SAT Writing : Improving Paragraphs

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Writing

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Example Questions

Example Question #271 : Improving Paragraphs

1 Glass; a material most people take for granted, is an essential constitute of modern life. 2 Most glass throughout history have been made of silicon dioxide; which is found in sand. 3 Typically glass is made by melting down and refining raw materials in processes that remove bubbles, improve strength, and augur durability. 4 This process can be tailored to create the desired end product, be that stained glass windows for a church and glass fibers for thermal insulation. 5 Because glass blowing can be used to create fanciful shapes and delicate figurines, most glass today is made more quickly and cheaply in factories. 6 These factories can produce everything. 7 From windshields and sterile medical equipment.

A sentence about which of the following subjects would be most relevant to add to the passage?

Possible Answers:

Municipalities opposed to glass recycling

Experimental methods of manufacturing glass

Artisanal glass studios

A museum devoted to decorative glassware

Historical taxation of glass products

Correct answer:

Experimental methods of manufacturing glass

Explanation:

The passage is primarily concerned with the manufacture of glass, so including information about new or alternate manufacturing methods would contribute nicely to the text.

Example Question #473 : Sat Writing

1 The purpose of this agricultural practice is to produce large amounts of meat, milk, eggs, and textiles, such as wool and leather, at low costs. 2 It has many negative consequences; however, and many activists have raised concerns about sustainability, environmental risks, and ethics. 3 Factory farming, sometimes known euphonically as intensive animal farming, or industrial farming, is the practice of raising livestock at very high densities in order to decrease the costs of production. 4 On most factory farms, animals are reduced to commodities: bred unnaturally, confined in uncomfortably small cages, and dosed with high strength antibiotics to reduce concomitant infections. 5 Although, the livestock suffers considerately, drug-resistant bacteria become more common, and significant environmental hazards arise from the high quantities of animal waste. 6 Does the phrase manure lagoons sound familiar? 7 As a light of this issue, many people choose to become vegetarian or join anti-factory farming campaigns. 8 What will you do?

Which sentence needs a hyphen added to it?

Possible Answers:

Sentence 6

Sentence 2

Sentence 8

Sentence 4

None of these sentences require hyphens.

Correct answer:

Sentence 4

Explanation:

Sentence 4 is lacking a hyphen between “high” and “strength” in order to clarify that we’re not talking about strength antibiotics that happen to be high. As a general rule of thumb, compound adjectives that precede a noun require hyphens for clarity’s sake.

Example Question #474 : Sat Writing

1 It may be hard to believe. 2 But light was once a rare and inviolate commodity. 3 Our ancestors invented willful ways to harness natural light; burning lumps of tallow or animal fat, capturing fireflies in glass jars, and even threading wicks down the throats of a bird called the storm petrel.4 Most of these methods were messy, inconvenient, and costly. 5 So it was fortunate when kerosene became popular. 6 Whale oil was another way to get light, but whaling was a dangerous and deadly occupation. 7 The innovation of the electric light bulb represented another huge leap in convenience and cost-effectiveness. 8 While light is not scarce today; in fact, we often have the opposite problem. 9 Light pollution, or excessive artificial light, which can keep city denizens from ever seeing the stars or appreciating true darkness.

A sentence discussing which of the following topics would be most appropriate to add to this passage?

Possible Answers:

Thomas Edison’s first laboratory

Means of obtaining light from vegetables

Problems with regulating the whaling industry

Ill effects of light pollution

The scientific processes behind lightning

Correct answer:

Means of obtaining light from vegetables

Explanation:

Since the passage presents an overview of ways that our ancestors obtained light, a sentence about obtaining light from vegetable matter would nicely complement the existing sentences about obtaining light from animals and minerals. While the whaling industry is discussed, it is hardly the focus of the passage overall. Thomas Edison was an important figure in the history of light generation, but, again, this answer is too specific, and not germane to the actual language and focus of the text.

