About the ged writing exam 9 potx

 Pretest: GED Language Arts, Writing Directions: In the passage below, the paragraphs are let- tered, and the sentences are numbered. Read the passage carefully and then answer the multiple-choice questions that follow. Choose the best answer for each question. To practice the timing of the exam, take 15 minutes to complete this pretest. Record your answers on the answer sheet provided below. Make sure you mark the answer in the circle that corresponds to the question. Note: On the GED, you are not permitted to write in the test booklet. Make any notes on a separate piece of paper. Questions 1 through 10 refer to the following passage. Batman A (1)Year after year, one of the most popular Hal- loween costumes for children and adults alike is Batman. (2)In fact, this superhero, was created in 1939 and known worldwide, continues to be one of the most popular comic strip characters ever created. B (3)Batman was the brainchild of comic book artist Bob Kane. (4)Who was just 22 years old when he was asked to create a new superhero for DC Comics. (5)Superman was a phenomenal success, and DC Comics wanted another hero, just as pow- erful, to appeal to it’s readers. (6)Kane’s idea for Batman reportedly came from Leonardo da Vinci’s famous sketch of a man flying with bat-like wings and the heroes in the Shadow and Zorro series who wore masks. C (7)Kane’s Batman was a success that was big right from the start. (8)The masked hero soon moved from comic books to its own newspaper strip, and in 1943, Batman episodes were aired on the radio. (9)In 1966, live-action Batman shows hit the TV screen. (10)The series was wildly popular, and the syndicated show still airs today on channels like the Cartoon Network. D (11)Batman is really Bruce Wayne a millionaire who witnessed the murder of his parents as a child. (12)Why was Batman so popular? (13)The answer may lie in the background Kane gave his character. (14)He vowed to avenge their deaths and the bring- ing of criminals to justice. (15)He didn’t have any supernatural powers. (16)Instead, he devotes his life to training his body and mind to fight crime and used his wealth to develop high-tech crime- fighting tools and weapons, like his famous Bat- mobile. (17)Thus, Kane created a superhero who is just as human as the rest of us. (18)In Batman, Kane gave us an image of our own superhero potential. 1. Sentence 2: In fact, this s uperhero, was created in 1939 and kno wn wo rldwide, continues to be one of the most popular comic strip characters ever created. Which is the best way to write the underlined portion of this sentence? If the original is the best way, choose option a. a. this superhero, was created in 1939 and known worldwide, continues b. this superhero, having been created in 1939 and known worldwide, continues c. this superhero, created in 1939 and known worldwide, continues d. this superhero, was created in 1939 and known worldwide, and continuing e. this superhero, who was created in 1939 and being known worldwide, continues – THE GED LANGUAGE ARTS, WRITING EXAM– 30 1. abcde 2. abcde 3. abcde 4. abcde 5. abcde 6. abcde 7. abcde 8. abcde 9. abcde 10. abcde ANSWER SHEET 2. Sentences 3 and 4: Batman was the brainchild of comic book artist B ob Kane. Who was just 22 years old when he was asked to create a new superhero for DC Comics. Which is the best way to write the underlined portion of these sentences? If the original is the best way, choose option a. a. Bob Kane. Who was b. Bob Kane; who was c. Bob Kane. Kane was d. Bob Kane, who was e. Bob Kane, while he was 3. Sentence 5: Superman was a phenomenal suc- cess, and DC Comics wanted another hero, just as powerful, to appeal to it’s readers. Which correction should be made to sentence 5? a. Change he ro to Hero. b. Change it ’s to its. c. Replace Superman was with Superman is. d. Insert a comma after C omics. e. No correction is necessary. 4. Sentence 6: Kane’s idea for Batman reportedly came from Leonardo da Vinci’s famous sketch of a man flying with bat-like wings and the heroes in the Shadow and Zorro series who wore masks. Which revision should be made to sentence 6? a. Change man fl ying to flying man. b. Replace bat-lik e wings with having wings like a bat. c. Start a new sentence after wings. d. Change reportedly came from to was reported c oming from. e. Move who wore masks to follow the heroes. 5. Sentence 7: Kane’s Batman was a s uccess that was big right from the start. Which is the best way to write the underlined portion of sentence 7? If the original is the best way, choose option a. a. was a success that was big b. was a big success c. was successful in a big way d. was successfully big e. is a successful thing 6. Sentence 11: Batman is really Bruce Wayne a mil- lionaire who witnessed the murder of his parents as a child. Which correction should be made to sentence 11? a. Insert a comma after W ayne. b. Replace w ho with that. c. Change wit nessed to sa w. d. Replace as a c hild with d uring his childhood. e. No correction is necessary. 7. Sentence 11: Batman is really Bruce Wayne a millionaire who witnessed the murder of his parents as a child. Which revision should be made to the place- ment of sentence 11? a. Move sentence 11 to follow sentence 7. b. Move sentence 11 to the end of paragraph C. c. Move sentence 11 to follow sentence 12. d. Move sentence 11 to follow sentence 13. e. Move sentence 11 to follow sentence 14. 8. Sentence 14: He vowed to avenge their deaths and the b ringing of criminals to justice. Which is the best way to write the underlined portion of this sentence? If the original is the best way, choose option a. a. and the bringing of criminals to justice b. and brought criminals to justice c. and will bring criminals to justice d. and bring criminals to justice e. and that he would bring criminals to justice 9. Sentence 16: Instead, he devotes his life to train- ing his body and mind to fight crime and used his wealth to develop high-tech crime-fighting tools and weapons, like his famous Batmobile. Which correction should be made to sentence 16? a. Change d evotes to devoted. b. Replace t o fight with fighting. c. Change hig h-tech to high, tech. d. Insert a comma after body. e. No correction is necessary. – THE GED LANGUAGE ARTS, WRITING EXAM– 31 10. Sentence 18: In Batman, Kane gave us an image of our own superhero potential. The most effective revision of sentence 18 would begin with which group of words? a. However, Batman was someone in whom Kane b. Therefore, in Batman, we are given c. More importantly, in Batman, Kane gives us d. On the other hand, in Batman, we see e. Thankfully, it is in Batman that we have Pretest Answers and Explanations 1. c. The nonessential information in this sentence is best set off by commas, and choice c is the only version that is grammatically correct. Choice a is incorrect because the information set off by commas is incomplete (was should be deleted, or who should be inserted before was). Choice b is incorrect because the verb phrase having been created is incorrect; the correct helping verb would be had, not having, and the clause would require which before had. Choice d is incorrect for the same reason as a, and the verb continuing should be in the past tense. Choice e is incorrect because the verb being should be either the pres- ent or past tense, not a present participle. 