Practice Test 2 597

practice test
SECTION 2: WRITING AND LANGUAGE TEST
35 MINUTES • 44 QUESTIONS

TURN TO SECTION 2 OF YOUR ANSWER SHEET TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS IN THIS

SECTION.

Directions: Each passage below is accompanied by a number of multiple-choice questions.

For some questions, you will need to consider how the passage might be revised to improve the
expression of ideas. Other questions will ask you to consider how the passage might be edited
to correct errors in sentence structure, usage, or punctuation. A passage may be accompanied by
one or more graphics—such as a chart, table, or graph—that you will need to refer to in order to
best answer the question(s).

Some questions will direct you to an underlined portion of a passage—it could be one word, a
portion of a sentence, or the full sentence itself. Other questions will direct you to a particular
paragraph or to certain sentences within a paragraph, or you’ll be asked to think about the passage
as a whole. Each question number refers to the corresponding number in the passage.

After reading each passage, select the answer to each question that most effectively improves the
quality of writing in the passage or that makes the passage follow the conventions of Standard
Written English. Many questions include a “NO CHANGE” option. Select that option if you
think the best choice is to leave that specific portion of the passage as it is.

QUESTIONS 1–11 ARE BASED ON THE 1

FOLLOWING PASSAGE.
(A) NO CHANGE
Code Talking
(B) Having consisted of
In September of 1992, a group of American (C) A group which were made of
(D) It consisted of
heroes who had gone unrecognized for many
years was honored by the United States 2
Pentagon. 1 Consisted of thirty-five Navajo
(A) NO CHANGE
code talkers.
(B) code for communicating
During World War II, the United States (C) code, for communicating,
(D) code for communicating,
Marines needed to develop a 2 code,
for communicating top-secret information.

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598 PART VII: Five Practice Tests

3 It being the case that they would then 3

have access to information about United (A) NO CHANGE

States Marines tactics and troop movements, (B) It was crucial to the United States,
that enemy forces not be able to
it was crucial that enemy forces not be able to
decipher the code, having access to
decipher the code. information about Marines tactics
and troop movements.
The military recruited a small group of (C) It was crucial that enemy forces be
Navajos to create a code based on their unable to decipher the code because,
if they did, they would have access
language. 4 The Navajo language was to information about the Marines’
chosen because many of the top military tactics and troop movements.
(D) Crucially, the enemy forces were
officials at the time were Navajo. First, it
unable to decipher the code, which
was extremely difficult to learn and virtually would have access to the Marines’
tactics and troop movements.
unknown outside the Navajo community in
the American Southwest. 5 However, the 4 Which choice most effectively sets up the
Navajo language does not have a written form; information that follows?
it uses no alphabet. Its complexity and 6 (A) NO CHANGE
obscurity made it the perfect basis for a code. (B) The Navajo language was chosen
because the Navajo people were
The first group of Navajo recruits attended famous for their military history.
boot camp in 1942. Afterward, they set to (C) The Navajo people had often been
called on to help the American
work developing a vast dictionary of code government in the past.
words for military terms based on the Navajo (D) The Navajo language made an
excellent code for several essential
language. Each code talker had to memorize
reasons.
the dictionary before being sent to a Marine
unit. Once they were stationed with a unit, 5

the code talkers used telephones and radios to (A) NO CHANGE

transmit encoded orders and information. (B) Furthermore
(C) Likewise
(D) As a result

(A) NO CHANGE
(B) uncertainty
(C) intricacy
(D) clarity

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 Practice Test 2 599

practice test
While the Navajo language was complicated, 7 Which choice most effectively joins the
the code was even more complex. A code two sentences?

talker receiving a message heard a stream (A) The receiver had to translate the
words into English, and then the
of Navajo words. 7 The receiver had to
receiver had to use the first letter of
translate the words into English. Then the each English equivalent to spell out a
word.
receiver had to use the first letter of each
(B) The receiver had to translate the
English equivalent to spell out a word. Adding words into English and then use the
to the difficulty of breaking the code was the first letter of each English equivalent
to spell out a word.
fact that most letters could be indicated by the
(C) The receiver had to translate the
code talkers with more than one Navajo word. words into English even though the
receiver had to then use the first letter
Though able to crack the codes of other of each English equivalent to spell
out a word.
military branches, enemy forces never
(D) The receiver had to translate the
managed to 8 perceive what the Marines’ words into English because the
Navajo code talkers said. The code talkers receiver had to use the first letter of
each English equivalent to spell out a
were renowned for the 9 speed, and word.
accuracy, with which they 10 worked.
8

(A) NO CHANGE
(B) fathom
(C) elucidate
(D) decipher

(A) NO CHANGE
(B) speed, and accuracy
(C) speed and accuracy
(D) speed and accuracy,

10

(A) NO CHANGE
(B) will work.
(C) are working.
(D) have been working.

