The Olympic Games

1. Ally would like to add a more effective controlling idea. Which sentence should replace

sentence 4 to serve as a more effective controlling idea for her paper?

• A. For over a century, top athletes from almost every country in the world have come

  together to compete in many sports.

• B. This is a chance for amateur athletes to show the world their skills.

• C. Enjoying the Olympic Games makes me a proud citizen of my nation.

• D. The International Olympic Committee sets up the games every four years.

Answer explanation

Throughout the selection,

the author traces the

history of the Olympics,

discusses its worldwide

impact, and highlights

summer and winter

sporting events.

2. Ally wants to add a transition at the beginning of sentence 9 to improve the connection

to the previous paragraph. Which transition should Ally add to the beginning of

sentence 9?

Select the TWO transitions that will meet Ally’s goal.

• F. Similarly

• G. Eventually

• H. On the whole

• J. For example

• K. Centuries later

Answer explanation

A transition is a word,

phrase, or sentence

that connects topics

or ideas. By adding

the word “Eventually”

to the beginning

of the sentence,

the reader knows

the information in

sentence 9 occurs at

a later date.

3. Ally has included an extraneous sentence in the fourth paragraph (sentences 14-17).

Which sentence should Ally delete from this paragraph?

• A. Sentence 14

• B. Sentence 15

• C. Sentence 16

• D. Sentence 17

Answer explanation

While this sentence offers

a personal anecdote about

watching the Olympics,

it is not directly related

to the topic of a large

audience. It is extraneous

and should be deleted.

4. Ally has not used the most effective word in sentence 18. Which of the following should

replace the word requires in this sentence?

• F. creates

• G. prohibits

• H. demands

• J. includes

Answer explanation

Replacing “requires”

with “includes”

accurately conveys

the idea that the

Summer Olympics

is comprised of over

twenty types of

sports.

5. Complete the sentence by selecting the correct answer from the box.

Ally would like to add the following sentence to the sixth paragraph (sentences 22-24).

Today they are bestowed with medals.

The most effective place to insert this sentence is

• A. before sentence 22.

• B. after sentence 22.

• C. after sentence 24.

Answer explanation

Adding this sentence allows for a logical

transition in ideas between the descriptions

of the past and present Olympic awards.

6. The meaning of sentence 24 is unclear. What change should Ally make to improve the

clarity of this sentence?

• F. Change considered to studied

• G. Change best to highest honor

• H. Change in to before

• J. Change amateur to professional

Answer explanation

Changing “best” to “highest honor” clarifies that the winning an

Olympic medal is the highest achievement that can be earned by

an amateur athlete.