English 11 Final Exam: Composing Skills

Directions: Questions 46-56 require you to rewrite sentences in your head. Each question tells you exactly how to begin your new sentence. Your new sentence should have the same meaning and contain the same information as the original sentence. Example: The student senate debated for two hours and finally voted down the resolution.

Rewrite, beginning with

Having debated the issue for two hours, . . .

The next word or words will be

(A) the issue (B) it (C) the student senate (D) a vote 46."Those of you who missed the laboratory session last week will undoubtedly find the test difficult," said the lecturer. Rewrite, beginning with

According to the lecturer, if you missed last week's laboratory session, . . .

The next words will be

(A) so undoubtedly

(B) and find

(C) those of you

(D) you will

47. Because of changes in legislation, farm workers who harvest fruits and vegetables by hand can now negotiate for wages as other unionized workers do. Rewrite, beginning with

Changes in legislation . . .

(A) have made it possible

(B) resulting in

(C) by allowing

(D) have caused

48. The firefighters located the source of the fire while they were searching the smoke-filled house. Rewrite, beginning with

While searching the smoke-filled house, . . .

(A) and locating the source of the fire

(B) the source of the fire was located

(C) the firefighters located (D) it was located by the firefighters

49. Kisha caught a bad cold and decided not to go to the party. Rewrite, beginning with

Kisha decided not to go to the party . . .

(A) because she had

(B) because having

(C) with her having

(D) since a bad cold

50. At the mission of San Juan Capistrano, the caretakers were not looking forward to having the swallows return. Rewrite, beginning with

The caretakers of the mission in San Juan Capistrano dreaded . . .

(A) the swallows in their returning

(B) the return of the swallows

(C) about having the swallows return

(D) when the swallows would return

51. The woman in charge of the project, a person with experience as a petroleum engineer and the sister of a friend of mine, is Deborah Wong. Rewrite, beginning with

In charge of the project is . . .

(A) the sister of a friend who has experience

(B) an experienced person and who

(C) Deborah Wong, an experienced

(D) a person, Deborah Wong, with the sister

52. The value of rural property has increased as more and more farmland is developed for suburban housing. Rewrite, beginning with

The development . . .

(A) of suburban housing

(B) of more and more farmland

(C) has been increasing for (D) has increased the value of 53. A Small Circle of Friends, filmed in Berkeley during the late sixties, follows three students through four years of college. Rewrite, beginning with

Filmed in Berkeley during the late sixties, . . .

(A) the film follows

(B) three students are followed

(C) A Small Circle of Friends follows

(D) four years in the lives of three students are followed

54. The first recordings of jazz were made before the development of high fidelity equipment, and so we can never be sure what early jazz musicians such as King Oliver really sounded like. Rewrite, beginning with

Because high fidelity . . .

(A) equipment, before the development of

(B) equipment, after the development of

(C) equipment had been developed before

(D) equipment was developed after

55. Rosa reached the 20-mile mark and then broke away from the other runners. Rewrite, beginning with

Only after she reached the 20-mile mark . . .

(A) was when Rosa broke

(B) was Rosa breaking

(C) Rosa broke

(D) did Rosa break

56. Alcohol abuse is clearly a major problem among young people and needs to be addressed in a variety of ways. Rewrite, beginning with

Clearly a major problem among young people, . . .

The next word or words will be

(A) the need

(B) alcohol abuse needs

(C) addressing

(D) alcohol abuse and a variety Directions: In each of questions 57-67, select the best version of the underlined part of the sentence. Choice (A) is the same as the underlined portion of the original sentence. If you think the original sentence is best, choose answer (A). Example: Ancient Greeks ate with their fingers, wiped them on pieces of bread, and tossed them to the dogs lying under the table.

(A) tossed them (B) tossing them (C) tossed the bread (D) they tossed

57. Because salt was difficult to obtain in ancient times, Roman soldiers received an allowance for salt called a salarium, from which we get our word salary.

(A) from which we get our word salary

(B) where we get our word salary

(C) and out of it our word salary comes

(D) our word salary comes from this

58. Although some critics reviewed it as a film for children, the first Star Wars managed in drawing large crowds of adults immediately after opening.

