Question 1

Select the answer choice that correctly completes the following:
Some human beings are mortal.
Plato is a human being.

Accepted Answer

Plato may be mortal. The first sentence is a major premise and establishes a general principle taken as true-that some human beings are mortal. The second sentence is a minor premise and establishes that a specific person is a human being. In reaching a conclusion, however, the test-taker must recognize that the major premise is not an absolute. Answer B properly connects the major and minor premises by concluding that Plato (a human being) comes within the principle established in the major premise and that conclusion is limited by the same limitation of the major premise.

Question 2

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-President Johnson authorized the launch of air strikes and Congress approved military force against North Vietnam but he did not declare war.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "North Vietnam, but he did not declare war."
The original sentence contains two independent clauses. Commas can join independent clauses when used with coordinating conjunctions such as "but." A period and semicolon are not appropriate forms of punctuation to use with this sentence.

Question 3

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-The first war between India and Pakistan began in 1947 and continued until 1949, when the United Nations stepped in and broker a ceasefire.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "brokered"
The other verbs in this sentence - "began," "continued" and "stepped" are past tense forms of verbs. Therefore, "brokered," the past tense form of "broker," fits within the sentence's structure.

Question 4

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-President Morsi is currently seeking to get foreign investment and businesses to Egypt in order to begin mending the economy.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "attract"
"Get" and "find" are both synonymous with "going after something." "Encourage" has a similar meaning to "inspire," but the sentence would need additional wording for "encourage" to fit within the context of the sentence. "Attract" - meaning "to draw in" - is the best word to use in this sentence.

Question 5

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-Although Egypt is rich in mineral and petroleum deposits, only a small percentage of the land is arable.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "Egypt is rich in mineral and petroleum deposits, and only a small percentage of the land is arable."
The conjunctions "although," "since," and "so" imply a relationship behind the mineral and petroleum deposits and the arable land - land that is suitable for farming. "And" joins two independent clauses that address separate features of Egypt.

Question 6

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-Palladium, a soft shiny silvery-white metal, is one of six platinum group metals and is relatively rare.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "a soft, shiny silvery-white metal"
"Soft" and "shiny" are two consecutive adjectives describing palladium. Therefore, a comma should separate the adjectives. "Soft shiny" should be "soft, shiny."

Question 7

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-He plans the attack on Pearl Harbor with considerable care and trained his men extensively.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "He planned the attack"
Since this event already occurred, the past tense form of the verb "plan" can properly complete this sentence. "Plans," "is planning," and "will plan" indicate present and future tenses. "Planned" is the past tense form.

Question 8

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-In late January 2011, protests broke out in Cairo, Egypt because of anger over government corruption

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "Cairo, Egypt,"
Insert commas between the city and the country and after the country when mentioning a city and country in a sentence. The country acts as an appositive, explaining the location of the city. A period or a semicolon is not the appropriate punctuation to use in this sentence.

Question 9

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-Corporations that produce genetically modified foods point to hundreds of studies that show that they are safe.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "Corporations point to hundreds of studies that show genetically modified foods are safe."
Wordiness can affect sentence clarity and cause confusion. Setting aside unnecessary words and phrases can strengthen a sentence. "Genetically modified" describes the food and not the corporations. The term is a necessary part of the sentence because it indicates which foods are safe.

Question 10

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-Some countries such as the United States have ample sources of water.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "countries, such as the United States,"
Commas can be used before and after non-essential phrases. These parenthetical expressions can be set aside and not change the meaning of a sentence. The United States is listed as an example. If the country is set aside, it would not change the meaning of the sentence. Therefore, that phrase can be set off by commas.

Question 11

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-Unemployment is considered to be a problem even though inflation is considerably low.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "is"
Setting aside excess words in a sentence can enhance sentence clarity. Removing the phrase "considered to be" does not change the intended meaning of the sentence. "Likely" is an unnecessary word and "should be" does not fit within the context of the sentence.

Question 12

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a loan to the government during the transition period. However, the IMF released a statement in April 2012 stating that it would withhold the loan because of concerns of instability.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "offered"
"Has offered" and "have offered" indicate the present perfect tense - an action in the past that continues into the present. Since the IMF stated that it was withholding the loan, it is not currently offering the loan. "Offers" is a present tense form of "offer." The past tense form of the verb, "offered," fits best within the context of the sentence.

