SAT Reading Practice Test 2025 – Evidence-Based Questions

Question 1: Passage excerpt: ‘The new policy, while well-intentioned, was met with widespread skepticism from the scientific community, who argued that its provisions lacked empirical grounding.’ What does ’empirical’ most likely mean as used in the passage?

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  Based on tradition
  
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  Based on observation and evidence
  
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  Based on public opinion
  
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  Based on economic models
  

Question 2: Which option best summarizes the central tension presented in the passage about renewable energy adoption?

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  Economic costs vs. the urgent need for climate action
  
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  Government policy vs. private enterprise
  
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  Nuclear energy vs. solar energy
  
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  Urban vs. rural energy consumption
  

Question 3: In line 23 the author states: ‘Silence, in her case, was never passive.’ What literary device is primarily being used?

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  Simile
  
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  Hyperbole
  
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  Paradox
  
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  Alliteration