id stringlengths 8 8 | passage stringlengths 67 918 | question stringclasses 21
values | choice_A stringlengths 2 206 | choice_B stringlengths 2 210 | choice_C stringlengths 2 258 | choice_D stringlengths 2 122 | correct_answer stringclasses 4
values | rationale stringlengths 356 2.6k | difficulty stringclasses 3
values | domain stringclasses 2
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
684b8bd2 | Far from being modern inventions, ______ more than 5,000 years ago. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia used drinking straws | drinking straws were used by Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia | the use of drinking straws by Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia happened | ancient Mesopotamia was home to Sumerians who used drinking straws | B | Choice B is the best answer. Modifiers and their subjects must go next to each other. The modifier “far from being modern
inventions” must be describing “drinking straws,” because those are the only possible inventions in this sentence.
Choice A is incorrect. Modifiers and their subjects must go next to each other. The mo... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
36944347 | Official measurements of the Mississippi River’s length vary: according to the US Geologic Survey, the river is 2,300 miles
long, whereas the Environmental Protection Agency records its length as 2,320 miles. This disparity can be explained in part
by the fact that rivers such as the Mississippi expand and contract as __... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | they accumulate | one accumulates | it accumulates | we accumulate | A | Choice A is the best answer. The noun that goes with "expand and contract" is "rivers," a plural noun. "They" is a third-person
plural pronoun, so it can correctly stand in for "rivers."
Choice B is incorrect. This choice creates a pronoun-antecedent agreement error. "One" is a singular pronoun, but the noun
that goes ... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
109d5bbb | With some 16,000 in attendance, the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and ______ or FESTAC ‘77, as the event
was more commonly known—became the largest pan-African event on record. FESTAC drew people from around the world
to Lagos, Nigeria, for a monthlong celebration of Black and African art, scholarship... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | Culture: | Culture— | Culture, | Culture | B | Choice B is the best answer. The text uses a dash to introduce a nonessential element that explains the acronym FESTAC.
The dash matches the dash that comes after “known,” ending the descriptive aside.
Choice A is incorrect. A colon can only come after an independent clause, which isn’t the case here. Choice C is incor... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
5fa165f7 | In the 1960s, Sam Gilliam, a Black painter from the southern United States, became the first artist to drape painted canvases
into flowing shapes. He later explored a different style, ______ quilt-like paintings inspired by the patchwork quilting tradition
of Black communities in the South. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | predicting | refusing | hiding | creating | D | Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Sam Gilliam’s artworks. As used in
this context, “creating” means producing or bringing something into existence. The text indicates that Gilliam is an artist who
made draped canvases and, later, quilt-like paintings. This context ... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
570970cd | The following text is adapted from Indian Boyhood, a 1902 memoir by Ohiyesa (Charles A. Eastman), a Santee Dakota writer.
In the text, Ohiyesa recalls how the women in his tribe harvested maple syrup during his childhood.
Now the women began to test the trees—moving leisurely among them, axe in hand, and striking a sin... | Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole? | It portrays the range of personality traits displayed by the women as they work. | It foregrounds the beneficial relationship between humans and maple trees. | It demonstrates how human behavior can be influenced by the natural environment. | It elaborates on an aspect of the maple trees that the women evaluate. | D | Choice D is the best answer because it best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text’s overall portrayal
of how the women in Ohiyesa’s tribe harvested maple syrup. The text states that the women used an axe to strike the maple
trees in order to find out which ones would produce sap. The underlined s... | Hard | Craft_and_Structure |
9091458d | Emperor penguins don’t waddle out of the ocean. They launch themselves at such a high speed that they travel up to two
meters before landing. How ______ A layer of microbubbles on their plumage reduces friction as the penguins speed to the
surface. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | they are able to move so fast! | are they able to move so fast. | they are able to move so fast. | are they able to move so fast? | D | Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is end-of-sentence punctuation. This choice correctly uses a
question mark to punctuate the interrogative sentence “how are they able to move so fast?” The interrogative sentence asks
a direct question, and the next sentence answers it.
Choice A is incorrect beca... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
c21df211 | In 1959, the film industry debuted Smell-O-Vision. Theaters were fitted with specialized vents that emitted odors at specific
points in a ______ as the scent of roses when roses appeared in a scene. Smell-O-Vision failed to impress, however, with one
reviewer declaring it “briefly weird and not very interesting.” | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | movie such | movie; such | movie. Such | movie, such | D | Choice D is the best answer. The comma appropriately separates the nonessential descriptive aside "such as…scene" from
the independent clause "Theaters were…movie." Since the descriptive example of roses isn’t necessary for the sentence to
function, it needs to be set off with punctuation.
Choice A is incorrect. This c... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
a30567fd | Nuhād al-ҭaddād, known as Fairuz, was one of the most beloved Lebanese singers of the twentieth century. Her broad
singing repertoire—which included traditional forms, such as the Arabic qasida and maqam, alongside modern pop and jazz
styles—lent Fairuz a timeless, cross-generational appeal, ______ her the moniker “the... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | earned | had earned | earning | earn | C | Choice C is the best answer. The word "earning" is being used to introduce an additional modifying phrase, which describes
how Fairuz’s repertoire lent her cross-generational appeal. When a verb ends in -ing and doesn’t have a helper verb like "is"
before it, it can be used to modify a noun or verb. This is appropriate... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
ac5536c1 | Beatrix Potter is perhaps best known for writing and illustrating children’s books such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902), but
she also dedicated herself to mycology, the study of ______ more than 350 paintings of the fungal species she observed in
nature and submitting her research on spore germination to the Linnean... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | fungi; producing | fungi. Producing | fungi producing | fungi, producing | D | Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between two supplementary phrases following
the coordinate clause (“but she…mycology”). This choice correctly uses a comma to mark the boundary between the
supplementary noun phrase (“the study of fungi”) that defines the term “mycology” and the... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
c8540a5b | Swedish scientists Eva Engvall and Peter Perlmann developed a method for measuring the concentration of different
proteins in a biological sample. Their ______ ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), is used to detect and measure
proteins that indicate the presence of certain diseases. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | method (called | method—called | method, called | method called | C | Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the punctuation of a supplementary element within a sentence.
The comma after “method” pairs with the comma after the closing parenthesis to separate the supplementary element
“called ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay)” from the rest of the sentence. Th... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
e4f312c5 | While most animals are incapable of passing somatic mutations—genetic alterations that arise in an organism’s
nonreproductive cells—on to their offspring, elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) presents an intriguing ______: in a 2022 study,
researchers found that elkhorn coral produced offspring that inherited somatic mutat... | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | hypothesis | affinity | anomaly | corroboration | C | Choice C is the best answer. An "anomaly" is something that deviates from norms or expectations. In this case, the elkhorn
coral is an anomaly because it can pass on somatic mutations, whereas most other animals can’t.
Choice A is incorrect. A "hypothesis" is "a theory about something," but no theories are provided abo... | Hard | Craft_and_Structure |
f868d438 | In 2018, the innovative works of Congolese sculptor and architect Bodys Isek ______ were featured in City Dreams, a solo
exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | Kingelez; | Kingelez, | Kingelez | Kingelez: | C | Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between a subject and a verb. No punctuation is
needed when the subject of a sentence is immediately followed by a main verb. In this case, the sentence’s subject (“the
innovative works of Congolese sculptor and architect Bodys Isek Kingelez”) is f... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
be34a3df | In 2008, two years after the death of science fiction writer Octavia Butler, the Huntington Library in ______ received a
collection of more than 8,000 items, including Butler’s private notes, research materials, manuscripts, photos, and drawings.
