SAT Writing section techniques, strategies & approaches

SAT Writing Section Techniques, Strategies & Approaches article incomplete - under construction

• Note on abbreviations
  • IC = "independent clause"
  • DC = "dependent clause"
  • SV = "Subject Verb"
  • SVO = "Subject Verb Object"
  • CB = College Board
    • all practice tests referenced or excerpted here are from the [College Board Official Practice Test Suite]

Writing section overview

• SAT Writing Section Test Directions
  • students are to answer questions based upon:
    • revising text for effective expression of ideas
    • correcting grammatical errors, such as sentence structure, usage, or punctuation
    • interpret graphs and apply to text corrections
  • some questions will refer to an underlined portion of a passage
  • some questions will ask you to consider a portion of a passage or the passage as a whole
  • the correct answer “most effectively improves the quality of writing”
  • correct answers conform to “conventions of standard English”
• SAT Writing Test Structure
  • students have 35 min. to answer 44 questions
  • test has four readings passages with 11 questions each
    • = average of 8:45 min per passage

BIG IDEAS

• Writing section is rules-based
  • i.e., the answers follow set grammar, punctuation, and usage conventions
  • therefore, identify the rules as you practice & apply them in your elimination strategies
  • this S4Swiki entry is designed to help identify those rules and conventions
• use the test to answer itself:
  • any text that is not underlined is to be assumed as correct
    • therefore you can test grammatical rules based on it

Difficulty level

• difficulty level is based on the passage and not the questions
  • there can be difficult questions on easy passages, but the bulk of "hard" questions will coincide with difficult passages

Elimination & evidence-based test

• SAT Writing is "evidence-based" = the answer is in the text
• eliminate for errors
• Writing section elimination techniques are discussed below
• use passage titles!

Grammar, logic & punctuation

• build grammar literacy as you practice
• speak punctuation as you read so as not to miss
• every sentence contains a SUBJECT and a VERB (and usually an OBJECT)
  • identify the CORE of the sentence (the "main clause")
    • then identify the sentence core then you will see how the rest of the sentence is built out from there
• editing or sentence placement questions follow simple logic, either:
  • chronology
    • what has to happen first or after
  • presentation of ideas
    • what information belongs to a logical argument
    • i.e., "if this then that" or statements necessary for an argument

Practice

What effective SAT prep practice looks like

• see for recommendations on effective SAT prep methods here: [SAT Reading practice techniques]

Reading v. skimming

• "hard" reading is not necessary for Writing section success
• however, pure skimming is not recommended
• read for context but not necessarily for every detail

Timed test

• all SAT sections are timed
  • keep time awareness per passage
  • practice for accuracy first (regardless of time), then build efficiency (accuracy + speed)

General strategies & approaches

• unlike on the Reading section, for the Writing section students are advised to review possible answers before reading the text
• speak punctuation to yourself while you read
• click EXPAND for an example

• • • when reading a sentence, such as "John Stevens, a prominent researcher, said, "Look at me!"
    • read it as, "John Stevens, ["comma"] a prominent researcher, ["comma"] said, ["comma"] "["quotation mark"] Look at me!["exclamation point"]"["close quotation mark"]
    • this help you to identify important punctuation in sentences that you may otherwise miss

Test & booklet formatting

• you will note that the Writing test will use page space in order to separate sentences or paragraphs across pages
• you will have to flip pages back/forth to make sense across paragraphs and sentences
• frequently, the SAT test will add graphs which will separate sentences and paragraphs by an additional page
  • or questions regarding the graph will be on a different page
• the Writing section lists most possible answer A's in the text itself and are marked "No Change"
  • students can be fooled by the inline placement
  • so it is advised to ignore the possible answer while reading the text and consider it equally as you would the other possible answers
• possible answers are only as underlined, so be careful to identify if punctuation is included or not in the underlined section

Using titles

• Writing section passages do not have introductions
  • therefore, passage titles are the only direct statement of author purpose or thesis
• titles will help answer questions, especially:
  • • add or delete questions ("focus" questions)
      • is the insertion or deletion consistent w/ the title?
    • final paragraph questions
      • last sentences of a passage generally summarize the main point, which is usually also expressed in the passage title

click EXPAND for example of using the title to answer question 2 from CB practice test 10:

• Passage title: "How a Cat in a Hat Changed Children’s Education"
• Test 10, question 2:

The writer wants to include a quotation by Hersey that supports the topic of the passage. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?
A) (NO CHANGE) interesting, since “an individual’s sense of wholeness... follows, and cannot precede, a sense of accomplishment.”
B) interesting, since “learning starts with failure; the first failure is the beginning of education.”
C) interesting because “journalism allows its readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers an opportunity to live it.”
D) interesting with “drawings like those of the wonderfully imaginative geniuses among children’s illustrators.”

