Instructions for Accuplacer Writing Questions: Read the draft essays and choose the best answers to the questions that follow.
Accuplacer Writing - The Pilgrims
(1) A group of English separatists known as the Pilgrims left England. (2) When they left England, they went to live in Amsterdam in 1608. (3) After spending a few years in their new city however many members of the group felt that they did not have enough independence. (4) In 1617, the Pilgrims decided to leave Amsterdam to immigrate to America.
(5) Due to their lack of social standing, they had many financial problems that prevented them from beginning the journey. (6) Their inability to finance themselves caused many disputes and disagreements. (7) The Pilgrims finally managed to resolve these conflicts when they obtained financing from a well-known and respected London businessman named Thomas Weston.
(8) Having secured Weston's monetary support, the group returned to England to pick up some additional passengers. (9) After 65 days at sea, the Pilgrims reached America in December 1620. (10) The early days of their new lives were filled with hope and promise. (11) These hopes were dashed when the harsh winter proved to be too much for some of the settlers. (12) Nearly half of the Pilgrims died during that first winter.
Question 1: What is the best way to revise and combine sentences 1 and 2, reproduced below?
A group of English separatists known as the Pilgrims left England. When they left England, they went to live in Amsterdam in 1608.
A group of English separatists known as the Pilgrims went to live in Amsterdam in 1608 after they left England.
A group of English separatists known as the Pilgrims left England and went to live in Amsterdam in 1608.
A group of English separatists known as the Pilgrims left England, they went to live in Amsterdam in 1608.
A group of English separatists known as the Pilgrims left England since they went to live in Amsterdam in 1608.
Accuplacer Writing - The Pilgrims
(1) A group of English separatists known as the Pilgrims left England. (2) When they left England, they went to live in Amsterdam in 1608. (3) After spending a few years in their new city however many members of the group felt that they did not have enough independence. (4) In 1617, the Pilgrims decided to leave Amsterdam to immigrate to America.
(5) Due to their lack of social standing, they had many financial problems that prevented them from beginning the journey. (6) Their inability to finance themselves caused many disputes and disagreements. (7) The Pilgrims finally managed to resolve these conflicts when they obtained financing from a well-known and respected London businessman named Thomas Weston.
(8) Having secured Weston's monetary support, the group returned to England to pick up some additional passengers. (9) After 65 days at sea, the Pilgrims reached America in December 1620. (10) The early days of their new lives were filled with hope and promise. (11) These hopes were dashed when the harsh winter proved to be too much for some of the settlers. (12) Nearly half of the Pilgrims died during that first winter.
Question 2: What is the best decision regarding sentence 3, reproduced below?
After spending a few years in their new city however many members of the group felt that they did not have enough independence.
Put commas after the word "city" and after the word "however."
Replace the words "did not" with the contraction "didn’t."
Place a comma after the word "years."
Delete it from the passage.
Accuplacer Writing - The Pilgrims
(1) A group of English separatists known as the Pilgrims left England. (2) When they left England, they went to live in Amsterdam in 1608. (3) After spending a few years in their new city however many members of the group felt that they did not have enough independence. (4) In 1617, the Pilgrims decided to leave Amsterdam to immigrate to America.
(5) Due to their lack of social standing, they had many financial problems that prevented them from beginning the journey. (6) Their inability to finance themselves caused many disputes and disagreements. (7) The Pilgrims finally managed to resolve these conflicts when they obtained financing from a well-known and respected London businessman named Thomas Weston.
(8) Having secured Weston's monetary support, the group returned to England to pick up some additional passengers. (9) After 65 days at sea, the Pilgrims reached America in December 1620. (10) The early days of their new lives were filled with hope and promise. (11) These hopes were dashed when the harsh winter proved to be too much for some of the settlers. (12) Nearly half of the Pilgrims died during that first winter.
Question 3: Which one of the following words or phrases is best to insert at the beginning of sentence 4, reproduced below?
In 1617, the Pilgrims decided to leave Amsterdam to immigrate to America.
However,
In addition,
Therefore,
Surprisingly,
Accuplacer Writing - The Pilgrims
(1) A group of English separatists known as the Pilgrims left England. (2) When they left England, they went to live in Amsterdam in 1608. (3) After spending a few years in their new city however many members of the group felt that they did not have enough independence. (4) In 1617, the Pilgrims decided to leave Amsterdam to immigrate to America.
(5) Due to their lack of social standing, they had many financial problems that prevented them from beginning the journey. (6) Their inability to finance themselves caused many disputes and disagreements. (7) The Pilgrims finally managed to resolve these conflicts when they obtained financing from a well-known and respected London businessman named Thomas Weston.
