Benchmark One- Complete each of the following on notebook paper.
Each of the following sentences is simple, compound or complex.
1.__________ Lying exposed without its blanket of snow, the ice on the river melts quickly under the
warm March sun.
2__________Arnold hasn’t worked a day since he won the lottery.
3__________Bobby Sue has an appointment with Dr. Phil at 4:30.
4__________Krystal had enough money, but her dad would not allow her to buy another purse.
5__________The movers loaded the furniture quickly but carefully.
6__________Rita had already read the book before Ms. Hansen assigned it.
7__________Jason became a plumber, and Amanda became a nurse.
8__________Although I am nervous about the test, I think I will do just fine.
9__________ Anna, Catherine and Kaylee went swimming and horseback riding yesterday.
10__________Audrey goes to sleep after her mom reads her a bedtime story.
11__________ Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go.
12__________ You will get in trouble if you don’t listen to your teacher.
13__________ The largest mammals are found in the sea; there's nowhere else to put them.
Use the paragraph below to answer questions 1-3.
School drop out rates are rising at an alarming rate. According to recent statistics from the National
Center for Education Statistics, nearly 3.9 million young adults, ranging in ages from 16 to 24, were
not enrolled in a high school program and did not graduate with a high school degree or its equivalent.
One must determine the cause of this problem before a solution can be determined. (Hopkins 1).
14. What’s the topic of this paragraph?
A. Students who drop out become successful members of society.
B. School drop out rates are rising at an alarming rate.
C. The NCES helps many high school students graduate.
D. 3.9 million young people did not and will not graduate high school
15. What is the purpose of this paragraph?
A. To talk about the success of the National Center for Education Statistics
B. To scare people into staying in school
C. To make the public aware of the increasing number of high school drop outs so that a solution
can be found
D. To improve high school programs so that students will not want to drop out of school
16. What is the BEST choice for an ending or concluding sentence for the above paragraph?
A. High schools are unimportant and are not necessary for young adults.
B. Statistics are sometimes not accurate, so you can’t always believe what you read.
C. If these numbers are not quickly diminished, it will affect the future of our nation for years to
come.
D. Teachers are to blame, because if they were not so boring, more students would stay in school.
Use the paragraph below to answer questions 4 and 5.
Maria is watching too much television. A toddler shouldn’t be spending hours staring blankly at a
screen. Worse yet, some of her wild behavior has been inspired by those awful cartoons she watches.
17. Which of the following sentences is the topic sentence in the above paragraph?
A. A toddler shouldn’t be spending hours staring blankly at a screen.
B. Maria is watching too much television.
C. All cartoons are bad.
18. Which of the following sentences is the best ending or concluding sentence for the above
passage?
A. Maria will most likely grow up to be a violent criminal.
B. Watching cartoons is okay at long as they are nonviolent.
C. We need to spend more time reading books with her and pull the plug on the TV!
Use the paragraph below to answer question 6.
1 Mike pulled the cake out of the oven. 2 The cake began to rise. 3 Mike wanted to bake a cake.
4 He mixed all the ingredients for the cake. 5 Mike poured the batter in the pans and placed them in
the oven.
19. What is the best order for the sentences in the above paragraph?
A. 2, 3, 4, 1, 5
B. 3, 4, 5, 2, 1
C. 3, 2, 1, 4, 5
D. 5, 1, 3, 2, 4
Use the paragraph below to answer question 7.
The instructions on a cake mix package are as follows: Combine two beaten eggs, water, and oil
with the mix and beat for two minutes. Then, pour the batter into a pan. Spread evenly with a
spatula. Next, place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
20. Which is a transition word in the above paragraph?
A. combine
B. spread
C. spatula
D. next
21. After you finish eating go clean your room.
Where should a comma be placed in the above sentence?
A.
B.
C.
D.
after finish
after eating
after go
after clean
22. In the above sentence (question 8), what is the subordinate clause?
A. go clean your room
B. eating
C. finish
D. after you finish eating
23. Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
A. Listen to your teacher, she might have some important information.
B. Listen to your teacher she might have some important information.
C. Listen to your teacher, but she might have some important information.
D. Listen to your teacher; she might have some important information.
24. Combine the following sentences.
We went to the movies. We shared some popcorn.
A. We went to the movies and shared some popcorn.
B. We went to the movies; and shared some popcorn.
C. We went to the movies because we shared some popcorn.
25. Combine the following sentences.
The students at our school are electing a president. Everyone is talking about the campaign.
A. The students at our school are electing a president, and everyone is talking about the
campaign.
B. The students at our school are electing a president because everyone is talking about the
campaign.
C. Even though everyone is talking about the campaign, the students at our school are electing a
president.
26. Read the sentence. Choose the transition word or words that BEST fit the blank.
Desiree likes watching romantic comedies; _____, Tristan prefers action movies.
A.
B.
C.
D.
in other words
as a result
however
furthermore
27. What sentence structure is the following sentence: “Kenya and Nigeria are African nations
located near the equator.”
A. simple
B. compound
C. complex
D. compound-complex
28. Part of speech – word used to connect words, phrases, and clauses together in a sentence
A. interjection
B. adverb
C. conjunction
D. adjective
29. Part of speech – word used to describe a noun or pronoun
A. interjection
B. adverb
C. conjunction
D. adjective
30. What sentence structure is the following sentence: “Mrs. Lee went to Publix because she needed
a beef roast for supper.”
A. simple
B. compound
C. complex
D. compound-complex
Use the paragraph below to answer question 31.
1
The first cowboys were Mexican, not American. 2They were called vaqueros, which
means “cowboy” in Spanish. 3They taught the Anglos how to handle cattle without
harming their horses. 4During the days when what are now Texas, California, and New
Mexico were part of Mexico, vaqueros tended cattle on ranches owned by Mexicans.
