SAT Writing : Improving Paragraphs

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Writing

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Example Questions

Example Question #91 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Want to book a copacetic hotel, or dine at a premier restaurant? 2Your best bet may be: to consult a Michelin Red Guide. 3 These guides have been published by a French company since 1900 and using anonymous “inspectors” to award establishments either zero, one, two, and three stars. (4 Yes, the same company also manufactures tires. 5 It employs more than 100,000 people. 6 The guides were actually established in order for encouraging people to take more car trips to slavish hotels and exclusive restaurants.) 7 Nowadays the Michelin Guides are regarded by some as the ultimate abetters of taste.

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

Possible Answers:

covalent

coherent

communal

copacetic (no change)

comprehensible

Correct answer:

copacetic (no change)

Explanation:

“Copacetic,” which means excellent, is a great fit for this sentence. None of the other adjectives could apply to a hotel.

Example Question #92 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Have you ever heard of the Arts and Crafts movement? 2 The Arts and Crafts movement was an artistic revival of traditional craftsmanship that occurred in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the British Isles, Europe, and North America. 3 Scholars contempt that the movement was predicted on the assumption that medieval and folk art was superior to contemporary arts and decorations. 4 As such the movement deemed to correct the debasement of the decorative arts and promote beauty and fine craftsmanship.5 It was also a reaction to the increased industrialization of the Victorian age. 6 Some key figures in the movement’s inception were writer, John Ruskin, artist, William Morris, and, architect and designer, A. W. N. Pugin. 7 The movement extended to visual art, interior decorating, architecture, landscaping, and textile design, a widespread influence until it was eventually upstaged by Modernism.

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

Possible Answers:

predicted (no change)

predicated 

predeceased

predated

predestined

Correct answer:

predicated 

Explanation:

The only one of these words that works with the preposition “on” is “predicated,” and it also fits the meaning of the sentence. If something is predicated on an assumption, it is based on that assumption.

Example Question #93 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Have you ever heard of the Arts and Crafts movement? 2 The Arts and Crafts movement was an artistic revival of traditional craftsmanship that occurred in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the British Isles, Europe, and North America. 3 Scholars contempt that the movement was predicted on the assumption that medieval and folk art was superior to contemporary arts and decorations. 4 As such the movement deemed to correct the debasement of the decorative arts and promote beauty and fine craftsmanship.5 It was also a reaction to the increased industrialization of the Victorian age. 6 Some key figures in the movement’s inception were writer, John Ruskin, artist, William Morris, and, architect and designer, A. W. N. Pugin. 7 The movement extended to visual art, interior decorating, architecture, landscaping, and textile design, a widespread influence until it was eventually upstaged by Modernism.

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

Possible Answers:

seemed

deemed

aimed

prevailed

failed

Correct answer:

aimed

Explanation:

This answer has to be derived through close rereading and awareness of context. While many of these words sound correct in the sentence, only “aimed to” provides the correct meaning for the passage.

Example Question #94 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Have you ever heard of the Arts and Crafts movement? 2 The Arts and Crafts movement was an artistic revival of traditional craftsmanship that occurred in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the British Isles, Europe, and North America. 3 Scholars contempt that the movement was predicted on the assumption that medieval and folk art was superior to contemporary arts and decorations. 4 As such the movement deemed to correct the debasement of the decorative arts and promote beauty and fine craftsmanship.5 It was also a reaction to the increased industrialization of the Victorian age. 6 Some key figures in the movement’s inception were writer, John Ruskin, artist, William Morris, and, architect and designer, A. W. N. Pugin. 7 The movement extended to visual art, interior decorating, architecture, landscaping, and textile design, a widespread influence until it was eventually upstaged by Modernism.

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

Possible Answers:

contextualize

contemplate

contempt (no change)

contretemps

contend

Correct answer:

contend

Explanation:

Based on context, it’s safe to assume that we want a word that means argue or assert. “Contend” has this meaning, while “contempt,” a noun that means scorn or hatred, does not.

Example Question #95 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Have you ever heard of the Arts and Crafts movement? 2 The Arts and Crafts movement was an artistic revival of traditional craftsmanship that occurred in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the British Isles, Europe, and North America. 3 Scholars contempt that the movement was predicted on the assumption that medieval and folk art was superior to contemporary arts and decorations. 4 As such the movement deemed to correct the debasement of the decorative arts and promote beauty and fine craftsmanship.5 It was also a reaction to the increased industrialization of the Victorian age. 6 Some key figures in the movement’s inception were writer, John Ruskin, artist, William Morris, and, architect and designer, A. W. N. Pugin. 7 The movement extended to visual art, interior decorating, architecture, landscaping, and textile design, a widespread influence until it was eventually upstaged by Modernism.

In Sentence 5, which of the following words could not replace “increased”?

Possible Answers:

escalated

heightened

attenuated

raised

augmented

Correct answer:

attenuated

Explanation:

“Attenuated,” which means weakened, is not a synonym for “increased.” All the other words are.

