Compass Writing Skills Practice Test 1

Question 1

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence is correct or whether it needs to be revised.   F̲o̲r̲ ̲h̲o̲m̲e̲s̲ ̲i̲n̲ ̲t̲y̲p̲i̲c̲a̲l̲l̲y̲ ̲c̲o̲l̲d̲e̲r̲ ̲g̲e̲o̲g̲r̲a̲p̲h̲i̲c̲ ̲r̲e̲g̲i̲o̲n̲s̲, it is particularly important to have effective and efficient heating systems.

Accepted Answer

For homes in typically cold geographic regions

Answer

The word 'colder' is a comparative adjective, implying a comparison to something else. However, the sentence describes regions that are inherently cold, not necessarily colder than some other implied region. Using the absolute adjective 'cold' is more appropriate and concise in this context, as 'typically cold' accurately describes the nature of the regions without an unnecessary comparison.

Question 2

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. Inside the glove compartment were legal documents, pictures, a̲n̲d̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲r̲e̲ ̲w̲e̲r̲e̲ ̲a̲ ̲f̲e̲w̲ ̲n̲a̲p̲k̲i̲n̲s̲ ̲f̲r̲o̲m̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲ ̲c̲o̲f̲f̲e̲e̲ ̲s̲h̲o̲p̲, ̲b̲u̲t̲ ̲n̲o̲ ̲g̲l̲o̲v̲e̲s̲.

Accepted Answer

and napkins from the coffee shop, but no gloves.

Answer

The original sentence suffers from a lack of parallel structure and wordiness. The list begins with simple noun phrases ('legal documents, pictures'). To maintain parallelism, the third item should also be a concise noun phrase. 'And napkins from the coffee shop' achieves this, making the sentence more grammatically consistent and efficient.

Question 3

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. Concerns about global warming have grown into actual efforts sanctioned by non-governmental organizations and governments that not only work to u̲n̲d̲e̲r̲s̲t̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲g̲l̲o̲b̲a̲l̲ ̲w̲a̲r̲m̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲a̲l̲s̲o̲ ̲t̲o̲ ̲p̲r̲e̲v̲e̲n̲t̲ ̲i̲t̲.

Accepted Answer

understand global warming but also to prevent its growth.

Answer

The correlative conjunction 'not only... but also' is required for proper grammatical structure when presenting two parallel ideas. Additionally, 'prevent its growth' is more specific and accurate than 'prevent it,' as the efforts are aimed at preventing the *increase* or *worsening* of global warming, not its complete eradication. The possessive 'its' is correctly used here.

Question 4

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. Even though I have seen the movie countless times, I still l̲a̲u̲g̲h̲e̲d̲ ̲w̲h̲e̲n̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲ ̲s̲h̲e̲r̲i̲f̲f̲ ̲t̲h̲r̲o̲w̲s̲ ̲h̲i̲s̲ ̲m̲u̲g̲.

Accepted Answer

laugh when the sheriff throws his mug.

Answer

The phrase 'Even though I have seen the movie countless times' indicates a recurring action or a present state of familiarity. Therefore, the main clause should use the present tense ('I still laugh') to reflect the ongoing nature of the reaction. The present tense 'throws' for the sheriff's action is also appropriate for describing a recurring event within the movie.

Question 5

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. H̲i̲g̲h̲ ̲s̲c̲h̲o̲o̲l̲ ̲r̲e̲u̲n̲i̲o̲n̲s̲ ̲a̲r̲e̲ ̲u̲s̲u̲a̲l̲l̲y̲ ̲l̲o̲o̲k̲e̲d̲ ̲f̲o̲r̲w̲a̲r̲d̲ ̲t̲o̲ ̲b̲y̲ ̲a̲l̲u̲m̲n̲i̲ ̲t̲h̲a̲t̲ ̲h̲a̲v̲e̲ ̲w̲o̲r̲k̲e̲d̲ ̲h̲a̲r̲d̲ ̲s̲i̲n̲c̲e̲ ̲g̲r̲a̲d̲u̲a̲t̲i̲o̲n̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲n̲o̲w̲ ̲c̲o̲n̲s̲i̲d̲e̲r̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲m̲s̲e̲l̲v̲e̲s̲ ̲s̲u̲c̲c̲e̲s̲s̲f̲u̲l̲.

Accepted Answer

Alumni who have worked hard since graduation and now consider themselves successful usually look forward to high school reunions.

Answer

The original sentence uses the passive voice ('are usually looked forward to by'). Option C revises the sentence to the active voice, making it more direct and concise by placing the doers of the action ('Alumni who have worked hard...') as the subject. Additionally, 'who' is the correct relative pronoun for referring to people, not 'that'.

COMPASS Practice Test

COMPASS Practice Test

Compass Writing Skills Practice Test 1