Session 1

Session Overview
This session will cover:

• Methods to use on every Math and Writing & Language question

• Two time-saving math strategies

• How to read passages more efficiently and focus on the most important
information
Learning Objectives
After this lesson, you will be able to:

• Apply the method for SAT Math questions

• Apply the Backsolving strategy

p. 14
Question 1
Question 1

1. Last month, Khalid completed 52 more anagrams than Beatrice did. If they completed a
combined total of 138 anagrams, how many anagrams did Beatrice complete?

(A) 38

(B) 43

(C) 72

(D) 95

p. 15
SAT Math Method
The Method for SAT Math Questions

Step 1. State what the question is asking.

Step 2. Examine the given information.

Choose your approach.

1. Backsolve
2. Pick numbers
Step 3.
3. Do the traditional math
4. Estimate
5. Take a strategic guess

Confirm that you answered the right

Step 4.
question.

Backsolving means substituting the answer choices for a variable in

the question.

When backsolving, it's often wise to start with (B). p. 14

Question 2
Question 2

2. A mobile service provider charges a one-time fee of $525 for the latest phone, plus n dollars
for unlimited service each month. If a customer pays $837 dollars for the first six months,
including the cost of the phone, what is the value of n ?

(A) 52

(B) 60

(C) 63

(D) 74

p. 15
Question 3
Question 3

3. Rohit will rent a carpet-cleaning machine for $8 per hour and must purchase the cleaning
solution for $24. If Rohit has budgeted $56 for all the costs to clean his carpets and can only
rent the carpet cleaning machine for whole hours, what is the maximum number of hours for
which he can rent the carpet cleaning machine?

(A) 4

(B) 5

(C) 6

(D) 7

p. 15
Question 4
Question 4

4. A kindergarten teacher is distributing crackers to her class for their snack. If she gives each
child 5 crackers, she will have 4 crackers left over. In order to give each child 6 crackers,
with no crackers left over, she will need 13 additional crackers. How many crackers does the
teacher have?

(A) 77

(B) 84

(C) 85

(D) 89

p. 15
Learning Objective
After this lesson, you will be able to:

• Apply the Picking Numbers strategy

p. 15
SAT Math Method
The Method for SAT Math Questions

Step 1. State what the question is asking.

Step 2. Examine the given information.

Choose your approach.

1. Backsolve
2. Pick numbers
Step 3.
3. Do the traditional math
4. Estimate
5. Take a strategic guess

Confirm that you answered the right

Step 4.
question.

Picking numbers means substituting a concrete value for a variable in a question.

Pick numbers that are permissible and manageable.

p. 16
When working with percents, pick 100.
Question 1
Question 1
3r 5s
1. If = 3, what is the value of ?
2s 2r

2
(A)
3

5
(B)
4
4
(C)
3

15
(D)
2

p. 17
Question 2
Question 2

2. While on a vacation, Steve buys a 15-day fishing license. The price of a 15-day fishing
license is 30 percent of the price of a 1-year fishing license. In addition, Steve pays an 8
percent sales tax. If c represents the price of a 1-year fishing license, which of the following
represents Steve’s total cost, in terms of c ?

(A) 0.324c

(B) 0.3c + 0.08

(C) c – 0.62c

(D) 1.38c

p. 17
Question 3
Question 3

3. Natasha planted perennial flowers in her garden in 2015. Because of a severe winter, the number
of flowers that bloomed in 2016 was only 60 percent of the number that bloomed in 2015.
However, two mild winters caused the 2017 flower count to be 20 percent greater than in 2016
and the 2018 flower count to be 25 percent greater than in 2017. How many flowers bloomed in
2018 as a percent of the original 2015 number?

(A) 72%

(B) 81%

(C) 90%

(D) 105%

p. 17
Learning Objective
After this lesson, you will be able to:

• Isolate a variable

p. 22
Solving Equations
Always do the same thing to both sides of an equation:

Isolating a variable means getting it all by itself on one side of an equation. It usually makes sense
to proceed in this order:

• Eliminate any fractions.

• Distribute across parentheses.
• Collect and combine like terms.
• Divide to leave the desired variable by itself.

p. 22
Solving Equations
Isolate the variable in each equation.

• 7(x + 2) = 24 – 3(2 – x)

3c 2c 1
• – =
4 5 4

1
• Isolate s: B = (s + t)a
3

p. 22
Question 1
Question 1

1. Which of the following values of x is the solution to the equation?

1
3
( ) (
1
)
x + 5 + 2x - 2 = x
4

14
(A) -
9

5
(B)
6

(C) 7

(D) 14

p. 23
Question 2
Question 2

2. What is the value of 2y if

5
6
( ) 7
y+3 = ?
2

p. 23
Question 3
Question 3
9
3. What value of y is the solution to the equation below if k = ?
2
2
3
( )
y + 3 y +1 = k

(A) 9

22
(B)
9

9
(C)
11

9
(D)
22

p. 23
Question 4
1
Question 4 t - e
F= 2
t+e
4. A dog agility competition uses the formula above to calculate each dog’s final score, F, by
subtracting one half the number of tasks that result in errors, e, from the number of tasks that
are completed successfully, t, and dividing by the total number of tasks. Which of the
following expresses the number of tasks that result in errors in terms of the other variables?

(A) 2t 1- F ( )
2F + 1

(B)
(
2t 1+ F )
2F - 1

(C)
(
t 1- F )
F +1
2Ft - t
(D)
2F - 1

p. 23
5 Minutes on Stress Reduction
After this lesson, you will be able to:

• Describe the difference between fixed and growth mindset

The Physiology of Stress

“I’m not good at this.”

Stress hormones

Physical symptoms

Impaired thinking
Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
“I’m not good at this.” “I’m not good at this yet.”

Avoiding challenges Effort = path to mastery

Fear of mistakes Mistakes = useful information
Lower achievement Higher achievement
Your Toolbox
• Mindfulness

• Stress response awareness

• Breathing

• Growth mindset phrases

Learning Objectives
After this lesson, you will be able to:

• Apply the Method for SAT Writing and Language questions

p. 206
Writing & Language Method

The Method for SAT Writing and Language Questions

Step 1. Identify the issue (use the choices if need be).

Step 2. Eliminate answer choices that do not address the issue.

Plug in the remaining answer choices and select the most

Step 3.
correct, concise, and relevant one.

p. 206
Question 1
The Life Cycle of the Cyclorama
Your field of vision fills with a larger-than-life panorama of the sun rising over
a magnificent battlefield landscape. 1 One finds oneself fully immersed. The soldiers’
resolute expressions coupled with a soaring orchestral score conjure a wave of consuming
emotions—patriotism, companionship, pride.

1. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) One finds full immersion.

(C) You find yourself fully immersed.

(D) We find ourselves fully immersed.

p. 207
Question 2
This description seems to reflect a trip to the modern cinema to view a war
epic, yet such an experience could have actually occurred in a nineteenth-century
cyclorama decades before the advent of films. 2 These were essentially massive 360-
degree paintings, four stories high and as long as a football field if rolled out lengthwise,
showcased in a circular building.

2. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) They were large 360-degree paintings,

(C) Cycloramas were essentially massively large 360-degree paintings,

(D) Cycloramas were essentially massive 360-degree paintings,

p. 207
Question 3
Patrons would climb a staircase to a viewing platform in the center of the display, which
provided an immersive viewing experience that was revolutionary for its time. 3 The
spectacle was amplified by dramatic lighting, instrumental accompaniment, riveting
narration, and three-dimensional visual props such as mannequins.

3. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) dramatic lighting—instrumental accompaniment, riveting narration, and

(C) dramatic lighting; instrumental accompaniment; riveting narration; and

(D) dramatic lighting, instrumental accompaniment, riveting narration—and

p. 207
Question 4
4 Entrepreneurs in many major American and European cities displayed cyclorama
paintings in specially constructed buildings, which toured from city to city and
fascinated multitudes.
Despite cycloramas’ popularity in the late nineteenth century, few today have
even heard of a cyclorama, let alone actually viewed one. Cycloramas, like many once
cutting-edge experiences, were replaced as technology evolved.

4. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) Special buildings to display cyclorama paintings were constructed by

entrepreneurs in many major American and European cities,

(C) Entrepreneurs in many major American and European cities constructed

special buildings to display cyclorama paintings,

(D) Many major American and European cities had entrepreneurs who decided
to construct special buildings to display cyclorama paintings,
p. 207
Question 5
Ultimately, movie theaters replaced cycloramas. Indeed, both forms of entertainment
shared obvious similarities: larger-than-life visuals, a musical score, and a collective
viewing experience. A movie, however, could attract new audiences every week when
a new reel—certainly easier to transport than a building-size painting—arrived at the
theater. 5 Movies also boasted the obvious advantage that their image’s were not static.

