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GROUP MULTIPLE-CHOICE
FINAL EXAM PREP
After each passage, there are several questions to answer related to the passage. Read each question
carefully and choose the ONE best answer. There are a total of 30 questions.
In the Writing Section the term "nonstandard" refers to language use that does not conform to the
conventions of edited American English.
Read the passage below, written in the style of a student letter to a college newspaper.
Then answer the questions that follow.
1The parking situation on this campus is truly outrageous. 2Sure, for full-time students who live on
campus, convenient parking isn't a big deal. 3But by now everyone—except, evidently, those
responsible for campus parking—must know that there are a lot of us commuter students who
struggle to balance a job, a family, and academics. 4We are not the ones you see strolling leisurely
from dormitory to class to dining hall to student hangout. 5Nothing in our lives is leisurely: we race
from job to classroom to the library to the daycare center to the grocery store and finally,
exhaustedly, back home.
6We commuter students don't have time to park our cars in lots that require us to walk a mile to get
to the nearest classroom building or the library. 7Sure, it's nice to look at all those neat lawns and
walk along those pretty paths and not see any ugly cars anywhere. 8But wake up! 9We're here to
get an education, not to fritter away our time in some kind of ecological never-never land. 10I say
forget the lawns and build a couple of convenient parking lots for we harried commuters!
1. Which of the following sentences, if added between Parts 3 and 4 of the first paragraph, would be
most consistent with the writer's purpose and intended audience?
A. We commuter students don't drive to campus just because it's nice to have a car
around in case we want to go shopping or to the movies.
B. Even a cursory survey of the situation should be sufficient to reveal the significant
burdens that such a demanding life style must place on the average commuter
student.
C. One must accept the statistically verifiable fact that, as a group, commuter students
take more difficult courses than students who live on campus.
D. I am aware that commuter students cannot and should not request special
treatment from campus officials.
2. Which one of the following changes is needed in the second paragraph?
A. Part 6: Change "nearest" to "nearer."
B. Part 7: Change "it's" to "its."
C. Part 9: Change "our" to "their."
D. Part 10: Change "we" to "us."
Read the passage below, written in the style of a student essay. Then answer the questions
that follow.
Note: An error in paragraph organization has been purposely included in the second paragraph.
1Measuring public opinion has unfortunately become a growth industry in the United States. 2As
each major election approaches, newspaper readers and television viewers are swamped with
trivial data from the latest polls. 3Indeed, public opinion polls have proven a valuable addition to the
political process in the twentieth-century United States. 4With a minimum of research, the average
citizen can find out what percentage of Americans on any given day think candidate X is
trustworthy, loyal, and kind to animals. 5Is it all really necessary? 6Do we need to know such things
in order to vote intelligently? 7Plainly, we do not.
8If not conducting public opinion polls, what should the media be doing? 9To be sure, this may not
be the best way to make friends. 10Rather than counting heads, newspaper and television networks
ought to spend more time analyzing a candidate's positions on the issues. 11And when these
positions are so lacking in substance as to make such analysis impossible, the media should inform
their audiences of the fact. 12It would, however, be a real service to the voting public.
3. Which of the following changes would help focus attention on the main idea of the first
paragraph?
A. Delete Part 3.
B. Delete the phrase "with a minimum of research" from Part 4.
C. Change Part 6 from an interrogative to a declarative sentence by dropping the word
"Do."
D. Change Part 7 from the plural to the singular, as in "Plainly, I do not."
4. Which of the following should be used in place of the underlined word in Part 4 of the first
paragraph?
A. thinking
B. will think
C. thinks
D. should think
5. Which of the following changes would make the sequence of ideas in the second paragraph
clearer?
A. Reverse the order of Parts 8 and 9.
B. Place Part 9 after Part 11.
C. Reverse the order of Parts 10 and 11.
D. Delete Part 12.
Read the passage below, written in the style of an education textbook. Then answer the questions
that follow.
1Current methods of foreign language teaching often aim for more than mastery of vocabulary and
grammar. 2A new topic called "pragmatics" has been added to the curriculum. 3Researchers have
observed that every language community has different rules not only about how to construct
meaningful sentences, but about when, where, and how to say them—and when to remain silent.
4_______________________________________________ 5And as a result, more students than
ever before are learning to look for cues to appropriate behavior when speaking a foreign tongue.
6For example, how do individuals know when it is their turn to speak in a conversation? 7Every
language community has specific signals involving body gestures, shifts in tone of voice, and other
subtle cues that indicate when a speaker is ready to let someone else have a turn talking. 8What is
the proper way to greet people? 9Every culture has it's rules about who should greet whom first and
which verbal and physical form of greeting is appropriate for different circumstances. 10The proper
greeting usually depends on such factors as the speakers' gender, status, type of relationship
between the speakers, and relative age of the speakers.
