EOC Practice

EOC Practice

Grammar 1

On her way home, Jan found a gold man's watch.

What needs to be changed to make this sentence correct?

a. change home, to home;b. change home, to homec. change gold man's to man's goldd. change man's to men

Grammar 1 Answer

On her way home, Jan found a gold man's watch.

a. change home, to home;b. change home, to homec. change gold man's to man's goldd. change man's to men

a. is incorrect. On the EOC you will probably only use a semicolon to join two independent clauses (two complete sentences).b. is incorrect. Place commas after introductory phrasesc. is correct. This is a misplaced modifier. The way it is written means that the man is gold, not the watch.d. is incorrect. Since this is a possessive word, there is no need to change it to a plural spelling.

Grammar 2

Read the following sentence.

"Your going to get yours!" yelled the soaking wet kid after getting a swirly by the school bully.


a. change "Your to "You'reb. change yelled to Yelledc. change soaking wet to soaking, wetd. change school bully to school-bully

Grammar 2 Answer

"Your going to get yours!" yelled the soaking wet kid after getting a swirly by the school bully.

a. change "Your to "You'reb. change yelled to Yelledc. change soaking wet to soaking, wetd. change school bully to school-bully

a. is correct. It should be "You are" so the "you're" homophone is the correct one.b. is incorrect. This was tricky. In a quotation, an ! and ? can act the same as a comma.c. is incorrectd. is incorrect

Grammar 3

Read the following sentence:

"If anyone of the students look at you the wrong way," Mrs. Smith told her sub, "write their name down and I will deal with them post haste!"

What needs to be changed to make this sentence grammatically correct?

a. change look to looks b. change way," to way."c. change their to they'red. change post haste to post-haste

Grammar 3 Answer

"If anyone of the students look at you the wrong way," Mrs. Smith told her sub, "write their name down and I will deal with them post haste!“

a. change look to looks b. change way," to way."c. change their to they'red. change post haste to post-haste

a. is correct. Why? Because the subject of the sentence is anyone, not students. The word anyone (and any other word with one in it like someone or everyone) is singular. You need a singular verb. You can count on a question or two like this on your EOC so if you do know it, make your teacher teach it to you post haste!b. is incorrect.c. is incorrect. Shame on you if you haven't taken the time to learn your homophones! I promise the EOC will have several answer choices about homophones - so you better learn them!d. is incorrect. It's a good bet that the EOC will not ask you to put or take out a hyphen as the correct answer. They put them on the test because most of us don't know if you should use a hyphen or not and often the dictionary lists both as correct. If nothing else works, then pick it, but I bet it is just a trick to mess you up!

Grammar 4

Which of the following is a run-on?

a. Marvel comics was bought out so now Spider-Man and Iron Man belong to Disney.b. Eventually you'll see Marvel rides at Walt Disney World instead of at Universal Studios.c. DC Comics are owned by Warner Bros; Marvel is owned by Disney.d. This should help Marvel increase their comics distribution, it will also aid in their movie production.

Grammar 4 Answer

a. Marvel comics was bought out so now Spider-Man and Iron Man belong to Disney.b. Eventually you'll see Marvel rides at Walt Disney World instead of at Universal Studios.c. DC Comics are owned by Warner Bros; Marvel is owned by Disney.d. This should help Marvel increase their comics distribution, it will also aid in their movie production.

A run-on is two sentences joined together improperly. Chances are that if you see a semicolon in the answer, it is NOT the run-on. A comma splice is a type of run-on when you join two sentences with a comma. That is why d. is the correct answer.

Grammar 5

Which of the following is a fragment?

a. Brave New World is a novel by British writer Aldous Huxley.b. It tells about a future where the government controls everything.c. Although some people are placed in dirty jobs and bred without much intelligence.d. Everyone is happy there due to genetics and conditioning.

Grammar 5 Answer

a. Brave New World is a novel by British writer Aldous Huxley.b. It tells about a future where the government controls everything.c. Although some people are placed in dirty jobs and bred without much intelligence.d. Everyone is happy there due to genetics and conditioning.

A fragment is an incomplete sentence. If you're lucky, the EOC will give you an answer choice without a verb. More likely, the EOC will give you an incomplete thought, even if it has both a subject and verb, like our question here.

c. is the correct answer. If you joined it with d., you would have a complete sentence.

Reading Comprehension 1

Read this short story by Richard Brautigan:

"It is hard to live in a studio apartment in San Jose with a man who's learning to play the violin." That's what she told the police when she handed them the empty revolver.

Based on this story, what is most likely to happen next?

a. the police will arrest the man for disturbance of the peace b. the police will suggest an apartment for her to move toc. the woman will go to jaild. the police will fine the man for playing too loudly

Reading Comprehension 1 Answer

"It is hard to live in a studio apartment in San Jose with a man who's learning to play the violin." That's what she told the police when she handed them the empty revolver.

a. the police will arrest the man for disturbance of the peace b. the police will suggest an apartment for her to move toc. the woman will go to jaild. the police will fine the man for playing too loudly

b. is completely wrong. While police are helpful, other clues show that they are not there to help her move (at least not to another apartment). a. and d. are both wrong. The man did play loudly, but we have no indication that the police are there because of the violin.c. is correct. The empty revolver shows that the police are there to investigate the murder of our loud violinist. The woman is explaining why she did it.


Read the following passage taken from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley:

It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.