5. At this point, the writer is considering adding the following sentence.

“Movie theaters would go on to make billions of dollars.”
Should the writer make this addition here?

(A) Yes, because it contributes to the paragraph’s main idea.

(B) Yes, because it explains a detail that was mentioned earlier in the paragraph.

(C) No, because it is imprecise about how much money would be made.

(D) No, because it adds information that is not relevant to the paragraph's main idea.

p. 208
Question 6
A movie, however, could attract new audiences every week when a new reel—certainly
easier to transport than a building-size painting—arrived at the theater. Movies also
boasted the obvious advantage that 6 their image’s were not static.

6. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) there image’s

(C) they’re images

(D) their images

p. 208
Question 7
Our forms of immersive art today include virtual reality and, of course,
movies, but there is something about the imposing nature of cycloramas that “smaller”
media may never quite capture. The concept of the cyclorama is at once both
7 old-fashioned and powerful, perhaps the creation of a modern one could facilitate a
celebration of art’s ability to bring about both a profoundly physical and deeply emotional
shared experience.

7. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) old-fashioned, and powerful; perhaps

(C) old-fashioned and powerful; perhaps

(D) old-fashioned, powerful, and perhaps

p. 208
Learning Objectives
After this lesson, you will be able to:

• Identify fragments and run-ons

• Determine the correct punctuation and/or conjunctions to form a

complete sentence

p. 209
Sentence Fragments
A sentence must have a subject and verb and express a complete
thought. If any of those parts is missing, the sentence is a fragment:

Missing
Example Corrected Sentence
Element

Subject Baked some cookies.

Robert baked some cookies.
Verb Robert some cookies.

While Robert baked some

Complete While Robert baked some
cookies, his friends made party
thought cookies.
decorations.

p. 209
Run-Ons
If a sentence has two independent clauses, they must be correctly
connected. If not, the sentence is a run-on: Annabelle likes to read,
she visits the library often.

To Correct a Run-on Example

Annabelle likes to read. She visits the library
Use a period
often.
Annabelle likes to read; she visits the library
Use a semicolon
often.
Annabelle likes to read: she visits the library
Use a colon
often.
Annabelle likes to read—she visits the library
Use a dash
often.
Since Annabelle likes to read, she visits the
Make one clause dependent
library often.
Add a FANBOYS conjunction: Annabelle likes to read, so she visits the
For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So library often. p. 209
Question 1
Luxury on the Rails
In the early decades of railway 1 travel; passenger comfort was not a high
priority. Passenger railroad cars were typically equipped with rows of hard wooden
benches and few amenities.

1. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) travel, passenger

(C) travel passenger

(D) travel, and passenger

p. 210
Question 2
The cars were noisy, rough-riding, and dirty from the dust and soot that entered the cars
as they rolled behind the coal-burning locomotives. Overnight “sleeper” cars were
equipped with little more than thin, uncomfortable mattresses arranged on the
2 floor. Or on simple, shelf-like berths.

2. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) floor, or

(C) floor or

(D) floor, or,

p. 210
Question 3
3 In 1858, after experiencing a particularly miserable overnight train trip
across upstate New York, George Pullman was inspired to design a new and improved
passenger railcar. He designed and built a car that included comfortable sleeping berths
for all its passengers.

3. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) In 1858, after experiencing a particularly miserable overnight train trip

across upstate New York George Pullman

(C) In 1858, after experiencing a particularly miserable overnight train trip

across upstate New York. George Pullman

(D) In 1858 after experiencing a particularly miserable overnight train trip

across upstate New York, George Pullman

p. 210
Question 4
During the day, these berths folded up, somewhat like a modern passenger jet’s
overhead luggage compartments do. At night, the berths folded down to form
comfortable sleeping compartments that were curtained off from the car’s main
compartment for 4 privacy, below these berths, the facing seats folded together
to convert into a second level of lower sleeping berths. The cars were also equipped
with separate men’s and women’s washrooms at each end.

4. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) privacy. Below

(C) privacy and below

(D) privacy below

p. 210
Question 5
The greatly improved comfort afforded by Pullman’s car gained rapid
5 success and in 1862, Pullman formed the Pullman Palace Car Company to
produce and operate passenger railcars for the major railroads. His company began
making sleeper cars that featured ornately-decorated interiors and luxurious amenities,
such as richly upholstered seats, plush carpeting, fine draperies, bright lighting, and
card tables to keep passengers entertained. On the outside of the cars, superior wheels
and better axles made for a quieter, smoother ride.

5. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) success and in 1862

(C) success; and in 1862

(D) success; in 1862,

p. 211
Question 6
The Pullman Company 6 prospered, came to dominate the passenger railcar
industry, holding a virtual monopoly on the production of railroad passenger cars.
As railroads became the dominant form of long-distance travel throughout the second
half of the 19th century, the Pullman Company flourished. George Pullman continued
as its president until his death in 1897. It’s a tribute to the success of Pullman's idea
that his company continued to operate for over a century, well into the 1980s.

6. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) prospered and

(C) prospered; and it

(D) prospered, and

p. 211
Learning Objectives
After this lesson, you will be able to:

• Identify and correct inappropriate uses of commas, dashes, and colons

• Use punctuation to set off simple parenthetical elements

p. 212
Sentence Structure
Identify the sentence that matches the comma issue listed.

1. Getting enough sunlight, is therefore important for good health.

2. I want to drive a fast, red convertible.

3. The schoolgirl got a gold star from, her teacher.

n/a
Sentence Structure
Identify the sentence that matches the punctuation issue listed.

1. Sunlight promotes vitamin D synthesis a healthy heart,

and a sense of well-being.

2. I am known by three names, Eduardo, Hans, and Moustafa.

3. Eventually every cup of yogurt in the refrigerator will expire.

4. The species Pan troglodytes also known as the chimpanzee

is in danger of extinction.

5. We must plan for this winter carefully, the children

n/a
need more food every year.
Question 1
The History of High Heels
High-heeled shoes have had a surprisingly long and winding historical journey.
Soldiers in medieval Persia were the first to wear high 1 heels: and specifically,
cavalrymen wore heeled shoes in order to keep the riders’ feet in their stirrups.

1. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) heels—specifically,

(C) heels specifically,

(D) heels, specifically

p. 213
Question 2
The increased stability heels provided was particularly critical for Persian horse archers,
who had to be able to stand while riding a galloping horse and shoot at the same time.
The specialized footwear spread outside of soldiery as a status symbol: maintaining a
horse was expensive, so wearing 2 heeled, riding shoes served as a demonstration of
wealth.

2. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) heeled, riding, shoes

(C) heeled riding shoes

(D) heeled riding, shoes

p. 213
Question 3
In the 1600s, Persian emissaries brought high heels to Europe not as riding
shoes but as status symbols. Noblemen wore high 3 heels—typically constructed of
costly silk and lace, as a class signifier.

3. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) heels, typically constructed of costly silk and lace,

(C) heels, typically constructed of costly silk and lace—

(D) heels typically constructed of costly silk and lace

p. 213
Question 4
4 Although only a person of wealth and leisure could afford a shoe so impractical for
everyday labor, heeled shoes fashioned from less expensive materials grew popular
among the lower classes. This led wealthy men to flaunt higher and higher heels to
distinguish themselves. The trend grew so contentious in the 1700s that authorities
began to regulate maximum shoe heights for different classes.

4. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) Only

(C) Although, only

(D) However only

p. 213
Question 5
The woes of the status-conscious continued, however, for soon women
adopted high heels as well, forcing male aristocrats to find a new way to differentiate
themselves: heel width. Men sported thick heels, while women donned 5 narrower,
daintier versions.

5. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) narrower daintier

(C) narrower—daintier

(D) narrower

p. 213
Question 6
Opinions about the high heel changed as the Enlightenment ideal of rationality spread
during the late 1700s. Men gradually stopped wearing high 6 heels and the footwear
became increasingly associated with women’s supposed frivolity. Heels experienced an
even sharper dip in popularity after the French Revolution as aristocratic extravagance
came to be decried rather than emulated.

6. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) heels; and

(C) heels: and

(D) heels, and

p. 214
Question 7
Yet the high heel never entirely disappeared, and, after decades of obscurity,
it eventually started making a comeback. Historians have proposed numerous reasons
for its 7 resurgence; the rise of mass production, the heel’s promotion by fashion
designers, and the increase in cultural interchange prompted by two world wars.
Regardless of the causes, the high heel is more prevalent than ever before—a social
signifier whose message continues to evolve.

7. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) resurgence, the

(C) resurgence: the

(D) DELETE the underlined portion.

p. 214
Learning Objectives
After this lesson, you will be able to:

• Identify and correct verb agreement errors

p. 215
Verb Tense
Type of
Past Present Future
Action
Single action
The chef burned The chef burns The chef will burn
occurring
some burritos. some burritos. some burritos.
only once
The chef was The chef will be
Action that The chef is burning
burning some burning some
is ongoing at some burritos
burritos during the burritos during the
some point during the second
second shift this second shift this
in time shift this evening.
evening. evening.
The chef had The chef will have
Action that
already burnt some The chef has burnt burnt some
is completed
burritos before some burritos, but burritos by the time
before some
dinner guests he feels sorry for it. he quits the
other action
began to arrive. restaurant.

p. 215
Subject Verb Agreement
• Correct subject/verb agreement: The frogs swim.

• Incorrect subject/verb agreement: My mother work today.

• “And” can make a compound/plural subject: The lion and the wolf are hunting.

• When joining singular nouns, “or” does not make a plural subject: Either the
lion or the wolf is hunting.

• Collective nouns are singular: The band records its first hit.

p. 215
Question 1
Is Rap Poetry?
Since rap music emerged in the 1970s, a debate 1 have raged about the
status of rap within the arts.

1. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) has raged

(C) raged

(D) raging

p. 216
Question 2
Although rap songs, like poetry, 2 contain rhyme, rhythm, and commentary on life,
many critics argue that these similarities alone are insufficient to consider rap a type
of poetry.

2. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) contains

(C) contained

(D) containing

p. 216
Question 3
Author and commentator Amy Smolcic disagrees. She argues that, although
mediocre rap songs do not deserve to be classified as poetry, many rap songs

3 are aiming “to question the dominant cultural, political, philosophical and economic
consensus.” If a rap song does so with “lyrics that are intricate and complex,” she considers
it a type of modern poetry.

3. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) aim

(C) aims

(D) aiming

p. 216
Question 4
According to Smolcic, the best rappers set everyday speech to rhythm
for the purpose of evoking moods, conveying feelings, and critiquing contemporary
situations. This recalls the words of the early twentieth-century poet W. B. Yeats, who
4 describe poetry as “an elaboration of the rhythms of common speech and their
association with profound feeling.” Although Smolcic acknowledges that most rap
songs do not meet this standard, she contends that some do. If a rap song creatively
uses metaphor, rhyme, and rhythm to convey an imaginative point of view, Smolcic
believes it is poetry.

4. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) is describing

(C) describing

(D) described
p. 216
Question 5
Critic Micah Mattix 5 is disagreeing. Because rap is incomplete without
music and poetry is not, Mattix proposes that they are two different art forms. He
argues that poetry is complete in the words of the poem alone but that rap lyrics are
“crafted to go with external rhythm and notes.”

5. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) has disagreed

(C) will disagree

(D) disagrees

p. 217
Question 6
Mattix may disagree with classifying rap as poetry, but he 6 recognized
that some rap songs demonstrate skillful use of language, rhythm, and rhyme. He
argues that these songs can stand on their own and should be evaluated on their own
merits, as opposed to conflating them with poetry.

6. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) recognizing

(C) recognizes

(D) recognize

p. 217
Question 7
Rap music has been a part of the performance arts for almost half a century.
The group of literary critics who continue to ignore the best work of these influential
and popular artists 7 is neglecting its responsibility to promote and develop modern
artistic expression. The question whether to include rap in the poetic genre or to simply
measure rap songs against one another will be answered through this discourse.

7. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) neglected their

(C) neglected its

(D) are neglecting their

p. 217
What You’ve Learned & Next Session Preview
What You Learned Today:

Next Session: Use what you learned today when taking your Diagnostic Test

Session 2 Preview:

Writing & Language: Pronouns, Modifiers, and Idioms

Math: Word Problems, Linear Graphs, Ratios, and Percents