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SAT Writing: Purpose of Passage or Sentence

By jordan schonig posted July 7, 2011

On the Improving Paragraphs section, purpose questions come in two varieties. In the more common variety, purpose questions ask you to examine the entire passage and identify the main idea or the author’s purpose. Because these questions require a thorough understanding of the entire passage, students tend to find these particular questions difficult. The second, less common variety asks you to identify the purpose of a particular sentence in context.

You may notice that these questions may seem to belong to the SAT Reading section. Indeed, purpose questions abound in the Reading section, and you should approach purpose questions in Writing in much the same way. The main difference between the two is that the purpose questions in Writing may catch you off guard. Many Writing questions focus on grammar and writing skills, so they may not require a deep understanding of the passage’s content. Thus, it’s a good idea to get in the habit of reading the entire passage so that questions like these will not catch you off guard.

Try this SAT improving paragraphs practice question for more SAT practice!

Before we check out an example, look over these common traps set by the test-writers:

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SAT Writing: Inserting or Removing Sentences

By jordan schonig posted April 13, 2011

On Improving Paragraphs problems on the SAT , you’ll encounter two common types of questions: sentence addition and sentence removal. While the two question types seem quite different, they are both testing you on logical flow in a paragraph. A sentence addition problem asks you to choose the sentence that can function has a smooth transition between two relatively disjointed sentences. Conversely, a sentence removal question asks you to remove a sentence that disrupts logical flow, often because it is digressive or irrelevant to the subject at hand. Let’s take a closer look at each type.

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Sentence Addition

To understand sentence addition problems, you must understand the specific function of a sentence in context.

Topic Sentences: To begin a paragraph, a topic sentence must adequately introduce the subject or purpose of the paragraph that follows. If asked to insert a sentence at the beginning of the paragraph, make sure you read the paragraph to understand the overall subject.
Concluding Sentence: Each paragraph should end with a sentence that concludes (that is, summarizes or reflects upon) the content of the paragraph. The concluding sentence should also smoothly transition into the next paragraph, if one exists.
Inside a Paragraph: If asked to insert a sentence inside a paragraph, make sure you read a few sentences above and below in order to grasp a sense of the paragraph’s logical direction. The inserted sentence should smooth over any lack of transition.

Sentence Removal

Sentence removal tests the same writing skills that sentence addition tests, but you are more likely to encounter irrelevant, digressive, or redundant sentences. These are sentences that either add unnecessary info or unnecessarily repeat info.

Here is an example of a sentence removal question. Below is a single paragraph taken from an essay which summarizes the plot of Stephen King’s The Stand:

Once they have found homes and organized committees to begin repairing the damage to the city, the people of Boulder begin to rebuild. (9) They find survivors with the training and knowledge to get the electricity, which had gone out when there weren’t enough people left to operate the power plants, running again. (10) This enables them to refrigerate food and use lights and appliances in their homes; these were the first steps toward returning to the “old” (i.e., pre-Apocalypse) ways of life. (11) The book subtly points out that the same progress that allowed humanity to live in such comfort and convenience before might eventually lead once more to society’s downfall. (12) Similarly, this theme is addressed in Marge Piercy’s novel Woman on the Edge of Time.

Example 1: Paragraph 2 could be most improved by omitting which of the following sentences?

A. Sentence 8

B. Sentence 9

C. Sentence 10

D. Sentence 11

E. Sentence 12

First, let’s try to identify the main function of this paragraph and the general shape of its logical flow. The paragraph continues the plot summary of the story. Here, we learn about the efforts of a group of people to rebuild after apocalyptic destruction. We learn about how the group reclaims lost technologies like electricity, but the speaker reveals the irony that these technologies may be more harmful than helpful in this post-apocalyptic civilization.

If you read each sentence in the answer choice, there should be one sentence that sticks out as irrelevant and distracting. Sentence 12, which inexplicably compares The Stand to another novel, problematically changes the logical flow of the paragraph and fails as an appropriate concluding sentence. Since the entire paragraph is only about The Stand, a sentence comparing the story to another is off topic, making the paragraph less effective as a cohesive unit. E is our correct answer.

