Practice: SAT® Function

Today’s practice is a mock SAT® Function Question. For effective time management on test day, you should aim to answer this question correctly in a maximum of 60 - 75 seconds.

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Practice Question 1

The notion that dinosaurs were slow-moving reptiles dominated paleontology for over a century. This view arose partly from their apparent similarity to modern reptiles and partly from early fossil discoveries of large, heavy species. While these early interpretations were based on the best evidence available at the time, they were constrained by the limited fossil record and by scientists' natural tendency to understand new discoveries through familiar frameworks. Recent finds of swift, agile dinosaur species, along with sophisticated analysis of bone structure and muscle attachment points, have led paleontologists to radically revise their understanding of dinosaur metabolism and movement.

Which choice best describes the function of the bold sentence in the text as a whole?

A) It acknowledges the reasonableness of early paleontologists' interpretations while citing factors that limited their understanding.

B) It suggests that early paleontologists were too quick to draw conclusions from incomplete evidence.

C) It explains why paleontologists initially failed to recognize evidence of dinosaur agility.

D) It contrasts the methods used by early paleontologists with modern analytical techniques.

(Answer Explanations and Strategy Brief Below.)

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