11Such questions were largely ignored in traditional foreign language teaching. 12This may explain
why until recently students could study a language for years and yet have great difficulty using it for
real-life communication.
6. Which of the following sentences, used in place of the blank line labeled Part 4, would best fit the
writer's pattern of development in the first paragraph?
A. Simply remaining silent is, in fact, often the best way to understand what another
person is really trying to say.
B. Consequently, many teachers now instruct their students in the pragmatics, or
practical applications, of correct vocabulary and grammar.
C. Another topic of great interest to researchers today is the difference between adults'
and young children's approaches to language learning.
D. Of course, pragmatics is of less concern to students whose primary aim is to learn
to read, rather than to speak, another language.
7. Which of the numbered parts should be revised to reduce its unnecessary repetition?
A. Part 6
B. Part 7
C. Part 8
D. Part 10
8. Which of the following changes is needed in the second paragraph?
A. Part 6: Change "their" to "they're."
B. Part 7: Change "specific" to "specifically."
C. Part 8: Change "proper" to "properly."
D. Part 9: Change "it's" to "its."
Read the passage below, written in the style of a student essay. Then answer the questions
that follow.
1A good book is like a good friend. 2It may not be affection at first sight, but after about page thirty,
or the third time you get together with your new acquaintance, you know whether or not to pursue
the relationship. 3When you've finished the book. 4You can feel that your life is suddenly richer. 5As
you go about your business, you find yourself pondering and reliving certain of its parts, just as your
daily life keeps triggering thoughts about something peculiarly wise or amusing your new friend has
said.
6One of the greatest pleasures derived from a good book—as from a good friend—is the way in
which it grows with you through the years. 7You happen to pick it up and read it again, after barely
surviving yet another mid-life crisis, and you are delighted and comforted that there are still some
things in life you can count on. 8You are delighted—and downright amazed—that this same old
book has somehow magically been transformed. 9How can it be that it suddenly speaks to you of
new things, things you didn't see there before, things that happen to be exactly relevant to what's on
your mind and in your heart right now, just like a best friend?
9. Which of the following parts of the first paragraph is a nonstandard sentence?
A. Part 1
B. Part 3
C. Part 4
D. Part 5
10. Which of the following sentences, if added between Parts 7 and 8 of the second paragraph,
would be most consistent with the writer's purpose and intended audience?
A. I rarely read the same book more than once, though; I think that is a waste of time.
B. Within that realm of fictional escapism, you extract solace and intellectual
gratification.
C. That, of course, is not true of the books that you are forced to read for most college
literature courses.
D. You are comforted by the fact that your friend still has all of the same wonderful
qualities that captured your affection when you first met.
Read the passage below, written in the style of a college history textbook. Then answer the
questions that follow.
1For more than two hundred years, the proper role of government in American society has been a
topic of intense political discussion. 2Long, long ago, the main outlines of the debate were shaped
by the conflicting views of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. 3As a spokesman for the
northeastern banking and commercial interests, Hamilton believed the federal government should
make every effort to promote economic growth. 4Accordingly, he proposed the enactment of high
tariffs on imports to protect new industries, the creation of a national bank to provide large loans for
government and business enterprises, and the construction of roadways and lighthouses to
stimulate trade. 5The passage of these and related measures, Hamilton believed would enable the
United States to realize its destiny as a great industrial nation.
6But not all Americans shared Hamilton's vision. 7People from the plantations and farms of the
South and West hoped to preserve a quiet agricultural world of independent landowners. 8They
believed that the creation of an urban, industrial society would diminish their political influence.
9They also believed that a federal government with Hamiltonian powers would threaten their
individual liberties. 10It was for these people that Jefferson spoke. 11In doing so, he initiated a
debate that in some respects still continues today.
11. Which of the following sentences, if added between Parts 6 and 7 of the second paragraph,
would be most consistent with the writer's purpose and intended audience?
A. Some folks knew better than to jump on Hamilton's bandwagon, which was sure to
face a bumpy road once the country really got going.
B. On the contrary, many people living in the United States, including Thomas
Jefferson, did not want their new nation to become heavily industrialized.
C. How anybody could fail to see the fact that Hamilton clearly had the best plan for
the future of this country is totally beyond me.
D. Rather, there were those who viewed the Federalist geopolitical and economic
strategy as a movement toward tyrannical despotism and away from democratic
ideology.
