English
Passage 1
1) D) When given the option to “DELETE the underlined portion,” you should think carefully about doing so, as this option is correct about half the time it is offered. Ask yourself if there is any possibility the underlined portion could be considered unnecessary, irrelevant, or redundant. If there is any chance it could be, it should be deleted. In this case, the underlined portion should be deleted, since every other option adds unnecessary words to the sentence. The sentence expresses a complete thought in a clear, succinct manner with the underlined portion deleted. Not only do the other options make the sentence overly wordy, but they also destroy the grammatical structure of the sentence by adding an unnecessary verb.
2) H) G and J can be eliminated because “friends” is plural but not possessive, so no apostrophe should be used. H is correct over F because the comma in F is not needed. A comma should never separate a subject from its verb, as is done by the comma in F. See apostrophes and comma use.
3) A) A is correct because the word “when” correctly relates the dependent clause that begins with the word “but” to the independent clause that follows after the final comma in the sentence. B is incorrect because there is no causal relationship between the two clauses. C is incorrect because it also fails to accurately relate the two clauses. D is incorrect because deleting the word “when” turns the clause that begins with the word “but” into an independent clause, which is then incorrectly joined to the independent clause that follows with a comma and no conjunction. See transition words and two independent clauses.
4) G) Because this question is testing you on verb tense, you should observe the tense of other nearby verbs. This question is tricky, since the sentence containing the underlined portion includes the past tense “puzzled” and the present tense “know.” However, the author’s realization is clearly a one-time event that occurred in the past, so the past tense “realized” is appropriate. J is incorrect because it implies an ongoing action that began in the past, which makes little sense. See verb tense.
5) D) When you are given the option of different placements for a phrase, you are being tested on a misplaced modifier issue, so you should place the phrase next to whatever it is most directly modifying, or describing. Here, the underlined phrase most accurately modifies “softness” so it should be placed should be placed directly after this word.
6) G) When you notice that one answer choice is shorter than the others, recognize that you are being given the option of not including something that has been included in the other answer choices. Check to see if what is included in the other answer choices could be considered unnecessary, irrelevant, or redundant. If there is any chance it could be, choose the shorter one. In this case, the transitions words added in F, H, and J are not needed, so G is the correct answer. Specifically, F and H incorrectly imply a contradictory relationship between this sentence and the previous sentence, when in reality this sentence supports the previous sentence. J is incorrect because it turns the entire sentence into a dependent clause which is incapable of standing on its own. See transition words and fragments.
7) C) Watch out for the “NOT.” C is the correct answer because “they” is a vague pronoun in this situation, since it lacks a clear and recent antecedent (the word a pronoun renames). A and B are acceptable because either a singular or a plural noun makes sense in this context, and they both avoid the error in C. D is acceptable because the first person would also make sense in this context. See pronoun agreement.
8) F) In order to figure out the best transition, it is necessary to read the rest of the paragraph before answering this question. Either read the rest of the paragraph quickly and then attempt the question, or come back to the question after working through the other questions in the paragraph. The rest of the paragraph discusses the narrator’s attempts to find beauty in the Eastern landscape, so F provides the best transition.
9) D) The original sentence incorrectly places a comma between a subject (“there”) and its verb (“are”). The other comma in the original sentence is also unnecessary. D is correct because it eliminates both of these unnecessary commas and correctly places a comma between the independent clause in the first part of the sentence and the dependent clause that follows. See comma use.
10) G) Not only is “when” the only transition word that makes sense in the context, but it is also the only option that results in a grammatically correct sentence. Because the first part of the sentence is joined to the independent clause in the second part of the sentence with a comma and no conjunction, it is necessary to turn the first part of the sentence into a dependent clause, which only G accomplishes. The other answer choices all result in two independent clauses incorrectly joined with a comma and no conjunction. See transition words and comma use.
11) A) Here you need the possessive “its,” so A is the correct answer. “It’s” can only mean it is, which does not work in this context, and “its’” isn’t even a word. D is incorrect because it introduces an unnecessary word that turns the sentence into a fragment. See apostrophes.
12) J) The correct expression is “growing fond.” This is an issue of idiomatic language, so there is no rule involved. You just have to know the expression or be able to use your ear to figure it out. Sometimes a useful strategy on questions like this is to use your own sentence to demonstrate the idiomatic expression.
13) A) This phrase should be kept because it shows why these landscapes appeal to the narrator, who loved the open expanses of the western deserts. B is incorrect because the justification does not make sense. Just because the narrator likens the beauty of the landscape to that of the western deserts does not mean the narrator wishes to live in the desert.
Passage II
14) H) There is simply no need for any commas in this sentence. You must have a reason to put a comma in a sentence rather than a reason not to. If there is no specific reason to use a comma, do not use one. Even if you typically use your ear to discern where to put commas (a much less reliable method than using grammatical rules), any commas added to this sentence simply sound out of place. See comma use.
