SAT Craft and Structure Practice Questions

Craft and Structure runs about 13 to 15 questions per test. It covers words in context (the modern vocabulary question), a text's structure and purpose, and cross-text connections, where you compare two short passages that take different angles on one topic.

Words-in-context questions are won by predicting the missing word from the sentence's own logic before reading the choices. Cross-text questions are won by pinning down each author's claim separately first; every wrong answer blurs one author's position into the other's.

1. Question 1Words in Context · medium

   Elio Sucena and colleagues have explored how convergent evolution—a phenomenon that occurs when the same trait evolves independently in two reproductively separate lineages—can result from a genetic mechanism shared by both lineages. Meanwhile, Patricia J. Wittkopp and colleagues have investigated how convergence occurs through different genetic mechanisms, but the relative prevalence of convergence through shared and different genetic processes is still poorly understood. This motivated biologists Delbert A. Green II and Cassandra G. Extavour to evaluate both types of convergence in a single study for their 2012 paper.

   Which choice best states the overall structure of the text?

   AIt explains a widespread assumption about a phenomenon, describes two studies that are based on that assumption, and explains why the assumption is unfounded.

   BIt discusses a particular study of a phenomenon, elaborates on how two other studies have approached this phenomenon in the past, and critiques the first study’s approach.

   CIt details the development of a field of scientific inquiry, gives examples of three studies that were important to this development, and speculates on how future studies can develop these ideas.

   DIt describes a phenomenon, provides examples of two studies of that phenomenon, and mentions a third study of that phenomenon.
   Show answer & explanation

   Correct answer: D

   It describes a phenomenon, provides examples of two studies of that phenomenon, and mentions a third study of that phenomenon.

   Option AOption BOption COption D ✓

   Option D is correct

   1. Structure questions are answered by outlining the text, not by judging it. Walk the sentences in order.

   2. Sentence 1 defines convergent evolution (a phenomenon) and reports Sucena et al.'s work on it. Sentence 2 reports Wittkopp et al.'s work on the same phenomenon from a different angle. Sentence 3 introduces Green and Extavour's 2012 study.

   3. So the shape is: phenomenon → two studies → a third study. Nothing is criticized, refuted, or predicted.

   4. Choice D describes exactly that neutral three-part shape.

   Answer: D.

2. Question 2Text Structure and Purpose · hard

   In what is now southern Florida, the Calusa people (circa 1000–1600 CE) supported their relatively large population’s dietary needs with hydrological engineering rather than terrestrial farming methods. They constructed watercourts (gated coastal enclosures) out of shells and sediments to trap a variety of fish as waters rose and fell with tides and seasonal sea-level shifts; watercourt pools then held the fish for later consumption. Archaeologist Theresa Schober has posited an additional purpose of these enclosures, suggesting that they were intended to foster conch. She ties this hypothesis to the high value the sea snails would have had for the Calusa, both nutritionally and as a building material (conch shells are highly durable).

   Which finding, if true, would most directly weaken Schober’s hypothesis?

   ASamples of animal remains collected at Calusa sites reflect a greater diversity of marine species, particularly among sea snails, within the perimeter of watercourts than in locations known to have been devoted to the preparation and consumption of food.

   BHistorical population-size estimates suggest that the sea snails and fish most common in the Calusa diet were plentiful in open coastal waters when the watercourts were constructed but decreased in abundance in the years immediately after construction.

   CRadar surveys of Calusa sites reveal watercourt dimensions suitable for sustaining fish of many local species but not conducive for maintaining the shallow environments with ample seagrasses that allow sea snails to thrive.

   DSediment layers excavated from Calusa watercourt sites contain heterogeneous mixtures of scales from multiple species of fish and fragments of shells from various types of sea snails, but conch shells do not constitute the majority of the mixture in most of those layers.
   Show answer & explanation

   Correct answer: C

   Radar surveys of Calusa sites reveal watercourt dimensions suitable for sustaining fish of many local species but not conducive for maintaining the shallow environments with ample seagrasses that allow sea snails to thrive.

   Option AOption BOption C ✓Option D

   Option C is correct

   1. State the hypothesis precisely: Schober suggests the watercourts were intended to foster conch, valuable to the Calusa as food and building material.

   2. To weaken it, find evidence that the watercourts could not have served that purpose — the strongest attack on a claim about design intent is showing the structures were unsuitable for it.

