing scheduled for next month.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
D — proposes. 'Transit authority' functions as a singular collective noun acting as a unit, requiring the singular present-tense verb 'proposes.'
The mayor's proposed ordinance, along with several supporting impact studies, ______ presented to the city council last Wednesday.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A — was. The subject of the sentence is the singular 'ordinance'; 'along with several supporting impact studies' is a parenthetical phrase that does not change the subject's number. The singular past-tense verb 'was' agrees with 'ordinance.'
Not only the head coach but also the assistant coaches ______ expected to attend the mandatory safety training session.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
B — were. In a 'not only...but also' construction, the verb agrees with the subject closer to it—here, the plural 'assistant coaches.' The plural past-tense verb 'were' is correct.
The neighborhood's seed-swapping program initially struggled to attract participants. ______, participation has grown substantially each spring since a local gardening club began hosting the swap events.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
C — Since then,. The sentence describes a change over time from an initial struggle to substantial growth—'Since then' correctly marks this temporal progression tied to the gardening club's involvement.
The small pottery studio had no formal advertising budget. ______, it became a sought-after destination for collectors after a magazine feature drew national attention.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A — Yet,. Success despite no advertising budget is a contrast to what one might expect. 'Yet' signals this contrast; 'consequently' would incorrectly suggest the lack of advertising caused the success.
The community pool had been closed for repairs since early spring. ______, officials confirmed this week that it would reopen in time for the summer season.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
B — Finally,. After a lengthy closure, the announcement of reopening marks a long-awaited conclusion to that period. 'Finally' signals this sense of a wait coming to an end; the other options don't fit this specific relationship.
A student is writing a report about a species of insect and has taken the following notes:
The student wants to explain how researchers confirmed that dung beetles use the Milky Way to navigate. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
C — Researchers confirmed this by placing beetles in a planetarium under a simulated night sky, observing consistent straight-line navigation that became far less reliable when a single point of light replaced the full simulated sky.. The goal is to explain how researchers confirmed the Milky Way navigation, and choice C directly describes this experimental method and its key comparative result. The other choices state the general finding or unrelated facts, not the confirming method.
A student is writing a report about a species of fish and has taken the following notes:
The student wants to explain how the lungfish is able to survive extended drought. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
D — By burrowing into mud and secreting a protective mucus cocoon while slowing its metabolism, the lungfish can survive months without water.. The goal is to explain the specific survival mechanism, and choice D directly states this mechanism (cocoon formation and slowed metabolism). The other choices describe related but different facts, not the survival mechanism itself.
Score:
Every question above is now marked up: the correct answer is highlighted, any wrong option you picked is flagged, and each explanation is open.
No. Every question is original, written to the College Board's published Digital SAT Reading & Writing test specification. No retired or copyrighted College Board material appears anywhere on this site.
27 questions in 32 minutes — about 71 seconds per question. The full Reading & Writing section is two such modules, 54 questions in 64 minutes.
Craft and Structure 8, Information and Ideas 7, Standard English Conventions 7, Expression of Ideas 5 — 27 questions in total, matching the College Board's published domain weighting for one module and grouped in the order the digital test presents them.
No. On the real test your performance on the first Reading & Writing module decides whether the second module is the easier or harder version, and that choice affects your score. A static practice module cannot reproduce that, so treat this as one fixed module of mixed difficulty rather than a scored simulation.
No. The SAT has no penalty for a wrong answer — a blank and a wrong guess both score zero — so answer every question, including the ones you have to guess.