15) D) This sentence should not be added. Although it is kind of related to the topic of sunflowers, it is not necessary and relevant in this paragraph and simply goes off on a tangent from the focus of the paragraph. The sentence before the proposed addition discusses the ancient cultivation of the sunflower, and the sentence after the proposed addition discusses the use of the sunflower by the ancient growers. By discussing something from modern history, the proposed addition would interrupt the discussion of the ancient history of the sunflower as a crop. C offers an incorrect justification for not including the addition since the clarification described in C would likewise be off topic, so D is the correct answer.
16) G) On apostrophe questions, you must consider two questions: 1) is it plural or singular and is it possessive or not possessive. Here, the “seeds’” is plural because it is discussing more than one seed and possessive because it is in possession of its “shells,” so G is correct because it features the plural possessive “seeds’.” G also correctly features the plural non-possessive “shells.”
17) C) The word “or” is needed because of the word “either” earlier in the sentence. The expression is “either… or,” so C is the only option that works. This is an issue of idiomatic language, so there is no rule involved. You just have to know the expression or be able to use your ear to figure it out. Sometimes a useful strategy on questions like this is to use your own sentence to demonstrate the idiomatic expression.
18) F) The original sentence is correct as it is written. The second part of the sentence is a participle phrase that is correctly linked to the preceding independent clause with a comma. G is incorrect because it implies that the settlers physically planted themselves, not the sunflowers, in the ground. H is correct because it turns the last part of the sentence into an independent clause, which is incorrectly joined to the preceding independent clause with a comma and no conjunction. J is incorrect because it is awkward and wordy and generally makes little sense. See comma use.
19) D) The past participle “become” is needed in this context instead of the past simple “became,” since the past participle is always used when preceded by “had” or “have.” D is correct over B because D, which is written in the past perfect, correctly describes an ongoing event that began and ended in the past. C, which is written in the present perfect, incorrectly describes an event that began in the past and is ongoing to this day. Although sunflowers are still common, the growth in their popularity indicated by the verb in the question began and ended in the past. See verb tense.
20) H) The dates in Sentences 1, 2, and 4 are an extremely useful hint. The paragraph makes the most sense if it is written in chronological order, so Sentence 4 should be placed between Sentences 1 and 2. This placement also results in the most logical flow of ideas in the paragraph.
21) B) The word “however” is a nonessential element of the sentence because the sentence would still make complete sense if the “however” were removed. Because the word “however” is nonessential, it should be separated from the rest of the sentence with a comma before it and a comma after it. Hence, B is the correct answer because it includes both needed commas. See comma use.
22) J) J is the correct answer because it correctly joins the dependent clause in the first part of the sentence to the independent clause in the second part of the sentence. F and H are incorrect because periods and semi-colons are used in between two independent clauses, not an independent clause and a dependent clause. G is incorrect because it results in a fragment and also misrepresents the intended meaning of the sentence. See comma use.
23) B) Watch out for the “LEAST.” The placement suggested by B would make the least sense of any of the options. The underlined portion must be placed somewhere after the word “brought,” since the proper expression is “brought… with,” so “with” cannot precede “brought.”
24) G) The word “that” is needed to properly indicate that the part of the sentence to follow is a description of “sunflowers.”
25) C) On questions like this that give you a specific purpose, pay attention primarily to the purpose and minimally to the context. Sometimes incorrect answers are made to sound great in the context even though they do not accomplish the stated purpose. Answer choice C is the only option that accomplishes the stated purpose of linking the conclusion to the opening paragraph, as it discusses the sunflower returning to its native land after its cultivation in Europe. The word “again” in particular helps to link answer choice C to the opening paragraph.
Passage III
26) G) Whenever a sentence begins with a phrase and then gives you different options for how to begin the independent clause that comes after the phrase, you are likely being tested on a misplaced modifier issue. Phrases, like all modifiers, must be placed right next to whatever they are modifying or describing. In this case, the phrase at the beginning of the sentence is describing “band members,” so “band members” must come right after the phrase in the beginning of the sentence.
27) B) This sentence requires the possessive “their,” since the Shriners are in possession of the “service organization.” “There” means over there, which doesn’t make sense in this context. The sentence also requires the possessive “its,” since the organization is in possession of the “important work.” “It’s” can only mean it is, which makes no sense in this context.
28) J) This is a transition question, so you should read the previous sentence and the sentence that contains the underlined portion without reading any of the transition words so you can think clearly about how they are related. In this case, the sentence containing the underlined portion begins a new topic that does not require a transition word to link it to the previous topic. F and H both incorrectly indicate a causal relationship, when in reality the previous sentence and paragraph do not describe a cause of the sentence that contains the underlined portion. G incorrectly indicates that the sentence containing the underlined portion provides more of what was provided by the previous sentence, since “moreover” means also. Because none of the proposed transition words accurately describes the transition, no transition word should be used.
