Vocabulary in Context
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For your question(s):
 List how the group members thought through the problem
 Write why the correct answer is the right one, and
 Write why the other answer options are wrong
Section 1 #s 7, 8; Section 3 #s 28, and 29
Section 1, # 8; Section 3, #28
8. Since Chen was not ___________________ person, she recognized immediately
that the dubious investment scheme must be a scam.
A. an ingratiating
C. a petulant
B. a gregarious
D. an irresolute
*E. a credulous
28. The actor was _______________ to __________________ even when
offstage; he indulged in theatrical displays of emotion almost all the time.
A. averse…dramatics
B. given… equanimity
C. prone…histrionics
D. immune…exhibitionism
E. partial…dispassion
Author’s Craft
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For your question:
 List how the group members thought through the problem
 Write why the correct answer is the right one, and
 Write why the other answer options are wrong
Section 1 # 21; Section 3 # 33
Section 3, #33
Based on the following passages.
Passage 1
While henna body art, or mehndi, as it is called in India, is a tradition that reaches back to ancient
Egypt, it is reassuring to know that as an art form it is temporary, usually lasting about a week or
two. The intricate designs are part of the celebration of life’s transformations: puberty, marriage,
childbirth, and so on. Some women think of mehndi like a force field during times when they are
particularly vulnerable. Despite its transience, mehndi is a deeply connective and intimate art not
only in its physical application but also in the exchanges that occur between women as they
celebrate each new stage of life by decorating one another.
Passage 2
Recently, Hollywood celebrities have been wearing mehndi. It appeals as a way of altering and
staining the body without the long-term effects of tattoos. The temporary nature of this art form
suits Hollywood’s momentary obsessions. The purposeful disassociation of mehndi from its
history, culture, and ethnicity makes its appropriation easier, less anxious, for those who mark
their bodies using this method of beautification. Such a detaching functions to wash and leach
away the very traditions in which mehndi is steeped. Its “discovery” by pop culture icons has
simplified its meaning, glamorizing its aesthetic qualities above all others.
33. Compared with the overall tone of Passage 1, the overall tone of Passage 2 is
more
A. celebratory
B. satisfied
C. indifferent
*D. critical
E. pompous
Reasoning/Inferencing
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For your question:
 List how the group members thought through the problem
 Write why the correct answer is the right one, and
 Write why the other answer options are wrong
Section 1 #s 9, 12(modeled); Section 3 #s 25, and 31
Section 1, #9
Based on the following passage.
When reading the biographies of the later Roman emperors, the fourteenth-century poet Francis
Petrarch one day came across the statement that Gordian the Younger (who ruled A.D. 238-244)
had been a man of handsome features. “If this is true,” he wrote in the margin of his copy of the
Historia Augusta, “he employed a feeble sculptor.” This apparently trivial comment constitutes
a milestone in the development of historical thought, for Petrarch is here not only giving almost
equal weight to a visual and a literary source, but recognizing that they are not in agreement.
9. The discussion of Petrarch chiefly serves to
A. challenge a line of inquiry that is still pursued by modern historians
B. demonstrate how Petrarch was inspired by historical figures such as Gordian the
Younger
C. advocate an ancient model of historical investigation into the visual arts
D. describe an artistic debate that engaged the attention of writers in Petrarch’s day
*E. cite a precedent for the comparative study of literary texts and the visual arts
Organization and Ideas
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 List how the group members thought through the problem
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Section 1 #s 9, 13, and 19
Section 1, #9
Based on the following passage.
When reading the biographies of the later Roman emperors, the fourteenth-century poet Francis
Petrarch one day came across the statement that Gordian the Younger (who ruled A.D. 238-244)
had been a man of handsome features. “If this is true,” he wrote in the margin of his copy of the
Historia Augusta, “he employed a feeble sculptor.” This apparently trivial comment constitutes
a milestone in the development of historical thought, for Petrarch is here not only giving almost
equal weight to a visual and a literary source, but recognizing that they are not in agreement.
9. The discussion of Petrarch chiefly serves to
A. challenge a line of inquiry that is still pursued by modern historians
B. demonstrate how Petrarch was inspired by historical figures such as Gordian the
Younger
C. advocate an ancient model of historical investigation into the visual arts
D. describe an artistic debate that engaged the attention of writers in Petrarch’s day
*E. cite a precedent for the comparative study of literary texts and the visual arts
Literary Elements
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Section 3 #s 46, 47, 48 (based on a passage)
Based on the following passage.
This passage is adapted from a 2001novel. Mr.
Hosokawa is a Japanese business executive who travels
frequently and often requires the services of a translator.
When he was younger, Mr. Hosokawa saw the great
advantage of languages. When he was older he wished
he had made the commitment to learn them. The
translators! They were ever changing, some good, some
full of schoolboy stiffness, some utterly, hopelessly
stupid. Some could hardly speak their native Japanese
and continually halted conversations to look up a word
in the dictionary. There were those who could perform
their job well enough but were not the sort of people one
wished to travel with. Some would abandon him the
moment the final sentence of a meeting was completed,
leaving him stranded and speechless if further
negotiations were necessary. Others were dependent,
wanting to stay with him through every meal, wanting to
accompany him on his walks and recount for him every
moment of their own lusterless childhoods. What he
went through just for a mouthful of French, a few clear
sentences of English. What he went through before Gen.
Gen Watanabe had been assigned to him at a
conference in Greece on the worldwide distribution of
goods. Normally, Mr. Hosokawa tried to avoid the
surprise element local translators so often provided, but
his secretary had been unable to locate a Greek translator
who could travel on short notice. During the plane ride
to Athens, Mr. Hosokawa did not talk to the two senior
vice presidents and three sales managers who
accompanied him on the trip. Instead, he listened to
Maria Callas sing a collection of Greek songs on his
headset, thinking philosophically if the meeting was
unintelligible to him at least he would have seen the
country she considered her home. After waiting in line to
have his passport stamped and his luggage rifled
through, Mr. Hosokawa saw a young man holding a sign,
Hosokawa, neatly lettered. The young man was
Japanese, which, frankly, was a relief.
Section 3, #46 and #48
46. In line 55, the narrator refers to “music” in order to
A. praise the mellow tones of Gen’s voice
*B. convey the nature of Mr. Hosokawa’s reaction
C. note the shared interests of two characters
D. evoke Mr. Hosokawa’s experience on the flight
E. characterize Gen’s determination to be pleasant
It was easier to deal with a countryman who knew a little
Greek than a Greek who knew a little Japanese. The
translator was tall. His hair was heavy and long in the
front and it brushed across the top rims of his small
round glasses even as he tried to keep it parted to one
side. He appeared to be quite young. It was the hair. The
hair denoted to Mr. Hosokawa a lack of seriousness, or
perhaps it was just the fact that the young man was in
Athens rather than Tokyo that made him seem less
serious. Mr. Hosokawa approached him, gave the
slightest bow of acknowledgment that only included his
neck and upper shoulders, a gesture that said, You have
found me.
The young man reached forward and took Mr.
Hosokawa’s briefcase, bowing as he did so to the waist.
He bowed seriously, though somewhat less deeply, to
both of the vice presidents and the three sales managers.
He introduced himself as the translator, inquired after the
comfort of the flight, gave the estimated driving time to
the hotel and the starting time of the first meeting. Mr.
Hosokawa heard something in this young man’s voice,
55
something familiar and soothing. It was not a musical
voice, and yet it affected him like music. Speak again…
Over the next two days, everything Gen touched
became a smooth surface. He typed up Mr. Hosokawa’s
handwritten notes, took care of scheduling, found tickets
to an opera that had been sold out for six weeks. At the
conference he spoke in Greek for Mr. Hosokawa and his
associates, spoke in Japanese to them, and was, in all
matters, intelligent, quick, and professional. But it was
not his presence that Mr. Hosokawa was drawn to; it was
65
his lack of presence. Gen was an extension, an
invisible self that was constantly anticipating his needs.
He felt Gen would remember whatever had been
forgotten. One afternoon during a private meeting
concerning shipping interests, as Gen translated into
Greek what he had just that moment said himself, Mr.
Hosokawa finally recognized the voice. Something so
familiar, that’s what he had thought. It was his own
voice.
48. In context, the description in lines 65-66 (“Gen
was…needs”) presents Gen as if he
A. were an invention of Mr. Hosokawa’s imagination
B. were more secretive than Mr. Hosokawa preferred
C. resembled Mr. Hosokawa physically
D. saw himself as an equal to Mr. Hosokawa
*E. had access to Mr. Hosokawa’s thought processes
Managing Word Choice and Grammatical
Relationships
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 List how the group members thought through the problem
 Write why the correct answer is the right one, and
 Write why the other answer options are wrong
Section 5 #s 31, 32, 34
Section 5, #31
These sentences test your ability to recognize grammar and usage errors. Each
sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. No sentence contains more
than one error. The error, if there is one, is underlined and lettered. If the sentence
contains an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the
sentence correct. If the sentence is correct, select choice E. In choosing answers,
follow the requirements of standard written English.
31. No sooner had the plane’s wheels touched the ground when I heard the chimes
A
B
of cell phones throughout the cabin. No error
D
E
*C
Manage Phrases and Clauses
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Section 5 #s 18 and 20
Section 5, # 20
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.
20. The Irish author Samuel Beckett originally wrote his most famous play,
Waiting for Godot, in French, but one might assume it to be English.
A. French, but one might assume it to be
*B. French, not, as one might assume, in
C. French, however, one might assume he wrote it in
D. French; although one might assume it was
E. French; despite the assumption that it was written in
Recognizing Correctly Formed Sentences
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Section 5 #s 13 and 33
Section 5, #33
These sentences test your ability to recognize grammar and usage errors. Each
sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. No sentence contains more
than one error. The error, if there is one, is underlined and lettered. If the sentence
contains an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the
sentence correct. If the sentence is correct, select choice E. In choosing answers,
follow the requirements of standard written English.
33. Members of the historical society are meeting with the mayor to insist that city
A
B
records pertaining to local businesses and organizations long since defunct
C
be carefully preserved. No error
D
*E
Manage Order and Relationships of Sentences and
Paragraphs
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 List how the group members thought through the problem
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Section 5 #s 37 and 39 (based on a passage)
Section 5, 37 and 39
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.
Questions 35-39 refer to the following passage.
(1) An important figure in many West African cultures is the griot, a storyteller who entertains and serves the
community as a sort of living history book. (2) Renowned for their narrative skills and extraordinary memories, griots
can recount the history of a tribe or family to suit a particular occasion. (3) During a marriage ceremony a griot may
tell a centuries-old story of the wedding of one of the groom’s ancestors, recalling such details as the gifts given and
the clothing worn by the bride. (4) Traditional weddings among the Urhobo people of West Africa begin with a formal
presentation of gifts to the family of the bride.
(5) Although griots are nowadays thought of primarily as entertainers, in the past they served important
political functions. (6) As trained speakers, griots were natural ambassadors. (7) Their skill with language has enabled
them to resolve feuds between neighboring tribes or arrange marriages between members of important families.
(8) Their knowledge of history, in addition, made griots invaluable counselors to kings or tribal chieftains.
(9) Knowing how things were done in the past, they were able to offer sage advice on how to proceed as similar
situations arose in the present. (10) Moreover, they could in times of crisis inspire the chieftain with “praise songs”
that recounted great deeds of his ancestors or commented on the chieftain’s own positive qualities.
(11) Griots also served as spiritual advisors to the community at large. (12) They brought people together and
helped them live in harmony. (13) A griot could foster social cohesion by recounting tales of their common history or
by offering advice and inspiration.
37. In context, which of the following revisions to sentence 7 (reproduced below) is most needed?
Their skill with language has enabled them to resolve feuds between neighboring tribes or arrange marriages between
members of important families.
A. Inserting “Nevertheless,” at the beginning of the sentence
B. Changing “Their” to “This” and “them” to “the ambassadors”
*C. Deleting “has”
D. Changing “or” to “and also”
E. Inserting “to” immediately before “arrange”
39. In context, which is the best revision to the underlined portion of sentence 12 (reproduced below)?
They brought people together and helped them live in harmony.
A. During such crises, they
B. Despite these setbacks, it
C. Using the same strategy, it
*D. In this capacity, they
E. At other times they