SAT Writing : Improving and Correcting Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Writing

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store varsity tutors ibooks store

Example Questions

Example Question #141 : Rewriting A Single Word

1 By now it’s common knowledge that a food may be considered unctuous in one culture may be gleaned repulsive in another. 2 Octopus is one such food. 3 It valorizes its audiences, with some gourmands claiming its rubbery texture is unpalatable, others enjoying the unusual taste. 4 It’s cousin, squid, is known as “calamari,” and is also popular in many countries.5 Octopus can be fried in batter, roasted with herbs, steamed and sprinkled with paprika, serve it raw in sushi, or even eat it alive. 6 But be careful: The head of the octopus’ can be poisonous!

In Sentence 3, what word should replace “valorizes?”

Possible Answers:

deifies

qualifies

valorizes (no change)

polarizes

lionizes

Correct answer:

polarizes

Explanation:

This is a tricky one, but we can use the context to figure out that audiences will be divided into two camps on this issue. To "polarize" something is to cause its components to take opposite sides, so this is the best choice for the sentence.

Example Question #441 : Improving And Correcting Sentences

1 Punk rock developed in the mid-1970s. 2 It was a musical movement that arose out of antiauthoritarian garage bands.3 It was characterized by fast-paced songs, sedimentary lyrics, and a raw loud sound. 4 And often its lyrics were also political. 5 Some of the most famous punk rock bands came from England and the United States and including the Clash, the Sex Pistols, and the Ramones.

6 Punk bands tending to convince a liberal, anti-establishment, sensibility,and they were proponents of individualism, freedom, and nonconformity.7 (Later in the 1990s “riot grrrl” bands like Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney used their punk music to draw attention on feminist concerns.)8 Now you can find, punk bands in cities all around the world.9 By the 1980s, the public was beginning to accept punk music, slowly becoming mainstream. 

In Sentence 3, what word should replace “sedimentary?”

Possible Answers:

clastic

alluvial

sedimentary (no change)

bituminous

defiant

Correct answer:

defiant

Explanation:

The word “defiant,” or rebellious, works well in the context, since we’ve just read that punk rock was characterized by an antiauthoritarian attitude. It’s also the only word that works well in the sentence, since all the other words are geologic terms and therefore can’t describe song lyrics.

Example Question #122 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 If you’ve watched any environmental news reports in the last few years, it’s likely you’ve stumbled among the idea of fracking. 2 The word is short for “hydraulic fracturing” and involves injecting liquid into rock to create fractures and fractals, there allowing natural gas to be extracted more querulously.3 Proponents say the method facilitates oil drilling and allows countries, like the United States, to cut back on their foreign oil dependence. 4 Amateurs say that fracking, causes significant and sometimes irresponsible environmental damage.

5 Fracking can require sonorous quantities of water, and leach dangerous carcinogenic chemicals into the groundwater. 6 Some people have even inquired minor earthquakes to fracking: as the process thought to spurn tremors.7 Perhaps most worrisome, fracking allows governments to continue depending on fossil fuel rather than exploring renewable energy. 8 These sources could include wind turbines, solar panels, even hot springs and waterwheels.

In Sentence 3, what word could replace “dependence?”

Possible Answers:

autonomy

independence

reliance

sovereignty

sufficiency

Correct answer:

reliance

Explanation:

While “dependence” is fine in Sentence 3, “reliance,” a direct synonym, would also be an excellent substitute. All of the other words are antonyms or close antonyms.

Example Question #123 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 If you’ve watched any environmental news reports in the last few years, it’s likely you’ve stumbled among the idea of fracking. 2 The word is short for “hydraulic fracturing” and involves injecting liquid into rock to create fractures and fractals, there allowing natural gas to be extracted more querulously.3 Proponents say the method facilitates oil drilling and allows countries, like the United States, to cut back on their foreign oil dependence. 4 Amateurs say that fracking, causes significant and sometimes irresponsible environmental damage.

