Question 1

Instructions: In each sentence below, select the letter of the correctly punctuated sentence. Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

Accepted Answer

A)  Theresa read the lease carefully, before she signed it. 
B)  Geneva, a woman, of great ambition cannot be trusted. 
C)  The telephone that had been ringing for twenty minutes finally became silent.

Question 2

Instructions: The following sentences form a paragraph. For each item, select the underlined part that contains an error. The other five guardian animals are the mountain lion, black bear, badger, eagle, and mole; additional fetish animals include coyotes, owls, snakes, deers , and rabbits.

Accepted Answer

A)  are 
B)  mole; 
C)  deers

Question 3

Instructions: Read each of the following essay conclusions. Then choose the letter of the method the writer used to end the composition. The essay below concludes with a Riding with others in a carpool is much more enjoyable and sociable than driving alone every day. When I was new at Tybold Incorporated, I joined a carpool. My travel companions have since become my closest business associates, best friends, and racquetball buddies. You have a choice! Call your local carpool number tonight and start reaping the benefits of shared transportation tomorrow.

Accepted Answer

A)  call to action. 
B)  final point. 
C)  question.

Question 4

Instructions: Study the body of each of the following paragraphs. Then, select the letter of the topic sentence that is most accurate. Select the best topic sentence for the paragraph. It dates back to ancient Egypt, when players tried to knock down pins by rolling a ball made of stone or wood at them. One historian claims that Germans were playing the game by 300 A.D. By the Middle Ages, bowling had become so popular that in 1366, England s King Edward III banned the sport because it was distracting his soldiers from archery practice. English, Dutch, and German settlers all imported different variations of the game when they immigrated to America. Today, almost 70 million Americans go bowling every year, making it the most popular participatory sport in the United States.

Accepted Answer

A)  Bowling has long been a popular game all over the world. 
B)  Bowling is a lot of fun. 
C)  Bowling balls have changed a lot over the years.

Question 5

Instructions: Select the answer that correctly adds the suffix to each word below. predict + ing

Accepted Answer

A)  predicting 
B)  predictting

Question 6

Instructions: The following sentences form a passage. Select the correct past tense verb for each blank. A few hardy souls ____ by diving from the dock into the still, cold lagoon water.

Accepted Answer

A)  awaked 
B)  awoke

Question 7

Instructions: What kind of paragraph or essay is required by each of the following questions? Select the letter of the correct answer. Trace the development of jazz in America.

Accepted Answer

A)  classify 
B)  illustrate 
C)  narrate

Question 8

Instructions: Select the letter of the correct answer for each of the following questions. Which of the following should appear in both a direct quotation and an indirect quotation?

Accepted Answer

A)  the name of the writer and a reference to the source 
B)  quotation marks 
C)  the word that

Question 9

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) Some seemingly harmless substances can interfere with the way medicines work inside the body. (2) Take grapefruit juice, for example. (3) It disrupts the action of enzymes that break down drugs in the small intestine before they are absorbed into the bloodstream. (4) Therefore, taking a medication with grapefruit juice may cause the drug to enter the blood in dangerously high concentrations. (5) If this happens, not only is the drug less effective, but serious side effects can result. (6) Many common medications, including antidepressants, antihistamines, and cholesterol drugs, are negatively affected by grapefruit juice. Select the number of the topic sentence in the paragraph above.

Accepted Answer

A)  Sentence 1 
B)  Sentence 2 
C)  Sentence 6

Question 10

Instructions: Read the paragraph below and answer the question(s) that follow. (1) America s public schools should adopt the principles of Harlem, New York s Promise Academy, three charter schools established in 2004 to revitalize an impoverished urban area through better education. (2) First, public schools should lengthen the school day. (3) In the Promise Academy schools, the school day begins at 8:00 a.m. and does not end until 4:00 p.m.; furthermore, teachers assign homework in every subject every night. (4) Putting this kind of emphasis on academic studies in public schools would result in graduates who are better prepared for the challenges of higher education and the workforce. (5) Second, public schools should offer an after-school program like the one at the Promise Academy. (6) In that program, which lasts until 6:00 p.m. for elementary school children and 7:30 p.m. for middle and high school students, young people can get academic help or take additional classes to learn to speak a foreign language, play a musical instrument, or explore a new hobby such as photography or chess. (7) If offered a similar program, public school children would be more likely to spend their time in safe, productive activities and less likely to get into trouble. (8) Finally, public schools should replicate what the Promise Academy calls its culture of achievement and intellectual growth. (9) By creating this type of culture, public schools would increase their student success rates. How many arguments support the topic sentence?

