2009 Academic Challenge
ENGLISH TEST - STATE FINALS
This Test Consists of 100 Questions.
English Test Production Team
Jo Helen Railsback, Tennessee State University (Retired) – Author/Team Leader
Clayton Reeve, Tennessee State University (Retired) – Author
Holly Westcott, Nashville State Community College – Reviewer
Mary Weaver, WYSE – Coordinator of Test Production
GENERAL DIRECTIONS
Please read the following instructions carefully. This is a timed test; any instructions from the test supervisor
should be followed promptly.
The test supervisor will give instructions for filling in any necessary information on the answer sheet. Most
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corresponds to the correct answer for that question. Only one oval should be marked to answer each question.
Multiple ovals will automatically be graded as an incorrect answer.
If you wish to change an answer, erase your first mark completely before marking your new choice.
You are advised to use your time effectively and to work as rapidly as you can without losing accuracy. Do not
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to the difficult ones later if time remains.
*** TIME: 40 MINUTES ***
DO NOT OPEN TEST BOOKLET UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO!
© 2009 Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering
“WYSE”, “Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering” and the “WYSE Design” are service marks of and this work is
the Copyright © 2009 of the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign.
All rights reserved.
WYSE – Academic Challenge
English Test (State Finals) – 2009
For items 1-15, choose the standard spelling from the choices given.
1.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
pastich
pastish
pastiche
pasteache
passtiche
9.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
cerebrel
cerrebrel
serebral
serebrel
cerebral
2.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
imperceptible
imperceptable
imperciptible
impirciptible
impercepteble
10.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
synosure
sinnosure
synochure
synnosure
cynosure
3.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
menagery
menagerie
managerie
monagerie
menajerie
11.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
innumerate
enumerrate
enumberate
innumberate
enumerate
4.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Armagedon
Armegeddon
Armegedon
Armagedden
Armageddon
12.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
surrogate
serrogate
surogate
surragate
surrogait
5.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
ptomaine
ptomane
tomaine
tomane
ptoemaine
13.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
fellacious
fellacius
fallacious
phellacious
fallachius
6.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
septagenarian
septuagenerian
septagenerian
septuagenarian
septuagennarian
14.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
prosthesus
prosthesis
prasthesis
prosthesise
prossthesis
7.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
minescule
minniscule
minuscule
minnascule
minnescule
15.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
dephalcate
deffalcate
defelcate
defelkate
defalcate
8.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
arabeske
arrabesque
arabasque
arabesque
arabesk
2009 State Finals
English – 2
Read the passage below. Then respond to items 16-26, selecting the best possible
answer for each question.
I trust that you will pardon me for being here. I do not wish to force my thoughts upon
you, but I feel forced myself. Little as I know of Captain Brown, I would fain do my part to
correct the tone and the statements of the newspapers, and of my countrymen generally,
respecting his character and actions. It costs us nothing to be just. We can at least express
our sympathy with, and admiration of, him and his companions, and that is what I now
propose to do.
....
He was one of that class of whom we hear a great deal, but, for the most part, see
nothing at all—the Puritans. It would be in vain to kill him. He died lately in the time of
Cromwell, but he reappeared here. Why should he not? Some of the Puritan stock are said
to have come over and settled in New England. They were a class that did something else
than celebrate their forefathers’ day, and eat parched corn in remembrance of that time.
They were neither Democrats nor Republicans, but men of simple habits, straightforward,
prayerful, not thinking much of rulers who did not fear God, not making many compromises,
nor seeking after available candidates.
....
The momentary charge at Balaclava, in obedience to a blundering command, proving
what a perfect machine the soldier is, has, properly enough, been celebrated by a poet
laureate; but the steady, and for the most part successful charge of this man, for some years,
against the legions of Slavery, in obedience to an infinitely higher command, is as much
more memorable than that, as an intelligent and conscientious man is superior to a machine.
Do you think that that will go unsung?
....
The slave-ship is on her way, crowded with her dying victims; new cargoes are being
added in mid ocean; a small crew of slaveholders, countenanced by a large body of
passengers, is smothering four millions under the hatches, and yet the politician asserts that
the only proper way by which deliverance is to be obtained, is by “the quiet diffusion of the
sentiments of humanity,” without any “outbreak.” As if the sentiments of humanity were ever
found unaccompanied by its deeds, and you could disperse them, all finished to order, the
pure article, as easily as water with a watering-pot, and so lay the dust. What is that that I
hear cast overboard? The bodies of the dead that have found deliverance. That is the way
we are “diffusing” humanity, and its sentiments with it.
