About the GED Language Arts,Writing Exam

 What to Expect on the Language Arts, Writing Exam As you know, the Language Arts, Writing Exam has two parts. Part I consists of 50 multiple-choice questions that measure your knowledge in four key writing areas: ■ Sentence structure—30% ■ Usage—30% ■ Mechanics—25% ■ Organization—15% You will have 75 minutes to complete this part of the test. Each question will have five answer choices; only one will be correct. Because there’s a lot more to writing an effective essay than good grammar or logical organization, and because effective writing is essential if you are to succeed in college or in the workplace, the GED writing test also includes an essay section. Part II consists of one essay topic. You will have 45 minutes to write an essay in response to that prompt. A lot of people are intimidated by essay exams. After all, you are being asked to write well under pressure, and if you don’t pass the essay exam, you don’t pass the Language Arts, Writing Test. But there is some good news about the GED writing exam. For one thing, the essay doesn’t have to be long. In fact, because you have only 45 minutes, you 35 CHAPTER 5 About the GED Language Arts, Writing Exam TO PREPARE effectively for the Language Arts, Writing Exam, you need to know exactly what the test is like. This chapter explains the structure of the exam, including the types of questions and passages you will see on the test. are only expected to write about five paragraphs or approximately 250 words. (In contrast, most college-level essays are expected to be at least three to five pages!) For another, you are given only one essay prompt. That means you don’t have to spend any time deciding which question to answer. You only have to decide how you will answer that question. In addition, no matter what writing prompt you get, you will be able to answer the question. All of the essay topics are general enough for anyone to write about. None of them will require you to have any kind of spe- cialized knowledge or experience. If you finish your essay in less than 45 minutes, you can return to Part I for the remainder of the test time. This can give you the opportunity to double-check your answers, especially those where you guessed at the answer. One Test, Two Parts The Language Arts, Writing Test consists of two separate exams: ➧ Part I: Multiple-choice questions on sen- tence structure, usage, mechanics, and organization (75 minutes) ➧ Part II: An essay of approximately 250 words (45 minutes) You must pass both tests to pass the Lan- guage Arts, Writing GED. Questions in Context Unlike many other standardized English exams, the questions on Part I of the GED Language Arts, Writing Exam do not test writing knowledge and skills in isola- tion. Instead, all questions are asked in context. You may be used to seeing grammar or usage tests with questions like the following: Identify the correct spelling of the word below: a. embellesh b. embelish c. embillish d. embellish e. imbellish On the GED, however, each question refers to specific words, sentences, or paragraphs taken from a complete passage. All the questions on the pretest use this format, and you can expect all the questions in Part I to look like this, too: Sentence 8: Be sure to be honest and not embel- lish the truth in you’re resume. Which correction should be made to sentence 8? a. change B e sure to M ake it sure b. insert a comma after ho nest c. change ho nest to ho nesty d. replace y ou’re with your e. change be honest to being honest (The correct answer for both examples is d.) To answer this kind of question, you will often need to read and understand the entire sentence and often sur- rounding sentences as well. A smaller portion of the questions will require you to read and understand the surrounding paragraphs in order to select the correct answer. You may also need a sense of the author’s pur- pose and writing strategies. This is especially true of revi- sion questions that ask you to find the best place for sentences or decide the best place to start a new paragraph. Kinds of Passages On Part I of the Language Arts, Writing Test, questions will be drawn from reading passages that are between 200–300 words and 12–18 sentences long. Most passages will have three to five paragraphs. The GED Writing Exam will have three different types of reading passages: 1. informational, with topics such as home com- puters, recreational activities, historical events, family matters, health, and careers 2. business communications, such as memos, let- ters, reports, meeting minutes, e-mails, applica- tions, and executive summaries 3. how-to documents that provide directions or instructions on matters such as finding a job, acing an interview, buying a computer, choosing a college, etc. – ABOUT THE GED LANGUAGE ARTS, WRITING EXAM – 36 Types of Multiple-Choice Questions The questions on Part I will be one of three types: correction, revision, and construction shift. 1. Correction. These questions will present you with a sentence (or sentences) and ask you to identify the correction that should be made to the sentence(s). Correction questions test your edit- ing skills: how well you can correct errors in sen- tence structure, usage, and mechanics. These questions are typically worded as follows: Which correction should be made to sentence 4? 