If you are reading this in an email you received from me, do not click the link to sat.collegeboard.org below. Use the link to my website that is farther down on the email.
http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-question-of-the-day?questionId=20140127&oq=1 (This link takes you to today’s question. If you use my archive, you will see the question related to my SAT explanation for that date.)
The answer is A. The appropriate idiomatic phrase is “between ____ and ____,” or “from _____ to _____.” Because this phrase starts with “between” the “to” is the error. The English language is replete (full of) with these kinds of errors. I strongly suggest you check out http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html because it is replete (!) with the errors that are important in composition and everyday discourse. (BTW, what’s the difference between “every day” and “everyday?”)
Be sure you also review the list of errors that I provide on my free website and Video #9. It will provide you with a list of grammar and composition rules the test writers standardly (habitually) include on the test. Just like math content, time spent reviewing the rules will be time well spent!
Let’s see what the ACT folks have for us today.
ACT Question of the Day: Use your “back” button to return to my website after reading the ACT Question of the Day.
The answer is J.
You need to learn and practice my PICK strategy. The I stands for insertable and is used to eliminate answers that add or disagree with the passage. P and C are used to eliminate wrong answers for other reasons. K stands for “know.” You’ll KNOW the right answer when you use PIC!
If you insert Answer F, it will add to the passage when you use the context starting in line 91 which is about Ms. Sennett coming back to the Cape. Answer G also adds. Answer H disagrees because the children are speaking to Ms. Sennett and not the narrator. That leaves Answer J which is perfectly insertable; it neither adds nor disagrees with the passage.
The C in PICK stands for “consistent.” Answers must be consistent with the context of the passage and you’ll also notice consistent and insertable work together as a team to help you choose the right answer. If an answer is consistent, it must also be insertable. Answer J is very consistent with the content while the other answers are not.
PICK is a very powerful strategy for test day because it works with all the reading questions on both the ACT and SAT tests. Don’t waste time with over-analyzing the answers because doing so often leads to choosing wrong answers!
We are off to another great week. Take advantage of it.
The SAT & ACT Wizard