....
Who is it whose safety requires that Captain Brown be hung? Is it indispensable to
any Northern man? Is there no resource but to cast these men also to the Minotaur? If you
do not wish it say so distinctly. While these things are being done, beauty stands veiled and
music is a screeching lie. Think of him—of his rare qualities! such a man as it takes ages to
make, and ages to understand; no mock hero, nor the representative of any party. A man
such as the sun may not rise upon again in this benighted land. To whose making went the
costliest material, the finest adamant; sent to be the redeemer of those in captivity. And the
only use to which you can put him is to hang him at the end of a rope! You who pretend to
care for Christ crucified, consider what you are about to do to him who offered himself to be
the savior of four millions of men.
from “A Plea for Captain John Brown” by Henry D. Thoreau
2009 State Finals
English – 3
16.
Captain John Brown was
a. an American revolutionary who
fought at Bunker Hill.
b. a Union captain who defended
Gettysburg.
c. an abolitionist leader who led an
attack on Harpers Ferry.
d. a Confederate soldier who fired
on Fort Sumter.
e. a frontier hero in the exploration
of the American West.
20. Americans’ attitudes toward “Puritans”
have historically been ambivalent.
Thoreau’s attitude toward Puritans in
this selection is
a. strongly negative.
b. strongly positive.
c. a balance between positive and
negative.
d. lukewarm.
e. one of indifference.
21.
17.
Thoreau does not provide many
details about the circumstances
surrounding Brown’s situation and
recent history, because he
a. doesn’t know many of them.
b. assumes the reader is familiar
with them.
c. wants to maintain Brown’s
privacy and dignity.
d. wants to save them for a future
book.
e. fears a possible lawsuit.
18.
19.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
22.
Jesus Christ.
Moses.
George Washington.
Spartacus.
Frederick Douglass.
In paragraph two, Thoreau writes of
Brown, “It would be vain to kill him.
He died lately in the time of
Cromwell, but he reappeared here.”
Cromwell was the
a. leader of the Puritans in the
English Civil War.
b. political leader and advisor to
Henry VIII.
c. military leader in the Glorious
Revolution.
d. military leader of the English in
the Boer War.
e. leader of the English forces in the
Peninsular War.
23.
Ben Jonson.
William Davenant.
John Dryden.
William Wordsworth.
Alfred Lord Tennyson.
The battle of Balaclava was fought in
the
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Brown is more than once compared
to
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Paragraph three refers to a
“momentary charge at Balaclava, in
obedience to a blundering command,
celebrated by a poet laureate.” The
poet laureate is
Boer War.
Crimean War.
English Civil War.
Glorious Revolution.
Peninsular War.
Thoreau compares people who
behave without intelligence and
conscience to
a. dumb animals.
b. unthinking forces of nature, like
the wind.
c. people with mental handicaps.
d. machines.
e. rocks and stones.
2009 State Finals
English – 4
24.
In paragraph four, we are told “four
millions” are being smothered
“under the hatches.” Who are these
four millions?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
25.
destitute European immigrants
destitute Asian immigrants
slaves
cattle
refugees from foreign wars
In the last paragraph, we are told
that “the costliest material, the finest
adamant” went into the make-up of
Brown. Adamant is
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
26.
In the last paragraph, Thoreau asks
if it is necessary to cast men like
Brown “to the Minotaur.” The
Minotaur is a creature in Greek
mythology who is
a. a one-eyed giant.
b. a fire-breathing she-monster,
represented as a composite of a
lion, a goat, and a serpent.
c. half bull and half man.
d. a many-headed monster, that
grows back two heads for every
one cut off.
e. a three-headed dog guarding the
entrance to Hades.
diamond.
granite.
refined gold.
pure spiritual substance.
a mythic impenetrable material.
For items 27-37, choose the one option that can be used to revise correctly the given
sentence(s) according to the accompanying directions.
27.
We always ride our bicycles on weekends we love the exercise and the opportunity to
do something together.