2. Revision. These questions will also present you with a sentence (or sentences) and ask you to identify the revision that should be made to the sentence(s). To revise means to look at something again (to re-examine) in order to improve or amend it. This is quite different from editing for grammatical mistakes. Revision questions will focus on changes that clarify ideas rather than correct errors. Revision questions will also deal with improving organization, fluency, and overall impact. Revision questions are typically worded as in the following examples: The most effective revision of sentence 3 would begin with which group of words? Which revision should be made to the placement of sentence 9? 3. Construction shift. These questions will present you with a sentence (or sentences) with part of the sentence(s) underlined. You will be asked to identify the best way to rewrite the underlined portion of a sentence or the best way to combine sentences. These questions may be a matter of editing or revision. For example, connecting two sentences properly may correct a sentence frag- ment. Construction shift questions are typically worded as in the following examples: Which is the best way to write the underlined por- tion of the sentence? If the original is the best way, choose option a. Which is the most effective combination of sen- tences 2 and 3? Types of Essay Prompts Part II of the writing test is, of course, the essay. The test will include one writing prompt—a topic and direction for your essay. The prompt is designed to be general enough for all test candidates to respond in a short essay (200–300 words) that explains or describes an idea, sit- uation, or experience. (In other words, you should write a factual piece based upon your own opinions, knowl- edge, and experiences, not a fictitious story.) The essay prompt on the GED will typically be one of three types: 1. A narrative prompt asks you to describe an expe- rience and why it is significant to you. Here’s an example: Sometimes events take an unexpected turn and things turn out differently than we imagined. Tell about a time when something unexpected hap- pened to you. In your essay, describe what was sup- posed to happen and how things actually turned out. Use supporting details throughout your essay. 2. A persuasive prompt asks you to take a position on an issue and explain why you have taken that position. Here’s an example: The Internet includes many websites with images and content that are inappropriate for children. Other sites on the Internet promote violence or intolerance against certain groups of people. Should websites like these be censored? In your essay, state your position on this issue and explain why you take that position. Use your personal observations, experiences, and knowledge to support your essay. 3. An expository prompt asks you to explain or describe your response to a specific situation or question. These topics can vary widely. Here is an example: Our relationship with our neighbors is very impor- tant. Sometimes, these relationships are the source of great joy in our lives; other times, they can be the source of great trouble. In your opinion, what makes a good neighbor? In your essay, identify the characteristics of a good neighbor and explain why these characteristics are important for people living side by side. Use your personal observations, experi- ences, and knowledge to support your essay. – ABOUT THE GED LANGUAGE ARTS, WRITING EXAM – 37 The importance of responding accurately to the prompt cannot be understated. If you do not write on the assigned topic, you will not receive a score for the essay exam.  How the Tests Are Scored You will receive one point for each correct answer on Part I. Part II is scored on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 4 (high- est). The ACE uses a special formula to combine these scores and then convert them to the standard 200–800 scale. Thus, you will receive one score for both parts of the Language Arts, Writing Exam. Part II, the essay exam, is scored by two independent readers. The essay is graded holistically, which means that the readers assess the essay’s overall effectiveness, not just its grammatical correctness. You can still earn a high score if you have a few comma splices or misspelled words (after all, you aren’t allowed to use a dictionary). If your essay ■ has a clear main idea, ■ maintains focus, ■ develops its ideas, ■ provides strong support, ■ is logically organized, and ■ adheres to the conventions of standard written English, you are well on your way to a passing score. Follow Directions Your essay will not be scored if you leave the page blank, if your essay is illegible, or if you write on a topic other than the one that was assigned. It is therefore extremely important that you respond to the prompt you are given. Do not write about a different topic. Also, make sure you write your essay on the lined pages in the answer booklet. Only the writing in that booklet will be scored. While scoring an essay is far more subjective than cor- recting a multiple-choice exam, the ACE has developed a detailed scoring rubric to guide readers through the essay scoring process. This rubric lists the specific crite- ria that essays should meet for each score. The following is a scoring rubric modeled after the official scoring guide for the GED. Be sure to review the scoring guide carefully. The more you know about what is expected of you in the essay, the better you will be able to meet those expectations. Sample Essay Scoring Rubric The essay exam is scored on a four-point scale from 4 (high) to 1 (low). The four