Today, the Octavia E. Butler Collection is one of the most researched arch... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | California, | California: | California— | California | D | Choice D is the best answer. No punctuation should separate the subject of the sentence (“the Huntington Library in
California”) from its verb (“received”).
Choice A is incorrect. No punctuation should separate the subject of the sentence (“the Huntington Library in California”)
from its verb (“received”). Choice B is ... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
5effa190 | The process of mechanically recycling plastics is often considered ______ because of the environmental impact and the loss
of material quality that often occurs. But chemist Takunda Chazovachii has helped develop a cleaner process of chemical
recycling that converts superabsorbent polymers from diapers into a desirable... | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | resilient | inadequate | dynamic | satisfactory | B | Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about recycling plastics. In this
context, “inadequate” means not satisfactory. The text indicates that the mechanical plastic-recycling process affects the
environment and causes “the loss of material quality.” The text contrasts tha... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
dc043599 | Text 1
Most scientists agree that the moon was likely formed after a collision between Earth and a large planet named Theia. This
collision likely created a huge debris field, made up of material from both Earth and Theia. Based on models of this event,
scientists believe that the moon was formed from this debris over t... | Which choice best describes a difference in how the author of Text 1 and the author of Text 2 view the evidence for the
formation of the moon? | The author of Text 1 argues that the formation of the moon occurred much earlier than the author of Text 2 argues. | The author of Text 1 suggests there is more evidence confirming the existence of Theia than the author of Text 2
suggests. | The author of Text 1 claims that the moon’s surface is more similar to Earth’s surface than the author of Text 2 claims. | The author of Text 1 believes that the moon formed more slowly than the author of Text 2 believes. | D | Choice D is the best answer. Text 1 states that the moon was formed from the debris “over the course of thousands of
years,” while Text 2 states that the moon’s formation happened “immediately after impact, taking just a few hours.” This
shows a clear difference in how the authors view the evidence for the speed of the... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
175df826 | In the 2011 documentary The Barber of Birmingham, civil rights activist James Armstrong recounts how his barbershop in
Birmingham, Alabama, ______ as a political hub for members of the Black community during the 1950s. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | serving | having served | served | to serve | C | Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. Relative clauses, such
as the one beginning with "how," require a finite (tensed) verb, a verb that can function as the main verb of a clause. This
choice correctly supplies the clause with the finite past tense verb "ser... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
1f39ab8b | In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is a leader of Umuofia (a fictional Nigerian clan) and takes pride in
his culture’s traditions. However, when the arrival of European missionaries brings changes to Umuofia, the novel asks a
central question: How ______ | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | Umuofia’s traditions will be affected. | will Umuofia’s traditions be affected. | Umuofia’s traditions will be affected? | will Umuofia’s traditions be affected? | D | Choice D is the best answer. The clause before the colon tells us that the novel “asks a question,” so the clause after the
colon should be in the conventional form of a question: with the verb before the subject, and a question mark at the end.
Choice A is incorrect. This choice ends the sentence with a period, which... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
9902d2de | The Alvarez theory, developed in 1980 by physicist Luis Walter Alvarez and his geologist son Walter Alvarez, maintained that
the secondary effects of an asteroid impact caused many dinosaurs and other animals to die ______ it left unexplored the
question of whether unrelated volcanic activity might have also contribute... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | out but | out, but | out | out, | B | Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the coordination of main clauses within a sentence. This choice
correctly uses a comma and the coordinating conjunction “but” to join the first main clause (“the Alvarez…out”) and the
second main clause (“it left…extinctions”).
Choice A is incorrect because whe... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
236fee8e | Archeological excavation of Market Street Chinatown, a nineteenth-century Chinese American community in San Jose,
California, provided the first evidence that Asian food products were imported to the United States in the 1800s: bones from
a freshwater fish species native to Southeast Asia. Jinshanzhuang—Hong Kong–based i... | Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole? | It explains why efforts to determine the country of origin of the items mentioned in the previous sentence remain
inconclusive. | It provides information that helps support a claim about a discovery’s significance that is presented in the following
sentence. | It traces the steps that were taken to locate and recover the objects that are described in the previous sentence. | It outlines a hypothesis that additional evidence discussed in the following sentence casts some doubt on. | B | Choice B is the best answer. The underlined sentence provides information about import/export firms, showing how Chinese
communities across the world were connected by trade routes.
Choice A is incorrect. The underlined sentence never suggests that the countries of origin of the fish are in question—in fact,
it tells us ... | Medium | Craft_and_Structure |
9421ed62 | In 2007, computer scientist Luis von Ahn was working on converting printed books into a digital format. He found that some
words were distorted enough that digital scanners couldn’t recognize them, but most humans could easily read them. Based
on that finding, von Ahn invented a simple security test to keep automated “b... | Which choice best states the main purpose of the text? | To discuss von Ahn’s invention of reCAPTCHA | To explain how digital scanners work | To call attention to von Ahn’s book-digitizing project | To indicate how popular reCAPTCHA is | A | Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main purpose of the text. After providing a brief
introduction to computer scientist Luis von Ahn, the text focuses on discussing how von Ahn’s digitization work led to the
invention of a digital security test known as reCAPTCHA.
Choice B is incorrect be... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
fcaff694 | The city of Pompeii, which was buried in ash following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, continues to be studied by
archaeologists. Unfortunately, as ______ attest, archaeological excavations have disrupted ash deposits at the site, causing
valuable information about the eruption to be lost. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | researchers, Roberto Scandone and Christopher Kilburn, | researchers, Roberto Scandone and Christopher Kilburn | researchers Roberto Scandone and Christopher Kilburn | researchers Roberto Scandone, and Christopher Kilburn | C | Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the punctuation of a restrictive coordinated noun phrase. No
punctuation is needed within or around the coordinated noun phrase “researchers Roberto Scandone and Christopher
Kilburn” because it would create an illogical separation between the noun “researchers... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
a4ca92fd | Beginning in the 1950s, Navajo Nation legislator Annie Dodge Wauneka continuously worked to promote public health; this
______ effort involved traveling throughout the vast Navajo homeland and writing a medical dictionary for speakers of Diné
bizaad, the Navajo language. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | impartial | offhand | persistent | mandatory | C | Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Annie Dodge Wauneka’s work as a
Navajo Nation legislator. As used in this context, “persistent” means existing continuously. The text states that Wauneka
“continuously worked to promote public health,” traveling extensively and aut... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
67614549 | After winning the 1860 presidential election, Abraham Lincoln appointed Edward Bates, Salmon P. Chase, and William H.
Seward to his cabinet. Lincoln’s decision was surprising, since each of these men had run against him, but historians have
praised it, noting that Lincoln ______ his rivals’ diverse talents to strengthe... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | has leveraged | is leveraging | will leverage | leveraged | D | Choice D is the best answer. The subject of the verb is “Lincoln,” and the first sentence tells us that we’re talking about
something that Abraham Lincoln did in 1860. So the simple past tense “leveraged” fits the logic of the text.
Choice A is incorrect. This choice creates a tense issue. “Has leveraged” is the present ... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
0f39b19c | After a spate of illnesses as a child, Wilma Rudolph was told she might never walk again. Defying all odds, Rudolph didn’t
just walk, she ______ the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, she won both the 100- and 200-meter dashes and clinched first
place for her team in the 4x100-meter relay, becoming the first US woman to win t... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | ran—fast—during | ran—fast during | ran—fast, during | ran—fast. During | D | Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between sentences. In this choice, the period is
used correctly to mark the boundary between one sentence (“Defying…fast”) and another sentence that begins with a
supplementary phrase (“During…Olympics”).
