Expert Guide to the

Reading and Writing

Written and Compiled by Daniel Sternberg and Jonathan Keselica
Edited by Daniel Sternberg
Version 1.2
Expert Guide
to the
Digital SAT
Reading and Writing
Version 1.2

Written and Compiled by Daniel Sternberg and Jonathan Keselica

Edited by Daniel Sternberg
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Digital SAT Suite…………………………………………………………………………………………… 1
Chapter 2: Introduction to Reading and Writing………………………………………………….………………. 9
Chapter 3: The Basic Approach for Reading and Writing……………………………………………………… 17
Vocabulary Practice I………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 29
Chapter 4: Grammar…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 33
Grammar Practice………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 47
Chapter 5: Punctuation…………………………………………………………………………..…………………………… 69
Punctuation Practice………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………. 85
Chapter 6: Mastering the Process of Elimination……………………………………………..…………………. 101
Vocabulary Practice II…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 113
Chapter 7: Advanced Grammar………………………………………………………………………………………….. 119
Advanced Grammar Practice…………………………………………………………………………………………….... 129
Chapter 8: Advanced Question Types…………………………………………………………………………………. 147
Charts and Graphs Practice…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 163
Chapter 9: Grammar Fundamentals……………………………………………………………………………………. 169
Answer Key…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 181
Chapter 1
The Digital SAT Suite

“The secret of steel has always carried with it a mystery. You must learn its riddle, Conan.
You must learn its discipline. For no one - no one in this world can you trust. Not men, not
women, not beasts. This you can trust.”

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INTRODUCTION: UNDERSTANDING THE DIGITAL SAT SUITE

What does “SAT” mean?

S____________________

A____________________

T____________________

Does it even matter?

____________________
____________________
____________________

Test Optional? Why bother?

What is on the test?

Reading and Writing: __________________________________

Math: ______________________________________________

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Your Personal SAT Experience

How beatable is the SAT? ___________________________________

When is the SAT administered? ______________________________

How many times should you take the SAT? _____________________

When will you take the SAT? ________________________________

Success requires preparation and understanding. To overcomes the challenges of the SAT,
you must become familiar with its structure.

STRUCTURE OF THE TEST

Reading and Writing
Questions Time Difficulty
Module 1
Module 2

Break – 10 minutes
Math
Questions Time Difficulty
Module 1
Module 2

Note: All Reading and Writing questions will be multiple-choice. Math questions will be
approximately 75% multiple-choice and 25% student-determined. About 30% of the math
questions will be word problems.

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What is an “adaptive” test, anyway?
An adaptive test changes, or adapts, based on your performance as you move through the
exam. There are a number of ways that a computer-based test can be designed so that it is
adaptive. The SAT uses a method based on modules. The first module in each section contains a
mix of questions that are easy, medium, and hard in difficulty. The second module is either a bit
easier or a bit harder than the first module, which is determined by your performance on the
first module. A harder second module means a higher possible score! The adaptive design of
the test allows you to spend less time taking the SAT. It also means that each test taker can
have a unique test paper.

Some quick notes:

• Testing Time: 2 hour and 14 minutes (plus a 10-minute break)
• Multiple-choice questions have four answer choices.
• There is no penalty for wrong answer choices, so leave no question blank.
• Each question is worth 1 point, regardless of difficulty.
• The difficulty of the second module is determined by your performance on
the first module.

How is the SAT scored?

Total Score: _______________________________________
Section Score: _____________________________________

What is a good score?

A good score is a score that gets you into your ideal school. An outstanding score is one that
gets the schools to seek you out.

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THE ULTIMATE TECHNIQUES!

Play to your strengths!

Use the ________________________ method.
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

Process of Elimination
Multiple-choice is a _______________ test format.
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

When in doubt, guess!

____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

This course will provide you with the tools and knowledge you require to beat the SAT.
When you master the skills, you WILL succeed.

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HOW DOES THIS COURSE WORK?
• There is no grade for this course. You are here to improve your SAT score. To do this,
you must do the work. Your improvement depends entirely on your effort.
• Do the homework. Do the homework when it is assigned. This includes checking your
answers (when provided) at home and coming to class ready to ask questions.
• Try to do at least 30 minutes of SAT each day. You must develop new habits for taking
the SAT. This is accomplished through regular repetition. Cramming is not effective.
• You MUST use the techniques, AS SHOWN in class. You are being taught these
techniques because they WORK. The SAT is not a test in school. You cannot approach
the SAT like a test in school. Master the new techniques and apply them correctly.

Practice makes perfect?

Practice makes ________________.
____________ practice makes ____________.

Have SMART Goals

S _________________
M _________________
A _________________
R _________________
T _________________

Setting goals is the key to success. You’re here to improve your SAT score, but if you wish to
achieve this result, you must define specific goals to guide you on your journey. Success
takes time. You may not see an immediate improvement. You may become frustrated.
Don’t give up. Work with your instructor to overcome any obstacles and master the SAT.

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Goals For All!
1. Come to ALL the classes and be ON TIME.
2. Complete ALL the homework ON TIME.
3. Complete ALL the practice tests ON TIME.
4. Use the techniques learned in class whenever possible: in class, on the homework,
on the practice tests, and on the official SAT.

Your Goals
Now, set some personal goals for yourself. Be sure that your goals are specific, can be
measured or quantified, are realistically attainable, are relevant to improving your
performance on the SAT, and have a time component.

1. _______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

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Page | 8
Chapter 2
Introduction to
Reading and Writing

“Know your enemy.”

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SAT VERBAL: THE READING AND WRITING SECTION

Chapter Goals
This chapter will help you to understand:

• The structure of the Reading and Writing section

• Strategies to help you maximize your score

What You Will See

The Reading and Writing section of the test consists of ____ modules.
Each module contains ____ questions and is ____ minutes long.
Each question is multiple-choice and has ____ answer choices.
Each question is presented with its own brief selection. Questions are discrete,
meaning that they are independent of each other. A few of the questions will ask
you about two short selections.
Some questions will ask you to make use of __________.
A selection will belong to one of four topic categories:
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________

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The Challenge of the SAT
Remember, the SAT is not like any test you would take in school. The skills you have been
building for years to become a good student can lead to great confusion on the SAT, or even
result in you choosing the WRONG answer. You must approach the SAT with a particular
mindset.
Let’s see what that means exactly. Are the following GOOD or BAD when it comes to answering
an SAT question correctly?

Good Bad
Analysis
Interpretation
Critical Thinking
Familiarity with the topic
Knowledge of the author
Explaining your thinking
Evidence in the text

As strange as it may sound, the only thing that matters on the SAT Reading and Writing section
is ______________________________________. Your ___________________ and
___________________ really don’t matter.

On the SAT you earn points by answering questions correctly. That’s it!
To maximize your score, you MUST be familiar with the questions.

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Reading or Writing? That is The Question!
As the name suggests, the Reading and Writing section of the SAT contains a mixture of
questions that purport to measure your mastery of reading skills and your knowledge of the
mechanics of writing. The truth is that you are being tested on one thing only—your mastery of
the SAT! Still, it will benefit you to understand the different types of questions you will see and
to be able to identify if a question belongs to the domain of Reading or to that of Writing.

Reading
Reading questions can be separated into two general categories.
• _______________________ questions ask about __________ the selection
says.
• _______________ questions ask about __________ the author wrote what
was written.

Writing
Writing questions fall into three broad categories.
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________

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Play to Your Strengths!
Though the questions are easy, medium, or hard in difficulty, each question is of equal value.
You earn one point for every correct answer, regardless of difficulty. Because the SAT is a timed
test, you want to be sure you get as many points as you can in as little time as possible. To do
this, answer the questions with which you are most comfortable first. If vocabulary throws you
off but punctuation is a breeze, answer punctuation questions first. If you have no problem
with reading comprehension but grammar rules continue to baffle and perplex you, answer
reading questions before working on writing questions.

Flag and Skip

Always use the Flag and Skip method as you navigate through each module of the test. The
Bluebook app that you’ll be using to take the Digital SAT allows you move through the module
and complete questions in the order of your choosing. Each time you choose to skip a question,
be sure to flag it so that you can quickly return to it later. Mark the answer with your Letter of
Choice, just in case you don’t have enough time to go back to every question that you skipped.
Remember, NEVER leave a question blank!

• You should always answer questions that are ______________ for you first.
• Use the ________________________ method as you move through each
module.
• When you Flag and Skip a question, always be sure to use your
________________________ to answer the question.
• Questions should never be left __________________.

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Process of Elimination
Remember, multiple-choice is a ______________ format for a test. The correct answer is right
in front of you! The other three choices are there to distract you. Your job is NOT to find the
____________ answer. Rather, your task is to find and eliminate ______________ answers.
As you work through the answers of any Reading and Writing question on the SAT, assign each
choice one of three symbols: ___, ___, or ___.

A A A A
B B B B
C C C C
D D D D

Use the Tools

The Bluebook app gives you helpful tools to use as you work through the exam. You can
highlight parts of the text, you can write notes, and you can even mark answer choices to be
eliminated. The marks you make will remain even if you move on to a different question. This
works well with the Flag and Skip system. Mastering the strategies in this course and the tools
available through the testing app will be your key to success on the SAT.

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SUMMARY
• The topics of the selections include:
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________

• Reading questions ask about:

___________________________
___________________________

• Writing questions ask about:

___________________________
___________________________
___________________________

• Always use these two key strategies:

___________________________
___________________________

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Page | 16
Chapter 3
The Basic Approach for
Reading and Writing

“Triple A: Assessment. Assembly. Action.”

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SAT VERBAL: THE BASIC APPROACH FOR READING AND WRITING

Chapter Goals
At the conclusion of this chapter, you will:

• Know the four steps of the Basic Approach for SAT Reading and Writing
• Be able to apply the four steps in order to effectively and accurately answer questions
• Understand how to use the text to effectively work through the answer choices

THE BASIC APPROACH

With 27 questions to complete within 32 minutes for each Reading and Writing module, it is
imperative that you use your time as efficiently as possible. Some questions will test Reading
skills, while others will test Writing and Language skills, and each question has its own distinct
text. Though this may seem daunting, implementing the proper approach will enable you to
maximize your success.

1. Read the Question

2. Look at the Answers
3. Read the Selection
4. Process of Elimination

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Step 1: Read the Question
You get points for answering questions, not for reading text. Before you look at an excerpt, you
need to know what you are looking for. Read the question first so that you understand the task
before you.
One of the most common questions you will see in the Reading and Writing section of the SAT
is:

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

What exactly is this question asking you to do?

Though the questions asked on the SAT may sometimes seem clear, it is best to rephrase each
question so that you are certain of the task. Try to restate the question using either the word
“what” or the word “why” to ask it.

Remember to play to your strengths! Use the Flag and Skip method throughout each module of
the exam. If you do not understand what a question is asking–or if you understand the question
but know it will slow you down–flag it, mark your answer of choice, and skip it. You will return to
these questions on your second pass.

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Step 2: Look at the Answers
Some questions are easier to understand than others, but even seemingly simple questions
often have more to them than it may at first seem. Remember, the SAT is trying to trick you. To
be certain that you know what you need to do to answer the question correctly, after reading
the question, look at the answers.

1. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) falling,
B) falling:
C) falling;
D) falling

What is changing in the answer choices?

What is the question testing you on?

By focusing on what is changing in the answer choices, you can quickly identify the concept on
which you are being tested. When you understand what a question is asking but aren’t sure
what you need to find to answer it, the answer choices will guide you.

Look at the answers and ask yourself, “What is changing?” The changes in the answer
choices reveal the aspects of the text on which you should focus.

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Step 3: Read the Selection
Now that you know what the question requires you to do, look to the text. The selections are
fairly short, so you should read through them in their entirety. However, keep in mind that not
every word of the text is important. Focus on the parts of the selection that directly relate to
the purpose of the question by using ACTIVE READING.

You know that this question is testing your knowledge of _______________ rules, so focus on
how the ideas before and after the blank should be connected. You don’t need to worry about
anything else. You don’t even need to understand what the selection is talking about!

1. According to Naomi Nakayama of the University of Edinburgh, the reason seeds from a dying
dandelion appear to float in the air while ______ is that their porous plumes enhance drag, allowing
the seeds to stay airborne long enough for the wind to disperse them throughout the surrounding
area.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) falling,
B) falling:
C) falling;
D) falling

Do the ideas before and after the blank need to be separated, or should they be uninterrupted?

Use the tools provided within the Bluebook app to mark relevant parts of the text
and to make helpful notes as you read the text. You don’t want to read the
selection more than once.

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Step 4: Process of Elimination
Now it’s time to get your points! Remember, maximizing your score is not about finding the
correct answer. Your job is to find and eliminate _________ answers. Eliminate any choices that
do not agree with your understanding of the question and the relevant aspects of the text. If
you are unsure, mark the answer with a “?” and keep it. Only eliminate choices that you know
are incorrect.

1. According to Naomi Nakayama of the University of Edinburgh, the reason seeds from a dying
dandelion appear to float in the air while ______ is that their porous plumes enhance drag, allowing
the seeds to stay airborne long enough for the wind to disperse them throughout the surrounding
area.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) falling, Yes/No/Maybe
B) falling: Yes/No/Maybe
C) falling; Yes/No/Maybe
D) falling Yes/No/Maybe

Use the tools provided in the Bluebook app! You can make your POE

marks right on the test, so do it!

Watch Out for That Tree!
If you feel like you can only eliminate one or two wrong answers and then you always choose
incorrectly at the end, don’t worry! That’s common. The test designers of the SAT refer to
wrong answers as “distractors.” Wrong answers are designed to fool you, so watch out for
traps. The most common traps are:

▪ Mostly Right, Slightly Wrong

▪ Could Be True

▪ Deceptive Language
As you practice and master the Basic Approach for Reading and Writing, you will become
familiar with the question types and understand what makes incorrect answers incorrect.

Remember, practice makes permanent! Perfect practice makes perfect!

Follow the steps, and you will succeed.

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Let’s see how we can apply the Basic Approach for Reading and Writing to other types of
questions.
2. To dye wool, Navajo (Diné) weaver Lillie Taylor uses plants and vegetables from Arizona, where
she lives. For example, she achieved the deep reds and browns featured in her 2003 rug In the
Path of the Four Seasons by using Arizona dock roots, drying and grinding them before mixing the
powder with water to create a dye bath. To intensify the appearance of certain colors, Taylor also
sometimes mixes in clay obtained from nearby soil.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A) Reds and browns are not commonly featured in most of Taylor’s rugs.
B) In the Path of the Four Seasons is widely acclaimed for its many colors and innovative
weaving techniques.
C) Taylor draws on local resources in the approach she uses to dye wool.
D) Taylor finds it difficult to locate Arizona dock root in the desert

What is the question asking? __________________________________

What is changing in the answer choices? ________________________
Where in the text should you look to find the answer? _____________
What is this selection mainly about? ____________________________
What choices can you eliminate? ______________________________

3. “Ghosts of the Old Year” is an early 1900s poem by James Weldon Johnson. In the poem,
the speaker describes experiencing an ongoing cycle of anticipation followed by regretful
reflection: ________

Which quotation from “Ghosts of the Old Year” most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) “The snow has ceased its fluttering flight, / The wind sunk to a whisper light, / An ominous
stillness fills the night, / A pause—a hush.”
B) “And so the years go swiftly by, / Each, coming, brings ambitions high, / And each, departing,
leaves a sigh / Linked to the past.”
C) “What does this brazen tongue declare, / That falling on the midnight air / Brings to my heart
a sense of care / Akin to fright?”
D) “It tells of many a squandered day, / Of slighted gems and treasured clay, / Of precious stores
not laid away, / Of fields unreaped.”

What is the question asking? __________________________________

What is changing in the answer choices? ________________________
What clues are in the text? ___________________________________
What choices can you eliminate? ______________________________

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 4. In recommending Bao Phi’s collection Sông I Sing, a librarian noted that pieces by the spoken-word
poet don’t lose their _____ nature when printed: the language has the same pleasant musical
quality on the page as it does when performed by Phi.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) jarring
B) scholarly
C) melodic
D) personal

What is the question asking? __________________________________

What is changing in the answer choices? ________________________
What clues are in the text? ___________________________________
What choices can you eliminate? ______________________________

5. The following text is from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby.

[Jay Gatsby] was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of
movement that is so peculiarly American—that comes, I suppose, with the absence of lifting work
in youth and, even more, with the formless grace of our nervous, sporadic games. This quality was
continually breaking through his punctilious manner in the shape of restlessness.

As used in the text, what does the word “quality” most nearly mean?

A) Characteristic
B) Standard
C) Prestige
D) Accomplishment

What is the question asking? __________________________________

What is changing in the answer choices? ________________________
What clues are in the text? ___________________________________
What choices can you eliminate? ______________________________

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 6. Some studies have suggested that posture can influence cognition, but we should not overstate
this phenomenon. A case in point: In a 2014 study, Megan O’Brien and Alaa Ahmed had subjects
stand or sit while making risky simulated economic decisions. Standing is more physically unstable
and cognitively demanding than sitting; accordingly, O’Brien and Ahmed hypothesized that
standing subjects would display more risk aversion during the decision-making tasks than sitting
subjects did, since they would want to avoid further feelings of discomfort and complicated risk
evaluations. But O’Brien and Ahmed actually found no difference in the groups’ performance.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A) It presents the study by O’Brien and Ahmed to critique the methods and results reported in
previous studies of the effects of posture on cognition.
B) It argues that research findings about the effects of posture on cognition are often
misunderstood, as in the case of O’Brien and Ahmed’s study.
C) It explains a significant problem in the emerging understanding of posture’s effects on
cognition and how O’Brien and Ahmed tried to solve that problem.
D) It discusses the study by O’Brien and Ahmed to illustrate why caution is needed when making
claims about the effects of posture on cognition.

What is the question asking? __________________________________

What is changing in the answer choices? ________________________
What clues are in the text? ___________________________________
What choices can you eliminate? ______________________________

7. The following text is from Herman Melville’s 1854 short story “The Lightning-Rod Man.”

The stranger still stood in the exact middle of the cottage, where he had first planted himself. His
singularity impelled a closer scrutiny. A lean, gloomy figure. Hair dark and lank, mattedly streaked
over his brow. His sunken pitfalls of eyes were ringed by indigo halos, and played with an
innocuous sort of lightning: the gleam without the bolt. The whole man was dripping. He stood in
a puddle on the bare oak floor: his strange walking-stick vertically resting at his side.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

A) It sets up the character description presented in the sentences that follow.

B) It establishes a contrast with the description in the previous sentence.
C) It elaborates on the previous sentence’s description of the character.
D) It introduces the setting that is described in the sentences that follow.

What is the question asking? __________________________________

What is changing in the answer choices? ________________________
What clues are in the text? ___________________________________
What choices can you eliminate? ______________________________

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 8. Iraqi artist Nazik Al-Malaika, celebrated as the first Arabic poet to write in free verse, didn’t reject
traditional forms entirely; her poem “Elegy for a Woman of No Importance” consists of two ten-
line stanzas and a standard number of syllables. Even in this superficially traditional work, ________
Al-Malaika was breaking new ground by memorializing an anonymous woman rather than a
famous man.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) in fact,
B) though,
C) therefore,
D) moreover,

What is the question asking? __________________________________

What is changing in the answer choices? ________________________
What clues are in the text? ___________________________________
What choices can you eliminate? ______________________________

9. Rabinal Achí is a precolonial Maya dance drama performed annually in Rabinal, a town in the
Guatemalan highlands. Based on events that occurred when Rabinal was a city-state ruled by a
king, _____ had once been an ally of the king but was later captured while leading an invading force
against him.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Rabinal Achí tells the story of K’iche’ Achí, a military leader who
B) K’iche’ Achí, the military leader in the story of Rabinal Achí,
C) there was a military leader, K’iche’ Achí, who in Rabinal Achí
D) the military leader whose story is told in Rabinal Achí, K’iche’ Achí,

What is the question asking? __________________________________

What is changing in the answer choices? ________________________
What clues are in the text? ___________________________________
What choices can you eliminate? ______________________________

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10. While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• Maika Tubbs is a Native Hawaiian sculptor and installation artist.