12. Which of the underlined words in the first paragraph should be replaced by more precise or
appropriate words?
A. proper role
B. Long, long ago
C. economic growth
D. high tariffs
13. Which of the following changes is needed in the first paragraph?
A. Part 2: Place a colon after the word "by."
B. Part 3: Change "As" to "Like."
C. Part 4: Move "Accordingly" after the word "enactment."
D. Part 5: Place a comma after the phrase "Hamilton believed."
Read the passage below, written in the style of a sociology textbook. Then answer the questions
that follow.
Note: An error in paragraph organization has been purposely included in the first paragraph.
1Historians and lawyers have much in common. 2One shared characteristic is the kinds of tasks
they are required to perform. 3For example, a major task of both lawyers and historians is collecting
evidence to construct and support an argument. 4For instance, sources such as tax records,
interviews, and photographs are as much tools of the historian's craft as they are of the lawyer's. 5In
addition, lawyers and historians sometimes even use similar kinds of sources in their work. 6And,
like lawyers, historians too have their adversaries. 7Academics who object to the views of one of
their peers can argue just as forcefully as rival counsel in a legal proceeding.
8This, however, brings us to a major difference between lawyers and historians. 9Where lawyers
are most often called upon to defend a person or institution, historians must defend a point of view,
an interpretation of the past that is seldom shaped by the facts alone. 10Historians have debated for
years whether Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency was one of relative unawareness or great
subtlety. 11This explains why historical controversies are less easily resolved than legal disputes.
12In a legal dispute, establishing the facts generally led to a final decision; in history, a "final
interpretation" is a rarity.
14. Which of the following changes would make the sequence of ideas in the first paragraph
clearer?
A. Delete Part 1.
B. Reverse the order of Parts 1 and 2.
C. Delete Part 3.
D. Reverse the order of Parts 4 and 5.
15. Which of the following editorial changes would help focus attention on the main idea of the
second paragraph?
A. Delete Part 8.
B. Reverse the order of Parts 8 and 9.
C. Delete Part 10.
D. Add a sentence after Part 11 describing the major steps involved in deciding a legal
dispute.
16. Which one of the following changes is needed in the second paragraph?
A. Part 8: Change "between" to "among."
B. Part 9: Change "where" to "when."
C. Part 11: Change "less" to "least."
D. Part 12: Change "led" to "leads."
Read the passage below, written in the style of a college history textbook. Then answer the
questions that follow.
1Recent scientific evidence has shed new light on the disappearance of the Minoan civilization,
which flourished on Crete and other islands of the eastern Mediterranean for nearly a thousand
years before it was abruptly and utterly destroyed around 1450 B.C. 2The Minoans were among the
first peoples to build ships that could sail across the Mediterranean Sea, and they traded with
islands as far away as Sicily. 3The largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily has been a trade
center for thousands of years. 4Excavations in Crete have revealed well-built roads, terraced
gardens, and palaces many stories high equipped with running water and adorned by elegant
frescoes depicting the playful and carefree life the Minoans enjoyed. 5These frescoes show women
exercising independence and equality with men, something entirely unheard of in the rest of the
ancient world.
6The disappearance of the Minoans and their culture was long considered an unsolvable mystery,
but recent geological evidence indicates that it was caused by a volcanic eruption on the Minoan
island of Thera (now called Santorini) about 70 miles from Crete.
7__________________________________________________ 8In addition, the explosion sent
tidal waves 150 feet high sweeping across the other Minoan islands at speeds of up to 300 miles
per hour. 9If there were any survivors left in the ruins of the great Minoan palaces, they had to leave
their island homes because the volcano covered the islands with thick layers of ash that probably
made them uninhabitable.
17. Which of the following numbered parts is LEAST relevant to the main idea of the first
paragraph?
A. Part 1
B. Part 2
C. Part 3
D. Part 4
18. Which of the following sentences, if used in place of the blank line labeled Part 7, would best
develop the main idea of the second paragraph?
A. Geologists estimate that the massive eruption obliterated 50 square miles of land
on Thera.
B. Another intriguing Minoan mystery is the practice of bull vaulting, known to us only
from ancient wall paintings.
C. Accurately predicting volcanic eruptions must have been as difficult then as it is
today.
D. The science of geology is becoming an increasingly reliable source of historical
information.
Read the passage below, written in the style of a college economics textbook. Then answer the
questions that follow.