Choice A is incorrect. When a dash is p... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
84658166 | In 1943, in the midst of World War II, mathematics professor Grace Hopper was recruited by the US military to help the war
effort by solving complex equations. Hopper’s subsequent career would involve more than just ______ as a pioneering
computer programmer, Hopper would help usher in the digital age. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | equations, though: | equations, though, | equations. Though, | equations though | A | Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of punctuation to mark boundaries between
supplements and clauses. The comma after “equations” is used to separate the independent clause (“Hopper’s…equation”)
from the supplementary adverb phrase “though.” The colon after “though” is used to mark the ... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
a466679a | In 1976, the Inuit rock group Sikumiut recorded the album People of the Ice. Though only their first record, it shows a band
already skilled at the difficult task of making music that sounds easy and fun. On songs like “Utirumavunga,” Lucassie
Koperqualuk’s guitar riffs effortlessly ______ Charlie Adams’s delightfully cat... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | blend, with | blend. With | blend; with | blend with | D | Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between a verb and a prepositional phrase. No
punctuation is needed between the verb “blend” and the prepositional phrase “with Charlie Adams’s delightfully catchy vocal
melodies.” The prepositional phrase completes the idea of the sentence, explai... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
dfbf5d33 | In 1453, English King Henry VI became unfit to rule after falling gravely ill. As a result, Parliament appointed Richard, Third
Duke of York, who had a strong claim to the English throne, to rule as Lord Protector. Upon recovering two years later, ______
forcing an angered Richard from the royal court and precipitating ... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | Henry resumed his reign, | the reign of Henry resumed, | Henry’s reign resumed, | it was Henry who resumed his reign, | A | Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice ensures that the
introductory phrase “upon recovering two years later” appears immediately before the noun it modifies (“Henry”), clearly
establishing that Henry recovered two years later.
Choice B is incorrect because it ... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
39857700 | The following text is from Edith Wharton’s 1905 novel The House of Mirth. Lily Bart and a companion are walking through a
park.
Lily had no real intimacy with nature, but she had a passion for the appropriate and could be keenly sensitive to a scene
which was the fitting background of her own sensations. The landscape o... | Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole? | It creates a detailed image of the physical setting of the scene. | It establishes that a character is experiencing an internal conflict. | It makes an assertion that the next sentence then expands on. | It illustrates an idea that is introduced in the previous sentence. | D | Choice D is the best answer because it best describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole. The first
sentence of the text establishes that Lily can be “keenly sensitive to” scenes that serve as a “fitting background” for her
feelings—that is, she’s very aware of when a setting seems to reflect her... | Hard | Craft_and_Structure |
48555763 | The following text is from Herman Melville’s 1854 novel The Lightning-rod Man.
The stranger still stood in the exact middle of the cottage, where he had first planted himself. His singularity impelled a
closer scrutiny. A lean, gloomy figure. Hair dark and lank, mattedly streaked over his brow. His sunken pitfalls of eye... | Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text? | It elaborates on the previous sentence’s description of the character. | It introduces the setting that is described in the sentences that follow. | It establishes a contrast with the description in the previous sentence. | It sets up the character description presented in the sentences that follow. | D | Choice D is the best answer. This best states the function of the underlined sentence. The sentence basically says: “He
stood out, so I looked more closely at him.” Then the rest of the text describes him in detail.
Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t state the function of the underlined sentence. The previous senten... | Medium | Craft_and_Structure |
54c6128b | When ancient oak planks were unearthed during subway construction in Rome, Mauro Bernabei and his team examined the
growth rings in the wood to determine where these planks came from. By comparing the growth rings on the planks to
records of similar rings in oaks from Europe, the team could trace the wood to the Jura r... | Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole? | It presents a conclusion about Roman trade routes based on the team’s findings. | It questions how the team was able to conclude that the planks were used to build a boat. | It explains why the planks were made from oak rather than a different kind of wood. | It describes common methods used in Roman subway construction. | A | Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a
whole. The first sentence explains that Bernabei and his team studied growth rings to obtain information about the ancient
oak planks found during a construction project in Rome. The next sentence pres... | Medium | Craft_and_Structure |
aad56f2b | As a young photographer in the 1950s, William Klein ______ the conventions of photography by creating images that were
high contrast and included blurred and distorted elements—features generally seen as flaws. So unorthodox was Klein’s
work that he had difficulty finding a publisher for his now-iconic 1956 photo book Life... | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | reviewed | defied | respected | prevented | B | Choice B is the best answer. "Defied" means "resisted" or "deliberately disobeyed," which matches the way Klein broke from
the conventions of photography in his time by including features that were generally seen as flaws.
Choice A is incorrect. "Reviewed" means "analyzed" or "evaluated," but that doesn’t really fit the c... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
3d658a5a | Some foraging models predict that the distance bees travel when foraging will decline as floral density increases, but
biologists Shalene Jha and Claire Kremen showed that bees’ behavior is inconsistent with this prediction if flowers in dense
patches are ______: bees will forage beyond patches of low species richness to... | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | depleted | homogeneous | immature | dispersed | B | Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jha and Kremen’s finding about
bees’ foraging behavior. In this context, “homogeneous” means uniform or of the same kind. The text indicates that some
models predict that the distance that bees travel when they’re foraging declines ... | Hard | Craft_and_Structure |
35360da9 | The US Geological Survey wants to map every human-made structure in the United States, and it is asking volunteers to help.
Cassie Tammy Wang and Ashish D’Souza are just two of the many volunteer map editors who ______ to the project since it
began in 2012. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | contribute | will contribute | have contributed | will be contributing | C | Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this choice,
the present perfect tense verb “have contributed,” used in conjunction with the phrase “since it began in 2012,” correctly
indicates that map editors have contributed in the past and continue to ... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
9cdcd902 | Charles “Teenie” Harris was a photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier from 1936 to 1975. During his career he took over
70,000 photographs documenting everyday life in Pittsburgh’s Black communities. The Carnegie Museum of Art maintains
thousands of his photographs, carefully ______ them so that audiences can continue ... | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | replacing | inventing | preserving | counting | C | Choice C is the best answer. "Preserving" means "maintaining" or "keeping in good condition," so preserving the photographs
means that audiences should be able to view them for a long time.
Choice A is incorrect. "Replacing" means "putting something new in place of" the photographs. Replacing the photos will
make it so... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
f0864217 | Rabinal Achí is a precolonial Maya dance drama performed annually in Rabinal, a town in the Guatemalan highlands. Based
on events that occurred when Rabinal was a city-state ruled by a king, ______ had once been an ally of the king but was later
captured while leading an invading force against him. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | Rabinal Achí tells the story of K’iche’ Achí, a military leader who | K’iche’ Achí, the military leader in the story of Rabinal Achí, | the military leader whose story is told in Rabinal Achí, K’iche’ Achí, | there was a military leader, K’iche’ Achí, who in Rabinal Achí | A | Choice A is the best answer. The modifier “Based on events…by a king,” is describing the drama “Rabinal Achí.” Modifiers
need to be next to the subjects they describe, so “Rabinal Achí” needs to be the first word after the comma.
Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t complete the text in a way that conforms to the conventi... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
dbd78791 | Led by Syrian American astronomer Shadia Habbal, the Solar Wind Sherpas are an intrepid team of scientists who travel the
globe to study solar winds, the streams of particles emanating from the Sun that are only visible from certain locations
during a total solar eclipse. When such an eclipse is imminent, the Sherpas p... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | get | had gotten | got | were getting | A | Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this choice,
the present tense verb “get” is consistent with the other present tense verbs (“are,” “travel,” and “pack”) used to describe the
Sherpas and their activities.
Choice B is incorrect. The past perf... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
f773a56b | As Mexico’s first president from an Indigenous community, Benito Juarez became one of the most ______ figures in his
country’s history: among the many significant accomplishments of his long tenure in office (1858–1872), Juarez
consolidated the authority of the national government and advanced the rights of Indigenous peopl... | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | unpredictable | important | secretive | ordinary | B | Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Juarez. In this context, “important”
means marked by significant work or consequence. The text indicates that Juarez, who was the first president of Mexico
from an Indigenous community, became a certain kind of figure in Mexico’s hist... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
a14eef71 | In 2015, a team led by materials scientists Anirudha Sumant and Diana Berman succeeded in reducing the coefficient of
friction (COF) between two surfaces to the lowest possible level—superlubricity. A nearly frictionless (and, as its name
suggests, extremely slippery) state, ______ | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | when their COF drops below 0.01, two surfaces reach superlubricity. | two surfaces, when their COF drops below 0.01, reach superlubricity. | reaching superlubricity occurs when two surfaces’ COF drops below 0.01. | superlubricity is reached when two surfaces’ COF drops below 0.01. | D | Choice D is the best answer. The subject of the modifier “a nearly frictionless state” is “superlubricity.” Subject-modifier
placement requires a modifier and its subject to be next to one another, so “superlubricity” must be the first word in the
missing clause.
Choice A is incorrect. This choice creates a subject-modifier... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
4ba99a6f | Seneca sculptor Marie Watt’s blanket art comes in a range of shapes and sizes. In 2004, Watt sewed strips of blankets
together to craft a 10-by-13-inch ______ in 2014, she arranged folded blankets into two large stacks and then cast them in
bronze, creating two curving 18-foot-tall blue-bronze pillars. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | sampler later, | sampler; | sampler, | sampler, later, | B | Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the coordination of main clauses within a sentence. This choice
uses a semicolon in a conventional way to join the first main clause (“In 2004…sampler”) and the second main clause (“in
2014…pillars”).
Choice A is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. ... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
1f8cd95f | In the 1950s, a man named Joseph McVicker was struggling to keep his business afloat when his sister-in-law Kay Zufall
advised him to repurpose the company’s product, a nontoxic, clay-like substance for removing soot from wallpaper, as a
modeling putty for kids. In addition, Zufall ______ selling the product under a chi... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | suggested | suggests | had suggested | was suggesting | A | Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense. In this choice, the simple past
tense verb “suggested” properly indicates that Zufall offered her suggestion for the product’s name in the past. This verb
tense is consistent with the previous sentence’s use of a simple past ... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
4fa7e50e | According to a US tax policy expert, state taxes are ______ other factors when considering an interstate move. Even
significant differences in state taxation have almost no effect on most people’s decisions, while differences in employment
opportunities, housing availability, and climate are strong influences. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | consistent with | representative of | overshadowed by | irrelevant to | C | Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the factors that influence peoples’
decisions to move to a different state. As used in this context, “overshadowed by” means to be surpassed by or caused to
seem less important than other factors affecting a move. The text indicates... | Hard | Craft_and_Structure |
ec08463d | Botanists recognize over fifty different species of sunflower. One species, the silverleaf sunflower, ______ both an early-
flowering ecotype that tends to grow in coastal areas and a late-flowering ecotype that grows inland. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | having included | including | to include | includes | D | Choice D is the best answer. This verb needs to function as the main verb in the sentence, with the subject “one species,” so
it needs to be conjugated. This choice gives us the singular present tense “includes,” which is the only conjugated form of
the verb among the choices.
Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t compl... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
ce81d0b7 | The life spans of rockfish vary greatly by species. For instance, the colorful calico rockfish (Sebastes dalli) can survive for a
little over a ______ the rougheye rockfish (Sebastes aleutianus) boasts a maximum life span of about two centuries. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | decade: while | decade. While | decade; while | decade, while | D | Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between a main clause and a subordinate clause.
This choice correctly uses a comma to mark the boundary between the main clause (“the colorful…decade”) and the
subordinate clause (“while…centuries”) that provides contrasting information about the l... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
56ec23a0 | Hiroshi Senju is known worldwide for his paintings of waterfalls. These paintings are large and tend not to show the entire
waterfall. Instead, Senju focuses on just the point where the falling water reaches the pool below, keeping the top of the
waterfall out of view. While Senju’s paintings are rooted in art movemen... | Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text? | It introduces an artist and then explains some common characteristics of well-known paintings by that artist. | It explains a specific painting technique and then provides examples of artists who use the technique. | It describes a famous painting and then compares it to a lesser-known painting from the same time period. | It gives an opinion on an artist and then suggests multiple reasons why the artist’s work has been largely overlooked. | A | Choice A is the best answer. The first sentence introduces Senju as a famous artist, while the next three sentences describe
the defining features of his art, such as it only showing part of the waterfall and its origins in US art movements and
Japanese techniques.
Choice B is incorrect. The text doesn’t provide examples... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
93665100 | Seminole/Muscogee director Sterlin Harjo ______ television’s tendency to situate Native characters in the distant past: this
rejection is evident in his series Reservation Dogs, which revolves around teenagers who dress in contemporary styles and
whose dialogue is laced with current slang. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | repudiates | proclaims | foretells | recants | A | Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Sterlin Harjo’s approach to
representing Native characters on television. As used in this context, “repudiates” means rejects or refuses to have anything
to do with. The text indicates that television shows tend to depict Native ch... | Hard | Craft_and_Structure |
80ebb189 | As an architect in Los Angeles in the 1950s, Helen Liu Fong became known for avoiding ______ designs in her buildings.
Instead of using standard shapes and colors, she typically explored innovative forms and daring hues. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | creative | bold | traditional | understandable | C | Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Helen Liu Fong’s architectural
designs. In this context, “traditional” means conventional. The text states that rather than use “standard shapes and colors,”
Fong pursued “innovative” and “daring” design choices in her work. Fong’s... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
637d0878 | The Appalachian Trail is a hiking path in the eastern United States. Much of the 2,000 mile trail passes through wilderness
areas. In order to ______ those areas, the United States Congress passed the National Trails System Act in 1968, ensuring
that the trail would not be sold or commercially developed. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | borrow | postpone | protect | decorate | C | Choice C is the best answer. "Protect" means "preserve" or "keep safe from." By ensuring that the wilderness areas along the
Appalachian Trail can’t be sold or developed, the National Trails System Act protects them.
Choice A is incorrect. "Borrow" means "to take something with intent to return it." The text doesn’t sa... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
dd428136 | Cheng Dang and her colleagues at the University of Washington recently ran simulations to determine the extent to which
individual snow ______ affect the amount of light reflecting off a snowy surface. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | grain’s physical properties’ | grains’ physical properties | grains’ physical property’s | grains physical properties | B | Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural and possessive nouns. The plural possessive
noun “grains’” and the plural noun “properties” correctly indicate that the simulations involved multiple snow grains and that
those snow grains had several properties.
