Private Tutor Sat Writing 2013-2014 Prep Course

7

Geology is the study of the materials that make

up the earth, especially their compositions,

structures, and reactions to processes that act

upon them.

(A) especially their compositions, structures, and

reactions to processes that act upon them

(B) and especially they are concerned with their

compositions, structures, and reactions to

processes that act upon them

(C) especially studying their compositions,

structures, and reactions to processes that act

upon them

(D) especially their compositions, structures, and

with their reactions to processes that act

upon them

(E) with special study of their compositions,

structures, and including reactions to

processes that act upon them

Follow Step 1 and read the sentence in its entirety. An error probably didn’t pop out at you, but to be on the safe
side, take a walk through answer choices (B) – (E).

(B) notice how ETS has inserted an ambiguous “they” into the sentence. Who is “they”?
Geologists? “Geologists” is never stated in the sentence, so the “they” is incorrect.
(C) by inserting “studying” the sentence has become confusing and unnecessarily wordy.
Who is studying? If anything “the study” is “studying” and that doesn’t make any sense.
(D) this answer choice is not parallel. We have compositions (a noun), structures (a noun)
and then following the last comma ETS has inserted and with their before the noun
reactions, throwing the parallel construction of the sentence all off.
(E) why use the wordy and awkward with special study, when we can keep it simple and
use especially. This answer choice is also not parallel. Inserting the verb “including”
before the noun “reactions” messes up the parallel construction of compositions (noun),
structures (noun), and reactions (noun).

Correct Answer: (A)

I realize that the justifications given above may seem foreign to you, but once we cover the grammar rules they
should all make sense; for now, concentrate on the technique.

Known Error ..................................................................................

If you read the sentence and know the error, immediately eliminate
answer choice (A) and every other answer choice that contains that error.

Let’s try a problem like this together:

Let’s see how this works: