Ged reasoning through_language_arts_language_section

50 questions
REASONING THROUGH
LANGUAGE ARTS
Language Section
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PracticeTest
Read the following blog entry and answer the questions that follow.
Today a man actually said, out loud, to me, “Only a woman would be so selfish.” He was talking
about my very legal, very public right to park my Vespa — unobtrusively at that — at a bicycle
rack on a sidewalk. I suppose it is up for debate whether it is selfish of me to: drive a scooter,
take an insignificant and unclaimed slice of the sidewalk, protect my expensive belonging by
securing it to an immoveable object designed for such a purpose, live and breathe at all . . . but
whether or not my actions caused this guy some inconvenience or strife for which I should have
been aware of my need to apologize to him is actually irrelevant. What really startled me, of
course, was his blatant sexism.
This man did not appear to be uneducated, in fact, he was really quite dapper, and albeit rotund
(so he must be making decent enough money). He wasn’t notably older than me and didn’t have
a southern drawl — though DC is still south of the Mason-Dixon line, no matter which way you
slice it — so there was no reason to believe he had grown up around such ardently expressed,
vocal prejudice. (I only refer to the south as a seed of such sexism because I remember my sci-
ence teacher in Fayetteville in the 7th grade telling me in front of the class that my effort to get
an A was a waste of time, women belonged in the kitchen.) This was just an average, middle
class white guy.
I channeled Esther Greenwood. I have never met a woman-hater before.
So I started thinking, what makes men hate women? Generally, I think it is women who tend
to be the ones big on the slandering of the opposite sex. Stereotypically, gals have all the right
ammunition to fire against men: rape, oppression, promiscuity, abandonment, blah blah blah . . .
But what does our sex, in general, do to paint ourselves as fundamentally selfish to the menfolk?
I did see a special on social networking sites about women searching for men to be her “Sugar
Daddies,” but it seems to me that this is often a consensual, upfront arrangement, like prostitution
(which I’m neither championing nor denouncing, just noting it as a contractual agreement), in which
money and goods are exchanged for services. Sure, these “Sugar Babies” may have some pretty
questionable motives, but is it necessarily selfish? It seems to me both parties are receiving benefits.
I think women, yes, can be good with manipulation, particularly that of the emotional variety, but
that makes us coercive, not selfish. I guess in the past women have typically been the ones to sur-
vive off their husband’s much fatter paychecks, but still, they cook, clean, mother children, entertain
at least five full-time-stay-at-home-OTHER jobs at that,AND work on a budget of what is allowed
them. I don’t really see that as selfish, but I guess some men might.
I wonder if this particular man’s wife left him and took the car and the house in the ’burbs, and
that’s why he was at union station in the first place — to take the metro to his measly intern-esque,
low-paying job, only to kiss the profit goodbye to pay her alimony and child support while she’s off
with Mr. Older and Much Richer.That would score him some right to be bitter chips, I guess. But to
be bitter to ALL women? Me? I never dated him, never would, actually, and had never given him
any reason to judge and exploit my character flaws. Let alone those of my whole sex.
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ReasoningThroughLanguageArts
Effectively quieting the notion that he may have been speaking to someone else, what further
eludes me about this situation is why he would articulate this thought while looking me dead in
the eyes.Wouldn’t it have been more productive, if I was indeed BEING selfish, to say something
like, Hey.You know, that’s kind of rude, what you’re doing there. I don’t have a bike with me, but
if I did, I might like to park it there, instead of at the other, far less accessible to YOU, but not
anyone with a bicycle space.Why don’t you move somewhere else? Or, Hey.You’re in the way of
my invisible entourage. Move it.
I probably would have taken ACTION in his best interest if he had approached me with a more
logical and concerted effort. Nope. Instead all I get is snarky bitterness because I’m a woman.
Of course, I have to fight the urge to retort with an equally debasing, dehumanizing sexist
remark, because I realize: it’s not because he’s a man that he made that remark. It’s because he’s
________. I’ve inserted several colorful invectives in that sentence to pass the time in commute
between work and home.
Maybe insult was added to injury because I towered over him. Strong, tall women. Man, we
rock. We scare fat balding men into making derogatory comments at us just because they’re
intimidated.
1. How can this sentence be rewritten to avoid the error? “I wonder if this particular
man’s wife left him and took the car and the house in the ’burbs, and that’s why he
was at union station in the first place — to take the metro to his measly intern-esque,
low-paying job, only to kiss the profit goodbye to pay her alimony and child support
while she’s off with Mr. Older and Much Richer.”
A. “I wonder if this particular man’s wife left him and took the car and the house
in the ’burbs, and that’s why he was at Union Station in the first place — to
take the metro to his measly intern-esque, low-paying job, only to kiss the
profit goodbye to pay her alimony and child support while she’s off with Mr.
Older and Much Richer.
