Question

Read the passage.

Style Guidelines for Use of the Colon

A colon can be used to introduce a list of items. The clause preceding the colon must be a complete sentence capable of standing on its own. Use a colon to introduce a list only if there is no introductory expression such as namely or for instance. This applies regardless of whether or not there are internal commas in the list. A colon is not used to introduce a list of direct objects following a preposition in the main clause.

Select the sentence that does not follow the style guidelines.

City Council has two topic for discuss, namely park equipment and field permissions. Trash cans, benches, and picnic tables: are the park equipment needed. Field permissions must be prioritized for soccer, softball and lacrosse. The Council wants high-quality parks: safe, clean, and fun.

Answer 1

@AP

Answer 2

Which sentence do you this is structured the most awkwardly in that passage? @bill533

Answer 3

Do you think*

Answer 4

. Field permissions must be prioritized for soccer, softball and lacrosse.

Answer 5

Well, you should be looking for one with a colon, and this sentence doesn't have one...

Answer 6

oh my mistake

Trash cans, benches, and picnic tables: are the park equipment needed

Answer 7

You got it (:

Answer 8

Read the passage.

Numbers

A little red circle with the number 1 appeared over the e-mail icon on Zoë’s phone. Her heart raced and her breath tightened, like there was a big, yeasty mound of dough rising in her chest. Maybe this was it—maybe this was the acceptance letter she’d been waiting for. She tapped the icon and saw the subject line, “Make Fluffier Pancakes This Weekend!” It was just junk mail. She felt both a pang of disappointment and a rush of relief.

No acceptance, but no rejection. Okay. Time to focus on something else. It was her first day as a data-entry intern at the video library at Tall Pines Film Studios, and she needed to be there by 8:30. She had wanted an internship because she knew it would look good to an admissions committee—and she was hoping that this one, which at least was in the realm of what she wanted to study in college, would make her stand out among other applicants. She rushed downstairs to grab her bag and say goodbye to her mom.

“Good luck today, sweet pea,” her mom said. “I’m so proud of you. Don’t forget—you have that stochastic probability final on Monday. You should probably study when you get home this afternoon.”

“Got it, Mom. Thanks,” Zoë said. As she pulled her bike from the garage, she started thinking about stochastic probability. She started pedaling down the street and began pondering a conditional statement: Given that a person is granted early admission to college, what is the probability that she had completed a related internship beforehand? Then, even though she knew it would tempt fate, she flipped the conditional statement and considered the converse: Given that a high school student had worked in a related internship, what is the probability that a college would grant that student early admission? She told herself that the odds were in her favor, but she knew she’d just have to wait it out.

The Tall Pines receptionist guided Zoë through the labyrinthine corridors to the video library, which had a long counter at the front and a glass panel blocking stacks of video cassettes, discs, and reels at the back. Everything was a bright antiseptic white, making the place look more like a clean room than a library. Even the man clacking away at a computer on the counter seemed robotic and no-frills; he wore a barely blue shirt and a deadpan expression, and the receptionist introduced him as Todd Guzman, the library manager.

“Hi, I’m Zoë,” Zoë said, extending her hand to Todd, who didn’t reciprocate and just kept typing.

“We’ll have to get you up to speed quickly,” he said, his eyes still on the computer monitor. “Basically you’ll be entering codes into a database—but you need to wrap your mind around the naming convention so that you can read large sets of numbers and key them into the system without having to verify if you’ve entered them correctly. You’ll get about 30 people making requests in an hour. It gets chaotic really quickly.”

Zoë had always loved and been very good with numbers and had figured this internship would be a snap. It’s not like she actually had to do any math—she just had to collect discrete chunks of three or four digits each and type them into a spreadsheet. How hard could that be? But as Todd demonstrated what she’d be doing, his fingers skipped across the keyboard and his eyes darted back and forth between the screen and the pages of data. Zoë felt that rising in her chest again and started to doubt she would be able to match his accuracy or his speed; meanwhile, more and more people streamed into the library.

“Okay—it’s your turn,” Todd said. “Take over that other terminal.”

Zoë entered the first code into the system without a hitch. Given the uncertainty she’d been feeling, what was the likelihood that THAT would go so well? she thought. Maybe this won’t be so difficult after all. But then she mistyped the second and third codes, and her mistakes got more frequent as the line snaked out the door and into the lobby. Then she started to stop and check after every second digit to see if she’d typed it correctly, making the entire process even more glacial. The line grew longer, and the exasperation and impatience of the people in line bore down on her. Then Todd said to her quietly, “Don’t focus on them—just try to enter the numbers accurately every time. That’s all you have to do.”

Zoë inhaled slowly and tried another code and then another. She made a few more errors, but by the end of her five-hour shift, she found a rhythm and some confidence and felt as though she might be able to master it with more practice.

Exhausted, she left Tall Pines thinking about the fact that while data entry certainly wasn’t advanced probability theory, it was still giving her brain a workout, and she had a lot to learn. Her train of thought screeched to a halt when she felt a familiar buzz from her back pocket. Given my luck earlier, what are the chances…? She slowly took her phone out and swiped open the screen, and there it was again, that little red circle with the number 1 on top of it. She opened the e-mail app, read the subject line, and smiled broadly.

