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PART 2 Evidence-Based Reading and WritingChoice D is not the best answer because the proposed deletion wouldcreate a jarring shift from the statement “Most transportation plannerswork in or near cities” to the example of the work a transportationplanner might perform if he or she were employed in a rural area.PRACTICE AT55satpractice.orgAs on Question 2, this questiontests two topics—here,possessive nouns and unnecessarypunctuation. Be sure the answer youchoose is the best option overall.Some answer choices may correctone problem but not the otheror may correct one problem butintroduce an alternate error.A)B)C)D)NO CHANGEplanner’s jobplanners job,planners jobContent: Conventions of PunctuationKey: BObjective: You must differentiate between possessive and plural nouns.You must also recognize and eliminate unnecessary punctuation.Explanation: Choice B is the best answer because it correctly uses anapostrophe to indicate possession and does not introduce anyunnecessary punctuation.Choice A is not the best answer because while it correctly indicates thepossessive relationship between “transportation planner” and “job,” itintroduces an unnecessary comma after the word “job.”Choice C is not the best answer because it does not indicate thepossessive relationship between “transportation planner” and “job,” andbecause it introduces an unnecessary comma after the word “job.”Choice D is not the best answer because it does not indicate thepossessive relationship between “transportation planner” and “job.”REMEMBEREconomy of expression, orconveying meaning as concisely aspossible, may be tested on somequestions.6A)B)C)D)NO CHANGEcurrent design of the road right nowroad as it is now currently designedcurrent design of the roadContent: Effective Language UseKey: DObjective: You must achieve economy of expression.Explanation: Choice D is the best answer because it offers a clear andconcise wording without redundancy or wordiness.Choice A is not the best answer because “current” is redundant with “atthis time” and because “as it is designed” is unnecessarily wordy.136

Chapter 13 Sample Writing and Language Test QuestionsChoice B is not the best answer because “current” is redundant with“right now.”Choice C is not the best answer because “now” is redundant with“currently.”PRACTICE AT7A)B)C)D)NO CHANGEFor instance,Furthermore,Similarly,Content: OrganizationKey: BObjective: You must determine the most logical transitional word orphrase.satpractice.orgIf a question asks you to choosethe most appropriate transitionalword or phrase at the beginningof a sentence, carefully considerhow that sentence relates to theprevious sentence. Does it functionas a contradiction, an example, acomparison?Explanation: Choice B is the best answer because the transitional phrase“For instance” logically indicates that what follows provides an examplerelated to the previous sentence. “Representatives from the local publichealth department” is an example of the kinds of people with whomtransportation planners work.Choice A is not the best answer because the transitional word “Next”indicates sequence, which is not logical given that what follows providesan example related to the previous sentence.Choice C is not the best answer because the transitional word“Furthermore” indicates addition, which is not logical given that whatfollows provides an example related to the previous sentence.Choice D is not the best answer because the transitional word “Similarly”indicates comparison or likeness, which is not logical given that whatfollows provides an example related to the previous sentence.8The writer is considering deleting the underlined sentence. Should thesentence be kept or deleted?A) Kept, because it provides supporting evidence about the benefits of walking.B) Kept, because it provides an additional example of a communitystakeholder with whom transportation planners work.C) Deleted, because it blurs the paragraph’s focus on the communitystakeholders with whom transportation planners work.D) Deleted, because it doesn’t provide specific examples of what thenumerous benefits of walking are.137