B. “I wonder if this particular man’s wife left him and took the car and the house
in the ’burbs, and that’s why he was at union station in the first place — to take
the metro to his measly intern-esque, low-paying job, only to kiss the profit
goodbye to pay her alimony and child support while she’s off with Mr. older
and much richer.
C. “I wonder if this particular man’s wife left him and took the car and the house
in the ’burbs, and that’s why he was at union station in the first place — to take
the metro to his measly intern-esque, low-paying job, only too kiss the profit
goodbye to pay her alimony and child support while she’s off with Mr. Older
and Much Richer.
D. No change.
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PracticeTest
2. Short Answer: Rewrite this segment to avoid the fragmentation. “I never dated him,
never would, actually, and had never given him any reason to judge and exploit my
character flaws. Let alone those of my whole sex.”
3. How can the sentence “I did see a special on social networking sites about women
searching for men to be her “Sugar Daddies,” but it seems to me that this is often a
consensual, upfront arrangement, like prostitution (which I’m neither championing
nor denouncing, just noting it as a contractual agreement), in which money and goods
are exchanged for services” be rewritten to avoid the pronoun confusion?
A. I did see a special on social networking sites about women searching for men
to be her “Sugar Daddies,” but it seems to me that this is often a consensual,
upfront arrangement, like prostitution (which I’m neither championing nor
denouncing, just noting it as a contractual agreement), when money and goods
are exchanged for services.
B. I did see a special on Social Networking sites about women searching for men
to be her “Sugar Daddies,” but it seems to me that this is often a consensual,
denouncing, just noting it as a contractual agreement), in which money and
goods are exchanged for services.
C. I did see a special on social networking sites about women searching for men
to be their “Sugar Daddies,” but it seems to me that this is often a consensual,
denouncing, just noting it as a contractual agreement), in which money and
goods are exchanged for services.
D. No change.
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4. How should the sentence “Of course, I have to fight the urge to retort with an equally
debasing, dehumanizing sexist remark, because I realize: it’s not because he’s a man that
he made that remark,” be written to avoid the subject-verb agreement error?
A. “Of course, I have to fight the urge to retort with an equally debasing, dehu-
manizing sexist remark, because I realized: it’s not because he’s a man that he
made that remark.”
B. “Of course, I have to fight the urge to retort with an equally debasing, dehu-
manizing sexist remark, because I realize it’s not because he’s a man that he
made that remark.”
C. “Of course, I had to fight the urge to retort with an equally debasing, dehu-
manizing sexist remark, because I realize: it’s not because he’s a man that he
made that remark.
D. No change.
5. Correctly punctuate: Wouldn’t it have been more productive, if I was indeed BEING
selfish, to say something like, Hey. You know, that’s kind of rude, what you’re doing
there. I don’t have a bike with me, but if I did, I might like to park it there, instead
of at the other, far less accessible to YOU, but not anyone with a bicycle spaces. Why
don’t you move somewhere else? Or, Hey. You’re in the way of my invisible entourage.
Move it.
6. How can this sentence be rewritten to avoid the informal register? “I wonder if this
particular man’s wife left him and took the car and the house in the ‘burbs, and that’s
why he was at union station in the first place — to take the metro to his measly intern-
esque, low-paying job, only to kiss the profit goodbye to pay her alimony and child
support while she’s off with Mr. Older and Much Richer.”
A. I wonder if this particular man’s wife left him and took the car and the house
in the suburbs, and that’s why he was at Union Station in the first place — to
take the metro to his measly intern-style, low-paying job, only to kiss the profit
and Much Richer.
B. I wonder if this particular man’s wife left him and took the car and the house in
the ‘burbs, and that’s why he was at Union Station in the first place — to take the
metro to his measly intern-esque, low-paying job, only to kiss the profit goodbye
to pay her alimony and child support while she’s off with someone else.
C. I wonder if this particular man’s wife left him and took the car and the house in
the suburbs, and that’s why he was at union station in the first place — to take
the metro to his measly intern-esque, low-paying job, only to kiss the profit
and Much Richer.
D. No change.
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PracticeTest
7. Which word should replace the word “their” in the sentence “I guess in the past women
have typically been the ones to survive off their husband’s much fatter paychecks, but
still, they cook, clean, mother children, entertain at least five full-time-stay-at-home-
OTHER jobs at that, AND work on a budget of what is allowed them.”
A. they’re
B. there
C. her
D. No change.
8. How should this sentence be written to ensure proper coordination? “I suppose it is
up for debate whether it is selfish of me to: drive a scooter, take an insignificant and
unclaimed slice of the sidewalk, protect my expensive belonging by securing it to an
immoveable object designed for such a purpose, live and breathe at all . . . but whether
or not my actions caused this guy some inconvenience or strife for which I should have
been aware of my need to apologize to him is actually irrelevant.”