5 Fracking can require sonorous quantities of water, and leach dangerous carcinogenic chemicals into the groundwater. 6 Some people have even inquired minor earthquakes to fracking: as the process thought to spurn tremors.7 Perhaps most worrisome, fracking allows governments to continue depending on fossil fuel rather than exploring renewable energy. 8 These sources could include wind turbines, solar panels, even hot springs and waterwheels.

In Sentence 6, what word should replace “inquired?”

Possible Answers:

modified

perspired

imputed

lacquered

inquired

Correct answer:

imputed

Explanation:

“Imputed,” or attributed, is the only word that makes sense in this sentence. “Inquired” means asked about, “perspired” means sweated, “modified” means changed, and “lacquered” means varnished.

Example Question #142 : Rewriting A Single Word

1 By now it’s common knowledge that a food may be considered unctuous in one culture may be gleaned repulsive in another. 2 Octopus is one such food. 3 It valorizes its audiences, with some gourmands claiming its rubbery texture is unpalatable, others enjoying the unusual taste. 4 It’s cousin, squid, is known as “calamari,” and is also popular in many countries.5 Octopus can be fried in batter, roasted with herbs, steamed and sprinkled with paprika, serve it raw in sushi, or even eat it alive. 6 But be careful: The head of the octopus’ can be poisonous!

In Sentence 3, what word should replace “gourmands?”

Possible Answers:

hierophants

curates

oligarchs

gourmands (no change)

heretics

Correct answer:

gourmands (no change)

Explanation:

A "gourmand" is a connoisseur of good food, which is the perfect noun for this sentence. All the other words describe religious jobs or positions and are not related to food.

Example Question #125 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 If you’ve watched any environmental news reports in the last few years, it’s likely you’ve stumbled among the idea of fracking. 2 The word is short for “hydraulic fracturing” and involves injecting liquid into rock to create fractures and fractals, there allowing natural gas to be extracted more querulously.3 Proponents say the method facilitates oil drilling and allows countries, like the United States, to cut back on their foreign oil dependence. 4 Amateurs say that fracking, causes significant and sometimes irresponsible environmental damage.

5 Fracking can require sonorous quantities of water, and leach dangerous carcinogenic chemicals into the groundwater. 6 Some people have even inquired minor earthquakes to fracking: as the process thought to spurn tremors.7 Perhaps most worrisome, fracking allows governments to continue depending on fossil fuel rather than exploring renewable energy. 8 These sources could include wind turbines, solar panels, even hot springs and waterwheels.

In Sentence 2, what word should replace “querulously?”

Possible Answers:

testily

readily

querulously (no change)

sullenly

petulantly

Correct answer:

readily

Explanation:

One could infer that the word we’re looking for is a synonym of easily, and “readily” fits that meaning. “Querulously,”  “petulantly,” “testily,” and “sullenly” all convey ideas of grumpiness or bad temper.

Example Question #126 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 If you’ve watched any environmental news reports in the last few years, it’s likely you’ve stumbled among the idea of fracking. 2 The word is short for “hydraulic fracturing” and involves injecting liquid into rock to create fractures and fractals, there allowing natural gas to be extracted more querulously.3 Proponents say the method facilitates oil drilling and allows countries, like the United States, to cut back on their foreign oil dependence. 4 Amateurs say that fracking, causes significant and sometimes irresponsible environmental damage.

5 Fracking can require sonorous quantities of water, and leach dangerous carcinogenic chemicals into the groundwater. 6 Some people have even inquired minor earthquakes to fracking: as the process thought to spurn tremors.7 Perhaps most worrisome, fracking allows governments to continue depending on fossil fuel rather than exploring renewable energy. 8 These sources could include wind turbines, solar panels, even hot springs and waterwheels.

In Sentence 2, what word should replace “fractals?”

