Study Island
Copyright © 2014 Edmentum - All rights reserved.
Generation Date: 12/02/2014
Generated By: Cheryl Shelton
Title: Eng III Punctuation and Spelling Blizzard Bag 2014 -2015
(1) Across the plains there rose the sun whose warmth spread gradually across the
desolate land. The man awoke to the soft glow that swept across his face. He wanted to
swat away the light, for he was exhausted after the weary trek from the day before.
However, there was nothing to shield his face from the invasive rays. The little clothes
that he had on his back and the water bottle that his head rested upon was all that he
had.
(2) Suddenly, the man gaunt and grimy sat up on the parched floor of dirt and tufts of
dead grass. I need to start moving before the sun reaches its height, realized the man.
Although he was worn out, he knew that once the sun began to rise, it would only be a
matter of time before its gentle warmth would turn into unbearable heat. With aching
joints, the man rose to his feet. He gathered his water bottle and shuffled toward the
west. Maybe I will find some rest today, thought the man as he made the same wish
that he made every morning.
1. What punctuation error occurs in paragraph 2?
A. There should be a colon after "rise."
B. There should be commas around the phrase "gaunt and grimy."
C. There should be a dash between "joints" and "the."
D. There are no punctuation errors in this sentence.
Worries
by J. Robbins
(1) Leeza walked into the science building with her head bowed. (2) The lockers and
pepsi machines lining the hallway seemed to blur as her eyes filled with tears. (3) Her
experiment had been a colossal failure, and she was dreading the look of
disappointment on professor Dallas' face. (4) As she entered the classroom, Leeza
noticed her classmates were sitting with heads bowed. (5) No one would look up at her
as she took her seat at the front of class.
(6) "Good morning, class," called Dr. Dallas as she entered the laboratory. (7) Leeza
felt her stomach drop into her shoes. (8) What if she gives me a failing grade for the
whole Semester? she thought. (9) The student sitting beside her groaned softly.
(10) "What is wrong?" she whispered to him.
(11) "My experiment didn't work like it was supposed to," the boy told Leeza. (12) "I
don't know what I did wrong." (13) As Leeza started to reply, the teacher spoke up.
(14)"Before we begin today, I need to let you know that there is a mistake in your
Biology textbook," said the professor. (15) "This error may have caused your
experiments to fail, and I apologize. (16) I will show you how to correct the mistake, and
you will be given the opportunity to perform the experiment again." (17) The class let out
an audible cheer at their teacher's words.
2. Which sentence in the passage contains a capitalization error?
A. 11
B. 14
C. 15
D. 13
Although Robert tried his best in the tryouts, he was dismissed as an amataur. He gave
the judges a firey look and walked away from the stage. How will I ever improve if I
never get a chance? Robert thought. Why did I give up all of my leisure hours for this? I
will never get a part in a play in a millennium!
Just as Robert was about to reach the door, he heard a kind voice echo in the hall.
"Did you write the play yourself, son? I think you show great promise to be a
playwright. Why are you trying out for acting?"
3. Which of the following sentences contains a misspelling?
A. Why did I give up all of my leisure hours for this?
B. I think you show great promise to be a playwright.
C. How will I ever improve if I never get a chance?
D. He gave the judges a firey look and walked away. . . .
This year, the Brawn-Mercedes team along with Jenson Button and Rubens
Barichello topped the Australian Formula 1 circuit. They beat all other teams to be the
faster on the circuit. The other racers fought for the championship intenselier this year
than last year.
4. Based on the above paragraph, choose the answer that is the most effective substitute for the
underlined word instenslier. If no substitution is necessary, choose "Leave as is."
A. most intensely
B. more intenselier
C. more intensely
D. Leave as is.
(1) More than anything in the world, Henry wanted to be an investigative journalist.
He wanted to show what was beneath the surface of a topic—he wanted to delve
deeper than anyone in order to know all the details.
(2) Henry practiced asking hard-hitting questions to his parents and his neighbors.
“Where were you on the night of February 29th of this year?” he would ask. When they
answered with an activity that they supposedly did on that day, Henry would shout out,
Ah-ha! There was no February 29th this year! You must’ve have been doing something
devious!
(3) Other times, Henry would write down what his “suspects” said in his handy
notebook. He would write, “According to Mr. Skinner, he was attending a screening of a
movie on the night of February 29th. He said, ‘I had [a bag of] popcorn and a large
Coke.’ I know for a fact that this information is false because there was no February
29th this year. Mr. Skinner is definitely hiding something.”
(4) Every day, Henry carried out procedures performed by real journalists by asking
questions and taking diligent notes. He was going to be a journalist one of these days.
5. Which of the following punctuation errors, if any, occurs in paragraph 1?
A. There should be an exclamation point after "journalist."
B. The dash after "topic" should be a comma.
C. There are no punctuation errors in this sentence.
D. The comma after "world" should a semicolon.
6. What change, if any, should be made to will be preferring in the sentence below?
Paolo will be preferring to walk or ride his bike to school and practice instead of
driving a car like Rachel does.
A. prefers
B. no change
C. was preferring
D. preferred
7. Which of the following sentences has incorrect subject-verb agreement?
A. Not all of the yellow pencils is sharpened.
B. Nothing appears to be out of place on the desk.
C. Most of the flowers are drooping in the vase.
D. Many desk chairs are now very comfortable.
8. Which of the following sentences uses a semicolon correctly?
A. Too terrified to look at the contents of the letter; Erin made her brother open the envelope.
B.
Erin was usually more confident in her abilities; however, she didn't feel good about her
grades.
C.
Pleading with her brother, Erin asked him ever so sweetly to read the crisp; untouched
letter.
D.
Erin sifted through the creased envelopes; which had been crammed in the mail box for
weeks.
9.
The runner with the jogging shorts sprinting across the wide intersection.
What is the correct way to rewrite the sentence above?
A. The runner with the jogging shorts is sprinting across the wide intersection.
B. The runner with the jogging shorts were sprinting across the wide intersection.
C. The runner with the jogging shorts are sprinting across the wide intersection.
D. The runner with the jogging shorts am sprinting across the wide intersection.
10. What change, if any, should be made to is wanting in the sentence below?
Jackie is wanting a car for a long time, but her mom was worried about the cost of
maintaining a used car.
A. has wanted
B. no change
C. wants
D. was wanted
11. Sama wants to find the adjective form of the noun theorem. Which of the following sources
would best help her?
A. a math textbook glossary
B. a book on Greek mythology
C. a dictionary
D. an encyclopedia
12.
(1) During our trip to Washington, D.C., my family toured many of America's
historical sites. (2) We saw the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial. (3) We were even able to visit the White House, which is
located at 1600 Pennsylvania avenue NW. (4) That was the highlight of our entire trip!
Which of the following is a capitalization error in the passage above?
A. Pennsylvania avenue
B. America's historical sites
C. Lincoln Memorial
D. our entire trip
13.
"I am not distraught; I am thinking," Fanny uttered in a frenzy. She had been lost
in the streets of Italy with a group of students she was in charge of. Why did my teacher
entrust me with this responsibility? She asked herself on the verge of tears.
"Didn't you say you've been here—like—before?" the youngest one in the group
asked with a shy smile.
"Yes, Sammie," Fanny replied, trying to be calm. She kept walking and pretending
she knew the way. "Aha! The bell tower! The bell tower!" Fannie screamed with joy
when she saw the one thing that could help her get near the piazza.
If the author wanted to find a word to replace distraught, which would be the best resource to
use?
A. thesaurus
B. almanac
C. dictionary
D. glossary
14. Which of the following sentences is capitalized correctly?
A. Right before the U.s. Open each year, Grace catches up on old Tennis matches.
B. Right before the u.s. open each year, grace catches up on old Tennis matches.
C. Right before the U.S. Open each year, Grace catches up on old Tennis Matches.
D. Right before the U.S. Open each year, Grace catches up on old tennis matches.
15.
As her bratty little sister left the room with her mother, Barbara mocks stomped her
feet in disgust.
Which alternative would best replace the underlined section?
A. mocked
B. mockable
C. mocking
D. mockingly
16. Which of the following sentences contains a misspelling?
A. Idua found working out using dumbbells tougher than it looked.
B. A famous poet wrote the forword on James Singh's new memoir.
C. Suri had finally received her driving license at the age of nineteen.
D. Aito was at the height of success when he became the valedictorian.
17. Which of the following sentences contains a word that is spelled incorrectly?
A. Sahara hated speaking publicly because people intimidated her.
B. Sahara had never expereinced such fatigue and anxiety before that day.
C. "At least I can't misspell words," she nervously mumbled to herself.
D. Just as Sahara tried to be serious, her coach said something humorous.
18. Choose the sentence that contains an error.
A. The stars appeared to sparkle in the sky as the darkness grows.
B. The trees rustle when the brisk wind blows through their long branches.
C. Once the sun disappears, the woods become collectively silent.
D. As night drew near, the animals sought shelter in the thick of the woods.
19. Which sentence is written correctly?
A. Matthew was best than his brother was.
B. Mrs. Edelweed was the best teacher I had.
C. I always thought diamonds were good than gold.
D. I had the better dress than anyone else at the ball.
20. Which of the following sentences exhibits proper subject-verb agreement?
A.
Throughout autumn, the leaves on the trees changes from green to an array of vibrant
colors.
B.
The starkness and drudgery of winter makes the coming of spring more valued and
appreciated.
C.
There are very little fanfare when spring transitions into summer because it just becomes
hot.
D.
With the beginning of spring, an unprecedented amount of activity and growth is seen
outside.