SAT Grammar Common Questions &
Answers
1.While I still viewed anthropology as an intellectual discipline, I
thought that if someone wanted to "help" people, that individual should
become a social worker.
a. yet
b. and
c. so
d. DELETE the underlined portion.
Answer d. DELETE the underlined portion.
Coordinating conjunctions like "yet," "and," or "so" are necessary after
a comma to connect two complete sentences.
However, the "while" at the beginning of the sentence clarifies that
everything before the underline is just there to explain when the rest of
the sentence occurred, so the first half is not a complete sentence.
Therefore, no conjunction is necessary.
2.One can only have the audacity of hope and believe that some can be led
to the habit of unmasking ideological those that surround us on all sides
in the U.S. today.
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9
, a. aberrations such as
b. aberrations such as
c. aberrations, such as
d. aberrations such as
Answer a. aberrations such as
When a sentence's meaning is already clear, punctuation makes it
more awkward and confusing.
Here, "such as" introduces an example at the end of the sentence, so
there is nothing it needs to be separated from by punctuation, and no
punctuation is necessary.
3.After reading about Fortune I decided to go and study this geologic
treasure myself.
a. Head.
b. Head;
c. Head,
d. Head, then
Answer c. Head, then
Introductory phrases that function as adverbs—describing WHEN, why,
or how an action occurs—must be set off by commas.
"After reading about Fortune Head" describes WHEN the writer "decided
to go and study," so the phrase must end in a comma.
2/
9
Answers
1.While I still viewed anthropology as an intellectual discipline, I
thought that if someone wanted to "help" people, that individual should
become a social worker.
a. yet
b. and
c. so
d. DELETE the underlined portion.
Answer d. DELETE the underlined portion.
Coordinating conjunctions like "yet," "and," or "so" are necessary after
a comma to connect two complete sentences.
However, the "while" at the beginning of the sentence clarifies that
everything before the underline is just there to explain when the rest of
the sentence occurred, so the first half is not a complete sentence.
Therefore, no conjunction is necessary.
2.One can only have the audacity of hope and believe that some can be led
to the habit of unmasking ideological those that surround us on all sides
in the U.S. today.
1/
9
, a. aberrations such as
b. aberrations such as
c. aberrations, such as
d. aberrations such as
Answer a. aberrations such as
When a sentence's meaning is already clear, punctuation makes it
more awkward and confusing.
Here, "such as" introduces an example at the end of the sentence, so
there is nothing it needs to be separated from by punctuation, and no
punctuation is necessary.
3.After reading about Fortune I decided to go and study this geologic
treasure myself.
a. Head.
b. Head;
c. Head,
d. Head, then
Answer c. Head, then
Introductory phrases that function as adverbs—describing WHEN, why,
or how an action occurs—must be set off by commas.
"After reading about Fortune Head" describes WHEN the writer "decided
to go and study," so the phrase must end in a comma.
2/
9
