Page 1 of 20

COMPASS Practice: These are only examples of possible questions taken from various sources. Your score

on this exam does not mean you are ready or not ready for the COMPASS. The questions on your exam will

be different. They may be very different.

1. Our children enjoy this garden. ______________________ it every day. G1

A. They visit B. Visit they do C. Visit they D. Visit do they

Recognizing the main idea of a picture Look at the picture. R1

2. Which sentence describes the picture?

A. The people are sitting together under a tree.

B. The family is standing in the rain.

C. The family is walking together in the park.

D. The men are running in the park.

3. Choose the correct picture . “Please come in.” L1

A. C.

B. D.

Page 2 of 20

SPEAKER A: This soup is too spicy. (2) ___________________ so much pepper? G2

SPEAKER B: Maybe the cook (3) _____________________ it was hot pepper.

4. A. Why the cook did use B. Why the cook use

C. Why the cook used D. Why did the cook use

5. A. doesn't knows B. didn't know C. didn't knew D. don't know

Item Types: (1) Inferring meanings of words; (2) Locating explicit details Read the paragraph about the emporium in Galveston. R2

Shoppers enter the emporium, which is on the ground floor, through the original 14-foot doors. You can

eat a sandwich inside while sitting on a wooden seat at an umbrella-covered table, or you can buy meats

and cheeses by the pound for a picnic on the beach. There is also a wide selection of Texas foods, beers,

chocolates, books, baskets, and specialty coffees and teas. A wine room features Texas, U.S., and

international wines. Adapted from Ann Gallaway, "A Present from the Past." ©1994 by Texas Highways.

6. In the passage, what does the highlighted word "emporium" mean?

A. Store B. Beach C. Bar D. Hotel

7. What can you buy at the emporium?

A. 14-foot doors B. Wooden seats C. Meats and cheeses D. Ground floors

Item Type: Recognizing instructions or directions L2

Female voice: Excuse me, which bus goes to Central Park?

Male voice: Well, the 22 goes there, but it's better to take the 7 express.

It will be here in 10 minutes.

8. Which bus does the man say to take?

A. The 7 express B. The 10 C. The 22 express D. The 22

Page 3 of 20

G3

TEACHER: In addition to your textbooks, there are a couple of other materials you need to buy for this course.

Because you will be writing weekly (9) _______________ I want you to have a notebook that you can

(10) _______________ to me every Friday. Make sure that the size is 8 1/2 by 11, not a smaller one. You also

need a set of index cards. You will be taking notes on books that you will read, and you will write your notes on

these cards. One set (11) _______________. Any questions?

9. A. journals; B. journals, C. journals D. journals.

10. A. turn up B. turn on C. turn down D. turn in

11. A. should be enough B. should have been enough

C. should enough D. should been enough

Read the following. US R1?Regular

Tune-ups of your heating system will cut heating costs and will most likely increase the lifetime and safety of

the system. When a service technician performs a tune-up, he or she should test the efficiency of your heating

system.

The technician should measure the efficiency of your system both before and after servicing it and provide you

with a copy of the results. Combustion efficiency is determined indirectly, based on some of the following tests:

1) temperature of the flue (or chimney); 2) percent carbon dioxide or percent oxygen in the atmosphere;

3) presence of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere; and 4) draft. Incomplete combustion of fuel is the main

contributor to low efficiency. If the technician cannot raise the combustion efficiency up to at least 75% after

tuning your heating system, you should consider installing a new system or at least modifying your present

system to increase its efficiency. Adapted from Alex Wilson and John Morrill, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings.

