The Official SAT Question of the Day™

Part of the following sentence is bold; beneath the sentence are five ways of phrasing the bold material. Select the option that produces the best sentence. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice A.

The first 10,000 United States patents, known to be the X-patents, were burned in a fire in 1836.

A. to be
B. to have been
C. as
D. as they were
E. as being

Answer is C

Here's Why:

Choice (C) is correct. It avoids the error of the original by using the idiomatic “known as” instead of the awkward and unidiomatic “known to be.”


Question Type: Improving Sentences

(Writing)