- Which revision most effectively uses parallel structure with the correlative conjunctions?
Answer: not only cleaner than fossil fuels but also less expensive over time
When you see correlative conjunctions like not only...but also, the grammatical structures that follow each part must match. If "not only" is followed by an adjective phrase, "but also" must be followed by an adjective phrase too. If it's followed by a verb, the other side needs a verb.
In the original sentence, "not only cleaner than fossil fuels" (adjective phrase) is paired with "but also they cost less over time" (a full clause). That mismatch is the problem.
Choice B fixes this cleanly: "not only cleaner than fossil fuels but also less expensive over time." Both sides are now adjective phrases describing what renewable energy sources are, giving perfect parallel structure.
Choice A pairs a verb phrase ("are cleaner") with an adjective phrase ("less expensive"), so the two halves don't match grammatically. Choice C reintroduces the same error as the original — it follows "but also" with a full clause ("they also cost less"), breaking parallelism. Choice D misplaces "not only," making the sentence illogical: it suggests the sources are cleaner than two different things ("fossil fuels" and "less expensive over time"), which doesn't make sense.
A quick strategy: mentally cover up "not only" and "but also," then check whether what remains on each side is the same type of phrase (both nouns, both verbs, both adjectives, etc.). If they don't match, the sentence isn't parallel. This trick works for all correlative pairs — either/or, neither/nor, both/and, and not only/but also.
- Which revision best corrects the parallelism with the correlative conjunctions?
Answer: Either you can submit the application online, or you can mail a hard copy to the admissions office.
Correlative conjunctions—pairs like either/or, neither/nor, both/and, *not only/but also*—require parallel structure. Whatever grammatical form follows the first conjunction must also follow the second. If you see a verb phrase after either, you need a verb phrase after or; if you see a noun after either, you need a noun after or.
In the original sentence, either is followed by the clause "you can submit," but or is followed by the gerund phrase "mailing a hard copy is acceptable." These structures don't match. Choice D fixes this by pairing "you can submit the application online" with "you can mail a hard copy to the admissions office"—two parallel independent clauses with matching subject-verb structures.
Choice A still breaks parallelism: "the application can be submitted" (passive clause) doesn't match "mailing a hard copy is acceptable" (gerund phrase). Choice B places either directly before the verb "submit," which requires or to be followed by another verb, not the gerund phrase "mailing a hard copy." Choice C pairs a gerund phrase ("submitting the application online") with a full clause ("you can mail a hard copy"), and it also creates a sentence fragment with no main verb for the first part.
When you see correlative conjunctions on the SAT, ACT, or a grammar test, mentally cover everything except what follows each conjunction. If the two pieces don't look structurally identical, you've spotted the error—and the correct answer will make them match.
- Which revision best corrects the sentence?
Answer: The novel is praised for its vivid imagery, complex characters, and unpredictable plot.
Parallel structure means that items in a list or series should share the same grammatical form. When you see a list connected by "and," check whether each item matches: are they all nouns? All adjective-noun phrases? All clauses? If one item breaks the pattern, the sentence needs revision.
In the original sentence, the first two items are noun phrases ("vivid imagery," "complex characters"), but the third is a full clause ("because the plot is unpredictable"). To fix this, all three items must become the same type of phrase. Choice B does exactly that by turning the third item into a matching noun phrase: "vivid imagery, complex characters, and unpredictable plot." Each item is now an adjective + noun, creating clean parallelism.
Choice A shifts the preposition to "because of" but then mixes a full clause ("its plot is unpredictable") into the list, breaking parallelism again. Choice C keeps the awkward "because" clause as the third item, which is the exact problem the original sentence had. Choice D uses three different structures — a noun with a relative clause ("imagery that is vivid"), an adjective-noun phrase ("complex characters"), and another adjective-noun phrase with an article ("an unpredictable plot") — so the items don't match in form.
When tackling parallelism questions, isolate the items in the series and label their grammatical form (noun, adjective phrase, clause, gerund, infinitive). The correct answer will always be the one where every item wears the same grammatical "uniform."
