Free SAT® Practice Question: Inference

Also great practice for ACT® Reading

Today’s free SAT® practice question is a mock Inference Question. It follows the digital SAT® format but is also great preparation ACT® Reading.

For effective time management on test day, you should aim to answer this question correctly in a maximum of 90 seconds.

Consistent daily practice and study is the best way to improve your SAT® score. To gain access to all answer explanations and strategy guides, become a premium subscriber. You’ll also be able to post comments and questions.

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Free SAT® Practice Question

Some neuroscientists have attributed improvements in cognitive performance following aerobic exercise to increased blood flow to brain regions associated with executive function. However, Dr. James Helmut and colleagues recently complicated this understanding by demonstrating that these mental performance improvements persist long after blood flow returns to baseline levels. Furthermore, Helmut and colleagues found an asymmetry between exercise regimens and their effects: consistent long-duration exercise sessions, which correlate strongly with enhanced cognition, promote structural changes in neural tissues, while equivalent exercise broken into shorter, fragmented sessions shows only weak associations with mental performance gains. Together, these findings suggest that ______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A. the explanation some neuroscientists offer for cognitive benefits of aerobic exercise may reflect an undue emphasis on blood flow to brain regions associated with executive function and on structural changes associated with sustained physical activity.

B. cognitive improvements following aerobic exercise may be driven more by structural neural changes resulting from sustained exercise patterns than by the temporary increases in blood flow to the brain.

C. modifications to exercise regimens that distribute equivalent exercise time across multiple short sessions rather than fewer sustained sessions would likely have minimal effect on immediate cognitive performance but may enhance long-term mental function.

D. aerobic exercise has actually tended to produce fewer cognitive benefits than previously believed, but these diminished returns are masked by temporary improvements in mental performance immediately following physical activity.

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Answer Explanations and Strategy Guide