Question Types
Errors in Construction
Editing / Revision
Reading Questions A
Reading Questions B
100
Identify the question type:
Which of the following details best supports the idea that pigs are the best animal?
Supporting idea (or supporting detail)
100
Which of the following sentences contains an error in construction?
(1) Raza de Odio was an Italian metal band from Genoa, the band was formed in 2002 by Italian extreme metal guitarist Marco "Peso" Pesenti. (2) Their songs have been described as extreme metal with flamenco influences, written with both English and Spanish lyrics. (3) Raza de Odio's only album La nueva alarma was released in 2004 to middling reviews. (4) A critic for German music site Metal.de said, "anyone who enjoys listening to an album several times should steer clear of this one."
BONUS: What is the error?
(1) Raza de Odio was an Italian metal band from Genoa, the band was formed in 2002 by Italian extreme metal guitarist Marco "Peso" Pesenti.
This is two independent clauses joined by a comma, a classic run-on.
100
Where should sentence 5 be moved to clarify the flow of ideas?
(1)Nina Hagen was born in East Berlin on March 11, 1955, the daughter of actress and singer Eva-Maria Hagen. (2) Nina began training in the arts at a young age and was considered an opera prodigy when she was only nine. (3) After graduating, she performed with the band Automobil, becoming one of East Germany's best-known young stars. (4) Her Communist musical career was cut short when she and her mother left the country in 1976, following the expulsion of her stepfather. (5) From 1972 to 1973, Hagen enrolled in the vocal training performance program at The Central Studio for Light Music in East Berlin.
Between sentences 2 and 3
Sentence 2 is about her training in the arts. Sentence 3 begins with "After graduating." Therefore, a sentence about where she enrolled for advanced training and from which she graduated would be appropriate between these two sentences.
100
Read this paragraph.
The hunters rode up to the welcoming crowd, proud to show off the loads of meat, hides, and other trophies of their hunt. They paraded around the encampment for all The People to see how strong their Hunting Power had been— what great hunters they, themselves, were.
The phrases “trophies of their hunt” and “paraded around” affect the paragraph by
A. suggesting that the hunters are rewarded for their leadership.
B. emphasizing that The People are dependent on the hunters for food.
C. revealing that the hunters are pleased with their success.
D. indicating that The People have gathered specifically to welcome the hunters.
BONUS: What is the question type?
Inference
C – The hunters are showing off their success.
100
In the 1960s, Chavela Vargas became an unlikely star in ranchera, a style of traditional Mexican music. Most ranchera singers had clear, polished voices and performed with a full band. But Vargas accompanied her raspy voice with just her guitar. Dressed in men’s trousers and a poncho, she would perform classic songs that had been written from a male point of view and were usually sung by men. She also altered those songs by performing them much more slowly than other ranchera singers did. The slower tempo allowed her to express the emotional quality of the lyrics more fully.
According to the text, what is one way that Vargas differed from other ranchera singers?
A. She possessed a voice that was clear and polished.
B. She avoided singing songs written from a male point of view.
C. She disliked performing classic songs.
D. She altered classic songs by slowing them down.
BONUS: What is the question type?
Literal comprehension
D – “She also altered those songs by performing them much more slowly than other ranchera singers did.”
200
Identify the question type:
Which of the following best summarizes the author's argument in paragraph 3?
Central idea
200
Which sentence contains an error in construction?
(1) The rupiah is the official currency and sole legal tender in Indonesia. (2) It is issued and managed by Bank Indonesia. (3) While its banknotes and coins are produced by the state-owned Perum Peruri. (4) The name derives from the Sanskrit rupya, meaning "wrought silver".
Bonus: What is the error?
3) While its banknotes and coins are produced by the state-owned Perum Peruri.
This is a dependent clause by with no independent clause, making it a fragment.
200
What is the best way to combine these sentences?
(1) Stephen King published four books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.
(2) A bookstore clerk discovered similarities between the two authors' styles.
A. While Stephen King published four books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, a bookstore clerk discovered similarities between the two author's styles.
B. Stephen King published four books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, and a bookstore clerk discovered similarities between the two author's styles.
C. Stephen King published four books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman before a bookstore clerk discovered similarities between the two author's styles.
D. Stephen King published four books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman after a bookstore clerk discovered similarities between the two author's styles.
C. Stephen King published four books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman before a bookstore clerk discovered similarities between the two author's styles.
The use of before clarifies that the bookstore clerk's discovery happened after the fourth book was published.
200
In a debate about the popularity of digital media over physical media, which evidence would best support the claim that “print definitely isn’t dead”?
A. Most college students prefer using paper books to using e-books.
B. Scientists are still studying the effects of reading on a screen.
C. Paper books are less disruptive to sleep patterns than e- books are.
D. Reading on a screen can affect both the eyes and the brain.
BONUS: What is the question type?
Supporting idea
A – Print isn’t dead because physical books are still preferable to e-books
200
Read this paragraph.
