SAT Reading & Writing: Expression of Ideas + Standard English Conventions

A minor detail that supports the author's argument.

The central point or primary focus of the passage, often found in the thesis statement.

A tangential thought that is not related to the author's argument.

An emotional appeal to the reader's feelings.

To understand the author's personal biases.

To determine the length of the passage.

To understand the author's angle and why they wrote the passage.

To identify the number of paragraphs in the passage.

It helps the reader memorize the passage.

It provides a map of how the information is organized, such as chronological, cause-and-effect, or compare-and-contrast.

It helps the reader identify the author's personal opinions.

It allows the reader to skip sections of the passage.

They confuse the reader by introducing unrelated ideas.

They connect ideas and reveal the passage's structure, acting as clues to the relationships between different points.

They distract the reader with unnecessary details.

They provide emotional appeals to persuade the reader.

To introduce new and unrelated ideas.

To confuse the reader with complex arguments.

To summarize main points, restate the thesis, or offer a final thought.

To provide a detailed analysis of every point made in the passage.

The author's word choice, which conveys tone, attitude, and formality.

The author's handwriting style.

The author's use of complex sentence structures.

The author's personal biases and opinions.

They have no impact on the meaning.

They signal a change in perspective or attitude, similar to plot twists.

They make the passage more difficult to understand.

They indicate that the author is unsure of their argument.

Diction and tone are unrelated to the author's attitude.

Diction and tone work together to create a specific mood or feeling, reflecting the author's perspective.

Diction determines the author's attitude, while tone is irrelevant.

Tone determines the author's attitude, while diction is irrelevant.

An appeal to the reader's emotions.

An appeal to logic and reason.

An appeal to the author's credibility or character.

The use of figurative language.

It makes the message more confusing and difficult to understand.

It makes the message more engaging and adds color to the writing.

It has no effect on the reader.

It makes the message more formal and academic.