Choice A is incorrect because... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
4eee64fa | Space scientists Anna-Lisa Paul, Stephen M. Elardo, and Robert Ferl planted seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana in samples of
lunar regolith—the surface material of the Moon—and, serving as a control group, in terrestrial soil. They found that while all
the seeds germinated, the roots of the regolith-grown plants were stunte... | Which choice best states the main purpose of the text? | It describes an experiment that addressed an unresolved question about the extent to which lunar regolith resembles
terrestrial soils. | It compares two distinct methods of assessing indicators of stress in plants grown in a simulated lunar environment. | It presents evidence in support of the hypothesis that seed germination in lunar habitats is an unattainable goal. | It discusses the findings of a study that evaluated the effects of exposing a plant species to lunar soil conditions. | D | Choice D is the best answer. The text describes an experiment wherein space scientists compared plant growth in terrestrial
and lunar soil conditions. It then discusses the findings of the study, including the fact that all the seeds germinated but that
the plants grown in lunar soil exhibited signs of stress.
Choice A ... | Hard | Craft_and_Structure |
8634bf4a | Diego Velázquez was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain during the seventeenth century, but his
influence was hardly ______ Spain: realist and impressionist painters around the world employed his techniques and echoed
elements of his style. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | derived from | recognized in | confined to | repressed by | C | Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the discussion of the artist Diego Velázquez’s influence
outside Spain. As used in this context, “confined to” means restricted to. The text says that Velázquez was the leading artist
in the Spanish court during the seventeenth century, but it also notes tha... | Medium | Craft_and_Structure |
7c48a6dd | In the late 1960s, inspired in part by the sight of laundry hanging on a clothesline, African American abstract painter Sam
Gilliam began to create his iconic “Drape” paintings. He applied bold, saturated hues to large canvases and ______ them from
ceilings or walls, causing the drooping fabric to cascade in dramatic l... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | to have suspended | suspending | to suspend | suspended | D | Choice D is the best answer. The past tense of "suspended" matches the past tense of "applied," which has the same subject
("he") and takes place in the same context: "He applied…and [he] suspended."
Choice A is incorrect. The perfect infinitive "to have suspended" doesn’t match the past tense of "applied," and it can’t... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
749f3334 | The following text is from Charlotte Forten Grimké’s 1888 poem “At Newport.”
Oh, deep delight to watch the gladsome waves
Exultant leap upon the rugged rocks;
Ever repulsed, yet ever rushing on—
Filled with a life that will not know defeat;
To see the glorious hues of sky and sea.
The distant snowy sails, glide spirit ... | Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole? | It portrays the surroundings as an imposing and intimidating scene. | It characterizes the sea’s waves as a relentless and enduring force. | It conveys the speaker’s ambivalence about the natural world. | It draws a contrast between the sea’s waves and the speaker’s thoughts. | B | Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a
whole. The text presents the speaker’s experience of viewing the sea. In the underlined portion, the speaker focuses on the
idea that the waves hitting rocks on the shore are a relentless and enduring ... | Medium | Craft_and_Structure |
4a2b2535 | A brief book review cannot fully convey the ______ of Olga Tokarczuk’s novel The Books of Jacob, with its enormous cast of
characters, its complicated, wandering plot, and its page numbers that count backward (beginning at 965 and ending at 1). | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | accuracy | inactivity | complexity | restraint | C | Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Olga Tokarczuk’s novel The Books
of Jacob. As used in this context, “complexity” means having many complicated parts that when taken as a whole are
difficult to follow or explain. The text indicates that The Books of Jacob has a larg... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
6a1194e8 | Rydra Wong, the protagonist of Samuel R. Delany’s 1966 novel Babel-17, is a poet, an occupation which, in Delany’s work, is
not ______: nearly a dozen of the characters that populate his novels are poets or writers. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | infallible | atypical | lucrative | tedious | B | Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Samuel R. Delany’s character Rydra
Wong. As used in this context, “atypical” would mean unrepresentative or not common. The text indicates that Wong is one
of “nearly a dozen” characters in Delany’s novels who are poets or writers.... | Medium | Craft_and_Structure |
57998dd3 | Obsidian is a kind of volcanic glass formed when lava cools so quickly that the atoms inside it cannot arrange themselves in
a crystalline structure. You ______ more about obsidian’s structure, which is classified as amorphous, in a later chapter. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | had learned | had been learning | will learn | have learned | C | Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this choice,
the future tense verb “will learn,” used in conjunction with the phrase “in a later chapter,” correctly indicates that “you” (the
reader) are going to learn about obsidian’s structure at some poi... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
c52652c9 | The human brain is primed to recognize faces—so much so that, due to a perceptual tendency called pareidolia, ______ will
even find faces in clouds, wooden doors, pieces of fruit, and other faceless inanimate objects. Researcher Susan Magsamen
has focused her work on better understanding this everyday phenomenon. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | she | they | it | those | C | Choice C is the best answer. "It" is a singular pronoun used to stand in for objects. Since the antecedent in this case is the
singular noun phrase "the human brain," "it" is a perfect pronoun to use here.
Choice A is incorrect. Although "she" is a singular pronoun, it is reserved for people and animals, not objects li... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
0bcb4417 | Oglala Lakota poet Layli Long Soldier’s star quilt poems offer an unusually open-ended reading experience. With ______ eight
panels of text stitched together in the shape of a traditional eight-pointed Lakota star quilt, the poems present viewers with a
seemingly infinite number of ways to read them. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | their | it’s | they’re | its | A | Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of possessive determiners. The plural possessive
determiner "their" agrees in number with the plural noun "the poems," thus indicating that the poems had eight panels of text
stitched together in the shape of a traditional eight-pointed Lakota star qui... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
e76e74e8 | Over twenty years ago, in a landmark experiment in the psychology of choice, professor Sheena Iyengar set up a jam-tasting
booth at a grocery store. The number of jams available for tasting ______ some shoppers had twenty-four different options,
others only six. Interestingly, the shoppers with fewer jams to choose fro... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | varied: | varied, | varied, while | varied while | A | Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of a colon within a sentence. In this choice, the colon is
used in a conventional way to introduce the following description of how the number of jams available varied.
Choice B is incorrect because it creates a comma splice. A comma can’t be used in ... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
96c720af | Atoms in a synchrotron, a type of circular particle accelerator, travel faster and faster until they ______ a desired energy level,
at which point they are diverted to collide with a target, smashing the atoms. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | will reach | reach | had reached | are reaching | B | Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this choice,
the present tense verb “reach” is consistent with the present tense verbs “travel” and “are diverted” used to describe how
atoms move through the synchrotron.
Choice A is incorrect because the fu... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
b260c65a | Earth is not a perfect sphere. Due to the ______ gravitational pull, Earth bulges out on the sides closest to and farthest from
the Moon. This distorting pull is known as a tidal force, and it is responsible for the changes in water levels that are called
high and low tides. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | Moon’s | Moons | Moons’ | Moon | A | Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of possessive nouns. The singular possessive noun
"Moon’s" correctly indicates that there is only one Moon, and it has a gravitational pull.
Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun "Moon’s," not the plural noun "... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
ea971260 | The following text is adapted from Louisa May Alcott’s 1869 novel An Old-Fashioned Girl. Polly, a teenager, is visiting her
friend Fanny.
Fanny’s friends did not interest Polly much; she was rather afraid of them [because] they seemed so much older and
wiser than herself, even those younger in years. They talked about ... | Which choice best states the main purpose of the text? | To portray Polly’s reaction to Fanny’s friends | To identify the topics Polly talks about with Fanny’s friends | To explain how Fanny met some of her friends | To illustrate how Fanny’s friends feel about Polly | A | Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to show how Polly
reacted to some of Fanny’s other friends. The text describes Polly as being frightened of Fanny’s friends because they
seemed “much older and wiser” to her and elaborates that they “talked about thi... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
77bf77cd | Farouk El-Baz, a geologist and space scientist, ______ part of the team that selected the lunar landing sites for the Apollo
program during the 1960s and 1970s. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | are | was | have been | were | B | Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "was" agrees in
number with the singular subject "Farouk El-Baz."
Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "are" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "Farouk El-Baz." Choice
C is incorrect because the... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
1ee7b429 | Bonnie Buratti of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory ______ data about Saturn’s rings collected by the Cassini spacecraft when
she made an interesting discovery: the tiny moons embedded between and within Saturn’s rings are shaped by the buildup of
ring material on the moons’ surfaces. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | studies | has been studying | will study | was studying | D | Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this choice,
the past progressive tense verb “was studying” is consistent with the other past tense verbs (e.g., “made” and “collected”)
used to describe Buratti’s discovery. Further, the past progressive ten... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
166efaa2 | Public-awareness campaigns about the need to reduce single-use plastics can be successful, says researcher Kim Borg of
Monash University in Australia, when these campaigns give consumers a choice: for example, Japan achieved a 40 percent
reduction in plastic-bag use after cashiers were instructed to ask customers wheth... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | they | one | you | it | A | Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun–antecedent agreement. The plural pronoun “they”
agrees in number with the plural antecedent “customers.”
Choice B is incorrect because the singular pronoun “one” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “customers.”
Choice C is incorrect beca... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
26c8c88c | About 70,000 meteorites have been found on Earth. Although most meteorites are fragments of ______ hundred have been
identified as being from the Moon or Mars. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | asteroids. Several | asteroids, several | asteroids; several | asteroids: several | B | Choice B is the best answer. This choice uses a comma to correctly separate the dependent clause "although…asteroids"
from the independent clause "several hundred have been…Mars."
Choice A is incorrect. This choice results in a sentence fragment. "Although…asteroids" is a dependent clause. It can’t stand
on its own as ... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
403d7bb5 | According to Naomi Nakayama of the University of Edinburgh, the reason seeds from a dying dandelion appear to float in the
air while ______ is that their porous plumes enhance drag, allowing the seeds to stay airborne long enough for the wind to
disperse them throughout the surrounding area. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | falling, | falling: | falling; | falling | D | Choice D is the best answer. The word “falling” occurs in the middle of a clause and isn’t part of a supplement, so we don’t
need any punctuation after it. We can see this more clearly if we simplify the rest of the sentence: “The reason seeds appear
to float while falling is that their plumes enhance drag.” .
Choice A ... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
577b09fa | Robin Wall Kimmerer of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation is a bryologist, a plant scientist who specializes in mosses. To
Kimmerer, mosses are Earth’s most adaptable plants: they can clone ______ enter a dormant state in times of drought, and
grow in areas that don’t have soil. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | themselves; | themselves, | themselves. And | themselves | B | Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the punctuation of items in a series. The comma after
“themselves” is used conventionally to separate the first item (“they can clone themselves”) and the second item (“enter a
dormant state in times of drought”) in the series of things mosses can do.
Choice A... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
faa5696c | Arturo A. Schomburg was dedicated to preserving books, art, and other materials from peoples of African descent around
the world. To get these items, Schomburg ______ friends and colleagues, whom he asked to bring back rare and valuable
objects from their international travels. Now, Schomburg’s collection is a valuable... | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | admired | disagreed with | warned | depended on | D | Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Arturo A. Schomburg’s collection. In
this context, the phrase “depended on” means relied on. The text explains that Schomburg, wanting to preserve “books, art,
and other materials” created by peoples of African descent from around ... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
bdab32fc | Cucurbits, a group of plants that includes squash and melons, relied on mastodons to spread their seeds in the Ice Age.
When these animals died out, cucurbits faced extinction in turn, having lost their means of seed dispersal. Around this time,
however, the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America began raisin... | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | verifying | multiplying | comforting | ensuring | D | Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of cucurbits. In this context, “ensuring”
means guaranteeing, or making sure of, the cucurbits’ survival. The text states that cucurbits faced extinction in the past
because their means of seed dispersal disappeared, but the ancestors... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
760ee1db | Although the playwrights hoped that their play would be ______ when performed live, critics generally agreed that the
production and performances had the opposite effect, wearying audiences instead of energizing them. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | multifaceted | realistic | rousing | subtle | C | Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the play’s effect on audiences. As
used in this context, “rousing” means exciting or energizing. The text indicates that critics found the play to have “the
opposite effect” on audiences of what the playwrights hoped for. The criti... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
c14daa3c | Close analysis of the painting Girl with a Flute, long attributed to the seventeenth-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer,
has revealed subtle deviations from the artist’s signature techniques. These variations suggest that the work may be that of
a student under Vermeer’s tutelage—potentially ______ our understandin... | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | negating | prefiguring | entrenching | substantiating | A | Choice A is the best answer. "Negating" means "reversing" or "making invalid." Proving that Vermeer worked with students
would reverse the view of him as a solitary artist.
Choice B is incorrect. "Prefiguring" means "being an early indicator of." There already existed views of Vermeer as a solitary
painter, so a new pai... | Hard | Craft_and_Structure |
69f031ab | While exploring Nevada’s Gypsum Cave in 1930, Seneca and Abenaki archaeologist Bertha Parker made her most famous
discovery: the skull of a now-extinct ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis) alongside human-made tools. Parker’s crucial
finding was the first ______ humans in North America as far back as 10,000 years ago... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | places | placed | place | to place | D | Choice D is the best answer. The object for the verb "was" is "first," and "to place" is acting as a modifier for "first." What was
the finding? It was "the first." The first to do what? The first "to place humans in North America" 10,000 years ago. When a
verb serves as a modifier within a noun phrase, it must be nonfinite (i.... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
c8603ed7 | San Francisco is known for the colorful murals painted on many of its buildings. The densest collection of murals is found
on Balmy Alley in the Mission District neighborhood. In the 1970s, Latina artists painted vivid scenes of community life on
walls along this block. As the original murals have faded, later generati... | Which choice best states the main purpose of the text? | To compare the Balmy Alley murals to other murals in San Francisco | To offer an overview of the history and importance of the Balmy Alley murals | To urge people to protect the murals of San Francisco from decay | To describe the rise of mural painting in San Francisco beginning in the 1970s | B | Choice B is the best answer because it best states the main purpose of the text. The text begins by briefly stating that San
Francisco is known for its murals, then transitions to a discussion of a single collection of murals, which is found on Balmy
Alley in the city’s Mission District. The text explains that the mural... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
dab8b8ee | Known as Earth’s “living skin,” biocrusts are thin layers of soil held together by surface-dwelling microorganisms such as
fungi, lichens, and cyanobacteria. Fortifying soil in arid ecosystems against erosion, ______ | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | a recent study’s estimate is that these crusts reduce global dust emissions by 60 percent each year. | an estimated 60 percent reduction in global dust emissions each year is due to these crusts, according to a recent study. | these crusts reduce global dust emissions by an estimated 60 percent each year, according to a recent study. | a recent study has estimated that these crusts reduce global dust emissions by 60 percent each year. | C | Choice C is the best answer. The subject of the modifier "fortifying soil in arid ecosystems against erosion" is "biocrusts."
