Commas
The volunteers, ___ eager to begin the event, arrived an hour early to help with setup.
A. who were
B. who were,
C. , who were
D. who were,
Correct Answer: C
The city recently expanded its public transit system ___ ridership increased by nearly 20 percent within the first month.
A. however,
B. therefore
C. — in fact, —
D. ; as a result,
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
The blank requires a transition that logically connects the expansion of the transit system to the increase in ridership. A semicolon followed by as a result correctly shows cause and effect between two independent clauses.
The city launched a new recycling program ___ participation increased by nearly 30 percent in the first month.
A. however,
B. ; as a result,
C. — for example —
D. because
Correct Answer: B Cause → effect between two independent clauses.
The company introduced a new training program ___ employees reported feeling more confident in their roles.
A. ; as a result,
B. however,
C. because
D. — for instance —
Correct Answer: A
In winter, the diets of Japanese macaques, also known as snow monkeys, are influenced more by food availability than by food preference. Although the monkeys prefer to eat vegetation and land-dwelling invertebrates, those food sources may become unavailable because of extensive snow and ice cover, _______ the monkeys to hunt for marine animals in any streams that have not frozen over. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) forces
B) to force
C) forcing
D) forced
Choice C is the best answer. T10 M1 22
After reviewing the survey results ___ the committee decided to revise the proposal.
A. ,
B. ;
C. —
D. :
Correct Answer: A
In Marisol’s 1968 sculpture Mi Mama y Yo, gone are the types of pop culture references that made the Parisian-born Venezuelan American artist a star at the height of the pop art movement. In _______ place is a far more personal subject: a sculptural depiction of the artist as a young girl with her mother. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) its
B) they’re
C) their
D) it’s
Choice C is the best answer. T10 M1 26
The professor encouraged students to submit questions before the lecture ___ she could address the most common concerns first.
A. ;therefore,
B. because
C. however,
D. — in fact —
Correct Answer: B
The scientist repeated the experiment several times ___ the initial results were inconsistent.
A. ; although
B. because
C. ; nevertheless,
D. — for example —
Correct Answer: C Shows contrast between inconsistency and repeated trials.
Food and the sensation of taste are central to Monique Truong’s novels. In The Book of Salt, for example, the exiled character of Bình connects to his native Saigon through the food he prepares, while in Bitter in the Mouth, the character of Linda ______ a form of synesthesia whereby the words she hears evoke tastes. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) experienced
B) had experienced
C) experiences
D) will be experiencing
Choice C is the best answer. T10 M1 24
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 contributed to the mass extinctions. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) out but
B) out, but
C) out
D) out,
Choice B is the best answer. T10 M1 20
Along with carbon dioxide concentration and temperature, light intensity affects the chemical reaction rate of _______ as light intensity increases, so does the rate at which the reactants (water and carbon dioxide) are converted into their products (glucose and oxygen). Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) photosynthesis and
B) photosynthesis,
C) photosynthesis:
D) photosynthesis
Choice C is the best answer. T10 M1 25
The following text is from David Barclay Moore’s 2022 novel Holler of the Fireflies. The narrator has just arrived at summer camp, which is far away from his home. This place was different than I thought it would be. I’d never been somewhere like this before. I did feel scared, but also excited. ©2022 by David Barclay Moore According to the text, how does the narrator feel about being at summer camp?
A) He feels overjoyed.
B) He feels peaceful.
C) He feels both scared and excited.
D) He feels both angry and jealous
Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately states how the narrator feels about being at summer camp. T10 M1 11
The team had limited time to prepare ___ they managed to deliver an impressive presentation.
