SAT Lesson 4 P1 - Standard English Gr

“Coalition” is the term for a group of male lions, and across the Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa, many coalitions vie for territory. Between 2010 and 2012, the lions of the Matimba ___ including Slitnose, Hairy Belly, and Shaka—thrived within a part of the park called the Manyeleti Game Reserve. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• coalition

• coalition;

• coalition,

• coalition—

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'coalition—' because it introduces the list of lions effectively. A dash indicates that the following names are examples of the coalition, maintaining the flow of the sentence.

Several advantages—the ability to react strongly with chip components, to avoid interference from other waves, and to be confined within tiny circuits—___ acoustic waves as a promising alternative to electrical waves for transmitting data on computer chips; as a result, researchers are invested in developing more acoustic wave-based chips. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• by positioning

• have positioned

• having positioned

• positioning

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'have positioned' because it indicates that the advantages have led researchers to take action in the present perfect tense, showing ongoing relevance. The other options do not fit grammatically in this context.

Like much scientific research, a noted 2023 study of bottlenose dolphins published in PNAS reflects the combined efforts and expertise of multiple ___ Laela Sayigh is listed first, Nicole El Haddad, Peter Tyack, and other coauthors also made important contributions to the study. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• researchers while

• researchers;

• researchers, while

• researchers.

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'researchers.' because it properly concludes the sentence with a period, indicating a complete thought. The other options either create a run-on sentence or are grammatically incorrect in this context.

Writer Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s love of short fiction began when she read a collection of Edgar Allan Poe stories as a child, and she would develop into a prolific short story writer herself, publishing pieces like “Weekday” (2010) and “To See Pedro Infante” (2014). Yet she’s best known as a novelist, in part due to her ___ Gothic (2020) earning a spot on the New York Times Best Sellers list. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• novel (Mexican

• novel: Mexican

• novel Mexican

• novel, Mexican

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'novel, Mexican' because it uses a comma to separate the noun 'novel' from the adjective 'Mexican', conforming to Standard English conventions for clarity and proper punctuation.

Broadcasting from the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne in New York, the Native-run radio station CKON-FM 97.3 FM serves its local Kanien’keha-speaking community in several ways. ___ it broadcasts local news and music and also hosts programming in the Kanien’keha language. Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

• By contrast,

• For instance,

• As a result,

• In the end,

Answer explanation

The phrase 'For instance,' logically introduces examples of the station's activities, such as broadcasting local news and music. This transition fits well, as it indicates that what follows will elaborate on the station's services.

A region of the Soviet Union encompassing the present-day city of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the Kyrgyz-speaking Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was in fact only nominally autonomous. President Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms, by helping the Kyrgyz Republic and other Soviet republics established along ethnolinguistic lines assert their prerogatives, ___ to the Soviet Union’s breakup. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• which contributed

• contributing

• contributed

• having contributed

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'contributed' because it fits the past tense context of the sentence, indicating that Gorbachev's reforms played a role in the breakup of the Soviet Union. The other options do not maintain the correct tense.

Minerals can be classified by how much light passes through them. For example, all (or almost all) light passes through hoelite, which is classified as ___ only some light to pass through, mixite is instead classified as translucent. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• transparent. Allowing

• transparent and allowing

• transparent allowing

• transparent, allowing

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'transparent, allowing' because it uses a comma to separate the two clauses, making the sentence grammatically correct. 'Transparent' describes hoelite, while 'allowing' introduces the action of light passing through.

The artist Caspar David Friedrich’s painting The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, symbolically ___ to portray the search for one’s place within the vastness of nature, is a highly regarded example of allegory. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• has functioned

• functions

• was functioning

• functioning

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'functioning' because it fits the present participle form needed to describe the ongoing symbolic role of the painting in portraying the search for one's place in nature, aligning with the context of the sentence.

The relationship between genomes and epigenomes reveals how cells with identical DNA develop different ___ whereas the genome in each cell contains a complete DNA sequence, the epigenome consists of chemical compounds that determine which traits in the sequence will be expressed. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• functions,

• functions and,

• functions:

• functions

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'functions:'. It introduces a list of different functions that cells can develop, aligning with the explanation of how the epigenome influences gene expression. A colon is appropriate here.

That the geographic center of North America lay in the state of North Dakota was conceded by all ___ establishing its precise coordinates proved more divisive. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• involved;

• involved,

• involved.

• involved

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'involved;'. It uses a semicolon to connect two independent clauses, indicating that while the geographic center is agreed upon, the debate over its coordinates continues.