Question 1

Tomato Fights as Tradition in One Spanish Town Have you ever heard of people throwing rotten tomatoes at actors who perform poorly on stage? Well, in Spain they take the tomato throwing one step further. Each year in the village of Buñol, located in the eastern region near the Mediterranean, there is a tomato throwing festival known as the Tomatina. It is a food fight in which over 400,000 pounds (200,000 kilograms) of tomatoes are smashed and juiced over the bodies of more than 40,000 people each year.
This festival began in 1945 and there are several different (1) theories about where it got its start. According to one theory, once a group of teenagers were attending a religious procession in the main (2) plaza or town square. It is said that one person aggressively pushed another, and everyone started fighting. There just happened to be a vegetable stand in the street and the teens began throwing the tomatoes at each other until the police came and broke the fights up. The same teens decided to repeat the fighting match the next year, for fun, with tomatoes that they took from home. Since then people meet up the same day, on the last Wednesday of August, at the same plaza, to participate in this unique tomato fight.
During the Tomatina the (3) participants, dressed in old clothing, throw tomatoes at each other from balconies, trucks, throughout the streets…there is no way to escape it. The streets and the participants all end up covered in tomato sauce. The tomatoes have to be (4) ripe. One of the rules of this battle is that before throwing the tomatoes you must crush them in your hands to prevent hurting someone. The fight only lasts an hour. Trucks full of tomatoes arrive at the plaza and everyone gets prepared. A (5) rocket signals the beginning and the end of the fun battle. When the second rocket is heard, the fight stops, but the party continues.
Apart from having a great time at this celebration, all that tomato juice is apparently good for your skin. It's an excellent treatment that helps with cleansing and toning.
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

A) The tomato fight only lasts several days. 
B) Buñol is a Spanish town 
C) Trucks full of tomatoes supply the police with their vegetable weapons. 
D) Both A and B

Question 2

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
It had invaded China and its alliance with Germany and Italy (the Axis Powers), along with its occupation of French Indochina strained diplomatic relations.

Accepted Answer

A) its 
B) it's 
C) its' 
D) it

Question 3

Which course of action most improves the following sentence?
The passage was read aloud by the student in case some of the class had fallen behind in the reading.

Accepted Answer

A) Fix the tense shift. 
B) Fix subject/verb agreement 
C) Change to active voice. 
D) Change had fallen to fell.

Question 4

Once upon a time, a mouse, a bird, and a sausage, entered into partnership and set up house together. For a long time all went well; they lived in great comfort, and prospered so far as to be able to add considerably to their stores. The bird's duty was to fly daily into the wood and bring in fuel; the mouse fetched the water, and the sausage saw to the cooking. When people are too well off they always begin to long for something new. And so it came to pass, that the bird, while out one day, met a fellow bird, to whom he boastfully expatiated on the excellence of his household arrangements. But the other bird sneered at him for being a poor simpleton, who did all the hard work, while the other two stayed at home and had a good time of it. For, when the mouse had made the fire and fetched in the water, she could retire into her little room and rest until it was time to set the table. The sausage had only to watch the pot to see that the food was properly cooked, and when it was near dinner-time, he just threw himself into the broth, or rolled in and out among the vegetables three or four times, and there they were, buttered, and salted, and ready to be served. Then, when the bird came home and had laid aside his burden, they sat down to table, and when they had finished their meal, they could sleep their fill till the following morning: and that was really a very delightful life.
Influenced by those remarks, the bird next morning refused to bring in the wood, telling the others that he had been their servant long enough, and had been a fool into the bargain, and that it was now time to make a change, and to try some other way of arranging the work. Beg and pray as the mouse and the sausage might, it was of no use; the bird remained master of the situation, and the venture had to be made. They therefore drew lots, and it fell to the sausage to bring in the wood, to the mouse to cook, and to the bird to fetch the water.
And now what happened? The sausage started in search of wood, the bird made the fire, and the mouse put on the pot, and then these two waited till the sausage returned with the fuel for the following day. But the sausage remained so long away, that they became uneasy, and the bird flew out to meet him. He had not flown far, however, when he came across a dog who, having met the sausage, had regarded him as his legitimate booty, and so seized and swallowed him. The bird complained to the dog of this bare-faced robbery, but nothing he said was of any avail, for the dog answered that he found false credentials on the sausage, and that was the reason his life had been forfeited.
He picked up the wood, and flew sadly home, and told the mouse all he had seen and heard. They were both very unhappy, but agreed to make the best of things and to remain with one another.
So now the bird set the table, and the mouse looked after the food and, wishing to prepare it in the same way as the sausage, by rolling in and out among the vegetables to salt and butter them, she jumped into the pot; but she stopped short long before she reached the bottom, having already parted not only with her skin and hair, but also with life.
Presently the bird came in and wanted to serve up the dinner, but he could nowhere see the cook. In his alarm and flurry, he threw the wood here and there about the floor, called and searched, but no cook was to be found. Then some of the wood that had been carelessly thrown down, caught fire and began to blaze. The bird hastened to fetch some water, but his pail fell into the well, and he after it, and as he was unable to recover himself, he was drowned.
Why did the bird insist on changing jobs?

