Passage #1
Passage #2
Passage #3
Revising & Editing
Writing Skills
100

In the quote, “Della’s beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters,” what literary device is being used?

  • A) Simile
  • B) Metaphor
  • C) Personification 
  • D) Hyperbole



A) Simile

100

o    In the quote, “The harder Tom tried to fasten his mind on his book, the more his ideas wandered,” what is being described?

o    A) Tom’s concentration.

o    B) Tom’s anger.

o    C) Tom’s sadness.

o    D) Tom’s happiness


A) Tom’s concentration

100

o    In the quote, “It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night,” what does the word “haunted” most likely mean?

o    A) Bothered constantly

o    B) Caused happiness

o    C) Was ignored

o    D) Disappeared quickly


A) Bothered constantly

100

o    Which revision corrects this sentence: “He walked slowly, and then he run quickly”?

o    A) “He walked slowly, and then he running quickly.”

o    B) “He walks slow, then runs quickly.”

o    C) “He walked slowly, then ran quickly.”

o    D) “He walk slow, then ran quickly.”


C) “He walked slowly, then ran quickly.”

100

o    Which sentence shows proper parallel structure?

o    A) “He likes reading, jogging, and to swim.”

o    B) “He likes reading, jogging, and swimming.”

o    C) “He likes to read, to jog, and swimming.”

o    D) “He likes read, jog, and to swim.”


B) “He likes reading, jogging, and swimming.”

200

o    What does the phrase “Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail” suggest about Jim's reaction?

o    A) He is angry.

o    B) He is confused.

o    C) He is stunned.

o    D) He is happy.


C) He is stunned

200

o    What does the quote, “Tom was a glittering hero once more—the pet of the old, the envy of the young,” suggest about Tom?

o    A) He is disliked by everyone.

o    B) He is popular and admired.

o    C) He is afraid of being noticed.

o    D) He is lonely and isolated.


B) He is popular and admired

200

o    What does the quote, “I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell,” suggest about the narrator?

o    A) He is omniscient.

o    B) He is calm and rational.

o    C) He is delusional and paranoid.

o    D) He is extremely knowledgeable


C) He is delusional and paranoid

200

o    Which revision best clarifies the meaning of this sentence: “The book was really good and very interesting”?

o    A) “The book was interesting.”

o    B) “The book was captivating and thought-provoking.”

o    C) “The book was sort of good.”

o    D) “The book was okay.”


B) “The book was captivating and thought-provoking.”

200

o    Which is the best way to rewrite this sentence for variety: “The cat slept. The cat purred.”?

o    A) “The cat purred and slept.”

o    B) “Slept the cat purr.”

o    C) “The cat slept purr.”

o    D) “Slept the cat and purr.”


: A) “The cat purred and slept.”

300

o    In the quote, "One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies," what does this detail reveal about Della?

o    A) She is wealthy.

o    B) She is careful with money.

o    C) She is embarrassed.

o    D) She has been saving diligently.


D) She has been saving diligently

300

o    In the quote, “Aunt Polly’s face was shining with grief,” what emotion is Aunt Polly experiencing?

o    A) Happiness

o    B) Anger

o    C) Sadness

o    D) Fear


: C) Sadness

300

o    In the quote, “I smiled, for what had I to fear?” what does the narrator’s smile suggest?

o    A) He feels confident and unafraid.

o    B) He feels embarrassed.

o    C) He is sad and lonely.

o    D) He is overwhelmed with joy.


: A) He feels confident and unafraid

300

o    What punctuation is missing in the sentence: “After we left the house we went to the park”?

o    A) A period after “house”

o    B) A comma after “house”

o    C) An exclamation mark after “park”

o    D) A semicolon after “left”


: B) A comma after “house.”



300

o    Which revision improves the word choice: “He said it was good”?

o    A) “He exclaimed it was excellent.”

o    B) “He said it was nice.”

o    C) “He said it was okay.”

o    D) “He remarked it was fine.”


A) “He exclaimed it was excellent.”

400

o    The quote “I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs” illustrates which theme?

o    A) Wealth

o    B) Sacrifice

o    C) Betrayal

o    D) Independence


B) Sacrifice

400

o    What does the quote, “Tom gave up the brush with reluctance in his face but alacrity in his heart,” imply about Tom’s feelings?

o    A) He is excited but pretending to be sad.

o    B) He is genuinely sad to give up the brush.

o    C) He is angry and frustrated.

o    D) He is eager to work.


: A) He is excited but pretending to be sad

400

o    What is suggested by the quote, “I heard a sound, a low, dull, quick sound, much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton”?

o    A) The narrator is tired.

o    B) The narrator is hearing a heartbeat.

o    C) The narrator hears a clock ticking.

o    D) The narrator hears footsteps.


: B) The narrator is hearing a heartbeat

400

o    Which revision corrects this sentence: “I likes going to the library on weekends”?

o    A) “I like going to the library on weekends.”

o    B) “I liked go to the library on weekends.”

o    C) “I likes went to the library on weekends.”

o    D) “I liking going to the library on weekends.”


A) “I like going to the library on weekends.”

400

o    How should you revise the sentence: “Although tired but still excited, she went to the concert”?

o    A) “Although tired, she went to the concert excitedly.”

o    B) “Tired although but she went to the concert excitedly.”

o    C) “But tired although she went to the concert excitedly.”

o    D) “Although tired she went to but the concert excitedly.”


A) “Although tired, she went to the concert excitedly.”

500

o    What does the description “as though they had been built for a different person” imply about the gifts exchanged by Della and Jim?

o    A) The gifts are too expensive.

o    B) The gifts are not useful.

o    C) The gifts were perfect for them before the sacrifices.

o    D) The gifts were meant for someone else.


C) The gifts were perfect for them before the sacrifices

500

o    In the quote, “He surveyed the fence, and all gladness left him and a deep melancholy settled down upon his spirit,” what does the word “melancholy” most likely mean?

o    A) Joy

o    B) Sadness

o    C) Confusion

o    D) Anger


: B) Sadness

500

o    In the quote, “Villains! I shrieked, dissemble no more! I admit the deed!” what does the word “dissemble” most likely mean?

o    A) To reveal

o    B) To conceal

o    C) To destroy

o    D) To celebrate


B) To conceal

500

o    What is the best way to revise this sentence for clarity: “The team decided to go to the mall, they left the park”?

o    A) “The team left the park and decided to go to the mall.”

o    B) “The team go to the mall and they left the park.”

o    C) “They left to the park and decided mall the team.”

o    D) “The team decided mall and go to left park.”


A) “The team left the park and decided to go to the mall.”

500

o    Which revision creates the most vivid image: “The flowers were colorful”?

o    A) “The flowers burst with vibrant hues of red, yellow, and purple.”

o    B) “The flowers were many colors.”

o    C) “The flowers had lots of different colors.”

o    D) “The flowers were colorful and nice.”


A) “The flowers burst with vibrant hues of red, yellow, and purple.