The Great Gatsby SAT Prep Test Examples Jestice March 2017
Vocabulary Looking these up in the dictionary and using them in sentences will help you understand the right answers.
Grammar and Writing
Writing Practice 1 41.At Princeton University, F. Scott Fitzgerald was place on academic probation; the reason was because his attention to his literary aspirations caused him to neglect his studies. What is wrong? Unnecessary Repetition
42.Having left Princeton to join the army in 1917, Fitzgerald found himself stationed in Montgomery, Alabama, where he met and fell in love with his Zelda Sayre, an eighteenyear-old Southern belle several years younger than him. What is wrong? Incorrect pronoun
43.Engaged to marry Zelda, Fitzgerald was determined both to be a successful writer as well as to provide a good living for himself and his future wife. What is wrong? Unnecessary repetition and wordiness
44.Finally, in 1919, Fitzgerald s novel was accepted for publication, and when This Side of Paradise appeared in 1920, the author immediately became famous. What is wrong? Nothing is wrong.
45.The newlyweds became notorious for their extravagant lifestyle, and Fitzgerald found it necessary to interrupt work on his novels and beginning to write popular, profitable short stories for magazines. What is wrong? Parallel Structure/Parallelism
46. Over the next few years, Fitzgerald wrote several more novels, so the vast majority of the couple s income came from his short stories. What is wrong? Incorrect conjunction
47.When The Great Gatsby was published in 1925, the novel was critically praised, but sales had been disappointing. What is wrong? Wrong verb tense
48.Irregardless of the Fitzgerald s fame and their lavish lifestyle, the couple s domestic life was troubled. What is wrong? Diction error
49.Paying off his debts and writing more works of literature was not enough to ensure that Fitzgerald would be financially well off. What is wrong? Verb tense
50.Sadly, Fitzgerald died believing himself to be a failure, never suspecting that by the middle of the century he would be known as one of America s most greatest authors. What is wrong? Wrong superlative
Improving Sentences 1 51.The belief that the promise of spiritual and material happiness is known as The American Dream ; a concept described by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. What is wrong? wrong punctuation (appositive set off by commas)
52.The failure and the corruption of the American Dream is at the heart of The Great Gatsby. What is wrong? Subject/verb agreement
53.Breaking Myrtle s nose because she insists on saying Daisy s name, Tom s contempt for Myrtle and those of her social class is evident. What is wrong? Dangling Modifier
54.Gatsby creates a fantasy life with his money, which he hopes Daisy will want to share with him. What is wrong? Awkward sentence structure
55.Gatsby has transformed Jay Gatz, the son of poor farm people, into Jay Gatsby, millionaire host of parties given for the sole purpose of impressing Daisy. What is wrong? Nothing is wrong.
56.Gatsby s impossible dream is that he can go back in time, alter the past, and Daisy will agree to be his wife. What is wrong? Parallel structure
Improving Paragraphs 1 57. What s wrong? choppy sentences, wordiness Correct? need to combine sentences into one 58.What s wrong? clause relationship Correct? Rearrange clauses
59.Unwilling to live on a his modest salary, her engagement to Fitzgerald was broken. What s wrong? Dangling modifier Correct? Zelda broke her engagement to Fitzgerald.
60.What s wrong? Irrelevant; random information about short story sales. Correct? Omit random information
Writing Practice 2 61. What s wrong? Faulty Parallelism Correct? led, endorsed and must match tense. 62.What s wrong? Word Usage, Fewer vs. Less Correct? Fewer is used for things that can be counted; less is used for things that cannot be counted.
63.What s Wrong? Excessive Wordiness Correct? Omit and this was 64.What s wrong? Pronoun error Correct? Pronoun object of preposition between, so should be them. 65. What s wrong? Redundant Correct? Omit as well
66.What s wrong? Usage comparative/superlative Correct? 2 items are being compared, so should say more profitable 67.What s wrong? Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement Correct? A member is not they Should be he or she.
68.No error. 69. What s wrong? It ambiguous meaning. Does it refer to Prohibition or corruption? Correct? Choose the word for clarity. 70.What s Wrong? Tense shift Correct? Needs to match was, created, and solved. Should say led.
Improving Sentences 2 71.What s Wrong? Parallel Structure Correct? to settle and to return 72. What s wrong? Wordiness/incorrect idiom Correct? Use because 73.What s wrong? Incorrect Conjunction Correct? but not so 74. What s wrong? Wrong comparison; clothing being compared to women Correct? Compare clothing to clothing
75.What s wrong? Who is they? Correct? Omit they 76.What s wrong? Dangling modifier Correct? The flapper needs to be made the subject. Having become a modern woman who voted, held a job, and spoke her mind, a flapper would never return to the ways of the old days.
Improving Paragraphs 2 77.What s wrong? Transition for emphasis and Parallel Structure Correct? In fact and one for music and one for costume design 78. What s wrong? Awkward phrasing, due to the fact Correct? Believing they would never come home
Writing Practice 3 81.What s Wrong? Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement Correct? Every character is not they, but singular he or she. 82. What s wrong? Diction error. On account of is a slang phrase, which should say because.
83.What s wrong? Wrong part of speech; the verb treats is being modified, so needs an adverb. Correct? Should say disrespectfully an adverb, not disrespectful an adjective 84.No error
85.What s wrong? Vague pronoun reference, to what does which refer? Correct? ; she is at the root of everything he does.
86. What s wrong? Faulty parallelism and Redundancy not only... but also go together; correlatives must be parallel. AND Unnecessary Comma Correct? not only is Daisy selfish, but also she is shallow. OR not only is Daisy selfish but also shallow.
87.What s Wrong? Wrong conjunction Correct? Pretends suggests a contrast, so the conjunction should be but not and. 88.What s wrong? Wordiness Correct? Make an appositive, the person who examined the books in Gatsby s library,
89.What s wrong? Run-on sentence Correct? Place a comma between guests, and 90.What s wrong? Subject/Verb agreement Desire- became; money-- bring Correct? Money, along with position and power, brings happiness.
Improving Sentences 91.What s Wrong? Dangling Modifier Correct? Nick s father must follow the introductory word group or dependent clause 92.What s wrong? Sentence fragment. There is no verb in the sentence. Correct? Objectivity is considered to be...
93.What s wrong? Faulty Parallelism not only is... but also Correct? Must put the verb in front of the correlatives: is not only... But also 94. What s wrong? Faulty Parallelism; reporting and who refuses are not parallel Correct? reports the facts and refuses to judge
95.What s wrong? Wrong conjunction. The sentence is a contrast: so is the wrong conjunction. Correct? The conjunction should be but. 96.What s wrong? Wrong use of semi-colon. An independent clause must be on either side of the semi-colon. Correct? The first part of the sentence is an introductory word group, or dependent clause and should be separated by a comma after quickly,
97.What s wrong? Wordiness Correct? Make into two independent clauses and the verb phrase were charged. 98. What s wrong? Missing transition Correct? Despite their success shows a contrast in the third paragraph.
THE END 99. What s Wrong? Wordiness Correct? Use parallel structure to correct. Which skills are tested the most? Parallel Structure Wordiness Commas and Semi-colons Dangling Modifiers Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement Transitions Conjunctions, especially BUT Pronoun Usage Fragments and Run-ons Parts of Speech Redundancy Comparisons