Accepted Answer

A) He was bored with the job of picking up the firewood. 
B) He didn't like the way the sausage cooked their meals. 
C) He believed he was working harder than the others. 
D) He believed he wasn't working as hard as the others.

Question 5

Once upon a time, a mouse, a bird, and a sausage, entered into partnership and set up house together. For a long time all went well; they lived in great comfort, and prospered so far as to be able to add considerably to their stores. The bird's duty was to fly daily into the wood and bring in fuel; the mouse fetched the water, and the sausage saw to the cooking. When people are too well off they always begin to long for something new. And so it came to pass, that the bird, while out one day, met a fellow bird, to whom he boastfully expatiated on the excellence of his household arrangements. But the other bird sneered at him for being a poor simpleton, who did all the hard work, while the other two stayed at home and had a good time of it. For, when the mouse had made the fire and fetched in the water, she could retire into her little room and rest until it was time to set the table. The sausage had only to watch the pot to see that the food was properly cooked, and when it was near dinner-time, he just threw himself into the broth, or rolled in and out among the vegetables three or four times, and there they were, buttered, and salted, and ready to be served. Then, when the bird came home and had laid aside his burden, they sat down to table, and when they had finished their meal, they could sleep their fill till the following morning: and that was really a very delightful life.
Influenced by those remarks, the bird next morning refused to bring in the wood, telling the others that he had been their servant long enough, and had been a fool into the bargain, and that it was now time to make a change, and to try some other way of arranging the work. Beg and pray as the mouse and the sausage might, it was of no use; the bird remained master of the situation, and the venture had to be made. They therefore drew lots, and it fell to the sausage to bring in the wood, to the mouse to cook, and to the bird to fetch the water.
And now what happened? The sausage started in search of wood, the bird made the fire, and the mouse put on the pot, and then these two waited till the sausage returned with the fuel for the following day. But the sausage remained so long away, that they became uneasy, and the bird flew out to meet him. He had not flown far, however, when he came across a dog who, having met the sausage, had regarded him as his legitimate booty, and so seized and swallowed him. The bird complained to the dog of this bare-faced robbery, but nothing he said was of any avail, for the dog answered that he found false credentials on the sausage, and that was the reason his life had been forfeited.
He picked up the wood, and flew sadly home, and told the mouse all he had seen and heard. They were both very unhappy, but agreed to make the best of things and to remain with one another.
So now the bird set the table, and the mouse looked after the food and, wishing to prepare it in the same way as the sausage, by rolling in and out among the vegetables to salt and butter them, she jumped into the pot; but she stopped short long before she reached the bottom, having already parted not only with her skin and hair, but also with life.
Presently the bird came in and wanted to serve up the dinner, but he could nowhere see the cook. In his alarm and flurry, he threw the wood here and there about the floor, called and searched, but no cook was to be found. Then some of the wood that had been carelessly thrown down, caught fire and began to blaze. The bird hastened to fetch some water, but his pail fell into the well, and he after it, and as he was unable to recover himself, he was drowned.
Why did the dog eat the sausage?

Accepted Answer

A) The dog was hungry and identified the sausage as food. 
B) The dog claimed the sausage asked to be eaten. 
C) The dog claimed the sausage was carrying false credentials. 
D) The dog identified the sausage as having once belonged to him.

