Practice Milestone 1 with answers (ASSURED A)
The audience jumped to its feet to cheer the star player and his amazing, game-winning kick.
Select the option that correctly identifies the subject and the verb of the sen
...
Practice Milestone 1 with answers (ASSURED A)
The audience jumped to its feet to cheer the star player and his amazing, game-winning kick.
Select the option that correctly identifies the subject and the verb of the sentence.
• The subject is "player" and the verb is "amazing."
• The subject is "player" and the verb is "kick."
• The subject is "audience" and the verb is "jumped."
• The subject is "kick" and the verb is "game-winning."
RATIONALE
Remember that the subject is the actor of a sentence and the verb is the action in the sentence. In this sentence,
the "audience" is who the sentence is about, so it is the subject. The verb is "jumped" because that is the action that
the audience did.
2
After Charlene rereads the assignment sheet her teacher gave her, she checks her notes and the outline she
prepared. Charlene begins to type.
Charlene is at what stage of the writing process?
• Prewriting
• Drafting
• Revising
• Editing
RATIONALE
Recall that drafting is the stage in which you actually begin composing your essay, often using the outline you
created during the prewriting stage. Revising and editing will take place once you have completed the draft.
3
Select the two compound sentences that are correctly joined with a logical coordinating conjunction.
• Lisa was so sick that she couldn't go to work, or could she get out of bed.
• The water in the lake was frigid, for the boy wanted to swim.
• She had to cook dinner for 12 guests, and they would be arriving in 30 minutes.
• Bobby wanted to go sledding, but it was too cold outside.
RATIONALE
Remember that the coordinating conjunctions include for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. When using coordinating
conjunctions to join two independent clauses, the comma should come before the conjunction.
Coordinating conjunctions have different uses. In sentence A, the coordinating conjunction "for" should be replaced
with either "yet" or "but," which both indicate that the second half of the sentence in some way contradicts the
first. In sentence B, the coordinating conjunction "or" should be replaced with "nor" because there is no implied
choice in the sentence. There are simply two negatives.
4
All of the following elements contribute to effective narrative writing, EXCEPT __________.
• an objective or neutral viewpoint
• author's personal writing style
• character development within the narrative
• perspective of the narrator or author telling the story
RATIONALE
As the purpose of a narrative is to tell a story, elements like voice, point of view, and characterization are important
to this type of writing. While objectivity is important when writing in the informative mode, it is not an element of
effective storytelling.
5
Place these events from Zitkala-Ša's narrative in the order in which they occurred.
1. a. The author is marched into a room with a group of girls.
2. b. At the sound of a second bell, the children are allowed to sit at the table.
3. c. The author crawls under a bed and hides.
• a. The author is marched into a room with a
group of girls.
• b. At the sound of a second bell, the children
are allowed to sit at the table.
• c. The author crawls under a bed and hides.
RATIONALE
In the second paragraph of the excerpt, the author describes being "placed in a line of girls who were marching into
the dining room." Therefore, of the three events listed, "The author is marched into a room with a group of girls"
comes first.
Later in that same paragraph, the author states that "a second bell was sounded. All were seated at last, and I had to
crawl back into my chair again." Therefore, "At the sound of a second bell the children are allowed to sit at the
table" comes second.
Toward the end of the excerpt, the author states, "On my hands and knees I crawled under the bed, and cuddled
myself in the dark corner," so this comes third.
6
Choose two goals of an English Composition course:
• Learn how to read and write in an academic context
• Learn how to write fiction and poetry
• Learn how to build and use critical thinking skills
• Learn and practice public speaking and communication
RATIONALE
The goals of an English Composition course are to build critical thinking skills and learn how to read and write in an
academic context. This type of course does not place a focus on public speaking or creative writing.
7
Match the narrative excerpts with the narrative technique each demonstrates.
B
“I think it’s time I got my hair cut,” Roger announced to Peter. He imagined what his girlfriend, who
liked his hair long, would think. Then she poked her head around the corner, asking, “What did you say?”
D
Karolina peered into the baby’s room to see if Ella was still sleeping. She wondered if she had made a
mistake putting her to bed so early.
A
The accident happened quickly. There was a screech of tires, a man’s sharp voice, then the crash of
metal hitting metal, the tinkling of glass, and silence.
• A.
Pacing
• B.
Dialogue
• C.
Character
• D.
Reflection
RATIONALE
As the sentence “I think it’s time I got my hair cut,” Roger announced to Peter. He imagined what his girlfriend, who
liked his hair long, would think. Then she poked her head around the corner, asking, “What did you say?” depicts a
conversation between two people, the narrative technique being used is dialogue— a technique that shows verbal
interactions between characters in the story.
As the sentence Karolina peered into the baby’s room to see if Ella was still sleeping. She wondered if she had made
a mistake putting her to bed so early describes someone considering a personal choice or past event, the narrative
technique being used is reflection— a technique allowing for contemplation on the meanings and purposes behind
events in the story.
As the sentence The accident happened quickly. There was a screech of tires, a man’s sharp voice, then the crash of
metal hitting metal, the tinkling of glass, and silence describes a progression, the narrative technique being used is
pacing— a technique that sets the flow of the narrative.
Character is not one of the six narrative techniques.
8
Select the option that correctly punctuates the dialogue.
• "It is raining out," she said, "so you had better grab an umbrella."
• "It is raining out," she said, "so you had better grab an umbrella".
• "It is raining out", she said, "so you had better grab an umbrella".
• "It is raining out" she said "so you had better grab an umbrella."
RATIONALE
When punctuating dialogue, quotation marks always mark the beginning and end of the dialogue. Punctuation
should be placed within the quotation marks and around sentence interrupters such as “she said.”
9
Choose the sentence that doesn't have any shifts in verb tense.
• He stood in line for three hours and waits to buy tickets for the concert.
• I will go to the farmer's market this weekend and will buy some vegetables.
• I bought a plane ticket to New York and had visited my family for the holidays.
• I had started a load of laundry when I am interrupted by a knock at the door.
RATIONALE
Verbs within a sentence should be in the same tense if they
are occurring within the same time frame. In the correct
answer, "I will go to the farmer's market this weekend and will buy some vegetables.", both underlined verbs are in
future tense.
Note that in the other answer options, the sentence is representing a singular time frame, but the underlined
portions contain a verb shift.
I had started a load of laundry when I am interrupted by a
knock at the door.
He stood in line for three hours and waits to buy tickets for
the concert.
I bought a plane ticket to New York and had visited my family
for the holidays.
10
Which of the following can be used to establish a writer's tone?
• mode
• topic
• sentence structure
• audience
RATIONALE
Remember that tone is achieved through a combination of word choice, level of formality, and sentence structure.
The mode, topic, and audience are different considerations
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