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SAT Reading & Writing: Colons and Dashes (Drill 1)

Drill 1 · Reading & Writing · Colons and Dashes

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About This Drill

SAT Reading & Writing: Colons and Dashes (Drill 1) is a Reading & Writing practice drill covering Colons and Dashes. It contains 5 original questions created by Brian Stewart, a Barron's test prep author with over 20 years of tutoring experience.

SAT colon and dash questions ask you to identify whether a colon or em dash is used correctly to introduce explanations, lists, or parenthetical information. A colon must follow a complete independent clause; a dash may set off mid-sentence interruptions or emphatic additions.

Questions & Explanations

Text
The hikers faced an unexpected ________ a dense fog had rolled in overnight, reducing visibility on the trail to less than ten feet.

Question 1. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  • A) obstacle,
  • B) obstacle;
  • C) obstacle: ✓
  • D) obstacle

Explanation: 'The hikers faced an unexpected obstacle' is an independent clause; the material after explains what the obstacle was. A colon correctly introduces this explanation. A comma would create a comma splice.

Text
The cellist—who had trained at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague for nearly a ________ performed the entire concerto from memory without a single visible hesitation.

Question 2. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  • A) decade— ✓
  • B) decade,
  • C) decade;
  • D) decade

Explanation: The opening dash before 'who' requires a closing dash after 'decade' to complete the parenthetical pair. You cannot open with a dash and close with a comma or other punctuation.

Text
The renovation plan called for upgrades to three major ________ the electrical wiring, the plumbing, and the central heating system.

Question 3. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  • A) systems,
  • B) systems;
  • C) systems
  • D) systems: ✓

Explanation: The independent clause before the blank is followed by a list specifying which systems. A colon correctly introduces a list after a complete sentence.

Text
Among the items confiscated at the airport security checkpoint ________ a hunting knife, two canisters of pepper spray, and a set of brass knuckles.

Question 4. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  • A) included:
  • B) were ✓
  • C) included;
  • D) were:

Explanation: 'Among the items...included' is ungrammatical. 'Were' without a colon forms the correct sentence. A colon cannot directly follow a verb like 'were.'

Text
After twelve grueling months of physical therapy, the goalkeeper finally achieved what her doctors had once deemed ________ a full return to competitive play.

Question 5. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  • A) unlikely— ✓
  • B) unlikely;
  • C) unlikely,
  • D) unlikely

Explanation: A dash introduces a dramatic elaboration specifying what the doctors deemed unlikely. A semicolon is wrong because the fragment after it is not an independent clause.