29) C) This question is testing you on verb tense, so you should pay attention to the tense of nearby verbs. The rest of the paragraph uses the present tense to describe the process of crafting steel drums, featuring present tense verbs such as “hammer,” “have,” and “produce.” Therefore, the verb in the underlined portion must be the present tense “fashion.” C is correct over D because “then” is the appropriate word in this context, as it means next. “Than” is a comparative word that makes no sense in this context.
30) F) This sentence requires the plural verb “produce” in order to agree with the plural subject “ridges.” It would be easy to mistake the singular “mallet” for the subject of this verb, but “mallet” is the object of the prepositional phrase that begins with the word “with,” and a simple subject can never be found within a phrase. Whenever a verb is underlined, it is wise to match it with its subject to check for agreement. F is correct over G because the comma is needed. “When… mallet” is a nonessential element of the sentence, since the sentence would still make sense if it were removed; therefore, it should be separated from the rest of the sentence with a comma before it and a comma after it. See verb agreement and comma use.
31) A) This sentence requires the singular verb “evokes” in order to agree with the singular subject “sound.” Whenever a verb is underlined, it is wise to match it with its subject to check for agreement. A is correct over D because no comma is needed to join the phrase at the end of the sentence to the independent clause in the beginning of the sentence. Typically, when a phrase is added to the end of an independent clause, no comma is used. There are, however, many exceptions to this rule, so use your ear. In this case, it would be unnatural to pause at this point in the sentence, so no comma should be used. See verb agreement and comma use.
32) J) The reference to “these notes” indicates that the sentence before the new sentence must have mentioned notes. Sentence 4, in referring to “distinct pitches and tones” is the only sentence that directly discusses different notes, so the new sentence should go right after Sentence 4. It would be easy to mistakenly believe that Sentence 3 also discusses specific notes, but Sentence 3 discusses high and low pitched drums in a general sense rather than making reference to specific notes.
33) D) The correct answer is D because no punctuation is needed to join the dependent clause at the end of the sentence to the independent clause in the beginning of the sentence. A and B are incorrect because periods and semi-colons are used in between two independent clauses, not an independent clause and a dependent clause. C is incorrect because colons are used to separate an independent clause in the beginning of a sentence from a list that follows, not from a dependent clause.
34) F) When you notice that one answer choice (including the “NO CHANGE” option) is shorter than the others, recognize that you are being given the option of not including something that has been included in the other answer choices. Check to see if what is included in the other answer choices could be considered unnecessary, irrelevant, or redundant. If there is any chance it could be, choose the shorter one. In this case, G, H, and J each say the same thing as F in an unnecessarily wordy manner. F is correct because it expresses the same meaning as the other options in a concise, straightforward manner. J could be tempting, but it is unlikely that the Shriners really say as much about this topic as is indicated by J.
35) D) When you notice that one answer choice is shorter than the others, recognize that you are being given the option of not including something that has been included in the other answer choices. Check to see if what is included in the other answer choices could be considered unnecessary, irrelevant, or redundant. If there is any chance it could be, choose the shorter one. In this case, the extra information added in A, B, and C is redundant with the phrase at the beginning of the sentence, so D is the correct answer.
36) F) F is correct because it is the most direct and accurate way of expressing the intended meaning of the sentence. G is an overly wordy and awkward way of expressing the intended meaning of the sentence, and its overly formal tone is inconsistent with the tone of the rest of the passage. H is incorrect because it is a less clear and direct way of expressing the intended meaning of the sentence than F. It is likely that H is referring to applause, which would indicate the popularity of the Shriners’ shows, but F is a much more direct way of indicating the same thing. J is incorrect because it is overly vague. What “job” does the band do?
37) C) The passage would not accomplish this goal because it only discusses the use of steel drums by the Shriners. To accomplish the stated goal, the passage would need to go into detail about other musicians who have historically used steel drums. C offers a better justification for the “No” position than D because the primary reason the passage does not accomplish the stated goal is that it is too narrow in scope, not that it lacks facts.
Passage IV
38) F) Answer choice F correctly uses a semi-colon between two independent clauses. Whenever you are given the option of a period, semi-colon, or comma-conjunction, check to see if what comes before it and after it both constitute independent clauses by seeing if each of these parts of the sentence can stand alone. If they both can stand alone, the period, semicolon, or comma-conjunction (provided that it is an appropriate conjunction) will be correct. G, H, and J are incorrect because it is unacceptable to join two independent clauses without any punctuation, with a comma but no conjunction, or with a conjunction but no comma.
