<p>Ok let me straight off and say it, writing section is ANNOYING (but not all of them are).
Some of the questions are so obvious, but some are so random. Like you would think the choice you have chosen is DEFINITELY correct but it is way out of the tangent from the CORRECT answer (and there I have no clue how that answer is correct). Also, what ****es me off more is sometimes HARD questions are SO MUCH EASIER than the so called EASY questions....
PLEASE HELP ME.. is there something that I am missing? I think I have all the grammars down.
Is there a website? Or a book (I went through BB, Princeton R., Barron's) that can help me out?</p>
<p>Can you post a couple questions that have given you difficulties? Perhaps that would help us identify what you need to work on.</p>
<p>The most important thing is understanding your mistakes; if you don’t, there’s not much point in taking practice tests. So if you don’t know why your answer is wrong, make sure you look it up or ask someone.</p>
<p>The hard thing about the writing section is that the right answer does not always correspond with spoken language. The trick for the writing section is to know what the question is testing. For example, neither nor, the gerund, parallel structure, idioms, etc. Once you know what the question is asking, it becomes much easier to find the right answer. It just takes practice.</p>
<p>From a to e (No Error) "Used [brackets] for the choices or that is may need of correction (did not know how to underline).</p>
<ul>
<li>Answer: C (preoccupation in)
[Quick to] [ take advantage] of Melanie Johnson’s [preoccupation in] the history of the Johnson family, the genealogist proposed investigating[ that] history - for a large fee. [No Error. ]</li>
</ul>
<p>Like this for example, looks totally correct, but C is the answer???</p>
<p>The quality of multivitamin tablets [is determined] by [how long] [its] potency [can be protected] by the manufacturer’s coating material. [No Error. ]</p>
<p>This too looks fine, but the answer is B.</p>
<p>Because Uranus is nerarly three billion kilometers from the Sun and is enveloped by a thick methane cloud layer, [this blocks almost all solar radiation.]
a) as it is
d) almost no solar radiation reaches the planet</p>
<p>I chose A, but the answer is D.</p>
<p>It is a myth that mathematicians are [so absorbed with abstractions and thus] have no practical interests.
b) absorbed by abstactions and therefore
c) so absorbed in abstractions that they</p>
<p>Can’t both of them be correct? I chose b, but the answer is c </p>
<p>By simply entering an Internet website or calling a toll-free number, [a catalog order can be placed] for almost anything from cheesecakes to fully equipped desktop computers.
a) as it is
d) you can place a catalog order</p>
<p>As it is seems perfectly fine, but no… it had to be D</p>
<p>There you go, here are just few examples
Please explain to be WHY my guess was wrong and HOW the correct answer is correct (and how it is grammatically incorrect, ex: tenses, idiom etc.)</p>
<p>Well, the first one is an idiom- it’s preoccupation with, not in. You can probably find a list online of common idioms tested on the SAT.</p>
<p>I’m not super good in grammar, but I hope I can at least slightly help…</p>
<p>For the first one: you aren’t preoccupied in something, you’re preoccupied with it.</p>
<p>2nd. It has to be “the” something I believe. Should be “the amount of time” etc.</p>
<p>3rd. The this is redundant and thus unnecessary with the because at the beginning of the sentence. For it to work with “this etc etc” they would have had to have been two separate sentences or two complete phrases (drop the because at the beginning of the first) joined by a semicolon.</p>
<p>4th. Again, you aren’t absorbed by something or absorbed with. Absorbed in.</p>
<p>5th. As the first part of the sentence is describing an action, the second part has to describe a noun who can perform the action. The catalog order doesn’t place itself. </p>
<p>I just studied by doing BB tests, but I would suggest that you review their writing prep sections as well and then go onto lots and lots of practice tests.</p>
<p>Kaplan SAT Writing Workbook</p>
<p>How about Rocketreview?</p>
<p>Rocket Review? good for studying writing?</p>
<p>Improving sentences is very easy.You just need to make the sentence sound perfect.It is very rare that the correct answer will be in passive (''the car was repared by me ,instead of ‘‘I repared the car’’ )
Only if all the other choices are completely gramaticallly incorret you should choose that kind of answer .In every other case,the correct answer is the one that sounds best ; very often this is the shortest answer</p>
<p>It is different story in the ‘‘identifying sentence errors’’ tasks .The sentence is not supposed to be ‘‘mellifluous’’ ,or succinct.It must be gramatically correct and even if sth sounds bad ,it will be probably correct</p>
<p>Kaplan has a good book. It really helped me. In the improving sentences always look for parallel structure, neither with nor, correct use of gerund. Also look for the subject of the sentence. Trust your instincts. If something does not sound right, take a closer look. For improving sentences, I agree that you should choose the answer that is the most concise choice that keeps the original meaning, provided it is grammatically correct. Once you figure out how to do this, it will be much easier.</p>
<p>asd, all of the examples you gave had relatively straightforward syntactical answers.</p>
<p>Instead of just casting it off as “annoying”, maybe you should just spend more time studying/practicing. These certainly aren’t “random”.</p>
<p>I think I got the basic idea on how to tackle this section,and I was too quick to say this section is simply “annoying.”
On the other hand does anyone know any sites that show the answers or explanations to the Blue Book tests? And also are there good websites that explain all these grammars for the writing section? Lastly, is Rocket Review book good for writing portion of the SAT?</p>
<p>1st - You can’t be preoccupied in something you are preoccupied with something</p>
<p>2nd - “Tablets” is plural “its” matches with singular “their” goes with plural</p>
<p>3rd - The sentence starts with because indication that the first part of the sentence is a cause, this means that the second part of the sentence has to be an effect. The effect is the blocking out of solar radiation. “This” at the start of the second part of the sentence refers to the subject in the first part of the sentence which in this case is Uranus. If you think about it in that fashion the sentence does not make sense.</p>
<p>4th - Again you are absorbed in something not by it</p>
<p>5th - I don’t like this question because grammatically it is fine and it even sounds okay, but it is an example of the passive voice. The ETS despises the passive voice so you can guarantee that if two answers look right and one is in the passive voice than the other one is right.</p>
<p>Just in case you don’t know what the passive voice is.</p>
<p>Passive: The order was placed
Active : You placed the order</p>
<p>Notice how in the active voice the sentence starts with the subject, then a verb, then the direct object.</p>
<p>The passive voice starts with the direct object than is/was/are/were followed by the past participle of the verb. There is no subject to the passive voice which can make it useful when writing, but never use it on the SAT because for some reason they hate it.</p>
<p>In this question:</p>
<p>By simply entering an Internet website or calling a toll-free number, [a catalog order can be placed] for almost anything from cheesecakes to fully equipped desktop computers.
a) as it is
d) you can place a catalog order,</p>
<p>it’s not merely the passive voice that causes CB to object. sylviecerise has it right. When you start the sentence with the phrase “By simply entering . . .” the noun that follows the clause has to be doing the entering. That can’t be the catalog, it has to be “you” or “one.”</p>
<p>If you are looking for general guidance on this issue in a grammar book, check for “misplaced modifiers” or “dangling participles.”</p>
<p>I thought Writing was my best section until I found out it was my lowest score this March SAT. Now I kind of hate it.</p>
<p>Yeah I thought writing would be pretty easy, but guess not. </p>
<p>Also, I am thinking about getting Rocket Review for writing section, what do you guys think?? And what is the newest Rocket Review edition out right now??</p>
<p>bumpp… i just need someone to answer my question</p>
<p>Rocket Review is supposed to be very good.</p>
<p>As a side note, I think studying Latin did more for my writing score than anything else.</p>
<p>In those cities in which public transportation is adequate, fewer traffic problems occur and pedestrians are rarely involved in accidents.</p>
<p>Can someone explain why it’s IN WHICH? and not WHERE? I don’t know. Where sounds better in my opinion.</p>
<p>In those cities WHERE public transportation is adequate … in which sounds idk … messy?</p>