SAT Math › Punctuation
The pair brought scientific thinking and equipment to the kitchen, challenging perceptions about what belonged in the lab and what belonged in a chef ’s kitchen. For example, an early experiment in pie baking involved injecting pies with a syringe full of liquid after baking in order to preserve the crust. Other experiments involved creating 16 meringue, (cooked whipped egg whites with sugar) in a vacuum chamber and a “reverse” baked Alaska (ice cream topped with meringue) with the hot merengue on the inside and the ice cream on the outside. Although the experiments themselves might not have been useful to the home cook, they did give insights into the science of cooking that improved recipes and techniques for cooks everywhere.
NO CHANGE
meringue (cooked whipped egg whites with sugar)
meringue – cooked whipped egg whites with sugar –
meringue, cooked whipped egg whites with sugar,
This question has two major decision points: whether to use parentheses or another form of punctuation and whether a comma is necessary after the word meringue. In order to preserve parallelism in the sentence, you need to use the parentheses rather than a pair of commas or dashes since parentheses are used later in the sentence for the same purpose. However, there is no comma necessary after the word meringue. If you eliminate the portion of the sentence in parentheses, it becomes "creating meringue in a vacuum chamber." Since it doesn't make sense to separate the act of making meringue from where it's made (where it's made isn't unnecessary information) the comma isn't necessary.
The pair brought scientific thinking and equipment to the kitchen, challenging perceptions about what belonged in the lab and what belonged in a chef ’s kitchen. For example, an early experiment in pie baking involved injecting pies with a syringe full of liquid after baking in order to preserve the crust. Other experiments involved creating 16 meringue, (cooked whipped egg whites with sugar) in a vacuum chamber and a “reverse” baked Alaska (ice cream topped with meringue) with the hot merengue on the inside and the ice cream on the outside. Although the experiments themselves might not have been useful to the home cook, they did give insights into the science of cooking that improved recipes and techniques for cooks everywhere.
NO CHANGE
meringue (cooked whipped egg whites with sugar)
meringue – cooked whipped egg whites with sugar –
meringue, cooked whipped egg whites with sugar,
This question has two major decision points: whether to use parentheses or another form of punctuation and whether a comma is necessary after the word meringue. In order to preserve parallelism in the sentence, you need to use the parentheses rather than a pair of commas or dashes since parentheses are used later in the sentence for the same purpose. However, there is no comma necessary after the word meringue. If you eliminate the portion of the sentence in parentheses, it becomes "creating meringue in a vacuum chamber." Since it doesn't make sense to separate the act of making meringue from where it's made (where it's made isn't unnecessary information) the comma isn't necessary.
Living in the arctic tundra and exhibiting a low surface area to volume ratio in order to conserve heat; the arctic hare serves as an excellent example of adaptation among wild species of mammals.
NO CHANGE
heat, the arctic hare
heat, arctic hares
heat: the arctic hare
In order to effectively address punctuation-driven errors, like the one we see here, we’ll want to pay close attention to the roles elements of our sentence play. Here, “Living in the arctic tundra and exhibiting a low surface area to volume ratio in order to conserve heat” are modifying phrases, introduced by the participial modifiers “living” and “exhibiting.” Since the portion before the punctuation represents a set of modifying phrases and not a complete clause that could stand on its own, it would not be appropriate to separate this portion of the sentence using a colon or a semicolon. Both of these constructions require the portion before the punctuation to represent an independent clause. So, “heat; the arctic hare” (our original construction) and “heat: the arctic hare” can be eliminated.
From here, our remaining options both utilize the appropriate punctuation, the comma, to set apart our introductory modifiers. However, “heat, arctic hares” inappropriately structures the sentence with a plural subject, “arctic hares,” which does not agree with the singular verb “serves” that immediately follows in the non-underlined portion. Thus, “heat, the arctic hare” is our correct answer.
Keep in mind, examples on the SAT may ask us to combine our knowledge of different error categories in one question, as they have here - so be prepared to seek out and prioritize differences as you encounter them in your writing answer choices!