(A) in drawing large crowds of adults immediately after opening

(B) with drawing immediately large crowds of adults after it opened

(C) and drew large crowds of adults immediately on opening

(D) to draw large crowds of adults immediately after it opened

59. The marine engineer reported that the new power-assisted sailing ships can carry thousands of tons of cargo safely while consuming only a fraction of the fuel burned by conventionally motorized freighters.

(A) while consuming only a fraction

(B) but only a fraction is consumed

(C) and only consuming a fraction

(D) with the consumption of only a fraction

60. Remarkable for its simple, Biblical style and its vivid presentation of character,The Pilgrim's Progress is what is considered to be one of the world's great works of literature.

(A) is what is considered to be

(B) is considered

(C) which is considered to be

(D) considered as

61. It is probably a measure of the changed political climate in mainland China that a hotel now lets a capitalist check into a suite once reserved for Mao Zedong.

(A) that a hotel now lets

(B) because a hotel permitted

(C) of a hotel's permission to

(D) that a hotel were to let

62. What the agreement stated was for the territories to be governed by a coalition of local and national representatives.

(A) What the agreement stated was for the territories to be

(B) In the agreement it was the territories which would be

(C) The territories, according to the agreement, was

(D) The agreement called for the territories to be

63. Some people believe that by continuing to construct nuclear power plants it will lessen the need for finding other sources of energy.

(A) by continuing to construct nuclear power plants it

(B) continuation of constructing nuclear power plants

(C) since nuclear power plants continue to be constructed, this

(D) the continued construction of nuclear power plants

64. The job offered poor pay, no benefits, and the working conditions that were terrible.

(A) and the working conditions that were terrible

(B) and terrible working conditions

(C) as well as the terrible working conditions

(D) as well as the working conditions being terrible

65. After being tagged and examined, the biologists at the San Diego Zoo will decide whether to keep a few immature vultures in order to form a captive breeding flock.

(A) After being tagged and examined, the biologists at the San Diego Zoo will decide whether

(B) After they are tagged and examined, the biologists at the San Diego Zoo will decide if

(C) After tagging and examining them, the biologists at the San Diego Zoo will decide whether

(D) After they tag and examine them, the biologists at the San Diego Zoo are deciding if 66. The last decade had more gasoline sold for automobiles in Los Angeles than in any other city in the world.

(A) The last decade had more gasoline sold for automobiles

(B) There was more gasoline in the last decade that was sold for automobiles

(C) In the last decade, more gasoline for automobiles was sold

(D) More gasoline that was sold for automobiles in the last decade

67. On becoming a state in 1959, Hawaii reflected its diversity by giving one Senate seat to Democrat Oren Long, a native Kansan and former territorial governor, and Republican Hiram Fong, the son of a Chinese plantation laborer.

(A) and

(B) and to

(C) and the other was

(D) and the other to

Directions: Each of questions 68-81 presents a passage with a missing sentence indicated by a series of dashes. Read each passage and the four sentences that follow it. Then choose the sentence that can best be inserted in place of the dashes.

68. ------. The woodwinds include flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons; French horns, trumpets, trombones, and tubas are in the brass section; and tympani, cymbals, and kettledrums are in the percussion section. The string family, from highest in pitch to lowest, consists of violins, violas, cellos, and double basses.

(A) A large symphony orchestra is impressive to hear.

(B) The instruments of a symphony orchestra can be divided into four principal groups.

(C) Each of the sections in a symphony orchestra has an important role to play.

(D) The conductor of a symphony orchestra has to know the characteristics of every instrument.

69. ------. Some cities use money that should go into pension funds for routine operating expenses. Some simply pay into the pension fund whatever money the city happens to have left over at the end of the fiscal year. In the future, these cities may well face the choice between defaulting on obligations to pensioned employees or raising taxes.

(A) City governments are generally unresponsive to financial crises.

(B) Pension rates are often a subject for contract negotiations.

(C) Many city governments abuse or neglect their public pension funds.

(D) City governments are obligated to protect the pension funds of their workers. 70. ------. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Robert Kennedy, the President's brother, negotiated with the Soviets by sending a peace proposal to the Soviet Ambassador. The Soviet diplomat replied by telegraph. Incredibly--absurdly, as it seems to us now--a young delivery boy on a bicycle was given the top-secret message, which he pedaled off through the streets of Washington, D.C. to deliver.

