English
Passage I
1) 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 others. 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. It is important to use the structure of the question to tip you off to look for possible redundancy or unnecessarily wordy language; because we often use redundant and wordy language in speech, we cannot count on it to necessarily sound bad. In this case, the shortest answer choice, D, is correct, since A, B, and C are all redundant with the word “return,” found earlier in the sentence.
2) H) On questions like this that give you a specific purpose, pay attention primarily to the purpose and minimally to the context, unless the purpose itself is context dependent. Sometimes incorrect answers are made to sound great in the context even though they do not accomplish the stated purpose. In this case, H is the correct answer, since it uses specific details to describe the shop. F is incorrect because it describes the shop’s location. G is incorrect because it does not describe the actual “sights and smells” experienced by the narrator. J is incorrect because it primarily describes what a “bazaar” is.
3) A) The period is correctly used to separate two independent clauses, since both what comes before the period and what comes after the period express complete thoughts and are therefore capable of standing alone. A comma without a conjunction, a conjunction (“and”) without a comma, and no punctuation at all are all unacceptable options between two independent clauses.
4) G) Because this pronoun is being used to describe an unknown thing, “what” is the most appropriate pronoun. To some extent, this could be considered an issue of idiomatic language, meaning that there is no rule involved; instead, you simply need to know which word is appropriate or be able to use your ear to figure it out.
5) D) Any time you are offered a period, a semi-colon, or a comma-conjunction in any of your answer choices, you should check to see if what comes before and after are each independent clauses, which express a complete thought and are therefore capable of standing alone. In this case, you do have two independent clauses, one ending with the word “patterns,” and the other beginning with the word “in.” Therefore, D is the correct answer, since it correctly joins the two independent clauses with a semi-colon. C is incorrect because the semi-colon is not in the correct place. A and B are incorrect because a comma without a conjunction or no punctuation at all are unacceptable ways of joining two independent clauses.
6) H) On questions like this that give you a specific purpose, pay attention primarily to the purpose and minimally to the context, unless the purpose itself is context dependent. Sometimes incorrect answers are made to sound great in the context even though they do not accomplish the stated purpose. In this case, H is the correct answer, since it fits with the overall tone of the essay and is specific regarding how many of the patterns were pulled down. F and G are incorrect because they are unnecessarily wordy in a way that is inconsistent with the tone of the rest of the passage; this wordiness adds no information that is not adequately expressed in H. J is incorrect because it is not nearly as specific as H.
7) A) 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 others. 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. It is important to use the structure of the question to tip you off to look for possible redundancy or unnecessarily wordy language; because we often use redundant and wordy language in speech, we cannot count on it to necessarily sound bad. In this case, the shortest answer choice, the original sentence, is correct, since B, C, and D contain redundant wording, since “usual” means the same thing as “customary” or “common” in this context.
8) J) Answer choice J is correct because no comma is needed when connecting a phrase with an independent clause that precedes it. F and G are incorrect because periods and semi-colons are used between two independent clauses, and what comes after the period or semi-colon in this case is not an independent clause since it is not capable of standing on its own. H is incorrect because, although colons are used in a variety of ways, there is simply no need to use a colon to separate a phrase from the preceding independent clause.
9) D) The word “this” in Sentence 5 is most logically referring to the “overwhelm[ing]” choices described in Sentence 3, so Sentence 5 should go directly after Sentence 3. Sentence 4 should then go after Sentence 5, since Sentence 4 describes the logical outcome of the statement made in Sentence 5.
10) G) When you are given the option of different placements for a modifying word or phrase, you are being tested on a possible misplaced modifier issue, so you should place the word or phrase next to whatever it is most accurately describing. Here, the adverb “carefully” is most accurately describing the verb “smooth,” so it should go right before the word “smooth,” since adverbs typically go before the verb they describe. Therefore, G is the correct answer. H could be tempting, but it is incorrect because the expression “smooth out” should not be interrupted by a modifier.
11) B) On questions that test you on verb tense, pay attention to the tense of other nearby verbs. Here, the entire passage is written in the past tense, featuring past tense verbs such as “tried,” “shook,” and “cooled.” The past tense “insisted,” without the need for any auxiliary verbs, is the appropriate tense in this context because it is consistent with the overall tense of the passage and because it generally results in the sentence making sense.