• elimination using the title, "How a Cat in a Hat Changed Children’s Education"
  • note: this assumes the student knows that the "Cat in a Hat" is an illustration book designed to teach reading (fairly common knowledge for English speakers)
• x A) a sense of wholeness and accomplishment unrelated to the title << so eliminate
• x B) failure has nothing to do with illustration books and reading<< so eliminate
• x C) nothing about journalism in the title << so eliminate
• y D) drawings and children's illustration assumed in the title << correct

click EXPAND for example of using the title to answer question 11 from CB practice test 10:

• Passage title: "How a Cat in a Hat Changed Children’s Education"
• Test 10, question 11 -- the final question of the passage regarding the last sentence (thus a concluding sentence):

Full sentence: "But perhaps the best proof of The Cat in the Hat’s success is not its influence on other books but its __"
Question: The writer wants a conclusion that restates the main themes of the passage. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?
A) (NO CHANGE) limited vocabulary and appealing word choices.
B) impressive worldwide sales that continue to remain high to this day.
C) enduring ability to delight children and engage them in learning how to read.
D) important role in the history of illustration in the twentieth century

• elimination using the title, "How a Cat in a Hat Changed Children’s Education"
• x A) title is not about word choices (or limiting vocabulary) << so eliminate
• x B) title is not about the book's sales, it's about changing children's education << so eliminate
• y C) we can infer that the title is about learning to read << correct
• x D) title is about children's education not history of illustration << so eliminate

Elimination strategies

• where possible, re-write A) NO CHANGE with the actual word or phrase
• look at possible wrong answers and identify:
  • how they are similar
  • how they are different
  • pair similar possible answers
    • you will notice how possible answers tend to operate in pairs
• go for the low-hanging fruit first:
  • = eliminate the easy or obvious wrong answers first
• now read the relevant sentence/s or phrase/s from the passage
  • speak the punctuation so that you don't miss anything
• apply your grammar, usage, and logic rules

Identify & apply rules

• every question measures some skill, rule or logic
  • by identifying the rule, students may eliminate more accurately
• rules for punctuation
• click EXPAND on elimination by punctuation rules

• get the low-hanging fruit first:
  • identify a punctuation rule you know and eliminate the wrong possible answers
• ex., Practice Test 1, Writing Q3

If it is improperly introduced into the environment, acid-whey [runoff can pollute waterways,] depleting the oxygen content of streams and rivers as it decomposes.

A) NO CHANGE << can pollute waterways, 
B) can pollute waterway's,
C) could have polluted waterways,
D) has polluted waterway’s,

• the easy elimination ("the low hanging fruit")
  • A and C do not have the apostrophe indicating the possessive form
  • B & D both have the apostrophe indicating the possessive form
• apply the possessive noun rules:
  • nouns can only possess other nouns
    • i.e., if possessor noun cannot be followed by a verb (as in "waterways' depleting" = incorrect)
  • no punctuation comes in between a possessor noun and the possessed noun (as in "waterways', depleting" = incorrect)
  • only an adjective can separate a possessor noun from the possessed noun
    • ex. "the dog's tasty bone" ("tasty" is an adjective that describes the bone)
• therefore B & D must be wrong because the possessive noun "waterway's" is followed by a comma ("waterway's,") and a verb "depleting"

• rules for usage
• rules for logic & chronology

Parts of Speech

• identifying parts of speech will yield higher scores
• see this article for Parts of speech