2. d. Sentence 4 is best attached to sentence 3 as a nonessential who clause, thus providing extra information regarding the creation of Batman. Choice a is incorrect because sentence 4 is a sen- tence fragment. Choice b is incorrect because a semicolon can only be used between two com- plete sentences (independent clauses), and sen- tence 4 is an incomplete sentence. Choice c is correct, but it unnecessarily repeats Kane;com- bining the sentences with a who clause elimi- nates the repetition. Choice e is incorrect because it is wordy and awkward. 3. b. It’s is the contraction of it is; the sentence needs the possessive form, its. Choice a is incorrect because hero is not a specific noun and should not be capitalized. Choice c is incorrect because the verb was needs to remain in the past tense. Choice d is incorrect because commas should not separate subjects and verbs unless a com- plete phrase or clause is inserted. Choice e is incorrect because it’s needs to be corrected. 4. e. The modifier who wore masks should be moved after heroes to be as close as possible to the noun it modifies. Choice a is incorrect because flying should be as close as possible to the preposi- tional phrase with bat-like wings; reversing man and flying would indicate that the man was a fly- ing man, not a man who flew with bat-like wings. Choice b is incorrect because bat-like wings is a more concise modifier than having wings like a bat; also, the verb having cannot fol- low flying with. Choice c is incorrect because the new sentence beginning with and would be a fragment (incomplete sentence). In choice D, the verb phrase was reported coming is incorrect. 5. b. This is the most concise and correct way to con- vey this idea. Choice a is unnecessarily wordy. Choice c is too informal (in a big way is slang). Choice d is awkward and states that the size was a success, not that the comic strip was a success. Choice e is incorrect because thing is too gen- eral; a more precise noun should be used. 6. a. The information after Wayne is a nonessential descriptive clause that needs to be set off by a comma. Choice b is incorrect because who should be used when referring to people; that should be used to refer to things. Choice c is incorrect because witnessed is a more precise word than saw. Choice d is incorrect because it is more wordy and also suggests a longer time frame, as if the murder occurred over time. Choice e is incorrect because the comma after Wayne is necessary. – THE GED LANGUAGE ARTS, WRITING EXAM– 32 7. d. Sentence 11 is the first sentence describing Bat- man’s background, so the most logical and effective place for this information is after sen- tence 13: The answer may lie in the background Kane gave his character. Choice a is incorrect because paragraph C describes Batman’s suc- cess, not his background. Choice b is incorrect for the same reason. Choice c is incorrect because the sentence doesn’t directly answer the question asked in sentence 12; sentence 13 needs to state the answer (Batman’s background) first. Choice e is incorrect because we need to know that Batman’s parents were murdered before we learn that he vowed to avenge their deaths; we would not know whose murder Batman was avenging. 8. d. This choice uses parallel structure and is correct and concise. Choice a is incorrect because to requires the verbs avenge and bring to be in their infinitive forms. Choice b is incorrect for the same reason; brought is in the past tense, not the infinitive form. Likewise, choice c uses the future tense (will bring), so it is incorrect. Choice e is grammatically correct, but it is wordy and less effective than the parallel struc- ture in choice d. 9. a. The tenses are inconsistent (present tense devotes and past tense used). The other sentences about Batman’s background are in the past tense, so devotes should be changed to the past tense, devoted. Choice b is incorrect because to is necessary to show the relationship between mind and fight; a gerund (fighting) would not make sense here. Choice c is incorrect because high and tech work together to create one modi- fier, so the hyphen between them is necessary. Choice d is incorrect because there are only two items in the list (body and mind), so there should not be a comma between them. Choice e is incorrect because the inconsistent verb tense needs to be corrected. 10. c. The most effective transitional phrase to begin this sentence is more importantly. The idea expressed in this sentence—that Batman gives us an image of our own superhero potential—is the most powerful explanation for why so many people were drawn to the Batman character. Choice a is incorrect because idea in sentence 18 does not contrast with the idea in sentence 17. While choice b is logical (the idea in sentence 18 is an “effect” of the idea in sentence 17), choice c is more appropriate in the context. Choice d is incorrect because sentence 18 does not contrast the idea in sentence 17. Choice e is incorrect because it is wordy, and the transitional word thankfully seems out of place in both style and context.  Pretest Assessment How did you do on the pretest? If you answered seven or more questions correctly, you have earned the equivalent of a passing score on the first part of the GED Writing Test. But that doesn’t mean you should skip Chapter 5. This pretest is not designed to give you an exact measure of how you would do on the GED. Rather, it is designed to help you determine where to focus your study efforts. Remember, this pretest does not cover all of the material that may be included on the GED and does not include an essay exam. – THE GED LANGUAGE ARTS, WRITING EXAM– 33 . include an essay exam. – THE GED LANGUAGE ARTS, WRITING EXAM 33