Make sure to check out the Practice section on Grockit and improve your SAT skills by joining group games or solo practice!

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SAT Writing: Except, Not, or Least Questions

By jordan schonig posted March 4, 2011

On the Improving Paragraphs section, you’ll sometimes encounter questions that ask you to choose the answer choice that will “not” or “least likely” improve a sentence or paragraph. These questions run the gamut of writing skills, but they all require your absolute attention. Since your instinct is almost always to choose the best choice, you may forget to read the question closely and then choose one of the four answer choices that happens to be an improvement. Some “except, not, or least likely” questions may look like this:

All of the following techniques are used in the passage EXCEPT?
Within the context of this passage, which of the following revisions would NOT improve the clarity of sentence 4? (rewritten below)
Which of the following sentences is LEAST LIKELY to function as a transition between sentences 3 and 4?

First, notice that these questions will kindly capitalize the words “except,” “not,” or “least likely.” This visual emphasis is a gift from the test-writers. On the SAT, our brains are wired for seeking improvements and correct answers—these questions reverse that traditional thinking. And because they contain four improvements out of five choices, they may take some time to answer if you are using elimination. In other words, it may be easier to quickly spot a correct answer than it is to spot an incorrect answer. So, let’s check out an example to see how we might approach one of these.

Example 1: Within the context of this passage, which of the following revisions would NOT improve the clarity of sentence 4? (rewritten below)

Many of Earhart’s accomplishments established her as a famous figure during her time, these included her being a writer of books, and starting an organization of female pilots, and being the first woman to accomplish many hardy things in a male-dominated field such as aviation.

a. Begin the sentence with the phrase “Let me give a few examples:

b. Change “being a writer of books” to “writing books”

c. Change “time, these” to “time. These”

d. Delete the word “and” before the word “starting”.

e. Change the word “hardy” to “difficult.”

This question happens to be from an Improving Paragraphs question, but it is purely a sentence improvement. We need no outside knowledge of the passage to answer this because it deals with grammar and style. First, we should read this sentence, and hopefully we would realize that it is riddled with errors and awkward usage. Thus, it makes a great candidate for a “not” question: four of the choices will improve this poorly written question, and one of them will either make no improvement or actually make it worse.

Let’s go through the incorrect answer choices:

B: Changing “being a writer of books” to “writing books” is a great improvement because it simplifies the clunky phrase “being a writer of books” (which really does not need to use the verb ‘being’).

C: Replacing this comma with a period is a great improvement because it turns a run-on sentence (specifically, a comma splice) into two complete sentences. Remember, we cannot join two independent clauses by a comma; we need to either use a semicolon (demonstrated by this sentence) or a comma and a coordinating conjunction.

D: Deleting “and” here is a great choice because the only “and” in a list of three or more items should come before the last item.

E: Replacing “hardy” with “difficult” is an appropriate improvement in word choice. The writer seems to have mistaken the word “hardy” for “hard” since hardy means sturdy, not challenging.

All of these choices effectively improved our sentence. Let’s take a look at why Choice A actually harms our sentence. If we begin the sentence with the phrase “Let me give a few examples,” we will confuse our reader. Notice that the sentence, as it stands, already introduces the “examples” of Earhart’s accomplishments. To begin the sentence with this phrase would be illogical and confusing. A is our answer.

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Excessive Wordiness

By jordan schonig posted February 22, 2010

Notice anything wrong with the title of this article? No, there are no spelling or grammar errors. Technically, nothing is “wrong” with the title, but it could be improved: remove the word “excessive,” and the title will no longer be wordy. I know what you’re thinking. How can a single adjective–and a seemingly appropriate one at that–add wordiness? Simple. The word “excessive” is unnecessary and redundant. Since “wordiness,” by its very definition, denotes an excess of words, the phrase “excessive wordiness” means “an excess of an excess of words,” which is pretty ridiculous. This is the way you should be thinking to catch wordiness on the SAT.

Nearly every Improving Sentences question will contain an answer choice guilty of wordiness. It is your job to pick the most concise and clear answer choice that retains all necessary information. This point cannot be emphasized enough. Somehow, many students believe that, when it comes to writing, more is better. This fallacy may have been inadvertently encouraged by minimum word counts for school essays. If you happen to believe in this fallacy, I’m here to disabuse and enlighten you.