©1993 by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

(Reasoning)

13. The passage suggests that the presence of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere:

A. can provide information regarding combustion efficiency.

B. is found in 75% of heating systems tested.

C. can be reduced by decreasing heating system draft.

D. is the main cause of low efficiency in heating systems.

E. is more reliable than flue temperature as an indicator of combustion efficiency.

(Referring)

14. According to the passage, when performing a tune-up of a heating system, the service technician

should:

A. ensure that the combustion efficiency is at least 25%.

B. modify the heating system before initially measuring efficiency.

C. measure combustion efficiency both before and after servicing the system.

D. provide his or her supervisor with a written report of the system's efficiency.

E. ignore the age of the heating system.

Page 4 of 20

Item Types: (1) Recognizing main ideas; (2) Locating explicit details; (3) Inferring meanings of words

Read the definitions from two different dictionaries. R3

Radburn layout In town planning and urban studies, a planned urban layout, developed by Clarence Stein,

applied in Radburn, New Jersey, USA in 1928, which separates pedestrians from cars and trucks by arranging

"superblocks" of housing, shops, offices, schools, etc., around a central green. Each superblock has its outer

roads, off which come service cul–de–sacs. The central green or pedestrian space has pedestrian access only,

either by underground passages or surface walks. Adapted from Audrey N. Clark, Longman Dictionary of

Geography. ©1985 by Longman, Inc.

Radburn layout A style of residential layout pioneered at Radburn, New Jersey (USA) between 1928 and 1933

and later widely adopted in the planning of postwar housing areas in Britain, particularly in new towns and

expanded towns. Its main features include the separation of pedestrian and car traffic, housing facing onto open

space and gardens and with car access to the rear, loop roads, and cul-de-sacs. In the British postwar new towns,

the Radburn principles were clearly evident in the detailed plans of neighborhood units. Adapted from John Small

and Michael Witherick, A Modern Dictionary of Geography. ©1995 by E. Arnold.

15. Based on the two passages, the most important feature of the Radburn layout is the

A. use of underground passages.

B. separation of car and pedestrian traffic.

C. building of houses so that they face the street.

D. use of cul-de-sacs for pedestrians.

16. Which information appears in both dictionaries?

A. The plan was developed by Clarence Stein.

B. The plan was widely used in Britain.

C. The plan made use of cul-de-sacs.

D. The plan included underground passages.

17. As it is used in the first paragraph, the highlighted word "surface" means

A. the part of something that you can see.

B. a smooth area, like a tabletop.

C. outward appearance.

D. at the level of the ground.

Page 5 of 20

L3

Thank you for calling T-R-A-I-L, or TRAIL, the taped registration and information line. The TRAIL system

operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you want information about classes offered by the college, press 1. If

you want to register for specific classes, press 2 and follow the instructions. You will have 15 minutes to

register. You must confirm your registration by pressing the zero key before you hang up or the computer won't

accept your registration. If you have any questions, call the registration office at 555-4933. Press 1 for

information or 2 to register now.

18. What is the TRAIL system used for?

A. To go to classes

B. To get information and register for classes

C. To speak to someone at the Registration Office

D. To get your grades

19. What will happen if you do NOT confirm your registration?

A. You will have to pay more.

B. The computer will change your registration.

C. You will need to take more classes.

D. The computer will not accept your registration.

G4

Page 6 of 20

The lion (20) _______________ the "king of beasts," but in fact, this king doesn't do much to deserve the title.

Lions live in groups; each group, or "pride," of lions consists of one dominant male and several females and

their offspring. However, all the (21) _______________ is done by the lionesses, the females. Males spend their

time (22) _______________ what they have killed. Occasionally, males may have to scare off possible threats

to the group, but for no more effort than this, they get to eat first, and to eat until they are full. Male lions are

also guilty of what (23) _______________ not very kingly behavior. When a new male takes over the pride, he

will usually kill all the cubs of the male that formerly led the pride. This ensures that only his own offspring will

survive. This may seem brutal, but it is how (24) _______________. Perhaps we might want to reconsider

calling the lion the "king of beasts."