PART 2 Evidence-Based Reading and WritingContent: DevelopmentKey: CObjective: You must delete information because it blurs the focus of theparagraph and weakens cohesion.PRACTICE ATsatpractice.orgInformation should be kept only ifit’s clearly relevant and effectivelyconnected to the writer’s purpose.Explanation: Choice C is the best answer because it identifies the bestreason the underlined sentence should not be kept. At this point in thepassage and paragraph, a general statement about the benefits of walkingonly serves to interrupt the discussion of the community stakeholderswith whom transportation planners work.Choice A is not the best answer because the underlined sentence shouldnot be kept. Although the sentence theoretically provides supportingevidence about the benefits of walking, the passage has not made a claimthat needs to be supported in this way, and including such a statementonly serves to interrupt the discussion of the community stakeholderswith whom transportation planners work.Choice B is not the best answer because the underlined sentence should notbe kept. Although the American Heart Association could theoretically be anexample of “other interested organizations” with which transportationplanners work, the sentence does not suggest that this is the case. Instead,the association is merely the source for the general statement about thebenefits of walking, a statement that only serves to interrupt the discussion ofthe actual community stakeholders with whom transportation planners work.Choice D is not the best answer because although the underlinedsentence should be deleted, it is not because the sentence lacks specificexamples of the numerous benefits of walking. Adding such exampleswould only serve to blur the focus of the paragraph further with generalfactual information, as the paragraph’s main purpose is to discuss thecommunity stakeholders with whom transportation planners work.9A)B)C)D)NO CHANGEPeople, who pursue careers in transportation planning,People who pursue careers, in transportation planning,People who pursue careers in transportation planning,Content: Conventions of PunctuationKey: AObjective: You must distinguish between restrictive/essential andnonrestrictive/nonessential sentence elements and avoid inappropriatepunctuation.Explanation: Choice A is the best answer because “who pursue careersin transportation planning” is, in context, a restrictive clause that shouldnot be set off with punctuation. “Who pursue careers in transportationplanning” is essential information defining who the “people” are.138

Chapter 13 Sample Writing and Language Test QuestionsChoice B is not the best answer because it incorrectly sets off therestrictive clause “who pursue careers in transportation planning” withcommas as though the clause were nonrestrictive or not essential todefining who the “people” are.Choice C is not the best answer because it incorrectly sets off theessential sentence element “in transportation planning” with commas asthough the phrase were not essential to the meaning of the sentence. “Intransportation planning” is essential information defining what the“careers” are.Choice D is not the best answer because it introduces an unnecessarycomma after the word “planning,” incorrectly setting off the subject of thesentence (“people who pursue careers in transportation planning”) fromthe predicate (“have a wide variety of educational backgrounds”).PRACTICE AT10A)B)C)D)NO CHANGEvaried, and includingvaried and which includevaried, which includeContent: Sentence StructureKey: AObjective: You must identify the proper connection between sentenceelements.satpractice.orgWhen examining the underlinedportion of the passage being tested,it may be helpful to think about how(if at all) the underlined portion canbe improved before you look at theanswer choices. Doing so may helpyou more quickly and accuratelychoose your answer.Explanation: Choice A is the best answer because it effectively uses acomma and “including” to set off the list of varied fields in whichtransportation planners major.Choice B is not the best answer because “and including” results in anungrammatical sentence.Choice C is not the best answer because “and which include” results inan ungrammatical sentence.Choice D is not the best answer because it is unclear from thisconstruction to what exactly the relative pronoun “which” refers.11Which choice completes the sentence with accurate data based on the graph?A) NO CHANGEB) warning, however, that job growth in urban and regional planning willslow to 14 percent by 2020.C) predicting that employment of urban and regional planners willincrease 16 percent between 2010 and 2020.D) indicating that 14 to 18 percent of urban and regional planningpositions will remain unfilled.PRACTICE ATsatpractice.orgIn Question 11, you must integrateinformation from the text with datapresented in the graph. Make surethat the data cited are both accurateand align with the content of thesentence.139

PART 2 Evidence-Based Reading and WritingContent: DevelopmentKey: CObjective: You must evaluate text based on data presented graphically.Explanation: Choice C is the best answer because it completes thesentence with an accurate interpretation of data in the graph. The graphdisplays projections of how much growth in employment there is expectedto be between 2010 and 2020 for “social scientists and related workers,”for “urban and regional planners,” and in “all occupations” in the U.S.economy. According to the graph, the employment of urban and regionalplanners is expected to increase 16 percent between 2010 and 2020.Choice A is not the best answer because the data in the graph do notsupport the claim that 16 percent of new jobs in all occupations will berelated to urban and regional planning.Choice B is not the best answer because the data in the graph do notsupport the claim that job growth in urban and regional planning willslow to 14 percent by 2020.Choice D is not the best answer because the data in the graph do notsupport the claim that 14 to 18 percent of urban and regional planningpositions will remain unfilled.Sample 2:humanities PassageQuestions 12-22 are based on the following passage.Dong Kingman: Painter of CitiesYork City’s Chinatown. A crowd of admiring spectators 12 watchedas Kingman squeezes dollops of paint from several tubes into a tinwatercolor 13 box, from just a few primary colors, Kingman createsdozens of beautiful hues as he layers the translucent paint onto thepaper on his easel. Each stroke of the brush and dab of the spongetransforms thinly sketched outlines into buildings, shop signs, andstreetlamps. The street scene Kingman begins composing in thisshort film is very much in keeping with the urban landscapes forwhich he is best known.140