How does the image of a “big, yeasty mound of dough rising in her chest” affect the passage?

A. It helps convey Zoë’s anticipation.


B. It helps demonstrate Zoë’s creativity.


C. It helps create an absurd tone.


D. It helps establish a joyful mood.

Answer 9

This one is a bit more obvious. Which one do you think it is?

Answer 10

B

Answer 11

Not exactly. Re-read the first paragraph...

Answer 12

D. It helps establish a joyful mood.

Answer 13

It's actually A.)
Zoë was clearly waiting for something important to be in that email, so she kind of braced herself - held her breath, and little the anticipation build up in that moment.

Answer 14

wait

Answer 15

Let the*

Answer 16

How does the description of how Zoë's "heart raced and her breath tightened" affect the text?

A. It helps establish an anxious tone.

B. It describes the main conflict in the story.

C. It gives background information.

D. It creates a moment of comic relief.

Answer 17

Your guess?

Answer 18

A

Answer 19

Bingo (:

Answer 20

How does the repetition of the probability functions serve as a symbol in this story?


A. It indicates that the idea that understanding probability theory makes it easier to predict outcomes.


B. It proves the idea that practicing a skill or the way of thinking in different situations leads to mastery.


C. It represents the idea that the odds of some outcomes in life can be calculated and others can’t.


D. It suggests the idea that the way life turns out will almost always come down to chance.

Answer 21

@AP

Answer 22

This one is less obvious - still going to ask which one you think it is?

Answer 23

B

Answer 24

It seems more like C.)
Because she was unfortunate when she tried her hand at typing out the code, but was lucky when she finally received the email.

Answer 25

I thought so

Answer 26

Read the passage.

Understudy Dreaming

Mr. Bills, the director of the school play, just delivered unbelievable news to the entire cast and crew. This year, now, today, I am no longer exclusively working with the backstage crew. I took a chance, auditioned, and now I, Gabriela Sanchez, am the understudy for the lead, and it’s a juicy role! Granted, it’s just the understudy, but I’ve got to be ready every night, just like Willow Chambers, who plays the lead. Willow is an excellent actress, and she’s won every part that she’s ever auditioned for, but if she ever gets sick, I’m in! Obviously, I do not want Willow to get sick, because she is a very kind, generous girl who is always willing to paint some backdrops or go thrifting for a prop. But if she does catch one of the nasty viruses floating around drama club, I will save the play. Okay, so I still have to work backstage with the sets and costumes and make sure the actors have what they need, but now I’ve also got to be ready at a moment’s notice to take the stage, recite my lines convincingly, and perform just like a real, regular stage actress.

Can you imagine what that’s like? It’s practically Shakespearean! Think of the dramatic potential: unknown young woman waiting patiently in the wings for that chance—that small, fateful chance—to be discovered. As I said, I definitely don’t want anything to happen to Willow, but if something unfortunate should happen to her—say she catches the flu or breaks her arm or something—I get to go on in her place. The stage waits for no one because as the old saying goes: “The show must go on!” Maybe I’ll get discovered by a talent agent or a producer or something. I mean, I do live in New York, the theater center of the universe, and someone in the play may have an uncle or a cousin who’s in show business. So it’s possible! Anyway, back to Shakespeare. That’s who we’re doing this year, performing his tragic play Romeo and Juliet. I can just see me there on the balcony, all lovely in my long, flowing gown, wistfully speaking those lines, “Oh Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?” I’d be a good Juliet, too, and I’d be the sun, just like Romeo says, glowing, shining—his light in the dark! How romantic is that? And Romeo would be so enchanted by me!

But, well, back to reality because I am only the understudy and not the star—not yet anyway. I’m so glad Mr. Bills encouraged me to audition. He could see past my prosthetic leg, see my hidden talent trying to burst forth, and see that I could do more than help the actors with a quick costume change. Understudy is a small step, but understudies have gone on to become famous in show business on both stage and screen. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. I may never even get on stage; still, I’ll have to thank Mr. Bills for encouraging me and seeing that I am more than a stagehand, prosthetic leg and all!

Blogging off!

Gabriela

How does Gabriela’s allusion to Romeo and Juliet in this sentence affect the passage?

I’d be a good Juliet, too, and I’d be the sun, just like Romeo says, glowing, shining—his light in the dark!


A. It helps convey that she truly understands the role for which she is the understudy.

B. It lets readers see that Gabriela does not take herself too seriously.


C. It suggests that Gabriela wants to play Juliet because she has a crush on the boy playing Romeo.

D. It adds a layer of irony to the passage by showing Gabriela to be a great actress.

Answer 27

I think it is D

Answer 28

@AP

Answer 29

Hmm, I'm debating between A.) And D.)

Answer 30

But leaning more toward A.) because there doesn't really seem to be any layer of irony as D.) mentions