levels of writing are: 1. Effective 2. Adequate 3. Marginal 4. Inadequate The overall evaluation will be based on the following five areas: 1. Response to the assigned prompt 2. Organization of the essay 3. Demonstration of the development and details 4. Conventions of language (grammar, usage, mechanics) 5. Word choice A “4” Essay ■ presents a well-developed main idea and a clear focus that respond to the assigned prompt ■ exhibits a logical and clear organizational plan ■ offers support that is specific, substantive, and/or highly illustrative ■ consistently follows sentence structure and the conventions of Edited American English (EAE) ■ exhibits accurate, diverse, and appropriate word choice A “3” Essay ■ uses the writing prompt to establish a main idea ■ exhibits a sufficient organizational plan ■ demonstrates a reasonably focused development with some relevant details and examples – ABOUT THE GED LANGUAGE ARTS, WRITING EXAM – 38 ■ generally controls sentence structure and the con- ventions of Edited American English (EAE) ■ exhibits appropriate word choice A “2” Essay ■ essay responds to the prompt, but the focus may shift ■ exhibits some indication of organizational plan ■ demonstrates some development, but details and examples may be redundant or generalized ■ exhibits inconsistency in sentence structure and the conventions of Edited American English ■ exhibits a narrow range of word choice, fre- quently including inappropriate choices A “1” Essay ■ lacks a clear purpose or presents more than one purpose ■ shows evidence of insufficient organizational plan ■ is significantly underdeveloped or offers inade- quate or inappropriate support ■ exhibits minimal or no control of sentence struc- ture and the conventions of Edited American English (EAE) ■ exhibits weak or inappropriate word choice The scores of two independent readers are combined and averaged. If the essay receives a score of 2 or above, the essay score will be combined with the multiple- choice score from Part I of the Language Arts, Writing Test to form a composite score. If a GED candidate receives a score below 2 on the essay, there will be no composite score, and the candidate will have to retake both the essay and multiple-choice portion of the test. Write Neatly, Please Though the quality of your writing should be the only thing that matters, the quality of your handwriting counts, too. You must write neatly enough for the readers to understand each word. It won’t matter how wonderful your essay is if the readers can’t understand what you have written. – ABOUT THE GED LANGUAGE ARTS, WRITING EXAM – 39 S ENTENCE STRUCTURE refers to the way we compose sentences: how we string subjects, verbs, objects, and modifiers together in clauses and phrases. Awkward or incorrect placement of phrases and clauses can result in sentences that are confusing or unclear, or that say things that you don’t mean. Sentence structure is also important to style. If sentence structure is too simple or repetitive, the writing becomes monotonous for the reader. (Sentence variety will be addressed in the review for Part II.)  Subjects, Predicates, and Objects When we write, we express our ideas in sentences. But what is a sentence, anyway? The sentence is our basic unit of written expression. It consists of two essential parts—a subject and a predicate— and it must express a complete thought. The subject of a sentence tells us who or what the sentence is about—who or what is performing the action of the sentence. The predicate tells us something about the subject—what the sub- ject is or does. Thus, in the following sentence: The phone is ringing. 41 CHAPTER 6 Sentence Structure TO HELP you do well and feel comfortable during the exams, Chapters 6–9 review the four writing areas covered on Part I of the GED Writing Test: sentence structure, usage, mechanics, and organ- ization. In this chapter, you will learn the components of sentences and how they work together to express ideas. The word phone is the subject. It tells us what the sen- tence is about—who or what performs the action of the sentence. The verb phrase is ringing is the predicate. It tells us the action performed by (or information about) the subject. The subject of a sentence can be singular or compound (plural): I slept all day. K endrick and I worked all night. singular subject compound subject (two subjects performing the action) The predicate can also be singular or compound: I bo ught a present.I bought a present and w rapped it beautifully. singular predicate compound predicate (two actions performed by the subject) In many sentences, someone or something “receives” the action expressed in the predicate. This person or thing is called the direct object. In the following sentences, the subject and predicate are separated by a slash (/), and the direct object is underlined: I / bought a p resent. (The present receives the action of being bought.) Jane / loves ic e cream. (Ice cream receives the action of being loved by Jane.) Sentences can also have an indirect object: a person or thing who “receives” the direct object. In the following sentences, the direct object is underlined, and the indi- rect object is in bold: I / gave Sunil a present. (Sunil receives the pres- ent; the present receives the action of being given.) The reporter / asked the president a quest ion. (The president receives the question; the ques- tion receives the action of being asked.)  