SAT Improving Paragraphs: Test 3

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Directions: This passage is an early draft of an essay, and some parts of it need to be rewritten. Read the passage and then choose the best answer for each of the questions that follow. When choosing your answers, make sure you follow the requirements of standard written English.

Questions #1-6 are based on the following passage.

(1) No matter what it is we plan to major in, our math teacher believes we should all study accounting in college. (2) While we may never use these skills in the workplace, she assures us it will come in handy in many areas of our lives. (3) For example, understanding accounting theory will make it easier for us to manage our own personal finances. (4) Even the most basic accounting curriculum will include exercises designed to help strengthen our ability to analyze, summarize, and interpret data. (5) There are also many other course of study, including economics, which require a thorough grounding in the language of business.

(6) Fundamental accounting principles are not difficult, even students who generally avoid math can master them in a semester. (7) The three basic elements in the accounting process are assets, liabilities, and owner’s equity. (8) Assets include anything owned by a company or individual. (9) Owner’s equity, which is sometimes referred to as capital or net worth, is the amount by which a company’s assets exceed its liabilities. (10) Each of these elements is recorded on a separate financial statement. (11) The financial statements are then used to generate a balance sheet, so named because it demonstrates that the three accounting elements are in balance.

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Question 1
Of the following, which is the best version of sentence 1 (reproduced below)?

No matter what it is we plan to major in, our math teacher believes we should all study accounting in college.

A
(As it is now)
B
No matter what it is we are planning to major in, our math teacher believes we should all study accounting in college.
C
No matter what we plan to major in, our math teacher believes we should all study accounting in college.
D
No matter what it is we plan to major in; our math teacher believes we should all study accounting in college.
E
Our math teacher believes we should all study accounting in college, no matter what it is we plan to major in.
Question 1 Explanation: 
The correct answer is (C). Although pronouns are frequently used without antecedents in everyday speech, this usage will be incorrect on the SAT. (C) eliminates the ambiguous and unnecessary use of the phrase “it is.”
Question 2
In context, which is the best version of the underlined part of sentence 2 (reproduced below)?

While we may never use these skills in the workplace, she assures us it will come in handy in many areas of our lives.

A
(As it is now)
B
these in the workplace, she assures us they are skills that will come in handy
C
them in the workplace, it is these skills that she assures us will come in handy
D
these skills in the workplace, she assures us they will come in handy
E
these skills in the workplace, she assures us, coming in handy
Question 2 Explanation: 
The correct answer is (D). Even though “workplace” is the noun closest to the pronoun “it” – the context tells us that “skills” is the antecedent. (D) correctly replaces the singular pronoun “it” with the plural “they.”
Question 3
In context, which of the following revisions is necessary in sentence 6 (reproduced below)?

Fundamental accounting principles are not difficult, even students who generally avoid math can master them in a semester.

A
Replace “are not difficult” with “is not difficult.”
B
Replace “are not difficult, even students” with “are not difficult; even students.”
C
Replace “who” with “whom.”
D
Replace “generally” with “general.”
E
Replace “them” with “it.”
Question 3 Explanation: 
The correct answer is (B). When two related independent clauses are combined into a single sentence, they should be joined by a semicolon. (A) incorrectly substitutes the singular verb “is” for the plural “are.”
Question 4
In context, which is the best version of sentence 8 (reproduced below)?

Assets includes anything owned by a company or individual.

A
(As it is now)
B
Assets included anything owned by a company or individual.
C
Assets includes anything owned by a company or owned by an individual.
D
Assets include anything owned by a company or individual.
E
Assets includes anything that a company or individual owns.
Question 4 Explanation: 
The correct answer is (D). Verbs must agree in number with their subjects. The subject “assets” is plural, requiring the plural verb form “include.” Since the paragraph is written in the present tense, (B) is incorrect here. (C) needlessly repeats the phrase “owned by”, while (E) simply rewords the sentence, without addressing the error.
Question 5
Which of the following sentences should logically follow sentence 8?

A
Delivery trucks and office equipment are two examples of assets.
B
Liabilities are then subtracted from total assets.
C
Owner’s equity is also an accounting element.
D
Even money owed to a company is considered an asset.
E
A liability is a debt – something owed to someone else.
Question 5 Explanation: 
The correct answer is (E). When asked to add a sentence, look for missing information. In this passage, three elements are listed, but only two of them are defined. The missing sentence should contain a brief definition of the missing element “liabilities.” (E) provides this definition. The other options are grammatically correct, but this is a question of meaning, not grammar.
Question 6
In context, which is the best version of sentence 11 (reproduced below)?

The financial statements are then used to generate a balance sheet, so named because it demonstrates that the three accounting elements are in balance.

A
(As it is now)
B
The financial statements are then used to generate a balance sheet; so named because it demonstrates that the three accounting elements are in balance.
C
The financial statements which are then used to generate a balance sheet, so named because it demonstrates that the three accounting elements are in balance.
D
The financial statements being used to generate a balance sheet, so named because it demonstrates that the three accounting elements are in balance.
E
The financial statements is then used to generate a balance sheet, so named because it demonstrates that the three accounting elements are in balance.
Question 6 Explanation: 
The correct answer is (A). Do not mistake formal construction for grammatical error. The sentence is correct as written. (B) misuses the semicolon, since the second clause is not independent. (C) inserts the pronoun “which,” making the sentence into a fragment. (D) and (E) introduce incorrect verb tenses.
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