An arco book arco is a registered trademark of Thomson Learning, Inc., and is used herein under license by Peterson’s. About The Thomson Corporation and Peterson’s

5. Dashes
Dashes can be used to set off for emphasis or clarity an explanatory, illustrative, or parenthetical remark.
EXAMPLES:
Careful attention to the details of one’s personal appearance—neatly pressed clothing, shined
shoes, and well-groomed hair—is an important part of preparing for a job interview.
Many colleges—including the nation’s top schools—set aside a certain number of first-year
places for students who show academic promise in spite of low test scores.
Peanuts—blanched or lightly roasted—add an interesting texture and taste to garden salads.
The dashes in the sentences above have a function similar to commas when they are used to set off
parenthetical remarks. The difference between the two is a matter of emphasis. The dashes mark a more
dramatic shift or interruption of thought. Do not, however, mix dashes and commas:
Peanuts—blanched or lightly roasted, add an interesting texture and taste to garden salads.
The example above is incorrect. You must use either two dashes or two commas.

---

Writing Test
21
ARCO
■ SAT II Subject Tests
www.petersons.com/arco
QUESTION TYPES
The Essay
The Essay component of the Writing Test is only 20 minutes long, and that is both bad news and good
news. The bad news is that you obviously cannot hope to write very much in 20 minutes nor expect that
what you write will be highly polished. The good news is that you aren’t expected to write very much, nor
is it expected that the essay will be highly polished. Instead, the graders will look upon your essay for
what it is: a first draft.
You are required to write your essay on an assigned topic, a topic that you will not see until the
testing session begins. Because you will not know what your assigned topic is in advance, there is no way
to prepare your essay before the test begins. The essay topics do not require any special knowledge, and
they do not have right and wrong answers. Instead, these topics are what teachers often call “prompts.”
For example:
Human beings are often cruel, but they also have the capacity for kindness and compassion. In
my opinion, an example that demonstrates this capacity was _____.
Assignment: Complete the statement above with an example from current affairs, history, literature, or
your own personal experience. Then write a well-organized essay explaining why you regard that event
favorably.
The sample topic is so broad that you can almost certainly think of something to write.