SAT Writing : SAT Writing

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Writing

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Example Questions

Example Question #1131 : Sat Writing

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

An actress who struggles with memorization should study their lines dailyNo error

Possible Answers:

who

their

No error

memorization

daily

Correct answer:

their

Explanation:

"Their" is a possessive pronoun that indicates that an object belongs to several owners. However, this sentence refers to a single actress, so the lines only belong to one person. Therefore, the best pronoun to use is "her" because it matches the singular nature of the subject: she should study her lines. The correct sentence would be "An actress who struggles with memorization should study her lines daily."

Example Question #1132 : Sat Writing

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

A professor who assigns an unreasonable amount of reading for their students may never earn the class's approval. No error

Possible Answers:

their

class's

No error

may

who

Correct answer:

their

Explanation:

"Their" is a possessive pronoun that indicates that someone belongs to several people. This sentence, however, refers to a single subject (a professor), so the best pronoun to use is one that signifies that an object belongs to one person: in this case, his students. Even though "students" is plural, the plurality of the object does not impact the possessive pronoun. Only the plurality of the subject matters, so "his" is the correct pronoun, making the corrected sentence "A professor who assigns an unreasonable amount of reading for his students may never earn the class's approval."

Example Question #1133 : Sat Writing

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Penelope always thought of the most fabulous witty comebacks two hours after the situation in which she could have used itNo error

Possible Answers:

the most

No error

two hours after

it

thought

Correct answer:

it

Explanation:

In this sentence, the pronoun “it” (singular) refers to “witty comebacks” (plural). These words should agree in number. The corrected sentence reads, "Penelope always thought of the most fabulous witty comebacks two hours after the situation in which she could have used them."

Example Question #1134 : Sat Writing

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

The queen and king agreed that no merchant should ever be knighted, no matter how great a difference they made for the country. No error

Possible Answers:

No error

they

be knighted

that

The queen

Correct answer:

they

Explanation:

In the above sentence, the clause "no merchant should ever be knighted" is being modified by the phrase "no matter how great a difference they made for the country," which means that the pronoun "they" has the antecedent "merchant." Since "merchant" is singular, the pronoun(s) used to replace "merchant" should also be singular—in this case, "he or she."

Example Question #1135 : Sat Writing

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

The threat of the winter storm caused Bob to delay his flight to New York to visit their family for Christmas. No error

Possible Answers:

their

caused

No error

to visit

to delay

Correct answer:

their

Explanation:

In this sentence, an error occurs when the possessive plural pronoun "their" is used to refer to a singular masculine antecedent, "Bob." Instead of using the plural possessive pronoun "their," one should use the singular masculine possessive pronoun "his."

Example Question #1136 : Sat Writing

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

The toucan is primarily recognized by its bright colors; they are painted a vibrant mixture of red, yellow, and blue. No error

Possible Answers:

red, yellow, and blue

its

primarily

they are

No error

Correct answer:

they are

Explanation:

The plural pronoun "they" refers back to the subject of the first part of the sentence, "The toucan." Since this noun is singular, the pronoun should be too. Changing "they" to "it" corrects the sentence's error. The corrected sentence reads, "The toucan is primarily recognized by its bright colors; it is painted a mixture of vibrant red, yellow, and blue."

Example Question #1137 : Sat Writing

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

After days of deliberation, the hiring committee has decided to interview their three most promising candidates for the executive director position. No error

Possible Answers:

their

has decided

deliberation

executive director

No error

Correct answer:

their

Explanation:

"Their" should be changed to "its." The pronoun must agree with the noun that precedes it, and in this case the noun, "committee," is singular.

Note: Standardized tests in the United States tend to treat collective nouns (such as "committee," "team," or "jury") as singular. While it is grammatically correct to treat them as plural if all members of the collective are doing different things, they are treated as singular if all group members are doing the same thing (as in this case, all on the committee are deciding to interview), which is usually the case on standardized tests.

Example Question #1138 : Sat Writing

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

After Professor Clarke told Daisy and Margaret that she could turn in another paper for extra credit, they worked hard through the night to complete the assignment. No error

Possible Answers:

they

No error

After

to complete

she

Correct answer:

she

Explanation:

Since Professor Clarke is speaking to both Daisy and Margaret, the pronoun "she" is used incorrectly here—whom is "she" referring to? "She" should be changed to "they" to reflect that both women are being spoken to by Professor Clarke.

Example Question #1139 : Sat Writing

Select the underlined portion of the sentence below that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Paul and Tom had a great time working together; he make a good team. No error

Possible Answers:

he

together

No error

great 

Paul and Tom

Correct answer:

he

Explanation:

Because Paul and Tom are a unified unit, they become a group of more than one. As such, the plural pronoun "they" should be used to refer to them, meaning that "he" in the sentence is incorrect.

The correct version of this sentence would read: "Paul and Tom had a great time working together; they make a good team."

Example Question #1140 : Sat Writing

Select the underlined portion of the sentence below that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Neither Paula nor Mark, had a good time at the party: they were both bored out of their minds. No error

Possible Answers:

Neither Paula nor Mark

good

they

their

No error

Correct answer:

No error

Explanation:

Although there is a "nor" separating Paula and Mark, they are still being treated as a single, plural unit in the second clause. Therefore, the sentence is correct as written. "They" and "their" correspond to the plural antecedent group of "Paula and Mark."

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