- Which revision best establishes parallel structure across the three promises?
Answer: that she would reduce taxes, that she would improve infrastructure, and that she would increase funding for public schools
Parallel structure means that items in a series must share the same grammatical form. When a sentence lists actions, promises, or ideas, each item should follow the same pattern—all infinitives ("to reduce"), all gerunds ("reducing"), or all noun clauses ("that she would reduce"). Mixing these forms creates the kind of awkward inconsistency you see in the original sentence, which combines a "that" clause, a passive "that" clause, and an infinitive phrase.
Choice C fixes the problem by making all three promises noun clauses beginning with "that she would": "that she would reduce taxes, that she would improve infrastructure, and that she would increase funding for public schools." Every item now has identical grammatical structure, which is exactly what parallelism requires.
Choice A mixes a gerund ("reducing"), a "that" clause, and an infinitive ("to increase")—three different forms. Choice B is similarly inconsistent, combining an infinitive, a "that" clause, and a gerund. Choice D blends a "that" clause, a gerund ("improving"), and an infinitive ("to increase"), so it also fails the parallelism test.
When you check for parallel structure, isolate each item in the list and ask, "Do these all start with the same type of word or phrase?" If one begins with "to," they should all begin with "to." If one begins with "that," they should all begin with "that." Lists of three are a favorite trap on grammar tests—writers often get the first two parallel and then break the pattern on the third.
- Which revision of the final item in the series best maintains parallel structure?
Answer: and that they should be willing to accept constructive criticism
Parallel structure means that items in a series must share the same grammatical form. When a sentence lists multiple ideas, each item should be built the same way—all nouns, all gerunds, all infinitives, or, in this case, all "that" clauses.
Look at the first two items in the coach's list:
- "that they should arrive early"
- "that they must respect their teammates"
Both are noun clauses beginning with "that" followed by a subject and a modal verb. To keep the pattern consistent, the third item must also begin with "that they" plus a modal verb. Choice A does exactly this: "and that they should be willing to accept constructive criticism." The structure now matches perfectly.
Choice B ("and being willing…") uses a gerund phrase, which breaks the "that" clause pattern—this is actually the same error the original sentence makes. Choice C ("and they must accept…") drops the word "that," so it isn't formatted as a noun clause like the others; it also rearranges "constructive criticism" into a wordy modifier. Choice D ("and to be willing…") switches to an infinitive phrase, which again doesn't match the "that + subject + modal" structure of the first two items.
When you spot a list in a sentence, underline the first word or two of each item and check that they match grammatically. If the first item starts with "that they should," every item should start the same way. This "first-word test" is a quick, reliable way to catch faulty parallelism on the exam.
- Which revision best corrects the faulty parallelism at the beginning of the sentence?
Answer: Reading widely, writing daily, and revising carefully
Parallelism means that items in a list must share the same grammatical form. When you see a sentence with a series (usually joined by and), check that each item matches — all gerunds (-ing words), all infinitives (to + verb), or all nouns.
Look at the original list: "Reading widely, to write daily, and revision." That's a gerund phrase, then an infinitive phrase, then a noun — three different forms. To fix it, all three items must take the same shape.
Choice C works because all three items are gerund phrases: reading widely, writing daily, and revising carefully. The structure is consistent, and the sentence now reads smoothly.
Choice A still mixes forms: a gerund (reading), an infinitive (to write), and another infinitive (to revise) — the first item breaks the pattern. Choice B is even worse, combining an infinitive, a gerund, and a noun — three different forms again. Choice D keeps the same faulty structure as the original (noun phrase, infinitive, noun), just with "the habit of" tacked on; the mismatch remains.
A quick trick: when you spot a list, isolate each item and say them aloud in sequence. If the words don't "rhyme" grammatically — if one ends in -ing and another starts with to — you've found faulty parallelism. On writing exams, the correct fix will almost always convert every item to the same part of speech, most often the -ing form.
- Which revision best establishes parallel structure among the three criteria?
