SAT grammar test

[Dimandja]

What do you think of these two questions?

1.

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/prep_one/sent_errors/prac01.html

2.

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/prep_one/sent_errors/prac02.html

Also, read about this:

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001863.html

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[SilentAiche]

Well, I got them both right, at least according to the official answers.

I didn't really think it was that close of a call on either one of them.

Tim

 

[CajunCenturion]

I have no problem with either of the questions. The second question does touch on the number (singular/plural) of collective nouns, which itself is a good area of discussion.

I disagree with Ms. Medina about her characterization of the two questions as having doubtful errors. I would be sympathetic to the second question because collective nouns can be difficult, but in this case, the use of committee is singular because it is acting as one body, not as a group of individuals. Only one decision is being made.

She does make a good case about the 'singular they' which we have have discussed in a previous thread. However, in the question provided, you don't need to use the 'singular they' because in this case, 'its' is available. In my opinion, the 'singular they' should be reserved for those cases where 'its' doesn't work.

I like the word synesis.

I disagree with her the flexibility of the comparative construct. The second part may be omitted, that's true, but that doesn't change the proper grammatical construct when it is included.

Good Luck
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[MakeItSo]

Got them right too.

[COLOR=white white]However I was long in the want to hit "no error". Perhaps that's because you hardly ever hear/read 100% correct English at all. YOu get tolerant vs. such minor errors.
I have only identified the second error due to the use of "committee [b]has[/b] decided" with which the singular use is fixed.[/color]

[blue]An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. - "Mahatma" Mohandas K. Gandhi[/blue]

 

[ESquared]

I agree with the test answer for both sample questions (and I got them both right). But I also agree with the commentary about whether the test is to determine the sophistication of the College Board or whether it is to test for English grammar knowledge. That is, I think the test questions suck and could be improved exactly as suggested by not providing a "No error" option.

The committee question, as structured, seems to me to require "its" as it is going to be a meeting of the committee, singular, and the sentence is not emphasizing the individual members of that committee. But otherwise I do in general agree with this The Language Log entry on the topic.

 

[CrystalStart]

Even I got it! :-D