PARCC Writing Practice 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read the sentence. 'The tour guide recommended visiting the museum the art gallery and the historic library.' Which revision correctly punctuates the sentence?
- The tour guide recommended visiting the museum, the art gallery and the historic library.
- The tour guide recommended visiting the museum, the art gallery, and the historic library. (Correct answer)
- The tour guide recommended visiting, the museum, the art gallery, and the historic library.
- The tour guide recommended visiting the museum the art gallery, and the historic library.
Correct answer: The tour guide recommended visiting the museum, the art gallery, and the historic library.
The correct answer uses commas to separate the three items in the series (the museum, the art gallery, and the historic library). This is the standard convention for listing three or more items.
Question 2: Read the following sentences. 'The team practiced for weeks, they were ready for the championship game.' Which is the best way to revise these sentences to correct the error?
- The team practiced for weeks they were ready for the championship game.
- Because the team practiced for weeks, they were ready for the championship game. (Correct answer)
- The team practiced for weeks and, they were ready for the championship game.
- Practicing for weeks, the championship game was ready for the team.
Correct answer: Because the team practiced for weeks, they were ready for the championship game.
The original is a comma splice, which incorrectly joins two independent clauses with only a comma. The correct revision separates the two complete thoughts into two distinct sentences with a period.
Question 3: Read the sentence. 'Each of the students ______ responsible for completing the research project on time.' Choose the verb that correctly completes the sentence.
- is (Correct answer)
- are
- were
- have been
Correct answer: is
The subject of the sentence is 'Each,' which is a singular pronoun. Therefore, it requires the singular verb 'is.' The phrase 'of the students' is a prepositional phrase and does not affect the subject-verb agreement.
Question 4: Read the paragraph. '____________________. First, it provides a habitat for a wide variety of birds and insects. Furthermore, the shade from its leaves helps keep the surrounding area cool in the summer. Finally, its deep root system prevents soil erosion during heavy rains.' Which sentence best introduces this paragraph?
- Trees are an important part of any landscape.
- That large oak tree is very old.
- The large oak tree in the park offers several environmental benefits. (Correct answer)
- Soil erosion is a major problem in many areas.
Correct answer: The large oak tree in the park offers several environmental benefits.
This sentence effectively summarizes the three points made in the paragraph: providing a habitat, offering shade, and preventing erosion. It acts as a clear topic sentence that introduces the main idea.
Question 5: Which of the following sentences uses apostrophes correctly?
- The two dog's leashes got tangled during their walk.
- All of the students' projects were displayed in the main hallway. (Correct answer)
- Its important to check your work for error's.
- The childrens' laughter could be heard from across the playground.
Correct answer: All of the students' projects were displayed in the main hallway.
This sentence correctly uses an apostrophe to show plural possession. The projects belong to multiple students, so the apostrophe goes after the 's' in 'students'.
Question 6: Read the sentence. 'The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should eat a good breakfast, and to be on the bus by 8:00 AM.' Which revision of the underlined portion of the sentence uses the correct parallel structure?
- that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should eat a good breakfast, and that they should be on the bus by 8:00 AM. (Correct answer)
- that they should get a lot of sleep, to eat a good breakfast, and to be on the bus by 8:00 AM.
- getting a lot of sleep, eating a good breakfast, and being on the bus by 8:00 AM.
- to get a lot of sleep, eating a good breakfast, and to be on the bus by 8:00 AM.
Correct answer: that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should eat a good breakfast, and that they should be on the bus by 8:00 AM.
The original sentence mixes structures ('that they should get,' 'that they should eat,' and 'to be'). The correct revision makes all three items in the list parallel by using the 'that they should' structure for each one, creating a consistent and grammatically correct sentence.
Question 7: Read the sentence. 'If a student wants to join the club, they must sign up by Friday.' How should the sentence be revised to correct the error in pronoun-antecedent agreement?
- If a student wants to join the club, he or she must sign up by Friday.
- If students want to join the club, they must sign up by Friday. (Correct answer)
- If a student wants to join the club, you must sign up by Friday.
- The sentence is correct as written.
Correct answer: If students want to join the club, they must sign up by Friday.
The antecedent 'a student' is singular. The original pronoun 'they' is plural. The corrected sentence changes 'a student' to the plural 'students' so that it agrees with the plural pronoun 'they.' This is a common and accepted way to resolve this type of agreement issue.
PARCC Writing Practice 1
Read the sentence.
'The tour guide recommended visiting the museum the art gallery and the historic library.'
Which revision correctly punctuates the sentence?