Question 6

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
When dining in the Congo hands should be washed before and after eating.

Accepted Answer

A) When dining in the Congo hands should be 
B) When dining in the Congo hand should be 
C) When dining in the Congo, hands should be 
D) When dining in the Congo; hands should be

Question 7

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Accepted Answer

A) "Its not going to 
B) clean up its own mess," 
C) the man said, 
D) pointing at his neighbor's dog.

Question 8

Tomato Fights as Tradition in One Spanish Town Have you ever heard of people throwing rotten tomatoes at actors who perform poorly on stage? Well, in Spain they take the tomato throwing one step further. Each year in the village of Buñol, located in the eastern region near the Mediterranean, there is a tomato throwing festival known as the Tomatina. It is a food fight in which over 400,000 pounds (200,000 kilograms) of tomatoes are smashed and juiced over the bodies of more than 40,000 people each year.
This festival began in 1945 and there are several different (1) theories about where it got its start. According to one theory, once a group of teenagers were attending a religious procession in the main (2) plaza or town square. It is said that one person aggressively pushed another, and everyone started fighting. There just happened to be a vegetable stand in the street and the teens began throwing the tomatoes at each other until the police came and broke the fights up. The same teens decided to repeat the fighting match the next year, for fun, with tomatoes that they took from home. Since then people meet up the same day, on the last Wednesday of August, at the same plaza, to participate in this unique tomato fight.
During the Tomatina the (3) participants, dressed in old clothing, throw tomatoes at each other from balconies, trucks, throughout the streets…there is no way to escape it. The streets and the participants all end up covered in tomato sauce. The tomatoes have to be (4) ripe. One of the rules of this battle is that before throwing the tomatoes you must crush them in your hands to prevent hurting someone. The fight only lasts an hour. Trucks full of tomatoes arrive at the plaza and everyone gets prepared. A (5) rocket signals the beginning and the end of the fun battle. When the second rocket is heard, the fight stops, but the party continues.
Apart from having a great time at this celebration, all that tomato juice is apparently good for your skin. It's an excellent treatment that helps with cleansing and toning.
The word "theories", in bold after the (1) in the second paragraph, is closest in meaning to

Accepted Answer

A) Speculations 
B) Certainties 
C) Assurances 
D) Facts

Question 9

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Accepted Answer

A) "I'm not always sure 
B) what I'm suppose to do next," 
C) the confused math student 
D) told his teacher.

Question 10

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
The nicer a person look, the more respect he or she will receive.

Accepted Answer

A) a person look, the more respect he or she will receive 
B) a person looks, the more respect he or she will receive 
C) a person looked; the more respect he or she will receive 
D) a person will look, the more respect he or she will receive

Question 11

Tomato Fights as Tradition in One Spanish Town Have you ever heard of people throwing rotten tomatoes at actors who perform poorly on stage? Well, in Spain they take the tomato throwing one step further. Each year in the village of Buñol, located in the eastern region near the Mediterranean, there is a tomato throwing festival known as the Tomatina. It is a food fight in which over 400,000 pounds (200,000 kilograms) of tomatoes are smashed and juiced over the bodies of more than 40,000 people each year.
This festival began in 1945 and there are several different (1) theories about where it got its start. According to one theory, once a group of teenagers were attending a religious procession in the main (2) plaza or town square. It is said that one person aggressively pushed another, and everyone started fighting. There just happened to be a vegetable stand in the street and the teens began throwing the tomatoes at each other until the police came and broke the fights up. The same teens decided to repeat the fighting match the next year, for fun, with tomatoes that they took from home. Since then people meet up the same day, on the last Wednesday of August, at the same plaza, to participate in this unique tomato fight.
During the Tomatina the (3) participants, dressed in old clothing, throw tomatoes at each other from balconies, trucks, throughout the streets…there is no way to escape it. The streets and the participants all end up covered in tomato sauce. The tomatoes have to be (4) ripe. One of the rules of this battle is that before throwing the tomatoes you must crush them in your hands to prevent hurting someone. The fight only lasts an hour. Trucks full of tomatoes arrive at the plaza and everyone gets prepared. A (5) rocket signals the beginning and the end of the fun battle. When the second rocket is heard, the fight stops, but the party continues.
Apart from having a great time at this celebration, all that tomato juice is apparently good for your skin. It's an excellent treatment that helps with cleansing and toning.
In paragraph 1, why does the author ask the reader if he or she has ever heard of people throwing rotten tomatoes at people who perform poorly on stage?