A. I suppose it is up for debate whether it is selfish of me to drive a scooter, take
an insignificant and unclaimed slice of the sidewalk, protect my expensive
belonging by securing it to an immoveable object designed for such a purpose,
live and breathe at all . . . but whether or not my actions caused this guy some
inconvenience or strife for which I should have been aware of my need to
apologize to him is actually irrelevant.
B. I suppose it is up for debate whether it is selfish of me to drive a scooter, take
an insignificant and unclaimed slice of the sidewalk, protect my expensive
belonging by securing it to an immoveable object designed for such a purpose,
or live and breathe at all . . . but whether or not my actions caused this guy
some inconvenience or strife for which I should have been aware of my need
to apologize to him is actually irrelevant.
C. I suppose it is up for debate whether it is selfish of me to: drive a scooter; take
an insignificant and unclaimed slice of the sidewalk; protect my expensive
belonging by securing it to an immoveable object designed for such a purpose;
live and breathe at all . . . but whether or not my actions caused this guy some
inconvenience or strife for which I should have been aware of my need to
apologize to him is actually irrelevant.
D. No change.
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9. How should this sentence be rewritten to fix the awkward construction? “Effectively
quieting the notion that he may have been speaking to someone else, what further
eludes me about this situation is why he would articulate this thought while looking
me dead in the eyes.”
A. Effective to quiet the notion that he may have been speaking to someone else,
what further eludes me about this situation is why he would articulate this
thought while looking me dead in the eyes.
B. Effectively quieting the notion that he may have been speaking to someone
else, what further eludes me about this situation is why he would have possibly
articulated this thought while looking me dead in the eyes.
C. What further eludes me about this situation is why he would articulate this
thought while looking me dead in the eyes, effectively quieting the notion that
he may have been speaking to someone else.
D. No change.
Read the following business memo to answer the questions.
Yesterday Melanie Harris and I visited Carver High School to investigate their LEARN model.They
have been working on intervention strategies for 10 years, and are perhaps the most progressive
school in the county in terms of being a truly established PLC. It is imperative we change our
model to follow theirs.
We met with students, teachers, administrators, student services and testing coordinators, and
came back with more information than I can share in a succinct email. To put it simply, Carver’s
successful plan boils down to three pieces:
1) They use their Success Prep classes to directly intervene with students who are strug-
gling. These kids, as it was beautifully put, are the ones they hope become AVID kids.
The rules for scheduling students are: no IEPs. 1.5-2.5 GPA, no behavioral problems, no
big weakness. SP is a course that organizes binders, checks homework, assigns LEARN,
teaches study strategies, etc. They choose their teachers carefully. There are 3 sections
arranged by grade level (9, 10 and 11). They are an English teacher, a math teacher and
a science teacher, and they are the “jack of all trades” in the departments. They teach
IB courses, but CHOOSE to also work with these kids to establish a rapport with them,
encourage them and help them succeed.These teacher’s were paid for 8 hours to meet in
the summer to plan the year, they all have the same planning block and they have every
resource necessary in their classrooms. (10th
grade SP has every 10th
grade textbook, etc.).
SP meets the same block so the teachers can send kids to the math expert if that is where
the student is struggling. The classes started very small (around 7) so students could be
added through the year as they were identified.At March they have about 15–20.
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PracticeTest
2) LEARN has two levels of teacher support, advisor and mentor. LEARN has 3 levels of
Standing: Good, Monitored, and Supervised. Good students have all Cs or above Moni-
tored have 1 D or F and Supervised have multiple Ds and Fs. Carver has PDAs for students
to check in, but they do not assign LEARN unless a student is in Supervised Standing.
They keep records about where everyone goes, though, and once a quarter, the LEARN
advisor disseminates a LEARN report along with the interim.This report is created by the
Testing Coordinator.The LEARN report shows the child where they have gone, and this is
a useful tool for the teacher at parent conferences. Carver has LEARN 4 times a week (not
Wednesday, the day the school begins late for teacher collaboration). The students said
they hate Wednesdays because they NEEDS LEARN, and that the 36 minutes is not nearly
enough time.
3) Carver staffs an IA who runs ISS, but this is an ACADEMIC intervention for the most part,
with only occasional behavioral referrals. When kids are not attending assigned LEARN,
or when they are chronically Supervised, teachers can send their students to ISS teachers
know they are monitored there.The IA is gifted in math, and he establishes a good rapport
with the students and forces them to do work.This runs all day.
A few things the crew at Carver communicated very strongly:
1) One time a week is not nearly enough to make this model work in any kind of productive
fashion.
2) Student choice is very important, and you have to trust the kids to do the right thing so
the atmosphere does not become negative. Someone said this profound statement, “Why
make a rule that only applies to 10% of the kids that 100% of the people have to fol-
low?”There was some disagreement about whether or not the Cafeteria should be open
to students as a place to hang out, but at first the general sentiment was that it was a
good strategy for a reward. Of course, there is a gate keeper, and students not in Good
Standing CANNOT enter.This is easy to determine by the PDAs.
