Pronouns

Link of the Day

Did you watch the State of the Union Address?  If you missed President Obama’s speech, here is a text version.  This could be one of your current events, but it is a long speech, so it might be better to look up a couple of the issues that the President wants to bring before the country.  One of the things the President mentions is preschool.  Read this article and think about how many different themes are mentioned.  Then check the list of previously released essay topics (online or in your Knowsys book on page 229) and imagine how you could use this issue as an excellent example for any of these topics.  It directly relates to many of the SAT questions!

Writing: 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. 

Read the entire original sentence to yourself, listening for errors.  Then quickly check each underlined portion against the Big 8 Grammar Rules.  Mark any error you find, but be sure to check all of the answer choices.

AFormerly called manacles or shackles, handcuffs Bconsist of two metal rings Cjoined by a short chain; once fastened shut, Dit requires a key to open. ENo error

(A) Formerly is an adverb modifying the word “called.”  It is in the correct format with an “–ly” on the end and is as close as possible to the word it modifies.  If you want to be sure that it is correct, substitute a synonym such as “previously” and read the sentence.  The meaning is clear and precise, so there is no error here.

(B) When a verb is underlined make sure that it is in the correct tense and that it matches the subject in number.  Handcuffs still exist, so it is correct to shift from past to present tense in this sentence.  The word “handcuffs” is plural, so the verb “consist” is correct.  You would not say “handcuffs consists.”  The preposition “of” is also idiomatically correct after “consist;” check the frequently-tested idioms list on page 172 of your Knowsys book to confirm this. 

(C) This might be a tempting answer because it has an “–ed” ending.  The tense of a sentence supposed to be as consistent as possible, right?  Think about it this way: if a pair of handcuffs exists now, it was made in the past.  You also cannot change it to any other form, such as “joining,” without changing the meaning of the sentence.  There is no problem with the phrase “joined by.”

(D) When a pronoun like the word “it” is underlined, you must identify its antecedent.  The “it” is supposed to take the place of the noun “handcuffs,” but there is a problem.  “Handcuffs” is plural while “it” is singular.  You need the word “they” instead of the word “it.”  Mark this error.

(E) This answer choice is not correct because you already marked an error.

On sat.collegeboard.org, 54% of the responses were correct.

For more help with SAT writing, visit www.myknowsys.com!

Sentence Completions

Critical Reading: Sentence Completions

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

Always cover your answer choices and use the sentence to predict a response to fill the blanks.  Match your prediction to the correct answer choice, eliminating any words that do not match.

His ------- prior experience notwithstanding, David was judged by the hiring manager to be ------- the job.

This sentence is a little harder to predict than some others, but you should always make a prediction so that you don’t get bogged down in the answer choices.  You don’t know whether David had experience and you don’t know whether he got the job, but you should immediately spot a keyword in the sentence.  “Notwithstanding” tells you that although David’s experience was one way, it was judged another way.  In other words, the two blanks will contrast one another: you will have one negative and one positive blank.  Look down at your answer choices.

(A) illustrious . . entitled to

(B) limited . . qualified for

(C) applicable . . assured of

(D) useful . . overqualified for

(E) irrelevant . . perplexed by

(A) The word illustrious comes from the Latin “illustris,” which means “lighted” or “brilliant.”  Illustrious is a positive word.  It would also be a positive thing if a manager judged David to be entitled to a job.  This answer choice has two positives, but you predicted a negative and a positive.  Eliminate this choice.

(B) The idea of limited experience is negative.  However, qualifying for a job is a positive thing.  You found a positive and a negative.  Keep this answer choice and quickly check the remaining choices.

(C) Applicable experience would be good during a job search.  Being assured of a job is also good.  Eliminate this choice.

(D) Useful experience would be good during a job search.  Being overqualified for a job is bad if you don’t get hired.  At first glance this choice seems to fit your prediction; however, remember the keyword “notwithstanding.”  It is logical to say that a person with a lot of useful experience may be overqualified.  There is no contrast between these ideas.  Eliminate this answer choice.

(E) Irrelevant experience won’t help you; it is negative.  Being perplexed by a job is also a bad thing.  Eliminate this answer choice.

The correct answer is (B).

Words used in this SC:

Notwithstanding: in spite of, nevertheless

Illustrious: famous, dignified, glorious

Entitled: has the right to something

Limited: confined, lacking

Qualified: meeting the standards for a position

Applicable: relevant

Assured: guaranteed, certain

Overqualified: has more than required

Irrelevant: not related

Perplexed: baffled, puzzled

On sat.collegeboard.org, 63% of the responses were correct.

For more help with SAT vocabulary, visit www.myknowsys.com!

Coordinate Geometry

Geometry: Coordinate Geometry

Read the following SAT test question and then select the correct answer. 

Always be sure to read the question carefully and make a note of the bottom line.  Then assess your options and choose the most efficient method to attack the problem.  When you have an answer, loop back to verify that it matches the bottom line.