Living in the arctic tundra and exhibiting a low surface area to volume ratio in order to conserve heat; the arctic hare serves as an excellent example of adaptation among wild species of mammals.
NO CHANGE
heat, the arctic hare
heat, arctic hares
heat: the arctic hare
In order to effectively address punctuation-driven errors, like the one we see here, we’ll want to pay close attention to the roles elements of our sentence play. Here, “Living in the arctic tundra and exhibiting a low surface area to volume ratio in order to conserve heat” are modifying phrases, introduced by the participial modifiers “living” and “exhibiting.” Since the portion before the punctuation represents a set of modifying phrases and not a complete clause that could stand on its own, it would not be appropriate to separate this portion of the sentence using a colon or a semicolon. Both of these constructions require the portion before the punctuation to represent an independent clause. So, “heat; the arctic hare” (our original construction) and “heat: the arctic hare” can be eliminated.
From here, our remaining options both utilize the appropriate punctuation, the comma, to set apart our introductory modifiers. However, “heat, arctic hares” inappropriately structures the sentence with a plural subject, “arctic hares,” which does not agree with the singular verb “serves” that immediately follows in the non-underlined portion. Thus, “heat, the arctic hare” is our correct answer.
Keep in mind, examples on the SAT may ask us to combine our knowledge of different error categories in one question, as they have here - so be prepared to seek out and prioritize differences as you encounter them in your writing answer choices!
There once was a shepherd boy whom sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. He was hot and exhausted fanning himself, rapidly in a feeble attempt to cool himself down. On top of that, he had never been so bored before. To amuse himself, he decided to play a joke. He put his hands around his mouth and yelled in a loud voice, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is chasing the sheep!”
They came running. They asked the boy, “What’s going on? Did you yell ‘A wolf is chasing the sheep?’”
The boy laughed. “It was just a joke, everyone.”
The people fumed, but they all returned to their homes.
The next day, the boy bored again decided to amuse himself again. He bellowed, “Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the townspeople came running. Once they arrived and witnessed the laughing boy, they realized they’d been tricked a second time. Nonetheless, they returned home and irritated resolved to never fall for the trick again for third time.
The next day, the boy was watching his sheep. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wolf appeared from behind the bushes. With its teeth bared, the boy cowered as the wolf approached the sheep. Terrified, he called, “Help! A wolf! A wolf is here!” The people ignored his cries. “That mischievous boy,” they all said to one another. “He must think he can fool us again.” But not one of them came running.
No one was there to witness as the wolf ate every last sheep on the hillside, as the boy helplessly cowered behind a bush. As the boy hid, he shook his head. “I shall never fib again,” he resolved to himself.
How should the underlined section be corrected?
NO CHANGE
To amuse himself: he decided to play a joke.
To amuse himself; he decided to play a joke.
To bemuse himself he decided to play a joke.
To amuse himself he decided to play a joke.
The underlined sentence is correct as written. The introductory phrase "to amuse himself," is correctly separated from the main clause "he decided to play a joke" with a comma. The introductory phrase accurately and necessarily contextualizes the simple subject-verb-object main clause. All of the other options, in fact, add grammatical or punctuation errors.
There once was a shepherd boy whom sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. He was hot and exhausted fanning himself, rapidly in a feeble attempt to cool himself down. On top of that, he had never been so bored before. To amuse himself, he decided to play a joke. He put his hands around his mouth and yelled in a loud voice, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is chasing the sheep!”
They came running. They asked the boy, “What’s going on? Did you yell ‘A wolf is chasing the sheep?’”
The boy laughed. “It was just a joke, everyone.”
The people fumed, but they all returned to their homes.
The next day, the boy bored again decided to amuse himself again. He bellowed, “Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the townspeople came running. Once they arrived and witnessed the laughing boy, they realized they’d been tricked a second time. Nonetheless, they returned home and irritated resolved to never fall for the trick again for third time.