(A) The many dramatizations of the Cuban Missile Crisis tend to focus on the Kennedys rather than the Soviets.

(B) A world without communication by e-mail and computer now seems almost comically primitive.

(C) Diplomacy requires that people negotiate in good faith, even though they hold very different viewpoints.

(D) Often we do not understand all of the consequences of a political crisis until many years have passed.

71. ------. The illuminated portion of its surface can always be seen on a clear night. No lunar haze, clouds, or dust storms have ever been observed. When the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, no luminous atmospheric ring is apparent: the Moon's margins are sharp and black. When the Moon passes between the Earth and a star, the light of the star is cut off sharply and suddenly, not gradually.

(A) One side of the Moon cannot be seen from any part of the Earth.

(B) There are many visible indications that the Moon has little or no atmosphere.

(C) The atmosphere of the Moon does not typically keep us from viewing its features.

(D) Because the Moon is our nearest neighbor in the skies, it is the object of much scientific research.

72. Many inventors work patiently through months and years of discouraging experiments before achieving success. Take, for example, the labors of the inventor of television. His first model exploded. ------. Then he spent more time seeking acceptance of his ideas.

(A) He had already accumulated years of experience in working on a number of other inventions.

(B) He finally saw his invention marketed in 1931, but the first sets were very costly.

(C) Few people in his time foresaw the enormous influence that television would later have on society.

(D) For five years he reexplored and redesigned until he had a functioning product.

73. Over half of our states bear names that derive from Native American words. Illinois, for example, means "the tribe of perfect men." Michigan means "a great water." Texas means "Friends!" ------. California's name was bestowed by the Spanish settlers of the area, who knew of the imaginary land, Califerne, mentioned in a 1510 Spanish romance. Georgia is named for England's King George II, and Louisiana is, of course, named for Louis XIV of France.

(A) The states' names come from a number of different American Indian languages.

(B) The names of many other states are of European origin.

(C) Not many people know the origin of states' names.

(D) Maryland takes its name from Queen Mary of England. 74. There are concerns that people are taking in too much calcium and that these excess amounts could prove harmful. ------. As a result, many companies began fortifying food with calcium. Now it appears that a calcium overload could mean more than a mere upset stomach. It may block absorption of other critical minerals.

(A) Companies will try to make money whenever and however they can.

(B) People are becoming aware that too much calcium can cause problems.

(C) Ten years ago, scientific research suggested that calcium was necessary for strong bones and teeth.

(D) Maintaining the proper mineral balance is as crucial to good health as getting enough exercise.

75. In a reverse of the usual trend, some items become cheaper over the years. Calculators, digital watches, and stereo components are just three examples. ------.

(A) Advertised "sale" prices are often little different from regular prices.

(B) Consumer groups all over the country have formed to protest rising prices for other types of items.

(C) It usually pays for the consumer to buy these inexpensive products.

(D) Improvements in manufacturing processes have reduced the time and cost of producing them.

76. For a long time, most of Baja California was the preserve of private pilots and automobile adventurers. The new 1,061-mile highway has changed all that. Now the whole peninsula is a motor route. ------.

(A) There are even government-financed hotels set along the highway to provide comfort for motorists.

(B) Baja California used to be considered rugged country to drive through.

(C) Some areas of Baja California are nothing but desert, and yet they still have their own stark beauty.

(D) You can also go to Baja California by plane, a much faster and less tiring means of travel than driving.

77. As the newly-hired artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Judith Jamison has built a company in her own image. The Ailey dancers have always been fabulous looking--the most beautiful women, the most chiseled men. ------.

(A) Jamison has kept a number of the basic concepts introduced by Alvin Ailey.

(B) Jamison has preserved the stunning appearance and added her own electric athleticism.

(C) Jamison has successfully adapted ideas from many other dance companies.

(D) Under Jamison, the company has been playing throughout America and Europe for over a decade. 78. As school populations in our city decline, more and more schools will have to be closed. Then the empty buildings will pose a problem to their immediate neighborhoods. ------.

(A) It would, therefore, be wise to begin planning as soon as possible for the best future use of these buildings.

(B) The time has come to halt any further closing of schools.

(C) Nothing is as important as the education of our community's children.

(D) Therefore, no single neighborhood should be held responsible for what it cannot avoid.

79. The game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and its half-dozen imitators may look like versions of the old quiz shows, but they express a popular new attitude toward information, one that challenges traditional respect for learning and knowledge as marks of achievement. These shows are really about the power of useless information in a society overwhelmed by useless information. The winner isn't the most intelligent or best educated person, but rather the one who knows the most trivia: the poet after whose daughter a computer language is named, the place where baseballs are sewn, the planet on which Luke Skywalker lived. ------.

(A) The less valuable the information, the better.

(B) Everyone can answer some of the questions, but hardly anyone can answer them all.

(C) On some shows the contestant can get help from the audience or telephone a friend.

(D) So far the new shows have avoided the cheating scandals that ruined the old ones.

Directions: Each of questions 80-87 presents a topic and four sentences. Select the sentence that provides the best support for the topic presented.

Example: Many people who have extensive collections become extremely knowledgeable about what is in them.

(A) Collecting sculptures and paintings can be an expensive hobby, even for very wealthy people. (B) Chester Nakamura became an expert on samurai swords by researching his own collection. (C) Sara Johnson's private collection of rare books is so extensive that she had to add a large library to her house. (D) Doing something and knowing about it are two different things.

80. Apples were not always a common American crop.

(A) It is said, however, that nothing is more American than apple pie.

(B) There were no apples when the Pilgrims arrived, and so they started trees from seed.

(C) The settlers learned to use dried apples in cooking all year round.

(D) Along with other fruits, apples were sliced and hung to dry in colonial kitchens.

81. The supremacy of the metric system, with its reliance on decimals, has been challenged by modern technology.

(A) Computers, utilized by science and industry for most calculations, use binary rather than decimal numbers.

(B) The use of the metric system in athletic competitions such as the Olympics has not (C) Although the metric system is easy to comprehend and use, it has met with resistance from many Americans.

(D) Fewer and fewer students have a solid grasp of decimals because decimals are becoming less common.

82. The American public is becoming more aware of the importance of snacking on nutritious foods rather than junk foods.

(A) Yogurt and dried fruits are growing in popularity for between-meal eating.

(B) Many dentists and physicians advise limiting one's intake of sweets and fatty foods.

(C) Commercials often describe foods as "all natural" in an attempt to appeal to health- conscious consumers.

(D) Ice cream and cheese are among the popular snack foods not required to list all of their ingredients.

83. The British government is striving to make its railroad system energy efficient.

(A) The costs of owning a car began to increase enormously about ten years ago.

(B) Most British citizens know the economic gains to be had from energy conservation.

(C) Britain's newest trains have been constructed to run on less power than the older trains.

(D) The British government has decided that train travel is the most economical method of transportation.

84. The forty-niners who rushed into California seeking gold created not just a new frontier, a new industry, and a new state, but also a culture much more violent than today's.

(A) During the first years of the gold rush, many thousands of people flocked to California in search of fortune.

(B) The gold rush saw rates of homicide never equaled in subsequent American history.

(C) Obviously computer games, action films, and assault weapons cannot be blamed for the violence.

(D) The annual homicide rate in the United States today is about 9 per 100,000.

85. People receive their first names for interesting reasons.

(A) Ima and Ura Hogg, the daughters of Senator Hogg from Texas, never changed their names.

(B) The name Dolores has a pleasant sound, but it means "sorrows."

(C) Sydney was named after the birthplace of an Australian who saved her father's life during a tornado. (D) Names such as Prudence and Hortense were once popular but are almost never seen anymore.

86. Meharry Medical College is justified when it claims to be a leader in the training of African American health-care professionals.

(A) A large percentage of African American doctors and dentists were educated at Meharry.

(B) Meharry has recently improved its student-faculty ratio in an effort to provide even better medical instruction.

(C) Meharry was founded in 1876 in order to make medical and dental training available to more African Americans.

(D) Meharry, like many leading medical colleges, relies on support from both the public and private sectors.

87. One of many myths about gorillas is that they are ferocious creatures that eat everything; in fact, they are vegetarians.

(A) It is generally not true that gorillas will attack a human being without provocation.

(B) Each group, or family, of gorillas has one male who is the leader and rules by force if necessary.

(C) Gorillas feed two or three times a day and travel from one to three miles during their feeding.

(D) A gorilla's diet on a typical day consists of tree bark, leaves, roots, and fruit.