PSAT Practice

August 2011

August 9, 2011 –CP only

Answer:• Correct Answer: B• Explanation:

This sentence illustrates a subject-verb agreement error. The subject, "Sponsors of the Olympic Games who bought advertising time on United States television," is plural; the word underlined at choice B should be "include," to match the number of the subject. The correct sentence reads: Sponsors of the Olympic Games who bought advertising time on United States television include at least a dozen international firms whose names are familiar to American consumers.

August 15, 2011

Answer

• Correct Answer: D• Explanation:

The error in this sentence is (D): the pronoun "you" is not consistent with the pronoun "one" in the introductory clause. The pronoun "you" should be changed to "one." The correct sentence reads: If one is interested in learning even more about Zora Neale Hurston, one should read Robert Hemenway's biography.

• (from the October 14, 1997 test)

August 17, 2011

Answer:• Correct Answer: D• Explanation:

The error in the sentence is (D): the pronoun "their" in the phrase "of their" should be "it" because the pronoun refers to the singular noun "starling." Note that the verb following "starling" is singular, forcing one to recognize that the noun "starling" is singular. The correct sentence reads: The starling is such a pest in rural areas that it has become necessary to find ways of controlling the growth of its population.

• (from the October 17, 1998 test)

August 23, 2011Hearing that the Statue of Liberty did not have a pedestal, a campaign was begun by Joseph Pulitzer to raise money for the construction of one.(A) a campaign was begun by Joseph Pulitzer to raise money(B) a campaign to raise money was initiated by Joseph Pulitzer(C) money was raised in a campaign by Joseph Pulitzer(D) Joseph Pulitzer began a campaign to raise money(E) Joseph Pulitzer had campaigned to raise money

Answer:• Correct Answer: D• Explanation:• This sentence contains an error of modification. The

introductory clause, "Hearing that the Statue of Liberty did not have a pedestal," cannot modify "campaign": a campaign to raise money cannot hear things. As it is Joseph Pulitzer who did the hearing, choices D and E initially seem plausible. Choice E, however, unjustifiably uses the past perfect ("had campaigned"), leaving D as the only correct choice. The correct sentence reads: Hearing that the Statue of Liberty did not have a pedestal, Joseph Pulitzer began a campaign to raise money for the construction of one.

August 30, 2011

Answer:

• Correct Answer: B• Explanation:

The error in this sentence is (B): the verb "were" (which is plural) does not agree in number with the noun "thinking" (which is singular). The correct sentence reads: In the early twentieth century, new thinking about symbolism and the unconscious was greatly inspired by the writings of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.

• (from the October 20, 1998 test)

September 13, 2011

Answer:• Correct Answer: C• The error in this sentence is (C): the verb "has"

(which is singular) does not agree in number with the noun "effects" (which is plural). The noun phrase "harmful effects" is the subject of the verb phrase "has become known." The correct sentence reads: Air pollution caused by industrial fumes has been studied for years, but only recently have the harmful effects of noise pollution become known.

• (from the October 12, 1999 test)

September 20, 2011Raised in a large and noisy family, it was only when I went away to college that I learned how refreshing solitude could be. (A) Same(B) when I went away to college I learned how refreshing solitude could be(C) going away to college taught me how refreshing solitude could be(D) I did not learn how refreshing solitude could be until I went away to college (E) refreshing solitude was unknown to me until I went away to college

Answer:

• Correct Answer: D• Correcting the error in this sentence requires

recognizing that the phrase "raised in a large and noisy family" modifies the speaker of the sentence. In choice D, where "I" is introduced, this connection made clearly and directly. The correct sentence reads: Raised in a large and noisy family, I did not learn how refreshing solitude could be until I went away to college.

September 27, 2011

Answer:• Correct Answer: D• Explanation:The error in this sentence is (D): the

superlative form of the phrase "the most spirit" is not appropriate when only two characters are being compared. The appropriate form for such a comparison is "more spirit." The correct sentence reads: In many respects Anna Karenina and Emma Bovary are very similar characters, but Bovary has more spirit and determination.