12) H) On apostrophe questions, you must consider two things: 1) whether it is plural or singular and 2) whether it is possessive or not possessive. Here, “sisters” is plural because more than one sister is being discussed. It is not a possessive word, so you need the plural non-possessive “sisters,” which correctly does not use an apostrophe. F is incorrect because it is plural and possessive. G is incorrect because it is singular and possessive. H is correct over J because a comma is not needed to separate the phrase at the end of the sentence from the rest of the sentence.
Passage II
13) C) Watch out for the “NOT.” Although all the answer choices work from a purely grammatical perspective, C is unacceptable because the conjunction “so” is a cause and effect transition, which is inappropriate in this situation because a contradictory transition is needed instead. A, B, and D all appropriately use contradictory transitions and are all punctuated correctly; A turns the first independent clause into a dependent clause, while B and D use a comma-conjunction and a semi-colon, respectively, to join the two independent clauses and transition words.
14) J) This is essentially a vocabulary question, as you are asked to choose the most appropriate way of describing a hospital’s stock of blood. Here J is the most appropriate option, since “supply” is the only appropriate word to describe a hospital’s stock of blood.
15) D) This question is testing you on a misplaced modifier issue. Modifying words and phrases must be next to what they are modifying, so the phrase at the beginning of this sentence must be modifying “the Blood Transfusion Association.” D is the correct answer because it is the only option that specifically describes “the Blood Transfusion Association.”
16) F) No punctuation is needed at this point in the sentence. H and J are incorrect because periods and semi-colons are used to separate two independent clauses, and neither what comes before nor what comes after the proposed punctuation is capable of standing on its own. G is incorrect because a comma should never separate a subject from its verb, as it would in this case.
17) B) 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 others. 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. It is important to use the structure of the question to tip you off to look for possible redundancy or unnecessarily wordy language; because we often use redundant and wordy language in speech, we cannot count on it to necessarily sound bad. In this case, the shortest answer choice, B, is correct, since A, C, and D are all redundant, as “first” has the same meaning as “initial” and “beginning.”
18) H) As is typically the case when you are tested on preposition use, 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. Here, H is the correct preposition, since a person can be an expert “on” a subject or process.
19) A) Whenever a verb is underlined, you should match it with its simple subject to check for agreement. In this case, the subject of the verb is the plural “principles.” Although it would be easy to mistake “human blood types and blood compatibility” for the subject of this sentence, “human blood types and blood compatibility” is the object of the prepositional phrase beginning with the word “of,” and the subject of a sentence can never be found within a phrase. Because the subject is plural, the singular verbs found in B and D are inappropriate. A is correct over C because it represents the proper verb tense. Because this verb is describing something that happened and stopped happening in the past (rather something that began in the past and continues through the present day), it is necessary to use the past perfect rather than the present perfect.
20) F) The possessive pronoun “its” is needed because the pronoun is in passion of “head.” G is incorrect because “it’s” can only mean “it is.” H is incorrect because the plural pronoun “their” does not agree with the singular antecedent (the word a pronoun renames) “program.” Whenever a pronoun is underlined it is wise to match it with its antecedent to check for agreement. J is incorrect because “they’re” means “they are.”
21) D) On questions that test you on verb tense, pay attention to the tense of other nearby verbs. Here, the entire passage is written in the past tense, featuring past tense verbs such as “demonstrated,” “was,” and “were used.” The past tense “was,” without the need for any auxiliary verbs, is the appropriate tense in this context because it is consistent with the overall tense of the passage. Answer choices A, B, and C all indicate that the program is still experiencing success under Dr. Drew’s leadership, which makes little sense given that the events described in the passage occurred during the 1940s, as is stated in the first sentence of the passage.
22) H) On questions like this that give you a specific purpose, pay attention primarily to the purpose and minimally to the context, unless the purpose itself is context dependent. Sometimes incorrect answers are made to sound great in the context even though they do not accomplish the stated purpose. In this case, H is the correct answer, since it is the only option that specifically connects Dr. Drew to the innovation of the bloodmobile.
23) B) There is simply no need for any commas in this part of the sentence. You must have a reason to put a comma in the sentence rather than a reason not to. Know your comma rules, and if there is no specific reason to use a comma, do not use one.