Revise the sentence to eliminate the run-on.
a. We always ride our bicycles on weekends, we love the exercise and the opportunity
to do something together.
b. We always ride our bicycles on weekends, we love the exercise, and the
opportunity to do something together.
c. We always ride our bicycles on weekends; we love the exercise and the opportunity
to do something together.
d. We always ride our bicycles on weekends; we love the exercise; and the
opportunity to do something together.
28.
The college baseball team did not win its games because of superior pitching but
because of great hitting.
Revise this sentence to improve the position of the modifier.
a. It is not true that the college baseball team won its games because of superior
pitching but because of great hitting.
b. The college baseball team won its games because of not great pitching but
because of great hitting.
c. The college baseball team won its games not because of superior pitching but
because of great hitting.
d. Not only did the college baseball team not win its games because of superior
pitching but only because of great hitting.
2009 State Finals
English – 5
29.
The station manager advised the weather man to have a better command of the
computer technology, improving his grammar, dress better, and not to tell jokes.
Improve this sentence by using parallelism.
a. The station manager advised the weather man that he should try having a better
command of the computer technology, improve his grammar, dress better, and not
to tell jokes.
b. The weather man was advised by the station manager that he should try having a
better command of the computer technology, improve his grammar, to dress better,
and not to tell jokes.
c. The station manager advised the weather man to have a better command of the
computer technology, improve his grammar, dress better, and to not tell jokes.
d. The station manager advised the weather man to have a better command of the
computer technology, to improve his grammar, to dress better, and not to tell jokes.
30.
The tornado raced through the small Midwestern town. The grain elevator on the edge
of town was left untouched.
Revise these sentences using a relative pronoun.
a. The tornado raced through the small Midwestern town, but the grain elevator which
was on the edge of town was left untouched.
b. Although the tornado raced through the small Midwestern town, it left the grain
elevator on the edge of town untouched.
c. The tornado raced through the small Midwestern town, leaving the grain elevator on
the edge of town untouched.
d. The tornado raced through the small Midwestern town, although the grain elevator
on the edge of town was left untouched.
31.
Driving over the high hill and coming on the scene unexpectedly, the whole countryside
seemed to be on fire with the beautiful red trees.
Revise the sentence to eliminate an error in modification.
a. Driving over the high hill and coming on the scene unexpectedly, the whole
countryside surprised us all by appearing to be on fire because of the beautiful red
trees.
b. Driving over the high hill and coming on the scene unexpectedly, we were all
surprised to see the beautiful red trees which seemed to be on fire.
c. Driving over the high hill and coming on the scene unexpectedly, when the
beautiful red trees were seen, they looked like fire.
d. Driving over the high hill and coming on the scene unexpectedly, the beautiful red
trees appeared to be on fire.
2009 State Finals
English – 6
32.
Our dog Lucky loves to take long walks. He likes to have his belly scratched. He loves
to eat ice cream.
Combine these sentences using an appropriate conjunctive adverb and correct
punctuation.
a. Our dog Lucky loves to take long walks, likes to have his belly scratched, and loves
to eat ice cream.
b. Our dog Lucky loves to take long walks and likes to have his belly scratched;
moreover, he loves to eat ice cream.
c. Our dog Lucky loves to take long walks; likes to have his belly scratched; and loves
to eat ice cream.
d. Our dog Lucky loves to take long walks and likes to have his belly scratched;
therefore, he loves to eat ice cream.
33.
Horace Rumpole was one of my favorite characters on television. He was a British
barrister who had many shady clients. He was also very witty and sarcastic.
Combine these sentences into a single sentence containing an appositive.
a. Horace Rumpole, one of my favorite characters on television, was a witty, sarcastic
British barrister who had many shady clients.
b. Horace Rumpole was one of my favorite characters on television; he was a witty,
sarcastic British barrister who had many shady clients.
c. One of my favorite characters on television was Horace Rumpole, who was a witty,
sarcastic British barrister with many shady clients.
d. Horace Rumpole, who was one of my favorite characters on television, was a witty
and sarcastic British barrister with many shady clients.
34.
There once was an open field where the hospital now stands.
Revise the sentence using the past perfect tense.
a. The hospital now stands where there was once an open field.
b. There used to be an open field where the hospital now stands.
c. The hospital now stands where an open field has been.
d. The hospital now stands where an open field had been.
35.
Everyone who hopes to get into a prestigious college needs to take the SAT. To
prepare for the test they need to take as many college preparatory courses as they can.
In addition, you can also take commercial test preparation courses.
Revise these sentences for consistency in pronoun number and person.
a. Everyone who hopes to get into a prestigious college needs to take the SAT. To
prepare for the test you need to take as many college preparatory courses as you
can. In addition, you can also take commercial test preparation courses.
b. Students who hope to get into a prestigious college need to take the SAT. To
prepare for the test they need to take as many college preparatory courses as they
can. In addition, they can also take commercial test preparation courses.
c. If you hope to get into a prestigious college you need to take the SAT. To prepare
for the test one needs to take as many college preparatory courses as one can. In
addition, one can take commercial test preparation courses.
d. Everyone who hopes to get into a prestigious college needs to take the SAT. To
prepare for the test you need to take as many college preparatory courses as you
can. In addition, they can also take commercial test preparation courses.
2009 State Finals
English – 7
36.
The price of gasoline in America has increased dramatically in the last year. The price
in Europe is even higher.
Use subordination to combine these sentences.
a. The price of gasoline in America has increased dramatically in the last year, but the
price in Europe is even higher.
b. The price of gasoline in America has increased dramatically in the last year; the
price in Europe is even higher.
c. Although the price of gasoline in America has increased dramatically in the last
year, the price in Europe is even higher.
d. The price of gasoline in America has increased dramatically in the last year;
nevertheless, the price in Europe is even higher.
37.
The sales manager was given a healthy bonus by the company. He was rewarded
because sales had been increased ten percent by him over the previous year.
Convert this passage into the active voice.
a. The company gave the sales manager a healthy bonus as a reward for increasing
sales by ten percent over the previous year.
b. The sales manager was given a healthy bonus by the company as a reward for
increasing sales by ten percent over the previous year.
c. The company gave the sales manager a healthy bonus as a reward because sales
had been increased ten percent by him over the previous year.
d. The sales manager was given a healthy bonus by the company because he had
increased sales by ten percent over the previous year.
For items 38-60, select the best option from those provided to replace the underlined
portion, to fill in the blank, or to answer the question.
38.
Identify the mood of the underlined
verbs in the following sentence: The
drill instructor insisted that all the
students rise from their chairs and
leave the room.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
39.
imperative
indicative
passive
genitive
subjunctive
Nouns that are plural in form but
singular in sense require
__________ verbs.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Dickens’ novel Great Expectations
more than met my expectations.
a. Dickens’ novel Great
Expectations
b. Dickens’ novel “Great
Expectations”
c. Dickens’ novel Great
Expectations
d. Dickens’ novel Great
Expectations
e. Dickens’ novel ‘Great
Expectations’
plural
singular
linking
transitive
intransitive
40.
2009 State Finals
English – 8
41.
_________ are the shades of
meaning that differentiate words that
are otherwise synonyms, such as
walk, stroll, hobble, saunter, and
march.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
42.
45.
a. blatant flattery of your audience.
b. an argument considered “corny”
from the Latin word for “hominy,
or corn.”
c. deliberately limiting the topic to
exclude some types of evidence.
d. a personal attack on an
opponent.
e. wholesale misrepresentation of
the facts.
Definitions
Connotations
Denotations
Dialects
Abstractions
An effective thesis sentence for
either exposition or argumentation
should be
46.
a. complex enough to be open to
debate.
b. supportable with objective
evidence, defendable with logic.
c. careful not to annoy or anger
readers who may not accept it.
d. a and b
e. a and c
43.
44.
_________ reasoning relies on a
strict form of logic, conventionally
expressed in a syllogism.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
One method for debate which may
defuse a hostile audience begins by
characterizing the opponent’s
position in terms the opponent can
accept and then presents another
position in a way that respects both
sides. This method is called the
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
When you acknowledge counter
evidence for an assertion, you
a. bring out ideas your opponent
may not have thought about.
b. aid your opponent.
c. strengthen your credibility.
d. display lack of confidence in your
own idea.
e. play to your audience’s
prejudices.
Argumentum ad hominem is a logical
fallacy meaning
47.
Reasonable Approach.
Pragmatic Method.
