31- ] Model SAT Tests - Test Thirty One

31 - ] Model SAT Tests 

 

Test Thirty One

The passage below is the unedited draft of a student’s essay . Parts of the essay need to be rewritten to make the meaning clearer and more precise . Read the essay carefully .

The essay is followed by six questions about changes that might improve all or part of the organization , development , sentence structure , use of language , appropriateness to the audience ,or use of standard written English . In each case , choose the answer that most clearly and effectively expresses the student’s intended meaning . Indicate your choice by blackening the corresponding space on the answer sheet .

          [1] Although some people believe that certain celebrations have no point , celebrations are one of the few things that all people have in common . [2] They take place everywhere .[3] Listing all of them would be an impossible task . [5] Those who criticize celebrations do not understand the human need to preserve tradition and culture .

            [6] In the Muslim religion , the Ed is a celebration . [7] It begins as soon as Ramadan ( the fasting month ) is over . [8] During the Ed , families gather together . [9] New clothes are bought for children , and they receive money from both family and friends . [10] Also , each family , if they can afford it , slaughters a sheep or a cow . [11] They keep a small fraction of the meat , and the rest must give to the poor . [12] They also donate money to a mosque .

            [14] Many celebrations involve eating meals . [15] In the United States , people gat6her together on Thanksgiving to say thank you for their blessings by having a huge feast with turkey , sweet potatoes , and cranberry sauce . [16] Christmas and Easter holiday dinners are a custom in the Christian religion . [17] They have a roast at Christmas. [18] At Easter they serve ham . [19] The Jewish people celebrate Passover with a big meal called a seder . [20] They say prayers , drink wine , and sing songs to remember how Jews suffered centuries ago when they escaped from slavery in Egypt .

         [21] A celebration is held each year to honor great people like Dr. Martin Luther King . [22] His birthday is celebrated because of this man’s noble belief in equality of all races . [23] People wish to remember not only his famous speeches , including “I have A Dream ,” but also about him being assassinated in Memphis in 1968 . [24] He died while fighting for the equality of minorities . [25] Unlike religious celebrations , celebrations for great heroes like Martin Luther King are for all people everywhere in the world . [26] He is a world-class hero and he deserved the Nobel Prize for Peace that he won .

1 . To improve the unity of the first paragraph , which of the following is the best sentence to delete ?

(A) Sentence 1 (B) Sentence 2 (C) Sentence 3 (D)  Sentence 4 (E) Sentence 5

2 . Which is the best revision of sentence 9 below ?

New clothes are bought for children , and they receive money from both family and friends .    

(A) New clothes are bought for children , and they receive money from family and friends .

(B) The children receive new clothes and gifts of money from family and friends .

C) Receiving new clothes , money is also given by family and friends .

(D) Gifts are given to the children of new clothes and money by family and friends .

(E)Parents buy new clothes for their children , and family and friends also give money to them .

3. In the context of the third paragraph , which is the best way to combine sentences 16 , 17 , and 18 ?     

(A) A roast at Christmas , ham at Easter - that’s what Christians eat .

(B) Christians customarily serve a roast for Christmas dinner , at Easter ham is eaten .

(C) At customary holiday dinners , Christians eat a roast at Christmas and ham is for Easter dinner .

(D) Christians often celebrate the Christmas holiday with a roast for dinner and Easter with a traditional ham .

(E) Christmas and Easter dinners are the custom in the Christian religion , where they have a roast at Christian religion , where they have a roast at Christmas and ham at Easter.

4 . In an effort to provide a more effective transition between paragraph 3 and 4 , which of the following would be the best revision of sentence 21 below ?

A celebration is held each year to honor great people like Dr. Martin Luther King .

(A) There are also some celebrations to honor great people like Dr. Martin Luther King .

(B) Martin Luther King is also celebrated in the United States .

(C) In the United States , celebrating to honor great people like Dr. Martin Luther King has become a tradition.

(D) In addition to observing religious holidays , people hold celebrations to honor great leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King.

(E) Besides holding religion-type celebrations , celebrations to honor great people like Dr. Martin Luther King are also held .

5. Which is the best revision of the underlined segment of sentence 23 below ?

People wish to remember not only his famous speeches , including “I Have A Dream” but also about him being assassinated in Memphis in 1968 .   

(A) that his assassination occurred

(B) about his being assassinated

(C) the fact that he was assassinated

(D) about the assassination , too ,

(E) his assassination

6 . In the context of the essay as a whole , which one of the following best explains the main function of the last paragraph ?     

(A) To summarize the main idea of the essay

(B) To refute a previous argument stated in the essay

(C) To give an example

(D) To provide a solution to a problem

(E) To evaluate the validity of the essay’s main idea

Essay

The statement below makes a point about a particular topic . Read the statement carefully and think about the assignment that follows .

Nature ( one’s genetic inheritance ) affects one’s character and behavior more than nurture

( one’s life experiences ) .

ASSIGNMENT : What are your thoughts on the statement above ? Do you agree or disagree with the writer’s assertion ? Compose an essay in which you express your views on this topic . Your essay may support , refute , or qualify the vies expressed in the statement . What you write , however , must be relevant to the topic under discussion . Additionally , you must support your viewpoint , indicating your reasoning and providing examples based on your studies and / or experience .