6.Which of the following choices would best complete the distinction described in this
sentence and the paragraph as a whole?
A) NO CHANGE
B) while the mother tends to the children and the home.
C) though his interest in masculine things like sports may vary.
D) but will only be able to achieve a wage commensurate with his skills and education.7.The best placement for sentence 2 would be
A) where it is now.
B) before sentence 1.
C) after sentence 4.
D) after sentence 5.Here’s How to Crack It
Let’s look at question 6 first. In this case, the question tells us exactly what to look for: something that
would complete the distinction in the sentence, a distinction made between what is expected of a man
and a woman in a “traditional” family. Choices (A), (C), and (D) may be true in some definitions of what
that “traditional” family is, but none of those answers fulfills the basic demands of the question. Only (B)
does so by describing what is expected of a mother in contrast to what is expected of a father, as
described earlier in the sentence.
Now, as for question 7, we need to find some very literal way to make Sentence 2 consistent with the rest
of the paragraph. Look for words and phrases that will link Sentence 2 to other sentences. Remember, it’s
not what the passage could say; it’s what the passage does say. Sentence 2, we should note, starts with the
shift, thus clearly referring to a shift that has been mentioned before it. As such, Sentence 2 belongs after
Sentence 5, which discusses shifting social and economic roles.
As we have seen, these questions are not difficult, but they do require very specific things. Make sure you
read the questions carefully and that you answer those questions as precisely and consistently as you can.
The same goes for charts and graphs on the Writing and Language Test. Don’t let the strangeness of the
charts throw you off! Just read the graphs with as much precision as you can and choose the most precise
answers possible.
Let’s have a look at one.
Even as women’s roles in high-level positions, such as Congress, have increased almost
five-fold since 1981, 8 the pay that women receive relative to men has increased by only
approximately 33%.