Part 1
The following sentences test correctness and effectiveness of expression. Part of each sentence or the entire sentence is underlined; beneath each sentence are five ways of phrasing the underlined material. Choice A repeats the original phrasing; the other four choices are different. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice A; if not, select one of the other choices.
In making your selection, follow the requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to grammar, choice of words, sentence construction, and punctuation. Your selection should result in the most effective sentence lear and precise, without awkwardness or ambiguity.
EXAMPLE:
Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book
and she was sixty-five years old then.
•and she was sixty-five years old then
•when she was sixty-five
•at age sixty-five years old
•upon the reaching of sixty-five years
•at the time when she was sixty-five
1. Since last September Patricia has been working at the convenience store down the road.
2. To help freshmen and sophomores in selecting their courses, candid reviews of courses and instructors compiled by juniors and seniors.
3. The landscape artist who designed New York City’s Central Park believed that providing scenic settings accessible to all would not only benefit the public’s physical and mental health and also foster a sense of democracy.
4. In areas where deer roam freely, residents must dress to protect themselves against deer ticks that might transmit diseases.
5. Given the cost of a hardcover book, the price of it typically hovers around $25, many consumers ask their book dealers, “When will the paperback be out?”
6. The article featured the Sea Islands because many were known there to live much as their ancestors of a century ago had lived.
7. A poetic form congenial to Robert Browning was the dramatic monologue, it let him explore a character’s mind without the simplifications demanded by stage productions.
8. Many eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Romantic poets were believers in rebellion against social conventions, express strong emotion, and the power of imagination.
9. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the proposal to replace the existing Articles of Confederation with a federal constitution were met with fierce opposition.
10. When for the first time the United States imported more oil than it exported, Americans should have realized that an energy crisis was imminent and could happen in the future.
11. Intimacy, love, and marriage are three different, if interrelated, subjects.
12.
America’s first roller coaster ride,which opened in 1884 at Coney Island,Brooklyn,and
A
capcable of a top speed of only six miles per hour.No error
B C D E
13.
The inflation rate in that country is so high that even with adjusted wages,most workers
A B C
can barely pay for food and shelter.No error
D E
14.
Over the past two years, apparel manufacturers have worked to meeting the revised federal
A B C
standards for the design of uniforms. No error
D E
15.
Storing bread in the refrigerator delays drying and the growth of mold but increase the
A B
rate at which the bread loses flavor. No error
C D E
16.
According to last week’s survey, most voters were disappointed by legislators’ inability
A B
working together on key issues. No error
C D E
17.
When Marie Curie shared the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics with two other scientists----
A B
her had been the first woman to win the prize. No error
C D E
18.
Every spring in rural Vermont the sound of sap dripping into galvanized metal buckets
A B
signal the begining of the traditional season for gathering maple syrup. No error
C D E
19.
Those investors who sold stocks just before the stock market crashed in 1929 were either
A B C
wise or exceptional lucky. No error
D E
20.
Most of the sediment and nutrients of the Mississippi River no longer reach the coastal wet
A
lands,a phenomenon that has adversely affected the region’s ecological balance. No error
B C D E
21.
Most major air pollutants cannot be seen, although large amounts of them concentrated in
A B
cities are visible as smog. No error
C D E
22.
The light emitted by high-intensity-discharge car headlights are very effective in activating the reflective paints of road
A B
markers, thereby making driving at night safer. No error
C D E
23.
During the nineteenth century,Greek mythology acquired renewed significance when both poets A B
and painters turned to the ancient myths for subject matter. No error
C D E
24.
The museum is submitting proposals to several foundations in the hope to gain funds
A B C D
to build a tropical butterfly conservatory. No error
E
25.
In order for the audience to believe in and be engaged by a Shakespearean character, they
A B C
have to come across as a real person on the stage. No error
D E
26.
Most of the hypotheses that Kepler developed to explain physical forces were later rejected
A B
as inconsistent to Newtonian theory. No error
C D E
27.
Lynn Margulis’s theory that evolution is a process involving interdependency rather than
A B
competition among organisms differs dramatically from most biologists. No error
C D E
28.
