Answers for Practice Test 2, Reasoning through Language Arts

Answers and Explanations

B. Not all brands of bottled water are. Although starting a sentence with and or but isn’t a grammar error, it’s generally considered poor style and is a stylistic mistake. It’s best simply to leave out such conjunctions when starting sentences or paragraphs.

Choice (A) states no change and is therefore wrong. Choice (C) adds a comma after the word but, which leaves the same style issue. And Choice (D) doesn’t show subject-verb agreement because it uses is.
B. They merely have to remove the chlorine completely and. The mistake here is a comma splice error — two main clauses joined by a comma. You need to add the conjunction and to correct the mistake. Choice (B) corrects the comma splice and also changes the awkward split infinitive from to completely remove to to remove completely. It’s better not to split the verb, but this isn’t a hard grammar rule.
A. No change required. The sentence is correct as it stands and requires no change, so Choice (A) is correct. The other options introduce new errors.
C. The mineral content of waters differs from spring to spring. This is a subject-verb agreement error. The subject of the sentence is content, which is singular and requires a singular verb. So the correct form of the verb is differs. Changing the word waters to water has no effect on the sentence and doesn’t correct the error. The other choices merely introduce new errors or offer no change.
D. are carbonated, either naturally or artificially in the bottling process. Carbonation can add. This is an example of a comma splice or run-on sentence. In fact, there are two sentences here; the second one begins with Carbonation can add. The only answer choice that addresses that error is Choice (D), which inserts a period after bottling process.
B. their bottled. In the case of there/their/they’re, the correct choice is their. The word there refers to location, while their shows possession, and they’re is the contraction of they are. Because the sentence is talking about someone’s water, the possessive form is correct.