3) All the work for success is done on the front end.
4) ILT uses their time to talk about the 10% of kids who keep failing. However, they’ve begun
the new LEARN model, they have decreased their failure rate to 8%.They have the highest
IB scores in the county, and the largest number of students sitting for exams because their
culture is such: give the kids the resources they need to take really hard classes and they
will do it.
Finally, we learned that Carver is a really excellent school for teachers, parents, administrators
and students to be at.
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10. Fix the apostrophe in the sentence, “These teacher’s were paid for 8 hours to meet in
the summer to plan the year, they all have the same planning block and they have every
resource necessary in their classrooms.”
A. These teachers’ were paid for 8 hours to meet in the summer to plan the year,
they all have the same planning block and they have every resource necessary
in their classrooms.
B. These teacher’s were paid for 8 hours to meet in the summer to plan the year,
they’ll have the same planning block and they have every resource necessary in
their classrooms.
C. These teachers were paid for 8 hours to meet in the summer to plan the year,
they all have the same planning block and they have every resource necessary
in their classrooms.
D. No change.
11. How should this sentence be written to give it more clarity, “There was some disagree-
ment about whether or not the Cafeteria should be open to students as a place to hang
out, but at first the general sentiment was that it was a good strategy for a reward.”
A. At first there was some disagreement about whether or not the Cafeteria should
be open to students as a place to hang out, but the general sentiment was that
it was a good strategy for a reward.
B. There was some disagreement about whether or not the Cafeteria should be
open to students as a place to hang out, but the general sentiment was that it
was a good strategy for a reward at first.
C. There was some disagreement about whether or not the Cafeteria should at
first be open to students as a place to hang out, but the general sentiment was
that it was a good strategy for a reward.
D. No change.
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PracticeTest
12. How should this sentence be rewritten to avoid the run-on? “When kids are not attend-
ing assigned LEARN, or when they are chronically Supervised, teachers can send their
students to ISS teachers know they are monitored there.”
A. When kids are not attending assigned LEARN or when they are chronically
Supervised teachers can send their students to ISS teachers know they are
monitored there.
B. When kids are not attending assigned LEARN, or when they are chronically
Supervised, teachers can send their students to ISS; teachers know they are
monitored there.
C. When kids are not attending assigned LEARN, or when they are chronically
Supervised, teachers can send their students to ISS teachers. Know they are
monitored there.
D. No change.
13. Correct the punctuation in this sentence, “Good students have all Cs or above Moni-
tored have 1 D or F and Supervised have multiple Ds and Fs.”
14. How should this sentence be properly worded? “Finally, we learned that Carver is a
really excellent school for teachers, parents, administrators and students to be at.”
A. Finally, Carver is a really excellent school for teachers, parents, administrators
and students to be.
B. Finally, we learned that Carver is a really excellent school for teachers, parents,
administrators and students.
C. Finally, we learned that Carver is a really excellent school.
D. No change.
15. Which word should replace the word “to” in the sentence, “One time a week is not
nearly enough to make this model work in any kind of productive fashion.”
A. too
B. two
C. that
D. No change.
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16. Fix the subject verb agreement in this sentence, “The students said they hate Wednes-
days because they needs LEARN, and that the 36 minutes is not nearly enough time.”
A. The students said them hate Wednesdays because they needs LEARN, and that
the 36 minutes is not nearly enough time.
B. The students said they hate Wednesdays because they need LEARN, and that
C. The students said they hate Wednesday’s because they needs LEARN, and that
D. No change.
17. What change needs to be made to fix the transitional word in the sentence “However,
they’ve begun the new LEARN model, they have decreased their failure rate to 8%”?
A. Change “However” to “Since.”
B. Change “However” to “Therefore” and remove the comma.
C. Change “However” to “Since” and remove the comma.
D. No change.
18. Short Answer: Rewrite this sentence to eliminate wordiness. “It is imperative that we
must change our model to follow theirs.”
Read the following pre-service teacher’s essay to answer the questions.
I knew that I wanted to be an English teacher NOT in my English class. I was actually in speech,
practicing an oratory about imaginary friends to the sand hills of North Carolina just beyond the
second story window of my high school. I was very seriously discussing the negative impacts
of growing up too quickly when a marvelous event unfolded. The AP Physics teacher ran out of
space for a very complicated equation on his chalkboard. It was the first clear and mildly warm
day (in February), and they decided to bring his class outside to finish the problem on a seem-
ingly endless chalkboard: the sidewalk.The commencement of the public chalking intrigued me.
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PracticeTest
I stood in awe as I watched the fifteen student’s mark up the sidewalk for the better part of an
hour with what looked to me like hieroglyphics.