1As federal budget deficits have grown in recent years, there have been increasing calls for a
constitutional amendment that would require Congress to balance the budget each year. 2Congress
has added only 26 amendments to the Constitution since it was ratified in 1788. 3Supporters of the
amendment contend that federal spending is now out of control. 4They further insist that there is
little likelihood that the budget will be balanced at any point in the foreseeable future. 5These people
argue that legislators invariably find it easier to spend money than raise taxes; they say that
Congress will continue to spend unchecked unless it is pressured to do otherwise. 6If something is
not done soon, they warn, such uncontrolled spending will do serious long-term damage to the
economy.
7Although no one defends huge budget deficits, many economists believe that a balanced budget
amendment would create more problems than it would solve. 8For example, such an amendment
would prevent Congress from creating jobs or reducing taxes in response to an economic
slowdown. 9The result might be a depression comparable to the Great Depression of the 1930s.
10These are seriously concerns, and they should be given careful consideration by anyone who
believes that a balanced budget amendment is a cure-all for the nation's current economic woes.
19. Which of the sentences, if added between Parts 9 and 10 of the second paragraph, would be
most consistent with the writer's purpose and intended audience?
A. Does that sound like a very smart idea?
B. Some question the fiscal wisdom of instituting a macroeconomic policy that reduces
the national debt but negates federal social responsibility.
C. Personally, I think a balanced budget amendment would really help this country by
forcing Congress to get its act together.
D. Other economists worry that a balanced budget amendment would prompt
Congress to shift responsibility for public service programs to state and local
governments that lack the money to pay for them.
20. Which of the following numbered parts draws attention away from the main idea of the first
paragraph?
A. Part 1
B. Part 2
C. Part 3
D. Part 4
19. Which of the sentences, if added between Parts 9 and 10 of the second paragraph, would be
most consistent with the writer's purpose and intended audience?
A. Does that sound like a very smart idea?
B. Some question the fiscal wisdom of instituting a macroeconomic policy that reduces
the national debt but negates federal social responsibility.
C. Personally, I think a balanced budget amendment would really help this country by
forcing Congress to get its act together.
D. Other economists worry that a balanced budget amendment would prompt
Congress to shift responsibility for public service programs to state and local
governments that lack the money to pay for them.
20. Which of the following numbered parts draws attention away from the main idea of the first
paragraph?
A. Part 1
B. Part 2
C. Part 3
D. Part 4
21. Which of the following changes is needed in the above passage?
A. Part 5: Change "than" to "then."
B. Part 6: Change "soon" to "sooner."
C. Part 7: Change "Although" to "Because."
D. Part 10: Change "seriously" to "serious."
Read the passage below, written in the style of a sociology textbook. Then answer the questions
that follow.
1Population growth trends in developed countries have passed through several phases. 2Before
about 1850, birth rates and death rates were both high. 3The large number of births and deaths that
occurred each year tended more or less to cancel each other out, so that populations remained
fairly constant or exhibited relatively low growth rates.
4This began to change after 1850, when industrialization led to a substantial rise in living standards
for the general population and advances in medical science markedly reduced the number of deaths
caused by infectious diseases. 5The rapid decline in death rates that resulted was accompanied by
a much slower decline in birth rates. 6Thus, far exceeding the number of people who died each
year, developed countries grew increasingly populous.
7By 1950, ________________, population growth rates in the developed countries again dropped
off substantially. 8The main reason was the continuing decline in birth rates, which occurred
gradually as the role of children in the family changed and parents began deciding to have fewer
offspring. 9________________, in the decades since 1950, birth rates and death rates have both
been low. 10This has resulted once again in populations that are growing only slowly or not at all.
22. Which words or phrases would, if inserted in order into the blanks in the third paragraph, help
the reader understand the logical sequence of the writer's ideas?
A. as a result; Furthermore
B. for example; On the other hand
C. however; Consequently
D. in conclusion; Yet
23. Which of the following parts of the passage displays nonstandard placement of a modifier?
A. Part 1
B. Part 2
C. Part 5
D. Part 6
Read the passage below, written in the style of a college writing textbook for first-year students.
Then answer the questions that follow.
1Beginning writers often have a hard time setting an appropriate length for their paragraphs. 2And
they generally have an even harder time locating a reference source that offers reasonable advice
about how to deal with this problem. 3Composition textbooks are often distressingly vague when
they discuss this topic. 4One might learn, for example, that paragraphs should not be too short
because one- or two-sentence paragraphs make a composition disjointed and difficult to follow. 5At
the same time, they should not be too long: lengthy paragraphs can be dense and confusing to the
reader.
6The truth is that there are no hard-and-fast rules for determining how long paragraphs should be.
7Actually, this is just as well because rules usually restrict creative impulses, not only in writing, but
also in other artistic areas. 8There are, however, two general principles that writers should keep in
mind. 9The first is that the main purpose of a paragraph is to develop an idea. 10The second is that
writing is broke into units such as paragraphs to help readers understand the writer's message.
