SAT Question of the Day (ACT too!): Oct. 9, 2013

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. If you are seeing this in my blog, do the SAT Question of the Day by clicking on this link:

http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-question-of-the-day?questionId=20131009&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 D.  This error is high on the list of common mistakes that you will see on the test: pronoun-antecedent agreement.  There are variations of the issue and you can review them for free on my website or watch Video #9.  For this question, the problem is the pronoun and antecedent (the word that is represented by the pronoun); both have to be singular or plural.  The antecedent is manner which is singular; therefore, the pronoun has to be singular.  The current pronoun those is plural.  Oops!  It would need to be changed to the singular pronoun that.

I want you to find a list of the common errors that show up on the test.  Doing so is similar to reviewing the math concepts that you are expected to know.  It must be done if you expect to raise your scores.  Once you have reviewed the content, practice using the knowledge base in the context of actual SAT and ACT questions.  You will soon discover that even though you have mastered the knowledge, you are still missing questions.  It is the way the questions are asked that causes most students to miss the questions.  You should seek out someone who can help you recognize how you made your mistakes and adjust your test-taking strategies so that you don’t repeat them on test day.

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 A.  For the product of the multiplication to be negative (<0), you have to multiply a positive and a negative number.  The absolute value of b-2 has to be positive and that means a has to be negative.  Answers A and B are the only ones with a negative value for a.  For answer B, if b=2 the absolute value is 0, which isn’t positive.  That leaves you with A.

As with the SAT question this morning, it is important to get a list of the concepts that show up on the test.  The easiest way to get the list of math concepts is to take the free diagnostic test on my website.  As a bonus, you will also discover which ones you need to review!  The diagnostic report will give you a comprehensive list of what math to expect on test day.  It is going to be well worth your time.

Gosh, it’s already hump day!  The rest of the week is all down hill from here.  Enjoy.

The SAT & ACT Wizard

 

 

About Bob Alexander

Bob has been a professional educator starting with teaching biology, becoming a school administrator, and then working as an education lobbyist in Washington, DC. He got his start in national testing by becoming a consulting test writer, later joining Kaplan as a director, and finally starting his own business in 1995. He has written numerous books, consulted for school districts and colleges, developed his website and been featured on a DVD set. He offers SAT and ACT prep classes and tutors individuals and small groups of students in central Florida.
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