Sentence Completions

Link of the Day

When the SAT test makers write an essay question, they give you a little bit of information.  Generally, it does not take much thought to agree with whatever has been stated, or to simply use the exact same words in the prompt to frame your essay.  Really high scoring students know that the way the question is phrased may prompt students to answer one way when normally they might answer another way.  For example, read this SAT essay prompt:

“There is, of course, no legitimate branch of science that enables us to predict the future accurately.  Yet the degree of change in the world is so overwhelming and so promising, that the future, I believe, is far brighter than anyone has contemplated since the end of the Second World War.  Assignment: Is the world changing for the better?”

Now, you may really believe the world is changing for the better, but this prompt leads many students to answer yes without providing good reasons.  Maybe the world is fixing one problem while a new problem develops.  Maybe someone needs to point out that there have been many wars after World War II.  Before you answer a prompt, rephrase the question in your own words and be sure that you know what it is asking and whether the prompt itself is influencing your thought about the subject.  You want your essay to clearly demonstrate that you have a reason beyond the prompt to think the way that you do.

Leading questions occur outside the SAT too.  Check out this current event that shows that how people ask questions can change the results of polls about global warming.  If you want to use this as one of your five prepared current events, make notes about the broad themes in this article as well as specific details and facts that you can use to back up an opinion on an SAT essay prompt.

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 as you read the sentence carefully.  That way, incorrect answers will not distract you as you predict a word to fill the blank.  When you have your prediction, match it to the correct answer choice.  Eliminate any answer that does not match your prediction.  Make sure that you look at all of the answer choices before you select an answer.

Bolstered by his unflagging determination and ------- physical preparation, Tom Whittaker became the first amputee to successfully climb to the summit of Mount Everest.

Did you notice two Knowsys SAT words in the sentence?  Even if you do not know what “bolstered” and “unflagging” mean, you know that Whittaker was determined to climb the mountain and that he was successful.  In order to do that he, he must have trained hard.  Predict that his physical preparation was “persistent,” “diligent,” “steady,” or even “unflagging,” if you recognize the term.  Then look down at your answer choices.

(A) fortuitous

(B) assiduous

(C) heedless

(D) expeditious

(E) pedantic

(A)  Perhaps you know that the Latin root “fort” generally means strong and figure that Whittaker’s preparation made him stronger.  Or perhaps you link this word to the word “fortunate” and realize that this is a positive word. This answer choice is here to trick you.  The word “fortuitous” does not just mean “fortunate,” although many fortuitous occurrences are fortunate.  The word “fortuitous” is related to the idea of chance, of accidental luck.  There is no way that Whittaker accidentally practiced or that he got lucky and just ended up physically prepared – he worked hard.  Bottom line: this choice doesn’t really match your prediction.  Eliminate it.

(B)  Assiduous is a difficult word.  If you don’t know it, you cannot eliminate it.

(C)  If you heed something, you pay attention to it.  Being heedless would be the opposite of paying attention.  You know that Whittaker paid attention to physical preparation.  Eliminate this choice.

(D)  Knowsys word!  If you don’t know the definition right away, think of expedited shipping.  That is when you pay extra to make sure a package gets somewhere quickly.  The idea here is not to prepare for the climb quickly, but to prepare for it in such a way as to be ready for the challenge.  “Expeditious” does not mean “diligent.”  Eliminate this choice.

(E)  This word is going to be really confusing if you assume that the Latin root “ped” means “foot.”  The same root can also mean “child.”  If you know that teachers have been called “pedagogues,” you will realize that this word also does not match your prediction.  “Pedantic” means acting like a teacher, especially in situations where no one wants a teacher.  Eliminate this choice.

You only have one answer remaining.  If you have eliminated all the other answer choices for specific reasons, then you can confidently select that answer, even if you do not know precisely what it means.

The correct answer is (B).

Words used in this SC:

Bolstered: encouraged or supported

Unflagging: not declining in strength or vigor, tireless

Amputee: a person who has had a limb removed

Fortuitous: happening by a lucky chance, accidental

Assiduous: hard-working, diligent, or industrious
Heedless: unaware, not noticing something

Expeditious: fast, prompt, speedy

Pedantic: teaching or ostentatious in one’s learning, too concerned about formal details

On sat.collegeboard.org, 37% of the responses were correct.