A. ; however,
B. because
C. ; therefore,
D. — for example —
Correct Answer: A
In his 1963 exhibition Exposition of Music— Electronic Television, Korean American artist Nam June Paik showed how television images could be manipulated to express an artist’s perspective. Today, Paik _______ considered the first video artist. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) will be
B) had been
C) was
D) is
Choice D is the best answer. T10 M2 21
Typically, underlines, scribbles, and notes left in the margins by a former owner lower a book’s _______ when the former owner is a famous poet like Walt Whitman, such markings, known as marginalia, can be a gold mine to literary scholars. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) value, but
B) value
C) value,
D) value but
Choice A is the best answer. T10 M1 21
Lucía Michel of the University of Chile observed that alkaline soils contain an insoluble form of iron that blueberry plants cannot absorb, thus inhibiting blueberry growth. If these plants were grown in alkaline soil alongside grasses that aid in iron solubilization, _______ Michel was determined to find out. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) could the blueberries thrive.
B) the blueberries could thrive.
C) the blueberries could thrive?
D) could the blueberries thrive?
Choice D is the best answer T10 M2 19
The hikers reached the summit earlier than expected ___ they decided to rest before beginning their descent.
A. ; meanwhile,
B. because
C. ; therefore,
D. however,
Correct Answer: C Cause → decision.
Most conifers trees are evergreen. That is, they keep their green leaves or needles year-round. However, not all conifer species are evergreen. Larch trees, _______ lose their needles every fall. Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A) for instance,
B) nevertheless,
C) meanwhile,
D) in addition,
Choice A is the best answer. T10 M2 26
Former First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt and Indian activist and educator Hansa Mehta were instrumental in drafting the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that ______ the basic freedoms to which all people are entitled. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) have outlined
B) were outlining
C) outlines
D) outline
Choice C is the best answer. T10 M2 22
While many video game creators strive to make their graphics ever more ______ others look to the past, developing titles with visuals inspired by the “8-bit” games of the 1980s and 1990s. (The term “8-bit” refers to a console whose processor could only handle eight bits of data at once.) Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? A) lifelike but
B) lifelike
C) lifelike,
D) lifelike, but
Choice C is the best answer. T10 M1 23
In February 1919, following the end of the First World War, women from ten countries around the world convened the Inter-Allied Women’s Conference in Paris. The conference’s goals were _______ ensure women’s participation in the proceedings of the Paris Peace Conference, to secure the right of women to serve in the League of Nations, and to advocate for human rights. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) threefold: to
B) threefold. To
C) threefold to
D) threefold; to
Choice A is the best answer. T10 M2 23
Archaeologist Christiana Kohler and her team excavated the Egyptian tomb of Queen Merneith, the wife of a First Dynasty pharaoh. Some scholars claim that she also ruled Egypt on her own and was actually the first female pharaoh. The team found a tablet in Merneith’s tomb with writing suggesting that she was in charge of the country’s treasury and other central offices. Whether Merneith was a pharaoh or not, this discovery supports the idea that Merneith likely _______ Which choice most logically completes the text?
A) had an important role in Egypt’s government.
B) lived after rather than before the First Dynasty of Egypt.
C) traveled beyond Egypt’s borders often.
D) created a new form of writing in Egypt
Choice A is the best answer T10 M2 16
Neuroscientist Karen Konkoly wanted to determine whether individuals can understand and respond to questions during REM sleep. She first taught volunteers eye movements they would use to respond to basic math problems while asleep (a single left-right eye movement indicated the number one). _______ she attached electrodes to the volunteers’ faces to record their eye movements during sleep. Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A) Specifically,
B) Next,
C) For instance,
D) In sum,
Choice B is the best answer. T10 M2 27
Mathematician Grigori Perelman, sometimes in conjunction with mathematicians Richard S. Hamilton and Shing-Tung Yau, _______ credited with proving the Poincaré conjecture. Having built on Hamilton’s previous work to solve the proof, Perelman has insisted that Hamilton receive credit. Yau later found and closed gaps in Perelman’s proof, persuading some mathematicians that he deserves credit as well. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) are
B) have been
C) are being
D) is
Choice D is the best answer. T10 M2 24