In the xy-plane, line l passes through the points (a, 0) and (0, 2a), where a > 1.  What is the slope of line l?

Bottom Line: slope of l = ?

Assess Your Options: You could select a number larger than 1, plug it in for the variable a, and then work the problem.  However, if you peek down at the answer choices, notice that some have a variable still in the problem.  It will take you longer to plug in a number than to work the problem using the variables.

Attack the Problem: Your bottom line is a slope, so use the formula for the slope of a line. The formula for slope of a line is:

To find the change in y coordinates, subtract the first y-value from the second y-value.  Do the same with the x values:

The variable will cancel when you simplify the problem.  Your answer is -2.

Loop Back:  You found the slope of the line, so you are ready to look down at your answer choices.

(A) -2

(B)

(C) 2

(D) -2a

(E) 2a

On sat.collegeboard.org, 42% of the responses were correct.

For more help with SAT math, visit www.myknowsys.com!

Modifiers

Writing: 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.  

Read the entire original sentence to yourself, listening for errors.  Then evaluate the underlined portion using the Big 8 grammar rules.  Use the first error that you find to quickly eliminate wrong answer choices.

After serving two terms in the Texas State Senate, Barbara Jordan’s election to the United States House of Representatives, where she served from 1973 to 1979.

One of the rules of modifiers is that when you have an introductory phrase followed by a comma, the very next independent noun must be the subject of that phrase.  However, instead of the name of the person who served, Barbara Jordan, this sentence follows the comma with “Barbara Jordan’s election.”  There is no way that the election served two terms!  Mark this error and look down at your answer choices.

(A) Barbara Jordan’s election

(B) it was Barbara Jordan who was elected

(C) it was Barbara Jordan’s election

(D) Barbara Jordan had been elected

(E) Barbara Jordan was elected

(A) Eliminate this choice without reading it because it matches the original sentence.

(B) A person who serves is not an “it.”  This sentence does not lead with Jordan’s name as you know that it ought to.  In fact, “it was” is called an expletive construction and your Knowsys book tells you to avoid these whenever possible.  Eliminate this answer choice.

(C) Eliminate this answer choice for the same reasons as you eliminated the previous ones.  Notice that this answer choice also fails to provide an antecedent for the pronoun “she,” another problem with the original sentence.

(D) This choice fixes the modifier problem that you found, but the phrase “had been elected” is unnecessarily wordy.  It doesn't make sense to say that after doing one thing, a person had been something else.  The word “been” implies ongoing action, but you are looking for something that happened after something else.  Eliminate this choice.

(E) This choice is short, clear, and concise.  It is passive, but Barbara Jordan could not actively elect herself, she had to depend on others to do that.  This is an appropriate use of the passive voice.

The correct answer is (E).

On sat.collegeboard.org, 75% of the responses were correct.

For more help with SAT writing, visit www.myknowsys.com!

Sentence Completions

Link of the Day

If you are looking for a historical figure to use as an example for your SAT essay, you don’t have to pick your teacher’s favorite person.  Instead, pick someone who interests you.  Today’s SAT question is about Joe Louis.  This professional boxer would make an excellent historical example because he is not overused by students, and he has an interesting story involving a rise from poverty, an obsession with revenge, and a chance to challenge Hitler’s ideas about racial superiority.  Read more about Louis here, and be sure to write out relevant facts about his life if you chose to use him as one of your five prepared historical examples.

Critical Reading: Sentence Completions

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

Cover up your answer choices before you read the sentence so that incorrect answers will not distract you from logical thought.  Read the sentence carefully, using context clues to make a prediction to fill the blank.  Then match your prediction to the correct answer, eliminating any answer choice that is not synonymous with your prediction.  Make sure to examine all of the choices before selecting your answer, even if you find a match in choice A or B.

Joe Louis was ------- fighter: he inspired fear in many of his opponents.

This sentence defines the word that belongs in the blank; just look after the colon.  Colons indicate that an explanation or restatement of the first part of the sentence is coming next.  You could predict that Louis was “a fear-inspiring” fighter or simply that he was “a frightening” fighter.  Look down at your answer choices.

(A) a serene

(B) an impetuous

(C) an insipid

(D) a malleable

(E) a redoubtable

(A) If you have ever heard the word “serene” used to describe an idyllic and peaceful space, “a serene fighter” should sound contradictory.  It certainly does not match your prediction.  Eliminate this choice.

(B) This is a Knowsys vocabulary word and an attempt by the test makers to trick you.  Impetuous people may be likely to get in fights, so the two words may be easily linked in your mind.  However, the word “impetuous” does not mean “frightening.”  Eliminate it.

(C)  You might not be familiar with this word, but it is easy enough to remember.  The Latin root “in” can mean “not.”  Then comes “sip.”  If you don’t want to sip something, it is probably tasteless.  This has nothing to do with “frightening.”  Eliminate it.

