Punctuation
In stickball, players work to move the towa—(ball)—down the field to their opponents’ end, where a narrow twelve-foot-high post stands. [
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
F. No Change
G. towa, (ball),
H. towa (ball)
J. towa, ball
H. towa (ball)
To catch, carry, and throw the towa, they hold two kabocca, these are sticks made of hardwood with a netted scoop at one end.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
A. No Change
B. these sticks consist
C. they’re sticks made
D. sticks made
D. sticks made
This multiday tournament in summer celebrates the fast-paced, aggressive game of stickball (also called toli or ishtaboli), possibly the oldest sport in North America. Players come not only for the sport but also for the sense of community that stickball affords.
Which choice is least redundant in context?
A. No Change
B. multiday tournament in Mississippi
C. annual multiday tournament
D. multiday tournament
D. multiday tournament
If it costs $1.03, they pay $1.05. Studies have shown that its a wash; overall, consumers pay no more or no less then they did when the penny was in circulation.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
F. No Change
G. it’s a wash; overall, consumers pay no more or no less than
H. it’s a wash; overall, consumers pay no more or no less then
J. its a wash; overall, consumers pay no more or no less than
G. it’s a wash; overall, consumers pay no more or no less than
Teams can be any size as long as both sides have the same number of players. In fact, the sport is nicknamed “the little brother of war” because communities frequently settled disputes by playing stickball instead of waging battle. These contests were fierce and physical, and there was almost no rules. The playing field had no boundaries, and the length of the field varied greatly—sometimes a significant amount.
Given that all the choices are accurate, which one best introduces the paragraph?
A. No Change
B. The first written record of Choctaw stickball was an account of a game that occurred around 1729.
C. In the tournament, winners are crowned from men’s, women’s, and youth divisions.
D. Historically, stickball played an important role in resolving conflicts.
D. Historically, stickball played an important role in resolving conflicts.
The building is primarily a working studio for artists in residence selected by Szczęsny and Keret. Artists apply for a short stay, as Keret explains it, use the space as “a portal to all kinds of artistic initiatives.”
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
A. No Change
B. stay and,
C. stay;
D. stay
B. stay and,
These contests were fierce and physical, and there was almost no rules.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
F. No Change
G. has been hardly any
H. were almost no
J. was hardly any
H. were almost no
To catch, carry, and throw the towa, they hold two kabocca, these are sticks made of hardwood with a netted scoop at one end. Kabocca are used to catch and throw the ball. Players score a point by either touching the post while carrying the towa or launching the towa and hitting the post.
Which choice is least redundant in context?
F. No Change
G. The ball that players use is called the towa.
H. The posts on the field are twelve feet high.
J. Delete the underlined portion.
J. Delete the underlined portion.
Prior to the identification of the ship and its’ contents, prevailing wisdom held that Bronze Age maritime commerce was dominated exclusively by the Mycenaean Greeks.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
F. No Change
G. their
H. it’s
J. its
J. its
Proponents of pennies—often lobbyists for the mining of zinc, zinc being the primary component of pennies— argue that if the penny were eliminated, consumers would pay more for goods.
If the writer were to delete the underlined portion (adjusting the punctuation as needed), the paragraph would primarily lose:
F. a suggestion that many proponents of keeping the penny in circulation may be motivated by self-interest.
G. an indication of the amount of money made by zinc miners when the penny is in circulation.
H. an explanation of how zinc mining affects the prices that consumers pay for goods.
J. a summary of the argument made by many propo- nents of pennies for keeping the penny in circulation.
F. a suggestion that many proponents of keeping the penny in circulation may be motivated by self-interest.
Think about it: when’s the last time you bought something for a penny? Although many of us harbor fond memories of collecting pennies in a piggy bank, it’s time to do the practical thing: retire the US penny.
The writer is considering revising the underlined portion to the following: still gather pennies in change trays, Given that the information is accurate, should the writer make this revision?
F. Yes, because the revision more clearly suggests that pennies, in bulk, still have at least some value.
G. Yes, because the revision more clearly suggests that nostalgia is unrelated to the purchasing power of the penny.
H. No, because the original more clearly suggests that nostalgia may be hindering the retirement of the penny.
J. No, because the original more clearly suggests that pennies would have little to no sentimental value if they were retired.
H. No, because the original more clearly suggests that nostalgia may be hindering the retirement of the penny.
True to the legacy of the game, players do not wear pads or helmets, also many play barefoot.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
F. No Change
G. in addition,
H. and
J. Delete the underlined portion.
H. and
The playing field had no boundaries, and the length of the field varied greatly—sometimes a significant amount.
Given that all the choices are accurate, which one most clearly uses specific details to support the sentence’s claim about stickball playing fields?
A. No Change
B. an important factor in how the games were played.
C. from one hundred feet to five miles.
D. which affected spectators.
C. from one hundred feet to five miles.
During that time, as Frost’s team recovered artifacts from the wreck, painstakingly recording and publishing their findings along the way.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
A. No Change
B. with Frost’s team recovering
C. Frost’s team recovering
D. Frost’s team recovered
D. Frost’s team recovered
The team, too, took little care with how they handled artifacts and little note of where they found them.
A talented illustrator, Frost understood that the excavation of shipwrecks would benefit from the same systematic approach used on land. She teamed up with fellow underwater explorers Peter Throckmorton and George Bass, and the field of maritime archaeology was born.
Given that all the choices are accurate, which one most effectively leads the reader from the preceding sentence to the information that follows?
A. No Change
B. Thanks to experience she’d gained on a formal archaeological land dig,
C. As one who rarely traveled without her trusty oxygen tank,
D. With an interest in the performing arts,
B. Thanks to experience she’d gained on a formal archaeological land dig,
I was an inexperienced astronomer peering through light-polluted skies.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
F. No Change
G. astronomer, peering through,
H. astronomer: peering through
J. astronomer peering through,
F. No Change
While walking through Warsaw’s Wola district, Polish architect Jakub Szczęsny noticed a small gap between two buildings— one not particularly tall, the other a contemporary, concrete apartment building.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
A. No Change
B. district, Polish architect, Jakub Szczęsny
C. district Polish architect, Jakub Szczęsny,
D. district Polish architect Jakub Szczęsny
A. No Change
While walking through Warsaw’s Wola district, Polish architect Jakub Szczęsny noticed a small gap between two buildings— one not particularly tall, the other a contemporary, concrete apartment building.
Given that all the choices are accurate, which one sets up a direct contrast regarding the age of the two buildings?
F. No Change
G. a pre–World War II brick rooming house,
H. located on the corner of Zelazna Street,
J. being used as a warehouse,
G. a pre–World War II brick rooming house,
Pittsburgh resident, Eric Singer, is a technologist who creates robotic instruments.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
F. No Change
G. Pittsburgh, resident, Eric Singer,
H. Pittsburgh resident, Eric Singer
J. Pittsburgh resident Eric Singer
J. Pittsburgh resident Eric Singer
[1] Szczęsny began designing the Keret House, today likely the narrowest building in the world. [2] While walking through Warsaw’s Wola district, Polish architect Jakub Szczęsny noticed a small gap between two buildings— one not particularly tall, the other a contemporary, concrete apartment building. [3] He imagined transforming the space into a functional building that would physically link two different eras.
Which sequence of sentences makes this paragraph most logical?
A. No Change
B. 1, 3, 2
C. 2, 3, 1
D. 3, 2, 1
C. 2, 3, 1
The nebula, is home to thousands of young stars, is often called a galactic “nursery.”
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
F. No Change
G. nebula is home to thousands of young stars, and
H. nebula, home to thousands of young stars, and
J. nebula, home to thousands of young stars,
J. nebula, home to thousands of young stars,
When cashiers make change for a cash purchase, they often reach, into the registers’ penny trays and count out one to four cents.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
F. No Change
G. reach, into the register’s
H. reach into the registers
J. reach into the registers’
J. reach into the registers’
While the time it takes to do this may seem trivial, each year, billions of cash transactions are made annually.
Which choice is least redundant in context?
A. No Change
B. billions of cash transactions occur each year when physical money is exchanged for goods.
C. on a yearly basis, billions of cash transactions occur annually.
D. billions of cash transactions are made each year.
D. billions of cash transactions are made each year.
When gravity causes the gas and dust to collapse, forming stars.
Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?
A. No Change
B. collapse to form stars.
C. collapse, stars form.
D. collapse and form stars.
C. collapse, stars form.
Although many of us harbor fond memories of collecting pennies in a piggy bank, it’s time to do the practical thing: retire the US penny.
The writer is considering revising the underlined portion to the following: still gather pennies in change trays, Given that the information is accurate, should the writer make this revision?
F. Yes, because the revision more clearly suggests that pennies, in bulk, still have at least some value.
G. Yes, because the revision more clearly suggests that nostalgia is unrelated to the purchasing power of the penny.
H. No, because the original more clearly suggests that nostalgia may be hindering the retirement of the penny.
J. No, because the original more clearly suggests that pennies would have little to no sentimental value if they were retired.
H. No, because the original more clearly suggests that nostalgia may be hindering the retirement of the penny.