Afterward, the students all rested briefly and then completed a vocabulary quiz, using computer keys to note as quickly as possible whether a word was with its correct picture. They also responded to sentences using the new words, marking whether the sentences were accurate or, in the case of “The apple is a dentist,” nonsensical. Most linguists feel that understanding sentences shows greater mastery of a new language than does simple vocabulary improvement.
In the study described above, researchers asked participants to assess the sense of words in context because that task is
A. better at determining the capability of new language learners.
B. consistent with the way earlier research was conducted on adult language learners.
C. a better way for learners to absorb the meaning of individual vocabulary words.
D. more difficult for learners to perform after an extended period of time has passed.
BONUS: What is the question type?
Literal comprehension
A – Linguists value full-sentence comprehension above single-word comprehension.
300
Identify the question type:
According to the passage, what happens when one adds Mentos to Coca-Cola?
Literal comprehension
300
Which of the following sentences contains an error in construction?
(1) Spreckels Theatre in San Diego, California, was touted as “the first modern commercial playhouse west of the Mississippi.” (2) Built in 1912, architect Harrison Albright designed the theater for the city's premier philanthropist, sugar heir John D. Spreckels. (3) It was originally created to host live theater performances. (4) It was later converted to show motion pictures in 1931 until its closure in 2021.
BONUS: What is the error?
(2) Built in 1912, architect Harrison Albright designed the theater for the city's premier philanthropist, sugar heir John D. Spreckels.
Architect Harrison Albright was not built in 1912, making the introductory phrase a misplaced modifier.
300
Which is the most precise revision of this sentence?
These are the people who spend their free time volunteering at various places within the community.
A. These are the people who spend their free time volunteering at animal shelters, helping with activities in community centers, or cleaning up parks.
B. These are the people who spend their free time helping others in numerous ways at a variety of places, events, or organizations that need support.
C. These are the people who spend their free time working at local establishments that help people, animals, or other groups in need of assistance.
D. These are the people who spend a lot of time volunteering at places where they can help people in many ways.
A. These are the people who spend their free time volunteering at animal shelters, helping with activities in community centers, or cleaning up parks.
The listing of specific activities and locations makes this more precise than the other variants.
300
Mary was an odd, determined little person, and now she had something interesting to be determined about, she was very much absorbed, indeed. She worked and dug and pulled up weeds steadily, only becoming more pleased with her work every hour instead of tiring of it. It seemed to her like a fascinating sort of play.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. Mary hides in the garden to avoid doing her chores.
B. Mary is getting bored with pulling up so many weeds in the garden.
C. Mary is clearing out the garden to create a space to play.
D. Mary feels very satisfied when she’s taking care of the garden.
Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden. 1911. Public Domain
BONUS: What is the question type?
Central idea
D - She is pleased with her work, and it seems like playing.
300
Jackie Ormes’s Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem (1937–38) was the first comic strip by a Black woman to appear in a widely read newspaper. The strip tells the story of Torchy, a young woman who leaves Mississippi to become a performer in New York City. Torchy’s story reflects the experience of the Great Migration (1910–1970), when millions of Black Americans left the South in search of opportunities in other parts of the United States. Ormes used her characters to comment humorously on issues affecting Black Americans, which she continued to do throughout her career.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To show how Ormes’s Torchy Brown inspired other Black women to write comic strips in the 1930s
B. To illustrate how the subjects Ormes addressed in her comic strips changed over the course of her career
C. To give an example of how Ormes presented the experiences of Black Americans in her comic strips
D. To claim that several characters in Torchy Brown were based on people that Ormes knew personally
Central idea OR Function
C - The text describes how Torchy Brown depicted the experiences of a young Black woman experiencing America’s Great Migration.
400
Identify the question type:
How does the repetition question stems help student's identify the kind of question they are answering?
Function
400
Which of the following sentences contains an error in construction?
(1) Sheryl Ann Johnson is a former U.S. field hockey player and coach. (2) She is a member of the United States national team from 1978 to 1991 and was a three time Olympian. (3) In 1979, she competed in the Pan American Games where team USA finished second, winning a silver medal. (4) She was named U.S. Field Hockey Athlete of the Year in 1986, 1987 & 1989.
BONUS: What is the error?
(2) She is a member of the United States national team from 1978 to 1991 and was a three time Olympian.
1991 is over, so the correct verb tense would be past (was a member).
400
Which of the following sentences is irrelevant and can be deleted from the passage?
(1) Centralia is a borough and near-ghost town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. (2) Its population declined from 1,000 in 1980 to five residents in 2020 because of a coal mine fire burning beneath the borough since 1962. (3) Analysts disagree about the specific cause of the Centralia fire. (4) One theory is that trash was incinerated too close to an opening, allowing the coal to be ignited. (5) Although there was physical, visible evidence of the fire, residents of Centralia were divided over whether the fire posed a direct threat to the town.