Smithson Debate.
Dogmatic Method.
Rogerian Method.
Although maintaining a civil tone in
argument is generally best, an old
and traditional type of “no holds
barred” argumentation, including
name-calling, which appears in some
famous works of English and
American literature, is called
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
invective.
synecdoche.
litotes.
symbiotics.
riddling.
Inductive
Collective
Deductive
Instinctive
Circular
2009 State Finals
English – 9
48.
“Being for or against movie
censorship is like having blue eyes;
either you’ve got them or you don’t.
You’re either for it or against it.” This
statement is an example of
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
49.
ex post facto fallacy.
either/or fallacy.
misleading minor premise.
a syllogistic flaw.
ad astral reasoning.
51.
The task of cleaning up the house
after the party was delegated to
___________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
53.
Mary and me
Mary and I
Mary and myself.
none of the above
either a or b
Concrete nouns are words that
a. cannot be changed without
reversing the meaning.
b. refer to things that can be
perceived by one of the five
senses.
c. refer to ideas and concepts only.
d. may always be changed to a
synonym.
e. none of the above.
Which of the following, now
considered incorrect in standard
English, had a long history of
acceptability in the English
language?
a. double negative
b. never using the apostrophe
c. several different spellings of the
same word
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
50.
52.
54.
The jury was agreed finally, after four
hours of debate. The word “jury” is a
[an]
A homophone is a word that
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
a. is spelled the same backwards
and forwards.
b. sounds like another word but is
spelled differently.
c. is spelled the same as another
word but has two meanings.
d. does not sound as you would
expect from its spelling.
e. sounds like the thing it
represents, as in “moo,” a cow’s
sound.
55.
The verbs in the following sentence
appear in which sequence? We
should all set our watches so that we
can tell the exact moment when the
sun will set.
56.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
intransitive, transitive, linking
transitive, linking, transitive
transitive, transitive, transitive
transitive, transitive, intransitive
intransitive, intransitive, linking
uncommon noun.
composite noun.
proper noun.
collective noun.
borrowed noun.
An ellipsis indicates a [an]
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
deletion from a quotation.
addition to a quotation.
editor’s note.
obvious mistake in the original.
ungrammatical usage in the
original.
_________ are used to insert
editorial comment into a quotation.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Parentheses
Ellipsis points
Double quotation marks
Single quotation marks
Brackets
2009 State Finals
English – 10
57.
An abstract of an article is a
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
58.
59.
a. always used in pairs.
b. must never be used to contrast
items.
c. may not begin a sentence.
d. are considered appropriate only
in formal usage.
e. should not be used in
conversation.
summary.
critique.
refutation.
concurrence.
challenge to its thesis.
The English word telephone and the
Spanish word teléfono are
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
60.
twins.
cognates.
“false friends.”
unrelated.
rooted.
Correlative conjunctions are
Ante- means ________, while antimeans ___________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
before, after
after, before
before, concurrent
against, after
before, against
Read the following poem and respond to items 61-73.
Sonnet
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare.
Let all who prate of Beauty hold their peace,
And lay them prone upon the earth and cease
To ponder on themselves, the while they stare
At nothing, intricately drawn nowhere
In shapes of shifting lineage; let geese
Gabble and hiss, but heroes seek release
From dusty bondage into luminous air.
O blinding hour, O holy, terrible day,
When first the shaft into his vision shone
Of light anatomized! Euclid alone
Has looked on Beauty bare. Fortunate they
Who, though once only and then but far away,
Have heard her massive sandal set on stone.
61.
The reference to Euclid is called a
[an]
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
ellipsis.
allusion.
elision.
profusion.
illusion.
62.
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
In line 1 and others, “Beauty” is what
kind of word?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
concrete
archaic
circumlocution
redundant
abstract
2009 State Finals
English – 11
63.
In line 2, “prate” means
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
64.
65.
70.
be silent.
stop a debate.
reach a compromise.
sign an agreement.
conduct a meeting.
a period of silence.
at the same time.
later.
to waste time.
to work.
quartet.
quarto.
quatrain.
quad.
quatar.
72.
hyperbole.
simile.
alliteration.
obfuscation.
caesura.
