Read the passage below and then answer questions 1–4.
1 When Erin Gruwell first stepped through the doors of Room 203 at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, she had no idea how her experiences there would change the course of her life. 2 Fresh out of college, Erin was eager to make a difference in the lives of her students. 3 Her first day of school, however, presented her with seemingly insurmountable obstacles: her students were considered “unteachable,” “below average,” and “delinquent.”
4 Mrs. Gruwell was determined not to except the labels placed on her students, and she focused on finding ways to reach them. 5 She began by helping her students form a community among themselves. 6 Many of her students were members of rival gangs. 7 Gruwell engaged students in activities to forge common bonds and used books which she bought with money from a second job to help students feel connected to others. 8 The students began to form friendships and work together toward their common goals.
9 Gruwell’s most important project began on the day she distributed brand new notebooks to each member of her class. 10 Students were invited to share their personal stories in the notebooks. 11 Through the telling of these stories, each student began to feel heard, understood, and respected. 12 Eventually, Mrs. Gruwell helped propel the students toward even more success when she published her stories in a book aptly titled The Freedom Writers Diary.

1. Which word is used incorrectly and should be changed?
A course should be coarse in sentence 1
B except should be accept in sentence 4
C among should be between in sentence 5
D personal should be personnel in sentence 10

2. Choose the best place to add this detail.
Because of this tension, Room 203 often felt more like a boxing ring than a classroom.
A after sentence 2
B after sentence 4
C after sentence 5
D after sentence 6

3. Which part of sentence 7 could best be enclosed in parentheses?
A Gruwell engaged students (in activities) to forge common bonds and used books which
she bought with money from a second job to help students feel connected to others.
B Gruwell engaged students in activities to forge common bonds (and used books) which
she bought with money from a second job to help students feel connected to others.
C Gruwell engaged students in activities to forge common bonds and used books (which
she bought with money from a second job) to help students feel connected to others.
D Gruwell engaged students in activities to forge common bonds and used books which
she bought with money from a second job (to help students feel connected to others).

4. Which change corrects the error in sentence 12?
A Place a comma after success.
B Place a semicolon after success.
C Change published to publishes.
D Change her to their.

Read the passage below and then answer questions 5–81 The waxwing is a fairly common bird whose range spans southern Canada and the northern United States. 2 Smaller than a robin, the waxwing has a pale yellow belly, distinct black mask, and crested, cinnamon-brown head that make it a striking bird. 3 Its name is derived from red, waxy appendages at the tips of its wings. 4 It is one of the most frugivorous (fruit-eating) birds in North America. 5 While the waxwing is a skilled hunter of insects, its preferred diet is fruit that has a high sugar content. 6 Often traveling in flocks of forty or more birds, waxwings descend rapidly on fruit-bearing trees and bushes, stripping them bare of fruit within minutes. 7 Waxwings make an open cup of a nest and usually lay 4 or 5 light gray eggs. 8 Perhaps the waxwing’s most interesting behavior involves its sharing of food. 9 If berries are at the end of a branch or twig, the birds will line up and pass berries from one beak to the next all the way down the line. 10 An amazing sight to see. 11 Waxwings breed in summer when there is a good supply of fruit and insects to feed their young. 12 The birds are mostly nomadic, flying from one available food source to the next. 13 Found in both rural and urban areas, waxwings most often choose to live in open woodlands, small trees, or garden areas.

5. In which version of sentence 5 is the modifier, like many songbirds, misplaced? A Like many songbirds, the waxwing is a skilled hunter of insects, but its preferred diet is fruit that has a high sugar content.
B While the waxwing, like many songbirds, is a skilled hunter of insects, its preferred diet
is fruit that has a high sugar content.
C While the waxwing is a skilled hunter of insects, like many songbirds, its preferred diet is
fruit that has a high sugar content.
D While the waxwing is a skilled hunter of insects, its preferred diet is fruit that has a high sugar content, like many songbirds.

6. Choose the best place to add this detail.
Two of its favorite fruits are cherries and mulberries.
A after sentence 2
B after sentence 5
C after sentence 8
D after sentence 9

7. Which sentence is off-topic and should be removed?
A sentence 4
B sentence 7
C sentence 12
D sentence 13

8. Which revision makes sentence 10 a complete sentence?
A An amazing sight for someone to see.
B An amazing sight to see this.
C It is an amazing sight to see.
D Is quite an amazing sight to see.

Read the passage below and then answer questions 9–12.
1 Aerobic exercise promotes good health and a strong body by building cardiovascular strength, toning muscles, increasing endurance, and boosting lung capacity. 2 It helps lower cholesterol, which can cause heart disease. 3 In addition, aerobic exercise relieves stress. 4 What exactly is an aerobic activity? 5 An activity is considered aerobic if it elevates a person’s heart rate to 60% of its maximum level for fifteen to twenty minutes. 6 To begin an aerobic exercise program, an individual should determine his or her resting heart rate—the rate at which the heart beats when it is not under physical stress. 7 Once the resting heart rate has been determined, you are ready to begin aerobic activity. 8 The heart rate must remain above the resting rate continuously for fifteen minutes in order for the exercise to be benificial to the heart. 9 There are many form’s of aerobic exercise. 10 Rollerblading, running, walking, swimming, and biking are just a few activities that can be aerobic exercise if they are performed for a
minimum of fifteen minutes. 11 Many fitness clubs offer step aerobics and cardio kickboxing as fun ways to exercise the heart too.

9. Which change corrects the error in pronoun use in sentence 7?

A Once the resting heart rate has been determined, we are ready to begin aerobic activity.
B Once the resting heart rate has been determined, one is ready to begin aerobic activity.
C Once the resting heart rate has been determined, they are ready to begin aerobic activity.
D Once the resting heart rate has been determined, I am ready to begin aerobic activity.

