2019 December Benchmark

Which of the following should be added after sentence 9 to help close this paragraph?

• The basin is very different from anything I had seen before.

• We knew it was wrong to leave the trash in the basin.

• The basin was a place that deserved to be saved.

• I wanted to explore the basin the first time I saw it.

What is the main idea of the second paragraph (sentences 5-9)?

• The basin was a dirty place that had been polluted.

• The basin was a beautiful place that had been mistreated and should be cleaned up.

• The basin was a place no one wanted to visit.

• The basin was a place everyone wanted to go to.

The meaning of sentence 16 is unclear. What change should Thomas make to improve the clarity of this sentence.

• Change all of them to our neighbors

• Change organize to plan

• Change get rid of to cancel

• Change the trash to it

In sentence 16 who does the word them refer to?

• friends

• family

• neighbors

• aliens

Thomas has included an extraneous sentence in the fifth paragraph (sentences 20-24). Which sentence should be deleted from this paragraph?

• Sentence 20

• Sentence 21

• Sentence 22

• Sentence 23

What does the word extraneous mean?

• out of this world

• outstanding

• topic sentence

• unneccessary or off topic

Thomas would like to provide a better transition between the fifth paragraph (sentences 20-24) and the sixth paragraph (sentences 25-30). Which of the following should replace sentence 25 to achieve this goal?

• One day my brother and I hiked down the cliffs into the basin to explore the stream.

• Then my brother and I hurried to visit the stream to see the flowing water.

• After a while my brother and I decided to go hiking, and we traveled to the stream.

• In the meantime my brother and I thought it would be fun to explore the stream.

Answer choice F is the best answer for number 4 because:

• It provides a specific day to help create a smooth transition.

• It sounds better

• It is gramatically correct

• All of the above

What is the most effective way to revise sentence 32?

• In late spring the sides of the cliffs echo with the music of tiny tree frogs.

• In late spring the sides of the cliffs echo with the music of tiny tree frogs, and it is music

• In late spring the siudes of the cliffs echo with the musical echoes of tiny tree frogs.

• In late spring the sides of the cliffs echo music, and it is the music of tiny tree frogs.

The answer choices B,C, and D for #5 on the benchmark test are all incorrect becuase they have repetitive words.

• True

• False