Standard English Conventions (Grammar)
"Three of our team's best players were injured at the beginning of the tournament, our team has not been doing well."
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the convention of standard English?
A. tournament, our
B. tournament, therefore, our
C. tournament, so our
D. tournament; our
C. tournament, so our
"So" correctly joins the two independent clauses with proper punctuation.
"The significance of the Magna Carta lies not in its _______ provisions, but in its broader impact: it made the king subject to the law."
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. specific
B. revolutionary
C. implicit
D. controversial
A. specific
The Magna Carta's true significance lies in its broader impact, not its detailed provisions.
The following text is from Booth Tarkington's 1921 novel Alice Adams.
"Mrs. Adams had always been fond of vases, she said, and every year her husband's Christmas present to her was a vase of one sort or another—whatever the clerk showed him, marked at about twelve or fourteen dollars."
As used in the text, what does the word "marked" most nearly mean?
A. Stained
B. Staged
C. Watched
D. Priced
D. Priced
"Marked" in this context refers to the price of the vase, making "priced" the correct interpretation.
Reforestation efforts, while undeniably valuable, often result in forests with limited biodiversity. ______ care should be taken to plant a wide variety of native flora in depleted woodlands.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. However,
B. Accordingly,
C. Nevertheless,
D. Furthermore,
A. However,
"However" works to show contrast: even though reforestation is valuable, it comes with limitations. This makes it the best choice for indicating an exception or contrast.
This character famously says, "To infinity and beyond!"
Buzz Lightyear
"While some dieticians recommend a high carbohydrate diet and low fat to shed pounds, others advocating a high protein and low carbohydrate as the best method to lose weight."
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the convention of standard English?
A. Others advocating
B. Others advocate
C. Others will advocate
D. Others are advocating
B. Others advocate
"Advocate" is the correct present-tense verb to match "recommend" earlier in the sentence.
"The stove and the oven remain to this day our most-used cooking technologies, and innovations in the field of heating elements have frequently ameliorated the mechanism without much change to the principal design. The commercialization of natural gas in late 19th century England eventually gave cooks the ability to precisely ____________ their cooking flame, as well as the convenience of instantaneous ignition. To this day, gas ranges are preferred by many professional chefs."
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. Annihilate
B. Satisfy
C. Craft
D. Manipulate
D. Manipulate
"Manipulate" means to control or adjust, which fits the context of precisely adjusting a cooking flame.
The following text is adapted from Zora Neale Hurston's 1921 short story "John Redding Goes to Sea." John wants to travel far beyond the village where he lives near his mother, Matty.
[John] had on several occasions attempted to reconcile his mother to the notion, but found it a difficult task. Matty always took refuge in self-pity and tears. Her son's desires were incomprehensible to her, that was all.
As used in the text, what does the phrase "reconcile his mother to" most nearly mean?
A. Get his mother to accept
B. Get his mother to apologize for
C. Get his mother to match
D. Get his mother to reunite with
A. Get his mother to accept
"Reconcile his mother to" means to convince her to accept his desire to leave, fitting with the idea of making peace with the situation.
"For years, biologists have experimented with using grime-eating bacteria rather than harsh chemicals to clean artworks, and results have been impressive overall. ______ these bacterial strains—which can metabolize centuries' worth of oil, glue, dirt, and other surface impurities without creating harmful byproducts—have proven more effective than traditional chemical cleaning methods."
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Additionally,
B. In many cases,
C. As a result,
D. However,
C. As a result,
"As a result" logically connects the impressive outcomes of using grime-eating bacteria to the effectiveness of the method compared to traditional ones. It shows cause and effect.
Water boils at this temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
212 Degrees
"More than half of the world's currently living plant and animal species live in tropical rain forests. Four square miles of a Central American rainforest can be home to up to 1,500 different species of flowering plants, 700 species of trees, 400 species of birds, and 125 species of mammals."
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the convention of standard English?
A. Currently living plants
B. Living plant
C. Currently existing plant
D. Plant
D. Plant
"Currently living" is redundant since "living" already implies being alive.
"Since 1813 reaction to Jane Austen's novels has oscillated between ________ and condescension; but in general, later writers have esteemed her works more highly than did most of her literary contemporaries."
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. dismissal
B. adoration
C. disapproval
D. indifference
B. adoration
The sentence contrasts admiration ("adoration") with condescension, showing a range of reactions.
"In recommending Bao Phi's collection Sông I Sing, a librarian noted that pieces by the spoken-word poet don't lose their ______ nature when printed: the language has the same pleasant musical quality on the page as it does when performed by Phi."