Answer: originality of concept, quality of execution, and clarity of presentation
Parallel structure means that items in a list should share the same grammatical form. When you see a list of two or more items joined by "and," check that each element follows the same pattern—all nouns, all gerunds, all clauses, and so on. Mixing forms creates awkward, unbalanced sentences.
Look at the original: "originality of concept" (noun + prepositional phrase), "the execution's quality" (possessive + noun), and "how clearly the presentation was" (subordinate clause). Three different structures—no parallelism.
Choice D fixes this by making all three items follow the same "noun + of + noun" pattern: originality of concept, quality of execution, and clarity of presentation. Each item is an abstract noun modified by a prepositional phrase. This is clean, balanced, and rhythmically parallel.
Choice A keeps the first item in "noun of noun" form but ends with a clause ("how clear the presentation was"), breaking the pattern. Choice B shifts from singular abstract concepts to plural concrete nouns ("original concepts... clear presentations") and mixes in a possessive ("the execution's quality"), so the three forms don't match. Choice C uses a clause ("how original the concept was") followed by two noun phrases, again mixing grammatical structures.
A useful strategy: when you spot a list in a revision question, physically line up the items and check that each starts with the same part of speech and follows the same pattern. If one item begins with "how" or "the way" while others are noun phrases, that's your red flag for a parallelism error.
- Which revision best corrects the parallel structure in the sentence?
Answer: to draft press releases, to edit photographs, and to manage a social-media calendar
Parallel structure means that items in a list or series must share the same grammatical form. When you see a sentence listing multiple things a subject did or learned, check whether each item begins with the same type of word—all infinitives ("to + verb"), all gerunds ("-ing" verbs), or all noun phrases.
In the original sentence, Marisol learned three things, but they're expressed in three different forms: an infinitive ("to draft"), a gerund ("editing"), and a noun phrase ("how to manage"). To fix this, every item in the list must match.
Choice A works because all three items are infinitives: "to draft," "to edit," and "to manage." The structure is consistent and clean.
Choice B mixes gerunds ("drafting," "editing") with a noun phrase ("how to manage"), so the third item breaks the pattern. Choice C keeps the same mixed problem as the original—one infinitive followed by two gerunds. Choice D combines a noun phrase ("how to draft") with two gerunds ("editing," "managing"), which is also inconsistent.
A quick strategy: when you spot a list in a sentence, underline the first word of each item and ask, "Are these the same part of speech or verb form?" If even one doesn't match, you have a parallelism error. On grammar sections, the correct answer will almost always be the one where every item in the series looks structurally identical—so scan the choices and eliminate any option that mixes "-ing" forms with "to" forms or with noun phrases.
- Which revision of the series best establishes parallelism?
Answer: research thoroughly, anticipate counterarguments, and deliver arguments confidently
Parallelism means that items in a series must share the same grammatical structure. When you see a list joined by "and," check that each item follows the same pattern—all verbs in the same form, all nouns, all phrases built alike. If one item breaks the pattern, the sentence sounds off-balance.
In the original sentence, the first two items begin with base-form verbs ("research," "anticipate"), but the third shifts to a possessive-plus-noun construction ("their delivery should be confident"). To fix it, the third item needs to match the verb pattern of the first two.
Choice B does exactly that: "research thoroughly, anticipate counterarguments, and deliver arguments confidently." All three items now begin with a base-form verb followed by a modifier. The structure is consistent and clean.
Choice A mixes forms—"research" (base verb), "anticipating" (-ing form), and "delivering" (-ing form)—so the first item doesn't match the other two. Choice C keeps the broken structure of the original, still ending with "their delivery should be confident," which isn't a verb phrase like the others. Choice D introduces a new subject ("they must anticipate") mid-series, disrupting the pattern and creating a comma splice-like effect.
When tackling parallelism questions, mentally line up the items vertically and check the first word of each. If item one starts with a verb, items two and three should too. Matching the form of the first word is usually the fastest way to spot the correct revision.
