McGraw-Hill Education Conquering the SAT Writing and Language Test and SAT Essay, Third Edition

by Christopher Black

Overview

Get the edge you need on the Writing section of the SAT

The SAT is coming up, and you need extra help to tackle the tough Writing section—including the dreaded SAT essay. Revised and updated, McGraw-Hill's Conquering SAT Writing, Third Edition, is packed with intensive practice for the new multiple-choice writing questions, plus teacher-recommended strategies for writing a high-scoring essay. You also get sample scored SAT essays with readers' comments! Specially created by a nationally known test-prep expert, this first-rate guide has everything you need to get ready for this difficult part of the SAT, and to help you achieve your best writing score ever.

McGraw-Hill's Conquering SAT Writing includes:

• 3-full-length practice SAT Writing Tests with complete explanations
• Complete coverage of all SAT reading comprehensive problem types
• Complete review of all grammar rules you need to know for the test
• Strategies for answering the challenging multiple-choice questions
• A classroom-tested, step-by-step program for writing an outstanding SAT essay
• Sample scored SAT with readers’ comments

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781260462630
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	06/26/2020
Edition description:	3rd ed.
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	1,024,212
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Christopher Black (Greenwich, CT) is a coauthor of McGraw-Hill's SAT books and founder of College Hill Coaching, a provider of academic tutoring and standardized-test preparation.

Table of Contents

Section 1 Introduction 1

Chapter 1 How to Use This Book 3

Chapter 2 FAQS about the SAT 5

What Does the SAT Really Test? 5

How Is the SAT Formatted? 6

What Will Colleges Do with My SAT Scores? 6

What Control Do I Have Over My SAT Scores? 7

When Should I Take the SATs and Subject Tests? 7

What's the Best Way to Prepare for the SAT? 8

What's a Good SAT Writing and Language Score? 11

How Do I Get the Most Out of My Daily SAT Study Sessions? 11

What Should I Do the Week Before My SAT? 12

What Should I Do on Test Day? 13

Section 2 How to Conquer the SAT Writing and Language Test 15

Chapter 3 The Five Question Types and How to Attack Them 17

A Grammar and Usage Questions 17

B Coherence and Logical Development Questions 19

C Diction and Clarity Questions 20

D Style and Tone Questions 22

E Infographics Questions 24

Chapter 4 Basic Sentence Diagnostics 27

Lesson 1 Parsing Sentences and Clauses 27

Lesson 2 Trimming Sentences 31

Exercise Set 1 Trimming 33

Exercise Set 2 Parsing 35

Answer Key 37

Chapter 5 Advanced Sentence Diagnostics 41

Lesson 1 Verb Agreement 41

Exercise Set 3 Verb Agreement 43

Lesson 2 Coordinating Ideas 45

Exercise Set 4 Coordinating Ideas 50

Exercise Set 5 Transitions and References 52

Lesson 3 Parallelism 53

Exercise Set 6 Parallel Structure 57

Lesson 4 Dangling Participles 58

Lesson 5 Misplaced Modifiers 60

Exercise Set 7 Coordination of Modifiers 61

Lesson 6 Misused Modifiers 63

Exercise Set 8 Using Modifiers Logically 67

Lesson 7 Logical Comparisons 68

Exercise Set 9 Logical Comparisons 70

Lesson 8 Pronoun Agreement 72

Exercise Set 10 Pronoun Agreement 74

Lesson 9 Pronoun Case 75

Exercise Set 11 Pronoun Case 77

Lesson 10 Verb Tense 79

Lesson 11 Verb Aspect 81

Exercise Set 12 Verb Tense and Aspect 84

Lesson 12 Diction and Redundancy 86

Exercise Set 13 Diction and Redundancy 90

Lesson 13 Idiomatic Expression 93

Exercise Set 14 Idiomatic Expression 95

Lesson 14 The Active and Passive Voices 97

Lesson 15 Verb Mood 98

Exercise Set 15 Verb Mood and Voice 102

Lesson 16 Punctuation 104

Exercise Set 16 Punctuation and Apostrophes 108

Answer Key 110

Chapter 6 Diagnosing Paragraphs 129

Lesson 1 Focus within Passages 129

Lesson 2 Transitions, Development, and Organization 132

Lesson 3 Purpose, Style, and Pattern 135

Exercise Set 17 Diagnosing Paragraphs 137

Answer Key 139

Section 3 How to Conquer the SAT Essay 141

Chapter 7 FAQS about the SAT Essay 143

Do I Have to Take the SAT Essay? 143

What Is a Good SAT Essay Score? 143

Sample SAT Essay 145

How Is the SAT Essay Scored? 147

Chapter 8 How to Write a Great SAT Essay 149

Lesson 1 Use Your 50 Minutes Wisely 149

Lesson 2 First Pass-Summarize 151

Lesson 3 Second Pass-Analyze 154

Lesson 4 Third Pass-Synthesize 162

Lesson 5 Write a Great Thesis 165

Lesson 6 Outline Your Essay 167

Lesson 7 Write Your First Draft 168

Lesson 8 Revise for Clarity and Effectiveness 170

Section 4 Three SAT Writing and Language Practice Tests 175

SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 1 177

Answer Key and Conversion Table 193

Answer Explanations 194

SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 2 201

Answer Key and Conversion Table 216

Answer Explanations 217

SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 3 223

Answer Key and Conversion Table 237

Answer Explanations 238

Section 5 Three Practice SAT Essays 245

Practice SAT Essay 1 247

Practice SAT Essay 2 255

Practice SAT Essay 3 263