(D)  The mind of a child is malleable.  If a word can be linked to a child, it is probably not too frightening.  Eliminate this choice.

(E)  This word is not an easy word to dissect.  It looks as if means “again” “distrust.”  However, there is an archaic use of the word “doubt” that also means “fear.”  The word comes from an Old French word, “redoubter,” which means “to dread.”  A person would dread or be afraid of an encounter with a redoubtable fighter, so this choice matches your prediction exactly.

The correct answer is (E).

Words used in this SC:

Serene: peaceful, calm

Impetuous: rash, hasty, or spontaneous - hotheaded

Insipid: flavorless, bland, or lacking character

Malleable: capable of being shaped

Redoubtable: eliciting respect or fear

On sat.collegeboard.org, 33% of the responses were correct.

For more help with SAT vocabulary, visit www.myknowsys.com!

Writing Equations

Algebra: Writing Equations

Read the following SAT test question and then select the correct answer. 

Always read the question carefully and identify the bottom line.  Then assess your options and choose the most efficient method to attack the problem.  When you have an answer, loop back to make sure that your answer matches the bottom line; the specific question the problem asked you to solve.

The c cars in a car service use a total of g gallons of gasoline per week. If each of the cars uses the same amount of gasoline, then, at this rate, which of the following represents the number of gallons used by 5 of the cars in 2 weeks?

Bottom line: gal in 2 wks = ?

Assess your Options:  You could try to work backwards from the answer choices by plugging in a number for each variable, but you want to avoid working from the answer choices when you do not have to.  Instead, write an equation using the information that you are given in the problem.

Attack the Problem:  Start with the most basic information that you are given and logically translate the words into a math problem.  You know that c stands for cars and g stands for gallons of gasoline.  If all of the cars use the same amount of gasoline, then the total number of gallons must be divided evenly among each of the cars:

Now you know that there are 5 cars.  You might be tempted to put the 5 with the c, but think about it this way: that would mean that the same number of gallons was divided among more cars, so each car was using less gasoline, which is impossible!   If there are more cars, the total amount of gasoline must increase:

Now all you have to do is turn 1 week into 2 weeks by multiplying both sides of your equation by 2:

Loop Back: You found the gallons for 2 weeks, so look down at your answer choices.

(A) 

(B) 

(C) 

(D) 

(E)

The correct answer is (E).

Alternative method using Knowsys strategies:  If you struggle with writing equations, choose a number to represent the variable you are given in the problem.  You know you have 5 cars, but pick a number to represent the gallons that these cars use.  Any number that is not already in the problem will work; avoid  0 or 1 because multiple equations may work with these choices. Let’s say that g = 10.  In one week, those 5 cars will use 10 gallons.  How many gallons will they use in 2 weeks?  20 gallons!

Notice that the problem is a “which of the following” question.  Start with answer choice E instead of A.

Plug in the 10 for g and the 5 for c.  10 times 10 is 100, and then if you divide 100 by 5, you get 20.  That matches the answer that you found, so E must be correct.  None of the other answer choices will equal 20.  Strategies are tools to help you – remember that you get the same number of points for the correct answer no matter how you work the problem!

On sat.collegeboard.org, 31% of the responses were correct.

For more help with SAT math, visit www.myknowsys.com!

Pronouns

Writing: 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. 

Read the entire sentence to yourself, listening for errors.  Then check each underlined portion against the Big 8 Grammar Rules.  Identify any error that you find, mark it, and quickly check the other choices before selecting an answer.

AAmong the Bmost widespread of marine animals, starfish and sea urchins Cinhabit all seas Dexcept that of the polar regions. ENo error

(A) The word “among” is used if there are more than two people or things involved.  In this sentence, starfish and sea urchins are among the most widespread of marine animals.  There are far more than two different kinds of marine animals, so there is no error here.

(B) The word “most” is used when more than two things are being compared.  In this sentence, starfish and sea urchins are being compared to all other marine animals, so there are more than two things being compared.  The word “of” is also the idiomatically correct preposition to use to introduce the group out of which the starfish and sea urchins are the most widespread.

(C) Whenever a verb is underlined, check to make sure that it matches the subject.  The subject of this sentence is “starfish and sea urchins.”  Does the subject match the verb in number?  You would never say “starfish and sea urchins inhabits all seas” so there is no error here.

(D) It is perfectly fine to make an exception to a statement.  However, you still need to check the pronoun that follows the word “except.”  What word is the antecedent of “that?”  The word “that” is taking the place of “seas.”  “Seas” is a plural word, but “that” is singular.  Instead of “that,” the plural pronoun “those” should be used.  Mark this error.

(E) This answer cannot be correct because you already identified an error.

The correct answer is (D).

On sat.collegeboard.org, 53% of the responses were correct.

For more help with SAT writing, visit www.myknowsys.com!