The question for May 2nd is the fastest style of Rocketcat’s RACECAR strategy type questions. It is so classic that the correct answer is not only obvious within 30 seconds, it is checked without taking the RACECAR speedy checking strategy of eliminating at least one other answer.
Using the patent Rocketcat Racecar strategy to solve this question on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, Rocket read the title, the directions, the question, and the answers—and marked the answer sheet correctly in under 45 seconds.
Remember, looking at how to do this will take longer than actually doing it once you know what you are doing.
To speed through to the answer correctly in Rocketcat Racecar Strategy style:
1 Begin at the top left of the question. This is your starting line when the checkered flag goes down. Read left to right to speed your brain into the path for this type of question:
We are driving to IMPROVE THE SENTENCE. Rocket knows this means that we will be looking for predictable structure errors to correct.
2. Continue through the directions to remind (re-again, mind-put into mind) your fast driving mind what to do as you pass the underlined portions—and what to do if there are no predictable errors. The first option below is the same as the sentence.
If there is any error, the answer is NOT A. In this type of correction (not in EVERY type of correction—just this type), if there is no correction, the answer is A.
3. Read the sentence looking for a predictable error on the SAT (run-on sentence, sentence fragment, disagreeing subject-verb….)
4. Notice that the sentence is incomplete. There is no verb. This is a sentence fragment.
5. Look below—past A because there IS an error—to find if B. will correct the sentence to make it whole.
B. does NOT correct the sentence to make a complete sentence.
C. does NOT correct the sentence to make a complete sentence.
DRIVE FORWARD QUICKLY TRYING EACH COMPLETION TO REPLACE THE UNDERLINED PORTION TO MAKE THE SENTENCE INTO A WHOLE SENTENCE.
D. does NOT correct the sentence to make a complete sentence.
E. DOES correct the sentence to make a complete sentence! MARK YOUR ANSWER SHEET the way to the last one. You do not have to speed backwards (RACECAR, a palindrome, is the same backwards as forwards), as you have already eliminated the other answers.
Speed forward with confidence that you got this point so quickly and accurately!
Be sure that you are on the correct number of the answer sheet and that you fill in the E. cleanly!
Here is how it looks:
WRITING>IMPROVING SENTENCES
Part of the following sentence is underlined; beneath the sentence are five ways of phrasing the underlined material. Select the option that produces the best sentence. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice A.
The North American continent first colonized by people from Siberia crossing the now sunken land bridge between Siberia and Alaska about 15,000 years ago.
A. The North American continent first colonized by people from Siberia crossing
NO. Keep going. You don’t have to read this one because you know there is an error, and the error will complete the sentence. THIS ONE IS THE WAY IT IS NOW, so skip it!
B. Try this one in the place of the underlined portion of the sentence. Know what you want it to do: You need a verb to get a complete sentence.
NO.
C-Try this one in the place of the underlined portion of the sentence. Know what you want it to do. You need a verb in the sentence to make a complete sentence.
NO.
C. Try this one in the place of the underlined portion of the sentence. Know what you want it to do. You need a verb to make a complete sentence. NO.
D. Try this one in the place of the underlined portion of the sentence. Know what you want it to do. You need a verb to make a complete sentence. NO.
E. This one has to work. Look for the way it IS working that none of the others above were able to do. You have a sentence fragment in the original. You need a VERB.
Test this one. It HAS to have a verb.
The North American continent WAS first colonized by people from Siberia, who crossed the now sunken land bridge between Siberia and Alaska about 15,000 years ago.
THERE IT IS! WE NEED ‘WAS’ to make the sentence complete. MARK IT IN THE CORRECT PLACE ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET AND USE THIS REMAINING TIME SOMEWHERE ELSE. YOU HAVE ALREADY CHECKED THIS BY ELIMINATING EVERY OTHER ONE BEFORE E. Remember if one of the last answers is the correct one, you have already ‘checked’ your answer by eliminating some of the answers before it. In this case, you have eliminated EVERY OTHER ANSWER AS INCORRECT. Speed on!judiethcarol&RocketcatMay2010
