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7-3221-WriteWrkbk4SAT-Fbs
8/1/07
9:20 AM
Page 1
Ehrenhaft
SAT
®
Choose Barron’s Method for Success on the New SAT Writing Test
■ Answer the sentence-correction questions
and check your results
■ Use the book’s review chapters to
sharpen your writing skills
■ Review the answers and explanations
for all questions
It’s Your Path to a
Higher Test Score
EAN
■ Take four additional writing tests and
score your results
ISBN-13: 978-0-7641-3221-6
ISBN-10: 0-7641-3221-0
Your Blueprint for Test Success
Five practice SAT writing tests
All tests have answers and explanations
Tests reflect the all-new SAT format
Your Private Tutor
■ Review chapters to improve your
grammar and writing skills
■ Practice in correcting poorly written
sentences
■ An overview to acquaint you
with the new test
$14
...
99
www
...
com
®
George Ehrenhaft, B
...
, M
...
, Ed
...
®
■ Take a writing test to familiarize yourself
with the test format
SAT
SAT
SAT
■ Read overview of the new test and
understand how it is timed and scored
WRITING
WORKBOOK
FOR THE NEW
WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW
WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW
WRITING
WORKBOOK
FOR THE NEW
Visit www
...
com
Personal Instruction
Covers All Test Topics
• Coaching in Essay Writing
• Answering Three Types of
Multiple-Choice Questions
• Correcting and Editing Your Essay’s
First Draft
• Plus a handy guide for converting
practice test scores to the SAT scale
® SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination
Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not
endorse this book
...
A
...
A
...
D
...
01_FrontMatter_Part01
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Page ii
GREETINGS FROM THE AUTHOR
Hello and welcome to the world of the SAT
Writing Test
...
If you’re unsure what the test is all about, read
Part I
...
To fine-tune your test taking skills, go to
Parts II and VI, where you’ll find practice exams
just like those on the SAT
...
and so on
...
The more time you have until
the SAT, the better you can prepare yourself
...
If the SAT is weeks or months away, let the
book work for you
...
Let
it acquaint you with the format of the test and
accustom you to writing a clear, coherent, and purposeful essay in less than half an hour
...
) Then read
and evaluate actual essays composed by high
school juniors and seniors on SAT topics
...
Practice answering multiple-choice questions, using surefire tactics
for getting them right
...
I’ve done a mountain of work in writing this
book for you
...
So, shake a leg and best of luck! I’ll be rooting
for you on the sidelines
...
All rights reserved
...
All inquiries should be addressed to:
Barron’s Educational Series, Inc
...
barronseduc
...
2005045389
ISBN 13: 978-0-7641-3221-6
ISBN 10: 0-7641-3221-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ehrenhaft, George
...
p
...
At head of title: Barron’s
...
ISBN 13: 978-0-7641-3221-6
ISBN 10: 0-7641-3221-0
1
...
2
...
3
...
I
...
II
...
LB2353
...
E37
378
...
One hour is devoted to questions on writing
...
Later in the exam
you’ll find a second twenty-five minute section
consisting of three types of multiple-choice questions that ask you to (1) correct poorly written sen-
3
tences, (2) find grammar and usage errors in a set
of sentences, and (3) revise an early draft of a
given essay
...
Together, the essay question and two
sections of multiple-choice questions comprise the
SAT Writing Test
...
Your performance on the test also adds an important dimension to your college admissions profile
...
Moreover, it provides colleges
with useful information about
• The depth of your thinking
...
Your response
also shows whether you can devise a thesis,
or main idea, and develop it insightfully
...
You show
your ability to organize ideas by arranging
material according to a logical, sensible plan
...
You reveal
your ability to express yourself by accurately
and succinctly conveying your thoughts to
the reader
...
You demonstrate your use of standard written English by writing an essay relatively
free of errors in grammar and usage
The multiple-choice questions deal with everyday problems in grammar, usage, style, word
choice, and other basic elements of writing
...
Colleges use the results of the SAT Writing
Test as a criterion for admission
...
A high
score may entitle you to waive a freshman composition course
...
To understand just how your score
will affect you, consult the literature of the colleges
to which you are applying
...
01_FrontMatter_Part01
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Page 4
WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
HOW THE TEST IS SCORED
Your essay will be read by two experienced evaluators, most likely high school or college teachers
trained to judge the overall quality and effectiveness of students’ essays
...
Nor will they know your name or the name
of your school
...
Your
essay’s subscore will be recorded as the sum of the
two scores (2 to 12)
...
25) for each wrong answer
...
A machine will score your responses to
forty-nine questions and will report a subscore on a
scale of 20 to 80
...
(See page 39 for how this is done
...
TO GUESS OR NOT TO GUESS
Subtracting credit for wrong answers on multiplechoice questions is meant to discourage blind
guessing
...
If you can confidently eliminate one of the five choices, it probably
pays to guess
...
These are not terrific odds, but suppose
that on four questions you eliminate one wrong
choice and you guess four times
...
If you
leave all four blank, you will gain nothing
...
And you could get lucky and hit
two, three, or even four correct answers
...
Testing experts and psychologists agree
that there’s a better than average chance of success
if you trust your intuition
...
Another piece of folk wisdom about guessing
is that if one answer is longer than the others, that
may be your best choice
...
In fact, since economy of
expression is a virtue in writing, a shorter choice
may more often be the best answer
...
HOW TO PREPARE
By reading these words you’ve already begun
preparing for the exam
...
But that was then
...
Once you have finished reading these introductory pages, take the diagnostic test in Part II
...
By doing so, you can tell not
only how much studying you need to do but what
material to study
...
Or, if you
missed a couple of multiple-choice questions
related to pronoun choice or parallel structure,
study the relevant pages in Part V, and do the practice exercises
...
Even professional journalists, accustomed to working under the pressure of deadlines,
would be hard-pressed to produce a good essay in
twenty-five minutes
...
If you’ve been a reasonably proficient essay
writer in the past, be confident that you’ll perform
equally well on the SAT
...
When writing the SAT essay, you must condense into a few minutes all the steps that other
writers, enjoying the luxury of time, might stretch
into hours or even into days
...
An essay test in social studies, for
example, may have required you to fill up a blank
page quickly with all you knew about the Reign of
Terror or causes of the Civil War
...
In your classes, of course,
success was based partly on how closely your ideas
resembled those that the teacher had in mind
...
You can’t cram for this
essay the way you can for a test in physics or Spanish
...
Ordinarily, an essay writer takes a long time
to think about ideas and write them down
...
The time limit forces an
almost instant response and limits leisurely reflection
...
The answer you write in response to the question is not predetermined
...
The task you face on
test day is to arrange your ideas and put them into
readable form on paper
...
More precisely, the essay will measure your
skill in elaborating a point of view on an issue
...
Then you must
develop that point of view, supporting your ideas
with appropriate evidence
...
It won’t be as polished as a piece written
over a period of hours or days
...
The topic, called the prompt, consists of a quotation or a short passage followed by a question
asking your opinion about the content of the quote
or passage
...
Thomas Edison experienced 10,000
failures before he succeeded in perfecting the
light bulb
...
”
Adapted from Myles Brand,
“Taking the Measure of Your Success”
01_FrontMatter_Part01
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Page 6
WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Assignment: What is your view on the idea
that it takes failure to achieve success? Plan and
write an essay in which you develop your point
of view on this issue
...
Adapted from
www
...
com/newsat/hs/writing/essay
...
” An essay agreeing
with the statement would argue that success, however you define it, comes about only as a result of
failure and that success without failure does not
qualify as true success
...
A third
possibility, of course, is that success sometimes
depends on failure and at other times doesn’t
...
There is no wrong or right answer
...
Once you’ve decided on your perspective,
present your case
...
All parts of an
essay should work together to make a single point
...
Above all, you don’t want readers to reach
the end scratching their heads over the point of the
essay
...
Developing your thoughts means nothing
more than backing up your opinion with illustrative
material, drawn from virtually any source you
wish: from your reading inside or outside of
school, from your courses, from personal experience, or from observation
...
Remember, the
kind of writing expected on the SAT is rational discourse, not emotional blabbering
...
For some people, that
means using an outline; for others, just jotting a few
notes on a piece of paper
...
Your essay need not follow a prescribed format, but
you’ll probably get the best results with a straightforward, no-nonsense approach consisting of some
sort of introduction, a body of material that supports
your main idea, and an appropriate conclusion
...
The directions for writing the essay don’t tell
you how long it should be
...
Just remember that quantity counts less than quality
...
Two paragraphs might do, but three or
more suggest that you have the capacity to probe
pretty deeply into the subject
...
Three, in fact, may be
preferable to two, although that’s a generalization
that doesn’t apply to every essay
...
) In the end, the number of
paragraphs is less important than the substance of
each paragraph
...
A plain, natural writing style is probably best
...
Readers will be turned off by formal, pompous, or
overblown prose
...
As SAT day draws near, review these suggestions for writing an essay
...
”
01_FrontMatter_Part01
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Page 7
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
7
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
Two separate sections of the SAT (25 minutes and
10 minutes) give you a total of forty-nine multiplechoice questions that deal with errors in grammar,
usage, word choice (diction), and expression
(idiom)
...
Improving Sentences (25 questions)
2
...
Improving Paragraphs (6 questions)
Of the three types, Identifying Sentence Errors
are the briefest—rarely more than two or three
lines
...
The Improving Sentences
questions take a bit longer because they require
more reading, and the Improving Paragraphs questions take longer still because they relate to problems embedded in the text of an essay that you are
given to read
...
The test has been carefully calibrated to
coincide with the time allotted, provided you work
steadily
...
Because your mind works differently from
everybody else’s, you may often find later questions easier than earlier ones
...
Just
go the next one, and go back later if time permits
...
It
makes sense to answer them in the order they are
given, but don’t be a slave to the order
...
IMPROVING SENTENCES QUESTIONS
In this section of the test you are asked to recognize errors in standard English as well as problems
in style and expression
...
You are given five versions of the
underlined words
...
Because choice A always repeats the underlined segment of the original, select A only if you
think no change is needed
...
Sample Questions
1
...
(A) of awarding huge scholarships to college athletes have gotten out of hand
(B) of huge scholarships awarded to college athletes has gotten out of hand
(C) of awarding gigantically huge scholarships to student athletes attending
college have gotten out of hand
(D) is out of hand by which awards for
college athletes are granted huge
scholarships
(E) of rewarding college athletes with
huge scholarships are out of hand
Explanation: A basic rule of English grammar is
that the subject of a sentence must agree in number
with its verb
...
01_FrontMatter_Part01
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Page 8
WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Choice B is the best answer because both the
verb, has, and the subject, custom, are singular
...
Choice C is an excessively wordy variation of
choice A
...
”
Choice E uses are, a plural verb that fails to
agree with the subject
...
2
...
(A) Both of my cousins who live in
San Francisco
(B) Both of my two cousins living in
San Francisco
(C) My two cousins, who lives in
San Francisco
(D) My two cousins in San Francisco
(E) My two San Francisco cousins of mine
Explanation: Because sentences cluttered with
unnecessary words are less effective than tightly
written sentences, one of your tasks while answering Improving Sentences questions is to root out
unnecessary and redundant words and phrases
...
Choice A is grammatically correct, although it
could be stylistically improved by eliminating
the repetition of the word both
...
Choice C is more economical, but it contains a
singular verb, lives, that disagrees with its
plural subject, cousins
...
For more details on wordiness, turn to Part V,
page 136
...
• Be aware that errors may exist only in the
underscored segment of the sentence
...
• Try to determine whether a problem exists
...
• Read the choices, but ignore choice A, which
is identical to the underscored segment of the
original sentence
...
• Review the remaining choices for flaws in
grammar and usage
...
)
• Eliminate any choice that changes the meaning of the sentence
...
IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS
Identifying Sentence Errors questions come in the
form of a sentence with portions of it underlined,
as in the following examples:
1
...
No error
...
With the development of antitoxins and
A
serums, there are hardly no cases of
B
C
smallpox or yellow fever anywhere in the
D
world
...
Only one of
the underlined parts in a sentence may contain an
error, and no sentence contains more than one
error
...
Explanation: The correct answer to Question 1 is B
because the past tense of the verb swear is swore
...
Rather, it follows a pattern of its own,
just like other so-called irregular verbs, including
eat/eaten, ring/rung, and sleep/slept
...
Yet, had you never heard
about such verbs, you still might have been drawn
to choice B by your innate sense of the way English sounds
...
Nevertheless, even a good ear for language is not a reliable substitute for a thorough understanding of
grammar and usage
...
Both
hardly and no are negative words
...
To identify sentence errors on the SAT you
don’t need to know the technical terminology of
grammar and usage, although it would help to
study such basic concepts as the parts of speech,
the structure of sentences, and verb tenses—all
reviewed for you in Part V
...
• Try to hear the sentence in your head
...
• Try to explain what the grammatical flaw
might be
...
(Likely errors
are discussed fully in Part V
...
9
IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS QUESTIONS
The Improving Paragraphs section is the most comprehensive part of the test
...
The questions are not meant to
stump or trick you
...
Questions are based on an unedited draft of a
student’s essay
...
Expect to
answer one or two questions about problems of
grammar and usage
...
Sample Questions
The excerpt that follows is part of an essay written in
response to the topic: Preserving the Environment—
Everybody’s Job
...
[2] And with the process of the
earth aging, we must keep recycling our waste
products
...
[4] Those who don’t do it should
be criticized greatly
...
” [6] Not everyone does, even though
recycling is an effective place to start
...
[8] It attracts
anyone who wants the money (5 cents per can
or bottle)
...
[10] There are
separate bins for paper, glass, and plastic
...
[12] It is so easy to drive a few
blocks to a center to drop off what needs to be
recycled
...
[14] Anyone who cannot see its sim-
01_FrontMatter_Part01
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Page 10
WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
plicity should be criticized for not doing their
part to help make the world a better place
...
” [17] Such
people are ignorant and deserve to be taught a
lesson about how wastefulness is slowly
destroying the earth
...
Considering the essay as a whole, which
of the following best explains the main
purpose of the second paragraph?
(A) To explain the historical background
of the topic
(B) To provide a smooth transition
between the first and third paragraphs
(C) To define terms introduced in the first
paragraph
(D) To develop an idea presented in the
first paragraph
(E) To present a different point of view on
the issue being discussed
Explanation: To answer this question, you must
read the whole essay
...
All the choices name legitimate uses of paragraphs, but only choice D applies to this essay
because it develops by example an idea originating
in the first paragraph—how easy it is to recycle
...
Choice B is a possibility because in a unified essay
each paragraph, aside from the opening and closing
paragraphs, in some way serves as a bridge
between paragraphs
...
2
...
[10] There are separate bins for paper, glass, and plastic
...
(A) Recycling centers offer recyclers convenience by providing separate bins
for paper, glass, and plastic and by
being located in almost every town
...
(C) Almost every town has a recycling
center with separate bins for paper,
glass, and plastic, and this is a convenience for recyclers
...
(E) For the convenience of recyclers in
almost every town, paper, glass, and
plastic are separated into provided
bins at its recycling center
...
You probably know
that in a series of short sentences each idea carries
equal weight
...
To answer this question,
then, you must decide which idea expressed by the
three sentences deserves to be given the greatest
emphasis
...
Because sentences 10 and 11 refer to the
convenient arrangement of recycling bins, they are
more important to the development of the paragraph than sentence 9, about the location of recycling centers
...
Knowing that, read each of the
choices
...
Choice D stresses the location rather than the convenient arrangement of bins in recycling centers
...
Therefore,
choice B is the best answer
...
01_FrontMatter_Part01
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MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
How to Find Answers to Improving
Paragraphs Questions
• Read the entire passage, paying attention to
its main idea and to the writer’s purpose
...
• Carefully read each question and the five
choices
...
Also discard choices that contain flaws in
grammar and usage
...
)
• As you answer the questions, keep in mind
the main idea of each paragraph and of the
entire essay
...
)
11
A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
The multiple-choice sections of the SAT Writing
Test pertain to matters of grammar, usage, and
rhetoric typically taught in English classes
...
This book, after
all, is a thorough test-prep guide that explains virtually everything you need to know for the test and
describes how you can earn a score to make you
proud
...
Good luck!
01_FrontMatter_Part01
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Page 12
02_Part02
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Page 13
PART
II
DRESS REHEARSAL:
A SAMPLE TEST
Sample Test
Answer Key
Performance Evaluation Chart
Conversion Table
Answer Explanations
13
02_Part02
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Page 14
02_Part02
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Page 15
DRESS REHEARSAL: A SAMPLE TEST
By taking the sample test, you’ll quickly become
familiar with the length and format of the exam
...
The SAT always begins with the essay question
and then offers several sections of math and reading questions
...
This sample
test, therefore, differs from a real SAT because the
three sections of writing questions follow one after
the other
...
Here’s how to do it:
• Set aside an uninterrupted hour
...
Section 1: Essay Question—25 minutes
Section 2: Multiple-Choice Questions—25
minutes
Section 3: More Multiple-Choice Questions—10 minutes
• Work on only one section at a time
...
• Don’t return to a previous section once it’s
over
...
(Computers may not be used
on the SAT
...
When you’ve completed the test, check your
answers with the Answer Key on page 37 and fill in
the Performance Evaluation Chart
...
The
chart will also tell you the types of questions you
answered most successfully
...
On second thought, read all the explanations
...
Although it’s hard to assess your own essay
objectively, don’t shy away from trying
...
Then, reread it with an open mind and a fresh pair
of eyes
...
For a second opinion, find a
trusted and informed friend—or maybe a teacher,
counselor, or parent—to read, rate, and discuss
your essay with you
...
Remember that your scaled score is only an
approximation of what you might earn on an actual
SAT Writing Test
...
Use the essay as an opportunity to
show how clearly and effectively you can express and develop ideas
...
Include specific evidence or examples to support your point of view
...
The number of words is up to you, but quantity is less important than
quality
...
)
Limit your essay to two sides of the lined paper provided
...
Write or print legibly because handwriting that’s hard or impossible
to read will decrease your score
...
AN ESSAY WRITTEN ON
ANOTHER TOPIC WILL BE SCORED “ZERO
...
Do not turn to another section of the test
...
Whenever Social Studies teacher Karen Greene sits down to grade a stack of papers, she
wonders what the grades really mean and whether they convey useful information about student learning to the students themselves, to parents, counselors, or even to colleges
...
Should Karen reward high grades to a hard-working student with very low skills and
limited achievement? Or should she risk discouraging the student by giving him the D that
his work really warranted? What about grading a student capable of doing excellent work
when she puts her mind to it but who rarely does the work? An F for lack of effort might
prod her to work harder, but would it accurately reflect the real quality of her work?
Adapted from Lisa Birk, Harvard Education Letter, October 2004
Assignment: Should students who work very hard in a course earn very high grades, or should achievement
rather than effort determine students’ grades? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of
view on this issue
...
02_Part02
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Page 17
SAMPLE TEST
Section 1
ESSAY
Time allowed: 25 minutes
Limit your essay to two pages
...
Write only inside the box
...
Do not proceed to Section 2 until the allotted time for Section 1 has passed
...
A
B
C
D
E
1
...
A
B
C
D
E
2
...
A
B
C
D
E
32
...
A
B
C
D
E
4
...
A
B
C
D
E
4
...
A
B
C
D
E
34
...
A
B
C
D
E
6
...
A
B
C
D
E
6
...
A
B
C
D
E
7
...
£
B
2
...
1
...
A
B
C
D
E
9
...
A
B
C
D
E
10
...
A
B
C
D
E
11
...
A
B
C
D
E
12
...
A
B
C
D
E
14
...
A
B
C
D
E
13
...
A
B
C
D
E
15
...
A
B
C
D
E
17
...
A
B
C
D
E
19
...
A
B
C
D
E
21
...
A
B
C
D
E
23
...
A
B
C
D
E
25
...
A
B
C
D
E
27
...
A
B
C
D
E
29
...
Read each sentence carefully and identify which of the
five alternate versions most effectively and correctly expresses the meaning of the underlined material
...
Choice A always
repeats the original
...
EXAMPLE
ANSWER
My old Aunt Maud loves
to cook, and eating also
...
Inside Margaret Jackson’s home were an art
studio with a pottery kiln, high-tech stainless
steel appliances, and there was a swimming
pool lined with Italian marble
...
Mr
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
has been the first who turned
had been the first who turned
was the first having turned
was the first to turn
having been the first to turn
21
02_Part02
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Page 22
WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
3
...
(A) too recklessly, without sufficient planning
behind it
(B) too reckless, without sufficient planning
behind it
(C) too recklessly, without sufficient planning
behind them
(D) too reckless, and there is not sufficient
planning behind them
(E) too recklessly, and there is not sufficient
planning behind it
4
...
(A) online, it results from not knowing much
about computers and being a bit scared
of it
(B) online resulting from not knowing much
about computers and being a bit scared
of it
(C) online for the reason being that they don’t
know much about computers and are a bit
scared of them
(D) online because of knowing little about
computers and being scared of it
(E) online because they know little about
computers and are a bit scared of them
5
...
(A) were cut from the school budget in spite
of them being regarded
(B) was cut from the school budget in spite of
them being regarded
(C) was cut from the school budget in spite
of their regard as being
(D) were cut from the school budget in spite
of regarding it
(E) was cut from the school budget in spite of
it being regarded
6
...
(A) Annie Oakley boasted that she could shoot
better than any other cowboy at the rodeo;
then she
(B) Annie Oakley boasted that she could shoot
better than any cowboy at the rodeo; then
she
(C) Annie Oakley boasted that she could shoot
better than any cowboy at the rodeo, therefore she
(D) To boast that she could shoot better than
any other cowboy at the rodeo, Annie
Oakley
(E) Boasting that she could shoot better than
any other cowboy at the rodeo, Annie
Oakley
7
...
(A) Residents of Chicago have just as much
right to complain about the cold as
Minneapolis, which
(B) Residents of Chicago have just as much
right to complain about the cold as
residents of Minneapolis, which
(C) Residents of Chicago have equally the
right to complain about the cold as
residents of Minneapolis, which
(D) Residents of Chicago, having the equal
right to complain about the cold as
Minneapolis, where the population
(E) Residents of Chicago, rightfully complaining about the cold as the population
of Minneapolis, where it
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SAMPLE TEST
8
...
(A) When the baseball rulebook is followed
too closely, they often spoil instead of
enhancing the game
(B) When the baseball rulebook is followed
too closely, it often spoils instead of
enhancing the game
(C) The baseball rulebook, if too closely followed, often spoils the game, not enhancing it
(D) The baseball rulebook, if followed too
closely, often spoils rather than enhances
the game
(E) If you follow too closely the baseball rulebook, it often spoils rather than enhances
the game
9
...
(A) detectors, but there are not frequent body
searches of passengers
(B) detectors, and a bodily search of passengers is not frequent
(C) detectors but are rarely subject to body
searches
(D) detectors, but the searching of their bodies
is rare
(E) detectors, but the search of bodies is rare
among them
23
10
...
(A) humankind’s concept of the heavens has
changed
(B) humankind’s concept of the heavens have
changed
(C) there has been changes in humankind’s
concepts of the heavens
(D) humankind have undergone a change in its
concepts of the heavens
(E) humankind has had changes in their
concept of the heavens
11
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
of their stories and music exploring
of their stories and music exploring their
its stories and music explore
its stories and music explores
of how it explores through stories and
music
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS
Directions: The underlined and lettered parts of each sentence below may contain an error in grammar, usage, word choice (diction), or expression (idiom)
...
Indicate your choice by filling in the corresponding space on the
answer sheet
...
Some sentences may contain no error
...
EXAMPLE
ANSWER
Jill went speedily to the crest of the
A
B
hill in a more faster time than her
C
D
friend, Jack
...
E
12
...
No error
...
Despite the constant pressure of schoolwork
A
and sports, Terry has never been more happier
B
C
than she is now, in her senior year
...
D
E
A
B
C
D
E
15
...
No error
...
Readers can easily draw a distinction
A
between a so-called literary classic and
an escapist piece of pulp fiction by
14
...
C
D
No error
...
No error
...
Some symbols acquire a multitude of meanings,
A
B
some widely shared, others personal, some
C
contradictory, conflicted, or ambivalent
...
E
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SAMPLE TEST
18
...
C
D
No error
...
The company has begun manufacturing
A
dishwasher soaps in bright colors because
consumers respond to this more eagerly than
B
C
to dull, ordinary colors
...
D
E
20
...
D
No error
...
Many of the candidates, including the incumbent
senator herself, has opposed the legislation
A
B
that weakens the ban on snowmobiles in
C
D
Yellowstone and other national parks
...
E
22
...
D
No error
...
An examination of the most reliable current
A
economic statistics do not justify raising the
B
C
sales tax in the foreseeable future
...
D
E
24
...
No error
...
Since the early 1800s, the famous Hope
Diamond was the most notorious gem
A
in history, leaving behind a string of owners
B
C
who have suffered one misfortune after
D
another
...
E
26
...
No error
...
Both Jon Stewart and Conan O’Brien
A
have become extremely popular cable TV
B
C
comedians, but O’Brien has the largest
D
number of fans
...
E
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
28
...
D
No error
...
For decades, scientists analyzed masses of
A
public-health statistics before they found a
B
C
high correlation between heavy smoking and
D
the incidence of lung cancer
...
E
IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS
Directions: The passage below is the draft of a student’s essay
...
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow
...
Choose the answer that best follows the requirements of standard written English
...
[1] No student of American history can avoid
having learned about a great technological feat,
the building of the transcontinental railroad in the
middle of the nineteenth century
...
[3] In
1869, the dream became a reality
...
[5] In accomplishing
this great feat of engineering, the workers were
exploited, and many of them died
...
[7] They performed unskilled labor
and also the highly specialized and dangerous jobs
as well
...
[9] Methods were unsafe and cost lives
...
[11] If they were not
pulled fast enough, or the rope broke, they fell to
their deaths
...
[13] With the help of the U
...
government,
which contributed millions of dollars’ worth of
public land and funds for construction, the project
was run by a group of four well-to-do but corrupt
businessmen from California
...
30
...
(A) Make no changes
...
(C) Change “having learned” to “learning
...
”
(E) Delete the comma and insert “which was
...
In context, which of the following is the best
way to revise the underlined words in order to
combine sentences 4 and 5?
It was a great physical achievement
...
(A) It was a great physical achievement,
in accomplishing this great feat of
engineering
(B) The fact is that
(C) But students don’t learn that this great
physical feat of engineering came at a
large price because
(D) As a result, historians say that this great
achievement meant that
(E) Although building the railroad was a
great physical achievement,
32
...
Which of the following best describes the
relationship between sentences 9 and 10?
(A) Sentence 10 provides material that
illustrates the statement made in
sentence 9
...
(C) Sentence 10 introduces sources of
information that confirms the truth of
sentence 9
...
(E) Sentence 10 restates opinions expressed
in sentence 9
...
Which of the following would be the best sentence to insert before sentence 13 to introduce
the last paragraph?
(A) Building the railroad was such an expensive undertaking that no private individual
of that era could afford to finance the
whole thing
...
(C) One set of construction crews started
building from the east to the west, while
another began in the west and built eastward
...
(E) The Pacific Railroad Act, a document
rushed through Congress, was grossly
over-generous in its benefits to the
builders
...
What material is the most appropriate to add
immediately after sentence 14?
(A) How the four business tycoons happened
to meet and form a partnership
(B) The facts that convinced the four men to
build the railroad
(C) Reasons why shoddy construction
methods were used
(D) Details about unethical business practices
during the construction of the railroad
(E) An account of how the eastbound and
westbound tracks met in Utah in 1869
End of Section 2
...
Do not proceed to Section 3 until the
allotted time for Section 2 has passed
...
Read each sentence carefully and identify which of the
five alternate versions most effectively and correctly expresses the meaning of the underlined material
...
Choice A always
repeats the original
...
1
...
(A) Tony showed three college acceptance letters to his counselor, he
(B) Three college acceptance letters, which
were shown to his counselor by Tony, who
(C) Three college acceptance letters were
shown by Tony to his counselor, then he
(D) After showing three college acceptance
letters to his counselor, Tony
(E) Tony, having shown three college acceptance letters to his counselor, he
2
...
(A) a parental permission slip must be filled
out for each student
(B) a student must have their parental permission slips filled out
(C) their parents must fill out a permission slip
for each student
(D) a student must have a parental permission
slip filled out
(E) permission for each student must be filled
out by their parents
3
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Despite being called “reality” television
Although its being “reality” television
It was called “reality” television
Because it was called “reality” television
Calling it “reality” television
4
...
(A) wrong because in sports many people do
it to find personal satisfaction
...
At the beginning of Joseph Conrad’s story
“Gaspar Ruiz,” a soldier has been falsely
accused of cowardice under fire, desertion of
his post, and he gave military secrets to the
enemy
...
Essential for doing business or just staying in
touch with family and friends, cell phones,
they are increasingly popular
...
Although whales can grow bigger than houses,
they have ears so small that you can’t clean
them out with an ordinary Q-tip
...
When you read at a very fast rate, your eyes
often skip words, and your mind grasps the
meaning nevertheless
...
The author, guiding the reader through Emma’s
most intimate dreams and fantasies, accurately
portraying the plight of many middle-class
women in France in the 1850s
...
The custom of naming ships after dead war
heroes has been practiced through many countries in honoring their military personnel
...
In 2004, the cost of a gallon of gas increased
considerably, while continuing to grow in
2005
...
The Black Death of the 14th century, possibly
the world’s deadliest epidemic, whose origin is
thought to be central China
...
Drive-in restaurants that serve fatty food can
be found along almost every main highway in
the country, this explaining why so many
Americans are overweight
...
Many problems among the faculty developed
after Mr
...
(A) school; these problems diminished both
the reputation and the performance of the
school
(B) school, they both diminished the reputation and performance of the school
(C) school, which both diminished its reputation as well as diminished its performance
(D) school; these problems diminished its reputation and performance
(E) school, and they diminished its reputation
as well as performance
End of Section 3
...
END OF WRITING TEST
...
Rate each one on a scale of 6 (high) to 1 (low), and write a comment about
your impressions in the spaces provided
...
) Then compare
your comments with those of two SAT evaluators
...
The original essays were written by hand, but these have been typed exactly as written
...
There are many students who work
hard, yet do not receive high grades
...
If the system were to change and every student
who tried hard received a high grade, how would we differentiate between those who are truly gifted and
those who merely make an effort? This is especially important in high school and college, where intelligence matters a lot
...
I would want the best there is to take care of me
...
This division should be made apparent within
their grades
...
When electives are involved, a different process could be used
...
However, their artistic and athletic classmates
should be awarded a grade for ability
...
Your impressions:
Score:
Comment to Jan: Your essay addresses the topic directly with a concise and forceful opening statement:
“Students should earn grades which reflect their achievement
...
Especially in
the first paragraph you back up your opinions with interesting and specific supporting material
...
Throughout the essay you maintain a consistent point of
view and organize your ideas logically
...
Some imprecise
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
language and awkward wording (e
...
, “younger years of schooling,” “the determination of placement”)
plus an enigmatic concluding sentence take away from the overall quality of the piece
...
Philippe’s Essay
I feel that the issue here and where I stand depends on a lot
...
Your grade realy depends on what kind of person you are
...
Never hand in work
...
Fail tests, then that’s the grade you deserve
...
I have had this experience in high school I have tried hard but have not achieved a lot though my effort
...
I did better on
it
...
That’s why I did
good I think if people set a goal for themselves they would try even in any subject
...
Your writing suggests that English may be your second language
...
Numerous
problems in the essay point to a need for remedial work in writing before you attend college
...
Johnny’s Essay
Ever since there were schools there has been controversy over grades, because grades in school in
some ways determine the course of your life
...
On the other hand, a student who is naturally gifted in
the area of the hard course and achieves say a 95 test average with little or no work, should remain with
their test grades for their final average
...
Effort should be regarded as the basis for grading of a very young student,
because grades K-6 are crucial years when children must be shown the importance of effort
...
They should be graded with emphasis on achievement rather than effort,
because trying hard doesn’t matter if when they go out into the real law world, their effort is not irrelevant
...
It is ridiculous to expect that we can use the same basis for everyone in the educational world
...
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ANSWER KEY FOR SAMPLE TEST
33
Your impressions:
Score:
Comment to Johnny: You open your essay with an unnecessarily broad and pointless generalization about
grades
...
The second paragraph, which might have served as a respectable opening paragraph, is more direct
...
The remainder of
the essay consists of vivid examples to support your main idea
...
In the third paragraph the terse statement “Students at Harvard Law are different” contrasts nicely with the longer, more diffuse sentences that precede and follow it
...
Overall, though, the essay attests to a measure of
your promise as a writer
...
Gavin’s Essay
The majority of students work their butts off in school
...
If a student does’nt work hard and does’nt make an effort I believe that student deserves a low
grade
...
This type of student deserves a high grade
...
They could have an attitude problem
...
If a student is behind in their educational careers, it does not make any difference
...
People who don’t work hard normally get low
grades anyway
...
All they want is to graduate
...
They are usually at the bottom of the class academicly, studying is the last
thing they do
...
Your impressions:
Score:
Comment to Gavin: Your essay, which focuses on the issue of grades and effort, takes into account the different needs of certain types of students
...
Expression is awkward, however, and the repeated use of sentences beginning with “If” suggests a limited awareness of sentence variety
...
Each reader gave the essay a score of 3, for a total score of 6
...
No necessarily for their achievement
...
However, a system based entirely on effort might allow for an
illiterate child who tries very hard to read to get excellent marks however never learn to read
...
Some players try hard, but they shouldn’t earn a starting
position and cause the team to lose just for that
...
These exams would allow for regular “checks” on what a student’s actual
understanding of the “concepts at hand” were
...
On the aspect of
lessening the motive to cheat, this “reward by effort” system could have great advantages
...
It would be really very difficult to copy someone else’s
effort during a student’s “lunch period
...
The examples you present to support your view are not altogether clear or effective
...
Had you written more than one paragraph, the meaning of the essay might have been more
transparent
...
Tiffany’s Essay
Education today has turned into a race for the highest numbers
...
What is important is the number that appears the top of the paper
...
If grades only reflected achievement, there would be almost no point in going to school because
almost every student would take the easiest courses, or they would cheat, or find some other way—any
way that works—to get that good grade
...
On the other hand, if
students know that a good grade will come only after they put effort into their classes, not only will
they work harder, but they would also learn something
...
The easy way out will not pave the way to a high quality transcript
...
Of all the courses I have taken in high school the one that means the most is Russian History
and Literature
...
He expected
that in a high-powered elective course with an academically bright population most of us students
would earn 90
...
” We’d have to
do more than just do the homework and participate in class
...
Some students complained that they didn’t have
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ANSWER KEY FOR SAMPLE TEST
35
time to do work for extra credit and that it was unfair to be penalized for lack of time, and that a grade
should only be for achievement
...
He claimed that intelligent people
have a responsibility to exert even greater effort than other people
...
”
Your impressions:
Score:
Comment to Tiffany: This is a well-reasoned argument for learning
...
Not only is the essay well organized, it consists of a coherent progression of
ideas that demonstrate a high degree of competency in expressing yourself in writing
...
SELF-SCORING GUIDE
Using this guide, rate yourself in each of these six categories
...
On the SAT itself, two readers will
score your essay on a scale of 6 (high) to 1 (low), or zero if the essay fails to respond to the assignment
...
Because it’s difficult
to read your own essay with objectivity, you might improve the validity of your score by asking an
informed friend or teacher to serve as a second reader
...
Remember, too, that SAT essays are judged in relation to other essays written on the same topic
...
Overall Impression
6
5
4
3
2
1
Score
s
Consistently outstanding in clarity and competence; very insightful; few, if any, errors
Reasonably consistent in clarity and competence; occasional errors or lapses in quality;
contains some insight
Adequate competence; some lapses in quality; fairly clear and with evidence of insight
Generally inadequate but demonstrates potential competence; contains some confusing
aspects
Seriously limited; significant weaknesses in quality; generally unclear or incoherent
Demonstrates fundamental incompetence; contains serious flaws; significantly undeveloped
or confusing
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Development of Point of View
6
5
4
3
2
1
Score
s
Fully developed with clear and appropriate supporting material; demonstrates high level of
critical thinking
Generally well developed with appropriate examples, reasons, and other evidence to support
a main idea; demonstrates strong critical thinking
Partly develops a main idea with relatively appropriate examples and reasons; shows some
evidence of critical thinking
Weak development of main idea and little evidence of critical thinking; barely appropriate
examples or other supporting material
Lacks a focus on a main idea; weak critical thinking; inappropriate or insufficient evidence
Fails to articulate a viable point of view; provides virtually no evidence of understanding the
prompt
Organization of Ideas
6
5
4
3
2
1
Score
s
Extremely well organized and focused on a main idea; supporting evidence presented in an
effective, logical sequence
Generally well organized and reasonably focused on a main idea; mostly coherent and logical
presentation of supporting material
Reasonably organized; shows some evidence of thoughtful sequence and progression of ideas
Limited organization and vague focus on main idea; contains some confusion in the sequence
of ideas
Barely recognizable organization; little coherence; serious problems with sequence of ideas
No discernable organization; incoherent sequence of ideas
Language and Word Choice
6
5
4
3
2
1
Score
s
Highly effective and skillful use of language; varied, appropriate, and accurate vocabulary
Demonstrates competence in use of language; appropriate and correct vocabulary
Adequate but inconsistent use of effective language; conventional but mostly correct use of
vocabulary
Some minor errors in expression; generally weak or limited vocabulary; occasionally inappropriate word choice
Frequent errors in expression; very limited vocabulary; incorrect word choice interferes with
meaning
Seriously deficient in use of language; meaning obscured by word choice
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ANSWER KEY FOR SAMPLE TEST
Sentence Structure
6
5
4
3
2
1
Score
s
Varied and engaging sentence structure
Sufficiently varied sentence structure
Some sentence variation
Little sentence variation; minor sentence errors
Frequent sentence errors
Severe sentence errors; meaning obscured
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics
6
5
4
3
2
1
Score
s
Virtually or entirely error-free
Contains some minor errors
Some minor errors; one or two major errors
Accumulated minor and major errors
Contains frequent major errors that interfere with meaning
Contains severe errors that obscure meaning
For rating yourself
For a second opinion
Total of six scores ______
Total of six scores ______
Divide total by 6 to get score: _____ (A)
Divide total by 6 to get score: _____ (B)
(A) + (B) = ESSAY SUBSCORE ______
(0–12)
ANSWERS TO MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
Section 2
1
...
3
...
5
...
7
...
9
...
B
D
C
E
E
B
B
D
C
A
Section 3
11
...
13
...
15
...
17
...
19
...
C
C
C
B
D
E
E
D
B
B
21
...
23
...
25
...
27
...
29
...
B
C
B
B
A
B
D
B
E
C
31
...
33
...
35
...
2
...
4
...
6
...
8
...
10
...
12
...
14
...
Self-rating Chart
Section 2
Improving Sentences, questions 1–11
Identifying Sentence Errors, questions 12–29
Improving Paragraphs, questions 30–35
Section 3
Improving Sentences, questions 1-14
Number correct _____
Number correct _____
Number correct _____
Number correct _____
Subtotal ______ (A)
Wrong answers (Do not count unanswered questions
...
25) from (B) for each wrong answer
______ (C)
(A) minus (C) = ______ (D)
Round (D) to the nearest whole number for your MULTIPLE-CHOICE RAW SCORE
_______
ESSAY SUBSCORE
_______
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CONVERSION TABLE FOR SAMPLE TEST
39
CONVERSION TABLE
This table will give you an approximation of what your score would be if this practice test had been an
actual SAT Writing Test
...
For example, if your Multiple-Choice Raw Score was 35 and your Essay Subscore was 6, the table indicates that your final score on the test would be approximately half-way between 500 and 710, or 600
...
Page numbers refer to relevant material for study or review
...
B
Choice A violates the parallelism of the series of phrases
...
It expresses the third item in the list of home furnishings as a noun
phrase parallel in form to a pottery kiln and high-tech stainless steel appliances
...
Choices D and E violate the parallelism of the series of phrases
...
)
2
...
Choice C is in the past tense, but it also contains the clumsy and pointless phrase having turned
...
It maintains a verb tense consistent with the rest of the sentence
...
)
3
...
Choice B uses an adjective, reckless, instead of the adverb recklessly
...
Choice D, like B, uses an adjective where an adverb is needed and also includes the clumsily
worded construction and there is not
...
(See Pronoun–antecedent agreement, page 159, and Faulty diction, page 168
...
E
Choice A contains a comma splice
...
Choice B includes an awkward construction, resulting from not knowing, and uses a singular pronoun it to refer to the plural noun computers
...
Also, the construction for the reason being that is not expressed in
standard English
...
Choice E is the best answer
...
)
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ANSWER EXPLANATIONS FOR SAMPLE TEST
41
5
...
Choice B uses the objective case pronoun, them, instead of the possessive pronoun, their
...
It also includes the
awkward and meaningless construction, their regard as being
...
The sentence also fails to say who regards
the program as an important aspect of high school
Choice E is the best answer
...
)
6
...
Choice B is the best answer
...
Choice D shifts the structure of the sentence and makes little sense
...
(See Incomplete comparisons, page 174, and Comma splice, page 142
...
B
Choice A illogically compares residents of Chicago to the city of Minneapolis
...
Choice C correctly makes the intended comparison but includes a clumsy construction, have
equally the right
...
