688 MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT
Section 2
1.A Alisha was holding a grudge,which is a feeling
of resentment.
resentment=ill will; fortitude=strength of mind to
endure; sarcasm=wit used to ridicule; elation=
extreme joy
2.C There were people who expected the governor
to be inarticulate(unable to speak clearly), so they
would be surprised if he were articulate. intolerance=
inability to put up with something; fatigue=tiredness;
eloquence=persuasiveness in speech; endurance=
ability to last, often through hard times
3.D The language of commonerswould be logi-
cally described as common.But the novelists pre-
ferred another kind of parlance(speech): that of the
upperclasses. A word such as elegantwould work
nicely. elite=superior; sympathetic=compassionate;
colloquial= characteristic of everyday language;
refined =precise, elegant; utilitarian = practical,
stressing utility
4.A The second half of this sentence presents a de-
finition. The word in the blank should mean “explor-
ing the world.” peripatetic=walking from place to
place; conventional=customary; tolerant=willing to
put up with something; coordinated=well-matched;
remunerative=profitable
5.E A position that requires public speaking would
be difficultfor a person who does not like to speak or
is afraid of crowds. vivacious=full of life; garrulous=
talkative; amiable=friendly; reticent=hesitant to
share one’s feelings or opinions with others
6.C The tickbird gets something from the hip-
popotamus, and the hippopotamus gets something
from the tickbird; it’s a give-and-receiverelationship.
deteriorating=diminishing in quality; symbiotic=of
mutual benefit; regressive=going backwards; vacillat-
ing=going back and forth
7.A This sentence establishes a contrast between
how modern scientiststhink and how early philo-
sophersthought. The contrast shows that the early
philosophers were not using experiments as much as
their own minds to draw conclusions and that the
modern scientists rely more on experimental data to
draw their conclusions. empirical=relying on the ob-
servations made from experiments; coercion=pres-
sure on someone to act; deduction = reaching a
conclusion through the use of logic; clerical=relating
to office work; intuitive=known innately
8.B The first blank should be a word like mergingor
unification,because many companies are under a single
owner.This would be troublesometo those who value
independence. retraction=taking something back; dif-
ferentiation=finding a difference between two things;
consolidation=combining of multiple things into one
common entity; collaboration=working together on
something; dissemination=the spread of something9.E Passage 2 distinguishes between education
and schooling. It states that the main product of
schooling is not education(lines 15–16) and that the
struggle that defines education is denied by schooling
(lines 22–23). Passage 1 makes no such distinction,
and speaks of education as if it is inseparable from
the idea of schooling.10.E The passage mentions that education would
diminish social distinctions (“obliterate factitious dis-
tinctions in society” (lines 13–14)), improve living stan-
dards (“prevents being poor” (line 8)), provide the
means to counteract greed (“resist the selfishness of
other men” (lines 5–6)), and increase self-sufficiency
(“gives each man the independence” (line 4)). It does
not, however, mention anything about reducing crime.11.A The passage suggests that education is the
great equalizerand that the spread of education will
open a wider area over which the social feelings will ex-
pand.It concludes by commenting that if this educa-
tion should be universal and complete it would
obliterate factitious distinctions in society.12.B Passage 2 states that education, which is the
acquisition of competence, power, wisdom and dis-
cernment(lines 19–20), is achieved only through the
struggle for sense in the world(lines 21–22). Therefore,
this struggle is empowering.13.A “The Beginnings of the Scientific Method” is
the best title, because this passage begins by discussing
the scientists of the Renaissance and how they brought
about the most fundamental alterations in the world of
thought... by devising a new method for discovering
knowledge(lines 1–5). This new method was the scien-
tific method.14.C Saying that the early modern scientists laid
greatest stress upon observation and the formation of
temporary hypotheses(lines 7–9) is like saying they
emphasizedobservation and hypotheses.15.C In lines 19–21 the passage suggests that earlier
scientists were simply trying to find the confirmation of
Biblical statements about the firmament.