English 8 MCAP Test Prep Boxes 13 - 15

English 8 MCAP

Test Prep

Boxes 13 - 15

By Cynthia Phillips

​Box 13

Verb Tense and Voice

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Verb Mood

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Verbals​ - gerunds (ing) come from a verb but acts as a noun.

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Verbs can show:

Mood - which tells whether the speaker regards an action as a fact, a command, or a condition. Tense - which tells whether the subject is involved in a present, past, or future action. Voice - which tells whether the subject performs an action or is the object of the action.​

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​Verb Tense Sample Question

​Lieutenant Diaz looked up from her pile of paperwork. Something strange was happening out in front of the base. Jumping from her seat, she rushes out of her office to see what was going on. To her surprise, the cadets were practicing formations on their day off.  

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Which of these revisions corrects the inappropriate shift in verb tense?

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Something strange will happen 

Lieutenant Diaz is looking up 

she rushed out of her office 

the cadets practiced​

​Parallel Structure

Which of these is an incorrect use of parallel structure?​

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The whole time you were gone, the dog was barking, whining, and he looked out the window. 

When I came home, the floor was wet, pillows were chewed, and a plant was knocked over. 

A new puppy needs a healthy diet, plenty of exercise, and regular trips to the vet. 

My dog loves to go for walks, chase a Frisbee, and swim in the lake. 

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​Verbal sample question

​The last time Harvey the basset hound slept in my room, I couldn't sleep because of his snoring! 

Which statement best explains how the gerund is used in the sentence.​

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The gerund slept functions as a verb that describes Harvey's action.

The gerund snoring functions as a noun that provides information about Harvey.

The gerund snoring functions as a verb that describes Harvey's action.

The gerund slept functions as a noun that provides information about Harvey.​

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​Verbal sample question. . .

​Having visited the local butterfly farm, I know more about how to create my own butterfly garden. 

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​Which phrase from the sentence contains an infinitive?

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I know more 

having visited 

how to create 

own butterfly garden ​

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​Box 14

​Using reference materials

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Context clues​

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​Reference materials question

​careen \kə-ˈrēn\  verb   to move forward quickly while swaying or lurching. From Middle French carine, side of a boat, from Latin carina, keel of a boat, or nutshell, related to Greek káryon, nut.

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Based on the dictionary definition, which​ sentence correctly uses the word careen?​

The pilot careened the airplane safely down the runway even though the winds pushed against it forcefully.  

The football player scored a touchdown with a careen move by dodging around other players with fancy footwork.  

The golf cart careened around the corner, dumping the golfers and their bags out on the grass.  

The child drove the bumper car around in a careen manner, hitting every car in her path. 

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​Reference materials question

​spry adjective

Synonyms: lively, agile, nimble, energetic, active, spirited, animated, peppy Antonyms sluggish, slow, weary

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Based on the thesaurus entry, ​which word would best replace the underlined word without changing the overall meaning of the sentence?

​slow 

healthy 

old 

energetic 

​Context clues question. . .

What does the word "trace" most likely mean, as it is used in this sentence?

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Unlike last week, when we had three separate rainstorms, ​there was only a trace of rain this week.

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Copy 

Path 

Sketch 

Hint ​

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​Context Clues question. . .

Select the highlighted phrase that offers the best clue to the meaning​ of the phrase completely saturated.

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​It was always Tom's dream to open a bowling alley, but in this part of his city, the market for such a business was already completely saturated. Bowling alleys were everywhere you looked as you strolled down Colfax Avenue. On top of that, he'd just sunk the last of his savings into a new car. Clearly, he'd have to get a new dream or at least relocate to another part of town.

​Box 15

Word Relationships

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Word Roots

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Spelling Rules

Punctuation​

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​Word relationships question

What word best completes​ this analogy?

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temporary : everlasting ​ as limited : [ ]

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restricted 

short 

endless 

simple​

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​Word Relationships question

​What is the relationship between the word pairs in this analogy?

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dull : boring as amusing : entertaining​

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Synonyms 

Cause and effect 

Parts of a whole 

Antonyms ​

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​Spelling question. . .

Which revision corrects a misspelling in this sentence?

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At the assembly last week, the principal choose​ our class as the one with the most school spirit.​

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Change "assembly" to "asembly." 

Change "choose" to "chose." 

No change is needed. 

Change "principal" to "principle." 

​Spelling question. . .

Which sentence contains a misspelled word?​

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They're coming this way, so pay attention! 

There must be an answer to my question somewhere in this book! 

Did you ask them whether they finally adopted their dog? 

My cousins told me that there planning a trip to the beach this summer. ​

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