SAT Concision & Redundancy Examples | The Complete SAT Course - Class 10 PDF Download

SAT Concision

The principle of concision is simple: it's wrong to use more words than necessary to express an idea. For instance, consider these two instructions about concision problem types on the SAT: "You will be asked to edit to make sure that passages are phrased in as clear, lean, and brief a manner as possible so as to express the text’s meaning and fulfil its intended purpose" and "You will be asked to edit passages for concision." Both sentences mean the same thing, but the latter is 26 words shorter and easier to understand because it uses "concision." It's important to note that not all long sentences need to be made more concise, and some short sentences can be edited to be more concise. Although the shortest answer isn't always the right answer, it is often the best one. This tip is powerful, but it requires you to put in maximum effort and attention into each SAT problem. If you can't decide, go with the shortest answer.

Ex.1. When for the first time the United States imported more oil than it exported, Americans should have realized than an energy crisis was imminent and could happen in the future.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) could happen imminently in the future
(c) is an imminent thing
(d) might be imminent

Correct Answer is Option (d)
So, this question would be difficult if you didn’t know the definition of “imminent.” There is nothing grammatically wrong in the underlined phrase. However, the word “imminent” means something is likely to happen. The phrase “might be imminent” means the same thing as the underlined phrase and is expressed much more succinctly. Therefore, the correct answer is D. If you did not know the meaning of the word “imminent,” you should have gone with the shortest answer, which also happens to be D.

Ex.2. I was strongly considering buying a painting the other day. I liked the piece, but it was because of the expense that I chose not to buy the piece. I ended up purchasing a book of photography instead.
(a) it was because of the expense that I chose not to buy the piece.
(b) because of the expense I chose not to buy it.
(c) it was on cause of the expense that I chose not to buy the piece.
(d) it was only and simply and rightly because of the expense that I chose not to buy the piece.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The only option that successfully eliminates the wordiness while maintaining the grammatical structure and meaning of this compound sentence is option B. This option cuts the unnecessary addition of “it was” and the repletion of “the piece.” Answer choice B is correct.

Redundancy

A longer sentence is usually more redundant than a shorter sentence. Actually, redundancies are fairly easy to spot – you just need to know how to look out for them and avoid the temptation to be swept away by the flow of the passage or sentence you are reading.

Ex.1. That deep-sea sub can’t fit very many people. During its last solo expedition, it carried just one scientist. She not only collected data about rarely seen sea creatures, but also piloted the sub and helped run checks on its navigation system and safety features.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) During its last solo expedition, it carried just scientists.
(c) During its solo expedition, it carried just one scientist.
(d) During its last expedition, it carried just one scientist.

Correct Answer is Option (d)

The word “solo” conveys the same information as the phrasing of “carried just one scientist.” Because “carried just one scientist” can’t be omitted from the sentence, removing “solo” is the easiest way to fix this redundancy error. The correct answer is D

Ex.2. Located in Midland County, Michigan, the Chippewa Nature centre is one of the most prominent American nature centres that is known by many people in the United States.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) being known by many Americans.
(c) known by many people there.
(d) OMIT the underlined portion (inserting a period after centers)

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Since prominent means “known by many people,” the underlined portion is unnecessary. D is the correct answer.

Avoid Synonyms

Please remember that you should never use two synonyms to describe something when you can just as effectively use one. In addition, you must sometimes look at the non-underlined portion of the sentence to identify redundancy.
Wrong: The ancient, historic, enduring Drum Tower and Bell Tower, located in Beijing’s Inner City, afford tourists a glimpse into the city’s long history.
Correct: “Ancient,” “historic,” and “enduring” all basically mean the same thing. Just one of these words would get the point of the sentence across.
Often, we’ll see not just multiple words that mean the same thing, but entire phrases that mean the same thing as well.
Wrong: In order to increase capacity, 11,000 temporary seats were added to Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics so that more guests could attend.
Here we’ve got two phrases that mean the same thing. Only one is necessary, so we can just eliminate the second phrase.
Correct: In order to increase capacity, 11,000 temporary seats were added to Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Example: Henry was never expected to be king. His older brother Arthur was [5] the heir and next in line to the throne, but when Henry was 11 years old, Arthur [6] perished fatally. Arthur had recently married Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of King Ferdinand of [7] Spain, a short time ago. Eager to protect diplomatic relations with Spain, Henry’s father betrothed [8] his son Henry to marry Catherine when he came of age.
Ex.1. 
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) the successive heir
(c) the heir
(d) the successive next in line

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Heir implies next in line and successive. The correct answer is C.

Ex.2. 
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) died.
(c) fatally died.
(d) perished and died.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Died is all that is needed. Perished and fatally both imply death. The correct answer is B.

Ex.3. 
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) Spain, shortly before.
(c) Spain.
(d) Spain, not long ago.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Recently means the same thing as a short time ago. The correct answer is C.

Ex.3. 
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) his son, Henry,
(c) Henry, his son,
(d) Henry

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Father implies that Henry was his son. The correct answer is D.‍

Word Choice

Word choice refers to selecting the most fitting word in a given context. However, there is no fixed formula for determining why one word should be chosen over another, given that there are numerous words in the English language. While the majority of these questions rely on your fluency in English, the SAT does not make them unnecessarily difficult. In fact, the answer choices are intended to be clear enough so that there is no room for subjective interpretation or personal preference. Here are some general guidelines to follow:

(1) Avoid grandiose or ostentatious language. Opt for simple words that adequately convey the intended meaning. However, be cautious not to assume that a word is grandiose or ostentatious just because you are unfamiliar with it.

Ex.1. ‍The startup didn’t become financially beneficial until it reached a critical mass of customers using the app on a daily basis.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) profitable
(c) commercially rewarding
(d) worthy of great compensation

The answer here is B, the simplest choice.

Ex.2. The employees put forth a plan to cut spending by 50 percent but their bosses rejected this audacious scheme.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) brash industrial action.
(c) bold proposal.
(d) spirited counsel.

The answer is C. All the other choices are overly dramatic and exaggerated.

2. Choose Specific Words. Let’s explain through an example:

Ex.1. Fish with bright colors have to be especially careful of dangerous things that lurk in the sea.
Which choice fits best in the context of this sentence?
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) animals
(c) mammals
(d) predators

The answer is D. The most specific words convey the most meaning, and on the SAT, the most meaningful words will usually be the answer.

‍Ex.2. In anticipation of Black Friday, store owners are making sure they have a wide variety of products.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) items for customers
(c) stuff to sell
(d) things that can purchased

The answer is A. The other answers are unnecessarily vague and wordy.

3. Be Wary of Commonly Confused Words. Again, best explained through an example.

Ex.3. Ketchup is a better compliment to French fries then mustard.
(a) NO CHANGE
(b) compliment to French fries than
(c) complement to French fries then
(d) complement to French fries than

The answer is D. A complement is something that goes well with something else, whereas a compliment is something nice you say to someone. Than is used for comparisons; then is used to mean at that time or next.