SAT Writing : Improving Paragraphs

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Writing

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Example Questions

Example Question #31 : Rewriting A Single Word

1 Although agritourism is a fairly recent phenomenon in the Western world; it is proving popular in many countries. 2 Agritourism is broadly defined as any activity or attraction that draws visitors to a farm, and it can include anything from corn mazes and apple picking to vineyard tours, workshops on animal husbandry, and work-stay exchange programs. 3 The practice is particularly prevocalic in North America, Europe, and Australia. 4 With a huge variety of farms and activities available to agritourists. 5 For example: visitors can learn how to run a cattle drive in Wyoming, make cheese in France, harvest olives in Sicily, or pick kiwi fruit in New Zealand.

6 Income generated from agritourism can help small family farms remain soluble as well as educate the public about where their food comes from. 7 Henceforth, most people agree that agritourism is benevolent for everyone involved. 8 While there are some who argue that it is a cheap ploy designed to make selfish tourists feel better about their vacations. 9 All in all, it will be interesting to see how agritourism continues to develop in the future. 

In Sentence 7, what word should replace “benevolent”?

Possible Answers:

beneficial

munificent

benedictory

covalent

bereft

Correct answer:

beneficial

Explanation:

Based on the meaning of the sentence, we’re looking for a word that means advantageous, and “beneficial” is the closest synonym. “Benevolent” means generous, charitable, and kind; "munificent" means generous; covalent is a type of chemical bond; "benedictory" means related to a prayer or blessing; and "bereft" means grieved because of deprivation (usually because of the death of a loved one).

Example Question #11 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Deaccession or deaccessioning is defined as the intentional disposing or selling of books from library’s collections. 2 And is often undertaken to make room for newer volumes, to shift the focus of the library’s collection, or to reflect changing trends in literature. 3 Many people disagree vehicularly about which books should be deaccessioned, when and how books should be disposed of, and even whether books should be deaccessioned at all. 4 Book deaccession: It sounds boring, but is in fact one of the more controversial and problematic aspects of running a library. 5 Though others argue that it allows libraries to remain current and relevant to the public’s reading needs. 6 No doubt it is a topic that will continue to provoke debate for years to come.

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

Possible Answers:

variously

vehemently

vinaceously

violently

vehicularly (no change)

Correct answer:

vehemently

Explanation:

“Vehicularly” means related to vehicles, which doesn’t make sense in the sentence. Based on context clues, we can determine that we’re looking for a word that means strongly or intensely. “Violently” is a bit too extreme a word, but “vehemently,” which means showing strong, forceful emotions, works perfectly. It's a great word!

Example Question #11 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 All in all, aviation will likely continue to fascinate people for centuries to come. 2 Long before the famous Wright brothers humans were attempting to fly. 3 The ancient Greek myth of Icarus and Daedalus shows the tantalizing allusion of flight. 4 With large kites’ in China may have been the first successful instance of human flight several thousand years ago. 5 Hundreds of years later and despite many hazings; the Montgolfier brothers and other pioneering aviators began experimenting with manned hot-air balloon flights. 6 Therefore, technology has advanced to the point of supersonic and hypersonic flight, but people are still trying to break new barriers and invent new methods of flight.

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

Possible Answers:

allusion

alluvium

alkaloid

alloy

allure

Correct answer:

allure

Explanation:

Based on context clues, we’re looking for a word that means attractiveness or appeal and works well with “tantalizing.” “Allure” means the power of attraction, charm, or fascination, so it fits best in the sentence. “Allusion” is a literary reference to another work, and “alkaloid,” “alloy,” and “alluvium” are all science words that do not make sense in context.

Example Question #12 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 All in all, aviation will likely continue to fascinate people for centuries to come. 2 Long before the famous Wright brothers humans were attempting to fly. 3 The ancient Greek myth of Icarus and Daedalus shows the tantalizing allusion of flight. 4 With large kites’ in China may have been the first successful instance of human flight several thousand years ago. 5 Hundreds of years later and despite many hazings; the Montgolfier brothers and other pioneering aviators began experimenting with manned hot-air balloon flights. 6 Therefore, technology has advanced to the point of supersonic and hypersonic flight, but people are still trying to break new barriers and invent new methods of flight.

