27. The correct answer is (C). The sentence does not have a misplaced modifier nor is it wordy. Choice (A) This choice is very wordy and has a misplaced modifier. Choice (B) The modifiers are misplaced, leaving the meaning ambiguous. Choice (D) The sentence is wordy, and the placement of modifiers is awkward. Choice (E) The use of passive voice is not desirable. 28. The correct answer is (B). The superlative most is correct. Choice (A) The comparative more is incorrect. Choice (C) The comparative more is incorrect. Choice (D) The modifiers are misplaced. Choice (E) There are more than two items being compared, so better is incorrect. 29. The correct answer is (D). The subject of the sentence is the singular no one, so the verb must be singular, knows. Choice (A) The subject no one is singular; therefore, the verb must be the singular knows. Choice (B) The objective pronoun me should be used. Don’t be confused by the placement of me. It is part of the compound object of the preposition but. But can be used in place of the preposition except as it is being used here. Choice (C) The objective pronoun me should be used. Choice (E) The tense of the verb is incorrect. 30. The correct answer is (C). The use of the phrase but also gives the sentence parallel construction. Choice (A) The conjunction not only needs to be paired with but also. Choice (B) The pronoun their is incorrect. Choice (D) The pronoun they is incorrect. Choice (E) The verb can is not necessary to convey the meaning of the sentence. 31. The correct answer is (D). The verb construction is parallel in all three parts. Choice (A) The wording lacks parallel construction. Choice (B) The pronoun it is incorrect. Choice (C) Commas are needed to separate items in a series. Choice (E) The verb selection improperly changes the meaning of the sentence. PART III: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 366 www.petersons.com 32. The correct answer is (A). The wording is direct and to the point. Choice (B) The wording is redundant. Choice (C) A comma is required to set off the introductory phrase. Choice (D) The wording is redundant. Choice (E) The wording is awkward. 33. The correct answer is (C). The wording is simple and to the point. Choice (A) The modifier world’s center is misplaced. Choice (B) The tense of the verb is incorrect. Choice (D) The modifier world’s center is misplaced. Choice (E) The wording is awkward. 34. The correct answer is (A). The punctuation and wording are correct. Choice (B) A semicolon, not a comma, is needed to separate two independent clauses. Choice (C) The placement of the modifier especially those of an earlier day is not clear and direct. Choice (D) Commas are required to set off parenthetical comments. Choice (E) A comma is required before the conjunction and. 35. The correct answer is (E). The sentence is direct and has parallel construction. Choice (A) The verb completing is not parallel with was pleased. Choice (B) A comma is required after car. Choice (C) The tense of the verb is incorrect. Choice (D) The wording is awkward. 36. The correct answer is (B). The plural were is properly used here because the subject is compound. Choice (A) The verb was should be replaced by the plural were in both locations. Choice (C) The verb was should be replaced by the plural were. Choice (D) The verb was should be replaced by the plural were. Choice (E) The inclusion of one is superfluous. PRACTICE EXERCISE SET 4 367 www.petersons.com 37. The correct answer is (D). This choice eliminates the im- proper use of his and avoids redundancy. Choice (A) The possessive pronoun his cannot refer to the possessive proper noun Johnson’s. Choice (B) The verb tense is incorrect. Choice (C) The possessive pronoun his cannot refer to the possessive proper noun Johnson’s. Choice (E) The wording contains a redundancy. 38. The correct answer is (C). The unnecessary by me is re- moved, and the punctuation is correct. Choice (A) The phrase by me is redundant. Choice (B) The proper idiom is at every turn. Choice (D) The tense of the verb was arguing is incorrect. Choice (E) The conjunction and is unnecessary. IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS 39. The correct answer is (C). The punctuation and voice are correct. Choice (A) A semicolon is needed to separate two independent clauses. Choice (B) It is preferable to use the active voice. Choice (D) The conjunction and alters the meaning of the selection. Choice (E) The tense of the verb is incorrect. 40. The correct answer is (A). This choice is succinct and avoids improper diction. Choice (B) This choice is unnecessarily wordy. Choice (C) The phrase despite the concerns of many is misplaced. Choice (D) The word unmatchable is improper diction. The proper word is unmatched. Choice (E) This choice is unnecessarily wordy. 41. The correct answer is (D). This choice is direct and to the point. The shortest answer is often the best. It must still convey the writer’s thought, but the brief answer will avoid errors that are contained in the longer choices. Choice (A) The second clause is not independent; therefore, the semicolon is incorrect. Choice (B) The past tense wasn’t is incorrect. Choice (C) The wording is a sentence fragment. Choice (E) The active voice is preferable to the passive voice. PART III: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 368 www.petersons.com 42. The correct answer is (B). The pronoun their is correct, and the wording is direct. Choice (A) The possessive pronoun one’s is incorrect. Choice (C) The possessive pronoun one’s is incorrect. Choice (D) The phrase in statistics incorrectly modifies argument. Choice (E) The phrase to that effect is unnecessary. 43. The correct answer is (A). All elements of the sentence are correct. Choice (B) In context, the noun people, not flying, should be the subject of the sentence. Choice (C) The tense of the verb have remained is incorrect. Choice (D) Don’t be confused by the use of some to refer to people. The relative pronoun who is still correct, so that is incorrect. Choice (E) The change in the verb to might alters the tone of the sentence. 44. The correct answer is (E). This choice contains a good statement of theme, transition, and summary. Choice (A) The choice is too firm in its assessment of the nonfliers’ liking flying. Choice (B) The choice is too firm in its assessment of the nonfliers’ enjoying flying. Choice (C) The choice incorrectly shifts to second person. Choice (D) The phrase having looked at all of the available data is a misplaced participle. 