Writing question that I'm confused on

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>Defying expectations that she [pursued] a career in medicine, Amy Tan chooses to become a writer.</p>

<p>a.pursued
b. pursues
c.will pursue
d. would pursue
e. had pursued</p>

<p>I don’t understand why its D</p>

<p>Women in developing countries who want to start small businesses often benefit economically from microcredit, a practice [in which she is lent] modest amounts of money.</p>

<p>a. in which she is lent
b. when she is lent
c. whereby they are lent
d. they are lent
e. lending</p>

<p>I don’t understand why its C</p>

<p>Error Id’s </p>

<p>A leopard’s spots serve as camouflage not because they [were shaped] like leaves and branches [but] because they form a micro pattern that enables the animal [to blend into] [its] woodland background. [No error]</p>

<p>I don’t understand why its “were shaped” is it because its in the wrong tense?</p>

<p>A human amazed the world in 2004 [by winning] the Man versus Horse Marathon, [it] has pitted hundreds of people [against] horses every year [year since] 1980. [ No error]</p>

<p>I picked no error but the correct answer is B is “it” refer to a thing and its supposed to be “who” is that why its wrong?</p>

2

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</p>

<p>As written this question cannot be correct. Replace the present tense “chooses” with the past tense “chose”.</p>

<p>Now the question has an answer. The phrase "defying expectations … " is in regard to an event in the past that refers to the future.</p>

<p>Look up the use of the auxiliary verb “would”.</p>

3

<p>

</p>

<p>The problem is indeed with “it”. “It” is not a conjunction. As written the sentence has two independent clauses. It’s a run-on sentence. You can fix it by replacing “,it” with “. It”.</p>

<p>Your proposed correction, “who” instead of it, does not address the problem. “who” is not a conjunction. And the sentence with “who” instead of “it” also consists of two independent clauses – i.e. run-on sentence.</p>

<p>Replace “it” with “a race that” and you have a correct sentence. Here “a race” is an appositive (noun, noun phrase, or series of nouns placed next to another word or phrase to identify or rename it) – a very basic English grammar construct.</p>

4

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</p>

<p>Strip the sentence down to its essence.</p>

<p>Women benefit from microcredit, a practice in which she is lent modest amounts of money.</p>

<p>“women” is plural. “she” is singular so (a) and (b) can’t be right. (e) can’t be right because it is missing a “subject”. So the choice is (c) or (d). (d) would read “a practice they are lent”. That can’t be right with two adjacent unrelated nouns.</p>

<p>Note that “a practice” is an appositive – identifying/clarifying “microcredit.”</p>

<p>And yes for your other question “were shaped” is in the wrong tense. Try “are shaped.”</p>