24) H) On questions like this that give you a specific purpose, pay attention primarily to the purpose and minimally to the context, unless the purpose itself is context dependent. Sometimes incorrect answers are made to sound great in the context even though they do not accomplish the stated purpose. In this case, H is the correct answer, since it refers to his work “at home” in America. F is tempting, but it is incorrect because it discusses the organizational structure of the American Red Cross rather than Drew’s impact on the organization. G is incorrect because it is vague and does not deal specifically with Drew’s work with the American Red Cross. J is incorrect because it primarily describes when Drew resigned and what he did afterwards rather than his impact on the organization.
25) A) There is no need to change the order of the paragraphs, as they present the information in the most logical order as they are originally arranged; they begin by outlining a problem, then describe a program begun to solve the problem, then discuss the leader of the program, and finally discuss the overall result of the program.
Passage III
26) J) On apostrophe questions, you must consider two things: 1) whether it is plural or singular and 2) whether it is possessive or not possessive. Here, “today’s” is singular because there is only one “today.” It is a possessive word since it is in possession of “teenagers,” so you need the singular possessive “today’s,” which appropriately places the apostrophe before the s. “Teenagers” is plural because it is discussing more than one teenager and it is not possessive, so the plural non-possessive “teenagers” is appropriate, since it does not use an apostrophe.
27) C) No punctuation is needed here. Periods, semi-colons, and question marks are used in between two independent clauses, and the second part of this sentence is not an independent clause since it does not express a complete thought.
28) G) Whenever a verb is underlined, you should match it with its simple subject to check for agreement. In this case, the subject of the verb is the singular “experience.” Although it would be easy to mistake the plural “others” for the subject of this sentence, “others” is the object of the prepositional phrase beginning with the word “of,” and the subject of a sentence can never be found within a phrase. Because the subject is singular, the singular verb found in F is the only appropriate option, as all other answer choices feature plural verbs. See verb agreement.
29) C) This question is an issue of parallel construction. Parallel construction mandates that items in lists and comparisons must be written in as similar a manner as possible. Because this sentence involves a list of verbs, it is necessary for all the verbs to be written in the same tense. Therefore, the present tense “sort” is needed because it represents the same verb tense as “determine” and “hone.” Note that the auxiliary verb “can” applies to all three verbs in the list because it comes at the beginning of the list.
30) F) No punctuation is needed at this point in the sentence. Specifically, J is incorrect because semi-colons are used to join two independent clauses, and the second part of this sentence is not an independent clause. G and H are incorrect because a comma is not needed when a conjunction is used to join two items (unless those items are both independent clauses, and even then, the comma would come before the conjunction). See comma use.
31) D) This statement should not be added because, although it is kind of related to the discussion of volunteering, it represents a digression from the focus of what is being discussed, which is the benefits of teen volunteerism. A and B are incorrect because this statistic does not state why “ongoing volunteering” is important and does not in fact prove anything. C is incorrect because this statistic is not found elsewhere in the essay.
32) G) The proper word here is “accept,” not “except.” “Accept” means “to approve or admit,” while “except” means “excluding.” G is correct over J because J simply makes little sense, largely for reasons of idiomatic language.
33) C) Here a comma is needed to separate the dependent clause at the beginning of the sentence from the independent clause that follows. A and D are incorrect because periods and semi-colons are used in between two independent clauses, not a dependent clause and an independent clause. B is incorrect because it results in the sentence failing to express a complete thought.
34) F) Watch out for the “NOT.” This is a vocabulary question, as it tests you on which of four similar words is subtly inappropriate. Here, G, H, and J are all appropriate verbs to state that the resume shows volunteer work. F, however, does not work, as “volunteer experience” is simply a thing, not a complete thought which could be said.
35) A) F is correct because it is the only verb tense that results in a grammatically correct sentence. B and C are incorrect because these verb constructions are never grammatically correct. D is incorrect because it results in the sentence failing to express a complete thought.
36) G) No commas are needed in this portion of the sentence. A comma should not go in between “courses” and “taken” because it would inappropriately interrupt the expression “courses taken.” A comma should not go before the “and” because a comma is only used with a conjunction when the conjunction is joining two independent clauses or preceding the final item in a list of three or more items, neither of which is the case here. See comma use.
37) D) No transition word is needed at this point in the sentence. Specifically, B is inappropriate because it results in a fragment, since it turns the sentence into a dependent clause, which can no longer stand on its own. A is incorrect because a contradictory transition does not make sense in this context, and C is incorrect because a cause and effect transition does not make sense in this context.