45. The correct answer is (B). The sentence corrects the error in subject-verb agreement. Choice (A) The choice contains singular verbs that do not agree with the plural subject problems and annoy- ances. Choice (C) The choice corrects the agreement error, but the sentence begins with a conjunction but. Choice (D) The choice does not correct the subject-verb problem. Choice (E) The sentence is missing a comma after the transi- tion however and does not correct the subject-verb error. PRACTICE EXERCISE SET 4 369 www.petersons.com 46. The correct answer is (A). The sentence is in the preferred active voice. Choice (B) The choice contains two awkwardly worded clauses written in the passive voice. Choice (C) The sentence is overwritten. Choice (D) Besides the use of the passive voice, this sentence includes a pronoun-agreement error. Choice (E) This passive sentence changes the meaning of the original. 47. The correct answer is (C). The choice is succinct and adds sentence variety to the essay. Choice (A) This choice makes equal two clauses of unequal weight. Being the unmowed area and being able to pose problems are not equal qualities, but in this choice, being joined by and makes them seem equal. Choice (B) The choice is illogical. Choice (D) The choice contains a comma splice. Choice (E) The sentence is incomplete. 48. The correct answer is (B). The sentence contains a necessary transition. See page 37 for a chart showing transitions for different types of writing organization. Choice (A) The choice does not have a transition. Choice (C) The sentence requires a comma to separate the two independent clauses. Choice (D) While the sentence does have a transition, next is used for chronological or spatial development. Choice (E) The choice uses the semicolon incorrectly. A comma would be correct. 49. The correct answer is (E). The use of transitional words makes the essay’s development by order of importance easy to follow. Choice (A) The paragraph requires transition, but this choice has none. Choice (B) This choice is wordy. Choice (C) Nevertheless is an inappropriate transition for order-of-importance development. Choice (D) The sentence contains nonstandard English—the slang word totally. PART III: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 370 www.petersons.com 50. The correct answer is (A). The sentence repeats the idea expressed in sentence 6, the thesis statement. Choice (B) Sentence 25 begins an interesting final comment. Choice (C) Sentence 26 continues the final comment. Choice (D) Sentence 27, along with the final sentence, is the clincher. Choice (E) Sentence 28 completes the clincher. PRACTICE EXERCISE SET 4 371 www.petersons.com QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE PACING GUIDE FOR WRITING THE ESSAY 5 minutes Step 1 Read the question carefully. Step 2 Restate to yourself what the question is asking. Underline the key words. Step 3 Make a list by brainstorming all the ideas that come to mind. Write down your ideas. Step 4 Create a thesis from the ideas you have brainstormed. Step 5 Turn your brainstorm into an informal working plan by numbering the items that you want include in your essay in the order in which you want to include them. Cross out ideas that no longer fit now that you have a thesis statement. 4 minutes Step 6 Begin writing your introduction by stating your thesis clearly. Step 7 Read your first paragraph to be sure that your ideas follow each other logically and support your thesis. 10 minutes Step 8 Check your quick list of ideas. Choose the next idea and write a transition into your second paragraph. Keep writing until you use all the RELEVANT ideas on your quick list. 4 minutes Step 9 Write a solid conclusion using one of the following techniques: (a) rephrasing your thesis, (b) summarizing your main points, (c) referring in some way back to your introductory paragraph. 2 minutes Step 10 Proofread and revise neatly. TOP 10 RULES OF EFFECTIVE WRITING Rule 1: Use Action Verbs and the Active Voice Rule 2: Use Precise Words Rule 3: Say What You Mean Rule 4: Maintain Your Tone Rule 5: Use Direct Language Rule 6: Use Concise Language Rule 7: Improve Sentences Rule 8: Develop Sentence Variety Rule 9: Use Standard Rules of English for Capitalization Rule 10: Use Standard Rules of English for Punctuation 372 STRATEGIES FOR ANSWERING MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS • Carefully read the entire sentence, NOT just the underlined phrases. The underlined words may seem correct unless you read the whole statement. • As you read, listen for any words or phrases that do not “sound” right to you. Anything that sounds awkward or strange may be a mistake. • Always substitute into the sentence the choices for the part that you think is incorrect. • Do not spend time to read choice (A), because it repeats the original sentence. • Find the best answer, not one that is simply correct. More than one choice may be correct, but only one best fits the context. • If the sentence sounds correct to your ear, the correct choice is probably (A). • Answer the easy questions first. NOTE: Be sure to skip the answer ovals for the questions you skip. • Look for errors according to difficulty: 1. Capitalization and punctuation errors 2. Grammar and syntax errors 3. Usage, sequence of tenses, parallel structure, redundancy, and then other errors • Read a sentence or passage through twice before making any decision about an answer. • Identify the subject and the predicate of each sentence to help you find errors in usage, redundancy, and relevance. QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE 373 www.petersons.com . final comment. Choice (C) Sentence 26 continues the final comment. Choice (D) Sentence 27 , along with the final sentence, is the clincher. Choice (E) Sentence 28 completes the clincher. PRACTICE. fragment. Choice (E) The active voice is preferable to the passive voice. PART III: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 3 68 www.petersons.com 42. The correct answer is (B). The pronoun their is correct, and the. your introductory paragraph. 2 minutes Step 10 Proofread and revise neatly. TOP 10 RULES OF EFFECTIVE WRITING Rule 1: Use Action Verbs and the Active Voice Rule 2: Use Precise Words Rule 3: Say