5
In 1835, Texas won its independence from Mexico. 6The new Anglo ranch owners
needed the vaqueros to teach them how to take care of cattle. 7By the 1870’s and
1880’s, the Anglo cowboys had replaced their Mexican-American teachers.
31. Which sentence should be moved to after sentence 6?
A. Sentence 2
B. Sentence 3
C. Sentence 4
D. Sentence 5
32. Which is the best way to combine the sentences below?
Della decided to ride her bicycle to school. It is good exercise.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Della decided to ride her bicycle to school, it is good exercise.
Della decided to ride her bicycle to school because it is good exercise to school.
Because it is good exercise, Della decided to ride her bicycle to school.
Even though it is good exercise, Della decided to ride her bicycle to school.
33. Which sentence has the correct punctuation?
A. We can afford this car, but not the other one
B. Who is going to lead the parade on Saturday!
C. Watch out for that falling tree?
D. How did our team do in the game?
34. Which sentence below contains an error?
A. Where is your book.
B. Please get the magazine on the shelf.
C. There is the cat.
D. I am visiting the high school next week.
35. Which of the following is a complete sentence?
A. Because he is only three years old and very shy.
B. A very tired and exhausted bird.
C. Ice melts.
D. If it doesn’t stop raining
Choose the subordinate clause to fill in the blanks on questions 36 and 37.
36. _____________ the group walked to their favorite diner for late night meal.
A. After the game
B. Grinning and laughing hysterically
C. After the ladies finished their card game
D. To avoid a growling stomach
37. _____________ they often need assistance.
A. Because puppies are small and helpless,
B. Puppies are small and helpless, and
C. Some animals are small and helpless
D. To prevent small, helpless puppies from getting hurt
38. What of the following choices best defines the word coherent?
A. disorganized
B. understandable
C. assistant
D. snotty
Last week I took a trip to Disney World. When I arrived, an employee from the park was there to
greet me. He shared some fascinating stories about the park’s history. I love those ice cream
sandwiches in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head. I finished my chat with the park employee and
headed to the rides. I also enjoyed several shows while I was there. It was a wonderful trip that I
won’t soon forget.
39. Which sentence should be removed to make the paragraph above more coherent?
A. He shared some fascinating stories about the park’s history.
B. It was a wonderful trip that I won’t soon forget.
C. I love those ice cream sandwiches in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head.
D. I also enjoyed several shows while I was there.
40. Combine the following sentence to make one compound sentence.
You can put wings on a pig. You won’t make it an eagle.
A. Putting wings on a pig will not make it an eagle.
B. Even though you can put wing on a pig, it won’t make it an eagle.
C. Wings are on a pig, but not an eagle.
D You can put wings on a pig, but you won't make it an eagle.
41. Which answer combines the following sentences into one sentence with an independent and a
subordinate clause (complex sentence) without changing the meaning?
I enjoy learning about other countries in Social Studies. Science is my favorite subject.
A. Although Science is my favorite subject, I enjoy learning about other countries in Social
Studies.
B. Since Science is my favorite subject, I enjoy learning about other countries in Social
Studies.
C. Science is my favorite subject, because I enjoy learning about other countries in Social
Studies.
D. I enjoy learning about other countries in Social Studies, so Science is my favorite subject.
42. What is the best way to re-write the following run-on sentence?
The children attempted to paste the broken vase back together they didn’t want their mom to know
that they were playing ball in the house.
A. The children attempted to paste the broken vase back together, they didn’t want their mom
to know that they were playing ball in the house.
B. Their mother would never know that they were playing ball in the house, as they attempted
to paste the pieces of the vase back together.
C. Hoping their mother would never know that they were playing ball in the house, the kids
attempted to paste the pieces of the broken vase back together.
D. The kids pasted the pieces together, with glue. They didn’t want their mom to know that
they were playing ball in the house.
43. Which of the following sentences it written correctly?
A. I enjoy pizza. The cheese is my favorite part.
B. I enjoy pizza; the cheese is my favorite part.
C. I enjoy, pizza; the cheese is my favorite part.
D. I enjoy pizza, the cheese is my favorite part.
44. How can the following sentence be corrected?
As we turned down the road onto Ridgecrest Drive
A.
B.
C.
D.
Add a subordinate clause
Add a comma after road
Add a comma after As
Add an independent clause
45. What can be done to correct the following sentence?
When we won the state championship the team captain jumped for joy.
A. Add a semicolon after the word joy
B. Add a comma after the word championship
C. Add a predicate
D. Change the comma after the word team
46. Identify the compound sentence.
A. Before you go home, take an AR test.
B. It’s time to go home; I have so much homework.
C. Are you going to the party?
D. Stop being so noisy because I have a headache!
47. Identify the complex sentence.
A. Lying exposed without its blanket of snow, the ice on the river melts quickly under the warm
March sun.
B. Ice melts.
C. Canada is a rich company, but it still has many poor people.
D. After he ate, he went home.
48. Identify the simple sentence.
A. The sun rises in the east; it sets in the west.
B. Smiled sweetly at the girl sitting next to him
C. Listen to your parents because they are smarter than you are.
D. Lying exposed without its blanket of snow, the ice on the river melts quickly under the warm
March sun.
49. Define inaccurate.
A. not flexible
B. not annoying
C. not complete
D. not accurate
50. Define clarity
A. allergy medicine
B. inaccurate
C. clear
D. cloudy
51. Define irrelevant.
A. important
B. not important
C. needed in order to complete a job
D. using details that support the main idea