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.

Using it both for culinary and medicinal purposes, fennel is one of the oldest of all cultivated plants.

A. Using it both for culinary and medicinal purposes,
B. Using it both for culinary purposes as well as medicinally,
C. They use it for both culinary purposes and medicinally, and
D. Used for both culinary and medicinal purposes,
E. Used both for culinary purposes, also medicinally,

Answer is D

Here's Why:

Choice (D) is correct. It avoids the error of the original by following both parts of the “both … and” construction with an adjective (“both culinary and medicinal … ”), and by using a phrase (“Used for … purposes”) that correctly modifies the noun “fennel.”


Question Type: Improving Sentences

(Writing)