Choice E is a sentence fragment
...
)
8
...
Choice B is unsatisfactory because the verbs spoils and enhancing are in different tenses
...
Choice D is the best answer
...
(See Faulty pronoun reference, page 162, Shifts in verb tense, page 148, and Faulty idiom, page 138
...
C
Choice A is unsatisfactory because the shift in grammatical subject from passengers to searches
leads to the awkward usage but there are not frequent
...
The sentence would be more effectively expressed if
one clause were subordinated to the other
...
Choice D shifts the subject from passengers in the first clause to searching in the second clause
...
Choice E violates standard English idiom
...
)
10
...
Choice B uses the plural verb have changed with a singular subject, concept
...
Choice C uses the singular verb has been with a plural subject, changes
...
Choice D uses the plural verb have undergone with a singular subject humankind
...
Choice E uses the plural pronoun their to refer to a singular antecedent, humankind
...
(See Subject–verb agreement, page 152, and Pronoun–antecedent agreement, page 159
...
C
Choice A contains a pronoun their, which fails to refer to any specific noun or other pronoun
...
Neither refers to any specific noun or other pronoun
...
The pronoun its refers to tradition
...
Choice E violates standard English idiom
...
)
SECTION 2—IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS
12
...
The present tense should not be used to describe an event that took place in the
past
...
(page 156)
13
...
When using more in making a comparison, use the positive form of the adjective as in more happy
...
B
Subject–verb agreement
...
Use are
...
D
Faulty diction
...
(page 168)
16
...
17
...
18
...
The past perfect tense should be used to express action completed prior to some
other event or action
...
(page 180)
19
...
The singular pronoun this fails to refer to any specific noun or other
pronoun
...
B
Faulty parallelism
...
Use represents
...
B
Noun–verb agreement
...
Use have opposed instead of
has opposed
...
C
Faulty parallelism
...
Use gives them or an equivalent
verb in the present tense
...
B
Noun–verb agreement
...
Use does instead
of do
...
B
Wordiness
...
(page 171)
25
...
Use has been (present perfect) to refer to action that occurred in the past and is
still in progress
...
B
Faulty idiom
...
Use to in place of for
...
D
Faulty comparison
...
Use larger
instead of largest
...
B
Faulty pronoun case
...
Use me instead of I
...
E
No error
...
C
The writer has used “having learned,” a form of the verb used to express action completed before
another action
...
) In sentence 1, however, the writer intended to say that all students of American
history have learned and continue to learn about the building of the transcontinental railroad
...
Choice A is an unsatisfactory answer because the sentence uses an incorrect verb form
...
But
because sentence 1 is more general, it is a more effective introduction
...
Choice D alters the intended meaning by improperly placing the focus of the sentence on students
who studied American history long ago
...
31
...
The phrase “accomplishing this
great feat of engineering” needlessly echoes the idea expressed by “great physical achievement
...
Choice A contains a comma splice
...
Either a semicolon or a period and capital letter should be used
...
Choices C and D are unsatisfactory not only because they add irrelevant ideas to the essay, but
they also create irrelevant links between the exploitation of the workers and other matters
...
It reduces the number of words, eliminates the repetition, and adds
interest to the sentence by alluding to the fascinating contrast between the colossal achievement of
building the railroad and its horrendous cost
...
B
Although sentences 8 and 9 are grammatically correct, to develop the essay more fully and to
improve its coherence the relationship between the two sentences should be tighter
...
Choices A and C are common and often useful transitions, but neither is appropriate in this context
...
It provides an idea that clearly links the information contained in the
two sentences
...
Choice E not only creates repetition but it mars the essay’s objectivity
...
Writers shouldn’t editorialize on the
quality of their examples
...
A
Good writers take pains to write specifically
...
Choice A is the best answer
...
Choice B overstates the function of sentence 10 because the writer offers no real “proof” that the
methods were unsafe
...
34
...
The two sentences contained in the paragraph refer to two different matters: (1) the government’s role in paying for the railroad’s construction, and (2) the character of the men who ran the operation
...
Choice A is the best answer
...
Choice B is an unsatisfactory topic sentence for this paragraph
...
Choices C, D, and E refer to matters related to the building of the railroad, but none of them
focuses directly on the contents of sentences 13 and 14
...
D
Sentence 14 leaves the reader hanging
...
To be convincing, the paragraph needs to be developed
with specific evidence and examples
...
Choice C may be a tempting answer because it suggests vaguely that the men condoned shoddy
construction methods in order to save money, but that is a detail better left for later in the
paragraph
...
Choice D is the best answer
...
SECTION 3—IMPROVING SENTENCES
1
...
Therefore, it is
a comma splice
...
It has a subject, letters, but it lacks a verb
...
Choice D is the best answer
...
(See Comma splice, page 142, Sentence fragments, page 139, and Mismatched sentence parts,
page 143
...
D
Choice A contains a dangling modifier; the clause that begins Before going should modify student
instead of parental permission slip
...
Choice C uses a pronoun, their, that lacks a specific reference to a noun or other pronoun
...
Choice E contains a dangling modifier; the clause that begins Before going should modify student
instead of permission
...
)
3
...
Choice B contains the awkwardly worded construction Although its being
...
Choice D includes because, an illogical word choice in the context of the sentence
...
(See Comma splices, page 142, and Misplaced modifier, page 151
...
E
Choice A contains a pronoun, it, that lacks a reference to a specific noun or other pronoun
...
Choice C is excessively wordy
...
In context, satisfaction out of sports is nonstandard English
...
Choice E is the best answer
...
)
5
...
The first two accusations are stated as nouns—
cowardice and desertion
...
Choice B is the best answer
...
See A
...
See A
...
See A
...
)
6
...
Choice B uses a pronoun, their, that fails to refer to a specific noun or other pronoun
...
Choice D is the best answer
...
(See Shifts in grammatical subject, page 148, and Faulty pronoun reference, page 161
...
A
Choice A is the best answer
...
Choice C contains the singular antecedent whale that disagrees with its plural pronoun they
...
It is the whale itself, not its size, that grows
...
The size of a whale’s ear is not caused by
the creature’s overall dimensions
...
)
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
8
...
Choice B contains a comma splice
...
Choice D is the best answer
...
Choice E contains a dangling modifier; the clause that begins Reading at should modify your eyes
or your mind instead of words
...
)
9
...
The –ing form of a verb (e
...
, portraying) cannot serve as the main verb without a helping verb, as
in is portraying or had been portraying
...
It is the author, not the reader, who portrays the
plight of women
...
See A
...
Choice E is the best answer
...
)
10
...
In context the phrase through many countries is
nonstandard
...
Choice C uses the singular pronoun its to refer to the plural noun countries
...
Choice E contains the plural pronoun their to refer to the singular noun country
...
)
11
...
The use of while suggests that 2004 and 2005 occurred
at the same time
...
Choice C contains with continuing growth, a construction grammatically unrelated to the main
clause of the sentence
...
Choice E is expressed in awkward, nonstandard language
...
)
12
...
Its grammatical subject, The Black Death, lacks a verb
...
) that is grammatically unrelated to the previous part of the sentence
...
The phrase beginning Possibly the world’s should modify Black Death instead of origin
...
Choice E contains was possibly the world’s
...
(See Sentence fragments, page 139, Comma splices, page 142, Misplaced modifiers, page 151, and
Mixed construction, page 147
...
A
Choice A is the best answer
...
Both should modify reputation and performance instead
of diminished
...
The word both and the phrase as well as are redundant
...
Choice E contains a problem in subordination
...
(See Faulty parallelism, page 146, Wordiness, page 136, Faulty pronoun reference, page 161, and
Faulty coordination, page 145
...
C
Choice A uses an awkward phrase, this explaining
...
Choice C is the best answer
...
Choice E contains a nonsensical construction: The subject restaurants is unrelated to the verb
explains
...
)
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PART
III
HOW TO WRITE
AN ESSAY IN
TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES
The Essay-Writing Process
Pre-Writing: Getting Set
to Write
Composing: Putting Words
on Paper
Editing and Proofreading:
The Final Touches
Review
Answer Key to Practice
Exercises
49
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THE ESSAY-WRITING PROCESS
Don’t be misled by the title of this chapter
...
For one thing, writing an
essay in twenty-five minutes may be a contradiction in terms
...
It expresses a point of view
arrived at after reflection, analysis, or interpretation
of a subject or issue
...
If you think too
51
deeply, before you know it, you’ll have run out of
time
...
You learn to write by writing, by
messing around with ideas and words, by experimenting, by practicing, and by doing what seasoned
practitioners do when they face a sheet of blank
paper or an empty computer screen: They write!
THE ESSAY-WRITING PROCESS
The next several pages will acquaint you with what
expert writers think about as they practice their
craft
...
Because
you won’t have time to invent a process when you
write your SAT essay, it pays to have one in mind
ahead of time
...
Then develop the one that enables you to work
most rapidly and efficiently while producing the
best results
...
The first stage, often called pre-writing, consists of everything that needs to be done before you
actually start writing
...
And during
the final stage, revising and proofreading, you polish and refine the text of your essay word by word,
making it clear, correct, and graceful
...
Writers compose, revise, and proofread
simultaneously, they jot down sentences during
pre-writing, and even late in the process may
weave new ideas into their text
...
What works for
you may be different from what works for others
...
Pick sample essay topics found on pages
129–130
...
Pace yourself
...
As you practice, adjust the following plan
until you get the timing that suits you best and produces the results you want:
Pre-writing: 4–5 minutes
Reading and analyzing the prompt
Picking and narrowing the topic
Choosing a main idea
Gathering and arranging supporting ideas
Composing the essay: 15-18 minutes
Introducing the thesis
Developing paragraphs
Choosing the best words for meaning and
effect
Structuring sentences effectively
Writing a conclusion
Editing and proofreading: 4–5 minutes
Editing for clarity and coherence
Editing to create interest
Checking for standard usage and mechanical errors, including spelling, punctuation,
and capitalization
To make every second count, don’t waste time
inventing an essay title (your essay doesn’t need
one)
...
Because readers understand
that SAT essays are first drafts, feel free to cross
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
out, insert words using carets (^), and move blocks
of text—as though you were cutting and pasting—
with neatly drawn arrows
...
You won’t be penalized for a sloppylooking paper
...
Because of the time limit, don’t plan to write a
long essay
...
It doesn’t take even that many words
to demonstrate your writing ability
...
It can
also be written more quickly, leaving time for
revising and polishing your work
...
Just keep in mind
that quantity counts less than quality
...
Read it twice or three times, or until you are certain
what is being asked of you
...
Their intention is to provoke thought and
suggest an idea or two to discuss in your essay
...
Weave it into your essay if you wish, but only if it’s
appropriate and advantageous to do so
...
Consider your essay as a
kind of contract or agreement between you and
readers who’ll be spending time with your words
and want something that will engage their minds
and hearts
...
In a way, writing an essay is a lot like giving a gift to a friend
...
And if all goes well, you get a
reward for your efforts
...
Underline the key words that define the
task to be performed
...
Topic A
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following statement and the assignment below
...
Failure is delay, not defeat
...
Failure is
something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing
...
Support your position with reasoning and evidence drawn from your reading,
studies, experience, or observation
...
The position you take is less
crucial than your ability to support your ideas with
specific examples from your knowledge, background, or observation
...
An interesting and readable response to the
question might be based on your own life
...
Briefly describe the failure and explain its cause
...
On the other hand, through no fault of your
own, you may have experienced a failure with lifealtering consequences
...
Obviously, there are at least two sides to the
issue
...
Single examples
rarely make convincing arguments
...
If you
take it to mean a state of blissful well-being and
unexamined contentment, then you might agree
with the prompt
...
Such an event
may call to mind the fate of Adam and Eve
...
But if you think of happiness
as a complex emotion requiring scrutiny from time
to time, then your essay would take issue with the
prompt
...
”
Or you might take another, more circumspect,
point of view
...
Happiness experienced
over a lifetime, for instance, differs greatly from
short-lived merriment at a party on Friday night
...
Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you
cease to be
...
Support your position with evidence drawn from
your reading, studies, experience, or observation
...
That’s why narrowing the topic is one of the crucial steps in planning your SAT essay
...
If you are a fast writer, you might scribble 350
well-chosen words onto the page in twenty-five
minutes
...
) If
the topic is too broad, at best you are likely to state
a few obvious generalities, resort to hackneyed
ideas, and maybe even throw the bull a little bit
...
On the other
hand, if you’ve narrowed the topic sufficiently, you
stand a far better chance of saying something sensible, scintillating, meaningful, provocative, and
interesting
...
It’s impossible to predict the topic you’ll be
asked to write on, but because it must accommodate a multiethnic, multicultural, and multitalented
mass of test takers, it is bound to be extremely
broad
...
It may be useful to construct a ladder of
abstraction
...
As you descend
the ladder, make each rung increasingly specific
...
Consider these examples:
Topic 1
Let’s say the prompt asks about common misunderstandings caused by faulty communication between people
...
Communications
Functions of communication
Communications technology
Communications media
Electronic and digital communications
The widespread use of cell phones
Use of cell phones in public places
Annoying aspects of cell-phone use in public
An unpleasant encounter with a cell-phone
user in the school library
Highest level of abstraction
Way too broad for a short essay
Still too broad
Still too broad
Better, but still too broad
Getting there, but still very broad
Close, but not there yet
An acceptable topic
Definitely a topic for a short essay
Topic 2: Athletics
Athletes
Professional athletics
Baseball players
Players vs
...
government control
The right to print opinions without censorship
The right to print a scandalous story
in a school newspaper
...
Therefore, practice ahead of time, and by test day
you may be able to jump mentally from the highest
rung to the lowest without writing a word
...
If the essay
strikes them as dull or disappointing after a few
sentences, they may realize that their topic was too
vague, too broad, too boring (and if the writer is
bored, imagine what the essay will do to prospective readers)
...
Time restraints on
the SAT won’t give you more than one chance to
start over
...
Practice in Narrowing Topics
To reduce each of the following topics to a level of
specificity appropriate for a short essay, build ladders of abstraction
...
Celebrations
Virtues of hard work
Catastrophic success
Red tape
Change vs
...
That is, you need to
devise an idea that will become the purpose, or
point, of the essay
...
What counts in an essay is the statement you make about hard work, heroism, or
beauty—in short, its main idea
...
But
without a main idea, an essay remains just words in
search of a meaning
...
Any
material that wanders from the main idea should be
discarded
...
Naturally, the main
idea of your essay will depend on your response to
the particular issue presented by the prompt
...
Let’s say the issue relates to the fundamental
rights of high school students
...
Your main idea might be any of
the following:
1
...
2
...
3
...
4
...
5
...
6
...
7
...
Using one of these main ideas as its starting
point, the essay would then discuss the validity of
your opinion
...
Let’s say, for
instance, you are asked to write about seat belt
laws that require everyone in a car—driver and all
passengers front and back—to buckle up
...
Or the essay’s point
might be that safety laws supercede a person’s right
to choose whether to wear a seat belt
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Choosing a Main Idea for Your SAT Essay
Topic: The prompt gives you an issue to write
about
...
Purpose: The essay gives you an opportunity to
develop support for your opinion using reasoning and examples taken from your reading,
studies, experience, or observation
...
“Whether you think you can, or that you can’t,
you are usually right
...
A
...
If possible, choose a main idea that matters to
you personally
...
If you give your
readers only what you think they might want,
you’re being dishonest, posing as someone you are
not
...
An essay that is truthful and comes
from the heart will serve you best
...
Consider your
readers
...
Try, therefore, to
devise a main idea that will set you apart from
other students
...
Creativity helps but it’s not essential
...
Chances are that the SAT will give you a question to which you can respond without too much
difficulty
...
What then? Is it possible to write an
engaging essay on a topic that makes you yawn?
The answer is yes, mainly because you have no
choice
...
Instead,
accept the challenge, and create the illusion that
you care deeply about the issue
...
Regardless of the topic,
psyche yourself to write the essay of your life
...
C
...
There’s an old proverb, “Spare the rod and
spoil the child
...
B
...
3
...
Yet, many
lottery winners have suffered unexpected negative consequences
...
Assignment: Can the realization of a dream be
disastrous? Plan and write an essay that develops and supports your views on this issue
...
B
...
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PRE-WRITING: GETTING SET TO WRITE
4
...
”
Nelson Mandela, A Long Walk to Freedom
Assignment: Do we need to understand our
past in order to understand ourselves? Plan and
write an essay that develops and supports your
views on this issue
...
B
...
5
...
It is a matter
of choice
...
”
William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925)
Assignment: Do you think that a destiny
achieved by the decisions and choices you have
made is preferable to a destiny that comes from
chance or luck? Plan and write an essay that
develops and supports your views on this issue
...
B
...
Suggested answers are on page 105
...
List your
thoughts on paper—just a word or two for each
idea
...
Then draw circles around key words,
57
connect related ideas with arrows, or just underline
the thoughts you’ll definitely use in your essay
...
While you plan, one idea
may trigger a flood of others
...
(Everyone should have such a problem!) Your task then
would be to pick out and develop only the best of
the best
...
The best order is the
clearest, the order your reader can follow with the
least effort
...
The route you plan depends on the purpose of the trip
...
In
storytelling, the events are usually placed in the
sequence in which they occur
...
An essay that compares and
contrasts two books or two people may deal with
each subject separately or discuss the features of
each point by point
...
The plan that fails is the aimless one, the one in
which ideas are presented solely according to how
they popped into your head
...
Then work toward your best point, not away from
it
...
Therefore, if you’ve come up
with, say, three good ideas to support your thesis,
save the strongest for last
...
A solid opening draws readers into the essay and creates that all-important first
impression, but a memorable ending is even more
important
...
The following guideline won’t apply to every
essay, but a body consisting of three sections is just
about right
...
Three pieces of solid evidence
in support of your main idea creates the impression
that you know what you’re talking about
...
But three
indicates thoughtfulness
...
”
It shouldn’t be hard to divide a main idea into
three secondary ideas
...
A process is likely to have at least three
steps
...
And a similar division
into thirds applies to an essay of argumentation—
the kind expected on the SAT
...
You might dispose
of the weakest idea in just a couple of sentences,
while each of the others requires a whole paragraph
...
That is, the third
idea mustn’t simply rehash the first or second disguised as something new
...
Think of each idea as the main point of a
paragraph
...
A
...
2
...
The Formula
The five-paragraph essay formula is a simple, allpurpose plan for arranging ideas into a clear, easyto-follow order
...
Its greatest
virtue is clarity
...
The Formula
B
...
2
...
Conclusion
You needn’t follow the formula slavishly
...
In fact, professionally written
essays rarely adhere to this five-paragraph arrangement
...
Their introduction tells
readers what they plan to say
...
Because every essay is different, however, the steps
contain endless, often surprising, variations
...
Topic: For (or against) an honor code in your
school
1
...
3
...
Topic: Agree (or disagree): “There never was a
good war, or a bad peace
...
59
2
...
Answers are on page 106
...
But avoid making a formal announcement of your
plan, as in:
This discussion will show the significance of television as an influence on the
learning of children from age 3 to 12
...
Such an intro may be useful in a section or
chapter of a textbook but in a short essay it’s out of
place
...
The reader will
recognize the topic soon enough, even without a
separate statement of your intention
...
Over the weekend, school officials had searched through
students’ lockers for drugs and alcohol
...
This opening sets the essay’s boundaries
...
Good SAT essays often begin with something
simple and relatively brief that will grab and hold
the readers’ interest
...
Here is the opening of Tom M’s essay on the
topic of drug and alcohol abuse:
Drugs and alcohol are a problem for
many young people in today’s society
...
Many more participate in underage
drinking
...
That introduction should make you yawn
...
In a
word, it’s dull
...
Compare it to this one:
When sixth-graders get drunk and 13year-olds smoke pot every Friday night,
society’s got a problem
...
It provokes curiosity,
leaving readers hungry to know more about the
problem of abuse and how it can be solved
...
No reader except maybe an avid photographer
would be moved to continue reading the essay
...
Aha! That’s a sentence that leaves readers wondering what happened during Spring Break
...
Here’s one more example:
Dull: Most predictions that George
Orwell made in his novel of the future, 1984,
did not happen
...
It’s intriguing that Orwell, a great intellectual author, had “goofed
...
By now the message should be clear: Openings
should not only reveal the subject matter and main
idea of the essay but also compel readers to go on
to the next paragraph
...
1
...
Although every form of
communication has drawbacks, e-
mail, like nothing since the invention of the telephone, has opened
up the world to teenagers
...
Her list of
e-mail messages suggests that the essay will be
about the effects of staying in touch via e-mail
or about some other aspect of communication
...
State a provocative idea in an ordinary way or
an ordinary idea in a provocative way
...
As any football hero will tell
you, on the field brains count for
more than brawn
...
Either way,
Ollie has aroused his readers’ interest with a
provocative idea that presumably will be
explained in the rest of the essay
...
Use a quotation—not necessarily a famous
one—from Shakespeare, a popular song, or
your grandmother
...
“You can take people out of the
country but you can’t take the
country out of the people
...
He gives a clever new twist to a common
adage and with a few words has introduced his
main idea—the futility of changing people’s
basic characteristics or core values
...
Refute a commonly held assumption or define
a word in a new and surprising way
...
Rebecca V
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61
Rebecca hints at a new and perhaps unusual
definition of the word “poet
...
In
short, this intro quickens our interest in reading
the rest of the essay
...
Is it a good idea to praise children even when
they don’t really deserve it? I don’t think so
...
3
...
5
...
None of these openings will win a prize for
originality, but they all do the job—introducing the
topic and stating the essay’s main idea
...
The first
essay is likely to discuss three reasons for agreeing
with the prompt
...
Another virtue of these sample openings is that
they are short
...
An opening that comprises, say, more than a quarter of your essay
reflects poorly on your sense of proportion
...
A
good idea may strike you at any time
...
Once they hit their
stride, they figure out the point of their essays and
work on openings sure to hook their readers
...
Delete
your first paragraph unless it contains ideas you
can’t live without
...
In other words, Doug’s
essay invites us to explore our fascination with
crime, both real and fictional
...
A direct,
clearly worded statement of the essay’s main idea
could serve just as well
...
For
example, here are three ordinary openings written
in response to the following prompt:
Love your children with all your hearts, love
them enough to discipline them before it is too
late
...
Praise them a
lot
...
Lavina Christensen Fugal,
Mother of the Year, 1955
Assignment: Is it a good idea to praise children
even when they don’t really deserve it?
1
...
Practice in Writing an Appealing Opening
Here is a list of general essay topics
...
1
...
Deadlines
BUILDING AN ESSAY WITH PARAGRAPHS
3
...
”
4
...
Responsibility
Suggested answers are on page 106
...
Each new paragraph alerts readers to get ready for
a shift of some kind, just as your car’s directional
blinker tells other drivers that you’re about to turn
...
The writer may simply want to nudge the
discussion ahead to the next step
...
The
paragraph you are now reading, for instance, is
linked to the one before by the connecting word
Yet
...
Abrupt starts may be useful from time to time to
keep readers on their toes
...
In an essay, paragraphs usually play a primary
role and one or more secondary roles
...
The concluding paragraph leaves the reader
with a thought to remember and provides a sense
of closure
...
They carry forward the main
point of the essay by performing any number of
functions, among them:
• Adding new ideas to the preceding discussion
• Continuing or explaining in more detail an
idea presented earlier
• Reiterating a previously stated idea
• Citing an example of a previously stated idea
• Evaluating an opinion stated earlier
• Refuting previously stated ideas
• Providing a new or contrasting point of view
• Describing the relationship between ideas
presented earlier
• Providing background material
• Raising a hypothetical or rhetorical question
about the topic
Whatever its functions, a paragraph should contribute to the essay’s overall growth
...
Similarly, any idea
within a paragraph that doesn’t contribute to the
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COMPOSING: PUTTING WORDS ON PAPER
development of the paragraph’s topic needs to be
changed or eliminated
...
Such guiding sentences differ from others because they define the paragraph’s
main topic; hence the name topic sentence
...
The topic of some paragraphs is so obvious
that to state it would be redundant
...
Topic sentences come in a variety of forms
...
Consider them landmarks
...
Each landmark
tells you where to turn
...
Most topic sentences come first in a paragraph,
but they can be located anywhere
...
Instead,
the main idea can be strongly implied by an accumulation of details and ideas
...
A reader
would certainly get the picture
...
Practice in Developing Topic Sentences
Part A
Directions: The following paragraphs have been
taken from longer essays
...
Some paragraphs may have an
implied topic sentence
...
[1] My family has moved so often I sometimes
feel like a gypsy
...
[3] It seemed as though we just got settled,
though, when my father announced a new
transfer—to California, where I got to start
school and where we stayed for three years
...
[5] Just as I began to
make friends and get used to the Midwest, the
company sent us to Georgia
...
C
...
[1] Another difficulty is that a person with a
police record may have a hard time getting or
renewing a driver’s license
...
[3] It can also make it difficult
to get a responsible position in business or
industry
...
3
...
[2]
Children screech while splashing their friends
at the edge of the sea
...
[4] The waves rush up the
sand, gurgle a bit, stop, and retreat
...
[6] A
vendor shouts, “Hey, cold drinks here, getcha
cold drinks
...
4
...
[2] Therefore, consumers rush out and
buy the new styles and cast away last year’s
designs even before the clothes are worn out
...
[4] They’ll never be worn again
...
[6] Just
for the sake of flashy style and shiny good
looks, they scrimp and save their money or go
deeply into debt
...
[9] All the money goes into the
pockets of the manufacturers
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
5
...
[2] With one person I may act like a little kid
...
[4] It’s as
though I can’t control what I’m doing
...
[6]
Then, at another time with different people, I
am the life of the party
...
[8] I feel that I can pretend so realistically that
I sometimes convince myself that I really am
what I’m pretending to be
...
6
...
[2] We have had children from all backgrounds, races, and religions
...
[4] These stories have gradually
grown worse over the years
...
[6]
Now, it is not unusual for the mother to be sixteen years old, a drug addict, or a convict
...
[8] Right now, we have two children
living with us
...
[10] Truly, as time goes on, caring for foster
children has become more challenging
...
[1] True totalitarianism champions the idea that
everyone should be subservient to the state
...
[3] Freedom for the
individual is sacrificed so that the level of freedom for all can be raised
...
[5] Almost by edict from
the head of the society, education and literacy
rates can be improved, and unemployment and
crime rates may decrease
...
[1] During adolescence the most obvious
change that occurs is physical
...
[3] Besides undergoing physical changes, though, this period is usually the
time when personal values are explored and
molded
...
[5] A struggle takes place within the mind of every adolescent to form a moral and intellectual code
that determines the quality of the lives they
will have in both the immediate and long-range
future
...
[1] The story by Stephen Crane raises the question whether a soldier who runs away from
inevitable death in battle must be considered
less of a man than one who stays and dies
...
” [3] Consider the stereotypical options
...
[5] Then there
is the Howard Roark type, a character from
The Fountainhead, who climbs to the top by
using his brilliant mind and integrity
...
[7] At the end,
he realizes that he has fought a hopeless battle,
but at least he has fought
...
[1] In World War II, the United States dropped
two atomic bombs, one on Hiroshima and one
on Nagasaki, in order to defeat the Japanese
...
[3] Our history books also say that
the death toll was about 50,000, while the
Japanese claim the bombs took almost twice
that many lives
...
[5] But
since we won, the judgment of history is that
the end justifies the means
...
Answers are on page 107
...
Directions: Topic sentences have been deleted from
the following paragraphs
...
Omit a topic sentence if none is
needed
...
Hundreds of people wielding sticks
and knives and pastry rollers screamed at the
figure who emerged on the balcony
...
”
1
...
She enjoys dancing,
going to parties, being with lots of people, and
spending money freely
...
He
looks at things logically and practically, not
giving in to his emotions
...
5
...
The author must have lived with the family in the book because she describes the members in lifelike detail
...
By the end, you know them as though
they were your own brothers and sisters
...
This was especially true in track and field
...
Now
athletes from all over the world win as many as
or even more medals than American track and
field athletes
...
One day I was smoking in the boys’ bathroom
when a teacher walked in
...
My mom grounded me
for a month, and I didn’t get the loan my dad
had promised me to buy my friend’s used car
...
One example of a self-destructive monopoly
was the auto industry
...
Inventions that might have helped them in the
long run were ignored
...
Millions
of dollars more were budgeted for advertising
than for improving either the cars themselves
or the process of building them
...
Probably the most important part of this new
life is learning to get along with your roommates, the people you see most often
...
The
person should be a nonsmoker and have similar
interests to mine
...
In a nutshell, she
should be like me
...
ment was the intricate system of canals and
reservoirs that irrigated their fields and brought
water for miles across the desert directly into
their homes
...
Part C
In childhood I never hesitated to take chances,
to jump over wide cracks in the rocks
...
I scraped my
knees, bled a little, but came back daring to try
again
...
I live a style of life in which
being in control and on top of things is paramount, where being the best and being perfect
is what I yearn for
...
I take fewer chances
...
He knew that he grew irritable more frequently
...
They must
have thought he was hard of hearing or didn’t
understand
...
Sometimes he grew angry about the way he was
ignored after he asked for something
...
Directions: What follows is a three-paragraph
excerpt from the journal of a visitor to the South
Pole
...
Antarctic Adventure
...
On downhills, they have to be braked and
kept under control by winding ropes around the
runners of the sleds
...
The next morning, they
bark and yip cheerfully, as though to shame their
weary masters
...
The scale is unreal, almost as if it were a landscape from another planet
...
It is antiseptic and can only be compared with life under
the ocean or in space
...
...
D
...
The footthick walls of oven-baked adobe brick, plastered over smoothly with clay, kept the
occupants warm in winter and cool in summer
...
Ice blocks and sinister piles
of snow tell a tale of avalanches tumbling regularly
from the mountains all around
...
On foot, sunk to the hips in snow,
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you might cover less than a mile before dropping
from exhaustion
...
Suggested answers are on page 107
...
On one copy underline all the
topic sentences
...
Then compare your answers
...
Paragraph Development
Like an essay, a paragraph should have a discernible organization
...
Chronological
and spatial arrangements make sense for narrative
and descriptive paragraphs
...
As always, clarity and intent should
govern the sequence of ideas
...
Most of the time, thorough development of an idea calls for several
sentences
...
But the
bulk of contemporary nonfiction consists of paragraphs of four to eight sentences
...
Disjointed paragraphs, on the
other hand, consist of sentences arranged in random order
...
Meaning serves as the
primary glue that holds a coherent paragraph
together, but transitional words and phrases such as
for example, also, but, and on the other hand also
help
...
[1] Tom Joad, the protagonist of John
Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, faces a dilemma
after his release on parole from an Oklahoma
state penitentiary
...
[3] Although he claimed selfdefense at his trial, Tom was found guilty
...
[5]
When he finally catches up with his family,
however, they are en route to California
...
Sentence 1 expresses the paragraph’s most
general idea and serves as the topic sentence
...
Five years earlier, in sentence 2, explains
what had occurred before the events in the first
sentence
...
Upon his
release, in sentence 4, adds still another link to the
topic sentence
...
And in sentence 6,
Consequently introduces the precise nature of
Tom’s dilemma
...
Practice in Developing Paragraphs
Directions: The sentences in each of the following
groups make up a coherent paragraph
...
Rearrange sentences logically
...
1
...
____ b
...
____ d
...
A particular worker, for example,
may lack the skill to do a certain job
...
In spite of the best laid plans and
preparation, building projects sometimes work out badly
...
Then, the project can’t proceed until
another worker is found
...
____ a
...
____ c
...
____ e
...
____ a
...
____ c
...
____ e
...
____ a
...
____ c
...
____ e
...
Here is some bad news for students
who put off studying
...
Their overall college experience, as a
result, is far less satisfying than the
experience of students who do their
homework promptly
...
One popular place is the Web site
dailyjolt
...
But like so many other things, the
Internet has given the board an electronic spin
...
The ride board on which students
post notices to give or receive rides
has been a campus tradition for generations
The site was founded in 1998 by an
Amherst student who thought that
sites about his college were “cheesy”
and lacked the information that his
classmates most wanted
...
At some colleges the essay counts
heavily in admissions decisions and
is used to place students in the
proper academic programs
...
One reason is that the essays help
colleges see each applicant more
clearly and personally
...
5
...
____ b
...
____ d
...
Soon thereafter, some colleges began
to ask applicants whether they
received professional help in completing their application essays
...
Wondering what caused the change,
admissions officials soon discovered
that many high schools had made
instruction in writing an application
essay a part of the curriculum
In recent years, students from certain
parts of the country started sending
in polished college application
essays in large numbers
...
Answers are on page 107
...
Practice in Identifying Paragraph Unity
and Coherence
Directions: The following paragraphs may suffer
from either lack of unity, lack of coherence, or
both
...
Some
paragraphs may not need revision
...
[1] Lord of the Flies is about a group of English
schoolboys stranded on a remote island after
an airplane crash
...
[3] There are groups at this
high school, too
...
[5] He is a thinker, but
he gets killed by another group, the savages,
led by Jack
...
[7] The different groups in the
novel are amazingly similar to groups in this
school, known as the nerds, the jocks, and the
preps
...
[1] Under the present law, doing illegal drugs
can have serious consequences for young
people
...
[3] An arrest or conviction for a
felony can complicate their lives and plans
...
[5] Parents like to brag about
their children’s accomplishments
...
[1] Today there is general agreement that we
are experiencing unprecedented change
...
[3] The
majority of people no longer live in traditional
families that consist of two natural parents and
their children
...
[5] The United States has an
increasingly diverse population
...
[7]
Children at all social and economic levels learn
to expect that lying, cheating, and stealing are
rampant in business, politics, and almost every
other endeavor
...
Comment:
4
...
[2]
Most parties try to unite divided interests within
their ranks in order to appeal to the widest
number of voters
...
[4] In
dictatorships, criticism of the party in power
may be regarded as treason
...
[6]
Elections mean little in such countries, for the
people have no real choice among the candi-
69
dates
...
Comment:
5
...
[2] A large number of workers
engage in buying, pricing, and selling merchandise
...
[4] In recent years, mailorder buying on the Internet has forced many
department stores to go out of business
...
[6] The personnel department hires employees
and deals with employment problems
...
[1] The porpoise, or bottlenose dolphin, is one
of the most intelligent animals
...
[3] Scientists rate their
intelligence between that of the chimpanzee,
long held as the most intelligent nonhuman
animal, and the dog
...
Comment:
7
...
[2] Defoe was born in London in
1660 and started writing only after he went
bankrupt in a business career
...
[4]
Today, he is best known for Robinson Crusoe,
which is but a tiny fraction of his work
...
[1] Aristotle made valuable contributions to the
study of logic
...
[3]
Socrates fought the Sophists all his life
because he believed in truth, and the Sophists
denied the existence of truth
...
[5] The period of ancient philosophy reached its climax in Greece in 600–500
B
...
Comment:
9
...
[2] They
made pitchforks, for example, by attaching
long handles to deer antlers
...
[4] They whittled wooden
spoons, bowls, platters, and used gourds and
the horns of sheep and other animals for drinking cups
...
[6] Then they
would rub kernels of corn across the jagged
surface to make cornmeal
...
[1] You can’t find Potter’s Field on a map
...
[3] Rather, it is the name
given to any plot of land reserved for the burial
of unidentified and destitute people
...
[5] After Judas betrayed Christ for
thirty pieces of silver, the priests used the
money to buy “the potter ’s field to bury
strangers in
...
[7] Land is
too valuable to use for burying unknown and
unclaimed corpses
...
Comment:
Answers are on pages 107–108
...
Because you can’t expect
strangers to find their own way, you must lead
them
...
In long essays, readers need more reminders
than in short ones
...
(The sentence you just read
contains just such a marker
...
) By regularly alluding to the main idea
of paragraphs, you’ll keep readers focused and
hold their attention from start to finish
...
This can be done with such
words as this, which actually ties the sentence you
are now reading to the previous one
...
Fortunately, the English
language is brimming with transitional words and
phrases for tying sentences and ideas together
...
With a bit of thought, you
could probably add to the list
...
Ideas
themselves can create strong links
...
[1] As a kind of universal language, music
unites people from age eight to eighty
...
71
[1] At the heart of Romeo and Juliet is a longstanding feud between the Capulets and the
Montagues
...
[1] To drive nails into very hard wood without
bending them, first dip the points into grease or
soap
...
One of your goals on the SAT is to assure readers a smooth trip through your essay
...
Before
long, they’ll give up or get lost like travelers on an
unmarked road
...
Practice in Using Transitions
Directions: Use as many transitions as you can
while writing paragraphs on the following suggested topics
...
Write a paragraph on how to do something—
drive a car from home to school, pull a practical joke, avoid doing homework, burn a CD,
get on the good side of a teacher, give your
cat/dog a bath
...
2
...
Use
as many RESULT transitions as you can, but
don’t go overboard
...
Write a paragraph that compares and contrasts
one of the following: the way people respond to
pressure, groups in your school, two athletes,
then and now, boredom and laziness, two books,
a friend who turned into an enemy, an enemy
who became a friend
...
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4
...
Use as
many ADDITION transitions as you can, but only
where they make sense
...
are a sailor, in which case you’d know that a fid
supports the mast on your boat or is an instrument
used to pry open a tight knot in your lines
...
Yet it is a plain and simple word because of its frequent use
...
To write clearly, use plain words
...
Why? Because an elegant word used merely to use
an elegant word is bombastic
...
big-sounding
and artificial
...
Or worse,
they make writers sound phony if not foolish
...
Nor would you call your
teachers pedagogues or your dog a canine
...
How much clearer and more direct it would
have been to write:
I had to walk the dog before starting my
history homework
...
A
sign that says STOP! conveys its message more
clearly than CEASE AND DESIST
...
” Simple doesn’t necessarily mean short, however
...
The word fid is short, but it’s not plain unless you
Plain:
Fancy:
Plain:
The more I recalled her degradation
of me, the more inexorable I became
...
Lester has a proclivity toward prevarication
...
The coterie of harriers gleaned the
salience of synergy in competitive
racing engagements
...
Ernest Hemingway called a writer’s greatest
gift a “built-in, shock-proof crap detector
...
He produced
about the leanest, plainest writing in the English
language—not that you should try to emulate Hemingway
...
) But an efficient crap detector of your
own will encourage you to choose words only
because they express exactly what you mean
...
When you wish to soften or mitigate painful, unsavory, or objectionable truths,
our language has innumerable euphemisms
...
C
...
Pussyfooting with words has its place
...
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Don’t interpret this admonition to use plain
words as carte blanche to use current, everyday
slang or street talk in your SAT essay
...
If you
insist on writing like a hipster, that’s fine, but don’t
use quotation marks to draw attention to the fact
that you can’t think of standard or more original
words
...
After
all, colleges want to know that you can write good,
standard prose
...
The language should sound
like you
...
But SAT essays encourage more
casual responses in which references to yourself
are perfectly acceptable
...
But an essay that expresses the writer’s personal
opinion will sound most natural when cast in firstperson singular
...
Let your genuine voice ring out, although
the way you speak is not necessarily the way you
should write
...
Consider
writing as the everyday speech of someone who
speaks exceedingly well—grammatically correct
and free of pop expressions and clichés
...
Or
maybe even the way this paragraph sounds
...
Tell your garage
mechanic vaguely, “This car is broken,” and he’ll ask
for more information
...
If a patient in the E
...
says, “I
feel pain,” a surgeon might at least like to know
exactly where it hurts before pulling out her scalpels
...
In the first draft of an essay, Jeff S used the following to illustrate what happened on a day he’d
like to forget:
It was an awful day outside
...
I felt terrible
...
I got a below-par grade on a
paper, and I was sure that I had failed my science quiz
...
My mother was in a bad
mood, too
...
Then Penny called, and we got into a
disagreement
...
I went to
bed early, hoping that tomorrow would be better
...
Yes, the day had been dreadful, but his
account needed details to prove it
...
I felt chills all
day, and my throat was sore
...
The homework was piling up:
two lab reports, more than 150 pages to read
in Wuthering Heights, a chapter in the history
text, and about a hundred new vocabulary
words in Spanish
...
Just as she was reminding me
that my SAT registration was overdue, Penny
called to say that she couldn’t come for
Thanksgiving after all, so we argued about loyalty and trust and keeping promises
...
The repairman
said he would charge $100 just to look at the
damn thing, but I don’t have that kind of
money
...
M
...
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In this version Jeff included many precise details
that vividly illustrate the wretchedness of that miserable day
...
But an essay consisting solely
of abstractions will leave readers at sea
...
But they often cover up a lack of clear and
rigorous thinking
...
” But what readers should be told is precisely why you think so
...
” A student who calls her
teacher “ugly” sends a different image of ugliness
to each reader
...
Or if
the teacher’s personality is ugly, show her ill-temper, arrogance, and cruelty as she curses her hapless students
...
To write precisely is to
write with pictures, sounds, and actions that are as
vivid on paper as they are in reality
...
As the following pairs of sentences illustrate,
precise writers turn hazy notions into vivid images:
Hazy:
Precise:
Hazy:
Precise:
Hazy:
Precise:
Skiing is a fun sport
...
On the ski slope, I marvel at the
snow-decked pines and brilliant sky
and thrill to the challenge of weaving
gracefully down steep mountains
...
Carolyn snarled, “Get out of my face”
as she punched the Tigers’ goalie in
the nose
...
The letter thrilled my parents
...