Example Question #96 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Have you ever heard of the Arts and Crafts movement? 2 The Arts and Crafts movement was an artistic revival of traditional craftsmanship that occurred in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the British Isles, Europe, and North America. 3 Scholars contempt that the movement was predicted on the assumption that medieval and folk art was superior to contemporary arts and decorations. 4 As such the movement deemed to correct the debasement of the decorative arts and promote beauty and fine craftsmanship.5 It was also a reaction to the increased industrialization of the Victorian age. 6 Some key figures in the movement’s inception were writer, John Ruskin, artist, William Morris, and, architect and designer, A. W. N. Pugin. 7 The movement extended to visual art, interior decorating, architecture, landscaping, and textile design, a widespread influence until it was eventually upstaged by Modernism.

In Sentence 4, what word could not replace “debasement”?

Possible Answers:

decay

degeneration

degradation

devaluation

deviation

Correct answer:

deviation

Explanation:

“Debasement,” or the lowering of the value of something, is a synonym of “degradation,” “degeneration,” “decay,” and “devaluation.” “Deviation” means departure from what is expected.

Example Question #97 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Seaweed; a type of algae that’s a promising resource for the future. 2 It can be used with a fuel, medicine, fuel source, and even fertilizer. 3 Often being both farmed or foraged. 4 In Indonesia, China, Korea, and the Philippines are among the world’s largest producers of seaweed, it is used for everything from sushi and bread to dessert. 5 Medically, speaking derivatives of seaweed can be optimized in bandages, dental molds, and microbiology cultures. 6 Girls especially will squeal when they hear that seaweed’s components are used to make many pretty makeup products. 7 It should come as no surprise, then, that countries around the world are investing significant capital in seaweed research.

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

Possible Answers:

utilized

incentivized

minimized

optimized (no change)

maximized

Correct answer:

utilized

Explanation:

Here, we’re looking for a synonym for “used.” “Utilized” means used, while “optimized” means made the best, “incentivized” means gave someone a reason to do something, “maximized” means made the largest, and “minimized” means made the smallest.

Example Question #98 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Seaweed; a type of algae that’s a promising resource for the future. 2 It can be used with a fuel, medicine, fuel source, and even fertilizer. 3 Often being both farmed or foraged. 4 In Indonesia, China, Korea, and the Philippines are among the world’s largest producers of seaweed, it is used for everything from sushi and bread to dessert. 5 Medically, speaking derivatives of seaweed can be optimized in bandages, dental molds, and microbiology cultures. 6 Girls especially will squeal when they hear that seaweed’s components are used to make many pretty makeup products. 7 It should come as no surprise, then, that countries around the world are investing significant capital in seaweed research.

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

Possible Answers:

charitable

capybara

capital (no change)

caprice

carapace

Correct answer:

capital (no change)

Explanation:

“Capital,” which means money invested at the start of a new project, is exactly the right word to use here. "Charity" involves financial or practical contribution to a socially helpful cause. "Caprice" refers to an unpredictable change of some sort.

Example Question #99 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 The job is similar to a music editor, who creates and merges songs, background music, and other sound effects to create a particular atmosphere. 2 While most Americans today are cognizant of film jobs such as director, producer, actor, and even screenwriter. 3 Few know much about the role of film editor. 4 This job involves mostly post-production work, with the editor choosing that parts of the raw footage to move, combine, or separate. 5 Without the film editor, there would only be a bewitching jumble of disordered chaotic images. 6 Sometimes more than ten times as much film is shot than is used in the final cut of the movie. 7 Film editors, also have the ability to impose experimental approaches, discontinuity, or emotional manipulation as he sees fit. 8 Film editing truly is a critical and undervalued art. 

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

Possible Answers:

cogitable

cognitive

cognizant (no change)

cogent

cogitative

Correct answer:

cognizant (no change)

Explanation:

“Cognizant of,” a synonym for “aware of,” is actually the best choice for the sentence. While all of the other words are related to knowledge, only “cognizant” makes sense in the context of Americans knowing about various film jobs.

Example Question #421 : Improving And Correcting Sentences

1 They will look hideous, but in some part of the world gooseneck barnacles are trendy delicacies. 2 They are harvested mainly in northern Spain and Portugal, where they are known as, percebes, and in California. 3 Barnacles can be cooked in a variety of ways including in boiling water and hot ash. 4 It is remarkable for its rubbery texture, ugly black color, and claw like shape. 5 Barnacles are also difficult to collect, living on cliff sides and rocks in tumid coastal zones. 6 They are commonly served with lemon, garlic aioli, parsley, and melted butter. 7 They are sometimes even eaten raw! 8 In medieval times people actually believed that gooseneck barnacles gave birth to a species of black goose, henceforth the name.

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

Possible Answers:

tepid

temperate

telluric

tumid (no change)

tumultuous

Correct answer:

tumultuous

Explanation:

Based on context, the best choice for the sentence is “tumultuous,” which means chaotic or stormy. “Tumid” means swollen or pompous, “temperate” means moderate, “telluric” means a type of electrical current, and “tepid” means lukewarm.

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