SAT Writing and Language 1

Question 1

Select the appropriate change, if any, to the sentence "When he saw the flash of lightning, he felt extreme pain all over his body." in Line 1.

Accepted Answer

NO CHANGE</span></label></li>

Answer

The sentence 'When he saw the flash of lightning, he felt extreme pain all over his body' is grammatically correct as written. A comma is appropriately used after the introductory dependent clause ('When he saw the flash of lightning') to separate it from the main independent clause ('he felt extreme pain all over his body'). This comma usage follows standard English punctuation rules for complex sentences.

Question 2

Select the appropriate change, if any, to the sentence "It was why he stayed, to get the job done" in Line 2.

Accepted Answer

He stayed to get the job done.

Answer

The original sentence is unnecessarily wordy and slightly awkward. The most effective revision, 'He stayed to get the job done,' improves conciseness and clarity by directly stating the action and its purpose without the introductory 'It was why.' This streamlined phrasing conveys the same meaning more efficiently and naturally, making it the best stylistic choice.

Question 3

Select the appropriate change, if any, to the sentence "If people just did as he told them, he won’t even be out here." in Line 2.

Accepted Answer

If people just did as he told them, he wouldn't even be out here.

Answer

The sentence uses an 'if' clause in the simple past tense ('If people just did'), indicating a hypothetical or unreal condition in the present or future. For such a second conditional, the main clause requires the conditional 'would' (or 'wouldn't' for negative) followed by the base form of the verb. Therefore, 'won't' (will not) should be changed to 'wouldn't' to maintain correct tense consistency and convey the hypothetical nature of the statement.

Question 4

Select the appropriate change, if any, to the sentence "They didn’t listen last time, and now he was in the hospital." in Line 6.

Accepted Answer

NO CHANGE</span></label></li>

Answer

The sentence 'They didn’t listen last time, and now he was in the hospital' is grammatically correct. It is a compound sentence where two independent clauses ('They didn't listen last time' and 'now he was in the hospital') are joined by the coordinating conjunction 'and.' A comma is correctly placed before 'and' to separate these two independent clauses, adhering to standard punctuation rules.

Question 5

Select the appropriate change, if any, to the sentence "He knew if he didn’t have all of these things attached to him;" in Line 8.

Accepted Answer

He knew if he didn’t have all of these things attached to him,

Answer

The original sentence ends with a semicolon, which is used to connect two independent clauses or items in a complex list. Here, "if he didn’t have all of these things attached to him" is a dependent clause introducing a condition. A comma is needed after this introductory dependent clause to separate it from the implied main clause that would complete the thought, improving readability and grammatical structure.

SAT Practice Test

SAT Practice Test

SAT Writing and Language 1