<p>I heard there was an experimental section on the SAT that would be thrown out! Why does the college board do that?</p>
<p>Silverturtle,</p>
<p>Can you please clear some room in your PM box so that one can send you a private message? Thank you!</p>
<p>Do you have any suggestions for how to “become fluent in pre-20th century English” as you listed as a helpful thing for the Literature SAT Subject Test?</p>
<p>“None of these pronouns have a referent*”</p>
<p>I think it should be “None of these pronouns has a referent” or “All these pronouns don’t have referents.” No need to pluralize referent in the original sentence. Just change the verb to the singular form.</p>
<p>“Do you have any suggestions for how to “become fluent in pre-20th century English” as you listed as a helpful thing for the Literature SAT Subject Test?”</p>
<p>Read novels. Learn the old English words (perhaps a word list, which you can find many on google).</p>
<p>I remember in my grammar book that the word None is always singular. Is it not?</p>
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<p><a href=“https://docs.google.com/a/brown.edu/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BzncGbb0X1ioYjYyYjBhNjUtNDJhZC00MDRjLWE0ZDktNmQzOGVhZGJlN2Jj&authkey=CKmuoooO&hl=en_US[/url]”>https://docs.google.com/a/brown.edu/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BzncGbb0X1ioYjYyYjBhNjUtNDJhZC00MDRjLWE0ZDktNmQzOGVhZGJlN2Jj&authkey=CKmuoooO&hl=en_US</a></p>
<p>Formatting’s a bit funky, though.</p>
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<p>[Copy</a> of October 2009(1).xlsx](<a href=“File sharing and storage made simple”>Copy of October 2009(1))</p>
<p>This one’s just over two years old now. I did some work on a new one last summer; I may revisit it soon and upload that eventually.</p>
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<p>Partly to facilitate more accurate testing in the future without risk of hurting scores in the present by trying modestly “experimental” assessment and partly to aid score normalization.</p>
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<p>Sorry about that. I offered to edit users’ essays, which populated my inbox. Unfortunately, I failed to address them at a pace commensurate with the influx. I’ll try to improve that.</p>
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<p>“Read novels. Learn the old English words (perhaps a word list, which you can find many on google).”</p>
<p>This.</p>
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<p>On the SAT (as well as according to many sources on grammar and style) it can be plural. It is plural as an indefinite pronoun when the object of the prepositional phrase that intervenes between it and the verb is plural, as in</p>
<p>None of the hamsters are happy about this teasing thing.</p>
<p>haha it gave me 75%</p>
<p>Hey Silveturtle, what kind of sources would you recommend for English? Is Gruber’s any good?</p>
<p>Hi Silverturtle, my daughter is a sophomore and is currently taking Algebra II Honors and she already took Geometry her Freshman year. Since, I’ve been told that the SAT consist of Geo/Alg, should she take the SAT this year (in June) while Geo/Alg is fresh in her mind? </p>
<p>I am confused because I’ve been told that she should not to take the SAT too early and that students generally score higher their Senior/Junior year vs. Sophomore year. In other words, their PSAT scores usually jump significantly from Soph to Junior/Senior year. However, I’ve also heard that students tend to forget Geometry by the time they are a Junior/Senior and they have to refresh. </p>
<p>I was thinking maybe she should take the SAT in June while the math is fresh and then retake her Junior year and then she can superscore her scores (assuming her math score was the highest her sophomore year). </p>
<p>What do you think?</p>
<p>I urgently need help with two questions I found in the SAT blue book and was hoping you could please help. </p>
<p>1) Many of the instruments used in early operations of the united states Army Signal (Corps were adaptations of equipment used by the Plains Indians, paricularly that of the Heliograph.)</p>
<p>2) Only since the publication of her first novel (Olivia has been considering) herself a writer. </p>
<p>Could you please help me understand why those 2 questions are grammatically incorrect and what rule are they testing?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
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<p>The real question to ask is if The College Board would ever test such a nebulous concept. I doubt they did test in the past, or ever will. </p>
<p>However, while the explanation above is vague enough to be (partially) correct, it is good to remember that the plural use of none CAN be correct in certain cases, the singular use of none is ALWAYS correct. Accordingly, why worry and agonize over using the plural form, or become a grammar pedant? None of us should. Not a single one! :)</p>
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<p>In general, it’s unduly optimistic.</p>
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<p>Don’t have experience with Gruber’s for English, sorry. If you’re looking for basic principles coverage and examples, any reference source should do. For reflections of applications of this on the Writing section, looking to the official sources (Blue Book and old PSAT’s) is most helpful.</p>
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<p>The Math section of the SAT does not test any topic that your daughter won’t have been exposed to by the end of Algebra 2, so you’re right to be giving the idea of early testing some thought. The typical reasons that scores increase from sophomore to junior and senior years are that students are more likely to have prepared well for the higher-stakes testing times, many students (unlike your daughter) haven’t established the complete foundation most productive for succeeding on the section, and through development and general learning they have honed their reasoning skills, which is what the Math section is really meant to be about.</p>
<p>With that said, I think the downside to waiting that you discuss – potential atrophy of the more relevant, basic math skills – is minor. Whenever she takes it, she will likely need to brush up on some principles from geometry, and the skills she’s using in Algebra 2 are frequently called upon in subsequent math courses. I know that if I were to take the section today, I would be frustratingly rusty; but I feel that I could correct that with little trouble. I took the SAT my freshman year (similarly, I had completed Algebra 2) and felt very comfortable with what came my way, scoring 790. I wouldn’t have regretted waiting, though.</p>
<p>The best advice here is to give a couple practices tests a try and see if the scores and small trend suggest that taking it this year would yield a score in Math that she’s happy with and that the other two sections aren’t significantly worse (recall that some schools don’t want you to use Score Choice and/or don’t superscore). If both of those are true, consider having her take it this year, if she’s willing.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>