I hate physics. I am no good at math and equations. But this man made me want to drop my
other interests, meander outside and take part in finding the solution. In science. I remember
thinking to myself — Wow. If that man can make physics — a curriculum in which I have abso-
lutely zero interest — look appealing to me, imagine what I could do with English.
Being that I wanted to become a high school English teacher, I’ve never forgotten this day.When
I was a junior in high school, a purpose for my life began to develop as I watched this teacher
change the lives of his students, my peers, heck, even me — the irrelevant spy and innocent
bystander, mauled by physics. My purpose was stemmed in an emerging belief, a belief that
everyone deserves the opportunity to make meaningful connections to frustrating tasks, and
sometimes we require the service of a talented guide to help us make those connections. I am
lucky enough to be on the path to becoming one such a guide.
In my experience as a Student teacher, I have learned that in my job, content is secondary. I
believe that high school English classes are not about Literature with a capital L. Reading and
writing are merely byproducts of the work we do with kids. In a classroom where we compete
with texting, homecoming, budding adulthood, celebrities, fashion and bullying, we have to find
ways to use their interests, their problems, their lives to relates to the program of studies we are
required to teach.Teaching high school English is about opening students’ minds to possibility. I
believe English classes are about preparing students for life outside of high school, and if we’re
lucky enough, to create one or two English majors along the way. If we’re really lucky, we’ll
engender a lifelong love of learning and reading. Our real job is singular: to help them develop
their ability to think. Our means are simply works of Literature.
19. Edit to eliminate the fragment in this example, “But this man made me want to drop
my other interests, meander outside and take part in finding the solution. In science.”
A. “This man made me want to drop my other interests, meander outside and take
part in finding the solution. In science.”
B. “But this man made me want to drop my other interests, meander outside and
take part in finding the solution, in science.”
C. “But this man made me want to drop my other interests, and meander outside
and take part in finding the solution. In science
D. No change.
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20. Edit to correct the pronoun agreement in the sentence “It was the first clear and mildly
warm day (in February), and they decided to bring his class outside to finish the prob-
lem on a seemingly endless chalk board: the sidewalk.”
A. Replace “they” with “he.”
B. Replace “they” with “him.”
C. Replace “his” with “their.”
D. No change.
21. Edit the illogical word order in the sentence, “But this man made me want to drop my
other interests, meander outside and take part in finding the solution.”
A. Replace “meander” with “wander.”
B. Replace “other” with “current.”
C. Replace “But” with “However.”
D. No change.
22. Correct the capitalization in this sentence, “In my experience as a Student teacher, I
have learned that in my job, content is secondary.”
A. “In my experience as a Student Teacher, I have learned that in my job, Content
is secondary.”
B. “In my experience as a student Teacher, I have learned that in my job, content
is secondary.”
C. “In my experience as a student teacher, I have learned that in my job, content
is secondary.”
D. No change.
23. Correct the awkward wording in the sentence, “Being that I wanted to become a high
school English teacher, I’ve never forgotten this day.”
A. “Because I wanted to become a high school English teacher, I’ve never forgot-
ten this day.”
B. “I’ve never forgotten this day, being that I wanted to become a high school
English teacher.”
C. “I wanted to become a high school English teacher, I’ve never forgotten this day.”
D. No change.
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PracticeTest
24. Correct the subject-verb agreement with the interceding phrase, “In a classroom where
we compete with texting, homecoming, budding adulthood, celebrities, fashion and
bullying, we have to find ways to use their interests, their problems, their lives to relates
to the program of studies we are required to teach.”
A. In a classroom where we compete with texting, homecoming, budding adult-
hood, celebrities, fashion and bullying, we have to find ways to use their
interests, their problems, their lives to relates to the program of study we are
required to teach
B. In a classroom where we compete with texting, homecoming, budding adult-
hood, celebrities, fashion and bullying, we have to find ways to use their
interests, their problems, their lives to relate to the program of studies we are
required to teach
C. In a classroom where we compete, we have to find ways to use their interests,
their problems, their lives to relates to the program of studies we are required
to teach
D. No change.
25. Which word should replace “knew” in the sentence, “I knew that I wanted to be an
English teacher NOT in my English class”?
A. new
B. know
C. think
D. No change.
26. How should the informal use be corrected in the sentence, “When I was a junior in
high school, a purpose for my life began to develop as I watched this teacher change
the lives of his students, my peers, heck, even me — the irrelevant spy and innocent
bystander, mauled by physics.”
A. Remove the word “heck” and the comma following it.
B. Replace the word “mauled” with “intrigued.”
C. Remove the phrase “When I was a junior in high school.”
D. No change.
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Read the following information to answer the questions.
Your First Time as a Forensics Judge?
Since everyone must start somewhere — here are a few tips . . .
• Bring a reliable stopwatch, pen and/or pencils. Arrive at the high school where the tour-
nament is being held ON TIME!! Late judges result in fines for the school, and late starts
equal long days!
