SHSAT Sunset

Find Time to Volunteer

2024 Handbook

2024 Test B English · Question 7 of 57

Passage Find Time to Volunteer

Find Time to Volunteer

(1) Many people believe that they gain a greater sense of purpose by giving their time to serve others. (2) These are the people who spend their free time volunteering at various places within the community. (3) Those who are served benefit from the work of these volunteers. (4) However, research shows that those who volunteer also receive benefits.

(5) For many students, this proposition may sound impossible. (6) Schoolwork can require hours of study each week. (7) Volunteering at a retirement center or homeless shelter requires both time and energy. (8) Extracurricular activities fill up after-school time. (9) Family obligations and part-time jobs often have to be worked into the schedule, too. (10) However, if students can find time to volunteer, even for a few hours a month, they may find that the benefits outweigh the scheduling difficulties.

(11) To begin with, students who engage in volunteer activities acquire valuable skills and experience, which can help them focus on potential fields of study and career options. (12) Furthermore, when students list volunteer work on college applications, admissions counselors see applicants who care about making their community and college campus a better place.

(13) Volunteerism benefits more than students applying to college. (14) This type of experience is equally important for students moving directly into the workforce after high school. (15) Volunteering demonstrates initiative, dedication, and a strong work ethic, qualities that companies value in a potential employee. (16) In a CareerBuilder study, 60 percent of managers regarded volunteerism as a significant asset when considering applicants.

(17) Students who volunteer undoubtedly make a positive investment in their future, but they also affect their present quality of life. (18) Studies have shown that volunteering is good for both the mind and the body. (19) Volunteering can boost mood levels and reduce anxiety. (20) According to the Mayo Clinic,1 the feeling of doing something meaningful and the appreciation received from that action can reduce stress.

(21) Even the busiest of students can find a way to donate some time to a worthy cause. (22) Though managing different commitments may seem overwhelming at times, students are sure to feel a sense of fulfillment in volunteerism.

1Mayo Clinic: a nonprofit medical organization dedicated to treatment and research

Question

Which sentence is least relevant to the ideas presented in the second paragraph (sentences 5–10) and should be deleted?

  • Asentence 6
  • Bsentence 7
  • Csentence 8
  • Dsentence 9
Show the answer

Correct answer: B

The question asks which sentence is least relevant to the ideas presented in the second paragraph (sentences 5–10) and should be deleted.

A. Incorrect. Sentence 5 introduces the topic of the second paragraph, which is that finding time to volunteer “may sound impossible” for many students. Sentence 6 logically follows this idea because it provides one reason why students might hesitate or be unable to volunteer. Therefore, sentence 6 is relevant to the ideas presented in the second paragraph and should not be deleted.

B. CORRECT. Sentence 7 states that “time and energy” are required for volunteering, which partially addresses the topic of the second paragraph about the various commitments that fill high school students’ schedules. However, sentence 7 interrupts the flow of the paragraph by interjecting specific examples (“volunteering at a retirement center or homeless shelter”) into a general list of activities and commitments. Thus, the sentence is the least relevant to the paragraph and should be deleted.

C. Incorrect. In the second paragraph, the author discusses why some high school students may hesitate to volunteer. In sentences 6 and 9, the author points out that “schoolwork” and “family obligations and part-time jobs” are activities that require students’ time and may cause them to hesitate taking on any additional activities. Sentence 8 contributes to this idea by stating that “extracurricular activities” also require a time commitment from students. As a result, sentence 8 contributes to the ideas in the second paragraph and should not be deleted.

D. Incorrect. In the second paragraph, the author acknowledges that some high school students may hesitate to volunteer because of “schoolwork” and “extracurricular activities.” Sentence 9 contributes to this idea by stating that “family obligations and part-time jobs” also require a time commitment and may cause students to hesitate to volunteer. Therefore, sentence 9 contributes to the ideas in the second paragraph and should not be deleted.

Question analysis

This revising question focuses on the second paragraph of the volunteering essay, which explains why students may think they have no time to help others. Students pick the one sentence that is least relevant and should be deleted. Since every sentence touches on how students spend their time, the challenge is seeing which one breaks the paragraph’s line of thought.

