Test: SAT Writing - Parallelism Practice Questions - SAT MCQ

The original sentence is in the present tense and refers to a habitual action, so the verb should be in the simple present tense. However, "likes" is already in the simple present tense. To avoid repetition, we can use a present participle to describe the second action ("to drink"). "Drinking" is the present participle form of the verb and is used to indicate an ongoing action.

Therefore, the corrected sentence using option D is:

"In his free time, Wild Bill likes smoking Cuban cigars and drinking the finest red wine Martha's Vineyard has to offer."

The original sentence uses the verb "eating," which is not parallel with the other items listed ("rides" and "drinks"). Therefore, the sentence needs to be rephrased to make it parallel. Option C does this by using a noun phrase ("meals") instead of a verb. This makes the list more consistent and easier to read.

Option B ("they can eat") is also a possible correction, but it is less concise and does not maintain the parallel structure of the list as well as option C.

Option D ("eat meals") is redundant and unnecessarily wordy. Using the verb "eat" along with the noun "meals" conveys the same idea as using the noun "meals" alone.

Therefore, the corrected sentence using option C is:

"Visitors to my hometown in the middle of nowhere can experience rides on the bus, drinks at the tavern, and meals at McDonald's."

The sentence is in the past tense, so the verbs "trained," "screamed," and "fought" should also be in the past tense for consistency. "Fights" is in the present tense, which is not appropriate for this context.

Option A is therefore incorrect because it uses "fights," which is present tense.

Option B ("fighting valiantly") uses the present participle form of the verb, which indicates an ongoing action. However, the sentence is describing a completed action, so the past tense form of the verb is needed.

Option D ("to fight valiantly") uses the infinitive form of the verb, which is not appropriate for this sentence because it does not agree in tense with the other verbs in the sentence.

Option C ("fought valiantly") is the correct choice because it is in the past tense and is consistent with the other verbs in the sentence.

Therefore, the corrected sentence using option C is:

"The 300 men trained diligently, screamed fiercely into battle, and fought valiantly."

The sentence is describing characteristics of lions, so the verbs used should be descriptive rather than action-oriented. "Fierceness" is a noun that accurately describes the way lions protect themselves.

Option A is incorrect because it uses the pronoun "they" after "and," which is redundant and not necessary.

Option C ("being fierce") uses the present participle form of the verb "be" to describe the lions. However, using the adjective "fierce" rather than the gerund "being fierce" is more concise and appropriate in this context.

Option D ("to be fierce") uses the infinitive form of the verb "be," which is not appropriate for this sentence because it does not agree in form with the other two descriptions in the sentence.

Therefore, the corrected sentence using option B is:

"Because of their amazing sense of smell, quick agility, and fierceness when protecting themselves, lions are the kings of the savannah."

The corrected sentence using option C would be:

"Come to the next party prepared to eat a lot, to dance a lot, and to drink a lot."

Option C uses the infinitive form of the verb "to drink," which is appropriate for this sentence and matches the infinitive forms used for "to eat" and "to dance."