<p>i am bad at all aspects of English (grammar, writing and ect.)
please bear with me…i feel like i am going to make a lot threads when i need help, so please try to understand.</p>
<p>I got 3 questions wrong on the CB official book (blue bk p150 3-5)</p>
<p>I like to know why the answers are right not just that they are right. I appreciate explanations on why they are grammatically wrong</p>
<li>Flints found in the region extending from the Nile Valley to the highlands of eastern Iraq attests to the presence of people there as long ago as one hundred thousand years.<br></li>
</ol>
<p>the answer is c) attests to
but why?</p>
<li>By virtue of its size and supersensitive electronics, modern radio telescopes are able to gather more waves and discriminate among them with greater precision than earlier versions versions could.</li>
</ol>
<p>the answer is A) its
why? </p>
<li>Delgado’s dilemma was like many other young writers: he had to choose between assured publication in a student magazine and probable rejection by a popular magazine.
answer is A) like many other</li>
</ol>
<p>i thought it was probable rejection by…because i thought probable rejection **from **sounded better…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>"attests to" =wrong because preposition error.</p></li>
<li><p>its should be "their", because this word should refer to "modern radio telescopes"</p></li>
<li><p>D's dilemma is compared to "young writers"=impossible.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>"attests to" is wrong. s/b "attest to" because flints is plural.</li>
<li>"its" is wrong. Removing it is the best choice because telescopes is plural - it does not go with the plural "telescopes'</li>
<li>"like many other" is wrong. s/b "like that of many other"</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>so attests to >>> fits singular subject?
so since flints is plural u need>>> attest to?</li>
<li><p>if its does not fit plural telescopes what should it change to?</p></li>
<li><p>i still do not understand...could someone please explain in lame man's term aka dummy it down for me please.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>for 3: you're right. it should be "attest to."</p>
<p>for 4: "its" should be "their." the advice about removing "its" altogether isn't technically valid, because you can't fix problems on this section by removing all of an underlined phrase. still, in this particular question, that approach would have gotten you the right answer anyhow.</p>
<p>for 5: the sentence says the "<em>dilemma</em> was like many other <em>young writers</em>." a comparison like this can't be made on the SAT. dilemmas have to compared to other dilemmas, and writers have to be compared to other writers. a dilemma can't be like a writer, for SAT purposes. so the sentence would need to be something like "delgado's dilemma was like the dilemma shared by many other writers . . . ," or "delgado was like many other writers . . .". whenever you see comparisons on the writing section, make sure that the two things being compared are similar.</p>
<p>also, bonus help: it's "layman's terms," not "lame man's terms."</p>
<p>Since you say that you will be posting a lot of these threads in the future, a suggestion to tackle this section, especially if it is improving sentence errors, is to try to predict what the correct phrase/words/etc. on the underlined areas should be, if you believe it is incorrect. I know it might seem time-consuming, but it really isn't. </p>
<p>Two good things come out of this suggestion:
One thing: you strengthen your concepts.
And another thing: you will feel more certain than ever (unless your knowledge of grammar is not so good. Try to improve it if you can!) that the answer you picked is right.</p>
<p>I have a couple more questions...replace underline phrase with best answer
blue book p.166 #5. Early American factories did not so much replace household manufacturing but complement it.</p>
<p>the answer is b) as complement</p>
<p>Is it b) because the word "much" is comparing "replacing" to complement? Is that why you need the word "as"?</p>
<p>p.191 #6
which underlined part contains an error
6) All states impose severe penalties on drivers who do not stop when he or she is involved in accidents.</p>
<p>The answer is c) he or she is</p>
<p>I am not sure why...is it because the sentence is pass tense so it should be "he or she has been"?
someone please clarify...</p>
<p>p.193 #13
The bagpipe originated in ancient Sumer, and many people assume that it was the Scottish Highlands.</p>
<p>The answer is > not, as many people assume, in</p>
<p>This one I am clueless on why it is right.</p>
<p>10) Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium but refused to patent the process they used nor otherwise profiting from the commercial exploitation of radium. </p>
<p>I chose "used or otherwise profited "
but the answer is "had used or otherwise profit "
doesn't profit need to be past tense?</p>
<p>Number 5 is a so. . . as construction. He did not so much eat tuna as he ate roast beef. She did not so much as like boys as girls. However, if I were writing the sentence, I would be more direct: Early American factories complemented household manufacturing. Of course, this is not an option on a multiple choice test.</p>
<p>Number 6 - drivers is plural and needs a plural pronoun, not a singular pronoun. Very common error in writing. It should be "they are" instead of "he or she is"</p>
<p>Number 13 - You need to have parallel constructions "in ancient Sumer" goes with "in the Scottish Highlands." The use of "and" muddies the point. Changing it to "not, as many people assume, in" gets the point across. </p>
<p>Number 10, on Curie - - No, you do not use the past tense of profit. Try reducing the sentence: Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium but refused to profit from the commercial exploitation of radium. Let's try the reduced sentence with the profited: "Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium but refused to profited from the commercial exploitation of radium." That should sound bad to you now that the sentence is shorter. I often reduce sentences in my head to make sure they are still grammatically correct.</p>