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Precision

On the SAT, precision refers to the exactness and accuracy of the author’s choice of words, also known as diction. Precision questions will ask you to revise a text as needed to make a vague word more precise or to change a word or phrase so that it makes sense with the rest of the content.

Word choice is important because being precise in language use allows an author to effectively and clearly convey his or her thoughts, including the thesis and central arguments.

SAT Precision questions mostly test your knowledge of correct word choice in context. Though these questions are similar to the Reading test’s Vocab-in-Context questions, Precision questions do not ask about the definition or implication of a word, but about the correctness of it—is it the right word to convey the author’s meaning?

Concision

Remember the third step of the Kaplan Method for Writing & Language: Plug in the remaining answer choices and select the most clear, concise, and relevant one. You must use not only the correct words to convey your ideas but also as few words as possible.

Concision questions will require you to revise text to improve the economy of word choice by eliminating wordiness and redundancy. The SAT tests concision by presenting you with unnecessarily long and complex structures or redundant usage—or sometimes both.

On Test Day

The shortest answer is often but not always the correct one; the portion of the passage in question needs to also be grammatically correct and retain the intended meaning.

Unnecessarily long and complex structure implies that a sentence uses more words than necessary to make its point, even though it may be grammatically correct. Not every long, underlined segment will include a concision issue; sometimes it takes a lot of words to convey meaning. Nevertheless, when a long selection is underlined, you should ask, “Are all of these words necessary? Is there a more concise way to say the same thing?”

Another aspect of concision is redundancy. Redundancy errors occur when two words in the sentence have essentially the same meaning in context or when the meaning of one word is implicit in the meaning of another. 

Style and Tone

Elements of an author’s style and tone include his or her choices of words, rhetorical devices, and sentence structure. The author might write informally, as if for a friendly, general audience; academically, as if for an expert audience; or forcefully, as if expounding his or her point of view. SAT Style and Tone questions ask you to revise a text to ensure consistency of style and tone or to reflect the author’s purpose. You must also confirm that the text’s style and tone match the subject and format.

Some Style and Tone questions will have question stems, while others will not. In the case of the latter, you must determine whether the underlined segment matches the general tone of the passage or whether one of the other choices is more appropriate in context.

Expert Tip

If you spot a Style and Tone question at the beginning of a passage, read the rest of the passage before answering it so you can first determine the overall tone.

Syntax

Syntax refers to the arrangement of words and phrases within a sentence. Questions about syntax will ask you to assess whether different sentence structures accomplish an author’s intended rhetorical purpose. In narratives or prose, syntax can enhance the intended meaning and contribute toward tone.

Academic texts, such as the passages you’ll see on the SAT, employ varied kinds of syntax. One way in which syntax is categorized is by sentence type. The following table describes four sentence types that are classified by the clauses they contain.

Definition

A clause is a part of a sentence containing a subject and a predicate verb.

Sentence Type	Description	Example
Simple	Contains a single, independent clause	I applied for a summer job.
Compound	Contains two independent clauses that are joined by a coordinating conjunction (e.g., but, or, and, so)	I applied for a summer job, and the human resources manager hired me.
Complex	Contains an independent clause plus one or more dependent clauses (a dependent clause starts with a coordinating conjunction such as that, because, while, although, where, if)	I applied for a summer job at the local hospital because I am interested in gaining experience in the medical field.
Compound-Complex	Contains three or more clauses (of which at least two are independent and one is dependent)	I applied for a summer job at the local hospital, and the human resources manager hired me because I am interested in gaining experience in the medical field.

Let’s look at the following Writing & Language passage and questions. After the passage, there are two columns. The left column contains test-like questions. The column on the right features the strategic thinking a test expert employs when approaching the passage and questions presented.

2. Questions 1-4 are based on the following passage.

3. Modern Readers

   Judging by the types of novels that typically receive the top rankings on contemporary “best seller” lists, one would be wise to conclude that the modern book consumer does not enjoy reading ancient mythology. Seemingly, such antiquated stories hold little relevance to the concerns of the modern age. It is a literature not for the distracted reader immersed in his “everyday” cares, but for a more imaginative audience with more universal tastes.