   3. Choice C does that directly: radar shows the watercourts' dimensions suited fish but could not maintain the shallow, seagrass-rich conditions conch need to thrive. If conch could not survive there, fostering them cannot have been the point.

   Answer: C.

3. Question 3Cross-Text Connections · hard

   Text 1
   Hycean planets are a class of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) with oceans of liquid water-critical to supporting life-and atmospheres rich in hydrogen. Computer models have determined that for potential hycean planets, the range of the habitable zone (HZ), the distance from a star that allows a planet to retain liquid water on its surface, begins at about 1 astronomical unit (AU). In 2021, Nikku Madhusudhan et al. identified K2-18 b as a hycean candidate, noting that the planet is located right on the inner edge of the HZ.

   Text 2
   In a 2023 paper, Shang-Min Tsai et al. claimed that the hydrogen-rich atmospheres of K2-18 b and other hycean candidates admit wavelengths of light that cause elevated surface temperatures and increased water evaporation. Unlike earlier assessments, Tsai et al.'s calculations therefore placed the inner edge for these planets' HZ as far out as 3.85 AU.

   Based on the texts, how would Tsai et al. (Text 2) most likely respond to Madhusudhan et al.'s research, as presented in Text 1?

   ABy arguing that K2-18 b and other hycean candidates are unlikely to support life because these planets are located too far from the stars they orbit

   BBy stating that the chemical composition of the atmosphere of the hycean candidate Madhusudhan et al. identified suggests that this planet's surface is unlikely to harbor liquid water

   CBy maintaining that Madhusudhan et al. relied on a model whose estimates of surface temperatures on hycean candidates are likely too high

   DBy observing that unlike the hycean candidate Madhusudhan et al. discovered, most other types of planets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres are likely located within the HZ
   Show answer & explanation

   Correct answer: B

   By stating that the chemical composition of the atmosphere of the hycean candidate Madhusudhan et al. identified suggests that this planet's surface is unlikely to harbor liquid water

   Option AOption B ✓Option COption D

   Option B is correct

   1. Pin down each text's number. Text 1: the habitable zone begins at about 1 AU, and K2-18 b sits right on that inner edge. Text 2: Tsai et al. push the inner edge out to 3.85 AU.

   2. Work out what that reclassification means for K2-18 b. Sitting at roughly 1 AU, it is now far inside the revised inner edge — too close to its star, not too far.

   3. Text 2 gives the mechanism: hydrogen-rich atmospheres admit light that raises surface temperatures and evaporates water. So Tsai et al. would say the planet's own atmospheric composition makes liquid surface water unlikely.

   4. Choice B states that response.

   Answer: B.

4. Question 4Words in Context · medium

   The swordfish can swim very fast—up to 97 kilometers per hour (km/hr)—but it is significantly slower than the golden eagle, which can fly at speeds up to $320 \mathrm{~km} / \mathrm{hr}$. The difference between these speeds is largely _______ of the fact that the features that make flight possible do less to limit top speeds than the features suitable for swimming through water.

   Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

   Aa consequence

   Ban objective

   Ca repudiation

   Dan explanation
   Show answer & explanation

   Correct answer: A

   a consequence

   Option A ✓Option BOption COption D

   Option A is correct

   1. Read the logic around the blank. The sentence gives a difference in speeds, then supplies the reason for it: flight features limit top speed less than swimming features do.

   2. The blank needs a word meaning "result of." The speed difference is the effect; the fact that follows is its cause.

   3. "A consequence of" fits precisely: the difference is largely a consequence of that fact.

   4. Watch the direction — it is tempting to reach for "explanation," but that would make the difference explain the fact, reversing cause and effect.

   Answer: A.

5. Question 5Text Structure and Purpose · easy

   Lisbon has high pedestrian traffic, but simply replicating a feature of Lisbon associated with walkability—e.g., its high number of relatively short blocks—may be insufficient to induce increased walking in other cities. As urbanist Mariela Alfonzo argues, our understanding of individuals' decision-making about whether to walk is insufficiently robust: some studies emphasize the role of neighborhood type, others the role of individual physical fitness, and so on, but walking decisions are made in complex contexts in which multiple conditions and needs inform individuals' choices.

   Which choice best describes the function of the references to "neighborhood type" and "individual physical fitness" in the text as a whole?

   AThey are examples of factors that studies suggest are important in people's decision-making about walking but that the text claims most people rarely consider when making walking decisions.

   BThey represent factors that have been identified as important influences on walking decisions but that the text suggests are merely some of the many factors that may contribute to people's decision-making about walking.