20. A. is often been calling B. has often called

C. is often been called D. has often been called

21. A. work—the stalking, chasing, and killing of prey—

B. work—the stalking, chasing, and killing of prey:

C. work;—the stalking, chasing, and killing of prey;

D. work:—the stalking, chasing, and killing of prey

22. A. either sleeping while the females hunt or eating

B. sleeping while either the females hunting or eat

C. either sleeping while the females hunt or eat

D. sleeping while the females either hunt or eating

23. A. would we probably call B. we would probably call

C. we would probably call it D. would we probably called

24. A. nature does working B. is nature working

C. nature works D. does nature work

Page 7 of 20

Item Types: (1) Applying concepts in the passage to new situations; (2) Recognizing the main idea of a

paragraph; (3) Locating explicit details; (4) Inferring the meaning of words or phrases; (5) Inferring style,

tone, intended audience R4

Read the passage about psychology.

Social Influence

Of the many influences on human behavior, social influences are the most pervasive. The main influence on

people is people. When we hear the term social influence, most of us think of deliberate attempts of someone to

persuade us to alter our actions or change our opinions. The television commercial comes to mind. But many of

the most important forms of social influence are unintentional, and some of the effects we humans have on one

another occur by virtue of the simple fact that we are in each other's physical presence.

In 1898 a psychologist named Triplett made an interesting observation. In looking over speed records of bicycle

racers, he noticed that better speed records were obtained when cyclists raced against each other than when they

raced against the clock. This observation led Triplett to perform the first controlled laboratory experiment ever

conducted in social psychology. He instructed children to turn a wheel as fast as possible for a certain period of

time. Sometimes two children worked at the same time in the same room, each with his own wheel; at other

times, they worked alone. The results confirmed his theory: Children worked faster in coaction, that is, when

another child doing the same thing was present, than when they worked alone.

Soon after Triplett's experiment on coaction, it was discovered that the mere presence of a passive spectator (an

audience rather than a coactor) was sufficient to facilitate performance. This was discovered accidentally in an

experiment on muscular effort and fatigue by Meumann (1904), who found that subjects lifted a weight faster

and farther whenever the psychologist was in the room. Later experiments have confirmed this audience effect.

It appears that coaction and audience effects in humans are caused by the individual's "cognitive" concerns

about competition and the evaluation of performance that others will make. We learn as we grow up that others

praise or criticize, reward or punish our performances, and this raises our drive level when we perform before

others. Thus, even the early studies of coaction found that if all elements of competition are removed, coaction

effects are reduced or eliminated. Similarly, audience effects are a function of the subject's interpretation of how

much he is being evaluated.

Adapted from Ernest R. Hilgard, Richard C. Atkinson, and Rita L. Atkinson, Introduction to Psychology.

©1975 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.

25. Which of the following would be an example of the coaction effect?

A. A woman works harder when her boss is in the room than when she is alone.

B. Bob's two children finish their homework faster when he is watching them than when he is not.

C. Players on the team work harder when they exercise together than when they each exercise alone.

D. Joe and his two friends work more slowly when they are together than when each is alone.

Page 8 of 20

26. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. How people grow up determines their adult behavior.

B. Competition and evaluation increase the coaction and audience effects.

C. People praise and criticize children as they grow up.

D. Competition and evaluation are not related to the coaction and audience effects.

27. According to the passage, Triplett's experiment of 1898

A. supported his theory of coaction effect.

B. challenged his theory of coaction effect.

C. showed that cyclists race harder against each other than against the clock.

D. showed the connection between coaction effect and audience effect.

28. As it is used in the passage, what does the highlighted phrase "comes to mind" mean?

A. Is a problem

B. Affects our thinking

C. Creates confusion

D. Is an example

29. Where would you most likely find this passage?

A. In a business letter

B. In an instructional manual

C. In a college textbook

D. In a book review

Page 9 of 20

Item Types: (1) Recognizing main ideas; (2) Recognizing details; (3) Recognizing details Listen to the lecture

from an art class. L4

Yesterday we got off the subject a bit—talking about how artists can be difficult people; they're seen as

temperamental, too emotional, et cetera. Well, let's talk about where this image came from. It's a stereotype,

of course: not all artists are temperamental. But the stereotype is very common today.