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

Fractions

Arithmetic: Fractions

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

Use the same process with every SAT question.  Read carefully and identify the bottom line.  Then assess your options for reaching the bottom line and choose the most time efficient method to attack the problem.  When you have an answer, loop back to check that you solved for the bottom line.

Bottom Line: just solve

Assess your options:  When you see a problem like this, get excited!  Some people will multiply all of the numbers, or change the fractions into decimals, but you should recognize a pattern!  Use what you know about fractions to solve this problem in less than 5 seconds.

Attack the problem:   The way you would normally solve the problem is to multiply all of the top numbers and multiply all of the bottom, then simplify the resulting fraction.  There is a faster way!  Although this problem starts out with separate fractions, you can think of the numbers that you are given as factors of the product you would get.  Remember that a number on top of a fraction will cancel if the same number is on the bottom of a fraction. Envision the problem this way:

Then simply eliminate any numbers that are both on top and bottom!  The 2s cancel.  So do the 3s.  Keep going, and what do you have left?

Loop back:  You solved the original equation, so you are ready to look down at the answer choices.

(A) 

(B) 

(C) 

(D) 

(E) 

The correct answer is (A).

On sat.collegeboard.org, 60% of the responses were correct.

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

Idioms

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 once, listening for errors.  Then quickly check each underlined portion of the sentence against the Big 8 Grammar Rules.  Mark any error you find.

Today, Aalso representing nations Band other political entities, Cflags are used Dto represent youth groups, athletic competitions, and international bodies. ENo error

(A)  This part of the sentence should sound odd to you.  It is normal to hear about one thing and also another thing; something must be introduced before you can add to it with the word “also.”  When you want to point out that there are at least two things involved before listing either of them, use the phrase “in addition to.”  Mark this improper idiom and quickly check the other answer choices.

(B)  The conjunction “and” links two things.  The word “other” reminds readers that although nations are political entities, there are political entities that are not nations.  Without “other” the words “political entities” would sound redundant.  There is no error here.

(C)  This part of the sentence is passive, but flags cannot use themselves; they must be used by others.  The subject of the sentence comes right after the introductory phrase so there is no modifying error.  The noun “flags” and the verb “are” agree because both are plural.  There is no error here. 

(D)  It is idiomatically correct when talking about the purpose of something to say that the item is “used to do something.”  Here the correct preposition “to” is used, and the flag is used to represent certain groups.  There is no error here.

The correct answer is (A).

On sat.collegeboard.org, 72% of the responses were correct.

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

Sentence Completions

Link of the Day

Those who overcome obstacles inspire others to do the same.  Remember the young girl who was shot for advocating education for girls?  (You can review the original story from last October here.)  This girl has been nominated for a Nobel peace prize and is now resuming her own education.  If this story interests you, write down the broad themes from it (such as education) and specific details (such as the spelling of Malala and her age, 15).  Think about how you could use the broad themes in this current event to support a position on almost any essay prompt, then try connecting it to the prompts below:

(1) Is it important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority?

(2) Can knowledge be a burden rather than a benefit?

(3) Has today’s abundance of information only made it more difficult to understand the world around us?

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 the answer choices until you have read the sentence carefully and made a prediction to fill the easier blank.  Then eliminate any choices that do not match your prediction.  Do the same with the other blank.

Laboratories have been warned that provisions for animal protection that in the past were merely ------- will now be mandatory; ------- of this policy will lose their federal research grants.

Look at the first blank.  Animal protection was once one thing, but now it is mandatory.  The “now” lets you know that a change has been made.  You can predict the word “optional,” but remember that any word that could be used for something that is “not mandatory” will work.