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600 PART VII: Five Practice Tests

11 Because the Navajo language was 11 Which choice provides information that best
supports the claim made by the sentence?
common only in the American Southwest,
the work of the code talkers remained (A) NO CHANGE
(B) had to be translated into English
unacknowledged until quite recently. Half
words and letters
a century later, in 1992, thirty-five former (C) took a long time to decode by people
code talkers and their families attended the who didn’t speak English
(D) remained part of a classified code for
dedication of the Navajo Code Talker Exhibit
many years
at the United States Pentagon, and officially
took their place in military history.

QUESTIONS 12–22 ARE BASED ON THE 12

FOLLOWING PASSAGE.
(A) NO CHANGE
Who was Dian 12 Fossey. Dian Fossey was (B) Dian Fossey?
a researcher, a visionary, and a pioneer in the (C) Dian Fossey,

field of animal conservation. More specifically, (D) Dian Fossey!

Fossey dedicated her life to preserving Africa’s

13 The writer is considering deleting the un-
endangered mountain gorilla. derlined portion of the sentence. Should
the writer make this deletion?
Fossey 13 was born in San Francisco and
(A) Yes, because this information should
made her first trip to Africa in 1963. At the be provided earlier in the passage.
time, she was 31 years old. In the course of (B) Yes, because this information
her trip, she met Dr. Louis Leakey, a 14 doesn’t support the main idea of the
paragraph.
prominent archaeologist and anthropologist. (C) No, because this information supports
the main idea of the paragraph.
(D) No, because this information is
important to the organization of the
passage.

14

(A) NO CHANGE
(B) imminent
(C) infamous
(D) egregious

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 Practice Test 2 601

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Dr. Leakey believed in the importance of 15
research on large apes and encouraged Fossey
(A) NO CHANGE
to undertake such a study. 15 After accepting (B) After accepting the research
the research challenge from Dr. Leakey, challenge from Dr. Leakey, Fossey
chose mountain gorillas as the topic
mountain gorillas became a research topic. of her research.
(C) Mountain gorillas, after accepting
Fossey began her work in the African
the research challenge from Dr.
country of Zaire, but was forced to leave Leakey, became the topic of Fossey’s
research.
because of political unrest. She moved to
(D) Fossey chose mountain gorillas after
another African country, Rwanda, where she accepting the research challenge from
established a research camp in a national Dr. Leakey, as her research topic.
park. 16 They’re, she spent thousands of
16
hours observing the behavior of gorillas. Her
steadfast patience won the trust of the animals, (A) NO CHANGE
(B) Their
and they began to 17 except her presence
(C) There
among them. As a result, she was able to
(D) Where
observe behaviors that had never been seen by
humans before. 17

Spending so much time observing the gorillas, (A) NO CHANGE

(B) undertake
Fossey naturally distinguished among them
(C) assume
and had particular favorites. One of these
(D) accept
favorites was a young male gorilla named
Digit. Digit was later killed by a poacher, 18
an illegal hunter of protected animals. 18 (A) NO CHANGE
Fossey was really, really sad. She began a (B) Fossey was crushed.
public campaign to raise awareness about the (C) Fossey was super-duper sad.
problem of gorilla poaching, a practice that (D) Fossey was stunned and saddened.

threatened their continued existence. 19 19 Which sentence most effectively fits with
The rhinoceros, too, has faced grave danger the main idea of the paragraph?
from poaching. Fossey’s campaign earned (A) NO CHANGE
worldwide attention and support, and she (B) Organizations like the African
continued to live and work in Africa for many Wildlife Foundation help to prevent
poaching, too.
years thereafter. (C) Mountain gorillas, after all, have a life
expectancy of 35 years in the wild.
(D) In 1989, it was predicted that there
were only 620 mountain gorillas left.
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602 PART VII: Five Practice Tests

20 In 1980, Fossey took a teaching position 20 At this point, the writer is considering
adding the following sentence:
at Cornell University and wrote a book,
She had always been interested in
Gorillas in the Mist, that brought further
teaching and decided to seek employ-
attention to the 21 deteriorating numbers of ment at the university level.
mountain gorillas. Afterward, Fossey returned Should the writer make this addition here?
to Rwanda, and spent the rest of her life (A) Yes, because this information
working to protect the mountain gorilla. Even provides information necessary to
understand the paragraph.
after her mysterious death, Fossey’s work
(B) Yes, because this information makes
continued make an impact. a good transition from the previous
paragraph.
Today, 22 the population of mountain (C) No, because this information is not
gorillas in Rwanda is rising thanks to the necessary and doesn’t support the
main idea of the paragraph.
legacy of Dian Fossey.
(D) No, because this information should
be placed at the end of the passage.

21

(A) NO CHANGE
(B) declining
(C) demeaning
(D) degrading

22

(A) NO CHANGE
(B) the population of mountain gorillas in
Rwanda are rising.
(C) the population of mountain gorillas in
Rwanda were rising.
(D) the population of mountain gorillas in
Rwanda rises.

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 Practice Test 2 603

practice test
QUESTIONS 23–33 ARE BASED ON THE 23
FOLLOWING PASSAGE.
(A) NO CHANGE
Tamarin Families
(B) encircles
Deep in the rainforests of Brazil, tiny creatures (C) covers
(D) marks
known as “kings of the jungle” inhabit the
trees. These creatures, similar in size to 24 The writer is considering deleting the
squirrels, have bright, reddish-orange coats underlined sentence. Should the writer do
this?
and hairless faces; their fur 23 obscures their
faces like the mane of a lion. Accordingly, (A) No, because it provides information
necessary to understand the next
these highly endangered monkeys are called sentence.
golden lion tamarins. (B) No, because it explains why family
units are relatively small.
Tamarins live in small family units of up to (C) Yes, because it should be placed
nine individuals. 24 Offspring are generally earlier in the paragraph.
(D) Yes, because this information
born in pairs, and all members of the group
interrupts the flow of the paragraph.
will pitch in to help care for them. Tamarins
that participate in caring for their newborn 25

siblings tend to become 25 better parents. (A) NO CHANGE

(B) better parents than tamarins that do
not.
(C) better parents than other tamarins.
(D) better parents than older tamarins.

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604 PART VII: Five Practice Tests

[1] Tamarins are diurnal, meaning 26 they 26

are active during the daytime. [2] At night, (A) NO CHANGE

they seek shelter in tree hollows. [3] They (B) it is
are omnivorous, eating fruits, insects, and (C) he is
(D) it will be
occasionally small lizards and snakes, which
are 27 one in the same to them. [4] Tamarins 27
spend their time in trees, using their fingers
(A) NO CHANGE
to grip the branches. 28 [5] However, they
(B) one with the same
dislike direct sunlight, and so are well-suited (C) one and the same
to the dense foliage of the forest. (D) one the same

Golden lion tamarins inhabit a distinct 28 To make this paragraph the most logical,
ecological 29 niche, they are found only in sentence 5 should be placed
the eastern rainforests of Brazil. As farmers (A) where it is now.
clear the rainforest to grow cash crops, (B) before sentence 1.
the habitat of the tamarins has decreased (C) before sentence 2.
(D) before sentence 4.
drastically; as a result, the survival of the
species is in extreme danger. Ecologists 29 Which choice most effectively combines
estimate that there are only one thousand the two sentences at the underlined portion?
tamarins remaining in the wild. (A) NO CHANGE
(B) niche they,
(C) niche they
(D) niche; they

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 Practice Test 2 605

practice test
30 In the 1970s, a conservation campaign 30 Which choice most effectively establishes
the main topic of paragraph 5?
was initiated to save the tamarins. The
movement began as a collaboration between (A) A collaborative effort to save the
tamarins was established in 1970
the National Zoological Park in Washington, and over time has developed a multi-
the Smithsonian Institute, and the Rio de faceted approach to solving the
problem of tamarin endangerment.
Janeiro Primate Center. 31 It has grown
(B) The effort to save the tamarins
to address the problem from several angles, includes managing and restoring the
disappearing habitat of the tamarins,
including managing and restoring the
breeding tamarins in captivity and in
disappearing habitat of the tamarins, breeding the wild, and reintroducing tamarins
into their natural environment.
tamarins in captivity and in the wild, and
(C) The collaborative effort to save
reintroducing tamarins into their natural tamarins includes the National
environment. As part of this effort, a number Zoological Park in Washington, the
Smithsonian Institute, and the Rio de
of zoos around the world have participated in Janeiro Primate Center.
helping to breed tamarins in captivity. 32 (D) The continued effort of zoos to breed
the tamarin in captivity has saved the
tamarin from extinction.

31

(A) NO CHANGE
(B) The campaign
(C) The problem
(D) They

32 Which choice adds accurate data to the

paragraph based on the graph (next page)?

(A) Unfortunately, the participation rate

among zoos has fallen dramatically
while the tamarin population has
climbed.
(B) While the population of tamarins in
captivity has fluctuated since 2000,
the number of participating zoos has
remained relatively steady.
(C) Although the population of
tamarins has fallen since 2000, the
participation rate of zoos has risen
substantially in recent years.
(D) Sadly, both the number of
participating zoos and the population
of tamarins has fallen significantly
since 2000.
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606 PART VII: Five Practice Tests

So far, efforts to return these animals back into 33

their natural habitat have been 33 fruitful,
(A) NO CHANGE
making the golden lion tamarin one of very (B) problematic
few species to be successfully reintroduced (C) lucrative
into the wild. (D) delayed

Used with permission. Ballou, J. D., J. Mickelberg, D. Field, and N. Lindsey. 2009. Population
Management Recommendations for the International Ex-situ Population of Golden Lion Tamarins
(Leontopithecus rosalia). National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C.