We have studied Michelangelo, but I haven't talked about how his personality is the model for the modern

image of the artist. [pause] His paintings on the Sistine Chapel are some of the most famous works of art in

the world. But, he didn't even want the job when it was offered to him—he considered himself a sculptor

first, and didn't want to take time away from that. His sculpting was most important to him, and he almost

refused the job. He was also famous for a quick and fiery temper, and didn't want to take suggestions about

his work. He was extremely independent, fighting with powerful religious and political leaders who hired

him to create works of art. So, to sum up, the modern image of the artist that we talked about yesterday is

largely due to Michelangelo.

Oh, I should add that this image we've been talking about is primarily a Western view of the artist. This

stereotype of an artist is not so common in other parts of the world.

30. What is the main idea of the lecture?

A. Michelangelo was the greatest artist of his time.

B. Michelangelo was a better sculptor than a painter.

C. Michelangelo's personality, more than his art, made him famous.

D. Michelangelo's personality is the model for a common image of Western artists.

31. According to the lecture, why was Michelangelo reluctant to paint the Sistine Chapel at

first?

A. He lost his temper with political leaders.

B. He wanted to work on his sculpting instead.

C. He did not want to paint the pictures he was asked to paint.

D. He was not satisfied with the payment offered.

32. Based on the lecture, which of the following is the most correct statement?

A. The image of the artist, modeled after Michelangelo, is a Western stereotype.

B. Michelangelo wanted to be the model for the image of the modern artist.

C. Michelangelo created more art than most artists of his time.

D. Michelangelo believed he was a better painter than sculptor.

Page 10 of 20

When I'm in New York but feeling lonely for Wyoming I look for the Western movie ads in the subway. But

the men I see in those posters with their stern, humorless looks remind me of no one I know in the West. In our

earnestness to romanticize the cowboy we've ironically disesteemed his true character. If he's "strong and silent"

it's because there's probably no one to talk to. If he "rides away into the sunset" it's because he's been on

horseback since four in the morning moving cattle and he's trying, fifteen hours later, to get home to his family.

If he's "a rugged individualist" he's also part of a team: ranch work is teamwork and even the glorified open-

range cowboys of the 1880s rode up and down the Chisholm Trail in the company of twenty or thirty other

riders. It's not toughness but "toughing it out" that counts. In other words, this macho, cultural artifact the

cowboy has become is simply a man who possesses resilience, patience, and an instinct for survival. "Cowboys

are just like a pile of rocks—everything happens to them. They get climbed on, kicked, rained and snowed on,

scuffed up by the wind. Their job is 'just to take it,'" one old-timer told me.

Adapted from Gretel Ehrlich, The Solace of Open Spaces. ©1985 by Gretel Ehrlich.

(Referring)

33. According to the passage, cowboys are probably "strong and silent" because:

A. their work leaves them no time for conversation.

B. they have been cautioned not to complain.

C. they are stern and humorless.

D. there is no one nearby to listen to them.

E. their work makes them too tired to talk.

(Reasoning)

34. For which of the following statements does the passage give apparently contradictory evidence?

A. The cowboy's work takes endurance.

B. Cowboys work alone.

C. Cowboys are adequately paid.

D. The cowboy's image has become romanticized in American culture.

E. Cowboys think of themselves as humorless.

Examinees are presented with an essay similar to the one below and are asked to look for errors in grammar,

punctuation, usage, and style. When examinees find what they believe to be errors, they move the mouse

pointer to the appropriate part of the text and click the mouse. On the right side of the screen five options appear

for revising that area of text. Note that the first option is always identical to the original wording in the text, and

thus represents a NO CHANGE option. Examinees can choose to revise any section of the essay. After revising

the essay, examinees are routed to two items focusing on rhetorical strategies.

The essay below contains the same number and types of errors that an actual Writing Skills Test unit would

contain; however, for demonstration purposes, only a handful of the segments below have been selected for

revision. These segments are indicated by bold type, and the items associated with them are shown below.

(Note: There are additional errors in the essay that are not in bold that a student in an actual testing situation

would need to respond to.)

Page 11 of 20

An increasing number of lakes and rivers in the northern United States invaded are being by a mussel no

larger than a fingernail.

