#error id

[pwnthesat]

When I do identifying sentence errors questions, it seems that I get a lot of the questions wrong that have the answer (E). I normally read over a question a few times and theres always one thing that jumps out at me as strange. This seems to work for questions that have an error but then I always miss the (E) answers. Sometimes I see a question that may be all correct but then I convince myself something's wrong. Do you have any tips or methods to prevent choosing a correct answer as erroneous?

It’s a simple tip, and it’s not always easy to follow, but it’s still a good tip for people who’ve been prepping well: don’t pick an error unless you know the rule being broken. Stop picking things that “sound weird” unless it’s an idiom that you are certain is wrong, and you’ll stop missing the no error questions.

[pwnthesat]

[Of ancient origin], the game of checkers [was played] in Egypt [during the time] of the pharaohs and [is mentioned] in the writings of Homer and Plato.

There’s no error in this sentence. Maybe you got fooled by “is mentioned”? It’s OK to use the present tense to talk about literature. 

In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne IS FORCED to wear a mark of shame.

[pwnthesat]

Quincy took Dan to Derek's home [for a visit], [never imagining] that years [would pass] before [seeing] Derek again. No Error.

(D). It should say, “…years would pass before [Quincy would see] Derek again.” (Or, I suppose, you could replace “Quincy” above with “Derek” or “they.”)

The tricky thing here, of course, is that “imagining” works, because it’s part of a participle phrase modifying Quincy. “Seeing” doesn’t function the same way because a participle phrase needs to be adjacent to the thing it’s modifying. The closest noun to “seeing” is “years,” but obviously years don’t see people.

The sentence happens in the past (“Quincy took”), but describes something that happens after the main action of the sentence (years passing before Quincy sees Derek again). This is why we use “would pass” and “would see.”

[pwnthesat]

Available through the school's guidance office (is) a job directory and a list of job referral centers (that provide) (information for) students (in need of ) employment. (No error)

Classic subject-verb agreement error. The SAT loves to put the subject (a job directory and a list of job referral centers) after the verb (is). Obviously the subject is plural, so the verb you SHOULD have is “are.”

[pwnthesat]

Hey, howmany of the ErrorID questions have no error?

I wish I could just say 1/5 of them, but unfortunately that's just not accurate. While you can count on (E) being the right answer close to 1/5 of the time over the whole test, the 18 Error IDs are too small a sample for that pattern to reliably emerge.

The answer to your question varies from test to test. I've seen 5 or 6, and I've seen 1 or 2. So the best I can tell you is this: before you pick "No error," make sure to double check for the most commonly tested (and easily checked) errors. 

Verify that each underlined verb matches its subject

Verify that each underlined pronoun matches its antecedent

Look for lists and comparisons.

[pwnthesat]

More than 40 years have passes since a quarter of a million people marches on Washington D.C, "in an attempt" to secure civil rights for Black Americans. Ans: correct as. Can you explain why "in an attempt" is right because shouldn't it be "attempting" b.c this flows better after comma....if there was no comma after DC I would agree it's correct but with the comma it seems more out of place

Don't worry about flow. Not every sentence that's grammatically correct is going to flow, or be written in a style that you like. In an Error ID question, you are looking exclusively for actual grammatical mistakes. That means verb issues, pronoun issues, parallelism, etc. If you can't find those, don't be afraid to pick "no error."

[pwnthesat]

1) For months the press had praised Thather's handling of the international CRISIS,AND editorial views changed quickly when the domestic economy worsened. Error is the comma? 2) The architect's research shows that even when builders construct houses of stone, they still use the hammer more than ANY TOOL. Error b.c doesn't say any OTHER tool?

No, the error in the first one isn't the comma. The error in Error ID questions like this is pretty much never the comma. In this case, the error is the word and, since we're talking about the press changing its mind. The sentence should say that the press praised her handling of the economy for months, but their views changed quickly.

You're right about the second one. Since hammers are tools, you have to say other tool.

[pwnthesat]

The enormous sums (bid) on Mary Cassatt's impressionist painting (demonstrates) the wealth of the bidders, (not necessarily) (their appreciation) of art. The answer is (demonstrates). Thanks!

WHENEVER a verb is underlined in an error ID question, that's the first thing you should check. In this case, ask yourself what demonstrates the wealth of the bidders? It's not the painting. It's the sums the bidders bid. 

The sums demonstrate the wealth of the bidders.