The following text is adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1837 story “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment.” The main character, a physician, is experimenting with rehydrating a dried flower.
\n\n","stem_html":"At first [the rose] lay lightly on the surface of the fluid, appearing to imbibe none of its moisture. Soon, however, a singular change began to be visible. The crushed and dried petals stirred and assumed a deepening tinge of crimson, as if the flower were reviving from a deathlike slumber.
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As used in the text, what does the phrase “a singular” most nearly mean?
","rationale_html":"Choice D is the best answer because as used in the text, “singular” most nearly means extraordinary. The text portrays an experiment in which a character rehydrates a dried rose by infusing it with moisture. After prolonged contact with the liquid, the rose begins to absorb it, undergoing an exceptional transformation: its color deepens, its previously “crushed and dried” petals shift, and the entire flower revives “from a deathlike slumber.” In other words, an extraordinary change is visible in the flower.
Choice A is incorrect. Although in some contexts “singular” can mean of or relating to an individual or to a single instance of something, this usage doesn’t imply loneliness or an otherwise unsatisfactory condition of isolation. Moreover, the text doesn’t attribute such a condition to the rose. Choice B is incorrect. Although “singular” has several related meanings, none of them relate to being disagreeable or unpleasant. Moreover, the text doesn’t portray the change undergone by the rose as necessarily disagreeable. Choice C is incorrect because “singular” means extraordinary, not acceptable. The change is portrayed as striking, not barely satisfactory.
","correct_answer":["D"],"has_media":false,"has_mathml":false,"has_table":false,"source_created_at":"2023-08-02T20:25:59.378000+00:00","source_updated_at":"2023-08-02T20:25:59.378000+00:00","options":[{"label":"A","content_html":"A lonely
","ord":0},{"label":"B","content_html":"A disagreeable
","ord":1},{"label":"C","content_html":"An acceptable
","ord":2},{"label":"D","content_html":"An extraordinary
","ord":3}],"attribution":{"source_id":"cb_question_bank","source_name":"College Board digital SAT question bank (community dump)","rights_holder":"College Board","canonical_url":"https://satsuitequestionbank.collegeboard.org/","retrieved_from":"https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mdn522/sat-question-bank/main/data/cb-digital-questions.json","attribution":"SAT practice questions © College Board, from the official SAT Suite Question Bank. Retrieved via the community dump at github.com/mdn522/sat-question-bank.","disclaimer":"SAT® and PSAT/NMSQT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, does not sponsor, and does not endorse this project.","license":"College Board copyright; source repository carries no licence. Local use only.","redistributable":false,"item_count":2017}}