PARCC Writing Practice Questions 2

Question 1

1. Hours of driving laid ahead of us.

Accepted Answer

lay

Answer

The verb "laid" is the past tense of "to lay," meaning to place something down. The sentence requires the past tense of "to lie," meaning to recline or be situated. The correct past tense of "lie" is "lay," indicating that the hours of driving were situated ahead of them.

Question 2

2. By the time we get to the picnic area, the rain will stop.

Accepted Answer

will have stopped

Answer

The phrase "By the time we get..." indicates an action that will be completed by a specific point in the future. This requires the future perfect tense, which is formed with "will have" + the past participle. "Will have stopped" correctly conveys that the rain's cessation will be complete before they arrive.

Question 3

3. If Judy would not have missed the deadline, the yearbook delivery would have been on time.

Accepted Answer

had not missed

Answer

This sentence expresses a hypothetical situation in the past, which requires the third conditional structure. The "if" clause in a third conditional sentence uses the past perfect tense ("had" + past participle). Therefore, "had not missed" is the correct form, while "would not have missed" is incorrect for the "if" clause.

Question 4

4. We spent Sunday afternoon wandering aimless in the park.

Accepted Answer

wandering aimlessly

Answer

The word "aimless" is an adjective, but it is incorrectly used here to modify the verb "wandering." Verbs should be modified by adverbs. The correct adverbial form is "aimlessly," describing *how* they were wandering.

Question 5

5. Only after I went home did I remember my dental appointment.

Accepted Answer

got home

Answer

While "went home" is grammatically acceptable, "got home" is the more common and idiomatic expression in English to describe arriving at one's residence. In questions testing idiomatic usage, the most natural and frequently used phrasing is generally preferred.

PARCC Practice Test

PARCC Practice Test

PARCC Writing Practice Questions 2