111 (A) and (E). Next, graduation requirements is superior to requirements for graduation so eliminate (B). Finally, the meaning of (C) is less clear than that of (D) because of the confusing word order of (C). Therefore, (D) wins. An 800 test taker knows that many sentences are challenging primarily because they contain unfamiliar syntax or sentence structure. He pauses to understand the sentence before looking for familiar errors. Explanation: Wagner Revitalized (Subject/Verb Agreement, Pronouns) 28. Audience is what's called a collective noun because, like jury or family it describes a group of people that functions as a singular subject; one says the family is rather than the family are. Therefore, the singular was is the correct verb for audience and you can eliminate (B) and (C). Next, you have to decide among/or the attendees, for they, and as is clear since its attendees. (D) has a pronoun error since they has no clear referent. The singular audience wouldn't work as the referent, and the sentence doesn't provide us with any other options. Its attendees in (E) is fine, however wordy, but that wordiness when combined with the clumsy phrase as is clear since makes (A) the best option. SENTENCE CORRECTION PRACTICE SET 8 29. The basic needs of the average cat are simple and largely inexpensive: food, water, affection, and shelter, and occasional visits to the veterinarian. (A) and occasional visits to the veterinarian (B) with occasional veterinarian visits (C) with occasional visits to the veterinarian (D) yet occasionally visiting the veterinarian (E) but some occasional visits to the veterinarian are needed 30. Deforestation significantly alters the population of an area by creating a habitat in which few species and vegetation can survive. (A) in which few species and vegetation can survive (B) in which few species and little vegetation can survive (C) where little species and vegetation can survive (D) in which fewer species than vegetation can survive (E) where little species and few vegetation can survive 31. Proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment argue for its necessity if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than it is for men with comparable jobs and work experience. (A) if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than it is (B) if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than those (C) because average salaries for women are only considerably lower than those (D) if only as a result of the fact that salaries for women are still considerably lower than those (E) if only because women's average salaries are still considerably lower than it is 32. That pollution harms the environment is self-evident; that immediate government action to combat it is merited by the situation is a matter of debate. (A) that immediate government action to combat it is merited by the situation (B) if the situation merits immediate action by the government (C) whether to combat the situation is merited by immediate government action (D) that the situation merits immediate government action to combat it (E) whether the government should immediately combat it is merited by the situation Explanation: Cat Care (Parallelism, Meaning) 29. To deal with the sentence successfully you first need to consider its meaning. The sentence lists five items, four of which support the claim that cats' needs are "simple and largely inexpensive." You know that the fifth item, the trips to the vet, aren't part of this list and shouldn't be parallel with it because, first, the and before shelter suggests that the initial list ends with shelter and, second, trips to the vet are not inexpensive. Therefore, the final item needs to be expressed as an exception. Eliminate (A). At this point, the primary problem is Generated by Foxit PDF Creator © Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. 112 one of expression. Veterinarian visits, while shorter, is less clear and idiomatic than visits to the veterinarian. Out with (B). As for (D), we have a dangling modifier: who is occasionally visiting the vet? Eliminate. Finally, (E) is a passive and much wordier option than (С). (C) it is. Explanation: Deforestation (Numerical Idioms) 30. Whenever you see few underlined, look to see if it's used correctly. Remember that few is the correct adjective for things that can be counted. Species can be counted, so few is right in the first instance. Nevertheless, few is made to perform double duty, describing both species and, through ellipsis, vegetation. Vegetation cannot be counted so few is the wrong adjective for it, meaning you'll need a separate adjective for vegetation. Eliminate (A), and (C) and (E) as well, because little is an incorrect adjective for species, suggesting as it does more about size than number. The new comparative structure of (D) sidesteps the "few/less" issue, but in doing so it unnecessarily alters the meaning of the sentence. Eliminate it and (B) remains. (By the way, in which is slightly better than where because it's more formal, but there's nothing inherently wrong with where. Some differences aren't all that important.) Explanation: The ERA (Parallelism, Pronouns) 31. The sentence compares salaries to salaries, but it takes a shortcut toward the end and refers back to salaries as it. Salaries are plural and it is singular, so (A) and (E) are out of consideration. Of the remaining options, (C) stands out as significantly different, but by replacing if only with because and by moving only so that it describes lower, (C) actually contradicts the meaning of the original sentence. Finally, because in (B) is far more succinct than as a result of the fact that in (D). So, (B) it is. Explanation: Environmental Activism (Meaning, Passive Voice) 32. First of all, you can eliminate (B) because the sentence describes alternatives and would therefore need whether rather than if. Next, (C) wrongly relocates is merited by and (E) changes the meaning of the original sentence. (C) suggests that government action, not pollution, is the problem and (E) just doesn't make sense. Finally, (A) and (D) are in many ways quite similar but the passive voice in (A) leaves (D) as the more active and clear option. SENTENCE CORRECTION PRACTICE SET 9 33. The increase in the number and scope of investigations into monopolistic business practices, in addition to the expansion of definitions of such practices, have resulted in more antimonopoly litigation presently than ever before. (A) have resulted in more antimonopoly litigation presently than ever before (B) has resulted in greater antimonopoly litigation presently than previously (C) has resulted in more antimonopoly litigation at present than was seen ever before (D) have resulted in more antimonopoly litigation at present than ever before (E) has resulted in more antimonopoly litigation at present than ever before 34. Carthaginians are still commonly credited as the ones who salted Roman fields during the Punic Wars despite the existence of credible evidence to the contrary. (A) as the ones who salted (B) as the salters of (C) for salting (D) with having salted (E) with the salting of 35. One idea for Social Security reform was to disallow payments for those with a certain level of income; although the idea was rejected, citizens can choose to refuse social security payments for private sources of income, whether derived by pension funds or personal savings, if they want. (A) for private sources of income, whether derived by pension funds or personal savings Generated by Foxit PDF Creator © Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. 113 (B) in favor of private sources of income, whether derived from pension funds or personal savings (C) for private sources of income, whether derived from pension funds or personal savings (D) and use private sources of income, derived either by pension funds or personal savings (E) rather than private sources of income, whether derived from pension funds or personal savings 36. Standard police procedure requires that an officer interview witnesses separately rather than together. (A) Standard police procedure requires that an officer interview witnesses separately rather than together. (B) A requirement, according to standard police procedure, is that an officer interview witness separately rather than interviewing them together. (C) Standard police procedure requires an officer to interview witnesses separately rather than to interview them together. (D) It is required in standard police procedure that an officer interviews witnesses separately, not together. (E) Standard police procedure requires that an officer interviews witnesses separately rather than together. Explanation: Monopolies (Subject/Verb Agreement, Modifier) 33. The answer choices indicate that you need to choose between have and has. Since the subject of the sentence is the singular increase, has is correct and you can eliminate (A) and (D). Beware: Even though the sentence discusses the expanded definition in addition to the increase, in addition to does not make the subject plural. Only and can create a compound, or plural, subject in these situations because it unites two subjects into one plural subject. Next, more is correct and greater is not since the sentence doesn't discuss numbers. Eliminate (B). Finally, at present is, however wordy, the correct alternative to presently. Presently, as with hopefully, is an adverb, meaning that it needs to modify a verb (J will perform the task presently). Since litigation is a noun, it requires an adjective, and at present fits the bill. (E) it is. Explanation: The Punic Wars (Idioms, Imperfect Options) 34. The correct idiom is credited with so you can eliminate (A), (B), and (C). Next, with the salting of in (E) is more passive than with having salted, so (D) is the better choice. An 800 test taker suspects that, whenever the answer choices provide a verb followed by different prepositions, idioms are being tested. She tries to determine which preposition is appropriate by focusing on the idiom. Explanation: Social Security Reform (Idioms) 35. First off, the correct idiom for refuse is for (He refused one for the other). No, this isn't a common idiom, nor is it a particularly eloquent one, and that's why this question is hard. Eliminate (B), (D), and (E). Choices (A) and (C) ask you to choose between derived by and derived from. Derived from is the correct idiom. (C) is right. Unfortunately, idioms just need to be memorized since they follow no general rules, but you'll have an intuitive sense of most of them. You'll have the best shot of choosing the correct idiom if you isolate it or consider it in terms of a simple sentence, as we did with He refused one for the other above. Explanation: Police Procedures (Ellipsis, Subjunctive) 36. You're given interview and interviews as options here. Interview is correct because requires that earlier in the sentence is one of those "verb -I- that" formulas that need to be completed by a verb in the subjunctive (here, interview). Eliminate (D) and (E). Next, you need to decide whether interview witnesses separately rather than together uses ellipsis correctly. It does because interview works as an implied verb and together properly parallels the other adverb separately. Think of it this way: Standard police procedure requires that an officer interview witnesses separately rather than that an officer interview witnesses together. You'll notice that everything that the sentence needs to imply has already been stated. That, plus the fact that the structure of the remaining pieces is parallel, means that ellipsis is used correctly. (A) is your most succinct choice. SENTENCE CORRECTION PRACTICE SET 10 37. Charles Dickens viewed inadequate sanitation, as many Victorian authors, as a pressing and dangerous problem in London. (A) Charles Dickens viewed inadequate sanitation, as many Victorian authors, as (B) Charles Dickens, like many Victorian authors, viewed inadequate sanitation as Generated by Foxit PDF Creator © Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. 