Subject-modifier placement requires a modifier and its subject to be next to each other, so "biocrusts" or some variant
meaning "biocrusts" (in this case, "these crusts") must begin the missing cla... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
dba9eaf8 | Within baleen whale species, some individuals develop an accessory spleen—a seemingly functionless formation of
splenetic tissue outside the normal spleen. Given the formation’s greater prevalence among whales known to make deeper
dives, some researchers hypothesize that its role isn’t ______; rather, the accessory spl... | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | replicable | predetermined | operative | latent | D | Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of baleen whale accessory spleens. In
this context, “latent” means dormant or functionless. The text sets up a contrast between the idea that baleen whale
accessory spleens appear not to have a function and the research indicating tha... | Hard | Craft_and_Structure |
b35cefb7 | The fine, powdery substance that covers the Moon’s surface is called regolith. Because regolith is both readily available and
high in oxygen ______ scientists have wondered whether it could be used as a potential source of oxygen for future lunar
settlements. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | content and | content, | content | content, and | B | Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between a subordinate clause and a main clause.
This choice correctly uses a comma to mark the boundary between the subordinate clause (“Because...content”) and the
main clause (“scientists...settlements”).
Choice A is incorrect. Joining the subord... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
62120607 | From afar, African American fiber artist Bisa Butler’s portraits look like paintings, their depictions of human faces, bodies,
and clothing so intricate that it seems only a fine brush could have rendered them. When viewed up close, however, the
portraits reveal themselves to be ______ stitching barely visible among the ... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | quilts, and the | quilts, the | quilts; the | quilts. The | B | Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a main clause and a supplementary
phrase. This choice correctly uses a comma to mark the boundary between the main clause (“the portraits...quilts”) and the
supplementary noun phrase (“the stitching...fabric”) that provides a further de... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
be37d4ae | During the English neoclassical period (1660–1789), many writers imitated the epic poetry and satires of ancient Greece and
Rome. They were not the first in England to adopt the literary modes of classical ______ some of the most prominent figures
of the earlier Renaissance period were also influenced by ancient Greek and... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | antiquity, however | antiquity, however, | antiquity, however; | antiquity; however, | C | Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the punctuation of a supplementary phrase following a clause.
This choice uses a comma to separate the supplementary adverb phrase “however” from the independent clause it modifies
(“They …antiquity”) and uses a semicolon to join the first independent clause (“T... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
0ed94d4c | Jackie Ormes’s Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem (1937–38) was the first comic strip by a Black woman to appear in a widely
read newspaper. The strip tells the story of Torchy, a young woman who leaves Mississippi to become a performer in New
York City. Torchy’s story reflects the experience of the Great Migration (1910–19... | Which choice best states the main purpose of the text? | To show how Ormes’s Torchy Brown inspired other Black women to write comic strips in the 1930s | To illustrate how the subjects Ormes addressed in her comic strips changed over the course of her career | To give an example of how Ormes presented the experiences of Black Americans in her comic strips | To claim that several characters in Torchy Brown were based on people that Ormes knew personally | C | Choice C is the best answer. The text describes how Torchy Brown depicted the experiences of a young Black woman
experiencing America’s Great Migration. It further states that Ormes continued to use comics throughout her career to
humorously comment on important issues impacting Black Americans.
Choice A is incorrect. ... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
04bfd364 | The intense pressure found in the deep ocean can affect the structure of proteins in fish’s cells, distorting the proteins’
shape. The chemical trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) counters this effect, ensuring that proteins retain their original ______ is
found in high concentrations in the cells of the deepest-dwelling fish. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | configurations. TMAO | configurations TMAO | configurations, TMAO | configurations and TMAO | A | Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between sentences. In this choice, the period
after “configurations” is used correctly to mark the boundary between one sentence (“The intense…configurations”) and
another (“TMAO…fish”). The supplementary phrase (“ensuring…configurations”) modifies ... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
ea0aa676 | In the 1970s, Janaki Ammal, a prominent botanist, emerged as a powerful voice in India’s environmental conservation
movement. Her exhaustive chromosomal survey of plants in Silent Valley, a pristine tropical forest in Kerala, India, that is
home to nearly 1,000 species of native flora (many of which are endangered), ___... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | are | were | have been | was | D | Choice D is the best answer. The subject "survey" is singular, and so is the verb "was."
Choice A is incorrect. The subject "survey" is singular, but the verb "are" is plural. Choice B is incorrect. The subject "survey" is
singular, but the verb "were" is plural. Choice C is incorrect. The subject "survey" is singular,... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
e0656211 | In Nature Poem (2017), Kumeyaay poet Tommy Pico portrays his ______ the natural world by honoring the centrality of nature
within his tribe’s traditional beliefs while simultaneously expressing his distaste for being in wilderness settings himself. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | responsiveness to | ambivalence toward | renunciation of | mastery over | B | Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s description of how Pico feels about the natural
world. In this context, to say that Pico portrays his “ambivalence toward” nature would mean that he portrays his mixed
feelings about nature. The text explains that Pico “honors the centrality of ... | Medium | Craft_and_Structure |
c101fc44 | How do scientists determine what foods were eaten by extinct hominins such as Neanderthals? In the past, researchers
were limited to studying the marks found on the fossilized teeth of skeletons, but in 2017 a team led by Laura Weyrich of the
Australian Centre for Ancient DNA tried something ______ the DNA found in Nea... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | new: sequencing | new; sequencing | new, sequencing: | new. Sequencing | A | Choice A is the best answer. “A team…tried something new” is an independent clause leading to an explanation of what the
new thing was. A colon can only be used at the end of an independent clause, and typically introduces further explanation
that expands upon the first clause, which makes a colon the perfect choice her... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
441e2b9e | Researchers and conservationists stress that biodiversity loss due to invasive species is ______. For example, people can
take simple steps such as washing their footwear after travel to avoid introducing potentially invasive organisms into new
environments. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | preventable | undeniable | common | concerning | A | Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of how biodiversity loss due to
invasive species can be avoided. As used in this context, “preventable” means able to be stopped or kept from happening.
The text indicates that “people can take simple steps” to avoid bringing possible... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
e7247766 | Horizontal gene transfer occurs when an organism of one species acquires genetic material from an organism of another
species through nonreproductive means. The genetic material can then be transferred “vertically” in the second species—
that is, through reproductive inheritance. Scientist Atma Ivancevic and her team h... | Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole? | It explains why parasites are less susceptible to horizontal gene transfer than their hosts are. | It clarifies why some genes are more likely to be transferred horizontally than others are. | It contrasts how horizontal gene transfer occurs among vertebrates with how it occurs among invertebrates. | It describes a means by which horizontal gene transfer might occur among vertebrates. | D | Choice D is the best answer. The text defines horizontal gene transfer and then gives one possibility for how it happens in
vertebrates (via infection by parasites). The underlined part describes how that mechanism could work.
Choice A is incorrect. The underlined portion doesn’t do this. Parasites are only described a... | Medium | Craft_and_Structure |
e41dfaab | In 1929 the Atlantic Monthly published several articles based on newly discovered letters allegedly exchanged between
President Abraham Lincoln and a woman named Ann Rutledge. Historians were unable to ______ the authenticity of the
letters, however, and quickly dismissed them as a hoax. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | validate | interpret | relate | accommodate | A | Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of letters allegedly exchanged
between President Lincoln and Rutledge. In this context, “validate” means to confirm that something is real or correct.