• When you arrive, check in with the coaches (usually in the judges’ lounge or near the TAB
ROOM). Find out where and when the Judges’ Meeting will be held & GO!
• Your coach will give you a judge code. This code is used to identify your judging assign-
ments — no switching judge codes! (It results in BIG problems!)
• Claim a comfortable spot in the judge’s lounge. So wear comfortable clothing, it can be a
long day; bring reading material and food. Some schools feed you like royalty, but others
aren’t quite so generous.
• After the judges’ meeting, the meet organizer will “post” the Round I listings. If your code
is posted go to the Tab Room, or ballot table to pick up your ballots and the list of stu-
dents in your room. Go to the room where you’ve been assigned.Tip: go to the restroom
on route if in doubt, because it can be a long round. Judging is already difficult to do and
much harder when you are uncomfortable.
• Review the criteria and ballots — if in doubt, ask another adult before you go to the room,
competent. Event rules change from league to league.After you have judged a few times
this will become second nature.
• Fill out the information on the top parts of each ballot. To save time and prevent hand
cramps, some judges ask students to fill it out (that is okay to do).
• Start once all students have arrived. Although it is not necessary, most judges have stu-
dents sign in on the board with their speaker code, title and author of selection. Some
may have signed in on the board with an asterisk (*) or “D.E.” next to their speaker code.
This means they are double entered and will return after going to their other event (or,
they may ask to speak first and leave to go to their other event.)
• Writing ballots:
A good Forensics judge is four main things:
1. S/he is familiar with the rules.
2. S/he is willing to be flexible in accepting the student’s interpretation of a piece of
literature.
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PracticeTest
3. S/he is capable of communicating nonverbally during a performance.This is the only form
of immediate feedback a student will receive! It is okay to laugh, cry and make eye con-
tact, etc. if you feel that it is appropriate.
4. S/he is well-read and familiar with various forms of literature and current events.
Focus on the selection choice, how it was prepared and delivered, and how the author’s expres-
sion of meaning and feeling was communicated. Justify and support your decisions! Remember
it is constructive criticism, and the students are LEARNING! Find a balance between praise and
criticism. To receive a rank and score from a judge without any comments to justify or support
the decision, nothing is more frustrating! Be consistent!
• Have students perform in the order they are listed. Double entered students are the excep-
tion. She should perform first and be permitted to leave OR they can perform when they
return. Do NOT give oral critiques.
• Keep accurate time and give hand signals. This is essential for Impromptu and Extemp.
Most events have a 30 second grace period.
• Once all students have performed, they may be dismissed. Finalize your comments and
rankings (first through sixth). Make sure your rankings on the individual ballots matches
the master ballot. Check it again.
• Assign a numeric score (1–100). Scores should NOT go below an 85 (unless it was terrible).
No two performers can have the same score or rank.
27. Correct the subordination in this instance, “So wear comfortable clothing, it can be a
long day; bring reading material and food.”
A. So where comfortable clothing, it can be a long day; bring reading material and
food.
B. It can be a long day, so wear comfortable clothing; bring reading material and
food.
C. So wear comfortable clothing, it can be a long day.
D. No change.
28. Correct the punctuation in this instance, “If your code is posted go to the Tab Room,
or ballot table to pick up your ballots and the list of students in your room.”
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29. Correct the possession in this sentence, “Claim a comfortable spot in the judge’s
lounge.”
A. “Claim a comfortable spot in the judges lounge.”
B. “Claim a comfortable spot in the judges’ lounge.”
C. “Claim a comfortable spot in the judges lounge’s.”
D. No change.
30. Correct the pronoun agreement in this sentence, “She should perform first and be
permitted to leave OR they can perform when they return.”
A. Replace “She” with “They.”
B. Replace “they” with “she.”
C. Replace “they” with “them.”
D. No change.
31. Correct the misplaced modifier in this sentence, “Review the criteria and ballots — if
in doubt, ask another adult before you go to the room, competent.”
A. “Review the competent criteria and ballots — if in doubt, ask another adult
before you go to the room.”
B. “Review the criteria and ballots — if in competent doubt, ask another adult
before you go to the room, competent.”
C. “Review the criteria and ballots — if in doubt, ask another competent adult
before you go to the room.”
D. No change.
32. Short Answer: Rewrite this sentence to ensure logical clarity. “To receive a rank and
score from a judge without any comments to justify or support the decision, nothing
is more frustrating!”
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PracticeTest
33. Which word should replace “matches” in the sentence “Make sure your rankings on
the individual ballots matches the master ballot,” to demonstrate proper subject-verb
agreement?
A. matched
B. match
C. matching
D. No change.
34. Which word should be capitalized in this sentence, “Although it is not necessary, most
judges have students sign in on the board with their speaker code, title and author of
selection”?
A. Judges
B. Title
C. Author
D. No change.
Read the following letter of recommendation.