(8) Having secured Weston's monetary support, the group returned to England to pick up some additional passengers. (9) After 65 days at sea, the Pilgrims reached America in December 1620. (10) The early days of their new lives were filled with hope and promise. (11) These hopes were dashed when the harsh winter proved to be too much for some of the settlers. (12) Nearly half of the Pilgrims died during that first winter.
Question 4: Which of the following is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 5, reproduced below?
Due to their lack of social standing, they had many financial problems that prevented them from beginning the journey.
it was said that they had many financial problems that prevented them from beginning the journey.
the members of the group experienced many financial problems that prevented them from beginning the journey.
they had many economic problems that prevented them from beginning the journey.
they had many financial problems that prevented them from beginning.
Accuplacer Writing - The Pilgrims
(1) A group of English separatists known as the Pilgrims left England. (2) When they left England, they went to live in Amsterdam in 1608. (3) After spending a few years in their new city however many members of the group felt that they did not have enough independence. (4) In 1617, the Pilgrims decided to leave Amsterdam to immigrate to America.
(5) Due to their lack of social standing, they had many financial problems that prevented them from beginning the journey. (6) Their inability to finance themselves caused many disputes and disagreements. (7) The Pilgrims finally managed to resolve these conflicts when they obtained financing from a well-known and respected London businessman named Thomas Weston.
(8) Having secured Weston's monetary support, the group returned to England to pick up some additional passengers. (9) After 65 days at sea, the Pilgrims reached America in December 1620. (10) The early days of their new lives were filled with hope and promise. (11) These hopes were dashed when the harsh winter proved to be too much for some of the settlers. (12) Nearly half of the Pilgrims died during that first winter.
Question 5: Which of the following sentences would be best inserted between sentences 8 and 9?
New evidence indicates that the Pilgrims suffered from many diseases that would have been treatable had they had access to modern-day antibiotics.
Some scholars argue that life on the Mayflower was filled with contention and in-fighting.
The life of Pocahontas followed a completely different trajectory.
They boarded a large ship called the Mayflower on September 16, 1620.
(1) The major significant characteristic of any population is its age-sex structure, this is defined as the proportion of people of each gender in each different age group. (2) The age-sex structures of various populations have social policy implications. (3) For instance, a population with a high proportion of elderly citizens needs to consider its governmentally-funded pension schemes and health care systems. (4) A demographic with a greater percentage of young children should ensure that its educational funding and child welfare policies are implemented efficaciously. (5) The composition of a population changes over time. (6) The government may need to re-evaluate its funding priorities.
(7) Low birth rates can affect the size of the population, especially if there is a governmental policy that attempts to control demographics by restricting the number of children families can have. (8) Demographic change can also occur due to unnaturally high death rates. (9) After a disease epidemic or natural disaster, uncharacteristically high numbers of death become especially evident. (10) Finally, migration is another factor in demographic attrition, because in any population, a certain amount of people, may decide to emigrate, or move to a different country.
Question 6: What is the best to do with sentence 1, reproduced below?
The major significant characteristic of any population is its age-sex structure, this is defined as the proportion of people of each gender in each different age group.
Replace the word "this" with the word "which"
Delete the word "major"
Replace the word "is" with "should be"
Delete the words "defined as"
Accuplacer Writing - Population Age-Sex Structure
(1) The major significant characteristic of any population is its age-sex structure, this is defined as the proportion of people of each gender in each different age group. (2) The age-sex structures of various populations have social policy implications. (3) For instance, a population with a high proportion of elderly citizens needs to consider its governmentally-funded pension schemes and health care systems. (4) A demographic with a greater percentage of young children should ensure that its educational funding and child welfare policies are implemented efficaciously. (5) The composition of a population changes over time. (6) The government may need to re-evaluate its funding priorities.
(7) Low birth rates can affect the size of the population, especially if there is a governmental policy that attempts to control demographics by restricting the number of children families can have. (8) Demographic change can also occur due to unnaturally high death rates. (9) After a disease epidemic or natural disaster, uncharacteristically high numbers of death become especially evident. (10) Finally, migration is another factor in demographic attrition, because in any population, a certain amount of people, may decide to emigrate, or move to a different country.
Question 7: Which one of the following words or phrases would be best inserted at the beginning of sentence 4, reproduced below?
A demographic with a greater percentage of young children should ensure that its educational funding and child welfare policies are implemented efficaciously.
