PSAT Writing : Identifying Sentence Errors
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Writing
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Example Questions
Example Question #81 : Identifying No Error Questions
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
After hiking for three full days, the team of hikers arrived at the summit of the peak. No error
the team of hikers
Hiking
at the summit
of the peak
No error
No error
This sentence contains no errors.
Example Question #86 : Identifying Other Errors Or No Error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Making a quilt by hand takes a tremendous amount of planning, time, and effort, so should you ever be lucky enough to receive a handmade quilt, be sure to thank the person who made it for you! No error
a tremendous amount of planning, time, and effort
be sure to thank the person who made it for you
should you ever be lucky enough
Making a quilt by hand
No error
No error
This sentence is grammatically correct as written and needs no stylistic revisions: "Making a quilt by hand" is a noun phrase based on a gerund that functions as the subject of the sentence; "a tremendous amount of planning, time, and effort" correctly uses parallel structure and the Oxford comma; "should you ever be lucky enough" correctly uses the present tense and subjunctive mood, and "be sure to thank to person who made it for you" is a correct imperative statement.
Example Question #64 : Identifying Sentences That Contain No Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
A group of leading experts in entomology, the study of insects, is coming to speak to my biology class about career opportunities in that exciting field. No error
in
No error
is
about
in that
No error
Make sure that you identify the proper subject in this sentence. Many students are fooled by collective singulars: "a group of experts," "a team of players," "a school of fish," "a murder of crows," and so forth. In all of these cases, even though we are talking about many individual things, we are conceiving of them as single entities. As you may have noticed, the little word "of" will frequently alert you to the presence of a collective singluar in this kind of construction. This type of sentence can also confuse the eye, as there are two plural nouns ("experts" and "insects") between the subject ("group") and the main verb ("is").
Example Question #83 : Identifying No Error Questions
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Either house will do, but neither of the two is perfect. No error
is
neither
No error
will
Either
No error
There is no error. "Neither" uses the correct verb (singular) and "either" is used properly.
Example Question #91 : Identifying Other Errors Or No Error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The Statue of Liberty, perhaps the most recognizable symbol of American freedom, was actually constructed in France and given to the United States as a gift of friendship between the two nations. No error
No error
Liberty, perhaps
was
given to
a gift of friendship.
No error
There is no error in the sentence. Verb tenses are consistent for the timeline, and the descriptive—or interrupting—phrase is correctly separated by two commas.
Example Question #92 : Identifying Other Errors Or No Error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
One brave woman surreptitiously entered the aliens’ spaceship, hoping to discover their weaknesses and use the information to aid the defense. No error
brave
surreptitiously
their weaknesses
No error
hoping
No error
This sentence is correct as written.
Example Question #67 : Identifying Sentences That Contain No Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
One must not fault them for mistaking the date; it was, after all, leap year.
mistaking
it was
No error
One
fault them for
No error
This sentence is correct as written.
Example Question #93 : Identifying Other Errors Or No Error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Though not Oscar-worthy fare, the silly comedy about a simian baseball player managed to make me and him laugh.
No error
Though not
a simian
managed to
me and him
No error
Young children often misuse "me" as the subject of a sentence ("Can me and Timmy watch a movie?"); however, sometimes we can be corrected for making this mistake so many times that we grow to fear using the word "me" at all—even when it's properly the object of a clause! In this sentence, the phrase "make me and him laugh" may sound funny, but it correct. "Comedy" is the subject, "make . . . laugh" the verbal phrase, and "me and him" is the object, so we use the object forms of the pronouns.
Example Question #94 : Identifying Other Errors Or No Error
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
With excitement sparkling behind the tears in her eyes, Mary announced that her poodle, the pride and joy of her life, had just won the regional dog show.
announced
No error
eyes, Mary
behind
had just won
No error
This sentence is correct as written. “Behind” is the appropriate use of a preposition, the comma between “eyes” and “Mary” is grammatical, “announced” is a verb in the correct tense, and “had just won” is an appropriate combination of verb and adverb.
Example Question #95 : Identifying Other Errors Or No Error
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Experts agree that one's likelihood of developing heart disease is proportionate to the amount of cholesterol one ingests in one's food. No error
ingests
proportionate
No error
developing
one's
No error
There are no mistakes in this sentence.
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