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 old bridge's cables showed visible signs of rust, prompting engineers to declare the structure ______ for continued vehicle use until repairs were made.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A — unsafe. Visible rust prompting engineers to restrict use until repairs are made describes a structure judged unsafe. 'Unsafe' fits; 'ideal' contradicts the concern that led to the restriction.
The physicist's explanation was so ______ that even students with no background in the subject left the lecture feeling they understood quantum entanglement.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
C — lucid. Students with no background leaving the lecture with understanding implies the explanation was clear. 'Lucid' means clear and easily understood, fitting the context.
Because the mountain pass is impassable for much of the winter, residents of the valley must rely on ______ supply routes during the coldest months.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
B — alternate. Needing a different route when the main pass is impassable describes a backup or secondary option. 'Alternate' fits; 'primary' and 'identical' don't capture the sense of a substitute route.
The surgeon's hands moved with a ______ precision, each incision made without hesitation after decades of practice.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
C — practiced. Decades of practice leading to precise, unhesitating movement describes skill built through repetition. 'Practiced' fits; 'clumsy,' 'random,' and 'reluctant' all contradict this description.
The essay's closing paragraph returns to the personal anecdote from its opening, this time reinterpreting it in light of the historical research presented throughout the body of the essay.
Which choice best describes the function of the closing paragraph?
B — It reframes the opening anecdote using the evidence just presented.. Returning to reinterpret the opening anecdote using evidence developed throughout the essay is a reframing of the initial material, not a new question, an undermining of evidence, or an audience shift.
The essay opens by acknowledging that social media has connected distant friends and family in unprecedented ways, but the bulk of the essay focuses on documenting its effects on attention span and in-person social skills.
Which choice best describes the function of the first sentence in relation to the rest of the text?
A — It concedes a benefit before shifting focus to a related concern.. Conceding a benefit (connection) before pivoting to spend most of the essay on a concern (attention/social skills) is a concession-then-shift structure, not the central thesis, an anecdote, or a disproven counterargument.
Text 1: Nutrition researcher Yuki Tanaka found that participants who ate meals with a colleague reported feeling more satisfied after eating than those who ate the same meals alone. Text 2: Nutrition researcher Ben Okafor found no significant difference in reported satisfaction between social and solitary eaters once he controlled for how long the meal lasted, suggesting meal duration, not company, may explain Tanaka's result.
Which choice best describes the relationship between the two texts?
C — Text 2 offers an alternative explanation for the finding reported in Text 1.. Okafor's controlled study suggests meal duration, not company, may explain the effect Tanaka observed—an alternative explanation, not a confirmation of Tanaka's causal claim.
Text 1: Film critic Helena Marchetti praises a director's use of extremely long takes with no cuts, arguing this technique forces actors to sustain genuine emotional performances for minutes at a time. Text 2: Acting coach Julian Ferro, who has trained performers for similar productions, cautions that sustaining a performance across an extremely long take can also lead exhausted actors to give less nuanced, more generalized performances by the take's final minutes.
Which choice best describes the relationship between the two texts?
D — Ferro identifies a potential drawback of the technique that Marchetti praises.. Marchetti praises long takes for sustaining genuine performance; Ferro warns this same technique can cause performance quality to decline by the end of a long take—a caution about a drawback of the very approach Marchetti endorses.
Sea otters are considered a keystone species in kelp forest ecosystems because they prey on sea urchins, which would otherwise overgraze and destroy kelp forests if left unchecked. By keeping urchin populations in balance, otters indirectly preserve the kelp habitat that many other marine species depend on.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
B — By controlling sea urchin populations, sea otters indirectly help preserve kelp forest habitats.. The text explains that otters preying on urchins prevents overgrazing, indirectly preserving kelp—matching choice B; the other choices overstate or misstate details not supported by the text.
Naked mole rats are unusual among mammals in that they rarely develop cancer, even when researchers deliberately expose their cells to substances known to trigger tumors in other rodents. Scientists studying this resistance hope that understanding its underlying genetic mechanisms could eventually inform new approaches to human cancer prevention.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
B — The naked mole rat's cancer resistance may hold insights relevant to human medicine.. The text describes the mole rat's cancer resistance and connects it to hopes for informing human cancer prevention—matching choice B; the other choices overstate or misstate details not supported by the text.
An archaeologist proposes that a newly excavated settlement had a specialized division of labor rather than every household performing the same tasks.
Which finding would most directly support the archaeologist's proposal?
D — Excavators find that certain structures contain only tool-making debris while others contain only textile-working equipment, with little overlap between the two.. Distinct structures specializing in different tasks with little overlap directly supports a claim of specialized labor division. Shared water access, duration of habitation, and the presence of similar sites elsewhere don't address labor specialization.
A linguist argues that children who regularly engage in pretend play with peers develop stronger narrative storytelling skills by age six than children who engage in pretend play alone.
Which finding would most directly support the linguist's argument?
C — In assessments of storytelling ability, six-year-olds who regularly played pretend games with peers scored higher than six-year-olds who played pretend games alone.. The claim is specifically about narrative storytelling skill compared between peer and solo pretend play; a direct assessment comparing this skill between the two groups is the most direct support. The other choices measure unrelated or different outcomes.
