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SAT Improving Paragraphs 2

Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some
questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve
sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and
development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.
(1).Shoppers in the United States bewarethere's a new way to buy groceries, and it's
coming to a store near you. (2).As recently as 1999, only 6% of U.S. supermarkets had
self-checkout lines. (3).By 2003 the number had risen to 38%. (4).And half of those
supermarkets in the survey without self-checkout said that they planned to add the
service. (5).Hardware giant Home Depot was among the first major retailers to use these
machines. (6).I remember when I first took the self-checkout plunge. (7).It was a large
chain supermarket near my office. (8).One day I noticed four large electronic units taking
up prime space in a prominent corner of the store, beckoning shoppers with the promise
of shorter lines. (9).I was attracted, not fearful. (10).It's so easy to let the cashier scan the
groceries, check the coupons, take the moneywas I up to the challenge of do-ityourself? . (11).I saw myself all elbows and thumbs, fumbling with my groceries and
wallet as I battled the flashing computer screen. (12).Circumstances were driving me to
face my fears. (13).When I at last approached the head of my line, the cashier announced
it was time for her break.
1. Which sentence should be deleted from the essay because it contains unrelated
information?
A. Sentence 2
B. Sentence 5
C. Sentence 7
D. Sentence 8
E. Sentence 12
2. All of the following strategies are used by the writer of the passage EXCEPT
A. statistical evidence
B. imaginative description
C. personal narration
D. direct quotation
E. humorous example

3. In context, which of the following is the best phrase to insert at the beginning of
sentence 12?
A. But as it turned out,

SAT Improving Paragraphs 2

B. In addition,
C. The result was that
D. In most cases,
E. I remembered that
4. In context, which of the following is the best version of the underlined portion of
sentences 6 and 7 (reproduced below)?
I remember when I first took the self-checkout plunge. It was a large chain supermarket
near my office.
A. (as it is now)
B. plunge. It happened that there was
C. plunge. It happened at
D. plunge, which was
E. plunge, it happened to be at
5. The best way to describe the relationship of paragraph 2 to paragraph 1 is that
paragraph 2
A. uses an anecdote to illustrate the facts presented in paragraph 1
B. provides facts to support a claim made in paragraph 1
C. tells a story that contradicts a theory offered in paragraph 1
D. uses statistics to back up a point made in paragraph 1
E. gives information that calls into question the statistics in paragraph 1
6. In context, which of the following is the best version of sentence 9 (reproduced
below)?
I was attracted, not fearful.
A. (as it is now)
B. I was attracted and fearful.
C. I was attracted, because I was fearful.
D. I was attracted, but I was not fearful.
E. I was attracted, yet fearful.

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