SAT Writing : Improving Paragraphs

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Writing

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Example Questions

Example Question #791 : Improving Paragraphs

1 That’s why codes of discipline have arisen for raising factual or difficult children. 2 Some experts avow for strict authoritative castigation at all times while others argue for gentle or praise centric approaches. 3 Many parents find themselves confounded with the problem of unruly children. 4 Most adults however can agree that consistency and consequences are two key components of disciplining any child from the most pugilist to the most mild-mannered. 5 Being too permissive or too authoritarian can ultimately result with many instances of bad behavior.

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

Possible Answers:

puerile

pubescent

pugnacious

purblind

pugilistpubescent

Correct answer:

pugnacious

Explanation:

While the two words are derived from the same root, “pugilist” means a boxer and “pugnacious” means aggressive or eager to fight – two very different meanings. “Pubescent” means developing into an adult, “puerile” means childish or silly, and “purblind” means literally or figuratively blind. We know from context that “pugnacious” – an antonym to “mild-mannered” – is the only word that makes sense here.

Example Question #792 : Improving Paragraphs

1 Generally, a person will tell you they prefer not to have their food burned. 2 Because caramel: a delicious sticky dessert, is actually made by slowly burning sugar. 3 A copper saucepan, a candy thermometer, and sugar and water are all you need to make this lascivious treat. 4 Although some chefs prefer to use their eyes and nose rather than a thermometer. 5 Desserts that will be made from caramel, including ice cream, pies, crème brûlée, candy apples, nougats, flan, and pralines. 6 However it may take many disastrous attempts and scorched pans while the amateur caramel maker achieves the golden, buttery perfection of this tasty dessert.

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

Possible Answers:

lustrous

lassitude

lascivious (no change)

lacerated

luscious

Correct answer:

luscious

Explanation:

While “lascivious” means lustful and is clearly not the right fit for the sentence, “luscious,” or rich and delicious, is. (“Lustrous” means shiny or polished, “lacerated” means severely cut, and “lassitude” means lethargy or apathy.)

Example Question #793 : Improving Paragraphs

1 Whether or not you are superstitious. 2 Fortunetelling has played a major role in many cultures.3 Also known as divination. 4 Western fortunetelling arose from the Romani people and such as reading tea leaves’, gazing into crystal balls, tarot reading, palmistry, and observing the flights, innards, or eating patterns of birds. 5 In William Shakespeare’s famous play “Julius Caesar,” for example, a soothsayer warns the soon to be assassinated Caesar to beware the Ides of March. 6 Western fortunetelling has also been influenced by Eastern divination methods such as the I Ching and to read coffee beans. 7 Unfortunately several major religions prescribe fortunetelling with very degrees of severity. 8 Despite, fortunetelling still thrives in contemporary culture, psychics and Magic-8 balls are just two of many fun ways to attempt to see into the future.

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

Possible Answers:

vernacularly

very

variously

varietally

varying

Correct answer:

varying

Explanation:

“Very” is an adverb incorrectly modifying a noun. The only part of speech that makes sense in this construction is an adjective, and only “varying” is an adjective.

Example Question #794 : Improving Paragraphs

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 7, what word should replace “abetters”?

Possible Answers:

adders

arbors

abetters (no change)

ardors

arbiters

Correct answer:

arbiters

Explanation:

An “abetter,” someone who helps or encourages someone else in wrongdoing, has little to do with the Michelin Guides. An “arbiter,” something that passes judgments or influences others’ decisions, describes the Michelin Guides’ role in society.

Example Question #795 : Improving Paragraphs

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 6, what word should replace “slavish”?

Possible Answers:

ersatz

lascivious

lavish

garrulous

slavish

Correct answer:

lavish

Explanation:

“Lavish” means rich, luxurious, or fancy and fits well with the concept of the passage. (“Slavish” means in the manner of a slave, “ersatz” means artificial or false, “lascivious” means lewd or lustful, and “garrulous” means overly talkative.)

Example Question #3339 : Sat Writing

1 Ethnography: sounds erogenous but is simply a study of a culture or group of people.2 Originating in the field of anthropology, later becoming popular in sociology and other disciplines. 3 Ethnographies typically include: descriptions of geography, religion, economy, social behaviors, rituals and histories. 4 Most early ethnographies were written by ex-patriot European explorers traveling outside their home continent; though by some standards the Greek historian Herodotus was producing protoplasmic ethnographies hundreds of years before the Age of Exploration. 5 Ethnographies can take forms ranging from the confessional, the feminist, the critical, and the realist but most are qualitative and descriptive rather than quantitative and statistical. 6 Some attempt to provide fairly objective observations of a group or society, others have the anterior motive of empowering marginalized or repressed cultures.7 This group or culture may include anything from a fraternity to a particular Uruguayan village. 8 Today ethnographers often immerse themselves fully in the lives of their subjects, be they powerful politicians and impoverished blue-collar workers.

In Sentence 1, what word should replace "erogenous?"

Possible Answers:

erotic

erogenous (no change)

erroneous

esoteric

ergonomic

Correct answer:

esoteric

Explanation:

“Erogenous,” which describes parts of the body with heightened sensitivity and which often has sexual connotations, is definitely not the right word for the sentence. “Esoteric,” which means abstruse, obscure, or understood by only a small number of people, is a much more appropriate term for the context.

Example Question #3340 : Sat Writing

1 The job of the cryptozoologist is a taciturn one for sure. 2 Being unlike ordinary zoologists, that study the behaviors and lives of a cathartic variety of animals, cryptozoologists track down mythical animals whose existence has never or rarely been proven.

