Form, Structure, and Sense Questions

Form, Structure, and Sense Questions on the Digital SAT

Learn the English rules tested by these digital SAT grammar questions, complete with detailed examples.

"Form, Structure, and Sense" questions on the digital SAT challenges students to master the art of editing, ensuring texts comply with established norms like subject-verb concord and uniform verb tense. These questions require a sophisticated grasp of the English language rules.

The question pushes students to deconstruct sentences into parts of speech, reconcile subjects and verbs, and differentiate between different verb conjugations. There's a lot of ground covered here, so let's start with an example.

Form, Structure and Sense questions are phrased as "Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?", but don't get them confused with Boundaries questions, which test mostly punctuations.

Example Question:

The Hubble Telescope, launched into low Earth orbit in 1990, is a significant part of human space exploration history. Making critical observations of distant galaxies, ______ transformed our understanding of the universe.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A) the Hubble Telescope, with its advanced instruments,

B) with its advanced instruments, the Hubble Telescope

C) there is the Hubble Telescope, which with its advanced instruments

D) having advanced instruments, the Hubble Telescope

Correct Answer: Choice A is the best answer. This choice provides a smooth and grammatically correct continuation of the sentence, maintaining the subject ("the Hubble Telescope") and adding additional information about it in a clear and concise manner.

Distractor Explanations:

Choice B is incorrect because disrupts the flow of the sentence. When used at the beginning of the clause, "with its advanced instruments" creates an awkward pause and separation from the main subject, "the Hubble Telescope."

 

Choice C is incorrect because it introduces a clumsy and unnecessary phrase, "there is," which disrupts the sentence structure. It also awkwardly places "which with its advanced instruments" after the main subject, leading to a convoluted and grammatically incorrect sentence structure.

 

Choice D is incorrect because it creates an awkward and disjointed sentence. The phrase "having advanced instruments" does not smoothly connect to the rest of the sentence, and it separates the subject from its descriptive clause in a way that disrupts the flow of the sentence.

How to Solve Form, Structure, and Sense Questions

1. Understand the Grammar Rule Being Tested

Start by reading the question and focus on the phrase before and after the blank. This example question tests your knowledge of sentence structure, particularly the correct placement of modifiers. A common error in sentence construction is the dangling modifier, where the descriptive phrase doesn't clearly or logically connect to the word it's supposed to be modifying.

Mini Question.

Which of the following errors occurs when a descriptive phrase does not clearly refer to the word it modifies?

A) Run-on sentence

B) Dangling modifier

C) Sentence fragment

Option B is correct because a dangling modifier refers to a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence.

2. Identify the Modifier

The next step is to identify the modifying phrase, which is usually at the beginning of the sentence.

Mini Question.

Which part of the sentence is the modifier that needs a correct subject to follow?

A) The Hubble Telescope

B) launched into low Earth orbit in 1990

C) Making critical observations of distant galaxies

Option C is correct because "Making critical observations of distant galaxies" is the modifier that describes the action being done by the Hubble Telescope.

3. Locate What Is Being Modified

Next, understand what that modifier is describing. The important thing to remember here is that the modifier is providing additional information about a specific noun in the sentence.

Mini Question

In the original sentence, what should the phrase "Making critical observations of distant galaxies" modify?

A) observations

B) galaxies

C) the Hubble Telescope

Option C is correct. The descriptive phrase is detailing the actions of the Hubble Telescope, indicating what it is known for.

4. Check for Direct Connection

The modifying phrase should directly lead into the noun it's describing, without any unnecessary interruption. This ensures clarity, as the reader understands exactly what's being described without having to guess or reread the sentence.

5. Review the Choices

Go through each choice and consider if it positions the modifier directly before the appropriate noun. Eliminate choices where there's a disconnect (these are your dangling modifiers).

Mini Question

Which option maintains the clearest connection between the modifier and its intended subject?

A) "the Hubble Telescope, with its advanced instruments,"

B) "with its advanced instruments, the Hubble Telescope"

C) "having advanced instruments, the Hubble Telescope"

Option A is correct. By starting with the subject "the Hubble Telescope," the structure keeps the modifier it bedirectly connected to its subject without any intervening elements.

Grammar Rules

Here are 7 common grammar rules tested on form, structure, and sense questions.

1. Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb must agree with its subject in number. Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.

Correct: The cat jumps onto the sofa.

Incorrect: The cat jump onto the sofa.

2. Verb Tense Consistency

Maintain the same verb tense throughout a sentence or related sentences to ensure clear chronological context.

Correct: She walked to the store and bought milk.

Incorrect: Incorrect: She walked to the store and buys milk.

3. Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number, gender, and person.

Correct: Every student should do their homework.

Incorrect: Every student should do his homework. (Incorrect in cases requiring gender-inclusivity.)

4. Parallel Structure

When listing items or actions, they should follow the same grammatical format.

Correct: She likes running, swimming, and biking.

Incorrect: She likes running, to swim, and biking.

5. Proper Coordination and Subordination

Coordination and subordination join sentences in a way that gives them the correct logical relation to each other.

Correct: Jane couldn't take the bus, so she called a taxi.

Jane couldn't take the bus, and she called a taxi. (The sentences need to show cause and effect.)

6. Subjective and Objective Pronouns

Subjective pronouns act as the subject of the sentence (I, you, he, she, it, we, they). Objective pronouns act as the object of a verb or preposition (me, you, him, her, it, us, them).

Correct: He gave the book to me.

Incorrect: He gave the book to I.

7. Possessive Usage

Show possession with either an apostrophe or by using the word "of".

Correct: That is Sarah's book.

Incorrect: That is the book of Sarah.

Common Mistakes

These are the top 3 mistakes students run into with this question type.

1. Sentence Fragments

A complete sentence requires at least a subject and a verb. Avoid fragments that lack one of these elements.

Example: Ran fast.

Corrected: The dog ran fast.

2. Run-on Sentences

Maintain the same verb tense throughout a sentence or related sentences to ensure clear chronological context.

Example: I went home I felt tired.

Corrected: I went home; I felt tired.

3. Misplaced Modifiers

Place words or phrases as close as possible to the words they modify to avoid confusion.

Example: Wearing a jacket, the dog was walked by the man. (It implies the dog is wearing a jacket.)

Corrected: The man wearing a jacket walked the dog.