Accepted Answer

A) To introduce the topic of the essay 
B) To support the claim that tomatoes are used all over the world. 
C) To provide evidence that Spain is a country where tomatoes are wasted. 
D) To show that the Tomatina is famous all over the world.

Question 12

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
Spain is considered to be the fourth largest country in the euro zone.

Accepted Answer

A) is considered to be 
B) is considered as 
C) is 
D) are

Question 13

Once upon a time, a mouse, a bird, and a sausage, entered into partnership and set up house together. For a long time all went well; they lived in great comfort, and prospered so far as to be able to add considerably to their stores. The bird's duty was to fly daily into the wood and bring in fuel; the mouse fetched the water, and the sausage saw to the cooking. When people are too well off they always begin to long for something new. And so it came to pass, that the bird, while out one day, met a fellow bird, to whom he boastfully expatiated on the excellence of his household arrangements. But the other bird sneered at him for being a poor simpleton, who did all the hard work, while the other two stayed at home and had a good time of it. For, when the mouse had made the fire and fetched in the water, she could retire into her little room and rest until it was time to set the table. The sausage had only to watch the pot to see that the food was properly cooked, and when it was near dinner-time, he just threw himself into the broth, or rolled in and out among the vegetables three or four times, and there they were, buttered, and salted, and ready to be served. Then, when the bird came home and had laid aside his burden, they sat down to table, and when they had finished their meal, they could sleep their fill till the following morning: and that was really a very delightful life.
Influenced by those remarks, the bird next morning refused to bring in the wood, telling the others that he had been their servant long enough, and had been a fool into the bargain, and that it was now time to make a change, and to try some other way of arranging the work. Beg and pray as the mouse and the sausage might, it was of no use; the bird remained master of the situation, and the venture had to be made. They therefore drew lots, and it fell to the sausage to bring in the wood, to the mouse to cook, and to the bird to fetch the water.
And now what happened? The sausage started in search of wood, the bird made the fire, and the mouse put on the pot, and then these two waited till the sausage returned with the fuel for the following day. But the sausage remained so long away, that they became uneasy, and the bird flew out to meet him. He had not flown far, however, when he came across a dog who, having met the sausage, had regarded him as his legitimate booty, and so seized and swallowed him. The bird complained to the dog of this bare-faced robbery, but nothing he said was of any avail, for the dog answered that he found false credentials on the sausage, and that was the reason his life had been forfeited.
He picked up the wood, and flew sadly home, and told the mouse all he had seen and heard. They were both very unhappy, but agreed to make the best of things and to remain with one another.
So now the bird set the table, and the mouse looked after the food and, wishing to prepare it in the same way as the sausage, by rolling in and out among the vegetables to salt and butter them, she jumped into the pot; but she stopped short long before she reached the bottom, having already parted not only with her skin and hair, but also with life.
Presently the bird came in and wanted to serve up the dinner, but he could nowhere see the cook. In his alarm and flurry, he threw the wood here and there about the floor, called and searched, but no cook was to be found. Then some of the wood that had been carelessly thrown down, caught fire and began to blaze. The bird hastened to fetch some water, but his pail fell into the well, and he after it, and as he was unable to recover himself, he was drowned.
How did the mouse and the sausage feel about the bird's plan to change their responsibilities?

Accepted Answer

A) They agreed it was time for everyone to take on a different chore. 
B) They thought it was a terrible idea and tried to convince the bird to change his mind. 
C) The mouse thought it was a great idea, but the sausage was not certain. 
D) The sausage was pleased with a chance to do something new, but the mouse was worried it would be too much work.

Question 14

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
Japan control the disputed East China Sea islands until World War II.

