Idioms

Link of the Day

Michelangelo Buonarroti was born on March 6th 1475. He was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer. His skill and versatility in all of his undertakings make him an excellent example of a "Renaissance Man." You can learn more about Michelangelo here.

6/28 Identifying Sentence Errors

The following sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. If the sentence contains an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence contains no error, select choice E.

When you are working on an Identifying Sentence Errors question, read the sentence and focus on anything that stands out and sounds wrong or strange. Then determine whether that part of the sentence actually has an error. Always double-check the other sections of the sentence to verify that they are correct as they are written.

Between 1508 Ato 1512, Michelangelo, Bworking on a scaffold 60 feet above the floor, painted the vaulted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome Cwith hundreds of giant figures Dthat represented his vision of the world’s creation. ENo error

As you are reading this sentence carefully, (A) should stand out. (A) is an idiomatic error. The correct way to word the sentence is "Between 1508 and 1512 . . .  ." Even if you have already spotted an error, it's important to double check the remaining sections to make sure that they are error free. (B) might seem a little out of place at first, but if you notice that it is part of a phrase between 2 commas (it is a phrase that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence), then it makes grammatical sense. (C) and (D) are also error-free. Since you have already identified an error, (E) cannot be the correct answer.

The correct answer choice is (A)

On sat.collegeboard.org 57% of the responses were correct.

Want more help with grammar? Visit myknowsys.com! 

Modifiers

Link of the Day

American artist Willem de Kooning was born in 1904 in the Netherlands. He was famous for blending elements of Cubism, Surrealism, and Expressionism. Although his paintings often seem to express anger and strong emotion, he is considered to have been one of the most technically skilled artists of the New York School. Learn more about de Kooning here. 

6/19 Improving Sentences

Part or all of the following sentence is underlined; beneath the sentence are five ways of phrasing the underlined material. Select the option that produces the best sentence. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the other alternatives, select choice A.

When you are working on an "Improving Sentences" problem, it is always a good idea to carefully read the sentence as it is and look for an error. If possible, always try to predict a way to fix the sentence. Even though your prediction may not match the correct answer (there are often several different ways to fix an error), it will help you to identify the key grammatical principles that are being tested.

Combining both figurative and abstract elements in his paintings, such painters as Franze Kline and Richard Deibenkorn were greatly influenced by American artist Willem de Kooning, a key figure in the post-war Abstract Expressionist movement.

Participles

Link of the Day

Frida Kahlo is famous for her self-portraits and for her ability to blend surrealism with elements of her traditional Mexican culture. This site has a short biography and images of all her works. Look through them and consider how they make you feel. Some are sad, some simple, some downright creepy. Pick a few favorites and memorize the details around them--the date they were composed, the subject matter, the color scheme, and Kahlo's situation when she created the paintings--and you can use them as Excellent Examples that will really make your essay stand out. 

4/20 Improving Sentences

Part or all of the following sentence is underlined; beneath the sentence are five ways of phrasing the underlined material. Select the option that produces the best sentence. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice A.

Always take the time to read carefully and make a prediction before looking at the answer choices. You should also avoid looking at choice A since it is the same as the original sentence.

Mexican Painter Frida Kahlo drew inspiration from her Mexican heritage, where she incorporated native and religious symbols into her work.

The word "where" does not fit in this sentence because heritage is not a location. Obviously, Kahlo incorporated symbols of her heritage into her work, so some form of the word "incorporated" is still needed in the sentence. You might want to use "incorporated" as your prediction, but check the sentence:

Mexican Painter Frida Kahlo drew inspiration from her Mexican heritage, incorporated native and religious symbols into her work.

The word "incorporated" alone does not work. It is a verb, but the sentence does not provide a subject. What you need is something that looks like a verb, but doesn't act like one. For example, the participle "incorporating." Now that you have a prediction, look at the answer choices.

Sentence Completions

Before I start on today's SAT question, I want to take a moment to start a new tradition. The SAT Question of the Day helps to prepare you for multiple choice questions and, to some extent, the grid-ins, but it does not prepare you for the essay. I will attempt to post a link here each day to give you some background on the question of the day and to provide some examples you can memorize to use in your essay.

Link of the Day: 

http://www.diegorivera.com/
Click on "Gallery" or "Murals" to see some of Diego Rivera's artwork.

3/20 Sentence Completions

Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted into the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole. 

The instructions for the Sentence Completions sections on the real SAT are longer, but they don't actually say anything more than this. Memorize these instructions, and you can save time on the SAT by not reading their directions! In addition, always remember to use the Knowsys Method and predict every answer.

Despite their ------ proportions, the murals of Diego Rivera give his Mexican compatriots the sense that their history is ------ and human in scale, not remote and larger than life. 

The final phrase, "not remote and larger than life," suggests that the second blank will have a word meaning either "small" or "close." Take a look at the answer choices to narrow down your options.

A) monumental... accessible

B) focused... prolonged

C) vast... ancient

D) realistic... extraneous

E) narrow... overwhelming. 

Only accessible means "close." Look at the first blank to double-check. Murals are large, so you could use "large" as your prediction in the first blank. Fortunately, "large" is exactly what monumental means. The answer is A.

Despite their monumental proportions, the murals of Diego Rivera give his Mexican compatriots the sense that their history is accessible and human in scale, not remote and larger than life.

Words tested in this SC:
monumental: large, grand, and imposing
accessible: easy to approach, reach, enter, or use
focused: concentrated
prolonged: lengthy in duration, extended
vast: very large or wide
ancient: of or in a time long past
realistic: expressed or represented as accurate
extraneous: not essential; extra
narrow: slim, slender; restrictive "a narrow interpretation"
overwhelming: overpowering, staggering; very great or intense.


On sat.collegeboard.org, 64% of responses were correct.


Need to build your SAT Vocab?  Visit www.myknowsys.com to check out the Knowsys Vocabulary Builder Program.