SAT Everyday Questions Apr ʼ09

Saturday, April 4
The rumor was of the ------- variety, spreading slowly and almost imperceptibly until, finally, everyone
seemed to have heard the story.
A. manifest
B. dilatory
C. insidious
D. aggressive
E. expeditious

Here s Why:
Choice (C) is correct. A rumor that spreads slowly and subtly can be described as insidious.

Sunday, April 5
Wynton Marsalis emerged as one of the great
A
trumpeters of the late twentieth century, winning
B C
Grammy awards for both his jazz and even
D
classical works. No error
E

Here s Why:
The error in this sentence occurs at (D), where there is an improper idiom. Both parts of the both...and
structure must be followed by grammatically similar elements. Because his follows both, his must
also follow and ( both his jazz and his classical ).

Tuesday, April 7
A ------- person, he found the training almost unbearably monotonous, but he resolved to check his -------
and perform the basic tasks required.
A. bitter . . submissiveness
B. reclusive . . reserve
C. dynamic . . restlessness
D. mercurial . . constancy
E. vivacious . . ambition

Here's Why:
It is logically consistent to say that someone who is dynamic, or energetic, would feel restless, or
agitated, when faced with a boring task.

1
SAT Everyday Questions Apr ʼ09

Friday, April 10
According to the company spokesperson, the majority of the wrongful termination lawsuits filed against
the company were -------, representing bogus claims made by ------- former employees hoping to strike it
rich.
A. legitimate . . disgruntled
B. frivolous . . greedy
C. uncommon . . surprised
D. embarrassing . . contented
E. warranted . . wise

Here's Why:
Choice (B) is correct. For the company spokesman to describe the lawsuits as bogus claims implies
that the company views these lawsuits as frivolous, or as having no sound basis. Moreover, as is
indicated by the phrase hoping to strike it rich, the spokesman would likely want to characterize the
claimants of these suits as greedy, or motivated by a selfish desire for wealth, rather than as people
seeking fairness or justice.

Monday, April 13
Until Florence Nightingale made nursing ------- , it was considered a ------- profession.
A. scientific . . painstaking
B. essential . . dangerous
C. noble . . lofty
D. patriotic . . worthy
E. respectable . . degrading

Here's Why:
Respectable and degrading most clearly convey a distinct change in the image of nursing: though
nursing was first considered degrading, Florence Nightingale's accomplishments made it respectable.

Thursday, April 16
The archaeologist enjoyed the ------- life she led while gathering artifacts; she never stayed at any one
site long enough to get bored.
A. stealthy
B. nomadic
C. clamorous
D. indiscreet
E. rustic
Here's Why:
The archaeologist never stayed at any one site long enough to get bored. Her life can be described as
nomadic or characterized by moving from place to place.

2
SAT Everyday Questions Apr ʼ09

Friday, April 17
When people gave up the hunter-gatherer way
A
of life and began to cultivate the soil and grow their food, they often became less mobile, built
B
more substantial residences, and they developed
C
more effective means of storage. No error
D E

Here's Why:
The error in this sentence occurs at (C), where there is a flaw in parallelism. The pronoun they should
be removed so that the sentence contains three parallel verbs ( became, built, and developed ).

Saturday, April 25
The committee s report was entirely ------- ; those who ------- it did so with the deliberate intent of
damaging my reputation.
A. erroneous . . expunged
B. legitimate . . perused
C. infallible . . endorsed
D. spontaneous . . compiled
E. malicious . . circulated

Here's Why:
In circulating the report, the committee was being malicious, or intentionally harmful.

Tuesday, April 28
Scientists are studying the birth and growth of thunderstorms to discover what causes the difference
between showers that enable crops to ------- and ------- storms that cause floods and erosions.

A. flourish . . violent
B. wither . . damaging
C. grow . . harmless
D. parch . . severe
E. multiply . . essential