Introduction

This section will apply the DIRECT Method to a CLT science passage. Let’s begin with a review of the method. Do you remember what each of the six letters of DIRECT stands for? Test yourself and then check out the spoiler below.

(spoiler)

Don’t read the passage first.

Identify important material if there is a stated question.

Read for context.

Examine the structure of the answers.

Choose the answer that best fits the context and, if applicable, the stated question.

Take time to review any questions you’ve flagged as difficult.

DIRECT to the Source: The Science Passage

In this section, you’ll find a selection from “The Works of Archimedes” (C.J. Clay & Sons, Cambridge University Press Warehouse, translated by T.L. Heath; public domain). After each paragraph, you will find questions tied to the underlined portions in the paragraph. This format does not exactly mimic the format of the CLT, where the entire passage appears on the left and the questions on the right, so be sure to practice with official CLT materials as well.

On a former occasion I sent you the investigations which I had up to that time completed, including the [1] proofs. Showing that any segments bounded by a straight line and a section of a right-angled cone is four-thirds of the triangle which has the same base with the segment and equal height. [2] Since then, certain theorems not hitherto demonstrated have occurred to me, and I have worked out the proofs of them. [3] It is these: first, that the surface of any sphere is four times its greatest circle; next, that the surface of any segment of a sphere is equal to a circle [4] who’s radius is equal to the straight line drawn from the vertex of the segments to the circumference of the circle which is the base of the segment, and, further, that any cylinder having its base equal to the greatest circle of those in the sphere, and height equal to the diameter of the sphere, is itself half as large again as the sphere, and its surface also is half as large again as the surface of the sphere. Now these properties were all along naturally inherent in the figures referred to, but remained unknown to those who [5] will be before my time engaged in the study of geometry.

1. proofs. Showing

A. NO CHANGE
B. proofs, shown
C. proofs; showing
D. proofs, showing

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The answer is D. This question combines aspects of punctuation with those of sentence structure, as well as a choice of verb form. The “Clause Test” on CLT Grammar & Writing is a strategy that allows you to determine how to connect clauses in a sentence. The rule for the comma is that a comma alone can only separate two clauses if one of them is incomplete (that is, could not stand on its own as a sentence). Our first task, then, is to evaluate the two clauses for completeness. The first clause stretches from the beginning of the sentence to the word proofs; this clause is complete in that it could stand on its own as a sentence. However, as long as we are retaining the word “showing”, the second clause is not an independent (complete) clause. Beginning with “showing that,” it is a dependent clause describing the “investigations” that Archimedes has undertaken.

These are the perfect conditions for a comma. We cannot use either a period (with new capitalization of the next word) or a semicolon, as both of these punctuation marks are used to join two independent clauses. That leaves us with choices B and D, whose difference lies in the form of the verb to show. The voice is active here, describing what Archimedes has done, so the passive “shown” is inappropriate. The word “showing”, by contrast, works well to introduce a discussion of exactly what his investigations showed.

2. Which of the following choices represents the clearest and most concise way to convey all the information in the sentence?

Since then, certain theorems hitherto not demonstrated have occurred to me, and I have worked out proofs of them.

A. NO CHANGE
B. Since that time, there are a number of theorems I have thought of that no one before had shown to me, and I have developed proofs for each of these theorems.
C. A number of theorems have come to my attention that no one has demonstrated, and I have worked out proofs for each one since then.
D. I have worked out proofs for certain theorems.

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The answer is A. A “clearest and most concise” question will ask you to eliminate answers that 1) are too wordy (fail to be concise); 2) use unclear phrasing (are not clear); or 3) do not convey all the information given (leave something out). Here, choice B falls into the first of these categories; notice how it is much longer than the original selection. Choice C fails the second test; it is not clearly written, especially in the fact that it puts the phrase “since then” confusingly at the end of the sentence. Choice D is certainly quite concise, but it takes out important information from the sentence. It’s best here to keep the sentence as written.

3. It is these

A. NO CHANGE
B. It is this
C. They are this
D. They are these

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The answer is D. The issue here is agreement, both with the pronouns (“it” versus “they” and “this” versus “these”) and the verb (“is” versus “are”). In all three cases, as with agreement questions generally, the issue is singular versus plural. We have to read the context in the previous sentence to determine whether singular or plural is called for. In that sentence, Archimedes is only talking about plural things like “theorems” and “proofs.” We’re looking for the uniformly plural answer. Choice A succeeds in pluralizing the pronoun “these” and choice C has the plural “They are,” but only choice D pluralizes all three words.

4. who’s

A. NO CHANGE
B. who
C. whose
D. who is

(spoiler)

The answer is C. This question asks us to chose the appropriate possessive pronoun. We know this because the word after the underlined word, “radius”, goes with the word before it, “circle”. The relationship is one of possession: a radius belongs to a circle or a circle possesses a radius.

Once we have identified possession, we ask whether the “possessing” word is a noun or a pronoun. If it’s a noun, we’ll use an apostrophe, either before the s in the case of singular (the girl’s books means one girl) or after the s in the case of plural (the girls’ books means two or more girls). If it’s a pronoun, we don’t use an apostrophe, and this fact helps us distinguish a possessive pronoun from similar forms. For example, consider the classic it’s versus its. The latter of these two is the possessive pronoun; the form with the apostrophe means “it is”.

In this case, we know we have a pronoun because it is pointing to the noun “circle”. Therefore, no apostrophe, so not NO CHANGE. But we do need a possessive form; “who” is simply the subject form, with no possession implied, so choice C is out. And we definitely don’t want to say “who is” here, which would create “a circle who is radius …” Whose is the winner because “whose” is a possessive noun.

5. will be

A. NO CHANGE
B. are
C. was
D. were

(spoiler)

The answer is D. This question combines verb tense with subject/verb agreement. For the tense, we need to read the whole sentence (as always!) and notice that the near context includes the phrase “before my time.” This locates the action in the past, eliminating choices A and B. What about agreement? The subject of the verb in this case is “those who,” a plural reference. If we plug in “he/she” as a singular example and “they” as a plural example, we would have “they was” versus “they were.” The latter is correct. Note: the relative pronoun “who” is not enough to tell you whether the verbal is singular or plural, because “who” can work for both. You have to look further back, to the word “those”.

Strategy Insights

The explanation for question #1 in this lesson references the Clause Test. Here’s how it works:

Divide up the compound sentence into the part before the conjunction or connecting punctuation and the part after.
Determine whether each part could stand on its own as a sentence.
If both parts could stand on their own, make sure the connector is either 1) a period; 2) a semicolon; or 3) a comma PLUS a FANBOYS conjunction (for/and/nor/but/or/yet/so).
If one of the parts is a dependent clause and could not stand its own, use a comma alone.
Note: the colon is a flexible punctuation mark that can, in certain circumstances, do “double duty” and serve in either of the roles described above. Do not eliminate an answer with a colon based on the completeness or incompleteness of the clauses involved. A colon may be eliminated for other reasons; for example, a colon is often mistakenly included after words or phrases like “including” and “such as”.

For Reflection

Rate the difficulty of CLT Grammar & Writing science passage for you from 1 (no problem) to 5 (problem!). This will help you decide how much time to spend preparing for this passage.
Did any of the exercises in this lesson reveal areas of grammar or written expression you need to practice further? Note those carefully and practice them at every opportunity.