Argument
100: Which of the following sentences expresses the main claim of the passage?
Sentence 5
Sentence 6
Sentence 9
Sentence 10
2. Sentence 6
100: The writer is considering changing the transition word at the start of sentence 12 (reproduced below) to strengthen the flow between the paragraphs.
However, safety concerns were the most pressing reason for the goats’ removal.
Which of the following options would best accomplish that goal?
(as it is now)
Moreover,
Similarly,
In other words,
1. (as it is now)
100: The writer wants to add a sentence after sentence 12 to provide needed background information for readers who may not be familiar with mountain goats. Which of the following choices best accomplishes this goal?
Adult male mountain goats can reach weights of as much as 180 pounds.
Mountain goats eat a variety of plants, including grasses, lichens, and even twigs.
People are advised to stay at least 50 yards away from mountain goats.
Mountain goats find salt irresistible.
4. Mountain goats find salt irresistible.
The writer wants sentence 11 (reproduced below) to serve as evidence that reinforces the argument of the passage.
In the 1980s, a brief attempt to relocate the goats was met with public outcry.
Which of the following versions of the underlined portion of sentence 11 best accomplishes this goal?
(as it is now)
had no impact on the amount of erosion in the region
proved difficult as the goats retreated to areas that were challenging for humans to access
resulted in noticeable improvements in the park’s environment
4. resulted in noticeable improvements in the park’s environment
The writer wants to use a synonym for the word “deleterious” in sentence 10 (reproduced below).
Park officials also worry about the goats’ deleterious habits of damaging vegetation and causing erosion.
Which of the following words would be the best synonym in the context of the sentence?
Advantageous
Beneficial
Detrimental
Delicious
3. Detrimental
200: The writer wants to add parallel structure to sentence 4. Which of the following versions properly uses parallel structure?
Helicopters lifted the goats, who were carried across the mountains.
Helicopters lifted the goats, will carry them across the mountains, and set them free.
Helicopters lifted the goats, carried them across the mountains, and set them free.
Helicopters, lifting the goats, carried them across the mountains.
3. Helicopters lifted the goats, carried them across the mountains, and set them free.
The writer wants to add a sentence at the end of the first paragraph to express the thesis of the passage in more detail. Which of these best accomplishes this goal?
It will ultimately benefit the well-being of the goats, the safety of human visitors, and the park’s ecosystem.
Such steps may be necessary until park visitors can learn to interact with goats responsibly.
It is important to remove invasive species such as the mountain goats from our national parks to ensure that other species can thrive.
Although the Olympics and the North Cascades are separated by only a few hundred miles, their environments are different in significant ways.
1. It will ultimately benefit the well-being of the goats, the safety of human visitors, and the park’s ecosystem.
The writer wants to begin the passage by emphasizing the exciting and strange nature of the events in the first paragraph.
In September 2018, an amazing spectacle took place in the skies above Olympic National Park: blindfolded, sedated mountain goats hovered in the air, suspended in harness from a helicopter.
Which of the following versions of the underlined text best accomplishes this goal?
(as it is now)
officials from the National Park Service enacted a plan to relocate goats
steps were taken to ensure the safety of visitors to Olympic National Park
the first phase of the Mountain Goat Management Plan began
1. (as it is now)
The writer is considering deleting the underlined text in sentence 14 (reproduced below).
Salt in human sweat is a goat magnet; worse still, some thoughtless and irresponsible people feed the goats directly.
Should the writer keep or delete the underlined text?
Keep it, because it makes the argument more persuasive by including language that increases the emotional engagement of the audience.
Keep it, because it encourages the audience to identify with the park officials who work to solve the problem rather than the park visitors who make the problem worse.
Delete it, because it distracts from the writer’s purpose of emphasizing human safety concerns by using language that focuses the blame on human visitors to the park.
Delete it, because it contradicts the writer’s claim in sentence 15 that goats behave differently after they are accustomed to human contact.
3. Delete it, because it distracts from the writer’s purpose of emphasizing human safety concerns by using language that focuses the blame on human visitors to the park.
The writer wants to conclude the passage by reiterating the main claim. Which of the following sentences best accomplishes this goal?
With the Mountain Goat Management Plan, visitors to Olympic National Park should once again be able to hike safely.
Perhaps wildlife relocation programs would be more successful if they were all as dramatic as the helicopter flights of the goats from Olympic National Park.
The success of the goat relocation program is a testament to the hard work and knowledge of Washington’s wildlife officials.
The Olympics, the North Cascades, the mountain goats, and the human park visitors all stand to benefit from the goat relocation program.
4. The Olympics, the North Cascades, the mountain goats, and the human park visitors all stand to benefit from the goat relocation program.
The writer wants to clarify the point made in the first part of sentence 8 (reproduced below).
First, goats are not indigenous to the region; the area began to be advertised as a vacation destination in the early twentieth century.
Which of the following versions of the underlined text best accomplishes this goal?
(as it is now)
hunters introduced goats to the Olympics in the 1920s
the completion of the Olympic loop highway in 1931 significantly expanded public access to the Olympics
Olympic National Park was established in 1938
2. hunters introduced goats to the Olympics in the 1920s
In sentence 19 (reproduced below) the writer is considering deleting the underlined phrase.
Resettled in remote parts of the park, where salt licks are plentiful and hikers are scarce, the goats will likely regain their natural wariness of people.
Should the writer keep or delete the phrase?
Keep it, because it adds descriptive language that helps readers visualize the area in the North Cascades where the goats were relocated.
Keep it, because it draws on evidence from the third paragraph to make a more persuasive case for why the North Cascades are a good place to resettle the goats.
Delete it, because it undermines the passage’s argument by emphasizing the fact that the goats will no longer be seen by park visitors.
Delete it, because it introduces details that are irrelevant to the passage’s argument about the need to remove mountain goats from Olympic National Park.
2. Keep it, because it draws on evidence from the third paragraph to make a more persuasive case for why the North Cascades are a good place to resettle the goats.