The zebra mussel probably steamed aboard a transatlantic ship sometime in the mid-1980s from the Caspian

Sea into U.S. waters. Despite its growth was explosive, partly because the species was preyed upon by very

few native predators in its new environment. As a consequence, the zebra mussels did find a plentiful food

supply. They eat huge amounts of phytoplankton, which tiny free-floating sea organisms that dwell in water.

Scientists are concerned when the muss

mussels may compete aggressively with other species that depend on the same food supply.

Others concerned by the invading species are industry, public utilities, and boat owners. Zebra mussels cluster

in huge colonies, being anchored themselves to any hard surface. These colonies can clog your water intake

pipes of electric and water treatment plants. Fishery specialists are currently casting about and baiting their

hooks to gun down control methods that will cause the lowest amount of damage to water supplies and other

aquatic species. Two of the alternatives exploring are interrupting the species reproductive cycle and finding a

bacterium harmful only to zebra mussels.

(End of Essay)

(Basic Grammar and Usage: Ensuring Grammatical Agreement)

35. Segment 1

A. An increasing number of lakes and rivers

B. An increasingly number of lakes and rivers

C. A number increasing of lakes and rivers

D. A number increasingly of lakes and rivers

E. An increasing of lakes and rivers

(Style: Avoiding Redundancy)

35. Segment 2

A. was preyed upon by very few native predators in its new environment.

B. found very few predators in its new environment.

C. found very few native predators and was seldom eaten in its new environment.

D. was preyed on by very few native predator species in its new environment.

E. was seldom eaten or preyed on by native predator species in its new environment.

(Sentence Structure: Relating Clauses)

36. Segment 3

A. Scientists are concerned when the mussels

B. Scientists are concerned that if the mussels

C. Scientists are concerned wherein the mussels

D. Scientists are concerned that the mussels

E. Scientists are concerned as if the mussels

Page 12 of 20

(Strategy: Making Decisions about Cohesive Devices)

37. Item 4 (end-of-passage) The writer wishes to add a sentence at the end of Paragraph 1 that will serve as a transition between

Paragraphs 1 and 2 and will establish the main focus of the essay. Which of the following sentences

most effectively fulfills that purpose?

A. The zebra mussel will provide a difficult challenge for public utility managers.

B. The zebra mussel is only the latest in a series of newly introduced species to thrive in the

U.S.

C. No one knows how far south and west the zebra mussel is likely to spread, but scientists

think they may be on the trail of important clues.

D. Although small in size, the zebra mussel may become a huge problem for pleasure boat

owners in North American waterways.

E. Despite its size, however, the zebra mussel may have a dramatic effect on North

American waterways.

Page 13 of 20

These items are not actual items from COMPASS®

but are similar in content and format. These items are

presented for illustrative purposes and do not constitute a full representation of item content.

Passage 1

What Methods Do Andean Farmers Use?

Public debate around climate change and its effects on agriculture tends to focus

on the large-scale industrial farms of the North. Farmers who work on a small scale and

use traditional methods have largely been ignored. However, as the world slowly comes

to terms with the threat of climate change, Native farming traditions will warrant greater

attention.

In the industrial model of agriculture, one or two crop varieties are grown over

vast areas. Instead of trying to use local resources of soil and water optimally and

sustainably, the natural environment is all but ignored and uniform growing conditions

are fabricated through large-scale irrigation and the intensive use of artificial fertilizers

and pesticides. For example, a handful of basically similar potato varieties, all of which

require nearly identical soil conditions, temperature, rainfall, and growing seasons,

account for almost all global production. When these global crops are no longer suited to

the environment in which they are grown, when their resistance to disease and pests

begins to fail, or the climate itself changes, the best way to rejuvenate the breeding stock

will be to introduce new genetic material from the vast diversity of crop varieties still

maintained by indigenous peoples.

In contrast to the industrial model, Andean potatoes and other Andean crops such

as squash and beans grown by Quechuan farmers exhibit extraordinary genetic diversity,

driven by the need to adapt crops to the extraordinary climatic diversity of the region.

Along the two axes of latitude and altitude, the Andes encompasses fully two-thirds of all

possible combinations of climate and geography found on Earth. The Andean potato has

been adapted to every environment except the depth of the rainforest or the frozen peaks

of the mountains. Today, facing the likelihood of major disruptions to the climatic

conditions for agriculture worldwide, indigenous farmers provide a dramatic example of

crop adaptation in an increasingly extreme environment. More importantly, Native

farmers have also safeguarded the crop diversity essential for the future adaptations.

Adapted from Craig Benjamin, “The Machu Picchu Model: Climate Change and Agricultural Diversity.”

© 1999 by Craig Benjamin.

38. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

A. Attention to Native farming practices will lead to greater awareness of the threat of

climate change.

B. Popularity of small-scale farming in the North will lead to greater attention to

Native farming practices.

C. Global demand for food will lead to increasing efficiency of large-scale farming in

the North.

D. It will be worthwhile to include a greater focus on Native farming practices in

public discussions concerning the threat of climate change.

E. Despite potential climate change, public debate will have little effect on industrial

farming practices.

Page 14 of 20

39. In the second paragraph, the information about potato-growing practices in the

industrial model of agriculture serves to:

A. give an example of a potential problem that Native farming practices could help to

alleviate.

B. show the likely global consequences of a possible food shortage caused by

industrial farming practices.

C. show how pests and disease are less effectively resisted by crops grown in the

industrial farming model.

D. give an example of how public debate has had little effect on the agricultural

practices of the North.

E. give an example of how Native farming practices and industrial farming practices

derive from different climatic conditions.

40. The passage states that which of the following is true of the small number of potato varieties that account

for most of the potatoes produced on Earth currently?

A. They are grown in the Andean region.

B. They all require very similar soil and climate conditions.

C. They are no longer suited to their environment.

D. They are based on genetic material from crops developed by indigenous peoples.

E. They make optimal use of available soil and water resources.

41. As it is used in the passage, the underlined word fabricated most nearly means:

A. woven.

B. falsely stated.

C. fully clothed.

D. manufactured.

E. unwrapped.

Page 15 of 20

Sample Passage 2 Fortune Tellers

A young couple entered the restaurant in Andy’s view. They were holding hands. Andy sat back down in his

chair. He felt sick. He turned and faced his father, who was eating xôi. “What’s the matter, son?” asked his

father. “I thought you were going to the birthday party.”

“It’s too late.”

“Are you sure?”

Andy nodded. He looked at the plate of xôi. He wanted to bury his face in it. “Hi, Andy.” A voice came from

behind. Andy looked up. He recognized the beautiful face, and he refused to meet her eyes. “Hi, Jennifer,”

muttered Andy, looking at the floor. “You didn’t miss much, Andy. The party was dead. I was looking for you,

hoping you could give me a ride home. Then I met Tim, and he was bored like me. And

he said he’d take me home…. Andy, do you want to eat with us? I’ll introduce you to Tim.”

Andy said, “No, I’m eating xôi with my father.”

“Well, I’ll see you in school then, okay?”

“Yeah.” And Andy watched her socks move away from his view.

Andy grabbed a chunk of xôi. The rice and beans stuck to his fingernails. He placed the chunk in his mouth and

pulled it away from his fingers with his teeth. There was a dry bitter taste. But nothing could be as bitter as he

was, so he chewed some more. The bitterness faded as the xôi became softer in his mouth, but it was still

tasteless. He could hear the young couple talk and giggle. Their words and laughter and the sounds of

his own chewing mixed into a sticky mess. The words were bitter and the laughter was tasteless, and once he

began to understand this, he tasted the sweetness of xôi. Andy enjoyed swallowing the sticky mess down. Andy

swallowed everything down— sweetness and bitterness and nothingness and what he thought was love.