Just as
Accordingly,
In contrast to
On the other hand,
Accuplacer Writing - Population Age-Sex Structure
(1) The major significant characteristic of any population is its age-sex structure, this is defined as the proportion of people of each gender in each different age group. (2) The age-sex structures of various populations have social policy implications. (3) For instance, a population with a high proportion of elderly citizens needs to consider its governmentally-funded pension schemes and health care systems. (4) A demographic with a greater percentage of young children should ensure that its educational funding and child welfare policies are implemented efficaciously. (5) The composition of a population changes over time. (6) The government may need to re-evaluate its funding priorities.
(7) Low birth rates can affect the size of the population, especially if there is a governmental policy that attempts to control demographics by restricting the number of children families can have. (8) Demographic change can also occur due to unnaturally high death rates. (9) After a disease epidemic or natural disaster, uncharacteristically high numbers of death become especially evident. (10) Finally, migration is another factor in demographic attrition, because in any population, a certain amount of people, may decide to emigrate, or move to a different country.
Question 8: Which of the following sentences would be best inserted between sentences 4 and 5?
Young children can be precocious or even gifted.
Nevertheless, young children usually do not require significant resources.
Many regard the government as capricious in its budgeting and spending decisions.
In addition, a population with an increasing proportion of adults of child-bearing age may need to evaluate funding for child-birth and parenting classes.
Accuplacer Writing - Population Age-Sex Structure
(1) The major significant characteristic of any population is its age-sex structure, this is defined as the proportion of people of each gender in each different age group. (2) The age-sex structures of various populations have social policy implications. (3) For instance, a population with a high proportion of elderly citizens needs to consider its governmentally-funded pension schemes and health care systems. (4) A demographic with a greater percentage of young children should ensure that its educational funding and child welfare policies are implemented efficaciously. (5) The composition of a population changes over time. (6) The government may need to re-evaluate its funding priorities.
(7) Low birth rates can affect the size of the population, especially if there is a governmental policy that attempts to control demographics by restricting the number of children families can have. (8) Demographic change can also occur due to unnaturally high death rates. (9) After a disease epidemic or natural disaster, uncharacteristically high numbers of death become especially evident. (10) Finally, migration is another factor in demographic attrition, because in any population, a certain amount of people, may decide to emigrate, or move to a different country.
Question 9: What is the best way to revise and combine sentences 5 and 6, reproduced below?
The composition of a population changes over time. The government may need to re-evaluate its funding priorities.
The composition of a population changes over time because the government may need to re-evaluate its funding priorities.
Since the composition of a population changes over time, the government may need to re-evaluate its funding priorities.
The composition of a population changes over time, surely, the government may need to re-evaluate its funding priorities.
The composition of a population changes over time so that the government may need to re-evaluate its funding priorities.
Accuplacer Writing - Population Age-Sex Structure
(1) The major significant characteristic of any population is its age-sex structure, this is defined as the proportion of people of each gender in each different age group. (2) The age-sex structures of various populations have social policy implications. (3) For instance, a population with a high proportion of elderly citizens needs to consider its governmentally-funded pension schemes and health care systems. (4) A demographic with a greater percentage of young children should ensure that its educational funding and child welfare policies are implemented efficaciously. (5) The composition of a population changes over time. (6) The government may need to re-evaluate its funding priorities.
(7) Low birth rates can affect the size of the population, especially if there is a governmental policy that attempts to control demographics by restricting the number of children families can have. (8) Demographic change can also occur due to unnaturally high death rates. (9) After a disease epidemic or natural disaster, uncharacteristically high numbers of death become especially evident. (10) Finally, migration is another factor in demographic attrition, because in any population, a certain amount of people, may decide to emigrate, or move to a different country.
Question 10: What is the best revision to the underlined portion of sentence 9, reproduced below?
After a disease epidemic or natural disaster, uncharacteristically high numbers of death become especially evident.
(1) Organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment. (2) Most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
(3) The first drawback that consumers perceive is of course the cost. (4) Consumers with higher income levels can afford organically-grown food, but many people simply do not believe that these are worth the added expense.
(5) There are also concerns about the safety of organic food due to using cow manure and the use of other animal waste as fertilizer. (6) Take the case of windfall apples, which are apples that fall off the tree. (7) These apples can be contaminated by the cow manure. (8) This contamination occurs because manure contains a virulent bacterium known as e-coli.
(9) Some people are reluctant to purchase organic food because they believe that it spoils too quickly. (10) Therefore, it may be quite some time before the purchase of organic food became the norm in American households.