Clearly, the precisely worded sentences are
richer than the hazy ones
...
In fact, it’s not always desirable or necessary to define every abstraction with precise
details
...
When
you use an abstract word in an essay, ask yourself
what is more important—to give readers a more
detailed account of your idea or to push on to other,
more important, matters
...
Just remember that
nobody likes reading essays that fail to deal concretely with anything
...
Please provide the verbal antidote to their vagueness
...
The barn was old and run-down
...
She did not take it lightly when the accusation
was leveled against her
...
Winning the overwhelming approval of the
people gave the candidate great satisfaction
...
She tried diligently to study, but one could see
that it made no difference
...
The atmosphere at the graduation party was
intense
...
One must do many things to earn a place on
the roster of an athletic team
...
That doesn’t
mean use odd words like twit or fop
...
Moreover
they’ll sound more natural
...
It’s rewarding to visit places where customs are
different because unusual customs are always
interesting
...
I was ten before I met my first
pigeon
...
8
...
Ordinary:
Surprising:
The shark bit the swimmers
...
Changing the verb makes a common sentence surprising because dined suggests gentility and good
manners, qualities that most sharks lack
...
The family was very poor
...
In a perilous situation, Rod showed that he was
brave
...
Fresh Language and Surprises
Dull language has three main qualities: (1) boring,
(2) boring, and (3) boring
...
After
reading hundreds of predictable essays on the same
topic, readers will do cartwheels for something
fresh and new
...
The gunshot frightened the
pigeons, which flew away
...
The ordinary sentence states literally that the sound
of the gunshot scared the pigeons
...
Both the pigeons and the sentence have
sprung to life
...
The word bombard, for instance,
has a heavy explosive sound
...
Slogging is slow, just like the action it names, and
choke sticks in your throat
...
The appeal of such repetition is evidenced by the
countless clichés that crowd our everyday speech
and (regrettably) our writing, such as footloose and
fancy free, sink or swim, and blast from the past
...
But don’t repeat sounds too
often because they might call attention to them-
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
selves and pull the reader away from the meaning
of your words
...
Yet, occasionally emotions and
experiences seem almost beyond words
...
How, for instance, do you show the weird look the
bus driver gave you this afternoon, or what a city
street sounds like at six o’clock on a summer
morning? What about the feel of clean sheets, the
taste of a stale Coke, the smell of a new car, a fear,
a frustration?
A uniquely expressed comparison can catch
elusive details and fleeting sensations
...
” The summer morning may
have sounded “like an orchestra tuning up to play,”
and the bed sheets may have felt “like a drink of
cold spring water on a sultry August afternoon
...
They
require fewer words than you might otherwise need
to state an idea
...
But if all those details were
superfluous, you could simply compare the men to
wooden slats on a weathered fence
...
The limited vocabulary of young children keeps
them from expressing all they want to say
...
” “Mommy, this ice cream tastes like chocolate sunshine
...
But when you start consciously to seek
comparisons, you’ll find them sprouting like weeds
in a garden—that is, everywhere
...
To convey meaning, one side of a comparison must always be common and recognizable
...
Because you can expect readers to know the sound of a fiddle, however, a more
revealing comparison is The cry of the Arctic tern
sounds like a fiddler searching for a c-sharp
...
Don’t rely on old stand-bys such as “life is like a
box of chocolates,” or “like a bat out of hell,” or
“dead as a doornail
...
The fact is that every familiar combination of
words, such as “I could care less” or “you’ve got to
be kidding” or “what a bummer,” was once new,
cool, even poetic
...
Let clichés rest in the cliché graveyard
...
That is an admonition easier to say that to follow because clichés
crowd our conversations, swamp our airwaves, and
deluge the media
...
In an essay, however, especially one that it supposed to demonstrate
your unique cast of mind, you must avoid clichés
like the plague
...
; off the
top of my head; at the end of the day; a point well
taken; two sides of the same coin; getting psyched;
double-edged sword; go off the deep end; life on
the edge; life in the fast lane; for openers; think
outside the box; flipped out; a full plate; get a life;
get real; super; chief honcho; the big cheese; so
amazing; that’s cool; the whole enchillada; no
way, José, and would you believe, would you
believe? (This list of clichés is far from complete
...
)
On the SAT you won’t be penalized for an
essay lacking inventive and scintillating expressions, but you’ll pay a price if your writing is overrun with clichés
...
Half the battle, as they say, is knowing a
cliché when you meet one
...
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COMPOSING: PUTTING WORDS ON PAPER
Practice in Writing Comparisons
Part A
Directions: Untold numbers of comparisons are
waiting to be born
...
Write an original comparison for
each of the qualities listed below
...
1
...
If you can’t think of one, try
one of these:
In what ways is life like a river? A carousel? A
hero’s journey?
How does school resemble a zoo? A shopping
mall? An airport?
How is music like a clearing in the woods? A
chapel? A painting?
2
...
as gorgeous as
4
...
as serious as
6
...
as wild as
8
...
as impetuous as
10
...
But readers prefer a variety of sentences
...
But variety that
clarifies meaning or gives emphasis to selected
ideas is something else
...
English sentences are structured in three ways:
simple, compound, and complex
...
Answers are on page 109
...
It also states a single main idea
...
The sentence is compound because it is made
up of two simple sentences joined by the coordinating conjunction but
...
Mark is worried about winning, for he has a
bad cold
...
A string of sentences with this subject–verb
pattern resembles the prose in a grade-school
primer—a style that just won’t do on an SAT essay
...
Do several sentences begin with grammatical subjects? If so, try shifting the subject elsewhere
...
The following pairs of sentences show how a
subject can be shifted from its customary position:
Before the shift:
Ms
...
After the shift: In this school, Ms
...
Complex: Although he has a bad cold, Mark
will win
...
Because the clause begins with a subordinating conjunction (Although), it is called a
subordinate clause
...
Other common
subordinating conjunctions include because,
after, before, though, unless, until, whenever,
and while
...
In
fact, variations abound because English is a
remarkably flexible language that can be shaped in
countless ways, as you’ll see next
...
They (subject) sleep (verb) best after eating
and cleaning themselves
...
After a prepositional phrase was added, the subject
(Ms
...
Before:
After:
She taught the novel Giants in
the Earth to our eleventh-grade
English class with enthusiasm
...
Obviously, the revised sentence begins with an
adverb
...
Yet, students were less excited
about the book than she was
...
Before:
After:
I loved the book, although it turned
out to be an intolerable drag for
most of my classmates
...
After introducing the sentence with a dependent
clause, the writer names the subject, I, and then
adds the rest of the sentence
...
Bennett pushed the class to
find symbolic meaning in various
scenes to make the book more
meaningful
...
Bennett pushed the class
to find symbolic meaning in various scenes
...
(Verbals look and feel much like verbs but
serve a different function
...
)
Before:
After:
I read the book in two days, hoping
that it would never end
...
Aiming to diversify sentence openings, the writer
starts this sentence with another kind of verbal,
known as a participle
...
79
It wasn’t that the spirit of the pioneers caught
my imagination, it was my imagination that
caught the pioneer spirit
...
Out of context a sentence in
which the predicate precedes the subject may seem
awkward
...
“Dull the book is not”
packs more wallop than “The book is not dull” or
“The book is exciting
...
” Inverted sentences should be
used sparingly, however
...
No rule of thumb says that a certain percentage
of sentences in an essay ought to be different from
the usual subject–verb structure
...
But if you
find yourself repeating the same sentence pattern,
restructure some of your sentences
...
Sentence Types
Before:
After:
I was awed by the tenacity of the
characters and absorbed by every
soul-stirring syllable of the story
...
Determined to try something different, the writer
begins the sentence with an adjective that happens
to sound like a verb because of its -ed
ending
...
President Kennedy used such a sentence to memorable effect in his inaugural speech:
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask
what you can do for your country
...
Each clause could stand alone, but
together they express the idea more vigorously
...
Declarative sentences predominate in most essay
writing
...
) But other types of sentences can create all sorts of fascinating effects
...
(Do you
remember that interrogative sentences ask questions?) An interrogative sentence appropriately
placed in an essay consisting of declarative sentences can change the pace and rhythm of the
prose, underscore an idea, and promote the reader’s
involvement
...
Furthermore, you can write sentences interrupted at some point by a dash—although some
editors and teachers claim that it’s not proper to do
so in formal prose
...
Excellent!
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
There’s peril, however, in scrambling sentence
types for no other reason than to scramble sentence
types, for you may end up with a mess on your
hands
...
Repetition of Ideas
Repetition can be annoying, but adroitly used, it
adds clout to an idea
...
I love you very much,” the repetition
intensifies the sentiment
...
I said knock it off,”
you know he really means it
...
She is psyched to get out of high school
...
She is psyched for meeting new people from all over the country and
the world, and she is psyched to get started on
a program of studies that she expects will prepare her for law school
...
Every sentence but the first uses the same
subject–verb combination
...
What’s memorable is
not repetition, but relentlessness
...
The point could not have been
made as emphatically using a different verb in each
sentence
...
My taste for bagels knows no bounds
...
Lunch consists of an olive bagel and a
couple of veggie bagels smeared with cream
cheese
...
Any style
bagel will do, but I hate to have dinner without
a buttered poppy-seed bagel
...
The writer virtually beats you over the head
with bagels
...
A word of caution: Restatements of a word or
phrase can sometimes be distracting
...
The
clock said four o’clock
...
The
voyages took him across the Atlantic Ocean
...
Columbus made three voyages across the
Atlantic
...
Therefore, freedom is proof enough that the best things in life
are free
...
These writers failed to listen to the sound of
their words
...
In fact, reading your words aloud allows
you to step back and examine word sounds
...
) Hearing your written words spoken, you’re
more are apt to notice unwanted repetition
...
Then enlist a friend to read it aloud
...
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COMPOSING: PUTTING WORDS ON PAPER
Short and Long Sentences
Another technique for fending off monotony in an
essay is to vary the length of sentences
...
A brief sentence can make a point sharply
because all its words concentrate on a single point
...
U
...
and drove from college to college to college in search of the perfect place for me to
spend the next four years
...
But mostly, we
fought
...
Indeed, its purpose is to startle the reader
...
Overuse dilutes its impact
...
A balance works best
...
Here, to
illustrate, is an overweight sentence that needs a
complete makeover:
In the 1870s, the archaeologist Heinrich
Schliemann dug in the correct spot and discovered not only one ancient city of Troy, but nine
of them, one lying on top of the other, since
every few centuries a new city had been built
upon the ruins of the old, causing Schliemann
to dig right past the layer containing the ruins
of the famous city of the Trojan Horse without
realizing he had done so, a mistake not corrected until almost fifty years later by Carl Ble-
81
gen of the University of Cincinnati, by which
time, unfortunately, it was too late for Schliemann because he had been dead for forty
years
...
Cut it down to size
...
When you’re done, the restyled sentence
might sound something like this:
In the 1870s, the archaeologist Heinrich
Schliemann dug in the correct spot and discovered not only one ancient city of Troy, but nine
of them, one lying on top of the other
...
Without realizing it, he had dug right past the layer
he was seeking, the layer containing the ruins
of the famous city of the Trojan Horse
...
By then,
however, it was too late for Schliemann
...
Likewise, a string of four or five equally long
(or short) sentences can be combined to create a
more balanced and varied paragraph
...
It belonged to
the Roman Empire
...
In 79 A
...
, the volcano on
Vesuvius erupted
...
In less than a day, the city was
buried
...
More than seventeen
centuries later, an Italian peasant found Pompeii
...
He was digging in a field
...
That was two hundred years ago
...
About two-thirds of the city has been
unearthed
...
With repetition eliminated and some ideas subordinated to others, here is what you get:
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The ancient Roman city of Pompeii lay
near the base of Mt
...
In 79 A
...
,
Vesuvius erupted, burying the city with tons of
hot, wet ash
...
More than seventeen centuries later, an
Italian peasant digging in a field with a shovel
accidentally struck the top of a wall
...
Today, two hundred years later,
the city is still being unearthed
...
For more details and practice in sentence combining, turn to Part V, page 189
...
Create variety by starting sentences with a
Prepositional phrase: From the start, In
the first place, At the outset
Adverbs and adverbial phrases: Originally, At first, Initially
Dependent clauses: When you start with
this, Because the opening is
Conjunctions: And, But, Not only, Either,
So, Yet
Adjectives and adjective phrases: Fresh
from, Introduced with, Headed by
Verbal infinitives: To launch, To take the
first step, To get going
Participles: Leading off, Starting up,
Commencing with
Inversions: Unique is the writer who
embarks
...
Combine series of very short sentences
...
Practice in Varying Sentences
Directions: The following passages need greater
balance
...
Try to preserve
the original meaning of each passage
...
Mr
...
He’s a good teacher
...
He
has no use for “democracy
...
He announced his rules on the
first day
...
He forbids
gum chewing
...
At the bell, he locks the classroom door
...
His homework is compulsory
...
Mr
...
The girl turned colors and
almost wept
...
2
...
In science classes we mostly talked about experiments
...
The equipment
was too costly
...
Scientific theories were taught
...
They were
not demonstrated
...
With a million dollars it could give
students a better education in science
...
By dumping garbage, sewage, and other hazardous waste products into the sea, many
nations are polluting the world’s oceans, and in
doing so are making beaches and swimming
dangerous, poisoning fish with toxic materials
that end up in fish, lobsters, clams, and other
sea life that we humans eat, causing the toxins
to enter our bodies
...
The earth has experienced a sharp increase in
natural disasters, from about 100 per year in
the 1960s to five times that number in the early
part of the twenty-first century, the reason
being not that earthquakes, droughts, huge
storms, and floods are happening more frequently and with greater intensity but that the
population of the world has increased and people in greater numbers now occupy areas that
are prone to natural disasters, such as flood
plains, coastal lands, and cities built on subterranean fault lines
...
Humans have
...
The American Dream is a popular concept in
American life
...
It commonly means finding a
good job
...
Dreams also consist of having a couple of kids
and owning a home
...
Some
people think that such a dream is shallow
...
By that they mean freedom of speech and
freedom of religion
...
Suggested answers are on pages 109–110
...
Don’t resort to
that old stand-by, a summary ending
...
Readers are intelligent people
...
An effective conclusion should fit the style and
mood of the essay and spring naturally from its
contents
...
A serious essay, for example,
shouldn’t end with a joke
...
Such trite endings say in effect that you and your imagination
have run out of gas
...
A
carefully written ending leaves readers satisfied
that they have arrived somewhere and may sway
them to judge your essay more favorably than otherwise
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Even an ordinary thought, uniquely expressed, will
leave an agreeable afterglow
...
Finish by clearly restating your essay’s main
point but using new words
...
1
...
Topic: Discrimination
Purpose of the essay: To criticize the male
chauvinism that exists in the school administration
...
Topic: King of the World, a biography of
Mohammed Ali
Purpose of the essay: To criticize David Remnick’s biography of Ali
...
Conclusion: With this book, Remnick has
dealt Ali’s admirers a cruel blow below the
belt
...
The essay concludes with
an anecdote about an elderly gray-haired man
of about seventy on a crowded city bus
...
At one point a young, gum-chewing
woman stood up and pointed to the unoccupied
seat
...
”
He looked at her in amazement
...
2
...
Topic: Surviving high school
Purpose of the essay: To describe an incident
in which the writer found herself in need of a
safe haven
...
”
Topic: Computer glitches
Purpose of the essay: To show that, because
many consumers are uninformed, they waste
lots of money when purchasing personal computers
...
”
Topic: Modern communication
Purpose of the essay: To explain the value and
importance of e-mail to teenagers
...
Conclusion: A day without e-mail is a day I
should have stayed in bed :-(
4
...
Say something about the
months or years ahead
...
The essay ends with a few
questions about the future
...
Conclusion: When the history of the twentyfirst century is written, let us hope that AIDS
will have gone the way of the dinosaurs
...
Although an effective
conclusion adds luster to an essay, don’t feel
obliged to provide one at all costs
...
Be confident that a good
but incomplete piece of writing will be graded
according to what you’ve done well, not what you
haven’t done at all
...
1
...
In recent years,
however, changes have made many language
taboos obsolete
...
3
...
junior high
The point of the essay is that while high
school is not perfect, it is far better than junior
high, where students are treated like inmates,
not like human beings
...
Topic: The value of school sports
The writer, in comparing athletics in school
to life, makes the point that in both endeavors
you need to develop a winning strategy
...
EDITING AND PROOFREADING: THE FINAL TOUCHES
Once you’ve ended your essay, spend whatever
time is left editing and proofreading
...
The following pages are meant to be a guide to
editing your SAT essay
...
EDITING FOR CLARITY
Check your essay for clarity by asking yourself
whether a reader could misconstrue anything
you’ve written
...
One of her sentences
read “The last thing parents should do is talk to
their kids
...
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Later in the essay Penny wrote, “Ellen told her
friend Debbie that she had made a serious mistake
by running away from home
...
Granted, these sentences have been quoted out of context, but the
point remains: What may seem perfectly clear to a
writer may send a puzzling message to the reader
...
Watch for grammatical perils that interfere with meaning, especially (1) misplaced modifiers, (2) dangling
participles, and (3) lack of parallelism—all discussed in the pages that follow
...
For example:
The bedroom had a broken window
...
In
other words, broken “modifies” window
...
The clause that was guaranteed to work with her
computer is a modifier because it tells something
about the mouse
...
Modifiers must be placed so that they modify
the correct words:
Mike only loves Sharon
...
The modifier is
appropriate if Mike feels nothing but love for
Sharon—no admiration, no awe, no respect, nor
any other emotion
...
Properly placed, only should come either before or
after Sharon:
Mike loves only Sharon
...
Another example:
Naomi decided when she had finished the
essay to watch TV
...
But it is hard to tell whether it modifies decided or watch
...
If it modifies watch, Naomi worked
on her essay and decided at some point that she
would watch TV when she had completed the
work
...
While writing an essay Naomi decided to watch
TV when she had finished
...
Obviously, misplaced modifiers can cloud a
writer’s intentions
...
The modifier that no longer ran well is too far
from car, the word it modifies
...
The bowling alley lends out shoes
to its customers of all sizes
...
Clear:
The bowling alley lends out shoes
of all sizes to its customers
...
Sometimes, a misplaced word
looks as though it fits, but it fails to say what the
writer intended
...
(2) Working full time, the summer passed
quickly
...
Some
sentences may be corrected by shifting the placement of one or more words
...
1
...
(3) When only eight years old, my father
warned me about smoking
...
Do you
see that these sentences describe a surreal world in
which bells run to class, summers hold full-time
jobs, and youthful fathers dispense advice? The
problem is that these sentences try to mate two
groups of words that can’t go together
...
After the comma in sentence 1, you
expect to find out who is running, but you are not
told
...
In short, you’re left dangling
...
To correct the error, add
the noun or pronoun to be modified, as in:
While the boys were running to English class,
the bell rang
...
When I was eight, my father warned me about
smoking
...
My mother thought I might be sick
because I was still sound asleep at
noon
...
While I talked on the phone, the
stew burned in the pot
...
Sound asleep in the hammock, Denise discovered her boyfriend
...
Used all night to illuminate the steps, I needed
new batteries for the flashlight
...
Driving down the mountain road, a rock hit my
windshield and smashed it
...
Stopping to rest after a long hike, a grizzly
bear stood in front of me
...
After a quick breakfast, the school bus picked
me up
...
A report was submitted about the bank robbery
by the police
...
At the age of ten, Sasha’s family emigrated
from Russia
...
A bone was given to the dog we didn’t want
...
Left alone in the house, every sound terrified
the child
...
Kennedy used parallelism in his inaugural speech: “Let every nation know, whether it
wishes us good or ill, that we shall pay any price,
bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any
friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and
the success of liberty
...
Answers are on page 110
...
Sound parallel structure, in contrast, keeps equivalent ideas in the same grammatical form
...
The sentence makes some sense, of course, but it’s
awkward because the four qualities of a desirable
restaurant are not expressed in parallel form
...
One way to fix the problem is to
use only adjectives, as in:
We are looking for a place that is private, spacious, friendly, and attractive
...
When you arrange the pieces of a sentence in
parallel form, the writing becomes clearer and
stronger
...
Abraham Lincoln,
for example, used parallelism at Gettysburg: “We
cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot
hallow this ground
...
”
1
...
Each idea should
be equally important to the meaning and structure of the sentence
...
Faulty:
Parallel:
Hazel’s parents objected that she
played loud music and to the late
hours she kept
...
The parallel ideas consist of prepositional
phrases followed by a pronoun (she) and verbs
in the past tense (played, kept)
...
When used to compare or contrast, parallel
ideas should be grammatical equivalents
...
An idea stated in a
clause must be paired with another idea stated
in a clause, and so forth
...
The prepositional phrase about public opinion
may not be paired with the clause what the
effect of the proposal may be
...
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EDITING AND PROOFREADING: THE FINAL TOUCHES
3
...
But keep both words close to the parallel ideas
...
The signal word either is too far removed from
the parallel phrases, my aunt or my uncle
...
Proper:
I plan to invite either my aunt or
my uncle to go shopping with me
...
When articles, prepositions, and conjunctions
appear before the first in a series of parallel
items, they may have to be repeated before the
others in the series
...
Did two mechanics work on the same car or
did one mechanic work on two different cars?
To clear up the ambiguity, repeat the preposition on, as in:
Clear:
Our mechanic did a better job on
my car than on his
...
5
...
Absurd:
Physical features, traits of character, and place
of origin are not logically coordinated
...
It is still not terribly logical, but at least the revision emphasizes only one of Terry’s qualities—
his kindness
...
This sentence is grammatically flawless, but
unless it was written to get a laugh, it is ludicrous
...
Less absurd:
Before her wedding on Sunday,
Meredith painted her toenails
...
Subordinating one of the ideas restores the
logic, however weird
...
Write a correct version of the
offending word or phrase in the space provided
...
1
...
Phillips is funny, interesting, and inspires
his classes to learn history
...
Did Tiffany speak with one person or with
two? Repeating with the helps to clarify the
meaning:
Clear:
89
Terry is six feet tall, kind, and a
Texan
...
The talk-show host not only was accused of
being a bigot but also too stupid to continue
working at the station
...
Since Jenny started taking AP Math, she has
worked harder and fewer parties
...
Her job consisted mostly of writing and typing
letters, reports, and various types of phone
calls
...
Mike likes to go to bed early and getting up
early to do his work
...
Our cat Sylvia was short-haired, affectionate,
intelligent, and disappeared for days at a time
...
Maggie hasn’t yet decided whether to be an art
historian or commercial art
...
The audience at the graduation ceremony both
felt pride and satisfaction when the announcement was made
...
Joan’s pencil was broken, yellow, and came
from this box
...
His training in design would help him to know
how to furnish the house simply and decorating
would be simple, too
...
The landlady told him that he could not have a
microwave in his room and showers after 11:00
o’clock
...
Hearing no car horns and buses and to be miles
from friends may cause him to become bored
and restless
...
Either the mouse will find a quick way into the
attic or will gnaw at the siding for days
...
The police officer walked into the courtyard,
got caught in a crossfire, and was shot in the
chest
...
City living is exciting, convenient, and provides plenty of entertainment
...
Either way, Nat expects to move to the country
because he loves nature and live simply
because he has little money
...
After winning the lottery, he’ll have an apartment in town, a house in the country, and find a
job in the suburbs
...
The kids had not only scattered their books all
over the bus but also the sidewalk
...
I think that Adam has the ability to win his
match, defeat Tom in the sectionals, and he’ll
emerge eventually as the best high school
wrestler in the state
...
His ideal house would be in a good location,
with land around it, and with a view
...
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EDITING AND PROOFREADING: THE FINAL TOUCHES
EDITING FOR INTEREST
Extract an active verb from a noun in the sentence:
Being verb:
Your essay will be read by people—real people
...
Like
any readers, they will be put off by writing that is
dull
...
Because active
verbs describe or show movement, they excel all
other words in pumping life into your prose
...
Being verbs, in contrast, have almost no life in
them
...
In fact, a being verb functions much like an equal sign in an equation: “Five
minus two is three” (5 – 2 = 3), or “Samantha was
happy” (Samantha = happy), or “Your SAT scores
are going up” (That = good news!)
...
To check whether you rely too heavily on
being verbs, check a few of your most recent
essays
...
Substitute a new active verb for the being verb:
Being verb:
Active verb:
It is not easy for most students to
write immortal essays
...
91
Active verb:
Monica was the winner of the
essay contest
...
Extract an active verb from an adjective:
Being verb:
Active verb:
My afternoon at the ballgame was
enjoyable
...
As you delete being verbs, you may observe
that some sentences resist change
...
Try also to eliminate unnecessary phrases
...
At the
same time, your verb-swapping efforts may root
out excess words and improve your essay’s readability
...
For
instance, you are pretty well stuck with a form of
to be in any sentence that begins with The reason:
The reason that you should practice writing
essays ______
...
There are few verb options, too,
when the subject of the sentence is thought, concept, idea, issue, way, cause, and several other
abstract nouns
...
”
In contrast, nouns that stand for specific places,
people, events, and objects invite the use of active
verbs
...
As a bonus, concrete, easy-to-define nouns,
when substituted for abstractions, tend to tighten
and energize sentences:
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Abstract subject:
Definite subject:
Abstract subject:
Definite subject:
The cause of Sharon’s
worry was her lack of
tuition money
...
The issue behind the
strike was the workers’
demand for higher wages
...
Being verbs are not the only verbs that sap the
life out of sentences
...
Webster’s
International Dictionary lists sixteen different
meanings for the verb get and a dozen more for
make and move
...
Otherwise, trade
them in for more vivid verbs, as in:
Dull:
Livelier:
The line to the box office moved
very slowly
...
Note that by using a more animated verb, you eliminate the need for “very slowly,” which has suddenly become redundant
...
The police officer permitted drivers
to turn left on red
...
Practice in Using Active Verbs
Directions: Replace the weak, lifeless verbs in
these sentences with stronger, active ones
...
Shock was the feeling of most American
people from the attack of 9/11
...
In New York City, there were nearly three thousand people killed
...
Afterwards, there was a controversy over who
was to blame for America’s vulnerability to terrorism
...
There was an effort made to strengthen homeland security
...
Many people were willing to give up some of
their rights in order to be secure
...
The issue of how much freedom to give up for
the sake of security is difficult to resolve
...
The war in Afghanistan was a significant event
that was a result of 9/11
...
Sweatshirts and baggy pants was our manner
of dress whenever we went out
...
There was quite a lot of commotion because of
there being an all-American high school basketball player playing in the game
...
It is obvious that there should be more emphasis on math and science for the average
college-bound student
...
Active and Passive Sentences
Active sentences strengthen prose; passive sentences weaken it
...
In some contexts, though, the actor is unknown or irrelevant
...
For example:
Passive:
Active:
The curtain was raised at 8:30
sharp
...
In the passive version, curtain time is the important
fact
...
Transforming a passive sentence to an active
one takes a bit of editing:
Six weeks were spent preparing for the spring
carnival
...
The following revision
clears up the uncertainty:
Six weeks were spent preparing for the spring
carnival by the cheerleaders
...
To make the transformation complete, say something like
The cheerleaders prepared for the spring carnival for six weeks
...
Why is the active voice preferable? It is mainly
because most events in life don’t just occur by
themselves
...
After all, burgers don’t just get eaten;
people cook and devour them
...
Goals don’t score, salmon don’t get caught,
wallets don’t get lost all by themselves
...
Good essay writers, taking advantage of readers’ natural curiosity about others, strive to make
the performer of the action the grammatical subject
of their sentences:
Passive:
Active:
Passive:
Active:
The award was presented to Carrie by the town Rotary Club
...
Annapolis was attended by my
brother, my cousin, and three of
my uncles
...
As you prepare for the SAT, examine your
essays for passive sentences
...
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Practice in Revising Passive Sentences
Directions: Please re-write the following sentences,
putting each in active voice
...
The backyard was covered by dead leaves
...
Normally, the brain is called on by the body
before you do something physical
...
Omitting Needless Words
2
...
3
...
4
...
5
...
Never use two words when one will do
...
Brevity works best
...
Readers value economy
...
Aha! Another redundancy
...
Here’s a word to the wise:
You should work through all of the sentences
you write by examining each one and crossing
out all the words you don’t definitely need
...
6
...
7
...
Go through every sentence you write and
cross out unnecessary words
...
The sentence could be trimmed still further:
Cut unnecessary words out of every sentence
...
Dinner was taken out by more than twenty customers on Friday night
...
But it can be
pared even more:
Omit needless words
...
Five of Shakespeare’s plays were seen by our
group in three days
...
In lean writing, every word counts
...
Look for repetition
...
Fat:
Trimmed:
Elena took Jesse to the movies
...
(10
words)
Elena took her brother Jesse to
the movies
...
Hunt for phrases that add words but no meaning, such as the fact that, due to the fact that, at
this point in time, at the present time, and comparable usages
...
But consider that it’s a 20% reduction,
and in a 500-word essay, a 20% reduction
amounts to 100 words, the equivalent of a
whole paragraph
...
In this position
she learned about fabrics and
about how to handle customers
...
(19)
Working at Wilkens’ Fabrics at age
sixteen, Maria learned to handle
both fabrics and customers
...
Look for telltale words like which, who, that,
thing, all
...
Fat:
Trimmed:
Edison was a man who was
obsessed by the wonders of electricity
...
(6)
Trimmed:
The troops were in danger due the
fact that mines had been planted
in the field
...
(6)
Trimmed
I mean
because
finally
few
each
this subject
ten
at age six
unique
fact
biography
about
A rich vocabulary can also help turn flabby
sentences into tight ones:
Fat:
Trimmed:
Changing the grammatical subject and replacing was with an active verb halved the word
count
...
(12)
He most wanted the terrorists to
release the hostages
...
(10)
Hamlet returned home because
his father died
...
Other Fat Phrases
what I mean is
on account of, as a result of
in the final analysis
few and far between
each and every one
this is a subject that
ten in number
at the age of six years old
most unique
true fact
biography of her life
in regard to, with regard to,
in relation to, with respect to
Fat:
Fat:
95
Trimmed:
Use a tool with a sharp point that
pokes holes in leather
...
(3)
Sometimes his grandfather had a
cheerful and dynamic personality,
but at other times he withdrew into
himself and became angry and
depressed
...
(6)
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
4
...
Innumerable words
are wasted on reiteration of what has already
been stated, on repeating the obvious, on
restating ideas, on saying the same thing again
and again and over and over, driving readers to
the brink of madness
...
(10)
Soot, by definition, is black, and rising clouds
can only go up
...
(4)
After carefully scrutinizing the
X-ray, the doctor seemed fully
engrossed in her own train of
thought
...
” Also, her
own train of thought is nonsensical because no
one can think others’ thoughts
...
1
...
A cloud of soot rose to the sky
...
(7)
Where else but on a face would a smile
appear?
Trimmed:
Fat:
Practice in Trimming Needless Words
After scrutinizing the X-ray, the
doctor seemed engrossed in
thought
...
Even though it may hurt to take
out what you worked hard to put in, don’t whine
...
There is no reason for the chairperson of the
committee, who is Carolyn Welles, to take
offense at my suggestion, which is aimed at
trying to make the meetings more productive
and useful to the entire student body at large
...
Molly was elected to be the editor of the yearbook in spite of the fact that her grades in writing in English courses are really not very good
at all
...
Some kinds of criticism are good, but other
kinds of criticism do more harm than good
...
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97
5
...
Answers are on page 111
...
Part B
Directions: This wordy paragraph appeared in an
essay that advocated gaining weight
...
Such weight-gaining ideas can be used to
good advantage by each and every man,
woman, and child who is interested in adding
pounds of weight to his or her body
...
Owing to the fact that
health experts and authorities believe that it is
better to be underweight than it is to be overweight, ideas for putting on weight are generally thought to be jokes not taken seriously,
which is the reason why such ideas are kept
under wraps and not publicized very widely or
broadly
...
Here is a quotation that Slim Snyder,
who is a graduate of Stanford University,
stated during a speech he gave at a meeting of
people gathered together at a health conference recently: “Lean people are victims of discrimination, just as obese people are
...
Telling
Remember the principle that a picture is worth a
thousand words? Whether that’s true is arguable,
but the point is not
...
Therefore, show more than you tell! Instead of describing your uncle as “absent-minded,” show him
stepping into his morning shower dressed in his
p
...
’s
...
The same principle applies to smells: “Her breath
was foul with the stench of stale whiskey
...
”
To touch: “the feel of cool linen bed sheets
...
” In short, showing recreates
experience for the reader, ultimately making the
prose more interesting
...
Blair
...
Blair’s office,
bounded down the steps four at a
time, and shouted into the wind,
“Hurray, I did it
...
Franks, doesn’t
care to hear that I don’t have the
time to do math homework after
school
...
Franks
that I’m kept from math homework
by driving my brother Timmy to
piano lessons or karate, by yearbook meetings on Tuesdays, by
Peer Leaders and Students
Against Driving Drunk, by French
tutoring, and by a part-time job at
the florist, he muttered, “That’s
your problem
...
The fact is that writers struggle for
years to perfect the technique
...
A balance is best
...
You need time to get the feel
of it, like riding a bike or doing a back flip
...
To develop the knack, study a written
passage that you admire
...
For practice, use the passage as a
model for writing a paragraph of your own
...
Telling: The class is out of control
...
Telling: Pioneers had a hard time
...
Telling: The cabin was really run down
...
8
...
1
...
Showing:
Showing:
9
...
Telling: After she won, she experienced a
wonderful and unique feeling that
made her want to win again
...
Showing:
Showing:
10
...
3
...
Showing:
Showing:
Answers are on page 111–112
...
Telling: It smelled just the way a beach is
supposed to smell
...
But if you habitually scrutinize the sentences in your practice
essays and in other work you do for school, you’ll
soon purge from your writing such errors as fragments, (incomplete sentences), run-ons, which
consist of two or more improperly joined sentences, and comma splices, formed when a comma
separates two complete sentences
...
Every sentence states its subject except
one that gives commands or makes requests (Make
it snappy! Sit! Please hurry up
...
whomever
...
Use Correct Verbs
Of all the parts of speech, verbs are the most apt to
be used incorrectly
...
Do all nouns and pronouns agree in number
with their verbs?
2
...
Is every verb in the correct form?
Learn to answer these questions accurately by
studying the following sections of Part V: Noun-verb
agreement, page 152; proper use of verb tenses,
page 156; and correct form of verbs, page 156
...
The reverse—using an
adverb in place of an adjective—occurs less often
...
For details and practice in adjective/adverb use,
turn to Part V, page 168
...
If you can’t depend on your
sense of what sounds right and wrong, keep in
mind that most common pronouns fall into two
groups:
Group 1: I, he, she, they, we, you
Group 2: me, him, her, them, us, you
The pronouns in the first group are nominative
case pronouns and are used in grammatical subjects and predicate nominatives
...
Because pairs must come from the
same case, problems arise when pronouns from different cases show up in the same phrase, as “Him
and I went to the movies
...
If you
don’t know either pronoun, here’s a handy rule of
thumb to follow: Substitute I or me for one of
them
...
For more details and a practice exercise in choosing the case of pronouns, turn to Part V,
page 157
...
That is, be sure also that every pronoun refers clearly to its antecedent—usually a
noun or another pronoun
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Because the pronoun her may refer to either the
librarian or to Sarah, the sentence needs revision:
The librarian told Sarah that one of her responsibilities as a library clerk was to shelve books
...
Finally, don’t use pronouns to refer to possessives, as in:
In Eminem’s latest hit, he stumbles over several words
...
Because the possessive noun Eminem’s is
not a grammatical equivalent to Eminem, the
revised sentence should be:
In his latest hit, Eminem stumbles over several
words
...
Stay alert also for shifts in pronoun person
within individual sentences, within paragraphs, and
within the whole essay
...
Likewise, a sentence or passage written in
the first or third person should stay that way
throughout
...
Finally, take a look at the agreement between
all the pronouns and their antecedents
...
Sometimes such
words are meant as plurals, however, and should be
followed by plural pronouns
...
Correct Punctuation and Capitalization
Because error-free essays tend to earn higher
scores, it pays to review your essay for proper
punctuation and use of capital letters
...
The hardest thing about the rules is knowing
where and when to apply them
...
Apostrophes are used in only three
places:
1
...
Apostrophes mark places where
letters have been omitted
...
In plurals of letters, signs, or numbers, as in A’s
and B’s, the 1960’s, and 10’s and 20’s, although
many experts simplify matters by writing 1960s,
Ps and Qs, and so forth
...
In possessive nouns such as the student’s class
and women’s room and in indefinite pronouns
such as anybody’s guess
...
Some
possessive forms use both an apostrophe and of,
as in a friend of the family’s; some others that
specify time, space, value, or quantity also
require apostrophes, as in an hour’s time, a dollar’s worth, at my wit’s end
...
Commas divide sentences into parts,
clarify meaning, and prevent confusion
...
Use a comma to signal a pause, as in:
No pause:
Pause:
After brushing his teeth gleamed
...
Commas are needed after some introductory
words and in forms of address:
Well, you can open it whenever it’s convenient
...
2
...
Jennie, on the other hand, was included
...
The three bikers, whose map of the course
was out of date, arrived two hours later
...
The judge, Mr
...
3
...
Pete had better call my mother, or I’ll be in big
trouble
...
Commas separate items in a series:
Rosie’s car needs new tires, a battery, a muffler, and an oil change
...
Some writers prefer to skip the comma before
the last item in a series, but just in case clarity
may suffer, it can’t hurt to put it in
...
Commas separate parts of addresses, dates,
and place names:
Who lives at 627 West 115th Street, New York,
NY?
Richard was born on May 27, 1990, the same
day as Irene
...
Note that, because each item in the last example already contains a comma, semicolons help
to avoid confusion
...
Commas separate quotations from attributions
in dialogue
...
”
“I want it open,” protested Ben
...
Semicolons may be used between
closely related sentences, in effect, shortening the
pause that would naturally occur between two separate sentences:
Mother was worried; her daughters never stay
out this late
...
A caution: Because semicolons function like
periods, use them only between independent
clauses or in a series in which one or more items
contains a comma, as in:
On his trek, Norwood met Allen, a carpenter
from Maine; Dr
...
Louis; Jonathan, an airline pilot; and me, of
course
...
Quotation marks usually surround direct quotations, as in:
Rita said to Bob, “I’m nuts about you
...
Don’t use them for
longer works
...
Avoid calling attention to clichés, trite expressions, or slang terms by using quotation marks
...
Finally, quotation marks may enclose words
that express the silent thoughts of a character, as in:
Carlos glanced at his watch
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Periods and commas are placed inside closequotation marks
...
9
...
10
...
“When will the seminar start?” asked Regis
...
Possessives
Directions: Check your mastery of possessives by
writing the correct possessive form of the italicized
word in the space provided
...
Part B
...
Some sentences may be correct
...
While Bill was riding his bike got a flat tire
...
The mail carrier did not leave the package for
Valerie was not at home
...
Pauls reason was personal
...
After doing his homework Mikey as you might
expect talked on his cell phone for an hour
...
The future of Americas foreign policy is being
debated
...
Teams from all over the county have gathered
at the stadium
...
His work criticized many commonly held
beliefs however and it was strictly censored
...
The car, that ran into mine at the intersection,
was an SUV
...
Dad went to the airport to pick up Dave Ellie
went to the train station to meet Debbie
...
Luis isn’t at all interested in womens issues
...
The people who live by the water must be prepared for occasional flooding
...
The girls locker room is downstairs, but the
boys is upstairs
...
We are invited to the Andersons house for New
Years Eve
...
All of the Rosses are going out to eat
...
Have you seen Morris iPod, which he left here
yesterday?
8
...
9
...
10
...
11
...
12
...
13
...
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EDITING AND PROOFREADING: THE FINAL TOUCHES
14
...
15
...
16
...
17
...
18
...
103
2
...
3
...
Don’t
capitalize north, east, south, and west unless
you are referring to a particular region of the
country, as in:
They went camping in the West
...
Harold Watkins who comes from Chicago won
a full tuition scholarship to Duke
...
Although the characters are stereotypes they
were interesting to read about
...
21
...
5
...
This test covers Spanish literature culture and
history; and it lasts for three hours
...
Michelle is pretty tall and dark but her older
sister Norma is pretty short and light
...
Sean the twin brother of Ian was struck by a
falling tree limb
...
25
...
Answers are on page 112
...
You won’t go wrong following
these guidelines:
7
...
Capitalize the first words of sentences, direct
quotations, and lines of poetry (most of the
time)
...
8
...
Capitalize languages, races, nationalities, and
religions: the Hungarian language, Inuit,
Argentinian, Hispanic, Muslim
...
Don’t, however, capitalize the
common noun associated with the brand name,
as in Crest toothpaste or Starbuck’s coffee
...
Also, the titles of high officials
when they are used in place of the official’s
name, as in the Secretary General, the Prime
Minister, the Secretary of the Treasury
...
Capitalize family relationships, but only when
they are used with a person’s name: Uncle Wesley, Grandma Jones, Cousin Dave
...
” Note that articles,
conjunctions and prepositions of less than five
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9
...
11
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
letters are not capitalized unless they appear as
the last or the first words in the title
...
Also capitalize pronouns
referring to Him or Her
...
Capitalize days of the week, months, holidays:
Monday, May, Mothers’ Day
...
Capitalize the names of specific courses and
schools: History 101, Forensic Science, Brookvale High School, Columbia College
...
