PSAT Writing : Identifying Agreement Errors

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Writing

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Example Questions

Example Question #11 :Identifying Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Whenhe saw the perfect gift for his momatthe mall, hedecidedto buy it forthem.没有错误

Possible Answers:

at

没有错误

decided

them

When

Correct answer:

them

Explanation:

这个词的前提”,“一个复数pronoun, is the word "mom," a singular noun. Pronouns need to match their antecedents' gender and number, so the singular feminine pronoun "her" should be used instead of the plural pronoun "them."

Example Question #12 :Identifying Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

New YorkandLos Angeles have experienced acultural boomin thepast decade, asitsrestaurant scenes have been booming with new talent.没有错误

Possible Answers:

没有错误

and

past decade

its

cultural boom

Correct answer:

its

Explanation:

Given that the subject of the sentence is "New York and Los Angeles," which is plural, the pronoun "its" should also be plural. Therefore, "its" should be "their."

Example Question #15 :Identifying Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

A professorwhoassigns an unreasonable amount of reading fortheirstudentsmaynever earn theclass'sapproval.没有错误

Possible Answers:

class's

who

their

may

没有错误

Correct answer:

their

Explanation:

"Their" is a possessive pronoun that indicates that someone belongs to several people. This sentence, however, refers to a single subject (a professor), so the best pronoun to use is one that signifies that an object belongs to one person: in this case, his students. Even though "students" is plural, the plurality of the object does not impact the possessive pronoun. Only the plurality of the subject matters, so "his" is the correct pronoun, making the corrected sentence "A professor who assigns an unreasonable amount of reading for his students may never earn the class's approval."

Example Question #16 :Identifying Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Penelope alwaysthoughtofthe mostfabulous witty comebackstwo hours afterthe situation in which she could have usedit.没有错误

Possible Answers:

the most

it

thought

two hours after

没有错误

Correct answer:

it

Explanation:

In this sentence, the pronoun “it” (singular) refers to “witty comebacks” (plural). These words should agree in number. The corrected sentence reads, "Penelope always thought of the most fabulous witty comebacks two hours after the situation in which she could have used them."

Example Question #18 :Identifying Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

The threat of the winter stormcausedBobto delayhis flight to New Yorkto visittheirfamily for Christmas.没有错误

Possible Answers:

to delay

没有错误

their

caused

to visit

Correct answer:

their

Explanation:

In this sentence, an error occurs when the possessive plural pronoun "their" is used to refer to a singular masculine antecedent, "Bob." Instead of using the plural possessive pronoun "their," one should use the singular masculine possessive pronoun "his."

Example Question #3 :Identifying Modifier Word Modified Agreement Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Jon's mother did notlet himorganize a garage saleforthe family because she did not like theidea ofstrangers being able to peruse their manybelonging.没有错误

Possible Answers:

没有错误

idea of

let him

for

belonging

Correct answer:

belonging

Explanation:

Given that the descriptor "many" is used to describe "belonging," "belonging" should be plural. Therefore "belonging" should actually be "belongings."

Example Question #19 :Identifying Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

The toucan isprimarilyrecognized byitsbright colors;they arepainted a vibrant mixture ofred, yellow, and blue.没有错误

Possible Answers:

red, yellow, and blue

没有错误

its

they are

primarily

Correct answer:

they are

Explanation:

The plural pronoun "they" refers back to the subject of the first part of the sentence, "The toucan." Since this noun is singular, the pronoun should be too. Changing "they" to "it" corrects the sentence's error. The corrected sentence reads, "The toucan is primarily recognized by its bright colors; it is painted a mixture of vibrant red, yellow, and blue."

Example Question #91 :Identifying Agreement Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Whilethisclaims are unverified,somepeople report that garlic is apowerfulpanacea.没有错误

Possible Answers:

some

没有错误

powerful

While

this

Correct answer:

this

Explanation:

This sentence has a singular demonstrative adjective (“this”) that does not agree with its plural noun (“claims”). These should be consistent. The corrected sentence reads, "While these claims are unverified, some people report that garlic is a powerful panacea."

Example Question #1 :Identifying Modifier Word Modified Agreement Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Bob's storywasnot only more interesting thanJohn, butitwasmorerealistic.没有错误

Possible Answers:

没有错误

was

John

it

more

Correct answer:

John

Explanation:

This is an illogical comparison. To be grammatically correct, the sentence needs to say "John's story" or "that of John's" instead of just "John."

Example Question #2 :Identifying Modifier Word Modified Agreement Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Let's notget caught up in allthisproblems;we shouldsolve them and moveforward.没有错误

Possible Answers:

Let's not

we should

this

forward

没有错误

Correct answer:

this

Explanation:

The use of "this" needs to be plural since it refers to multiple problems: "these problems" would be correct.

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