Digital SAT Fact Practice Questions

1. In the early twentieth century, botanist Alice Eastwood became known not only for her research but also for her efforts to protect scientific collections. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Eastwood reportedly rushed to the California Academy of Sciences building, where she rescued hundreds of plant specimens before fire destroyed much of the structure. Although many materials were lost, the specimens she saved allowed important parts of the academy’s botanical collection to survive.

According to the text, why were Eastwood’s actions after the earthquake significant?

A) She discovered several new plant species while examining damaged specimens.

B) She helped preserve part of a scientific collection that might otherwise have been lost.

C) She rebuilt the California Academy of Sciences after the fire destroyed it.

D) She proved that botanical specimens could survive extreme heat.

Question 1 of 5

2. In 1938, chemist Roy Plunkett was attempting to develop a new refrigerant when he noticed that one gas sample had unexpectedly formed a white, waxy solid inside its container. Further testing showed that the substance was unusually slippery, resistant to heat, and unreactive with many chemicals. That accidental discovery eventually led to the widespread use of polytetrafluoroethylene, later marketed as Teflon, in products ranging from cookware to industrial equipment.

According to the text, what first drew Plunkett’s attention to the new substance?

A) It was immediately used in several household products.

B) It had been intentionally created as a heat-resistant coating.

C) A gas sample had unexpectedly changed into a solid material.

D) Industrial companies requested a more slippery chemical compound.

Question 2 of 5

3. In the 1960s, oceanographer Sylvia Earle participated in research missions that allowed scientists to study marine life directly in underwater habitats. During one such project, researchers lived for days beneath the ocean’s surface, observing how fish behaved around coral reefs at different times of day. Earle later argued that prolonged observation in natural settings could reveal patterns that brief dives often missed.

According to the text, why did Earle value extended stays in underwater habitats?

A) They enabled scientists to repair damaged coral reefs more efficiently.

B) They could reveal marine behavioral patterns that brief observations might miss.

C) They proved that fish preferred human-made structures to reefs.

D) They made ocean travel safer than conducting research from ships.

Question 3 of 5

4. In the late nineteenth century, engineer Gustave Eiffel designed the internal framework of the Statue of Liberty before later completing the tower that now bears his name in Paris. For the statue project, Eiffel proposed a flexible iron support system that would allow the outer copper surface to expand, contract, and sway slightly in strong winds without cracking. His design helped the monument withstand changing weather conditions for decades.

According to the text, why did Eiffel use a flexible support system for the Statue of Liberty?

A) To allow the statue’s copper exterior to respond to wind and temperature changes without cracking.

B) To make the statue’s outer copper surface rigid enough to resist all movement in strong winds.

C) To ensure that the statue’s internal iron framework would expand and contract more than the copper surface.

D) To apply the same engineering principles he later used when designing his tower in Paris.

Question 4 of 5

5. In the 1840s, physician Ignaz Semmelweis noticed that patients in one maternity ward at Vienna General Hospital died from childbed fever at much higher rates than patients in another ward. The key difference, he observed, was that doctors in the first ward often examined patients immediately after performing autopsies, whereas midwives in the second ward did not. Semmelweis then required doctors to wash their hands with a chlorinated solution before treating patients, and death rates soon declined sharply.

According to the text, what led Semmelweis to require handwashing?

A) He concluded that contact after autopsies was connected to unusually high death rates in one ward.

B) He wanted doctors and midwives to follow identical training procedures in both wards.

C) He discovered that chlorinated solutions cured childbed fever after symptoms appeared.

D) He believed that maternity wards with more doctors needed stricter hospital rules.

Question 5 of 5