• His work has been shown in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Germany, among other places.
• Many of his sculptures feature discarded objects.
• His work Erasure (2008) includes discarded audiocassette tapes and magnets.
• His work Home Grown (2009) includes discarded pushpins, plastic plates and forks, and wood.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the two works. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) Erasure (2008) uses discarded objects such as audiocassette tapes and magnets; Home Grown
(2009), however, includes pushpins, plastic plates and forks, and wood.
B) Like many of Tubbs’s sculptures, both Erasure and Home Grown include discarded objects; Erasure
uses audiocassette tapes, and Home Grown uses plastic forks.
C) Tubbs’s work, which often features discarded objects, has been shown both within the United
States and abroad.
D) Tubbs completed Erasure in 2008 and Home Grown in 2009.

What is the question asking? __________________________________

What is changing in the answer choices? ________________________
What clues are in the text? ___________________________________
What choices can you eliminate? ______________________________

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SUMMARY
• The four steps of the Basic Approach
for Reading and Writing are:
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________

• How can correct answers on the SAT

Reading and Writing test differ from
correct answers in an English class?
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________

• What is the most important thing to

remember in the Verbal section?
___________________________
___________________________

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Vocabulary
Practice I

Page | 29
FILL IN THE BLANK
1. Public defenders are a vital part of our legal system, but they are often treated with ________

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) contempt.
B) corruption.
C) contemplation.
D) slander.

2. Epidemiologists study the spread of disease to help ________ the risk factors for certain diseases
and health conditions and to help establish preventive healthcare Policy.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) know
B) identify
C) improve
D) summarize

3. It has become clear that non-aggressive physical contact after an aggressive incident is ________ to
forming a positive bond between individuals.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) considerable
B) vital
C) meaningful
D) worthy

4. Biomedical engineering is an emerging field. It merges two historically ________ disciplines:

medicine and engineering.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) distinguished
B) obvious
C) distinct
D) explicit

5. The ability to speak is generally taken for granted, despite its ________ After all, there is no other
species that can communicate through speech.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) ubiquity.
B) independence.
C) uniqueness.
D) creativity

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 6. One point of ________ among historians is the number of wives Henry VIII had.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) convention
B) resolution
C) contest
D) contention

VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
1. Pat tried to ignore the shoe salesman in the next booth, who was telling his children more than
anyone wanted to know about the importance of job security. She flipped through the newspaper,
stopping at the astrology section. Her horoscope read: “As a Libra, you do not easily buckle under
pressure.” She sighed. Clearly, the horoscope knew nothing of her sudden flight from work earlier
that day.

As used in the text, what does the word “buckle” most nearly mean?

A) belt.
B) bend.
C) bolt.
D) fasten.

2. The police officer standing at my front door quotes directly from a thick book: “Whoever harbors
or conceals any person who he knows, or has reasonable grounds to believe or suspect, has
committed, or is about to commit, an offense under sections 793 or 794 of this title, shall be fined
under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.” Yesterday, a man dressed like a
sailor knocked, politely asked if he could sleep the night in my barn, and chopped some wood for
me in return. He kept the axe, but I didn’t find that strange at the time.

As used in the text, what does the word “harbors” most nearly mean?
A) ships.
B) begrudges.
C) doubts.
D) shelters.

3. As I listened to members of the South Beach Literary Diet Group calmly discuss their plans for the
coming year, I wondered how such diverse readers could want to regularly meet together to
discuss texts as different as bleak anti-stories by Samuel Beckett, young readers’ science fiction
tales by Madeleine L’Engle, A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, and The Story of My Teeth. This was
clearly no traditional book-of-the-month club. The fact that meetings always begin with
interpretive dance moves struck me as another novel feature of this group.

As used in the text, what does the word “novel” most nearly mean?

A) unique.
B) depressing.
C) fictional.
D) bookish.

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 4. “What’s a lady like you doing in a place like this?” Sophie sipped from her neon-blue cocktail
before replying to the two-bit detective. “And what makes you think I am a lady?” Everything
about her was painfully up-to-date. The sparkly red shoes, reflecting current taste in this realm,
complemented the emerald socks and hyper-modern tan pant-suit. His left eye tearing slightly, he
replied, “You have this ... je-ne-sais-quoi.” Her eyebrows rose; the air crackled with tension. She
sipped once more, flung the cherry from the drink, and said as she stood to leave, “I don’t know
what that means.

As used in the text, what does the word “current” most nearly mean?

A) electric.
B) contemporary.
C) drifting.
D) watery.

5. The wind howling through the cracks of the door, Toby clung to his mug of hot cider, shrinking
back further toward the feeble hearth. “If you plan to season yourself to this climate, you must
embrace the discomfort,” said the kindly innkeeper. Toby wondered what had ever possessed him
to agree to this expedition—pure folly, it was.

As used in the text, what does the word “season” most nearly mean?

A) spice.
B) infuse.
C) accustom
D) direct.

6. The first mate glowered at the sailors. “Wherefore ye be a playin’ at balls when there is work to
do?” The parson added: “And gambling, melads, does not befit good folk, as the good book
sayeth.” The captain flung open his cabin door, exclaiming: “And what is the reason for this
racket?” The first mate looked left, the person looked right, and the sailors all sprung into the sea
for shame.

As used in the text, what does the word “racket” most nearly mean?

A) court.
B) scam.
C) ruckus.
D) ship.

Check your answers on page 182.

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Chapter 4
Grammar

“You keep on using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

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INTRODUCTION: GRAMMAR ON THE SAT

Chapter Goals:
At the conclusion of this chapter you will know:

● How to apply the Basic Approach to grammar questions on the SAT.

● Know how to demonstrate consistency in verb tense, pronouns, and transitions.
● Know how to make sentences precise by using specific nouns.
● Know how to identify extraneous information and make sentences concise.

Conventions?

About one-third of the questions in each Reading and Writing section will challenge your
command of English Grammar. The majority of grammar questions on SAT include the following
phrase:

What choice completes the text so that it conforms

to the conventions of Standard English?

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of grammar rules for English, but you don’t need to know
all of them. In fact, you just need to know what SAT likes to test. Over the next chapters, we’ll
review these rules and teach you how to approach each question.

As you choose your response for each question, keep in mind that the best answers will have
the following in common:

● The correct answer on SAT is ___________ with the non-underlined

portion; the answer choice fits with the tense and flow of the sentence.
● The correct answer choice will make the meaning of the sentence and the
passage ________; this includes using vocabulary that matches the style
and tone of the passage.
● The correct answer, free of any errors, will be the most __________.

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When answering Grammar questions, the Basic Approach still holds:

1. Read the Question

2. Look at the Answers
3. Read the Selection
4. POE

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

When looking at the answers during Step 3, ask yourself “What’s changing in the answer
choices?” The commonalities and differences among the answer choices tell you what SAT is
testing, which is crucial to understand before you try to fix the problem.

1. Growing up in America, my cousins and I were as close as brothers and sisters, but we hardly
______ our family across the ocean.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) known
B) knew
C) had knew
D) been known

What’s changing in the answer choices? __________________________________

What is this question testing? __________________________________________

Since the verb tense is changing, you can call upon the grammar rules that apply to verbs.
Similarly, if you see punctuation changing in the answers, you can call upon the rules we will
cover in that chapter. “What’s changing?” acts as an indicator of which part of your SAT training
you will use to answer correctly.

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Now take a look at a few examples without passages. What is each question testing?

A) equations, though:
B) equations, though,
C) equations. Though,
D) equations though

What’s changing in the answer choices? _______________________

What is this question testing? ________________________________

A) suggested
B) suggests
C) had suggested
D) was suggesting

What’s changing in the answer choices? ________________________

What is this question testing? ________________________________

A) by contrast,
B) consequently,
C) secondly,
D) for example,

What’s changing in the answer choices? _______________________

What is this question testing? _______________________________

A) reciprocate
B) annotate
C) buttress
D) disengage

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________

What is this question testing? _______________________________

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CONSISTENCY IS KEY

As mentioned in the introduction, the best grammar responses on SAT will be consistent with
the portions of the passage around the blank. That consistency is most frequently tested in
questions about verbs, pronouns, and transitions.

Consistency in Verbs – Find the Partner

When you see verbs changing in the answer choices, look for the subject and make sure that
the verb matches. To put it simply

● Singular subjects take singular verbs.

● Plural subjects take plural verbs.

2. In the early months of 1796, three counties in the western part of the state _________ to secede
from North Carolina.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the

conventions of Standard English?

A) having been attempted

B) was attempting
C) were attempting
D) is attempting

What is the subject of the sentence? ____________________________

Is the subject singular or plural? _______________________________

What answers can you eliminate? ______________________________

Page | 37
This consistency also applies to answers that contain multiple verbs.

3. DJs and those who mix popular music still _____________ the vinyl record format.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the

conventions of Standard English?

A) uses and appreciates

B) use and appreciates
C) uses and appreciate
D) use and appreciate

What is the subject of the sentence? ___________________________

Is the subject singular or plural? _______________________________
What answers can you eliminate? ______________________________

Consistency in Verbs – Tense

Questions about tense use also require you to be consistent with the subject.

4. The October Revolution took place during the Russian Revolution in 1917 and ______ by the
Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the

conventions of standard English?

A) is led
B) is leading
C) was led
D) were led

What is the subject of the sentence? _________________________

Is the subject singular or plural? ____________________________
What tense is the sentence in? _____________________________

Keep in mind that SAT is only testing what should fill in the blank for each question. The text
around the blank is all considered correct. In the previous question, the past-tense verb “took”
is used. That should lead you to immediately eliminate answers A and B which are both in
present tense.

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 5. While a college graduate spends his or her late teens and early twenties
studying, the budding screenwriters who do not attend college _________
their craft and competing for work several years earlier.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the

conventions of standard English?

A) begins honing
B) begins to hone
C) begin honing
D) has begun honing

What is the subject? _______________________________________

Is the subject singular or plural? ______________________________
Are there any verbs that indicate tense? ________________________
What answers can you eliminate? _____________________________

Verbs Rule: When verbs are changing in the answer choices,

check the SUBJECT and TENSE, then pick the answer choice that is CONSISTENT with both.

Page | 39
SAT Trap – Prepositional Phrase

One way SAT makes identifying a subject more challenging is by including a Prepositional
Phrase. A preposition is a word that describes direction or location.

6. The most comprehensive collection of Flannery O’connor’s writings, The

Complete Stories, ________ published in 1971 and remains a best-seller.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the

conventions of standard English?

A) were
B) is
C) had been
D) was

What is the subject? ____________________________________

Is the subject singular or plural? __________________________

The number of plural nouns in the sentence (writings, Stories) may lead you to believe the
subject is plural. However, the actual subject is collection. “of Flannery O’Connor’s writings” is a
prepositional phrase.

If you see a preposition included in the sentence, cross it out and you will easily identify the
true subject.

The most comprehensive collection of Flannery O’connor’s writings

Let’s try another question that includes a prepositional phrase:

7. The number of jams available for tasting _______. Some shoppers had
twenty-four different options, others had only six.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the

conventions of standard English?

A) varied
B) varies
C) vary
D) did vary

What is the subject? ______________________________________

Is it singular or plural? _____________________________________
What is the appropriate tense? ______________________________

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Consistency in Pronouns

Just like when dealing with verbs, the text around the portion in question is extremely helpful
when dealing with questions about pronouns.

A pronoun is a word used in place of a specific noun or another pronoun, so when pronouns are
changing in the answer choices, first check WHO or WHAT the pronoun is referring to.

8. The first people to notice that a child is in need of speech therapy usually
report __________ concerns to a doctor or school counselor.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the

conventions of standard English?

A) one’s
B) their
C) his or her
D) our

What word does the pronoun refer back to? ____________________

Is that word singular or plural? ______________________________

The correct pronoun will be consistent with the noun it refers back to and with other pronouns
in the sentence.

9. The landscape of college athletics has changed drastically over the last decade, and recruiting
protocols have changed with ______.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the

conventions of standard English?

A) it.
B) them.
C) him or her.
D) us.

What word does the pronoun refer back to? _______________________

Is that word singular or plural? __________________________________

Pronouns Rule: When PRONOUNS are changing in the answer choices, choose the
pronoun that is CONSISTENT with the word it refers to and other NOUNS and PRONOUNS
in the sentence.

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Precision – When a Pronoun is a Con

We’ve discussed how to make sure pronouns are CONSISTENT with the nouns and other
pronouns in a passage, and pronouns often help make a sentence more concise. Unfortunately,
pronouns can also leave the reader confused. If it is unclear who or what a pronoun is referring
to, it is not PRECISE, and you need to use a specific noun instead.

10. The man sitting next to my parents and me carelessly dropped his candy wrapper on the floor. I
complained to my father and the usher, but __________ The woman who was seated in front of us
turned around and asked all of us to keep it down.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of standard English?

A) he whispered to be quiet.
B) he whispered, “Shhh.”
C) my father whispered, “Shhh.”
D) he yelled at me to be quiet.

What’s changing in the answer choices? __________________________________

What is this question testing? __________________________________________
Who does the pronoun “he” refer to? ___________________________________

Indeed, the “he” in the answers could refer to the writer’s father, the usher, or the man. Only
one of the answer choices includes a specific noun, and it is the correct option.

11. The movement for women’s suffrage began in earnest in the 1840s.
Although no official war was fought for _____, an intense cultural battle
took place.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of standard English?

A) it,
B) them,
C) her,
D) the women’s vote,

Page | 42
Consistency in Transitions

Another way SAT tests consistency is when dealing with transition words. Transition words can
appear at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle of a sentence, but you should treat them
the same either way.

The first step is to figure out what direction transition is required. There are two types of
transition words:

● Same Direction Transitions - if the two ideas connected by the transition would agree,
use a same-direction transition.
○ ex: moreover, and, therefore, because.

● Opposite Direction Transitions - if the two ideas connected by the transition would
disagree, use an opposite-direction transition.
○ ex: however, nevertheless, but.

12. Organisms have evolved a number of surprising adaptations to ensure their survival in adverse
conditions. Tadpole shrimp embryos, ________ can pause development for over ten years during
extended periods of drought.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) in contrast,
B) for example,
C) however,
D) nevertheless,

Do the two ideas being connected agree or disagree? _______________________

What answer choices can you eliminate? _________________________________

On some questions you may find that you have only same-direction transitions or only
opposite-direction transitions in the answer choices. When this happens, you need to consider
the relationship between the parts of the passage.

Page | 43
 13. Researchers Helena Mihaljevic-Brandt, Lucia Santamaria, and Marco Tullney report that while
mathematicians may have traditionally worked alone, evidence points to a shift in the opposite
direction. __________ mathematicians are choosing to collaborate with their peers – a trend
illustrated by a rise in the number of mathematics publications credited to multiple authors.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Similarly,
B) For this reason,
C) Furthermore,
D) Increasingly,

Do the two ideas being connected agree or disagree? _______________________

Are there any opposite-direction transitions you can eliminate? _______________
What is the relationship between the ideas (cause/effect, sequence, example)?
___________________________________________________________________

When there is no difference in direction among the answer choices, look for the relationship
between the two ideas. There are four types of information that will come after a transition
word:

● Example
● Conclusion
● Additional Point
● Contradiction

Just as you do with verbs and pronouns, choose the transition word that is consistent with the
ideas it is connecting.

14. Geoscientists have long considered Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano to be Earth’s largest shield
volcano by volume, measuring approximately 74,000 cubic kilometers. ___________ according to a
2020 study by local geoscientist Michael Garcia, Hawaii’s Puhahonu shield volcano is significantly
larger, boasting a volume of about 148,000 cubic kilometers.

What choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Secondly,
B) Consequently,
C) Moreover,
D) However,

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CONCISION - SHORTER IS BETTER
The number of words matters. When all grammatical errors are eliminated, choose the most
concise answer.

15. Sixty miles north of Guam and more than 1,700 feet under the ocean’s
surface is the summit of NW Rota-1, an undersea volcano discovered in
2003. At that depth, water pressure suppresses the explosive force of the
volcano’s eruptions, allowing scientists to _________ them up close via
remotely operated vehicles.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of standard English?

A) watch and observe

B) watch
C) observe to see
D) visually watch

16. If a person is standing atop a mountain and shouts, he or she can figure
out the distance across the canyon using the speed of sound waves and a
series of precise calculations. Using its innate senses, a bat does these same
______________. With extreme precision, a bat can identify its prey’s
location and size in the dark and capture its prey.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of standard English?

A) calculations instinctively.
B) calculations by instinct.
C) calculations with its instincts.
D) calculations.

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SUMMARY

● The correct answer on the SAT is ___________ with the non-underlined

portion; the answer choice fits with the tense and flow of the sentence.

● The correct answer choice will make the meaning of the sentence and the
passage ________.

● Ideas that agree with each other require a __________ transition.

● Ideas that disagree with each other require an _____________ transition.

● When pronouns are changing in the answer choices, choose the pronoun
that is ___________ with the word it is referring back to and other ______
and ________ in the sentence.

● If it is unclear who or what a pronoun refers to in a sentence, the sentence

is not ________, and you should ___________________.

● When all grammatical errors are eliminated, choose the __________

answer.

Page | 46
Grammar
Practice

Page | 47
VERBS
1. Becoming a professional pianist takes years of practice and ________ a great deal of sacrifice.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) requires
B) require
C) will require
D) has required

2. The United Nations ________ more than tripled in size since it was established in 1945, and
currently has 193 member countries.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) have
B) will have
C) has
D) was

3. Among many noteworthy ways in which biomedical engineers have improved our general health, a
group of Portuguese engineers ________ responsible for developing angiography, which uses X-
rays to examine blood vessels and thus helps in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) are
B) is
C) was
D) were

4. Due to the lack of interest officials in the Cuban government ________ shown towards negotiations
with America, to lift the embargo would be to sanction their Behavior.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) has
B) have
C) have been
D) might have

Page | 48
5. Disagreement between the Soviet Union and the other three Allied powers over how Germany
should be governed ________ one of the contributing factors of the Cold War.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) was
B) were
C) have been
D) having been

6. The sentiments reflected in the Preamble of the Constitution—justice, liberty, and prosperity for
all— ________ highly honored by our country’s Founding Fathers.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) was
B) were
C) was to be
D) had been

7. While endorphins themselves are not well understood, the effect they ________ widely recognized.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) have are
B) has is
C) have is
D) has are

8. Under current federal law, the use of service animals ________ protected.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) are
B) have been
C) has been
D) is

9. The high rate of infection in the most recent Ebola outbreaks ________ due to both the long
incubation period and the types of symptoms that present.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) are
B) is
C) were
D) have been

Page | 49
 10. The conclusion of the scientists ________ that dietary profile was directly related to children’s
socioeconomic status.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) were
B) was
C) having been
D) had been

11. Permits are issued at the state level, and the requirements for receiving one ________ from state to
state.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) varies
B) has varied
C) will vary
D) vary

12. Since 1959, human activity ________ at least 350 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) have been emitting

B) emit
C) has emitted
D) emits

13. As the amount of fossil fuels ________ finite, the eventual depletion of global supply will create job
losses, tax and tariff deficits, and economic decline.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) are
B) was
C) were
D) is

14. While it is true that every profession experiences its share of corrupt behavior, there is no data
whatsoever to support the idea that there ________ a concentration of unethical behavior in the
field of public defense.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) has been
B) is
C) have been
D) will be

Page | 50
15. As Jon steps out onto the stage, he ________ not to stare up directly into the lights.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) had remembered
B) remembered
C) remembers
D) was remembering

16. As stated in the 1992 Cuban Democracy Act, the United States ________ to lift the embargo until
the Cuban government demonstrates movement towards “democratization and greater respect for
human rights.”

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) refuses
B) refused
C) has refused
D) refuse

17. On the same day that Bell filed his application, another inventor, Elisha Gray, ________ a caveat for
the same device.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) was filing
B) filed
C) had filed
D) had been filing

18. This violent act infuriated the nation, and within two weeks a judge ________ that the prisoners be
released and cleared of all charges.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) was ordering
B) had been ordered
C) has ordered
D) ordered

19. Both the freedom of the West and emptiness of pre-dawn streets ________ feelings of relief and
autonomy for those who wished to be released from the restrictions of mainstream society.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) offer
B) offers
C) offering
D) offered

Page | 51
 20. The older generation will be supported by the younger generation through systems of pensions
and health care. Members of a smaller generation ________ fewer wages and thus will pay fewer
taxes than their parents’ generation did.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) earns
B) will earn
C) will have been earning
D) had earned

21. Changes to the section of the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding the use of service animals
________ of revisions to the definition of a service animal and extend the rights of service animals
and their owners in publicly- and privately owned places.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) are consisting
B) consisting
C) consisted
D) consist

22. To clearly establish what the difference is between creationism and evolution, biologist Kenneth
Weiss ________ what he called the “scale of causal effects.”

