SAT 10 Wrtng and Lng 12-22

SAT 10 Wrtng and Lng 12-22

by Christy Kessler

Multiple Choice

 A growing number of public schools in the United States require students to complete community service hours to graduate. Such volunteering, be it helping at a local animal shelter, when they pick up litter, or working at a health-care facility, has obvious benefits for the community it serves and teaches students important life skills. But critics say that making volunteerism compulsory misses the point of the act.

• NO CHANGE

• to pick up litter,

• litter collection,

• picking up litter,

​Correct answer: Picking up

The option “picking up” is parallel in structure to the other items in the list, “helping” and “working.”

Multiple Choice

The writer wants a transition from the previous paragraph that highlights the criticism of compulsory volunteering mentioned in the previous paragraph. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?

By its very definition, volunteer work is done willingly.

• NO CHANGE

• Whatever the work may be,

• For many students,

• Fortunately for communities in need,

​

​The transitional phrase “by its very definition” points to the criticism in the previous paragraph that when volunteering is compulsory, it’s no longer volunteerism.

Multiple Choice

By requiring students to do community service in order to graduate, school officials’ are taking away students’ choice to give up their time for nonprofit

activities, making volunteerism less meaningful and pleasurable.

• NO CHANGE

• officials are taking away students

• officials are taking away student’s

• officials are taking away students’

​Correct Answer: officials are taking away students’

​The plural noun “officials” correctly refers to the people who require students to give up time for nonprofit activities. Additionally, the plural possessive noun “students’” indicates that the choice to give up personal time is supposed to belong to multiple students.

The passage continues:

​According to a psychological concept called the reactance theory, the loss of freedom in choosing an activity can cause a negative reaction. For instance, instead of focusing on the good they are doing, students may become resentful of the demands that compulsory volunteering places on their schedules.

Multiple Choice

Proponents of compulsory volunteering who are

in favor of it point out that it allows young people to

garner the benefits that volunteering offers.

• NO CHANGE

• volunteering, advocating it,

• volunteering

• volunteering and its advocates

​

​Proponents means people who are in favor of something and advocate for it. We need to avoid repeating ideas in a sentence.

Multiple Choice

Students who volunteer report increased self-esteem, better

relationship-building skills, and increasingly busy schedules.

Which choice provides a supporting example that is

most similar to the examples already in the sentence?

• No CHANGE

• a closer connection with their community.

• less time spent engaging in social activities.

• little increase in academic achievement.

​Correct Answer: a closer connection with their community.

​This choice, a closer connection with their community, is a benefit of volunteering and provides a supporting example that is most similar to the other examples of benefits offered in t he sentence: increased self-esteem and better relationship-building skills.

Multiple Choice

Some studies have also found that students who do community service are more likely to volunteer as adults, and thus effect society positively over the course of many years.

• NO CHANGE

• affect

• effecting

• affects

​Correct Answer: affect

​Affect is a verb; effect is a noun. This is an example of a frequently confused word that you will be asked about on the PSAT.

Multiple Choice

However, most research looks at students who volunteer in general, not making a distinction between students who are required to volunteer by their schools and those who volunteer willingly. One recent study by Sara E. Helms, assistant professor of economics at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, did focus

specifically on mandatory volunteering.

• NO CHANGE

• coercive

• forcible

• imperative

​Correct Answer: mandatory

​“Coercive” and “forcible” suggest that threats or force are used to make someone do something.

​

“Imperative” suggests that something is very important or necessary.

​

​“mandatory” is the most precise word to

use when describing the volunteering that students are required to do.

Multiple Choice

She found that students who were required to volunteer rushed to complete their service hours in early high school, they then did significantly less regular volunteer work in the twelfth grade than did students who were not required to volunteer.

• NO CHANGE

• school; they then,

• school. They, then

• school; they then

​Correct answer: school; they then

​The semicolon is used correctly to separate the independent clause that begins with “she” from the independent clause that begins with “they.”

Multiple Choice

She found that students who were required to volunteer rushed to complete their service hours in early high school; they then did significantly less regular volunteer work in the twelfth grade than the service hours of those not required to volunteer. Helms concluded that compulsory volunteering does not necessarily create lifelong volunteers.

• NO CHANGE

• than did students who were

• than hours worked by students

• compared with students

​Correct Answer: than did students who were

​because “than did students who were” results in a logical comparison between two types of students: those who were required to volunteer (“they then did”) and those who weren’t (“than did those”).

Multiple Choice

Instead of requiring students to volunteer, schools have to recognize that not all students are equally well suited to the same activities. Many studies show that when schools simply tell students about opportunities for community service and connect them with organizations that need help, more students volunteer of their own free will.

Which choice most effectively sets up the point made in the next sentence?

• NO CHANGE

• should allow students to spend their time

  participating in athletics and other

  extracurricular activities.

• should focus on offering arrangements that

  make volunteering an easy and attractive choice.

• are advised to recognize the limits of their ability

  to influence their students.

​

​The idea that schools should focus on offering arrangements that make volunteering an easy and attractive choice most effectively sets up the point made in the next sentence: more students willingly volunteer when schools tell them about volunteering opportunities and connect them with organizations.

​

​Sooo you should come to the Habitat Build this weekend! It's fun! They have doughnuts sometimes...

Multiple Choice

The writer wants a conclusion that states the main claim of the passage. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?

• It is imperative that schools do their part to find

  volunteers for the many worthwhile

  organizations in the United States.

• Schools that do this will produce more engaged,

  enthusiastic volunteers than schools that require

  volunteer work.

• Studies in the fields of psychology and

  economics have revolutionized researchers’

  understanding of volunteerism.

• It is important that students choose charitable

  work that suits their interests and values.

​

​This choice provides a conclusion that states the main claim of the passage: schools that don’t make volunteering compulsory will produce more engaged, enthusiastic volunteers than will schools that require volunteer work.