38) J) On questions like this that give you a specific purpose, pay attention primarily to the purpose and minimally to the context, unless the purpose itself is context dependent. Sometimes incorrect answers are made to sound great in the context even though they do not accomplish the stated purpose. In this case, J is the correct answer, since it best reflects the essay’s main theme of teen volunteering being a rewarding and beneficial experience in many ways. F could be tempting, but it is incorrect because “sole” means “only” and the essay describes indicates that the benefits of volunteering go beyond simply helping others.
Passage IV
39) C) Answer choice C is correct because it uses a comma to join the phrase at the beginning of the sentence with the independent clause that follows. A is incorrect because it consists of a phrase followed by a dependent clause, resulting in a fragment, which does not express a complete thought. B is incorrect because what comes before the period is a phrase and is therefore a fragment when it exists on its own. D is incorrect for the same reason as B and because what comes after the period is a dependent clause and therefore is also a fragment when it exists on its own. See two independent clauses and comma use.
40) J) 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 others. 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. It is important to use the structure of the question to tip you off to look for possible redundancy or unnecessarily wordy language; because we often use redundant and wordy language in speech, we cannot count on it to necessarily sound bad. In this case, the shortest answer choice, J, is correct, since “untrained” and “untamed” are redundant with “wild.”
41) A) This question is simply asking you what the underlined portion adds to the sentence. A is correct because the details do in fact help to characterize Dayton Hyde. B is incorrect because the underlined portion contains background information about Dayton Hyde, not the Black Hills. C is incorrect because the last sentence of the first paragraph, and not the underlined portion, explains the narrator’s interest in the sanctuary. D is incorrect because the sentence would establish this fact even without the underlined portion.
42) J) This sentence should be placed after Sentence 4 because Sentence 4 first introduces the reader to the fact that they are riding in a pickup truck, and Sentence 3 mentions the truck as if it had already been mentioned.
43) B) This statement should be added because it transitions effectively into the next paragraph, which describes the horses scattering. An addition should be made if it explains something that could be unclear or if it creates an effective transition, and this this addition accomplishes the latter. Answer choice A is incorrect because this description does not contrast the horses with domesticated horses.
44) H) The period is needed to separate the two independent clauses. A comma with no conjunction, a conjunction with no comma, and no punctuation at all are all unacceptable options between two independent clauses. Whenever a period is offered in any of the answer choices, you should check to see if what comes before and after the period are both independent clauses; if they both are, choose the period.
45) C) This question is an issue of parallel construction. Parallel construction mandates that items in lists and comparisons must be written in as similar a manner as possible. Because this sentence involves a list of verbs, it is necessary for all the verbs to be written in the same tense. Therefore, the present tense “kick” is needed because it represents the same verb tense as “toss” and “fly.”
46) H) There is simply no need for any commas in this part of the sentence. You must have a reason to put a comma in the sentence rather than a reason not to. Know your comma rules, and if there is no specific reason to use a comma, do not use one. Specifically, you should be aware that a comma never comes directly before the word “that.”
47) B) On questions like this that give you a specific purpose, pay attention primarily to the purpose and minimally to the context, unless the purpose itself is context dependent. Sometimes incorrect answers are made to sound great in the context even though they do not accomplish the stated purpose. In this case, B is the correct answer, since it is the only option that mentions both the landscape and “imagination.”
48) G) “Its” is the correct form of the word because it is the possessive form of “it,” and the word “it” is in possession of “beauty.” F is incorrect because it is a contraction of “it is,” which makes no sense in this context. J similarly makes no sense. H is incorrect because “its’ ” is not even a word.
49) C) No punctuation is needed at this point in the sentence, since a phrase can be added to the end of an independent clause without the use of punctuation. A, B, and D are all incorrect because what comes after the period is unable to stand alone, and periods are only used to separate two independent clauses.
50) J) Whenever a pronoun is underlined, you should match it with its antecedent (the word it renames) to assist you in determining the correct pronoun to use. Here, the pronoun is renaming “horses,” which would most accurately be referred to as “them.” Specifically, F does not work because it uses a singular pronoun with a plural antecedent, and G and H simply do not fit in this context. See pronoun agreement.