Independent and Dependent Clauses A clause contains a subject and a predicate and may also have direct and indirect objects. An independent clause expresses a complete thought; it can stand on its own as a sentence. A dependent clause, on the other hand, cannot stand alone because it expresses an incomplete idea. When a dependent clause stands alone, the result is a sen- tence fragment. Independent clause: She was excited. Dependent clause: Because she was excited Notice that the dependent clause is incomplete; it needs an additional thought to make a complete sen- tence, such as: S he spoke very quickly because she was excited. The independent clause, however, can stand alone. It is a complete thought. Subordinating Conjunctions What makes a dependent clause dependent is a subordi- nating conjunction such as the word because. Subordi- nating conjunctions connect clauses and help show the relationship between those clauses. The following list is some of the most common subordinating conjunctions: after even though that when although if though where as, as if in order unless wherever because once until while before since When a clause begins with a subordinating conjunc- tion, it is dependent. It must be connected to an inde- pendent clause to become a complete thought: I never knew true happiness until I met you. independent clause dependent clause – SENTENCE STRUCTURE – 42 After Johnson quit, I had to work extra overtime. dependent clause independent clause A sentence with both a dependent clause (DC) and independent clause (IC) is called a complex sentence. Both of the sentences above are complex sentences. Conjunctive Adverbs A very common grammar mistake is to think that words like however and therefore are subordinating conjunc- tions. However and therefore belong to a group of words called conjunctive adverbs. These words also signal rela- tionships between parts of a sentence. When they are used with a semicolon, they can combine independent clauses. also indeed now anyway instead otherwise besides likewise similarly certainly meanwhile still finally moreover then furthermore namely therefore however nevertheless thus incidentally next undoubtedly Here are some examples: I didn’t go to the party; inst ead, I stayed home and watched a good film. Samantha is a fabulous cook; indee d, she may even be better than Jacque. I need to pay this bill immediately. Othe rwise,my phone service will be cut off. Compound Sentences and Coordinating Conjunctions When two independent clauses are combined, the result is a compound sentence like the following: He was late, so he lost the account. The most common way to join two independent clauses is with a comma and a coordinating conjunction: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet. Independent clauses can also be joined with a semicolon if the ideas in the sentences are closely related. I am tall, and he is short. [IC, coordinating conjunction + IC] I am tall; he is short. [IC; IC] I was late, yet I still got the account. [IC, coordinating conjunction + IC]  Sentence Boundaries Expressing complete ideas and clearly indicating where sentences begin and end are essential to effective writing. Two of the most common grammatical errors with sen- tence boundaries are fragments and run-ons. Incomplete Sentences (Fragments) As we stated earlier, a complete sentence must (1) have both a subject (who or what performs the action) and a verb (a state of being or an action); and (2) express a complete thought. If you don’t complete a thought, or if you are missing a subject or verb (or both), then you have an incomplete sentence (also called a sentence frag- ment). To correct a fragment, add the missing subject or verb, or otherwise, change the sentence to complete the thought. I ncomplete: Which is simply not true. [No subject. (Which is not a subject.)] C omplete: That is simply not true. I ncomplete: For example, the French Revolution. [No verb.] C omplete: The best example is the French Revolution. – SENTENCE STRUCTURE – 43 Incomplete: Even though the polar icecaps are melting. [Subject and verb, but not a complete thought.] C omplete: Some people still don’t believe in global warming even though the polar icecaps are melting. Run-on Sentences A run-on sentence occurs when one sentence “runs” right into the next without proper punctuation between them. Usually, there’s either no punctuation at all or just a comma between the two thoughts. But commas alone are not strong enough to separate two complete ideas. Here are some examples of run-ons: Let’s go it’s getting late. Whether or not you believe me it’s true, I didn’t lie to you. There are five ways to correct run-on sentences: 1. With a period 2. With a comma and a coordinating conjunction: and, or, nor, for, so, but, yet 3. With a semicolon 4. With a dash 5. With a subordinating conjunction to create a dependent clause: although, because, during, while, etc. Here’s a run-on sentence corrected with each of these techniques: Run-on: The debate is over, now it is time to vote. Period: The debate is over. Now it is time to vote. Comma + The debate is over, and now it conjunction: is time to vote. Semicolon: The debate is over; now it is time to vote. Dash: The debate is over—now it is time to vote. Subordinating Since the debate is over, it is conjunction: time to vote.  