Free PSAT 10 Exam Questions and Answers

Marine biologist Ana Reyes hypothesizes that the loss of seagrass in a coastal lagoon over the past decade has been caused mainly by cloudier water that blocks sunlight, not by animals feeding on the plants. Which finding, if true, would most directly support Reyes's hypothesis?

• AA. Seagrass density fell at the same rate inside fenced plots that excluded grazers as in open plots, while light reaching the lagoon floor declined over the same years.
• BB. Seagrass density fell at the same rate inside fenced plots that excluded grazers as in open plots, while water temperature in the lagoon rose steadily over the same years.
• CC. Seagrass density fell only in plots where grazers were abundant, while light reaching the lagoon floor declined over the same years in every plot.
• DD. Seagrass density fell faster in open plots than in fenced plots that excluded grazers, while light reaching the lagoon floor stayed constant over the same years.

A printer prints 45 pages in 90 seconds at a constant rate. At this rate, how many pages can the printer print in 12 minutes?

• AA. 90
• BB. 270
• CC. 360
• DD. 540

While researching the actor Hedy Lamarr, a student has taken the following notes: • Lamarr was born in Vienna in 1914 and became a film star in the United States. • In 1942, she and the composer George Antheil received a patent for a frequency-hopping communication system. • The system was meant to keep radio-guided torpedoes from being jammed by enemy signals. • The U.S. Navy did not use the system during World War II. • Frequency hopping is now a principle behind wireless technologies such as Bluetooth. The student wants to emphasize that the invention was not adopted when it was created but still influenced later technology. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

• AA. The frequency-hopping system patented by Lamarr and Antheil in 1942 was meant to stop enemy jamming of torpedoes, and the Navy did not use it during World War II.
• BB. Lamarr, a Vienna-born film star, and composer George Antheil patented a frequency-hopping system in 1942 to keep radio-guided torpedoes from being jammed by enemy signals.
• CC. Although the Navy did not use the frequency-hopping system patented by Lamarr and Antheil in 1942, the same principle is now behind wireless technologies such as Bluetooth.
• DD. Designed to protect radio-guided torpedoes, the frequency-hopping system patented by Lamarr and Antheil in 1942 relied on a principle also used in modern technologies like Bluetooth.

A store raised the price of a jacket by 20%. It then offered a 25% discount off the new price. The final price of the jacket was $108. What was the original price, in dollars, of the jacket before the increase?

• AA. 120
• BB. 135
• CC. 144
• DD. 150

Historians have long assumed that 14th-century Hanseatic merchants traded mainly in bulk goods such as grain and timber. But archaeologist Lena Kruger's analysis of the cargo from a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea found that nearly 40 percent of the goods by weight were luxury textiles and spices. Kruger notes that few wrecks of this period have been excavated, so the evidence available to historians has been limited. Her finding therefore suggests that ______ Which choice most logically completes the text?

• AA. luxury textiles and spices were more profitable than grain and timber for Hanseatic merchants.
• BB. bulk goods played almost no part in Hanseatic trade during the 14th century.
• CC. the wreck that Kruger studied was unrepresentative of the ships operated by Hanseatic merchants.
• DD. the historians' assumption about Hanseatic cargo may need revising as more wrecks are excavated.

The linear function f gives the depth of water, in centimeters, in a tank t minutes after a drain is opened. The function satisfies f(2) = 40 and f(8) = 25. At what time t, in minutes after the drain is opened, will the tank be empty?

• AA. 10
• BB. 18
• CC. 20
• DD. 45

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition? Mangrove forests protect coastlines by slowing the surge of water during storms. Their dense, tangled roots also trap sediment carried by tides, which gradually raises the elevation of the land beneath them. ______ a healthy mangrove stand can help a shoreline keep pace with modest sea-level rise.

• AA. Meanwhile,
• BB. Regardless,
• CC. As a result,
• DD. In contrast,

In right triangle ABC, angle B is a right angle, tan A = 5/12, and BC = 20. What is the length of AC?

• AA. 25
• BB. 48
• CC. 52
• DD. 60

The function g is defined by g(x) = 3x² − 18x + 10. What is the minimum value of g(x)?

Type your answer, then reveal.

y = x² − 6 y = x + 6 If (x, y) is a solution to the system of equations above and x > 0, what is the value of y?

• AA. 3
• BB. 4
• CC. 10
• DD. 16