Punctuation

• the purpose of punctuation is to mimic on paper verbal, or spoken, language
  • ex., periods and commas mark spoken pauses between sentences and sentence parts
    • however, for written language, punctuation provides additional guidance to a reader that does not exist in spoken language
    • ex., semicolons are not differentiated from other forms of pause in spoken language

periods

• periods mark a full stop between complete sentences
  • see Independent clause (IC) below for what constitutes a complete sentence
• eliminate periods in possible answers when there is not an IC on both sides of the period.
• the SAT will not ask to distinguish between use of other punctuation that separates independent clauses
  • such as semicolons and commas (+ conjunction)
    • periods separate complete sentences from each other as distinct thoughts
      • i.e., IC << . >> IC
    • semicolons juxtapose sentences for comparison
      • i.e., IC >> ; << IC
    • commas + conjunction combine sentences and ideas into a single thought, with each IC weighed equally
      • i.e., IC <=> , + <=> IC

semicolons

• semicolons juxtapose complete sentences (ICs) for comparison or emphasis or their relationship
• eliminate semicolons if there are not ICs on both sides of the semicolon

commas

• commas create a pause
• commas have multiple uses, including:
  • separate lists (of subjects, verbs or objects)
  • combine IC + DC or DC + IC
  • with a conjunction, to combine IC's
  • act parenthetically (two commas)
• eliminate according to the rules

apostrophes

• apostrophes indicate either
  • possession ("the dog's toy")
  • or a contraction ("it's" = "it is")

apostrophes for possession

• only nouns can possess nouns
  • see SAT Writing section for more rules on possessive nouns

• 's

  = the suffix for a singular noun to indicate possession
  • ex. "the dog's toy" = one dog possesses (has) a toy

• s'

  = the suffix for a plural noun
• exceptions occur when a noun ends with an "s", as that creates confusion between the singular "'s" and plural "s'" possessive indicator
  • normally, nouns that end with an "s" are pluralized by added "es" to the end, such as
    • walrus (singular)
    • walruses (plural
  • possessive forms are:
    • "the walrus' tusk" (singular)
    • "the walruses tusk (plural)
• note
  • if there are two possessor nouns both possessing the same thing, only the 2nd will use the apostrophe
    • i.e., "Ted and Javon's team won the game"
  • if there are two possessor nouns possessing different things (such as "their own"), both possessor nouns will use the apostrophe
    • i.e., "Ted and Javon's teams both won the game"

possessive pronouns

• my, your, his, her, its, our, your (plural), their
• note that many other languages have the possessive pronoun
  • however, they lack the apostrophe indicator for nouns, thus instead of using the apostrophe to indicate possession ("the dog's toy") they structure the idea as "of" or "belonging to", as in, "the toy of the dog" or the toy that belongs to the dog"

apostrophes for contraction

• contractions are used for "to be" words to join the subject and the verb via the apostrophe, as in:
  • "I am" contracted to "I'm" or "we are" = "we're"
  • "it is" = "it's" or "they are" = "they're"
• informal use of the contraction occurs with any noun, as in:
  • "the dog is happy" contracted to "the dog's happy"
    • such use is informal and is mimicking the slurring of a noun with "is"
    • note that since the 's causes confusion with the possessive form of the apostrophe, in written English, the subject-verb contraction is avoided

Clause

• note:
  • a clause = a part of a sentence that has a subject and a verb (may or may not be a complete sentence or thought)
  • a phrase = a part of a sentence that has only a verb or a noun, but not both
    • note: Santa is not a clause
• Sources:
  • Types of Clauses (cliffnotes.com)

Independent clause

• "Independent Clause" (IC)
• = a sentence part that can stand as a complete sentence and thought
  • it is a clause because it is attached to or has another clause/s attached to it (otherwise it'd just be a sentence)
• IC contains SUBJECT VERB at a minimum (SV)
• IC usually contains SUBJECT VERB OBJECT (SVO)
• since SUBJECT VERB OBJECT form the core of a sentence there is no punctuation separating them, with the following exceptions:

1. parenthetical information (commas, dashes and parentheses) can separate SVO from each other

• • i.e., S (parenthetical info) V (parenthetical info) O
• click EXPAND for examples of parenthetical separation of S from V and O:

• parentheses: S (parenthetical info) V (parenthetical info) O
• commas: S, parenthetical info, V, parenthetical info, O
• dashes: S -- parenthetical info -- V -- parenthetical info -- O
• ex. "Alex, an experienced pilot, landed the plane expertly."
  • • S= Alex V= landed O= plane
  • other parenthetical punctuation:
  • "Alex (an experienced pilot) landed the plane expertly."
    • "Alex -- an experienced pilot -- landed the plane expertly."
  • two commas, two dashes or two parentheses = parenthetical phrase
    • ex. Alex, and experienced pilot, landed, for the second time that day, the plane expertly.
      • • this is an awkward sentence but using it here to demonstrate how commas can separate a SUBJECT VERB OBJECT if used parenthetically
    • compare this construction:
      • "Alex, an experienced pilot, landed the plane expertly." to:
      • "The experienced pilot, Alex, landed the plane expertly"
      • "The experienced pilot Alex landed the plane expertly"
    • each form creates a different emphasis
      • in this case, the parenthetical construction emphasizes that it was Alex who landed the plane and that
    • if, for example, Alex was an inexperienced pilot, we might prefer a construction that emphasizes it, so,
      • instead of, "Alex, an inexperienced pilot, landed the plane expertly."
      • we might say, "The inexperienced pilot, Alex, landed the plane expertly" or "The inexperienced pilot Alex landed the plane expertly"

• click EXPAND for example of SVO lists:

• S, S V O
• S, S and S V and V O
• S, S and S V, and V O
• S, S and S V, V and V O and O
• S, S and S V, V and V O, O and O
  • note that with commas that separate a subject, verb, and/or object the final word in the list must not be separated from the related S V or O
• ex.
  • "Alex, Nia, and Joan are all experienced pilots"
  • "Alex, Nia, and Joan relied on, used, and proved their skills by landing their planes expertly"

Dependent clause

• "Dependent Clause" (DC) is a sentence part that contains a subject and a verb but does not complete a thought
  • also called "subordinate clause"
  • DC clauses are therefore attached to an IC that completes the clause as a complete sentence and/or thought
  • DC clauses add information to but are not necessary for the IC to make sense
    • Note: technically, a sentence part that does not contain both a noun and a verb is a phrase, yet such sentence parts of commonly referred to as "dependent clauses" when they are actually "phrases"

Click EXPAND for examples

• "Going to the store" = not a complete thought or sentence
• "Going to the store, I realized I left my wallet at home."

• see:
  • Identifying Independent and Dependent Clauses (owl.purdue.edu)

Dominant or main clause

• dominant clause is another name for an IC
  • the dominant clause is that part of the sentence that makes the complete and most important, or "dominant" thought of the phrase
  • i.e., the main clause or part of the sentence that states its primary purpose or idea
    • everything else is additional information
• for the SAT test, the "dominant clause" is that core idea of a sentence that is the focus of the sentence
  • SAT tests measure #Emphasis shift
  • emphasis shift measures if the correct form of the sentence "emphasizes" the core or main idea of the sentence
  • passive voice de-emphasizes the dominant clause
    • i.e. OBJECT VERB SUBJECT
  • dominant clauses employ direct voice, i.e. SVO

Subordinate clause

• subordinate clause is another name for a DC
  • subordinate clauses are usually those clauses that are formed by adding a subordinating conjunction
  • more generally, subordinate clauses mark additional and not required or requisite information that is expressed in the dominant clause
• Subordinating conjunction:
  • Subordinating conjunction "subordinates" an IC into a DC
    • i.e, (SC) renders or turns an IC into a DC
    • the reason is the the SC creates the need for additional information after the SVO
    • ex. "I love baseball" = a complete sentence and thought
    • by adding a SC to the sentence, it is no longer a complete thought:
    • ex. "Since I love baseball"
      • "Since" = SC and it "subordinates the IC "I love baseball" by creating the need for additional information in order to complete the thought:
      • "Since I love baseball, I watch it every chance I get."
• Click here for list of and more on Grammar#subordinating_conjunctions (see Grammar entry)

relative pronouns

Pronoun	For	Rule
who	people	subject (does the action): he, she, we, they
whom	people	object (acted upon): him, her, us, them
whose	people or things	possessive form of whom: his, her, us, their
that	people or things	subject or object: adds required information (no punctuation)
which	things	subject or object: adds additional information (usually non-restrictive, ie. with a comma)
* Source: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/relative-clauses/

Relative clause

• or "adjective clause"
• = a dependent clause that contains a subject-verb, but provides additional information and is not a complete sentence of thought by itself
• the "subject" of the clause is a pronoun (thus "relative," as pronouns relate to a noun)
• relative clauses are introduced by a relative pronoun (see table)
• relative clauses can be either restrictive or non-restrictive, per below:
• Sources:
  • Relative Clauses (unc.edu)
  • Grammar: Relative, Restrictive, and Nonrestrictive Clauses (walenu.edu)
  • Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses—What’s the Difference?(grammarly.com)
  • Comma before which (thewordcounter.com)
  • Essential and Nonessential Adjective Clauses Examples (softschools.com)

