SAT Writing Questions

Test Preparation
1

<p>Nearly all of the editors of the magazine agree that of the two articles to be published, Fujimura's is the more exciting.</p>

<p>Now I put more exciting to be the problem... I realize that is wrong, and that there is no error in the sentence... but can someone please explain why "more exciting" is correct, what is the rule for adding the article "the" before "more exciting"?</p>

<p>I originally thought it might have been the most exciting, but then I realized only two things are being compared.</p>

<hr>

<p>(1)This summer I felt as if I were listening in on the Middle Ages with a hidden microphone. (2) No, there were no microphones in those days.</p>

<p>The best way to describe the relationship of sentence 2 to sentence 1 is that sentence 2</p>

<p>(A) anticipates a reader's possible response to sentence 1
(B) provides historical background for sentence 1
(C) repeats the idea presented in sentence 1
(D) introduces a contrasting view of sentence 1
(E) corrects an inaccuracy stated in sentence 1</p>

<p>I was not sure about this questions when approaching it, and I went with (E), because I felt it was the best answer out of the 5. The answer is (B), but can someone explain it?</p>

2

<p>when comparing 2 things, u use MORE. when comparing more than 2, u use MOST. As for the "the" in the sentence... yea it sounds weird but remember u cant change what is not underlined....</p>

3

<p>Yep.. Just do some research on the supperlative and the comparative cases. I know I just spelled that wrong, but that's how they sound when you say them.</p>

4

<p>All the answers are not good, but (B) is THE LEAST illogical.</p>

<p>Sentence (1) does not state an inaccurate fact, that makes a reader want to counter. It talks about imaginary thing: "as if I were". It grabs a reader's attention. (A) and (E) are out.</p>

<p>SAT answers very often include one or two obviosly stupid ones.
(1) and (2) are about different things (and not opposite). (C) and (D) are dismissed.</p>

<p>(1) does not say that there were no mics in the Middle Ages.
You could say "This summer I felt as if I were listening in on the KGB interrogations with a hidden microphone." - unlikely, but technically plausible.
(E) is wrong.</p>

<p>That leaves us with (B).</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the help on that one gcf... but can anyone explain the identifying sentence error question?</p>

6

<p>Nearly all of the editors of the magazine agree that of the two articles to be published, Fujimura's is the more exciting.</p>

<p>It's only MOST if the sentence reads as follows:</p>

<p>Nearly all of the editors of the magazine agree that of all the articles to be published, Fujimura's is the most exciting.</p>

<p>Because it's assumed that they're comparing more than 2 people's articles.</p>

7

<p>so... the more exciting in this sentence is grammatically correct? I've never seen it written with a "the" before a comparative adjective before...</p>

8

<p>Several posters already gave right exlanantions.
This is just an "official" confirmation.</p>

<p>Test 1, part B, q.5
"Exceeding(A) a weight of six pounds, Camilla's baby was(B) the larger(C) of the triplets(D). No error(E)."</p>

<p>(C)
When comparing two objects, you should use a word ending in -er, also known as a comparative modifier. </p>

<p>When comparing three or more objects, you need to use a word ending in -est, a superlative modifier.</p>

<h1>"As a triplet, the baby is the larger of the three, not the largest."</h1>

<p>Also, Barron's "Verbal Workout for the New SAT", p.221,
"Error in Logical Comparison":</p>

<p>"I can go to California or Florida. I wonder which is best."
When you are comparing only two things, you should use the comparative form of adjective, not the superlative:</p>

<h1>"I wonder which is better".</h1>

<p>Here's a good analogy.
The same book, p.205:
"Common Problems in Usage; Words Often Misused or Confused".
AMONG/BETWEEN.
Two persons or things - BETWEEN.
More than two - AMONG.
(Examples are given)</p>