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) introduces
B) is introducing
C) had introduced
D) introduced

23. As the 21st century progresses, we ________ many important environmental concerns.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) faces
B) will have faced
C) faced
D) will face

24. A good ear, a strong work ethic, and a natural ability ____________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) is not enough on its own.

B) is not going to suffice.
C) is not sufficient.
D) are not enough.

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PRONOUNS
1. There are 70 million farms in India. For every farm to have a two-animal till-and-plow draft team,
and thus provide India with ________ agricultural needs, 140 million animals would be required.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) their
B) her
C) its
D) the

2. In most economies, the older generation is supported by the younger generation. The older
generation earned this support when ________ elders.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) they worked to support their

B) they worked to support its
C) it worked to support their
D) it worked to support its

3. For a single household to install enough solar panels to meet the majority of ________ would cost
$10,000 or more.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) their energy needs

B) energy
C) its energy needs
D) the energy

4. Despite being popular with the French public on the occasion of her marriage to Louis XVI, Marie
Antoinette quickly lost favor due to her lavish lifestyle and expenditures. Her excessive spending
on fashion, palace beautification, and gambling while ________ starved was a likely motivator for
anti-aristocratic propaganda.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) they
B) the French poor
C) everyone
D) she

Page | 53
 5. When the board of Coca-Cola first decided to enter the Chinese marketplace, _______ unaware
that the name would be read as “Ke-kou-ke-la,” which means “female horse stuffed with wax.”

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) it was
B) they were
C) they had been
D) he was

6. The movement for women’s suffrage began in earnest in the 1840s. Although no official war was
fought for ________ an intense cultural battle took place.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) it,
B) them,
C) her,
D) the women’s vote,

7. When the telephone was first invented, consumers marveled at the new technology but worried
________ might cause electrocution.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) they
B) he or she
C) one
D) it

8. The House and Senate also had the power to form a national army and navy, which were tasked
with protecting the nation. ________ very existence served as a deterrent to attacks from other
countries.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Their
B) Its
C) The military organizations’
D) Congress’s

9. If we are able to 3D print organs, can ________ 3D print a human being?

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) you
B) they
C) we
D) one

Page | 54
10. When I was young and would get angry at my mother and grandmother, ________ would tell me to
go walk it off until I felt better.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) she
B) my mother
C) someone
D) one

11. He brought a wild chimpanzee to be raised alongside his son Donald, ________ was ten months old.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) who
B) whom
C) which
D) he

12. One of the fascinating differences the study demonstrated was that, despite the fact that apes
have the same social and physical capabilities that humans have, ________ did not evolve to the
same extent.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) we
B) species
C) they
D) apes

13. In India, cows provide an important fuel source for homes through ________ dung.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) their
B) its
C) his or her
D) one’s

14. People who live in warm climates wear sandals more often than ________ who live in colder
climates do.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) these
B) that
C) those
D) this

Page | 55
 15. If you give a friend a gift worth ten dollars for her birthday, ________ likely to give you a present
worth roughly the same amount.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) you are
B) they are
C) one is
D) she is

16. The first people to notice that a child is in need of speech therapy usually report ________
concerns to a doctor or school counselor.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) one’s
B) their
C) his or her
D) our

17. Givers do not expect a return on the value of ________ gifts.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) our
B) his or her
C) their
D) those

18. The world has changed drastically over the last several decades, and cultural norms have changed
with ________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) it.
B) them.
C) him or her.
D) us.

19. Globalization has had an enormous impact on many aspects of modern life, but no change has
been more drastic than ________ in international marketplaces.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) these
B) that
C) this
D) those

Page | 56
20. The diet and weight-loss industry in the United States alone is worth twenty billion dollars, with
108 million Americans on some kind of diet. Most of ________ will attempt four or five different
diets in one year.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) them
B) these
C) it
D) that

21. Dr. John Snow recognized that a shared water pump was the source of a cholera epidemic in two
London neighborhoods, so he sanitized the water source and removed the handle of the pump,
thereby greatly reducing ________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) its impact.
B) their impact.
C) the impact of the epidemic.
D) that one’s impact.

22. There is growing support in America to end the Cuban embargo. Those who are against the
embargo argue that, since the embargo has been in place for decades without accomplishing its
goal, ________ no positive purpose.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) they serve
B) it serves
C) we serve
D) that one serves

23. The greater a country’s proclivity towards individualism is, the faster ________ pace of life is.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) it’s
B) their
C) its
D) there

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TRANSITIONS
1. Public defenders help uphold an important legal right for American citizens. ________ they save the
legal system and the American public a great deal of time and money.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Nevertheless,
B) Besides,
C) Specifically,
D) Moreover,

2. There have been many advances in the tools that nations can use to communicate with one
another, ________ technology has not yet been able to make simultaneous translation into multiple
languages an automated task.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) but
B) and
C) for
D) so

3. When a child feels safe at home, he may communicate with ease. But put him in a stressful
situation like a classroom, and suddenly his ability to articulate his thoughts is gone. __________,
when working with a patient, a speech pathologist must first try to make him feel as comfortable
as possible.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Subsequently
B) Consequently,
C) By contrast,
D) Meanwhile,

4. Those who believe that the U.S. embargo on Cuba is an effective method of influencing the Cuban
government to change its policies cite several rationales. Primarily, they believe that the embargo
pressures the Cuban government to improve its human rights record. ________ they argue that
since the Cuban government controls the economic power of the individual in Cuba, lifting
restrictions on trade would benefit only the Cuban government, not the people of Cuba.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) More specifically,
B) Regardless,
C) In effect,
D) Furthermore,

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5. After three years of marriage and one daughter, Henry VIII had Anne Boleyn beheaded for
adultery after he had the marriage annulled. _________ there is something odd about this sequence
of events: if the marriage was annulled—and therefore was ruled to have never actually existed—
how could Anne have betrayed it?

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Similarly,
B) Moreover,
C) However,
D) In fact,

6. Negative reciprocity makes rational sense: of course people would want to get as much as they
can for as little as they can give. Then there is balanced reciprocity, which appears irrational.
__________ balanced reciprocity is balanced, which means both parties essentially give and receive
equally.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) By definition,
B) For example,
C) Still,
D) Therefore,

7. While endorphins themselves are not well understood, the effect they have is. Once their release
is stimulated by exercise, they lock into special receptor cells called opioid receptors. ________
endorphins are able to block the transmission of pain and simultaneously produce feelings of
euphoria.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Regardless,
B) As a rule,
C) Then,
D) However,

8. In early human existence, time was strictly limited by the natural pattern of day and night. Once
the art of fire-making was established, humans were able to stay active during the night. The
progression from fire to more developed sources of artificial light was slow, with little change until
the advent of gas illumination in the early 1800s. ______, the biggest change in night activity was in
the workplace: artificial light enabled mills and factories to employ their workforces for longer
hours. Following the increase of nighttime labor was an increase in nighttime entertainment.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Furthermore,
B) Foremost,
C) Initially,
D) Nevertheless,

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 9. On the one hand, a drop in the fertility rate can be good for a country’s economy. Children are
quite costly to raise in developed countries. Fewer children means that people can invest their
time and productivity in growing their personal wealth. _______ many argue that more children are
likely to serve as a benefit to the economy rather than as a drain.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Therefore,
B) On the other hand,
C) In fact,
D) Likewise,

10. The chemicals that leach into the public water system over time in locations where fracking occurs
have demonstrated harmful and long-term effects on the local populations. _______ because of the
strong support fracking has received based on its economic value, it’s unlikely to end any time
soon.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) However,
B) In conclusion,
C) For example,
D) Besides,

11. A couple of decades ago, there was a belief that by now there would be solar panels everywhere:
on the lawns of business parks, covering the roofs of private homes, and filling the empty space of
deserts. ____ this wish has not yet materialized.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Thus,
B) To these ends,
C) Indeed,
D) Unfortunately,

12. May of 2012 marked the 372nd consecutive month in which the average temperature of the
entire globe exceeded average temperatures of the twentieth century. _________ scientists have
concluded that in order to keep global warming in check and prevent massive changes to our
environment, the temperature cannot rise by another 2°C.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Conversely,
B) Furthermore,
C) Nevertheless,
D) On the other hand,

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13. Because some in society think it is immoral to defend criminals, they assume that public defenders
lack personal and professional morals as well. These criticisms, ______ are misguided.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) however,
B) therefore,
C) indeed,
D) surprisingly,

14. Most dieters never consult a dietitian—a professional who advises people on diet choices for
healthy living. Dietitians differ from nutritionists in that nutritionists are not all regulated through
registered licenses. Dietitians, ________ must earn a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college
or university and complete a professional internship before sitting for licensing exams.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) for instance,
B) regardless,
C) on the other hand,
D) similarly,

15. When speaking on matters of great international importance, diplomats are particularly attentive
to the nuances of their words, which makes the job of translation difficult. ________ all languages
have their own specific colloquialisms and idiomatic phrases, which can further complicate a
translator’s task.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) However,
B) Furthermore,
C) To these ends,
D) Therefore,

16. Having experience as a classroom teacher is an important qualification for a school

superintendent. _______ it isn’t practical for a superintendent to implement the best plans for
students and teachers without knowing much about their experiences.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Besides,
B) Despite this,
C) After all,
D) Instead,

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 17. The initial goal of the Cuban embargo was to influence the newly established communist
government in Cuba towards greater democratization. _______ there was great fear of the spread
of communism and its threat to capitalist and democratic nations.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) In addition,
B) Nevertheless,
C) Meanwhile,
D) At that time,

18. In early human existence, time was limited by the natural pattern of day and night. Due to the lack
of artificial light, humans were diurnal. Once the art of fire making was established, ________
humans were able to stay active during the night.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) however,
B) finally,
C) subsequently,
D) likewise,

19. Over the past several decades, the roles of service animals have been expanding. ________ service
animals were trained to help with the physical needs of disabled individuals: they acted as guides
for the blind, provided alerts for the deaf, and served as physical aides for those with limited
mobility.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) These days,
B) Soon,
C) Next,
D) Historically,

20. Since then, the tasks of service animals have expanded considerably. _______ service animals are
no longer used solely to assist with physical needs: they are now used to help individuals with a
wide variety of medical and emotional needs.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Increasingly,
B) In any case,
C) By contrast,
D) However,

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 21. Algae has many advantages over other plant-based biofuels. _______ it produces between ten and
a hundred times more oil per acre than any other fuel crop. This is due to the fact that fifty
percent of the weight of algae is the lipid oil that is used as biofuel. Additionally, algae needs fewer
natural resources than other plants for its cultivation. It can be grown using wastewater rather
than clean water, and it can be grown in only wastewater—it does not require land.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) However,
B) Although,
C) First,
D) Instead,

22. The amount of land that would be required for facilities to produce enough algae to replace all
fossil fuel use in the United States is less than one-seventh of that required for corn. _______ many
do not believe that algae as a biofuel is as promising as it first seems.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A) Consequently,
B) Finally,
C) Nevertheless,
D) As a rule,

CONCISION

1. _______________________________ companies are consulting with cultural anthropologists on how

the companies can best market their products to foreign populations.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Due to the recent increase in global trade in the last few decades,
B) Due to the recent increase in global trade in the recently past few decades,
C) Due to the recent increase in global trade in recent years,
D) Due to the recent increase in global trade

2. ________________ provide counsel on matters of nutrition on a large scale.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Advising dieticians are dieticians who

B) Advising dieticians
C) It is advising dieticians who
D) Those who are advising dieticians

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 3. UN translators (other than Chinese-English ones) are required to know at ________________
languages: their native tongue plus two additional official languages.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) least three or more

B) the very least three
C) minimum three or more
D) least three

4. ________________ control, the importance of studying health and disease patterns has grown.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) triumphant and victorious success of disease

B) triumph that was successful in disease
C) successful overcoming of
D) victory of disease

5. Without ________________ the relationship is never fully repaired.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) physical connection and bodily contact

B) physical contact
C) physical, bodily connection
D) connection and contact

6. Cameron’s career as a concert pianist began when he was ________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) no older than three years of age.

B) not any younger than three years old.
C) three years old.
D) around that time of three years aged.

7. Medical imaging is part of the ________________ in medicine.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) diagnostic aspect and detection of ailments

B) diagnostic area
C) detecting and diagnosing of ailments
D) detection of diagnostics

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8. The process of speech is an ________________ one.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) amazingly intricate
B) amazing, intricate, and complicated
C) amazing, in that it’s complicated,
D) amazingly intricate and complicated

9. Even the most well documented events and eras leave a great deal open to ________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) inference and conjecture.

B) conjecture and guesswork.
C) inferring and supposition.
D) conjecture.

10. Although the fighting had ended, the war would not officially be over until all parties involved
reached peace ________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) settlements.
B) settlements, ending the war completely.
C) settlements, concluding the conflict forever.
D) settlements, bringing a final end to the conflict.

11. ________________ are generally considered to come with their own types of rationality.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Generalized reciprocity and negative reciprocity

B) Generalized and negative reciprocity
C) Reciprocities that are both general and negative
D) Both generalized reciprocity and negative reciprocity

12. After electricity came radio and television broadcasting, which had an immense effect on how
people used nighttime hours when ________________ a 24-hour cycle.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) radio and television broadcasting expanded to

B) radio and television shows began being broadcast on
C) radio and television expanded to
D) broadcasting expanded to

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 13. When examined more closely, there appears to be an end goal in the ________________ nature of
evolution.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) selective
B) selective, discriminating
C) selective and discriminating
D) selectively discriminating

14. Elected officials are often ________________ between short-term fixes and more costly but
ultimately more beneficial long-term plans.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) torn and cannot decide

B) torn and indecisive
C) torn, unable to decide
D) torn

15. Our dependence on fossil fuels for the ________________ of our transportation needs is a major
environmental concern.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) vast majority and the bulk

B) majority
C) vast majority of the bulk
D) majority, and also the bulk,

16. One of the most exciting but also contentious modern inventions is ________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) that of 3D printing.
B) 3D printing.
C) that we can 3D print.
D) the invention of 3D printing.

17. Everyone loves the triumphant feeling that comes from being proved correct in the face of
________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the doubt and disbelieving skepticism of others.

B) the disbelieving skepticism of others.
C) doubt and skepticism.
D) skepticism.

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18. In order to communicate more easily with his wife ________________ Meucci began work on an
electromagnetic sound device.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) while she was confined upstairs and he worked mostly downstairs,

B) when they were on different floors,
C) from the lower floor where he was to the upper floor where she was,
D) from the basement of the house where he worked,

19. Representative democracy is based on a system of ________________ or more political parties that
offer the electorate distinct ideological alternatives.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) at least two
B) at the very least two
C) two
D) no less than two

20. Increased concern about domestic issues is demonstrated in both party affiliation ________________
voting trends.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) as well as
B) along with
C) and in
D) and

21. As the value of a population’s productivity increases, the value ________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) is increasing that population’s time.

B) increases time as well.
C) of that population’s time increases.
D) for that population, of time, increases.

22. Based on the assumption that there might be a genetic link to cilantro aversion, a study was
conducted on ________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) identical sets of twins and others who were fraternal.

B) identical sets of twins and fraternal sets of twins.
C) identical fraternal twins.
D) identical and fraternal sets of twins.

Page | 67
 23. The reason for the strong aversion to cilantro has been a puzzle for some time and
________________________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) is only now becoming more and more clear.

B) has only very recently begun to become much more clear.
C) has now been made clearer and more understandable.
D) is only now becoming clearer.

24. The funding distribution measurement demonstrated a sharp difference depending on which
funding system— ________________ was used.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) either the progressive system or the regressive system—

B) the progressive system versus the regressive system—
C) either progressive or regressive systems—
D) progressive or regressive—

Check your answers on pages 182 – 183.

Page | 68
Chapter 5
Punctuation

“. . . – – – . . .”

Page | 69
SAT VERBAL – PUNCTUATION

Chapter Goals:
At the conclusion of this chapter, you will know:

● How to apply the Basic Approach to questions about punctuation

● How to use stop, half-stop, and go punctuation on the SAT
● The proper uses for commas and apostrophes

Introduction to Punctuation

Do I use a comma before the “and” in a sequence? After it? What’s a semicolon for anyway,
aside from a winking emoji? With more than a dozen punctuation marks, it can be easy to
forget when and how to use each period, long dash, or exclamation point. In this chapter, we’ll
review the punctuation rules tested on SAT as well as some common traps.

As you work through punctuation questions on the SAT, remember to use the Basic Approach.

1. Read the Question

2. Look at the Answers
3. Read the Selection
4. POE

Page | 70
What’s the purpose of all these marks?

A punctuation mark is used to separate elements of writing, such as sentences or phrases. In

fact, what will determine the punctuation mark you use is the type of idea the mark is
connecting. There are two types of ideas used on SAT, a COMPLETE IDEA and an INCOMPLETE
IDEA.

● A complete idea can stand on its own as a complete sentence even though it may be
part of a longer sentence.
● An incomplete idea CANNOT stand on its own as a complete sentence.

Are the following phrases Complete or Incomplete?

Complete Incomplete
1. Messi dribbles the ball __________ __________

2. To get by a defender __________ ___________

3. When will he shoot __________ ___________

4. When he does shoot ___________ ___________

5. Messi really wants ___________ ___________

6. That will take more goals. ___________ ___________

Page | 71
The punctuation you’ll encounter on SAT can be separated into three categories: STOP, HALF-
STOP, and GO.

STOP HALF-STOP GO

Period . Colon : Comma ,

Semicolon ; Long Dash – No Punctuation

Exclamation Point
Question Mark
Comma + FANBOYS*
* for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

Each category – STOP, HALF-STOP, or GO – has rules about

what type of ideas it can connect.

Page | 72
STOP

STOP PUNCTUATION can ONLY be used to connect TWO COMPLETE IDEAS.

1. Many bugs also carry aldehyde chemicals on their ________ chemical that is responsible for the
well-known and universally loathed aroma of the stink bug.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) skin. It is this
B) skin, it is this
C) skin, it is this:
D) skin: It is this,

What’s changing in the answer choices here is clearly the punctuation. When you see stop or
half-stop punctuation in the answer choices, use the VERTICAL LINE TEST.

1. Draw a vertical line where the punctuation is changing (in this case between the words
“skin” and “it.”)
2. Read each part of the sentence and identify it as either a Complete idea or an
Incomplete idea.

What comes before the vertical line, a complete or incomplete idea?

___________________________________________________________________

What comes after the vertical line, a complete or incomplete idea?

___________________________________________________________________

Can you use STOP punctuation here? ____________________________________

Page | 73
 2. Students without college educations often cannot escape to “fallback” _____________ lack of
options bolsters their drive to succeed.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) careers; this
B) careers; this,
C) careers so, this
D) careers this

What’s changing in the answer choices?

_______________________________________________________________
What is this question testing?
_______________________________________________________________
Can you use the vertical line test?
_______________________________________________________________

What are FANBOYS?

FANBOYS is an acronym used to represent several common conjunctions.

For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So

Whenever you see FANBOYS in the answer choices, draw your vertical line through the
conjunction. Remember that Comma + FANBOYS is a form of STOP punctuation.

Page | 74
 3. There are great differences of opinion between proponents of the theory of evolution and
proponents of the theory of __________ the two theories have more common ground than is
commonly recognized.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) creationism,
B) creationism, but
C) creationism, but,
D) creationism

What’s changing in the answer choices?

_______________________________________________________________
What is this question testing?
_______________________________________________________________
Can you use the vertical line test?
_______________________________________________________________

HALF-STOP

HALF-STOP punctuation can only come AFTER a complete idea, but it can be followed by either
a complete or an incomplete idea.

4. Joan Box, an associate professor of geology at Ohio State, believes that

another factor added to the early _________ the “dark snow” problem.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) thaw;
B) thaw; and it was
C) thaw:
D) thaw: being

What’s changing in the answer choices?

_______________________________________________________________
What is this question testing?
_______________________________________________________________
Can you use the vertical line test?
_______________________________________________________________

Page | 75
SAT Trap – Lists Without Colons

Many students see a list in the passage and will immediately select the answer choice that
includes a colon. However, this is not a perfect strategy.

5. The original group of Avengers __________, Hulk, Captain America, Thor,

Hawkeye, and Black Widow.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) included; Iron Man,

B) included: Iron Man,
C) included Iron Man,
D) including Iron Man,

What’s changing in the answer choices?