- Which revision most effectively corrects the parallelism in the underlined portion?
Answer: curious about the world, disciplined in their routines, and willing to take risks
Parallelism means that items in a list or series must share the same grammatical structure. When you see a list joined by "and," check whether each item follows the same pattern—all adjectives, all verbs, all noun phrases, and so on.
In this sentence, the workshop leader describes great writers using a three-part list. The first two items are adjective phrases: "curious about the world" and "disciplined in their routines." The third item, however, breaks the pattern by switching to a full clause with a subject and verb: "they take risks." To fix the parallelism, the third item needs to become an adjective phrase like the others. Choice C does exactly that with "willing to take risks," giving you three matching adjective phrases: curious, disciplined, willing.
Choice A makes things worse—it changes the second item to a participial phrase ("having discipline") and keeps the clause "they take risks," creating three different structures. Choice B keeps a full clause in the middle ("they are disciplined in routines"), so the three items still don't match. Choice D drops "they" but leaves "take risks" as a bare verb phrase, which doesn't parallel the adjective phrases before it—you'd be pairing adjectives with a verb.
When tackling parallelism questions, isolate each item in the list and ask, "Do these all belong to the same grammatical category?" If one item is an adjective phrase, all should be. Matching the form of each item—not just the meaning—is the key.
- Which revision best corrects the faulty parallelism?
Answer: Volunteering at the animal shelter is more rewarding than working at the mall for minimum wage.
Parallelism means that when you compare or list two or more ideas, they need to be expressed in the same grammatical form. If one side of the comparison uses an -ing verb (a gerund), the other side must also use an -ing verb. If one side uses a to + verb form (an infinitive), the other must match.
Look at the original sentence: "Volunteering... is more rewarding than to work..." The first half uses the gerund volunteering, but the second half switches to the infinitive to work. That mismatch is the faulty parallelism.
Choice D fixes this by matching volunteering with *working*—two gerunds on either side of the comparison. The structure now reads smoothly: "Volunteering... is more rewarding than working..."
Choice A keeps the mismatch, pairing volunteering with *to have*—still a gerund vs. an infinitive. Choice B flips the problem but doesn't solve it: now to volunteer (infinitive) is paired with working (gerund). Choice C compares volunteering (an action/gerund) with a job (a noun phrase)—you can't logically compare an activity to a thing, so this creates a different error (illogical comparison) on top of breaking parallelism.
When you spot a comparison word like than, and, or, or but, immediately check whether both sides share the same grammatical structure. A quick trick: underline the word before the comparison and the word after it, and ask, "Are these the same part of speech in the same form?" If not, you've found your parallelism error.
- Which revision best establishes parallel structure among the three items in the series?
Answer: how climate scientists gather data, how policymakers interpret research, and how journalists communicate findings to the public
Parallel structure means that items in a series should share the same grammatical form. When you spot a list joined by "and," check whether each item follows the same pattern—all nouns, all "-ing" phrases, all clauses beginning the same way, etc. Mismatched forms create awkward, uneven sentences.
In the original passage, the three items are: "how climate scientists gather data" (a noun clause starting with "how"), "the ways policymakers interpret research" (a noun phrase starting with "the ways"), and "journalists communicating findings to the public" (a participial phrase). Three different structures for three items in one series—that's the problem.
Choice A fixes this by making every item a "how" clause: "how climate scientists gather data, how policymakers interpret research, and how journalists communicate findings to the public." Each item now shares identical grammatical form, creating clean parallelism.
Choice B still mixes structures—two "how" clauses sandwich "the ways" in the middle, breaking the pattern. Choice C uses three completely different forms (a noun phrase with "of," a "how" clause, and a participial phrase), which is essentially as jumbled as the original. Choice D also mixes three forms: a participial phrase, a relative clause with "who," and a "how" clause.
When revising for parallelism, pick one structure and apply it consistently to every item. A quick trick: read each item aloud after the introductory verb ("examined how... examined how... examined how...")—if they all fit the same way, you've achieved parallel structure.
