Reading and Writing
SAT Suite of Assessments Skills Insight Tool
Below are the skills and knowledge that students in the content domain and performance score band selected above are typically able to demonstrate as well as examples of the kinds of questions that these students are likely able to answer correctly. To view skill/knowledge statements and example questions in other domains and/or performance score bands, update the selections above and click Go.
Skills
A student in this performance score band can typically demonstrate the following skills in this content domain:
- Maintain grammatical agreement between a subject and verb in relatively complex sentences in which a substantial amount of text appears between the subject and main verb
- Properly incorporate a restrictive sentence element, such as an appositive phrase modifying a noun phrase
- Use a colon to introduce an independent clause elaborating on a statement or claim
Example Questions
Example Question 1
The 1977 play And the Soul Shall Dance depicts two Japanese American farming families in Depression-era Southern California. Critics have noted the way pioneering blank compares the experiences of issei (Japanese nationals who emigrated to America) and nisei (their American-born children).
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
-
playwright, Wakako Yamauchi,
-
playwright, Wakako Yamauchi
-
playwright Wakako Yamauchi,
-
playwright Wakako Yamauchi
Key: D
Key Explanation
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of punctuation between titles and proper nouns. No punctuation is needed to set off the proper noun “Wakako Yamauchi” from the title that describes Yamauchi, “pioneering playwright.” Because “Wakako Yamauchi” is essential information identifying the “pioneering playwright,” no punctuation is necessary.
Distractor Explanations
Choice A is incorrect because no punctuation is needed before or after the proper noun “Wakako Yamauchi.” Setting the playwright’s name off with commas suggests that it could be removed without affecting the coherence of the sentence, which isn’t the case. Choice B is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the title “pioneering playwright” and the proper noun “Wakako Yamauchi.” Choice C is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the proper noun “Wakako Yamauchi” and the verb “compares.”
Example Question 2
Ten of William Shakespeare’s plays are classified as histories. Although each one of these plays, which include Henry V and Richard III, blank on a single historical figure (specifically, an English king), some, such as Henry VI Part One and Henry VI Part Two, feature different episodes from the same monarch’s life.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
-
focuses
-
focus
-
are focused
-
were focused
Key: A
Key Explanation
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “focuses” agrees in number with the singular subject “each one of these plays,” which refers to each play individually.
Distractor Explanations
Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “focus” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “each one of these plays.” Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb “are focused” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “each one of these plays.” Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb “were focused” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “each one of these plays.”