__________________________________________________________
Does the Vertical Line Test apply?
__________________________________________________________
Is the first part of the sentence a Complete Idea or an Incomplete Idea?
__________________________________________________________

While a colon is sometimes used before a list,

it MUST come after a complete idea.

6. The new homework policy applies to all __________, Chemisty, Literature, and Performing Arts.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) subjects; Math
B) subjects. Math
C) subjects: Math
D) subjects Math

What’s changing in the answer choices?

__________________________________________________________
Does the Vertical Line Test apply?
__________________________________________________________
Is the first part of the sentence a Complete Idea or an Incomplete Idea?
__________________________________________________________

Page | 76
GO
The third group of punctuation marks covers a lot of ground. Most importantly, Go Punctuation
is the only type of punctuation that can come after an incomplete idea.

You can use Go Punctuation in the following combinations:

Complete - Incomplete, Incomplete - Complete, Incomplete - Incomplete

7. Lacrosse is often referred to as “the fastest sport on two feet,” and with
good reason. The game is often brutal, and the best players normally
possess a bit of _____________ a bit of finesse.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) toughness and
B) toughness; and
C) toughness
D) toughness, and,

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

Does the Vertical Line Test apply? ___________________________________

8. Only students from very wealthy families got Playstations for

Christmas because ________ the system was so great.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) the cost, of
B) the cost; of
C) the cost of
D) the cost: of

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

Does the Vertical Line Test apply? ___________________________________

When you have two incomplete ideas,

you usually don’t put any punctuation between them.

Page | 77
COMMAS
There are plenty of situations in which a comma is required. However, SAT is only concerned
with four of them. You already know the first two: STOP punctuation with one of the FANBOYS
and GO punctuation when alone. Let’s look at the other two.

After Every Item in a List

When there is a list in a sentence, separate each item with a comma. In these instances, the
“and” does not count as STOP punctuation.

9. The magic of The Karate Kid lies in the way martial arts are taught through what appears to be a
series of chores. As part of his karate training, Daniel-San has to _________ paint houses before he
can throw his first punch.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) wax cars, sand floors,

B) wax, cars, sand, floors
C) wax cars, sand floors and
D) wax cars, sand floors, and

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

Is there a list in the sentence? ______________________________________

SAT Trap – Semicolons In A List?

If one of the items within a list already includes a comma, you need to use a semicolon as the
punctuation that separates each item in the list.

10. Critics lauded the film Black Panther for its predominantly Black _____ its director, Ryan
Coogler; its Kendrick Lamar-produced soundtrack; and its Afrofuturist aesthetic. Nevertheless,
couched within their praise, a few critics noted that the villain is more compelling than the hero,
a rarity for the superhero genre.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) cast
B) cast:
C) cast,
D) cast;

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

Is there a list in the sentence? ______________________________________
Page | 78
Before and After Unnecessary Information

The fourth situation to use a comma on the SAT involves a pair of commas. You should place a
comma before and after unnecessary information in a sentence. Information is “unnecessary” if
you can remove it from the sentence and not change the sentence’s meaning. Often this
information will be a detail that, while interesting, is not crucial to the sentence.

11. Large groups of owls have found other nesting sites in the _____________ due
to disruptions from farming efforts in the lowlands.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) area, usually in the hills

B) area; usually in the hills,
C) area, usually in the hills,
D) area, having been usual in the hills

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

Is the information necessary or unnecessary? _________________________

SAT Trap – Commas, Dashes, or Parentheses?

All three of these marks can be used to punctuate unnecessary information. However, correct
answers on SAT will not use them mixed together. If your POE has you down to one answer
choice that blends these marks and one that uses a matching pair, choose the latter.

12. Mike Singletary – nicknamed _________ led the vaunted Chicago Bears
defense that held opposing teams to a record low 198 points.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) “Samurai Mike” by his teammates,

B) “Samurai Mike” by his teammates;
C) “Samurai Mike,” by his teammates,
D) “Samurai Mike” by his teammates –

Page | 79
Do You Really Need That?
I. Although rules exist for using commas, anyone ___ who has mastered grammar ___ can
use a comma in an unexpected way for extra effect.

II. The Oxford comma ___ also known as the serial comma ___ is one of the most highly
contested concepts in English punctuation.

III. The Englishman ___ Frederick Howard Collins ___ was the first to include the Oxford
comma in a style manual.

IV. The primary argument against the Oxford comma ___ which is that it’s simply not
always necessary ___ dates back to the days when typesetting was done by hand and
any extra characters made more work for typesetters.

V. The style manuals ___ that advocate for the use of the Oxford comma ___ include the
MLA Handbook and The Chicago Manual of Style.

APOSTROPHES

The final punctuation mark we’ll look at has only half the rules of a comma. Apostrophes are
only used to indicate possession or a contraction.

When you see apostrophes changing in the answer choices, ask yourself if anything belongs to
the word in question, then ask yourself if the word is a contraction.

13. Although my daughter is a fan of our _______ team, she frequently changes her jersey to match
that of her favorite player.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) city professional
B) city’s professional
C) cities professional
D) cities’ professional

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

Does anything belong to “city”? ____________________________________
Is it one city or multiple cities? _____________________________________

Page | 80
Review the following phrases using apostrophes.

• The theme of the essay → the _________________ theme

• The garden of the octopus → the _________________ garden

• The findings of the authors → the _________________ findings

• The favorite writer of the people → the _________________ favorite writer

14. Literary agents estimate that more than half of all nonfiction books credited to a celebrity or other
public figure are in fact written by ghostwriters, professional authors who are paid to write other
_____________ but whose names never appear on book covers.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) people’s stories
B) peoples story’s
C) peoples stories
D) people’s story’s

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

Does anything belong to “people”? __________________________________
Does anything belong to “stories”? __________________________________

15. Frederick Marryat had the luck to be assigned to sail upon the frigate HMS Imperieuse under the
command of Lord Cochrane. Cochrane, _______ naval exploits are legendary, would later serve
as the inspiration for a number of Marryat’s fictional characters.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) that’s
B) who’s
C) whose
D) who the

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SAT Trap – Possessive Pronouns

Do you hear any difference between the words “who’s” and “whose?” How about “they’re” and
“their?” Even though an answer choice may sound correct to your ear, it must use the correct
written English. Possessive pronouns and pronoun contractions make that challenging.

● Possessive Pronouns never have apostrophes.

● Pronouns that have apostrophes are contractions.

Possessive Pronouns Pronoun Contractions

Their They’re (They are)
Its It’s (It is / It has)
Your You’re (You are)
Whose Who’s (Who is / Who has)

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SUMMARY

● _________ punctuation can only come between two complete ideas.

○ These marks include ___________________________________

● Half-stop punctuation must be ____________ by a complete idea.

● The only time you cannot use GO punctuation is _______________.

● What are the four reasons to use a comma on the SAT?

_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________

● What are the two reasons to use an apostrophe on the SAT?

_____________________
_____________________

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Page | 84
Punctuation
Practice

Page | 85
STOP, HALF-STOP, and GO

1. Included in these codes was the Sixth ________ the right to free counsel for indigent defendants.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Amendment:
B) Amendment
C) Amendment;
D) Amendment, and

2. A prominent U.S. phone company attempted to market its services in Saudi Arabia through an
advertisement that featured an executive speaking on the phone with his feet propped up on the
desk in front of him, exposing the soles of his shoes to _________ the soles of shoes are viewed as
unclean in Arab culture, the ad caused the same sort of offense that an ad in the United States of
someone flipping the bird to the viewer might cause.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the viewer, because,

B) the viewer, because
C) the viewer because
D) the viewer; because

3. Accurately representing the intended meaning of a word can be very difficult when dealing with
what translators call _____________ that can be ambiguous and technocratic.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) “UN-speak”; language
B) “UN-speak” language
C) “UN-speak.” Language
D) “UN-speak”—language

4. Her specialty within primatology is ________ is primarily concerned with studying the behavior of
specific monkey groups to better understand their psychological processes and decision-making.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) psychology; she
B) psychology, she
C) psychology she
D) psychology;

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5. The fairness measurements _______ funding level, funding distribution, effort, and coverage.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) included;
B) included:
C) included
D) including

6. It is no coincidence that those elected to the House serve the shortest _____ two-year term, as
opposed to six years for senators, four years for the president, and a life term for Supreme Court
justices.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) term; a
B) term: a
C) term, a
D) term. A

7. The theory pertains to any use of shared ________ office refrigerator, the highway, or the internet.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) resources; the
B) resources. The
C) resources: the
D) resources the

8. __________ fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, and hemorrhage.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Symptoms include:
B) Symptoms include,
C) Symptoms include;
D) Symptoms include

9. Only half of the water contaminated by fracking is ________ is lost and can filter into local water
sources.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) recovered; the rest

B) recovered—the rest,
C) recovered the rest
D) recovered, the rest

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 10. Recently, engineers built the first 3D bioprinting production _________ that someday it will have
the capacity to print organs and body parts from layers of living tissue.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) system, it is hoped
B) system; it is hoped
C) system, it is hoped:
D) system, it is, hoped

11. There are no tests that can be _________ no control and test planets waiting for experimentation in
a laboratory closet.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) run; there are

B) run;
C) run; and there are
D) run, there are

12. Primatologists want to learn why ____________________________.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) aggression in monkey groups is so low?

B) aggression in monkey groups, is so low?
C) aggression in monkey groups is so low.
D) aggression, in monkey groups, is so low.

13. Was Henry simply trying to find a way to free himself for marriage to the woman who would
become his second _______ Boleyn?

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) wife, Anne
B) wife; Anne
C) wife. Anne
D) wife Anne

14. Their second point—perhaps the most convincing _______ it is hypocritical of the United States to
limit trade with Cuba based on democratization and human rights failings but to trade freely with
other countries that have worse human rights records.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) one, is that
B) one, is that:
C) one—is that
D) one—is that,

Page | 88
15. To compensate for the loss of cow dung as fuel, which would be a problem if cows were raised for
______ India would require 43 million additional tons of coal per year.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) slaughter,
B) slaughter—
C) slaughter
D) slaughter;

16. Of course, many scientists say that the changes in weather patterns we are observing now are
that ______ climate change is happening.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) proof—that
B) proof; that
C) proof that—
D) proof, and that

17. Everything known about global warming is ___________ and projections.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) based on recorded, observational, data

B) based on: recorded observational data
C) based on; recorded, observational data
D) based on recorded observational data

18. Only about three decades _______ technology has exploded in the last third of its life.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) old; this
B) old; however this
C) old, this
D) old. This

19. These periods of extreme cold were the result of a break in the _______ the polar vortex is often
inaccurately blamed for cold spells caused by other factors.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Northern Polar Vortex,

B) Northern, Polar Vortex
C) Northern Polar Vortex: but
D) Northern Polar Vortex, but

Page | 89
 20. Many bugs also carry aldehyde chemicals on their _______ chemical that is responsible for the well-
known and universally loathed aroma of the stink Bug.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) skin. It is this
B) skin, it is this
C) skin, it is this:
D) skin. It is this—

21. Hydraulic ______________ known as “fracking”) is accomplished by pumping fracturing fluid into a
drilled well in order to increase pressure at a specific depth within the well.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) fracturing, commonly
B) fracturing—commonly
C) fracturing: commonly
D) fracturing (commonly

22. Evolutionary theory is the belief in changing traits ______________ over time due to natural
selection.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) in, organisms
B) in; organisms
C) in organisms
D) in. Organisms

23. At the time of that _______ area of the country was experiencing a considerable economic Decline.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) study. This
B) study, this
C) study—this
D) study; this

24. Solar water heaters are water-filled glass panels that absorb the heat of the sun; they _______
without the use of gas or electricity.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) provide, hot water

B) provide; hot water
C) provide: hot water
D) provide hot water

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COMMAS
For each answer you choose that contains a comma, indicate which comma rule applies. If no
rule applies, choose the answer with no commas. COMMA RULES

1. STOP punctuation with one of the FANBOYS

2. GO punctuation
3. In a list of three or more
4. Before and after unnecessary information

1. Many advising dietitians work for food service providers for institutions, ____________________.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) such as prisons, schools, hospitals, and nursing facilities.

B) such as: prisons, schools, hospitals and nursing facilities.
C) such as, prisons, schools, hospitals and nursing facilities.
D) such as prisons, schools, hospitals and nursing, facilities

Rule: _________

2. Service animals have been observed to be very ____________________________________ autism.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) helpful for example, when working with individuals diagnosed with intellectual
disorders such as
B) helpful, for example, when working with individuals diagnosed with intellectual
disorders, such as,
C) helpful, for example, when working with individuals diagnosed with intellectual
disorders such as
D) helpful, for example when working with individuals diagnosed with intellectual
disorders, such as,

Rule: _________

3. The agreement was _________________________ once the German government had been
established and then agreed to the terms.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) provisional, and could only be finalized,

B) provisional and could only be finalized,
C) provisional, and could only be finalized
D) provisional and could only be finalized

Rule: _________

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 4. This ___________________ the American Revolution, fought to escape an oppressive monarchy and
establish a free democracy in which voices were given equal value.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) was, of course,
B) was of course
C) was, of course
D) was of course,

Rule: _________

5. Fracking has ____________________ benefits.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) immense, but economic

B) immense, economic
C) immense economic
D) immense, and economic

Rule: _________

6. Other powers included controlling the bankruptcy process, coining and regulating
___________________________.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) money, and, punishing counterfeiting and piracy.

B) money, and punishing counterfeiting and piracy.
C) money and punishing, counterfeiting, and piracy.
D) money, and punishing, counterfeiting and piracy.

Rule: _________

7. The ____________________________showed signs of obesity in terms of body mass index and triceps
skin fold measurements.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) boys, evaluated in the study,

B) boys—evaluated in the study—
C) boys evaluated in the study
D) boys evaluated, in the study,

Rule: _________

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 8. There are great differences of opinion between proponents of the theory of evolution and
proponents of the theory of __________ the two theories have more common ground than is
commonly recognized.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) creationism
B) creationism, but
C) creationism, but,
D) creationism

Rule: _________

9. In _______________________ the end of the land frontier in America.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) 1890, the Bureau of the Census, declared

B) 1890, the Bureau, of the Census declared,
C) 1890 the Bureau of the Census, declared
D) 1890, the Bureau of the Census declared

Rule: _________

10. States with progressive funding scored higher _______________ than did regressive or flat rate
states.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) overall, in this category,

B) overall, in this category
C) overall in this category,
D) overall in this category

Rule: _________

11. She began to feel _____ she was able to return to school the following day.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) better,
B) better, and
C) better, but
D) better and

Rule: _________

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 12. An epidemiologist studies the _______________________ and disease conditions in specific
populations.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) patterns, causes, and effects, of health

B) patterns, causes, and effects, of health,
C) patterns and causes and effects of health
D) patterns, causes, and effects of health

Rule: _________

13. That is nothing compared to what it would take to run an entire commercial
______________________________ on solar energy.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?\

A) building, let alone a city or state,

B) building, let alone a city, or state
C) building let alone a city, or state
D) building, let alone a city, or state,

Rule: _________

14. Even the term “selection” ________________________________.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) implies, informed, if not intelligent, choice.

B) implies informed, if not intelligent choice.
C) implies informed, if not, intelligent choice.
D) implies informed, if not intelligent, choice.

Rule: _________

15. Based on these findings, the _______________________ determined that the children demonstrated
signs of both under-nutrition and over- nutrition concurrently.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) scientists, conducting the study,

B) scientists conducting the study
C) scientists, conducting the study
D) scientists conducting the study,

Rule: _________

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 16. Mental _________________________________ is often overlooked by patients and doctors alike.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) well-being—one of the most important aspects of our health—

B) well-being one of the most important aspects of our health
C) well-being—one of the most important aspects—of our health,
D) well-being, one of the most important aspects of our health

Rule: _________

APOSTROPHES
1. Instantaneous interpretation is a demanding task. _____ even more pressure-filled when the
success of a peace agreement or international settlements is at stake.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Its
B) Its’
C) They’re
D) It’s

2. Pharmaceuticals can be designed in a variety of ways: ________ able to pinpoint specific areas of
the body and can time-release differing levels of dosages in a single pill.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) their
B) it’s
C) there
D) they’re

3. Due to the strong support fracking has received based on its economic benefits, ______ unlikely to
end any time soon.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) its
B) they’re
C) it’s
D) their

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 4. Polar vortices are repetitive large-scale cyclones that circle _____respective geographical poles.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) its
B) their
C) they’re
D) it’s

5. ______are no tests that can be run; there are no control and test planets waiting for
experimentation in a laboratory closet.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) There
B) Their
C) They’re
D) They

6. 3D printers have been used to create everything from clothing to automobile parts to _______.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) childrens toys.
B) childrens’ toy’s.
C) childrens’ toys.
D) children’s toys.

7. Each set of twins was surveyed to elicit both ___________ towards cilantro.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) siblings attitude’s
B) siblings attitudes
C) siblings’ attitudes
D) sibling’s attitude’s

8. There was stronger evidence of over-nutrition based on the ______________.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) participant’s diet’s.
B) participants’ diets.
C) participant’s diets’.
D) participants diets.

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9. Scientists define a ____________reproductive rate as the average number of people who are
infected by a single person.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) disease’s
B) diseases’
C) diseases
D) disease

10. Without equal numbers of healthy young people paying into an insurance program, the
____________ health care cannot be met.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) costs of older peoples

B) costs’ of older peoples
C) costs of older people’s
D) costs of older peoples’

11. The size of a _____________________is affected by the quality of prenatal and neonatal medical care
available.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) countries population
B) countries’ population
C) countrys population
D) country’s population

12. In 2003, one of Meucci’s drawings of a prototype telettrofono was published by the Italian Postal
and Telegraph Service on a stamp commemorating his achievement; _____still in use today.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) its
B) it’s
C) their
D) they’re

13. Epidemiologists who work through observation must be descriptive in _________approach to

disease and health.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) they’re
B) their
C) there
D) its

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 14. The only way global warming can be scientifically proven is for it to happen. Scientists say that the
changes we are observing constitute that proof—that _____ happening right now.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) its’
B) its
C) it’s
D) there

15. A polar vortex affects other areas of the globe when there is a break in the polar jet stream: in
1985, the United States suffered one of _____worst weather events due to a break in the arctic
polar vortex.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) its
B) it’s
C) their
D) its’

16. Some people give money to ______________ invested in a particular cause.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) charities because their

B) charity’s because they’re
C) charity’s because their
D) charities because they’re

17. Public defenders save the legal system and the American public a great deal of time and money:
______representation of the less fortunate helps prevent appeals due to inadequate counsel.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) there
B) their
C) they’re
D) that is

18. From 1939 to 1999, the Democratic Party experienced a six-point decrease in _____membership;
during the same period, Republican Party members decreased by just three points.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) its
B) it’s
C) their
D) there

Page | 98
19. The National __________________ led by Alice Paul, were arrested while picketing outside the
White House for the right to vote.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Womens Party members,

B) Women’s Party members,
C) Womens’ Party member’s,
D) Womens Party members’,

20. A ___________________ the body produces in response to exercise, produces a temporary state of
euphoria.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) runners’ high, caused by endorphin’s

B) runners high, caused by endorphins’
C) runners high, caused by endorphins
D) runner’s high, caused by endorphins

21. It should come as no surprise that countries differ from one another; it could even be said that
______________________ exist.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) difference’s are why countries

B) difference’s are why countries’
C) differences are why countries
D) differences are why country’s

22. _______________ and dips in the blood sugar of a person with diabetes and the onset of a seizure in
a person with epilepsy.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Dog’s can sense spikes

B) Dogs can sense spikes
C) Dog’s can sense spike’s
D) Dogs’ can sense spikes

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 23. _________________ are buried deep in the sand on beaches and then deserted.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Turtles’ eggs’
B) Turtles egg’s
C) Turtles’ eggs
D) Turtles eggs

24. Based on these _________________ conducting the study determined that the children
demonstrated signs of both under-nutrition and overnutrition concurrently.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) findings, the scientists

B) finding’s, the scientists
C) finding’s, the scientists’
D) findings, the scientist’s

Check your answers on pages 183 – 184.

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Chapter 6
Mastering the
Process of Elimination
“When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however
improbable, must be the truth.”