Parts of Speech: A Brief Review A word’s function and form is determined by its part of speech. The word calm, for example, can be either a verb (calm down) or an adjective (a calm afternoon); it changes to calmly when it is an adverb (they discussed the matter calmly). Be sure you know the different parts of speech and the job each part of speech performs in a sentence. The table on the next page offers a quick refer- ence guide for the main parts of speech.  Phrases and Modifiers Sentences are often “filled out” by phrases and modifiers. Phrases are groups of words that do not have both a sub- ject and predicate; they might have either a subject or a verb, but not both, and sometimes neither. Modifiers are words and phrases that qualify or describe people, places, things, and actions. The most common phrases are prepositional phrases, which consist of a preposition and a noun or pronoun (e.g., in the attic). Modifiers include adjectives (e.g., slow, blue, excellent) and adverbs (e.g., cheerfully, suspiciously). In the examples below, the prepositional phrases are underlined, and the modifiers are in bold: He was very late f or an imp ortant meeting w ith a new client. He brazenly took her wallet fr om her purse when she got up fr om the table to go to the ladies’ room. – SENTENCE STRUCTURE – 44 [...]... making breakfast, the smoke alarm went off and woke the baby OR The smoke alarm went off and woke the baby while I was making breakfast Who was racing to the car? Because the modifier racing to the car is next to I, the sentence says that I was doing the racing But the verb watched indicates that he was the one racing to the car Here are two corrected versions: I watched as he raced to the car and dropped... to the car, he dropped his bag Parallel Structure In the first sentence, the phrase racing to the car has been revised to raced to the car and given the appropriate subject, he In the second sentence, racing to the car is right next to the modified element (he) Here’s another example: Parallel structure is an important part of effective writing It means that words and phrases in the sentence follow the. .. verbs follow the to + verb + your + noun pattern; the third puts the noun first, then the verb.) Again, the sentence is clearer now because the modifier is right next to what it modifies Sometimes, these errors can be corrected simply by moving the modifier to the right place (next to what it modifies) Other times, you may need to add a subject and verb to clarify who or what is modified by the phrase Here... tattered OR Uncle Joe took down the worn, tattered flag Parallelism is most often needed in lists, as in these examples, and in the not only/but also sentence pattern 46 – SENTENCE STRUCTURE – In a passive sentence, on the other hand, the subject is acted upon rather than performing the action: Hermione’s nervousness was exacerbated not only by the large crowd, but also by the bright lights (Each phrase... preferred, such as when the source of the action is not known or when the writer wants to emphasize the recipient of the action rather than the performer of the action: Active and Passive Voice Protective gear must be worn by everyone entering this building In most cases, effective writers will use the active voice as much as possible In an active sentence, the subject performs the action: As a general... works in the following examples: Growling ferociously, I watched as the lions approached each other Not parallel: We came, we saw, and it was conquered by us (The first two clauses use the active we + past tense verb construction; the third uses a passive structure with a prepositional phrase.) It’s quite obvious that it was the lions, not the speaker, that were growling ferociously But because the modifier... modifiers Take a look at the following sentence, for example: Placement of Modifiers As a general rule, words, phrases, or clauses that describe nouns and pronouns should be as close as possible to the words they describe The relaxing music, for example, is better (clearer, more concise, and precise) than the music that is relaxing In the first sentence, the modifier relaxing is right next to the word it modifies... noun.) The papers were filed by James yesterday The song was sung beautifully by Jin Lee Their idea was not only the most original; it was also the most practical (Each phrase uses the superlative form of an adjective—see page 59 for more information on superlatives.) Active sentences are more direct, powerful, and clear They often use fewer words and have less room for confusion There are times when the. .. not next to the words they describe, you not only often use extra words, but you Racing to the car, I watched him trip and drop his bag Prepositions: A Short List Prepositions are extremely important; they help us understand how objects relate to each other in space and time Recognizing them can help you quickly check for subject–verb agreement and other grammatical issues Below is a list of the most... phrase Here are some more examples of misplaced and dangling modifiers and their corrections: Parallel: Please be sure to throw out your trash, place your silverware in the bin, and put your tray on the counter (All three items follow the to + verb + your + noun [+ prepositional phrase] pattern.) Incorrect: Worn and tattered, Uncle Joe took down the flag Correct: Uncle Joe took down the flag, which was worn . CHAPTER 5 About the GED Language Arts, Writing Exam TO PREPARE effectively for the Language Arts, Writing Exam, you need to know exactly what the test is. to pass the Lan- guage Arts, Writing GED. Questions in Context Unlike many other standardized English exams, the questions on Part I of the GED Language