NYS standards
  • 7W1b supporting claims with evidence
Grade level
Grade 7 reading and task
Compared with grade 7
At grade 7 Spotting a sentence that does not belong is regular grade 7 revision work. The paragraph is short and plain, but every candidate is loosely tied to students’ busy lives, so students must pin down the paragraph’s exact point first.
Estimated difficulty
Moderate: several steps, or a close reading with one strong distractor.
Evidence
Answered from one paragraph or stanza
Reading level
Passage: about grade 11, 354 words; question and choices: about grade 5, 22 words.
Students, last 30 days
Not enough answers yet to show (it takes 10).
Why it is hard, traps and wrong answers (shows the answer)

Why it is hard

The sentence to delete is the only one in the paragraph that mentions volunteering, so students who test each sentence against the essay’s topic keep it and cut one of the others. The paragraph’s point is narrower: sentence 5 says volunteering “may sound impossible” for many students, and sentences 6, 8 and 9 list what already fills their schedules. Sentence 7 is loosely related, which is why the stem asks for the least relevant sentence rather than an irrelevant one.

  1. How sentences fit together moderate Working it out

    Sentences 6, 8 and 9 list the commitments that already fill students’ time, schoolwork, activities, family and jobs, while sentence 7 turns to what volunteering itself demands and breaks that list. (Halliday & Hasan, 1976)

  2. Every choice must be checked minor Choosing the answer

    Every candidate touches on students’ busy lives, and sentence 7 is the only one that mentions volunteering, so each must be tested against the paragraph’s exact point rather than the essay’s topic. (Embretson & Wetzel, 1987)

Strategy: Say in a few words what sentences 5 and 10 tell you the paragraph is about. Then test each listed sentence: does it add to that point, or does it shift to a different one?

Traps

  • Fixes what isn't broken: Changes a part of the sentence that was already correct, while the real error stays; or, where the question asks which sentence has an error or should go, picks one that is correct and belongs.

The wrong answers, classified

How the questions are analyzed, and the research behind it

Working it out, step by step

  1. Figure out what the question asks

    You need the sentence in paragraph 2 that fits least and should be cut. Every sentence in a paragraph should support its main point. Example: My dog loves the park. He chases balls. Cats sleep a lot. He rolls in the grass. The cat sentence doesn’t fit. So first find the paragraph’s point. Then test each listed sentence against it.

  2. Find the paragraph’s main point

    Sentence 5 says “For many students, this proposition may sound impossible.” The proposition is the idea of volunteering. Sentence 10 says the benefits may “outweigh the scheduling difficulties.” So the paragraph is about why students feel too busy. The sentences in between should list what already fills their time.

  3. Test each listed sentence

    • Sentence 6: “Schoolwork can require hours of study each week.” That is one thing that fills their time.
    • Sentence 7: “Volunteering at a retirement center or homeless shelter requires both time and energy.” This is about volunteering itself. It names two places, and it breaks the list.
    • Sentence 8: “Extracurricular activities fill up after-school time.” These are things like sports and clubs. That is another item on the list.
    • Sentence 9: “Family obligations and part-time jobs” fill time “too.” The word too adds them to the same list.

  4. Read the paragraph without it

    Try reading sentences 6, 8 and 9 in a row. Schoolwork, activities, family and jobs make one smooth list of things that fill a student’s week. Then sentence 10 answers that worry. Nothing is missing when sentence 7 is gone. That shows it is the least relevant.

  5. Pick the answer

    Watch out: Sentence 9 can seem off topic, because family and jobs are outside school. That makes D tempting. But the paragraph is about everything that fills a student’s time. So the answer is B, sentence 7.

Why this answer and not the closest wrong one

Sentence 9 is the closest wrong answer, because family and jobs are not schoolwork. But its last word, “too,” adds them to the same list as schoolwork and activities. Sentence 7 is the only one about what volunteering takes, not what already fills the week. So B is the one to cut.

More questions like this

The original DOE question

Question 7 as printed on page 164 of the DOE handbook.
As printed in the DOE’s NYC Guide to the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) for 2025 Admissions, page 164, question 7. Open page 164 of the handbook (PDF)
The passage “Find Time to Volunteer” as printed (page 163)The passage “Find Time to Volunteer” as printed on page 163 of the DOE handbook.