(A) comprehensive . . adversaries

(B) nominal . . advocates

(C) disregarded . . proponents

(D) recommended . . violators

(E) compulsory . . resisters

(A) Your teachers have probably told you at some point that you would have a comprehensive test.  That kind of test covers a lot of the topics that you studied.  These tests are generally not optional!  Look back at the original sentence and notice the word “merely.”  The words “merely” and “comprehensive” sound odd together.  This is like saying that the test “only includes a lot,” which is not strictly logical.  Eliminate this choice.  (B)  If you don’t know a word, keep the answer choice.  (C) Something disregarded could be optional. Keep this choice.  (D)  This seems like the strongest answer.  Recommended means optional but advisable, and it seems advisable to protect animals.  Keep it.  (E)  This word is a synonym of mandatory; it is the opposite of what you want.  Eliminate it.

Now look at the second blank.  The second blank involves a punishment, the loss of research grants.  People who do not do mandatory things get punished for it.  Predict “disobedient people” and look down at your answer choices.

(B) nominal . . advocates

(C) disregarded . . proponents

(D) recommended . . violators

(B)  Knowsys word!  People who advocate something are for that thing.  If they are for the policy, they will not disobey it.  Eliminate this choice.  (C) A proponent is also for something.  Eliminate this choice.  (D)  You see signs everywhere that list rules along with the words, “Violators will be prosecuted.”  Violators break rules.  Keep this choice.

The correct answer is (D).

Words used in this SC:

Comprehensive: broadly or completely covering something

Adversaries: opponents or rivals

Nominal: being such in name only, or minimal

Advocates: people speaking in support of something

Disregarded: ignored

Proponents: supporters, advocates

Recommended: suggested, encouraged

Violators: people who break the rules

Compulsory: required, mandatory

Resisters: people who fight against something

On sat.collegeboard.org, 73% of the responses were correct.

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

Roots and Radicals

Algebra: Roots and Radicals

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

Always read the problem carefully and determine the bottom line, the question that you must answer.  Assess your options for solving the problem and choose the most efficient method to attack the problem.  When you have an answer, loop back to make sure that you completed all the necessary steps and solved for the bottom line.

If  , which of the following must be true?

Bottom Line: Which of the following . . . ?

Assess your Options:  Many "Which of the following . . . " questions require you to look at the answer choices to solve the problem, but you should always check to see whether you can simplify the equation that you have been given.  Instead of jumping to the answer choices, work the equation into a form that is not as intimidating.

Attack the Problem:  The original equation has a square root on each side.  How do you get rid of these square root signs?  Square both sides of the equation, and the roots will cancel out.  You are left with:

x – a = x + b

You just showed that when something is on both sides of the equation, you can cancel it out.  There is a positive x on both sides of the equation.  If you subtract it from one side, you must subtract it from the other, and the x is eliminated.  You are left with:

-a = b

This looks fairly simple, so glance down at your answer choices.  All of them are set equal to 0.  Set your equation equal to zero by adding an a to each side.

0 = b + a

Remember, it doesn’t matter what order you use when adding two variables. 

Loop Back:  You put your answer in the same form as the answers on the test, so now all you have to do is match your answer to the correct one!

(A) a = 0

(B) b = 0

(C) a + b = 0

(D) a – b = 0

(E) a² + b² = 0

The correct answer is (C).

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

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

Modifiers

Link of the Day

Traveling is easier than ever today, and many people routinely take vacations in distant places.  Travelers can increase awareness of wonders and issues around the globe, but they can also drastically change the places that they visit.  Take a look at this article about how tourists are changing the feeding habits of stingrays in the Caribbean.  Think about the SAT question, “Can success be disastrous?” in terms of the area’s success in entertaining tourists.  Then think about the broad themes and specific details that could help you use this current event as an excellent example for any SAT essay prompt.

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 sentence carefully, listening for errors.  Then focus on the underlined portion of the sentence and check it against the Big Eight Grammar Rules.  Focus on the first error that you find to quickly eliminate answer choices that do not address that error.

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

The key to this question is realizing that the only part of this sentence that you cannot change is an introductory phrase.  In an introductory phrase, the subject is not clear; you do not know who is doing the “combining,” although you do know that the subject must be male and singular due to the pronoun “his.”  For any introductory phrase followed by a comma, the very next independent noun must be the subject of the sentence.  You can eliminate any answer choice that does not have the subject who is “combining” as the very first independent noun!

