Extra Practice

The following questions provide an opportunity to practice the concepts and strategic thinking covered in this chapter. While many of the questions pertain to Conventions of Punctuation, some touch on other concepts tested on the Writing & Language Test to ensure that your practice is test-like, with a variety of question types per passage.

    1. Questions 1-11 are based on the following passage and supplementary material.

    2. Feeling the Burn of Lactic Acid

      As a person works a muscle excessively or for a long period of time, that person will most likely feel a burning sensation. Coaches and trainers often encourage they’re athletes to exercise until they “feel the burn” because that is an indication that the muscle is working hard. Some people bond the burning feeling with “burning” calories, but the burning sensation has nothing to do with the energy released during exercise; first, it is caused by chemicals that form when muscles use more oxygen than they have available.

      Blood brings the energy muscles need to move in the form of glucose. The muscles cannot use the glucose directly, however; they can use only adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is a molecule formed when cells break down glucose. First, the muscle cells break the six-carbon glucose into two three-carbon molecules of pyruvic acid. This makes two ATP molecules available for the muscle cells to use. When enough oxygen is available, the cells then continues to break the pyruvic acid down in a series of steps, each of which produces more ATP. The full cycle releases another 34 ATP molecules, as well as carbon dioxide and water, from one molecule of glucose.

      When a cell breaks down glucose without oxygen present, however, it can only accomplish the first step. Even the first step will halt, unless the cell converts the pyruvic acid formed into lactic acid. The longer we exercise without enough oxygen, the more lactic acid we build up in our muscle tissues. You are probably familiar with the discomfort acetic acid found in vinegar, causes when it comes in contact with a cut; lactic acid annoys muscle tissues in a similar way, causing a burning sensation.

      [1] Lactic acid does not form during normal daily activities because our muscles have a small store of ATP available, which is easily replenished as it is used. [2] More intense activity, however, quickly uses up that store once the store is used up, and if the level of oxygen needed for the activity is greater than the amount reaching the muscles, lactic acid starts to build up. [3] The buildup of lactic acid occurs most quickly while engaging in so-called power sports, such as sprinting. [4] After we stop exercising, you continue to breathe harder in order to get enough oxygen to convert the lactic acid back to pyruvic acid, to be used in the normal cycle once again. [5] As a result, lactic acid does not return to normal immediately after we stop exercising.

      1. NO CHANGE
      2. their
      3. it’s
      4. its
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. equate
      3. acquaint
      4. observe
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. instead
      3. although
      4. consequently

    6. Which choice most effectively establishes the central idea of this paragraph?

      1. NO CHANGE
      2. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a molecule that is found in all living cells.
      3. Glucose is a carbohydrate that is absorbed into the blood during digestion.
      4. Muscles are made of soft tissue and require an external energy source to move.
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. did continue
      3. continue
      4. continued
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. acid, found in vinegar, causes
      3. acid found, in vinegar, causes
      4. acid found in vinegar causes
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. rubs
      3. hurts
      4. irritates

    10. Which choice provides the least support for the central idea of this paragraph?

      1. Sentence 1
      2. Sentence 2
      3. Sentence 3
      4. Sentence 4
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. store once, the store
      3. store; once the store
      4. store: once the store
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. we
      3. they
      4. them

    13. Based on the information in the graph, which choice, if added here, would provide the most effective conclusion to the passage?

      1. Lactic acid concentration peaks at eight minutes then begins to drop.
      2. At 28 minutes, lactic acid concentration is half of what it is during exercise.
      3. We continue to “feel the burn” for nearly 40 minutes after we stop.
      4. Lactic acid concentration declines steadily when exercise stops.

    1. Questions 12-22 are based on the following passage and supplementary material.

    2. The Brooklyn Bridge: The Eighth Wonder of the World

      As one of New York City’s most iconic landmarks, the Brooklyn Bridge spans 5,989 feet across the East River. Connecting the boroughs of Brooklyn (Kings County) and Manhattan, this bridge was a fantastic marvel of engineering when it was completed in 1883, just years after the Golden Gate Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge of its time. It was dubbed the “8th Wonder of the World.” Its construction, consequently, was riddled with problems from the very start.