   CThey illustrate factors that researchers believe people consider when making walking decisions in most contexts but that the text argues are unique to walking decisions made by people in Lisbon.

   DThey identify factors that Alfonzo argues have been overemphasized in studies of decision-making about walking but that the text asserts are relevant to most people's walking decisions.
   Show answer & explanation

   Correct answer: B

   They represent factors that have been identified as important influences on walking decisions but that the text suggests are merely some of the many factors that may contribute to people's decision-making about walking.

   Option AOption B ✓Option COption D

   Option B is correct

   1. Locate the two phrases and the sentence that frames them: "some studies emphasize the role of neighborhood type, others the role of individual physical fitness, and so on."

   2. Read what the sentence does with them. They appear inside Alfonzo's argument that our understanding is "insufficiently robust," and the sentence ends by saying walking decisions involve "multiple conditions and needs."

   3. So the two phrases are real influences that studies have identified — but each is only one piece of a bigger picture. That "and so on" is doing the work: the list is deliberately incomplete.

   4. Choice B captures both halves: identified as important, yet merely some of many factors.

   Answer: B.

6. Question 6Cross-Text Connections · medium

   Text 1
   Studies contributing to the body of evidence that people generally enjoy socializing have routinely focused on interactions in ongoing relationships (from spouses to classmates), but psychologist Selin Salman-Engin and colleagues have demonstrated the benefit of making connections with strangers. Greater positive affect was reported by participants in their study who warmly thanked a shuttle driver than by those who didn't speak to the driver.

   Text 2
   Social relations research commonly draws on a model that centers an individual within three concentric circles. The innermost circle holds one's strongest ties (e.g., a treasured friend), the next holds close but less important ties (e.g., a teammate), and the outermost holds weak ties (those more distant but important enough to be counted as part of one's social network).

   Based on the texts, what would Salman-Engin and colleagues (Text 1) most likely say about the discussion of the model in Text 2?

   AIt underscores that most research on social interactions fails to capture a category of connection that has the capacity to contribute positively to individuals' sense of well-being.

   BIt reflects an overemphasis on relationship longevity in researchers' evaluations of the relative importance of various connections in an individual's social network.

   CIt explains researchers' observations that individuals typically expect interactions with familiar people to be more positive than their interactions with unfamiliar people would be.

   DIt emphasizes distinctions among types of close connections that aren't adequately represented in social relations research, since most studies categorize relationships as either close or casual.
   Show answer & explanation

   Correct answer: A

   It underscores that most research on social interactions fails to capture a category of connection that has the capacity to contribute positively to individuals' sense of well-being.

   Option A ✓Option BOption COption D

   Option A is correct

   1. Establish Text 1's finding: research has routinely studied ongoing relationships, but Salman-Engin and colleagues showed that a brief exchange with a stranger — thanking a shuttle driver — raised positive affect.

   2. Now examine Text 2's model. All three concentric circles hold members of one's social network, down to weak ties "important enough to be counted as part of one's social network."

   3. A shuttle driver you have never met sits outside all three circles. The model has no place for the very connection Text 1 found beneficial.

   4. So Salman-Engin and colleagues would point out that the model, like most research, misses a category of connection that can improve well-being. That is choice A.

   Answer: A.

7. Question 7Words in Context · medium

   The dinosaur displays at museums such as the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago (which has a mounted Apatosaurus skeleton among its holdings) are notable for the _____ of the research behind them—the museum staff consulted numerous sources to ensure the accuracy of the displays.

   Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

   Arigor

   Bobscurity

   Cshallowness

   Dnovelty
   Show answer & explanation

   Correct answer: A

   rigor

   Option A ✓Option BOption COption D

   Option A is correct

   1. Use the clue after the dash — it defines the blank: "the museum staff consulted numerous sources to ensure the accuracy of the displays."

   2. Consulting many sources for accuracy is thoroughness and care. The blank needs a word for that quality.

   3. "Rigor" means exactly that — strict thoroughness and exactness.

   Answer: A.

8. Question 8Text Structure and Purpose · easy

   Land art, or earth art, is characterized by its large scale and the fact that it’s often placed in remote or surprising locations. Land art is also notable for the wildly diverse ways in which it is created: Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels, for instance, was created by placing four tubes made of concrete in a Utah desert to form an X and frame the sun, whereas for Circular Surface Planar Displacement Drawing, Michael Heizer made lines in a desert lake bed by driving a motorcycle in certain patterns.

   Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

   AThe text compares two works of art, then provides details about the lives of the artists who created them.

   BThe text conveys a definition of a kind of art, then addresses a well-established criticism of the art.

   CThe text outlines a common misconception about a kind of art, then offers an explanation for why that misconception persists.

   DThe text describes a particular genre of art, then cites examples illustrating an important characteristic of that genre.
   Show answer & explanation

   Correct answer: D

   The text describes a particular genre of art, then cites examples illustrating an important characteristic of that genre.

   Option AOption BOption COption D ✓

   Option D is correct

   1. Outline the text. Sentence 1 characterizes land art: large scale, remote or surprising locations. Sentence 2 states a further characteristic — the wildly diverse ways it is created — then gives two illustrations, Holt's concrete tubes and Heizer's motorcycle lines.

   2. The colon signals that the two artworks exist to illustrate that diversity claim, not to be compared with each other.

   3. So the structure is: describe a genre, then cite examples illustrating an important characteristic of it.

   Answer: D.

9. Question 9Cross-Text Connections · hard

   Text 1
   According to a study by a conservation group representing 11 tribal nations in the Great Lakes region, the firefly (waawaatesi in the Ojibwe language) will have significantly worse outcomes over the next 30 years if temperatures increase as much as some models suggest. By contrast, the white-tailed deer (waawaashkeshi in Ojibwe) should be able to withstand the highest predicted warming without much harm and so likely won't require the conservation efforts that the firefly will.

   Text 2
   US government agencies involved in conservation are unfortunately not able to address every possible threat to natural resources. They must use the best information available to decide which species are most threatened and therefore most in need of conservation efforts.

   Based on the texts, both authors would most likely agree with which statement?

   AA collaborative approach is necessary to keep temperatures in the Great Lakes region from increasing to the highest predicted levels.

   BAgencies involved in natural-resource management in the Great Lakes region should focus their conservation efforts more on the firefly than on the white-tailed deer.

   CConservation efforts focused on the firefly are more likely to be successful if they incorporate state and federal agency resources with the knowledge of tribal groups in those efforts.

   DState, federal, and tribal groups involved in natural-resource management in the Great Lakes region should immediately begin conservation programs for both the firefly and white-tailed deer.
   Show answer & explanation

   Correct answer: B

   Agencies involved in natural-resource management in the Great Lakes region should focus their conservation efforts more on the firefly than on the white-tailed deer.

   Option AOption B ✓Option COption D

   Option B is correct

   1. Agreement questions need a statement both texts support. Take each author's contribution.

   2. Text 1 supplies the facts: the firefly faces significantly worse outcomes from warming, while the white-tailed deer should withstand it and "likely won't require the conservation efforts that the firefly will."

   3. Text 2 supplies the principle: agencies cannot address every threat, so they must use the best available information to prioritize the species most in need.

   4. Apply the principle to the facts and both authors land in the same place: prioritize the firefly over the deer. That is choice B.

   Answer: B.

10. Question 10Words in Context · easy

    The following text is from Amy Tan's 1989 novel The Joy Luck Club. The narrator describes practicing the piano when she was a child. For the talent show, I was to play a piece called "Pleading Child" from Schumann's Scenes from Childhood. It was a simple, moody piece that sounded more difficult than it was. I was supposed to memorize the whole thing, playing the repeat parts twice to make the piece sound longer. But I dawdled over it, playing a few bars and then cheating. Looking up to see what notes followed. I never really listened to what I was playing. I daydreamed about being somewhere else, about being someone else.

    Based on the text, when the narrator describes herself as "cheating," what does she most likely mean?

    AShe was violating an expectation about how to perform the piece.

    BShe was gaining an unfair advantage over other contestants in the talent show.

    CShe was deceiving her piano teacher.

    DShe was lying to herself about her musical ability.
    Show answer & explanation

    Correct answer: A

    She was violating an expectation about how to perform the piece.

    Option A ✓Option BOption COption D

    Option A is correct

    1. Words-in-context questions about a quoted word ask what the author means by it here, not what it usually means.

    2. Find the requirement she is breaking: "I was supposed to memorize the whole thing." Then find the behavior she calls cheating: "playing a few bars and then... Looking up to see what notes followed."

    3. Reading the notes instead of playing from memory violates how she was supposed to perform the piece. There is no opponent and no deception of another person in the passage — just a standard she is not meeting.

    4. Choice A states it: she was violating an expectation about how to perform the piece.

    Answer: A.