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to recommend Jennifer Fountain for your program. I have known Jennifer since
August of this year, when she came to school a week before it began to find out if she was
eligible to take IB English.
Jennifer was particularly memorable to me not only because of her initiative, but because of
her story. She had been homeschooled until this year, and still managed to take and excel in
AP courses. She was curious to find out if she could also add the additional burden of IB to her
senior year in high school. When I explained all the catching up she would have to do, she did
not flinch. She simply responded ecstatically You mean I can still do the IB work I don’t have to
be enrolled in regular English 12? I will do anything you ask me to do!
To hear that from a parent is one thing, but to hear it from a student is something else entirely.
Its novel. I haltingly gave her a book to read for the summer reading assignment, which was
due less than a week from the day I was giving it to her. She did not blink. Instead, she read the
entire novel over the weekend, and submitted her work first thing with the other students. The
behavior impressed me, as did the quality of her work. Indeed, it is rare that I write a recom-
mendation for a student in the first quarter of my class for a November deadline if I have not
taught her before. Jennifer has done nothing but impress me as good natured, hard-working,
thoughtful and diligent.
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Jennifer takes every opportunity to improve her already excellent work. I allow for re-writes in my
class, and Jennifer re-writes everything.This knowledge of the writing process and willingness to
improve shows a philosophy it takes most students four years of college to master: writing is re-
writing. Jennifer demonstrates an ideology that is the embodiment of the striving for perfection;
though I doubt she would be so cliché as to word it like that. When it is true, though, it is true.
She never takes offense, either, when I criticize her work. She is earnest in her desire to improve,
and seeks me out for counsel often. Jennifer is brilliant, she tries her best.
Jennifer’s accomplishments are not simply limited to the classroom, therefore. I coach volleyball
and was surprised to see her leading the way on our track team at after school practices.Though
I barely know her, it takes a lot of courage to submerge into public school in the way Jennifer
has, I am incredibly proud and in awe of her drive. She is very friendly, and her interests expand
beyond school and its sports. She also has experience with the responsibility of caring for horses,
teaching lessons and organizing events on a larger scale with her church youth group.
It is without a moment’s hesitation that I recommend Jennifer Fountain. I finds her competent,
capable, enjoyable and exceptionally intrinsically motivated, which I believe is likely from the
years of home schooling. Jennifer is a wonderful student, and I am certain she will make a won-
derful addition to your University. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions
about Jennifer.
35. Eliminate the wordiness in this sentence, “I haltingly gave her a book to read for the
summer reading assignment, which was due less than a week from the day I was giving
it to her.”
A. “I gave her a book to read for the summer reading assignment, which was due
less than a week from the day I was giving it to her.”
B. “I haltingly gave her a book for the summer reading assignment, which was
due less than a week from the day I was giving it to her.”
C. “I haltingly gave her a book, which was due less than a week from the day I
was giving it to her.”
D. No change.
36. Which word should replace “therefore” in the sentence “Jennifer’s accomplishments are
not simply limited to the classroom, therefore”?
A. however
B. although
C. as such
D. no change
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PracticeTest
37. Correct the run-on sentence, “Jennifer is brilliant, she tries her best.” (This might be a
drop-down question type on the GED ®test.)
A. Jennifer is brilliant, and she tries her best.
B. Jennifer is brilliant she tries her best.
C. Jennifer is brilliant, tries her best.
D. No change.
38. How should this sentence be properly punctuated, “She simply responded ecstatically
You mean I can still do the IB work I don’t have to be enrolled in regular English 12?
I will do anything you ask me to do!”
39. What should replace “its” in the sentence, “Its novel”?
A. A
B. It is
C. It’s
D. No change.
40. How can this sentence “Though I barely know her, it takes a lot of courage to submerge
into public school in the way Jennifer has, I am incredibly proud and in awe of her
drive” be reworded to avoid the dangling modifier?
A. I barely know her, it takes a lot of courage to submerge into public school in
the way Jennifer has, I am incredibly proud and in awe of her drive.
B. I am incredibly proud and in awe of her drive, though I barely know her, it
takes a lot of courage to submerge into public school in the way Jennifer has.
C. It takes a lot of courage to submerge into public school in the way Jennifer has,
and though I barely know her, I am incredibly proud and in awe of her drive.
D. No change.
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41. What word should be replaced to avoid informal usage in the sentence “Jennifer dem-
onstrates an ideology that is the embodiment of the striving for perfection; though I
doubt she would be so cliché as to word it like that”?
A. cliché
B. ideology
C. embodiment
D. No change.
42. Correct the subject-verb agreement in the sentence, “I finds her competent, capable,
enjoyable and exceptionally intrinsically motivated, which I believe is likely from the
years of home schooling.”
A. I find her competent, capable, enjoyable and exceptionally intrinsically moti-
vated, which I believe is likely from the years of home schooling.
