PSAT Sample Questions

Writing Skills Section : Identifying Sentence Errors Questions

PSAT Sample Identifying Sentence Errors questions test your knowledge of grammar, usage, word choice, and idiom. You are required to find errors in sentences or indicate that there is no error.

Here are some general hints for Identifying Sentence Errors.

1. Read the entire sentence carefully but quickly.
2. Look at choices (A) through (D) to see whether anything needs to be changed to make the sentence correct.
3. Don't waste time searching for errors. Mark (E) No error, on your answer sheet if you believe the sentence is correct as written.
4. Move quickly through questions about Identifying Sentence Errors. The other kinds of questions (Improving Sentences and Improving Paragraphs) will probably take more time.
5. Mark questions that seem hard for you and return to them later.

Directions: If there is an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If there is no error, select E.

1. 

   Answer: B

   Explanation: This sentence illustrates a subject-verb agreement error. The subject, "Sponsors of the Olympic Games who bought advertising time on United States television," is plural; the word underlined at choice B should be "include," to match the number of the subject.

   The correct sentence reads: Sponsors of the Olympic Games who bought advertising time on United States television include at least a dozen international firms whose names are familiar to American consumers.

2. 

   Answer: D

   Explanation: The problem in this sentence is one of illogical comparison. Alexandra is said to consider Mohammed's insightful interpretation more sophisticated than the other performers, improperly comparing his interpretation to other performers, rather than to interpretations of other performers.

   The correct sentence reads: At the music recital, Alexandra enjoyed listening to her friend Mohammed's insightful interpretation, which she thought was more sophisticated than the interpretations of the other performers.

3. 

   Answer: D

   Explanation: The error in this sentence is (D): the pronoun "you" is not consistent with the pronoun "one" in the introductory clause. The pronoun "you" should be changed to "one."

   The correct sentence reads: If one is interested in learning even more about Zora Neale Hurston, one should read Robert Hemenway's biography.

4. 

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The error in this sentence is (A): the phrase "protest on" is not idiomatic in standard written English. The verb "protest" takes the preposition "against."

   The correct sentence reads: Originally a protest against conventional painting, the Pre-Raphaelite movement exerted great influence on the art of its time.

5. 

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The error in this sentence is (C): the verb "were" (which is plural) does not agree in number with the noun "quality" (which is singular).

   The correct sentence reads: The board reviewing the courses offered by the college found that the quality of academic programs was generally good but somewhat uneven.