PSAT Practice Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Which choice completes the sentence according to standard English conventions? “Neither the museum’s new wing nor its renovated galleries _____ open on Mondays.”
are
has been
is
was
2. A student wants to emphasize how Jane Goodall’s observations challenged a prevailing scientific belief. The student has these notes: Goodall began studying wild chimpanzees at Gombe in 1960; she observed chimpanzees modifying twigs and using them to collect termites; many researchers then regarded toolmaking as a trait
Jane Goodall traveled to Gombe in 1960 to conduct a long-term study of wild chimpanzees.
Scientific beliefs about human behavior have changed as researchers have conducted long-term studies.
Chimpanzees at Gombe collected termites, and Goodall recorded many observations during her research.
By documenting chimpanzees modifying and using twigs, Goodall challenged the then-common belief that toolmaking was uniquely human.
3. Which of the following is a solution to x² − 5x + 6 = 0?
0
4
2
6
4. A bacteria culture starts with 200 cells and doubles every 3 hours. If this pattern continues, how many cells will there be after 9 hours?
1,600
800
1,200
600
5. A theater sold 10 tickets for a total of $95. Adult tickets cost $12 each, and child tickets cost $7 each. How many adult tickets were sold?
3
4
7
5
6. A circle has a radius of 6 units. What is its area?
12π square units
72π square units
36π square units
144π square units
7. A jacket originally costs $80 and is discounted by 25%. What is the discounted price before tax?
$20
$60
$55
$65
8. The data set is 4, 7, 9, 10, 15. If 30 is added to the set, how does the median change?
It increases by 0.5.
It increases by 0.25.
It remains unchanged.
It increases by 3.5.
9. A city introduced a bus-only lane, and average bus travel time fell even though the number of buses remained unchanged. Which additional finding would most directly support the claim that the lane also improved schedule reliability?
More residents reported knowing where the bus routes went.
The variation in bus arrival times decreased after the lane opened.
The buses used slightly less fuel during the following year.
Several drivers preferred the color of the lane markings.
10. A line passes through the points (2, 5) and (6, 13). What is the slope of the line?
4
1/2
2
8
11. In the sentence below, what does “tentative” most nearly mean? “Because the surviving records are fragmentary, the historian presents her conclusion as tentative rather than definitive.”
Indirect
Provisional
Detailed
Controversial
12. What value of x satisfies 3(x − 2) = 15?
7
3
5
9
13. Choose the transition that best completes the passage: “Researchers expected background noise to hinder creative thinking. _____, participants exposed to moderate ambient sound generated more original ideas than those working in silence.”
Therefore
However
Similarly
For example
14. Which choice completes the sentence according to standard English conventions? “The collection of essays by several contemporary writers _____ a wide range of perspectives on migration.”
explore
have explored
were exploring
explores
15. Which choice completes the comparison most logically? “The wingspan of an albatross is generally greater than _____.”
a hawk
a hawk has wings
that of a hawk
the wingspan belonging to hawks is
16. Researchers placed identical seeds in two groups with the same light and temperature. One group received fresh water, while the other received salt water. After ten days, fewer seeds had germinated in the salt-water group. Which conclusion is best supported?
Salt water prevents every type of seed from germinating.
Light has no effect on seed germination.
Seeds germinate best when temperature varies each day.
Under the tested conditions, salt water reduced germination.