SAT: Questions

(1) For centuries, musicians have played "acoustical" guitars, or ones that produce sounds through the vibrations of their strings. (2) They are made of light wood, have curved sides and a flat or arched top and back. (3) Guitar strings are made of bronze, nylon, or steel. (4) Most guitars have 6 strings, but some have 4 or 12. (5) The strings are fastened to the bridge, a small piece of wood on top of the instrument, extend along the finger board and are tied to tuning keys at the head. (6) Narrow metal strips called "frets" are located on the finger board below the strings. (7) To play the guitar, a musician must press the strings against the frets with the fingers of one hand. (8) They strum or pluck the strings with the other hand or with a plectrum, also known as a "pick".

(9) In the 1930's, guitar companies begin to commercially produce the electric guitar. (10) An electric guitar is essentially that same as an acoustical. (11) Except it also has an electromagnetic device that picks up the vibrations of the strings and translates them into electrical impulses. (12) An amplifier is used to modify the impulses, and loudspeakers change impulses back into sound. (13) An electric guitar produces a greater range of sounds than an acoustical guitar, although some people find the acoustical to be far more pleasant to listen to.

Question: What would be the best way to combine sentences 10 and 11, given the context of the passage?

An electric guitar is essentially that same as an acoustical. Except it also has an electromagnetic device that picks up the vibrations of the strings and translates them into electrical impulses.

Choices:


	A.		An electric guitar is essentially that same as an acoustical since it also has an electromagnetic device that picks up the vibrations of the strings and translates them into electrical impulses.
	B.		An electric guitar is essentially that same as an acoustical despite it having an electromagnetic device that picks up the vibrations of the strings and translates them into electrical impulses.
	C.		An electric guitar is essentially that same as an acoustical, it also has an electromagnetic device that picks up the vibrations of the strings and translates them into electrical impulses.
	D.		An electric guitar is essentially that same as an acoustical, but also has an electromagnetic device that picks up the vibrations of the strings and translates them into electrical impulses.
	E.		An electric guitar is essentially that same as an acoustical: it also has an electromagnetic device that picks up the vibrations of the strings and translates them into electrical impulses.

Sentences 10 and 11 can easily be joined by using a conjunction that illustrates the author's point that the electric guitar contains something the acoustical does not. Choice (A) does not do this: "since" implies an acoustical guitar also has this electromagnetic device, which it does not. We can eliminate choice (B) as well. The author is attempting to express how the electric guitar differs from the acoustical, not that they are the same "despite" the device unique to the electric version. Choice (C) creates one long, run-on sentence by joining the two sentences together with only a comma. Choice (E) is incorrect because it sounds as though both the electric and acoustical guitars have this same electromagnetic device.

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