11All decisions about paragraph length should reflect both of these concerns.
24. Which of the following sentences, if added between Parts 3 and 4 of the first paragraph, would
be most consistent with the writer's purpose and intended audience?
A. If you ask me, those books aren't even worth the trouble it takes to read them.
B. These books can be very useful, however, when a writer is looking for information
on subjects other than paragraph length.
C. In these texts, sections on paragraph structure tend to concentrate on what to avoid
rather than what to do.
D. These tomes are rife with rambling, ambiguous theoretical discourse that fails to
provide any constructive counsel.
25. Which of the following editorial changes would help focus attention on the main idea of the
second paragraph?
A. Delete Part 7.
B. Combine Parts 8 and 9 by changing the period after "mind" to a comma.
C. Add a clause to Part 9 giving some examples of ideas that might be presented in a
paragraph.
D. Delete Part 11.
26. Which of the following parts of the passage displays nonstandard use of a verb form?
A. Part 1
B. Part 4
C. Part 6
D. Part 10
Read the passage below, written in the style of a college communication textbook. Then answer the
questions that follow.
1"Are we going to support this development project, or are we going to let this town become a
howling wilderness?" 2Of course, this is a rhetorical question—no answer is really expected. 3It is
also a fallacious question, based on a false assumption. 4Clearly, the speaker is attempting to
persuade people not by logic, but by deceit. 5This and similar rhetorical tricks are known as
"informal fallacies."
6The informal fallacies that public speakers sometimes employ to sway an audience include such
techniques as making appeals to emotions (arousing feelings of anger, for example), special
pleading (presenting only one side of a question), and making faulty analogies (treating two things
as essentially similar even though they have significant differences). 7Although most informal
fallacies are designed to cloud the issue being discussed, some can also be used to place an
opponent on the defensive.
8___________________________________________________________________
9The use of fallacious arguments may sometimes be effective, but it is never honest. 10Informal
fallacies have no place in reasoned discussion.
27. Which of the following sentences, if added between Parts 3 and 4 of the first paragraph, would
be most consistent with the writer's purpose and intended audience?
A. Despite the speaker's implication, a town would not be reduced to "a howling
wilderness" by its failure to support a development project.
B. I bet a lot of readers think that most towns would be better off if they had more
"howling wilderness" and less development anyway.
C. How could a speaker think anybody would fall for such a crazy argument?
D. It's pretty obvious that the creator of that "howling wilderness" sentence was just
trying to pull a fast one on us.
28. Which of the following sentences, if used in place of the blank line labeled Part 8, would best
support the main idea of the second paragraph?
A. Newspaper editorials make use of many different rhetorical and persuasive
devices, including informal fallacies.
B. It is no easy task, for example, to respond convincingly to the question, "Why do
you think you're the only important person in this room?"
C. The increased use of informal fallacies in writing and speaking reflects the fact that
most people no longer believe that "honesty is the best policy."
D. But public speakers do not always intend to persuade; speakers may also address
an audience to inform, explain, demonstrate, or entertain.
Read the passage below, written in the style of a popular magazine. Then answer the questions
that follow.
1The two halves of the human body generally work together so well that it may be surprising to
learn that they are controlled by two separate centers of consciousness, the right and left sides of
the brain. 2Just like the outside of the body, the brain is symmetrical, comprising two identical
halves, each half, or hemisphere, controls the movement, sensation, hearing, and vision of the
opposite side of the body. 3Thus the left hemisphere of the brain controls the right side of the body;
the right hemisphere controls the left side.
4The two sides of the brain have different specialties. 5The left side controls speech and other
communication involving words and numbers, as well as the process of reasoning.
6______________________________________________________________________
7The hemispheres are connected by a special nerve bridge that allows information to pass rapidly
between the two sides of the brain. 8This is what enables the two hemispheres to coordinate their
activities and function as a single unit.
29. Which of the following sentences, used in place of the blank lines labeled Part 6, would best fit
the writer's pattern of development in the second paragraph?
A. The right side controls the perception of patterns, the ability to recognize people
and places, and the process of imagination or visualization.
B. This is by far the more interesting side of the brain, which may explain why it has
been more extensively studied than the right side.
C. The right-left division within the brain was not widely recognized before the
twentieth century.
D. Some scientists believe that this fact may cause left-handed people to be better in
artistic areas, while right-handers have stronger verbal skills.
30. Which of the following parts of the passage is a nonstandard sentence?
A. Part 1
B. Part 2
C. Part 4
D. Part 8