114 (C) Many Victorian authors, like Charles Dickens, viewed inadequate sanitation as (D) Inadequate sanitation was viewed by Charles Dickens, like many Victorian authors, as (E) Charles Dickens was like many Victorian authors in that he viewed inadequate sanitation as 38. One critic wrote that, if the best-selling guide to finding a husband is right, the idea of the necessity of honesty and trust in a relationship is fundamentally wrong. (A) the idea of the necessity of honesty and trust in a relationship (B) the idea that honesty and trust are necessary in a relationship (C) honesty and trust are not necessary in a relationship (D) the idea that honesty and trust is necessary to a relationship (E) the necessity of honest and trust to a relationship 39. The average income for a person with a bachelor of arts degree is several thousand dollars per year higher than somebody with a high school diploma only. (A) than somebody with a high school diploma only (B) than that for somebody with only a high school diploma (C) than for somebody with a high school diploma only (D) than it is for somebody with a high school diploma only (E) that that of somebody having only a high school diploma 40. Some airline companies prefer to spend extra money on leather seats for their aircraft, sometimes twice as expensive as the others, because they last two times as long. (A) Some airline companies prefer to spend extra money on leather seats for their aircraft, sometimes twice as expensive as the others, because they last two times as long. (B) Some airline companies prefer to spend extra money, sometimes twice as expensive as the others, on leather seats for their aircraft because they last twice as long. (C) Some airline companies prefer to spend extra money on leather seats, sometimes twice as expensive as the others, on leather seats for their aircraft, being twice as long lasting. (D) Leather seats lasting twice as long as the others, some airline companies prefer spending two times the extra money on them. (E) Some airline companies prefer to spend extra money on leather seats, sometimes twice as expensive as the others, for their aircraft because they last twice as long. Explanation: Dickens and the Victorians (Modifiers, Expression) 37. Like many Victorian authors modifies Charles Dickens so it needs to be placed as close as possible to his name. Eliminate (A). You can eliminate (C) as well for transposing the modifier and what it modifies. The change makes Many Victorian authors rather than Charles Dickens the subject of the sentence and therefore changes its meaning unnecessarily. The remaining options are grammatically acceptable, so focus on expression. Viewed is better than the passive was viewed by. Eliminate (D). (E) is wordier for several reasons than (В). (B) it is. Explanation: Husband Hunting (Passive Voice) 38. The original sentence shows you what happens when the passive voice runs amuck. The idea of the necessity of honesty and trust is just ugly and unclear. Since (В), (C), and (D), present you with active alternatives, eliminate (A) and (E). Next, eliminate (D) because the subject is plural (honesty and trust is a compound, plural subject) so the verb needs to be are. Finally, try reading (C) into the sentence and you'll see that it makes no sense. (B) wins again. Explanation: A Degree of Value (Ellipsis, Expression) 39. As it stands, this sentence cuts out too much when it uses ellipsis in than somebody. It needs to refer back to the average salary (either directly or with the pronoun that) and to repeat the verb is or the preposition for in order to adequately recall the first part of the sentence. Eliminate (A) and (C). Eliminate (D) for using the vague pronoun it rather than the correct that. Finally, eliminate (E) either because of should be for in order to parallel for a person or because having is awkward. (B) is correct. Generated by Foxit PDF Creator © Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. 115 Explanation: Money for Leather (Modifier) 40. The fact that everything is underlined in this sentence means that you have a lot of issues to consider. Start with something concrete. You know that sometimes twice as expensive as the others modifies leather seats so make sure that the two are placed next to each other in the sentence. Eliminate (A) and (B). Next, because they last twice as long is better and clearer than being twice as long lasting. Eliminate (C). Finally, two times the extra money in (D) makes no sense, or at least it distorts the meaning of the original sentence, suggesting that companies are spending twice the increase in cost rather than twice the cost of the other seats. (E) remains. An 800 test taker knows how to locate familiar concepts even in the most complicated of sentences. She starts with what she knows best, eliminates the choices that she knows to be wrong, and then focuses on less familiar concepts. Generated by Foxit PDF Creator © Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. . less clear than that of (D) because of the confusing word order of (C). Therefore, (D) wins. An 800 test taker knows that many sentences are challenging primarily because they contain unfamiliar. and largely inexpensive." You know that the fifth item, the trips to the vet, aren't part of this list and shouldn't be parallel with it because, first, the and before shelter. Generated by Foxit PDF Creator © Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. 112 one of expression. Veterinarian visits, while shorter, is less clear and idiomatic than visits