Page | 101
SAT VERBAL: MASTERING THE PROCESS OF ELIMINATION

Chapter Goals

At the conclusion of this chapter, you will:

• Be able to recognize common trap answers that College Board uses to distract you on
the SAT
• Be able to use the Process of Elimination to quickly and accurately eliminate wrong
answers

Master POE, Master SAT

The Process of Elimination is the ultimate tool for maximizing your score on any multiple-choice
test. While the words of Sherlock Holmes may be impractical in the real world, they hold true
for the SAT. When you eliminate three choices that are incorrect, whatever remains must be
the right answer.

Look for wrong answers, not for right answers!

The best answers on the SAT:

• Are supported by the text of the selection

• Answer the question
You must read each answer choice carefully. College Board calls the wrong answers
“distractors” with good reason: they are written in such a way as to fool you into choosing them
if you are not meticulous. Be sure to read for content. Don’t just match words from the text.

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Use The Tools!
College Board’s Bluebook app is designed with the process of elimination in mind. You are able
to cross out wrong answers right on your screen. Use this functionality, but don’t limit yourself
to it. Use your three POE symbols to mark every answer choice. Give a check mark to an answer
if you like it, eliminate an answer if you know it’s wrong, and give a ~ if you aren’t certain.

A A A A
B B B B
C C C C
D D D D

It is extremely common to get down to two answers and then to feel stuck. You may feel like to
always pick the wrong choice. Often, more than one answer will seem like it may be correct.
The test designers are quite skilled at crafting effective distractors, but there are certain
strategies that they consistently implement to fool you. Once you learn how to recognize traps,
you will be able to avoid them and even use them to your advantage.

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THE COMMON TRAPS

Mostly Right, Slightly Wrong

The type of trap answer may seem perfect, but it doesn’t truly say what you need it to. Do not
get distracted by parts of an answer choice that are correct. Even the tiniest of flaws spoils an
answer. An answer choice may be 95% correct, but a single wrong word will allow you to
eliminate that choice. The entire answer must be supported by the text. Watch out for answer
choices with extreme words, such as only, always, never, must, all, and none. Even words like
will and proves can be to extreme if there is no evidence in the text to support their use.

Could Be True
This is the trap that will punish you for being too smart. Remember, “SAT” stands for “stupid
annoying test.” Critical thinking, analysis, and interpretation may be important for success in
school, but on the SAT they will often lead you right into a trap. Your intelligence and outside
knowledge are irrelevant when it comes to answering an SAT question. The correct answer will
be supported by evidence in the text. Underline the evidence on your test screen to improve
your accuracy. If you need to justify an answer choice for which you cannot find evidence in the
text, you are most likely convincing yourself to choose a trap.

Deceptive Language
The test designers will try to fool you by writing wrong answers that use words from the
selection. You must focus on the meaning of the text, not on individual words. Sometimes a
wrong answer will be a true statement that is supported by the text that fails to answer the
question. Other times a deceptive language trap will use words from the selection in a way that
changes the original meaning.

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Let’s take a look at some SAT questions to see how the test designers make use of trap
answers. Remember to always follow the steps of the Basic Approach.

1. Read the Question

2. Look at the Answers
3. Read the Selection
4. Process of Elimination

1. Jan Gimsa, Robert Sleigh, and Ulrike Gimsa have hypothesized that the sail-like structure running
down the back of the dinosaur Spinosaurus egyptiacus improved the animal’s success in
underwater pursuits of prey species capable of making quick, evasive movements. To evaluate
their hypothesis, a second team of researchers constructed two battery-powered mechanical
models of S. aegyptiacus, one with a sail and one without, and subjected the models to a series of
identical tests in a water-filled tank.

Which finding from the model tests, if true, would most strongly support Gimsa and colleagues’
hypothesis?

A) The model with a sail took significantly longer to travel a specified distance while submerged
than the model without a sail did.
B) The model with a sail displaced significantly more water while submerged than the model
without a sail did.
C) The model with a sail had significantly less battery power remaining after completing the tests
than the model without a sail did.
D) The model with a sail took significantly less time to complete a sharp turn while submerged
than the model without a sail did.

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

2. The Milky Way galaxy is composed of millions of stars in a relatively flat structure containing a
thin disk and a thick disk. Based on computer simulations and analysis of data on the brightness,
position, and chemical composition of about 250,000 stars in the thick disk (collected from two
telescopes, one in China and one orbiting in space), astrophysicists Maosheng Xiang and Hans-
Walter Rix claim that the thick disk of the Milky Way formed in two distinct phases rather than a
single one.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ claim?

A) There’s an age difference of about 2 billion years between certain stars in the thick disk.
B) The stars in the Milky Way tend to have very similar chemical compositions.
C) The thin disk contains about twice as many stars that can be seen from Earth as the thick disk
does.
D) The telescopes used by the researchers have detected stars of similar ages in galaxies other
than the Milky Way.

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

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 3. Many intellectual histories of the Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s rely heavily on
essays and other explicitly ideological works as primary sources, a tendency that can
overrepresent the perspectives of a small number of thinkers, most of whom were male. Historian
Ashley D. Farmer has shown that expanding the array of primary sources to encompass more
types of print material—including political cartoons, advertisements, and artwork—leads to a much
better understanding of the movement and the crucial and diverse roles that Black women played
in shaping it.

Which choice best describes the main idea of the text?

A) Before Farmer’s research, historians had largely ignored the intellectual dimensions of the
Black Power movement.
B) Farmer’s methods and research have enriched the historical understanding of the Black Power
movement and Black women’s contributions to it.
C) Other historians of the Black Power movement have criticized Farmer’s use of unconventional
primary sources.
D) The figures in the Black Power movement whom historians tend to cite would have agreed
with Farmer’s conclusions about women’s roles in the movement.

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

4. The ice melted on a Norwegian mountain during a particularly warm summer in 2019, revealing a
1,700-year-old sandal to a mountaineer looking for artifacts. The sandal would normally have
degraded quickly, but it was instead well preserved for centuries by the surrounding ice.
According to archaeologist Espen Finstad and his team, the sandal, like those worn by imperial
Romans, wouldn’t have offered any protection from the cold in the mountains, so some kind of
insulation, like fabric or animal skin, would have needed to be worn on the feet with the sandal.

What does the text indicate about the discovery of the sandal?

A) The discovery revealed that the Roman Empire had more influence on Norway than
archaeologists previously assumed.
B) The sandal would have degraded if it hadn’t been removed from the ice.
C) Temperatures contributed to both protecting and revealing the sandal.
D) Archaeologists would have found the sandal eventually without help from the general public.

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

Page | 106
 5. In a study of new technology adoption, Davit Marikyan et al. examined negative disconfirmation
(which occurs when experiences fall short of one’s expectations) to determine whether it could
lead to positive outcomes for users. The team focused on established users of “smart home”
technology, which presents inherent utilization challenges but tends to attract users with high
expectations, often leading to feelings of dissonance. The researchers found that many users
employed cognitive mechanisms to mitigate those feelings, ultimately reversing their initial sense
of disappointment.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A) Research suggests that users with high expectations for a new technology can feel content
with that technology even after experiencing negative disconfirmation.
B) Research suggests that most users of smart home technology will not achieve a feeling of
satisfaction given the utilization challenges of such technology.
C) Although most smart home technology is aimed at meeting or exceeding users’ high
expectations, those expectations in general remain poorly understood.
D) Although negative disconfirmation has often been studied, little is known about the cognitive
mechanisms shaping users’ reactions to it in the context of new technology adoption.

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

6. Adaptations to cold temperatures have high metabolic costs. It is expensive, in terms of energy
use, for land plants and animals to withstand very cold temperatures, and it gets more expensive
the colder it gets, which means that the lower the air temperature, the fewer species have evolved
to survive it. This factor, in conjunction with the decline in air temperature with increasing
elevation, explains the distribution of species diversity in mountain ecosystems: you find fewer
species high up a mountain than at the mountain’s base because ______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A) there are relatively few environments hospitable to species that are adapted to live in low air
temperatures.
B) there are relatively few species with the adaptations necessary to tolerate the temperatures at
high elevations.
C) adaptations that allow plants and animals to survive in rocky environments are metabolically
costly.
D) some mountain environments are at elevations so high that no plants or animals can survive
them.

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

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 7. Off-off-Broadway theaters emerged in the late 1950s as a rebellion against mainstream Broadway
theaters in New York, freeing artists to create productions that were more experimental than
typical Broadway shows. One such artist was playwright María Irene Fornés. Working with off-off
Broadway theaters enabled Fornés not only to direct her own plays but also to direct them exactly
as she intended them to be staged, regardless of how strange the results might have seemed to
audiences accustomed to Broadway shows. In this way, Fornés ______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A) would have been more famous if she had created plays that were mainstream instead of
experimental.
B) recognized that staging an off-off-Broadway play was more complicated than staging a
Broadway play.
C) wrote plays that would have been too expensive to produce if someone else had directed the
production.
D) illustrates the artistic opportunity offered by off-off Broadway theaters.

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

8. Biologist Natacha Bodenhausen and colleagues analyzed the naturally occurring bacterial
communities associated with leaves and roots of wild Arabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering plant.
The researchers found many of the same bacterial genera in both the plants’ leaves and roots. To
explain this, the researchers pointed to the general proximity of A. thaliana leaves to the ground
and noted that rain splashing off soil could bring soil-based bacteria into contact with the leaves.
Alternatively, the researchers noted that wind, which may be a source of bacteria in the
aboveground portion of plants, could also bring bacteria to the soil and roots. Either explanation
suggests that ______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A) A. thaliana leaves and roots are especially vulnerable to harmful bacteria.

B) bacteria carried by wind are typically less beneficial to A. thaliana than soil-based bacteria are.
C) many bacteria in A. thaliana leaves may have been deposited by means other than rain.
D) some bacteria in A. thaliana leaves and roots may share a common source.

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

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 9. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is projected to maintain operation until at least 2030, but it
has already revolutionized high-resolution imaging of solar-system bodies in visible and ultraviolet
(UV) light wavelengths, notwithstanding that only about 6% of the bodies imaged by the HST are
within the solar system. NASA researcher Cindy L. Young and colleagues assert that a new space
telescope dedicated exclusively to solar-system observations would permit an extensive survey of
minor solar-system bodies and long-term UV observation to discern how solar-system bodies
change over time. Young and colleagues’ recommendation therefore implies that the HST ______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A) will likely continue to be used primarily to observe objects outside the solar system.
B) will no longer be used to observe solar system objects if the telescope recommended by
Young and colleagues is deployed.
C) can be modified to observe the features of solar system objects that are of interest to Young
and colleagues.
D) lacks the sensors to observe the wavelengths of light needed to discern how solar system
bodies change over time.

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

10. Osage Nation citizen Randy Tinker-Smith produced and directed the ballet Wahzhazhe, which
vividly chronicles Osage history and culture. Telling Osage stories through ballet is ______ choice
because two of the foremost ballet dancers of the twentieth century were Osage: sisters Maria
and Marjorie Tallchief.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) an unpredictable
B) an arbitrary
C) a determined
D) a suitable

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

11. Some foraging models predict that the distance bees travel when foraging will decline as floral
density increases, but biologists Shalene Jha and Claire Kremen showed that bees’ behavior is
inconsistent with this prediction if flowers in dense patches are ______: bees will forage beyond
patches of low species richness to acquire multiple resource types.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) depleted
B) homogeneous
C) immature
D) dispersed

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

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 12. In many agricultural environments, the banks of streams are kept forested to protect water
quality, but it’s been unclear what effects these forests may have on stream biodiversity. To
investigate the issue, biologist Xingli Giam and colleagues studied an Indonesian oil palm
plantation, comparing the species richness of forested streams with that of nonforested streams.
Giam and colleagues found that species richness was significantly higher in forested streams, a
finding the researchers attribute to the role leaf litter plays in sheltering fish from predators and
providing food resources.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A) It explains the differences between stream-protection strategies used in oil palm plantations
and stream-protection strategies used in other kinds of agricultural environments.
B) It presents a study that addresses an unresolved question about the presence of forests along
streams in agricultural environments.
C) It discusses research intended to settle a debate about how agricultural yields can be
increased without negative effects on water quality.
D) It describes findings that challenge a previously held view about how fish that inhabit streams
in agricultural environments attempt to avoid predators.

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

13. In 1973, poet Miguel Algarín started inviting other writers who, like him, were Nuyorican—a term
for New Yorkers of Puerto Rican heritage—to gather in his apartment to present their work. The
gatherings were so well attended that Algarín soon had to rent space in a cafe to accommodate
them. Thus, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe was born. Moving to a permanent location in 1981, the
Nuyorican Poets Cafe expanded its original scope beyond the written word, hosting art exhibitions
and musical performances as well. Half a century since its inception, it continues to foster
emerging Nuyorican talent.

Which choice best describes the overall purpose of the text?

A) To explain what motivated Algarín to found the Nuyorican Poets Café

B) To situate the Nuyorican Poets Cafe within the cultural life of New York as a whole
C) To discuss why the Nuyorican Poets Cafe expanded its scope to include art and music
D) To provide an overview of the founding and mission of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

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 14. Mathematician Claude Shannon is widely regarded as a foundational figure in information theory.
His most important paper, “A Mathematical Theory of Communication,” published in 1948 when
he was employed at Bell Labs, utilized a concept called a “binary digit” (shortened to “bit”) to
measure the amount of information in any signal and determine the fastest rate at which
information could be transmitted while still being reliably decipherable. Robert Gallagher, one of
Shannon’s colleagues, said that the bit was “[Shannon’s] discovery, and from it the whole
communications revolution has sprung.”

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A) It introduces a respected researcher, describes an aspect of his work, and suggests why the
work is historically significant.
B) It names the company where an important mathematician worked, details the mathematician’s
career at the company, and provides an example of the recognition he received there.
C) It mentions a paper, offers a summary of the paper’s findings, and presents a researcher’s
commentary on the paper.
D) It presents a theoretical concept, illustrates how the name of the concept has changed, and
shows how the name has entered common usage.

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

15. In the 1970s, a roughly 60,000-year-old piece of hyena bone marked with nine notches was
discovered at a site in western France once inhabited by Neanderthals. Although many believe
that only modern humans developed systems for notating numbers, one archaeologist asserts that
this artifact may be a sign that Neanderthals also recorded numerical information. The notches on
the bone are unevenly spaced but approximately parallel, and microscopic analysis reveals that
they were made with a single stone tool; according to the archaeologist, this suggests that the
notches were all made at one time by one individual as a means of counting something.

Which finding, if true, would most directly weaken the underlined claim?

A) Parallel lines are a common feature in modern humans’ early systems for recording numerical
information.
B) More than nine approximately parallel notches made with a different stone tool are present
on another artifact found at a site in western France.
C) It would have taken careful effort to make evenly spaced lines on bone with the stone tools
typically used by Neanderthals.
D) Decorative art discovered at another Neanderthal site in western France primarily features
patterns of unevenly spaced parallel lines.

Are there any trap answers? _______________________________________

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SUMMARY
• What are the three symbols you
should use as you do your POE?
___________________________

• As you work through the answer

choices, you should be looking for
___________________________

• The correct answer is always

___________________________

• What are the three common trap

Answers on the SAT?
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________

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Vocabulary
Practice II

Page | 113
 1. In 1874, Meucci neglected to send in the ten-dollar fee to renew his caveat, and so his claim
________

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) passed away.
B) elapsed.
C) stalled.
D) expired.

2. It has been less than 100 years since all Americans were ________ the right to vote.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) crowned
B) granted
C) endowed
D) authorized

3. The ________ which the Founding Fathers protected the wealth of the elite is demonstrated in
Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) conduct with
B) behavior with
C) means by
D) etiquette with

4. It may be that people donate money because they have ________ interest in what they are
donating to.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) a deep
B) a distant
C) an immersed
D) an intricate

5. Two animals ________ a till-and-plow draft team.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) institute
B) constitute
C) embody
D) represent

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6. The ADA defines a service animal as “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform
tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric,
intellectual, or other mental disability.” This definition is significantly more ________ than the
previous one, due to the expanding number of uses service animals are being trained for.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) conclusive
B) inclusive
C) exclusive
D) certain

7. The Tragedy of the Commons is an economic theory dating to the early 19th century and ________
in the 1960s.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) polarized
B) subsidized
C) popularized
D) habituated

8. Historically, a child’s growth has been considered a ________ indicator of the quality of a child’s
environment.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) conclusive
B) winning
C) final
D) mandatory

9. The scientists described the results as a harbinger of what can come from neglecting the health of
our own children and of the need to ________ change through political and social action.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) administer
B) indicate
C) implement
D) perform

10. 3D printing opens up a world of ________ to us.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) probabilities
B) forecasts
C) chances
D) possibilities

Page | 115
 11. There is nothing like a good “I told you so”: everyone loves the triumphant feeling that comes from
being proved correct in the face of others’ doubt. But that victorious feeling may ________ if what
you had correctly predicted was something with dire consequences for humanity.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) wane
B) drain
C) compress
D) ripen

12. Although many people think of a polar vortex as a singular cold weather event that affects an area
from time to time, it is not. There are two ________ polar vortices, one at the North Pole and one at
the South Pole.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) persistent
B) insistent
C) repeated
D) firm

13. Solar energy has the ________ to do a great deal more than it does now if humanity can better
harness the energy the sun provides.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) skill
B) qualification
C) potential
D) aptitude

14. Historically found primarily in Asian and Central and South American dishes, cilantro is now a
popular flavoring ________ around the world.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) sum
B) addition
C) extension
D) attachment

15. Fracking is usually done by large oil and gas companies that lease land and mineral rights from
private owners in areas that are known or thought to have large ________ of these resources.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) entries
B) payments
C) investments
D) deposits

Page | 116
16. To establish the ________ that economic situation has on child growth, scientists collected data on
the height, weight, and triceps skinfold measurements of children residing in eastern Kentucky.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) collision
B) impact
C) shock
D) contact

17. Once a person is infected with Ebola, it takes anywhere from 2-21 days for symptoms to ________.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) present
B) gift.
C) divulge.
D) offer.

18. Although every case is different, children who are ________ with autism may have a tendency to
wander away from safe areas.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A) pinpointed
B) determined
C) diagnosed
D) recognized

Check your answers on pages 184

Page | 117
Page | 118
Chapter 7
Advanced Grammar

“Only in grammar can you be more than perfect.”

Page | 119
SAT VERBAL - ADVANCED GRAMMAR CONCEPTS

Chapter Goals:
At the conclusion of this chapter, you will know:
● Know how to make lists and comparisons more consistent.
● Know how to deal with dangling and misplaced modifiers in a sentence.
● Know how to choose the most precise words when dealing with idioms and frequently
confused words
● Know how to make a proper summarizing statement from a series of notes

INTRODUCTION: CONSISTENCY STILL MATTERS!

In this chapter, we’ll look at some of the more advanced grammar concepts tested on SAT.
These questions include options that sound great, but aren’t actually correct in their written
form.

More often than not, these errors come down to consistency. You’ve already learned the
importance of maintaining consistency in verbs, pronouns, and transitions. The best answers on
SAT will also be consistent when dealing with items in a list or comparisons.

When dealing with these Advanced Grammar questions on the SAT, remember to use the Basic
Approach.

1. _________________
2. _________________
3. _________________
4. _________________

Page | 120
Consistency in Lists

When a sentence contains a list of items, each item needs to be listed in the same form. That
can mean including a descriptor or even the order of the words.

1. Formed in 1975, Motorhead featured singer and bassist Lemmy Kilmister, _______________ and
drummer “Philthy Animal” Taylor.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) “Fast” Eddie Clark on guitar,

B) “Fast” Eddie Clark, playing guitar
C) guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clark,
D) guitar player “Fast” Eddie Clark

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

What is this question testing? ______________________________________

This sentence contains a list, so you can look to the non-underlined items for clues as to the
correct answer. The other two members of Motorhead are listed in the form of “role + name.”
To keep the list consistent, the middle item must also have that same form.

Answer choices A and B both put the name of the guitarist first, so they can be eliminated.
While answer choice D puts the role first, it does so with an extra word, so it is not the most
concise answer. It also leaves out the comma that is needed after every item in a list. The best
answer choice is C

Use the same approach to make sure the next lists are also consistent.

