SAT Reading & Writing: Conciseness and Eliminating Redundancy
38+ practice questions in Praczo
The concept, explained
- 1
Conciseness questions ask you to choose the version that is shortest while still being grammatically correct and preserving meaning.
- 2
Redundancy is repeating information in different words: "the end result" (result is always at the end), "completely finished," "past history."
- 3
Extra phrases that add no new information are always wrong on the SAT. If two answers mean the same thing, eliminate the longer one.
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Common redundant pairs: "future plans," "currently existing," "unexpected surprise," "true facts," "advance warning."
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Conciseness does NOT mean shortest at all costs — the answer must still convey all necessary information.
- ✗ Choosing an answer that is shorter but omits necessary information that was in the original.
- ✗ Keeping redundant phrases because they "sound more formal" — formal writing is still concise writing.
SAT-style practice
Which is the most concise version? "In the future, she plans to study medicine at some point down the road."
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