<p>In context, which of the following is the best way to combine sentences 6 and 7 (reproduced below) </p>
<p>In royal palaces there were to be found many comforts that medieval castles did not offer. These had dark dungeons and damp, drafty living quarters instead. </p>
<p>Note that the sentence before it said: But even welcomed guests would have found castles less than inviting. </p>
<p>I put (B) which was</p>
<p>Lacking many comforts compared to royal palaces, medieval castles instead offered dark dungeons and damp, drafty living quarters. </p>
<p>However, the answer is (E)</p>
<p>With their dark dungeons and damp, drafty living quarters, medieval castles offered few of the comforts to be found in royal palaces. </p>
<p>I think it's because the sentence before was talking about castles, right? Thus, you would want to start off the sentence with a phrase about castles instead of palaces. However, are there any other grammatical or usage errors with (B) that I didn't catch?</p>
<p>I’ve also heard that in the SAT, you want to avoid using gerunds, especially “being.” Furthermore, “compared to” just sounds a little awkward. Are those other reasons that (B) is wrong?</p>
<p>i’ve actually never heard of the thing about avoiding gerunds, but i agree with your explanations
here’s the actual explanation from the blue book</p>
<p>Explanation for Correct Answer E.
The correct choice is (E). This sentence continues the discussion of the uninviting features of castles, leading to a logical comparison of castles, with their “dark dungeons and damp, drafty living quarters,” with the more comfortable royal palaces.</p>
<p>Explanation for Incorrect Answer B.
Choice (B) is unsatisfactory. This way of combining sentences 6 and 7 awkwardly introduces the first discussion of the features of palaces as a modifying clause, interrupting the natural flow of the paragraph. Also, the use of “instead” implies that medieval castles “offered dark dungeons and damp, drafty living quarters” as an alternative to the comforts of palaces, an illogical statement.</p>
<p>since you have the book, you can take advantage of the book owner’s area stuff yourself. it can score your practice tests and it comes with detailed explanations for every question. try it out!
[Welcome</a> to the Official SAT Study Guide Book Owner’s Area](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>SAT Study Guide – SAT Suite | College Board)</p>
<p>Thanks! I never new that I could get the answers.</p>