The next day, the boy was watching his sheep. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wolf appeared from behind the bushes. With its teeth bared, the boy cowered as the wolf approached the sheep. Terrified, he called, “Help! A wolf! A wolf is here!” The people ignored his cries. “That mischievous boy,” they all said to one another. “He must think he can fool us again.” But not one of them came running.
No one was there to witness as the wolf ate every last sheep on the hillside, as the boy helplessly cowered behind a bush. As the boy hid, he shook his head. “I shall never fib again,” he resolved to himself.
How should the underlined section be corrected?
NO CHANGE
To amuse himself: he decided to play a joke.
To amuse himself; he decided to play a joke.
To bemuse himself he decided to play a joke.
To amuse himself he decided to play a joke.
The underlined sentence is correct as written. The introductory phrase "to amuse himself," is correctly separated from the main clause "he decided to play a joke" with a comma. The introductory phrase accurately and necessarily contextualizes the simple subject-verb-object main clause. All of the other options, in fact, add grammatical or punctuation errors.
There once was a shepherd boy whom sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. He was hot and exhausted fanning himself, rapidly in a feeble attempt to cool himself down. On top of that, he had never been so bored before. To amuse himself, he decided to play a joke. He put his hands around his mouth and yelled in a loud voice, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is chasing the sheep!”
They came running. They asked the boy, “What’s going on? Did you yell ‘A wolf is chasing the sheep?’”
The boy laughed. “It was just a joke, everyone.”
The people fumed, but they all returned to their homes.
The next day, the boy bored again decided to amuse himself again. He bellowed, “Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the townspeople came running. Once they arrived and witnessed the laughing boy, they realized they’d been tricked a second time. Nonetheless, they returned home and irritated resolved to never fall for the trick again for third time.
The next day, the boy was watching his sheep. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wolf appeared from behind the bushes. With its teeth bared, the boy cowered as the wolf approached the sheep. Terrified, he called, “Help! A wolf! A wolf is here!” The people ignored his cries. “That mischievous boy,” they all said to one another. “He must think he can fool us again.” But not one of them came running.
No one was there to witness as the wolf ate every last sheep on the hillside, as the boy helplessly cowered behind a bush. As the boy hid, he shook his head. “I shall never fib again,” he resolved to himself.
How should the underlined section be corrected?
NO CHANGE
To amuse himself: he decided to play a joke.
To amuse himself; he decided to play a joke.
To bemuse himself he decided to play a joke.
To amuse himself he decided to play a joke.
The underlined sentence is correct as written. The introductory phrase "to amuse himself," is correctly separated from the main clause "he decided to play a joke" with a comma. The introductory phrase accurately and necessarily contextualizes the simple subject-verb-object main clause. All of the other options, in fact, add grammatical or punctuation errors.
There once was a shepherd boy whom sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. He was hot and exhausted fanning himself, rapidly in a feeble attempt to cool himself down. On top of that, he had never been so bored before. To amuse himself, he decided to play a joke. He put his hands around his mouth and yelled in a loud voice, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is chasing the sheep!”
They came running. They asked the boy, “What’s going on? Did you yell ‘A wolf is chasing the sheep?’”
The boy laughed. “It was just a joke, everyone.”
The people fumed, but they all returned to their homes.
The next day, the boy bored again decided to amuse himself again. He bellowed, “Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the townspeople came running. Once they arrived and witnessed the laughing boy, they realized they’d been tricked a second time. Nonetheless, they returned home and irritated resolved to never fall for the trick again for third time.
The next day, the boy was watching his sheep. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wolf appeared from behind the bushes. With its teeth bared, the boy cowered as the wolf approached the sheep. Terrified, he called, “Help! A wolf! A wolf is here!” The people ignored his cries. “That mischievous boy,” they all said to one another. “He must think he can fool us again.” But not one of them came running.
No one was there to witness as the wolf ate every last sheep on the hillside, as the boy helplessly cowered behind a bush. As the boy hid, he shook his head. “I shall never fib again,” he resolved to himself.
How should the underlined section be corrected?
