English 9 Practice 2

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Multiple Choice

Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Questions 1–6: Read each sentence and look at the underlined part. It may contain a mistake in grammar, choice of words, sentence construction, or punctuation. Choose the best way to write the underlined part of the sentence. If you think the original phrasing is best, choose answer d, “Best as it is.”

One of the cats sat in a patch of sunshine and cleaned it’s paws and tail.

a.	it	c.	their
b.	its	d.	Best as it is

“I walk to school every day from kindergarten through high school,” Mom told us, “so I hope you kids appreciate getting a ride every morning.”

a.	walk	c.	walking
b.	walked	d.	Best as it is

Neither of those boys are old enough to apply for a driver’s license.

a.	being	c.	is
b.	were	d.	Best as it is

To reach the parking lot behind the store, customers had to walk against a narrow, dark alley between two tall buildings.

a.	through	c.	beneath
b.	among	d.	Best as it is

I think Marita is one of the seven athletes who are receiving trophies at the sports banquet.

a.	is	c.	was
b.	will	d.	Best as it is

My friend and I gave a birthday party for her six-year-old brother, and although we were nervous beforehand, it went surprisingly well.

a.	surprising	c.	most surprising
b.	surprisinger	d.	Best as it is

Questions 7–8: Read each question and choose the best answer.

What is the best way to combine these two sentences?

The castle was built at the tip of a peninsula, with a spectacular view.

You can see it in the photo.

a.	As you can see in the photo, the castle was built at the tip of a peninsula, with a spectacular view.
b.	The castle, having been built at the tip of a peninsula, has a spectacular view, and you can see it in the photo.
c.	At the tip of a peninsula with a spectacular view was built the castle, which you can see in the photo.
d.	You can see in the photo that there is a castle, and it was built at the tip of a peninsula, and the view there is spectacular.

Which is the best way to improve this sentence to make it more interesting?

Lisa has an after-school job.

a.	A girl I know named Lisa has a job after school.
b.	Lisa, a girl in our school that I happen to know, spends her afternoons working at a part-time job.
c.	That girl Lisa is so lucky because she has a job after school and gets paid.
d.	Lisa works at the florist shop after school, answering the phone and waiting on customers.

Questions 9–14 refer to the following passage.

(1) People’s sleep habits change as they age, but you may not know why. (2) Scientists believe that a hormone called melatonin plays a key role. (3) Melatonin is sometimes called the “darkness hormone.”

(4) As every exhausted parent knows, young children rise bright and early in the morning, often far earlier than parents themselves want to start their day. (5) Children go to bed and fall asleep early in the evening. (6) Researchers can explain this pattern. (7) They have found that young children produce high levels of sleep-promoting melatonin in the early evening.

(8) Studies show that teens start to produce melatonin much later in the evening than young children do. (9) In one study, teens didn’t start to produce the hormone until 1:00 A.M.! (10) And compared with people of other ages, teens’ melatonin levels remain

high until later in the morning. (11) Thus, teens not only tend to stay up late, they have a biological reason to sleep late in the morning.

(12) Adults’ sleep cycles fall between these two extremes. (13) Many families report that adults go to sleep and rise later than children but earlier than teens. (14) This makes sense. (15) In light of the finding that most adults start to produce melatonin at around 10 P.M.—later than children and earlier than teens.

Which is the best way to revise sentence 1 to make it more appealing to readers?

a.	People’s sleep habits change as they age, and that’s why.
b.	Why do people’s sleep habits change as they age?
c.	People may not know why their sleep habits change as they age.
d.	Sleep habits change as people age, and why is that.

10.

Which detail sentence could best be added after sentence 3?

a.	Another hormone, cortisol, has been nicknamed the “fight or flight” hormone.
b.	Some people have trouble falling asleep in a bright room.
c.	This hormone regulates the wake-sleep cycle and helps us to fall asleep.
d.	A good night’s sleep is important for good health

11.

What word or phrase should be added to the beginning of sentence 5 to link it with sentence 4?

a.	Meanwhile	c.	Still,
b.	In other words,	d.	Additionally

12.

Which is the best sentence to insert before sentence 8 to introduce the ideas in the third paragraph?

a.	I’ll tell you that I can never seem to get enough sleep.
b.	Teenagers are sometimes accused of being lazy.
c.	The wake-sleep cycle changes during the teen years.
d.	In just a few years, children become teenagers.

13.

Which is a sentence fragment and should be rewritten or combined with another sentence?

a.	Researchers can explain this pattern.
b.	And compared with people of other ages, teens’ melatonin levels remain high until later in the morning.
c.	This makes sense.
d.	In light of the finding that most adults start to produce melatonin at around 10 P.M.—later than children and earlier than teens.

14.

What pattern of organization did the writer use to organize information in this passage?

a.	classification	c.	order of location
b.	chronological order	d.	comparison and contrast

Questions 15–20: A student wrote this passage. It may need some changes or corrections. Read the passage. Then choose the best answer to each question.

(1) The best vacation I ever had was a bicycle camping trip. (2) It was ten days—and nights—spent totally out-of-doors. (3) My valuables—a map and tool kit—were stowed at my fingertips in a small red handlebar bag. (4) The rest of my possessions were crammed into two larger bags slung over my rear wheel, with a sleeping bag and tent strapped on top.

(5) I traveled with one companion. (6) We kept to winding, less-traveled roads as much as possible, meandering along the coast. (7) There was no hurry; there was no need to find the shortest route to somewhere. (8) The journey itself was the whole point of the vacation. (9) My cousin spends hundreds of dollars on plane tickets every time he takes a vacation.

(10) I cannot imagine a more delightful way to travel. (11) You’re close to the ground. (12) On a bike, you see everything. (13) You’re not in the cocoon of a car, rushing by things; you’re part of things. (14) You see wildflowers, chipmunks, butterflies; you hear birdsong and sails flapping in the breeze. (15) You enjoy the weather. (16) At night, after you’ve stopped and set up camp, you feel your muscles. (17) You feel odd walking; peddling has come to feel more natural.

15.

What kind of passage is this?

a.	expository	c.	persuasive
b.	response to literature	d.	personal narrative

16.

Which sentence is not relevant and should be removed from this passage?

a.	sentence 5	c.	sentence 10
b.	sentence 9	d.	sentence 17

17.

Which detail sentence could best be inserted after sentence 15?

a.	Of course, sometimes it might rain or even snow.
b.	You feel the delicious warmth of the sun in early morning and the welcome cool of the shade on hot afternoons.
c.	I disliked the days that were hot and humid, but my friend didn’t mind them at all.
d.	Most people aren’t aware that a change in the weather can affect their mood and energy level.

18.

Which would be the best word or phrase to insert at the beginning of sentence 8 to link it to sentence 7?

a.	Nevertheless,	c.	In the same way,
b.	Otherwise,	d.	After all,

19.

Which two sentences should be switched to organize the third paragraph better?

a.	sentences 10 and 11	c.	sentences 15 and 16
b.	sentences 11 and 12	d.	sentences 16 and 17

20.

Which concluding sentence could best be added after sentence 17?

a.	Most of all, you feel contentment as you drift off to a well-earned sleep.
b.	I’d rather be outside than indoors any day.
c.	It’s hard to believe, but it’s true!
d.	It wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I thought it was a lot of fun.