3 There is the Congolese J'ba FoFi, an enormous spider with legs allegedly over three feet long, the mokèlé-mbèmbé, a deadly African water dinosaur, and the phantom cat, an abnormally large feline found in various improbably places. 4 The origins of the word “cryptozoologist” come from the ancient Greek, crypto meaning “hidden” and “zoo” meaning animal.5 Some of the most famous of these mythical animals or cryptids are Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and Chupacabra. 6 Many denizens consider cryptozoologists to be pseudoscientists; but, they believe that the discipline’s reliance on anecdotal evidence does not exclude it from the world of serious science.

7 Many of these animals seem too incredible to be believed and yes evidence is often flimsy, but the existence of fossil records sometimes provide evidence to the contrary. 8 As such many doubters attempt to machinate the cryptids’ existence, but cryptozoologists aim to abolish their skepticism.

In Sentence 1, what words should replace “a taciturn?”

Possible Answers:

a taciturn (no change)

a prolix

an intriguing

a garrulous

a loquacious

Correct answer:

an intriguing

Explanation:

Once you’ve read the rest of the passage, you should be able to infer that “intriguing,” or interesting and fascinating, is the best choice for the sentence. The other word choices all describe talkativeness or quietness, which don’t make sense in a sentence about an occupation.

Example Question #791 : Improving Paragraphs

1 The job of the cryptozoologist is a taciturn one for sure. 2 Being unlike ordinary zoologists, that study the behaviors and lives of a cathartic variety of animals, cryptozoologists track down mythical animals whose existence has never or rarely been proven.

3 There is the Congolese J'ba FoFi, an enormous spider with legs allegedly over three feet long, the mokèlé-mbèmbé, a deadly African water dinosaur, and the phantom cat, an abnormally large feline found in various improbably places. 4 The origins of the word “cryptozoologist” come from the ancient Greek, crypto meaning “hidden” and “zoo” meaning animal.5 Some of the most famous of these mythical animals or cryptids are Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and Chupacabra. 6 Many denizens consider cryptozoologists to be pseudoscientists; but, they believe that the discipline’s reliance on anecdotal evidence does not exclude it from the world of serious science.

7 Many of these animals seem too incredible to be believed and yes evidence is often flimsy, but the existence of fossil records sometimes provide evidence to the contrary. 8 As such many doubters attempt to machinate the cryptids’ existence, but cryptozoologists aim to abolish their skepticism.

In Sentence 8, what word should replace “machinate?”

Possible Answers:

reiterate

debunk

shirk

machinate (no change)

equivocate

Correct answer:

debunk

Explanation:

To “machinate” is to scheme, to “equivocate” is to use ambiguous language in order to mislead, to “shirk” is to avoid something, and to “reiterate” is to say something again for added emphasis. None of these words make sense in the sentence, so we’re left with “debunk,” which means to expose something as false.

Example Question #792 : Improving Paragraphs

1 The job of the cryptozoologist is a taciturn one for sure. 2 Being unlike ordinary zoologists, that study the behaviors and lives of a cathartic variety of animals, cryptozoologists track down mythical animals whose existence has never or rarely been proven.

3 There is the Congolese J'ba FoFi, an enormous spider with legs allegedly over three feet long, the mokèlé-mbèmbé, a deadly African water dinosaur, and the phantom cat, an abnormally large feline found in various improbably places. 4 The origins of the word “cryptozoologist” come from the ancient Greek, crypto meaning “hidden” and “zoo” meaning animal.5 Some of the most famous of these mythical animals or cryptids are Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and Chupacabra. 6 Many denizens consider cryptozoologists to be pseudoscientists; but, they believe that the discipline’s reliance on anecdotal evidence does not exclude it from the world of serious science.

7 Many of these animals seem too incredible to be believed and yes evidence is often flimsy, but the existence of fossil records sometimes provide evidence to the contrary. 8 As such many doubters attempt to machinate the cryptids’ existence, but cryptozoologists aim to abolish their skepticism.

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

Possible Answers:

skeptics

iconoclasts

demagogues

spelunkers

denizens (no change)

Correct answer:

skeptics

Explanation:

“Denizens” are residents of a particular place. “Skeptics” are people who doubt something, and is a more specific and accurate word for the context.

Example Question #793 : Improving Paragraphs

1 Biographies exist in various specialized forms. 2 A hagiography is a biography that discusses a saint or other church leader. 3 Many hagiographies focus on a saint’s miracles, martyrdom, and divine connection. 4 They were especially common in the Middle Ages, often appearing as part of a larger collection or calendar of saints.

5 Historians today value these accounts not because the hagiographer is often too worshipful to be critical but also they include good insight into local history. 6 For example, the bestselling Golden Legend was a 13th century compensation of saint stories from more than a hundred different sources. 7 England, Ireland, and the Byzantine Empire were all fertile ground for medieval hagiographies and as such much is known about carnelian life there. 8 These hagiographies also changed focus over the years; shifting from heroic tales of holy warriors and sanctimonious moralistic lessons designed to instruct churchgoers. 9 And gradually fading in popularity.

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

Possible Answers:

byzantium

carnelian (no change)

vermilion

carmine

quotidian

Correct answer:

quotidian

Explanation:

“Quotidian,” or daily, is a word that can describe life and make sense in the broader context of the passage. None of the other adjectives here could describe a type of life, as they are all color names.

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