PSAT Writing Questions

Test Preparation
1

<p>Can somebody tell me what the answers are to these writing questions and why they’re correct?!? Thanks!!!</p>

<li><p>(Listed in) the regional guide to museums (are) their locations, descriptions of ongoing exhibits, admission prices, and hours (when) (it is) open.</p></li>
<li><p>A moderate climate, low taxes, and efficient transportation (are often cited) as reasons (of why) that area is (growing more rapidly) than (any other) region in the country. </p></li>
<li><p>To analye (Aphra Behn’s career) as a writer is (being made aware of) the evolution of the literary forms Behn (may be said) (to have influenced). </p></li>
<li><p>(Developing) a cohrent system for classifying the 30,000 species of spiders has proved (difficult); (since) 1900, eighteen new classification systems (have been proposed). </p></li>
<li><p>As the French Jesuits learned (more of) the Iroquois’ language, (they became) more capable (to communicate) the ideas and intentions that had brought (them) to the New World.</p></li>
<li><p>More runners (are expected to) register (for) the city-wide marathon (than for) the local track competition, which has not been as (heavily) advertised. </p></li>
<li><p>(Setting herself) up (as) a preserver of the classical tradition in music, Clara Schumann was an (outspoken) (critic toward) romantic composer Franz Liszt.</p></li>
<li><p>(So confident was) the debater that her position was both meritorious and (defensive) that she (neglected) to present adequate evidence (to support) her arguments.</p></li>
</ol>

2

<ol>
<li>(Listed in) the regional guide to museums (are) their locations, descriptions of ongoing exhibits, admission prices, and hours (when) (it is) open.</li>
</ol>

<p>'It is' should be 'they are' since 'it' refers to the plural museums.</p>

<ol>
<li>A moderate climate, low taxes, and efficient transportation (are often cited) as reasons (of why) that area is (growing more rapidly) than (any other) region in the country. </li>
</ol>

<p>I think it's 'of why' that's wrong, but I'm not quite sure. I would naturally say 'as to why', but there may be different options. The problem is that most grammar is regional, so what's correct in Pennsylvania may not be correct in California. There really isn't a set standard for the entire English language.</p>

<ol>
<li>To analye (Aphra Behn's career) as a writer is (being made aware of) the evolution of the literary forms Behn (may be said) (to have influenced). </li>
</ol>

<p>'Being made aware of' should change because it's not parallel structure, but the sentence is just poorly written in general.</p>

<ol>
<li>(Developing) a cohrent system for classifying the 30,000 species of spiders has proved (difficult); (since) 1900, eighteen new classification systems (have been proposed). </li>
</ol>

<p>I don't think there's anything wrong with it.</p>

<ol>
<li>As the French Jesuits learned (more of) the Iroquois' language, (they became) more capable (to communicate) the ideas and intentions that had brought (them) to the New World.</li>
</ol>

<p>'To communicate' should be 'of communicating'. It just sounds better; I don't know what the actual English reason is, or if there really is one.</p>

<ol>
<li>More runners (are expected to) register (for) the city-wide marathon (than for) the local track competition, which has not been as (heavily) advertised. </li>
</ol>

<p>Looks good as is.</p>

<ol>
<li>(Setting herself) up (as) a preserver of the classical tradition in music, Clara Schumann was an (outspoken) (critic toward) romantic composer Franz Liszt.</li>
</ol>

<p>'Critic toward' should be 'critic of', since critic is a noun.</p>

<ol>
<li>(So confident was) the debater that her position was both meritorious and (defensive) that she (neglected) to present adequate evidence (to support) her arguments.</li>
</ol>

<p>'Definsive 'should be 'defended' or 'defendable' (defensive is the adjective for how you get when someone attacks you...a position can't be it), but this seems more like a vocab question than a grammar one.</p>

<p>I hate the PSAT grammar. I got an 80 on the section (I missed two, but someone the collegeboard equated that with perfect), but I do most of it by ear, not by rules. My mother is a newspaper editor, so my ear is pretty good, but I always feel like I'm missing something. In addition, some of the sentences are jsut so poorly written that it seems one correction isn't going to help; they may then be grammatically correct, but they still sound like crap.</p>

3

<p>I think everything in the last post is right except:</p>

<h1>5:As the French Jesuits learned (more of) the Iroquois' language, (they became) more capable (to communicate) the ideas and intentions that had brought (them) to the New World.</h1>

<p>(they became) is ambiguous. It could refer to either the French Jesuits or the Iroquois. "capable to communicate" i think is alright.</p>

4

<p>I don't think so layman, I think they can't refer to Iroquois because it is not a noun, thus not an antecedent. Iroquois acts as an adjective.</p>

<p>I feel it should be "of communicating"</p>

5

<p>I agree with il bandito about number 5. "Iroquois'" is a possessive (thus acting like an adjective), so it can not be the antecedent of "they". "Capable to" is an incorrect idiom. The proper idiomatic expression is "capable OF". A related idiom is "able TO".</p>