Milestone ELA

ELA Georgia Milestones Test Prep

Practice Questions for Writing

Multiple Choice

1. Which sentence uses commas correctly?

• A. “There goes your little sister Nathaniel,” I said.

• B. “Yes it was me, I did phone you, last night.”

• C. “Jason, you called last night, didn’t you?”

• D. “No she is home sick today,” Nathaniel replied.

Answer

The correct answer is choice (C) “Jason, you called last night, didn’t you?” Choice (A) is incorrect because it needs a comma before “Nathaniel.” Choices (B) and (D) are incorrect because “yes” and “no” require commas after them.

Multiple Choice

2. Which sentence BEST combines all the ideas into one clear statement? Richard went to a museum. It was his first museum visit. He was amazed by the variety of items. He was also amazed by the quality of items.

• A. Having never visited a museum before, Richard was amazed by the variety and quality of the items.

• B. The quality and variety of items at the museum amazed Richard during his first trip to a museum.

• C. Because he was impressed by the quality of items and their variety, Richard visited a museum.

• D. Both the quality and variety of items impressed Richard at the museum for his first visit.

Answer

The correct answer is choice (A) Having never visited a museum before, Richard was amazed by the variety and quality of the items. Choice (B) is incorrect because it repeats “museum.” Choice (C) is incorrect because it shows an inaccurate cause and effect relationship. Choice (D) is incorrect because the preposition is awkward

Multiple Choice

3. Which revision of sentence 3 makes the verb tense consistent with the rest of the paragraph? 1 Animals need to visit their doctors regularly. 2 Veterinarians administer shots regularly to keep pets healthy. 3 They also check pets’ teeth, just like dentists, to make sure they had no dangerous plaque. 4 Veterinarians can even provide grooming services to keep your pet’s nails at a comfortable length.

• A. They also would check pets’ teeth, just like dentists, to make sure they had no dangerous plaque.

• B. They also checked pets’ teeth, just like dentists, to make sure they have no dangerous plaque.

• C. They also check pets’ teeth, just like dentists, to make sure they have no dangerous plaque.

• D. They also are checking pets’ teeth, just like dentists, to make sure they had no dangerous plaque.

Answer

The correct answer is choice (C) They also check pets’ teeth, just like dentists, to make sure they have no dangerous plaque. Sentence 3 is written in the present tense, and “have” is present tense. (A) is incorrect because “would check” is future tense. (B) is incorrect because “checked” is past tense. (D) is incorrect because “had” is past tense.

Multiple Choice

4. Which sentence uses the underlined word as a preposition?

• A. Derrick always forgets to bring his winter gloves.

• B. Jasmine called to ask whether I wanted to come over later.

• C. While visiting your cousin, complete your homework.

• D. Iris decided to walk home with her friends after school.

Answer

The correct answer is choice (D) Iris decided to walk home with her friends after school. “With her friends” is a prepositional phrase. Choice (A) uses an infinitive. Choice (B) has an adverb underlined, and choice (C) has a subordinating conjunction underlined.

Multiple Choice

5. What is the correct way to write the title of an article from a magazine?

• A. “Five Ways to Improve Your Health”

• B. Five Ways to Improve Your Health

• C. Five Ways to Improve Your Health

• D. Five Ways to Improve Your Health

Answer

The correct answer is choice (A) “Five Ways to Improve Your Health.” This is the correct way to write the title of an article. Choices (B), (C), and (D) are incorrect because underlining, italicizing, and leaving text plain are not valid ways to designate an article title.

Multiple Choice

6. Read the sentence. Riding a skateboard hiking a hilly trail and swimming in a pool or lake are all activities that will help a person to become physically fit. How should the sentence be rewritten to use commas correctly?

• A. Riding a skateboard hiking a hilly trail, and swimming in a pool or lake, are all activities that will help a person to become physically fit.

• B. Riding a skateboard, hiking a hilly trail and, swimming in a pool or lake are all activities that will help a person to become physically fit.

• C. Riding a skateboard, hiking a hilly trail, and swimming in a pool or lake are all activities that will help a person to become physically fit.

• D. Riding a skateboard hiking a hilly trail, and swimming in a pool, or lake are all activities that will help a person to become physically fit.

Answer

The correct answer is choice (C) Riding a skateboard, hiking a hilly trail, and swimming in a pool or lake are all activities that will help a person to become physically fit. Choice (A) is incorrect because it leaves out the comma after “skateboard” and no comma is needed after “lake.” Choice (B) is incorrect because a comma is needed after “trail” and no comma is needed after “and.” Choice (D) is incorrect because it leaves out a comma after “skateboard” and there is no need for a comma after “pool.”

Multiple Choice

7. Which verb phrase correctly completes the sentence? Before you agree to meet after school, you_________ your sister whether she can wait for you.

• A. will have needed to ask

• B. will need to ask

• C. had needed to ask

• D. had asked

Answer

The correct answer is choice (B) will need to ask. This is the verb phrase that makes sense in the sentence. Choices (A), (C), and (D) are incorrect because these verb phrases are not grammatically correct in the sentence.