In the case of bottle/bottled/bottling, the correct choice is bottled. Bottle is a noun, bottled is an adjective, and bottling is a gerund — a special form of the verb that can be used as a noun. Here, you want an adjective to describe the water, so bottled is the correct form.
charcoal filter. The third paragraph states that charcoal filters will remove the taste of chlorine.
Advantages: A, C; Disadvantages: B, D. The only point that may be troublesome here is Choice (C). However, when you think about the answer, the text states that the distillation process removes everything from the water and leaves only pure water behind. So that means it also removes lead.
A. change the word to be installed to installed. There is no reason to add the infinitive to be before the word installed. Choice (B) is a split verb, and although it’s better not to split the verb, this isn’t a hard grammar rule, but it’s not the best answer. Choices (C) and (D) are incorrect.
D. effective than loose charcoal filters for removing traces. The second sentence isn’t a complete sentence; therefore, the best way to correct this example is to connect it to the main clause by adding the proposition for. Adding a semicolon after the word filters Choice (C) doesn’t correct the error, and Choice (B) misspells loose as lose.
C. change resource to Resource. In the letter, the York Square Employment Resource Center is a title; therefore, all words except prepositions and articles must be capitalized.
A. change partnered to has partnered. You need the present perfect tense has partnered here rather than the simple past tense partnered because the action is ongoing. Your clue to this tense is the phrase since April 2010. None of the other choices improve the sentence.
D. insert a colon after programs. Most, although not all, lists begin with a colon. You don’t need semicolons after seminars or materials. These are just items in the list; the bullets serve as separators. You do need a comma after the introductory phrase, so Choice (A) is wrong.
A. has always been. No change is required for this sentence, so Choice (A) is correct.
B. change are to is. The subject of the sentence is fact, which is singular, but the verb is are is plural. Verbs must agree with their subjects.
(1) She has (5) pursued her responsibilities (3) with a high degree of professional competence (4) and efficiency (6). In its current form, this sentence forces the reader to pause too long and remember too much. Rewriting it as “She has pursued her responsibilities with a high degree of professional competence and efficiency” is far more straightforward.
A. best in her future endeavors. The sentence needs no correction. A comma or semicolon after best or a comma after future isn’t required.
B. change recent to recently. The word recent is an adjective. In this sentence, the adverbial form recently is needed to modify the verb opened. None of the other changes improve the sentence.
A. combine the two sentences by changing The to the and replacing the period after copiers with a comma. The first sentence is missing a verb, making it an incomplete sentence. By joining it to the second sentence, you create one complete sentence. Choice (B) is incorrect because state-of-the-art is acting as a single adjective to copiers, and multiword adjectives are nearly always hyphenated. Choice (D) is incorrect because the first sentence is clearly describing the store, not the copiers.
D. no correction required. No change is required in this sentence. The copy shop may want to consider changing the way it hires and trains its staff, but that’s another matter altogether.
C. change gave to giving. Lists have to be parallel. In this case, you have apologizing, explaining, and gave, which aren’t parallel. All three are verbs, but the first two are gerunds, while the second is an infinitive. Maintaining parallel structures in sentences is important. Changing gave to giving makes the list parallel.
B. change the one sentence into three sentences. This is a classic run-on sentence, so you need to break it apart into separate sentences, in this case, three separate sentences. A good change is as follows: “Okay, I thought, fair enough. They’re new and getting their act together. No big deal.” Note that the third sentence doesn’t appear to have a verb, but the implied subject and verb are it is, as in “It is no big deal.”
D. no correction is needed. Most of the time, you want to set off an introductory clause with a comma; however, be aware that when the introductory clause is very short, the convention isn’t always clear: Some people use the comma and others don’t. On this test, however, you’re always better off putting a comma after any introductory clause.
C. change When they apologized to They apologized. The sentence is a sentence fragment — one long adverbial clause that doesn’t express a complete thought. Deleting the word When changes the sentence fragment to a complete sentence. The other answer choices do nothing to improve the sentence.
A. change too to a. The use of the phrase too little less understanding creates an awkward sentence with too many words modifying understanding: too little and less mean almost the same thing, so the use of both doesn’t make sense in this sentence.
A. It is the knowledge that preserves their position. The text clearly states that princes lose their states when they neglect this art. Although Choice (B) may be true, it has nothing to do with the question. Choices (C) and (D) are the opposite to what the text states.
D. The armed do not readily yield authority to the unarmed. Although Choices (A), (B), and (C) are all possible, they don’t answer the question. However, further into the text, Machiavelli states that it’s unreasonable for the armed to yield power to the unarmed.
despise him. The text states that the population will despise him.
B. In times of peace, prepare for war. The last sentence of the text makes it clear that Choice (B) is the best answer. Although Choice (D) may be partially correct, it’s not the whole answer. Choices (A) and (C) are contradicted by the text.
C. He wanted to reflect the character of the speaker. The speaker in this case is Aunt Polly. She’s a simple country woman with little education. This pattern of speech reflects that. Choices (A) and (B) are certainly wrong because Mark Twain was a well-educated writer. Choice (D) is simply wrong.
Spare the rod and spile the child. The correct section of the text is the speaker’s quote from the Good Book (the Bible).
C. She is not strict enough with Tom. The correct answer refers to the quote “spare the rod and spoil the child.” The speaker, Aunt Polly, goes on to say, “I’m a laying up sin.” She is a good woman who wants to do the right thing. However, not being strict enough with Tom goes against Biblical rules as she understands them.
A. She makes numerous references to the Bible. The key evidence about the speaker’s religiosity consists of her frequent Bible quotes and references. Choices (B) and (C) may be correct but have nothing to do with the fact that she’s a God-fearing woman. Choice (D) is simply wrong.
work. Aunt Polly says, he hates work more than he hates anything else.
B. change whom to who. The subject pronoun who, not the object pronoun whom, is needed because it is the subject of the verb share. Choice (A), (C), and (D) create errors where no errors exist.
A. They make the organization stronger. Choices (B), (C), and (D) aren’t stated goals of the employee resource groups. The stated goal is “to make the organizations stronger.” Remember, when selecting an answer, select the most correct and complete choice.
C. to train unemployed youth. The overall purpose of the FACE project is to train unemployed youth. Glass engraving, sign writing, and antique restoring are just some of the skills the youth may develop through FACE. Manufacturing jobs are in short supply, resulting in the need for entrepreneurial skills.
D. robotic assembly. Robotic assembly is a high-tech computer-assisted approach to manufacturing that seeks to replace workers with robots. The other answers — weaving, wood turning, sail making, and joinery (carpentry) — are all examples of hand skill craft occupations according to the passage.
B. by creating new enterprises. The best way for youth to secure employment is to “create new enterprises,” as the passage states. Jobs are being lost in traditional manufacturing. The Royal Society, business certificate, and training places don’t refer directly to securing employment.
D. Royal Society of Arts. The Royal Society of Arts assisted FACE in developing the Certificate in Small Business and Enterprise Skills. Although the Youth Training Scheme provided funding for FACE, it wasn’t directly involved with the Certificate. Hand skill workshops and occupational sectors have no direct relation to the Certificate. Choice (B), west and northeast England, refers only to locations.
B. anger management. Anger management isn’t mentioned in the passage as one of the competencies; all the other skills are.
B. an alternative to traditional manufacturing jobs. Choice (B) is the most clear and direct statement in the text that the FACE program doesn’t expect graduates to find traditional jobs but instead is preparing them for some alternative form of employment. Choices (A) and (D) could apply to any form of employment, so they’re wrong. Choice (C) is somewhat correct, but it still suggests working for an employer, while the text suggests that graduates will need to look at alternatives, such as self-employment.
C. Both Choices (A) and (B) are correct. According to the introduction to the text, students both drop mathematics courses and are unwilling or unable to take life skills courses.
B. to make the money last between paychecks. Although a few choices are partially correct, you must select the most correct answer. The item about budgets specifically mentions making the money last between paychecks. So Choice (B) is the most correct answer.
D. no initial payment on the mortgage before monthly payments start. The term zero down means that no down payment is required before you begin making payments on a loan, or in this case, a mortgage. This definition can be inferred from the text.
D. Cars are among the largest purchases most people ever make. As the proposal states, car loans are the second largest purchase most people will ever make. Although Choices (A) and (B) are partially correct, they don’t answer the question. And Choice (C) is wrong.
A. John’s. The correct word is John’s. The point of the exercise is to use the apostrophe appropriately.
C. Their car was there. The first their/there/they’re choice has to show possession, so the correct choice is their. The second their/there/they’re choice refers to location, and the correct version for location is there.
A. 30 years or more. The text states that climate refers to the average weather conditions over many years.
weather. Climate is the average of weather conditions over many years, while weather varies from day to day.

