All practice questions

Read the passage below. Which word most precisely and clearly completes the sentence to show that the architect's plans were detailed and explicit? Fill in the blank.

In 1826, Nicéphore Niépce produced the oldest surviving photograph, which originally required an initial exposure period of eight hours in the sun.

Which of the following options is the best revision of the underlined portion?

[1] In the mid-1980s, French botanist Patrick Blanc revolutionized urban architecture by popularizing the *mur végétal*, or vertical garden. [2] Unlike traditional ivy-covered walls, which can damage brickwork with their roots, Blanc's design uses a structural frame, a PVC layer, and a felt lining that supports plants without soil. [3] The felt is continuously irrigated with nutrient-rich water, allowing a diverse array of species to thrive. [4] Today, his towering green walls cover the facades of museums, shopping centers, and private residences worldwide, offering both aesthetic beauty and natural insulation.

The writer is considering adding the following sentence to the end of the paragraph (after sentence [4]):

'Some of these plants, such as certain species of ferns and mosses, require high levels of humidity to survive.'

Should the writer make this addition?

For over forty years, the legendary violinist had performed exclusively on a 1715 Stradivarius, making it incredibly difficult for him to part from the instrument upon his retirement.

Which choice is the most idiomatic expression to replace the underlined portion?

Passage Excerpt:

In 1931, Harry Beck, a temporary draftsman for the London Underground, designed a revolutionary schematic diagram of the transit system. Rather than attempting to show geographical accuracy, Beck created a map that resembled a simplified circuit diagram, with straight lines and clean angles. [1] This design prioritized clarity and utility for commuters navigating the growing network.

The writer wants to add a sentence at Point [1] that provides a specific, concrete detail illustrating how Beck's map simplified the actual geography of London for commuters. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?

The following paragraph is from an essay about transit history.

[1] In 1931, Harry Beck, a temporary draftsman for the London Underground, designed a revolutionary new map of the transit system. [2] Unlike previous maps, which plotted stations based on their true geographic locations, Beck's design was strictly schematic. [3] He realized that passengers traveling underground did not care about above-ground landmarks; they only needed to know how to navigate between stations and where to transfer. [4] This functional simplicity was initially rejected by the Underground's publicity department, which deemed the design too radical for the public. [5] Nevertheless, when a trial run of the pocket-sized map was distributed in 1933, it became an instant success.

For the sake of the logic and cohesion of the paragraph, the following sentence should be added:

"To achieve this schematic look, he represented the subway lines using only horizontal, vertical, or forty-five-degree diagonal paths."

Where is the most logical placement for this sentence?

The following passage discusses the acoustics of ancient Greek theaters. Which word most precisely and contextually completes the sentence to maintain the formal, academic register of the passage?

Despite the critical acclaim of her latest novel, the author remained largely indifferent for the public praise, choosing instead to focus on her next writing project.

Which of the following choices best replaces the underlined portion to maintain idiomatic word choice?

At the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Josephine Cochrane showcased her newly invented automatic dishwasher. A top prize was won by the machine, which was because the judges were highly impressed by its design and efficiency.

Which choice is the best version of the underlined portion of the sentence?

The following passage discusses environmental conservation efforts in local communities. Read the passage and consider the register and meaning of the context. Which word most precisely and contextually fits the blank to maintain the formal register of the passage?

A student is editing a draft of an essay about modern art history. Based on the paragraph below, which punctuation mark should be placed in the blank to ensure the sentence is punctuated correctly?

Passage

For decades, physicists believed that the gyroscopic effect—the force generated by spinning wheels—was the primary mechanism keeping a moving bicycle [1] <u>upright. Consequently,</u> researchers have recently constructed experimental bicycles with counter-rotating wheels that cancel out these gyroscopic forces, yet these bicycles remain perfectly stable.

Question 1
Which of the following choices most effectively establishes the logical relationship between the two sentences?

A writer is editing a passage about the history of eating utensils and has drafted the following paragraph:

For centuries, Western Europeans ate their meals using only knives, spoons, and their fingers. When the Byzantine princess Maria Argyropoulina arrived in Venice in 1004 to marry the Doge's son, she brought with her a set of golden, two-pronged forks, which she used to eat her food. [1] The Venetian clergy, however, condemned the implement as an insult to God, declaring that human hands were the only tools fit to touch the food created by the heavens. Consequently, forks did not gain widespread acceptance in Italy for another several centuries.

The writer is considering adding the following sentence at Point [1]:

Princess Maria was also known for her elaborate silk gowns and gold jewelry.

Should the writer make this addition at Point [1]?

Using advanced X-ray phase-contrast tomography, researchers have successfully read ancient scrolls from Herculaneum without unrolling them. These scrolls, which were carbonized and turned to charcoal by the heat of Mount Vesuvius, contain lost works of Epicurean philosophy.

Which choice most effectively eliminates the redundancy in the underlined portion of the sentence?

The writer is considering deleting Sentence 5 from the following paragraph:

[1] In 1856, eighteen-year-old chemistry student William Henry Perkin was attempting to synthesize quinine, a drug used to treat malaria, in his home laboratory. [2] Instead of the clear medicine he hoped for, Perkin produced a dark, sticky sludge in his beaker. [3] Cleaning the flask with alcohol, he noticed that the substance dissolved into a vibrant, purple liquid. [4] This accidental byproduct, which he named mauveine, became the world's first mass-produced synthetic organic dye. [5] Prior to Perkin’s discovery, purple clothing was a luxury reserved exclusively for royalty because the dye had to be painstakingly harvested from thousands of marine snails. [6] Recognizing the commercial potential of his creation, Perkin quickly patented the process and established a factory to manufacture the dye.

Should Sentence 5 be kept or deleted?

When the Voyager 1 spacecraft reached the edge of our solar system, scientists were amazed to detect a low, hum-like vibration in the plasma data; it was audible to the ear, and they heard it.

Which choice best eliminates the redundancy in the underlined portion of the sentence?

During the construction of a fort near the Egyptian port city of Rashid in 1799, French soldiers uncovered a large slab of granodiorite that would later be known as the Rosetta Stone. The stone, which had writing carved into its surface that was written in three different scripts, proved to be the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Which of the following options, when substituted for the underlined portion, creates the most concise and grammatically correct sentence?

The architectural firm submitted several designs for the new city library. Ultimately, the city council selected the plan that was unique and unlike any other they had reviewed.

Which choice is the most concise and grammatically correct way to write the underlined portion of the sentence?

What is the value of the expression $24 - 3 \times (8 - 6)^3$?

The following passage is about the history of climate science.

In 1856, the American scientist Eunice Foote conducted pioneering experiments on the warming effects of various gases. She discovered that a receiver filled with carbon dioxide heated up much more than one filled with common air. Ultimately, she concluded that carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that absorbs heat, could significantly alter the Earth's climate.

Which of the following options represents the correct punctuation for the underlined portion of the sentence?