A field study measured the number of hummingbird visits per hour to flowering plants in three garden plots with different densities of tubular-shaped flowers:
| Low density | 4 visits/hour |
|---|---|
| Medium density | 17 visits/hour |
| High density | 39 visits/hour |
An ecologist claims that as tubular flower density increases, hummingbird visits increase.
Does the table support the ecologist's claim?
D — Yes, because visit counts increase consistently as flower density increases from low to medium to high.. The values 4 → 17 → 39 increase consistently as flower density rises from low to medium to high, directly supporting the claim of a positive relationship. Choice A misreads the data—the low-density plot had fewer, not more, visits.
A city compared the number of noise complaints per month before and after installing sound-dampening barriers along a highway:
| 3 months before installation | 58, 63, 51 complaints |
|---|---|
| 3 months after installation | 16, 14, 19 complaints |
A city official claims that the sound barriers roughly quartered the monthly complaint rate.
Does the data support the official's claim?
B — Yes, because the average monthly complaints after installation (about 16) is roughly a quarter of the average before installation (about 57).. The average before (58+63+51)/3 ≈ 57 and after (16+14+19)/3 ≈ 16, which is roughly one quarter of the earlier value—supporting the official's claim as a reasonable approximation.
A researcher studying an isolated fishing community found that residents under the age of 30 could identify only about a quarter as many traditional knot-tying techniques as residents over 65, even though both groups had grown up fishing in the same waters and were considered experienced by community standards.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A — knowledge specific to traditional knot-tying techniques may be declining across generations even among experienced fishers.. Since both groups are described as experienced, but younger residents know fewer knots, this suggests that this specific cultural knowledge—not general fishing experience—is what's declining across generations, matching choice A.
The lighthouse, which was decommissioned in 1974 remains a popular destination for photographers.
Which choice fixes the punctuation error?
B — 1974, remains. 'Which was decommissioned in 1974' is a nonrestrictive clause set off by a comma after 'lighthouse,' and requires a matching comma before 'remains' to properly close the interruption. Choice B supplies this.
Although the trial produced encouraging early results the researchers cautioned that a larger sample size would be needed before any treatment could be recommended.
Which choice fixes the punctuation error?
A — results, the researchers. 'Although the trial produced encouraging early results' is a dependent introductory clause that requires a comma before the main clause begins. Choice A correctly adds this comma.
The bridge, which was completed in 1937 remains one of the most photographed landmarks in the country.
Which choice fixes the punctuation error?
C — 1937, remains. 'Which was completed in 1937' is a nonrestrictive clause set off by a comma after 'bridge,' and requires a matching comma before 'remains' to properly close the interruption. Choice C supplies this.
Despite years of steady growth the family-owned hardware store closed after a national chain opened nearby.
Which choice fixes the punctuation error?
C — growth, the family-owned. 'Despite years of steady growth' is an introductory phrase that requires a comma before the main clause. Choice C correctly adds this comma; a semicolon or colon would be used to join independent clauses or introduce a list/explanation, neither of which applies here.
By the time the auditors reviewed the ledgers, the finance office ______ already corrected the majority of the recording errors.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
C — had. The sentence describes an action (correcting errors) that was completed before another past action (the auditors reviewing the ledgers), which requires the past perfect tense. 'Had' correctly forms the past perfect.
Having spent three years researching the topic, the dissertation ______ finally submitted for review by the graduate student.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
B — was. This sentence contains a dangling modifier issue in the original phrasing, but focusing on verb form: the dissertation was submitted—a completed single past action, matching singular subject 'dissertation'—requires simple past 'was,' not the plural 'were' or the non-finite 'having been.'
Neither the head librarian nor the reference staff ______ certain how the misplaced archive box had gone missing.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
B — were. In a 'neither...nor' construction, the verb agrees with the subject closer to it—here, the plural 'reference staff.' 'Were' is the correct plural past-tense verb.
The professor's lecture covered the biology of coral bleaching in exhaustive detail. ______, she devoted almost no time to the economic impact of reef loss on coastal communities.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
C — However,. Detailed coverage of biology but little coverage of economic impact is a contrast in emphasis. 'However' correctly signals this shift.
The small ceramics studio had no formal marketing plan. ______, it became a favorite destination for collectors after a well-known blogger featured its work.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
C — Yet,. Success despite a lack of marketing is a contrast to what one might expect. 'Yet' signals this contrast; 'consequently' would incorrectly suggest the lack of marketing caused the success.
The historic theater had been shuttered for renovation for nearly two years. ______, officials confirmed this week that it would reopen with a gala performance next season.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
C — 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.
While researching, a student took the following notes:
The student wants to present the research team's key finding. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
D — By adding a transparent cooling layer, the research team kept panels cooler and raised their electricity output by up to 3%.. The key finding is the result of the team's coating: cooler panels and up to 3% more electricity. D states it. B and C give background, and A describes only the team's interest, not the finding.
A student has taken the following notes while researching a scientific technique:
The student wants to contrast mRNA vaccines with traditional vaccines. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
D — Unlike traditional vaccines, which often introduce a weakened or inactivated form of a virus, mRNA vaccines teach cells to produce a harmless piece of the virus's protein.. The goal is a contrast between mRNA and traditional vaccines; choice D directly juxtaposes the mRNA mechanism with the traditional-vaccine mechanism. The other options either omit the comparison or focus on an unrelated detail.
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.