Wordiness comes in the form of unnecessary words (words that can be deleted to aid the clarity of the sentence), redundancies (words that simply repeat what has already been stated), and clunky phrases that could be easily reduced to single words.

Let’s check out a few examples of wordy sentences from Grockit.

Translations of French poetry into English demand significant rewordings of the poems because each language is so different from the other in possessing a different rhythm.

Now, if you read the underlined portion of this sentence and don’t cringe with disgust, we have some work to do. Don’t worry, though. Sensitivity to wordiness can be learned. You’ll have the keen eye of a snooty NY Times editor in no time. In this example, read the underlined portion, and try to summarize the meaning of the portion in your mind. If it seems a little difficult to make sense of the portion, or if you can summarize it in much fewer words, chances are there is a wordiness error. With the phrase “Because each language is so different from the other in possessing a different rhythm,” it sounds like the author is trying to say “because the languages possess different rhythms.” I just improved the clarity of the sentence by deleting eight words. Indeed, that is the correct answer:

Translations of French poetry into English demand significant rewordings of the poems because the languages possess different rhythms.

Here’s a less flagrant example of wordiness:

Since the border controls were lax at several points, the result was that the smugglers were successfully able to move the contraband into the neighboring country.

This example demonstrates a much simpler kind of wordiness: unnecessary phrases. The phrase “the result was that” is superfluous. The construction of the sentence, beginning with “Since” and ending with an independent clause, already tells us that the second clause will reveal the “result” of the sentence. All you have to do to fix this sentence is remove the superfluous phrase:

Since the border controls were lax at several points, the smugglers were successfully able to move the contraband into the neighboring country

Here’s an example similar to the previous one:

Interest in everyone he encounters, in their lives and feelings, has led to Joe’s encounters with not only many interesting strangers but also a few which are very dull to him.

Since we know that the descriptions of the strangers are influenced by Joe’s opinions of them, there is no reason to say that some strangers are dull “to him.” Just simplify by saying this:

Interest in everyone he encounters, in their lives and feelings, has led to Joe’s encounters with not only many interesting strangers but also a few dull ones.

You might notice that nearly all the correct answers here are shorter than the errors. This trend has led many to believe that the shortest answer in Improving Paragraphs is always the best. If this sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. While correct answers tend to be shorter than the errors, there are notable exceptions. Here’s the real deal: if you are between answers that are grammatically correct (that means you know the rules) and retain all necessary information, go for the shorter one. If you can express a thought in fewer words, go for it.

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Improving Paragraphs: Using Parallel Structure

By jonathan peters posted November 19, 2009

How do you improve this sentence?

1. Today at the beach we will most likely skateboard, play Frisbee, and to eat hot dogs.

a) As it is
b) Today at the beach we will probably find time to skateboard, playing Frisbee and to eat hot dogs.
c) Today at the beach we will most likely skateboard, play Frisbee, and eating hot dogs.
d) Today at the beach we will most likely skateboard, play Frisbee, and eat hot dogs.
e) At the beach today, we most likely skateboard, play Frisbee and eat hot dogs.

The first thing I recognize when I read this sentence is that something is definitely off with one of the verbs. Before I even knew about parallel structure, I could probably tell you that D is right; it is “eating” and not “to eat.” It’s almost a rule of thumb, if you have a group of verbs they should be of the same tense. But what does that mean exactly?

It just sounds right? Right. Well, let’s be honest, there’s more to it. Parallel construction means that whether it’s a group of verbs, adverbs, clauses, nouns, adjectives, or any other part of speech, if you are listing, they have to be consistent. Let’s look at an example. Let’s combine these two sentences:

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The SAT Writing: Improving Paragraphs and Finding the Main Idea

By jonathan peters posted November 2, 2009

During the SAT Writing there is one part, merely six or so questions that will ask you to improve a paragraph. While this will be similar to improving sentences, which you may already have seen, there are some key differences. The test makers expect you to know more than grammar but paragraph structure and organization of ideas—topics I will address in this blog post. There is no need to be nervous; if you are comfortable with writing an essay, you can just as easily rewrite one.

