All SAT Writing Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #31 : Rewriting A Full Sentence
1 One such example of regional cooking could be found in the American South. 2 Wherefore foods such as gumbo, barbecue, fried chicken, and watermelons can now be found all across the country, it was once specific to states south of the Mason-Dixon line. 3 And while Southern cuisine has been influenced by Native American tribes, Scottish immigrants, and Cajun settlers, one of the most significant culinary inspirations came from the South’s black population. 4 Dishes such as cornbread, succotash, collard or turnip greens, pimento cheese, crawfish, and sweet tea all hale from the South, as well. 5 For example, okra, black-eyed peas, and sorghum are all foods brought to America and cultivated by African slaves. 6 Soon, soul food (a sometimes contentious term among black chefs) began to be served in black-owned restaurants in the South. 7 Borne out of competing cultural influences and not-infrequent strife, it should be no surprise that Southern food remains a complex delicious cuisine to this day.
Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier and needs to be rewritten?
Sentence 6
Sentence 4
Sentence 5
Sentence 7
Sentence 3
Sentence 7
In Sentence 7, we have a modifier (“Borne out of competing cultural influences and not-infrequent strife”) that should be describing Southern cuisine, but it appears in the wrong part of the sentence and instead ends up describing “it.” To fix this error, the sentence could be rewritten as follows: “Borne out of competing cultural influences and not-infrequent strife, Southern food unsurprisingly remains a complex delicious cuisine to this day.”
Example Question #32 : Rewriting A Full Sentence
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.
How should Sentence 1 be rewritten?
Glass: a material most people take for granted, is an essential constitute of modern life.
Glass, a material most people take for granted; is an essential constitute of modern life.
Glass; a material most people take for granted, is an essential constitute of modern life. (no change)
Glass, a material most people take for granted, is an essential constitute of modern life.
Glass, a material most people take for granted: is an essential constitute of modern life.
Glass, a material most people take for granted, is an essential constitute of modern life.
Here, we have a parenthetical clause (“a material most people take for granted”) splitting up an independent clause (“Glass is an essential constitute of modern life”). Commas or parentheses must be used to set off parenthetical clauses; other punctuation marks are incorrect.
Example Question #31 : Rewriting A Full Sentence
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.
How should Sentence 2 be rewritten?
Insert a comma after “history” and replace the semicolon with a comma.
Insert a comma after “history”
No rewriting is necessary
Remove the semicolon
Replace the semicolon with a comma
Replace the semicolon with a comma
Here, a semicolon is incorrectly separating a dependent and an independent clause. A comma must replace this semicolon for the sentence to be accurately punctuated.
Example Question #34 : Rewriting A Full Sentence
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.
How should Sentence 4 be rewritten?
This process can be tailored to create the desired end product; be they stained glass windows for a church and glass fibers for thermal insulation.
This process can be tailored to create the desired end product, be they stained glass windows for a church and glass fibers for thermal insulation.
This process can be tailored to create the desired end product, be that stained glass windows for a church or glass fibers for thermal insulation.
This process can be tailored to create the desired end product; be that stained glass windows for a church or glass fibers for thermal insulation.
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. (no change)
This process can be tailored to create the desired end product, be that stained glass windows for a church or glass fibers for thermal insulation.
The correct grammatical construction is “be that __________ or __________.” Since the second part of the sentence is a dependent clause, a comma and not a semicolon should precede “be.”
Example Question #35 : Rewriting A Full Sentence
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?
How should Sentence 2 be rewritten?
It has many negative consequences, however, and many activists have raised concerns about sustainability, environmental risks, and ethics.
It has many negative consequences; however, and many activists have raised concerns about sustainability, environmental risks, and ethics. (no change)
It has many negative consequences however and many activists have raised concerns about sustainability, environmental risks, and ethics.
It has many negative consequences, however and many activists have raised concerns about sustainability, environmental risks, and ethics.
It has many negative consequences, however; and many activists have raised concerns about sustainability, environmental risks, and ethics.
It has many negative consequences, however, and many activists have raised concerns about sustainability, environmental risks, and ethics.
In Sentence 2, we have two independent clauses (“It has many negative consequences” and “many activists have raised concerns about sustainability, environmental risks, and ethics”) being separated by a conjunction (“however” serves as an introductory clause to the second independent clause). Following general punctuation rules, we need a comma and not a semicolon before the conjunction that separates these two independent clauses. Moreover, as a general rule of thumb, “however” needs a comma after it.
Example Question #41 : Improving Paragraphs
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.
How should Sentence 8 be rewritten?
While light is not scarce today: in fact, we often have the opposite problem.
While light is not scarce today, in fact, we often have the opposite problem.
While light is not scarce today, in fact; we often have the opposite problem.
While light is not scarce today; in fact, we often have the opposite problem. (no change)
Light is not scarce today; in fact, we often have the opposite problem.
Light is not scarce today; in fact, we often have the opposite problem.
In the original sentence, there is a dependent clause incorrectly separated from an independent clause with a semicolon. The correct answer choice fixes this error by changing the dependent clause into an independent clause, allowing us to keep the semicolon.
Example Question #42 : Improving Paragraphs
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.
In Sentence 3, what punctuation mark should replace the semicolon?
, (comma)
: (colon)
- (hyphen)
; (semicolon)
/ (slash)
: (colon)
Here, we have an independent clause introducing a list, so the best punctuation is a colon. Note that semicolons must be both preceded and followed by an independent clause, and "burning lumps of tallow or animal fat, capturing fireflies, and even threading wicks..." does not have a specified subject, and therefore could not be its own sentence, and thus, by definition, is not a independent clause.
Example Question #41 : Correcting Grammatical Errors In A Full Sentence
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.
How should Sentence 4 be rewritten?
Wigs have been used as fashion accessories, costume components, and to disguise baldness. (no change)
Wigs have been used as fashion accessories, and costume components; and to disguise baldness.
Wigs have been used as fashion accessories, costume components, and as disguises for baldness.
Wigs have been used as fashion accessories and costume components; and to disguise baldness.
Wigs have been used as fashion accessories, costume components, and disguises for baldness.
Wigs have been used as fashion accessories, costume components, and disguises for baldness.
The original sentence has faulty parallelism. We need to make sure that every item in the list is the same part of speech and is separated with commas.
Example Question #41 : Correcting Grammatical Errors In A Full Sentence
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.
How should Sentence 3 be rewritten?
Historically, wigs have served various functions and took a number of forms.
Historically, wigs served a variety of functions and taken a number of forms.
Historically, wigs have served a variety of functions and been taking a number of forms.
Historically, wigs have served a variety of functions and took a number of forms. (no change)
Historically, wigs have served a variety of functions and taken a number of forms.
Historically, wigs have served a variety of functions and taken a number of forms.
Here, we have a problem with faulty parallelism. The verb tenses should match, and the correct answer effectively changes the second verb to present perfect.
Example Question #45 : 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.
How should Sentence 4 be rewritten?
Invasive species such as kudzu, Asian carp, and zebra mussels cause problems.
Invasive species cause problems such as kudzu, Asian carp, and zebra mussels.
Invasive species cause problems: such as kudzu, Asian carp, and zebra mussels.
Invasive species, such as kudzu, Asian carp, and zebra mussels, cause problems.
Invasive species cause problems, such as kudzu, Asian carp, and zebra mussels. (no change)
Invasive species such as kudzu, Asian carp, and zebra mussels cause problems.
The original sentence contains a misplaced modifier, with the list of species incorrectly modifying the word “problems” and not “species.” Generally, no comma is needed before the phrase “such as.”
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