According to the text, it was alleged, or claimed, that the newly discovered letters... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
d2b81427 | In assessing the films of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, ______ have missed his equally deep engagement with Japanese
artistic traditions such as Noh theater. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | many critics have focused on Kurosawa’s use of Western literary sources but | Kurosawa’s use of Western literary sources has been the focus of many critics, who | there are many critics who have focused on Kurosawa’s use of Western literary sources, but they | the focus of many critics has been on Kurosawa’s use of Western literary sources; they | A | Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun phrase
“many critics” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase “in assessing…Kurosawa.” In
doing so, this choice clearly establishes that it is the critics—and not an... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
2c84f96a | In 2017, artists Isabel and Ruben Toledo redesigned the costumes and sets for The Miami City Ballet’s production of The
______ to reviewers, the Toledos’ designs helped infuse the production with elements of Miami’s Latin American culture. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | Nutcracker according, | Nutcracker, according | Nutcracker according | Nutcracker. According | D | Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between sentences. In this choice, the period is
used correctly to mark the boundary between one sentence (“In 2017...Nutcracker”) and another (“According...culture”). The
supplementary element “according to reviewers” modifies the main clause o... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
02e49a0c | Genetic studies have led researchers to suggest that turtles are most closely related to the group that includes modern
crocodiles. But studies of fossils have suggested instead that turtles are most closely related to other groups, such as the
one that contains modern snakes. However, many of the fossil studies have r... | Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence? | It offers an overview of the tools scientists use to examine fossils. | It describes a limitation of some studies about the origin of turtles. | It summarizes previous research on the evolution of crocodiles. | It criticizes a widely held belief about genetic studies of reptiles. | B | Choice B is the best answer. The sentence mentions that some fossil studies have relied on incomplete data sets,
suggesting that these studies are limited in what they can tell us about turtles’ origins.
Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence mentions the incompleteness of the data sets studied, it doesn’t mention a... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
fba5d8d1 | In a 2016 study, Eastern Washington University psychologist Amani El-Alayli found that, among the study participants who
experienced frisson (a physiological response akin to goosebumps or getting the chills) while listening to music, there was
one personality trait that they scored particularly ______ openness to expe... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | high. On | high on; | high on | high on: | D | Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a main clause and a supplementary
phrase. In this choice, a colon is correctly used to mark the boundary between the main clause ("there...on") and the
supplementary phrase ("openness to experience") and to introduce the information tha... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
1ee4485c | Journalists have dubbed Gil Scott-Heron the “godfather of rap,” a title that has appeared in hundreds of articles about him
since the 1990s. Scott-Heron himself resisted the godfather ______ feeling that it didn’t encapsulate his devotion to the
broader African American blues music tradition as well as “bluesologist,” ... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | nickname, however | nickname, however; | nickname, however, | nickname; however, | C | Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a main clause and two supplementary
elements. In this choice, the commas after “nickname” and “however” are correctly used to separate the supplementary
adverb “however” from the main clause (“Scott-Heron…nickname”) on one side and the ... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
aaa3ee7c | Critics have asserted that fine art and fashion rarely ______ in a world where artists create timeless works for exhibition and
designers periodically produce new styles for the public to buy. Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock beadwork artist and designer
Jamie Okuma challenges this view: her work can be seen in the Metropolitan... | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | prevail | succumb | diverge | intersect | D | Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about the relationship between fine art
and fashion. As used in this context, “intersect” means to connect or overlap. The text indicates that Jamie Okuma
challenges the position held by critics because her work can be seen at an art m... | Hard | Craft_and_Structure |
148be4da | Human-made (synthetic) fibers used in clothes and many other consumer products are more durable than most natural plant
______ the manufacture of synthetic fibers requires toxic chemical solvents that can pollute air and water. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | fibers, | fibers but | fibers | fibers, but | D | Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the coordination of main clauses within a sentence. This choice
correctly uses a comma and the coordinating conjunction “but” to join the first main clause (“Human-made...fibers”) and the
second main clause (“the manufacture...water”).
Choice A is incorrect beca... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
e37b9e34 | Some researchers believe that the genes that enable groundhogs and certain other mammals to hibernate through the
winter by slowing their breathing and heart rates and lowering their body temperature may be ______ in humans: present yet
having essentially no effect on our bodily processes. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | decisive | lacking | variable | dormant | D | Choice D is the best answer because it logically completes the text’s discussion about genes related to hibernation. In this
context, “dormant” means inactive. The text explains that the same genes that enable certain nonhuman mammal species to
hibernate during the winter by altering their bodily processes are also fou... | Medium | Craft_and_Structure |
e7b709fc | Archaeologists studying an ancient amphitheater in Switzerland believe that it dates back to the fourth century CE. Their
discoveries of a coin made between 337 and 341 CE and era-appropriate building materials ______ evidence for this theory. | Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase? | dismiss | provide | regulate | refuse | B | Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the archaeologists’ study of the
ancient amphitheater in Switzerland. In this context, “provide” means make available or supply. The text states that the
archaeologists believe that the amphitheater dates to the fourth century CE. ... | Easy | Craft_and_Structure |
512f0ac9 | Working from an earlier discovery of Charpentier’s, chemists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna—winners of the
2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry—re-created and then reprogrammed the so-called “genetic scissors” of a species of DNA-
cleaving bacteria ______ a tool that is revolutionizing the field of gene technology. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | to forge | forging | forged | and forging | A | Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of finite and nonfinite verb forms within a sentence. The
nonfinite to-infinitive “to forge” is correctly used to form a nonfinite (infinitive) clause that explains why the chemists re-
created and reprogrammed the DNA-cleaving bacteria.
Choice B is incorrec... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
3595a991 | In 1930, Japanese American artist Chiura Obata depicted the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park in two memorable
woodcuts: Evening at Carl Inn and Lake Basin in the High Sierra. In 2019, ______ exhibited alongside 150 of Obata’s other
works in a single-artist show at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | it was | they were | this was | some were | B | Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun–antecedent agreement. The plural pronoun “they”
agrees in number with the plural antecedent “woodcuts” and clearly identifies what was exhibited at the Smithsonian
American Art Museum.
Choice A is incorrect because the singular pronoun “it” doesn’t agre... | Medium | Standard_English_Conventions |
97b62fab | Smaller than poppy seeds, tardigrades are tiny, but they are tough. These minuscule animals can survive for thirty years
without food or water, and ______ can withstand extreme temperatures as low as minus 328 degrees and as high as 304
degrees Fahrenheit. | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | that | it | they | he | C | Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The plural pronoun "they"
agrees in number with the plural antecedent "animals," which refers to tardigrades.
Choice A is incorrect because the singular pronoun "that" doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent "animals."
... | Easy | Standard_English_Conventions |
61160f0a | Author Madeline L’Engle, ______ to create a suspenseful tone that draws the reader in, begins her novel A Wrinkle in Time with
descriptions of “wraithlike shadows” and “the frenzied lashing of the wind.” | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | looked | looks | is looking | looking | D | Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verb forms within a sentence. The nonfinite present
participle verb “looking” is correctly used to form a subordinate clause that describes the intent behind how L’Engle begins
her novel.
Choice A is incorrect because the finite past tense verb “looke... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
de3dd17d | Planetary scientist Briony Horgan and her colleagues have determined that as much as 25 percent of the sand on Mars is
composed of impact spherules. These spherical bits of glass form when asteroids collide with the planet, ejecting bits of
molten rock into the atmosphere that, after cooling and solidifying into glass,... | Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? | to rain | raining | having rained | rain | D | Choice D is the best answer. "That…[rain] back onto Mars’s surface" is a relative clause that describes the "bits of molten
rock." Forming the clause requires a conjugated, finite verb, and this is the only choice that provides that.
Choice A is incorrect. "To rain" is an infinitive and can’t serve as the main verb of a ... | Hard | Standard_English_Conventions |
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