In line 8, “dusty bondage” means
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
the drudgery of mathematics.
worldly concerns.
farm life.
a jail term.
war.
religious experience.
successful scientific experiment.
unsuccessful love affair.
mathematical revelation.
illness.
The poet is praising Euclid for
a. being a genius.
b. going beyond the realm of the
physical.
c. making mathematical
breakthroughs.
d. none of the above
e. all of the above
Line 1 means that Euclid
a. has looked at beauty while he
was unclothed.
b. has intuited a truth about a
beautiful woman.
c. has looked at a nude woman.
d. has seen the beauty of
abstractions.
e. has given all his time to
mathematics.
The poem implies that Euclid has
had a [an]
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
In line 6-7, “geese gabble” uses the
poetic device known as
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
68.
The first eight lines of the sonnet are
written in a form called the
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
71.
67.
engineering.
algebra.
physics.
geometry.
architecture.
In line 4, “the while” means
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
66.
Euclid is best known for his work in
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
praise.
envy.
ignore.
rant.
worship.
In line 2, “hold their peace” means
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
69.
73.
Which theme is not found in the
poem?
a. Most people do not achieve a
high level of abstract
understanding.
b. Math has a pure beauty of its
own.
c. New mathematical discoveries can
sometimes come like a vision.
d. Euclid was an intellectual who
could not appreciate earthy
things.
e. “Heroes” seek philosophical
understanding rather than
physical pursuits.
2009 State Finals
English – 12
Read the following passage carefully and respond to items 74-85.
One plan for improving college students performance (74) is to elimanate grading
or drasticly (75) change it. The present system is too burdensome on the student and
cause great anxiety (76), which leads to drinking and even suicides. There are two plans
which I think either one would work better (77) than what we have now. The first one is
going on a Pass/Fail system, which either you pass or you have to repeat the course.
(78) The other one is to let someone other than the instructor give a grade. I think we need
to take one of these and immediately put it into effect. I have been in college three
semesters now and think I know more about it than someone who hasn’t gone to
college in twenty years or more, (79) which is what is true of all of the people who
make up the rules. (80)
First of all, I will discuss the Pass/Fail system. This would certainly take a load of
worry off of the student because not many would fail. You can always get a second chance if
you miss something or take a make-up test. Extra credit could be given if a student did not
get the point of something. Everyone goofs off at one time or the other and deserves a
second chance. Or becomes ill or something. Somebody’s grandmother is always dying.
We deserve to be understood when these things come up in our lives.
I don’t like the second proposal at all. (81) Someone who doesn’t even know you
is giving you a grade. That doesn’t make sense. We should only be evaluated by the
person who is in front of the class. It’s just like being on trial before a jury and you don’t
know them. (82) They might think you were guilty if they don’t know all the circumstances.
They won’t know if you tried or not. Trying hard should count for something even if you don’t
do very well on the test. It would make the student feel creepy to think that an outsider would
be looking at their (83) work. Anyway sometimes you can charm the teacher into giving you
a higher grade, but this wouldn’t work on a stranger. (Just kidding). Someone said that this
method would be more like the work place, where lots of people will judge you, but we aren’t
ready for that (84) yet.
So, in conclusion, I think college should adopt a Pass/Fail system. It would make
things easier all around. The teachers wouldn’t have to do nearly so much work, and most
students would pass and graduate. They should either make courses easier or put in the
Pass/Fail system. (85)
-- A student persuasive essay
74.
In the bold phrase, an error occurs in
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
75.
No correction needed.
eliminate, drasticly
elimanate
eliminate, drastically
drasticaly
The phrase in bold contains
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
agreement.
adjective placement.
spelling.
punctuation.
mood.
Replace the spelling error[s], if any,
with one of the following.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
76.
77.
an agreement error.
a flaw in subordination.
a spelling error.
a diction inaccuracy.
no error.
There is a ______________ in this
sentence.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
misplaced modifier
squinting modifier
mixed construction
dangling modifier
logical fallacy
2009 State Finals
English – 13
78.
The __________ needs revision.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
79.
80.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
83.
84.
analyzes the thesis sentence.
supports the thesis sentence.
contradicts the thesis sentence.
expands the thesis sentence.
negates the thesis sentence.
case.
person.
tense.
spelling.
agreement.
The pronoun here
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
85.
mixed construction.
false analogy.
red herring.
attack on the opposition.
either/or fallacy.