2. Liberty University (in Lynchburg, VA), ___________, and California Institute of Technology (in
Pasadena, CA), are the largest private universities in the United States.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) Rice University
B) Houston Texas’ Rice University
C) Rice University’s Houston campus
D) Rice University (in Houston, TX)

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

What is this question testing? ______________________________________

Page | 121
 3. Radio stations can be identified by their call signs. In North America, call signs in the United States
begin with either a W (east of the Mississippi River) or a K (west of the Mississippi River), while
those in Canada _____________________________________.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) start with a C and the ones in Mexico start with an X.

B) begin with a C and call signs in Mexico start with an X.
C) begin with a C and Mexican radio stations begin with an X.
D) begin with a C and those in Mexico begin with an X.

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

What is this question testing? ______________________________________

Consistency in Comparisons – Apples to Apples

Much like when dealing with a list, when there is a comparison in a passage, the things being
compared all need to match.

4. Meucci has been honored posthumously by ___________________ for his efforts.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) both Italy and the American government

B) both the Italians and the American government
C) both the Italian government and the American government
D) both the Italian and American governments

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

What is being compared in the sentence? ____________________________
What is being compared in each of the answer choices?
A ________________________________________
B ________________________________________
C ________________________________________
D ________________________________________

Page | 122
 5. Many of the skills that are needed as a fiction writer are the same ________.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) as being a composer
B) skills that have importance as a composer
C) as those needed to be a composer
D) as a composer

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

What is being compared in the sentence? ____________________________
What is being compared in each of the answer choices?
A ________________________________________
B ________________________________________
C ________________________________________
D ________________________________________

Once again, the non-underlined portion of this sentence is useful in determining the correct
answer. In the sentence we are comparing “the skills needed as a fiction writer” to something.
In this case, we should be comparing “skills” to “skills.”

6. Rihanna’s performance in the Super Bowl Halftime Show was significantly more subdued
_________.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) than Shakira.
B) from Shakira.
C) than that of Shakira’s.
D) than Shakira’s performance.

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

What is being compared in the sentence? ____________________________
What is being compared in each of the answer choices?
A ________________________________________
B ________________________________________
C ________________________________________
D ________________________________________

Page | 123
Modifiers – The Order of Things

On certain questions, you may notice that each answer choice includes the same words, just
arranged in a different order. When you notice this, you are likely being tested on a modifier
phrase.

A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that modifies - that is, gives information about – another
word in the same sentence. When these modifiers appear in a sentence, you want the object
they are modifying to appear as close as possible.

7. As a field volcanologist, ________________ after eruption events.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) research is conducted at the base of a volcano to record the status of specific plant species
before and
B) the status of plant species is recorded at the base of the volcano before and
C) plant species at the base of the volcano are researched before and
D) she records the status of specific plant species at the base of the volcano before and

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

What is this question testing? ______________________________________
Who or what is a “field volcanologist?” _______________________________

Place the object being modified as close to the modifier as possible.

8. A foot high and ten inches wide, _________________________________________.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) he could easily play the eighteen keys of the toy piano.

B) the toy piano had eighteen keys that were easy for him to play.
C) the eighteen keys on the toy piano were easy for him to play.
D) he would use both hands to easily press down on all eighteen keys of the toy piano.

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

What is this question testing? ______________________________________
What is “a foot high and ten inches wide?” ___________________________

Page | 124
Idioms and Homophones – Commonly Confused Words

Some SAT questions will test you on idioms and homophones for which there are no set rules. If
you only see prepositions changing in the answer choices, there is a good chance you are being
tested on an idiom.

9. These rivers provide the swallows with ample mud for filling their funnel-like nests ______ they
return year after year .

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) of which
B) to which
C) by which
D) which

What is changing in the answer choices? _____________________________

What is this question testing? ______________________________________
Do the swallows return to/of/by the nests? ___________________________

With idioms, use your POE to get rid of the answers you know for sure are wrong. If you find
yourself with one answer left, make your best guess.

10. Had the current rules for the Academy Awards, which allow up to ten nominees for Best Picture,
been active in 2008, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight ___________ been a finalist.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) could of
B) could have
C) should had
D) could had

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

What is this question testing? ______________________________________

Page | 125
 11. My father and his two younger brothers emigrated from Italy to New York in the early 1970s.
Only their older sister Lucia, ______ was already married, remained behind in their small home
town.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of

Standard English?

A) which
B) whom
C) who
D) she who

What’s changing in the answer choices? ______________________________

What is this question testing? ______________________________________

“Who” and “whom” are commonly confused words. The easiest way to choose between “who”
and “whom” is to substitute “he/she/they” or “him/her/them” into the sentence. If you would
use “he, she, or they” use “who”, and if you would use “him, her, or them” use “whom.”

Other commonly confused words - What is the difference?

Principal ___________________________________
Principle ___________________________________

Affect _____________________________________
Effect _____________________________________

Cite _______________________________________
Sight _______________________________________
Site ________________________________________

Page | 126
CRAFTING A SENTENCE WITH A PURPOSE

The Digital SAT includes a new style of question that challenges you to choose a statement that
accomplishes a particular goal. The answer choices will include information pulled from a series
of bullet-pointed notes.

When you read the question, be sure to identify any SPECIFICS in the goal. These could include
the intended audience, an argued point, or required evidence. Eliminate answers that include
extraneous information or don’t fully achieve the goal.

12. While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

● African American women played prominent roles in the Civil Rights Movement, including at the famous 1963
March on Washington.
● Civil rights activist Anna Hedgeman, one of the march’s organizers, was a political adviser who had worked
for President Truman.
● Civil rights activist Daisy Bates was a well-known journalist and advocate for school desegregation.
● Hedgeman worked behind the scenes to make sure a woman was included in the lineup of the speakers at
the march.
● Bates was the sole woman to speak, delivering a brief but memorable address to the cheering crowd.

The student wants to compare the two women’s contributions to the March on Washington. Which choice
most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A) Hedgeman and Bates contributed to the march in different ways; Bates, for example, delivered a
brief but memorable address.
B) Hedgeman worked in politics and helped organize the march, while Bates was a journalist and
school desegregation advocate.
C) Although Hedgeman worked behind the scenes to make sure a woman speaker was included,
Bates was the sole woman to speak at the march.
D) Many African American women, including Bates and Hedgeman, fought for civil rights, but only
one spoke at the march.

Page | 127
SUMMARY

● If a sentence contains a list or a comparison,

the things listed or compared must be
_________________ with each other.

● When the order of words is changing in the

answer choices, look for _________________.

● When prepositions or homophones are changing

in the sentence, ___________ and ___________.

● When creating a sentence from a list of notes, be

sure to include information that ______________
and leave out any ____________________.

Page | 128
Advanced Grammar
Practice

Page | 129
LISTS AND COMPARISONS
1. Public defenders do all of this while earning a median yearly salary of only $51,000 as compared
to ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the $114,000 lawyers.

B) the lawyers who make $114,000 a year.
C) a median yearly salary of $114,000 for the profession as a whole.
D) the profession as a whole, which makes $114,000.

2. You are now as likely to see an anthropologist sitting in a conference room of a Fortune 500
company ____________________ the jungles of the Amazon.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) rather than
B) rather than in
C) as in
D) as

3. Formed in 1987, Nirvana featured singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain, ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) bassist Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl on drums.

B) bassist Krist Novoselic, and drummer Dave Grohl.
C) Krist Novoselic on bass, and Dave Grohl on drums.
D) Krist Novoselic on bass, and drummer Dave Grohl.

4. Many of the skills that are needed as a teacher are the same ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) as being a superintendent.
B) skills that have importance as superintendent.
C) as those needed to be superintendent.
D) as superintendent.

5. The prefixes ____________________ refer to molecules with one, two, or three carbon atoms,
respectively.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) meth-, eth-, and prop-

B) meth-, eth, and the prefix prop
C) meth-, the prefix eth-, and the prefix prop
D) meth-, the prefix eth-, and prop

Page | 130
6. The concept of night as frontier closely mirrors ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) land as frontier.
B) that of land as frontier.
C) the land as frontier.
D) land

7. Every other factor had a greater influence than did the difference between individualism and
____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the collective.
B) the collectivists.
C) that of the collective.
D) collectivism.

8. ____________________ are the three largest cities in Canada by population.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Toronto (the capital of Ontario), Montreal, and Vancouver (on the west coast)
B) Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver
C) Toronto, Montreal, and the city of Vancouver
D) Toronto, Montreal (a city where French is the official language), and Vancouver

9. Gua’s physiology was significantly different ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) than Donald.
B) from Donald.
C) than that of Donald’s.
D) from Donald’s physiology.

10. Radio stations can be identified by their call signs. In North America, call signs in the United States
begin with either a W (east of the Mississippi River) or a K (west of the Mississippi River), while
those in Canada ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) start with a C and the ones in Mexico start with an X.

B) begin with a C and call signs in Mexico start with an X.
C) begin with a C and Mexican radio stations begin with an X.
D) begin with a C and those in Mexico begin with an X.

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 11. The females’ measurements were more variable than ____________________ with height
measurements below the mean but body mass index and triceps skin-fold measurements well
above average.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the males,
B) the males were,
C) that belonging to the males,
D) those of the males,

12. The amount of land required to produce enough algae-based biofuel to replace fossil fuels in the
United States would be less than ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) one-seventh of that required for corn.

B) one-seventh of required corn land.
C) corn, which is seven times greater.
D) one-seventh of corn.

13. Public defenders must meet the same requirements as any other lawyer: they must attend and
graduate from college and law school, pass the bar exam, and ____________________ a code of
ethics.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) they must abide by

B) they must follow
C) abide with
D) abide by

14. By using principles of engineering, biomedical engineers can construct tools that function with our
____________________ and in our bodies.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) body
B) body,
C) bodies
D) bodies,

15. Scientists now recognize that many traits that used to be considered uniquely human appear in
other animal species, but there are some traits, such as our advanced language skills,
____________________ that are still understood to be exclusive to humans.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) our ability to understand others’ thoughts, and instinct for cooperation,

B) ability to understand others’ thoughts, and instinct for cooperation,
C) ability to understand others’ thoughts, and our instinct for cooperation,
D) our being able to understand others’ thoughts, and the instinctiveness of cooperation,

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16. Meucci has been honored posthumously by ____________________for his efforts.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) both Italy and the American government

B) both the Italians and the American government
C) both Italian government and the American government
D) both the Italian and American governments

17. Those who have earned their ____________________ are twice as likely to be employed as those
who have not.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) high school diploma

B) high schools diploma
C) high school diplomas
D) high school’s diploma

18. In Hindu belief, cows are considered ____________________ symbols of health and abundance, and
it is taboo to eat them.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) a sacred animal,
B) the sacred animal,
C) their sacred animals,
D) sacred animals,

19. Dogs have significantly more acute senses ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) than those of humans.

B) than humans do.
C) than the acuteness of human senses.
D) as compared to the senses of humans.

20. Humans and apes are very good at learning through imitation, or learning to do something by
seeing it done. The better the demonstrator of the act is, ____________________ better an ape or
human will be at learning it.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the more
B) the much
C) the increasingly
D) the

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 21. Solar power is what has grown the food we eat, provided our bodies with vitamin D, and
____________________ and heat for centuries.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) is providing working light

B) has been providing working light
C) will be providing working light
D) provided working light

22. Had he understood how many different skills he’d need, he would have signed up for some
marketing and business classes rather than ____________________ classes.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) only music
B) that of music
C) those of only music
D) only those

23. There are two persistent polar vortices; one is located at the North Pole and ____________________
the South Pole.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the other is
B) the other are
C) the other at
D) the other from

24. Essential skills for success in life include decision making, ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) assertiveness, and mindfulness.

B) being assertive, and minding one’s self.
C) assertiveness, and being mindful of one’s self.
D) asserting one’s self, and being mindful of one’s self.

MODIFIERS
1. Clinical dietitians are often employed directly by hospitals or care facilities. Although technically
not medical doctors, ____________________ to serve patients who have specific dietary needs.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) nurses and doctors work with clinical dietitians

B) working with nurses and doctors helps
C) clinical dietitians work directly with nurses and doctors
D) everyone in healthcare works together

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2. The prime example of what an epidemiologist does is the story of the “father of epidemiology,” Dr.
John Snow. As a practicing physician in London in the 19th century, ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Snow was deeply troubled by an outbreak of cholera that occurred in two SoHo
neighborhoods.
B) two neighborhoods in SoHo had an outbreak of cholera that deeply troubled Snow.
C) an outbreak of cholera that occurred in two SoHo neighborhoods deeply troubled Snow.
D) Snow, deeply troubled, observed an outbreak of cholera occurring in two SoHo neighborhoods.

3. As a field primatologist, ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) research is conducted in the monkeys’ natural habitat.

B) research is best conducted in the monkeys; natural habitat.
C) monkeys are best researched in their natural habitat.
D) she conducts her research in the monkeys’ natural habitat.

4. A foot high and ten inches wide, ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) he could easily play the eighteen keys of the toy piano.

B) the toy piano had eighteen keys that were easy for him to play.
C) the eighteen keys on the toy piano were easy for him to play.
D) he would use both hands to easily press down on all eighteen keys of the toy piano.

5. While sad to leave the classroom, ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the bigger picture of helping students as an administrator is also important to her.

B) she realizes she can affect the lives of more children as an administrator.
C) the school district needs her as an administrator more.
D) the students understand she is also good as an administrator.

6. Not having lived in the sixteenth century, ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) conversations and interactions may have taken place that we can never understand all the
details of.
B) historical figures may have said and done a lot of things we will never full understand.
C) we can never completely reconstruct all the details of historical conversations and interactions.
D) a full understanding of historical conversations and interactions will remain elusive to us.

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 7. Being Italian, ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the invention called itself telettrofono.

B) Meucci referred to his invention as the telettrofono.
C) telettrofono was the name given to the invention.
D) it was named for the Italian word telephone telettrofono.

8. Both immoral and illegal, ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Dr. Kellogg had to change the set-up of the experiment.

B) the child may have been harmed in the original version of the experiment.
C) the experiment had to be altered.
D) the monkeys could not be subjected to the original experiment.

9. In their published conclusion, ____________________ warning of the consequences of neglecting the

health of the nation’s children and the need to seek change through political and social action.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the results can be seen as a

B) the data served as a
C) the scientists described the results as a
D) the children studied were viewed as a

10. ____________________ the band Queen stopped touring so Freddie Mercury could rest his voice.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) After singing for multiple hours a night for three weeks,

B) Three weeks of singing for multiple hours a night,
C) Having sung for multiple hours a night for three weeks,
D) Because its lead singer had been singing for multiple hours a night for three weeks,

11. Having dreamed of a magical land, ____________________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the poet woke and eagerly began writing a new poem.

B) beginning eagerly, the poet’s new poem awakened.
C) the poet’s new poem began after she woke.
D) waking, her new poem was begun by the poet.

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 12. ____________________ waking the sleeping dragon.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) The warrior’s shield fell with a loud thud,

B) With a loud dropping thud was the warrior’s shield,
C) Falling with a loud thud, the warrior’s shield,
D) A loud thud, the warrior dropped her shield,

IDIOMS, HOMOPHONES, AND SLANG

1. At the time of the Cold War, there was great ______ the spread of communism and its threat to
capitalist and democratic nations.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) fear for
B) fear from
C) fear of
D) fear

2. As diet-related health issues increase, many government entities have been expanding their
efforts to address the problem of malnutrition, especially with respect ___ children.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) of
B) for
C) to
D) with

3. Translators must not only understand the literal sense of the words they are translating _______
be able to convey the nuances of the speaker’s word choices as closely as possible.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) but must
B) and must also
C) but
D) but also

4. Although master’s degrees in epidemiology are becoming more common, there are very few
programs ______ one can earn a PhD in epidemiology.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) where
B) that
C) from
D) in which

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 5. Biomedical engineers combine the problem-solving skills and design approaches used in
engineering with medical knowledge in order _______ healthcare.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) for advancing
B) to advance
C) of advancing
D) for the advancement of

6. Sometimes either the physical structure _______ doesn’t work quite right.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) nor the neurological process

B) and the mental process
C) or the mental process
D) or the mental processes

7. It is the longest-lasting trade embargo _______ two sovereign nations in modern history.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) between
B) for
C) with
D) among

8. A progressive funding system _______ poorer areas receive more money than wealthier areas do.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) is when
B) is one in which
C) is where
D) that

9. Fewer children means that people can invest their time and productivity _______ growing their
personal economies.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) for
B) in
C) to
D) of

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10. By sensing physiological changes and alerting an individual _______ what is about to happen,
service dogs are able to keep people from going into diabetic shock or being physically harmed by
a seizure.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) of
B) for
C) to
D) at

11. Additionally, algae needs _______ natural resources for its cultivation.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) less
B) smaller
C) lower
D) fewer

12. Solar energy is _______ available and has the possibility of becoming the most convenient.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the most cleanest energy

B) the better energy
C) the cleanest energy
D) the more clean energy

13. A computer-controlled printer lays down sequential layers of material in order _______ an object of
any size or shape.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) to create
B) of creating
C) for creating
D) from creating

14. She spent the past six months observing _______ of black-and-white colobus monkeys.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) five discreet groups

B) five discrete groups
C) different
D) distinct groups of five monkeys

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 15. After first being ______________ then assistant superintendent, he was selected for the position of
superintendent of the school district.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) promoted to principle,
B) appointed principal,
C) promoted as principal,
D) selected for principle,

16. Whether the origin of the disorder is physical, neurological or undetermined, a therapist and client
will _______ through a series of exercises designed to improve function.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) precede
B) proceed
C) lead
D) continue

17. ______________ fracking has on the environment.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) One of these is the affect

B) One of these two is the affect
C) One of these is the effect
D) These are the effect

18. For many scientists, this suggested a genetic basis for responses to cilantro, a supposition that has
since been _______ by further research.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) pointed to
B) established
C) looked at
D) spotted

19. These arguments are not as different as they may seem at first glance. These seemingly
incompatible ideologies in fact ______________

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) fundamentally overlap.
B) jive.
C) are cool with each other.
D) dig each other.

