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SAT Writing Section Improving Sentences Practice

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Test your readiness for the SAT with these questions modeled after the “improving sentences” portion of the SAT Writing section. Choose the phrasing that best completes the underlined part of each sentence. Choice A replicates the original phrasing, while the other choices offer alternative phrasings. Just like on the real SAT, look for choices that are grammatically correct, clear, and precise. Check the end of the quiz for correct answers and explanations.

 

  1. The convenience and flexibility of online classes makes them popular with nontraditional college students.

(A) makes them popular

(B) make them popular

(C) makes it popular

(D) make it popular

(E) are a reason for its popularity

  1. A natural athlete, Emily enjoys playing basketball, hockey, and tennis.

(A) basketball, hockey, and tennis

(B) basketball, playing hockey, and tennis

(C) basketball, hockey, and playing tennis

(D) basketball and hockey and tennis

(E) basketball, hockey, and has played on her high school’s tennis team.

  1. Stephen King, one of America’s most popular authors, he is known primarily for his horror stories.

(A) authors, he is known

(B) authors, and known for

(C) authors, is known

(D) authors, and is also known

(E) authors, and is known most often

 

  1. He attended Kennesaw State University, George met the woman who would become his wife.

(A) He attended

(B) While he had attended

(C) Having been attending

(D) He, attending

(E) While attending

 

  1. The SAT assess reading, writing, and math skills.

(A) The SAT assess

(B) The SAT, which is a test, assesses

(C) Being a test, the SAT assesses

(D) The SAT assesses

(E) The SAT, being designed to assess reading,

 

  1. Jane sat next to the man holding a briefcase wearing a hat.

(A) holding a briefcase wearing a hat.

(B) who was holding a briefcase and wearing a hat.

(C) who, while holding a briefcase, also wore a hat.

(D) who had both a briefcase and a hat.

(E) with a briefcase, and the man also had a hat.

  1. After the officer wrote the motorist a ticket, he drove away.
  • After the officer wrote the motorist a ticket, he
  • Once the officer wrote the motorist a ticket, he got in his car and
  • Having written the motorist a ticket, the officer
  • Upon writing the motorist a ticket, he
  • The motorist thought the officer would let him off with a warning but he gave him a ticket; he then

  1. Jason loves terrible movies; he genuinely enjoys films that would cause most people to demand their money back.

(A) movies; he genuinely enjoys

(B) movies, he genuinely enjoys

(C) movies as he is genuinely enjoying

(D movies and he genuinely enjoys

(E) movies, as such genuinely enjoys

 

  1. A professional cleaning company was hired by Sarah and her roommates when they moved out of their old apartment.

(A) A professional cleaning company was hired by Sarah and her roommates

(B) A professional cleaning crew would be hired by Sarah and her roommates.

(C) It was a agree by Sarah and her roommates that a professional cleaning crew should be hired

(D) Sarah and her roommates hired a professional cleaning company.

(E) Wishing to get as much of their deposit back as possible, a professional cleaning crew was hired by Sarah and her roommates

 

  1. James ate dinner; his meal consisted of salad, spaghetti, and garlic bread.

(A) James ate dinner; his meal consisted of salad, spaghetti, and garlic bread.

(B) James ate a dinner consisting of salad, spaghetti, and garlic bread.

(C) James had the following for dinner: salad, spaghetti, and garlic bread.

(D) Salad, spaghetti, and garlic bread are what James ate for dinner.

(E) James ate salad, spaghetti, and garlic bread for dinner.

  

Answers and Explanations

 

  1. Correct answer: (B). “Convenience and flexibility” is the subject of this sentence, not “online classes.” Compound subjects require plural verbs, making (A) incorrect. On the other hand, (C), (D), and (E) include the singular pronoun “it,” which does not agree with the plural “classes.” (B) is the correct answer because it matches a plural verb with the plural subject while the plural “them” correctly refers back to the plural “classes.”

  1. Correct answer: (A). Only the original phrasing uses parallelism correctly. Choices (B) through (E) all break the parallel structure of the list of sports that Emily plays in some way. Choice (E) also introduces passive voice and some extraneous information.

  1. Correct answer: (C). Choice (C) removes the redundant “he” found in the original phrasing. The other possible changes do fix the pronoun error but introduce new grammatical errors its place.

  1. Correct answer: (E). The subordinating conjunction “while” indicates that George met his wife during the time he was at Kennesaw State. Choice (B) also includes “while” but uses the wrong verb form.

 

  1. Correct answer: (D). Choice (D) correctly matches the singular verb “assesses” with the singular subject “SAT.” The other choices contain errors in subject-verb agreement or include redundant information.

 

  1. Correct answer: (B). Taken literally, the misplaced modifier in the original phrasing makes it sound as if the briefcase is wearing the hat. Choice (B) fixes the modifier and provides the clearest description of the man.

 

  1. Correct answer: (C). Who exactly drove away? The officer or the motorist? Choice (C) fixes the original sentence’s pronoun vagueness, leaving no doubt that it was the officer who drove away after he issued a traffic citation to the motorist.

 

  1. Correct answer: (A). Jason is a connoisseur of bad films but not of bad grammar. The original choice, joining two independent clauses with a semi-colon, is the best option available for this question.

 

  1. Correct answer: D. The original phrasing contains passive voice. “Sarah and her roommates” is the object of choices (A) – (C), not the subject. Choice (E) explains why they hired cleaners, but it still does not fix the original error. Choice (D) uses active voice, making “Sarah and her roommates” the subject of the sentence.

 

  1. Correct answer: (E). This one is a matter of clarity. All the choices are grammatically correct, but (E) states what James ate for dinner simply and directly.

 

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