7th Grade STAAR Editing Practice - A Colony on Mars

What change needs to be made in sentence 6?

(6) Although the idea is certainly intriguing a human colony on Mars is not something the United States should pursue at this time.

• Change Although the idea to The idea

• Insert a comma after intriguing

• Change something to nothing

• No change needs to be made in sentence 6.

How should sentence 9 be changed?

(9) If we were to set up a colony on Mars, missions to bring additional people and supply’s would take just as long.

• Change were to was

• Change the comma to a semicolon

• Insert a comma after people

• Change supply’s to supplies

What change, if any, should be made in sentence 11?

(11) The planet is simply to far away.

• Change is to was

• Change simply to simpley

• Change to far to too far

• No change should be made in this sentence.

How should sentence 14 be changed?

(14) However, some researchers at the Massachusetts institute of technology disagree.

• Change researchers to researcher’s

• Change institute of technology to Institute of Technology

• Change disagree to disagreeing

• Sentence 14 should not be changed.

What is the correct way to write sentence 16?

(16) Chris Hadfield is a retired Canadian Space Agency astronaut, he also says there are problems with our current technology.

• Chris Hadfield, a retired Canadian Space Agency astronaut, also says there are problems with our current technology.

• Chris Hadfield, a retired Canadian Space Agency astronaut, also saying there are problems with our current technology.

• Chris Hadfield is a retired Canadian Space Agency astronaut. Who also says there are problems with our current technology.

• Sentence 16 is written correctly in the paper.

What change needs to be made in sentence 21?

(21) Some say the cost of establishing a colony there could be in the six-billion-dollar range, with an additional four billion dollars needed for each subsaquent mission; NASA estimates the cost to be closer to $100 billion.

• Change say to said

• Change there to they’re

• Delete with

• Change subsaquent to subsequent

What is the correct way to write sentence 23?

(23) Those dollars could be spent on homes for the homeless, food for the hungry, and research to find cures for diseases.

• Those dollars could be spent on homes for the homeless. And on food for the hungry and research to find cures for diseases.

• Those dollars could be spent on homes for the homeless and food for the hungry. Also for research to find cures for diseases.

• Those dollars could be spent on homes for the homeless they could also be spent on food for the hungry and research to find cures for diseases.

• The sentence is written correctly in the paper.

How should sentence 24 be changed?

(24) Shouldn’t we take care of the problems on our own planet before we send people to explore another one.

• Change we take care to you take care

• Change our own planet to our on planet

• Change the period to a question mark

• Sentence 24 should not be changed.