(A)  such painters as Franz Kline and Richard Diebenkorn were greatly influenced by American artist Willem de Kooning, a key figure in the post-war Abstract Expressionist movement

(B)  a key figure in the post-war Abstract Expressionist movement who greatly influenced such painters as Franz Kline and Richard Diebenkorn was American artist Willem de Kooning

(C)  American artist Willem de Kooning became a key figure in the post-war Abstract Expressionist movement and greatly influenced such painters as Franz Kline and Richard Diebenkorn

(D)  Willem de Kooning, an American artist who became a key figure in the post-war Abstract Expressionist movement and greatly influenced such painters as Franz Kline and Richard Diebenkorn

(E) and a key figure in the post-war Abstract Expressionist movement, Willem de Kooning greatly influenced such painters as Franz Kline and Richard Diebenkorn as an American artist

Explanations:

(A)  This answer choice matches the original.  It follows the introductory phrase with “such painters,” but you know that the subject of this sentence must be male and singular.  Eliminate this choice.

(B)  The words “a key figure” identify the artist “Willem de Kooning,” but you do not learn the name of the artist until the very last part of the sentence.  This choice does not fix the modification error that you found, and it is also wordy and unnatural because it inverts the subject and verb, putting “was” before “Kooning” in an unnecessarily passive structure.  Eliminate this choice.

(C)  This choice fixes the problem that you found in the original sentence.  The first independent noun after the comma is “Willem de Kooning” because the words “American artist” modify how you understand who Kooning is.  The rest of the sentence is clear and free of errors.  Keep this choice.

(D)  This sentence is long, but it is still a fragment.  There is no main verb because everything after the comma describes who Kooning was, but does so without a “to be” verb.  Also, notice that Kooning’s name is alone between two commas.  This construction is generally only used when you are providing an alternative way to address someone or when you are addressing that person directly.  Eliminate this choice.

(E)  This choice is unnecessarily wordy.   One of the issues that the extra words creates is that the words “as an American Artist” are now separated from Kooning and seem more connected with Diebenkorn, changing the meaning of the sentence.  Eliminate this choice.

The correct answer is (C).

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

For more help with SAT vocabulary, 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. 

Cover up your answers so that you are not drawn to one before you have all the information you can glean from the sentence.  Read the sentence carefully and make a prediction to fill the blank.  Then match your prediction to the correct answer, eliminating any answer choice that does not match.  Be sure to look at all the answer choices before selecting an answer.

The jellyfish’s slow pulsing action propels it in a graceful, seemingly ------- drift, but its tentacles contain a poison potent enough to stun a swimming human.

This sentence requires you to use logic to find the answer.  If you are trying to save time by only reading part of the sentence, you will get this question wrong.   For example, if you only read up to the blank, you may select the answer “rhythmic” because grace and rhythm seem to go hand in hand, and the jellyfish has a pulsing action.  However, if you read a bit farther, you will come to the word “but.”  The word “but” sets up a contrast.  One thing about this jellyfish must be the opposite of what you would expect.  You can’t change the portion after the “but,” so you must contrast that portion of the sentence.  What is the opposite of being dangerous to humans?  Being safe – the jellyfish seems safe.  Predict the word “safe” and look down at your answer choices.

(A) sinister

(B) rhythmic

(C) murky

(D) harmless

(E) patient

(A) Does sinister mean safe?  No!  Even if you do not know the dictionary definition for sinister, you can probably identify it as a negative word.  Eliminate this choice.  (B)  The word “rhythmic” has nothing to do with “safe.”  Eliminate this choice.  (C)  This word comes from an Old Norse word, myrkr, which means “darkness.”  It does not mean safe.  Eliminate it.  (D) “Harmless” can mean “safe.”  This word matches exactly!  It seems as if the jellyfish will not harm people, but it is poisonous.  Keep this answer and quickly check the last choice.  (E) “Patient” does not mean “safe.”  Eliminate this choice.

The correct answer is (D).

Words used in this SC:

Sinister: ominous or unlucky, seeming to be evil

Rhythmic: regularly recurring sound or movement

Murky: hard to see through, gloomy

Harmless: without the power or desire to injure

Patient: content to wait if necessary

On sat.collegeboard.org, 70% of the responses were correct.

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