Therefore, you study history in American History 101 and learn forensics in Forensic Science
...
Practice in Applying Capitalization
Directions: Add capital letters where they are
needed in the following sentences
...
on labor day bennington county’s fire department plans to hold a turkey shoot on the field
at miller’s pond
...
the judge gave district attorney lipman a book
entitled the rules of evidence and instructed her
to read it before she ever dared set foot in the
court of appeals of the ninth circuit again
...
the secretary of state greeted the president of
austria at the ronald reagan airport in washington, d
...
4
...
5
...
6
...
at
georgetown students may major in drawing and
painting, design, graphics, or sculpture
...
griffiths said, “i attended a similar high school
in new england just after the vietnam war
...
we expect to celebrate new year’s eve again
this year by renting a movie of an old broadway musical and by settling down in front of
the dvd player with some pepsi and a box of
oreos
...
after traveling all the way to the pacific, the
corps of discovery rode down the missouri
river going east on their way back to st
...
9
...
10
...
Answers are on page 112
...
Pre-writing
Analyze the topic carefully
...
Choose a main idea that matters
...
Composing
Hook readers with a gripping introduction
...
Use plain and precise words
...
End the essay memorably
...
Edit for interest
...
ANSWER KEY TO PRACTICE EXERCISES
Choosing a Main Idea, page 56
These are suggestions only
...
1
...
Henry Ford knew more about cars than
about people, because talent, ability, and a
little bit of luck are the most important
ingredients of success
...
If Henry Ford’s statement is correct, the
world is filled with self-deluded people
...
From spelling bees to Nobel Prizes,
nobody with a negative attitude has ever
been a winner
...
A
...
B
...
C
...
3
...
Those who say “Money is the root of all
evil” know what they are talking about
...
Dreaming of wealth is as American as apple
pie—part of the great American dream
...
Only a ding-a-ling, or someone named Jay
Gatsby, would truly believe that money can
buy happiness
...
A
...
B
...
C
...
5
...
Bryan is definitely on the right track
...
B
...
C
...
Therefore, it’s simplistic to think that your destiny can be achieved without it
...
The order of ideas is strictly a
matter of personal preference
...
Advantages:
1
...
2
...
3
...
Disadvantages:
1
...
2
...
3
...
B
...
Lotteries give everyone a chance to dream
of being wealthy
...
They are fun to participate in
...
They help states raise money for good
causes, such as education
...
Lotteries raise and then dash people’s hopes
...
They encourage addiction to gambling
...
They appeal mostly to people who can
least afford to play
...
For:
1
...
2
...
3
...
Against:
1
...
2
...
3
...
D
...
War causes people and nations to abandon
the qualities that make them human
...
Wars cause death, suffering, and destruction
...
Wars cost money that can and should be
used for improving lives, not destroying
them
...
War against terrorism provides security for
the people
...
War to depose tyrants is of benefit to
mankind
...
Wars on poverty, drugs, and other social
evils improve the quality of life
...
Be confident that the essay
openings you wrote may be no less effective than
these samples
...
Topic: The courage of one’s convictions
Most high school kids would rather be
caught dead than be considered out of synch
with the crowd
...
She would consider
herself dead if she couldn’t express her individuality and be different from everyone else
...
Topic: Deadlines
My dad recently bought me a Palm pilot
...
After all,
I’m not a business man or a lawyer or a highpowered boomer who needs to keep tabs on
meetings and clients and overseas flights to
catch
...
3
...
”
If you’ve ever seen “The Antiques Road
Show” on television, you’d never throw anything away, never hold a garage sale, never
pass up an opportunity to buy an old toy, an
ashtray from the World’s Fair, a miniature
Statue of Liberty, or any other piece of junk to
fill your shelves and clutter up your closets
...
4
...
Louis, an ocean liner bound for
safety in Cuba
...
The United States also turned
the St
...
With no place to go, the ship sailed back to
Europe
...
5
...
a
...
c
...
e
...
2
...
4
...
6
...
8
...
10
...
Implied topic sentence
Sentence 7
Sentence 10
Sentence 1
Sentence 1
Sentence 1
Sentence 3
Sentence 2
Sentence 6
Part B
Answers may vary
...
Mother and Father are very different from each
other
...
In the past U
...
athletes dominated the Olympic
Games
...
Monopolies often destroy not only themselves
but the incentive of businesses to change and
make progress
...
How little the aristocracy understood the needs
of the masses
...
Vera Simon wrote a gripping and realistic book
...
Smoking in school is just not worth the trouble
it can lead to
...
But here are my requirements for the perfect
roommate
...
Age and experience have deprived me of
courage and spirit
...
No topic sentence is needed
...
Although backward in some respects, a socalled primitive culture can be technologically
sophisticated
...
The topic sentences you wrote may
be as good as or even better than these examples
...
Of all the equipment needed to traverse the
inhuman land of Antarctica, nothing is more
important than a team of well-trained sled
dogs
...
Antarctica takes your breath away
...
This is not an idle comparison, because at
every turn you are putting your health and
safety in jeopardy
...
a
...
c
...
e
...
a
...
c
...
e
...
a
...
c
...
e
...
a
...
c
...
e
...
Sentence 3 destroys the coherence of the paragraph
...
There’s no reason to save it,
because the idea is reiterated in sentence 7
...
The paragraph lacks unity
...
One way to overcome the
paragraph’s lack of unity is to divide it into two
parts
...
g
...
If this were done, however, the paragraph
would need further development
...
The paragraph is coherent except for sentence
5, which should be deleted
...
The
remaining sentences, except 5, support sentence 2, which is the major supporting sentence
in the paragraph
...
Although the entire paragraph discusses political parties, the discussion is not unified
...
Either divide the paragraph, or add a topic sentence that justifies discussing both topics
within a single paragraph
...
Sentence 1 is the topic sentence
...
Delete it
...
The paragraph is mostly unified and coherent,
although the topic sentence would be more
accurate if it mentioned the human qualities of
porpoises
...
Although the opening sentence leads the reader
to think that what follows will be all about
Robinson Crusoe, the paragraph is really about
the author Daniel Defoe
...
8
...
Only sentences 3 and 4 connect with each other
...
For coherence, add
a topic sentence, possibly using material in
sentence 5
...
9
...
Delete sentence 6, but if the idea
is too good to discard, save it for another place
in the essay or revise sentence 1, the topic sentence
...
The paragraph is unified and coherent
...
Using Transitions, pages 71–72
These paragraphs only illustrate the use of transitions
...
1
...
First you must try to create the
impression that you think, say, Ms
...
You must immediately choose a seat that is near to her in the
classroom
...
Next, smile at her, laugh at her jokes, and never
leave the room right after class
...
After a while, she’ll think that you
are an intelligent, highly-motivated student and
with luck will reward you handsomely on your
report card
...
Some people are bored with their lives
...
Accordingly, many movie
stuntmen ache to put their lives in jeopardy
...
As a
consequence, they often get hurt, but their
work is more important to them than their
safety and well-being
...
3
...
Unlike my mother, my father is
always pretty upbeat, even when he’s worried
about his job, about money, and about me and
my sister
...
In spite of their differences, Dad and Mom get along just fine
...
Nevertheless, I can see where Mom is coming
from and love her all the same
...
It’s time to take another look at how the government squanders billions of dollars every
year for what is called the International Space
Station
...
In addition to being a waste of taxpayers’ dollars, neither program has been as fruitful as predicted
...
Moreover, the public has lost interest in
America’s space program except when there
are catastrophes such as the destruction of the
Challenger in 1986 and the Columbia in 2003
...
Using Precise Wording, pages 74–75
Answers will vary
...
1
...
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ANSWER KEY TO PRACTICE EXERCISES
2
...
After winning the election by a 3 to 1 margin,
the senator grinned from ear to ear and told her
supporters that she was ready to work in their
behalf
...
Molly’s reward for six hours at her desk studying physics was a big fat F on the quiz
...
The seniors celebrated their graduation but
wept inside, realizing that tonight was the last
time they would ever be together
...
To make it on the swim team, the bowling
team, or any other team, there are but three
things to do: practice, practice, practice
...
At the wake, Greg was startled by the joviality
of the mourners, who rejoiced over Mr
...
8
...
9
...
10
...
Writing Comparisons, page 77
The comparisons that you wrote may be as good as
or even better than these examples
...
1
...
as tough as a wrecking ball
3
...
as silly as putty
5
...
as perfect as a circle
7
...
as unpredictable as the lottery
9
...
as reliable as a sheepdog
B
...
Just as no one goes to the airport
just to be at the airport, who would go to
school in order to go to school
...
One spends a certain amount of
time there, follows the rules, does the work,
and then escapes like a traveler en route to
Aruba, or Italy, or the Far East
...
If you
fail to follow the prescribed procedure, trouble
can follow, delaying your departure
...
Varying Sentences, pages 82–83
These are illustrative answers only
...
1
...
Finn is a good teacher but he runs the class
like a dictatorship
...
On the first day he
announced his rules, among them no talking,
no gum chewing, no hats in class, no lateness
...
All homework is compulsory
...
Finn
lowered the boom on her
...
In the numerous science classes that I have
taken, we talked about experiments instead of
doing them because the equipment was obsolete and too costly to replace
...
To give students a better education, the science department needs money
...
3
...
They
are making beaches and swimming dangerous
...
4
...
Earthquakes, droughts,
huge storms, and floods are not happening
more frequently, however
...
Rather, the population of the world has increased
...
The planet has not changed but
humans have
...
Although the American Dream is a popular
concept, it means different things for different
people
...
Some people,
thinking that dream shallow, say that the dream
won’t be complete without a good education,
friends, a feeling of well-being, good health,
and above all, the blessings of liberty, including the freedom of speech and religion and the
freedom to choose to be part of an untraditional family made up of same-sex partners or
any other combination of adults and children
...
1
...
2
...
Others succeed because they are more talented
or smarter than the competition
...
When a split second
determines the winner in a race, is it fair to say
that the second-place finisher is not as good as
the winner? No, but it’s a certainty that the
winner planned his racing strategy better than
the person who lost
...
If by magic I happened to find myself in junior
high again, I wouldn’t rest until I’d made my
escape
...
1
...
2
...
3
...
4
...
5
...
6
...
7
...
8
...
9
...
10
...
Identifying Parallel Structure, pages
89–90
These are suggested answers
...
1
...
was accused not only of being a bigot but also
of being too stupid
3
...
preparing reports, and making various types of
telephone calls
5
...
and she had a habit of disappearing
7
...
felt both pride and satisfaction
9
...
plans to live simply
11
...
12
...
Joan’s broken yellow pencil came from this
box
...
how to furnish and decorate the house simply
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ANSWER KEY TO PRACTICE EXERCISES
15
...
and being miles from friends
17
...
18
...
and a job in the suburbs
20
...
1
...
2
...
3
...
4
...
5
...
6
...
7
...
8
...
9
...
10
...
Revising Passive Sentences, page 94
Your sentences may differ from these, but be sure
you’ve used the active voice
...
Dead leaves covered the backyard
...
We discussed the crisis in the Middle East
...
I failed Friday’s quiz because I had rehearsed
for the play every night that week
...
We began our weeklong vacation in Oregon by
flying to Portland
...
Captain Ahab and his crew pursued the great
white whale
...
Fido fetches the newspaper every morning
...
The president and his advisors decided to go to
war
...
On Friday night, more than twenty customers
took out dinners
...
In three days, our group saw five Shakespearean plays
...
Before you do something physical, the body
normally calls on the brain
...
Be sure that your version of
each sentence approximates the meaning of the
original
...
Peter Jenkins wrote A Walk Across America, a
book about his cross-country walk
...
2
...
3
...
4
...
5
...
Part B
Avoiding discrimination is but one of many reasons
for people to gain weight, according to Stanford
University graduate Slim Snyder, who, at a recent
conference on health, said “Lean people are victims
of discrimination, just as obese people are
...
But they are ridiculed and
kept well hidden because health experts agree that
being lean is preferable to being obese
...
Check your sentences for specific details that show rather than tell
...
Whenever Mike enters a room, he ducks his
head to avoid hitting the top of the doorway
...
Her sense of accomplishment grew with every
handshake and pat on the back
...
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3
...
4
...
5
...
6
...
7
...
8
...
9
...
10
...
Using Punctuation, page 102
Part A
...
2
...
4
...
6
...
8
...
10
...
Commas and Semicolons, pages 102–103
1
...
2
...
3
...
4
...
5
...
6
...
7
...
The boat was seventy-five feet long and eighteen feet wide; its mast was about eighty feet
tall
...
To anyone interested in flying, planes hold
endless fascination
...
Jeff and Steve, left alone for the weekend,
invited all their friends to a party
...
I need street maps of Boston and Portland,
Maine
...
Some of the theories dealt with the political,
social, and religious ideas of the time
...
Students who want to try out for the chorus
have been asked to report to room 330
...
Doug, for example, is both a scholar and an
athlete
...
Monica refused to go unless Phil went with
her
...
The hero of the book, John Coffey, rode his
bike across the United States
...
After all, she did for him what she could
...
Starting in Minnesota, the Mississippi runs all
the way to the Gulf of Mexico
...
Harold Watkins, who comes from Chicago,
won a full tuition scholarship to Duke
...
Although the characters are stereotypes, they
were interesting to read about
...
Yo-Yo Ma, the famous cellist, will perform a
recital on Saturday night
...
This test covers Spanish literature, culture, and
history, and it lasts for three hours
...
Michelle is pretty, tall, and dark, but her older
sister Norma is pretty, short, and light
...
Sean, the twin brother of Ian, was struck by a
falling tree limb
...
The window washer dropped by last evening,
but he didn’t bring his squeegee
...
On Labor Day Bennington County’s fire
department plans to hold a turkey shoot on the
field at Miller’s Pond
...
The judge gave District Attorney Lipman a
book entitled The Rules of Evidence and
instructed her to read it before she ever dared
set foot in the Court of Appeals of the Ninth
Circuit again
...
The Secretary of State greeted the President of
Austria at the Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington, D
...
4
...
5
...
6
...
At Georgetown students may major in
drawing and painting, design, graphics, or
sculpture
...
Griffiths said, “I attended a simi-
7
...
9
...
113
lar high school in New England just after the
Vietnam War
...
After traveling all the way to the Pacific, the
Corps of Discovery rode down the Missouri
River going east on their way back to St
...
This Irish linen tablecloth was bought at Kmart in the Emeryville Mall off Powell Street
...
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PART
IV
ESSAYS FOR
EVALUATION
How Essays Are Judged
and Graded
Essay Topics for Practice
115
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HOW ESSAYS ARE JUDGED AND GRADED
117
HOW ESSAYS ARE JUDGED AND GRADED
Your essay will be evaluated on a scale of 6 (best)
to 1 (worst)
...
That is, they’ll avoid
the “Gotcha! Syndrome”—hunting down every little error
...
Recognizing that your essay
has been composed in under half an hour, they
won’t hold minor mistakes against you and won’t
deduct a certain amount for every error in grammar, spelling, and punctuation
...
Like other readers, evaluators enjoy good
writing and delight in thoughtful, neatly phrased
ideas
...
Evaluators will approach your essay with a
positive mind set, prepared to reward you for what
you’ve done well
...
Your essay, in other words,
won’t be competing against some ideal essay written by a professional author
...
But think about this: If readers have
trouble deciphering your penmanship, several
things can happen
...
They
won’t give you the benefit of the doubt about
spelling or grammar if the letters are malformed or
difficult to read
...
Unreadable essays will be given no credit at all
...
But if you know that teachers
and others have a problem interpreting your script,
try to slow down as you form the letters, or as a last
resort, print clearly
...
GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATION
Essays are scored on a scale of 6 to 1
...
Essays rated 1, 2, or 3 suggest a need for
remediation
...
)
No list of standards can include everything that
SAT readers consider when they evaluate an essay,
but the following descriptions list the main criteria
...
They try to be objective, but
they must still make judgments
...
Outstanding
...
The writer has fashioned a
convincing main idea, amply supported by
appropriate and specific details
...
Any errors that
occur are inconsequential
...
Very Good
...
It
develops the main idea with purpose and conviction but may be somewhat less thorough and
insightful than the best essays
...
Nevertheless, its organization is sensible,
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
its language and usage are appropriate, and its
overall intent is clear and consistent
...
A good essay deals with the topic competently
...
It gives evidence of the writer’s acquaintance
with essay organization, coherence, and paragraph development
...
Fair
...
It may adequately respond to the prompt
but gives evidence of an inconsistent control of
the elements of composition
...
Inaccuracies or lapses in logic may weaken the essay’s
overall effect
...
Poor
...
The
essay’s development is meager, and its treatment of the subject is imprecise and unconvincing
...
Very Poor
...
It may wander off the topic or include irrelevant
or simplistic ideas
...
The prose may lack organization, coherence, and meaning
...
ESSAYS FOR EVALUATION
As you prepare to write an essay, read the following responses that other students wrote on SAT essay topics
...
The essays were completed in twenty-five minutes in a testing situation
...
Read them quickly, spending no more than three or four minutes on each, and then rate
them using the SAT scale of 1 to 6
...
Then
compare your views with those of the SAT readers who actually scored the same essay
...
Nevertheless, your observations may be equally valid and perceptive
...
If your scores differ greatly from the scores assigned by SAT readers, carefully examine what trained readers look for in an essay
...
Prompt for Essay #1
Think about the views expressed in the following passage:
“WANT TO GET AHEAD? TRY LYING” says a headline, with the idea that by always telling the
truth, or by telling too much truth, we put ourselves at a disadvantage
...
S
...
Each morning the dispatcher handed drivers a pile of letters and
packages
...
While the other
drivers padded their figures, I didn’t
...
”
Stephen paid a minor penalty for telling the truth
...
Consider a few: Because they don’t cheat on assignments and tests to boost their
grades, some students fail to get into the college of their choice
...
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HOW ESSAYS ARE JUDGED AND GRADED
119
“In a nutshell, it’s harder and harder to be an honest person in today’s society,” says Stephen Lim
...
”
Adapted from Stephen Lim, “Telling the Truth—Does It Pay?” Plain Truth, May/June, 2001
Assignment: Does Stephen’s statement describe the way things actually are, or is it a cynical distortion of
the truth? Plan and write an essay that discusses your point of view on the issue
...
Wanda’s Essay
Many people fall prey to lying mainly because it is so easy to do
...
All you have to do is open your mouth and let the words
fall out
...
You write up a nice little resumé
with all the details of your life, most of which don’t pertain to the job at all, such as, for instance, your marital
status or that you won the Noble Serf Award in eleventh grade, an award that you invent right on the spot
...
Also, you might not have quite enough experience for the job you are trying to get
...
After all, what’s the harm in shading the
truth a little?
While it’s true that your lies will have no immediate effect, what will happen if your employer checks on
you, when he or she finds out that there is no such thing as the Noble Serf Award, and that you were not
the assistant manager of the supermarket at all but just a lackey who retrieved shopping carts from the
parking lot? This is when you must face the consequences of your “harmless” little lies
...
Does that mean it’s okay to lie as long as you don’t get caught? Nothing could be farther from the truth
because the effects of lying can be more serious
...
You have become not only a liar but a thief, and you
have lost your integrity
...
Recently there was a male nurse who lied his way into
jobs in several hospitals, and wherever he went the death rate of patients rose dramatically
...
While this may be an extreme case, it still illustrates that lying, even though it may be as easy as
breathing, can lead to very harmful results
...
The light touch is a tribute to the writer’s level of maturity
...
The overall presentation is lively, interesting, and virtually errorfree
...
The sequence of paragraphs is particularly apt: The first two paragraphs show that lying is
prevalent because ‘it is so easy
...
The
third paragraph discusses minor pitfalls of lying, but the fourth takes up its potential for disastrous, lifealtering consequences
...
’
“Throughout the essay, the writer maintains a consistent tone, demonstrates skill in the use of interesting, lively language, and proves her mastery of the elements of composition
...
” I assumed this message
was that people who always tell the truth are like handicapped because the truth is against them and they
are doomed to fail
...
While I think back on my own life, I realized that every time I have tried to lie I got caught
...
I now realize that they knew I was
lying
...
My father and mother began to laugh and proceeded to dress me for school
...
Lying about it could enable me to stay out later
...
When the truth came out, I was grounded for a month
...
It’s not always possible to
tell the whole truth, but whenever I tell little white lies or shade the truth, I think of that bumper sticker and
wonder if the person who wrote it had ever lied in his life
...
Two examples that develop the main
idea are pertinent but they don’t prove the writer’s assertion that he got caught ‘every time’ he told a lie
...
Lapses in verb tense and in expression keep the essay from earning a better
rating
...
Citing two personal experiences from his earlier life, he shows that
lies ‘backfired in my face,’ a well-meant but awkwardly expressed image
...
Word choice is appropriate and the sentence structure is sufficiently varied, except for the first paragraph, in which every sentence begins with the same subject (‘I’)
...
A few minor corrections might have lifted the score to a 4, but as is, the essay doesn’t quite make it
...
Usually good
things happen when people don’t lie, but today it is more likely that good things will happen to people who
refrain from telling the truth
...
Another example of how this statement is correct is when a
person is applying for a job
...
If he told the truth he might not be hired as readily
...
Perhaps in the long run it isn’t
worth it because he will have to face the fact that the reason he is “ahead” is because he lied
...
Severe lying is considered a psychological disease, like addiction, they even lie when here is no reason
...
Your observations:
The first reader commented: “In this essay the main idea is developed somewhat haphazardly
...
The third paragraph contradicts the earlier statement that
‘good things happen to people who refrain from telling the truth
...
”
Score: 2
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
The second reader commented: “This piece suggests only a limited mastery of composition
...
In support of
this generalization, the writer offers two weak, underdeveloped examples of people whose lies paid off
...
Still more
of a puzzle is the last paragraph, which contains matters unrelated to anything that came before
...
Martin Luther King had such people in mind when he remarked, “The hottest place
in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict
...
” And Phyllis Diller, putting it still another way, said, “Never go
to bed mad
...
”
Assignment: The first step in making things better is to recognize that a problem exists
...
Max’s Essay
A trend these days is to speak up about the world’s mistreatment of the environment
...
At the end of the day you can say the survival of
mankind is “hanging in the balance
...
In some countries, millions of acres of rainforest are
being destroyed every year to make room for farmland or to cut lumber to export
...
In addition, rainforests produce the majority of the oxygen that we need
to live
...
Other nations exploit the oceans
...
Eventually, the garbage washes back on shore, making the beaches filthy
and swimming dangerous
...
Then
we end up eating these fish, and the toxins enter our bodies
...
Another way the enviroment is abused is the treatment of the atmosphere
...
Some countries still don’t have such laws, and under the Bush administration,
the United States withdrew from the Kyoto agreements
...
These are just a few ways which the world abuses the environment
...
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HOW ESSAYS ARE JUDGED AND GRADED
123
Your observations:
The first reader commented: “Max’s essay is very well focused, admirably organized, and clearly presented
...
While not always gracefully
expressed, Max’s presentation is consistently informative and detailed
...
”
Score: 6
The second reader commented: “Although this conventional five-paragraph ‘formula’ essay is competently
written, it is not terribly inspired
...
Indeed, the impact of the essay is considerably diluted by the
writer’s reliance on clichés such as ‘hanging in the balance,’ ‘at the end of the day,’ ‘the bottom line,’ and others
...
”
Score: 5
Tracy’s Essay
The world is an imperfect place with many, many problems to solve
...
There are countless improvements to be made here because it is not one
that meets the needs of everyone
...
For example, if someone is taking a music class and also wants to take art it is impossible without
dropping a required course, such as Physical Education
...
Physical exercise is important but there should be a better arrangement of classes so we can study the things we
really want to
...
There are many unnecessary rules, and many teachers treat students like infants which need basic instructions
...
If teachers
could make the rules as a given, and trust the students, they might be able to get a better attitude back
...
The writer then chooses
two excellent examples to illustrate problems at her high school
...
The development of ideas is detailed, the highlight being Tracy’s description in the third paragraph of teachers’ preoccupation with ‘inane’ matters that
waste instructional time
...
Unfortunately, either because she ran out of time or forgot to explain, the reference leaves the reader in the lurch,
wishing to know why Tracy mentioned it
...
Minor lapses in grammar and usage weaken the effort
...
Score: 4
The second reader commented: “Although the writer claims that her school ‘is not one that meets the
needs of everyone,’ the essay hardly deals with the school’s failure to satisfy a diverse student population
...
The second paragraph seems to
grow out of disappointment over her choice of classes, and the third paragraph is used to complain about
an overabundance of trivial rules in ‘certain’ unidentified classes
...
”
Score: 3
Iiana’s Essay
The way I would make things better is in divorce
...
Divorce is a condition which many children have been made to understand by bitter
experience, divorce has forced the progeny of broken marriages to suffer
...
King talks about should be reserved for parents who abandon their children so they can be divorced
...
While many of their friends
are entering the three legged contest at family picnics, they end up sharing chicken pot pie with one of their
parents
...
However there are more that do
...
Can’t the Lord give the priest or rabii a sign? If it is against antireligion to separate from your mate, why does the Lord allow such things? Doesn’t the divine being know
whether a man and a woman would remain married or not?
Divorce is almost as difficult as marriage
...
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HOW ESSAYS ARE JUDGED AND GRADED
125
Your observations:
The first reader commented: “There’s a good deal of passion in this essay, a quality that makes the essay
quite readable, but the writer’s deep feelings tend to interfere with the clarity of its message
...
’ The
third paragraph includes questions about the nature of a supreme being that seem out of place in what is
meant to be a discussion of problems related to divorce
...
Despite these merits, the flaws in the essay outweigh its strengths
...
Iliana opens with a direct, although somewhat awkward, statement of intent: ‘The way I would make things
better is in divorce,’ but she fails to offer evidence in support of this idea
...
Iliana raises worthwhile issues about marriage and divorce in the second paragraph, and in the third
paragraph asks profound questions about the role of religion in marriage
...
Instead, she employs a kind of stream of consciousness, apparently spilling ideas onto the page
as they occur to her
...
The flowers in Spring,
The robins that sing,
The sunbeams that shine
They’re yours,
They’re mine!
And love can come to everyone,
The best things in life are free
...
G
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Assignment
...
” Support your position with evidence and reasoning drawn from your studies, reading, experience, or observation
...
Now almost everything costs money, and even if you
don’t have to take out your Visa card and pay for it then and there, there are hidden costs that can’t really
be calculated
...
Sure it’s free to enter the
park and stroll along
...
For
one thing, there is clothes and footgear
...
Just living in a place that
has a park to walk in also costs money—in taxes, rent, mortgages, and the regular expenses of maintaining
a decent lifestyle
...
How about something more profound? What most
people value above all else is freedom—not just the freedoms granted in the Bill of Rights but the freedom
to be what we can be, the freedom to love and associate with who we please, the freedom to live in a safe
environment, free from violence and harm, freedom to go to school or go anyplace at any time without worrying about the government watching or breathing down your neck, and even the freedom to help others
gain their freedom like the U
...
has done in Afghanistan and has been trying to do in Iraq at the cost of billions and billions of dollars, not to speak of the expense of death and human suffering
...
Whoever said there’s no such thing as a free lunch knew what they were talking about
...
’ The paragraphs
that follow amplify and explain the costs, first of something mundane and ordinary like a walk in the park,
and then something abstract, namely the price of freedom
...
“In spite of this lapse, the progression of ideas testifies to a high level of critical thinking
...
The essay isn’t perfect, but it creates the impression that Tucker is a highly gifted writer
...
The piece is extremely well focused on the issue, admirably organized,
and very clearly presented in interesting and readable prose
...
All in all, the essay demonstrates not only the writer’s maturity but also his control
of written language
...
I enjoy vacationing in warm climates which is costly
...
Then once you get to your destination you will need a place to stay
...
Shopping, which can be done almost anywhere, is often times expensive
...
Bathing suits can cost you about $150 a
suit and everyone likes new suits, especially after the old ones become sun-bleached
...
Scuba diving is probably one of the most incredible things I have ever done in my life time
...
Image yourself in a giant room filled with water and you are just hanging out in the
center of the room
...
This sport isn’t cheap, its not like kicking a ball around a field
...
Its true that money doesn’t buy happiness
but some of the things that I think are great are expensive
...
Inadvertently or not, Emily comes across as a strong, decisive character who knows what she likes and has
no trouble articulating her beliefs
...
Yet, she has produced a standard fiveparagraph essay with a clear introduction, three paragraphs of development, and a reasonable conclusion
...
“In spite of its flaws, the essay demonstrates adequate mastery
...
She is aware of the freebies mentioned in the song, but she has little interest in sunbeams and love
...
’
“The essay is generally well-organized, although the sequence of vacationing, shopping, and scubadiving are not precisely parallel
...
Also, the paragraph about scuba-diving deals mostly with the nature of the underwater experience rather
than with the expense, which is the focus of the other paragraphs and of the essay as a whole
...
“To each his own” as they say, to me
the best things in life are love, happiness, peace, and freedom
...
You can find love with your parent, friend or even pet dog—this love can be unconditional,
and costing only effort
...
By
doing a favor or even helping someone at your own expense can cost absolutely nothing except a cramp in
your smile! Peace and freedom come along in life, it may be something you earn or deserve, it’s like a
stamp that’s sealed in you at birth “I’m a free individual—in a free world, free to do what I want”! Peace
comes from love and freedom you can give it or receive it, and it might not affect your bank account! To the
individual it’s opinionated as to what the “things” are in life that are free
...
The formlessness of the argument may spring from the writer’s intent to discuss “love, happiness, peace, and freedom” in one short essay
...
In the hands of Josephine, the essay turns into a
potpourri of generalizations, clichés, and miscellaneous observations that in the end prove nothing except that
the writer’s reach far exceeded her grasp
...
It proposes a main idea (‘I agree with this sentiment that truly the best things in life are free’), but incoherent supporting material obscures meaning
...
Errors in sentence structure constitute but one of several writing problems in this writer’s seriously flawed prose
...
Use the essay as an opportunity
to show how clearly and effectively you can
express and develop ideas
...
Include specific evidence or examples to support your
point of view
...
The number of words is up to
you, but quantity is less important than quality
...
You’ll have enough space if you write on
every line and avoid wide margins
...
If you finish in less than 25 minutes, check
your work
...
Because it’s virtually
impossible to write the same essay twice, try writing on the same prompt over and over, each time
choosing another point of view
...
SAT prompts typically begin with a short passage or quotation followed by a related question,
which you are to answer in your essay
...
1
...
That’s why most of us, whether we intend to
or not, say one thing but often do another
...
Assignment: Is the common tendency to often
say one thing but do another built into our
nature, or is it something that experience
teaches us to do?
2
...
That alltoo-human tendency to feel pain of a loss more
deeply than the joy of a gain is called ‘loss
aversion
...
After rescuing a dozen men and women from a
burning office building, Jim Smith, a New York
City fire fighter, commented, “Courage is just a
matter of luck—of being in the right place at
the right time
...
“While walking in her neighborhood, a friend
saw a man who had tied a fishing line around a
turtle’s throat and was letting his kids drag it
up and down the path
...
Turtles are toxic; they secrete poison that may make your kids horribly sick
...
Was this lie justified?”
From a letter by David Weinrich, published
in “The Ethicist” by Randy Cohen, New York
Times Magazine, January 16, 2005
Assignment: Is lying acceptable or even obligatory at times?
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5
...
”
8
...
”
Assignment: Can ignorance ever be better than
knowledge?
Assignment: Is there always a gain from experiencing hardship?
6
...
It is a matter
of choice
...
”
9
...
”
Richard Bach
Carl W
...
“Suppose we were able to share meanings
freely without a compulsive urge to impose our
view or conform to those of others and without
distortion and self-deception
...
“I cannot believe the purpose of life is to be
happy
...
It is, above all, to matter, to count, to stand for
something, to have made a difference that you
lived at all
...
A solid grounding in basic English grammar
will help you succeed
...
For one thing, you can
study!
To begin, read this chapter
...
Like any
complex system of rules, grammar takes time to
learn
...
But don’t get bogged
down trying to memorize every detail
...
You could also borrow a grammar book from
your English teacher or from the library
...
webgrammar
...
or www
...
com/factgram
...
If time is short between
now and test day, read and absorb as much of this
chapter as you can
...
At the very least, become
familiar with the format of the test questions
...
Errors in standard English usage and grammar
2
...
“Standard” usage is the level of
usage accepted by literate people who, in a
general way, occupy positions of leadership
and influence in society
...
”
All the sentence-improvement questions on the
SAT begin with a sentence in which a part, or
sometimes the entire sentence, is underlined
...
Your job is to choose the version
that is expressed most clearly and concisely in
standard English and is free of errors in grammar
and usage
...
If you think the original version is better than any of the alternatives, mark
choice A on your answer sheet
...
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SAMPLE SENTENCE IMPROVEMENT
QUESTIONS
Type 1: Sentences Containing Errors
in Grammar or Usage
Because Lucy was furious, she speaks loudly
...
By using speaks, a verb in the present
tense, rather than spoke (past tense), or will speak
(future tense), or some other tense of the verb, the
writer intends to convey the fact that the action is
taking place at the present time
...
For example, it is nonsense, to say Mike
walked to school after he gets out of bed, but it is
perfectly acceptable to say Mike walked to school
after he got out of bed
...
The sentence, however, begins in the past tense,
saying that Lucy was furious
...
Choice
A, therefore, is not a good answer
...
Choice C has another kind of problem
...
But the words and she
spoke fail to do that
...
In addition, as she spoke
turns the construction into a sentence fragment—an
incomplete sentence
...
(For more details on the use of verb tenses, turn to
pages 148–149
...
(A) Great enjoyment was experienced by me
at the wedding of my sister
(B) The experience of my sister’s wedding was
greatly enjoyed
(C) Being at my sister’s wedding was an experience of great enjoyment
(D) I greatly enjoyed my sister’s wedding
(E) A greatly enjoyable experience for me was
the wedding of my sister
Here the whole sentence is underlined
...
Effective writing should be clear, brief, and
bold, and of the five choices, only choice D has
those qualities
...
Because enjoyment is the subject of this
sentence, it receives the primary emphasis, leaving
my sister in a secondary, or passive, role
...
Choice C includes the awkwardly-worded
phrase an experience of great enjoyment
...
Compare it to the correct answer, choice
D, which expresses the idea succinctly
...
)
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IMPROVING SENTENCES QUESTIONS
Type 3: Sentences Containing Errors
in Standard English Usage
Cape Canaveral was renamed Cape Kennedy
shortly after JFK was assassinated, its original
name was given back to it ten years later
...
The first is punctuation
...
To
avoid this so-called comma splice, use (1) a semicolon, or (2) a period and a capital letter for the
second sentence
...
The second problem is wordiness
...
And the third problem is awkwardness
...
Which, then, is the best choice?
Choice A repeats the original
...
Choice B adds the conjunction and but omits
the comma ordinarily placed between the two parts
of a compound sentence
...
Choice C avoids the problems of the other
choices
...
Choice D contains a comma splice
...
Choice E contains a sentence fragment
...
135
It probably took you a few minutes to read the
explanations of the three sample sentences
...
Some questions will have definite right and wrong answers;
others require judgment
...
Some items may contain multiple errors, others just one
...
Others test
your understanding of sentence structure and writing style
...
The majority,
however, relate to one of the following:
Problems in Style and Expression
Wordiness, page 136
Awkwardness, page 137
Faulty word choice, page 138
Faulty idiom, page 138
Problems in Sentence Structure
Sentence fragments, page 139
Run-on sentences, page 141
Semicolon errors, page 142
Comma splices, page 142
Mismatched sentence parts, page 143
Faulty coordination and subordination,
page 143
Faulty parallelism, page 146
Mixed construction, page 147
Shifts in grammatical subject, page 148
Shifts in verb tense, page 148
Shifts from active to passive
construction, page 150
Misplaced modifiers, page 151
Dangling modifiers, page 151
Problems in Standard English Usage
Subject–verb agreement, page 152
Faulty verb forms and tenses, page 156
Use of pronouns
Faulty pronoun case, page 157
Shifts in pronoun person, page 159
Pronoun–antecedent agreement,
page 159
Faulty pronoun reference, page 161
Faulty comparisons, page 163
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PROBLEMS IN STYLE AND EXPRESSION
Roughly 25% of the sentence-improvement questions on the SAT test your ability to pick out the
best, clearest, and most cogently written sentences
...
2
...
4
...
Omit needless words
...
Choose precise words
...
Avoid awkward and clumsy expression
...
Read the material and answer the sample questions
...
Wordiness
Sentences cluttered with unnecessary words are
less effective than tightly written sentences in
which every word matters
...
Look also for clauses that can be shortened to phrases and phrases that can be recast as
single words
...
During the months of July and August
last summer, I had a wonderful summer
vacation
...
2
...
The sentence is overweight with redundancies
...
Sample Questions Containing Wordiness
1
...
(A) Among the many numerous threats in the
contemporary world in which we live are
both the threat of global warming and the
threat of terrorism
(B) Among the many threats we face in the
contemporary world in which we live are
global warming and the threat of terrorism
(C) Both global warming and terrorism are two
of the many threats faced by today’s world
(D) Today’s world faces, among many other
threats, global warming and terrorism
(E) We live in a contemporary world facing,
among many other threats, the threats of
global warming and terrorism
Choice A, in addition to repeating threat, contains two redundancies
...
(After all, where else do we live
except in the contemporary world?)
Choice B contains the redundant phrases contemporary world and in which we live
...
Choice C contains the redundant words both
and two
...
It is the best answer
...
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IMPROVING SENTENCES QUESTIONS
2
...
(A) Because she was a girl was the reason
why Emma felt she was deprived of a
place playing on the varsity football team
(B) Emma felt that she was kept from playing
on the varsity football team because she
was a girl
(C) Because she was a girl, Emma gave as a
reason why she was deprived of a place to
play on the varsity football team
(D) Emma, a girl, feeling the reason why she
was deprived of a place on the varsity football team
(E) A girl, Emma, felt that she could not play
on the varsity football team
Choice A contains the redundancy the reason
why
...
In
addition, the phrase place playing is awkwardly
expressed
...
It is the best answer
...
Delete to play
...
In addition, the construction is a sentence
fragment
...
(For more details and a practice exercise on trimming needless words, turn to page 94
...
Most
often, though, awkwardness occurs when the words
sound peculiar, jarring, or out of tune
...
Much of the time you must rely on
your ear to detect odd and clumsily worded sentences because there are no specific rules that can
explain their defects except that they fail to conform to standard English idiom
...
Inside the cave, Justin’s eyes did not adjust to
the dark as quickly as Ellie’s did, this is being
why she found the skull and not he
...
Choice B uses him, an object pronoun, instead
of he, a subject pronoun
...
Choice C is standard usage and is properly
punctuated
...
Choice D contains which being, an awkward,
nonstandard usage
...
Choice E contains the redundancy the reason
why
...
Also him should be he
...
Vertical take-off and landing aircraft get their
fixed-wing capability from high-speed air
pumped from slots in the trailing edges of their
rotors, in which it increases the airflow over
them to create lift
...
Choice B eliminates the awkwardness and is
concise
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Choice C is not awkward but it contains a
comma splice
...
Choice E is awkward and ungrammatical
...
For example:
The poem contains illusions to Greek mythology
...
The boys ran a fowl of the law when they
shoplifted the DVD
...
Sample Questions Containing
Faulty Word Choice
1
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Marissa holded her father in disrespect by
Marissa showed disrespect for her father by
Marissa was disrespecting her father by
Disrespecting Marissa’s father by
Having shown disrespect for her father by
Choice A uses reliability instead of reliance, an
example of faulty diction
...
Choice C contains mismatched sentence parts;
in standard usage a noun (quality) may not be
defined by a clause (they must rely
...
Choice D correctly conveys the meaning of the
sentence
...
Choice E contains faulty idiom
...
Faulty Idiom
An idiom usually consists of a group of words that
seems absurd if taken literally
...
The expression “that’s cool” is not
related to temperature, and so on
...
On the SAT, the word idiom refers not only to
such expressions but also to idiomatic usage—that
is, to the selection and sequence of words used to
convey a meaning
...
Nancy has a negative opinion towards me
...
Use held instead of holded
...
It is the best answer
...
The correct form
of the verb is has disrespected
...
The meaning of each sentence is clear, but the italicized sections don’t conform to standard English
usage
...
Another quality common to fire fighters is their
reliability on their fellow fire fighters
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
to fire fighters is their reliability on
of fire fighters is to depend on
to fire fighters is they must rely on
to fire fighters is their reliance on
to fire fighters is his reliability for
As regards to her future, Tina said she’d go to
college
...
With regard to her future, Tina said she’d go to
college
...
Stopping at a dime is what the engineers were
after when they designed brakes for the highspeed train
...
The expression is on a dime, not at a dime
...
Choice D uses the correct idiom
...
Choice E uses the correct idiom but changes
the meaning by saying that the engineers, not the
train, wanted to stop on a dime
...
Einstein’s theory of relativity is, for most of us,
one that is with difficult understanding
...
Choice C is idiomatic but it fails to relate logically to the previous part of the sentence
...
It is the best answer
...
139
PROBLEMS IN SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Sentence Fragments
Broadly speaking, a sentence is a group of words
that begins with a capital letter and ends with an
end mark of punctuation
...
Incomplete sentences, or sentence fragments,
often look remarkably like complete sentences but
are not because of one or more grammatical
defects
...
