One of the most important concepts that the SAT tests is conciseness. As a general rule, short, clear constructions are preferable to long and wordy ones. To be clear, this concept does not apply the questions testing specific grammatical concepts. However, when multiple answers are grammatically acceptable and convey the same information, the shortest one will typically will be correct.

When you do not know the answer to a question immediately and are unsure of how to figure it out, you should start by checking the shortest answer and work back to the longest one in order of link. That also means that when there is a delete option, you should always check it first.

Redundancy

• Never use two synonyms to describe something when you can only use one word. When you look at the answers, you can immediately notice that one is shorter than the others. Therefore, one of these words or phrases should be used.

• Note that in some cases you must look at non underlying portion to identify the redundancy.

• The presence of a delete option suggests that it should be checked first in any question.

When writing an essay for the SAT, it's important to avoid redundancy. For instance, saying "The tall skyscraper towered high in the sky" is redundant because "tall" and "towered high" convey the same meaning. A more concise way to express this would be "The skyscraper towered in the sky."

Wordiness

• Some answer choices add in extra words for no reason than to make those longer. Do not get tempted simply because you like how they sound.

• The shortest answer can be even easier to overlook when all of the options are relatively long.

• Answers that stretch over multiple lines tend to be perceived more as a single mass, and so the differences in appearance do not register visually in the same way. This is especially true for combining sentences questions.

Examples:

The professor's lecture was filled with excessive and unnecessary repetition, making it difficult to follow and comprehend.

Passive Voice

• In passive construction, the subject and object are flipped.X does Y (active) becomes Y is done by X (passive).

• Though it is not absolutely necessary that you master passive constructions, because there are always longer than active ones, the ability to recognize them can be helpful.

• When the shortest answer appears in the passage, it can be difficult to identify visually.

• Noticing passive constructions can allow you to eliminate other options.

Examples of Sentences in Passive Voice:

1. The cake was baked by my mother.

2. The car was repaired by the mechanic.

3. The book was written by the famous author.

4. The house was built by a team of skilled workers.

5. The letter was sent by the post office.

How to Change Passive Voice to Active Voice:

1. Identify the subject performing the action in the sentence.

2. Move the subject to the beginning of the sentence.

3. Make the subject the doer of the action by using an appropriate verb.

4. Rewrite the sentence in a clear and concise manner.

Examples of Changing Passive Voice to Active Voice:

1. My mother baked the cake.

2. The mechanic repaired the car.

3. The famous author wrote the book.

4. A team of skilled workers built the house.

5. The post office sent the letter.

By following these steps, sentences can be transformed from passive voice to active voice, making them more direct and engaging.