Here are some strategies. Let’s hit the easy stuff first: read the entire passage. If you are stuck on an improving paragraphs question, it will serve you well to have read the passage so you can work with the context the test makers give you. Find the main idea. This is so important to understanding any question on this section that I am bolding it. What sentence sums up your passage? Write it down somewhere so you can remember.

Next, read the questions. Each improving paragraphs question will ask you to reread a selection of the text, maybe a few lines. Pay special attention to these lines. Now read the lines around that selection. Now you are ready to answer the question.

Try this SAT improving paragraphs practice question!

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IMPROVING SENTENCES: Parallel Structure

By amanda chen posted October 20, 2009

There are two types of parallel structure problems that you need to be aware when taking the SAT writing section. If you know what to look out for, it is often one of the easiest problems to spot and correct.

Type 1: sentences which certain pairs of connecting words that require parallel construction. Examples of pairs are “neither…nor”, “either…or”, “not only…but also”, “the better…the better”, “the less…the less”. The phrases following each word (in italics) must be parallel in grammatical structure. Take a look at the faulty sentences in the left column below.

faulty parallel structure	parallel structure
The professor’s speech focused on neither his recent scholarly work nor how he discovered the new bacteria strain.	The professor’s speech focused on neither his recent scholarly work or his discovery of the new bacteria strain.
Not only does Michael play the piano, but he also enjoying cooking.	Not only does Michael play the piano, but he also enjoys cooking.

In the first example, the phrase that follows neither is ‘his recent scholarly work” but the phrase that follows nor is “how he discovered the new bacteria strain”. The first is a noun clause while the second is not and should be changed accordingly from “how he discovered” to “the discovery of”. In this way, the two phrases will be parallel because it both refers to nouns – his work and the discovery.

In the second example, the verb form is not parallel. The phrase “play the piano” should be matched by “enjoys cooking” instead of “enjoying cooking.”

Type 2: the easier parallel structure to identify is when there is a list of two or more items. Can you spot the error in the example below?

To be considered for the Dean’s list, a student must have achieved a 3.9 GPA, written an honors thesis and to be a student government member.

The list here comprises three things: “achieved a 3.9 GPA”, “written an honors thesis” and “to be a student government member”. The first two phrases have the verbs “to achieve” and “to write” in the past participle form whereas the third leaves “to be” in the infinitive form. To maintain the parallel verb structure, you would have to change “to be” to “been”.

The correct sentence should read: To be considered for the Dean’s list, a student must have achieved a 3.9 GPA, written an honors thesis and been a student government member.

Remember that each item in the list must be grammatically parallel. If most are adverbs, they should all be adverbs. If most are in the present tense, they should all be in the present tense. Keep these rules in mind and check to see if the sentence satisfies them. If not, look for other mistakes such as misplaced modifiers or incorrect idioms. More posts on those types of errors to come! Practice SAT verbal on Grockit.

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SAT Writing: Punctuation in Improving Paragraphs

By vivian kerr posted October 8, 2009

While the SAT won’t test Punctuation explicitly, it’s important to understand how to use certain items of punctuation to get the most out of those Improving Paragraphs questions. Here are the main pieces to look out for and to make sure are being used correctly!

Commas (,) can be used in a list, to set apart nonessential clauses, after an introductory phrase, or before conjunctions to join two independent clauses.

Example (in a list): My favorite foods are ice cream, macaroni and cheese, pancakes and string cheese.

Example (with a nonessential clause): Her Aunt Shelley, married to her Uncle Eric, had a great voice.

Example (after an introductory phrase): After the movie, I went to the late-night diner.

Example (before conjunctions): I am a good soccer player, but my sister is much better.

For commas used with a nonessential clause, you can always check to see if the clause is “nonessential” by removing it and re-reading the sentence without it. If the sentence makes sense without the clause, then the commas are okay. Commas are one of the most overused pieces of punctuation so unless they are functioning in one of the above ways, look for answer choices that get rid of them!

Try this SAT improving paragraphs practice question and test your comma use knowledge!

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