B. I found her competent, capable, enjoyable and exceptionally intrinsically moti-
vated, which I believe is likely from the years of home schooling.
C. I finding her competent, capable, enjoyable and exceptionally intrinsically
motivated, which I believe is likely from the years of home schooling.
D. No change.
Read the following report about a blind cook who turned into a Master Chef.
If you watched season three of Fox TV’s reality cooking show MasterChef you remember the big
smile that lit up Christine Ha’s face every time she impressed the judges with her bold flavors and
especially when her threecourse meal of Vietnamese comfort food won Ha the “MasterChef” title.
What viewers, casual, may not have realized right away is that the amateur cook from Houston,
Texas, is blind. In 2003, Ha was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a rare neurological
condition that deteriorates the optic nerves and spinal cord. By 2007, Ha had lost most of her
vision. But she had regained her love of reading, through help from the National Library Service
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS).
“[NLS] reignited my love for literature. It was what kept me sane when I went through my first
bouts of NMO,” says Ha, who also authors the blog theblindcook.com. “When I went through
some of my worst health issues in 2003 — complete paralysis from my neck down due to
spinal inflammation, and complete blindness — all I could do was lie in bed and listen to NLS
audiobooks.”
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PracticeTest
NLS, part of the Library of Congress, oversees a free reading program for U.S. residents and citi-
zens living abroad who are blind, have low vision, or cannot holds a book because of a physical
disability. NLS patrons may choose from tens of thousands of books and dozens of magazines in
audio and braille — including dozens of cookbooks, such as “O, the Oprah Magazine Cookbook”
and titles by Julia Child, James Beard, and other famous foodies. NLS also loans the portable
playback equipment needed to read its audiobooks. Computer-savvy patrons’ may access books
online through the NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) service.
Ha, who is pursuing a master of fine arts degree at the University of Houston, always has a book
checked out from NLS. Recently she was reading Gail Caldwell’s “Let’s take the long way home”
in braille.And she currently is working on her “MasterChef” cookbook, which is set for a spring
2013 release.
Disabilities do not need to stand in the way of our dreams; this is something that has been proven
throughout the ages. If you have a problem, you can always find a way to get over it, get through
it, or around it.
43. Correct the subject-verb agreement in this sentence, “NLS, part of the Library of Con-
gress, oversees a free reading program for U.S. residents and citizens living abroad who
are blind, have low vision, or cannot holds a book because of a physical disability.”
A. “NLS, part of the Library of Congress, oversees a free reading program for U.S.
residents and citizen living abroad who are blind, have low vision, or cannot
holds a book because of a physical disability.”
B. “NLS, part of the Library of Congress, oversee a free reading program for U.S.
residents and citizens living abroad who are blind, have low vision, or cannot
holds a book because of a physical disability.”
C. “NLS, part of the Library of Congress, oversees a free reading program for U.S.
residents and citizens living abroad who are blind, have low vision, or cannot
hold a book because of a physical disability.”
D. No change.
44. Which word should replace the word “through” in the sentence, “But she had regained
her love of reading, through help from the National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped (NLS).”
A. thorough
B. threw
C. thru
D. No change.
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45. How should the parallelism be properly written in the sentence “If you have a problem,
you can always find a way to get over it, get through it, or around it”?
A. “If you have a problem, you can always find a way to get over it, get through
it, or get around it.”
B. “If you have a problem, you can always find a way to get over it, through it, or
get around it.”
C. “If you have a problem, you can always find a way to get over it.”
D. No change.
46. Correct the capitalization in this sentence, “Recently she was reading Gail Caldwell’s
“Let’s take the long way home” in braille.”
A. “Let’s Take the long Way Home”
B. “let’s take the long way home”
C. “Let’s Take the Long Way Home”
D. No change.
47. Correct the possession in the following sentence, “Computer-savvy patrons’ may access
books online through the NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) service.”
A. patron’s
B. savvy’s
C. patrons
D. No change.
48. Insert the proper punctuation marks into this sentence, “If you watched season three
of Fox TV’s reality cooking show MasterChef you remember the big smile that lit
up Christine Ha’s face every time she impressed the judges with her bold flavors and
especially when her threecourse meal of Vietnamese comfort food won Ha the “Master
Chef” title.”
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PracticeTest
49. Eliminate the wordiness in the sentence “Ha, who is pursuing a master of fine arts
degree at the University of Houston, always has a book checked out from NLS.”
A. Ha, who is pursuing a master of fine arts degree at the University of Houston,
has a book checked out from NLS.
B. Ha, pursuing a master of fine arts degree at the University of Houston, always
has a book checked out from NLS.
C. Ha, who is pursuing a master at the University of Houston, always has a book
checked out from NLS.
D. No change.
50. Short Answer: Rewrite the sentence “What viewers, casual, may not have realized right
away is that the amateur cook from Houston, Texas, is blind” to ensure logical clarity.
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