Standardized Tests→ Editing and Revising
Paragraphs
Level: Middle School
Standardized tests evaluate your editing skills by asking you to find errors in the draft of a story, letter,
or article. To tackle this task, start by reading the questions to get an idea of what to look for. Then,
read the text, keeping in mind the questions you will have to answer. Be sure to read all possible
answer choices before selecting one.
The article below is a first draft Janelle wrote for her teacher. The article contains errors.
Read the article to answer the following questions.
The Boston Tea Party
(1) In 1773 American colonists hated the new tax laws regarding imported British tea. (2) Tea
is an important drink for British people. (3) It is also important for people in China, India, and other
countries. (4) The American Colonists loved tea, too, but they thought they were being taxed unfairly.
(5) One, then another, and then another ship from the British East India Company arrived to
deliver tea. (6) The colonists wanted to send it back to England. (7) The governor insisted they pay the
taxes. (8) There was a deadline. (9) The colonists had to pay the taxes after 20 days.
(10) On the last night, the colonists gathered at the Old South Meetinghouse. (11) It was a big
building. (12) The protesters dressed like Mohawk Indians to disguise themselves. (13) They carried
tools. (14) They snuck onto the three ships, broke open the tea crates, and threw the tea in the harbor.
(15) They dumped over 90,000 pounds of tea. (16) It would be worth $1,700,000 today.
(17) The tea in the harbor stunk. (18) The authorities were mad. (19) They closed Boston
Harbor. (20) It was closed until the tea was paid for. (21) Some People say that the Boston Tea Party led
directly to the American Revolution.
Refer to preceding article to answer the questions.
1. Which sentence contains a detail that is unimportant to the story?
a. sentence (1) b. sentence (3)
c. sentence (15)
d. sentence (20)
2. The author wants to add the following sentence:
The colonists decided to boycott tea to make a point about the taxes.
Where could this sentence be added to help us understand the actions of the colonists?
a. after sentence (1) b. after sentence (4)
c. after sentence (12)
d. after sentence (18)
3. Choose a sentence to replace sentence (13), giving more descriptive details.
a. The colonists were armed with tools.
b. The colonists carried hatchets and axes that would help them do their work.
c. They carried hatchets and axes.
d. They carried tools.
4. Sentences 17-20 are choppy. Choose the most effective way to rewrite them.
a. The tea stunk, and the authorities were mad, so they closed the harbor until the tea was
paid for.
b. The tea in the harbor stunk; the authorities were mad. They closed Boston Harbor; it was
closed until the tea was paid for.
c. The tea stunk, and the angry authorities closed the harbor to ships until the tea was paid
for.
d. The tea in the harbor stunk. The authorities closed Boston Harbor.
5. Which transition could be added to the beginning of sentence (8) to help connect the ideas in
the third paragraph?
a. Unfortunately,
b. When
c. Because
d. Surely
6. Clarify sentence (6) by choosing the best word to replace the pronoun “it.”
a. the government
b. the taxes
c. the ship
7. Choose the best topic sentence for the final paragraph.
a. No one could ignore the impact of the colonists’ actions.
b. The next day was a bad one.
d. the tea
c. The colonists were excited, but scared after their act of disobedience.
d. The action started a war immediately.
8. Sentence (21) contains a capitalization error. Circle the incorrect word.
a. Boston
b. Tea
c. People
d. Revolution