NO CHANGE
To amuse himself: he decided to play a joke.
To amuse himself; he decided to play a joke.
To bemuse himself he decided to play a joke.
To amuse himself he decided to play a joke.
The underlined sentence is correct as written. The introductory phrase "to amuse himself," is correctly separated from the main clause "he decided to play a joke" with a comma. The introductory phrase accurately and necessarily contextualizes the simple subject-verb-object main clause. All of the other options, in fact, add grammatical or punctuation errors.
There once was a shepherd boy whom sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. He was hot and exhausted fanning himself, rapidly in a feeble attempt to cool himself down. On top of that, he had never been so bored before. To amuse himself, he decided to play a joke. He put his hands around his mouth and yelled in a loud voice, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is chasing the sheep!”
They came running. They asked the boy, “What’s going on? Did you yell ‘A wolf is chasing the sheep?’”
The boy laughed. “It was just a joke, everyone.”
The people fumed, but they all returned to their homes.
The next day, the boy bored again decided to amuse himself again. He bellowed, “Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the townspeople came running. Once they arrived and witnessed the laughing boy, they realized they’d been tricked a second time. Nonetheless, they returned home and irritated resolved to never fall for the trick again for third time.
The next day, the boy was watching his sheep. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wolf appeared from behind the bushes. With its teeth bared, the boy cowered as the wolf approached the sheep. Terrified, he called, “Help! A wolf! A wolf is here!” The people ignored his cries. “That mischievous boy,” they all said to one another. “He must think he can fool us again.” But not one of them came running.
No one was there to witness as the wolf ate every last sheep on the hillside, as the boy helplessly cowered behind a bush. As the boy hid, he shook his head. “I shall never fib again,” he resolved to himself.
How should the underlined section be corrected?
NO CHANGE
To amuse himself: he decided to play a joke.
To amuse himself; he decided to play a joke.
To bemuse himself he decided to play a joke.
To amuse himself he decided to play a joke.
The underlined sentence is correct as written. The introductory phrase "to amuse himself," is correctly separated from the main clause "he decided to play a joke" with a comma. The introductory phrase accurately and necessarily contextualizes the simple subject-verb-object main clause. All of the other options, in fact, add grammatical or punctuation errors.
There once was a shepherd boy whom sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. He was hot and exhausted fanning himself, rapidly in a feeble attempt to cool himself down. On top of that, he had never been so bored before. To amuse himself, he decided to play a joke. He put his hands around his mouth and yelled in a loud voice, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is chasing the sheep!”
They came running. They asked the boy, “What’s going on? Did you yell ‘A wolf is chasing the sheep?’”
The boy laughed. “It was just a joke, everyone.”
The people fumed, but they all returned to their homes.
The next day, the boy bored again decided to amuse himself again. He bellowed, “Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the townspeople came running. Once they arrived and witnessed the laughing boy, they realized they’d been tricked a second time. Nonetheless, they returned home and irritated resolved to never fall for the trick again for third time.
The next day, the boy was watching his sheep. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wolf appeared from behind the bushes. With its teeth bared, the boy cowered as the wolf approached the sheep. Terrified, he called, “Help! A wolf! A wolf is here!” The people ignored his cries. “That mischievous boy,” they all said to one another. “He must think he can fool us again.” But not one of them came running.
No one was there to witness as the wolf ate every last sheep on the hillside, as the boy helplessly cowered behind a bush. As the boy hid, he shook his head. “I shall never fib again,” he resolved to himself.
How should the underlined section be corrected?
NO CHANGE
To amuse himself: he decided to play a joke.
To amuse himself; he decided to play a joke.
To bemuse himself he decided to play a joke.
To amuse himself he decided to play a joke.
The underlined sentence is correct as written. The introductory phrase "to amuse himself," is correctly separated from the main clause "he decided to play a joke" with a comma. The introductory phrase accurately and necessarily contextualizes the simple subject-verb-object main clause. All of the other options, in fact, add grammatical or punctuation errors.