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20. Many companies _______ in new markets due to a poor understanding of how product names or
slogans translate from one language to another.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) crash and burn

B) bite it
C) falter
D) get schooled

21. Because we cannot know the secrets of Henry VIII’s heart, this _______ the relationship between
his religious convictions and his need for an expedient way to remove obstacles from his pursuit of
a male heir can never be fully resolved.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) beef about
B) dustup over
C) face-off over
D) difference of opinion on

22. It is estimated that swing voters make up _______ twenty percent of the active voting population.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) more then
B) greater then
C) best than
D) more than

23. A speech therapist who works with children typically _______ at the schools they attend.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) sees patients
B) see patience
C) has patients
D) has patience

24. Today, service animals’ functions go far beyond those of seeing-eye dogs that help people who
have lost their __________ navigate through their communities.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) site
B) cite
C) sight
D) sites

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COMPLETE SENTENCES – WORDS AND PUNCTUATION
1. As consultants, anthropologists provide marketers with valuable ________________ insights into
consumer behavior and strategies to affect that behavior to increase profit.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) feedback, this includes

B) feedback. Including
C) feedback, it includes
D) feedback that includes

2. It pays to know your ________________ what your customers know.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) customers, and also to know

B) customers, but also to know
C) customers and also
D) customers, you know

3. The vast majority of patients are ________________ a speech therapist at school at least once a
week.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) children, who see

B) children, they see
C) children, they are seen by
D) children,

4. The thought was that if Cuba, _____a valuable asset to the Soviet Union during the Cold War,
suffered enough financially from the embargo, the Cuban government would eventually seek a
stronger relationship with the West.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) it was
B) it might be
C) that country was
D) which was

5. Although we may not know who first uttered the famous line, ________________it was
misattributed to Marie Antoinette.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) understandable that
B) is understandable that
C) it is understandable that
D) that

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6. The Pomeranian has a reputation as a very yappy dog _______________diligent training.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) and they are known to require

B) that requires
C) and it requires
D) they require

7. The important point for evolutionists _______________________________ but that wings were not a
predetermined necessity.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) despite wings leading to an evolutionary benefit for bats,

B) that wings led to an evolutionary benefit for bats
C) is not that wings in bats led to an evolutionary advantage
D) not being wings leading to an evolutionary benefit for bats,

8. The gene encodes a receptor that is specifically sensitive to _______________ chemicals in cilantro
that affect how the herb tastes.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) aldehydes, which are

B) aldehydes;
C) aldehydes; these
D) aldehydes and these are

9. It makes more financial sense for parents to invest first in their own retirement _____ college
students are eligible for low-interest loans.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) plans,
B) plans, as
C) plans. As
D) plans, however,

10. The fans suffer just as much as the players _________ unfairly penalized by a referee.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) a team is
B) although a team is
C) when a team being
D) when a team is

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 11. When you think of a private investigator, you might picture someone sitting in a car trying to be as
inconspicuous as possible ________ a chance to snap incriminating photos.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) he waits for
B) while waiting for
C) as awaiting
D) in which awaiting

12. There has been increased interest in diet and nutritional food choices over the last few decades.
___________ they interact with weight-related diseases.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) Specific interest being how

B) Specific interest is
C) Specific interest being
D) Of specific interest is how

13. ____________ since she has seen this particular group, made up of one male and six females.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) A few days
B) It has been a few days
C) Several days
D) Having been a few days

14. Biomedical engineers build physical items for the health and rehabilitation industry,
___________________ which are prosthetics built to work with the biology of the human body.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) such as biocompatible prosthetics,

B) examples of these are biocompatible prosthetics,
C) for example, consider the biocompatible prosthetic,
D) biocompatible prosthetics being an example,

15. The nonviolent protest ran smoothly for months, ___________________________ for blocking a public
sidewalk in July 1917.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the police arrested over 200 women

B) the police that arrested over 200 women
C) until the police arrested over 200 women
D) over 200 women were arrested by the police

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16. This study demonstrates the extent to which people make decisions about philanthropic giving
based on how a charity or cause makes them feel. Such findings reinforce ___________ to confirm
that an organization is legitimate and fiscally responsible before making a donation.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) its importance
B) when it is as important
C) it is as important
D) how important it is

17. In all ___________ brown marmorated stink bug will continue its devastating invasion of the United
States.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) likelihood, the
B) likelihood that the
C) likelihood, while the
D) likelihood, which

18. In the 1980s, the United States experienced one of its worst weather events involving the polar
vortex, the 1985 Winter Cold Wave. _________________ unremarkable name, but the weather
conditions it brought were definitely memorable.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) The event was given an

B) The event having been given an
C) Having an
D) An

19. Ironically, as a breed becomes more popular, vets see not only more of those dogs but also more
of certain health problems within the _____________________________ to produce more puppies to
meet demand.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) breed; as unscrupulous breeders rush

B) breed, as unscrupulous breeders rush
C) breed, unscrupulous breeders rushing
D) breed being that unscrupulous breeders are rushing

20. _____________a time-intensive practice with negligible effects, composting—especially when

undertaken at the community level—has benefits that include extending the life of existing
landfills, decreasing the costs of waste disposal, and reducing the toxicity of landfill runoff.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) It is not
B) That’s not
C) Not that it is
D) Far from being

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 21. Despite the steep price of game tickets and stadium food, in the case of a globally-recognized
sports team like Manchester United, game-day _________________ for perhaps only a quarter of the
team’s revenue.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) earnings accounting
B) earning
C) earnings account
D) accountings

22. If a patient’s state of mind can play a significant role in how treatments are tolerated, these
adherents ___________ design of hospital spaces becomes not just a matter of practicality but a
potential tool for optimizing patient health.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) argue. Then the

B) argue, then the
C) argue. The
D) argue; the

23. Students can also identify ____________ skills they have mastered and which they need to spend
additional time working on.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) there being
B) that
C) which
D) those are the

24. Incorporating art installations, maximizing access to natural light, and relocating radiation suites
from the basements they usually occupy are all examples of proposed design changes, some
_________ are too costly to be undertaken in standard renovations.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) of which
B) of those
C) changes
D) of them

Check your answers on pages 184 – 185.

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Chapter 8
Advanced
Question Types
“What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?”

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SAT READING AND WRITING: ADVANCED QUESTION TYPES

Chapter Goals
At the conclusion of this chapter, you will:

• Be able to apply specific strategies for questions that deal with poems, charts and
graphs, multiple texts, and student notes
• Understand how to address questions that deal with the purpose or function of a
selection

Why Are These So Hard?

Some types of questions may seem much harder than others. This is normal. Each person has
unique strengths and weaknesses. This is why we utilize the Flag and Skip method to approach
each module. At some point, though, you’re going to return to the questions you skipped, and
you want to get those points.
No matter how challenging a question may appear, remember that any obstacle on the SAT
may be surmounted by meticulously applying the Basic Approach. Don’t panic. Follow the
steps, use the process of elimination, and you will succeed.

Remember to use the Flag and Skip method. When you encounter a question that your find
frustrating, flag it, mark your letter of choice as the answer, and skip it. Return to these
questions after answering all of the questions that you find easy.

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Poems
On the SAT, a poem is treated just like any text. Despite what you may be accustomed to in
school, on the SAT you will not analyze or interpret in poem. In fact, very often questions about
poems will have the text of the poem in the answer choices rather than presenting the poem as
the selection. The correct answer will be supported by evidence in the text.

1. Electra is a circa 420–410 BCE play by Sophocles, translated in 1870 by R.C. Jebb. Electra, who is
in mourning for her dead father and her long-absent brother, is aware of the intensity of her grief
but believes it to be justified: ______

Which quotation from Electra most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) “O thou pure sunlight, and thou air, earth’s canopy, how often have ye heard the strains of my
lament, the wild blows dealt against this bleeding breast, when dark night falls!”
B) “I know my own passion, it escapes me not; but, seeing that the causes are so dire, will never
curb these frenzied plaints, while life is in me.”
C) “Send to me my brother; for I have no more the strength to bear up alone against the load of
grief that weighs me down.”
D) “But never will I cease from dirge and sore lament, while I look on the trembling rays of the
bright stars, or on this light of day.”

What is the claim? _______________________________________________

When asked to illustrate a claim, remember that when you look at the answers, your
purpose is only to establish that you understand the question. DO NOT read through each
answer choice in its entirety until AFTER you have identified the claim in the selection.

2. “The Rock and the Sea” is an 1893 poem by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In the poem, a rock is
portrayed as intending to confront and restrain the sea: ______

Which quotation from “The Rock and the Sea” most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) “I am the Rock. Black midnight falls; / The terrible breakers rise like walls; / With curling lips
and gleaming teeth / They plunge and tear at my bones beneath.”
B) “I am the Sea. The earth I sway; / Granite to me is potter’s clay; / Under the touch of my
careless waves / It rises in turrets and sinks in caves.”
C) “I am the Sea. I hold the land / As one holds an apple in his hand, / Hold it fast with sleepless
eyes, / Watching the continents sink and rise.”
D) “I am the Rock, presumptuous Sea! / I am set to encounter thee. / Angry and loud or gentle
and still, / I am set here to limit thy power, and I will!”

What is the claim? _______________________________________________

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 3. The following text is from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1910 poem “The Earth’s Entail”.

No matter how we cultivate the land,

Taming the forest and the prairie free;
No matter how we irrigate the sand,
Making the desert blossom at command,
We must always leave the borders of the sea;
The immeasureable reaches
Of the windy wave-wet beaches,
The million-mile-long margin of the sea.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A) The speaker provides examples of an admirable way of approaching nature and then
challenges that approach.
B) The speaker describes attempts to control nature and then offers a reminder that not all
nature is controllable.
C) The speaker argues against interfering with nature and then gives evidence supporting this
interference.
D) The speaker presents an account of efforts to dominate nature and then cautions that such
efforts are only temporary.

What is the sequence of information presented in the text? ______________

_______________________________________________________________

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Charts and Graphs
Reading charts and graphs on the SAT: Reading and Writing test is exactly the same as reading
charts and graphs on the SAT: Math test. Read the graph carefully, noting the title, the labels of
the axes, the intervals between lines, and the key or legend. If there is any additional text
explaining the graph, be sure to read it as well.

4.

The share of the world’s population living in cities has increased dramatically since 1970, but this
change has not been uniform. France and Japan, for example, were already heavily urbanized in
1970, with 70% or more of the population living in cities. The main contributors to the world’s
urbanization since 1970 have been countries like Algeria, whose population went from ______

Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the assertion?

A) less than 20% urban in 1970 to more than 50% urban in 2020.
B) less than 40% urban in 1970 to around 90% urban in 2020.
C) around 40% urban in 1970 to more than 70% urban in 2020.
D) around 50% urban in 1970 to around 90% urban in 2020.

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 5.

To monitor changes to glaciers in Switzerland, the government periodically measures them for features
like total area of ice and mean ice thickness, which are then reported in the Swiss Glacier Inventory. These
measurements can be used to compare the glaciers. For example, the Gorner glacier had ______

Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the example?

A) a larger area than either the Fiescher glacier or the Unteraar glacier.
B) a smaller area than the Fiescher glacier but a larger area than the Unteraar glacier.
C) a smaller area than either the Fiescher glacier or the Unteraar glacier.
D) a larger area than the Fiescher glacier but a smaller area than the Unteraar glacier.

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6.

After a volcanic eruption spilled lava into North Pacific Ocean waters, a dramatic increase of
diatoms (a kind of phytoplankton) near the surface occurred. Scientists assumed the diatoms were
thriving on nutrients such as phosphate from the lava, but analysis showed these nutrients weren’t
present near the surface in forms diatoms can consume. However, there was an abundance of
usable nitrate, a nutrient usually found in much deeper water and almost never found in lava.
Microbial oceanographer Sonya Dyhrman and colleagues believe that as the lava plunged nearly
300 meters below the surface it dislodged pockets of this nutrient, releasing it to float upward,
given that ______

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?

A) at 5–45 meters below the surface, the average concentration of phosphate was about the
same in the seawater in the lava-affected area as in the seawater outside of the lava-affected
area.
B) for both depth ranges measured, the average concentrations of nitrate were substantially
higher in the seawater in the lava-affected area than in the seawater outside of the lava-
affected area.
C) for both depth ranges measured in the seawater in the lava-affected area, the average
concentrations of nitrate were substantially higher than the average concentrations of
phosphate.
D) in the seawater outside of the lava-affected area, there was little change in the average
concentration of nitrate from 75–125 meters below the surface to 5–45 meters below the
surface.

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 7.

To assess the impact of invasive species on ecosystems in Africa, Benis N. Egoh and colleagues
reviewed government reports from those nations about how invasive species are undermining
ecosystem services (aspects of the ecosystem on which residents depend). The services were
sorted into three categories: provisioning (material resources from the ecosystem), regulating
(natural processes such as cleaning the air or water), and cultural (nonmaterial benefits of
ecosystems). Egoh and her team assert that countries in each region reported effects on
provisioning services and that provisioning services represent the majority of the reported
services.

Which choice best describes data from the table that support Egoh and colleagues’ assertion?

A) Provisioning services represent 73% of the services reported for the West region and 33% of
those for the Central region, but they represent 75% of the services reported overall.
B) None of the percentages shown for provisioning services are lower than 33%, and the overall
percentage shown for provisioning services is 75%.
C) Provisioning services are shown for each region, while no cultural services are shown for some
regions.
D) The greatest percentage shown for provisioning services is 88% for the North region, and the
least shown for provisioning services is 33% for the Central region.

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Dual Text Questions
Though questions about more than one text may seem daunting, there is no need to be
intimidated. Follow the basic approach. Let the question guide you to the information that you
need. Focus only on the parts of the text that are relevant to the task before you.

8. Text 1

What factors influence the abundance of species in a given ecological community? Some theorists
have argued that historical diversity is a major driver of how diverse an ecological community
eventually becomes: differences in community diversity across otherwise similar habitats, in this
view, are strongly affected by the number of species living in those habitats at earlier times.

Text 2
In 2010, a group of researchers including biologist Carla Cáceres created artificial pools in a New York
forest. They stocked some pools with a diverse mix of zooplankton species and others with a single
zooplankton species and allowed the pool communities to develop naturally thereafter. Over the course
of four years, Cáceres and colleagues periodically measured the species diversity of the pools, finding—
contrary to their expectations—that by the end of the study there was little to no difference in the pools’
species diversity.

Based on the texts, how would Cáceres and colleagues (Text 2) most likely describe the view of
the theorists presented in Text 1?

A) It is largely correct, but it requires a minor refinement in light of the research team’s results.
B) It is not compelling as a theory regardless of any experimental data collected by the research
team.
C) It may seem plausible, but it is not supported by the research team’s findings.
D) It probably holds true only in conditions like those in the research team’s study.

For many of these questions, you can simplify the task by asking if Text 2 relates to Text 1 in
a manner that is positive, neutral, or negative.

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 9. Text 1
A team led by Bernardo Strassburg has found that rewilding farmland (returning the land to its
natural state) could help preserve biodiversity and offset carbon emissions. The amount of
farmland that would need to be restored, they found, is remarkably low. Rewilding a mere 15% of
the world’s current farmland would prevent 60% of expected species extinctions and help absorb
nearly 299 gigatons of carbon dioxide—a clear win in the fight against the biodiversity and climate
crises.

Text 2
While Strassburg’s team’s findings certainly offer encouraging insight into the potential benefits of
rewilding, it’s important to consider potential effects on global food supplies. The researchers
suggest that to compensate for the loss of food-producing land, remaining farmland would need to
produce even more food. Thus, policies focused on rewilding farmland must also address
strategies for higher-yield farming.

Which choice best describes a difference in how the author of Text 1 and the author of Text 2
view Strassburg’s team’s study?

A) The author of Text 2 approaches the study’s findings with some caution, whereas the author
of Text 1 is optimistic about the reported potential environmental benefits.
B) The author of Text 2 claims that the percentage of farmland identified by Strassburg’s team is
too low for rewilding to achieve meaningful results, whereas the author of Text 1 thinks the
percentage is sufficient.
C) The author of Text 2 focuses on rewilding’s effect on carbon emissions, whereas the author of
Text 1 focuses on its effect on biodiversity.
D) The author of Text 2 believes that the results described by Strassburg’s team are achievable in
the near future, whereas the author of Text 1 argues that they likely aren’t.

10. Text 1
Although food writing is one of the most widely read genres in the United States, literary scholars
have long neglected it. And within this genre, cookbooks attract the least scholarly attention of all,
regardless of how well written they may be. This is especially true of works dedicated to regional
US cuisines, whose complexity and historical significance are often overlooked.

Text 2
With her 1976 cookbook The Taste of Country Cooking, Edna Lewis popularized the refined
Southern cooking she had grown up with in Freetown, an all-Black community in Virginia. She also
set a new standard for cookbook writing: the recipes and memoir passages interspersing them are
written in prose more elegant than that of most novels. Yet despite its inarguable value as a piece
of writing, Lewis’s masterpiece has received almost no attention from literary scholars.

Based on the two texts, how would the author of Text 1 most likely regard the situation presented
in the underlined sentence in Text 2?

A) As typical, because scholars are dismissive of literary works that achieve popularity with the
general public
B) As unsurprising, because scholars tend to overlook the literary value of food writing in general
and of regional cookbooks in particular
C) As justifiable, because Lewis incorporated memoir into The Taste of Country Cooking, thus
undermining its status as a cookbook
D) As inevitable, because The Taste of Country Cooking was marketed to readers of food writing
and not to readers of other genres

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Rhetorical Synthesis – Who took these notes?

Some of the questions you encounter will present you with a list of bullet points and a task to be
completed by refer to this information. Don’t let the format fool you. These lists are meant to represent
notes that a student much like yourself would have taken, so the information is usually presented in a
straightforward manner. Additionally, the Process of Elimination will often allow you to answer the
question without any need for reading the selection. Read the question, and when you look at the
answers, eliminate any choices that do not complete the required task.

11. While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• Annie Wu is a prominent American flutist who graduated from the New England Conservatory.
• She has won multiple national flute competitions.
• She is best known for a 2011 YouTube video that has been viewed over two million times.
• The video shows her performing Three Beats for Beatbox Flute, an original work by composer Greg Pattillo.
• Wu combines flute playing and beatboxing in the video.

The student wants to emphasize Wu’s most well-known achievement. Which choice most effectively uses
relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A) Among her many achievements, prominent American flutist Annie Wu graduated from the
New England Conservatory and has won multiple national flute competitions.
B) Composer Greg Pattillo’s original work Three Beats for Beatbox Flute combines flute playing
and beatboxing.
C) Annie Wu is best known for a 2011 YouTube video performance of Three Beats for Beatbox
Flute that has been viewed over two million times.
D) Annie Wu, who has won multiple national flute competitions, has also combined flute playing
and beatboxing.

12. While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• Muslins are woven cotton fabrics with a variety of uses.

• Dhaka muslin is a handmade fabric produced in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• It has an extremely fine weave and is primarily used to make luxury clothing.
• Sheeting muslin is a machine-made fabric produced in factories.
• It has a coarse weave and is primarily used to upholster furniture and create backdrops for theater sets.

The student wants to emphasize a difference between the two muslins. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) Muslins can be used in a variety of ways, from making luxury clothing to upholstering furniture
and creating backdrops for theater sets.
B) Sheeting muslin is machine made, has a coarse weave, and is used for furniture and theater sets.
C) Dhaka muslin is a handmade fabric with an extremely fine weave, while sheeting muslin is
machine made with a coarse weave.
D) Dhaka muslin and sheeting muslin are two different types of woven cotton fabrics.

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 13. While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• A thermal inversion is a phenomenon where a layer of atmosphere is warmer than the layer beneath it.
• In 2022, a team of researchers studied the presence of thermal inversions in twenty-five gas giants.
• Gas giants are planets largely composed of helium and hydrogen.
• The team found that gas giants featuring a thermal inversion were also likely to contain heat-absorbing
metals.
• One explanation for this relationship is that these metals may reside in a planet’s upper atmosphere, where
their absorbed heat causes an increase in temperature.

The student wants to present the study’s findings to an audience already familiar with thermal
inversions. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish
this goal?

A) Gas giants were likely to contain heat-absorbing metals when they featured a layer of
atmosphere warmer than the layer beneath it, researchers found; this phenomenon is known
as a thermal inversion.
B) The team studied thermal inversions in twenty-five gas giants, which are largely composed of
helium and hydrogen.
C) Researchers found that gas giants featuring a thermal inversion were likely to contain heat-
absorbing metals, which may reside in the planets’ upper atmospheres.
D) Heat-absorbing metals may reside in a planet’s upper atmosphere.

14. While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• In 1897, African American inventor Andrew Beard invented an automatic coupler.

• It improved on the existing design of train car couplers.
• It made the job of connecting train cars safer.
• In 1938, African American inventor Frederick Jones invented a mobile refrigeration system.
• It improved on the existing design of food transport trucks.
• It enabled trucks to carry perishable foods farther.

The student wants to emphasize a similarity between Beard’s invention and Jones’s invention.
Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) Jones’s mobile refrigeration system, which he invented in 1938, made it possible for food
transport trucks to carry perishable foods farther.
B) In 1897, Beard invented an automatic coupler, which made the job of connecting train cars
safer.
C) Beard’s automatic coupler and Jones’s mobile refrigeration system both improved on existing
designs.
D) Beard’s invention made the job of connecting train cars safer, whereas Jones’s invention
enabled food transport trucks to carry perishables farther.

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Purpose Questions
Questions that ask about the main idea of a text or about specific details within a selection can
be rephrased using the question word “what.” Questions that ask about the purpose or
function of a passage (or a part of a passage), however, should be rephrased using the question
word “why.”

15. The following text is adapted from Herman Melville’s 1857 novel The Confidence-Man. Humphry
Davy was a prominent British chemist and inventor.

Years ago, a grave American savant, being in London, observed at an evening party there, a certain
coxcombical fellow, as he thought, an absurd ribbon in his lapel, and full of smart [banter],
whisking about to the admiration of as many as were disposed to admire. Great was the savant’s
disdain; but, chancing ere long to find himself in a corner with the jackanapes, got into
conversation with him, when he was somewhat ill-prepared for the good sense of the jackanapes,
but was altogether thrown aback, upon subsequently being [informed that he was] no less a
personage than Sir Humphry Davy.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A) It explains why one character dislikes another.

B) It portrays the thoughts of a character who is embarrassed about his own behavior.
C) It offers a short history of how a person came to be famous.
D) It presents an account of a misunderstanding.

What is the text mainly about? _____________________________________

Why was the text written? _________________________________________
These types of questions require you to go just one step beyond what the text says to
determine the reason the text was written. Do not over-think these questions. The correct
answer is still supported by evidence in the text.

16. The following text is from Srimati Svarna Kumari Devi’s 1894 novel The Fatal Garland (translated
by A. Christina Albers in 1910). Shakti is walking near a riverbank that she visited frequently
during her childhood.