Example Question #475 : Sat Writing

1 It may be hard to believe. 2 But light was once a rare and inviolate commodity. 3 Our ancestors invented willful ways to harness natural light; burning lumps of tallow or animal fat, capturing fireflies in glass jars, and even threading wicks down the throats of a bird called the storm petrel.4 Most of these methods were messy, inconvenient, and costly. 5 So it was fortunate when kerosene became popular. 6 Whale oil was another way to get light, but whaling was a dangerous and deadly occupation. 7 The innovation of the electric light bulb represented another huge leap in convenience and cost-effectiveness. 8 While light is not scarce today; in fact, we often have the opposite problem. 9 Light pollution, or excessive artificial light, which can keep city denizens from ever seeing the stars or appreciating true darkness.

What is the best title for this passage?

Possible Answers:

"Lard and Light bulbs: Two Important Innovations"

"Illumination"

"Light in America"

"Obscurity"

"A History of Light"

Correct answer:

"A History of Light"

Explanation:

Most of these titles are either too vague (“Illumination” and “Obscurity”) or too specific (“Light in America” and “Lard and Light bulbs: Two Important Innovations”). Only “A History of Light” accurately captures the intention of the passage: to give a brief overview of light’s evolution through human history.

Example Question #272 : Improving Paragraphs

1 The word wig itself comes from the English word periwig and can demote a variety of styles, materials, and colors. 2 Have you ever wondered what goes into making a wig? 3 Historically wigs have served a variety of functions and took a number of forms. 4 Wigs have been used as fashion accessories, costume components, and to disguise baldness. 5 These days, wigs are most commonly made from synthetic materials, real human hair, or hair from animals, such as goats and yaks.

Which sentence needs a comma added to it?

Possible Answers:

Sentence 2

Sentence 5

Sentence 4

Sentence 3

Sentence 1

Correct answer:

Sentence 3

Explanation:

Sentence 3 lacks a comma between the word “Historically,” an introductory clause, and “wigs,” the start of an independent clause.

Example Question #273 : Improving Paragraphs

1 Today, different methods are adopted to strive off these threats to biological diversity. 2 By now, the occurrence of invasive species is a common place problem. 3 It occurs when a non native species of plant or animal is introduced into a new environment. 4 Invasive species cause problems, such as kudzu, Asian carp, and zebra mussels. 5 Habitats can be destroyed and human economies can be damaged by the invidious effects of species that are inoculated or even charming pets in other ecosystems. 6 For example, rabbits in Australia. 7 They were introduced in the 1780s by British penal colony ships and became widespread after an 1859 outbreak, destroying millions of dollars worth of crops. 8 Pheromone traps can lure in insect pests and genetic modification can cause invasive carp to produce only male offspring, limiting their reproduction. 9 Given our widespread global commerce and travel, however, it may be impossible to foresight all damage done by species that end up somewhere they don’t belong.

Which sentence needs a hyphen added to it?

Possible Answers:

Sentence 4

Sentence 5

Sentence 3

Sentence 2

Sentence 1

Correct answer:

Sentence 3

Explanation:

Typically, prefixes such as “non” must be hyphenated with the next word. Correctly punctuated, the phrase would read “non-native species.”

Example Question #62 : Inserting Or Deleting Content

1 Today, different methods are adopted to strive off these threats to biological diversity. 2 By now, the occurrence of invasive species is a common place problem. 3 It occurs when a non native species of plant or animal is introduced into a new environment. 4 Invasive species cause problems, such as kudzu, Asian carp, and zebra mussels. 5 Habitats can be destroyed and human economies can be damaged by the invidious effects of species that are inoculated or even charming pets in other ecosystems. 6 For example, rabbits in Australia. 7 They were introduced in the 1780s by British penal colony ships and became widespread after an 1859 outbreak, destroying millions of dollars worth of crops. 8 Pheromone traps can lure in insect pests and genetic modification can cause invasive carp to produce only male offspring, limiting their reproduction. 9 Given our widespread global commerce and travel, however, it may be impossible to foresight all damage done by species that end up somewhere they don’t belong.

What is the best title for this passage?

Possible Answers:

"Invasive Species: Secret Advantages?"

"Invasive Species: An Ongoing Problem"

"Invasive Species: This Means War"

"Invasive Species: Deadly Killers"

"Invasive Species: Here or There?"

Correct answer:

"Invasive Species: An Ongoing Problem"

Explanation:

All of the titles except “Invasive Species: An Ongoing Problem” are either too vague or represent specific topics that are not the central focus of the passage.

