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SAT (Fall 2023)
Course: SAT (Fall 2023) > Unit 11
Lesson 3: Writing: Grammar- Writing: Setting Up Ideas — Video Lesson
- Setting up ideas | Quick guide
- Writing: Strong Support — Video lesson
- Strong support | Quick guide
- Writing: Relevant Information — Video lesson
- Relevant information | Quick guide
- Writing: Sequencing sentences — Video lesson
- Sequencing sentences | Quick guide
- Writing: Transition Words — Video lesson
- Transition words and phrases | Quick guide
- Writing: Transition Sentences — Video Lesson
- Transition sentences | Quick guide
- Writing: Introductions — Video lesson
- Writing: Conclusions — Video lesson
- Introductions and conclusions | Quick guide
- Writing: Interpreting Graphs and Data — Video lesson
- Interpreting graphs and data | Quick guide
- Writing: Precision — Video Lesson
- Precise word choice | Quick guide
- Writing: Concision — Video lesson
- Concision | Quick guide
- Writing: Formal and Informal Language — Video Lesson
- Writing: Formal vs. casual language — Example
- Formal vs. casual language | Quick guide
- Writing: Syntax — Example
- Writing: Sentence Fragments — Video Lesson
- Writing: Sentence Boundaries — Example 1
- Writing: Sentence boundaries — Example 2
- Sentence fragments | Quick guide
- Writing: Subordination and coordination — Example
- Writing: Combining Sentences — Video Lesson
- Linking clauses | Quick guide
- Writing: Parallel Structure — Video lesson
- Writing: Parallel structure — Example
- Parallel structure | Quick guide
- Writing: Modifier Placement — Video Lesson
- Writing: Modifier placement — Example
- Modifier placement | Quick guide
- Writing: Verb Tense and Mood — Video Lesson
- Writing: Shift in verb tense and mood — Example
- Verb tense and mood | Quick guide
- Writing: Pronoun Clarity — Video Lesson
- Writing: Pronoun clarity — Example
- Pronoun clarity | Quick guide
- Writing: Pronoun Agreement — Video Lesson
- Writing: Pronoun-antecedent agreement — Example
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement | Quick guide
- Writing: Possessive determiners — Example 1
- Writing: Possessive determiners — Example 2
- Writing: It’s/Its Confusion — Video Lesson
- Confusion with "its" and "their" | Quick guide
- Writing: Subject-Verb Agreement — Video Lesson
- Writing: Subject-verb agreement — Example
- Subject-verb agreement | Quick guide
- Writing: Noun Agreement — Video Lesson
- Writing: Noun agreement — Basic example
- Noun agreement | Quick guide
- Writing: Frequently Confused Words — Video Lesson
- Writing: Frequently confused words — Example
- Frequently confused words | Quick guide
- Writing: Conventional Expressions — Video Lesson
- Writing: Conventional expression — Example
- Conventional expressions | Quick guide
- Writing: Logical Comparison — Video Lesson
- Writing: Logical comparison — Example
- Logical comparison | Quick guide
- Writing: End-of-sentence punctuation — Example 1
- Writing: End-of-sentence punctuation — Example 2
- Writing: Commas — Video Lesson
- Commas | Quick guide
- Writing: Semicolons — Video Lesson
- Semicolons | Quick guide
- Writing: Colons — Video lesson
- Colons | Quick guide
- Writing: Possessive Pronouns — Example
- Writing: Possessive Nouns — Video Lesson
- Making nouns possessive | Quick guide
- Writing: Items in a series — Example
- Writing: Punctuating Lists — Video Lesson
- Lists and punctuation | Quick guide
- Writing: Nonrestrictive and parenthetical elements — Example
- Writing: Nonessential Elements — Video Lesson
- Nonessential elements | Quick guide
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Writing: Setting Up Ideas — Video Lesson
David works through a setups question on the SAT Writing and Language test. Created by David Rheinstrom.
Want to join the conversation?
