Adding/Revising/
Deleting Information
Deleting Information
1. The author is considering adding the following statement after sentence 1:
Urban legends are stories that may or may not be believed by an audience, but for one reason or another continue to be preserved and shared.
Should this addition be made?
A. YES, because it explains what urban legends are and their prevalence in modern society.
B. YES, because it reflects the author's skepticism over the validity of these stories.
C. NO, because everyone knows what urban legends are.
D. NO, because the statement does not explain why urban legends are continually shared.
What is A. The sentence provides some valuable information about the genre. The end of the sentence leads nicely into sentence 2, which also mentions how the stories circulate.
3. Which of the following replacements for the underlined portion is the LEAST acceptable?
A. intimidating
B. menacing
C. hostile
D. crazy
What is D. Here's a hint: The passage is indicating that the underlined word IS acceptable. Eliminate answer choices by finding three words that are most similar to the underlined word. intimidating, menacing, and hostile are closer synonyms for threatening than crazy.
11.
A. NO CHANGE
B. that originally began with humor
C. with a foundational basis in humor
D. embedded with humor
What is D. An origin is something's root, so the original phrase is redundant. Choice D is the only option without redundancies; notice that it is also the most concise.
6. The most logical order for the sentences in paragraph 3 is:
F. NO CHANGE
G. 1, 3, 4, 2, 5
H. 2, 3, 5, 1, 4
J. 2, 1, 3, 4, 5
What is J. Begin by determining the best topic sentence. Sentence 2 transitions from the previous paragraph and sets up the story; thus, we can eliminate choices F and G. Which sentence should come next: Sentence 3 (choice H) or Sentence 1 (choice J)? Sentence 1 explains the girls apprehension, eliminating choice H.
2. If the author were to delete the underlined portion, the passage would primarily lose:
F. an unnecessary detail about an old movie no one cares about anymore
G. a glaring distraction from the main idea of the passage
H. a subtle reinforcement of the idea that urban legends are still prevalent in modern culture
J. an indication of the author's preference for the horror film genre.
What is H. One of the main ideas of the passage is that urban legends are a prevalent part of modern-day culture, which is reflected by the tale's inclusion in a popular film.
5. The underlined portion can be replaced will all of the following EXCEPT:
A. alarmed
B. nervous
C. annoyed
D. uneasy
What is C. Similar to question 3, we are looking for the word that means something different from the others. Annoyed doesn't convey the fear expressed by the other choices.
4.
F. NO CHANGE
G. intruding trespasser.
H. threatening stranger.
J. bad guy.
What is H. The verbs trespass and intrude are synonyms; we don't need both of them, which eliminates choices F and G. The term bad guy is too vague and a bit juvenile. Not all strangers are threatening, so this would be an appropriate distinction.
10.
The author wishes to add the following sentence to paragraph 5: "Take the variations of the Mexican hairless dog story." The best placement for this sentences is after sentence:
F. 1
G. 2
H. 3
J. 4
What is F. The additional statement should be added after the general statement in sentence 1 and before the specific details in sentence 2.
7. What is likely the author's purpose for including this statement?
A. to express how urban legends can alarm a wide range of people
B. to inform how urban legends can be used to catch criminals
C. to argue that urban legends should always be believed
D. to suggest that law enforcement officials are easily fooled.
What is A. Choice A supports the underlying theme of the prevalence and power of urban legends.
13. Which of the following phrases would best express the family's shock and disgust?
A. NO CHANGE
B. ready to puke
C. horrified
D. flabbergasted
What is C. While this incident would make me grossed out and ready to puke, these expressions do not fit the tone of the passage. Choice D, flabbergasted, expresses shock but not necessarily disgust.
8.
F. NO CHANGE
G. underneath ice
H. covered in icy frozen water
J. below a cold mountain of ice
What is G. The simplest choice is best here. Submerge and beneath are too similar, as are icy and frozen and cold ice.
15. Assuming the rest of the paragraphs in this passage are in the correct order, the best placement for paragraph 8 is:
A. after paragraph 1
B. after paragraph 3
C. after paragraph 4
D. after paragraph 5
What is C. Paragraph 4 provides the third example of a frightening urban legend. Paragraph 5 transitions to humor. Placing paragraph 8 after paragraph 4 serves as a transition between the two.
9. The author is considering adding the following statement to the end of paragraph 4: "This story is a frightening, although extreme, reminder not to trust strangers."
Should the author make this addition?
A. YES, because it provides a valuable lesson.
B. YES, because it explains the message behind the story.
C. NO, because the author should not add personal opinions.
D. NO, because the story is only intended to entertain.
What is B. The sentence provides the meaningful moral behind the story.
14. The underlined portion can be replaced with all of the following EXCEPT:
F. urban
G. contemporary
H. present-day
J. current
What is F. Contemporary, present-day, and current are all synonyms for modern. Although he passage is about the genre called urban legends, these stories do not necessarily take place in urban areas.
12.
F. NO CHANGE
G. overseas
H. that was alien to them
J. OMIT the underlined portion
What is J. Overseas and alien express a similar idea as that of the word foreign in the passage. Abroad is also similar to foreign, so it should be omitted.