27. The yoga instructor waited patiently for her stu-
dents to find the proper pose, even though she
performed it with ease.
a. pose, even though she performed it with ease.
b. pose, because she performed it with ease.
c. pose; even though she performed it with ease.
d. pose, where she performed it with ease.
e. pose, for she was able to perform it with ease.
28. Also known as action painting and the New York
school, the 1940s saw the emergence of abstract
expressionism, an art movement exemplified by
the works of Jackson Pollock and Willem de
Kooning.
a. school, the 1940s saw the emergence of
abstract expressionism, an art movement
exemplified by the works of Jackson Pollock
and Willem de Kooning.
b. school, the 1940s saw the emergence of an art
movement, abstract expressionism, that is
exemplified by the works of Jackson Pollock
and Willem de Kooning.
c. school, the art movement abstract expression-
ism emerged in the 1940s. It is exemplified by
the works of Jackson Pollock and Willem de
Kooning.
d. school, abstract expressionism, exemplified by
the works of Jackson Pollock and Willem de
Kooning, is an art movement that saw its
emergence in the 1940s.
e. school, the 1940s saw the emergence of an art
movement known as abstract expressionism
that exemplified by the works of Jackson Pol-
lock and Willem de Kooning.
29. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite while develop-
ing a safe way to handle nitroglycerin, while
Ascanio Sobrero, the Italian chemist who
invented nitroglycerin, did not achieve fortune
and fame from his invention.
a. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite while devel-
oping a safe way to handle nitroglycerin, while
b. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite while devel-
oping a safe way to handle nitroglycerin, but
c. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite, which
brought him wealth and international notori-
ety, while developing a safe way to handle
nitroglycerin;
d. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite, that makes
him wealthy and famous, while developing a
safe way to handle nitroglycerin;
e. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite while devel-
oping a safe way to handle nitroglycerin, and
–PRACTICE TEST 2–
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Directions: Questions 30–35 are based on the following passage, a first draft of an essay about the coast of Maine.
Read the passage and the questions that follow. For each question, choose the answer that will most improve the
passage. Some questions ask you to choose the best revision of a particular sentence or pair of sentences. Other
questions ask you to consider how to best improve the overall organization of the passage. In each case, the cor-
rect answer is the one that most closely conforms to the conventions of formal writing.
(1)The coast of the State of Maine is one of the most irregular in the world. (2)It is deeply indented with many
coves and harbors, and numerous small islands dot the shoreline. (3)In fact, this area is a prime example of what
geologists refer to as a drowned coastline. (4)Draw a straight line from the southernmost city in Maine, Kit-
tery, to the northernmost coastal city, Eastport. (5)This line would measure about 225 miles. (6)Follow the coast-
line between the same two cities. (7)The distance is more than ten times as far. (8)What is the cause of this
irregularity? (9)The ice age, or age of continental glaciation, which occurred thousands of years ago.
(10)There was so much ice over North America that the continent reacted isostatically—it sank. (11)Iso-
static is a geology term meaning pertaining to alterations in the height of the earth’s crust relative to the sea.
(12)As glaciers moved over the land, their weight expended enormous force on the mountains. (13)The
mountains sank into the sea. (14)The original coastline is now under water. (15)It has been rising isostatically
since the ice melted. (16)The Maine coast has risen at least 600 feet because we find ice age beaches 600 feet
above the present sea level.
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116
30. Which of the following revisions represents the
best way to combine sentences 12 and 13?
(12)As glaciers moved over the land, their weight
expended enormous force on the mountains.
(13)The mountains sank into the sea.
a. The weight of the glaciers was expending an
enormous force on the mountains as it moved
over the land, causing the mountains to sink
into the sea.
b. As glaciers moved over the land, their weight
expended an enormous force on the moun-
tains, causing them to sink into the sea.
c. The weight of the glaciers caused the moun-
tains to sink into the sea because it then
expended an enormous force on them as it
moved over the land.
d. As they moved over the land, the weight of the
glaciers expended an enormous force on the
mountains, causing them to sink into the sea.
e. The weight of the glaciers as they moved over
the land was expending an enormous force on
the mountains which then caused them to
sink into the sea.
31. What is the relationship between sentences 4
and 5?
(4)Draw a straight line from the southernmost city
in Maine, Kittery, to the northernmost coastal city,
Eastport. (5)This line would measure about 225
miles.
a. Sentence 5 draws a conclusion about sentence 4.
b. Sentence 4 introduces the argument that sen-
tence 5 resolves.
c. Sentence 5 gives an example of the subject of
sentence 4.
d. Sentence 5 gives information about sentence 4.
e. Sentence 4 refutes the argument posed by sen-
tence 5.
32. Which sentence best describes the main idea of
the essay?
a. sentence 1
b. sentence 2
c. sentence 9
d. sentence 11
e. sentence 16
33. Which of the following sentences would be best
inserted before sentence 15 to introduce a new
paragraph?
(14)The original coastline is now under water.
(15)It has been rising isostatically since the ice
melted. (16)The Maine coast has risen at least 600
feet because we find ice age beaches 600 feet above
the present sea level.
a. However, coastlines don’t move in just one
direction.
b. Just like things can sink down, they can also
rise up.
c. But as Einstein said, things that go up must
come down.
d. In addition, it is also coming back up.
e. Let’s look at another way in which the coast-
line moves.
–PRACTICE TEST 2–
117
34. In context, what is the best way to combine sen-
tences 8 and 9?
(8)What is the cause of this irregularity? (9)The ice
age, or age of continental glaciation, which
occurred thousands of years ago.
a. The cause of this irregularity: the thousands of
years old ice age, or age of continental
glaciation.
b. The cause of this irregularity just happens to
be the ice age, or age of continental glaciation,
which occurred thousands of years ago.
c. The cause of this irregularity was the ice age,
or age of continental glaciation, which
occurred thousands of years ago.
d. The ice age, or age of continental glaciation,
was the cause of this irregularity, which
occurred thousands of years ago.
e. Thousands of years ago, the ice age, or age of
continental glaciation, caused this irregularity.
35. What is the best way to deal with sentence 11?
(11)Isostatic is a geology term meaning pertaining
to alterations in the height of the earth’s crust rela-
tive to the sea.
a. Add a comma after term.
b. Add quotation marks around the phrase per-
taining to . . . sea.
c. Revise it: Isostatic is a term from the science of
geology meaning: pertaining to alterations in
the height of the earth’s crust relative to the sea.
d. Delete it.
e. Revise it: The term isostatic, taken from geology,
is a term meaning pertaining to alterations in
the height of the earth’s crust relative to the sea.
–PRACTICE TEST 2–
118
Section 3
Time: 10 minutes
14 multiple-choice questions
ANSWER SHEET:
–PRACTICE TEST 2–
119
1.abcde
2.abcde
3.abcde
4.abcde
5.abcde
6.abcde
7.abcde
8.abcde
9.abcde
10.abcde
11.abcde
12.abcde
13.abcde
14.abcde