Hey everyone, welcome back to TTA Pro! It’s Mr. O, ready to help you crush the Digital SAT. If you're aiming high for the digital SAT 2025 test or later, you're in the right spot!

Today, we're tackling the Reading and Writing section. We’ll look at some tricky question types.

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Alright, let's jump into College Board Bluebook Test 8. We'll focus on questions 11 and 12 from Reading and Writing Module 1. Our goal? To get really good at answering questions about supporting claims and understanding research conclusions. Mastering these is key for top Digital SAT scores!

Question 11: Finding Support for the Claim

Let's break down question 11. The text talks about Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of Congo. A student argues that historians often judge Lumumba as a symbol instead of looking at his actual actions.

So, our job is find a quote from a historian that shows this problem. We need an answer that highlights how Lumumba is seen more as a symbol than for what he actually did. Look for that contrast!

Thinking Through the Answers:

A) "Lumumba is a difficult figure..." - This talks about difficulty and conflicting opinions. It doesn't mention the symbol vs. actions issue. Doesn't match the student's specific point.
B) "The available information makes it clear..." - This focuses on Lumumba's beliefs being consistent. That's not related to the symbol vs. action idea. Off-topic.
C) "Lumumba's practical accomplishments can be passed over quickly; it is mainly as the personification of Congolese independence..." - Bingo! This quote says his actions (*practical accomplishments*) are ignored, and he's seen *mainly* as a symbol (*personification of independence*). This directly backs up the student's claim. This is the kind of thinking needed for tough Digital SAT Reading questions. Perfectly matches the criticism!
D) "Many questions remain about Lumumba's ultimate vision..." - This is about unanswered questions, not how historians evaluate him (symbol vs. actions). Irrelevant to the claim.

Simple Steps to Solve:

Understand the core criticism: Historians focus too much on the symbol, not enough on actions.
Know what you need: Find a quote that *shows* this imbalance.
Check each choice: Does it mention symbols vs. actions?
Eliminate wrong answers: A, B, and D don't fit the core criticism.
Confirm the winner: C clearly states the problem the student pointed out.

Answer: C is the right choice. It’s a great example of finding direct evidence to support a claim, a common task in Digital SAT QAS style questions.

Question 12: Supporting the Hypothesis

Okay, on to question 12. This one gives us a hypothesis (an educated guess) about sharks, rays, and oysters.

The idea is: fewer dusky sharks led to fewer eastern oysters. Why? Because sharks eat cownose rays, and rays eat oysters. So, fewer sharks might mean more rays, leading to fewer oysters. It's like a chain reaction!

Thinking Through the Answers:

A) Declines in the regional abundance of dusky sharks’ prey *other than* cownose rays... - This talks about *other* prey. The hypothesis is specifically about the shark-ray-oyster link. Wrong relationship.
B) Eastern oyster abundance tends to be greater in areas with both dusky sharks and cownose rays... - This goes against the hypothesis. If oysters do *better* when sharks are around, then fewer sharks wouldn't cause fewer oysters. Contradicts the hypothesis.
C) Consumption of eastern oysters by cownose rays... substantially increased *before* the regional decline in dusky shark abundance began. - Careful! This timing is backward. If rays ate *more* oysters *before* the shark decline, the shark decline isn't the cause. Incorrect timing.
D) Cownose rays have increased... as dusky sharks have decreased... - This fits perfectly! Fewer sharks (predators) leads to more rays (prey). Since rays eat oysters, more rays could lead to fewer oysters. This finding supports the researchers' hypothesis about the Digital SAT ecosystem question. Directly supports the link!

Simple Steps to Solve:

Understand the hypothesis: Fewer Sharks → Fewer Oysters.
Know the food chain: Sharks eat Rays, Rays eat Oysters.
Check each choice: Does it support the idea that fewer sharks cause problems for oysters (likely via more rays)?
Eliminate wrong answers: A, B, and C don't support the chain reaction described.
Confirm the winner: D shows the middle step (more rays when sharks decline), strongly supporting the hypothesis.

Answer: D is the best answer here. It clearly shows the connection needed to make the hypothesis work.

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That's our deep dive into questions 11 and 12 from Bluebook Test 8! Remember, practice makes perfect, especially with high-quality materials like those found at The Test Advantage. Keep practicing those reading strategies!

Stay tuned for the next post! You've got this! - Mr. O

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College Board Blue Book | Test 8 | Questions 11 and 12 | Support Qs

Rock The Digital SAT: Master Reading Questions with Mr. O!

Question 11: Finding Support for the Claim

Thinking Through the Answers:

Question 12: Supporting the Hypothesis

Thinking Through the Answers:

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