This fragment seems to have all the characteristics
of a sentence: It starts with a capital letter and ends
with a period, it conveys a complete thought
(Martha often borrowed the bike is a complete
thought), and it appears to contain a subject and a
verb
...
A bike, an inanimate object, can’t do any
borrowing—not in this world, anyway
...
Therefore, bike needs a verb of its own
...
With the addition of was stolen, the sentence is
now complete
...
To determine whether a sentence is complete, uncover its bare bones
...
If what remains does not have
a subject and a verb, it’s probably a fragment
...
Using this approach, you’ll strip away
everything in a sentence but its subject and verb, a
task that may be easier said than done
...
To find the “bare bones” of a sentence:
Step 1: Look for prepositional phrases, such as up
the wall, around the corner, to the beach, over the
counter, and cross them out
...
Complete sentence:
Bare bones:
Complete sentence:
Bare bones:
Complete sentence:
Bare bones:
In the middle of the night,
Pricilla slept
...
Several are
One of Frida’s friends is in
need of help
...
Another group of dependent
clauses are statements (not questions) that start
with when, where, which, who, and what
...
That’s where to find the bare bones of each
sentence
...
Marnie wept
While Willie waited for the
bus, he studied vocabulary
he studied
Andy helps out whenever
he has the time
Andy helps out
Step 3: Look for and delete interrupters—those
parts of sentences that impede the smooth flow of
the main idea
...
They’re often set off by commas
...
Ellen rejoiced
The boat, a sleek white
catamaran, sank
...
Marty paid
Frankly, identifying the bare bones of a sentence is often a more complex process than that
suggested by these examples
...
But by carefully peeling away sentence parts that cannot contain the subject or verb,
you’ll eventually find them
...
During the night, the stars that came out like
diamonds on black velvet
...
Now
delete any dependent clauses; there is only one:
that came out
...
Choice A, therefore, is wrong because it is a
sentence fragment
...
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IMPROVING SENTENCES QUESTIONS
141
Choices C and E are also wrong because
which, like that, introduces a dependent clause
...
Stars is the subject of the sentence,
and came is the verb
...
2
...
Adding but solves the problem
...
Another possibility is
writing two separate sentences:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
A belief among superstitious people that
Superstitious people believe that
Superstitious people believing that
Among superstitious people the belief that
Among beliefs of superstitious people are
that
Analyze the sentence with the same technique
used in question 1—by deleting all prepositional
phrases and dependent clauses
...
Choice A has a grammatical subject, belief, but
the construction is a fragment because it lacks a
main verb
...
Choice B contains both a subject, people, and a
verb, believe
...
Choice C contains a subject, people, but no
verb
...
Choice D has neither a subject nor a verb
because the construction is made up only of
phrases and a dependent clause
...
Run-on Sentences
A run-on sentence consists of two independent
clauses separated by neither a conjunction (and,
but, or, nor, yet, or so) nor an appropriate mark of
punctuation, as in:
Birthstones are supposed to bring good luck
mine has never brought me any
...
Birthstones are supposed to bring good luck
...
Separating the sentences with a semicolon is also
an acceptable alternative
...
Note, however, that the initial letter of the second sentence is not capitalized:
Birthstones are supposed to bring good luck;
mine has never brought me any
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
milk they drank
milk; preferring to drink
milk drinking
milk, so they drank
milk so they drank
Choice A is a run-on
...
Choice B is not a good alternative because a
semicolon functions like a period, and the second
clause is now a sentence fragment
...
Choices D has a conjunction so, preceded by a
comma
...
Choice E lacks the comma required before the
conjunction so
...
Remember that a
semicolon is a substitute for a period, NOT for a
comma
...
Incorrect:
On the test Lucy got a 90; which
raised her final average
...
Correct:
On the test Lucy got a 90; this
grade raised her final average
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
year; depending
year; all depending
year depending
year, it depends
year, depending
Choices A and B consist of an independent
clause and a sentence fragment—in this case a participial phrase—improperly separated by a semicolon
...
Choice D is a comma splice (see discussion
that follows)
...
The first part is an independent
clause, the second a participial phrase
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
authors, she is known
authors; she is known
authors famous
authors since known
authors being that she is known
Choice A is a comma splice
...
Choice B is correct because it uses a semicolon
to separate two independent clauses
...
Choice C needs a comma to be correct
...
Practice in Writing Correct Sentences
Directions: Some of the following are sentence
fragments, others are run-ons, and still others contain comma splices
...
1
...
2
...
Comma Splices
A form of run-on sentence is the comma splice, a
construction in which a comma is used between
two independent clauses instead of a period or a
semicolon
...
My grandmother is 86 years old therefore she
walks very slowly
...
Many other examples that I could choose to
show who I am, many of them not vivid
images of memorable moments, but everyday
aspects of my life
...
Using the space below, telling one story about
yourself to provide the admissions committee,
either directly or indirectly, with an insight into
the kind of person you are
...
I woke up, having slept for the four shortest
hours of my life, I force open my eyes and I
crawl to the shower then my brain begins to
function
...
6
...
Mismatched Sentence Parts
Sentences work best when their components fit
harmoniously and grammatically together
...
A breakdown in logic or clear thinking may
also account for an error, as when two ideas
expressed in a compound sentence are unrelated
...
Faulty Coordination
7
...
8
...
9
...
In everyday conversation people often use lengthy
compound sentences made up of several short sentences joined by and, so, or other conjunctions:
In school on Tuesday the lights went out, and
we were in the dark for more than an hour, and
the electricity was off, so we couldn’t use the
computers, and we heard that a car had hit a
utility pole, and the driver was killed, and they
let us go home early
...
Yet, it is stylistically
flawed, not because it’s monotonous but because
each idea appears in an independent clause, suggesting that all the ideas are equally important
...
Faulty
coordination occurs (1) when it is illogical or inappropriate to assign equal importance to two or
more coordinate clauses, or (2) when the connecting word fails to create a reasonable relationship
between the clauses
...
The two coordinate clauses state seemingly unrelated ideas, obviously of unequal importance
...
In
other words, making clauses dependent reduces the
significance of the information they contain,
thereby changing the effect of the sentence:
Sample Questions Containing
Faulty Coordination
1
...
(A) and she has not yet sent in her application
(B) and she hasn’t sent her application in yet
(C) but her application hasn’t as yet been sent
in by her
(D) yet the sending of the application has not
yet been done
...
Sheridan has become the new assistant
principal, and she has never taught
...
Choice B has the same problem as choice A
...
Choice D switches subjects and is awkwardly
worded
...
It is the best answer
...
My weekend job at The GAP will help me as a
marketing major, and I am learning about retail
selling
...
Sheridan has become the new assistant
principal, although she has never taught
...
What follows is a sentence in which the conjunction and fails to convey a meaningful relationship between the ideas in the two clauses
...
Maintaining the
subject helps readers glide easily from one clause
to the next without realigning their focus
...
Plan is the subject of the first clause; failure is the
subject of the second
...
The pronoun it keeps the subject in focus from one
clause to the next
...
Choice B properly changes the second clause
into a phrase, but the change results in a dangling
participle
...
It
is the best answer
...
Choice E, despite the revision, fails to correct
the original problem
...
Here, for instance, are two statements:
Joe rushed to school
...
145
A new subordinating conjunction clarifies the
meaning
...
The meaning may be clear, but the context where is
not standard usage
...
Another problem concerns the placement of
emphasis
...
I arrived home from school and I received my
acceptance letter from Ohio State
...
Stating the more significant event in the main
clause places the emphasis where it belongs:
While he rushed to school, Joe ate a tuna
sandwich
...
or
While he ate a tuna sandwich, Joe rushed to
school
...
The subordinate clause in both sentences
begins with while, one of many common subordinating conjunctions
...
The presence of one of these conjunctions in a sentence-improvement question should alert you to the
possibility of faulty subordination
...
The subordinating conjunction while obscures both
the meaning of the sentence and the relationship
between the two statements
...
Sample Questions Containing
Faulty Subordination
1
...
(A) Pedro is a new student in the school, and
he comes from Portugal
(B) Pedro, being from Portugal, is a new student in the school
(C) Pedro, a new student in the school, comes
from Portugal
(D) Pedro, a new student in the school and a
native of Portugal
(E) Pedro is a new student from Portugal in
the school
Choice A is grammatically correct, but it would
be more effective if one clause were subordinated
to the other
...
Choice C properly subordinates one idea and
embeds it in the main clause
...
Choice D is a sentence fragment
...
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2
...
(A) When he suddenly started to grin like an
imbecile, I was walking with him in the park
(B) While I walked with him in the park, he
suddenly started to grin like an imbecile
(C) Suddenly starting to grin like an imbecile,
he was walking in the park with me
(D) He grinned suddenly like an imbecile and
walked in the park with me
(E) Walking in the park with me and suddenly
grinning like an imbecile
Choice A is incorrect because it places the
more important idea in the subordinate clause
...
It is the best answer
...
Choice D is wrong because it changes the
meaning of the original sentence
...
Faulty Parallelism
Faulty parallelism occurs most often when an item
in a series is not grammatically parallel to the others, when a sentence is constructed of mixed, or
unrelated parts, and when the subject or tense of a
verb changes from one part of a sentence to
another
...
That is to say, their structure should be
repeated using the same parts of speech in the same
order
...
Without parallelism, you get jumbles
such as this:
Today a television newscaster must be attractive and a lot of charm
...
Revise the sentence
by making both words nouns or both words adjectives that modify nouns, as in
Today a television newscaster must have good
looks and charm
...
Another example:
Eighteen-year-olds are too young to sign contracts, but they may have been driving for
years
...
The second clause, however, takes an unexpected
and perplexing turn by changing the verb to the
past perfect
...
Or written more concisely:
Eighteen-year-olds are permitted to drive but
not to sign contracts
...
Students lacking financial resources can still
go to college because they can borrow money
from banks, hold part-time jobs, and scholarships are available
...
Choice B contains constructions that are not
parallel to the structure of borrow money from
banks
...
It is the best answer
...
2
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
its durability
if it is durable
the durability of it
the ability of the item to last
how durable it is
The sentence contains three elements that must
be in parallel form
...
Only choice E follows this pattern;
therefore, choice E is the best answer
...
Mixed Construction
A variation of faulty parallelism is mixed construction, which occurs when the beginning of a sentence doesn’t fit grammatically or logically with
the end
...
The grammatical subject goal appears to have been
forgotten in the second half of the sentence because
the verb is hoping lacks an appropriate subject
...
With a compound sentence containing two subjects
and two verbs, the problem is solved
...
147
Another example:
When Lana came to school with a black eye
was a signal that she is an abused child
...
Lana’s coming to school with a black eye was
a signal that she is an abused child
...
Sample Questions Containing
Mixed Construction
1
...
(A) there was a nationwide search for the
missing author had started
(B) there was the beginning of a nationwide
search for the missing author
(C) a nationwide search for the missing author
will have began
(D) there begun a nationwide search for the
missing author
(E) a nationwide search for the missing author
began
Choice A is wrong because it contains a subject, search, with two verbs of different tenses, was
and had started
...
Choice C contains an error in verb form—will
have began instead of will have begun
...
Choice E, a clause that grammatically and logically fits the previous part of the sentence, is the
best answer
...
The story is about how loyalty to a friend can
create a moral crisis, but where it challenges
conventional values
...
Choice B uses whereas, a word that lacks a
logical relationship with the rest of the sentence
...
It is the best answer
...
Choice E is an awkwardly worded and almost
meaningless construction
...
For example:
To fix a flat tire, I jack up the car, and then the
damaged tire is removed
...
In the second
clause the subject is tire, a shift to the passive voice
that weakens the effectiveness of the whole
sentence
...
When the grammatical subject is maintained, parallelism is restored, and the sentence is active and
concise
...
(A) now a giant fund-raising drive was being
undertaken by them
(B) it had undertaken a giant fund-raising drive
now
(C) has now undertaken a giant fund-raising
drive
(D) now they have taken a giant fund-raising
drive
(E) now, having undertaken a giant fund-raising drive
Choice A switches the grammatical subject
from board in the first clause to drive in the second, resulting in a long-winded, passive sentence
...
Choice C maintains the subject and is concisely worded
...
Choice D contains the plural pronoun they,
which fails to agree with its singular antecedent,
board
...
Shifts in Verb Tense
Sentences lose their effectiveness and sometimes
their meaning when an inappropriate shift in the
tense of verbs occurs from one part to another, as
in
Before it went out of business, the video store
gives its DVDs away
...
When cast in the past tense from start
to finish, the sentence reads:
Before it went out of business, the video store
gave its DVDs away
...
She ate pasta every day
...
Monica has eaten pasta every
day
...
They all will have eaten pasta
every day
...
(Present Progressive)
Rose was swimming
...
(Future Progressive)
I have been swimming
...
(Past Perfect)
They will have been swimming
...
Someone not
attuned to the different meaning that each tense
conveys may say something like this:
When her little brother was born, Sarah was
toilet trained for six months
...
The revised version, using the past perfect verb had
been, indicates that the action (Sarah’s toilet training) had taken place prior to her brother’s birth
...
Notice also the difference in meaning between
these two sentences:
There was a condo where the park was
...
The meaning of the first sentence may be clear, but
it says that the condo and the park were in the same
place at the same time
...
These are subtle differences, perhaps explaining why the SAT frequently includes questions
containing errors in verb tense
...
Sample Questions Containing a Shift
in Verb Tense
1
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
invites him to try out
has invited him to try out
invited him to try out
had invited him to try out
inviting him for trying out
Choice A, with a verb in the present tense, is
inconsistent with the past perfect tense of the verb
had been working
...
Choice C correctly conveys the sequence of
events
...
Choice D uses only the past perfect tense
...
Choice E uses faulty idiom
...
The report said that years ago city planners
had envisioned building a facility that turns salt
water into fresh water, and financial woes
make that impossible
...
Present
financial woes are unrelated to plans made years in
the past
...
It is the best answer
...
For more details and a practice exercise in verb
tenses, turn to page 180
...
For instance, in the following passive sentence, the action (scoring touchdowns) is given
greater emphasis than the performer of the action
(the team):
Three touchdowns were scored by the team
...
On the SAT, sentences that shift from active to passive, and sometimes vice-versa, often need revision, as in:
After Dan worked all day in the hot sun, a
shower was taken to cool off
...
After Dan worked all day in the hot sun, he
took a shower to cool off
...
Throughout the sentence-improvement sections
of the SAT, stay alert for passive sentences
...
Sample Questions Containing a Shift
from Active to Passive Construction
1
...
(A) Richmond; however, for Christmas a trip to
Syracuse was made by her
(B) Richmond, however, for Christmas a trip to
Syracuse was made by her
(C) Richmond but for Christmas a trip to Syracuse was made by her
(D) Richmond, but however, she took a trip to
Syracuse for Christmas
(E) Richmond, but for Christmas she went to
Syracuse
Choice A switches from active to passive construction for no logical reason
...
Choice C switches from active to passive construction for no logical reason
...
Choice E is consistently active and is free of
other errors
...
2
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
a big profit was made
the result were making a big profit
the factory owners had made big profits
making big profits were the result
resulting in a big profit
Choice A is a passive construction that appropriately emphasizes the result of an action rather
than who performed it
...
Choice B is active but the plural verb were fails
to agree with the singular subject result
...
Choice D is passive and contains a singular
subject with a plural verb
...
For more details and practice in changing sentences from passive to active, turn to page 93
...
When they are far apart, sentences like this
may result:
The fellow in the blue SUV with the long hair
must be on his way to the concert
...
With the misplaced phrase in its proper
place, the sentence reads:
The fellow with the long hair in the blue SUV
must be on his way to the concert
...
Otherwise, you may have a dangling modifier on your
hands, as in:
Hurrying to chemistry lab, the bell rang
...
To fix this
so-called dangling modifier, the object being modified (in this case, the person rushing to class) must
be included in the main clause
...
The grammatical subject, Simon, is now properly
modified by the participle hurrying to his chemistry
lab
...
For example:
Dangling:
Climbing the ladder, Pete’s head
knocked over the paint can
...
But look again, and you’ll notice that it
says Pete’s head climbed a ladder
...
Adding the noun Pete eliminates the dangling
modifier
...
The plaque was presented to the actor that
was engraved with gold letters
(A) The plaque was presented to the actor that
was engraved with gold letters
(B) The plaque that was presented to the actor
engraved with gold letters
(C) The plaque was presented to the actor
who was engraved with gold letters
(D) The plaque, engraved with gold letters,
and presented to the actor
(E) The plaque presented to the actor was
engraved with gold letters
Choice A is wrong because the clause that was
engraved with gold letters modifies actor instead
of plaque
...
Choice C is a variation of choice A
...
Choice E has its modifiers in the right place
and is a complete sentence
...
2
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Driving to Litchfield
While we drove to Litchfield
En route to Litchfield
To drive to Litchfield
We drove to Litchfield and
Choice A contains a dangling modifier
...
Choice B contains we, the subject who performed the action
...
Choice C contains the same dangling modifier
as choice A
...
Choice E is a sentence consisting of coordinate
clauses that would be more effectively expressed if
one clause were subordinated to the other
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
PROBLEMS IN STANDARD USAGE
Subject–Verb Agreement
Sentence-improvement questions on the SAT
always include items that test your command of the
following rule: Subjects and verbs must agree in
number
...
That’s easy enough to remember, but
in the following circumstances it is not so easy to
apply
...
When intervening words obscure the relationship between the subject and verb, as in:
Delivery (singular subject) of today’s newspapers and magazines have been (plural verb)
delayed
...
The plural noun magazines can mislead the writer into using a plural verb
...
Or with matched plural subject and verb:
Deliveries of today’s newspapers and magazines have been delayed
...
One of his paintings, in addition to several photos, is on display at the library
...
2
...
For example,
a
...
The picture and the text (compound subject) go (plural verb) inside this box
...
b
...
Green eggs and ham (compound subject
as a unit) is (singular verb) Sam’s favorite
breakfast
...
c
...
A Coke or a Pepsi (two nouns joined by or)
is (singular verb) what I thirst for
...
d
...
Either a pineapple or some oranges are on
the table
...
e
...
Neither Meredith nor you are expected to
finish the work today
...
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IMPROVING SENTENCES QUESTIONS
f
...
The bulk of Wilkinson’s work is two novels
and a collection of stories
...
3
...
The names of
books, countries, organizations, certain diseases, course titles, and other singular nouns
may sound like plurals because they end in –s,
but most of the time—although not always—
they require a singular verb
...
Measles is going around the school
...
When the subject is sometimes singular and
sometimes plural, the number of the verb
depends on the context
...
A family, for
example, is singular
...
The family (members) are arriving for the wedding at different times
...
Other words and expressions
governed by the same rule are units of time,
money, weight, measurement, and all fractions
...
The jury are returning to their homes tomorrow
...
When the subject word is an indefinite pronoun
...
Some indefinite pronouns must be matched
with singular verbs, some with plural verbs, and
some with one or the other, depending on the
sense of the sentence
...
153
a
...
Each man and woman in the room gets
only one vote
...
”
b
...
In spite of rumors to the contrary, both are
on the verge of a nervous breakdown
...
c
...
Some of the collection is valuable
...
Some of the bracelets are fake
...
6
...
When
the subject of a sentence follows the verb, the
verb takes its number from the subject, as
usual
...
Behind the building were an alley and a vacant
lot (compound subject)
...
Thinking it over, the solution to many people’s
problems with unwanted phone calls are
stricter laws and Caller ID
...
Choices B and C are wrong because they contain
dangling modifiers
...
Choice D contains a singular subject and verb
and is grammatically correct
...
Choice E has the same problem as choice A
...
Locate the error and
write the corrected version in the space provided
...
1
...
2
...
3
...
2
...
(A) of giving scholarships and other rewards to
good athletes have gotten out of hand
(B) of giving scholarships and granting
rewards for good athletic ability have gotten out of hand
(C) of scholarships and other rewards for good
athletes has gotten out of hand
(D) has become out of hand when scholarships and rewards for good athletes
(E) of rewarding good athletes with scholarships are out of hand
Choice A is wrong because it uses a plural
verb, have, that fails to agree with the singular subject, problem
...
Choice C contains a verb that agrees in number
with the subject
...
Choice D is an incomplete construction
...
4
...
5
...
6
...
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IMPROVING SENTENCES QUESTIONS
155
7
...
13
...
8
...
14
...
9
...
McCallum
were told that their jobs were in danger
...
Nancy, along with her friend Sluggo, appear to
be coming down the escalator
...
Many Democratic senators contend that
reforms in the tax system has not brought
about the economic growth that had been
predicted
...
The sale of computers in a market that has
nearly a billion potential customers have created enormous hope for the company’s future
...
Here’s the two statutes to which the defense
lawyer referred during the trial
...
Learning to read the daily box scores printed in
the newspaper is a desirable thing to do by any
fan who expect to develop a deep understanding of baseball
...
The commissioner’s insistence on high ethical
standards are transforming the city’s police
force
...
Politics on both the national and local level
have always been one of Dave’s passions
...
No one in the drum corps, in spite of how they
all feel about the issue, want to participate in
the rally
...
According to school policy, there is to be two
security guards stationed in the playground
during recess to protect the children
...
Faulty Verb Forms
Verb tenses convey information about when an
action occurs
...
To express future action, add will
before the present tense: will walk, will cry, will
type
...
A problem arises, however, with irregular
verbs—those verbs that don’t follow the usual pattern
...
Sentence errors occur
when the wrong form is used
...
The problem is that the –ing form cannot be used
as the main verb unless accompanied by a helping
verb, as in:
Julie, at the box office, has been selling movie
tickets to the 7:00 show
...
Other helping verbs include is, was, will
be, and other forms of the verb to be
...
In spite of the cold and discomfort of making
the journey, Max was glad to have underwent
the experience of seeing the northern lights
...
Use have undergone instead
...
Choice C uses the verb in its proper form
...
Choice D uses faulty idiom and makes little
sense
...
2
...
(A) skillfully probing his guest’s knowledge of
the scandal, but showing
(B) who skillfully probed his guest’s knowledge
of the scandal, but showing
(C) skillfully probed his guest’s knowledge of
the scandal, showed
(D) he was skilled in probing his guest’s knowledge of the scandal, and showed
(E) skillfully probing his guest’s knowledge of
the scandal, showed
Choices A and B are sentence fragments
...
Choice C is an incomplete construction
...
Choice D is a mixed construction
...
Choice E is free of grammatical errors
...
Still other errors involving verbs occur when the
writer uses the wrong tense
...
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IMPROVING SENTENCES QUESTIONS
For more details and a practice exercise in verb
forms, turn to page 181
...
Almost as troublesome—but not quite—
are the possessive pronouns my, mine, his, her,
hers, your, yours, our, ours, their, and theirs
...
For example, you’d never say to the bus driver, “Let I off at
the corner
...
Group 1
I
he
she
it
they
we
you
Group 2
me
him
her
it
them
us
you
In grammatical terms, the pronouns in Group 1 are
in the nominative case; pronouns in Group 2 are in
the objective case
...
You may
not, for example, use such pairs as she and them or
they and us
...
If you’re
not sure of either pronoun, though, substitute I or
me for one of the pronouns
...
157
Elvis asked that (he, him) and (she, her) practice handstands
...
Because no one would say that seriously, I must be
the word that fits
...
Now, if you can observe a few more rules,
you’ll be well prepared to deal with pronoun errors
on the SAT
...
Use nominative case pronouns for the subject
of sentences and for predicate nominatives
...
(he and I = subject)
The instructors in the course were Donald and
he
...
2
...
Use objective case pronouns when the pronoun
refers to a person to whom something is being
done:
Terry invited him to the prom
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
4
...
My brother has bigger feet than I (do)
...
A woman such as I (am) could solve the problem
...
When a pronoun appears side by side with a
noun (we boys, us women), deleting the noun
will help you pick the correct pronoun:
(We, Us) seniors decided to take a day off from
school in late May
...
This award was presented to (we, us) students
by the faculty
...
6
...
Her asking the question shows that she is
alert
...
)
Mother was upset about your opening the presents too soon
...
)
What Is a Gerund?
A gerund is a verb form that ends in –ing and is
used as a noun
...
He started fishing as a boy in North Carolina
...
In all three sentences the gerund is derived
from the verb to fish
...
Fishing from the bank of a
river is my Grandpa’s greatest
pleasure
...
Sometimes it’s just a noun, as in thing,
ring, spring
...
I hope you don’t mind my intruding on your
conversation
...
)
I hope you don’t mind me intruding on your
conversation
...
)
Sample Question Containing
Faulty Pronoun Choice (Case)
The registration fee in New York is higher than the
amount paid by Rosemary and I in Vermont
...
Use me instead of I
...
Use I instead of me
...
It is the best
answer
...
1
...
2
...
3
...
4
...
5
...
6
...
7
...
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IMPROVING SENTENCES QUESTIONS
8
...
9
...
10
...
Answers are on page 196
...
Pronouns must be in the same person as their
antecedents—the words they refer to
...
Consistency is the
key
...
When you (second person) walk
your (second person) dog in that
park, you (second person) must
carry a pooper-scooper
...
(A) The more you travel around the country
(B) The more we travel around the country
(C) The more one travels around the country
(D) As more traveling is done around the
country
(E) As they travel more around the country
Choice A is incorrect because the second-pronoun you shifts to the first-person pronoun our in
the second clause
...
It is the best answer
...
Choice D uses the pronoun our that fails to
refer to a specific noun or other pronoun
...
Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement
Singular pronouns must have singular antecedents;
plural pronouns, plural antecedents
...
Note the problem of pronoun-antecedent agreement in these sentences:
Everybody is sticking to their side of the story
...
Neither teacher plans to change their policy
regarding late papers
...
If one tries to write a persuasive
essay, one should at least include
a convincing argument
...
Anybody can pass this course if she studies
hard
...
Some people, objecting to the use of specific gender pronouns, prefer the cumbersome and tacky
phrase “he or she,” but most good writers avoid
using it
...
When you are fired from a job, a person collects unemployment
...
The jury will return to their homes tomorrow
...
The senior class had their portraits taken for
the yearbook
...
The library put their collection of rare books
on display
...
(A) changed this policy beginning when their
budget was cut
(B) begins to change this policy when their
budget was cut
(C) began to change this policy when its budget was cut
(D) it changed this policy when their budget
was cut
(E) beginning to change its policy, the budget
was cut
Choice A is wrong because it uses the plural
pronoun their to refer to the singular noun Army
...
Choice C uses the singular pronoun it to refer
to the singular noun Army
...
Choice D contains a comma splice
...
Practice in Recognizing Pronoun Shift
and Pronoun Agreement
Directions: Some of the following sentences contain shifts in pronoun person or errors in agreement
between pronouns and antecedents
...
Alter only those sentences that contain errors
...
The English teacher announced that everyone
in the class must turn in their term papers no
later than Friday
...
Each of my sisters own their own car
...
In that class, our teacher held conferences with
us once a week
...
In order to keep yourself in shape, one should
work out every day
...
The teacher dictates a sentence in French, and
each of the students write it down in English
and hand it in
...
Each horse in the procession followed their
riders down to the creek
...
The school’s chess team has just won their first
match
...
One way to set the meaning straight
is to use more than one sentence:
When Mark needed to repair his car, Mike
helped him do the job
...
10
...
Answers are on page 196
...
Such
implied references frequently involve the pronouns
it, they, and you, and the relative pronouns which,
that, and this, and cause trouble mostly when the
pronoun is used to refer to rather general or
ambiguous ideas, as in:
Faulty Pronoun Reference
Sentences in which a pronoun fails to refer specifically to a noun or another pronoun, called an
antecedent, can cause confusion or fail to convey
the writer’s intention
...
Taylor, told Karen that it was
her responsibility to hand out composition
paper
...
Revised, the sentence might
read:
Ms
...
A sentence containing two or more pronouns with
ambiguous references can be especially troublesome and unclear:
Mike became a good friend of Mark’s after he
helped him repair his car
...
Homeless people allege that the mayor is indifferent to their plight, which has been disproved
...
To clear up the uncertainty, the sentence might read:
Homeless people allege that the mayor is indifferent to their plight, but the allegation has
been disproved
...
(A) when, falling asleep at the wheel, he drove
the car off the road
(B) and then he drove the car off the road after
falling asleep at the wheel
(C) when Ricky drove the car off the road after
falling asleep at the wheel
(D) when Ricky drove the car off the road,
since he fell asleep at the wheel
(E) and, since Ricky has fallen asleep at the
wheel, he drove the car off the road
Choices A and B are incorrect because in each
sentence the pronoun he fails to refer to a specific
noun or other pronoun
...
It is the best
answer
...
Because Ricky had fallen asleep before he drove
the car off the road, use had fallen instead of fell
...
5
...
Rice’s tenure in office, she traveled
more than any other secretary of state
...
Henry, an ambulance driver, disapproved of
war but drove it to the front lines anyway
...
Please eliminate the
problem by revising each sentence
...
7
...
1
...
8
...
2
...
3
...
9
...
10
...
4
...
Answers are on page 196
...
In addition
to knowing about comparative degrees, you need to
know that comparisons (1) need to be complete, (2)
must be stated in parallel form, and (3) must pertain to things that may logically be compared
...
The degree of comparison is indicated by the ending (usually –er and
–est) or by the use of more or most (or less and
least)
...
Positive
tall
dark
handsome
graceful
prepared
happily
Comparative
taller
darker
handsomer or
more handsome
more graceful
less prepared
more happily
Superlative
tallest
darkest
handsomest or
most handsome
most graceful
least prepared
most happily
Some words deviate from the usual pattern
...
To form the comparative and superlative
degree of one-syllable words, add –er or –est
to the positive form (brave, braver, bravest;
late, later, latest)
...
To form the comparative and superlative
degrees of most two-syllable words, use more
or most, or less and least (more famous, most
nauseous, less skillful, least jagged)
...
163
3
...
4
...
My younger sister takes dancing lessons
...
)
My youngest sister takes swimming lessons
...
)
5
...
For example, avoid more
friendlier, less prouder, most sweetest, least
safest
...
Instead, use adjectives and
adverbs in the positive degree: more friendly,
less proud, more sweet, least safe
...
An incomplete comparison made colloquially
may suffer no loss of meaning, but standard written
usage calls for unmistakable clarity
...
This could mean either that Mimi spent a longer
time with her aunt than Kathy did, or that Mimi
spent more time with her aunt than she spent with
Kathy
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
A comparison using as usually requires a repetition
of the word: as good as gold, as fast as a speeding
bullet, as high as a kite
...
On the exam, Nicole expects to do
as well as, if not better than, Nat
...
Lieutenant Henry was braver than any pilot in
the squadron
...
If he belonged to the
squadron, however, add other to complete the comparison:
Lieutenant Henry was braver than any other
pilot in the squadron
...
Diana talks more nonsense than anyone else
in the class
...
Illogical Comparisons
Logic breaks down when two or more unlike things
are compared
...
This sentence is meant to compare pollution in the
Boston harbor with pollution in the harbors of
other cities
...
Properly
expressed, it would read this way:
Boston’s harbor is reported to be more polluted
than the harbor of any other city in the country
...
Unlike most cars on the block, Ellie has her
Toyota washed almost every week
...
The first sentence is intended to compare Ellie’s
car with the other cars on the block
...
Sample Questions Containing
Faulty Comparisons
1
...
Kisco and Pleasantville than the one we
took
...
Choice B contains an error in parallelism
...
Use more direct
...
It is the best
answer
...
Choice E is wordy
...
2
...
(A) as effortlessly as any pop star ever has
(B) as effortlessly as any other pop star ever
has
(C) effortlessly, as any pop star has
(D) as effortlessly like any other pop star ever
has
(E) as effortlessly, if not more so, than any pop
star ever has
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IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS
Choice A is incorrect because it omits other, a
word that must be used when comparing one thing
with a group of which it is a member
...
Choice B expresses the comparison correctly
...
Choice C uses awkward language that obscures
the meaning of the sentence
...
Use like, a
preposition, to introduce a phrase; use as to introduce a clause
...
Use as effortlessly
as
...
A Review
While looking for errors in sentence-improvement
questions, use this checklist as a guide
...
Check the tense (page 156), agreement with the subject (page 152), and parallelism (page 146)
...
Check the number (page 152),
agreement with the verb (page 152), parallelism (page 146), and word choice (page
138)
...
Check the case (page 158), number (page 159), agreement with antecedent
(page 159), reference to a noun or another
pronoun (page 162), agreement with verb
(page 154), and parallel structure (page 146)
...
Check the modification (page
151) and comparative degree (page 163)
...
Check modification of verbs
(page 151)
...
Check parallel structure (page
146) and sentence structure (page 139)
...
Check completeness (page 139),
subordination and coordination (pages 144,
145)
...
Check modification (page 87)
...
Check use of commas and
semicolons (page 102)
...
IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS
In this section of the SAT, you are given eighteen
sentences, most of which contain an error in grammar, usage, or style
...
Some sentences have no error
...
No error
...
When you compare two things, use words in the
comparative degree, such as better, lighter, and
more able
...
In the sentence, two
stories are being compared
...
Choice D is the right answer
...
The sentence errors you are most likely to meet
in this section of the SAT are:
Errors in Expression and Style
Faulty idiom, page 166
Faulty diction, page 168
Wordiness and redundancies, page 171
Faulty parallelism, page 173
Incomplete comparisons, page 174
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Errors in Grammar and Usage
Noun–verb agreement, page 176
Pronoun–antecedent agreement, page 176
Faulty pronoun reference, page 178
Shift in pronoun person, page 179
Faulty pronoun choice, page 179
Faulty verb tense, page 180
Faulty verb form, page 181
The First Amendment is invoked when journalists are asked to disclose their sources
...
The phrase in the name of them is grammatical but
awkward
...
We say “three-foot ruler” when we mean “threefeet
...
” Both
flammable and inflammable mean the same
thing—easily set afire
...
We accept
these and many other linguistic quirks because they
are simply part of our language
...
For someone just learning English,
though, “arrive to the movies” would make perfect
sense
...
On the SAT, you may find sentences containing
faulty idiom
...
There are no specific guidelines
to help untangle problems in idiom
...
The First Amendment is invoked in those times
when journalists are asked to disclose their
sources
...
Replace in
with at, a preposition that often refers to time—at
four o’clock, at the turn of the century
...
Although many errors in English idiom on the
SAT involve the faulty use of prepositions, you’re
just as likely to find problematic verbs, adverbs,
and other parts of speech
...
In appreciation about her dedicated service to
A
B
the Safe Rides program, the local Lion’s Club
presented her with a scholarship at graduation
...
E
In standard English, the phrase In appreciation
about should read In appreciation for
...
2
...
Andrews, the store manager, feels grateful
A
that every weekend this summer Phil and
B
George are ready for working at a moment’s
C
D
notice
...
E
Faulty idiom results from the misuse of a verb
...
Choice C is
the correct answer
...
Speaking as a member of the scholarly
A
panel, Dr
...
No error
...
Most rock climbers are lured by either danger
and love of adventure
...
Use filled instead of filled up
...
7
...
Practice in Identifying Faulty English Idiom
Directions: Identify the errors in English idiom in
the following sentences
...
Some sentences may contain
no error
...
The posse went in pursuit after the horse
thieves
...
It was an honor to die at battle for their religion
...
The new security system uses electronic eye
scans in the identifying of employees
...
After the ceremony, the newlyweds ascended
up the stairs
...
Work-study programs offer opportunities to
both students and the business community
...
I hope that the admissions office will comply
to my request for an extension
...
No new plans were developed in respect to the
environment
...
Bronze was used by primitive people before
either iron and tin
...
Columbus sailed west in search for a way to
the Indies
...
Because of his preoccupation in classical
music, Justin bought a subscription to Symphony Hall concerts
...
The wounded marine could not endure that
kind of a pain without passing out
...
Although Jackie’s term paper was neither well
written or fully researched, its grade was A+
...
The children were waiting on the bus to arrive
...
Faulty Diction
15
...
16
...
Faulty diction means faulty word choice
...
”
The English language offers abundant opportunities to choose incorrect words, but on the SAT the
range is limited to commonly misused words
...
Use which when referring to animals and nonliving
things, as in:
17
...
Foul language was bleeped out of the film’s TV
version, which disturbed free-speech advocates
...
Most people who travel at Thanksgiving prefer
driving more than flying
...
Because the boat’s engine had failed, the sailor
was never far away from harm during the
storm
...
Saving Private Ryan is the name of the film
that caused a great deal of controversy when it
was shown on network television
...
It’s
fine to say “Those are the geese who are damaging
the grass,” but it’s also acceptable to say “Those
are the geese that are damaging the grass
...
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IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS
Sample Questions Containing Faulty Diction
1
...
No error
...
Because the writer probably meant to say with
which or perhaps whereby, C is the correct answer
...
Schoolteachers which need to keep themselves
A
up-to-date on educational technology
B
are being encouraged to attend in-service
C
D
courses and workshops
...
E
The writer has improperly used which instead of
who to refer to schoolteachers
...
Choice A is the correct answer
...
A “fault” in tennis is when the ball being served
A
B
to the opposing player lands outside the lines
that mark the boundary of the service box
...
D
The construction is when is an error in diction
because you can’t define a noun with a clause but
only with another noun
...
”
Another common error in diction occurs when
an adjective is used where an adverb is needed
...
Part of your
169
preparation for the SAT should include practice in
using adjectives and adverbs properly
...
I feel badly that Randy performed bad on the
test
...
And if you knew
why violent should be violently and that bad and
badly should switch places, you’re probably up to
par on adjective and adverb usage
...
Adjectives are words that describe, or modify,
nouns and pronouns
...
That’s
easy enough, but good, along with some other
adjectives, sometimes causes trouble when used
after a verb
...
Here’s the catch: Good may be used after some
verbs, called linking verbs, among them look,
smell, taste, feel, appear, stay, seem, remain, grow,
become, and all forms of to be
...
(Notice that linking verbs often refer to the senses
...
Look is a
linking verb when it refers to the appearance of
things, as in The day looks good for jogging
...
If
you’re not sure whether a verb is used as a linking
verb or as an active verb, substitute a form of the
verb to be
...
If the meaning
is lost, it is an active verb, as in He feels badly
about your loss
...
Adverbs are words that describe, or modify,
verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, and can often
be identified by their –ly endings
...
(The adverb mostly modifies the adjective brown
...
(The adverb usually modifies the verb
runs
...
(The adverb enough modifies the
verb rained
...
If it is, use the adjective; if it isn’t, use the
adverb
...
So, check it by substituting a form of
to be, as described earlier
...
If it modifies an adjective or another
adverb, use the adverb
...
If all this seems unduly
complex, you’ll catch on if you re-read this material two or three times and do the following practice
exercise
...
Alan, our trusty mechanic, studied
the overheated engine careful and with
A
B
patience before declaring that he hadn’t
C
D
a clue what to do about it
...
E
The word careful is an adjective
...
Therefore, it should be carefully, an adverb
...
2
...
No error
...
Because it is
used to modify the adjective melting, it should be
an adverb—constantly
...
Practice in Using Adjectives and Adverbs
Directions: Check each sentence for faulty use of
adjectives and adverbs
...
Some sentences are correct
...
The nurse felt bitterly that she had contracted
the flu from a patient
...
There is simply no justification for the judge’s
ruling
...
Meredith’s bike is old, but it rides smooth
...
In spite of her head cold, the soprano sang the
aria beautiful
...
The tenor’s singing could only be described as
horribly
...
The black Mercedes drove slow up the gravel
driveway
...
Castro looked down cynical on the people
assembled in the plaza
...
Agnes played the part of the mother
superficially
...
No other basketball team blends as smooth as
the Lakers
...
Amy spoke sincere when she promised to
repay the money
...
Mark always feels good after a long run and a
hot shower
...
Jill looked mischievous at Jack as they secretly
walked up the hill
...
He walked down the hall completely obliviously to the train of papers he left behind
...
Wordiness and Redundancies
12
...
13
...
14
...
15
...
16
...
17
...
18
...
A sentence needs revision when it includes words
and phrases that don’t add meaning or that repeat or
reiterate what has already been stated
...
An important essential ingredient of a hamburger is meat
...
All three sentences contains a needless word or
phrase
...
Therefore, necessary requirement is redundant
...
And in the last sentence,
the phrase of the life should be removed because a
biography cannot be anything other than the story
of someone’s life
...
The commission’s report mentions the
A
contributions made by both big corporations
B
as well as small businesses to the growth of
C
D
the nation’s economy
...
E
The word both and the phrase as well as are redundant
...
Choice C is the
correct answer
...
For as many as twenty years or more
A
B
Florence Nightingale fought to bring about
C
new standards of cleanliness in hospitals
...
E
5
...
6
...
The phrase as many as is unnecessary
...
Practice in Detecting Wordiness
Directions: Revise the following sentences for
economy of expression
...
Harold picked up a brush at the age of ten
years old and hasn’t stopped painting since
...
She constantly irritates and bothers me all the
time
...
He spoke to me concerning the matter of my
future
...
Research shows that avid sports fans not only
suffer fewer depressions, but they are also generally healthier, too, than those not interested
in sports
...
His field of work is that of a chemist
...
Is it a true fact that the ozone layer is being
depleted?
10
...
4
...
Answers are on page 197
...
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IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS
Faulty Parallelism
Orderly construction of a sentence keeps parallel
ideas in the same grammatical form
...
173
2
...
Going out to eat no longer thrills me as
much as to cook at home
...
Going out to eat no longer thrills me as
much as cooking at home
...
