SAT Grammar Questions (Incorrect)
[ 7] "Artificial light sources are also costly aside from lowering worker productivity. They typically constitute anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of a building's energy use." In context, which choice best combines the underlined sentences? A) Aside from lowering worker productivity, artificial light sources are also costly, typically constituting anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of a building's energy use. B) The cost of artificial light sources, aside from lowering worker productivity, typically constitutes anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of a building's energy use. C) Typically constituting 25 to 50 percent of a building's energy use, artificial light sources lower worker productivity and are costly. D) Artificial lights, which lower worker productivity and are costly, typically constitute anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of a building's energy use.
A is correct - starts off with lowered worker productivity (transition from the previous paragraph) - clearly positions the high energy costs of artificial light sources = another disadvantage I chose D - failed to consider how the sentence transitions from the last paragraph -doesn't start off with the last paragraph's topic -awkward due to the interruptor.
Take Bartlett [29] pears, for instance, unless they are treated with exactly the right amount of 1-MCP at exactly the right time, they will remain hard and green until they rot, and consumers who experience this will be unlikely to purchase them again. A) NO CHANGE B) pears, for instance: C) pears for instance, D) pears. For instance,
B is correct - the colon introduces the clause "unless they are treated with exactly the right amount of" - "for instance" is an interrupter I chose C - creates a comma splice - uses interrupter incorrectly
[1] 1-MCP works by limiting a fruit's production of ethylene, 24 it is a chemical that causes fruit to ripen and eventually rot. [2] While 1-MCP keeps apples 25 tight and crisp for months, it also limits heir scent production. [5] Furthermore, some fruits, particularly those that naturally produce a large amount of ethylene, do not respond as well to 1-MCP treatment. [4] But some fruits do not respond as well to 1-MCP as others 28 do, andsome even respond adversely. To make this paragraph most logical, sentence 4 should be placed A) where it is now. B) after sentence 1. C) after sentence 2. D) after sentence 5.
B is correct - contrasts the previous idea of "1-MCP preserving fruit is a good thing" - sentence 2 elaborates about the bad things of 1-MCP introduced by sentence 4 I chose A - illogical flow of ideas since whole point of sentence 4 is to introduce cons of 1-MCP
[6] Which choice most effectively introduces the topic of the paragraph? "regardless of the approach to translation, the preservation of one characteristic of a poem usually comes at the expense of several others. [ 6] Some translators focus on a single characteristic, but those who take a holistic approach often produce more readable translations. Translators are not invisible and passive mediums through which poems pass during their transformations into other" Choose 1 answer: A) NO CHANGE B) Although we often comment on what is 'lost' in the process of translation, we rarely consider what is gained. C) Even the most gifted translators cannot capture all the nuances of the original poem. D) While poetry is a particularly difficult class of writing to translate, the impossibility of a completely faithful translation extends to prose as well.
B) Although we often comment on what is 'lost' in the process of translation, we rarely consider what is gained. I chose A (transitions bt impossibility of getting every facet of language and art when translating a poem---> promise of translator's creative interpretation)
"His restaurants were immediately successful, but Harvey was not content to follow conventional business practices. Although women did not traditionally work in restaurants in the nineteenth century, Harvey decided to try employing women as waitstaff." The writer is considering deleting this sentence. Should the writer make this change? A) Yes, because it introduces information that is irrelevant at this point in the passage. B) Yes, because it does not logically follow from the previous paragraph. C) No, because it provides a logical introduction to the paragraph. D) No, because it provides a specific example in support of arguments made elsewhere in the passage.
C is correct - accurately puts "not content to follow conventional practices" - to introduce practice of "employing women" (described in the next couple sentences) I chose D - failed to realize that there is no argument - doesn't mention why sentence is relevent
For centuries, cats have guarded this famous museum, ridding it of mice, rats, and other rodents that could damage the art, not to mention [38] scared off visitors. A) NO CHANGE B) scaring C) scare D) have scared
C is correct - creates parallelism w/ verb "could damage" - "not to mention [could scare] off visitors" I chose D - thought it created parallelism with "have guarded" -"have guarded" refers to the cats, not rodents - needs to create parallelism w/ "could damage"
[1] Which Choice most effectively combines the sentence at the underlined portion? ("Fair. The World's Fair was..") Treasure Island, today a suburban community, was originally created for the 1939 World's Fair. The World's Fair was a celebration of international culture and technology A) Fair, and B) Fair; this fair was C) Fair, D) Fair, and the World's Fair was
C) Fair, I chose B (results in illogical flow of sentence, failed to realize that "a celebration of international culture and technology" was a description of the World's Fair Choice C uses only a comma since the fragment after was is an interrupter. (most logic/ efficient)
" It was named Treasure Island as a tribute to California's Gold [8]Rush—the economic venture, that had allowed the state to succeed early in its history." A) No change B) Rush; the economic venture C) Rush-the economic venture D) Rush; the economic venture,
C) Rush-the economic venture I chose B (does not effectively illustrate the break bt independent clause: "It was named Treasure Island as a tribute to California's Gold Rush" and the relative clause "that had allowed the state to...") Choice C (uses a dash to punctuate the break bt independent and relative clause) A Relative Clause are clauses that start with relative pronouns (who, that, what, which, where, when) and relate to the noun that precedes them