Chapter 13 Sample Writing and Language Test Questionsteachers at that time customarily assigned students a formal “schoolname.” [3] His interest was so keen, in fact, that he was named after it.[4] The young boy who had been Dong Moy Shu became DongKingman. [5] The name Kingman was selected for its two 14 parts,“king” and “man”; Cantonese for “scenery” and “composition.” [6] AsKingman developed as a painter, his works were often compared to15 paintings by Chinese landscape artists dating back to CE 960, atime when a strong tradition of landscape painting emerged inChinese art. [7] Kingman, however, 16 vacated from that tradition ina number of ways, most notably in that he chose to focus not onnatural landscapes, such as mountains and rivers, but on cities. 1718 His fine brushwork conveys detailed street-level activity: apeanut vendor pushing his cart on the sidewalk, a pigeon pecking forcrumbs around a fire 19 hydrant, an old man tending to a babyoutside a doorway. His broader brush strokes and sponge-paintedshapes create majestic city skylines, with skyscrapers towering in thebackground, bridges connecting neighborhoods on either side of ariver, and 20 delicately painted creatures, such as a tiny, barely visiblecat prowling in the bushes of a park. To art critics and fans alike,these city scenes represent the innovative spirit of twentieth-centuryurban Modernism.During his career, Kingman exhibited his work21 internationally. He garnered much acclaim. In 1936, a criticdescribed one of Kingman’s solo exhibits as “twenty of the freshest,most satisfying watercolors that have been seen hereabouts inmany a day.” 2212PRACTICE ATA)B)C)D)NO CHANGEhad watchedwould watchwatchesContent: Sentence StructureKey: DObjective: You must recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verbtense and mood.satpractice.orgWhen a question asks you tochoose the tense and mood of averb, look for consistency with thesurrounding text to help determineyour answer. Note that while no shiftis warranted here, sometimes shiftsare necessary.141

PART 2 Evidence-Based Reading and WritingExplanation: Choice D is the best answer because the simple presenttense verb “watches” is consistent with the tense of the verbs in the restof the sentence and paragraph.Choice A is not the best answer because “watched” creates aninappropriate shift to the past tense.Choice B is not the best answer because “had watched” creates aninappropriate shift to the past perfect tense.Choice C is not the best answer because “would watch” creates aninappropriate shift that suggests a habitual or hypothetical aspect whenother verbs in the sentence and paragraph indicate that a specific, actualinstance is being narrated.13A)B)C)D)NO CHANGEbox. From just a few primary colors,box from just a few primary colors,box, from just a few primary colorsContent: Sentence StructureKey: BObjective: You must create two grammatically complete and standardsentences.Explanation: Choice B is the best answer because it provides punctuationthat creates two grammatically complete and standard sentences.Choice A is not the best answer because it results in a comma splice aswell as some confusion about what the prepositional phrase “from just afew primary colors” modifies.Choice C is not the best answer because it results in a run-on sentence aswell as some confusion about what the prepositional phrase “from just afew primary colors” modifies.Choice D is not the best answer because it results in a comma splice.PRACTICE ATsatpractice.orgA colon is used to signal a break ina sentence; what follows the colonfurther defines the concept thatprecedes the colon. A semicoloncan be used to connect two closelyrelated independent clauses (as inthe preceding sentence).14214A)B)C)D)NO CHANGEparts: “king” and “man,”parts “king” and “man”;parts; “king” and “man”Content: Conventions of PunctuationKey: BObjective: You must both signal a strong within-sentence break andproperly set off a nonessential sentence element.

Chapter 13 Sample Writing and Language Test QuestionsExplanation: Choice B is the best answer because the colon after “parts”effectively signals that what follows in the sentence further defines whatthe “two parts” of Kingman’s name are and because the comma after“man” properly indicates that “‘king’ and ‘man’” and “Cantonese for‘scenery’ and ‘composition’ ” are nonrestrictive appositives.Choice A is not the best answer because the semicolon after “man”incorrectly joins an independent clause and a phrase. Moreover, thecomma after “parts” is arguably a weak form of punctuation to besignaling the strong break in the sentence indicated here.Choice C is not the best answer because the semicolon after “man”incorrectly joins an independent clause and a phrase and because theabsence of appropriate punctuation after “parts” fails to indicate that“two parts” and “‘king’ and ‘man’” are nonrestrictive appositives.Choice D is not the best answer because the semicolon after “parts”incorrectly joins an independent clause and two phrases and because theabsence of appropriate punctuation after “man” fails to indicate that“‘king’ and ‘man’” and “Cantonese for ‘scenery’ and ‘composition’” arenonrestrictive appositives.PRACTICE AT15A)B)C)D)NO CHANGEChinese landscape artistspainters of Chinese landscapesartistsContent: Conventions of Usagesatpractice.orgComparisons must be logical; thatis, the items compared must be of asimilar nature. What are Kingman’s“works” most logically compared toin sentence 6 of the paragraph?Key: AObjective: You must ensure that like terms are being compared.Explanation: Choice A is the best answer because it creates acomparison between like terms: “works” by Kingman and “paintings byChinese landscape artists.”Choice B is not the best answer because it creates a comparison betweenunlike terms: “works” by Kingman and “Chinese landscape artists.”Choice C is not the best answer because it creates a comparison betweenunlike terms: “works” by Kingman and “painters of Chinese landscapes.”Choice D is not the best answer because it creates a comparison betweenunlike terms: “works” by Kingman and “artists.”REMEMBER16A)B)C)D)NO CHANGEevacuateddepartedretiredQuestion 16 is very similar to aWords in Context question fromthe SAT Reading Test. You’re askedto determine the most appropriateword given the context of thesentence.143

PART 2 Evidence-Based Reading and WritingContent: Effective Language UseKey: CObjective: You must determine the most contextually appropriate word.Explanation: Choice C is the best answer because “departed” is the mostcontextually appropriate way to indicate that Kingman had deviated fromthe tradition of Chinese landscape painting in a number of ways.Choice A is not the best answer because while “vacated” does offer somesense of “leaving,” it would be awkward and unconventional to say that aperson was vacating from a tradition in a number of ways.Choice B is not the best answer because while “evacuated” does offersome sense of “leaving,” it would be awkward and unconventional to saythat a person was evacuating from a tradition in a number of ways.Choice D is not the best answer because while “retired” does offer somesense of “leaving,” it would be awkward and unconventional to say that aperson was retiring from a tradition in a number of ways.PRACTICE ATsatpractice.orgConsider the overall meaningof the paragraph when decidingthe most logical placement ofsentence 3. Also, look for words orconcepts found in sentence 3 inother sentences in the paragraph,as these may signal a continuationof ideas.17To make this paragraph most logical, sentence 3 should be placedA)B)C)D)where it is now.before sentence 1.after sentence 1.after sentence 4.Content: OrganizationKey: CObjective: You must ensure the cohesion of a paragraph.Explanation: Choice C is the best answer because placing sentence 3after sentence 1 makes the paragraph most cohesive. Sentence 3 refers toKingman’s “interest” being “so keen,” a continuation of the idea insentence 1, which says that “Kingman was keenly interested in landscapepainting from an early age.”Choice A is not the best answer because leaving sentence 3 where it isnow creates a sequence of sentences that lacks sufficient cohesion.Keeping sentence 3 in its current location disrupts the link betweensentence 2 (which describes the concept of “school names” in HongKong) and sentence 4 (which reveals that Dong Kingman was the schoolname of Dong Moy Shu).Choice B is not the best answer because placing sentence 3 beforesentence 1 creates a sequence of sentences that lacks sufficient cohesion.Putting sentence 3 at the beginning of the paragraph would offer a poorintroduction to the paragraph, in large part because sentence 3 buildsdirectly on a point made in sentence 1.144

Chapter 13 Sample Writing and Language Test QuestionsChoice D is not the best answer because placing sentence 3 aftersentence 4 creates a

Sample Writing and Language Test Questions This chapter presents two Writing and Language Test sample passages and associated test questions. Following each question is an explanation of the best answer and some comments about the incorrect answer choices. These instructions will precede the SAT Wr