10. Which word is spelled incorrectly?
A endurance in sentence 1
B capacity in sentence 1
C continuously in sentence 8
D benifi cial in sentence 8

11. Which change corrects an error in apostrophe usage?
A Remove the apostrophe from the word person’s in sentence 5.
B Add an apostrophe to the word beats in sentence 6.
C Remove the apostrophe from the word form’s in sentence 9.
D Add an apostrophe to the word clubs in sentence 11.

12. Which sentence would best conclude this passage?
A Gymnastics is another type of activity that is healthy for the body.
B A balanced diet is just as important as steady, regular exercise.
C While aerobic exercise is not the only way to stay in shape, it can be an important part of a
healthy lifestyle.
D In order to continue building physical strength, a person should increase aerobic activity
to four or fi ve times a week.

Read the passage below and then answer questions 1–4.
1 Today, camels live in Africa and Asia, and llamas live in the mountain areas of South America. 2 Ancestors of both camels and llamas thrived in North America but began to disappear they were victims of animal predators and early human hunters. 3 The camel’s ancestors crossed the Bering Strait’s temporary land bridge to Asia. 4 They spread across Asia
into North Africa, gradually developing into the familiar camel of today. 5 Living in the desert helped the camel to develop an ability to go long periods without water and increased its value as a pack animal. 6 Meanwhile, the ancestors of today’s llama traveled south through the Isthmus of Panama into South America. 7 Like camels, llamas developed to fit their environment. 8 Their feet are small because they walk on rocky surfaces, and their coats are thick and woolly to protect them from the cold, dry atmosphere. 9 Some people around the world keep llamas as pets.

1. Which sentence should be written as two sentences?
A sentence 2
B sentence 4
C sentence 5
D sentence 8

2. Which word would best begin sentence 3?
A However
B Eventually
C Furthermore
D Similarly

3. Which rewrite of sentence 4 uses the ellipsis correctly?
A . . . They spread across Asia into North Africa, gradually developing into the familiar
camel of today.
B They spread across Asia . . . gradually developing into the familiar camel of today.
C They spread across Asia into North Africa . . . gradually developing into the familiar
camel of today.
D They spread across Asia into North Africa, gradually developing into the familiar camel
of today . . .

4. Which sentence should be removed because it adds a detail not relevant to the passage?
A sentence 1
B sentence 5
C sentence 7
D sentence 9

Read the passage and then answer the questions.
1 In science class this month, my classmates and I worked together on a variety of experiments that explore gravity’s properties. 2 Yesterday, we discussed what it must be like to work and live in the weightless environment of space. 3 Mr. Lampley, our teacher, described
how astronauts in orbiting spacecraft, due to constant free-fall, can move around in ways that are impossible on Earth. 4 One experiment we did in class showed how water drops are pearshaped when they hang from some surfaces _______ gravity pulls the drops into that shape. 5 On spacecraft, escaped liquid forms perfect spheres because the water molecules attract each other equally. 6 In a weightless environment, these spheres just drift around instead of falling to the ground. 7 These floating spheres can be tough to capture so astronauts have to be exceptionally careful when drinking any kind of liquid. 8 On the other hand, washing up is very easy in space because water sticks to the body. 9 While being weightless might be enjoyable for a while, I think a weightless environment might end up causing some rather exasperating complications. 10 For now, I will remain in science class and just imagine being able to float around the room.


5. What is the reason for the apostrophe in the word gravity’s in sentence 1?
A It forms a contraction for gravity is.
B It is the plural form of gravity.
C It is the singular possessive form of gravity.
D It is the plural possessive form of gravity.

6. Which word best completes sentence 4?
A because
B although
C however
D consequently

7. Which revision of sentence 7 is punctuated correctly?
A These fl oating spheres, can be tough to capture so astronauts have to be exceptionally
careful when drinking any kind of liquid.
B These fl oating spheres can be tough to capture, so astronauts have to be exceptionally
careful when drinking any kind of liquid.
C These fl oating spheres can be tough to capture so, astronauts have to be exceptionally
careful when drinking any kind of liquid.
D These fl oating spheres can be tough to capture so astronauts have to be exceptionally
careful, when drinking any kind of liquid.

8. In a final revision, which information would logically follow sentence 9?
A examples of situations involving gravity
B further explanation of the writer’s opinion
C further explanation of the term “weightless”
D examples of possible “exasperating complications”

Read the passage below and then answer questions 9–12.
1 Many Americans are intrigued with the era of the Pony Express. 2 What many do not realize, however, is that the Pony Express lasted for less than two years. 3 Wild animals, mountainous terrain, thieves, hostile enemies, blizzards, and temperature extremes made the
journey extremely perilous. 4 So dangerous that some recruiting advertisements included these shocking requirements: “Willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.” 5 The route from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, was nearly 2,000 miles long. 6 Today, traveling at sixty miles per hour on paved highways, a driver would need four eight-hour days to make the journey. 7 Under much more difficult conditions and on horseback, these heroic riders
delivered the mail in a mere ten days. 8 Although short-lived, the Pony Express was vitally important for many reasons, including keeping communication open between California and the union during the Civil War. 9 The completion of a transcontinental telegraph line brought the romantic period of the Pony Express to a close.

9. Which sentence is incomplete?
A sentence 2
B sentence 3
C sentence 4
D sentence 5

10. Where would this sentence best fit in the passage?
The quickest recorded run was seven days, seventeen minutes.
A after sentence 3
B after sentence 5
C after sentence 6
D after sentence 7

11. Which sentence contains a capitalization error?
A sentence 4
B sentence 5
C sentence 8
D sentence 9

12. Which word or words is the subject of sentence 9?
A completion
B transcontinental
C line
D Pony Express