Question 13

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-China and Japan have been locked in a territorial dispute since the 1970s.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "have been locked"
Using the present perfect tense - "have been" - indicates that an event has happened in the past and is not complete. China and Japan are still disputing the territory, so they disputed it in the past and continue to dispute it.

Question 14

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-World leaders stepped in and the United States intervened, which leading both countries to withdraw to their previous positions.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "leading"
The pronouns "that" or the conjunction "and" are unnecessary to complete the sentence properly. "Which" can be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Question 15

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-Palladium often replaces platinum since it is cheaper, harder and lighter. It can be drawn into wire or hammered out into sheets, it is often mixed with gold for "white gold" jewelry. Palladium can also be used to make surgical instruments.Automobile manufacturers need the world's palladium for catalytic converters.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "need most of the world's palladium"
The original sentence implies that automobile manufacturers use all of the world's palladium for catalytic converters, which is inaccurate. Setting aside "the world's" can possibly change the sentence's intended meaning. "Need most of the world's palladium" properly conveys how much of the metal automobile manufacturers use.

Question 16

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
-President Johnson authorized the launch of air strikes and Congress approved military force against North Vietnam but he did not declare war.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "North Vietnam, but he did not declare war."
The original sentence contains two independent clauses. Commas can join independent clauses when used with coordinating conjunctions such as "but." A period and semicolon are not appropriate forms of punctuation to use with this sentence.

Question 17

What is the equation for the Pythagorean Theorem?

Accepted Answer

The equation for the Pythagorean Theorem is A² + B² = C². The theorem states that in any right-angled triangle, the area of the square of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle: C) is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares of the 2legs (the 2sides that meet at a right angle: A & B).

Question 18

Which of the following is a digit?

Accepted Answer

There are only ten digits in the decimal system: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Digits are simply the characters used to express numbers. They do not have value in and of themselves - the combination of a digit and place value determine the value of a number. Notations and signs, like a negative sign (-), can also affect a number's value. For example, '7', '5' and '0' are the digits of 750. The '7' represents '700' because the digit is in the hundreds place, while the '5' represents '50' because the digit is in the tens place.

Question 19

Select the answer choice that correctly provides the missing premise:
All actors are extroverts.
______________________.
George is an extrovert.

Accepted Answer

George is an actor. Here, the conclusion that "George is an extrovert" is given, and the major premise establishes a connection between actors and extroverts. Thus, the conclusion that George is an extrovert can only be reached in this question if George is within the class of actors. Answer A is incorrect because Kramer is not mentioned in the conclusion. Answer C is not correct because it basically restates the conclusion in different words. Answer D is not correct because it does not establish George's membership in (any) class.

Question 20

What is the mean for the following expenditures? $79.84, $278.99, $342.16, $466.25, $111.39, $502.47, $98.12

Accepted Answer

The mean for the data set above is $268.46. The median or middle number when the numbers are in ascending order ($79.84, $98.12, $111.39, $278.99, $342.16, $466.25, $502.47) is $278.99.

Quiz 2: Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) Practice

Select the answer choice that correctly completes the following: Some human beings are mortal. Plato is a human being.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -President Johnson authorized the launch of air strikes and Congress approved military force against North Vietnam but he did not declare war.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -The first war between India and Pakistan began in 1947 and continued until 1949, when the United Nations stepped in and broker a ceasefire.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -President Morsi is currently seeking to get foreign investment and businesses to Egypt in order to begin mending the economy.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -Although Egypt is rich in mineral and petroleum deposits, only a small percentage of the land is arable.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -Palladium, a soft shiny silvery-white metal, is one of six platinum group metals and is relatively rare.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -He plans the attack on Pearl Harbor with considerable care and trained his men extensively.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -In late January 2011, protests broke out in Cairo, Egypt because of anger over government corruption

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -Corporations that produce genetically modified foods point to hundreds of studies that show that they are safe.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -Some countries such as the United States have ample sources of water.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -Unemployment is considered to be a problem even though inflation is considerably low.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -China and Japan have been locked in a territorial dispute since the 1970s.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -World leaders stepped in and the United States intervened, which leading both countries to withdraw to their previous positions.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. -President Johnson authorized the launch of air strikes and Congress approved military force against North Vietnam but he did not declare war.

What is the equation for the Pythagorean Theorem?

Which of the following is a digit?

Select the answer choice that correctly provides the missing premise: All actors are extroverts. ______________________. George is an extrovert.

What is the mean for the following expenditures? $79.84, $278.99, $342.16, $466.25, $111.39, $502.47, $98.12