Macro Logic
[1] By early 1966, the Beatles had completed their evolution from their teenybopper days and were poised to become the innovators that we now know them as. [2] No longer content with simple, 3-minute guitar-driven hits, they branched out on their next few albums. [3] Sitars featured prominently on the song “Love You To,” and backwards music was used on “Tomorrow Never Knows.” [4] The albums Rubber Soul and Revolver featured several new instruments and effects. [5] This experimentation continued up until their disbandment in 1970.
1. For the sake of logic and coherence, Sentence 4 should be placed?
A. where it is now.
B. after Sentence 1.
C. after Sentence 2.
D. after Sentence 5.
C.
Sentences 1 and 5 are good natural bookends to the paragraph, as they mention dates in chronological order. Within those two sentences, Sentence 4 refers to something mentioned in Sentence 2: The Beatles “next few albums” are explained to be Rubber Soul and Revolver. Sentence 4 previews Sentence 3 in that in mentions “several new instruments and effects”, which are clarified as sitars and backwards music.
One significant aspect of this relationship was: that Susan was perhaps the only reader of Emily’s poems-in-progress.
One significant aspect of this relationship was that Susan was perhaps the only reader of Emily’s poems-in-progress.
As the daughter of one of Charleston’s leading judges, Angelina Grimke could have looked forward to a [life of luxury and ease, and her comfort] assured by the presence of slaves trained to respond to her wishes.
E. NO CHANGE
F. life of luxury and ease her comfort
G. life of luxury and ease, her comfort
H. life of luxury, and her comfort
G.
This one is a little tricky because of the sophisticated structure of the dependent clause “her comfort assured by the presence of slaves…” Answer choice E is incorrect because the dependent clause needs a main verb (if it said “her comfort was assured…” it would work). Therefore, it cannot stand alone as an independent clause in the compound sentence this answer choice creates. Answer choice H also improperly uses a coordinating conjunction to create a compound sentence even though the second clause cannot stand alone as a sentence. Answer choice F creates a run-on that is confusing without the separation of the dependent clause. So our answer is G.
Benjamin Banneker, African American inventor and astronomer, grew up on his [familys'] farm in colonial Maryland.
A. NO CHANGE
B. family's
C. families'
D. families
B.
Let's go through our two questions in order.
Should "family" be possessive? If we switch around the word order to "the farm of his family" that makes sense, so yes, the noun should be possessive. (In this example, you might also say "family farm" but you'll notice that isn't an answer choice.)
Is it "family" or "families"? First, think about what clues you can use—"his" is a good one. We're talking about Banneker's family specifically, and people generally only have one family. The singular form is correct.
Now we know that we need an answer with "family" and an apostrophe, which narrows it down to A and B. We need to pick the one that correctly places the apostrophe before the "s" (since we're dealing with a singular noun), which is B.
Equipment for both types of kayaks [are] similar.
F. NO CHANGE
G. is
H. were
J. was
G
First, let's cross out the prepositional phrase. Equipment for both types of kayaks are similar. We're left with "Equipment are similar." Even if the answer is obvious to you at this point, let's go through the remaining steps. The subject is "equipment," which is singular. The verb is "are," which is plural; therefore, there's an error in subject-verb agreement and the correct answer is G. Based on the context of the passage, the verb should be in the present tense.
[1] Jerry wore his hat like a crown, but it really didn't fit him at all. [2] He was understandably proud of it. [3] Nothing anyone said about it's age, stains, or precarious balance would dissuade him from plopping it atop his head each time he left the house. [4] Behind his back, we all made fun of him mercilessly. [5] The hat had been given to him in commemoration of his first golf tournament victory.
Should Sentence 5 stay where it is or be moved? If it needs to be moved, after which sentence should in be placed?
Sentence 5 is currently out of place. It should be placed after sentence 1.
London – which is a very old city, has many new buildings.
London – which is a very old city – has many new buildings.
London is an old city; however, it has many new buildings.
correct
When my computer crashed, I lost a months work on my plan to take over the world.
When my computer crashed, I lost a month's work on my plan to take over the world.
It was about halfway through his last set of conferences that Mr. Man realized he did not much like his current set of students. Unlike his students in the past, none of them seemed to care about their grades, none of them were able to tell a dangling modifier from a participle, and none of them knew how to start a paper. He would never tell any of them this, of course; they might get offended. And if there was one thing that Mr. Man [learned] about teaching, it's that in order to keep your job, you couldn't offend your students.
A. NO CHANGE
B. is learning
C. had learned
D. has learned
C.
The lesson about teaching is something that Mr. Man learned before the past tense events described in this paragraph, so the past perfect phrase "had learned" is appropriate.
[I had so much fun using a scale to measure out ingredients.] We baked chocolate cookies stuffed with oversized chocolate chips. Sometimes we mad gooey cinnamon buns slathered in glaze. My favorite was the lemon cupcakes topped with a spiral of whipped cream frosting.
