March 2019 SAT - Reading Test

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra

March 2019 US SAT Reading Test materials centered on answering questions based on a provided passage excerpted from Rita Dove’s novel Through the Ivory Gate (1992). The reading section establishes time limits, question counts, and instructions for selecting best answers from stated or implied information. The excerpt narrates Virginia’s return to cello music after a move from Ohio to Arizona, detailing her early school experiences, the contrast between stored instruments, and the emotional/physical care of learning the instrument. Multiple-choice questions assess interpretation and vocabulary in context.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages50

Reading Time2 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Reading Test

Passage-based Questions (1-10)

General Reading Instructions

Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

SAT March,2019 US ## IMPORTANT REMINDERS ② A No.2 pencil is required for the test.Sharing any questions with anyoneDo not use a mechanical pencil or pen.is a violation of Test Securityand Fairness policies and may resultin your scores being canceled.This cover is representative of what you'l see on testday. 1 ## Reading Test 65 MINUTES,52 QUESTIONS Turn to Section 1 of your answers sheet to answer the questions in this section. Questions 1-10 are based on the following passage. This passage is adapted from Rita Dove,Through the ivoryGate.C1992 by Rita Dove.The novel's main character,Virginia,has just found her old cello while unpacking aftera move. She had not played seriously since collegeAccompanying the theater troupe's performances andclowning around as her friend Parker picked out oldLine Beatles songs on the piano didn't count—that wasn't5 real music,music that made you forget where you weremade you forget where your arms and legs ended andluscious sound began. She had started playing the cello when she was nine,shortly after the move to Arizona.At the beginning of10 the school year in Akron,every child in fourth gradehad been issued a pre-instrument called a tonette so theteacher could determine who had an“aptitude”formusic.Virginia had liked the neatness of the tonette,itsmodest musical range and how it fit into her school15 desk on the right side.Whenever she covered afingerhole,she felt the contour of its slightly raised lipand imagined she was playing the tentacle of anoctopus. She had chafed through months of scales and20 simple songs,waiting for the moment when she wouldwalk across the auditorium stage and choose:kneelamong the rows of somber black cases,undo the metalclasps and fling open the lid to reveal her instrument,aflute or a clarinet,glowing softly,half buried in deep25 blue velvet. 1 Each passage or pair of passages below is followed by a number of questions.After readingeach passage or pair,choose the best answer to each question based on what is stated orimplied in the passage or passages and in any accompanying graphics(such as a table orgraph). But before she could make her choice,they movedto Arizona.There,the music instruments were storedin a classroom trailer,and when she opened the flutecase she nearly winced from the glare bouncing off all30 that polished silver,those gloating caps and hinges.The clarinet was worse—it looked like an overdesignedwalking stick,sounded like a clown laughing,and hadreeds that needed to be softened in spit. The music teacher shut the cases with a succession35 of curt clicks."That leaves the strings,"she sighed,leading the way back through the noonday blaze andinto the main building,where the violins,violas,cellosand double basses were housed.There,by virtue of itssonorous name,Virginia asked for the violoncello—40 and was too intimidated by the teacher's growingimpatience to protest when what emerged from theback closets was something resembling not a guitar,buta childsized android.In her anguish Virginia bowed herhead and blindly accepted the instrument.It was not45 long,however,before she realized that she had made agood choice,for the sound ofits name was synonymouswith the throbbing complaint that poured out of itscumbersome body It took her nearly a year just to learn how to hold it50 properly.She had been accustomed to practicing afterschool,but one weekend evening while her parentswere out,she dragged the instrument into theirbedroom and used pillows to prop the music on thearmchair.She was just about to sit on the edge of the55 bed when something,maybe the shadow thrown fromthe flowered lampshade or the slats of light sifting from - the street,made her want to do things right.She got astraightback chair from the dining room and sat downcorrectly,bringing the instrument slowly toward60 her body.The lamp picked up the striations down theback of the wood,each strip slightly different,a littlebrowner,a little more golden,but me

FAQs

What materials and rules does the SAT Reading Test require?

Use a No. 2 pencil. Sharing questions with anyone violates test security and fairness policies and may result in canceled scores.

How is the Reading Test section structured?

Each passage or pair of passages is followed by a set of multiple-choice questions. After reading, choose the best answer based on what is stated or implied in the passage and any accompanying graphics.

What do the sample questions focus on?

The sample items test interpretation of the passage and understanding of word meaning in context, such as recurring phrases and vocabulary like “housed.”

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra