GMAS practice Writing Standalone Questions

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Read the paragraph from a student's argumentative essay. Which sentence should be added between sentence 4 and sentence 5 to provide credible and relevant support for the student’s argument?

• According to Dr. Lyons, a journalism professor at a local university, “The school will need to plan in advance how frequently newspapers are printed and recruit students who are interested in journalism to work on the newspaper staff."
• A study conducted by the High School Journalism Institute found that roughly 20 percent of students who worked on their school newspaper demonstrated better writing and grammar skills in college than students who did not have those journalism experiences.
• According to Mr. Johnson, the football coach, “Similar to sports, working on the school newspaper requires teamwork, which is necessary to meet print deadlines.”
• In a recent school survey, 70 percent of students felt a school newspaper would help students feel more connected to each other, but an overwhelming number of these students indicated they would be most interested in reading an online newspaper..

A student is writing an informational essay about the International Space Station (ISS). The student’s central idea focuses on how astronauts who live and work on the ISS are learning valuable information that benefits people on Earth. Which information should the student include in her essay to BEST help the reader understand the topic?

• a list of specific examples of how research on the ISS has improved life on Earth
• a map that highlights the different countries that were involved in building the ISS
• a diagram that shows the total distance between the ISS and Earth
• a photograph of an astronaut’s living quarters on the ISS

Read the paragraph from a student's narrative. Which revision of the underlined sentence is the BEST way to add more sensory language to the paragraph?

• I noticed something orange, maybe the trail guide’s vest, moving ahead of me.
• Through the falling rain, I caught a glimpse of bright orange ahead of me.
• A little farther down the trail, I thought I recognized the trail guide wearing orange in the distance.
• Suddenly a flash appeared, and I realized it was the guide’s neon-orange vest glowing through the rain.

Read the paragraph from a student's report. What should the student do to make the paragraph clearer for the audience while still maintaining the purpose of the report?

• Include a recipe for the cookies described in sentence 1.
• List other reasons a student may take a chemistry class in sentence 2.
• Define and explain the unfamiliar terms included in sentence 4.
• Describe where chefs can purchase the ingredients listed in sentence 5.

Genevieve is working on a research paper. She is interested in the topic of plants that have healing properties. She needs to focus her research more specifically. Which question is BEST for the purpose of focusing her research?

• How have plants been used for medicine throughout history?
• How has one type of plant been used as medicine?
• How can people create recipes that use healthy plants in their diets?
• How have the health benefits of plants been used to sell products?

Read the sentence. My mother used to ask me what I would want to do _________________________ in charge of running the world. Which clause correctly completes the sentence?

• If I was
• If I had been
• If I were
• If I have been

A student wrote a personal essay about playing an instrument. Which revision to the paragraph would make it clearer and more coherent?

• Compare the fiddle with other instruments after sentence 3.
• Add more details about the grandparents after sentence 4.
• Remove sentence 5.
• Remove sentence 7.

A student is writing a report on how screen time affects teenagers. Which source would provide the MOST relevant and credible information for the report?

• a teenager’s blog titled How I Survived a Week without Screens
• a newspaper interview titled “Local Parents See Benefits of Screen Time for Teens”
• a self-help book for teenagers titled Doing More and Watching Less: How to Control Your Screen Time
• an academic article from a university researcher titled “An Analysis of Screen Use and Teenage Health”

Read the sentence. After the swim meet, cheeseburgers were eaten by many hungry kids from the swim team. What is the BEST way to rewrite the sentence in the active voice?

• After many hungry kids on the swim team finished the swim meet, they ate cheeseburgers.
• After the swim meet, many cheeseburgers were eaten by a swim team of hungry kids.
• After the swim meet, many hungry kids from the swim team ate cheeseburgers.
• After cheeseburgers were eaten by many hungry kids, the swim team finished the swim meet.