Which sentence most effectively introduces this paragraph?
A. NO CHANGE
B. Uncle Mick had a special method for cracking eggs.
C. Every week, Uncle Mick showed me his recipe for a different treat.
D. The bakery also sold coffee and tea.
C.
Since the rest of the paragraph describes three different types of baked goods, the sentence 'Every week, Uncle Mick showed me his recipe for a different treat.' best sets up the paragraph for details about the various treats.
To add to the confusion, every New Year’s Day a person according to this Korean counting system, becomes a year older, regardless of his or her actual birthday.
To add to the confusion, every New Year’s Day a person, according to this Korean counting system, becomes a year older, regardless of his or her actual birthday.
London was founded around 50 A.D., when the Romans settled on the banks of the Tiber.
London was founded around 50 A.D. when the Romans settled on the banks of the Tiber.
London is a popular tourist attraction; in fact, its among the most visited cities in the world.
London is a popular tourist attraction; in fact, it’s among the most visited cities in the world.
Formerly, science was taught by the textbook method, while now the laboratory method is employed.
Formerly, science was taught by the textbook method; now it is taught by the laboratory method.
Bangladesh’s economy is based primarily on small-scale enterprises run by self-employed men and women. These small-business owners, who make a living as shopkeepers or providers of services, face a problem common to proprietors everywhere: lack of access to credit, particularly during the early start-up phase of an enterprise. Credit, which allows people to obtain the resources and equipment they need to make their businesses productive, is often unavailable to those who possess little collateral. Thus, many people which would benefit from credit are denied access to it.
Which of the following sentences, if added at the end of the first paragraph, would best make the point that there was a need for the Grameen Bank?
A. This led to a stagnant economy in Bangladesh.
B. Other people, however, are able to overcome a lack of credit.
C. Collateral, therefore, is essential for a healthy economy.
D. Of course, there are some start-up businesses that do not need loans at all.
E. The banks, however, are able to lend their money in other countries.
A.
All along, she was telling stories: everything from social satire to her retelling of Cinderella as Cindy Ellie; a poor African American girl whose rags are transformed into magnificent African-style gowns.
All along, she was telling stories: everything from social satire to her retelling of Cinderella as Cindy Ellie, a poor African American girl whose rags are transformed into magnificent African-style gowns.
My whole family was at the reunion, including my cousins, Kirsten and Jeremy; my aunts, Tracy and Megan; and my grandparents, Carl and Jen.
correct
Mr. and Mrs. Lane have lived next door to me my whole life. The Lane's house has become my second home these past few years.
Mr. and Mrs. Lane have lived next door to me my whole life. The Lanes' house has become my second home these past few years.
Use an apostrophe after the “s” at the end of a plural noun to show possession.
Nearly one in four people worldwide are Muslim.
Nearly one in four people worldwide is Muslim.
People is NOT a collective noun like team or staff. It is a plural noun. However, the subject is one, which is singular and takes a singular verb. So the answer is is. In the above sentence, the prepositional phrase is "in four people." This means that people is the object of the preposition.
Let’s get real here, however: The intention in this headline is to let us know that nearly 25% of the world’s population is Muslim. That intention gets lost by focusing on one is. It might be better to reword the sentence: Nearly 25% of people in the world are Muslim.
Which order should the follow sentences follow?
1. Since then, only a limited 20,000 people are allowed within the city to participate in the festival.
2. The year 2013 marked the first official ticketing of the event for tourists, due to its rising popularity among people all over the world.
3. Famous as the world's biggest food fight, overripe tomatoes are squashed and thrown in the streets of Bunol.
4. Every last Wednesday of August, Bunol, Spain, celebrates La Tomatina food fight festival.
5. Dearth of boarding and lodging in this small city has promoted hotels' business in the nearby city of Valencia.
4. 3. 2. 1. 5.
It all began in mid-March when a peddler from Halifax named John Law had a frightening encounter with a poor young woman, Alizon Device in a field, near the town of Colne.
It all began in mid-March when a peddler from Halifax named John Law had a frightening encounter with a poor young woman, Alizon Device, in a field near the town of Colne.
On our trip to London, we visited: museums, palaces, and monuments.
On our trip to London, we visited these tourist attractions: museums, palaces, and monuments.
At the tinkers convention, Jose browsed for a long time before deciding he wanted to buy something from the leather workers stall.
At the tinkers' convention, Jose browsed for a long time before deciding he wanted to buy something from the leather worker's stall.
Our staff works hard to meet their goals and deadlines.
Our staff work hard to meet their goals and deadlines.
"Their" is a clue that staff is not acting as a unit. Therefore, the plural work is needed.
How do you know that work, not works, is plural? Think about which word you would use with he and which word you would use with they.