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SAT Subject Tests Sample Questions

Biology E/M:

1. What would happen to a human red blood cell if it was placed in distilled water?

(A) It would shrivel.
(B) It would plasmolyze.
(C) It would lyse.
(D) It would dehydrate.
(E) It would not be affected.

2. Which of the following terms best encompasses all of the populations of organisms living together and potentially interacting in an area?

(A) Carrying capacity
(B) Biome
(C) Ecosystem
(D) Biological community
(E) Geographical community

3. If a molecule of DNA is composed of approximately 16.2% adenine (A) and 33.4% guanine (G), the percentage thymine (T) and cytosine (C) must be approximately

(A) 16.3% T and 16.3% C.
(B) 34.1% T and 34.1% C.
(C) 34.1% T and 16.3% C.
(D) 16.3% T and 34.1% C.
(E) 33.4% T and 16.2% C.

Literature:

The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls

The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea sands damp and brown
The traveler hastens toward the town,
     And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls.
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
     And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveler to the shore,
     And the tide rises, the tide falls.

–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

1. The stanza length of "The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls" is which of the following?

(A) Tercet
(B) Quatrain
(C) Cinquain
(D) Sestet
(E) Octave

2. What does the rising and falling of the tide represent?

(A) The comings and goings of a traveler
(B) Life cycle
(C) Lunar phases
(D) Emotional highs and lows
(E) Triviality of life

3. What does the author portray with the image of darkness in the first stanza?

(A) Closure of day
(B) Silence
(C) Ominous portent
(D) Softening of sounds
(E) Arrival of the traveler

Math Level 1:

1. The equation x² + 9 = 2y² is an example of which of the following curves?

(A) Hyperbola
(B) Circle
(C) Ellipse
(D) Parabola
(E) Line

2. At what point(s) does f(x) = x² + 3x + 2 intersect the x-axis?

(A) (2,0) and (1,0)
(B) (0,2) and (0,1)
(C) (0,–1) and (0,–2)
(D) (–1,0) and (–2,0)
(E) (–1,0) and (2,0)

Math Level 2:

1. If x – 2y = 0 and y² – 4x = 0 (for all x > 0), x =

(A) 13.65
(B) 15
(C) 16
(D) 17.28
(E) 18.5

2. A purse contains a total of 15 coins, all of which are either dimes or nickels. If the total value is $1.20, how many are dimes and how many are nickels?

(A) 10 dimes and 5 nickels
(B) 7 dimes and 8 nickels
(C) 11 dimes and 4 nickels
(D) 9 dimes and 6 nickels
(E) 8 dimes and 7 nickels

Physics:

1. During a company picnic, 6 accounting department workers participate in a tug of war with 6 sales force personnel. Each team pulls on the rope with 1200N of force. What is the tension in the rope?

(A) 2400N
(B) 1200N
(C) 600N
(D) 200N
(E) 100N

2. An Olympic weightlifter lifts a weight bar weighing 2000N straight up to a height of 2.25 meters in a time of .65 seconds. The weightlifter stands holding the weight at that height for the next 4 seconds before dropping the weights to the floor. How much power did the weightlifter use to lift the weights overhead?

(A) 2925 watts
(B) 3077 watts
(C) 4500 watts
(D) 6923 watts
(E) 9100 watts

U.S. History:

1. The most significant effect of "dollar diplomacy" was

(A) the Panama Canal.
(B) intervention in domestic elections in Nicaragua.
(C) suspicion and mistrust of the United States.
(D) large profits for U.S. banks from Latin American investments.
(E) the reduction of U.S. protective tariffs.

2. All of the following are true about Latinos’ experiences in World War II EXCEPT

(A) unlike African Americans, Latinos fought in integrated units.
(B) Latino youths were the target of Zoot Suit riots in several major U.S. cities.
(C) Puerto Ricans were not allowed to enlist in the U.S. armed forces.
(D) through the bracero program, Mexicans were brought to the Unites States to work in agriculture.
(E) Latinos and Latinas found work in defense industries as a result of the Fair Employment Practices Commission.

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