   To even begin to understand or comprehend this issue, we must understand what it is that most readers seek out in the works they read. What is it in a book—a novel, for example—that causes them to continue turning the pages? The answer can be a bit slippery. Is it the psychological realism of the characters? Is it the drama of the events they encounter? Is it the modern author’s consciousness of his position as author and the relationship—distant or intimate, serious or playful—that he develops with his readers?

   The obvious answer is that it is all of these things. The defining features of the modern story are its complexity and ambivalence. Narrators are not always reliable. Loyalties are often fleeting, and even a character’s central motives may undergo a transformation before the story is done. There is no neat conclusion, no definitive redemption or damnation, and not always even a clear message. In this confusion and dislocation, the modern reader sees his own life reflected, complete with all of its complexity and ambivalence.

   In a complex world where the disparate lives of alienated individuals still manage to affect each other on a daily basis, there is a paradoxical credulity extended towards anything murky and unclear. Far from the cosmopolitan savant he would like us to believe he is (to say nothing of the author who writes for him), the modern reader is only able to take comfort in his own confusion. When, for example, George and Jane finish their fairy-tale courtship and suddenly find themselves unable to live together, the contemporary pop intellectual will nod his head sagely, and he will think about the relationships in his own life that he didn’t understand either.

   What escapes the minds of the masses is that, taken past a certain point, realism is not art. Neither unsatisfying conclusions, nor irritating characters, nor obscure motives are indications of the literary talents of the author. The older, mythic characters may be drawn with a broad brush, and may possess a simplicity and singularity of purpose that finds no parallel in day-to-day life, but that simplicity is not a sign of an author lacking in subtlety. Rather, a purposeful author will have purposeful characters. Whether the story is meant to illustrate moral principles, explore character types, or simply entertain, a quality work of art must have a purpose.

Questions	Strategic Thinking
NO CHANGE prosaic voracious modern	Step 1: Read the passage and identify the issue The underlined word, "distracted," does not directly contrast with the “more imaginative audience with more universal tastes,” as indicated by the use of the word “but.” A better word choice will describe readers who are less imaginative and more selective in their reading. Step 2: Eliminate answer choices that do not address the issue Eliminate A because the underlined word is not precise enough.  Eliminate C because a “voracious” reader is one who reads an enormous amount, not a less imaginative reader. Eliminate D because the reader’s era has nothing to do with the sentence. Step 3: Plug in the remaining answer choices and select the most correct, concise, and relevant one Since “prosaic” means ordinary, (B) is correct.
NO CHANGE to understand or to comprehend to understand and comprehend to understand	Step 1: Read the passage and identify the issue The underlined portion is redundant as written; “understand” and “comprehend” have the same meaning. The underlined portion needs to be more concise. Step 2: Eliminate answer choices that do not address the issue Eliminate A because the underlined portion is incorrect as written and needs to be changed. Eliminate B and C because they do not correct the redundancy issue. Step 3: Plug in the remaining answer choices and select the most correct, concise, and relevant one Choice (D) is correct.
NO CHANGE ambivalence complexity ambivalent complexity	Step 1: Read the passage and identify the issue The style and tone of the passage are authoritative and academic. Check to see if the underlined portion reflects this style and tone appropriately. Step 2: Eliminate answer choices that do not address the issue The author uses the underlined phrase previously in the second sentence of the paragraph: “The defining features of the modern story are its complexity and ambivalence.” Eliminate B and C because they both remove one of the previously used words. Eliminate D because even though it is more concise, it alters the intended meaning. Step 3: Plug in the remaining answer choices and select the most correct, concise, and relevant one Choice (A) is correct.
Which choice most effectively combines the sentences at the underlined portion? NO CHANGE nod his head sagely. He will think about nod his head sagely, thinking about nod his head sagely, be thinking about	Step 1: Read the passage and identify the issue Although the two independent clauses are correctly combined with a comma and the conjunction “and,” the sentence is wordy as written and unnecessarily repeats the subject “he.” The syntax of the sentence needs to be corrected. Step 2: Eliminate answer choices that do not address the issue Eliminate A because the sentence is incorrect as written. Eliminate B because it separates the underlined portion into two sentences, which, while grammatically correct, is not the most effective combination; the separated sentences place unnecessary distance between the two parts. Eliminate D because it is grammatically incorrect. Step 3: Plug in the remaining answer choices and select the most correct, concise, and relevant one Choice (C) is correct.