- if i need help but not on my SAT what do i put in my search bar?(12 votes)
- If you need help with reading and writing, you can check out the reading and writing section on Khan Academy by putting 'Reading' in your search bar.(10 votes)
- do i need to take both act and sat?(3 votes)
- most colleges require one or the other. No colleges require both for admission(1 vote)
- I have trouble pointing out and pulling out info from text that I need to analyze. Is there a way to make that easier?(2 votes)
- You can learn anything, David out!
🙏💪(2 votes) - Why does that have to happen?(1 vote)
- Does setting ideas and thesis have some type of similarity?(1 vote)
- Does setting ideas and brainstorming play a role in setting up a thesis?(1 vote)
- Which one is more important act or sat(1 vote)
- really depends on what state you are from, and what college you want to get into. But either one should work, just pick which one suits you the best, and whichever one is the easier for you.(1 vote)
- is it hard to comprehend?(1 vote)
- is doing the language portion hsrd(1 vote)
- I took the PSAT last year, it's not that hard as long as you know the strategies (watch some tutorials on khan or youtube). Also get enough sleep, you will need it.(1 vote)
Video transcript
- [Instructor] Which phrase
most effectively sets up the examples in the second
part of the sentence? All right. Just from the phrase sets up, we can tell this is a
setting up ideas question. There will be two to three
of these on your SAT. Now the best, most effective set up is the one that best
introduces a new idea. Those ideas usually take
the form of examples, comparisons or quotes. Your job in a question like
this is to pick the choice that best prepares the
reader for what's coming. So let's go back to the question. All right, this is question three, and we want to know about the examples in the second half of the sentence, right, this sentence here. So what are those examples? Okay, they don't require
physical storage space. They don't need to be
photocopied and collated, and they are less likely
to be physically misplaced. What's the they? It looks like electronic medical records. So for set ups questions, we recommend that you identify the purpose of the information that you're setting up. In other words, what's the
point that the examples, comparisons or quotes are supporting? So, electronic medical records don't require physical storage space. They don't need to be photocopied and they're harder to lose than, I assume, paper medical records. These seem like good things, so I'm going to give a
little positive by each one. They don't need that. They don't need to be
photocopied and collated, and they're harder to lose. So I'm gonna go through the choices and see if they're broadly
positive or negative. Anything that isn't
positive, I can discard. So, okay, so choice A,
no change, regrettably, well, that's negative right off the bat. Regrettably, electronic medical records require infrastructure that
can be expensive to build. Okay, so yeah, that's a negative choice. I don't think this sets
up our positive examples. Choice B, electronic
health records provide many advantages over paper ones. That's positive. I bet this is our answer. Choice C, researchers
have weighed the benefits and drawbacks of
electronic health records. Well, that's both negative
and positive at the same time. So that doesn't set up our
list of positive examples, and finally, Choice D. Typically, electronic health records need a full-time staff to maintain them, and this doesn't seem to introduce a list, and the existence of a full-time
staff is kind of neutral. Maybe a question mark or an equal sign. That's not a plus or negative, it just is. I feel confident that B is my answer. The examples are all positive and Choice B sets up a list of advantages. So there we go, B is our answer. Let's review strategy
for questions like these. Once you've identified
that you're looking at a setting up ideas question, first, identify what's being set up. Is it an example, a quote, a comparison? And then ask yourself, what's the point? The paragraph will be
making a larger point, so if you can put that point
in your own words, great. Finally, eliminate
choices that don't match. Here, we matched positive
examples to a positive set up, but this plus minus strategy
may not always work. In other cases, you might
be asked to provide a set up for some other type of information. For example, if you're
asked to set up a quotation, you might need a set up
that introduces the person whose being quoted. What's most important
is that both the set up and the information that
follows contain similar ideas and work together to say
something that makes sense in the context of the passage. Figuring out what has been set up or what that set up is trying to do will lead you to the answer. Good luck out there. You've got this.