Accepted Answer

A) control 
B) controls 
C) controlling 
D) controlled

Question 15

The World Wildlife Foundation recently reports that the number of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico has declined drastically. Although extreme drought conditions have dried up nectar plants monarch butterflies rely on for food. The destruction of their overwintering grounds also poses a considerate threat.
When monarch butterflies arrive in Mexico from Canada and the United States, they converge on oyamel fir trees. The trees provide shelter to monarch butterflies they are also essential to the communities that surround the forests. In the past, residents used the wood for cooking and heating, but recently, they have began to sell it in order to support their livelihoods. As a result of logging oyamel fir trees, the habitat of the monarch butterfly population has shrunk.
In 2008, scientists used satellite imagery to illustrate the degradation of oyamel fir forests. Officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States met to quickly develop a monarch butterfly conservation plan. A key feature of the plan focused on protecting the monarch butterflies' habitat. Mexico agreed to enforce a ban on logging within the Monarch Biosphere Bio Reserve.
Despite various conversation efforts, including paying landowners for logging rights, the monarch butterfly population continues to decline. There was a 28 percent reduction in numbers of butterflies overwintering in Mexico. If further efforts are not made, some scientist predict the total collapse of the ecosystem that supports monarch butterflies in Mexico.
Compare how residents have used oyamel fir trees in the past to how they currently use the trees.

Accepted Answer

A) In the past, residents used the trees only for personal needs like cooking and heat, but now they sell the wood to others to earn money. 
B) In the past residents avoided using the trees in the conservation biosphere, but now they have to use those trees as well. 
C) The increase in population has led to residents cutting down more trees than they have in the past. 
D) In the past residents earned money by selling wood from the trees, now they are given money by the government and don't cut the trees.

Question 16

Which course of action most improves the following sentence?
Don't forget to change your car's oil every 3000 miles, you risk damaging the engine if you drive without enough oil.

Accepted Answer

A) Fix the parallel structure. 
B) Change from second to third person. 
C) Fix the comma splice. 
D) Set off the parenthetical remark with commas.

Question 17

Tomato Fights as Tradition in One Spanish Town Have you ever heard of people throwing rotten tomatoes at actors who perform poorly on stage? Well, in Spain they take the tomato throwing one step further. Each year in the village of Buñol, located in the eastern region near the Mediterranean, there is a tomato throwing festival known as the Tomatina. It is a food fight in which over 400,000 pounds (200,000 kilograms) of tomatoes are smashed and juiced over the bodies of more than 40,000 people each year.
This festival began in 1945 and there are several different (1) theories about where it got its start. According to one theory, once a group of teenagers were attending a religious procession in the main (2) plaza or town square. It is said that one person aggressively pushed another, and everyone started fighting. There just happened to be a vegetable stand in the street and the teens began throwing the tomatoes at each other until the police came and broke the fights up. The same teens decided to repeat the fighting match the next year, for fun, with tomatoes that they took from home. Since then people meet up the same day, on the last Wednesday of August, at the same plaza, to participate in this unique tomato fight.
During the Tomatina the (3) participants, dressed in old clothing, throw tomatoes at each other from balconies, trucks, throughout the streets…there is no way to escape it. The streets and the participants all end up covered in tomato sauce. The tomatoes have to be (4) ripe. One of the rules of this battle is that before throwing the tomatoes you must crush them in your hands to prevent hurting someone. The fight only lasts an hour. Trucks full of tomatoes arrive at the plaza and everyone gets prepared. A (5) rocket signals the beginning and the end of the fun battle. When the second rocket is heard, the fight stops, but the party continues.
Apart from having a great time at this celebration, all that tomato juice is apparently good for your skin. It's an excellent treatment that helps with cleansing and toning.
The word "plaza", in bold after the (2) in the second paragraph, is closest in meaning to

Accepted Answer

A) Shopping center 
B) Town square 
C) Balcony 
D) Garden

Exam 1: Accuplacer Esl

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. It had invaded China and its alliance with Germany and Italy (the Axis Powers) , along with its occupation of French Indochina strained diplomatic relations.

Which course of action most improves the following sentence? The passage was read aloud by the student in case some of the class had fallen behind in the reading.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. When dining in the Congo hands should be washed before and after eating.

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. The nicer a person look, the more respect he or she will receive.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. Spain is considered to be the fourth largest country in the euro zone.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. Japan control the disputed East China Sea islands until World War II.

Which course of action most improves the following sentence? Don't forget to change your car's oil every 3000 miles, you risk damaging the engine if you drive without enough oil.