Accepted Answer

A)  two 
B)  three 
C)  four

Question 11

Instructions: Find the complete subject and the complete verb in each of the following sentences. Then select the letter of the answer that contains both the subject and the verb. Joe was introduced to Mina at the benefit dinner.

Accepted Answer

A)  Mina, was introduced 
B)  Joe, Mina, benefit dinner 
C)  Joe, was introduced

Question 12

Instructions: For each set of sentences below, choose the sentence in which capital letters and punctuation have been used correctly. Select the letter of the correct answer. Which sentence uses capital letters and punctuation correctly?

Accepted Answer

A)  In 2012, african-american tennis player Serena Williams achieved a Career Golden Slam after winning an Olympic gold medal in addition to all four Grand Slam tournaments, the U.S. Open, the French Open, the Australian Open, and Wimbledon. 
B)  In 2012, African-American tennis player Serena Williams achieved a Career Golden Slam after winning an Olympic gold medal in addition to all four Grand Slam tournaments: the U.S. Open, the French Open, the Australian Open, and Wimbledon. 
C)  In 2012, African-American tennis player Serena Williams achieved a Career Golden Slam after winning an olympic gold medal in addition to all four Grand Slam tournaments: the u.s. open, the french open, the australian open, and wimbledon.

Question 13

Instructions: Select the correct preposition in parentheses for each of the following sentences. ( In , On ) Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Philip goes to the gym.

Accepted Answer

A)  In 
B)  On

Question 14

Instructions: The following sentences form a passage. For each one, select the type of error in the sentence. If the sentence is free of mechanics errors, select Correct. Children of the Kindertransport Life was not easy for the children of the Kindertransport, especially in the first weeks and months. Most spoke little or no english, and they longed for their families and familiar ways.

Accepted Answer

A)  Capitalization error 
B)  Title error 
C)  Quotation error 
D)  Minor mark of punctuation error 
E)  Correct

Question 15

Instructions: The following sentences form a passage. For each one, select correct if the sentence is punctuated correctly, fragment if it is a fragment, run-on if it is a run-on, and comma splice if it is a comma splice. He knew at that moment what he wanted to do.

Accepted Answer

A)  correct 
B)  fragment 
C)  run-on 
D)  comma splice

Question 16

Instructions: The following sentences form a passage. For each one, select correct if the sentence is punctuated correctly, fragment if it is a fragment, run-on if it is a run-on, and comma splice if it is a comma splice. And then went on to receive a master s in that field and a second master s in computer science.

Accepted Answer

A)  correct 
B)  fragment 
C)  run-on 
D)  comma splice

Question 17

Instructions: Select the correct past participle for each blank. Donated to the Livermore Fire Department in 1901, the bulb is ____ closely by firefighters and city historians to keep its light burning brightly.

Accepted Answer

A)  watch 
B)  watched

Question 18

Instructions: In each group below, select the letter of the sentence that uses concise, fresh, and exact language. Which sentence uses concise, fresh, and exact language?

Accepted Answer

A)  There were crumbs all over the keyboard. 
B)  There were cookie crumbs on the computer keyboard. 
C)  There were cookie crumbs stuck in the keys of the computer keyboard.

Question 19

Instructions: Read each of the sentences below carefully. Then select the correct word in parentheses. My brother and ( I , me) arrived at Gina s party on time.

Accepted Answer

A)  I 
B)  me

Question 20

Instructions: Select the letter of the sentence that is correctly punctuated with commas. Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

Accepted Answer

A)  The coach, a cigar-chewing bully, pushed his team to first place. 
B)  The coach, a cigar-chewing bully pushed his team, to first place. 
C)  The coach a cigar-chewing bully, pushed his team to first place.

Exam 1: Writing Effective Paragraphs