New SAT Writing and Language : Adding and Deleting Sentences
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Example Question #11 : Adding And Deleting Sentences
With increasing frequency, those who hope to work professionally in computer science are forgoing the traditional route to a career in tech—enrolling at a university in hopes eventually of securing an internship—in favor of a more modern approach. [1] Much instructional material for computer science is available for free online, and several websites have emerged offering accelerated courses in coding at a fraction of the cost of a university education. A growing number of those hired by tech giants like Google and Facebook each year have no “formal” background in computer science, but nonetheless perform at or above the level of their college-educated coworkers.
At this point, the writer is considering adding the following sentence:
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has one of the best computer science programs in the country, offering concentrations in a number of specific technical areas.
Should the writer make this addition here?
No, because it undermines the paragraph’s claim that universities should be free.
No, because it blurs the paragraph’s focus on alternatives to a traditional university education.
Yes, because it helps to explain why Google and Facebook employ graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Yes, because it provides a detail about modern trends in technology.
No, because it blurs the paragraph’s focus on alternatives to a traditional university education.
With questions that ask about adding sentences, answers can be eliminated on two bases—incorrect decision, and incorrect reasoning. We need to decide whether the sentence should be added as well as why or why not. In this example, the “Yes” choice which mentions “modern trends in technology” can be eliminated, as the paragraph focuses on trends in the path to a career in technology, but makes no mention of trends in technology itself. The remaining “Yes” choice which claims that the detail explains “Google and Facebook” employing graduates misunderstands a supporting detail in the paragraph, which actually claims that tech giants have begun hiring those without university educations with more frequency. The “No” choice which mentions a claim that “universities should be free” is entirely unsupported, as the paragraph does not advocate for free college, but rather explains that free alternatives to college are becoming increasingly popular. The remaining “No” choice correctly notes that the detail in the sentence is irrelevant and unnecessary to the paragraph’s claim about alternatives to a university education.
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