(5) Although there was physical, visible evidence of the fire, residents of Centralia were divided over whether the fire posed a direct threat to the town.
The sentence develops the idea about the fire and its potential causes. Public opinion about its threat level is not relevant.
400
Read this sentence about a young girl reflecting on memories of her mother making bead art.
Then the cool morning breezes swept freely through our dwelling, now and then wafting the perfume of sweet grasses from newly burnt prairie.
The phrases “cool morning breezes swept freely” and “wafting the perfume of sweet grasses” convey
A. the sadness that the author feels reflecting upon her former way of life.
B. the enthusiasm with which the author approached her work indoors.
C. the fond feelings that the author has toward her childhood experiences.
D. the mix of emotions that the author feels toward her work and her mother.
Zitkala-Sa. Impressions of an Indian Childhood. Public Domain
BONUS: What is the question type?
Inference / tone
C – “Cool morning breezes” and “wafting perfume” and “sweet” all point to positive associations while the other choices can be eliminated for the wrong tone or making a specific claim that can’t be backed up by this one sentence.
400
Which sentence from the excerpt supports the idea that some species are able to adjust to change?
A. “Native gardens have become increasingly popular, both as ways to celebrate the unique flora of each region and as tiny hot spots of diversity.”
B. “Many native (and beautiful) Hawaiian flowers are now pollinated by the Japanese white-eye bird—because the native pollinators have been driven extinct by other non-native species.”
C. “After all, nativeness is just one environmental value, and arguably not as important as preventing extinctions and preserving biodiversity.”
D. “The islands lost their own large tortoises, and the fruiting plants that formerly had their seeds moved around by these fruit- loving reptiles have been on the decline.”
BONUS: What is the question type?
Supporting idea
B – This shows the Hawaiian flowers adjusted and now receive pollen from a non-native species.
500
Identify the question type:
The poet's word choice in stanza two conveys the idea that...
Inference or tone
500
Read this sentence.
On October 15th, 2026, Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish revealed, to much fan speculation, they have separated from their lead singer Floor Jansen making her the third singer to leave the band in its thirty years of operation.
Which edit should be made to correct the sentence?
A. Delete the comma after 2026.
B. Insert a comma after Nightwish.
C. Delete the comma after speculation.
D. Insert a comma after Jansen.
BONUS: Why does the punctuation need to be added or removed?
D. Insert a comma after Jansen.
"making her the third singer..." is a non-essential phrase attached to the independent clause.
500
Which of the following would best follow and support the sentence?
Advocates for school lunch reform call for sweeter options to be included on the free or reduced-cost menu.
A. 61% of respondents said that it is unfair to deny kids from low-income families the privilege of a little midday treat.
B. 34% of respondents believe that too much sugar intake at lunch could cause a crash in the evening.
C. 71% of respondents think that all school lunches should be provided for free since children should not be expected to pay for their own sustenance.
D. 58% of respondents agree that a wider variety of food options would encourage students to perform better in classes and engage with school activities more.
A. 61% of respondents said that it is unfair to deny kids from low-income families the privilege of a little midday treat.
This stat presents a perspective aligns with the claim that free or reduced-cost lunch options should have sweeter options.
500
Most seedlings die within a year; the mortality rate is more than ninety- nine percent. The survivors are sometimes seen growing in the shadow of a fallen tree. The landscape of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, as this area of the White Mountains is called, is littered with fragments of dead trees—trunks, limbs, roots, and smaller chunks. Pinus longaeva grows exclusively in subalpine regions of the Great Basin, which stretches from the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada to the Wasatch Range, in Utah. Conditions are generally too arid for the dead wood to rot; instead, it erodes, sanded down like rock. The remnants may harbor nutrients and fungi that help new trees grow. Bristlecones rise from the bones of their ancestors—a city within a cemetery.
What is the effect of comparing groups of bristlecone pines to “a city within a cemetery”?
A. It illustrates that the new tree’s appearance is markedly different from that of mature bristlecone pines.
B. It emphasizes the new tree’s ability to use resources left by prior generations of bristlecone pines.
C. It highlights the tree’s capacity for a long life if it is able to survive to maturity.
D. It reveals that the tree’s dense growth patterns are unusual in arid conditions.
BONUS: What is the question type?
Function
B – The metaphor is meant to highlight the idea that new bristlecones grow up nourishing themselves on the nutrients of their long-dead predecessors.
500
Empires rose and fell; wars raged; . . . and the tree from 2500 B.C. continued its implacable slow- motion existence, adding about two-hundredths of an inch to the diameter of its trunk each year.
The sentence contributes to the development of ideas in the excerpt by
A. emphasizing the bristlecone pine’s precise growth pattern.
B. suggesting that things that seem well established face threats.
C. describing the pace of the life cycle of the bristlecone pine.
D. explaining the reason for the bristlecone pine’s longevity.
BONUS: What is the question type?
Function
C - The sentence is emphasizing how long the tree lives and how slowly it grows.