In Sentence 5, what word should replace “hazings”?

Possible Answers:

hazings (no replacement)

hazans

hazards

hazes

haphazards

Correct answer:

hazards

Explanation:

Based on the context, it doesn’t make much sense that the Montgolfier brothers would be experiencing “hazing,” or unpleasant initiation rites. “Hazards,” or dangers, is a much more logical choice. A “hazan” is a Jewish official, a “haze” is a smoke or mist that obscures vision, and “haphazard” means chance (“haphazards” isn’t a word).

Example Question #13 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Visitors to Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, or other United States are often astounded when they encounter an Amish person. 2 To someone who is not familiar with this religious community, the lifestyle seems to harp back to a bygone era. 3 In particular the Amish are known for their plain garments, their eschewal of modern technology, their use of horses and buggies, and their exquisite handicrafts, including: wooden furniture, intricate quilts, and fruit pies. 4 Contact with the outside world is limited, and communities are often as insolent now as when they emigrated from Switzerland in the 1700s.

5 The people are governed strictly in their auspicious behavior, dress, and lifestyle by a set of rules known as Ordnung, and most speak both Pennsylvania Dutch and English. 6 Their religious beliefs are most closely related to Mennonites, and they observe many common Christian practices: baptism, marriage, and Sunday church services, for example. 7 Whereas, the Amish also practice rumspringa, a period of adolescent exploration, as well as excommunication and shunning to exclude those who do not conform to the community’s beliefs and practices. 8 What does life look like inside an Amish community? 9 Wherewithal, there seem to be both positive and negative aspects to this emphasis on family ties, manual labor, and religious belief.

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

Possible Answers:

harp (no change)

harm

harass

harangue

hark

Correct answer:

hark

Explanation:

This is a particular English phase: we can hark back to an earlier time. The only verb that ever works in this construction is “hark.”

Example Question #335 : Improving And Correcting Sentences

1 Visitors to Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, or other United States are often astounded when they encounter an Amish person. 2 To someone who is not familiar with this religious community, the lifestyle seems to harp back to a bygone era. 3 In particular the Amish are known for their plain garments, their eschewal of modern technology, their use of horses and buggies, and their exquisite handicrafts, including: wooden furniture, intricate quilts, and fruit pies. 4 Contact with the outside world is limited, and communities are often as insolent now as when they emigrated from Switzerland in the 1700s.

5 The people are governed strictly in their auspicious behavior, dress, and lifestyle by a set of rules known as Ordnung, and most speak both Pennsylvania Dutch and English. 6 Their religious beliefs are most closely related to Mennonites, and they observe many common Christian practices: baptism, marriage, and Sunday church services, for example. 7 Whereas, the Amish also practice rumspringa, a period of adolescent exploration, as well as excommunication and shunning to exclude those who do not conform to the community’s beliefs and practices. 8 What does life look like inside an Amish community? 9 Wherewithal, there seem to be both positive and negative aspects to this emphasis on family ties, manual labor, and religious belief.

What word should replace eschewal?

Possible Answers:

escharotic 

escapade

eschatology

eschewal (no replacement)

escarpment

Correct answer:

eschewal (no replacement)

Explanation:

Eschewal, or shunning, is the correct word in this context.

Example Question #14 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Dehydration is a potentially serious medical condition that arrives when a patients’ metabolic processes are disrupted by a lack of water in the body. 2 What can cause dehydration? 3 Dehydration can be caused by overexertion, sickness (vomiting or diarrhea), or sun exposure; among other factors. 4 Treatments for dehydration include: drinking small quantities of clear fluid and intravenous hydration. 5 Symptoms of dehydration vary by the severance of water loss, but the most common signs are increased thirst, a swollen tongue, dizziness, weakness, and fainting. 6 If treatment is not sanctioned quickly dehydration can result in delirium, seizures, and even death. 7 Dehydration is most often a problem in the developing world, where insect- and water-borne disease and a lack of accessible medical care causing many preventable infant fatalities.

In Sentence 5, what word should replace “severance”?

Possible Answers:

savant

severance (no change)

savagery

severity

severally

Correct answer:

severity

Explanation:

We can infer from context that dehydration symptoms vary by the seriousness of the water loss, so “severity,” which is a synonym for seriousness, would be the best choice.

Example Question #15 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Dehydration is a potentially serious medical condition that arrives when a patients’ metabolic processes are disrupted by a lack of water in the body. 2 What can cause dehydration? 3 Dehydration can be caused by overexertion, sickness (vomiting or diarrhea), or sun exposure; among other factors. 4 Treatments for dehydration include: drinking small quantities of clear fluid and intravenous hydration. 5 Symptoms of dehydration vary by the severance of water loss, but the most common signs are increased thirst, a swollen tongue, dizziness, weakness, and fainting. 6 If treatment is not sanctioned quickly dehydration can result in delirium, seizures, and even death. 7 Dehydration is most often a problem in the developing world, where insect- and water-borne disease and a lack of accessible medical care causing many preventable infant fatalities.

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

Possible Answers:

sought

codified

countenanced

ascertained

sanctioned (no change)

Correct answer:

sought

Explanation:

Based on the context of the sentence, we can infer that if treatment is not pursued or searched for, serious ramifications will occur. The word that means pursued or searched for is “sought” (past tense of “to seek”).

Example Question #16 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Dehydration is a potentially serious medical condition that arrives when a patients’ metabolic processes are disrupted by a lack of water in the body. 2 What can cause dehydration? 3 Dehydration can be caused by overexertion, sickness (vomiting or diarrhea), or sun exposure; among other factors. 4 Treatments for dehydration include: drinking small quantities of clear fluid and intravenous hydration. 5 Symptoms of dehydration vary by the severance of water loss, but the most common signs are increased thirst, a swollen tongue, dizziness, weakness, and fainting. 6 If treatment is not sanctioned quickly dehydration can result in delirium, seizures, and even death. 7 Dehydration is most often a problem in the developing world, where insect- and water-borne disease and a lack of accessible medical care causing many preventable infant fatalities.

In Sentence 1, what word should replace “arrives”?

Possible Answers:

enlivens

arrives (no change)

survives

arises

deprives

Correct answer:

arises

Explanation:

This is a question of standard word usage. A medical condition would arise, or begin to occur, and not arrive, or reach a new location

Example Question #341 : Improving And Correcting Sentences

1 Visitors to Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, or other United States are often astounded when they encounter an Amish person. 2 To someone who is not familiar with this religious community, the lifestyle seems to harp back to a bygone era. 3 In particular the Amish are known for their plain garments, their eschewal of modern technology, their use of horses and buggies, and their exquisite handicrafts, including: wooden furniture, intricate quilts, and fruit pies. 4 Contact with the outside world is limited, and communities are often as insolent now as when they emigrated from Switzerland in the 1700s.

5 The people are governed strictly in their auspicious behavior, dress, and lifestyle by a set of rules known as Ordnung, and most speak both Pennsylvania Dutch and English. 6 Their religious beliefs are most closely related to Mennonites, and they observe many common Christian practices: baptism, marriage, and Sunday church services, for example. 7 Whereas, the Amish also practice rumspringa, a period of adolescent exploration, as well as excommunication and shunning to exclude those who do not conform to the community’s beliefs and practices. 8 What does life look like inside an Amish community? 9 Wherewithal, there seem to be both positive and negative aspects to this emphasis on family ties, manual labor, and religious belief.

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

Possible Answers:

insular

insolent (no change)

insalubrious

insatiable

insubordinate

Correct answer:

insular

Explanation:

Based on the context of the sentence, we can infer that we’re looking for a word that means isolated or withdrawn. “Insolent,” which means rude or impolite, doesn’t fit this meaning, and neither does “insalubrious” (unhealthy), “insubordinate” (disobedient), or “insatiable” (unable to be satisfied). “Insular” means pertaining to an island or isolated environment, which fits the sentence well.

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