Sample Extended Response

Here’s an example of an essay in response to the articles about higher education. Your essay will look different, but this example can help you compare your response to a well-structured essay. Your essay could raise many of the same points that this essay does, perhaps organized differently, but above all, it should be well organized with a clear introduction, conclusion, and supporting evidence.
Compare the following sample to the response you wrote, and check out Chapter 7 for the scoring criteria and what evaluators look for in a response.
- Higher education should be accessible for all, but the reality is that it is not. Both articles point out the problems in attaining that education. The first article discusses plans for promoting higher education and opening doors for people to attain that education. The second article discusses the expense involved in obtaining a postsecondary education. However, neither article offers any real answers to the issue of accessibility to postsecondary education. In terms of argument, the second article certainly provides far greater specific detail on the issues and thus makes a stronger case.
- The first article, the White House statement, clearly states that more jobs will require more education, and that at least half of the fastest-growing areas of employment will require postsecondary education. It also points out that the United States is falling behind the rest of the world in terms of the percentage of the population attaining such higher education. It goes on to make a number of statements about how the administration is working toward improving access. Yet these statements are vague and general, offering no concrete answers.
- It then goes on to state that the administration wishes to help make college and university affordable, so that everyone has a “fair shot at pursuing higher education.” However, that section of the article is also woefully weak in terms of actual specifics on how this is to be done.
- The second article, on the other hand, is full of very specific details. It explains the financial challenges facing individuals trying to obtain a postsecondary education. It presents statistics about average income of high-school graduates, comparing it to that of university graduates. It then presents details about the cost of a postsecondary education and the debt loads students acquire. For example, the article states that the average high-school graduate currently earns about $35,000 annually, nearly $20,000 less than a university graduate. It shows that the average college or university student’s debt load will take that student anywhere from 10 to 15 years of full employment to catch up with the earnings of the average high-school graduate, providing that both fall into the average income bracket for their education level.
- There are problems with both articles. The first article is indeed quite vague. Under the heading of “Improving Transparency and Accountability,” it talks about how the president has tasked the administration to give “students and families new tools and relevant information that will help them make sound financial decisions in pursuing their higher education goals.” Nowhere does it state any specifics. Earlier, the article talks about the president’s emphasis on strengthening the community college system to ensure that the air gateways to economic prosperity. While it states the goal is to provide an additional 5 million graduates, nothing is said about how this will be achieved.
- There are similar weaknesses within the second article. After demonstrating how expensive a postsecondary education can be, it goes on to talk about individuals who have obtained amazing careers, all without or with very limited postsecondary education. The weakness of this argument is that the article can only present five or six examples, while we are talking about a potential postsecondary population in the hundreds of thousands. The article says postsecondary education is not for everyone, but most people are not going to have the careers of a Dave Thomas or John D. Rockefeller, not without assistance. Undeniably, for the average person, postsecondary education still opens doors that will remain closed for most without that education.
- Both articles have problems. The first article talks about the desirability of a postsecondary education and many possible solutions to the problem of obtaining that education. However, it is woefully weak on specifics. The second article basically says forget about a postsecondary education, by presenting in great detail the financial issues, but also offers no concrete answers on how to get ahead. In the context of supporting their arguments, the second article is the stronger.

Answers for Practice Test 2, Reasoning through Language Arts

Answers and Explanations

Sample Extended Response

Answer Key