PSAT Writing : PSAT Writing Skills
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Writing
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Example Questions
Example Question #661 : Psat Writing Skills
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Given the chance, Frank would drop everything and dedicate his life to swim the English Channel. No error.
his life
everything and
Given the chance
to swim
No error.
to swim
This sentence uses the verb “swim” when it needs a gerund, “swimming.” A gerund is a verb that is acting as a noun. The corrected sentence reads, "Given the chance, Frank would drop everything and dedicate his life to swimming the English Channel."
Example Question #662 : Psat Writing Skills
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
All of the children were sorely disappointed that the water slide being closed for repairs. No error.
All of the children
sorely
No error.
for repairs
being closed
being closed
This sentence has the gerund "being" in it, but the past tense "was" is cleaner and more direct. The corrected sentence reads, "All of the children were sorely disappointed that the water slide was closed for repairs."
Example Question #663 : Psat Writing Skills
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Many people find the rigorous schedule associated with campaign management being overly fatiguing. No error.
associated with
No error.
being
Many people find
overly
being
This sentence uses “being” as a gerund (a verb acting as a noun) when the infinitive is necessary. Always, when you use "find" followed by a noun and then an adjective or an adjectival phrase, you should connect the noun and adjective or adjectival phrase with the infinitive “to be.” The corrected sentence reads, "Many people find the rigorous schedule associated with campaign management to be overly fatiguing."
Example Question #664 : Psat Writing Skills
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Tanner was afraid for returning to the cold winters of the northern states. No error.
was
No error.
for returning to
cold winters
northern
for returning to
The adjective “afraid” is usually followed by either an infinitive (“to return”) or “of” and a gerund (“of returning”). Choose one of those to fix this sentence: "Tanner was afraid to return to the cold winters of the northern states."
Example Question #665 : Psat Writing Skills
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The sense of expectation in the air was almost unbearable; the curtain was supposed to risen at half past six, and it was almost seven. No error.
risen
No error.
almost
unbearable; the curtain
The sense of expectation
risen
This sentence uses a participle (“risen”) after “to.” Here, an infinitive is correct. If you read the sentence as it is written out loud, it will probably sound incorrect. The corrected sentence reads, "The sense of expectation in the air was almost unbearable; the curtain was supposed to rise at half past six, and it was almost seven."
Example Question #666 : Psat Writing Skills
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
A revolutionary in American dance, Isadora Duncan rejected pointe shoes and stiff corsets, chose instead to dance barefoot in loose tunics. No error
to dance
A revolutionary in American dance
stiff corsets
chose
No error
chose
The last clause in this sentence needs to be reformatted to fit into the logic of the sentence. Turning “chose” into a gerund accomplishes this. The corrected sentence reads: "A revolutionary in American dance, Isadora Duncan rejected pointe shoes and traditional stiff corsets, choosing instead to dance barefoot in loose tunics."
Example Question #667 : Psat Writing Skills
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Not wanting being behind on her work, Maria furiously finished editing the pile of documents on her desk. No error
her
being behind
furiously
the pile of documents
No error
being behind
This sentence uses the gerund “being” when the infinitive “to be” is more appropriate. The corrected sentence reads, "Not wanting to be behind on her work, Maria furiously finished editing the pile of documents on her desk."
Example Question #12 : Improving Paragraphs
(1) Kabuki performances first appeared in 1603, when a woman named Izumo no Okuni began performing a new style of drama and dance routines outside of Kyoto. (2) This new form of entertainment quickly got popular throughout Japan.
(3) Kabuki was known for its extravagant costumes and elaborate make-up. (4) The stage was what really set it apart from other forms of theater at the time. (5) It included a walkway protruding from the stage out through the audience. (6) Actors would use this walkway to make surprise entrances. (7) More advanced features were added, such as rotating stages and trapdoors to lift actors onto or down from the stage almost instantly. (8) All of these were used to create dramatic emphasis.
Which of the following would be the best sentence to insert at the beginning of the passage?
Have you ever been to a Broadway musical?
What is kabuki theater, anyway?
In 1629, the Japanese government banned women from performing on stage, so from that point on all female roles were played by men.
Kabuki theater, still a very popular form of entertainment in Japan today, was invented over four hundred years ago.
There is a new form of theater in Japan today known as kabuki theater.
Kabuki theater, still a very popular form of entertainment in Japan today, was invented over four hundred years ago.
We want a topic sentence to introduce the main idea of the passage.The best sentence also sets a general timeframe that is clarified by the next sentence. The choices that ask questions are too informal and do not fit the tone of the passage.
Example Question #1 : Inserting Content
(1) Kabuki performances first appeared in 1603, when a woman named Izumo no Okuni began performing a new style of drama and dance routines outside of Kyoto. (2) This new form of entertainment quickly got popular throughout Japan.
(3) Kabuki was known for its extravagant costumes and elaborate make-up. (4) The stage was what really set it apart from other forms of theater at the time. (5) It included a walkway protruding from the stage out through the audience. (6) Actors would use this walkway to make surprise entrances. (7) More advanced features were added, such as rotating stages and trapdoors to lift actors onto or down from the stage almost instantly. (8) All of these were used to create dramatic emphasis.
Which of these sentences, inserted after Sentence 8, would provide the best conclusion to the passage?
The exaggerated expressions painted on the actors' faces identify them to the audience as the protagonist or the villain.
Some kabuki actors became well-known celebrities.
Over time, more innovations were added, and kabuki theater continues to thrill Japanese audiences to this day.
These stages were more advanced than the ones used in European theaters in the seventeenth century.
I hope to travel to Japan some day to see a live kabuki performance.
Over time, more innovations were added, and kabuki theater continues to thrill Japanese audiences to this day.
The sentence "Over time, more innovations were added, and kabuki theater continues to thrill Japanese audiences to this day" is the best conclusion because it transitions from the discussion of the stage innovations and sums up both the popularity and longevity of kabuki theater. Of the other choices, a first-person statement doesn't fit the overall tone, the comparison to European theaters is not what the passage is about, and the other two are more specific details that do not summarize the point of the passage.
Example Question #1 : Inserting Or Deleting Content
(1) The sport of lacrosse, while perhaps not as widely popular today in the United States as baseball or football, is far older. (2) These games served many important cultural functions. (3) They were used to settle disputes between tribes, as festival events, and to train young men to become warriors and hunters.
(4) Hundreds of men and women from rival tribes or villages would gather to play at once. (5) The playing field was sometimes several miles long. (6) The original game was very different from the organized sport played today. (7) A single game would be played from dawn until sunset, and be followed by dancing and feasting.
(8) Modern, standardized versions of lacrosse started to be played in the 1850s and soon became very popular throughout Canada and the United States. (9) For over a century, it has been one of the most widely played sports in high schools in both nations.
The author wishes to add a concluding sentence after Sentence 9 that relates to a statement made in the opening sentence. Which of the following sentences would achieve this most effectively?
Lacrosse has played an important role in North American culture for hundreds of years.
If you haven't ever played lacrosse, you're missing out on a really fun game.
Though it may not be considered "America's pastime," lacrosse could certainly be called the original American team sport.
Lacrosse is a difficult sport to play because it requires much more physical endurance than baseball.
Changes to the game have been made to improve safety, such as the addition of helmets and padding for the players, and the use of a rubber ball.
Though it may not be considered "America's pastime," lacrosse could certainly be called the original American team sport.
The sentence "Though it may not be considered 'America's pastime,' lacrosse could certainly be called the original American team sport" is best because it echoes both the reference to baseball and the assertion of lacrosse's longevity made in Sentence 1.
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