SAT READING AND WRITING PSAT 8&9'F Hise MA A Form, Structure, and Sense (Easy)Question ID aaea2af8 Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty PSAT 8/9 Rea Standard English Form, Structure, goo Conventions and Sense ID: aaea2afs, Obsidian is a kind of volcanic glass formed when lava cools so quickly that the atoms inside it cannot arrange themselves in a crystalline structure. You more about obsidian’s structure, which is classified as amorphous, in a later chapter. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? Ahad learned 8, had been learning .will learn D. have learned ID: aaea2af8 Answer Correct Answer: C Rationale Choice C is the best answer, The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense ina sentence. In this choice, the future tense verb “will learn’ used in conjunction with the phrase “in a later chapter,’ correctly indicates that “you (the reader) are going to learn about obsidian’s structure at some point in the future. Choice A is incorrect because the past perfect verb “had learned” doesn't indicate that the subject is going to learn about obsidian's structure in the future. Choice B is incorrect because the past perfect progressive verb “had been learning” doesn’t indicate that the subject is going to learn about obsidian's structure in the future. Choice D is incorrect because the present perfect verb “have learned” doesn't indicate that the subject is going to leam about obsidian's structure in the future, Question Difficulty: EasyQuestion ID efb9b6d4 Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty PSAT 8/9 Reading and Writing | Standard English Form, Structure, goo Conventions and Sense DRL American poet Emily Dickinson wrote many of her poems on scraps of paper, but she also took steps to collect these works. From 1858 to around 1864, for example, she copied more than 800 of ___ into forty homemade booklets (known as fascicles) Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? A.them B. this C.that Dit Dae Eee Unig Correct Answer: A Rationale Choice A is the best answer, The pronoun "them" agrees with the plural antecedents "poems" and “works.” Choice B is incorrect. "This" is a singular pronoun, but its antecedents, "poems" and "works/’ are plural. Choice C is incorrect. “That” is a singular pronoun, but its antecedents, "poems" and "works, are plural. Choice D is incorrect. "It is a singular pronoun, but its antecedents, "poems" and "works, are plural. Question Difficulty: EasyQuestion ID 8de2ee41 Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty PSAT 8/9 Reading and Writing | Standard English Form, Structure, goo Conventions and Sense In 1990, California native and researcher Ellen Ochoa left her position as chief of the Intelligent Systems Technology Branch at a NASA research center__the space agency's astronaut training program. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? A.to join B.is joining C joined D.joins DeLee Unig Correct Answer: A Rationale Choice A is the best answer, The convention being tested is the use of nonfinite verb forms in a sentence. The nonfinite to-infinitive verb "to join” is correctly used to form a subordinate clause that expresses why Ochoa left her position (to join the training program), Choice B is incorrect because the finite verb “is joining" can't be used in this way to indicate Ochoa's action of joining the training program. A conjunction such as "and" would be needed to coordinate “is joining’ with the previous finite verb, “left.” Choice C is incorrect because the finite verb "joined" can't be used in this way to indicate Ochoa's action of joining the training program. A conjunction such as “and” would be needed to coordinate "joined" with the previous finite verb, “left.” Choice D is incorrect because the finite verb “joins” can't be used in this way to indicate Ochoa’s action of joining the training program. A conjunction such as "and" would be needed to coordinate "joins" with the previous finite verb, “left.” Question Difficulty: EasyQuestion ID 019f372c Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty PSAT 8/9 Rea Standard English Form, Structure, goo Conventions and Sense Dr. Rocio Paola Caballero-Gill is a paleoceanographer. This means that Dr. Caballero-Gill doesn't just study oceans as they are today. She uses chemistry and fossil evidence ___oceans as they were in the past. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? Avhas studied 8. to study C studied D. studies: ID: 019f372c Answer Correct Answer: B Rationale Choice B is the best answer, The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The nonfinite to-infinitive verb "to study’ is correctly used to form a subordinate clause that indicates what Dr. Caballero-Gill uses chemistry and fossil evidence for (to study oceans as they were in the past), Choice A is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite verb “has studied” can't be used in this way to forma subordinate clause that indicates what Dr. Caballero-Gill uses the evidence for. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The finite verb “studied” can’t be used in this way to form a subordinate clause that indicates what Dr, Caballero-Gill uses the evidence for, Choice D is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence, The finite verb "studies" can't be used in this way to forma subordinate clause that indicates what Dr, Caballero-Gill uses the evidence for, Question Difficulty: EasyQuestion ID 8eff0fde Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty PSAT 8/9 Rea Standard English Form, Structure, goo Conventions and Sense ID: 8effOfde If you try on one of artist Nick Cave's signature Soundsuits, you can expect to swish, rustle, or clang every time you move. Cave makes his suits out of found objects, everything from ceramic birds to broken record players. He carefully considers the sound an object makes before using ina suit. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? A.this B. that C these Dit DEE Ca Unig Correct Answer: D Rationale Choice D is the best answer, The convention being tested here is pronoun-antecedent agreement, The singular pronoun “it” agrees in number with the singular antecedent "object.” Choice A is incorrect. The singular pronoun “this” is used to refer to a specific thing, but here there is no specific object being referred to. Instead, the sentence is referring back to a hypothetical object that Cave might use in a Soundsuit. Choice B is incorrect. The singular pronoun "that" is used to refer to a specific thing, but here there is no specific object being referred to, Instead, the sentence is referring back to a hypothetical object that Cave might use in a Soundsuit, Choice C is incorrect because the plural pronoun "these" doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent “object.” Question Difficulty: EasyQuestion ID 78cef1d4 Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty PSAT 8/9 Rea Standard English Form, Structure, goo Conventions and Sense Wanda Diaz-Merced is an astrophysicist who lost her sight when she was young. Diaz-Merced's condition inspired her to develop software that can translate scientific data into sound, Sound-based tools __ scientists to detect subtle patterns in data. Such patterns may not be evident in traditional graphs. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? Ahas enabled B. enable C.is enabling D. enables Dae Geng Correct Answer: B Rationale Choice B is the best answer, The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement, The plural verb "enable" agrees in number with the plural subject "sound-based tools,” Choice A is incorrect because the singular verb "has enabled” doesn't agree in number with the plural subject, "sound-based tools.” Choice C is incorrect because the singular verb "is enabling’ doesn't agree in number with the plural subject "sound-based tools." Choice D is incorrect because the singular verb "enables" doesn't agree in number with the plural subject "sound-based tools.” Question Difficulty: EasyQuestion ID 0ba4e697 Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty PSAT 8/9 Reading and Writing | Standard English Form, Structure, goo Conventions and Sense ID: Oba4e697 Why are Rome's famous concrete structures, such as the Colosseum, still standing after 2,000-plus years, when modern concrete may not even last for fifty? Scientists __that the secret to Roman concrete's durability was its unique blend of ingredients, which included volcanic ash and seawater. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? Avexplain B. having explained explaining D. to explain DACs Unt Correct Answer: A Rationale Choice A is the best answer, The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The main clause of a sentence requires a finite (tensed) verb, and this choice supplies the finite present tense verb “explain” to indicate what the scientists do. Choice B is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence. The nonfinite participle “having explained” doesn't supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence, The nonfinite participle “explaining” doesn't supply the main clause with a finite verb. Choice D is incorrect because it results in an ungrammatical sentence, The nonfinite to-infinitive "to explain” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb. Question Difficulty: EasyQuestion ID 69556476 Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty PSAT 8/9 Reading and Writing | Standard English Form, Structure, goo Conventions and Sense ID: 69556476 In recent years, economists around the world have created new tools that quantify the overall well-being of a country's, citizens. Economists in India, for example, use an Ease of Living Index. This tool__ economic potential, sustainability, and citizens’ quality of life. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? ‘A. measures B. had measured . would have measured D. will have been measuring ID: 69556476 Answer Correct Answer: A Rationale Choice A is the best answer, The previous sentence tells us how economists in India "use" a certain tool, while this sentence describes general facts about that tool, To express general facts (and also to match the simple present tense of "use’), we should use the simple present tense form "measures." Choice B is incorrect. This choice uses the past perfect tense, but the previous sentence tells us that the tool is currently used to measure things, so the past tense doesn’t make sense for this verb. Choice C is incorrect. This choice uses the future perfect conditional tense, but the previous sentence tells us that the tool is currently used to measure things, so the future tense doesn't make sense for this verb, Choice D is incorrect, This choice uses the future perfect continuous tense, but the previous sentence tells us that the tool is currently used to measure things, so the future tense doesn't make sense for this verb. Question Difficulty: EasyQuestion ID 88331141 Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty PSAT 8/9 Reading and Writing | Standard English Form, Structure, goo Conventions and Sense 1D: 88331141 With its towering, six-spired exterior of granitelike quartz monzonite, the Salt Lake Temple is one of the most instantly recognizable structures in the state of Utah. However, many people do not know that ___ built over the course of forty years, with construction beginning in 1853 and ending in 1893, Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? A itwas B. one was C. they were D. both were D: 88331141 Answer Correct Answer: A Rationale Choice A is the best answer, The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement, The singular pronoun “it” agrees in number with the singular antecedent "the Salt Lake Temple.” Choice B is incorrect because the singular pronoun "one" is ambiguous in this context; the resulting sentence leaves unclear whether there is only one Salt Lake temple or multiple, Choice C is incorrect because the plural pronoun “they” doesn't agree in number with the singular antecedent “the Salt Lake Temple." Choice D is incorrect because the plural pronoun "both doesn't agree in number with the singular antecedent "the Salt Lake Temple.” Question Difficulty: Easy