Cracking The SAT Premium

D) gap, but

Here’s How to Crack It

First and foremost, it’s important to notice the question. This one is asking for the alternative that would
NOT be acceptable, so we’ll need to find an answer that doesn’t work.

In the meantime, let’s go through the steps. What’s changing in the answer choices? STOP, HALF-STOP,
and GO punctuation. Use the Vertical Line Test between the words gap and what. The idea before the
line, Most people are familiar with the idea of a gender pay gap, is complete. The idea after the line,
what most people don’t realize is just how persistent that pay gap has been, is also complete.
Therefore, we need either STOP or HALF-STOP punctuation.

Choices (A) and (B) definitely provide the punctuation we want. Choice (D) doesn’t look like it does, but
remember! But is one of the FANBOYS, and comma + FANBOYS is one of the forms of STOP
punctuation! Therefore, the only choice that doesn’t work in the context is (C), so it is the alternative that
would NOT be acceptable.

Notice how important that word NOT was in this question. If you missed it, you might have thought the
question had three correct answers!

Let’s try another.

The  2 size of  the gap may have    narrowed,   but we  still   have    a   long    way to  go.

2.Which of  the following   substitutions   would   be  LEAST   acceptable?

A) magnitude

B) proportion

C) vastness

D) immensity

Here’s How to Crack It

Again, the question asks for the LEAST acceptable, so find and eliminate answers that work. In this case,
we need something similar in meaning to the word size as it is used in this sentence. All four words mean
something similar to size in different contexts, but we want something that refers to just how large the gap
is, so (A), (C), and (D) would work.

Choice (B) does give a synonym for the word size, but it means something more like “dimensions” than
“largeness,” so it is the LEAST acceptable of the substitutions.