76% of the responders answered correctly today. If you answered correctly, mull over the suggestions below about how to continue to 'get' these. If you missed this, be sure to read the example I made up. I think you can make one up like this, too, and understand the clue from the word 'while' and the shift in the sentence. I think you will benefit from visualizing who is in the picture of a question like this one, too. These terms are not everyday terms for high school students, but they are for your teachers.
As you try the word possibilities, the first priority is to make sure the two words fit the meaning of the sentence. For this test, you must note contrasting words. The words signaling you to realize a contrast or comparison is part of your consideration include: yet, but, although, while, and despite. Can you think of others? The SAT writers can. Today, the question used ‘while’ in this way.
In today’s Question of the Day, ‘while’ is used almost the same way the word ‘although’ is generally used.
From the first word of today’s question, you are looking for a shift in the sentence because ‘while’ one thing is a part of the meaning of the sentence, there will be a ‘but’ part of this sentence.
Think of it this way. You ask your parents or guardians or grandparents for money to go somewhere you want to go. You have been studying for the SAT, so you use that fact to try to persuade them. They listen.
Then, one of them says: “While we are pleased to see you studying for the SAT, we think...” Are they about to hand over the money or not? How do you know from this introductory part of the sentence? Can you predict something about the next part of this sentence?
This is EXACTLY what you do to predict the type of words to expect in the critical reading part of the SAT. You PREDICT the type of words you know the writer would be putting into these blanks.
Mom said, “While I ______ to see you studying hard for the SAT, I ______ to give you $50 to relax at a movie today as a reward . You have not finished studying for the test.”
A: hate…..love
B. enjoy…think
C. want…refuse
D. rejoice…prefer
You will notice by trying these in the sentence that both C and D will fit. The correct answer is C. I wrote the question, and I can tell you that I will expect you to realize that D is not the correct answer because the last sentence of this short passage gives the information that this ‘mom’ is expecting the student to continue to study for the test.
By the way, if you try writing a question yourself in every format you will build your skills even stronger. This is not a complicated method to “think like the test maker” in order to outsmart yourself. When you design a question with the purposes in mind, you will understand how to identify the answers faster.
Sentences without verbs can sometimes go on for line after line—finally ending without completion. Writers of standardized tests beg you to identify the reason these sentences are incorrect. But I remind you, the writers of the questions for the Scholastic Aptitude Test are not designing questions they expect all of the test takers to understand. This is why the strategy now is to notice the ones that you do understand and to make sure to get those done correctly on your test.
Call the two blanks x and y. You see by the style of the question and the consistency in the answer possibilities that you need one word in each blank. The ‘formula’ to solve the sentence is to use elimination of the wrong answers and trial and error on the possible answers.
First, eliminate all the words in the second column (for the second blank) that do not indicate action in any way. Everything falls away except for the words ‘expanse’ and ‘implementation.’ You are not seeking a verb, and neither of these are verbs.
You are seeking a word that indicates that the curriculum writers are going to actually do something sometime (to get off their ‘buts’ –but there isn’t enough money; but there is no way to find the right teacher; but….); so that can only be the pair with ‘implementation’ in the mix. ‘Expanse’ is the only other word indicating anything progresses from the plan, but ‘expanse’ connotes a program that is going to grow bigger. This one has not started.
Sentence completion questions—in every format—have unknown values, partial data, and the formula to answer the question (the format of the sentence).
I would love to think all my students read this Question for the day and notice the reasons why the first two answers are not correct. Another incorrect answer is almost flippant in tone. This is entertaining if you know the meaning of all the words, but you have to remember that the purpose of any 'tone' on the aptitude test is to make the point that the sentence is to be logical. In short, more than one answer may fit without grammatical error. There is a ‘correct’ choice despite the fact that another choice of two words would fit the sentence, and the designer of the question will make the wrong answer obviously wrong. If you have to dream up a convoluted explanation for your choice, you are not choosing correctly on this test.
This is an example from the test questions that you should put into the ‘arsenal’ of your personal critical (logical, reasoning) thinking so you will keep thinking in the mode (way) that will garner (reap, get) the most points for you.
First, notice the style of the question. Never tire of noticing the style of questions in practice. The less time your mind is working on the logistics of how to read and to answer the questions, the more your brain will move to analysis resulting in the correct answer.
Visualize the scenario of the question while you are reading a sentence with two blanks. When you read the sentence, make up two possible word choices you think would fit. These will be the same styles of words in tone, meaning, contrast, speech part you are seeking when your eyes move down to where you expect to see a list of words in pairs.
While the faculty curriculum redevelopment committee has drawn up __________ detailed plans, full _________ of the newly devised curriculum program is expected to take three to four years.
Upon reading this sentence and the possible answers, each in combination of two words, you may realize the correct response immediately if the following terms form images in your head:
faculty curriculum redevelopment committee and curriculum program (combined with the words “detailed plans” and ending with “expected to take three to four years.”
Right now, while you are thinking about it, close your eyes and ‘listen’ to the words “faculty curriculum redevelopment committee …detailed plans…expected to take three to four years.”
Can you guess what type of person has a full-blown movie in her mind when reading these words? Teachers and administrators see these words and phrases daily! Not only do we see the words, but we are in the meetings described. Notice things like this and cast your tiny, fast movie quickly. For this one, think of one of your teachers who is always running to meetings with other teachers and the principal and the board members ....Now, Mini-Me (in past life): Be in this picture.
To know what possible words are in these blanks, be in the picture. You are looking for …
Let’s see….’While’ in this sentence means ‘Although’…It is a contrasting word. So the committee has drawn up ________? (long-range? heavily? carefully) detailed plans but full _________(action, getting off their buts –but we don’t have money, but we don’t have time; but we are tired) is going to take those people sitting around the tables writing stuff another three or four years!
I look down at the pairs of words knowing I need a word in the first place that sticks with the idea that they’ve done all the planning necessary. I need a word in the second spot about actions, ‘Yeah, the plans are made; but somebody has to do something!
Now, as a teacher, I would love to think that when you glance over the pairs of words below, you make your fast, efficient decision due to your personal reasons for eliminating all of the answers except C. and D. on your first look. You are ahead of the pack if ‘peremptory’ and ‘auspicious’ sent warning flags to you merely because you are deeply aware of the definition and connotation of every word in these choices.
Fortunately, you do not have to keep running at the head of the pack with your boxes full of flash cards to answer these questions, nor do you have to be Mini-me for your teachers who went to school to be English teachers because we read the dictionary. No, you just need to pull it all together every once in awhile and show what you know. Think of all of this as advanced show and tell, unless you prefer to think, as I do: All of this information about me is useful to me. Let me find out what this is all about, pop the results into my portfolio, and keep on going.
Today, I remind you how to use what you do know when you are working with sentence completion. This is a version of critical thinking much like finding the values for x and for y in a mathematical problem--when the problem provides part of the data and the formula.
A. Peremptory….drafting
B. Preparatory…disengagement
C. Final….expansion
D. Preliminary…implementation
E. Auspicious…conceptualization
(Note: Put the words in your vocabulary cards or PowerPoint notes.)
While the faculty curriculum redevelopment committee has drawn up preliminary detailed plans, full implementation of the newly devised curriculum program is expected to take three to four years.
(Note: I like the first word 'final' rather than 'preliminary' because I read the rest of the sentence as implying that the 'newly devised curriculum program' is complete on the planning part and moving slowly to the acting part. I did not have to worry about this glitch in my opinion about the sentence, though, because there was no way the second word was any of the other second words. Most of the time, I find that if I do have some valid reason for wondering about the answer I think is correct, I can definitely eliminate every other answer in order to check it.
Preliminary is a little different from what I predicted for the first blank because I could not ‘see’ the need for another descriptive word before “detailed plans.” That particular word choice still doesn’t make me feel definite about the combination the way that ‘implementation’ jumps out as the ONLY second word possibility that makes sense to me. Therefore, the fact that ‘preliminary’ works, too, is enough to stamp my approval on D.
A faster solution for you may be to ignore whether you understand the definitions of the answers except for the second word, glancing down the column of second words to find the only two indicating any type of action (expansion and implementation).
When you try C, the word ‘final’ does not jolt me as unlikely in the first space. I can see that word in this spot, even knowing it was not the correct choice. That means that I would eliminate the C by first considering it because it has the word ‘expansion’ in the second spot and then rejecting it because ‘expansion’ indicates some action already going on to expand!
The second word in pairs A,B,and E (drafting, disengagement, and conceptualization) eliminates those pairs without much ado.
Using the pair of words auspicious and conceptualization will result in saying that the committee has drawn up impressive plans s but the plans are going to be ‘conceptualized’ –more thinking and drafting!—for three or four more years.judiethcarol&rocketcat Feb 2010 c.