Question 11: What is the best way to revise and combine sentences 1 and 2, reproduced below?
Organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment. Most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
Organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment, most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
Most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food; and organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment.
While organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment, most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
Organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment, even though most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
Accuplacer Writing - Organic Farming
(1) Organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment. (2) Most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
(3) The first drawback that consumers perceive is of course the cost. (4) Consumers with higher income levels can afford organically-grown food, but many people simply do not believe that these are worth the added expense.
(5) There are also concerns about the safety of organic food due to using cow manure and the use of other animal waste as fertilizer. (6) Take the case of windfall apples, which are apples that fall off the tree. (7) These apples can be contaminated by the cow manure. (8) This contamination occurs because manure contains a virulent bacterium known as e-coli.
(9) Some people are reluctant to purchase organic food because they believe that it spoils too quickly. (10) Therefore, it may be quite some time before the purchase of organic food became the norm in American households.
Question 12: What is the best way to punctuate sentence 3, reproduced below?
The first drawback that consumers perceive is of course the cost.
The first drawback that consumers perceive is of course the cost.
The first drawback that consumers perceive is, of course the cost.
The first drawback that consumers perceive is of course, the cost.
The first drawback that consumers perceive is, of course, the cost.
Accuplacer Writing - Organic Farming
(1) Organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment. (2) Most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
(3) The first drawback that consumers perceive is of course the cost. (4) Consumers with higher income levels can afford organically-grown food, but many people simply do not believe that these are worth the added expense.
(5) There are also concerns about the safety of organic food due to using cow manure and the use of other animal waste as fertilizer. (6) Take the case of windfall apples, which are apples that fall off the tree. (7) These apples can be contaminated by the cow manure. (8) This contamination occurs because manure contains a virulent bacterium known as e-coli.
(9) Some people are reluctant to purchase organic food because they believe that it spoils too quickly. (10) Therefore, it may be quite some time before the purchase of organic food became the norm in American households.
Question 13: What is the error in sentence 4, reproduced below?
Consumers with higher income levels can afford organically-grown food, but many people simply do not believe that these are worth the added expense.
The words “can afford” should be replaced with the words “should afford”
The words “with higher income levels” should be replaced with the words “at higher level income”
The word “these” should be replaced with the word “they”
The words “these are” should be replaced with the words “it is”
Accuplacer Writing - Organic Farming
(1) Organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment. (2) Most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
(3) The first drawback that consumers perceive is of course the cost. (4) Consumers with higher income levels can afford organically-grown food, but many people simply do not believe that these are worth the added expense.
(5) There are also concerns about the safety of organic food due to using cow manure and the use of other animal waste as fertilizer. (6) Take the case of windfall apples, which are apples that fall off the tree. (7) These apples can be contaminated by the cow manure. (8) This contamination occurs because manure contains a virulent bacterium known as e-coli.
(9) Some people are reluctant to purchase organic food because they believe that it spoils too quickly. (10) Therefore, it may be quite some time before the purchase of organic food became the norm in American households.
Question 14: What is the best revision to the underlined portion of sentence 5, reproduced below?
There are also concerns about the safety of organic food due to using cow manure and the use of other animal waste as fertilizer.
due to the using of cow manure and other animal waste
due to the use of cow manure and using other animal waste
due to the use of cow manure and other animal waste
due to using cow manure and using other animal waste
Accuplacer Writing - Organic Farming
(1) Organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment. (2) Most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
(3) The first drawback that consumers perceive is of course the cost. (4) Consumers with higher income levels can afford organically-grown food, but many people simply do not believe that these are worth the added expense.
(5) There are also concerns about the safety of organic food due to using cow manure and the use of other animal waste as fertilizer. (6) Take the case of windfall apples, which are apples that fall off the tree. (7) These apples can be contaminated by the cow manure. (8) This contamination occurs because manure contains a virulent bacterium known as e-coli.
(9) Some people are reluctant to purchase organic food because they believe that it spoils too quickly. (10) Therefore, it may be quite some time before the purchase of organic food became the norm in American households.
Question 15: What is the best way to revise sentence 10, reproduced below?
Therefore, it may be quite some time before the purchase of organic food became the norm in American households.
Delete the word “quite”
Replace the word “purchase” with the word “purchasing”
Insert the word “the” before the word “American”
Replace the word “became” with the word “becomes”
NOTE: The real Accuplacer writing test has 25 quesitons.
On the real Accuplacer writing test, you will not be allowed to go back once you have answered a question.
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