Every item listed is an object, each expressed in the
same grammatical form: a noun preceded by one or
two adjectives
...
The message is clear, but the phrase “to take pictures” is not parallel with the other phrases
...
”
To recognize faulty parallelism in SAT sentences, you should know that:
1
...
The parallel ideas are expressed as prepositional phrases, to the loud music and to the late
hours, followed by the pronoun she and the
past tense of each verb, played and kept
...
Each parallel idea consists of an infinitive followed by a noun and an adverb
...
For a practice exercise
on comparisons, see page 174
...
Parallel ideas are often signaled by pairs of
words like either/or, neither/nor, whether/or,
both/and, and not only/but also
...
Revise by changing neither to either, or changing or to nor
...
The signal word both is too far removed from
the parallel phrase, basketball and volleyball
teams
...
Correctly worded, the sentence
reads:
Jake started on both the basketball and the
volleyball teams
...
One of the world’s greatest musicians, Leonard
A
Bernstein was a composer, a conductor, a
B
C
teacher, and played the piano brilliantly
...
E
The phrase played the piano brilliantly should be a
brilliant pianist in order to be parallel in form to
the other items in the series
...
2
...
No error
...
Jay Leno, the comedian, is funnier and
A
more savage than any comedian on
B
C
D
television
...
E
As written, the sentence compares Leno with all
comedians on television, but Leno cannot be funnier than himself
...
To
make a proper comparison, use “any other comedian
...
Practice in Completing Comparisons
Directions: Find the errors in comparison in the
following sentences
...
Some sentences
may be correct
...
Jane is more efficient than any member of the
committee
...
Choice B is the correct answer
...
)
2
...
Incomplete Comparisons
Sentences used to make comparisons usually follow a familiar pattern that requires the items being
compared to be stated in parallel form
...
3
...
Sample Questions Containing Incomplete
Comparisons
1
...
No error
...
Therefore, Choice D is the correct answer
...
Phil works faster than George does on most
jobs
...
Oscar was as tired if not more tired than Pete
...
Experts say that walking is better for you than
to jog the same distance
...
To do the research for my term paper, I read
books more than searching the Web
...
Biology is more popular than any science
...
Although she’s younger, Lillian looks as old if
not older than Dorothy
...
The students respect Ms
...
Green
...
They talked more about Chekhov’s stories than
his plays
...
His ears were bigger than Dumbo
...
Allen’s canoe was destroyed in the rapids, just
like his partner
...
After reading Siddhartha, I admire Hesse more
than any author
...
I am more interested in rap music than Pete
...
It took us longer to reach Trenton than
Camden
...
Which is cheaper—flying to Washington or to
take the train?
18
...
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19
...
The subject of the sentence is the singular noun
achievement
...
Because the
noun and verb don’t agree, Choice C is the correct
answer
...
20
...
2
...
No error
...
In this sentence, the subject words (shed and pile)
come after the verb (is)
...
Instead of is, use are
...
ERRORS IN GRAMMAR AND USAGE
Noun–Verb Agreement
Nouns and verbs must agree in number
...
The Identifying Sentence Errors section of the
SAT almost always includes questions that expect
you to recognize agreement errors
...
Just as often, though, the
error exists between some other noun and verb in
the sentence
...
) Errors occur most
often when:
1
...
2
...
3
...
4
...
Sample Questions Containing Noun–Verb
Agreement Errors
1
...
No error
...
About a million and a half dollars
A
have been spent on repairing the road, but
B
only recently has the shoddy construction
C
methods become evident
...
D
E
The plural noun methods fails to agree with the singular verb has
...
Because has should be
have, Choice C is the correct answer
...
Singular pronouns need
singular antecedents; plural pronouns, plural
antecedents
...
(For a full discussion of this topic,
please turn to page 157
...
In some cultures a woman is assigned a role in
A
life and is constantly reminded of their duties
B
C
to men
...
D
E
177
3
...
4
...
The plural pronoun their refers to the singular
antecedent woman
...
Because the pronoun and antecedent don’t agree,
Choice C is the correct answer
...
The branches of the university, which
A
long adhered to a “no-layoff” policy, began
B
changing its procedures under the pressure
C
D
of financial losses
...
E
5
...
6
...
The singular pronoun its fails to agree with its
antecedent branches
...
Practice in Recognizing Pronoun–Antecedent
Agreement
Directions: Check the following sentences for
errors in agreement between pronoun and
antecedent
...
Some sentences
contain no errors
...
The senior class was proud of the way they
conducted themselves at the graduation
ceremonies
...
The coach said that everyone on the girls’ basketball team will be required to get their physicals by the start of practice on Tuesday
...
Not a boy or a girl in the class was willing to
donate their time and energy to such a frivolous undertaking
...
All of his male relatives live in their own
condos
...
When teachers retire, the yearbook is often
dedicated to them
...
These potter’s wheels are relics of the past, but
it still can be turned easily
...
Peggy told Eileen that she was sure that she
had handed in the homework
...
4
...
Faulty Pronoun Reference
Another common error occurs when pronouns fail
to refer clearly to their antecedents
...
(For a full discussion of this topic,
please turn to page 157
...
During Bush’s administration, he sent troops to
fight in Iraq
...
No error
...
To fix the problem, use Sarah or Kate in place of she
...
6
...
7
...
Practice in Identifying Faulty
Pronoun Reference
Directions: The following sentences contain faulty
pronoun references
...
8
...
1
...
Parker loves to knit and spends most of
her time doing it
...
The agreement between Joan and Jane fell apart
after she failed to show up for the meeting
...
At the end, with all the questions on the test
answered, I handed them in
...
After the interview, Mike told Tom that he
would probably like spending the next four
years at Dartmouth
...
Shift in Pronoun Person
Pronouns must also agree in person throughout a
sentence
...
On the
SAT, you may find sentences containing improper
shifts from one person to another
...
)
Sample Question Containing Shift in
Pronoun Person
Although one may hope that your education is
A
B
going to be excellent preparation for life, what one
C
actually experiences does not always live up to
D
expectations
...
E
The sentence begins using one, a pronoun that
should be followed by one or by such third-person
pronouns as he, she, himself, and herself
...
179
Sample Questions Containing Errors
in Pronoun Case
1
...
No error
...
Use me instead of I
...
2
...
No error
...
Use he instead of him
...
Practice in Recognizing Shifts in Pronoun
Person and Errors in Pronoun Case
Directions: Find the pronoun errors in the following sentences
...
Some sentences contain no errors
...
The biggest difference between her and I is our
view on gun control
...
Nominative
case pronouns are reserved for grammatical subjects and predicate nominatives
...
Problems arise
when writers fail to identify grammatical subjects
or when they mix pronouns from different cases in
the same phrase
...
)
2
...
3
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
4
...
14
...
5
...
15
...
6
...
Faulty Verb Tense
7
...
Verb tense indicates when an action takes place
...
(For a full discussion of this topic, please turn to page 148
...
Him and I plan to drive to Danbury tonight
...
If you really want to get better at the piano, one
really needs to practice
...
Them singing at the top of their lungs disturbed the quiet neighborhood
...
Tim is more interested in applying to Oregon
State than her
...
The group asked us guys to pitch in on the
drive for canned goods
...
Most runners say they have to run every day in
order to keep yourself in shape
...
The scene involves both Macbeth and Banquo
on horses riding across the heath where they
A
B
encountered the three witches, often called the
C
D
three hags or three weird sisters
...
E
The main verb of the sentence is involves, a verb in
the present tense
...
A
shift has occurred, making choice C the correct
answer
...
When you drive the car on Sunday, please
A
B
remember to release the emergency brake
C
and fastened your seatbelt
...
D
E
The sentence is cast in the present tense
...
Therefore, choice D is the correct
answer
...
Write the
revised verbs in the spaces provided
...
1
...
2
...
Murphy
has brought her car in last night
...
For anyone with enough brains to have thought
about the problem, now is the time to work out
a solution
...
Rose kept the promise she has given to Charles
last year in India
...
When he talks with Horatio, Hamlet began to
suspect foul play in the kingdom
...
As they drove to Vermont, they had stopped for
lunch at Bucky’s Bagel Shop
...
On Route 684, a trooper pulls him over and
gave him a speeding ticket
...
Working all year to improve her writing, Debbie got a story published in the paper
...
When Washington was sworn in as president,
he rode to New York from his home in
Virginia
...
If the wagon train would have reached Salt
Creek in time, the massacre would have been
prevented
...
The aircraft controller expects to have spotted
the plane on radar before dusk last night
...
That night at the show we met many people we
saw that afternoon
...
Once the drought had hit eastern Africa, the
Somalis have suffered terribly
...
Faulty Verb Form
7
...
8
...
Every verb has several forms, among them (1) the
present, as in laugh; (2) the past, formed by adding
–ed to the present, as in laughed; and 3) the participle, formed by adding has, had, or have to the
verb’s past tense, as in has laughed and had
laughed
...
But some verbs, called irregular verbs,
don’t follow it
...
On the SAT a question relating to a verb
form, especially to an irregular verb form, appears
occasionally
...
When Dave went to dinner at the professor’s
A
home, he combed his hair, dressed himself
B
in a jacket and tie, and brang the hostess
C
a bouquet of flowers
...
D
E
Having begun in the past tense, the sentence
requires other verbs to be in the past tense
...
The word brang is not
...
Therefore, choice C is the
correct answer
...
Ms
...
No error
...
Only one, had
wrote, is not in the proper form
...
Practice in Identifying Faulty Verb Forms
Directions: In these sentences, the underlined verbs
may not be in the proper form
...
Some verbs may be
correct
...
Brian use to arrive late to class almost every
day
...
Given the choice of Monday, Wednesday, or
Friday for her talk, Gwen stubbornly demanded
to speak on Thursday
...
After dinner, Sarah cleared the table and
blowed out the candles
...
They had began practice on their own before
the coach arrived
...
When the engine overheated, the radiator hose
had bursted
...
To get a front-row seat, you should have went
to the play earlier than you did
...
The chorus messed up that song because they
had never sang it before
...
Halfway to town I realized that the front tire of
my bike had sprang a leak
...
The novels of Judy Blume have managed
attracting millions of adolescent readers
...
2
...
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IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS QUESTIONS
A Review
While answering Identifying Sentence Error questions, use this checklist as a guide
...
• If a noun is underscored, search for errors in
number and agreement with a verb (page
152), parallelism (page 146), and word
choice (page 168)
...
• If an adjective or an adverb is underscored,
search for errors in word choice (page 168),
modification (page 151), and comparative
degree (page 173)
...
• If a participle is underscored, search for an
error in modification (page 87)
...
A question or
two may ask about deleting or changing the location of a sentence
...
Still others
may ask how to best combine a pair of sentences or
to re-write a sentence in order to clarify the essay’s
main idea
...
In context, which of the following revisions is
necessary in sentence 3?
2
...
The primary effect of sentence 11 is to
...
Which of the following is best to add after sentence 13 as a concluding sentence?
5
...
In context, which is the best way to revise and
combine sentences 4 and 5?
7
...
The best way to describe the relationship of
sentence 4 to sentence 5 is that
...
All of the following strategies are used by the
writer of the essay EXCEPT
...
In the second paragraph (sentences 5–9), the
author tries to
...
You may also be questioned on the structure and function of certain paragraphs as well as
the role of individual sentences within paragraphs
...
In fact, they should sound familiar because they are related to matters of essay
writing discussed earlier in this book
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Reading the Essay
How well you answer the questions may
depend in part on how you go about reading
the essay
...
By having a firm grasp
of the essay’s meaning, you’ll save time
while answering the questions
...
Method 2: Read the essay quickly—
faster than you normally would
...
Ignoring its
flaws, therefore, read the essay just carefully enough to catch its drift
...
Method 3: Skim the essay for its general
meaning; then read it again, but more
slowly
...
Then you can concentrate on the questions
instead of worrying about what the essay
says
...
As you
read the next pages and take the practice tests in
Part VI, try each method
...
If you can’t answer a question, don’t stop
...
Sample Essay and Questions
[1] On the water, sailboats and motorboats go
faster than canoes
...
[3] People are buying them in greater numbers than ever before
...
[5]
Yet, I’ll take a canoe any time
...
[7] Even if you get tired of it, you
can sell it for a fairly large fraction of its original
cost
...
[9] In addition, a canoe has no moving
parts to wear out
...
[11] Some high-end canoes are made of canvas
covering a sturdy wood frame, caned seats and
copper and brass trim
...
[13] In the first place,
you can use it in the ocean as well as on a tiny
lake
...
[15]
Marshes and small streams are fine for using a
canoe
...
[17] Not only
can you take it anywhere, but you can go canoeing
for a few hours or for weeks at a time
...
[19] Furthermore, you don’t have to waste
time setting up or taking down a canoe
...
1
...
Although it makes sense to
answer them in sequence, don’t be a slave to their
order
...
Consider answering all the
specific questions before coping with more general
ones—those, say, that deal with the relationship
between paragraphs or with the passage as a whole
...
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IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS QUESTIONS
Eliminate choice B because the paragraph provides
no real evidence that boating is a popular pastime
...
Only choice E offers a reasonable
answer
...
Choice E, therefore, is the best answer
...
Sentence 2 differs from other sentences in the
first paragraph because it
(A) emphasizes a major point of the essay
(B) changes the meaning of words taken from
a previous sentence
(C) presents the writer’s personal opinion
(D) changes the tone of the essay
(E) provides an important transition between
the sentences that precede and follow it
Eliminate choice A because the sentence is unrelated to the essay’s main point
...
Choice D is wrong because the
tone of the essay has not yet been established, and
choice E does not accurately describe the function
of sentence 2
...
In sentence 1, the phrase refers to
the speed of boats on water
...
Therefore, choice B is the best answer
...
Of the following, which is the best version of
the following underlined portion of sentence 10?
Requiring almost no care at all, you only have
to paint it every few years or bang out some
dents if you ride it through rapids
...
Choice A is wrong because
the phrase Requiring almost no care at all is a dangling participle that modifies you instead of
185
canoes
...
Choices D
and E, although grammatically correct, make little
sense in the context
...
4
...
(A) Insert the phrase “Speaking of costs” at the
beginning
...
(C) Insert it between sentence 8 and sentence 9
...
(E) Move it to the end of paragraph 1 (after
sentence 5)
...
The phrase suggested in choice A attempts to establish a link
between the sentence and the second paragraph,
but the writer is not discussing costs at that point in
the essay
...
5
...
Marshes and
small streams are fine for using a canoe
...
(B) You can use it on rivers, too, and marshes
and small streams are fine for using a
canoe
...
(D) Using it for rivers and paddling on marshes
and small streams in a canoe
...
Because the two sentences appear in a paragraph
that uses the second-person pronoun (you), eliminate choices A and E
...
Choice B is ineffective because its two
coordinate clauses are not in the same grammatical
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
form
...
6
...
Because the essay’s intent is to prove that
canoes excel other small vessels in several ways—
cost, maintenance, versatility, ease of use—choice
C is the best answer
...
Defining the Essay’s Purpose
Once you’ve read the given essay, quickly jot down
the essay’s main idea in your test booklet
...
Writers often have multiple purposes and complex attitudes toward their subject
...
Don’t look for subtleties, sophisticated
techniques, or hidden meanings
...
For example:
To inform readers about the progress of
America’s fight against terrorism
...
To dispense helpful advice about how to use
the Internet
...
Any material that oversteps the boundaries is fodder for Paragraph
Improvement questions
...
Be sure it
introduces, limits, and makes clear the purpose of
the essay
...
Subsequent paragraphs set up signposts along the way to remind
readers where they’ve been and where they are
headed
...
Say, for example, that a writer wants to persuade readers to give up smoking
...
In the outline, each paragraph contains an antismoking argument
...
If, however, a paragraph had been devoted to
the history of the tobacco industry or to smoking
pot, it would violate the essay’s clear and sensible
organization
...
An unfocused essay contains distractions
and irrelevancies
...
Or
worse, the essay’s conclusion may undermine or
contradict its introduction
...
A question may ask you how to revise such a
sentence or whether to move or delete it
...
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IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS QUESTIONS
Paragraph Structure, Unity,
and Coherence
Knowing the qualities of well-written paragraphs
and recognizing paragraphing weaknesses will help
you answer some questions
...
It has a purpose, an organizational plan, and a progression of ideas
...
Topic Sentences and Supporting Sentences
Most paragraphs are made up of two kinds of sentences: A topic sentence, which states generally
the contents of the paragraph, and supporting sentences, which provide the particulars that support
and develop the topic sentence
...
The paragraph that follows contains
examples of each kind of sentence:
[1] Children with IQs well below average represent an almost insoluble problem for educators
...
[3] Failure in school is the number one cause of poor behavior in school and
of juvenile delinquency in general
...
[5] But vocational training is very limited in many schools
...
Sentence 1 is the topic sentence of the paragraph
...
Each supporting sentence adds a
piece of evidence to prove the point of the paragraph—that children with low IQs create a problem
for schools
...
Location of Topic Sentences
...
It isn’t always
a separate and independent sentence; it may be
woven into a supporting sentence as a clause or
phrase
...
) Writers vary the location of
topic sentences to avoid monotony
...
Or they might omit the topic sentence,
letting an accumulation of telling details imply the
paragraph’s main idea
...
[2] No one in
his right mind wants to pry open their eyes and
leave the cozy warmth of bed and blanket
...
[4] The thought of damp clothes and cold feet
keeps you where you are, at least for a few
more minutes
...
The supporting details in sentences 1–4 lead
inevitably to sentence 5, the topic sentence, which
summarizes the meaning of the paragraph
...
[2] Reduced speed limits, seatbelt requirements, and increased police patrols
had almost no effect on changing the number
of fatalities
...
[4] Front and side airbags
were installed in all new models
...
[6] Stronger steel frames enabled people
to survive crashes that would certainly have
killed them before
...
It serves as the
pivotal point between the description of the problem (sentences 1 and 2) and some effective solutions (sentences 4, 5, and 6)
...
On the
SAT, you may be asked to improve a paragraph by
tightening that link
...
A transitional sentence links the ideas in one paragraph with those in a previous or subsequent paragraph
...
In short essays, it’s rare to find full transitional sentences
...
(For further details and practice exercises on topic
sentences, turn to page 63
...
)
Unity and Coherence in Paragraphs
When a paragraph deals with more than one main
idea, it lacks unity
...
The Paragraph
Improvement questions often ask about sentences
that undermine unity or weaken coherence
...
Or you may be asked to pick a sentence that best restores continuity of thought within
a paragraph
...
[2] Almost
everyone who met him thought that he was
charming, dignified, charismatic
...
” [4] Yet the Father of Our Country had
been soundly defeated in 1755, when he first
sought elective office
...
[6] His
frame was padded with well-developed muscles, indicating great strength, and his bluegrey eyes could sparkle with humor at one
moment and grow hard and determined at the
next
...
would command the
respect of all the Colonies
...
Because sentence 4
fails to contribute to this laudatory portrait of our
first president, it should be deleted
...
Coherence Through Sentence Combining
Disjointed paragraphs force readers to slow down
or even stop dead at the end of each sentence
...
On the SAT, you may be asked to improve a
paragraph’s coherence by choosing a revision that
effectively combines two or three disconnected or
repetitive sentences
...
[2] It
was the annual spring dance
...
[4] Their shiny
brass instruments were in their hands
...
[6] All the
girls were dressed in pastel shades
...
[8] They were deciding which
boys they would ask to dance
...
[10] Soon it was full
...
But it suffers
from incoherence because each detail, no matter
how important or trivial, is stated in a separate sentence
...
[2] Four
men in black tuxedos stood on the stage and
provided the musical entertainment with their
shiny brass instruments
...
[4] Soon
the floor was filled with dancing couples
...
Some words have
been deleted or changed
...
Overall, the revision exemplifies more skilled, more
mature writing
...
As you weigh the five choices given by a sentencecombining question, keep in mind that the most
concise or cleverest revision may not always be the
best one
...
189
4
...
The picture window belonged to Mr
...
The
glass shattered
...
Practice in Combining Sentences
Directions: Use the spaces provided to combine the
sentences in each of the following groups
...
If necessary, add,
delete, and alter words
...
There was a storm
...
Snow fell on
the roads
...
I could not go
out
...
I watched TV
...
Time passed slowly
...
She is only thirteen
...
She has won recognition
...
An accident occurred
...
Broken glass lay on the street
...
Aunt Ellen went to the grocery store
...
The tomato juice was in a
glass bottle
...
Aunt Ellen dropped the grocery bag
...
Aunt Ellen had a mess
...
6
...
It takes
about 365 days for a revolution
...
One rotation occurs every
24 hours
...
The rotation determines the duration of a day
...
Euripides lived more than 2,000 years ago
...
He wrote plays
...
The plays are still performed
...
Music has a unique power
...
People dream and think
while listening to music
...
9
...
Skulls are made up
of bones
...
Eight bones make up the cranium
...
Fourteen bones are
used to form the face and jaw
...
The Hopi Indians value peace and contentment
...
The name reflects the culture
...
The people lack competitiveness
...
Self-discipline is important
...
So is
concern for the welfare of others
...
The family is the whole Hopi
tribe
...
For details and a practice exercise in varying sentences, turn to page 77
...
A paragraph may consist of little
more than a collection of facts that support the
topic sentence
...
Another paragraph may be organized to
compare and contrast two people or conditions,
still another to define a term or explain a process
...
On the SAT, you may be asked to identify a
paragraph’s organizational plan
...
Don’t bother memorizing them
for the exam, but your ability to recognize each
pattern when you see it could be helpful
...
Argument and proof
...
In wartime, the military develops a way
of speaking that disguises meaning and
makes the horrors of battle less dirty and
gruesome
...
In Vietnam, for example, when our own troops were shelled by
mistake, the event was called an “accidental delivery of ordnance equipment
...
Similarly,
when wayward bombs killed innocent civilians, “incontinent ordnance” was responsible for causing “collateral damage
...
”
Such euphemisms, according to language
experts, can be protective, but at the same
time, they put us in danger of losing the
real sense of war’s ghastliness
...
The
rest of the paragraph consists of examples that
illustrate the “way of speaking
...
Definition
...
Broad, abstract concepts such as
loyalty, beauty, evil, success, and countless
others are better defined by example, by analogy, or by comparison and contrast
...
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IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS QUESTIONS
Utopia is the name often given to a
society in which everything is thought to be
perfect
...
In Utopia all people are
happy, wise, equal, prosperous, and welleducated
...
It comes from the Greek word meaning “no
place
...
Definition by analogy
...
A spider’s web is an exquisite musical
instrument
...
It is played upon by the
rain and the wind, by other insects, and by
the master musician herself, the spider
...
4
...
In the paragraph
that follows the personalities of two men—one
real and one fictional—are defined by comparing and contrasting some of their traits
...
Thayer
calls Roet an “unpredictable farmer
...
At 30, he
unexpectedly left his wife and went to New
York to become a rock and roll singer
...
But the similarity ends there
...
Perry was indifferent to his family, while Roet was torn,
anguished, and guilt-ridden about abandoning Marion and the three children
...
Roet, in contrast, didn’t care a nickel about becoming a
famous bronco rider
...
191
5
...
The details of a cause-andeffect paragraph explain or demonstrate how
one event or set of circumstances leads to, or
causes, another event or set of circumstances
...
Because the moon has only one-sixth
the gravity of the Earth, people on the
lunar surface weigh only a fraction of their
normal poundage
...
At the same time, starting and stopping require unusual bursts of energy
...
If
they fall, they descend in slow motion, and
the impact is no stronger than falling onto a
feather bed
...
6
...
A paragraph analyzing a
process explains how to perform the steps of a
process or procedure
...
Be sure to cover everything left
behind with a tarpaulin or plastic sheet
...
While
the ceiling dries, paint windows, doors, and
trim, except for baseboards
...
Try to avoid changing paint cans in
the middle of a wall because the paint
color from two different cans may not
match exactly
...
One coat of paint is usually not enough, so
be prepared to apply a second coat to all
surfaces
...
7
...
A paragraph of classification
breaks a general category into its component
parts
...
Early
vegetables like leaf lettuce, spinach,
radishes, and peas grow best in cool
weather and are planted shortly before the
last frost
...
Late spring is the time to start hardy
vegetables like carrots, beets, cabbage,
and cauliflower because they easily endure
the summer sun’s heat
...
These include soybeans, cucumbers, summer squash, and watermelons
...
Because purpose dictates structure, an effective
paragraph can be developed in more than one way
...
Although writers
rarely follow a formula to develop paragraphs, most
abide by a rule of thumb that says a paragraph of
one or two sentences is too skimpy
...
Since
the overall effectiveness of a paragraph may depend
on its organization, SAT questions may ask you to
add a sentence to a paragraph, delete a sentence, or
even relocate an existing sentence by moving it
within a paragraph or to a different paragraph
...
Meaning is the primary clue, but such words and
phrases as for example, also, but, and on the other
hand also serve to put sentences into a particular
order
...
[2] They help young people learn the value of money
...
[4] On the other hand, jobs
often distract students from their schoolwork
...
Sentence 1 expresses the most general idea in the
paragraph and serves as the topic sentence
...
Sentence 3 contains the connecting word also, indicating that a
new thought is being added to one expressed in the
previous sentence
...
The last
sentence begins with Moreover, another common
transition that signals the addition of still another
idea in the same vein
...
(For more details and a practice exercise on transitions, turn to page 70
...
But they are not in the proper order
...
1
...
____ b
...
____ d
...
____ a
...
____ c
...
____ e
...
In the end, morale got so low that
members started quitting the team
...
He was forcing the team to work out
the same way every day
...
Reese, the track coach, had been
acting like a tyrant
...
Meanwhile, think of all the items
that can be easily bruised, crushed,
or broken, such as eggs, packages of
bread, fruit, and light bulbs
...
Immediately after that, put in light
but firm items such as crackers,
cereal, and butter
...
Those should be saved for last
...
____ a
...
____ c
...
4
...
____ b
...
____ d
...
____ a
...
____ c
...
____ e
...
Most people think of “maturity” in
terms of responsibility, but I think it
has more to do with learning to control one’s actions
...
For example, I knew that I was more
mature than others when I didn’t
laugh out loud in science class when
the teacher talked about reproduction
...
In return, it deposits oxygen and
food in every body part, from the top
of the head to the little toe
...
If you drained the blood from the
body of a girl weighing about 125
pounds, you would fill little more
than a gallon milk container
...
The first part of the exam was a takehome essay in which we were to
answer one of three questions
...
Four weeks ago, I, like many other
eleventh graders, worked hard to prepare for an American History
midterm exam
...
6
...
____ b
...
____ d
...
7
...
____ b
...
____ d
...
____ a
...
____ c
...
____ e
...
He figured out that every few centuries a new city had been built upon
the ruins of the old
...
But without realizing it, Schliemann
had dug right past the layer he had
been seeking, the layer containing
the ruins of the famous city of the
Trojan Horse
...
For months at a time Jerry’s fans
would devotedly follow his group
around the country wherever it
played in concert
...
In spite of his family, who told him
that he would never be a successful
professional singer, Jerry decided to
take up guitar and form a musical
group
...
He felt terribly anxious about his
wounded leg
...
He could not sleep, in spite of the
sedative administered to him by the
British nurse
...
It was even worse than the pain he
recalled when, as a child, he had
pulled a pot of steaming water over
on himself
...
____ a
...
____ c
...
10
...
____ b
...
____ d
...
____ a
...
____ c
...
Each layer is another page that tells
the story of volcanic eruptions, massive floods, and the advance and
retreat of the Ice Age
...
If you can read its language, the sediments contain a record of all the
dramatic and catastrophic events that
have occurred through the earth’s
history
...
He became blind in 1652 and used
his daughter as an instrument to
write some of his finest poems
...
The first poet to use a word processor was John Milton
...
After winning two Critics’ Circle
awards and the Pulitzer Prize for
drama, Tennessee Williams earned
fame and lots of money
...
They flocked to Broadway to see his
plays and later swarmed to the
movies to see filmed versions of his
works
...
Answers are on page 199
...
Functions of Paragraphs
A paragraph-improvement question may single out
a paragraph or one of its parts and ask you to identify its role in the essay
...
Part III, on essay writing, offers a thorough discussion of this topic, but here is a brief
overview
...
An effective opening paragraph introduces the essay and makes the intent of
the essay clear to the reader
...
SAT questions
often refer to sentences in the first paragraph that
are irrelevant to the essay’s main idea
...
The final paragraph should
give the reader a sense of completion
...
No ending is as effective
and emphatic as one that grows logically out of a
thoughtful arrangement of the writer’s ideas
...
Or it
may call on the reader to think about an issue or
perform an action
...
Developmental Paragraphs
...
For example, a paragraph may carry
forward the main point of the essay by contributing
a solution to the problem being discussed
...
On the SAT, you may be asked to identify the
main function of a particular paragraph
...
Rather, it pertains to
the role the paragraph plays in the journey from the
beginning to the end of the essay
...
Always
keep in mind:
• The strategies used to answer both the Sentence Improvement and Identifying Sentence
Error questions (page 133 and page 165)
...
• Potential contradictions, breakdowns in
logic, and shifts in emphasis throughout the
essay (page 55)
...
• The relationship of each sentence to those
that precede and follow it (page 70)
...
• The functions of opening, closing, and developmental paragraphs (pages 59, 83, and 62)
...
ANSWER KEY TO PRACTICE EXERCISES
Writing Correct Sentences, page 142
Answers will vary
...
6
...
Although Elizabeth is stressed out about the
SAT, she won’t let it get her down
...
The teacher agreed to her request for an extension on the assignment
...
At eighty-six years old, my grandmother walks
very slowly
...
I could choose many other examples to show
who I am, not all of them vivid images of
memorable moments but rather everyday
aspects of my life
...
I woke up, having slept for the four shortest
hours of my life
...
8
...
10
...
Only then my brain begins
to function
...
The large brown garage door creaks open
slowly
...
What are the rules? What happens if we break
them?
Phyllis, a biologist in the field of genetic engineering, is involved in the cloning controversy
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Establishing Noun–Verb Agreement,
page 154
1
...
3
...
5
...
7
...
9
...
11
...
13
...
15
...
17
...
19
...
talent
...
die
team
...
levels
proceeds
...
is
neither
...
have
fan
...
has
Darwin
...
and accompanist
...
appears
sale
...
statutes
insistence
...
wants
are
...
2
...
4
...
6
...
8
...
10
...
1
...
2
...
3
...
4
...
5
...
In order to stay in shape, you should work out
every day
...
The teacher dictates a sentence in French
...
8
...
9
...
10
...
Identifying Pronoun Reference, page 162
These are suggested answers
...
1
...
2
...
3
...
4
...
5
...
Rice traveled
more than any other secretary of state
...
Although he disapproved of the war, Henry
drove his ambulance to the front lines
...
After the campus tour, Mike told Todd, “I’d be
happy going to Auburn
...
Peggy’s car wasn’t even dented after it hit a
truck
...
Within the last month, Andy’s older brother
Pete broke his leg skiing and got a new job
...
10
...
Identifying Faulty English Idiom, page 167
1
...
3
...
5
...
7
...
9
...
11
...
13
...
15
...
17
...
19
...
Correct
with respect to
in search of a way
that kind of pain
for the bus
as expensive as
regarded as
between teaching and devoting
driving to flying
far from harm
neither well-written nor fully researched
Using Adjectives and Adverbs, page 170
1
...
3
...
5
...
7
...
9
...
11
...
13
...
15
...
17
...
19
...
bitter
No error
smoothly
beautifully
horrible
slowly
cynically
No error
smoothly
No error
oblivious
securely
slowly
calm
easily
optimistic
badly
shy
sincerely
mischievously
Detecting Wordiness, page 172
Answers may vary
...
2
...
4
...
6
...
8
...
He spoke to me about my future
...
As a result of the election, the state will have
its first female governor
...
Harold hasn’t stopped painting since picking
up a brush at age ten
...
197
9
...
10
...
Completing Comparisons, page 174
These are suggested answers
...
1
...
2
...
3
...
4
...
Oscar was as tired as, if not more tired than,
Pete
...
To do the research for my term paper, I read
books more than I searched the Web
...
Although she’s younger, Lillian looks as old
as, if not older than, Dorothy
...
They talked more about Chekhov’s stories than
about his plays
...
Allen’s canoe was destroyed in the rapids, just
like his partner’s was
...
After reading Siddhartha, I admire Hesse more
than any other author
...
I am more interested in rap music than Pete is
...
Experts say that walking is better for you than
jogging the same distance
...
Biology is more popular than any other science
...
The students respect Ms
...
Green’s
...
His ears were bigger than Dumbo’s
...
It took us longer to reach Trenton than to reach
Camden
...
Which is cheaper—flying to Washington or
taking the train?
18
...
19
...
20
...
Recognizing Pronoun–Antecedent
Agreement, page 177
1
...
No error
3
...
5
...
7
...
9
...
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Page 198
WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
...
their money
...
it conducted itself
...
they can
Identifying Faulty Pronoun Reference,
page 178
These are suggested answers
...
1
...
Parker spends most
of her time knitting
...
At the end, having answered all the questions, I
handed the test in
...
Peggy was sure she had handed in the homework and told Eileen
...
Bill had only ten minutes left on the parking
meter and told his father
...
During his administration, Bush sent troops to
fight in Iraq
...
Henry, a pilot, regularly flies a helicopter on
rescue missions
...
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald wrote about
the American Dream
...
Because he wanted a plasma television, she
decided to buy him one
...
The agreement between Joan and Jane fell apart
after Joan failed to show up for the meeting
...
After his interview, Mike thought he would
probably like spending the next four years at
Dartmouth and told Tom
...
2
...
4
...
6
...
8
...
10
...
12
...
keep themselves
14
...
her nor her sister
Identifying Faulty Verb Tense, page 181
1
...
3
...
5
...
7
...
9
...
11
...
13
...
15
...
2
...
4
...
6
...
8
...
10
...
As you compare your answers
to these, be sure that you have included all the
information from each group of sentences
...
At 13, she has already won recognition as an
expert gymnast
...
After the hit and run accident, broken glass lay
on the street
...
Aunt Ellen had a mess on her hands after she
dropped a bag containing a glass bottle of
tomato juice that she had bought at the grocery
store
...
The baseball hit Mr
...
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Page 199
ANSWER KEY TO PRACTICE EXERCISES
5
...
I had nothing to
do but watch TV and assemble a jigsaw puzzle
...
6
...
At the same time, it rotates on its axis
every 24 hours
...
7
...
8
...
While listening, people often dream and
think, and afterwards feel refreshed
...
The skulls of humans consist of twenty-two
bones: eight in the cranium, which protects the
brain, and fourteen in the face and jaw
...
The culture of the Hopi Indians, whose name
means “peaceful and happy,” exemplifies peace
199
and contentment
...
What they value
instead are self-discipline, restraint, and the
welfare of others
...
Arranging Sentences, page 192
1
...
3
...
5
...
7
...
9
...
11
...
a
...
a
...
a
...
a
...
a
...
4
2
3
3
3
4
4
3
3
2
1
b
...
b
...
b
...
b
...
b
...
b
...
c
...
c
...
c
...
c
...
c
...
2
1
4
2
4
1
1
2
2
1
3
d
...
d
...
d
...
d
...
d
...
d
...
3
e
...
5
e
...
6
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Page 200
06_Part06A
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Page 201
PART
VI
TESTS FOR PRACTICE
Practice Test A
Practice Test B
Practice Test C
Practice Test D
201
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Page 202
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Page 203
PRACTICE TEST A
203
PRACTICE TEST A
Section 1
Essay
TIME—25 MINUTES
Directions: Plan and write an essay in response to the assigned topic
...
Present your thoughts logically
and precisely
...
A plain, natural
writing style is probably best
...
Limit your essay to two sides of the lined paper provided
...
Write or print legibly because handwriting that’s hard or impossible
to read will decrease your score
...
AN ESSAY WRITTEN ON
ANOTHER TOPIC WILL BE SCORED “ZERO
...
Do not turn to another section of the test
...
Describing his vision for the world’s future, President Franklin D
...
we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms
...
The second is freedom of every
person to worship God in his own way
...
The fourth
is freedom from fear
...
Yet, Roosevelt may be faulted for not adding a
fifth, a sixth, or even more freedoms to the list
...
Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your observations, experience,
studies, or reading
...
Do not skip lines
...
205
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Essay (continued)
End of essay
...
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Page 207
PRACTICE TEST A
207
ANSWER SHEET FOR MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
Section 2
Improving Sentences
Improving Paragraphs
Section 3
Improving Sentences
C
D
E
30
...
A
B
C
D
E
A
B
C
D
E
31
...
A
B
C
D
E
3
...
A
B
C
D
E
3
...
A
B
C
D
E
33
...
A
B
C
D
E
5
...
A
B
C
D
E
5
...
A
B
C
D
E
35
...
A
B
C
D
E
7
...
A
B
C
D
E
8
...
Remove answer sheet by cutting on dotted line
...
A
A
B
C
D
E
8
...
A
B
C
D
E
9
...
A
B
C
D
E
10
...
A
B
C
D
E
11
...
A
B
C
D
E
13
...
A
B
C
D
E
Identifying
Sentence Errors
12
...
A
B
C
D
E
14
...
A
B
C
D
E
16
...
A
B
C
D
E
18
...
A
B
C
D
E
20
...
A
B
C
D
E
22
...
A
B
C
D
E
24
...
A
B
C
D
E
26
...
A
B
C
D
E
28
...
A
B
C
D
E
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Page 208
06_Part06A
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Page 209
PRACTICE TEST A
209
Section 2
Multiple-Choice Questions
TIME—25 MINUTES
IMPROVING SENTENCES
Directions: The underlined sentences and sentence parts below may contain errors in standard English,
including awkward or ambiguous expression, poor word choice (diction), incorrect sentence structure,
or faulty grammar, usage, and punctuation
...
Indicate your choice by filling in the corresponding space on the answer sheet
...
Choose A if none of the other choices improves the original sentence
...
The captain standing on the bridge of the ship,
he had never seen such a strong wind in all his
years at sea
...
What can beat the thrill of kicking a soccer ball
past the goalie for a score and to hear applause
from the crowd?
(A) of kicking a soccer ball past the goalie for
a score and to hear applause from the
crowd
(B) of kicking a soccer ball past the goalie for
a score and to hear applause by the crowd
(C) of kicking a soccer ball past the goalie for
a score and hearing the crowd applaud
(D) to kick a soccer ball past the goalie scoring a goal, and to hear the crowd applaud
(E) of hearing the crowd applaud after having
kicked a soccer ball past the goalie for a
score
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
3
...
(A) increasingly influence the administration’s
policies
(B) are being more and more influential in the
administration’s policies
(C) are increasing their influence on the
administration’s policies
(D) is becoming increasingly more influential
in determining the administration’s policies
(E) increasingly influences the administration’s policies
4
...
(A) honoring those alumni who had graduated
fifty years ago
(B) ceremonies for graduates of fifty years
ago were held in honor of these alumni
(C) alumni graduating fifty years ago received
honors
(D) alumni who had graduated fifty years ago
were honored
(E) graduating alumni of fifty years ago were
honored
5
...
(A) Bromley, the first historian to reveal the
story of the Mandan tribe, doing it
(B) Bromley was the first historian to reveal
the story of the Mandan tribe, and who
did so
(C) Bromley was the first historian to have
revealed the story of the Mandan tribe and
does it
(D) Bromley was the first historian to reveal
the story of the Mandan tribe, telling the
tale
(E) Bromley, the first historian revealing the
story of the Mandan tribe, the tale was
told
6
...
(A) team, their performance in this having
been exceptional
(B) team; they have performed exceptionally
in this
(C) team, for they have performed exceptionally in this
(D) team; their performance having been
exceptional
(E) team, for their performance has been
exceptional
7
...
(A) give audiences a thrill
(B) thrills the people who are watching
(C) give a thrill to the people in the audience
watching it
(D) give thrills in the watching of it to the
audience
(E) gives people thrills in watching it
8
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
as if already they had died
if they had already
whether they had died already
as though they had already died
like they had died already
9
...
(A) Although the speakers never having
reached their audience, they couldn’t
(B) The speakers never reached their audience, they couldn’t
(C) Never having reached their audience, the
speakers couldn’t
(D) The speakers never reached their audience; however, they couldn’t
(E) The speakers never reached their audience
because they couldn’t
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PRACTICE TEST A
10
...
(A) If we agree to purchase the house today
(B) Had we agreed to purchase the house
today
(C) If we would of agreed to purchase the
house today
(D) If the purchasing of the house was agreed
today
(E) If today we will agree to purchase the
house
211
11
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
future because it requires
future because it would require
future because they require
future, each requires
future since they are requiring
IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS
Directions: The underlined and lettered parts of each sentence below may contain an error in grammar, usage, word choice (diction), or expression (idiom)
...
Indicate your choice by filling in the corresponding space on the
answer sheet
...
Some sentences may contain no error
...
EXAMPLE
Jill went speedily to the crest of the
A
B
hill in a more faster time than her
C
D
friend, Jack
...
E
12
...
No error
...
Using special lighting techniques, food stores
subtly enhance the color of produce on their
A
B
shelves, thereby attracting consumers,
C
encouraging impulse buying, and most
important, it creates the appearance of
D
freshness and wholesomeness
...
E
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
14
...
No error
...
There’s no doubt that the safe-driving
A
campaign scheduled to begin next week
would have been postponed for another week
B
because we lack the time to plan it well
...