Restrictive relative clause

• goes by various names: necessary, requisite or defining clause
  • technically, also an "adjective clause" since it describes a previously stated (antecedent) noun
• "necessary" or "requisite" = the idea is the clause or phrase is necessary
• "defining" = the meaning of the sentence is defined by the clause
  • or: the sentence is not a complete thought without the clause
• restrictive clauses are not separated by punctuation
  • i.e.: since the information is necessary, there is no pause
  • ex.: "Glue that sticks to both my fingers and the paper is a pain"
    • vs. "Glue, that sticks to both my fingers and the paper, is a pain"
      • since the parenthetical phrase is "non-defining" (can be removed), that would leave us with only "Glue is a pain" which lacks the defining information as to what type of glue is a pain, the kind "that sticks to both my fingers and the paper"
• note: because does not introduce a restrictive (or non-restrictive) clause because it is a subordinating conjunction and not a relative pronoun

Noun clause

• = a clause that functions as a thing or idea (nouns)
  • ex.: "What I love to eat the most is steak"
    • ""What I love to eat the most" = a clause that operates as the subject to the verb "is"

Adverbial clause

• = subordinate clause created by a subordinating conjunction and adding information to the action of a sentence
• adverbial clauses define or add information as to how, how much, when, where, why

= Mon-restrictive relative clause

• or "Non-defining relative clause"
• or "non-essential" clause
  • = the additional information added by the clause is not necessary (or essential) for a complete sentence or thought
• ex.: "Glue, which I hate to use, always sticks to my hands."
  • "which I hate to use" is not essential to the idea that "Glue always sticks to my hands"
• see Restrictive relative clauses for sources

Sources for clauses

• > to add general guides for clauses

Sentence placement

• paragraph and sentence order will follow either
  • logical argument, or
  • chronological sequence
• identify transition words that would require certain information to precede or follow the sentence
• identify prepositions / phrases for time or place sequence (“now” “after” etc.)
• identify determiners, and place the sentence according to
  • a = the first time an idea or word/name has been mentioned
  • the = previously stated
    • ex.: “this guy” means that whoever “this guy” is was already stated, whereas “a guy” would be introducing the “guy” for the first time, which should inform sentence placement
• identify pronouns in order to place correct sentence sequence:
  • ex: “Scientists understood that this process illuminates…” – “this process” suggests that correct sentence placement will follow an initial discussion of the process

to fix: Writing section sentence placement Clues: 1. pronouns 2. other transition words 3. details 4. don't break up logical sentences 5. chronology

Transition words

• Suggested approach:

1. ignore the transition word in the passage and re-write it next to A) NO CHANGE

2. translate the transition words into your own words

• see Transition words translations
  • ex., "nevertheless" = "yeah, but" or "anyway"

3. identify if any two transition words are synonymous

• • if both mean the same thing (are synonymous), they can't both be right, so eliminate
  • ex., "However" and "Yet" = synonymous, so eliminate

4. identify if the transition word is generally positive or negative, i.e,

• click EXPAND to see table

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE
expands	contrasts
explains	contradicts
restates	states an opposite
adds information	offers alternative
gives example	Says "yes... but"
compares
draws a conclusion from
follows chronologically or creates a sequence

• • see also Transition words translations

5. NOW read the sentences

• • don't summarize, simplify (to avoid misconstruing the meanings)
  • ex. College Board practice test 6, Writing question 8
• click EXPAND to see transition sentences example from Test 6

"The research demonstrated a clear correlation between introducing phosphates and the growth of blue-green algae. [9] For example, legislators in Canada passed laws banning phosphates in laundry detergents, which had been entering the water supply"

• • re-read as:
    • Sentence 1: "The research demonstrated correlation between phosphates and blue-green algae."
    • Sentence 2: "[____ ] legislators passed laws banning phosphates"

6. NOW assess the relationship between the two sentences WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE POSSIBLE ANSWERS

• • Does sentence 2 support/expand, etc. (POSITIVE) or contrast/contradict, etc. (NEGATIVE) sentence 2?

7. NOW anticipate the correct answer IN YOUR OWN WORDS

• click on EXPAND to see the anticipation

• • • Sentence 2: "[____ ] legislators passed laws banning phosphates"
  • does what to:
    • Sentence 1: "The research demonstrated correlation between phosphates and blue-green algae."

POSITIVE	NEGATIVE
expands NO	contrasts NO
explains NO	contradictsNO
restates NO	states an oppositeNO
adds information MAYBE	offers alternative DOES NOT CONTRADICT
gives example NO	Says "yes... but" NO
compares NO
draws a conclusion from NO
follows chronologically or creates a sequence MAYBE

8. NOW eliminate

• A) For example, << NO bc Sentence 2 does not give an example of Sentence 1
• B) Similarly, << NO bc Sentence 2 does not make a comparison to Sentence 1
• C) However, << NO bc Sentence 2 does not draw an opposite
• D) Subsequently, << YES bc Sentence logically follows chronologically Sentence 1
  • So the answer is D)

Usage

• overall, the SAT measures for concise and precise usage
  • select for direct voice
  • avoid wordiness or overly complex sentence construction
  • avoid repetition
    • ex.: “annually, the store has a sale every year”
  • avoid unnecessary breaks in clauses (using "gap commas" see [[1]]

Emphasis shift

• SAT measures focused writing
• "emphasis shift" = losing focus, straying from the idea, or emphasizing the wrong clause
  • sentence emphasis should be upon the dominant clause
    • i.e.: don't unnecessarily complicate the most important idea in a sentence
• proper sentence construction emphasizes the dominant clause
  • while the subordinate clause adds information or details but does not detract from the message of the dominate clause
• emphasis shift when Combining sentences:
  • identify the main purpose of the sentence and select that possible answer which most directly states that purpose or includes it in the dominant clause:
    • ex.: “I found a unique vase from the store, which was very cluttered, in the back”
    • vs. the more direct: “I found a unique vase in the back of the cluttered store"

Combining sentences

• use relative pronouns (that, which, who, whose, etc.)
• add commas prior to conjunctions ( “, and …”)
• consider combining subjects and verbs
• avoid repetition and unnecessary pronouns
• avoid #Emphasis shift errors

"Command of Evidence” questions: adding or deleting text

• asks to improve a passage by adding or deleting text or a sentence
• correct answer will improve and clarify passage or paragraph focus and purpose
• the point of these questions is to identify textual focus
• incorrect answers will dilute or distract from passage or paragraph focus and purpose
• use titles for context and consistency with main point
• be careful to read "delete" or "add"
  • SAT purposefully mixes up the wording to be confusing
• try to eliminate first by stated reason for adding or deleting
  • then decide between "yes" or "no"

Modifiers usage

• modifiers = words or phrases that change the meaning of other words or phrases
  • see Grammar#Modifiers.2C_qualifiers_.26_intensifiers
• includes adjectives and adverbs (“very”, “-ly” words)
• modifiers do not impact the core sentences structure (i.e. can be removed)
• correct modifiers are placed next to the word or phrases being modified
• “dangling modifier” = ambiguous or missing connection between modifier and its target
  • ex.: “Being late, my teacher gave me an F” (confuses “being late” w/ “teacher”)
• “misplaced modifier” = incorrectly placed modifiers
  • ex. “Steve badly ripped his shirt” (instead of “Steve ripped his shirt badly”)

Vocabulary

Homophones

• homophones = sound alike, different spelling & meaning
  • their v. they’re, it’s v. its
  • affect v effect
    • affect = a verb meaning "to impact, influence, alter or make a difference"
    • effect = a noun meaning "the result" of something
• note: effect can also be a verb meaning, "to produce a result" BUT
  • for the SAT use affect as a verb, and effect' as a noun
• homonyms = same spelling, different meaning
  • ex." dogs bark, trees have bark
  • not generally included on the SAT

Synonyms

• use for elimination
• if two possible answers do or mean the same thing (i.e., are synonymous)...
  • since they can't both be right, they are both wrong

Idiomatic words

• "idiomatic" = words, phrases or expresses that have no set rule and exist from common usage
  • idiomatic is different from "informal" or colloquial (local, common) language
• By definition idiomatic words have no set rule
• HOWEVER, on the SAT Writing section, students can use elimination techniques to eliminate down to the correct idiomatic expression
• see this video for demonstration of [on elimination techniques with idiomatic & vocabulary questions (by Michael Bromley)]