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College Board Blue Book Test Number 8 Module 1: Vocabulary & Reading Strategies

By Mr. Osama Ahmad February 23, 2025 11 min read
Digital SAT: Bluebook Test 8, Module 1 - Vocab & Reading Tips | The Test Advantage

Crack College Board Bluebook Test 8, Module 1: Vocab & Reading Secrets!

Hey everyone! Mr. O the Wizard here, back from The Test Advantage! Ready to dive into the College Board Bluebook app? Today, we're looking at Test 8, Module 1. We’ll focus on cracking those tricky vocabulary and reading questions. Learning these simple strategies can really help you find the right digital sat prep book approach and boost that score!

Smart Vocabulary Strategies (Easy to See!)

Keep these tips in mind. We've made them easy to spot in each explanation below:

  1. Read the Whole Thing: Don't just skim! Get the full picture.
  2. Watch for Punctuation Clues: Colons (:) and dashes (-) often give away answers!
  3. Look at Sentence #2: It usually explains or adds details.
  4. Guess Your Own Word First: Think of a word that fits *before* looking at the choices. Then, get rid of the options that don't match.

Question 1

Keywords: indigenous, community, president, authority, government, rights

As Mexico's first president from an indigenous community, Benito Juárez became one of the most ______ figures in a country's history: among the many significant accomplishments of his long tenure in office, Juárez consolidated the authority of the national government and advanced the rights of indigenous peoples.

See that colon :? It signals that more information is coming to explain the first part. What follows? Juárez did big things like strengthening the government and helping indigenous people. This makes "important" the perfect fit.

Words like "unpredictable" or "ordinary" don't make sense because he clearly made a positive impact. "Secretive" doesn't fit public actions either.

Answer:B) important

Strategy Spotlight:

  • Tip 2 (Punctuation): We used the colon : to know an explanation was next.
  • Tip 3 (Sentence 2 Clues): The part *after* the colon told us why he was significant.
  • Tip 4 (Elimination): We easily crossed off "unpredictable," "ordinary," and "secretive."
"That colon tells you 'here comes the reason!'", "He did big things, so he's important."

Question 2

Keywords: artist, baskets, grass, palm, technique, factory

Artist Marilyn Dingle's intricate, coiled baskets are ______ sweet grass and palmetto palm. Following a Gullah technique that originated in West Africa, Dingle skillfully winds a thin palm around a bunch of sweet grass with the help of a "sewing bone" to create the basket's signature look that no factory can reproduce.

The second sentence spills the beans! It says Dingle "skillfully winds palm around sweet grass." That directly tells us how the baskets are made. So, they must be "handmade from" those things.

"Indicated by" or "represented by" sound too formal and don't describe building something. "Collected with" is wrong – she uses the grass *to make* the basket, not *collect* it.

Answer:B) handmade from

Strategy Spotlight:

  • Tip 3 (Sentence 2 Clues): The second sentence was key – it described the making process.
  • Tip 4 (Your Own Word): You might have thought "made out of" or "crafted from." "Handmade from" is very close!
  • Tip 4 (Elimination): The other choices just didn't describe how something is built.
"Sentence two shows exactly how she uses the grass and palm.", "'Handmade from' fits perfectly."

Question 3

Keywords: play, literature, writers, friendship

The Mule Bone, a 1930 play written by Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, is perhaps the best known of the few examples of ______ in literature. Most writers prefer working alone, and given that working together cost Hurston and Hughes their friendship, it is not hard to see why.

Why are there only *few* examples? The second sentence tells us: "working together cost Hurston and Hughes their friendship." Ah! So, working together (collaboration) had a downside.

"Characterization" (describing characters), "interpretation" (explaining meaning), and "commercialization" (making money) aren't about two people writing together.

Answer:C) collaboration

Strategy Spotlight:

  • Tip 3 (Sentence 2 Clues): Sentence two gave the big reason *why* there are few examples.
  • Tip 4 (Main Idea): The core idea is about writers partnering up.
  • Tip 4 (Elimination): The other words were off-topic.
"The second sentence explains the negative side of working together.", "Working together = collaboration."

Question 4

Keywords: artist, court, painters, techniques, style

Diego Velázquez was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain during the seventeenth century, but his influence was hardly ______ Spain: realist and impressionist painters around the world employed his techniques and echoed elements of his style.

The word "but" is a huge clue! It signals a contrast or opposite idea. He was a top *Spanish* artist, but then it says painters *around the world* used his style. This means his influence wasn't just stuck *in* Spain. It wasn't confined to Spain.

"Derived from" is the opposite – his influence spread *out*. "Recognized in" and "repressed by" don't create the contrast needed after "but". Looking for reliable online sat prep starts with understanding these context clues!

Answer:C) confined to

Strategy Spotlight:

  • Tip 2 (Implied Punctuation/Keywords): Catching "but" as a signal word is like noticing punctuation.
  • Tip 4 (Your Own Word): You might think "limited to" or "only in" Spain. "Confined to" matches!
  • Tip 4 (Elimination): The other options didn't fit the contrast signaled by "but."
"See 'but'? Look for the opposite idea!", "'Confined to' means 'limited to'."

Question 5

Keywords: researchers, conservationists, biodiversity, species, environment

Researchers and conservationists stress that biodiversity loss due to invasive species is ______. For example, people can take simple steps such as washing their footwear after travel to avoid introducing potentially invasive organisms into new environments.

The phrase "For example" shows us an illustration. What's the example? People can wash their shoes "to avoid introducing" nasty invasive stuff. This action shows that we can *stop* this biodiversity loss. Therefore, the loss is preventable.

"Undeniable," "common," or "concerning" might be true, but they don't link directly to the *example* which is about *stopping* it. The example focuses on *solutions* found in good sat test study guides like ours!

Answer:A) preventable

Strategy Spotlight:

  • Tip 3 (Sentence 2 Clues via Example): The "For example" part explained the nature of the loss – it can be stopped.
  • Tip 4 (Main Idea): The example shows *actions* to stop loss, meaning it's preventable.
  • Tip 4 (Elimination): The other words just describe the problem, not the solution shown in the example.
"The example gives a way to *stop* it happening.", "'Preventable' matches the action described."

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