She crossed the woods she knew so well. The trees seemed to extend their branches like
welcoming arms. They greeted her as an old friend. Soon she reached the river-side.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A) It suggests that Shakti feels uncomfortable near the river.

B) It indicates that Shakti has lost her sense of direction in the woods.
C) It emphasizes Shakti’s sense of belonging in the landscape.
D) It conveys Shakti’s appreciation for her long-term friendships.

What comes before the underlined sentence? _________________________

What comes after the underlined sentence? __________________________

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 17. Horizontal gene transfer occurs when an organism of one species acquires genetic material from
an organism of another species through nonreproductive means. The genetic material can then be
transferred “vertically” in the second species—that is, through reproductive inheritance. Scientist
Atma Ivancevic and her team have hypothesized infection by invertebrate parasites as a
mechanism of horizontal gene transfer between vertebrate species: while feeding, a parasite could
acquire a gene from one host, then relocate to a host from a different vertebrate species and
transfer the gene to it in turn.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A) It explains why parasites are less susceptible to horizontal gene transfer than their hosts are.
B) It clarifies why some genes are more likely to be transferred horizontally than others are.
C) It contrasts how horizontal gene transfer occurs among vertebrates with how it occurs among
Invertebrates.
D) It describes a means by which horizontal gene transfer might occur among vertebrates.

18. Works of moral philosophy, such as Plato’s Republic or Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, are partly
concerned with how to live a morally good life. But philosopher Jonathan Barnes argues that
works that present a method of living such a life without also supplying a motive are inherently
useful only to those already wishing to be morally good—those with no desire for moral goodness
will not choose to follow their rules. However, some works of moral philosophy attempt to
describe what constitutes a morally good life while also proposing reasons for living one.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

A) It mentions two renowned works and then claims that despite their popularity it is impossible
for these works to serve the purpose their authors intended.
B) It summarizes the history of a field of thought by discussing two works and then proposes a
topic of further research for specialists in that field.
C) It describes two influential works and then explains why one is more widely read than the
other.
D) It provides a characterization about a field of thought by noting two works in it and then
details a way in which some works in that field are more comprehensive than others.

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SUMMARY

• When faced with a question that

you find challenging, you should
_______ and _______ it. Do it on
your second pass.

• No matter the question type, always

use the _______________________

• For questions about Charts and Graphs,

___________________________

• Function or purpose questions ask

about _____, not about ______.

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Page | 162
Charts and Graphs
Practice

Page | 163
CHARTS AND GRAPHS
1.

People who have earned high school diplomas are twice as likely to be employed as those who have not.
High school graduates will also earn almost twice as much weekly as those who don’t graduate. As the
figure suggests, _____________________

Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the statement?

A) the higher the degree a person earns, the more money he or she will earn.
B) those people who do not graduate from high school generally earn the most money.
C) people with professional degrees have a lower unemployment rate than people with any other degree.
D) the higher a person’s degree, the better his or her chances of having a job.

2.

=
As India is already highly dependent on coal, even a modest increase in its coal use would result in coal
providing more than half of the energy India consumes. Compared to global energy usage, India gets _____

Which choice most effectively uses data from the two figures to complete the statement?

A) a greater percentage of its energy from gas.

B) a greater percentage of its energy from renewables.
C) less of its energy from coal.
D) less of its energy from hydropower.

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3.

Fewer children means that people can invest their time and productivity in growing their personal
economies. _________________________ the trend could be the result of one or more other factors that
affect both income and birth rate.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the statement?

A) No information is available about this possible correlation;

B) Although an indirect relationship between the birth rate and income has not been established,
C) Household income consistently increases as the birth rate decreases, although this does not prove one
trend influences the other;
D) Although there is evidence that income and birth rates increase and decrease proportionately, the
evidence does not prove that one directly affects the other;

4.

Scientists define a disease’s reproductive rate as the average number of people who are infected by a
single person. Because of the relatively advanced medical system in the United States, the reproductive
rate for Ebola is lower than the average reproductive rate worldwide. Even if Ebola were to spread in the
United States at its global rate, _______________________________________________.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?

A) most Americans would only be infected if a family member became infected first.
B) Americans would be less likely to catch Ebola than any other disease shown in the figure.
C) Americans would be less at risk of catching Ebola than any of the airborne diseases shown
in the figure.
D) more Americans would die of Measles than of any other disease, including Ebola.

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5.

Algae possesses many more benefits than other plant-based biofuels. First of all, it produces
______________.

Which choice uses data from the graph to most effectively support the writer’s claim?

A) a truly startling amount of oil.

B) so great a yield per acre that many farmers are considering switching to algae production.
C) from ten to over one hundred times more oil per acre than other biofuel crops.
D) a statistically meaningless amount more oil than other crops.

6.

Despite the increasing concerns that fracking raises, the government has been slow to regulate the
industry, perhaps because of the economic support the industry provides to political candidates.

Which choice uses data from the graph to most effectively support the assertion made in the previous
sentence?

A) For example, in 2014 the fracking industry donated approximately four times as much money to
candidates running in states with fracking as it did to candidates in states where fracking does not
occur.
B) The fracking industry is responsible for securing several U.S. Senate seats in fracking-friendly states due
to their generous donations.
C) The fracking industry is so forward-thinking that it has increased donations in states both with and
without fracking in the last ten years in order to secure future governmental favor.
D) Since 2010, more and more states have instituted fracking due to the money available through
donations from the fracking industry.

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7.

It is no wonder that cilantro is not a key ingredient in some cuisines, since it is disliked by
_________________________________.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the statement?

A) up to one fifth of certain populations.

B) a combined half of the entire global population.
C) most people in areas where cilantro is not native.
D) a majority of East Asians.

8.

Since 1959 humans have emitted at least 350 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually.
It is expected that by 2020, ________________________________________________.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the statement?

A) government regulations will have resulted in a sharp decline in average global temperatures.
B) human activity will have resulted in a total of 450 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
C) this figure will have climbed to 450 billion tons a year.
D) global temperatures will have exceeded carbon emissions.

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9.

The fracking process uses an enormous quantity of water: up to 3.5 million gallons are needed for just one
well, and _________________________________.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the statement?

A) most of them are located in the lower 48 states.

B) many of the states in the Northeast don’t have any wells at all.
C) Texas has more wells than any other state.
D) some individual states contain up to 100,000 wells.

10.

As people worldwide are getting increasingly concerned about the environmental costs of traditional
energy sources, _________________________________________. At this point, the writer wants to add specific
information that supports the main topic of the paragraph.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?

A) solar energy is becoming increasingly expensive as compared to nuclear energy.

B) the costs of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, are dropping.
C) the cost of building nuclear power plants continues to rise.
D) solar and wind energy will become so inexpensive that they will eventually replace nuclear power
altogether.
Check your answers on page 185.

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Chapter 9
Grammar
Fundamentals
“Grammar is the logic of speech, even as logic is the grammar of reason.”

Page | 169
TRANSITIONS

Transitions are words that connect ideas to each other. The Words Part I chapter includes lists of
transitions that indicate whether ideas agree or disagree with each other, which is often as much
as you need to know on the SAT. But sometimes the type of transition matters, so let’s take a
closer look at three different types of transitions you’ll see on the SAT.

Transitions #1: Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions are also known as FANBOYS. There are seven of them, and FANBOYS
is an acronym that can help you remember them. Each one has either two or three letters:

For ↑ Or

And ↑ Yet ↷

Nor So ↑

But ↷

Coordinating conjunctions indicate that ideas have equal standing: that’s why they work as
STOP punctuation when combined with a comma.
Note: Arrows indicate direction! Words with ↑ are same-direction transitions, and words with ↷
are opposite direction transitions.

Why you should care

When you have the choice to add or remove FANBOYS from a sentence, particularly if there are
commas also involved, be sure to use the Vertical Line Test and check whether you’re correctly
connecting complete and incomplete ideas.

Which one is correct?

1. I did all my homework, I got a good score on the SAT.
2. I did all my homework, so I got a good score on the SAT.
3. I did all my homework, but I got a good score on the SAT.

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Transitions #2: Subordinating Conjunctions
There are dozens of subordinating conjunctions, but as long as you understand how they work,
you don’t have to memorize them all. Subordinating conjunctions connect an incomplete (or
subordinate) idea to a complete idea in the same sentence.

1. I got a good Writing and Language score because I studied the grammar rules that get
tested on the SAT.
2. Even though I wasn’t sure about some of the answers, I used POE and got most of the
questions right.

The subordinating conjunction because in sentence 1 above makes the second idea in the
sentence (because I studied…) dependent on the first idea (I got a good score…). In other words,
the second part of the sentence is an incomplete idea. Same goes for the first part of sentence 2:
the subordinating conjunction even though makes it an incomplete idea.

Here are some of the most common subordinating conjunctions that appear on the SAT:

Although ↷ Though ↷

As Until ↷

Because ↑ When

Even though ↷ While

Since ↑

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Why you should care
What happens to the second part of sentence 1 above if you remove the word because? It
becomes a complete idea! When you have the choice to add or remove a subordinating
conjunction, just like with FANBOYS, use the Vertical Line Test and check that you’re using the
correct punctuation for connecting ideas.

Which one is correct?

1. Although I had always thought commas were confusing, learning the four comma rules
made things much clearer.
2. I had always thought commas were confusing, learning the four comma rules made things
much clearer.
3. Since I had always thought commas were confusing, learning the four comma rules made
things much clearer.

Transitions #3: Conjunctive Adverbs

What are those!?!?! The name doesn’t matter—think of this last category as transition words
that have commas after them. They have commas after them because you can remove them
from a sentence without changing its main meaning. These are the most common type of
transitions you’ll see on the SAT, and the most important thing to know about them is what
they mean.

What comes next?

What comes after each transition word—an example, a conclusion, an additional point, or a
contradiction?

1. However, ______________________________________________
2. For example, ___________________________________________
3. Therefore, _____________________________________________
4. Moreover, _____________________________________________
5. Furthermore, ___________________________________________
6. In addition, _____________________________________________
7. Likewise, ______________________________________________
8. Nevertheless, __________________________________________
9. Consequently, __________________________________________
10. Nonetheless, ______________________________________

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 11. In fact, ___________________________________________
12. Thus, ____________________________________________
13. Similarly, __________________________________________
14. Despite this, _______________________________________
15. Accordingly, _______________________________________

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
A verb is a word that expresses an action (e.g., walk), a feeling (e.g., want), or a state of being
(e.g., is). The subject of a verb is the person or thing that is doing the action or feeling the feeling.
Subjects are usually nouns or pronouns.

The basic rule of Subject-Verb Agreement is relatively simple:

• Singular subjects require singular verbs.

• Plural subjects require plural verbs.

1. The student sharpens her pencil.

2. The teachers announce the rules.

The subject of the first sentence, the student is singular, so sentence 1 requires the singular verb
sharpens. The subject of the second sentence, the teachers, is plural, so sentence 2 requires the
plural verb announce. Don’t be confused by the -s ending on verbs: that ending only indicates a
plural with nouns.

Singular verbs are ones you would use with it, and plural verbs are
ones you would use with they.

Of course, the SAT has some tricks for making subject-verb agreement more difficult.

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Prepositions

1. Only one of the sophomores is / are taking the SAT.

What’s the subject? ______________________________

Singular or plural? ___________________

2. The students in the senior class has / have already taken the SAT.

What’s the subject? ______________________________

Singular or plural? ___________________

The phrases of the sophomores and in the senior class are prepositional phrases. The SAT often
includes prepositional phrases between the subject and main verb in a sentence to try to confuse
you.
A preposition is a word that describes direction or location.

Common Prepositions

of with

in on

to at

into by

for from

If you’re trying to identify the subject in a sentence and you see a preposition, look before the
preposition for the subject. In fact, you can use your pencil to cross out prepositional phrases
altogether to keep them from distracting you:

1. Only one of the sophomores is taking the SAT.

2. The students in the senior class have already taken the SAT.

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SUBJECT/VERB DRILL
Circle the subject and underline the verb. Some sentences have more than one of each.

1. My name is Inigo Montoya.

2. The dude abides.

3. If you build it, he will come.

4. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.

5. The stuff that dreams are made of is a bedazzled bird.

6. Liver with fava beans pairs well with Chianti.

7. Children of the night make beautiful music.

8. They are storming the castle.

9. Building up an immunity to iocane powder could save your life.

10. The people on the jury are faced with a grave responsibility.

11. The jury must decide the defendant’s fate.

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PRONOUNS
A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun. Some pronouns can make subject verb agreement
tricky.

Personal Demonstrative Indefinite

•I • this • -body (anybody,
• you • that everybody, somebody,
• he nobody)
• she • -one (anyone, everyone,
• it someone, no one)
• me • -thing (anything, everything, Singular
• him something, OR
• her nothing) plural:
Singular

• -where (anywhere, • all

everywhere, somewhere, • most
nowhere) • some
• each • more
• much • any
• either • none
• neither • enough
• one
• less
• little
• we • these • both
• you • those • several
Plural

• they • few
• us • fewer
• them • many

Choose the correct verb for each sentence:

1. Each of the juniors takes / take the SAT at least once.
2. All of the juniors takes / take the SAT at least once.
3. Everybody thinks / think it’s crazy to take the SAT ten times.

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 Pronoun Agreement
Any time you have to choose a pronoun on the SAT, you must be able to point to exactly what
noun or other pronoun it refers to, and the pronoun you choose must match that word not only
with respect to singular/plural but also gender.

Subject Pronoun Object Pronoun Possessive Pronoun

What It replaces the noun doing replaces the noun replaces the noun that is showing
the action ownership
receiving the action
Does

I me my / mine

you you your / yours

he him his

she her her / hers

it it its

we us our / ours

they them their / theirs

One thing that’s different on the SAT than in everyday life is that the pronouns they, them, and
their can only be plural. You’re not likely to have to choose a pronoun for a person whose gender
is unclear, but remember that they can never refer to a singular noun on the SAT.

1. The writers of the SAT sometimes use confusing sentence structures because it / they
want to confuse the test takers.

What word does the pronoun replace?_____________________________

Singular or plural? ___________________

2. College Board has a lot of power over your college applications because it / they has a
monopoly on AP Exams.

What word does the pronoun replace?_____________________________

Singular or plural? ___________________

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Relative Pronouns
A relative pronoun introduces an incomplete idea that gives additional information about a noun
elsewhere in the sentence. The incomplete idea introduced by a relative pronoun usually answers
a question about a word or phrase elsewhere in the sentence, such as which one:

● I got my highest score on the SAT that I took last month.

Or where:
● I brought ten sharp pencils with me to the test because the sharpeners at our school,
which are mounted on the wall in each classroom, are often broken.

Or gives additional information about something:

● The proctor, who is also my AP History teacher, gave a five-minute warning before the
end of each section.

The bolded words in the examples above are all relative pronouns.

Relative Pronouns you’re most likely to see on the SAT include:

Who Which

Whom That

Why you should care

When you change a pronoun from a subject pronoun (I, he, she, they) to a relative pronoun, it
can make an idea incomplete, which means you need to check the punctuation. Relative
pronouns are also often used to introduce unnecessary ideas that should be set off by commas,
so their presence can be an indication that you need commas in a sentence.

Which one is correct?

1. Roxanne got a perfect score on the PSAT, which qualified her for a National Merit
Scholarship.
2. Roxanne got a perfect score on the PSAT, that qualified her for a National Merit
Scholarship.
3. Roxanne got a perfect score on the PSAT, it qualified her for a National Merit Scholarship.

Note: “That” is especially tricky: it can be a demonstrative pronoun (which means it can act as
the subject of a sentence) or a relative pronoun.

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Who versus Whom
The word whom doesn’t show up very often on the SAT, but if it does, the easiest way to choose
between who and whom is to substitute he/him or they/them in the sentence. The -m words all
go together.

If you would use he or they in the sentence, use who.

If you would use him or them in the sentence, use whom.

1. I had a hard time concentrating during the SAT because the student
who / whom was sitting behind me had a bad cough.
2. Who / whom are you going to study with?

VERB TENSE
Verb tense is used to indicate when an action occurs. There are three basic tenses:
Past: I studied for the SAT.

Present: I study for the SAT.

Future: I will study for the SAT.

There are more nuances of each tense, however. The ones you’ll most commonly run into on the
SAT are past perfect and present perfect. These tenses are created by using the helping verb to
have along with the past participle of the verb.

Past perfect tense indicates an action that started in the past, but was interrupted or ended. To
make a past perfect verb, use the past tense of to have plus the past participle of your verb:

He had studied AP Physics for 20 hours a week before he realized that his other grades
were suffering.

Present perfect tense indicates an action that started in the past and continues into the present.
To make a present perfect verb, use the present tense of to have plus the past participle of your
verb:

They have studied for the SAT every day for the last six weeks.

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Choose the correct tense for each sentence:

1. I am / was / will be well-prepared to take the SAT today.

2. She takes / took / will take three AP classes next year.

3. They have read / had read at least 50 pages every day this month.

4. Before you took the SAT, you have taken / had taken a practice test every Saturday.

5. He sends / sent / will send his SAT scores to 12 schools last time he took the test.

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Answer Key

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Vocabulary Practice I 20. B
21. C
Fill in the Blank 22. D
23. D
1. A
24. D
2. B
3. B Pronouns
4. C
5. C 1. C
6. D 2. D
3. C
Vocabulary in Context 4. B
5. A
1. B
6. D
2. D
7. D
3. A
8. C
4. B
9. C
5. C
10. B
6. C
11. A
Grammar Practice 12. D
13. A
Verbs 14. C
15. D
1. A
16. B
2. C
17. C
3. B
18. A
4. B
19. B
5. A
20. A
6. B
21. C
7. C
22. B
8. D
23. C
9. B
10. B Transitions
11. D
12. C 1. D
13. D 2. A
14. B 3. B
15. C 4. D
16. A 5. C
17. B 6. A
18. D 7. C
19. D 8. C

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 9. B Punctuation Practice
10. A
Stop, Half-Stop, and Go
11. D
12. B 1. A
13. A 2. D
14. C 3. D
15. B 4. A
16. C 5. C
17. D 6. B
18. A 7. C
19. D 8. D
20. A 9. A
21. C 10. B
22. C 11. A
12. C
Concision 13. A
1. D 14. C
2. B 15. A
3. D 16. A
4. D 17. D
5. B 18. C
6. C 19. D
7. B 20. A
8. A 21. D
9. D 22. C
10. A 23. B
11. B 24. D
12. D
Commas
13. A
14. D 1. A, Rule #3
15. B 2. C, Rule #4
16. B 3. D
17. D 4. A, Rule #4
18. B 5. C
19. C 6. B, Rule #3
20. D 7. C
21. C 8. B, Rule #1
22. D 9. D, Rule #4
23. D 10. D
24. D 11. B, Rule #1

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 12. D, Rule #4 8. A
13. A, Rule #4 9. C
14. D, Rule #4 10. D
15. B 11. A
16. A, Rule #4 12. A
13. C
Apostrophes 14. B
1. D 15. D
2. D 16. B
3. C 17. A
4. B 18. C
5. A
6. D
Advanced Grammar
7. C Lists and Comparisons
8. B
9. A 1. C
10. C 2. C
11. D 3. B
12. B 4. C
13. B 5. A
14. C 6. B
15. A 7. D
16. D 8. B
17. B 9. D
18. A 10. D
19. B 11. D
20. D 12. A
21. C 13. D
22. B 14. C
23. C 15. B
24. A 16. D
17. C
Vocabulary Practice II 18. D
19. B
1. D
20. D
2. B
21. D
3. C
22. A
4. A
23. C
5. B
24. A
6. B
7. C

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Modifiers Complete Sentences
1. C 1. D
2. A 2. C
3. D 3. A
4. B 4. D
5. B 5. C
6. C 6. B
7. B 7. C
8. C 8. A
9. C 9. B
10. D 10. D
11. A 11. B
12. A 12. D
13. B
Idioms, Homophones, and Slang 14. A
1. C 15. C
2. C 16. D
3. D 17. A
4. D 18. A
5. B 19. B
6. C 20. D
7. A 21. C
8. B 22. B
9. B 23. C
10. C 24. A
11. D
12. C
Charts and Graphs Practice
13. A Charts and Graphs
14. B
15. B 1. D
16. B 2. B
17. C 3. D
18. B 4. C
19. A 5. C
20. C 6. A
21. D 7. A
22. D 8. C
23. A 9. D
24. C 10. B

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Expert Guide to the

Reading and Writing

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