Adapted from Nguyen Duc Minh, “Fortune Tellers.” in the collection American Eyes.©1994 by H. Holt

42. Who is telling this story?

A. Jennifer

B. Andy

C. Tim

D. Andy’s father

E. An unnamed narrator

43. What is the most reasonable conclusion to make from the statement in the first paragraph, “He felt sick.”?

A. Eating xoi with his father gave Andy a stomachache.

B. Andy was upset when he saw Jennifer holding hands with Tim.

C. Andy was unhappy about the restaurant his father had selected.

D. Andy was upset with Jennifer for making him miss the party.

E. Andy mistakenly thought that Tim was his best friend.

44. According to the passage, Tim would most likely describe the party as:

A. mysterious.

B. lively.

C. dull.

D. upsetting.

E. remarkable.

Page 16 of 20

45. Based on the last paragraph, it can be most reasonably inferred that Andy’s increasing enjoyment of eating

xôi was related to:

A. hearing Tim and Jennifer laughing and talking.

B. the fact that it stuck to his fingernails.

C. sitting at a table with Tim and Jennifer while he ate.

D. the fact that his father made the xôi.

E. seeing Tim and Jennifer eating xôi.

46. This passage is mainly about the relationship between:

A. Andy and his father.

B. Andy and Tim.

C. Andy’s father and Tim.

D. Jennifer and Tim.

E. Jennifer and Andy.

Page 17 of 20

Sample Passage 3

In the 1930s, why did author Zora Neale Hurston choose Eatonville, Florida, to be the first source for her

collection of folklore?

I was glad when somebody told me, “You may go and collect Negro folklore.” In a way, it would not be a new

experience for me. When I pitched headforemost into the world I landed in the crib of Negroism. It was fitting

me like a tight chemise. I couldn't see it for wearing it. It was only when I was off in college, away from my

native surroundings, that I could stand off and look at my garment. Then I had to have the spy-glass of

anthropology to look through. I was asked where I wanted to work and I said, “Florida. It’s a place that draws

people—Negroes from every Southern state and some from the North and West.” So I knew that it was possible

for me to get a cross section of the Negro South in one state. And then I realized that I felt new myself, so it

looked sensible for me to choose familiar ground. I started in Eatonville, Florida, because I knew that the town

was full of material and that I could get it without causing any hurt or harm. As early as I could remember, it

was the habit of the men particularly to gather on the store porch in the evenings and swap stories. Even the

women would stop and break a breath with them at times. As a child when I was sent down to the store, I'd drag

out my leaving to hear more. Folklore is not as easy to collect as it sounds. The ideal source is where there are

the fewest outside influences, but these people are reluctant at times to reveal that which the soul lives by. I

knew that even I would have some hindrance among strangers. But here in Eatonville I knew everybody was

going to help me.

Adapted from Zora Neale Hurston, Mules and Men. ©1935 by J.B. Lippincott Company.

47. Which of the following does the author use as a metaphor for the culture in which she was born?

A. College

B. Garment

C. Southern state

D. Spy-glass

E. Story

48. Based on the first paragraph, it is most reasonable to conclude that while in college the author:

A. decided to become a professor of anthropology.

B. decided that she did not want to live permanently in Eatonville, Florida.

C. felt that her teachers prevented her from studying what she wanted.

D. became disenchanted with anthropology.

E. understood her own culture in new and different ways.

49. As it is used in the passage, the highlighted word material most nearly means:

A. diversity.

B. fabric.

C. information.

D. money.

E. energy.

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50. In the second paragraph, the author indicates that one reason she chose to work in Florida was that she

wanted to collect folklore:

A. from people of different geographical backgrounds.

B. where her teachers suggested she do so.

C. from a place she had never visited.

D. in a state far from where she grew up.

E. in a state with a large urban population.

51. In the first paragraph, the author’s claim, “In a way, it would not be a new experience for me," refers to the

fact that:

A. she had already attended college in Florida.

B. she had already collected folklore in Florida for a college course.

C. she had already experienced new cultures by leaving home.

D. she was already familiar with the folklore she was to collect.

E. she had already received permission to conduct the study.

52. Based on information in the third paragraph, which of the following statements about the interactions on the

porch can be most reasonably inferred?

A. The adults encouraged the author (as a child) to stay and tell stories.

B. Men were more frequent participants than were women.

C. Most of the storytellers had not grown up in Eatonville.

D. The author's parents sent her to the porch to hear the stories.

E. One man in particular told most of the stories.

53. In the last paragraph, the author writes that folklore collecting:

A. is less difficult than it appears.

B. is easiest to accomplish in isolated places because people there freely reveal their

innermost thoughts.

C. can be difficult in isolated places, even though the people there are the best sources.

D. is more difficult than publishing what has been collected.

E. is the best way to reveal what is important to people.

54. Which of the following is NOT among the reasons the author gives for her decision

to collect folklore in Eatonville?

A. The people of Eatonville would be grateful that she published their stories.

B. The people of Eatonville would have many stories for her collection.

C. Eatonville and its people are familiar to her.

D. She believes that she can collect stories without doing harm.

E. She believes that the people of Eatonville will help her in her project.

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The essay below contains the same number and types of errors that an actual Writing Skills Test unit would

contain; however, for demonstration purposes, only a handful of the segments below have been selected for

revision. These segments are indicated by bold type, and the items associated with them are shown below.

(Note: There are additional errors in the essay that are not in bold that a student in an actual testing situation

would need to respond to.)

An increasing number of lakes and rivers in the northern United States invaded are being by a mussel no

larger than a fingernail.

The zebra mussel probably steamed aboard a transatlantic ship sometime in the mid-1980s from the Caspian

Sea into U.S. waters. Despite its growth was explosive, partly because the species was preyed upon by very

few native predators in its new environment. As a consequence, the zebra mussels did find a plentiful food

supply. They eat huge amounts of phytoplankton, which tiny free-floating sea organisms that dwell in water.

Scientists are concerned when the mussels may compete aggressively with other species that depend on the

same food supply.

Others concerned by the invading species are industry, public utilities, and boat owners. Zebra mussels cluster

in huge colonies, being anchored themselves to any hard surface. These colonies can clog your water intake

pipes of electric and water treatment plants. Fishery specialists are currently casting about and baiting their

hooks to gun down control methods that will cause the lowest amount of damage to water supplies and other

aquatic species. Two of the alternatives exploring are interrupting the species reproductive cycle and finding a

bacterium harmful only to zebra mussels.

(End of Essay)

(Basic Grammar and Usage: Ensuring Grammatical Agreement)

55. Segment 1

A. An increasing number of lakes and rivers

B. An increasingly number of lakes and rivers

C. A number increasing of lakes and rivers

D. A number increasingly of lakes and rivers

E. An increasing of lakes and rivers

(Style: Avoiding Redundancy)

56. Segment 2

A. was preyed upon by very few native predators in its new environment.

B. found very few predators in its new environment.

C. found very few native predators and was seldom eaten in its new environment.

D. was preyed on by very few native predator species in its new environment.

E. was seldom eaten or preyed on by native predator species in its new environment.

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(Sentence Structure: Relating Clauses)

57. Segment 3

A. Scientists are concerned when the mussels

B. Scientists are concerned that if the mussels

C. Scientists are concerned wherein the mussels

D. Scientists are concerned that the mussels

E. Scientists are concerned as if the mussels

58. (Strategy: Making Decisions about Cohesive Devices)

Item 4 (end-of-passage) The writer wishes to add a sentence at the end of Paragraph 1 that will serve as a transition between

Paragraphs 1 and 2 and will establish the main focus of the essay. Which of the following sentences

most effectively fulfills that purpose?

A. The zebra mussel will provide a difficult challenge for public utility managers.

B. The zebra mussel is only the latest in a series of newly introduced species to thrive in the U.S.

C. No one knows how far south and west the zebra mussel is likely to spread, but scientists think

they may be on the trail of important clues.

D. Although small in size, the zebra mussel may become a huge problem for pleasure boat

owners in North American waterways.

E. Despite its size, however, the zebra mussel may have a dramatic effect on North American

waterways.