The Empire State Building, the Sears Tower,the Canadian National Tower--each of these
A
structures was the tallest in the world at time they were built. No error
B C D E
29.
The cost of safely disposing of the toxic chemicals is approximately five times what the
A B C
company paid to purchase it. No error
D E
30. Directions: The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask you to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.
(1) On September 10, 1973, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp honoring Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937), one of four stamps in the American Arts series. (2) Acclaimed as an artist in the United States and Europe at the turn of the century, Tanner was called the “dean” of art by W. E. B. Du Bois. (3) But after his death, Tanner’s work was largely forgotten. (4) And so it remained, and even later, in 1969, the donation of one of his paintings to the Smithsonian Institution aroused new interest in the art of this American master. (5) Now his works are on exhibit again. (6) You can even buy posters of his paintings!
(7) One of his most famous works is a realistic painting by the name of “The Banjo Lesson.” (8) It was inspired by a poem of Paul Laurence Dunbar. (9) The painting isn’t like a photograph. (10) The magnificence of his work can be seen with each subtle brush stroke, each carefully crafted detail. (11) The effect is truly beautiful. (12) If I were to try to identify the dominant theme of the painting, I would have to say that it is family cohesiveness because the entire scene seems to emphasize the bond between the boy and his grandfather.
1). Which is the best version of the underlined part of sentence 2 (reproduced below) ?
Acclaimed as an artist in the United States and Europe at the turn of the century, Tanner was called the “dean" of art by W. E. B. Du Bois.
2). Which is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 4 (reproduced below) ?
And so it remained, and even later, in 1969, the donation of one of his paintings to the Smithsonian Institution aroused new interest in the art of this American master.
3). In context, which is the best revision of sentence 6 (reproduced below) ?
can even buy posters of his paintings!
4). In context, which is the best way to revise sentence 7 (reproduced below) ?
One of his most famous works is a realistic painting by the name of “The Banjo Lesson..
5). Which sentence is best inserted after sentence 7 ?
6). Which is best to add to the beginning of sentence 9 ?
Part 2
The following sentences test correctness and effectiveness of expression. Part of each sentence or the entire sentence is underlined; beneath each sentence are five ways of phrasing the underlined material. Choice A repeats the original phrasing; the other four choices are different. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice A; if not, select one of the other choices.
In making your selection, follow the requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to grammar, choice of words, sentence construction, and punctuation. Your selection should result in the most effective sentence—clear and precise, without awkwardness or ambiguity.
EXAMPLE:
Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book
and she was sixty-five years old then.
(A)and she was sixty-five years old then
(B)when she was sixty-five
(C)at age sixty-five years old
(D)upon the reaching of sixty-five years
(E)at the time when she was sixty-five
1. In everything from finding comets to spotting supernovae, amateur astronomers have become so accomplished, and professional astronomers sometimes seek their help.
2. Since scientific advances are central to progress, basic research deserving continuing support.
3. With Americans consuming sugar in record amounts,______________ have largely replaced other, more healthful, beverages.
4. Experts disagree about what, is the definition of intelligence and how to measure it.
5. The charges against the organization are being investigated by a committee, it includes several senators.
6. Traditional Jamaican music, enriched with rock, jazz, and other modern rhythms from America, were the basis for reggae.
7. Travel writing often describes a journey of exploration and endurance, a trip that is risky either because of natural hazards but also because of political unrest.
8. James Barrie, the author of Peter Pan and other plays, is noted for portraying adulthood as unpleasant and childhood is glorified.
9. Though they had earlier indicated otherwise, it was eventually decided upon by the legislators to have the bill passed.
10. Spread by rat fleas, millions of people in medieval Europe were killed by bubonic plague.
11. Medical insurance coverage that requires high monthly premiums and that is beyond the financial means of many people.
12. Among the most flavorful cuisines in the United States, New Orleans has also become one of the most popular.
13. Meals prepared by the Algonquin Indians, who were farmers as well as hunters, included more maize and pumpkin than other Indian tribes.
14. Born of Ibuza parents in Nigeria, novelist Buchi Emecheta moved to England in 1962, since which she has lived in North London.