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 Practice Test 2 607

practice test
QUESTIONS 34–44 ARE BASED ON THE 34
FOLLOWING PASSAGE.
(A) NO CHANGE
Classical architecture, the origins of which can (B) inclement
be traced to ancient Rome, is characterized by (C) rigorous
(D) contentious
a strict and 34 terminable adherence to the
principles of coherence, exactness, and detail. 35 At this point, the writer is considering
35 The basis of the classical style was adding the following sentence:
Over time, the classical tripartite plan
the manner in which a building’s space was
spilled over from architecture to other
divided so as to create a coherent whole. arts—music, poetry, and dance—and it
is not uncommon to have a three-part
An example of a plan for the division of
hierarchy within those artistic areas
a building’s space was 36 the tripartite as well.
plan. This plan would divide the space in a Should the writer make this addition here?
particular building into three equal parts. Such (A) Yes, because it adds interesting detail
a plan would be followed no matter what the to the paragraph.
(B) Yes, because it provides an accurate
purpose of the building—churches, homes,
introduction to the paragraph.
or public government buildings could all be (C) No, because this information should
designed with such a plan. Even gardens, be added at the end of the paragraph.
(D) No, because this information does
designed in the classical style, might have a
not support the main idea of the
three-part plan. paragraph.

36 Which choice most effectively combines

the sentences at the underlined portion?

(A) the tripartite plan, and this plan

would
(B) the tripartite plan would
(C) the tripartite plan, it would
(D) the tripartite plan, which would

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608 PART VII: Five Practice Tests

Once the framework of a building designed 37

in the classical style was established,
(A) NO CHANGE
architectural elements were added. While (B) columns are fairly typical
37 columns are fairly typical architectural architectural elements
(C) column is a fairly typical
element, there are five types in particular
architectural elements
that are the most 38 common: the Doric, (D) columns is fairly typical architectural
Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite. elements

Each column was distinctive and of a certain

38
specified proportion, base to top. Just as
(A) NO CHANGE
the building follows a tripartite plan, so
(B) common: the Doric and Ionic,
the columns themselves have a three-part Corinthian, and Tuscan, and
organization. Above the column is a horizontal Composite.
(C) common: the Doric; Ionic;
piece, called the entablature; then comes the
Corinthian; Tuscan; and Composite.
column itself, which is tall and cylindrical; (D) common: the Doric and Ionic;
and finally comes the platform, or crepidoma, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite.

upon which the column rests.

39
Each of these elements also maintains a
(A) NO CHANGE
three-part organization. The entablature is (B) cornice, frieze, and the architrave.
divided into three parts— 39 cornice, the (C) the cornice, the frieze, and the
architrave.
frieze, and the architrave. The column includes
(D) the cornice, the frieze, and architrave.
the capital, the shaft, and the base. 40
40 Which of the following choices supports
the topic of the paragraph with relevant
information?

(A) The crepidoma was a single solid

mass of steps that supported the rest
of the column.
(B) The crepidoma sometimes included
a sloping ramp, particularly in large
temples.
(C) The crepidoma maintains the three-
part division with its three steps.
(D) The crepidoma, though, was not
often used in Doric columns.

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 Practice Test 2 609

practice test
Classical architecture is filled with 41
conventions that while not obvious to most
(A) NO CHANGE
viewers, become apparent upon closer (B) a classical building must stand free;
analysis. For example, 41 classical buildings we cannot touch
(C) classical buildings must stand free;
must stand free; it cannot touch the sides of
you cannot touch
other buildings because, in the view of the (D) classical buildings must stand free;
classicist, each building is a world within they cannot touch

a world of 42 his own. Consequently,

42
organizing groups of buildings became
(A) NO CHANGE
problematic for rule-following, classical
(B) their
architects because of 43 differentiated
(C) its
violations of spatial conventions. The classical (D) the buildings
mode required adherence to formal rules that
43
were sometimes impossible to impose on
groups of buildings. 44 (A) NO CHANGE
(B) perceived
(C) comprehended
(D) extricated

44 Which choice most effectively establishes

the main topic of the final paragraph?

(A) The rules of classical architecture,

which become apparent on close
examination, often organize a
building and its features into tripartite
groups of three.
(B) Classical architects often had trouble
following the rules and building
groups of buildings.
(C) A classical building must stand free
and be a world unto itself, which is
why no classical buildings connect to
each other.
(D) The numerous and strict conventions
of classical architecture, such as the
idea that a building must stand on
its own, were not always easy for
classical builders to abide by.

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