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. jarring
B. scholarly
C. melodic
D. personal
C. melodic
"Melodic" fits because it refers to a musical quality, which aligns with the spoken-word poet's language and performance.
"Iraqi artist Nazik Al-Malaika, celebrated as the first Arabic poet to write in free verse, didn't reject traditional forms entirely; her poem "Elegy for a Woman of No Importance" consists of two ten-line stanzas and a standard number of syllables. Even in this superficially traditional work, ______ Al-Malaika was breaking new ground by memorializing an anonymous woman rather than a famous man."
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. in fact,
B. though,
C. therefore,
D. moreover,
A. in fact,
"In fact" introduces a clarification or emphasis on how Al-Malaika was breaking new ground despite appearing traditional, offering a logical transition to reinforce the point.
This country is home to the ancient city of Petra, a famous archaeological site carved into red sandstone cliffs.
Jordan
"Despite being cheap, versatile, and easy to produce, _________ they are made from non-renewable petroleum, and most do not biodegrade in landfills."
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. there are two problems associated with commercial plastics:
B. two problems are associated with commercial plastics:
C. commercial plastics' two associated problems are that
D. commercial plastics have two associated problems
D. commercial plastics have two associated problems
The colon appropriately signals that the details of these problems will follow.
"The evolution of intelligence among early large mammals of the grasslands was due in great measure to the interaction between two ecologically _______groups of these animals, the hunting carnivores, and the herbivo res that they hunted. The interaction resulting from the differences between predator and prey led to a general improvement in brain functions; however, certain components of intelligence were improved far more than others."
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. synchronized
B. diversified
C. antagonistic
D. evolved
C. antagonistic
Predators and prey have opposing (antagonistic) roles, which drove the evolution of intelligence.
"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 acquire multiple resource types."
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. depleted
B. homogeneous
C. immature
D. dispersed
D. dispersed
If flowers are dispersed, bees will travel further to acquire various resource types, fitting the description of inconsistent behavior.
"In a heated debate in biogeography, the field is divided between dispersalists and vicariancists. ______ there are those who argue that dispersal is the most crucial determining factor in a species' distribution, and those who insist that vicariance (separation due to geographic barriers) is. Biogeographer Isabel Sanmartín counts herself among neither."
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Furthermore,
B. By contrast,
C. Similarly,
D. That is,
B. By contrast,
"By contrast" introduces the idea of opposing viewpoints within biogeography, specifically distinguishing between dispersalists and vicariancists, making it the best transition.
In the year 2030, this person will appear on the $20 bill.
Harriet Tubman
The following excerpt is adapted from Around the World in Eighty days by Jules Verne.
"Phileas Fogg, having shut the door of his house at half-past eleven, and having put his right foot before his left five hundred and seventy-five times, and his left foot before his right five hundred and seventy-six times reached the Reform club. He repaired at once to the dining room and took his place at the habitual table, cover of which had already been laid for him."
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the convention of standard English?
The word "repaired" most nearly means
A. Fixed
B. Returned
C. Stormed
D. Proceeded
B. Returned
"Repaired" in this older text means "returned" rather than "fixed."
"Experienced employers recognize that business students who can ______ different points of view are ultimately more effective as managers than are the brilliant and original students who adhere dogmatically to their own formulations."
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. discredit
B. assimilate
C. impose
D. disregard
B. assimilate
Effective managers take in and understand different viewpoints rather than disregarding or imposing ideas.
"Mineralogical differences are detectable in samples collected from two locations on the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu, but such differences may not indicate substantial compositional variations in the asteroid. Cosmochemist Kazuhide Nagashima and colleagues note that at the small scale of the samples, the distribution of minerals is unlikely to be ______."
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. redundant
B. neglected
C. uniform
D. ongoing
C. uniform
Mineralogical differences being unlikely to be "uniform" means they are not consistent or evenly distributed, making "uniform" the best fit.
"Wishcycling—putting nonrecyclable items into recycling bins under the mistaken belief that those items can be recycled—ultimately does more harm than good. Nonrecyclable items, such as greasy pizza boxes, can contaminate recyclable materials, rendering entire batches unusable. ______ nonrecyclable products can damage recycling plants' machinery."
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Moreover,
B. Fittingly,
C. Nevertheless,
D. On the contrary,
C. Nevertheless,
"Nevertheless" suggests that even though nonrecyclable items harm the environment in one way, they cause even more harm to machinery. It indicates a significant negative consequence, making it the most fitting choice.
This animal holds the record for the longest nap, hibernating for up to three years under the right conditions.
Snail