The SAT Writing Section

5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 181 C H A P T E R  The SAT Writing Section What to Expect in the Writing Section In March 2005, the SAT® was revamped to include a Writing section that consists of 49 multiple-choice grammar and usage questions and an essay The essay has essentially the same structure and content as the one on the old SAT II™ Writing Test, which means that you will be able to easily prepare for it In the multiple-choice part of the Writing section, you will have 35 minutes, split into one 25-minute section and one 10-minute section The multiple-choice questions, too, are essentially the same as the multiple-choice questions on the old SAT II Writing Test They will ask you to identify errors in grammar and usage and/or select the most effective way to revise a sentence or passage They are designed to measure your knowledge of basic grammar and usage rules as well as general writing and revising strategies There are three types of multiple-choice questions: identifying sentence errors, improving sentences, and improving paragraphs None of the multiple-choice questions ask you to formally name grammatical terms, or test you on spelling 181 5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 182 SAT Writing Section at a Glance There are four question types on the Writing section: ■ Identifying Sentence Errors—items require you to read a sentence and identify the error (if any) in grammar or usage ■ Improving Sentences—items require you to determine the best way to correct a sentence ■ Improving Paragraphs—items ask you how a draft essay could best be improved ■ Essay—requires you to write a coherent, well-constructed essay in response to a prompt Identifying Sentence Errors ■ Each sentence will have four underlined words or phrases You need to determine which underlined portion, if any, contains an error in grammar or usage If none of the four underlined portions contain an error, you will need to select choice e, which is “No error.” Approximately 18 of the 49 multiple-choice questions in the Writing section will be this type Improving Sentences With these question types, you will need to determine which of five versions of a sentence is the most clear and correct Approximately 25 of the 49 questions in this section will be this type ■ Responding to Quotes You will be given one or two quotes and asked to evaluate or compare them by writing an essay Completing a Statement or Idea You will be given an incomplete statement and asked to fill in the blank; then you will use the completed statement as the basis for an essay For both types of prompts, you will be asked to develop a point of view and to back up your opinion with examples from your own experience or from subjects you have studied  Why Write an Essay? Improving Paragraphs With these question types, you will be asked about ways in which a draft version of a short essay can be improved These questions can cover everything from grammar issues to matters of organization and development of ideas Approximately of the 49 questions will be this type Anyone who has gone to college can tell you that writing is a big part of the experience Students have to take accurate notes in all classes, write essays and papers for different subjects, and often have to respond to essay questions on exams Students need to be able to think logically in order to this, and be able to take a stance on an issue and defend their position in writing Essay For the essay portion of the Writing section, you will have 25 minutes to respond to a prompt This prompt will be one of two types: 182 5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 183 – THE SAT WRITING SECTION –  Scoring As in the Math and Critical Reading sections, for the multiple-choice questions in the Writing section, you will receive one point for each correct answer and lose  point for each wrong answer The essay will be scored by two expert graders who will evaluate your writing based on a 0–6 rubric, which will be described in detail later in this chapter Your raw score of 20–80 for the multiple-choice questions will be combined with your raw score of 2–12 on the essay and both will be converted to a scaled score of 200–800 for the entire Writing section 183 5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 184 5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 185 – LEARNINGEXPRESS ANSWER SHEET –  Writing Pretest On the pretest that begins on page 187, there are ten multiple-choice questions and one essay question Give yourself ten minutes to complete the multiple-choice questions and 25 minutes to write the essay After you have finished, you can check your answers and essay against the correct answers and sample essays (found at the end of the pretest) at each score level from 1–6 Use the answer sheet below to fill in your answer choices for questions 1–10 ANSWER SHEET 10 a a a a a a a a a a b b b b b b b b b b c c c c c c c c c c 185 d d d d d d d d d d e e e e e e e e e e 5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 186 5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 187 – THE SAT WRITING SECTION – Essay Using the space provided on this page and the next, write an essay in response to the prompt below “An influential person is one who leaves a footprint in the sand of our soul To me, the most influential person I can think of is ” Assignment: Complete the sentence above with an appropriate phrase Then write an essay supporting your completed statement 187 5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 188 – THE SAT WRITING SECTION – 188 5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 189 – THE SAT WRITING SECTION – Identifying Sentence Errors Each of the following sentences has four underlined words or phrases Read each sentence and determine which underlined portion, if any, has an error in grammar, usage, word choice, or idiom (standard expression) If there is no error, select choice (e) No sentence has more than one error Although he is best known for his Sherlock Holmes series, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle having penned dozens (a) (b) (c) of stories and novels that did not include his beloved sleuth No error (d) (e) Often mistaken for termites, carpenter ants have longer bodies and shorter wings than termites, and while (a) (b) (c) termite antennae are straight, the antennae of the carpenter variety is bent or “elbowed.” No error (d) (e) Contrary from their expectations, many people find themselves wanting to go back to work (a) (b) (c) within months of their retirement No error (d) (e) Mary Cassatt, an American Impressionist painter born in 1844, became famous mainly (a) for her portraits of women and their children, unlike other Impressionists of her time (b) (c) who were known for their landscapes No error (d) (e) The hit television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has spawned a new interest in criminal studies, (a) resulting in the expansion of many existing criminal justice programs and which created many new (b) (c) (d) programs across the country No error (e) 189 5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 190 – THE SAT WRITING SECTION – Improving Sentences In each of the sentences below, part or all of the sentence is underlined The underlined text may contain an error in sentence construction, grammar, word choice, or punctuation Choice a repeats the original underlined text If there is no error in the underlined portion, choose a If there is an error, select the answer choice that most effectively expresses the meaning of the sentence without any ambiguity or awkwardness When choosing a college, one should consider several factors, such as class size, teacher-to-student ratio, and where the school is located a such as class size, teacher-to-student ratio, and where the school is located b such as class size, the teacher-to-student ratio, and location c such as class size, teacher-to-student ratio, and location d such as class size, how many teachers to every student, and location e such as the class size, teacher-to-student ratio, and the location Held in 1927, President Calvin Coolidge presided over the ceremony to officially commence the carving of Mount Rushmore a Held in 1927, President Calvin Coolidge presided over the ceremony to officially commence the carving of Mount Rushmore b Held in 1927, it was President Calvin Coolidge who presided over the ceremony to officially commence the carving of Mount Rushmore c The carving of Mount Rushmore was officially commenced in 1927 at a ceremony that was presided over by President Calvin Coolidge d President Calvin Coolidge presided over the 1927 ceremony that officially commenced the carving of Mount Rushmore e The 1927 ceremony, presided over by President Calvin Coolidge, which officially commenced the carving of Mount Rushmore 190 In the 1950s, families that were lucky enough to have a television had three or four channels to choose from, although today’s families may have three or four TVs and hundreds of channel choices a although today’s families may have three or four TVs and hundreds of channel choices b while today’s families may have three or four TVs and hundreds of channel choices c however, today’s families may have three or four TVs and hundreds of channel choices d families today may have three or four TVs and hundreds of channels on them e although for today’s families, there may be three or four TVs and hundreds of channel choices ... SAT2 006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 183 – THE SAT WRITING SECTION –  Scoring As in the Math and Critical Reading sections, for the multiple-choice questions in the Writing section, you will receive one... – THE SAT WRITING SECTION – Incorrect: Correct: Luckily, nobody lost their luggage on the flight Luckily, nobody lost his or her luggage on the flight In the above example, the subject is the. .. e e 5658 SAT2 006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 186 5658 SAT2 006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 187 – THE SAT WRITING SECTION – Essay Using the space provided on this page and the next,