Example Question #63 : Inserting Or Deleting Content

1 As anyone who has tried it can tell you, Filipino food is an exciting intriguing blend of flavors. 2 Due to interaction with various nations and cultures, it’s cuisine is marked by influences from Austronesia, Spain, China, Malaysia, and the United States. 3 Some typical dishes including pancit, longganisa, lumpia, kare-kare, pinakbet, sinigang, and adobo. 4 For example, one could find everything from Spanish paella and Chinese spring rolls (locally called lumpia) if you walked into a Filipino restaurant.

5 Another important compound of Filipino cuisine is street food. 6 These street foods include many fried foods, such as bananas, plantains, dumplings, squid balls, battered quail eggs, and fruit or vegetable spring rolls.7 Taho, a warm street food, is composed of bean curd, a caramel syrup or arnibal, and tapioca pearls.8 Don’t forget dessert! 9 With such a variety of flavors, textures, and cooking styles, there’s certainly to be something for every gourmand.

Which sentence needs a comma added to it?

Possible Answers:

Sentence 3

None of the sentences requires another comma.

Sentence 5

Sentence 7

Sentence 1

Correct answer:

Sentence 1

Explanation:

In Sentence 1, we have two separate adjectives preceding a noun. The standard punctuation rule is to use a comma between these two adjectives.

Example Question #64 : Inserting Or Deleting Content

1 Today, different methods are adopted to strive off these threats to biological diversity. 2 By now, the occurrence of invasive species is a common place problem. 3 It occurs when a non native species of plant or animal is introduced into a new environment. 4 Invasive species cause problems, such as kudzu, Asian carp, and zebra mussels. 5 Habitats can be destroyed and human economies can be damaged by the invidious effects of species that are inoculated or even charming pets in other ecosystems. 6 For example, rabbits in Australia. 7 They were introduced in the 1780s by British penal colony ships and became widespread after an 1859 outbreak, destroying millions of dollars worth of crops. 8 Pheromone traps can lure in insect pests and genetic modification can cause invasive carp to produce only male offspring, limiting their reproduction. 9 Given our widespread global commerce and travel, however, it may be impossible to foresight all damage done by species that end up somewhere they don’t belong.

Which sentence needs a comma added to it?

Possible Answers:

Sentence 4

Sentence 8

No sentence is lacking a comma.

Sentence 6

Sentence 2

Correct answer:

Sentence 8

Explanation:

In Sentence 8, we have two independent clauses (“Pheromone traps can lure in insect pests” and “genetic modification can cause invasive carp to produce only male offspring, limiting their reproduction”) incorrectly separated with only a conjunction. We always need either a semicolon or a comma with a  coordinating conjunction to separate two independent clauses.

Example Question #65 : Inserting Or Deleting Content

1 As anyone who has tried it can tell you, Filipino food is an exciting intriguing blend of flavors. 2 Due to interaction with various nations and cultures, it’s cuisine is marked by influences from Austronesia, Spain, China, Malaysia, and the United States. 3 Some typical dishes including pancit, longganisa, lumpia, kare-kare, pinakbet, sinigang, and adobo. 4 For example, one could find everything from Spanish paella and Chinese spring rolls (locally called lumpia) if you walked into a Filipino restaurant.

5 Another important compound of Filipino cuisine is street food. 6 These street foods include many fried foods, such as bananas, plantains, dumplings, squid balls, battered quail eggs, and fruit or vegetable spring rolls.7 Taho, a warm street food, is composed of bean curd, a caramel syrup or arnibal, and tapioca pearls.8 Don’t forget dessert! 9 With such a variety of flavors, textures, and cooking styles, there’s certainly to be something for every gourmand.

Which of the following topics would best complement the passage if added in a sentence?

Possible Answers:

A guide to pronouncing the food names listed in the passage

A list of Filipino recipes influenced by American foods

A guide to dining etiquette in the Philippines

A list of common Filipino beverages

A list of Filipino feast days and festivals

Correct answer:

A list of common Filipino beverages

Explanation:

Since the passage’s main goal is to familiarize the reader with a variety of Filipino dishes and meals, adding a sentence about Filipino beverages would round out the discussion nicely. All of the other topics are either too specific or irrelevant to the main focus of the passage.

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