E
16
...
No error
...
The threat to suspend students caught using
A
B
cell phones during class without permission
seems like an over-reaction to the problem
C
because the principal is ordinarily sensitive
D
and level-headed
...
E
18
...
No error
...
Behind almost all successful candidates for
A
public office stands a staff, a team of
B
volunteers, a group of fund raisers, and,
of course, a platform that convinced the
C
electorate to choose them
...
C
E
20
...
No error
...
Being lost in the mountains of Colorado for
A
two days as a boy, Dave is always careful to
B
C
take a detailed map with him when he sets out
D
for a backpacking adventure in the wilderness
...
E
22
...
No error
...
The FBI agents chose not to arrest the suspect
A
in the bank that afternoon, but instead arrested
B
C
him at the airport before he is boarding a flight
D
to Atlanta
...
E
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PRACTICE TEST A
24
...
D
No error
...
Reflecting on the size of our national debt,
A
one might well ask yourself how the most
B
C
powerful nation on earth could have gotten
D
itself into such a mess
...
E
25
...
No error
...
At Burger King, the hamburgers are very
26
...
The achievements as well as the failures of
book, and give a presentation in front of the
C
D
class
...
E
similar to McDonald’s, except they are
A
B
slightly smaller and contain less fat
...
E
the space program has been a matter of
A
B
contention for many years as many interest
C
groups compete for a share of the federal
D
budget
...
E
213
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS
Directions: The passage below is the draft of a student’s essay
...
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow
...
Choose the answer that best follows the requirements of standard written English
...
[1] It is difficult to deny that modern technology has changed human behavior
...
[3] Thousands
of unknown musicians, aiming to become famous,
have turned to the Internet to distribute their music
digitally
...
[5] In the past, it would
cost many thousands of dollars to put out a sample
record or tape
...
[7] They might not do their best
work in a rush to save money
...
[9] It
is expensive to distribute tapes or CDs to agents,
radio stations, disk jockeys, clubs, or any other
place where someone might give a listen
...
[11] Now, however, tens of thousands
of musicians can bypass the usual route to stardom
and record whatever they want, using the lyrics
and sounds they like, and post their songs on Web
sites
...
[13] Some musicians
have released full-length albums on the Web
...
[15] MTV presents the awards
annually
...
”
[17] Using the Internet is no guarantee of success
...
[19]
Within three months, over 4,000 listeners had
downloaded their music
...
The sentence that best states the main idea of
the essay is
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
sentence 1
sentence 3
sentence 4
sentence 11
sentence 17
31
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
can
will
might
shall
decided to
32
...
And they would incur huge
expenses to record just one song
...
(B) rushing to save money, incur huge
expenses
(C) incurring huge expenses in their rush to
save money
(D) and rushing to save money, huge expenses
would be incurred
(E) in a rush to save money and would incur
huge expenses
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PRACTICE TEST A
215
33
...
In the context of the last paragraph, which
sentence would be most appropriate to follow
sentence 19?
Recording at their own pace, the songs won’t
be published until the musicians are satisfied
that it represents their best work
...
(B) The group’s music, by the way, is an eclectic mix of ska, calypso, and rockabilly
...
(D) The experience of the Bossa Nova Beatniks, however, is a rare exception to the
rule
...
(A) the work won’t be published until the
musicians are satisfied that the songs they
have recorded represent their best work
(B) musicians won’t be satisfied publishing
songs unless it represents their best work
(C) musicians won’t publish or be satisfied
with any song that represents less than
their best work
(D) musicians know that their songs won’t be
ready for publication and they won’t be
satisfied until they represent their best
work
(E) the songs won’t be published or satisfy the
musicians until they represent their best
work
34
...
MTV presents the awards
annually
...
”
(A) A new award, called “Best Band Web
Site,” has been added to MTV’s annual
Video Music Awards
...
(C) Annually MTV presents Video Music
Awards, and the category of “Best Band
Web Site” has been added
...
(E) The Video Music Awards presented annually has added “Best Band Web Site” to its
awards, which is presented by MTV
...
Do not return to Section 1
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Section 3
Multiple-Choice Questions
TIME—10 MINUTES
IMPROVING SENTENCES
Directions: The underlined sentences and sentence parts below may contain errors in standard English,
including awkward or ambiguous expression, poor word choice (diction), incorrect sentence structure,
or faulty grammar, usage, and punctuation
...
Indicate your choice by filling in the corresponding space on the answer sheet
...
Choose A if none of the other choices improves the original sentence
...
After the book was published, the author has
been criticized for plagiarizing passages from
other books
...
The new nuclear desalinization plant, being
built on the river bank, and is costing far more
than expected
...
At five years old, my father took me to get a
haircut for the very first time
...
Not three weeks following Lance Armstrong’s
victory in the Tour de France bicycle race but
the doctors diagnosed him with cancer
...
Claude Monet studied the light and color of the
French countryside, and these are the impressions that he incorporated in many of his
paintings
...
In this article it characterizes Collins as being
brilliant, ruthless, and likely to resign soon
...
Therefore, I admire any organization that
speaks up for democratic principles, even when
they are for selfish aims
...
The book is filled with color photographs that
offer vivid reminders to both veterans and
civilians of the horrors of the Vietnam War
...
One of the great literary figures of the
20th century, Maxwell Perkins, an editor at
Scribners, helping Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and
Thomas Wolfe break into print
...
Still being bought for its appearance and
charm, teddy bears rank among the most popular toys ever invented
...
Twenty years ago Peterson took a job with the
federal Bureau of Land Management, and he
has been responsible for maintaining public
lands ever since
...
Flowing through sand, rocks, and silt, variations in the speed of underground water are
many
...
They not only spoke enthusiastically about the
new fertilizer but also praised the farmers who
tried it
...
In his zeal to make a realistic movie, the director studied the language of the street gang, and
the dialogue was made to sound authentic
...
Do not return to Sections 1 or 2
...
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ANSWER KEY FOR PRACTICE TEST A
219
ANSWER KEY
SECTION 1—THE ESSAY
Guide for Scoring Your Essay
Using this guide, rate yourself in each of these six categories
...
On the SAT itself, two readers will score your essay on a scale of 6 (high) to 1 (low), or zero if you fail
to write on the assigned topic
...
Remember that SAT essays are judged in relation to other essays written on the same topic
...
Because it is difficult to read your own essay with total objectivity, you might improve the validity of your
score by getting a second opinion about your essay from an informed friend or a teacher
...
)
(Round to the nearest whole number
...
2
...
4
...
6
...
8
...
10
...
12
...
14
...
16
...
18
...
20
...
22
...
24
...
26
...
28
...
30
...
32
...
34
...
C
E
C
A
D
1
...
3
...
5
...
7
...
9
...
B
C
D
E
E
D
B
A
D
E
11
...
13
...
A
B
A
C
221
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION CHART
I
...
25) from (B) for each wrong answer
______ (C)
(A) minus (C) = ______ (D)
Round (D) to the nearest whole number for your MULTIPLE-CHOICE RAW SCORE
_______
ESSAY SUBSCORE
_______
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CONVERSION TABLE FOR PRACTICE TEST A
223
CONVERSION TABLE
This table will give you an approximation of what your score would be if this practice test had been an
actual SAT Writing Test
...
For example, if your Multiple-Choice Raw Score was 35 and your Essay Subscore was 6, the table indicates that your final score on the test would be approximately halfway between 500 and 710, or 600
...
SECTION 2—IMPROVING SENTENCES
1
...
Mixed construction
...
B
...
Use either he or the captain, not both
...
Mixed construction
...
E
...
This compound sentence contains two ideas that would be more effectively stated in a complex sentence
...
C
A
...
Coordinate elements in a sentence should be in parallel grammatical form
...
B
...
In context, the preposition by is not standard usage
...
D
...
In context the phrase to kick is not standard English usage
...
Misplaced modifier
...
Use after I have kicked
...
E
A
...
Chief of Staff is singular; influence is plural
...
Subject–verb agreement
...
C
...
Chief of Staff is singular; are increasing is plural
...
Wordiness
...
4
...
Sentence fragment
...
B
...
The phrase graduates of fifty years ago and the word alumni are
redundant
...
Verb tense
...
E
...
Alumni do not graduate from college; students do
...
D
A
...
The construction lacks a main clause
...
Mixed construction
...
C
...
Cast in the past tense, the sentence shifts to the present
...
Shift in grammatical subject
...
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ANSWER EXPLANATIONS FOR PRACTICE TEST A
225
6
...
Pronoun reference
...
B
...
C
...
D
...
Semicolons separate complete sentences
...
7
...
Subject–verb agreement
...
Use thrill
...
Wordiness
...
D
...
E
...
The pronoun it fails to refer specifically to a noun or other pronoun
...
D
A
...
The placement of already makes the phrase nonstandard
...
Incomplete construction
...
C
...
The use of the word whether makes no sense in the context
...
Diction error
...
Use as here
...
E
A
...
The first clause lacks both a grammatical and a logical relationship with
the second
...
Comma splice
...
C
...
The phrase beginning Never having lacks a logical relationship with the remainder of the sentence
...
Diction error
...
10
...
Shift in verb tense
...
C
...
Would of is nonstandard
...
D
...
The phrase the purchasing of the house is awkwardly expressed
...
Shift in verb tense
...
11
...
Pronoun–antecedent agreement
...
Use they
...
Same as A
...
Comma splice
...
E
...
The sentence refers to events that won’t occur until the future
...
SECTION 2—IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS
12
...
The word group is singular, the verb get is plural
...
13
...
The phrase it creates is not parallel to the other verbs
...
14
...
Use who instead of which when referring to people
...
B
Verb tense error
...
Use will have to
be
...
B
Idiom error
...
17
...
18
...
Use more when comparing two entities; use most for comparing three or
more
...
B
Subject–verb agreement
...
Use stand
...
B
Pronoun–antecedent agreement
...
The pronoun–verb phrase they are
is plural
...
21
...
The participle being should be used only to describe an action occurring at the same
time as the action described by the main verb
...
22
...
The phrase in the bettering of is nonstandard
...
23
...
The sentence is cast in the past tense
...
24
...
25
...
Add –er to the positive form when comparing two entities
...
Use quicker
...
C
Faulty parallelism
...
Use giving
...
C
Pronoun shift
...
Use oneself
...
A
Faulty comparison
...
Use similar to those at
McDonald’s
...
A
Subject–verb agreement
...
Use
have been
...
B
Choice A seems like the main idea but it is far too broad and sweeping for the limited subject matter of this essay
...
Choice B contains the essay’s main point
...
Choice C develops the idea introduced at the end of the first paragraph
...
Choice E alters the direction of the essay and is too limited to qualify as the main idea
...
C
Choice A, a verb in the present tense, does not fit the context
...
Choice C explains a situation that illustrates an idea introduced by the preceding sentence
...
Choice D expresses a future condition that, in context, is irrelevant
...
32
...
It needs punctuation between money and they
...
Choice C represents the work of a writer who has taken leave of his senses
...
Choice E is a direct and economical version of the original
...
33
...
The phrase Recording at their own pace should modify
musicians, not work
...
Songs is plural, it is singular
...
Choice D, besides being wordy, contains two pronouns with ambiguous antecedents
...
The phrase Recording at their own pace should modify
musicians, not songs
...
34
...
It supports the author’s intent to
illustrate the coming-of-age of Web-based music
...
Choice B includes all the important ideas but ignores the author’s intent by emphasizing the frequency of the MTV presentation rather than the addition of an award recognizing achievement in
Web-site publication of music
...
Choice D stresses the frequency of the award presentation, a distortion of the author’s intended
meaning
...
35
...
Because Choice D alludes to that point, it is the best
answer
...
B
A
...
The verb has been criticized shifts the sentence, cast in the past tense, to
the present perfect tense
...
Shift in verb tense
...
D
...
The verb would have been criticized shifts the sentence, cast in the past
tense, to the future perfect tense
...
Sentence fragment
...
2
...
Mixed construction
...
B
...
A comma (between expected and it) may not be used to separate two independent clauses
...
Syntax error
...
E
...
The grammatical subject plant lacks a main verb
...
D
A
...
At five years old should modify I (the speaker), not my father
...
Misplaced modifier
...
C
...
Substitute my first haircut for a haircut for the very first time to make the sentence
more cogent
...
Redundancy
...
4
...
Diction error
...
B
...
In the context, the use of but is not standard English
...
Shift in tense
...
D
...
The use of passive voice leads to an awkwardly worded construction
...
E
A
...
This compound sentence contains ideas that would be more effectively
expressed by subordinating one clause to the other
...
Subject–verb agreement
...
Use was
instead of were
...
Sentence fragment
...
D
...
The second clause lacks a verb
...
D
A
...
The pronoun it lacks a specific referent
...
Sentence fragment
...
C
...
The two coordinate clauses state seemingly unrelated information and
contain ideas of unequal importance
...
Sentence fragment
...
7
...
Pronoun–antecedent agreement
...
Use it
...
Shift in pronoun number
...
D
...
The pronoun it lacks a specific referent
...
Wordy
...
By definition selfish aims are for oneself
...
A
B
...
The plural noun photographs requires a plural verb
...
C
...
The word both should modify veterans, not vivid reminders
...
Wordy
...
Use one or the other
...
Pronoun reference
...
9
...
Faulty verb form
...
B
...
The construction lacks a main verb
...
Incorrect pronoun reference
...
E
...
The construction helped at Scribners Hemingway, etc
...
10
...
Pronoun–antecedent agreement
...
Use
their
...
Shift in tense
...
C
...
A comma may not be used to separate two independent clauses
...
Faulty subordination
...
11
...
Comma splice
...
C
...
The phrase wherever since is not standard English
...
Comma splice
...
E
...
The use of is, a verb in the present tense, may not be used to describe past and continuing action
...
12
...
Dangling participle
...
C
...
The participial phrase that begins Flowing through should modify water
instead of speed
...
Dangling participle
...
E
...
Water is singular; vary is plural
...
13
...
Faulty parallelism
...
C
...
The verb spoke is not parallel in form to the infinitive to praise
...
Faulty parallelism
...
E
...
The use of both indicates the need for a second adverb paired with
enthusiastically
...
C
A
...
The first clause of the compound sentence is in the active voice, the second in the passive voice
...
Faulty verb form
...
D
...
The construction contains too many unnecessary words
...
Idiom
...
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PRACTICE TEST B
231
PRACTICE TEST B
Section 1
Essay
TIME—25 MINUTES
Directions: Plan and write an essay in response to the assigned topic
...
Present your thoughts logically
and precisely
...
A plain, natural
writing style is probably best
...
Limit your essay to two sides of the lined paper provided
...
Write or print legibly because handwriting that’s hard or impossible
to read will decrease your score
...
AN ESSAY WRITTEN ON
ANOTHER TOPIC WILL BE SCORED “ZERO
...
Do not turn to another section of the test
...
Passage 1
Educators recognize that academic growth is the highest priority of a school
...
These restrictions are intended for
the students’ guidance and assistance and are meant to contribute to the achievement of the
goals set by schools in carrying out their mission
...
Of that number, about 250 make it to the NFL and about 50 make an NBA team
...
• The odds of a high-school football player making it to the pros at all—let alone having a
career—are about 6,000 to 1; the odds for a high school basketball player—10,000 to 1
...
Dempsey,
President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
Assignment: In many high schools, students who fail a certain number of academic courses are ineligible to
participate in varsity athletics and other time-consuming extracurricular activities
...
Support your opinion with evidence and examples drawn from your
studies, reading, observation, or experience
...
Do not skip lines
...
233
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Essay (continued)
End of essay
...
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PRACTICE TEST B
235
ANSWER SHEET FOR MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
Section 2
Improving Sentences
Improving Paragraphs
Section 3
Improving Sentences
C
D
E
30
...
A
B
C
D
E
A
B
C
D
E
31
...
A
B
C
D
E
3
...
A
B
C
D
E
3
...
A
B
C
D
E
33
...
A
B
C
D
E
5
...
A
B
C
D
E
5
...
A
B
C
D
E
35
...
A
B
C
D
E
7
...
A
B
C
D
E
8
...
Remove answer sheet by cutting on dotted line
...
A
A
B
C
D
E
8
...
A
B
C
D
E
9
...
A
B
C
D
E
10
...
A
B
C
D
E
11
...
A
B
C
D
E
13
...
A
B
C
D
E
Identifying
Sentence Errors
12
...
A
B
C
D
E
14
...
A
B
C
D
E
16
...
A
B
C
D
E
18
...
A
B
C
D
E
20
...
A
B
C
D
E
22
...
A
B
C
D
E
24
...
A
B
C
D
E
26
...
A
B
C
D
E
28
...
A
B
C
D
E
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PRACTICE TEST B
237
Section 2
Multiple-Choice Questions
TIME—25 MINUTES
IMPROVING SENTENCES
Directions: The underlined sentences and sentence parts below may contain errors in standard English,
including awkward or ambiguous expression, poor word choice (diction), incorrect sentence structure,
or faulty grammar, usage, and punctuation
...
Indicate your choice by filling in the corresponding space on the answer sheet
...
Choose A if none of the other choices improves the original sentence
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
ANSWER
A
B
C
D
E
cook, and eating also
cook and to eat
cook, and to eat also
cook and eat besides
cook and, in addition, eat
1
...
(A) that was when Clarissa sighted her old
guitar in the pawn shop window
(B) Clarissa sighted her old guitar in the pawn
shop window
(C) then the sighting of Clarissa’s old guitar
took place
(D) Clarissa’s old guitar was sighted in the
pawn shop window
(E) in the window of the pawn shop her old
guitar was sighted by Clarissa
2
...
(A) where Julie grew to love history with a
passion, ultimately leading
(B) Julie grew to love history with a passion
that ultimately led
(C) where she grew to love history with a passion, as a result leading Julie ultimately
(D) Julie’s love for history grew with a passion and it ultimately led her
(E) where Julie grew to passionately love history, ultimately leading her
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
3
...
7
...
(A) Betsy and him, but the actual recipients of
the bad news were Peter and I
(B) Betsy and I, but the actual recipients of the
bad news were Peter and I
(C) Betsy and him, but Peter and me actually
received the bad news
...
Funds that are earned as tips is one of the most
difficult sources of income for the Internal
Revenue Service to monitor
...
The fictional characters in the novel War
and Peace are as similar as the friends and
acquaintances that the author, Leo Tolstoy,
actually had
...
Today there is more violence than the 1950s
and 1960s, when guns were more difficult to
obtain
...
The consultant, Dr
...
(A) and she would meet with students, teachers, and administrators to discuss it
(B) and meeting with students, teachers, and
administrators for discussing it
(C) in holding discussions at meetings with
students, teachers, and administrators
about it
(D) meeting for discussing about it with
students, teachers, and administrators
(E) by discussing it with students, teachers,
and administrators
...
Because dinosaurs were the hugest creatures
ever to roam the Earth is the reason why they
are fascinating to us
...
Reciting poems, one of the earliest forms of
entertainment, it increased in complexity as
well as sophistication as time went on
...
Thomas Wolfe, the early 20th-century American writer often confused with the contemporary novelist Tom Wolfe, grew up in Asheville,
North Carolina
...
Read each sentence carefully and identify
which item, if any, contains an error
...
No sentence contains more than one error
...
In that
case, the correct choice will always be E (No error)
...
No error
...
If Toby McGuire was alive during the heyday
A
B
of Hollywood’s debonair leading actors, he
probably would have been considered
too naïve and boyish to succeed as a big star
...
E
ANSWER
A
B
C
D
E
13
...
No error
...
Telemarketers are finding greater success
A
making sales when they phoned customers
B
C
in the morning rather than late in the day
...
E
15
...
No error
...
Although Martin Luther King’s birthday is
A
B
January 15th, it is celebrated on the third
C
Monday of January, regardless of the date
...
E
17
...
No error
...
The governor has often proposed reductions
A
in the sales tax because consumers can benefit
B
from this whenever they go to the store
...
E
19
...
D
No error
...
Even after Elvis died it was rumored that
A
B
he was seen roaming the land, driving his car,
showing up unexpectedly at rock-n-roll
C
concerts, and he made his countless fans very
D
excited
...
E
21
...
No error
...
Melissa was taught early in life that,
A
regardless about her feelings, she should
B
always wear a smile, try to be cheerful and
C
upbeat, and never say anything bad about
someone else
...
D
E
23
...
No error
...
The collective thoughts, reflections, memories,
and opinions expressed by the seniors in the
A
pages of the student magazine reveal the
B
C
diversity and uniqueness that characterizes
D
Brookdale High School
...
E
25
...
D
No error
...
No matter how careful passengers are
A
B
screened at the airport, a determined terrorist
C
will inevitably find a way to board an
D
airplane
...
E
241
27
...
No error
...
When Annie set out to buy an affordable
A
automobile, she decided to look for a car
B
different than those that her friends were
C
D
driving
...
E
29
...
C
D
No error
...
Some parts of the passage need
improvement
...
The questions are about revisions that might improve all or part of the passage’s organization, development, sentence structure, or
choice of words
...
Questions 30–35 refer to the following passage
...
[2] Permafrost covers
the tundra
...
[4] In the south, the Black Sea gives Russia access to warm water ports
...
[6] The Black Sea will continue to help their economic growth
...
[8] It has prevented attacks on Great Britain for
hundreds of years
...
[10] This allowed
the nation to develop economically and remain
politically stable
...
[12] Much of Egypt is covered by desert
...
[14]
It is longer than any river in the world
...
[16] For centuries,
the river had deposited rich particles of soil for
growing crops along its banks
...
[18] The banks of the Nile and the river’s
delta are among the most productive farming areas
in the world
...
[20] Russia, Great Britain, and Egypt are only
three countries that have been shaped and developed by bodies of water
...
Which is the best revision of the underlined
segment of sentence 5 (reproduced below?
The reason that the Black Sea is important is
because it gives them the ability to export timber, furs, coal, oil, and other raw materials
that are traded for food and manufactured
goods
...
In the context of the second paragraph, which
is the best revision of sentences 8 and 9 (reproduced below)?
It has prevented attacks on Great Britain for
hundreds of years
...
(A) The English channel has prevented Great
Britain’s being attacked for hundreds of
years; except for the Norman invasion of
1066
...
(C) Except for not preventing the Norman
invasion more than 900 years ago, the
English Channel has prevented attacks on
Great Britain for hundreds of years
...
(E) For hundreds of years it has prevented
attacks on Great Britain, except for the
Norman invasion of 1066
...
Which is the best way to combine sentences
12, 13, and 14 (reproduced below)?
Much of Egypt is covered by desert
...
It is longer than
any river in the world
...
(B) Egypt, which is covered by desert, is irrigated by the Nile, which is longer than
any river in the world
...
(D) The longest river in the world, the Nile
River, irrigates the Egyptian desert, which
means that the river irrigates most of the
country
...
34
...
Considering the essay as a whole, which one of
the following least accurately describes the
function of sentence 20?
(A) It summarizes the essay’s main idea
...
(C) It proves the validity of the essay’s main
idea
...
(E) It gives the essay a sense of completion
...
To improve the coherence of paragraph 3,
which of the following sentences would be best
to delete?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
243
Sentence 15
Sentence 16
Sentence 17
Sentence 18
Sentence 19
End of Section 2
...
Do not proceed to Section 3 until the
allotted time for Section 2 has passed
...
Read each sentence carefully and identify which of the
five alternative versions most effectively and correctly expresses the meaning of the underlined material
...
Choice A always
repeats the original
...
1
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
as well as teaching them
as well as to teach them
and they also teach them
and as well, teach them also
also teaching them
2
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
account for its popularity
accounts for its popularity
account for their popularity
explains why it is popular
are the reasons for their popularity
3
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
made a comment of spending
commented on the spending of his
gave a comment that he spent
commented on his spending
made a comment stating about spending
4
...
(A) asserting that it is working on the
improvement of gas mileage by
(B) asserting that work on improving gas
mileage by
(C) assert that they will improve gas mileage
and
(D) asserts that improving gas mileage by
(E) assert that they will improve gas mileage
by
5
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
or studying medicine
or working in the field of medicine
or a medical field
or a profession in medicine
and to think about attending medical
school
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PRACTICE TEST B
6
...
(A) bow-hunting is safer than a rifle
(B) hunting with a bow is safer than hunting
with a rifle
(C) bows is more safe than rifles in hunting
(D) bow-hunting is more safe than hunting
with a rifle
(E) a bow in hunting is safer than a rifle in
hunting
...
Convinced that her all-night study sessions on
Thursdays enabled her to pass math tests on
Friday, Susan is shocked to learn that last week
she got an F
...
(B) Susan was shocked to learn that she got
an F last week
(C) shock is what Susan had when learning
that last week she got an F
(D) it is a shock for Susan to learn that last
week she receives an F
(E) last week’s F shocked Susan
8
...
S
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
you will be employed by
it is being employed by
you would be an employee of
he or she is employed by
the employment is being by
9
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
the fumes smelled pleasing to Howard
the fumes’ smell pleased Howard
smells from the fumes pleased Howard
Howard smelled the fumes pleasingly
Howard was pleased by the smell of the
fumes
245
10
...
(A) Thalia told her that her first period class
had been cancelled
(B) from Thalia she learned that her first
period class had been cancelled
(C) Charlotte was told by Thalia that her first
period class had been cancelled
(D) Thalia said that Charlotte’s first period
class had been cancelled
(E) hearing from Thalia about the cancellation
of her first period class
11
...
(A) make a reservation, and then that reservation entitles you to a seat
(B) and make a reservation that entitles you to
a seat
(C) and make a reservation, then you are entitled to a seat
(D) and make a reservation, then entitling you
to a seat
(E) and make a reservation, you are entitled to
a seat then
12
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
valuable so that it helps
valuable because it helps
valuable, even though it will help
valuable in order that they help
valuable for it to help
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
13
...
(A) company grew up in poverty, he gradually
(B) company, having his growing up in poverty,
gradually
(C) company grew up in poverty, but he gradually
(D) company, having grown up poor, but he
gradually
(E) company, poverty stricken while he grew
up, he gradually
14
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
but it’s all right to seek help
but explains that help is all right to seek
explaining that it’s all right to seek help
and also explains that it’s all right to seek
help
(E) but also explains that it’s all right to seek
help
End of Section 3
...
END OF WRITING TEST
...
Enter your scores in the spaces provided, and
calculate the average of the six ratings to determine your final score
...
The score will be reported to you as the sum of the two ratings, from 12 to 0
...
Therefore,
this scoring guide may not yield a totally accurate prediction of the score you can expect on the exam
...
Overall Impression
6
5
4
3
2
1
Score
s
Consistently outstanding in clarity and competence; very insightful; few, if any, errors
Reasonably consistent in clarity and competence; occasional errors or lapses in quality;
contains some insight
Adequate competence; some lapses in quality; fairly clear and with evidence of insight
Generally inadequate but demonstrates potential competence; contains some confusing
aspects
Seriously limited; significant weaknesses in quality; generally unclear or incoherent
Demonstrates fundamental incompetence; contains serious flaws; significantly undeveloped
or confusing
Development of Point of View
6
5
4
3
2
1
Score
s
Fully developed with clear and appropriate supporting material; demonstrates high level of
critical thinking
Generally well developed with appropriate examples, reasons, and other evidence to support
a main idea; demonstrates strong critical thinking
Partly develops a main idea with relatively appropriate examples and reasons; shows some
evidence of critical thinking
Weak development of main idea and little evidence of critical thinking; barely appropriate
examples or other supporting material
Lacks a focus on a main idea; weak critical thinking; inappropriate or insufficient evidence
Fails to articulate a viable point of view; provides virtually no evidence of understanding the
prompt
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Organization of Ideas
6
5
4
3
2
1
Score
s
Extremely well organized and focused on a main idea; supporting evidence presented in an
effective, logical sequence
Generally well organized and reasonably focused on a main idea; mostly coherent and logical
presentation of supporting material
Reasonably organized; shows some evidence of thoughtful sequence and progression of ideas
Limited organization and vague focus on main idea; contains some confusion in the sequence
of ideas
Barely recognizable organization; little coherence; serious problems with sequence of ideas
No discernable organization; incoherent sequence of ideas
Language and Word Choice
6
5
4
3
2
1
Score
s
Highly effective and skillful use of language; varied, appropriate, and accurate vocabulary
Demonstrates competence in use of language; appropriate and correct vocabulary
Adequate but inconsistent use of effective language; conventional but mostly correct use of
vocabulary
Some minor errors in expression; generally weak or limited vocabulary; occasionally inappropriate word choice
Frequent errors in expression; very limited vocabulary; incorrect word choice interferes with
meaning
Seriously deficient in use of language; meaning obscured by word choice
Sentence Structure
6
5
4
3
2
1
Score
s
Varied and engaging sentence structure
Sufficiently varied sentence structure
Some sentence variation
Little sentence variation; minor sentence errors
Frequent sentence errors
Severe sentence errors; meaning obscured
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ANSWER KEY FOR PRACTICE TEST B
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics
6
5
4
3
2
1
Score
s
Virtually or entirely error-free
Contains some minor errors
Some minor errors; one or two major errors
Accumulated minor and major errors
Contains frequent major errors that interfere with meaning
Contains severe errors that obscure meaning
For rating yourself
For a second opinion
Total of six scores ______
Total of six scores ______
Divide total by 6 to get score: _____ (A)
Divide total by 6 to get score: _____ (B)
(Round to the nearest whole number
...
)
(A) + (B) = ESSAY SUBSCORE ______
(0–12)
ANSWERS TO MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
Section 2
1
...
3
...
5
...
7
...
9
...
B
B
A
D
E
C
A
E
B
E
Section 3
11
...
13
...
15
...
17
...
19
...
A
A
B
C
B
E
B
C
C
D
21
...
23
...
25
...
27
...
29
...
D
B
B
D
D
B
C
C
C
A
31
...
33
...
35
...
2
...
4
...
6
...
8
...
10
...
12
...
14
...
Self-Rating Chart
Section 2
Improving Sentences, questions 1–11
Number correct _____
Identifying Sentence Errors, questions 12–29
Number correct _____
Improving Paragraphs, questions 30–35
Number correct _____
Section 3
Improving Sentences, questions 1–14
Number correct _____
Subtotal ______ (A)
Wrong answers (Do not count unanswered questions)
Section 2
Section 3
Number wrong ______
Number wrong _____
Subtotal ______ (B)
Subtract 1⁄4 point (0
...
The essay counts for roughly 30% of the final score; the multiple-choice questions, for roughly 70%
...
Multiple-Choice
Raw Score
0
2
4
Essay Subscore
6
8
10
12
40–49
520–690
530–720
550–740
580–770
620–800
650–800
680–800
30–39
430–630
450–660
470–680
500–710
530–740
560–770
590–800
20–29
360–540
370–570
390–590
420–620
460–650
490–690
520–710
10–19
270–460
280–490
300–510
330–540
370–580
400–610
430–630
0–9
200–380
200–410
210–430
240–450
270–490
300–520
330–560
–12– –1
200–280
200–310
200–330
200–350
240–390
270–420
300–450
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
ANSWER EXPLANATIONS
Note: Although many choices contain multiple errors, only a single error is listed for each incorrect answer
...
B
A
...
The use of both While and that was when creates a redundancy
...
Mixed construction
...
D
...
The construction While walking down Market Street modifies guitar
instead of Clarissa
...
Passive construction
...
2
...
Sentence fragment
...
C
...
The phrase as a result is not grammatically related to the earlier part of the
sentence
D
...
The phrase As a student at Penn State modifies love instead of Julie
...
Sentence fragment
...
3
...
Pronoun error
...
C
...
The pronoun in Peter and me is in the nominative case and, therefore, should be I
...
Pronoun error
...
See B
...
Pronoun error
...
See B
...
D
A
...
Funds is plural; is is singular
...
Mixed construction
...
C
...
Earning is singular; are is plural
...
Idiom error
...
5
...
Faulty idiom
...
B
...
Characters is plural; is is singular
...
Sentence fragment
...
D
...
Characters is plural; is is singular
...
C
A
...
Violence is compared to the 1950s and 1960s, an illogical comparison
...
Faulty diction
...
D
...
In this context, than around is not standard English
...
Faulty comparison
...
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ANSWER EXPLANATIONS FOR PRACTICE TEST B
253
7
...
Pronoun–antecedent agreement
...
C
...
The construction each of them have unique decorations and the phrase of their own
are redundant
...
Pronoun–antecedent agreement
...
E
...
A comma may not be used to separate two independent clauses
...
E
A
...
The two coordinate clauses of this compound sentence contain related ideas that
could be more concisely expressed by replacing and she would meet with with by meeting
...
Awkwardness
...
for discussing it is awkwardly expressed
...
Faulty idiom
...
D
...
The phrase discussing about it is not standard English
...
B
A
...
Because and the reason why are redundant
...
Subject–verb agreement
...
D
...
As a result of dinosaurs fails to relate grammatically to they are fascinating to us
...
Comma splice
...
10
...
Mixed construction
...
B
...
The pronoun they fails to refer to a specific plural noun or other pronoun
...
Sentence fragment
...
D
...
The coordinate phrases in their complexity and growing more sophisticated
are not in parallel form
...
A
B
...
The phrase mistaken with is not standard English
...
Faulty coordination
...
D
...
Growing up in Asheville
...
E
...
The use of while growing and was often confused creates a logical impossibility because Thomas Wolfe grew up long before Tom Wolfe made a name for himself
...
A
Tense shift
...
13
...
For comparing two objects, use the comparative degree instead of the superlative
...
14
...
The sentence is cast in the present tense
...
15
...
Use who instead of which when referring to people
...
E
No error
...
B
Subject–verb agreement
...
Use requires
...
C
Pronoun–antecedent agreement
...
19
...
Although the sentence is cast in the present tense (tells), it recalls past events
...
20
...
Verbs in a series should be in parallel form
...
21
...
The subject neither is singular; the verb were is plural
...
22
...
The construction is not in standard English
...
23
...
The antecedent freshman should be followed by a personal pronoun (he/
she), not by the impersonal pronoun one
...
D
Noun–verb agreement
...
Use characterize instead of characterizes
...
D
Ambiguous pronoun reference
...
Here,
the pronoun they could refer to teachers or to children
...
B
Diction error
...
Use carefully
...
C
Pronoun case
...
Use the objective case
pronoun me
...
C
Idiom error
...
29
...
The word other must be included in a comparison of one thing with a group of
which it is a member
...
SECTION 2—IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS
30
...
The language of the other choices is
awkward or nonstandard
...
E
Choice A contains a sentence fragment after the semicolon
...
Choice C is wordy and repetitious
...
Choice D is an unclear, awkwardly constructed sentence
...
A
Choice B contains a faulty comparison
...
Choice C is similar to B
...
Choice E is awkwardly expressed
...
C
Although it is related to the topic of the paragraph, sentence 17 steers the discussion away from the
paragraph’s main topic, Egypt’s dependence on the Nile
...
34
...
The other sentences are facts
that stand on their own
...
C
Choice C does not describe the function of the last paragraph
...
SECTION 3—IMPROVING SENTENCES
1
...
Faulty parallelism
...
To set a good
example and as well as teaching are not in parallel form
...
Faulty pronoun reference
...
D
...
As well as and also are redundant
...
Faulty parallelism
...
2
...
Subject–verb agreement
...
C
...
The pronoun their should refer to fabric, but because their is plural, it
seems to refer to strength and appearance
...
Subject–verb agreement
...
E
...
The pronoun their should refer to fabric, but because their is plural, it
seems to refer to strength and appearance
...
D
A
...
The construction made a comment of spending is not standard English
...
Clumsy construction
...
C
...
In context the verb gave is not standard English
...
Wordiness
...
4
...
Pronoun–antecedent agreement
...
B
...
The construction lacks a main verb
...
Faulty parallelism
...
Will improve is not parallel to
spending
...
Subject–verb agreement
...
5
...
Faulty parallelism
...
Studying medicine is not parallel to music, English, and creative writing
...
Faulty parallelism
...
Working in the field of medicine
is not parallel to music, English, and creative writing
...
Faulty parallelism
...
A profession in medicine is not
parallel to music, English, and creative writing
...
Mixed construction
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
6
...
Faulty comparison
...
C
...
Bows is plural; is is singular
...
D
...
Add –er to one-syllable adjectives to indicate a higher degree
...
E
...
In this context, the phrase in hunting is awkward
...
B
A
...
The sentence, cast in the past tense, shifts to the present
...
Misplaced modifier
...
D
...
The sentence, cast in the past tense, shifts to the present
...
Misplaced modifier
...
8
...
Tense shift
...
B
...
The pronoun it fails to refer to a specific noun or other pronoun
...
Pronoun shift
...
E
...
The construction is not in standard English
...
E
A
...
The construction that begins Having ordered
...
B
...
The construction that begins Having ordered
...
C
...
The construction that begins Having ordered
...
D
...
In the context, pleasingly fails to convey the intended meaning because it is not
a synonym for with pleasure
...
D
A
...
The second her may refer either to Charlotte or to Thalia
...
Ambiguous pronoun reference
...
C
...
The pronoun her may refer either to Charlotte or to Thalia
...
Sentence fragment
...
11
...
Wordiness
...
C
...
A comma may not be used to separate two independent clauses
...
Mixed construction
...
E
...
The word then is misplaced
...
12
...
Faulty idiom
...
Instead of
expressing the idea that better equipment has the effect of helping soldiers, it says that better
equipment has been valuable in order to help soldiers
...
Faulty idiom
...
D
...
The pronoun they fails to refer to a specific noun or other pronoun
...
Faulty idiom
...
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ANSWER EXPLANATIONS FOR PRACTICE TEST B
257
13
...
Comma splice
...
B
...
The phrase having his growing up is not standard English
...
Subordination error
...
E
...
The construction beginning with he is not grammatically related to
the earlier part of the sentence
...
E
A
...
The verb shows lacks a grammatical parallel, namely a verb in the same
form
...
Clumsy construction
...
C
...
The verb explaining is not parallel in form to shows
...
Idiom error
...
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PRACTICE TEST C
259
PRACTICE TEST C
Section 1
Essay
TIME—25 MINUTES
Directions: Plan and write an essay in response to the assigned topic
...
Present your thoughts logically
and precisely
...
A plain, natural
writing style is probably best
...
Limit your essay to two sides of the lined paper provided
...
Write or print legibly because handwriting that’s hard or impossible
to read will decrease your score
...
AN ESSAY WRITTEN ON
ANOTHER TOPIC WILL BE SCORED “ZERO
...
Do not turn to another section of the test
...
We thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place
These words from Edwin Arlington Robinson’s famous poem “Richard Cory” describe
what people often feel when they see others who apparently lead happier, richer, more content lives than they do
...
On the other hand, envy may be a self-defeating and
ultimately frustrating emotion because it may lead people to strive in vain for unattainable goals
...
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PRACTICE TEST C
Section 1
ESSAY
Time allowed: 25 minutes
Limit your essay to two pages
...
Write only inside the box
...
Do not proceed to Section 2 until the allotted time for Section 1 has passed
...
A
B
C
D
E
1
...
A
B
C
D
E
2
...
A
B
C
D
E
32
...
A
B
C
D
E
4
...
A
B
C
D
E
4
...
A
B
C
D
E
34
...
A
B
C
D
E
6
...
A
B
C
D
E
6
...
A
B
C
D
E
7
...
£
B
2
...
1
...
A
B
C
D
E
9
...
A
B
C
D
E
10
...
A
B
C
D
E
11
...
A
B
C
D
E
12
...
A
B
C
D
E
14
...
A
B
C
D
E
13
...
A
B
C
D
E
15
...
A
B
C
D
E
17
...
A
B
C
D
E
19
...
A
B
C
D
E
21
...
A
B
C
D
E
23
...
A
B
C
D
E
25
...
A
B
C
D
E
27
...
A
B
C
D
E
29
...
Read each sentence carefully and identify which of the
five alternative versions most effectively and correctly expresses the meaning of the underlined material
...
Choice A always
repeats the original
...
EXAMPLE
ANSWER
My old Aunt Maud loves
to cook, and eating also
...
The book’s descriptions of the country and the
town, in addition to its recent release as a
movie, explains why sales of the book have
suddenly boomed in stores and online
...
Jogging a mile consumes the same number of
calories as if you walk two miles
...
Because Lisa expected not to go to college, she
is taking little interest in school and doing
poorly
...
The pollution of the municipal well having
been discovered, the town posted notices urging people to boil their water
...
No one was more happier than me that you
won a college scholarship
...
After 9/11, some people questioned the government’s authority to determine about more
thorough screening of passengers at the airport
...
Whether Charles in fact sent the e-mail or did
not to Rose is unclear, but the letter would definitely have given her morale a boost
...
Two years ago, Ohio State University defeated
all of its rivals in football, nevertheless, they
did not win the honorary title of National
Champion
...
Because it is blessed with a mild and pleasant
climate, southern California has become more
popular than Florida as a place to retire
...
Wandering through the town that he had once
called home, everything had changed: the barbershop was gone, the deli was now a laundromat, and his old house had been turned into a
condo
...
An event in Richard’s life story that moved me
greatly was when he was separated from the
family
...
Read each sentence carefully and identify
which item, if any, contains an error
...
No sentence contains more than one error
...
In that
case, the correct choice will always be E (No error)
...
No error
...
The start of freshman year in college causes
A
essentially the same anxieties than those
B
C
D
experienced by ninth graders entering high
school
...
E
ANSWER
A
B
C
D
E
13
...
No error
...
The present senior class has a greater number
A
B
C
of scholarship winners than last year
...
D
E
15
...
No error
...
My parents instilled their moral values for my
A
sister and me, enabling us, by the time we
B
C
reached our teen years, to know right from
D
wrong
...
E
17
...
No error
...
As Katie opened the refrigerator, she instantly
A
noticed that a huge chunk of chocolate icing
had been bit off the birthday cake and
B C
immediately suspected that Mark was
D
responsible
...
E
20
...
Davis is a first-rate trial lawyer
who, like a wary predator on the prowl,
A
has mastered the art of capitalizing
B
on the mistakes and weaknesses of their
C
D
opponents in the courtroom
...
E
21
...
No error
...
Greta Garbo, the sensational and talented
18
...
Harrison that without
A
sufficient funds and time the schools will be
B
C
unable to teach every child to read at grade
D
level
...
E
Hollywood star of the 1930s, became a recluse
A
for most of her adult life and remained isolated
B
but looking beautifully until the day she died
...
E
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PRACTICE TEST C
23
...
D
No error
...
Prior to her presidency, an attitude of cockiness
A
and carelessness were common, and safety
B
rules were rarely taken seriously
...
C
D
E
25
...
No error
...
Following traditional family values have
A
B
become one of the distinct differences
between my parents and me
...
C
D
E
269
27
...
Donahue made it perfectly clear that he
A
did not intend to drive all the way to North
B
Carolina again without Rose and I to keep
C
D
him company
...
E
28
...
No error
...
Foremost among the voters’ concerns is the
A
B
problem of what to do about waste disposal
C
and the issues surrounding the construction of
D
low-income housing
...
E
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS
Directions: The passage below is the draft of a student’s essay
...
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow
...
Choose the answer that best follows the requirements of standard written English
...
[1] Back in 1900, who could have predicted the
amazing technological achievements that would be
made during the next hundred years? [2] By the
year 2000, advances in communications, nuclear
energy, and medicine transformed people’s lives in
many unexpected ways
...
[4] One advantage of this technology is that current events can be sent worldwide
instantly
...
[6]
When disaster struck the World Trade Center on
9/11, most of the world saw it immediately
...
[8] As a result, many
poor countries have been left behind and can barely
participate in so-called “globalization
...
[10] One positive feature of nuclear energy is
that energy is cheaper and can be made easy
...
[12] But the
dangers of nuclear energy dampen the world’s
enthusiasm
...
[14] They can cause huge
disasters such as the one in Chernobyl in 1986,
which killed countless people and radiated half the
Earth
...
[16] One such
development was the CAT scan
...
[18] One positive
effect of the CAT scan is that doctors can diagnose
brain tumors and brain cancer at an early stage
...
[20] But CAT
scans are expensive, so uninsured Americans and
the poor of all countries have been deprived of this
modern medical marvel
...
Considering the main idea of the essay, which
of the following is the best revision of sentence
1 (reproduced below)?
Back in 1900, who could have predicted the
amazing technological achievements that
would be made during the next hundred years?
(A) Back in 1900 who would anticipate the
technological developments in the twentieth century?
(B) Recent technological achievements would
blow the mind of people in 1900
...
(E) Technological progress in communications, nuclear energy, and medicine is
wonderful, but in the process we are
destroying ourselves and our environment
...
Which is the best revision of the underlined
segment of sentence 10 (reproduced below)?
One positive feature of nuclear energy is that
energy is cheaper and can be made easy
...
To improve the coherence of paragraph 2,
which of the following is the best sentence to
delete?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Sentence 4
Sentence 5
Sentence 6
Sentence 7
Sentence 8
33
...
(A) Human error and careless workmanship
are almost unavoidable
(B) Especially human error and careless
workmanship
...
(D) You must never put down your guard
against human error and careless
workmanship
...
271
34
...
Assume that sentences 15 and 16 were combined as follows: A significant advance in medicine has been the invention of the CAT scan
...
(B) The CAT scan permits your doctors to
make a picture and see if your brain has a
growth on it, or whether or not you have
brain tumors or brain cancer at an early
stage
...
(D) Doctors may make pictures of your brain
to see if there is a growth, a tumor, or cancer at an early stage of it
...
End of Section 2
...
Do not proceed to Section 3 until the
allotted time for Section 2 has passed
...
Read each sentence carefully and identify which of the
five alternative versions most effectively and correctly expresses the meaning of the underlined material
...
Choice A always
repeats the original
...
1
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
than it was in the past
than for past families
than the past
than families in the past
than it used to be in the past
2
...
(A) school, winning the election for class
president three years in a row
(B) school, winning the election for class
president, which she won three years in a
row
(C) school, and she won the election for class
president three years in a row
(D) school, won the election for class president three years in a row
(E) school, three years in a row she won the
election for class president
...
The novel as we know it today came into being
early in the 17th century with Don Quixote by
Miguel Cervantes, and Cervantes was clearly
ahead of his time
...
Not all athletes who have high motivation or
are significantly talented in a sport can be
assured of a place on an Olympic team
...
Although she dislikes city living and has never
been east of the Mississippi, Sarah intends to
move to New York or Boston after she graduates from college
...
When you visit a foreign country, we can
almost always find someone who speaks
English
...
Having Kelly Collins as our talented coordinator and the enthusiastic support of the community and the Chamber of Commerce helped to
make the town’s Octoberfest a rousing success
...
When Beethoven’s music was introduced to the
public for the first time, they found it difficult
to understand and unpleasant to listen to
...
Two Coast Guard crews were dispatched to
check an anonymous informant’s warning, and
he had observed a boatload of illegal immigrants approaching Florida’s west coast
...
Therefore, I admire organizations that speak up
for fairness and democratic principles, even if
it is motivated by selfishness
...
If you wish to study transcendental meditation,
which is when a person completely relaxes
their mind and body, you will find several relevant books on the shelf
...
Women in a hunter-gatherer society led demanding lives, the reason was that they collected
plant food for the family while protecting herself and her children from wild beasts
...
Nursing homes that violate regulations have
become an important statewide problem, and it
has become a hot political issue
...
Of all the roads making up America’s Interstate
Highway System, more people drive on I-95
than any highway
...
Do not return to Sections 1 or 2
...
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ANSWER KEY FOR PRACTICE TEST C
275
ANSWER KEY
SECTION 1—THE ESSAY
Guide for Scoring Your Essay
Using this guide, rate yourself in each of these six categories
...
On the SAT itself, two readers will score your essay on a scale of 6 (high) to 1 (low), or zero if you fail
to write on the assigned topic
...
Remember that SAT essays are judged in relation to other essays written on the same topic
...
Because it is difficult to read your own essay with total objectivity, you might improve the validity of your
score by getting a second opinion about your essay from an informed friend or a teacher
...
)
(Round to the nearest whole number
...
2
...
4
...
6
...
8
...
10
...
12
...
14
...
16
...
18
...
20
...
22
...
24
...
26
...
28
...
30
...
32
...
34
...
C
B
A
B
E
1
...
3
...
5
...
7
...
9
...
A
D
B
D
A
B
E
C
B
B
11
...
13
...
D
E
D
E
277
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION CHART
I
...
25) from (B) for each wrong answer
______ (C)
(A) minus (C) = ______ (D)
Round (D) to the nearest whole number for your MULTIPLE-CHOICE RAW SCORE
_______
ESSAY SUBSCORE
_______
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CONVERSION TABLE FOR PRACTICE TEST C
279
CONVERSION TABLE
This table will give you an approximation of what your score would be if this practice test had been an
actual SAT Writing Test
...
For example, if your Multiple-Choice Raw Score was 35 and your Essay Subscore was 6, the table indicates that your final score on the test would be approximately halfway between 500 and 710, or 600
...
SECTION 2—IMPROVING SENTENCES
1
...
Subject–verb agreement
...
C
...
The participle having boomed is used instead of the present perfect have boomed
...
Word choice
...
E
...
The singular verb is fails to agree with the plural subject descriptions
...
D
A
...
Elements being compared in a sentence must be in the same grammatical
form
...
B
...
See A
...
Faulty comparison
...
E
...
The pronoun it fails to refer to a specific noun or other pronoun
...
B
A
...
The verb tense improperly shifts from the past to the present progressive in the second clause
...
Tense shift
...
D
...
The absence of the pronoun she causes meaning to be distorted
...
Tense shift
...
4
...
Faulty comparison
...
Use happier or more happy
...
Idiom error
...
C
...
In context the construction more happy like myself is not standard English
...
Tense shift
...
5
...
Idiom error
...
C
...
Lacking a verb, the clause is a sentence fragment
...
Idiom error
...
E
...
Lacking a verb, the clause is a sentence fragment
...
D
A
...
A comma may not be used to separate two independent clauses
...
Mixed construction
...
C
...
The entire clause, containing a string of prepositional phrases, is excessively wordy
...
Comma splice
...
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ANSWER EXPLANATIONS FOR PRACTICE TEST C
281
7
...
Incomplete construction
...
Insert did or
did not send after in fact
...
Incomplete construction
...
Insert did or
did not send after Charles
...
Clumsy construction
...
E
...
The use of Charles as the grammatical subject makes the sentence nonsensical
...
E
A
...
A comma may not be used to separate two independent clauses
...
Pronoun–antecedent agreement
...
Use it
...
Comma splice
...
D
...
In context the use of consequently makes no sense
...
A
B
...
The sentence, cast in the present tense, shifts to the past
...
Sentence fragment
...
D
...
Popularity is compared to Florida, an illogical comparison
...
Idiom error
...
10
...
Dangling participle
...
B
...
A comma may not be used to separate independent clauses
...
Awkwardness
...
D
...
The phrase that begins While wandering through should modify he instead
of everything
...
C
A
...
Event is a noun that must be defined by another noun, not by a subordinate clause
...
Idiom error
...
D
...
The wording of the separating is awkward
...
Pronoun choice
...
Use him
...
C
Diction error
...
13
...
14
...
Winners is being compared to last year, an illogical comparison
...
15
...
The antecedent A disruptive student is singular
...
Use Disruptive students
...
A
Idiom error
...
17
...
Items in a series should be in grammatically parallel form
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
18
...
19
...
The past perfect form of to bite is bitten
...
20
...
The antecedent Gilbert W
...
Use his
...
B
Idiom error
...
22
...
Adjectives are used with linking verbs to modify verbs
...
23
...
24
...
Attitude is singular; were is plural
...
25
...
Use when or while instead of as
...
B
Subject–verb agreement
...
Use has
...
D
Pronoun case
...
Use me
...
C
Idiom error
...
29
...
The compound subject problem and issues is plural; the verb is is singular
...
SECTION 2—IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS
30
...
But the purpose is deeper—to show that technological progress in the twentieth century
failed to benefit all people
...
Choice D incorrectly suggests that the essay is meant to discuss the prospects for continued technological progress
...
31
...
Cheaper than
what?
Choice B contains an incomplete comparison
...
Choice D is wordy
...
Choice E contains more cheaper, a nonstandard construction
...
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ANSWER EXPLANATIONS FOR PRACTICE TEST C
283
32
...
33
...
Choice C contains the double negative hardly no
...
Choice E is needlessly repetitious
...
B
Choices A, C, and D accurately describe neither the paragraph structure nor the point of the essay
...
35
...
Choice B is wordy, and it unnecessarily repeats CAT scan
...
The phrase that begins Taking pictures should modify
doctors, not brains
...
SECTION 3—IMPROVING SENTENCES
1
...
Faulty comparison
...
C
...
Paying is compared to past, an illogical comparison
...
Faulty comparison
...
E
...
The phrases used to be and in the past are redundant
...
D
A
...
Gwen Harper, the grammatical subject of the sentence, lacks a verb
...
Sentence fragment
...
C
...
The conjunction and fails to create a grammatical relation between the
independent clause and the phrase with which the sentence begins
...
The clause that begins three years in a row lacks a grammatical relationship with the rest of the
sentence
...
B
A
...
The two coordinate clauses are not of equal importance
...
C
...
The word being has no grammatical relationship with the rest of
the sentence
...
Word choice
...
In the context whose would be a better choice
...
Comma splice
...
4
...
Faulty parallelism
...
Were these constructions in parallel grammatical form, the sentence would be more effective
...
Redundancy
...
Omit else
...
Wordiness
...
E
...
The phrase high motivation consists of an adjective and a noun
...
Were
these constructions in parallel grammatical form, the sentence would be more effective
...
A
B
...
The construction is extremely awkward and is not in standard English
...
Syntax error
...
Where is it that Sarah has not
visited?
D
...
The place(s) that Sarah has not visited has been left out of the sentence
...
Idiom
...
6
...
Shift in pronoun person
...
C
...
The sentence shifts from plural to singular—from we to one
...
Shift in pronoun person
...
E
...
The construction our visiting is awkwardly worded
...
E
A
...
Coordinate elements in a series should be parallel in form
...
is not parallel to the enthusiastic support
...
Awkwardness
...
is awkwardly expressed and is not
standard English
...
Faulty parallelism
...
Kelly Collins as
our
...
D
...
The phrase To be coordinated
...
8
...
Redundancy
...
for the first time is redundant
...
Faulty pronoun reference
...
D
...
The sentence, cast in the past tense, shifts to the past perfect
...
Dangling modifier
...
9
...
Mismatched sentence parts
...
C
...
The construction fails to use standard English
...
Awkwardness
...
E
...
The pronoun he does not refer to a specific noun or other pronoun
...
B
A
...
The pronoun it lacks a specific referent
...
Tense shift
...
D
...
The word it’s is a contraction of it is
...
E
...
The construction is repetitious and long-winded
...
D
A
...
The pronoun their is plural; the antecedent person is singular
...
B
...
In standard usage, nouns are defined by other nouns, not by clauses
...
C
...
Someone is singular; relax is plural
...
Pronoun reference
...
12
...
Comma splice
...
B
...
The pronoun it fails to refer to a specific noun or other pronoun
...
Sentence fragment
...
D
...
The pronoun its is singular; the antecedent lives is plural
...
D
A
...
The pronoun it fails to refer to a specific noun or pronoun
...
Comma splice
...
C
...
The sentence, cast in the present tense, improperly shifts to the past tense
...
Idiom
...
14
...
Faulty comparison
...
Use any other highway
...
Misplaced modifier
...
should modify I-95, not travelers
...
Diction error
...
D
...
When comparing three or more things, use most instead of more
...
Use the essay as an opportunity to
show how clearly and effectively you can express and develop ideas
...
Include specific evidence or examples to support your point of view
...
The number of words is up to you, but quantity is less important than
quality
...
You’ll have enough space if you write on
every line and avoid wide margins
...
BE SURE TO WRITE ONLY ON THE ASSIGNED TOPIC
...
”
If you finish in less than 25 minutes, check your work
...
Think carefully about the following passage and the assignment below
...
Most advocates of change equate change with progress, an improvement of some kind
...
As
of yet, no one has devised a way to bring about change without conflict
...
Support
your position with reasoning and examples taken from your studies, experience, observation, or reading
...
Do not skip lines
...
289
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Essay (continued)
End of essay
...
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PRACTICE TEST D
291
ANSWER SHEET FOR MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
Section 2
Improving Sentences
Improving Paragraphs
Section 3
Improving Sentences
C
D
E
30
...
A
B
C
D
E
A
B
C
D
E
31
...
A
B
C
D
E
3
...
A
B
C
D
E
3
...
A
B
C
D
E
33
...
A
B
C
D
E
5
...
A
B
C
D
E
5
...
A
B
C
D
E
35
...
A
B
C
D
E
7
...
A
B
C
D
E
8
...
Remove answer sheet by cutting on dotted line
...
A
A
B
C
D
E
8
...
A
B
C
D
E
9
...
A
B
C
D
E
10
...
A
B
C
D
E
11
...
A
B
C
D
E
13
...
A
B
C
D
E
Identifying
Sentence Errors
12
...
A
B
C
D
E
14
...
A
B
C
D
E
16
...
A
B
C
D
E
18
...
A
B
C
D
E
20
...
A
B
C
D
E
22
...
A
B
C
D
E
24
...
A
B
C
D
E
26
...
A
B
C
D
E
28
...
A
B
C
D
E
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PRACTICE TEST D
293
Section 2
Multiple-Choice Questions
TIME—25 MINUTES
IMPROVING SENTENCES
Directions: The underlined sentences and sentence parts below may contain errors in standard English,
including awkward or ambiguous expression, poor word choice (diction), incorrect sentence structure,
or faulty grammar, usage, and punctuation
...
Indicate your choice by filling in the corresponding space on the answer sheet
...
Choose A if none of the other choices improves the original sentence
...
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
ANSWER
A
B
C
D
E
cook, and eating also
cook and to eat
cook, and to eat also
cook and eat besides
cook and, in addition, eat
1
...
2
...
(A) the letters Jefferson wrote to his son
should be read
(B) Jefferson’s letters to his son should be
read
(C) you should read the letters Jefferson wrote
to his son
(D) you should read his letters to his son
(E) a person should read his letters to his son
(A) the noisiest park and also the most tranquil of them
(B) not only the noisiest park, but also more
tranquil than any
(C) the noisiest park, at the same time it is the
most tranquil park
(D) at once the noisiest and also the most tranquil of them
(E) the noisiest and yet the most tranquil of
parks
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
3
...
(A) tourists by the millions visit New York
each year
(B) millions of tourists visit New York annually
(C) each year millions of tourists visit New
York
(D) tourists by the millions are attracted to
New York every year
(E) New York attracts millions of tourists each
year
6
...
(A) no immediate successors have come into
being
(B) he had no immediate successors
(C) the coming of immediate successors were
not to be
(D) there was not a coming of an immediate
successor
(E) there were not immediate successors
4
...
7
...
(A) There is plenty of Thoreau’s practical
advice about life, which every reader can
benefit from in his Walden
...
(C) Reading Thoreau’s Walden, plenty of
practical and beneficial advice about life
is offered
...
(E) Because of offering plenty of practical and
beneficial advice about life in Thoreau’s
Walden
...
Nuclear waste disposal is a growing problem
considering that no state permits radioactive
material transported on its roads or to bury it
inside its borders
...
Allan asked Sadie to go to the prom with him,
this surprised Sadie because she thought Allan
would ask Marnie
...
Just as the number of applications to Stanford
and Yale has grown annually since 1998, so has
Columbia’s applicant pool risen steadily
...
The city of Oakland, California, suffers from a
high crime rate, while it is a very desirable
place to live
...
Drivers in Washington, D
...
, say that the city is
at once frustrating because of its numerous traffic circles but they have designed it beautifully
...
Read each sentence carefully and identify
which item, if any, contains an error
...
No sentence contains more than one error
...
In that
case, the correct choice will always be E (No error)
...
No error
...
The plight of immigrants, vividly depicted in
A
Sinclair’s novel, The Jungle, are no less
B
C
heartbreaking than the suffering of the migrant
D
workers in Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath
...
E
13
...
D
No error
...
A number of the athletes which were
A
participating in the Olympics were found to
B
have used steroids and other muscle-building
substances to enhance their performance
...
E
ANSWER
A
B
C
D
E
15
...
D
No error
...
Carolyn’s mother was born and raised in
A
Baltimore, where she attended high school
B
and college, got married, and gave birth to
C
D
Carolyn on October 20, 1993
...
E
17
...
No error
...
His lifelong career as a drug dealer and his
A
B
murder of three FBI agents proves that he
C
is one of the most notorious criminals in
D
American history
...
E
24
...
No error
...
As the lovers row across the lake in a small
A
boat, Catherine fears the approaching storm,
25
...
No error
...
C
D
No error
...
Notice that this cereal not only costs
A
B
more than the other one, plus being packed
C
D
in a smaller container
...
E
26
...
No error
...
If you expect to be absent when senior papers
A
are due, one should submit the paper early or,
B
C
if necessary, arrange for an extension
...
E
27
...
No error
...
The large beech trees in our neighbors’ yards
A
always shed their dark red leaves late in the fall
B
C
when the other trees are bare
...
D
E
28
...
No error
...
Although I can’t concur in the speaker’s
A
B
opinions, I am grateful for the opportunity
29
...
No error
...
C
D
No error
...
Some parts of the passage need
improvement
...
The questions are about revisions that might improve all or part of the passage’s organization, development, sentence structure, or
choice of words
...
Questions 30–35 refer to the following passage
...
[2]
Parents bring their kids to gawk at the caged creatures
...
[4] There must be better reasons, imprisoning wild animals is simply barbaric
...
[6] If someone is so dumb that they don’t know
what a zebra looks like, they should look it up
online
...
[8] Animals need to run free and live, but by
putting them in zoos we are disrupting and disturbing nature
...
[10] When the animals
have been at the zoo for a while they adopt a particular lifestyle
...
[12] They get
used to that
...
[14] They would never survive
...
[16] After a few
generations the animals become totally different
from their wild and free ancestors, and visitors to
the zoo see animals hardly resembling those living
in their natural habitat
...
In context, which of the following is the best
phrase to insert at the beginning of sentence 2
(reproduced below)?
Parents bring their kids to gawk at the caged
creatures
...
In context, which of the following revisions
would most improve sentence 4 (reproduced
below)?
There must be better reasons, imprisoning wild
animals is simply barbaric
...
”
(B) Change “There must” to “There’s got to
...
(D) Substitute “terribly” for “simply
...
”
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PRACTICE TEST D
299
32
...
Which of the following revisions of sentence
9 is the best topic sentence for the third
paragraph?
(A) Reading about animals online rather than
studying them firsthand
...
(C) They claim that viewing a live animal is
much more informative than looking at its
picture
...
(A) Captivity alters the basic nature of animals
...
(C) Living conditions for animals in the zoo
are ordinarily harsh and cruel
...
(E) Life in the zoo for animals is not a bowl of
cherries
...
Which of the following reasons most accurately describes the author’s purpose in choosing the words underlined in sentence 7
(reproduced below)?
But humans have no right to pull animals from
their natural environment and to seal their fate
forever behind a set of cold metal bars
...
Which revision most effectively combines
sentences 12, 13, and 14?
(A) Because they would never be able to survive again back in their natural environment, they grow used to being fed
...
(C) Growing accustomed to that, placing them
back in their native habitat and being
unable to survive on their own
...
(E) Being unable to survive back in their natural environment, the animals have grown
accustomed to regular feedings
...
Do not return to Section 1
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
Section 3
Multiple-Choice Questions
TIME—10 MINUTES
IMPROVING SENTENCES
Directions: The underlined sentences and sentence parts below may contain errors in standard English,
including awkward or ambiguous expression, poor word choice (diction), incorrect sentence structure,
or faulty grammar, usage, and punctuation
...
Indicate your choice by filling in the corresponding space on the answer sheet
...
Choose A if none of the other choices improves the original sentence
...
Having a mother who plays in a symphony
orchestra and a father who teaches music in
high school, the violin and the piano are two of
the instruments that Rosie learned at an early
age
...
When children change from little boys and
girls to young men and women, ordinarily
causing them to become more self-sufficient
and independent
...
Susan does not have absolute free will because
what she does would have to be determined by
the culture and the environment
...
The students’ final Social Studies exam has
been stolen from the teacher’s desk; this situation causing them to take a make-up test on
Saturday
...
The atmosphere in the classroom changed
when the snow started to fall outside and the
teacher could not get them to pay attention to
the lesson after that
...
Of the four seasons in New England, Granny
most loves the autumn, of which she finds the
mild days and cool nights especially appealing
...
Today’s newspaper says that mathematics is far
more popular among Japanese high school
students than among American students
...
In the 19th century, immigrants entered the
United States with few limitations and restrictions, but they have multiplied since then
...
In Moscow, famous composers, artists, and
writers are buried in a special cemetery, and
they only must be Russian
...
The Boston Tea Party was a minor historical
event with which the colonists either intended
to challenge or abolish the king’s unfair tax on
imports
...
Should a college application essay be required,
one ought to set aside a large block of time and
avoid writing it at the last minute
...
If you compare the number of NY Yankee pennants with the Boston Red Sox, you’ll see that
the Yankees are traditional winners
...
Waste products from cutting lumber, such as
wood chips and sawdust, are some of the ingredients of waferboard panels used in residential
construction
...
Many countries punish citizens who speak out
against the government, keeping the U
...
Commission on Human Rights very busy,
mostly using torture and imprisonment
...
N
...
N
...
N
...
N
...
N
...
Do not return to Sections 1 or 2
...
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ANSWER KEY FOR PRACTICE TEST D
303
ANSWER KEY
SECTION 1—THE ESSAY
Guide for Scoring Your Essay
Using this guide, rate yourself in each of these six categories
...
On the SAT itself, two readers will score your essay on a scale of 6 (high) to 1 (low), or zero if you fail
to write on the assigned topic
...
Remember that SAT essays are judged in relation to other essays written on the same topic
...
Because it is difficult to read your own essay with total objectivity, you might improve the validity of your
score by getting a second opinion about your essay from an informed friend or a teacher
...
)
(Round to the nearest whole number
...
2
...
4
...
6
...
8
...
10
...
12
...
14
...
16
...
18
...
20
...
22
...
24
...
26
...
28
...
30
...
32
...
34
...
C
C
C
A
B
1
...
3
...
5
...
7
...
9
...
D
C
B
D
C
B
A
D
E
E
11
...
13
...
A
A
E
D
305
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION CHART
I
...
25) from (B) for each wrong answer
______ (C)
(A) minus (C) = ______ (D)
Round (D) to the nearest whole number for your MULTIPLE-CHOICE RAW SCORE
_______
ESSAY SUBSCORE
_______
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CONVERSION TABLE FOR PRACTICE TEST D
307
CONVERSION TABLE
This table will give you an approximation of what your score would be if this practice test had been an
actual SAT Writing Test
...
For example, if your Multiple-Choice Raw Score was 35 and your Essay Subscore was 6, the table indicates that your final score on the test would be approximately halfway between 500 and 710, or 600
...
SECTION 2—IMPROVING SENTENCES
1
...
Sentence shift
...
B
...
The first clause begins in the second person (you)
...
D
...
The pronoun in his letters lacks a specific referent
...
Pronoun reference
...
2
...
Pronoun reference
...
B
...
The adjective noisiest and the phrase more tranquil than any should be in
parallel form
...
C
...
Commas may not be used to separate two independent clauses
...
Pronoun reference
...
3
...
Misplaced modifier
...
B
...
The phrase most important city should modify New York instead of
millions
...
Misplaced modifier
...
D
...
The phrase most important city should modify New York instead of
tourists
...
D
A
...
The pronoun his refers to reader instead of to Thoreau
...
Pronoun reference
...
C
...
The phrase Reading Thoreau’s Walden should modify reader instead of
plenty
...
Sentence fragment
...
5
...
Faulty parallelism
...
The verb
phrase transported on its roads is not parallel to to bury it inside its borders
B
...
The construction neither
...
Use neither
...
D
...
The phrases not only and but in addition also are redundant
...
Shift in verb tense
...
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ANSWER EXPLANATIONS FOR PRACTICE TEST D
309
6
...
Shift in verb tense
...
C
...
The subject coming is singular
...
Use was
...
Idiom error
...
E
...
The phrase not immediate successors is not standard English
...
A
B
...
The grammatical subject (editorials) lacks a verb
...
C
...
The grammatical subject (decision) lacks a verb
...
D
...
The construction lacks a main verb
...
E
...
The grammatical subject (arguments) lacks a verb
...
8
...
Comma splice
...
B
...
A comma may not be used to separate two independent clauses
...
Tense shift
...
E
...
A comma may not be used to separate two independent clauses
...
A
B
...
The sentence, cast in present perfect tense (has grown), shifts to the past
tense (attracted)
...
Faulty comparison
...
D
...
The construction is not in standard English
...
Sentence fragment
...
10
...
Faulty subordination
...
C
...
The verb made has no logical relationship with the subject of the sentence
...
Faulty subordination
...
E
...
The verb makes has no logical relationship with the subject of the sentence
...
E
A
...
The pronoun they fails to refer to a specific noun or other pronoun
...
Faulty parallelism
...
The phrase at
once frustrating is not parallel to although it is beautifully designed
...
Faulty parallelism
...
The phrase at
once frustrating is not parallel to yet it is beautiful in its design
...
Faulty parallelism
...
The phrase at
once frustrating is not parallel to while being designed so beautifully
...
B
Subject–verb agreement
...
The verb are is plural
...
13
...
Diction error
...
Use loudly
...
A
Pronoun choice
...
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
15
...
Coordinate elements in a sentence should be in parallel form
...
climbing
...
16
...
17
...
Idiom error
...
18
...
Subject–verb agreement
...
and
...
Use prove
...
C
Verb tense
...
The verb said is in the past tense
...
20
...
In context, the phrase plus being may not be used in place of but is also
...
21
...
The second person pronoun (you) improperly switches to the impersonal
pronoun (one)
...
E
No error
...
B
Idiom error
...
24
...
Nouns in a series require plural verbs
...
25
...
Score cannot be compared to Charles
...
26
...
27
...
Because the noun jocks is plural, athlete should also be plural
...
28
...
In standard English, the objects of the preposition between should be joined by and
instead of or
...
B
Pronoun choice
...
In this sentence, use “the alarm frightened
...
”
SECTION 2—IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS
30
...
Not a good choice because the purpose of the sentence is to cite one of the reasons used to justify keeping animals in zoos
...
The phrase is used to introduce an illustration of an idea stated in the previous sentence
...
C
...
D
...
E
...
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ANSWER EXPLANATIONS FOR PRACTICE TEST D
311
31
...
In context, disagree is a poor word choice
...
B
...
C
...
It is the best answer
...
Because the sentence contains a comma splice, this revision fails to improve the sentence
appreciably
...
Because the sentence contains a comma splice, this revision fails to improve the sentence
appreciably
...
C
A
...
It lacks a main verb
...
This sentence contradicts the idea stated in sentence 5
...
This choice develops the point stated in sentence 5
...
D
...
E
...
33
...
This is not a good answer because it contains information that readers already know, and
highly charged language is not a good vehicle for passing along information
...
This is unrelated to the words in question
...
This is the best answer because the words are meant to shock and disturb the reader
...
This suggests that the author is trying to be objective, but the words in question are anything
but objective
...
This describes the purpose of the whole essay, not the particular words in question
...
A
A
...
It is the best answer
...
Because this choice raises an issue not mentioned in the remainder of the paragraph, it is not a
good topic sentence
...
This contains an idea not discussed in the paragraph, which focuses on how animals behave in
captivity, not on living conditions at the zoo
...
This contains a dangling modifier
...
E
...
35
...
Although grammatical, this choice reverses the cause-effect relationship stated by the original
sentences
...
This accurately and economically conveys the ideas of the original sentences
...
Lacking a main verb, this choice is a sentence fragment
...
D
...
survive
...
This is virtually meaningless because the cause-effect relationship has been reversed
...
D
A
...
The phrase that begins Having a mother should modify Rosie instead of
the violin and the piano
...
Dangling participle
...
C
...
The phrase that begins Having a mother should modify Rosie instead of
two instruments
...
Awkwardness
...
2
...
The –ing form of a verb (causing) may not be used as the main verb or a
clause or sentence without a helping verb, as in is causing, will be causing, and so on
...
Same as A
...
Mixed construction
...
E
...
The phrase to become ordinarily is not standard English
...
B
A
...
The sentence, cast in the present tense (does not have), shifts to the future conditional tense (would have to be)
...
Pronoun reference
...
D
...
The second clause of the compound sentence lacks a main verb
...
E
...
A comma may not be used to separate two independent clauses
...
D
A
...
The construction beginning with this, if meant to be a complete sentence,
lacks a main verb
...
B
...
The sentence, cast in the present perfect tense (has been) shifts to the past tense
...
Faulty verb form
...
E
...
The pronoun it fails to refer to a specific noun or other pronoun
...
C
A
...
The pronoun them fails to refer to any specific noun or other pronoun
...
Comma splice
...
D
...
The pronoun them fails to refer to any specific noun or other pronoun
...
Incomplete construction
...
6
...
Idiom
...
C
...
The construction are of appeal is awkwardly worded
...
Sentence fragment
...
E
...
A comma may not be used to separate two independent clauses
...
A
B
...
Illogically, mathematics is compared to American students
...
Faulty parallelism
...
D
...
Although grammatically correct, the construction is wordy
...
Mixed construction
...
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ANSWER EXPLANATIONS FOR PRACTICE TEST D
313
8
...
Pronoun reference
...
B
...
The pronoun they refers to immigrants when it is meant to refer to restrictions
...
Incomplete construction
...
multiplied
...
Mixed construction
...
9
...
Faulty coordination
...
B
...
Only should modify famous composers
...
C
...
The construction lacks a main verb
...
Sentence fragment
...
10
...
Misplaced modifier
...
Then add to before abolish
...
Idiom
...
C
...
Coordinate elements must be in parallel form
...
Use or abolishing
...
Parallelism error
...
A challenge is not in the same
form as or it abolished
...
11
...
Pronoun shift
...
C
...
Because the sentence is cast with the impersonal pronoun (one), the second
person pronoun you should not be used
...
Idiom error
...
E
...
The construction necessary for anyone to write is clumsily worded
...
A
B
...
Products is plural; is is singular
...
Subject–verb agreement
...
D
...
The construction lacks a main verb
...
Noun–verb agreement
...
13
...
Faulty comparison
...
pennants is being compared to the Boston Red Sox, an
illogical comparison
...
Faulty comparison
...
pennants is being compared to the Boston Red Sox, an
illogical comparison
...
Faulty comparison
...
D
...
The subject Making is singular; the verb show is plural
...
D
A
...
The phrase that begins mostly using torture should modify countries, not
U
...
Commission
...
Misplaced modifier
...
C
...
The construction beginning Punishing citizens should modify countries, not
U
...
Commission
...
Dangling modifier
...
N
...
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INDEX
A
Active construction, 150
Active sentence, 93
Active verbs, 91–93
Adjectives
definition of, 169
use of, 99, 169–170
Adverbs
definition of, 169
use of, 99, 169–170
Analogy, 191
Antecedents, 159–161, 176–178
Apostrophes, 100
Appositives, 101
Awkwardness, 137–138
Concluding paragraph, 62
Construction
active, 150
mixed, 147–150
passive, 150
Contractions, 100
Conversion table, 39, 222, 251,
279, 307
B
Being verbs, 91
D
Dangling modifiers, 87–88,
151
Declarative sentence, 79
Dependent clauses, 140
Developmental paragraphs, 62,
194–195
Diction, 168–171
Double comparison, 163
C
Capitalization, 103–104
Cause-and-effect paragraph, 191
Clauses
dependent, 140
prepositional, 140
Clichés, 76
Coherence of paragraph, 68–69,
188–189
Comma, 100–103
Comma splice, 99, 142–143
Comparative, 163
Comparison and contrast paragraphs, 191
Comparisons
description of, 76
double, 163
faulty, 163–165
illogical, 164
incomplete, 163–164,
174–176
Complex sentence, 78
Composing, 51
Compound sentence, 78, 101
Compound subject, 152
E
Editing
for clarity, 85–90
for interest, 91–98
Essay
description of, 5–6
ending of, 83–85
evaluation guidelines for,
117–118
formula for, 58
grading of, 117–118
language of, 72–77
organization of, 186
paragraphs of
...
see Writing of
essay
Euphemisms, 72
Exclamatory sentence, 79
314
F
Faulty coordination, 143–144
Faulty diction, 168–171
Faulty idiom, 138–139, 166–168
Faulty parallelism, 146–147,
173–174
Faulty pronoun case, 179–180
Faulty pronoun reference,
161–162, 178–179
Faulty subordination, 145–146
Faulty verb form, 181–182
Faulty verb tense, 156, 179–180
Faulty word choice, 138
First paragraph, 194
Fragments, 99, 139–141, 156
G
Gerund, 158
Grammar
description of, 133–134
errors in, 176–183
Grammatical subject, shifts in,
148
H
Handwriting, 117
I
Ideas
arranging of, 57–59
gathering of, 57–59
main, 55–57
parallel, 88–89, 173
repetition of, 80
Idiom, 138–139, 166–168
Illogical comparisons, 164
Imperative sentence, 79
Incomplete comparisons,
163–164, 174–176
Indefinite pronouns, 153,
159
Interrogative sentence, 79
Interrupters, 140
Introduction, 59–62
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INDEX
Introductory paragraph, 62
Irregular verbs, 156
L
Language, 72–77
Last paragraph, 194
Long sentences, 81, 139–140
M
Main idea, 55–57
Metaphors, 76
Misplaced modifiers, 86, 151
Mixed construction, 147–150
Modifiers
dangling, 87–88, 151
misplaced, 86, 151
Multiple-choice questions
answer explanations for,
40–47
answer sheet for, 19
order of, 7
paragraph improvement
questions, 9–11, 26–27,
183–195
sentence errors questions,
8–9, 24–26, 165–183
sentence improvement questions, 7–8, 21–23, 28–30,
133–165
N
Nominative case pronouns, 99,
157
Nouns
possessive, 100, 102
singular, 152–153
verb agreement with,
154–156, 176
O
Objective case pronouns, 99,
157
Opening paragraph, 186
P
Paragraphs
argument and proof for, 190
arrangement of, 67
cause-and-effect, 191
of classification, 191–192
coherence of, 68–69, 188–189
comparison and contrast, 191
concluding, 62
of definition, 190–191
developmental, 62, 194–195
development of, 67–70,
190–194
disjointed, 67
first, 194
functions of, 194–195
improvement of, 9–11,
26–27, 183–195, 214–215,
226–227, 242–243,
254–255, 270–271,
282–283, 298–299,
310–311
introductory, 62
last, 194
opening, 186
organization of, 67
process analysis, 191
purpose of, 187–188
repetition of ideas in, 80
structure of, 187–188
topic sentences in, 63–67,
187–188
transitions in, 70–72
unity in, 68–69, 188
Parallel ideas, 88–89, 173
Parallelism
description of, 88–90
faulty, 146–147, 173–174
Passive construction, 150
Passive sentence, 93
Performance evaluation chart,
38, 222, 250, 278, 306
Plurals, 100
Possessive nouns, 100, 102
Possessive pronouns, 158
Practice tests
answers, 219–221, 224–230,
249, 252–257, 277,
280–285, 305, 308–313
answer sheets, 207, 235, 263,
291
conversion table, 222, 251,
279
essay writing, 203–206,
219–220, 231–234,
247–248, 259–262,
275–277, 287–290,
303–305
315
improving paragraphs,
214–215, 226–227,
242–243, 254–255,
270–271, 282–283,
298–299, 310–311
improving sentences,
209–211, 216–218,
224–225, 228–230,
237–239, 244–246,
252–253, 255–257,
265–267, 272–274,
280–281, 283–285,
293–295, 300–302,
308–309, 312–313
performance evaluation chart,
222, 250, 278, 306
scoring of essay, 219–220,
247–248, 275–277,
303–305
sentence errors, 211–213,
225–226, 239–241,
253–254, 267–269,
281–282, 296–297,
309–310
Prepositional clauses, 140
Prewriting, 51–55
Pronouns
ambiguous reference,
161–162
antecedent agreement,
159–161, 176–178
case of, 157–159
faulty case of, 157–159,
179–180
faulty reference, 161–162,
178–179
indefinite, 153, 159
nominative case, 99, 157
objective case, 99, 157
possessive, 158
shifts in, 159–161, 179
Proofreading, 51
Punctuation
apostrophes, 100
capitalization, 103–104
commas, 100–103
quotation marks, 101–102
semicolons, 101–103
Q
Quotation marks, 101–102
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WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT
R
Redundancies, 171–172
Revising, 51
Run-on sentences, 99, 141
S
Sample test
answer key for, 31–35
essay, 16–21
self-scoring guide for, 35–37
Self-assessment tests
...
telling, 97–98
Writing of essay
ideas, 57–59
introduction, 59–62
overview of, 51–52
practice tests for, 203–206,
219–220, 231–234,
247–248, 259–262,
275–277, 287–290,
303–305
topic, 5, 52–55
transitions, 70–72
7-3221-WriteWrkbk4SAT-Fbs
8/1/07
9:20 AM
Page 1
Ehrenhaft
SAT
®
Choose Barron’s Method for Success on the New SAT Writing Test
■ Answer the sentence-correction questions
and check your results
■ Use the book’s review chapters to
sharpen your writing skills
■ Review the answers and explanations
for all questions
It’s Your Path to a
Higher Test Score
EAN
■ Take four additional writing tests and
score your results
ISBN-13: 978-0-7641-3221-6
ISBN-10: 0-7641-3221-0
Your Blueprint for Test Success
Five practice SAT writing tests
All tests have answers and explanations
Tests reflect the all-new SAT format
Your Private Tutor
■ Review chapters to improve your
grammar and writing skills
■ Practice in correcting poorly written
sentences
■ An overview to acquaint you
with the new test
$14
...
99
www
...
com
®
George Ehrenhaft, B
...
, M
...
, Ed
...
®
■ Take a writing test to familiarize yourself
with the test format
SAT
SAT
SAT
■ Read overview of the new test and
understand how it is timed and scored
WRITING
WORKBOOK
FOR THE NEW
WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW
WRITING WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW
WRITING
WORKBOOK
FOR THE NEW
Visit www
...
com
Personal Instruction
Covers All Test Topics
• Coaching in Essay Writing
• Answering Three Types of
Multiple-Choice Questions
• Correcting and Editing Your Essay’s
First Draft
• Plus a handy guide for converting
practice test scores to the SAT scale
® SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination
Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not
endorse this book