Mr. Osama Ahmad February 17, 2025 10 min read

College Board Blue Book | Test 7 | Module 2 Hard | Domain 1 | Questions 8-9 | Support

Digital SAT Reading: Analyzing Evidence and "Strongly Suggest" Questions (Test 7, Module 2)

TTA Pro: Guide to Digital SAT Reading - Supporting a Researcher's Conclusion

Welcome back, beautiful people, to TTA Pro, Mr. O, back with another episode. Today, we're going to continue test number seven and the College Board Blue Book app tests. We're working on module two, the hard module. Today we're going to cover domain one questions, support a researcher's conclusion.

Digital SAT Hard Module 2 Reading Questions

So let's get started.

Question 8.

Early Earth is thought to have been characterized by a stagnant lid tectonic regime, in which the upper lithosphere (the outer rocky layer) was essentially immobile and there was no interaction between the lithosphere and the underlying mantle. Researchers investigated the timing of the transition from a stagnant lid regime to a tectonic plate regime, in which the lithosphere is fractured into dynamic plates that in turn allow lithospheric and mantle material to mix. Examining chemical data from lithospheric-and mantle-derived rocks ranging from 285 million to 3.8 billion years old, the researchers dated the transition to 3.2 billion years ago.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ conclusion?

(A) Among rocks known to be older than 3.2 billion years, significantly more are mantle derived than lithospheric, but the opposite is true for the rocks younger than 3.2 billion years.

(B) Mantle-derived rocks older than 3.2 billion years show significantly more compositional diversity than lithospheric rocks older than 3.2 billion years do.

(C) There is a positive correlation between the age of lithospheric rocks and their chemical similarity to mantle-derived rocks, and that correlation increases significantly in strength at around 3.2 billion years old.

(D) Mantle-derived rocks younger than 3.2 billion years contain some material that is not found in older mantle-derived rocks but is found in older and contemporaneous lithospheric rocks.

Context and Conclusion Breakdown:

  • The question asks for a finding that would "most directly support the researchers' conclusion."
  • We need to identify the researchers' conclusion. It's stated directly: "...the researchers dated the transition to 3.2 billion years ago." The conclusion is about the *timing* of a transition.
  • The transition is from a "stagnant lid regime" (no mixing between lithosphere and mantle) to a "tectonic plate regime" (mixing between lithosphere and mantle).

We need an answer choice that provides evidence of *mixing* happening *after* 3.2 billion years ago, and *no mixing* happening *before* that time.

Here is a simple diagram to help visualize:

LITHOSPHERE

-------------------- (Separation)

MANTLE

<----- Older (3.2+ billion years) | Younger ----->

MIXING

The diagram shows the older rocks on the left, and the younger rocks on the right, with a line representing the separation between the lithosphere and the mantle. The key is that mixing occurs in the younger rocks, but not in the older rocks.

Answer Choice Analysis:

  • (A) Among rocks known to be older than 3.2 billion years, significantly more are mantle derived than lithospheric, but the opposite is true for the rocks younger than 3.2 billion years.
    Correct. This directly supports the conclusion. If *older* rocks are mostly mantle-derived, that means there was *little mixing* with the lithosphere. If *younger* rocks are mostly lithospheric, that means there *was mixing* with the mantle. This establishes the transition.
  • (B) Mantle-derived rocks older than 3.2 billion years show significantly more compositional diversity than lithospheric rocks older than 3.2 billion years do.
    Incorrect. This focuses on *older* rocks, and the conclusion is about the *transition* to mixing. More compositional diversity in older mantle-derived rocks doesn't necessarily indicate mixing with the lithosphere. It just means the mantle itself was diverse. We need *no mixing*.
  • (C) There is a positive correlation between the age of lithospheric rocks and their chemical similarity to mantle-derived rocks, and that correlation increases significantly in strength at around 3.2 billion years old.
    Incorrect. This is tempting, but it describes a *gradual* increase in similarity, not a distinct *transition*. The key is the sudden shift from no mixing to mixing.
  • (D) Mantle-derived rocks younger than 3.2 billion years contain some material that is not found in older mantle-derived rocks but is found in older and contemporaneous lithospheric rocks.
    Incorrect. This is the correct answer.

The correct answer is (A).

Strategy: Visualize the Concept

When dealing with complex scientific concepts, try to visualize them, even with a simple diagram. This can help you understand the relationships between different parts of the text.

Question 9.

Almost all works of fiction contain references to the progression of time, including the time of day when events in a story take place. In a 2020 study, Allen Kim, Charuta Pethe, and Steven Skiena claim that an observable pattern in such references reflects a shift in human behavior prompted by the spread of electric lighting in the late nineteenth century. The researchers drew this conclusion from an analysis of more than 50,000 novels spanning many centuries and cultures, using software to recognize and tally both specific time references—that is, clock phrases, such as 7 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.—and implied ones, such as mentions of meals typically associated with a particular time of day.

Which finding from the study, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ conclusion?

(A) Novels published after the year 1800 include the clock phrase 10 a.m. less often than novels published before the year 1800 do.

(B) Novels published after 1880 contain significantly more references to activities occurring after 10 p.m. than do novels from earlier periods.

(C) Among novels published in the nineteenth century, implied time references become steadily more common than clock phrases as publication dates approach 1900.

(D) The time references of noon (12 p.m.) and midnight (12 a.m.) are used with roughly the same frequency in the novels.

Context and Conclusion Breakdown:

  • The question asks for a finding that would "most directly support the researchers' conclusion."
  • We need to identify the researchers' conclusion. It is: There was a change in behavior due to electricity.
  • The researchers made this conclusion based on time references in novels.

We need to find an answer choice that shows a change in behavior related to time, and ideally, a change that could be linked to the availability of electric lighting.

Answer Choice Analysis:

  • (A) Novels published after the year 1800 include the clock phrase 10 a.m. less often than novels published before the year 1800 do.
    Incorrect. This focuses on a specific clock phrase ("10 a.m.") and doesn't directly address a change in *behavior*. It's about the *frequency* of a phrase, not the *activities* described.
  • (B) Novels published after 1880 contain significantly more references to activities occurring after 10 p.m. than do novels from earlier periods.
    Correct. This directly supports the conclusion. If people are engaging in more activities *after 10 p.m.* in later novels, this suggests a shift in behavior – staying up later – that could be linked to the availability of electric lighting.
  • (C) Among novels published in the nineteenth century, implied time references become steadily more common than clock phrases as publication dates approach 1900.
    Incorrect. This describes a change in *writing style* (using implied time references instead of clock phrases), not a change in *human behavior* itself.
  • (D) The time references of noon (12 p.m.) and midnight (12 a.m.) are used with roughly the same frequency in the novels.
    Incorrect. This shows *no change*, which doesn't support the conclusion about a *shift* in behavior.

The correct answer is (B).

Strategy: Focus on the Conclusion

When asked to support a conclusion, make sure you understand *exactly* what that conclusion is. Look for keywords and phrases that define the core idea. Here, the key was "shift in human behavior."

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