SAT Reasoning

Sub Topics

Impact of Word Choice on Meaning And Tone How Structure Affects The Style of a Text Active And Passive Voice Syntax in Writing Definition Examples Identifying Irrelevant Sentences in a Passage

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SAT Reasoning: How to Identify Wrong Word Use
Identifying Irrelevant Sentences in a Passage

The meanings of passage could be changed by the use of irrelevant sentences. In this lesson we will learn about it and would be able to recognize it. At the end the short quiz will be conducted to grip the lesson.

Identifying Irrelevant Sentences in a Passage

What Is an Irrelevant Sentence?

Let’s Read the following passage:

“Garfield is a comic strip featuring the cat Garfield, the pet dog Odie, and their socially inept owner Jon Arbuckle. The main character is Garfield, who is a lazy, overweight, orange cat. He considers himself to be more intelligent than humans or dogs. He was named Garfield after his grandfather. He hates Mondays and loves lasagna apparently. “

Have you detected the irrelevant one? Look upon the fourth sentence (He was named Garfield after his grandfather). Isn’t it irrelevant? Yes of course. The passage is about the comic strip not the introduction about the name of Garfield.

Irrelevant sentences are odd to passage and do not convey the main theme of passage. These sentences divert the reader’s attention from the main idea of topic. So, these must not be used.

Identifying Irrelevant Sentences

To recognize the irrelevant sentences, let’s learn 3 ways:

Determine the main theme of the passage? As the whole passage revolves around it.So, it is necessary to be judged as we have already discussed in the above example.
Determine the each sentence relevancy with the idea of topic?
Is there any sentences that divert the reader’s attention? So,that would be the irrelevant one.

Practice Examples

Let’s practice to have a command over the lesson,So, read the passage,

“With more than fifty feature films Alfred Hitchcock remains one of the most popular directors of all time. Hitchcock's films draw heavily on both fear and fantasy. He began directing in the United Kingdom. They often portray innocent people caught up in circumstances beyond their understanding. The movie Rebecca, which evokes the fears of a young bride, is a good example of this.

Now,you have gotten the main theme of passage by following the above 3 steps. Isn’t the sentence 3 irrelevant? Yes of course.As the main theme is Hitchcock's films but the sentence 3 is distracting your attension towards the working career of him. So it should be deleted.