Your FREE ParaPathways (ETS 5757) Practice Test 2026 – 450+ Questions

Correct answer: The garden had an unexpected effect on what students chose to eat.

Correct answer: The garden had an unexpected effect on what students chose to eat. The passage turns on a contrast: teachers expected a science lesson, but the garden changed the lunchroom. The statement that the garden had an unexpected effect on what students chose to eat covers the whole passage. Learning how lettuce and carrots grow is the expected outcome the passage sets aside, the waste records are a single supporting detail, and the claim that teachers planned the garden for lunches contradicts the text, which says they did not expect that change.

Correct answer: Vegetable waste in the cafeteria fell by nearly a third.

Correct answer: Vegetable waste in the cafeteria fell by nearly a third. A drop of nearly a third in vegetable waste is measurable evidence that students were eating the vegetables they took, so it directly supports a change in habits. The teachers' expectation and the garden's location are background, and the fact that students grew lettuce and carrots describes the garden, not what happened at lunch.

Correct answer: To describe how lending unusual items brings people back to libraries

Correct answer: To describe how lending unusual items brings people back to libraries. The passage reports what libraries now lend and the effect: people who had stopped visiting come back and often borrow a book too. That is describing how lending unusual items brings people back. Nothing asks readers to donate, nothing explains how books are chosen, and no costs are compared.

Correct answer: Libraries lending tools and equipment are drawing former patrons back.

Correct answer: Libraries lending tools and equipment are drawing former patrons back. A good summary keeps the main point and drops minor details: libraries lending non-book items are bringing back people who had not visited. The passage never says libraries stopped lending books, never states a librarian preference, and never ranks telescopes as most popular.

Correct answer: how honeybees use a dance to share where food is found.

Correct answer: how honeybees use a dance to share where food is found. Every sentence explains the waggle dance as a way to communicate the location of food, including direction and distance. The figure-eight is a movement, not something the bees build; the passage does not explain why bees travel far or which flowers they prefer.

Correct answer: How far away the flowers are

Correct answer: How far away the flowers are. The final sentence assigns two meanings: the angle of the straight run gives the direction and the length of the run gives the distance. Direction is carried by the angle, not the length, and the passage says nothing about the amount of nectar or the number of bees to send.

Correct answer: Running buses more often made Route 9 more useful to riders.

Correct answer: Running buses more often made Route 9 more useful to riders. The passage moves from a problem (forty-minute waits) to a solution (four more buses) to a result (fifteen-minute waits and 60 percent more riders), so the central idea is that more frequent service made the route more useful. The complaints and the four new buses are single details, and the passage never says most riders use the route only for work.

Correct answer: Ridership rose 60 percent within six months.

Correct answer: Ridership rose 60 percent within six months. Evidence that a change worked has to be an outcome measured after the change; a 60 percent rise in ridership is exactly that. Adding buses is the change itself, the forty-minute schedule is the old situation, and the riders' complaint describes the problem before the fix.

Correct answer: Sea otters protect kelp by keeping urchin numbers down.

Correct answer: Sea otters protect kelp by keeping urchin numbers down. The details build a chain: otters eat urchins, fewer otters means more urchins, more urchins destroy kelp, and returning otters let kelp regrow. The statement that otters protect kelp by keeping urchin numbers down ties the chain together. The fish shelter and the urchin increase are links in the chain, and how much time otters spend hunting is never stated.

Correct answer: State in one sentence what all the paragraphs have in common.

Correct answer: State in one sentence what all the paragraphs have in common. The main idea is the point that every part of the text develops, so checking what all the paragraphs share is the reliable test. The most interesting fact is often just a detail, the first sentence is not always the topic sentence, and a frequent word identifies a topic at best, not the point being made about it.

Correct answer: A fact, example, or reason that develops the main idea

Correct answer: A fact, example, or reason that develops the main idea. Supporting details are the facts, examples, statistics, and reasons that explain or prove the main idea. A shorter restatement of the main idea is a summary, an opinion the author rejects is a counterclaim, and an opening question is a hook; none of those is the definition of a supporting detail.

Correct answer: To show that the first flight came from long, careful work

Correct answer: To show that the first flight came from long, careful work. The opening sentence states the point, and the list of studies, gliders, 200 wing shapes, and failures shows the long, careful work behind the flight. Nothing accuses the brothers of copying, the wind tunnel is mentioned but never explained, and no accident is described.

Correct answer: A Loyal Volunteer Who Earned a New Role

Correct answer: A Loyal Volunteer Who Earned a New Role. A good title captures the whole passage: Maria's steady work over three years leads to her being asked to train others. A how-to title fits only the chores, a title about needing volunteers argues a point the passage never makes, and the director appears only in the last sentence.

Correct answer: It was packed in sawdust once it was harvested.

Correct answer: It was packed in sawdust once it was harvested. Sawdust packing is the only detail that explains preservation; it insulated the ice so it did not melt before summer. Cutting ice from frozen lakes explains where it came from, wagon delivery explains how it reached homes, and the icebox is where it was used.

Correct answer: It concludes by restating the paragraph's point.

Correct answer: It concludes by restating the paragraph's point. A closing sentence that restates the point in new words is a concluding sentence; it reinforces the main idea after the examples. It does not introduce a new idea, it cannot contradict the topic sentence it restates, and a restatement is not another example.

Correct answer: A boy practices piano every day and succeeds at his recital.

Correct answer: A boy practices piano every day and succeeds at his recital. An effective summary covers the beginning, middle, and end of the main events: daily practice leading to success at the recital. Listing characters and objects misses the plot, the nervous feeling before the recital is one moment, and the number of keys is a trivial detail.

Correct answer: made it worse

Correct answer: made it worse. The contrast word "but" says the rules had the opposite of their purpose: they were meant to prevent disputes, so they must have made the conflict worse. Cleared up would match the purpose rather than oppose it, and putting the conflict on hold or making it public does not create the contrast the sentence sets up.

Correct answer: wrongly

Correct answer: wrongly. "Mis-" means wrongly or badly, so to misinterpret is to interpret wrongly (compare misspell, misplace). "Again" is the meaning of re-, "before" is pre-, and "not yet" is not the meaning of any common prefix in this word.

Correct answer: having no fear

Correct answer: having no fear. The suffix -less means without, so fearless means without fear. "Full of" is the job of -ful (fearful), "able to" is -able, and "one who" is -er or -or.

Correct answer: carry

Correct answer: carry. Transport is to carry across, portable means able to be carried, and export is to carry out of a country, so port means carry. "Write" is the root scrib/script, "look" is spec/vis, and "build" is struct.

Correct answer: sociable

Correct answer: sociable. "Unlike" signals contrast with Sam, who stayed alone, and the sister is described as chatting with everyone, so gregarious means sociable. "Shy" describes Sam, the opposite of the sister. Curious and impatient are not supported by anything in the sentence.

Correct answer: They ate every sandwich in the pack.

Correct answer: They ate every sandwich in the pack. Eating every sandwich shows extreme hunger, which defines famished. The long climb explains why they might be hungry but could just as easily suggest tiredness, the position after "were" tells only that the word describes the hikers, and carrying a pack gives no clue to meaning.

Correct answer: the sloping ground beside a river

Correct answer: the sloping ground beside a river. Watching canoes drift by places the speakers beside water, so bank means the land along a river. The money business, a row of objects (a bank of switches), and the aviation verb are real meanings of the word that do not fit this sentence.

Correct answer: a dictionary entry with its pronunciation key

Correct answer: a dictionary entry with its pronunciation key. A dictionary entry gives the pronunciation with syllable breaks and stress marks, explained by its pronunciation key. A thesaurus gives synonyms, not pronunciation; a textbook glossary usually gives short definitions; and an index only lists page numbers.

Correct answer: before

Correct answer: before. Pre- means before: a preview is a view before the event, and prehistoric means before written history. After is post-, against is anti- or contra-, and between is inter-.

Correct answer: still undecided

Correct answer: still undecided. The semicolon introduces the explanation: members planned to revisit the decision later, so it was not yet final. "Agreed by all" describes how many members voted for it, "already public" describes whether it was announced, and "reversed later" would mean the decision was undone rather than left open.

Correct answer: biology

Correct answer: biology. The suffix -logy means the study of, so biology is the study of life. Biography contains -graphy (writing about), biopsy contains -opsy (viewing, examining tissue), and biome ends in a suffix that names a community, not a field of study.

Correct answer: clear

Correct answer: clear. Because even the youngest students could follow every step, the argument must have been easy to understand, which is what lucid (clear) means. Brief, loud, and funny could each make a talk memorable, but none of them explains why every step was easy to follow.

Correct answer: un- (not) + break + -able (can be): cannot be broken

Correct answer: un- (not) + break + -able (can be): cannot be broken. Un- means not and -able means can be, so unbreakable means cannot be broken. Un- never means again (that is re-) or before (pre-), and -able does not mean full of (-ful) or one who (-er).

Correct answer: empty and deserted

Correct answer: empty and deserted. The clue after the semicolon, that not a single stall remained open, defines desolate as empty and deserted. Crowded and noisy is the opposite, damaged but still busy conflicts with no stalls being open, and newly rebuilt and open is contradicted by the same clue.

Correct answer: Test each definition in the sentence and keep the one that fits.

Correct answer: Test each definition in the sentence and keep the one that fits. The meaning that applies is the one that makes sense in the sentence, so substituting each definition into the context is the reliable test. Dictionaries do not guarantee that the first, shortest, or last definition is the one a particular passage uses.

Correct answer: accurately, at an appropriate rate, and with expression

Correct answer: accurately, at an appropriate rate, and with expression. Fluency has three components: accuracy (reading the words correctly), rate (an appropriate, conversational speed), and expression or prosody (phrasing and intonation that match the meaning). Speed alone is not fluency, a deliberately slow rate is not the goal, and a single flat tone lacks expression.

Correct answer: expression

Correct answer: expression. Reading with no errors shows accuracy is fine; the flat, word-by-word delivery that ignores punctuation is a problem of expression (phrasing and intonation). Decoding and vocabulary support accuracy and meaning, which the student is already managing.

Correct answer: accuracy

Correct answer: accuracy. Skipping and substituting words are accuracy errors. The student's pace is described as good (rate) and the reading is lively (expression, which includes phrasing), so those components are not the weakness.

Correct answer: Repeated reading of a short passage at the student's level

Correct answer: Repeated reading of a short passage at the student's level. Rereading the same short, instructional-level text several times lets a student read it faster while staying accurate, which is the core of repeated reading. Timing a too-hard passage lowers accuracy, silent reading with no follow-up gives no feedback on rate, and copying is a writing task.

Correct answer: Words read automatically leave attention free for meaning.

Correct answer: Words read automatically leave attention free for meaning. When decoding is automatic, a reader does not spend attention on sounding out words and can focus on meaning, which is why fluency supports comprehension. Skipping details, dropping meaning checks, or assuming vocabulary growth stops are all misconceptions.

Correct answer: prosody, the expressive part of fluency

Correct answer: prosody, the expressive part of fluency. Pausing at commas, stopping at periods, and changing pitch for questions are signs of prosody, the phrasing and intonation component of fluency. Phonemic awareness concerns sounds in spoken words, sight-word recognition is about accuracy, and words per minute measures rate, not phrasing.

Correct answer: accuracy and rate

Correct answer: accuracy and rate. Words correct per minute counts only correctly read words (accuracy) in a fixed time (rate). It does not capture expression or phrasing, which require listening to how the reading sounds.

Correct answer: Model reading at a conversational pace and check understanding.

Correct answer: Model reading at a conversational pace and check understanding. Fluency is appropriate rate, not maximum speed; a student who cannot retell may be racing. Modeling a conversational pace and checking comprehension addresses the problem. Praising speed, pushing for more speed, or hiding the reading from feedback would reinforce the issue.

Correct answer: Echo reading, in which the adult reads a line and the student repeats it

Correct answer: Echo reading, in which the adult reads a line and the student repeats it. In echo reading the adult models accurate, well-phrased reading of a line and the student immediately imitates it. Round-robin reading has students read cold with no model, silent reading has no audible model, and word sorts build spelling patterns rather than modeling fluent reading.

Correct answer: Reads every word correctly but very slowly, sounding out each one

Correct answer: Reads every word correctly but very slowly, sounding out each one. Correct but slow, laborious reading is a rate problem: the words are right but not automatic. Substituting words, skipping short words, and mispronouncing terms are all accuracy errors.

Correct answer: Rereading dialogue aloud to match the characters' feelings

Correct answer: Rereading dialogue aloud to match the characters' feelings. A monotone is an expression problem, and rereading dialogue to match characters' feelings practices intonation and phrasing. Sight-word drills, letter-sound matching, and syllable counting all build word-level accuracy, which this student already has.

Correct answer: Jada expects that it will rain soon.

Correct answer: Jada expects that it will rain soon. Checking the sky, frowning, and getting rain gear together imply that Jada thinks rain is coming. She goes back inside only to get gear, not to stay; she knew where her things were; and the passage says nothing about a park.

Correct answer: Growing vegetables made students more willing to eat them.

Correct answer: Growing vegetables made students more willing to eat them. The passage connects growing lettuce and carrots to choosing salads, which implies that the experience of growing vegetables made students more willing to eat them. Falling vegetable waste suggests students ate more, not fewer; nothing says science lessons stopped; and the students, not the staff, grew the vegetables.

Correct answer: The students had not been working before the principal entered.

Correct answer: The students had not been working before the principal entered. A noisy room that falls silent, with students "suddenly" interested in the worksheet, implies they had not been working before. Nothing suggests confusion, the principal's purpose is not stated, and grades are never mentioned.

Correct answer: Unusual lending collections can also boost book borrowing.

Correct answer: Unusual lending collections can also boost book borrowing. Because visitors drawn in by the new items often "leave with a book as well," the collections can raise book borrowing. Nothing predicts libraries will stop lending books, no claim says most patrons come only for cake pans, and the librarians' expectations are not described.

Correct answer: Grandpa left his reading glasses somewhere else.

Correct answer: Grandpa left his reading glasses somewhere else. Squinting, patting the pocket where glasses are often kept, and sighing all point to forgotten reading glasses. Nothing suggests a foreign language, he asks Leo to read the menu rather than to choose, and prices are never mentioned.

Correct answer: A conclusion based on text evidence plus the reader's reasoning

Correct answer: A conclusion based on text evidence plus the reader's reasoning. An inference combines clues in the text with reasoning to reach something the author does not state outright. A directly stated fact needs no inference, and an opinion or prediction with no connection to text details is not a supported inference.

Correct answer: Long waits had kept many people from riding the bus.

Correct answer: Long waits had kept many people from riding the bus. When waits dropped and ridership jumped 60 percent, the reasonable inference is that long waits had been keeping people away. Weekend travel, future cuts, and a fare change are not supported by anything in the passage, and a fare change would be an alternate explanation the text never offers.

Correct answer: The team had won or placed well in the competition.

Correct answer: The team had won or placed well in the competition. Players wearing medals and parents clapping enthusiastically imply a successful result. A loss does not fit the medals or the applause, the parents' reaction is celebration rather than anger, and nothing suggests the players forgot anything.

Correct answer: Ana chose to make it less sweet than the recipe.

Correct answer: Ana chose to make it less sweet than the recipe. Using half the sugar is a deliberate change that makes the result less sweet; "although" signals she knowingly departed from the recipe. She added extra cinnamon, so she did not run out; nothing suggests she could not measure; and halving the sugar does not make a recipe sweeter.

Correct answer: Inferring a feeling from the author's details

Correct answer: Inferring a feeling from the author's details. The reader draws a conclusion (loneliness) that is not stated, using details the author includes, which is making an inference. It is not a summary of stated events, it does not address why the author wrote the text, and no word is being defined.

Correct answer: The shop owner was gone much longer than promised.

Correct answer: The shop owner was gone much longer than promised. The sign promised ten minutes and the customers were still waiting an hour later, so the owner was gone far longer than promised. The sign concerns an absence, not an opening time; nothing suggests a joke; and the passage does not say why the customers stayed.

Correct answer: It made the farmland more fertile for crops.

Correct answer: It made the farmland more fertile for crops. The flood left dark, rich mud, and farmers planted after it receded, implying the flooding enriched the soil. It is described as helping rather than ruining the fields, it happened every spring rather than once, and the farmers stayed rather than moving.

Correct answer: What clues in the text help you figure out what the author means?

Correct answer: What clues in the text help you figure out what the author means? Inference depends on connecting text clues to reasoning, so asking what clues reveal the author's meaning guides that thinking. Dates, matching initials, and page numbers are literal or trivial details that do not require inference.

Correct answer: Derek learned he had been accepted into the college.

Correct answer: Derek learned he had been accepted into the college. Shaking hands show nervous anticipation, and a whoop followed by running to tell his mother signals joyful news, so acceptance is the supported inference. A rejection or a lost application would not produce a whoop, and nothing mentions his mother writing to the college.

Correct answer: He wanted to keep it away from the children.

Correct answer: He wanted to keep it away from the children. The warning label says to keep the product out of reach of children, and he moved it from a low shelf to a locked cabinet, so the purpose was keeping children from reaching it. Nothing mentions shelf space, hiding from adults, or temperature.

Correct answer: eerie

Correct answer: eerie. Groaning, rattling, and the comparison to loose teeth make the house seem creepy and unsettling, an eerie tone. Nothing in the sentence is cheerful or hopeful, and the vivid, loaded words are the opposite of a neutral tone.

Correct answer: condemned

Correct answer: condemned. "Condemned" signals strong disapproval of the plan. Described, presented, and discussed are neutral verbs that report what happened without judging it.

Correct answer: The same trait can be framed as a virtue or as a flaw.

Correct answer: The same trait can be framed as a virtue or as a flaw. Thrifty and stingy share a denotation (careful with money) but differ in connotation: thrifty is approving and stingy is critical. The words say nothing about exact spending, stingy is not positive, and spelling has nothing to do with the choice.

Correct answer: sarcastic

Correct answer: sarcastic. Calling a soaking "wonderful" while muttering means the opposite of the words, which is sarcasm. She is not grateful for or admiring of the rain, and nothing suggests fear.

Correct answer: lighthearted

Correct answer: lighthearted. Tumbling, rolling over, and sneezing in surprise are playful, comic details that create a lighthearted tone. Nothing in the sentence is angry or sad, and the casual, vivid description is not formal.

Correct answer: Students are requested to submit assignments by Friday.

Correct answer: Students are requested to submit assignments by Friday. Formal writing uses complete, impersonal phrasing and avoids slang; "Students are requested to submit assignments by Friday" does that. The other three use casual words (hey, stuff, folks), contractions, and conversational phrasing.

Correct answer: The writers hold different attitudes toward it.

Correct answer: The writers hold different attitudes toward it. Peaceful gathering and unruly mob describe the same event with opposite connotations, revealing the writers' different attitudes. Nothing indicates two events, only the second phrase suggests danger, and word choice reveals judgment, not counting accuracy.

Correct answer: a burst of joy

Correct answer: a burst of joy. A face lighting up "like sunrise" after months of silence is an image of sudden brightness and happiness. Worry, anger, and fatigue would not be described with a sunrise image.

Correct answer: drifted

Correct answer: drifted. "Drifted" suggests slow, aimless motion that fits the lonely image of an empty swing after the children have gone. Bounced, zoomed, and danced are energetic, playful verbs that would work against a sad tone.

Correct answer: less enthusiastic

Correct answer: less enthusiastic. "Triumph" is strongly approving and "adequate" means merely acceptable, so the change makes the tone less enthusiastic. It would not raise enthusiasm, add humor, or make the speech less formal, since both words are standard English.

Correct answer: It suggests the report was dull to read.

Correct answer: It suggests the report was dull to read. Here dry means dull and uninteresting, and the rest of the sentence (all numbers, no stories) supports that meaning. It has nothing to do with how easy the report was to find, whether it had errors, or its length.

Correct answer: Tone comes from the author's word choice, not the topic.

Correct answer: Tone comes from the author's word choice, not the topic. Tone is the author's attitude, shown through word choice; a storm can be described with humor, awe, or calm. Sentence length alone does not set tone, no topic forces one tone, and setting is a different story element.

Correct answer: The writer doubts the plan deserves that name.

Correct answer: The writer doubts the plan deserves that name. "So-called" signals skepticism: the writer uses the committee's label while implying it is undeserved, reinforced by "solved nothing." It is not praise, it is not simply a neutral quotation of a title, and the writer clearly knows what the plan was.

Correct answer: cause and effect

Correct answer: cause and effect. "Because" introduces a cause (the dam was not repaired) that leads to effects (the dam failed and streets flooded). Nothing is compared, no solution is offered, and the sentence explains why events happened rather than describing features.

Correct answer: problem and solution

Correct answer: problem and solution. The article presents an issue (students arriving hungry) and then a response to it (the breakfast program), which is problem and solution. It is not organized by time order, it does not compare two things, and although hunger has causes, the article's organization moves from a problem to its fix.

Correct answer: similarly, however, unlike

Correct answer: similarly, however, unlike. Similarly shows likeness, while however and unlike show difference, the core of compare and contrast. First, next, finally signal sequence; because, as a result, so signal cause and effect; and for example and such as introduce examples in descriptive or explanatory writing.

Correct answer: sequence

Correct answer: sequence. Steps in a set order are a sequence (chronological or procedural) structure. A description lists features, cause and effect explains why something happens, and compare and contrast weighs similarities and differences.

Correct answer: by comparing and contrasting two animals

Correct answer: by comparing and contrasting two animals. The passage places frogs' features beside toads' features, highlighting differences, which is compare and contrast. There is no process, no problem to solve, and no cause-and-effect chain.

Correct answer: description

Correct answer: description. Presenting the characteristics of a place (colors, sounds, smells, layout) is descriptive structure. There is no time order to follow, no problem is solved, and no causes or effects are explained.

Correct answer: It shows how ideas relate, so readers know what to expect.

Correct answer: It shows how ideas relate, so readers know what to expect. Knowing that a text is organized by cause and effect or problem and solution helps a reader predict how ideas connect and organize what they learn. Structure does not reveal invented facts, justify skipping paragraphs, or replace vocabulary learning.

Correct answer: a timeline

Correct answer: a timeline. Events described year by year follow chronological order, which a timeline shows. A Venn diagram compares two things, a pros-and-cons T-chart supports weighing an argument, and a cause-effect chain focuses on why events happened rather than when.

Correct answer: compare and contrast

Correct answer: compare and contrast. The passage sets renting beside buying, noting a difference in benefits (flexibility versus savings) and a similarity (monthly payments), which is compare and contrast. There is no time order, no problem being solved, and more than a description of one thing.

Correct answer: solution to the problem the essay described

Correct answer: solution to the problem the essay described. The essay identifies a problem (shrinking parks and lost play space) and ends by proposing a response (converting empty lots), so the proposal is the solution. It does not cause the problem, it supports rather than contrasts with the argument, and the essay is not a historical sequence.

Correct answer: As a result

Correct answer: As a result. "As a result" signals that the drop in referrals followed from the added recess. "In contrast" signals a difference, "For example" introduces an illustration, and "Meanwhile" signals something happening at the same time rather than as a consequence.

Correct answer: problem and solution

Correct answer: problem and solution. A heading naming a problem followed by one describing actions taken is a problem-and-solution structure. The headings do not set up a comparison, do not follow time order, and go beyond description by pairing an issue with responses.

Correct answer: first, next, then, finally

Correct answer: first, next, then, finally. First, next, then, and finally are sequence signal words that show the order of stages. The other choices list content words (nouns and verbs) that carry the topic but do not signal how the text is organized.

Correct answer: It may lead the author to focus on the health costs of sugar.

Correct answer: It may lead the author to focus on the health costs of sugar. A dentist's professional background would likely shape the argument around health, especially the effects of sugar on teeth. It would not lead the author to ignore teeth, an editorial states an opinion by design, and nothing suggests a focus on sports drinks.

Correct answer: to persuade readers to visit the town

Correct answer: to persuade readers to visit the town. A tourism office wants visitors, and highlighting sunsets, restaurants, and festivals is meant to persuade readers to come. The pamphlet is not fiction, does not discuss taxes, and presents only attractions rather than warnings.

Correct answer: a science article explaining how volcanoes form

Correct answer: a science article explaining how volcanoes form. An article explaining how volcanoes form presents facts to teach the reader, so its purpose is to inform. The comic story entertains, and the letter and the advertisement both try to persuade.

Correct answer: Each writer's viewpoint shapes which details appear.

Correct answer: Each writer's viewpoint shapes which details appear. An owner and a worried neighbor bring different perspectives, so each emphasizes the details that matter to them, such as jobs or traffic. Differences in emphasis do not prove invention, articles on one topic can reach different conclusions, and nothing suggests the neighbor has construction expertise.

Correct answer: to persuade

Correct answer: to persuade. Telling readers what they "should" do and appealing to caring about children is persuasive language. The sentence is not meant to amuse, it offers no facts to inform, and it does not describe anything.

Correct answer: entertain readers while sharing the author's life

Correct answer: entertain readers while sharing the author's life. Funny personal stories in a memoir are there to entertain while revealing the author's life. They do not urge readers to buy goats, present scientific study, or warn that farm animals are always dangerous.

Correct answer: A persuasive text often uses emotional appeals and loaded words.

Correct answer: A persuasive text often uses emotional appeals and loaded words. Writers who aim to persuade often choose emotional appeals and words with strong connotations. Informative texts emphasize facts over feelings, entertaining texts often rely heavily on dialogue and description, and persuasive texts are rarely neutral.

Correct answer: How might the author's family tie shape what he chose to include?

Correct answer: How might the author's family tie shape what he chose to include? Perspective includes background and relationships; asking how the family tie affects what is included or left out helps the student evaluate the text. Chapter length and printing details do not address perspective, and the student's favorite invention is a personal response, not analysis of the author.

Correct answer: The company benefits if readers believe the claim.

Correct answer: The company benefits if readers believe the claim. A seller of air purifiers has a financial interest in readers believing indoor air is dirty, so the claim should be checked against an independent source. Companies are not required to publish only verified data, a number does not make a claim true, and company websites commonly promote their products.

Correct answer: with personal experience as a teacher

Correct answer: with personal experience as a teacher. The author relies on twenty years of personal teaching experience. No statistics, expert quotations, or survey results are given; recognizing that the support is personal helps a reader weigh it.

Correct answer: The new playground is the best thing our town has built.

Correct answer: The new playground is the best thing our town has built. "The best addition our town has made" is a judgment that reveals the author's opinion. The opening date, the cost, and the equipment can all be checked and are facts.

Correct answer: A text can have a main purpose and a secondary purpose.

Correct answer: A text can have a main purpose and a secondary purpose. Texts often combine purposes: this story's main purpose is to entertain, and it also informs. Texts are not limited to one purpose, facts do not stop a story from being entertaining, and including facts does not make a text persuasive.

Correct answer: the park's cost overruns and construction delays

Correct answer: the park's cost overruns and construction delays. A speaker who proposed the park has a reason to emphasize its benefits and downplay problems, so cost overruns and delays are the details most likely omitted. The playground, visitor numbers, and trees all present the park favorably.

Correct answer: February

Correct answer: February. Comparing the four values, 380 in February is the smallest. January (420), April (465), and March (510) are all higher.

Correct answer: 30

Correct answer: 30. Subtract Room 103 from Room 102: 60 − 30 = 30. The value 15 is the difference between Room 102 and Room 101, 25 is the difference between Room 104 and Room 103, and 90 is the sum of Rooms 102 and 103 rather than the difference.

Correct answer: 15 miles

Correct answer: 15 miles. Each inch represents 5 miles, so 3 inches represent 3 × 5 = 15 miles. Adding 3 and 5 gives 8, using only the scale value gives 5, and 3 miles simply reads the map distance as if it were real miles.

Correct answer: the title, axis labels, and the scale

Correct answer: the title, axis labels, and the scale. The title says what the graph shows, the axis labels say what each variable is, and the scale says what each gridline is worth; without them, values cannot be read correctly. Color and font are cosmetic, the high and low points cannot be interpreted until the axes are understood, and page details are irrelevant.

Correct answer: 10

Correct answer: 10. Twenty-five percent of 40 is 0.25 × 40 = 10 students. The value 25 is the percent itself, not the number of students; 15 reads the car slice's percent; and 4 is 10% of 40, the number who bike.

Correct answer: The plant grew more each week than the week before.

Correct answer: The plant grew more each week than the week before. The weekly increases are 2, 3, and 4 cm, so the plant grew more each week than the week before. The growth was not constant, it did not stop, and 11 cm in week 4 is taller than 2 cm in week 1.

Correct answer: 24

Correct answer: 24. Each symbol stands for 4 apples, so 6 symbols represent 6 × 4 = 24 apples. Six counts symbols without using the key, 10 adds 6 and 4, and 4 is the value of just one symbol.

Correct answer: May had the most rainfall of the four months.

Correct answer: May had the most rainfall of the four months. May's 4.1 inches is the largest value. July (1.8) had less than June (2.6), rainfall rose then fell rather than rising steadily, and April (3.2) and June (2.6) are different.

Correct answer: a hiking trail

Correct answer: a hiking trail. The legend (key) assigns meanings to symbols, and it defines the blue dashed line as a hiking trail. The highway is the solid red line, and the legend described does not define rivers or borders.

Correct answer: 12.5

Correct answer: 12.5. Each gridline is worth 5, so halfway between 10 and 15 is (10 + 15) ÷ 2 = 12.5. Reading 10.5 treats the half gridline as half a unit, 12 rounds the value down, and 15 reads the next gridline instead of the bar's end.

Correct answer: 30 hats

Correct answer: 30 hats. The decrease is 120 − 90 = 30 hats. Ninety is June's total, 210 adds the two months, and 25 is the percent decrease (30 ÷ 120), not the number of hats.

Correct answer: Water falls from clouds to the land below.

Correct answer: Water falls from clouds to the land below. The arrow labeled precipitation points from the clouds down to the land, showing water falling. Rising from the ocean is evaporation, flow from land to ocean is runoff (not shown in the description), and the diagram shows water leaving the clouds, not staying there.

Correct answer: the graph's legend, which shows each group's colors

Correct answer: the graph's legend, which shows each group's colors. Reversing the groups is a legend error, so the student needs to check the key that assigns each color to boys or girls. The title, scale, and source are all worth reading, but none of them tells which color stands for which group.

Correct answer: A study found teens who start later sleep more and learn more.

Correct answer: A study found teens who start later sleep more and learn more. A study linking later start times to more sleep and higher scores is relevant, measurable evidence for the claim. Student preference shows only a wish, one brother's experience is a weak anecdote, and bus color is irrelevant.

Correct answer: Children who walk to school get about 20 more minutes of daily exercise.

Correct answer: Children who walk to school get about 20 more minutes of daily exercise. The statistic about 20 extra minutes of daily exercise directly shows a benefit. Parent preferences, busy streets, and history do not show that walking benefits children; the busy-streets detail could even support the opposite view.

Correct answer: data from a reliable, clearly named source

Correct answer: data from a reliable, clearly named source. Data from a reliable, identified source can be checked and is relevant, which makes it strong support. Feelings, popular sayings, and repetition do not prove a claim no matter how strongly they are expressed.

Correct answer: Crashes at the corner fell from 14 to 3 in a year.

Correct answer: Crashes at the corner fell from 14 to 3 in a year. A drop in crashes from 14 to 3 is a direct measure of safety. Who installed the light, drivers' comments about its colors, and nearby stores do not measure whether the intersection became safer.

Correct answer: It offers no facts or examples at all.

Correct answer: It offers no facts or examples at all. "Everyone knows" is not evidence; the claim needs facts, statistics, or examples. The support contains no expert quotations, no statistics, and no examples, so those cannot be the weakness.

Correct answer: statistics about the library's services

Correct answer: statistics about the library's services. Counts of classes, e-books, and people served are statistics. There is no story about a single person, no expert is quoted, and only one library is discussed.

Correct answer: "The mountains were my first teachers and truest friends."

Correct answer: "The mountains were my first teachers and truest friends.". Calling the mountains "my first teachers and my truest friends" directly expresses admiration for nature. When the book was finished, a publisher's request, and sales figures say nothing about the author's feelings toward nature.

Correct answer: Weakly supported, since one student's opinion shows no gain

Correct answer: Weakly supported, since one student's opinion shows no gain. A single student's enjoyment does not show that scores improved, so the claim is weakly supported. Direct use and a specific example do not make an opinion into evidence of score gains, and the topic of reading scores is not itself a weakness.

Correct answer: relates directly to and helps prove that claim

Correct answer: relates directly to and helps prove that claim. Relevance means the evidence is connected to the claim and helps prove it. Where the evidence appears or how interesting it is does not make it relevant.

Correct answer: City records show bike crashes fell where lanes were added.

Correct answer: City records show bike crashes fell where lanes were added. City records linking new lanes to fewer crashes are measurable, relevant, and independent. The writer's enjoyment is personal, the bike shop owner has a financial interest, and other cities having lanes does not show this town needs them.

Correct answer: Dr. Lee stated, "Children need nine hours of sleep."

Correct answer: Dr. Lee stated, "Children need nine hours of sleep.". A direct quotation reproduces a source's exact words inside quotation marks, as in the sentence quoting Dr. Lee. The next two sentences paraphrase Dr. Lee's views, and the last is a general statement with no source.

Correct answer: Staff weighed 85 pounds of uneaten food thrown out in one week.

Correct answer: Staff weighed 85 pounds of uneaten food thrown out in one week. A measured amount of uneaten food thrown out is direct evidence of waste at this cafeteria. Complaints about taste suggest a possible cause but do not show waste, new paint and tables are irrelevant, and a global statement does not describe this cafeteria.

Correct answer: 3

Correct answer: 3. "Ship" has three sounds: /sh/, /i/, /p/. The letters s and h together make one sound, so counting letters (4) overcounts; 2 and 1 undercount.

Correct answer: bat and pat

Correct answer: bat and pat. "Bat" and "pat" differ only in the first phoneme, /b/ versus /p/, the example ETS itself uses. "Bat" and "bag" differ in the last sound, "bat" and "bit" differ in the middle vowel sound, and "tab" reverses the order of the sounds.

Correct answer: 3

Correct answer: 3. But-ter-fly has three syllables, each with one vowel sound. Two and four miscount the beats, and 9 is the number of letters.

Correct answer: dog

Correct answer: dog. "Dog" has one vowel sound and therefore one syllable. Ap-ple, ta-ble, and win-dow each have two syllables.

Correct answer: the smallest unit of sound in a spoken language

Correct answer: the smallest unit of sound in a spoken language. A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that can change a word's meaning, such as /b/ versus /p/. The smallest unit of meaning is a morpheme, letters that represent sounds are graphemes, and a word part with one vowel sound is a syllable.

Correct answer: blending phonemes into a word

Correct answer: blending phonemes into a word. Hearing separate sounds and combining them into "cat" is phoneme blending. Segmenting is the reverse (breaking a word into sounds), syllable counting works with larger units, and letter names are not involved in an oral task.

Correct answer: clapping the syllables in classmates' names

Correct answer: clapping the syllables in classmates' names. Phonological awareness is about the sounds of spoken language, so clapping syllables in names is an oral activity that builds it. Copying words, tracing letters, and matching printed words all rely on print.

Correct answer: sat

Correct answer: sat. Replacing the first sound /m/ with /s/ turns "mat" into "sat." "Mas" changes the last sound, "tam" reverses the sounds, and "mast" adds a sound.

Correct answer: 3

Correct answer: 3. "Cake" has three sounds: /k/ /ā/ /k/. The final e is silent and the a makes the long vowel sound, so counting letters (4) overcounts.

Correct answer: segmenting a word into its separate sounds

Correct answer: segmenting a word into its separate sounds. Breaking a spoken word into its separate sounds is phoneme segmentation. Blending is combining sounds into a word, rhyming matches ending sounds, and "sun" has one syllable, which the student did not count.

Correct answer: rabbit

Correct answer: rabbit. Pen-cil has two syllables, and so does rab-bit. E-ras-er has three, pen has one, and crayon box is two words with three syllables in total.

Correct answer: chair

Correct answer: chair. A digraph is two letters that make one sound; ch in "chair" makes a single sound. Cr, bl, and st are consonant blends, in which each letter keeps its own sound.

Correct answer: stop

Correct answer: stop. In "stop," s and t are each heard, which makes st a blend. Sh, th, and wh are digraphs, each pair making one sound.

Correct answer: boat

Correct answer: boat. The vowel team oa in "boat" is two vowels working together to make the long o sound. "Bat" has a single short vowel, "bite" uses a silent e pattern rather than a vowel team, and "bird" has an r-controlled vowel.

Correct answer: sh

Correct answer: sh. The letters s and h together make one sound, /sh/, so sh is a consonant digraph. In mp both the /m/ and /p/ sounds are heard, which makes it a final blend; hr and ri are not letter teams, because the h belongs to sh and the r starts the blend with it.

Correct answer: the vowel team ai making the long a sound

Correct answer: the vowel team ai making the long a sound. Reading "rain" as "ran" means the student gave a short a sound instead of the long a spelled by the vowel team ai. "Rain" has no initial blend, no sh digraph, and no silent e.

Correct answer: Break it into the two words sun and flower.

Correct answer: Break it into the two words sun and flower. "Sunflower" is a compound word, so splitting it into two known words is an efficient decoding strategy. Guessing from the first letter, skipping, and spelling letter names do not help the student read the word.

Correct answer: cup

Correct answer: cup. "Cup" has a short u in a closed consonant-vowel-consonant pattern. "Cute" and "cube" have long u from the silent e, and "coat" has long o from the vowel team oa.

Correct answer: kite

Correct answer: kite. In "kite," the final e is silent and makes the i say its name (long i). "Kit," "knit," and "kiss" all have a short i and no final silent e.

Correct answer: the consonant blend str and the vowel team ee

Correct answer: the consonant blend str and the vowel team ee. Str is a three-letter blend in which each sound is heard, and ee is a vowel team making long e; the student read both correctly. St is a blend, not a digraph, there is no silent e, the vowel is long rather than short, and ee is a vowel team, not a blend.

Correct answer: phone and whip

Correct answer: phone and whip. Ph in "phone" makes one sound (/f/) and wh in "whip" makes one sound, so both are digraphs. Fr, pl, sn, gr, cl, and br are blends, in which both consonant sounds are heard.

Correct answer: graph

Correct answer: graph. In "graph," the letters ph work together to spell one sound, /f/, which makes ph a digraph. "Frog" and "flag" spell /f/ with the single letter f (inside the blends fr and fl), and "gift" spells it with f in the final blend ft.

Correct answer: Look at the letters and say each sound, then blend them.

Correct answer: Look at the letters and say each sound, then blend them. Prompting the student to attend to letters, say each sound, and blend them builds phonics and word-analysis skill. Guessing from pictures and skipping avoid decoding, and telling the student the word removes the practice.

Correct answer: What sentence in the story makes you think that?

Correct answer: What sentence in the story makes you think that? Asking which sentence supports a student's idea requires them to return to the text and cite evidence. Personal preference, imagining oneself in the story, and recalling the title are useful questions but do not ask for textual evidence.

Correct answer: Invite each student to share one idea, using a talking turn.

Correct answer: Invite each student to share one idea, using a talking turn. Structured turns give every student a chance to contribute while keeping the discussion going. Letting one student answer everything, ending the discussion, or answering for quiet students all reduce participation.

Correct answer: Let's reread this paragraph together and look for clues.

Correct answer: Let's reread this paragraph together and look for clues. Rereading together and looking for clues keeps the student thinking and working with the text. Giving the answer, inviting a blind guess, or skipping the question removes the chance to build comprehension.

Correct answer: What do you think the author wanted us to learn, and why?

Correct answer: What do you think the author wanted us to learn, and why? An open-ended question about the author's message invites interpretation and explanation of reasoning. Questions about the town, the number of chapters, or a coat color have single factual answers and call for recall, not insight.

Correct answer: Model a question, then have students write one of their own.

Correct answer: Model a question, then have students write one of their own. Modeling a question and then having students write their own teaches them to generate questions. Matching given answers, reading without pauses, and reserving questions for adults all prevent students from asking questions.

Correct answer: Ask each student to point to text that supports their view.

Correct answer: Ask each student to point to text that supports their view. Asking both students to support their views with text evidence turns disagreement into productive discussion. Simply declaring an answer, changing the subject, or letting age decide skips the evidence-based reasoning the discussion is meant to build.

Correct answer: "I agree with Sam, and I would add that..."

Correct answer: "I agree with Sam, and I would add that...". "I agree with Sam, and I would add that..." acknowledges a peer's idea and extends it, which is the purpose of a discussion sentence starter. Dismissing an answer, claiming to know it all, or asking to switch books shuts down discussion.

Correct answer: Use the teacher's discussion questions and note each response.

Correct answer: Use the teacher's discussion questions and note each response. A paraeducator supports instruction under the teacher's direction, so using the planned questions and recording responses reinforces the lesson and informs the teacher. Replacing the lesson, skipping the discussion, or changing the book departs from the teacher's plan.

Correct answer: Which events in the story show the character refusing to quit?

Correct answer: Which events in the story show the character refusing to quit? Asking which events show the character refusing to quit pushes the student to support the theme with textual evidence. Comparing to last month's theme, spelling a word, or comparing length does not deepen analysis of this text.

Correct answer: It teaches students to ground ideas in what they read.

Correct answer: It teaches students to ground ideas in what they read. Citing evidence teaches students to base their interpretations on the text, a key reading skill. It requires careful reading, it allows for different well-supported interpretations, and it strengthens rather than suppresses students' own ideas.

Correct answer: by showing how one event causes the next

Correct answer: by showing how one event causes the next. Each sentence explains a step caused by the one before (warm water, rising air, lower pressure, rushing air, spinning), a cause-and-effect sequence that shows how one event causes the next. No second storm is compared, no sensory description is given, and no plan is proposed.

Correct answer: The box of old photographs is on the top shelf.

Correct answer: The box of old photographs is on the top shelf. The subject is "box," which is singular, so the verb must be "is"; the phrase "of old photographs" does not change the subject. "Are" and "were" are plural verbs for a singular subject, and "boxes ... is" pairs a plural subject with a singular verb.

Correct answer: Marcus and I finished the project ourselves.

Correct answer: Marcus and I finished the project ourselves. "I" is the subject form, and the plural reflexive "ourselves" matches the plural subject "Marcus and I." "Me" cannot be a subject, "ourself" is not the standard plural reflexive, and "myself" cannot stand in for "I" as a subject.

Correct answer: I wanted to go to the park; however, it started to rain.

Correct answer: I wanted to go to the park; however, it started to rain. "However" joins two independent clauses here, so it needs a semicolon before it and a comma after it. A comma before "however" creates a comma splice, no punctuation creates a run-on, and the comma after "started" splits the verb from its complement.

Correct answer: its

Correct answer: its. "Its" is the possessive form (the tail belonging to it). "It's" and "it is" mean "it is," which makes no sense here, and "its'" is not a word.

Correct answer: They're putting their coats over there by the door.

Correct answer: They're putting their coats over there by the door. "They're" means "they are," "their" shows ownership of the coats, and "there" names the place. Each of the other sentences puts at least one of the three words in the wrong position.

Correct answer: Because the bus was late this morning.

Correct answer: Because the bus was late this morning. "Because the bus was late this morning" is a dependent clause with no independent clause to complete the thought, so it is a fragment. The other three are complete sentences, including one that attaches the "because" clause to an independent clause.

Correct answer: The game ended, and we went out for pizza.

Correct answer: The game ended, and we went out for pizza. A comma plus a coordinating conjunction (", and") correctly joins two independent clauses. A comma alone creates a comma splice, the comma after "and" is misplaced, and a comma after "game" separates the subject from its verb without fixing the run-on.

Correct answer: Last summer we visited Grand Canyon National Park.

Correct answer: Last summer we visited Grand Canyon National Park. The full name of a specific park is a proper noun, so each word is capitalized, and the first word of the sentence is capitalized. Seasons such as summer are not capitalized, and the other options either lowercase parts of the park's name or the first word of the sentence.

Correct answer: separate

Correct answer: separate. The correct spelling is s-e-p-a-r-a-t-e, with "par" in the middle. The other three are common misspellings that replace one or both a's with e's.

Correct answer: We need flour, sugar, eggs, and butter for the cake.

Correct answer: We need flour, sugar, eggs, and butter for the cake. Commas separate each item in a series, with the final comma before "and" (the serial comma) accepted in standard usage. The other options leave out a needed comma, put a comma after the verb, or put a comma after "and" instead of before it.

Correct answer: The teachers' lounge is on the second floor.

Correct answer: The teachers' lounge is on the second floor. The lounge belongs to several teachers, so the plural possessive "teachers'" is correct. "Teacher's are" uses an apostrophe to form a plural, "lounge'" puts the apostrophe on the wrong word, and "teacher's'" is not a valid form.

Correct answer: affect

Correct answer: affect. "Affect" is the verb meaning to influence, which fits after "will." "Effect" is usually a noun (a result), "effects" is its plural, and "affection" means fondness.

Correct answer: The coach gave the awards to Maya and me.

Correct answer: The coach gave the awards to Maya and me. After the preposition "to," the objective case "me" is required; removing "Maya and" confirms it ("gave the awards to me"). "I" is the subjective case and is incorrect as an object, and the reflexive "myself" is used only when the subject is also "I" ("I gave myself a break").

Correct answer: She likes hiking, swimming, and biking.

Correct answer: She likes hiking, swimming, and biking. Items in a series should share the same grammatical form; "hiking, swimming, and biking" are all -ing forms. The other choices mix -ing forms with infinitives (to bike, to hike, to swim), and "to biking" is not a standard form.

Correct answer: Running to the bus, my backpack fell open.

Correct answer: Running to the bus, my backpack fell open. "Running to the bus" should describe the person running, but it is placed next to "my backpack," which cannot run, so the modifier dangles. In the other three sentences the running is clearly done by "I."

Correct answer: There were fewer students absent today than yesterday.

Correct answer: There were fewer students absent today than yesterday. "Fewer" is used with things that can be counted (students), and "less" with amounts that cannot (water). Two choices use "less" with countable nouns, and one uses "fewer" with the uncountable noun "water."

Correct answer: "Please line up by the door," said Mr. Park.

Correct answer: "Please line up by the door," said Mr. Park. In American usage a comma that ends a quoted statement goes inside the closing quotation mark, followed by the speaker tag. Placing the comma outside, ending the quotation with a period before a tag, or quoting the speaker tag instead of the spoken words are all incorrect.

Correct answer: Yesterday, Ana walked to the store and bought milk.

Correct answer: Yesterday, Ana walked to the store and bought milk. "Yesterday" signals the past, so both verbs should be in the past tense: walked and bought. The other choices shift tense within the sentence or use the future tense for a past event.

Correct answer: than

Correct answer: than. "Than" is used for comparisons (bigger than). "Then" refers to time, and "that" and "from" do not form a comparison after "bigger" in standard English.

Correct answer: Neither the teacher nor the students were ready for the drill.

Correct answer: Neither the teacher nor the students were ready for the drill. With "neither ... nor," the verb agrees with the nearer subject, "students," which is plural, so "were" is correct. "Was" and "is" are singular, and "neither" pairs with "nor," not "or."

Correct answer: Bring three things to class: a pencil, a ruler, and paper.

Correct answer: Bring three things to class: a pencil, a ruler, and paper. A colon follows a complete independent clause and introduces a list, as in "Bring three things to class: ..." The other choices place the colon inside the clause or in the middle of the list, where it breaks the sentence.

Correct answer: To whom should I address this letter?

Correct answer: To whom should I address this letter? "Whom" is the object form and is used after a preposition such as "to." "To who" uses the subject form as an object, "Whom is going" uses the object form as a subject, and the last choice uses both words and is ungrammatical.

Correct answer: I don't have any homework tonight.

Correct answer: I don't have any homework tonight. "Don't" plus "any" expresses the negative once. "Don't ... no," "haven't ... no," and "don't hardly" each stack two negatives, which standard English avoids.

Correct answer: After the long assembly, the students returned to class.

Correct answer: After the long assembly, the students returned to class. A comma follows an introductory phrase such as "After the long assembly" and separates it from the main clause. The other choices place the comma between the subject and verb, after the first word, or inside the phrase.

Correct answer: The two girls went to the zoo, and their brother came too.

Correct answer: The two girls went to the zoo, and their brother came too. "Two" is the number, "to" is the preposition showing direction, and "too" means also. Each of the other sentences puts at least two of the words in the wrong place.

Correct answer: The team celebrated its first win of the season.

Correct answer: The team celebrated its first win of the season. "Team" acting as one unit is a singular noun, so the singular possessive "its" agrees with it. "Teams ... its" pairs a plural noun with a singular pronoun, "it's" means "it is," and "The team celebrate" uses a plural verb with a singular subject.

Correct answer: Delete the sentence because it is off topic.

Correct answer: Delete the sentence because it is off topic. A coherent paragraph keeps every sentence on its topic, and a cousin's bicycle has nothing to do with school gardens, so the sentence should be deleted. Moving it or expanding it keeps the unrelated idea, and an off-topic sentence is not a useful example.

Correct answer: Families can save water at home with a few simple habits.

Correct answer: Families can save water at home with a few simple habits. A topic sentence states the paragraph's focus, and "Families can save water at home with a few simple habits" sets up a paragraph listing those habits. The other sentences are about where home water comes from, a trip, or drinking water, none of which introduces ways to save water.

Correct answer: Consequently

Correct answer: Consequently. The high score followed from the studying, so a cause-and-effect transition, "Consequently," makes the connection clear. "In contrast" and "Nevertheless" signal opposition, and "For instance" introduces an example.

Correct answer: Put the steps in time order using first and next.

Correct answer: Put the steps in time order using first and next. A how-to paragraph is clearest when the steps appear in chronological order with transitions such as first and next. Adding length, cramming the steps into one sentence, or removing the steps would not fix the organization.

Correct answer: Because it was raining, the game was postponed.

Correct answer: Because it was raining, the game was postponed. "Because" replaces the wordy "due to the fact that," and "postponed" already means moved to a later time, so "until a later time" can be cut. "Raining, the game was postponed" is shorter but makes the game the thing that was raining (a dangling modifier), and the other revisions keep wordy phrases or change the meaning.

Correct answer: I am writing to request a meeting on my son's schedule.

Correct answer: I am writing to request a meeting on my son's schedule. A formal letter uses complete sentences, precise words, and no slang, as in "I am writing to request a meeting." The other choices use casual greetings, filler words, or slang such as "gotta" and "ASAP."

Correct answer: A longer lunch would help students eat well and return ready to learn.

Correct answer: A longer lunch would help students eat well and return ready to learn. An effective conclusion restates the argument and its benefit, which the sentence about eating well and returning ready to learn does. Breakfast habits, the history of the lunch schedule, and food preferences are details, not a conclusion that wraps up the argument for a longer lunch.

Correct answer: When Jen talked to Kate, she said the test was hard.

Correct answer: When Jen talked to Kate, she said the test was hard. In "When Jen talked to Kate, she said the test was hard," "she" could refer to either Jen or Kate. The other sentences make it clear that Jen is the speaker.

Correct answer: The library is quiet and has comfortable chairs.

Correct answer: The library is quiet and has comfortable chairs. Joining the two predicates with "and" removes the repeated subject: "The library is quiet and has comfortable chairs." The second choice is a comma splice that keeps the repetition, the third adds a stray comma, and "The quiet library has chairs" is shorter but drops the detail that the chairs are comfortable.

Correct answer: Add a closing paragraph that sums up the main points.

Correct answer: Add a closing paragraph that sums up the main points. A developed essay needs a conclusion that ties its points together. Adding an unrelated topic, cutting the introduction, or repeating a body paragraph word for word would weaken the organization.

Correct answer: Guide dogs help people who are blind cross busy streets.

Correct answer: Guide dogs help people who are blind cross busy streets. The topic sentence is about trained dogs helping people, and guide dogs helping blind people cross streets is a direct example. Size and color, sleeping habits, and dog-show history do not show dogs helping people.

Correct answer: equipment

Correct answer: equipment. "Equipment" names what a science kit contains precisely and in a formal register. "Things" and "items" are nearly as vague as "stuff," and "junk" is informal and negative.

Correct answer: planning (prewriting)

Correct answer: planning (prewriting). Brainstorming with a web happens before drafting, in the planning or prewriting stage. Revising and editing improve an existing draft, and publishing shares a finished piece.

Correct answer: Revising improves ideas and order; editing fixes errors.

Correct answer: Revising improves ideas and order; editing fixes errors. Revising changes content and organization (ideas, order, clarity), while editing corrects conventions such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation. The second choice reverses the two, revising follows drafting rather than preceding it, and either one can be done by students or teachers.

Correct answer: Revise by reordering and strengthening its points.

Correct answer: Revise by reordering and strengthening its points. Making an argument clearer is a revising task: reorganizing and strengthening points. Publishing skips improvement, starting over abandons the draft, and fixing spelling alone does not clarify the argument.

Correct answer: Ask about the student's interests to brainstorm ideas.

Correct answer: Ask about the student's interests to brainstorm ideas. A student stuck at the start needs help in the planning stage, and asking about interests helps them generate their own ideas. Writing the paragraph or supplying an essay does the work for the student, and telling them just to start does not address the lack of ideas.

Correct answer: turning an outline's ideas into sentences

Correct answer: turning an outline's ideas into sentences. Drafting turns planned ideas into sentences and paragraphs. Checking spelling is editing, listing topics is planning, and sharing a finished piece is publishing.

Correct answer: revision feedback about organization

Correct answer: revision feedback about organization. Suggesting that a paragraph be moved is feedback on organization, which belongs to revising. It is not about punctuation (editing), choosing a topic (planning), or page layout (publishing).

Correct answer: Point to a run-on and ask the student how to fix it.

Correct answer: Point to a run-on and ask the student how to fix it. Guiding the student to find and fix errors builds the student's own editing skill. Rewriting the sentences does the work for the student, the ideas are already good and do not need to change, and ignoring errors skips the editing stage.

Correct answer: plan, draft, revise, edit, publish

Correct answer: plan, draft, revise, edit, publish. Writers plan (prewrite), draft, revise the content, edit for conventions, and then publish. The other orders put editing or revising before drafting, or planning after drafting; in practice writers may loop back, but the stages build in this sequence.

Correct answer: revising

Correct answer: revising. Adding dialogue to strengthen a scene changes the content, which is revising. Planning comes before a draft exists, editing corrects conventions, and publishing shares the finished work.

Correct answer: It organizes main ideas and details before drafting.

Correct answer: It organizes main ideas and details before drafting. An outline arranges main ideas and supporting details in order, which makes drafting easier and more organized. It does not check conventions, does not replace the draft, and is not meant to shorten the essay.

Correct answer: revising for clarity

Correct answer: revising for clarity. Rewording a sentence so its meaning is clear improves the content's clarity, which is revising. Spelling corrections are editing, topic selection is planning, and publishing shares the final piece.

Correct answer: Does each paragraph support my main idea?

Correct answer: Does each paragraph support my main idea? Checking whether each paragraph supports the main idea evaluates content and organization, the focus of revising. Spelling is an editing question, paper color is a publishing detail, and choosing a topic is planning.

Correct answer: an article on a .gov health agency website

Correct answer: an article on a .gov health agency website. Government health agency sites (.gov) publish reviewed information from experts, which makes them credible. Social media posts, personal blogs, and tabloids are the noncredible source types ETS names: they are usually not reviewed and may reflect opinion or sensationalism.

Correct answer: a named expert author and a recent date

Correct answer: a named expert author and a recent date. A named, qualified author and a recent publication date let a reader check who wrote the information and whether it is current. Design, popularity, and a catchy title say nothing about accuracy.

Correct answer: a journal article by agricultural scientists

Correct answer: a journal article by agricultural scientists. A journal article written by agricultural scientists is reviewed research on the topic, which makes it credible. An anonymous comment cannot be checked, an advertisement is written to sell, and a text message about a sting is off topic and informal.

Correct answer: Check the claim against a credible source first.

Correct answer: Check the claim against a credible source first. Information with no author, date, or sources cannot be verified, so it should be checked against a credible source such as a journal article or an .edu or .gov site. Blogs are not always accurate, and copying or relying on an unverified claim would weaken the report.

Correct answer: a peer-reviewed academic journal article

Correct answer: a peer-reviewed academic journal article. Peer-reviewed journal articles are checked by experts before publication, making them highly credible. Tabloids, widely shared posts, and anonymous comments are not reviewed and cannot be verified.

Correct answer: It is usually run by a school or university.

Correct answer: It is usually run by a school or university. The .edu domain is typically used by educational institutions, which usually have review processes and expert authors. It does not guarantee more pictures, student authorship, or perfect accuracy, so readers should still check dates and authors.

Correct answer: the state government's official .gov website

Correct answer: the state government's official .gov website. The official .gov site publishes the law's actual text, which is the most accurate source for its wording. An opinion column, a forum thread, and a stranger's video interpret or summarize the law and may be inaccurate.

Correct answer: Who wrote this, and what makes them an expert?

Correct answer: Who wrote this, and what makes them an expert? Asking who wrote the source and what qualifies them to write it is a core credibility check. Pictures, search ranking, and agreement with one's own beliefs do not show that information is accurate.

Correct answer: a university marine lab and a science journal

Correct answer: a university marine lab and a science journal. A university marine laboratory site (.edu) and a science journal are expert, reviewed sources. Celebrity posts, tabloids, movies, fan blogs, anonymous forums, and comics are not reliable sources for factual research.

Correct answer: more likely to be reliable

Correct answer: more likely to be reliable. A named reporter, named experts, and links to an official study all allow a reader to verify the information, signs of a reliable source. They do not prove bias, the article is informational rather than entertainment, and they make it more credible than an unsourced blog.

Correct answer: Print sources also need to be checked carefully.

Correct answer: Print sources also need to be checked carefully. ETS names both print and digital sources, and each must be evaluated; a printed tabloid is no more credible than an online one. Being printed does not make a source credible, print sources are widely used in research, and digital sources such as .gov sites can be reliable.

Correct answer: Credit the original source with a citation.

Correct answer: Credit the original source with a citation. Paraphrasing changes the words, but the idea still belongs to the original author, so it must be credited with a citation. Quotation marks are only for exact words, leaving out credit is plagiarism, and copying the original sentence into a footnote is not required.

Correct answer: Put the exact words in quotation marks and cite the source.

Correct answer: Put the exact words in quotation marks and cite the source. A direct quotation reproduces the author's exact words, which go inside quotation marks, followed by a citation. Changing words without credit, using exact words without marks, or quoting the name instead of the words are all incorrect.

Correct answer: when quoting a long passage of several lines

Correct answer: when quoting a long passage of several lines. Style guides set long quotations (typically more than about four lines) off as an indented block without quotation marks. Single words are quoted inline, paraphrases are not quotations at all, and a reference list is separate from quotations.

Correct answer: Lee (2020) found that teens who exercise often feel happier and calmer.

Correct answer: Lee (2020) found that teens who exercise often feel happier and calmer. A good paraphrase keeps the original meaning, uses new wording, and credits the source. Repeating the sentence word for word without quotation marks is not a paraphrase, the sports advice adds an idea Lee did not state, and the homework claim changes the meaning.

Correct answer: to show readers where the information came from

Correct answer: to show readers where the information came from. An in-text citation identifies the source of a specific quotation or idea at the point where it is used. It does not show length or organize paragraphs, and it points to the full entry in the reference list rather than replacing it.

Correct answer: a citation that identifies the source of the quotation

Correct answer: a citation that identifies the source of the quotation. Quoted words need a citation telling the reader where they came from. The quotation is already marked correctly, repeating it in other words is optional, and a paragraph title is not part of citing evidence.

Correct answer: When Nia hears the cry, she "runs straight into the smoke" to help.

Correct answer: When Nia hears the cry, she "runs straight into the smoke" to help. Quoting the moment Nia "runs straight into the smoke" gives specific text evidence of bravery. Circular reasoning, a setting summary, and readers' opinions do not come from the story as evidence of the trait.

Correct answer: It presents another writer's words as the student's own.

Correct answer: It presents another writer's words as the student's own. Using someone's exact words without quotation marks or credit is plagiarism because it presents them as the student's own. Length is not the issue, websites can be valid sources, and the problem is a missing citation, not too many.

Correct answer: when the idea matters more than the author's exact wording

Correct answer: when the idea matters more than the author's exact wording. Paraphrasing works well when the idea is what matters and the student can state it clearly in new words; it still requires a citation. Memorable or famous wording is usually better quoted directly, and paraphrasing never removes the need to cite.

Correct answer: an ellipsis (…)

Correct answer: an ellipsis (…). An ellipsis, three spaced or unspaced periods, shows that words have been omitted from a quotation. Semicolons, colons, and em dashes have other uses and do not signal omitted words.

Correct answer: Schools should offer more music classes.

Correct answer: Schools should offer more music classes. A claim is a debatable position the writer argues for, such as "Schools should offer more music classes." The other choices are facts that can be checked and could serve as evidence, but they are not arguable positions.

Correct answer: A city study found tree-lined streets were 8 degrees cooler.

Correct answer: A city study found tree-lined streets were 8 degrees cooler. A study showing cooler temperatures on tree-lined streets is relevant, measurable evidence for planting more trees. The writer's taste is opinion, the age of park trees is unrelated to planting more, and a definition of trees supports nothing.

Correct answer: It explains how the evidence supports the claim.

Correct answer: It explains how the evidence supports the claim. Reasoning connects evidence to the claim, explaining why the evidence proves the point. Repeating the claim is not reasoning, listing sources is documentation, and unrelated facts weaken an argument.

Correct answer: A celebrity's use is no evidence that the app works.

Correct answer: A celebrity's use is no evidence that the app works. A famous singer using the app says nothing about whether it helps students study; this is an appeal to celebrity, not evidence. The argument has no statistics or expert quotations, and a clearly stated claim is a strength, not a weakness.

Correct answer: A pediatrician states that children need daily play.

Correct answer: A pediatrician states that children need daily play. Expert testimony comes from someone with professional knowledge, such as a pediatrician speaking about children's health. A neighbor, a student, and a parent are sharing personal observations or preferences, not expert judgment.

Correct answer: a counterclaim the writer should respond to

Correct answer: a counterclaim the writer should respond to. A statement of the opposing view is a counterclaim; strong arguments acknowledge and respond to it. It does not restate the writer's claim, it contains no statistic, and it is not a summary.

Correct answer: Students bought 40 percent fewer plastic bottles where fillers went in.

Correct answer: Students bought 40 percent fewer plastic bottles where fillers went in. A 40 percent drop in plastic bottle purchases where fillers were added directly shows a measurable benefit. One friend's thirst is an anecdote, color choices are irrelevant, and a general belief is not specific evidence.

Correct answer: It says nothing about whether her scores improved.

Correct answer: It says nothing about whether her scores improved. The sentence shows only that the sister reads; it gives no information about test scores, so it does not support the claim. It is not an expert quote or a statistic, and its length is not the problem.

Correct answer: Nearly 70 percent of students surveyed said lunch is too short.

Correct answer: Nearly 70 percent of students surveyed said lunch is too short. "Nearly 70 percent of students surveyed" is a statistic, a numerical fact from data. The other choices are a general observation, a claim with reasoning, and an unsupported generalization.

Correct answer: Add a fact or example that backs up your point.

Correct answer: Add a fact or example that backs up your point. Persuasive writing is strengthened by relevant evidence such as facts and examples. Exclamation points and repetition add emphasis but not support, and removing the main point leaves the paragraph with nothing to argue.

Correct answer: relevant, specific, and from many people

Correct answer: relevant, specific, and from many people. A survey of 500 residents is directly related to the claim, gives a specific number, and represents many people, which makes it strong. It is not emotional or based on one story, humor is not a strength of evidence, and nothing suggests the data are old or from another town.

Correct answer: to divide the text into sections and preview topics

Correct answer: to divide the text into sections and preview topics. Headings break an informational text into labeled sections so readers can preview and find topics. They do not check spelling, list sources, or add sentences.

Correct answer: bold print for each key term

Correct answer: bold print for each key term. Bold print draws attention to key terms, often with a definition nearby or in a glossary. A longer title, page numbers, and a cover picture do not highlight vocabulary within the text.

Correct answer: Furthermore

Correct answer: Furthermore. "Furthermore" adds information or another example. "However" signals contrast, "therefore" signals a result, and "finally" signals the last item in a sequence.

Correct answer: It shows the parts visually so readers can connect the text.

Correct answer: It shows the parts visually so readers can connect the text. A labeled diagram shows the layers visually, helping readers link the words in the text to the structure they describe. It supports rather than replaces the text, it is not a glossary, and it presents information, not opinion.

Correct answer: the index

Correct answer: the index. An index lists topics alphabetically with the page numbers where they appear. A glossary defines terms, the title page gives the title and author, and a dedication honors someone.

Correct answer: Add headings and a chart comparing food groups.

Correct answer: Add headings and a chart comparing food groups. Headings organize the information into sections, and a chart presents comparisons visually, both standard informative text features. Opinions about taste, removing numerical facts, and turning the report into a poem would make it less informative.

Correct answer: It explains what the photograph shows.

Correct answer: It explains what the photograph shows. A caption is a short explanation of an image, telling the reader what it shows and why it matters. Review questions, copyright information, and definitions of bold words appear elsewhere.

Correct answer: a numbered list of the steps in order

Correct answer: a numbered list of the steps in order. A numbered list shows each step separately and in sequence, which makes a procedure easy to follow. A single paragraph, a random order, or a footnote would make the steps harder to follow.

Correct answer: They show how one idea connects to the next.

Correct answer: They show how one idea connects to the next. Transitions such as first, however, and as a result show the relationships between ideas, guiding the reader through the text. They do not shorten sentences, judge sources, or replace the main idea.

Correct answer: the time and place in which the story happens

Correct answer: the time and place in which the story happens. The setting is where and when a story takes place. The main problem is the conflict, the message is the theme, and the sequence of events is the plot.

Correct answer: the central message or lesson about life

Correct answer: the central message or lesson about life. The theme is the story's central message or insight about life, such as the value of honesty. The main character's name, the setting, and the climax are other story elements.

Correct answer: the story's conflict

Correct answer: the story's conflict. The girl's fear stands between her and her goal, which makes it the conflict. It is not a time or place (setting), not the message of the story (theme), and not the way the problem is solved (resolution).

Correct answer: the turning point, when tension is highest

Correct answer: the turning point, when tension is highest. The climax is the turning point of the plot, the moment of greatest tension. The introduction of characters is the exposition, and the ending is the resolution, which comes after the climax.

Correct answer: How does Leo change from the start of the story to the end?

Correct answer: How does Leo change from the start of the story to the end? Asking how Leo changes focuses on character development. The other questions address setting, theme, and plot sequence.

Correct answer: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution

Correct answer: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. A typical plot moves from exposition (introduction) through rising action to the climax, then falling action and resolution. The other orders scramble the parts, for example placing the resolution before the climax.

Correct answer: first person

Correct answer: first person. A narrator who is a character and uses "I" and "me" tells the story in first person. Second person uses "you," and third person narrators use "he," "she," and "they" from outside the story.

Correct answer: Steady effort can succeed over speed.

Correct answer: Steady effort can succeed over speed. The tortoise wins by keeping going while the overconfident hare stops, suggesting that steady effort can beat speed. The other choices misstate the facts of the story or state trivial details rather than a lesson.

Correct answer: It explains why the character acts the way they do.

Correct answer: It explains why the character acts the way they do. Motivation is the reason behind a character's actions, so knowing it helps readers understand choices and predict events. It does not identify the setting, list the plot, or indicate length.

Correct answer: Use it only as the teacher allows and say how it was used.

Correct answer: Use it only as the teacher allows and say how it was used. Responsible AI use means following the teacher's rules and being open about how the tool helped. Submitting AI-written work as one's own and copying a classmate are academic dishonesty, and AI tools can produce errors, so facts must be checked.

Correct answer: Add comments or suggestions instead of deleting others' work.

Correct answer: Add comments or suggestions instead of deleting others' work. Comments and suggestions let group members discuss changes respectfully while keeping everyone's work. Deleting others' writing without discussion, locking teammates out, or submitting the shared work as one's own are irresponsible.

Correct answer: Remind the student to paraphrase and cite the source.

Correct answer: Remind the student to paraphrase and cite the source. Reminding the student to put ideas in their own words and cite the source teaches responsible use of online information. Approving copying encourages plagiarism, finishing the report does the work for the student, and deleting the report is not an appropriate support.

Correct answer: Posting respectful comments on a classmate's shared draft

Correct answer: Posting respectful comments on a classmate's shared draft. Respectful comments on a shared draft are responsible online collaboration. Sharing passwords, posting private information, and using someone's photo without permission violate privacy and safety.

Correct answer: Everyone can see and add ideas in one shared space.

Correct answer: Everyone can see and add ideas in one shared space. An interactive whiteboard lets a group see and contribute ideas together, which supports collaborative planning. It does not write essays, replace revising and editing, or evaluate sources.

Correct answer: Check that it has no private details and follows rules.

Correct answer: Check that it has no private details and follows rules. Before publishing, a student should protect privacy and follow school rules, which often include teacher review. Personal addresses, unlicensed photos, and skipping review are unsafe or inappropriate.

Correct answer: Verify the answer with a credible source such as a .gov site.

Correct answer: Verify the answer with a credible source such as a .gov site. AI tools can produce errors, so the answer should be checked against a credible source such as an official government or university site. Chatbots are not always accurate, copying without attribution is dishonest, and repeating the question does not verify accuracy.

Correct answer: Using a word processor to draft, revise, and edit an essay

Correct answer: Using a word processor to draft, revise, and edit an essay. A word processor makes drafting, revising, and editing easier while keeping the student in charge of the writing. Watching unrelated videos distracts, and copying an essay or having friends write it is dishonest.

Correct answer: the author, year, and page of the source

Correct answer: the author, year, and page of the source. A parenthetical in-text citation such as (Garcia, 2021, p. 14) names the author, the publication year, and the page where the quoted words appear, pointing the reader to the full reference. It does not identify the student, count words, or title a paragraph.

Correct answer: 7

Correct answer: 7. Adding numbers with different signs means subtracting their absolute values (15 − 8 = 7) and keeping the sign of the number with the larger absolute value, which is positive. The value −7 keeps the wrong sign, and 23 and −23 add the absolute values as if the signs matched.

Correct answer: 15

Correct answer: 15. Subtracting a negative is the same as adding its opposite: 6 − (−9) = 6 + 9 = 15. The value −3 treats it as 6 − 9, 3 subtracts 6 from 9, and −15 makes the whole result negative.

Correct answer: 42

Correct answer: 42. The product of two negative numbers is positive, so (−7) × (−6) = 42. The value −42 uses the wrong sign rule, and −13 and 13 come from adding instead of multiplying.

Correct answer: −7

Correct answer: −7. A negative number divided by a positive number is negative: −56 ÷ 8 = −7. The value 7 has the wrong sign, and −48 and −64 come from adding or subtracting 8 instead of dividing.

Correct answer: 7°F

Correct answer: 7°F. A rise of 11 degrees means adding: −4 + 11 = 7. Subtracting 11 gives −15, adding the absolute values gives 15, and −7 has the right size but the wrong sign.

Correct answer: −18 feet

Correct answer: −18 feet. Swimming up moves toward zero, so add: −30 + 12 = −18 feet. The value −42 moves the wrong way (deeper), 18 feet would be above the surface, and −12 feet uses only the distance swum.

Correct answer: 24

Correct answer: 24. Multiply in order: −3 × 4 = −12, then −12 × (−2) = 24. Two negative factors make the product positive, so −24 has the wrong sign; −9 adds all three as negatives and −1 adds them with their signs (−3 + 4 − 2).

Correct answer: (−5) × 3

Correct answer: (−5) × 3. A negative times a positive is negative: (−5) × 3 = −15. The product and the quotient of two negatives are positive (15 and 5), and (−5) − (−8) = −5 + 8 = 3, which is positive.

Correct answer: −$15

Correct answer: −$15. A charge is subtracted: 45 − 60 = −15, so the account is overdrawn by $15. Positive $15 ignores that the charge is larger than the balance, and −$105 and $105 add the two amounts.

Correct answer: The student subtracted 4 from 9 and kept the negative sign.

Correct answer: The student subtracted 4 from 9 and kept the negative sign. The correct value is −9 − 4 = −13. Getting −5 shows the student found 9 − 4 = 5 and attached the negative sign, treating it as −(9 − 4). Adding 9 and 4 and making it negative gives −13, the correct answer, and multiplying or dividing would give −36 or about −2.

Correct answer: $\frac{11}{12}$

Correct answer: $\frac{11}{12}$. Use a common denominator of 12: 2/3 = 8/12 and 1/4 = 3/12, so the sum is 11/12. Adding numerators and denominators gives 3/7, 3/12 adds the numerators over 12 without converting them, and 2/12 multiplies the fractions instead.

Correct answer: $\frac{1}{2}$

Correct answer: $\frac{1}{2}$. Rewrite 1/3 as 2/6, then subtract: 5/6 − 2/6 = 3/6 = 1/2. Subtracting straight across gives 4/3, subtracting only the numerators without converting gives 4/6, and 5/18 multiplies the fractions.

Correct answer: $\frac{3}{10}$

Correct answer: $\frac{3}{10}$. Multiply numerators and denominators: (3 × 2)/(4 × 5) = 6/20 = 3/10. The value 5/9 adds straight across, 15/8 is the quotient 3/4 ÷ 2/5, and 6/9 multiplies the numerators but adds the denominators.

Correct answer: 1$\frac{1}{2}$

Correct answer: 1$\frac{1}{2}$. Keep, change, flip: 2/3 × 9/4 = 18/12 = 3/2 = 1 1/2. The value 8/27 multiplies without flipping, 2/3 is the reciprocal of the answer (the divisor flipped the wrong way), and 2/9 subtracts instead of dividing (6/9 − 4/9).

Correct answer: 4$\frac{1}{4}$

Correct answer: 4$\frac{1}{4}$. Add the fractions with a common denominator: 1/2 + 3/4 = 2/4 + 3/4 = 5/4 = 1 1/4. Then add the whole numbers: 2 + 1 + 1 1/4 = 4 1/4. The value 3 4/6 adds straight across, 3 1/4 forgets to carry the extra whole, and 5 1/4 carries the extra whole twice.

Correct answer: $\frac{3}{8}$ cup

Correct answer: $\frac{3}{8}$ cup. Half of 3/4 is 1/2 × 3/4 = 3/8 cup. Doubling gives 3/2 cup, subtracting 1/2 gives 1/4 cup, and 3/6 cup adds 2 to the denominator instead of doubling it.

Correct answer: $\frac{2}{5}$

Correct answer: $\frac{2}{5}$. Divide the numerator and denominator by 2: 4/10 = 2/5. The fraction 1/4 is 0.25, 4/5 halves only the denominator, and 8/10 doubles only the numerator.

Correct answer: 4$\frac{1}{6}$

Correct answer: 4$\frac{1}{6}$. 2/3 + 1/2 = 4/6 + 3/6 = 7/6 = 1 1/6, and 1 + 2 + 1 1/6 = 4 1/6 miles. The value 3 3/5 adds straight across, 4 1/5 mixes up the denominator, and 3 1/6 forgets to carry the whole from 7/6.

Correct answer: 8

Correct answer: 8. Divide the length by the piece size: 6 ÷ 3/4 = 6 × 4/3 = 8 pieces. The value 4.5 multiplies 6 by 3/4, 18 multiplies by 3, and 2 divides by the numerator only (6 ÷ 3).

Correct answer: $\frac{1}{3}$, $\frac{1}{2}$, $\frac{3}{4}$

Correct answer: $\frac{1}{3}$, $\frac{1}{2}$, $\frac{3}{4}$. As decimals, 1/3 ≈ 0.33, 1/2 = 0.5, and 3/4 = 0.75, so the order from least to greatest is 1/3, 1/2, 3/4. The first distractor is greatest to least, and the other two place 1/2 or 3/4 out of order.

Correct answer: Can we add parts before they are the same size?

Correct answer: Can we add parts before they are the same size? Adding numerators and denominators ignores that halves and thirds are different-sized parts; asking whether parts can be added before they are the same size leads the student to find a common denominator (1/2 + 1/3 = 5/6). Multiplying numerators and flipping a fraction belong to other operations, and rounding to wholes loses the answer.

Correct answer: 7.25

Correct answer: 7.25. Line up the decimal points: 4.50 + 2.75 = 7.25. The value 3.20 lines up the last digits instead of the decimal points (0.45 + 2.75), 7.20 drops the hundredths, and 4.775 misaligns 2.75 as if it were 0.275.

Correct answer: 6.54

Correct answer: 6.54. Write 10 as 10.00 and subtract: 10.00 − 3.46 = 6.54. The value 7.46 subtracts only the whole number, 6.64 makes a borrowing error in the tenths, and 7.54 forgets to borrow from the ones place.

Correct answer: 0.24

Correct answer: 0.24. 6 × 4 = 24, and the factors have two decimal places in total, so the product is 0.24. The value 2.4 places the point after one digit, 0.024 uses three places, and 1.0 adds the numbers.

Correct answer: 24

Correct answer: 24. Move both decimal points one place to the right: 72 ÷ 3 = 24. The values 2.4 and 0.24 shift the point the wrong way, and 240 moves the point in 7.2 twice.

Correct answer: $7.05

Correct answer: $7.05. 3 × 2.35 = 7.05. The value $6.05 forgets to carry into the ones place, and $7.15 and $6.95 miscount the cents.

Correct answer: 0.32 second

Correct answer: 0.32 second. 12.80 − 12.48 = 0.32 second. The value 0.4 subtracts 12.4 from 12.8, 0.04 misaligns the digits, and 1.32 seconds comes from a borrowing error.

Correct answer: 0.7

Correct answer: 0.7. Compare place by place: 0.7 = 0.700 has 7 tenths, more than 0.65 (6 tenths), 0.699 (6 tenths), or 0.069 (0 tenths). Longer decimals are not necessarily larger.

Correct answer: $1.49

Correct answer: $1.49. Divide the total by 4: 5.96 ÷ 4 = 1.49. The value $1.94 swaps the digits, $23.84 multiplies instead of dividing, and $5.92 subtracts 4 cents instead of dividing by 4.

Correct answer: 3.1

Correct answer: 3.1. The tenths digit is 0 and the next digit is 8, which rounds the tenths up to 1, giving 3.1. The value 3.0 rounds down, 3.08 is not rounded, and 3.2 overshoots.

Correct answer: 12

Correct answer: 12. 15% = 0.15, and 0.15 × 80 = 12. The value 15 repeats the percent, 8 is 10% of 80, and 65 subtracts 15 from 80.

Correct answer: $30

Correct answer: $30. The discount is 0.25 × 40 = $10, so the sale price is 40 − 10 = $30 (or 0.75 × 40). The value $10 is the discount, $15 subtracts 25 from 40, and $50 adds the discount instead of subtracting it.

Correct answer: 25%

Correct answer: 25%. Part ÷ whole = 18 ÷ 72 = 0.25 = 25%. The value 18% uses the part as the percent, 4% divides the whole by the part (72 ÷ 18 = 4), and 54% subtracts 18 from 72.

Correct answer: 15%

Correct answer: 15%. Percent increase = (new − old) ÷ old × 100 = 300 ÷ 2,000 × 100 = 15%. The value 30% divides by 1,000, 13% divides by the new amount (300 ÷ 2,300 ≈ 13%), and 300% uses the change as the percent.

Correct answer: 8%

Correct answer: 8%. Multiply a decimal by 100 to convert it to a percent: 0.08 × 100 = 8%. The value 80% moves the point one place too far, and 0.8% and 0.08% move it the wrong way or not at all.

Correct answer: $12

Correct answer: $12. 0.20 × 60 = $12. The value $20 confuses the percent with dollars, $3 divides 60 by 20, and $72 is the bill plus the tip.

Correct answer: 90%

Correct answer: 90%. 45 ÷ 50 = 0.9 = 90%. The value 45% reads the count as a percent, and 95% and 85% miscount by 5 points.

Correct answer: $\frac{3}{5}$

Correct answer: $\frac{3}{5}$. 60% = 60/100 = 3/5. The fraction 6/100 is 6%, 1/6 is about 17%, and 2/3 is about 67%.