The pronoun here contains an error
in
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
red herring.
hasty generalization.
non sequitur.
post hoc.
ad hominem.
This sentence
The logical error in this sentence is a
[an]
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
red herring.
hasty generalization.
non sequitur.
post hoc.
ad hominem.
The logical error in the last part of
the sentence is called a [an]
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
81.
prepositional phrase
adjective clause
gerund phrase
adverb clause
verb
The logical error in the first part of
this sentence is called a [an]
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
82.
is personal.
contains direct reference.
contains broad reference.
contains a case error.
is indirect.
The logical error here is a [an]
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
red herring.
either/or fallacy.
false analogy.
non sequitur.
ad hominem.
2009 State Finals
English – 14
For items 86-100, select the definition below each term that most precisely and
accurately matches the meaning of the underlined word in the sentence.
86.
87.
The artist had a display of sepia
prints.
Onomatopoeia can be a particularly
effective technique in poetry.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
a. the use of words whose
pronunciation suggests their
meaning
b. combinations of words that
sound pleasant to the ear
c. combinations of words that
sound unpleasant to the ear
d. the use of unexpected figurative
language
e. the witty uses of puns,
paradoxes, epigrams, etc.
black-and-white
brownish-yellow
unframed
Asian
burin-engraved
The poet was admired by readers
and critics for her subtle use of
caesuras.
a. unexpected and witty rhymes
b. subtle iambic rhythms
c. pauses dictated by natural
speech
d. intellectual similes and
metaphors
e. complicated use of assonance
and alliteration
88.
91.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
The book of prehistoric animals had
a scary picture of a triceratops.
92.
a. large semi-aquatic dinosaur
b. large extinct flying reptile
c. any of various fishes thought to
exist only in fossil form until a
living species was discovered in
1938
d. extinct marine arthropod
e. horned dinosaur with a bony
plate covering the neck
89.
Before we went to the
Mediterranean, we were warned
about the sirocco.
a. bacteria-infested drinking water
b. thieves and pickpockets who
inhabit the waterfront
c. declining value of the American
dollar vs. European currency
d. a hot, humid wind originating in
the Sahara Desert
e. especially debilitating form of
sea-sickness
When we visited the beach, we
walked upon the shingle.
The mother advised her children to
expect vicissitudes in life.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
93.
boardwalk
roof of a nearby building
beach gravel
long waterbreak
waterfront
consistent misfortune
consistent good fortune
friendships
variations in fortune
opportunities
Scientists predicted the existence of
pulsars in 1938, but it was 1967
before they were actually discovered.
a. quasi-stellar radio sources
b. any of three subatomic particles
proposed as the fundamental
units of matter
c. subatomic particles with masses
intermediate between leptons
and baryons
d. series of lines in the hydrogen
spectrum lines
e. rapidly rotating neutron stars
90.
2009 State Finals
English – 15
94.
Many ignorant persons suffer from
xenophobia.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
95.
undue fear of animals
undue fear of water
undue fear of the dark
undue fear of foreigners
undue fear of the element xenon
Lena broke her ulna.
a. bone situated between the pelvis
and the knee
b. larger of the two bones from the
knee to the ankle
c. smaller of the two bones from the
knee to the ankle
d. bone extending from the elbow to
the wrist
e. small bone at the base of the
spinal column
96.
Eugene did not realize that his
statement was a tautology.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
97.
self-contradictory statement
circular statement, redundancy
paradox
an ungrammatical sentence
an enthymeme
From the mountainside he could see
that the field was in the shape of a
rhombus.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
98.
The doctor presented a stolid
appearance to the world.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
99.
unemotional
highly emotional
extremely competent
highly personable
strongly objectionable
The student replied that he did not
know what a natural number is.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
prime number
positive integer
negative integer
irrational number
complex number
100. The geologic age of the alternate
appearance and recession of
glaciation was the Pleistocene.
a. period from the present to 11,000
years ago
b. period from 500,000 to 2,000,000
years ago
c. period from 2,000,000 to
13,000,000 years ago
d. period from 13,000,000 to
25,000,000 years ago
e. period from 25,000,000 to
36,000,000 years ago
rhomboid
rectangle
rhombohedron
square
an equilateral parallelogram
2009 State Finals