Free printable SAT practice test for Grade 10

Reading and Writing

Circle the letter of the best answer. About 12 minutes.

1. Moonlight

   The Moon does not produce its own light. Instead, it ______ sunlight, and the shape we see each night depends on how much of its sunlit side faces Earth.

   1.

   Which choice gives the most logical and precise word or phrase for the blank?

   1. Aabsorbs
   2. Bgenerates
   3. Creflects
   4. Dfollows

2. A rare compliment

   Ms. Abara's praise was ______: she rarely said more than 'fine' about a student's essay, so when she wrote 'remarkable' across the top of Dev's paper, he read the word five times.

   2.

   Which choice gives the most logical and precise word or phrase for the blank?

   1. Alavish
   2. Bsparing
   3. Ccareless
   4. Dconstant

3. Silence in music

   Listeners tend to think of music as sound, but composers treat silence as material too. A rest placed just before a final chord can make that chord land with far more force than if it had arrived on time. In this sense, a well-placed silence is not an absence of music but one of its most expressive parts.

   3.

   What role does the underlined sentence play in the text as a whole?

   1. AIt introduces a claim that the rest of the text goes on to dispute.
   2. BIt explains why listeners often fail to notice rests in music.
   3. CIt describes a technique used only by composers of modern music.
   4. DIt draws a general conclusion from the example given in the previous sentence.

4. Tool libraries

   Some towns have opened tool libraries, which work much like ordinary libraries but lend out drills, ladders, saws, and garden equipment instead of books. Members pay a small yearly fee or none at all. Supporters say these libraries save residents money, since few people need a power washer more than once or twice a year. They also point out that sharing tools means fewer items are bought, stored, and eventually thrown away.

   4.

   What is the main idea of the text?

   1. ATool libraries charge higher fees than ordinary libraries do.
   2. BTool libraries let residents share equipment, which saves money and waste.
   3. CTool libraries are replacing traditional libraries in many towns.
   4. DMost residents use power tools several times each year.

5. Otters and kelp

   Sea urchins graze on kelp, the large seaweed that forms underwater forests, and sea otters eat sea urchins. A team of marine ecologists hypothesized that otters protect kelp forests by keeping urchin numbers down. They counted urchins and kelp plants in survey plots along coasts with and without otters. The results are consistent with the hypothesis: ______

   5.

   Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the statement?

   1. Aplots with otters had more urchins and more kelp than plots without otters.
   2. Bplots with otters had fewer urchins and less kelp than plots without otters.
   3. Cplots with otters had fewer urchins and more kelp than plots without otters.
   4. Dplots without otters held more urchins than kelp plants on average.

6. Reversible repairs

   Art conservators who repair damaged paintings generally use materials that can later be removed without harming the original paint. They do this because methods improve over time, and a repair that seems ideal today may one day be replaced by a better one. By choosing reversible materials, conservators make sure that ______

   6.

   Which choice best completes the text?

   1. Aevery repair will look exactly like the original paint.
   2. Bpaintings will never need to be repaired again.
   3. Cthe original paint can be fully replaced over time.
   4. Dfuture experts can undo today's repairs safely.

7. Coral spawning

   On just a few nights each year, shortly after a full moon, the corals of a single ______ millions of tiny bundles of eggs and sperm into the water at almost the same moment. Divers describe the sight as an underwater snowstorm.

   7.

   Which choice completes the text so that it follows the conventions of Standard English?

   1. Areef, release
   2. Breef: release
   3. Creef; release
   4. Dreef release

8. Flooded caves

   Beneath the limestone coast lies one of the longest flooded cave systems in the world. The bay's network of underwater passages, as well as the rare blind fish that live in them, ______ cave divers from many countries each year.

   8.

   Which choice completes the text so that it follows the conventions of Standard English?

   1. Aare drawing
   2. Bdraws
   3. Cdraw
   4. Dhave drawn

9. Kintsugi repairs

   Kintsugi is a Japanese method of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with powdered gold. Rather than hiding the cracks, the gold lines draw attention to them. ______, the history of the object, including its damage, becomes part of its beauty.

   9.

   Which choice gives the most logical transition for the blank?

   1. AIn this way
   2. BNevertheless
   3. CMeanwhile
   4. DBy comparison

10. Bessie Coleman

    While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
    • Bessie Coleman was born in Texas in 1892.
    • Flight schools in the United States would not admit her.
    • She learned French and trained as a pilot in France.
    • In 1921, she became the first African American woman to earn an international pilot's license.
    • She later performed in air shows across the United States.

    10.

    The student wants to introduce Bessie Coleman to an audience unfamiliar with her. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

    1. AAfter flight schools in the United States refused her, Coleman learned French and trained in France.
    2. BBessie Coleman, born in Texas in 1892, was the first African American woman to earn an international pilot's license.
    3. CIn 1921, the pilot earned an international license and later performed in air shows.
    4. DColeman performed in air shows across the United States after earning her license.