Possible Answers:

crevices

antidotes

terminals

fractals

alimonies

Correct answer:

crevices

Explanation:

We’re looking for a synonym of “fractures,” or cracks, and that synonym is “crevices.” “Fractals” are a distinctive, iterative mathematical pattern that have nothing to do with the topic of fracking.

Example Question #143 : Rewriting A Single Word

1 If you’ve watched any environmental news reports in the last few years, it’s likely you’ve stumbled among the idea of fracking. 2 The word is short for “hydraulic fracturing” and involves injecting liquid into rock to create fractures and fractals, there allowing natural gas to be extracted more querulously.3 Proponents say the method facilitates oil drilling and allows countries, like the United States, to cut back on their foreign oil dependence. 4 Amateurs say that fracking, causes significant and sometimes irresponsible environmental damage.

5 Fracking can require sonorous quantities of water, and leach dangerous carcinogenic chemicals into the groundwater. 6 Some people have even inquired minor earthquakes to fracking: as the process thought to spurn tremors.7 Perhaps most worrisome, fracking allows governments to continue depending on fossil fuel rather than exploring renewable energy. 8 These sources could include wind turbines, solar panels, even hot springs and waterwheels.

In Sentence 2, what word should replace “there?”

Possible Answers:

where

their

somewhere

there

thereby

Correct answer:

thereby

Explanation:

“Thereby,” which means in that manner or as a result of that, is the only word that fits before “allowing.”

Example Question #128 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 If you’ve watched any environmental news reports in the last few years, it’s likely you’ve stumbled among the idea of fracking. 2 The word is short for “hydraulic fracturing” and involves injecting liquid into rock to create fractures and fractals, there allowing natural gas to be extracted more querulously.3 Proponents say the method facilitates oil drilling and allows countries, like the United States, to cut back on their foreign oil dependence. 4 Amateurs say that fracking, causes significant and sometimes irresponsible environmental damage.

5 Fracking can require sonorous quantities of water, and leach dangerous carcinogenic chemicals into the groundwater. 6 Some people have even inquired minor earthquakes to fracking: as the process thought to spurn tremors.7 Perhaps most worrisome, fracking allows governments to continue depending on fossil fuel rather than exploring renewable energy. 8 These sources could include wind turbines, solar panels, even hot springs and waterwheels.

In Sentence 4, what word should replace “Amateurs?”

Possible Answers:

Armatures

Adherents

Amateurs (no change)

Adversaries

Arsenals

Correct answer:

Adversaries

Explanation:

Because the previous sentence was talking about proponents (or supporters) of fracking, it makes sense that this sentence with its opposite viewpoint is discussing opponents (or adversaries) of the process. "Adherents" is roughly synonymous with "proponents."

Example Question #129 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 If you’ve watched any environmental news reports in the last few years, it’s likely you’ve stumbled among the idea of fracking. 2 The word is short for “hydraulic fracturing” and involves injecting liquid into rock to create fractures and fractals, there allowing natural gas to be extracted more querulously.3 Proponents say the method facilitates oil drilling and allows countries, like the United States, to cut back on their foreign oil dependence. 4 Amateurs say that fracking, causes significant and sometimes irresponsible environmental damage.

5 Fracking can require sonorous quantities of water, and leach dangerous carcinogenic chemicals into the groundwater. 6 Some people have even inquired minor earthquakes to fracking: as the process thought to spurn tremors.7 Perhaps most worrisome, fracking allows governments to continue depending on fossil fuel rather than exploring renewable energy. 8 These sources could include wind turbines, solar panels, even hot springs and waterwheels.

In Sentence 4, what word should replace “irresponsible?”

Possible Answers:

irresponsible (no change)

irrepressible

interrogating

irrigating

irreversible

Correct answer:

irreversible

Explanation:

Based on opponents’ claims, fracking isn’t sometimes irresponsible; it’s always irresponsible. A better word for the blank would be “irreversible,” or permanent.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors