Question 1

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
Recently, the new government ordered banks to set aside money for troubled, property, development loans because of the mortgage crisis and recession.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "troubled property development loans"
In this sentence, "troubled" is an adjective that describes the type of loans - property development loans. Therefore, commas are unnecessary between "troubled," "property," "development," or "loans."

Question 2

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Accepted Answer

Corrected version: Stewart was worried that his
Him should be changed to his. This is a form called quasi-possessive. Getting is a gerund, a verb form that acts like a noun, so it can act as the subject of a sentence. Since Stewart was the one who got suspended it is his "getting suspended."

Question 3

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
Many tourists fear terrorism and of being targeted by religious political parties.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "attacks"
"Being targeted" indicates the passive voice. Using the active voice can make a sentence more concise. "Agendas" does not fit within the context of the sentence. "Attacks" relates to terrorism and places emphasis on what the tourists fear.

Question 4

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
Some Egyptians work in agriculture, producing corn, fruit, rice, cotton and barley near the Nile Valley and Nile River Delta.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "producing corn, fruit, rice, cotton, and barley"
Use a comma in a sentence with a series of three or more words to avoid ambiguity. Semicolons are inappropriate in this sentence. Avoid using a colon after a verb in a sentence that includes a list.

Question 5

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
Because job prospects is lacking, millions of people are leaving Spain.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "are"
The verb "is" does not agree with the subject "job prospects." Since the subject is plural, "are" is the appropriate form of the verb to use.

Question 6

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Accepted Answer

Corrected version: her award-winning chili a secret;
When joining two complete sentences, you should use a semicolon, not a colon.

Question 7

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Accepted Answer

Corrected version: of senators is able to pass a bill
Are should be changed to is. The subject of the sentence is majority, which is treated as singular because it is acting as a single entity to pass the bill.

Question 8

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Accepted Answer

Corrected version: and watching some television.
Sentences should have parallel structure, meaning that each item in the list should have the same grammatical structure. When parallel structure is broken, the result is jarring.

Question 9

Which course of action most improves the following sentence?
He was honest, hardworking and a regular customer at the neighborhood pub.

Accepted Answer

The sentence is most improved by fixing its parallel structure. The first two descriptions are adjective, but the third is a noun. Changing all three to nouns or adjectives solves the problem. "He was an honest man, a hardworking employee and a regular customer at the neighborhood pub" is one example.

Question 10

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
By 1945, the United States became concerned about the nationalist movement led by the Viet Minh and started supporting the french colonization of Vietnam.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "French"
The first letters of proper nouns should be capitalized. The possessive form of France would be appropriate, but in its proper form, the apostrophe comes before s. Therefore, "French" properly completes the sentence.

Question 11

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Accepted Answer

Corrected version: The interview was stressful, but
Either the semicolon should be changed to a comma or but should be removed. Full sentences can be joined by either a semicolon or a comma plus a conjunction.

Question 12

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
On the day of the attack three cruisers, two tankers, two battleships, six aircraft carriers, and nine destroyers sailed to a point north of Hawaii.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "On the day of the attack, three cruisers"
A comma is needed to set off the introductory phrase "On the day of the attack" from the main part of the sentence. A comma is unnecessary after "day," and a semicolon does not properly complete the sentence.

Question 13

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
President Johnson authorized the launch of air strikes and Congress approved military force against North Vietnam but he did not declare war.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "North Vietnam, but he did not declare war."
The original sentence contains two independent clauses. Commas can join independent clauses when used with coordinating conjunctions such as "but." A period and semicolon are not appropriate forms of punctuation to use with this sentence.

Question 14

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
The largest North American palladium mine - Montana's Stillwater mine - is located in the United States.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "is in the United States"
"Is located" indicates the passive voice. Setting aside "located" will not change the sentence's intended meaning. "By" implies that the mine is near the United States and "through" implies that the mine covers a vast area across several states.

Question 15

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
After agreeing to another ceasefire; they returned to their former claimed areas.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "ceasefire, they returned"
A semicolon can join to independent clauses - clauses that can stand alone as sentences. "After agreeing to another ceasefire" is an introductory phrase; therefore, the comma is necessary to separate it from the independent clause.

Question 16

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
Some European countries already mandate GMO labeling, but efforts to pass legislation in the United States have met resistance.
What adjective could the writer insert after "met" to emphasize the type of "resistance"?

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "met fierce resistance."
The passage indicates that over a dozen states failed to pass legislation, which indicates strong resistance to proposed GMO bills. "Fierce" is an adjective with a similar meaning to "strong." Therefore, it can emphasize the type of "resistance" to the legislation.

Question 17

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Accepted Answer

Corrected version: were happy about losing
Was should be changed to were. In a neither/nor construction the verb should agree with the subject closest to the verb. In this sentence, the nearest subject is members, so we must use the plural form of the verb.

Question 18

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
President Truman assisted France by providing military equipment to help reestablish their presence and power in Vietnam.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "its"
"Their" is a plural possessive pronoun. France refers to one country; therefore, the sentence needs a singular pronoun. "There" is an adverb and "it's" is a contraction of "it is." "Its" is the singular possessive pronoun that properly completes the sentence.

Question 19

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
Palladium, a soft shiny silvery-white metal, is one of six platinum group metals and is relatively rare.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "a soft, shiny silvery-white metal"
"Soft" and "shiny" are two consecutive adjectives describing palladium. Therefore, a comma should separate the adjectives. "Soft shiny" should be "soft, shiny."

Question 20

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.
The oil embargo caused the most resentment, among the Japanese, because Japan did not have any oil of its own. Japan wanted freedom from its dependency on the United States.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "resentment among the Japanese because"
Commas can separate parenthetical expressions (nonessential words or phrases) in a sentence. "Among the Japanese" is significant because it describes who resented the United States and why. Therefore, no punctuation is necessary to separate the phrase from the rest of the sentence.

Quiz 33: Praxis I Writing

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. Recently, the new government ordered banks to set aside money for troubled, property, development loans because of the mortgage crisis and recession.

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. Many tourists fear terrorism and of being targeted by religious political parties.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. Some Egyptians work in agriculture, producing corn, fruit, rice, cotton and barley near the Nile Valley and Nile River Delta.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. Because job prospects is lacking, millions of people are leaving Spain.

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Which course of action most improves the following sentence? He was honest, hardworking and a regular customer at the neighborhood pub.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. By 1945, the United States became concerned about the nationalist movement led by the Viet Minh and started supporting the french colonization of Vietnam.

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. On the day of the attack three cruisers, two tankers, two battleships, six aircraft carriers, and nine destroyers sailed to a point north of Hawaii.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. President Johnson authorized the launch of air strikes and Congress approved military force against North Vietnam but he did not declare war.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. The largest North American palladium mine - Montana's Stillwater mine - is located in the United States.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. After agreeing to another ceasefire; they returned to their former claimed areas.

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. President Truman assisted France by providing military equipment to help reestablish their presence and power in Vietnam.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. Palladium, a soft shiny silvery-white metal, is one of six platinum group metals and is relatively rare.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. The oil embargo caused the most resentment, among the Japanese, because Japan did not have any oil of its own. Japan wanted freedom from its dependency on the United States.