Free printable SAT practice test for Grade 10

Reading and Writing

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

1. Jazz improvisation

   In many jazz performances, musicians do not simply play a written score. Instead, they ______ new melodies on the spot, responding to one another and to the mood of the audience.

   1.

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

   1. Ainvent
   2. Bsilence
   3. Cpurchase
   4. Dmemorize

2. Roman harbor walls

   Some harbor walls built by ancient Roman engineers have stood in seawater for nearly two thousand years. Researchers studying the material found that it contains volcanic ash, which reacts with seawater to form new minerals that ______ the concrete over time rather than weakening it.

   2.

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

   1. Adissolve
   2. Bstrengthen
   3. Cconceal
   4. Dilluminate

3. Penny newspapers

   Before the 1830s, most American newspapers cost about six cents and were sold mainly by subscription to merchants and professionals. In 1833, a New York paper began selling for a single penny on street corners. Its low price and lively stories about everyday city life drew thousands of new readers, and within a few years dozens of similar papers had appeared.

   3.

   Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

   1. AIt explains why merchants and professionals preferred to buy newspapers by subscription.
   2. BIt offers an example of the lively stories that drew new readers.
   3. CIt marks a shift away from the practice described in the first sentence.
   4. DIt suggests that most readers were unwilling to pay for newspapers.

4. Adobe walls

   Adobe bricks are made from clay, sand, water, and straw, then dried in the sun. In hot, dry regions, builders have long used them to make thick walls. During the day, these walls slowly soak up heat, so the rooms inside stay cool. At night, when desert air turns cold, the walls release that stored heat back into the rooms. The result is a home that stays comfortable without much fuel.

   4.

   What is the main idea of the text?

   1. AAdobe bricks are stronger than bricks baked in a kiln.
   2. BThick adobe walls keep indoor temperatures steady in dry places.
   3. CDesert nights are colder than most people expect.
   4. DBuilders in dry regions prefer straw to any other building material.

5. Desert rainfall

   Many deserts receive little rain overall, but that rain does not always fall evenly through the year. Records from the weather station in one desert town show that the town received most of its yearly rain in a single season. In the year shown, for example, ______

   5.

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

   1. Aspring and fall together brought a total of 3 inches of rain.
   2. Bfall brought more rain than winter and spring did together.
   3. Csummer brought 7 inches of rain, more than the other three seasons combined.
   4. Dwinter brought 3 inches of rain, three times as much as spring did.

6. Seed banks

   Seed banks protect plant diversity by drying seeds and storing them at freezing temperatures, conditions under which many seeds stay alive for decades. However, the seeds of some plants, including many tropical trees, die when they lose much of their moisture. Botanists call these seeds recalcitrant. This suggests that seed banks relying only on drying and freezing ______

   6.

   Which choice most logically completes the text?

   1. Awill soon stop collecting seeds from plants outside the tropics.
   2. Bcannot preserve every plant species they might want to protect.
   3. Care able to keep recalcitrant seeds alive for several decades.
   4. Dshould store tropical seeds at warmer temperatures than other seeds.

7. Tortoise burrows

   Desert tortoises spend most of their lives in underground burrows that they dig with their front legs. The burrows stay cool even in ______ they can flood during the rare summer storms that sweep across the desert.

   7.

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

   1. Amidsummer however,
   2. Bmidsummer, however,
   3. Cmidsummer; however,
   4. Dmidsummer; however

8. Orchestra auditions

   The youth orchestra holds auditions every spring. Each of the violinists ______ a different piece to perform for the judges, so no two auditions sound alike.

   8.

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

   1. Achoose
   2. Bchooses
   3. Chave chosen
   4. Dare choosing

9. A rebuilt ship

   In a well-known thought experiment, a wooden ship has its planks replaced one at a time until none of the original wood remains. Some philosophers argue that it is still the same ship, since it kept its form and purpose throughout. ______, others hold that it is a new ship, because none of its original material survives.

   9.

   Which choice gives the most logical transition for the blank?

   1. AIn other words
   2. BAs a direct result
   3. CLikewise
   4. DOn the other hand

10. Serial novels

    While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
    • In the 1800s, many novels first appeared in installments in magazines.
    • Charles Dickens published The Pickwick Papers in monthly parts beginning in 1836.
    • Installments often ended at moments of suspense.
    • Readers could respond to a story before it was finished.
    • Some authors changed their plots in response to readers.

    10.

    The student wants to explain how readers could influence a novel published in installments. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

    1. ACharles Dickens published The Pickwick Papers in monthly parts beginning in 1836.
    2. BThe installments of serialized novels often ended at moments of great suspense.
    3. CIn the 1800s, many novels, including some by Charles Dickens, appeared first as a series of installments in magazines.
    4. DBecause readers could respond before a serialized story was finished, some authors changed their plots in response.