      Residents of Brooklyn had watched for a bridge to connect them with Manhattan, as the frozen East River was absolutely so impossible to cross during the winter. The dream would finally come to fruition, when New York legislators approved John Augustus Roebling’s plan for a suspension bridge over the East River. Roebling had a successful reputation as a designer of suspension bridges, and the Brooklyn Bridge would be their biggest feat yet, as both the suspension bridge with the longest span (1,600 feet from tower to tower) and as the first steel-cabled suspension bridge.

      Roebling would never see his design completed; in fact, he would never even see construction begin. Just before construction was about to start in 1867, Roebling was the victim of a special accident; a boat was smashing into his foot, and he succumbed to tetanus. His son, Washington Roebling, took over the project.

      Designs for the Brooklyn Bridge included a promenade above the traffic. The first task was for workers to excavate the riverbed in order to anchor the two towers of the bridge to the bedrock below. To accomplish this, bottomless wooden boxes called caissons were sunk into the depths of the river. Once inside, workers would begin the laborious task of removing mud and boulders. To get down into the caissons, workers traveled in airlocks filled with compressed air, which prevented water from entering, if the workers ascended to the surface and left the compressed air too quickly, they would suffer from the debilitating condition known as “caisson disease,” or “the bends.” Over 100 workers experienced caisson disease, and many others died or were injured from construction-related accidents. The cement-filled caissons remain under the towers of the bridge today.

      Washington Roebling himself suffered from the bends and was partially paralyzed for the rest of his life. Determined to remain part of the project now supervised by his wife, Emily, he watched the construction continue with a telescope. In May, 1883, more than a dozen years after construction began, Emily Roebling was given the first ride over the completed Brooklyn Bridge. She was followed by 150,300 people on that opening day. Despite the setbacks, Manhattan and Brooklyn were finally connected.

      Bridges of the World
      Bridge Name & Location Date Completed Length Largest Single Span
      Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Japan 1998 12,828 feet 6,527 feet
      Brooklyn Bridge, New York 1883 5,989 feet 1,595 feet
      Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco 1937 8,981 feet 4,200 feet
      Tower Bridge, London 1894 880 feet 200 feet

    3. Which choice most accurately completes the sentence based on the table?

      1. NO CHANGE
      2. when it was completed in 1883, several years before the Tower Bridge in London, England, was built.
      3. when it was completed in 1883, two years after the Tower Bridge in London, England, was built.
      4. when it was completed in 1883, the same year that the Golden Gate Bridge was built.

    4. Which choice most effectively combines the sentences at the underlined portion?

      1. its time, however, it was dubbed
      2. its time, and it was dubbed
      3. its time, was dubbed
      4. its time, it was dubbed
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. as a result
      3. for example
      4. however
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. longed
      3. fought
      4. went
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. absolutely impossible
      3. impossible
      4. so impossible
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. its
      3. her
      4. his
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. an exceptional
      3. a common
      4. a freak
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. smashing
      3. smashed
      4. was smashed

    11. Which choice most effectively establishes the central idea of the paragraph?

      1. NO CHANGE
      2. The conditions inside the caissons were so terrible that workmen could stay there only for two hours.
      3. The towers were built of limestone, granite, and cement that came from a village called Rosendale in upstate New York.
      4. The building of the bridge was a monumental and often dangerous undertaking.
      1. NO CHANGE
      2. from entering. If the workers ascended
      3. from entering if the workers ascended
      4. from entering, since if the workers ascended

    13. Which choice most effectively revises the underlined sentence?

      1. In 1883, many years after construction began, Emily Roebling was given a ride over the completed Brooklyn Bridge.
      2. In May 1883, many years after construction began, Emily Roebling was given the first ride over the completed Brooklyn Bridge.
      3. On May 24, 1883, 14 years after construction began, Emily Roebling was given the first ride over the completed Brooklyn Bridge.
      4. In 1883, 14 years after construction began, Emily Roebling was given a ride over the completed Brooklyn Bridge.