All New SAT Writing and Language Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Redundancy
After Gaudi’s death, work stalled between 1936 and 1940 when Civil War broke out in Spain and again as World War II began, leaving the project years behind schedule. During the wars, Catalan anarchists destroyed part of the basilica and the models and designs Gaudi left for the builders, 1 who disagreed with the direction the building should take. It took years for the project to get back on track; once it was, it was impossible to know whether additional construction would match Gaudi’s vision.
who were forced to reconstruct what plans they could, an arduous and time-consuming process.
who were still years behind schedule in finishing the basilica.
although later some of the original work would be rediscovered.
NO CHANGE
who were forced to reconstruct what plans they could, an arduous and time-consuming process.
Whenever the SAT presents you with answer choices that are all grammatically correct but that have different meanings, they are looking for you to pick the answer that logically completes the sentence but that is not redundant. You are told that the builders were years behind schedule, meaning that it is unnecessary to repeat this information in the following sentence, allowing you to eliminate "who were still years behind schedule in finishing the basilica." Choice "although later some of the original work would be rediscovered." doesn't fit with the information given in the following sentence. If some of the original work could be rediscovered, that doesn't have any effect on how long the project took to get back on track. Similarly, NO CHANGE doesn't explain why it took years for the project to get back on track. Only "who were forced to reconstruct what plans they could, an arduous and time-consuming process." explains this delay. The builders had to reconstruct the plan, which cost them time, logically linking one sentence to another.
Example Question #2 : Redundancy
The Sagrada Familia, one of the most iconic structures in Barcelona, remains unfinished, a constant work-in-progress in the Barcelona skyline. Despite these setbacks, it is open to the public for both religious services and tourism, attracting over three million visitors a year. In fact, tourist entrance fees now pay for annual construction costs 1 each year now that it is open to the public.
because it is now open to the public
NO CHANGE
DELETE the underlined portion
each year, now that it is open to the public
DELETE the underlined portion
Whenever you have the option to delete the underlined portion, the first thing you should look for is redundancy. Does the underlined portion give information that is also given elsewhere in the sentence or that is given nearby? The previous sentence gives the information that the Sagrada Familia is open to the public. All of the choices repeat this information and can be eliminated, leaving you with "DELETE the underlined portion".
Example Question #22 : Rhetoric: Words And Phrases
United States presidents William Henry Harrison and John Tyler, both originally natives of Charles City County, Virginia, share a unique place in American history.
originally native
NO CHANGE
natives, originally,
natives
natives
In this example, it’s important to note that the term “native” means “originally from.” If we keep this in mind, we can begin to see the redundancy involved in any example that utilizes both the term “originally” and the term “native.” With this noted, the only option that eliminates this redundancy is “natives.” Whenever one of our answer options chose to simply eliminate a portion of the phrase, we want to consider the possibility that redundancy is being tested and ensure that each term adds unique value in the sentence.
Example Question #23 : Rhetoric: Words And Phrases
The nonprofit organization is able to raise an annual $350,000 per year from fundraising banquets alone.
are able to raise
is able to raise
NO CHANGE
are able to raise an annual
is able to raise
In this example, we want to express a meaning that is in agreement, and lacks redundancy. Because “per year,” is already in the non-underlined portion of the sentence, it would be completely redundant to also refer to the amount raised as “annual.” for this reason, we can eliminate the original construction, “is able to raise an annual,” as well as “are able to raise an annual.” The latter construction also makes the error of attempting to agree the singular “organization” to the plural verb “are.” Since our subject is singular, we need the singular “is” and can thus also eliminate “are able to raise,” leaving us with our correct answer, “is able to raise.”
Example Question #5 : Redundancy
Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind, and in fact are among the most sensory animals on the planet; they use sonar to locate prey, and their ability to communicate audially at a wide range of frequencies assists them in mating, helping them to distinguish their own species from that of others.
NO CHANGE
these of others
those of others
others
others
In this example, we want to aim to express a meaning that is concise and logical. In order to do so, we’ll want to address what “that of” or “those of” is meant to refer to in the answer options. Since the comparison is between “their own species and (that of/those of) others, it would seem as though the “those of” is attempting to refer to the species. However, the term “others” already refers to the species, so it would be completely illogical and redundant to draw a comparison between “their own species and the species of other species.” This leaves us with only our correct answer, “others,” which draws a succinct and logical comparison.
Example Question #24 : Rhetoric: Words And Phrases
In the meeting of the United Nations, representatives attempted to try to reach an agreement that would benefit all involved.
attempted to
tried to attempt to
attempting to
NO CHANGE
attempted to
In this example, we want to aim to express a meaning that is concise and logical. The original construction, “attempted to try to,” is illogical and redundant, since “attempted” and “try to” mean the same thing. This redundancy allows us to eliminate both the original construction and “tried to attempt to,” since reordering the words does not eliminate the redundancy. Between our remaining options, the answer “attempting to” is incorrect because the participial form leaves the sentence without a conjugated verb. Our correct answer, “attempted to,” both lacks redundancy and creates a complete sentence.
Example Question #21 : Rhetoric: Words And Phrases
The several varied differences between the two animals led scientists to believe they were two unique species, when in fact they were one and the same.
variable differences
differences
NO CHANGE
difference
differences
This example attempts to describe differences between two animals. However, since differences are already inherently varied, it would be redundant to describe the differences as “varied differences,” particularly since we already address that there are “several differences” in the non-underlined portion. “Variable differences” is illogical in meaning, and is an improper word to utilize in this context, and “difference” does not agree with the plurality of “several” in the non-underlined portion. This leaves us with our correct answer, “differences.”
Example Question #1 : Redundancy
Though the political action group was generally in favor of traditional business practices, members could often be found protesting against the use of coal and instead favored more environmentally-conscious wind-powered businesses.
for
away from
NO CHANGE
DELETE the underlined portion
DELETE the underlined portion
In this example, we’re being tested on the redundancy of the phrase “protesting against.” Since protesting already means speaking up against, it would be redundant to utilize both of those terms. “Away from” makes the same mistake, and “for,” is perhaps even more illogical, as it conflicts with the context reinforcing that members of the group favored environmentally-conscious options over coal. In this case, we should delete the underlined portion entirely, as it is unnecessary and in some options outright illogical.
Example Question #27 : Rhetoric: Words And Phrases
Despite the previous growth over the years, in May of this year, the stock depreciated in value by over 15%.
depreciated
have been depreciating in value
has been depreciating in value
NO CHANGE
depreciated
In this example, we’re being tested on the redundancy of the use of both “depreciated” and “in value.” Since depreciated already means “decreased in value,” the “in value” is completely redundant and unnecessary. This issue is not corrected with the phrases “has been depreciating in value” or “have been depreciating in value,” and the latter creates an additional error of agreement between “the stock” and “have.” Our correct answer, “depreciated,” eliminates this redundancy, and concisely expresses a meaning that is logical.
Example Question #28 : Rhetoric: Words And Phrases
Within the excavated burial site was found a wealth of ancient artifacts, some of it as old as 2,000 years.
of them
with an age
DELETE the underlined portion
NO CHANGE
DELETE the underlined portion
In this example, the original construction “some of it” is needlessly wordy and redundant, and also creates pronoun ambiguity. “Of them” creates a similar mistake, and “with an age” is also unnecessary, as the age is clarified later in the sentence. In this case, the most appropriate construction would be to delete the underlined portion entirely, as it adds no additional meaning or value to the sentence and is thus unnecessary and redundant.