39) D) Because this question is testing you on verb tense, you should observe the tense of other nearby verbs. The rest of the passage is written in the present tense, using present tense verbs such as “do,” “hold,” and “debate” to discuss an issue that faces libraries in the present. D is correct because it uses the present tense “is,” which is consistent with the rest of the passage.
40) G) No punctuation is needed in the underlined portion. Specifically, F is incorrect because it uses a comma to separate the subject of the sentence from its verb. Even though your ear may sense a pause at this point in the sentence, you should never use a comma to separate a subject from its verb. H is incorrect because a semi-colon is used to separate two independent clauses, and what comes after this semi-colon is not an independent clause since it does not express a complete thought. J is incorrect because a comma is simply unnecessary at this point. Remember, when taking a rule-based approach to commas, you need a reason to use a comma rather than a reason not to use one. See comma use.
41) C) This question is asking you what the underlined portion provides the sentence with. The underlined provides a statistic that shows just how large the budget cuts are, so C is the most accurate description of the underlined portion. B is tempting because the underlined portion is “a statistic,” but it is incorrect because the statistic involves the size of the budget cuts and does not indicate how many libraries are affected. A is incorrect because the statistic is discussing the budget cuts in “many… communities,” not one specific community. D is incorrect because the statistic does not involve the reasons for the budget cuts.
42) H) J can be eliminated because some form of the verb “to suggest” is needed in order for the sentence to make sense. H is correct over F and G because it is written in the present participle, which turns the second part of the sentence into a participle phrase that accurately describes the suggestion made by that statistic in the first part of the sentence. F and G both incorrectly imply that the suggestion made by the statistic was a past suggestion, which is inconsistent with the present tense of the rest of the passage. See verb tense.
43) D) Because this question is testing you on verb tense, you should observe the tense of other nearby verbs. The rest of the passage is written in the present tense, using present tense verbs such as “isn’t,” “consider,” and “don’t” to discuss an issue that faces libraries in the present. D is correct because it uses the present tense “do,” which is consistent with the rest of the passage. A and C are also incorrect because the correct expression, had the past tense been appropriate, would be have done, since the past participle of a verb (“done”) should be preceded by the verb “have,” not the preposition of.
44) G) Because this question is testing you on verb tense, you should observe the tense of other nearby verbs. The rest of the passage is written in the present tense, using present tense verbs such as “do,” “build,” and “has” to discuss an issue that faces libraries in the present. F can be eliminated because it is incorrectly written in the past tense. G is the correct answer because it is in the present tense and because the plural verb “improve” agrees with the plural subject “libraries;” both H and J are singular verbs that are inconsistent with the plural subject. Whenever a verb is underlined, it is wise to match it with its subject to check for agreement. See verb agreement.
45) B) No punctuation is needed in the underlined portion. “Preschoolers… times” represents one item in the list of ways people use the library, so there is no need to use punctuation within this one item. The commas in A and D imply that this one item is actually two separate items, which makes no sense and also creates a parallel construction error. C is incorrect because a semi-colon is used to separate two independent clauses, which is not the situation in this sentence. See comma use.
46) J) parallel construction dictates that items in lists and comparisons should be expressed in as similar a manner as possible. Because this sentence involves a list of independent clauses, each item in the list must be an independent clause. F and G each turn the last item into a phrase, so F and G can be eliminated. H and J each turn the last item in the list into an independent clause, but J is correct over H because its use of the present tense “enjoy” (rather than the past tense “checked”) more closely parallels the present tense verbs of the other items in the list (“depend” and “look”).
47) A) On questions like this that give you a specific purpose, pay attention primarily to the purpose and minimally to the context. Sometimes incorrect answers are made to sound great in the context even though they do not accomplish the stated purpose. Here, the stated purpose is to provide a “new example” of a service provided by the library. A is the correct answer because it is the only answer that describes a library service that has not already been discussed; B, C, and D are all listed in the previous sentence.
48) H) Parallel construction dictates that items in lists and comparisons should be expressed in as similar a manner as possible. The end of this sentence features a two item list joined by the conjunction “and.” The underlined portion is the second item in the list, so it should be expressed in the same manner as the first item in the list, “exploring.” Therefore, H is the correct answer.
49) D) No punctuation is needed in the underlined portion of the sentence. When using indirect quotation with the word “that,” no punctuation is used before the word “that.” Commas and colons can both be used to lead into direct quotation but are unnecessary in this context. See comma use and colons.
50) H) On questions like this that give you a specific purpose, pay attention primarily to the purpose and minimally to the context. Sometimes incorrect answers are made to sound great in the context even though they do not accomplish the stated purpose. H best accomplishes the stated purpose of summarizing the main point of the essay, since the essay primarily argues that local governments should not cut library funding since libraries are an important and valuable resource. Although the other answer choices all relate to things discussed in the passage, they do not directly reflect the primary argument of the passage.