The author wrote these words for a purpose. What is the most likely reason she wrote the opening to chapter 5 this way?

a. to foreshadow the monster's coming to lifeb. to set the moodc. to demonstrate verbal ironyd. to create an allusion to one of her earlier works


It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.

a. to foreshadow the monster's coming to lifeb. to set the moodc. to demonstrate verbal ironyd. to create an allusion to one of her earlier works

a. is incorrect. The monster is already coming to life. Foreshadowing hints at what will happen later.b. is correct. She is trying to set your mood with words like, "dreary," "anxiety," and "dismally." What other words can you find that set the mood here?c. is incorrect. Verbal irony is when something is said that is not meant. Nothing is said in this passage.d. is incorrect. Not only has she not written anything before this, there is no reference to anything else.


Read the following passage.

The teacher frowned. "These grades are pathetic! You are the worst students I've ever taught, and that includes the time I taught a dog obedience class! Kindergarteners could write better than you guys! I should have listened to my mother and became a lawyer instead!"

Which of the following words describes the tone of the teacher?

a. whimsicalb. sadc. scathingd. compliant


Read the following passage.

The teacher frowned. "These grades are pathetic! You are the worst students I've ever taught, and that includes the time I taught a dog obedience class! Kindergarteners could write better than you guys! I should have listened to my mother and became a lawyer instead!"

Which of the following words describes the tone of the teacher?

a. whimsicalb. sadc. scathingd. compliant

c. is the correct answer.

Grammar 6

Which of the following is a run on?

a. There has been so much material released from the new "Avengers" movie that I feel like I've seen 80% of the film already.

b. You know all the details by now: "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon is directing this mega-huge adaptation of the Marvel Comic featuring Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Nick Fury, Hawkeye, Captain America, and five million other superheroes.

c. Never mind that overstuffed superheroes movies are almost always terrible ("Batman & Robin" being the prime example), this is a movie that CANNOT fail.

d. A lot of money hs been put into this, but is there a chance--however slight--that "Avengers" could end up NOT being good, even being a box office failure?

Grammar 6 Answer

c. Never mind that overstuffed superheroes movies are almost always terrible ("Batman & Robin" being the prime example), this is a movie that CANNOT fail.

c. is correct. Why is it a run on? Because it has two independent clauses (think two complete sentences) joined with a comma. The EOC loves to throw this kind of question on the test. You join two complete sentences with a semicolon. In fact, that is the only way that the EOC uses semicolons, typically.


Read the passage:

A old man was sitting in the front row at a town meeting, heckling the mayor as he delivered a long speech. Finally the mayor could stand it no longer, so he pointed to the heckler and said, "will that gentleman please stand up and tell the audience what he has ever done for the good of the city."

"Well Mr. Mayor," the man said in a firm voice. "I voted against you in the last election." Which word best describes the tone of the mayor? a. whimsical b. indignant c. amused d. scathing


A old man was sitting in the front row at a town meeting, heckling the mayor as he delivered a long speech. Finally the mayor could stand it no longer, so he pointed to the heckler and said, "will that gentleman please stand up and tell the audience what he has ever done for the good of the city."

"Well Mr. Mayor," the man said in a firm voice. "I voted against you in the last election." a. whimsical b. indignant c. amused d. scathing To answer a tone question, it is best to figure out what you think the tone (opinion of the speaker) is and then find a word that matches it. You may not know what the words mean - don't despair. Figure out which words are NOT the right answer and choose from what is left. The mayor is certainly upset and a tad bit angry at his interruption, so we need a tone word that reflects this. a. is incorrect. Whimsical means happy and care-free. b. is correct. Indignant means someone who is angry and feels that they are not being treated fairly. c. is incorrect. Amused means the speaker finds something funny about the situation. d. is incorrect. This is the best wrong answer since scathing does mean the person is angry; however, scathing means that the speaker is angry and trying to hurt the other person with his/her remarks.

Grammar 7

Two Sisters Reunited After 18 Years in Checkout Counter

How should this headline be rewritten to improve clarity?

a. Two Sisters Are Reunited After 18 Years In Checkout Counterb. While In Checkout Counter, Two Sisters Reunite After 18

Yearsc. After 18 Years, Two Sister Reunite in Checkout Counterd. Reunited Sisters In Checkout Counter For 18 Years

Grammar 7 Answer

Two Sisters Reunited After 18 Years in Checkout Counter

b. While In Checkout Counter, Two Sisters Reunite After 18 Years

b. is correct. The original headline has a misplaced modifier that suggests the sisters were in the checkout counter for 18 years. Wow! I thought my local Walmart was bad. To improve clarity, the after 18 years phrase needs to be clearly away from in checkout counter phrase.

Grammar 8

"Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg address while traveling from Washington to Gettysburg on the back of an envelope."


a. change Gettysburg to gettysburgb. change address to address,c. change traveling to traveling;d. move on the back of an envelope to go after address

Grammar 8

"Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg address while traveling from Washington to Gettysburg on the back of an envelope."

d. move on the back of an envelope to go after address

d. is correct. What we have here is a misplaced modifier. This sentence is really saying that Lincoln is traveling on the back of an envelope instead of saying that the address was written on the back of an envelope.

Grammar 9

What needs to be changed to correct his sentence?

Their is too much noise coming from those radios!

a. change Their to Thereb. change is to arec. change too to tod. change radios! to radioes!

Grammar 9 Answer

Their is too much noise coming from those radios!

a. change Their to Thereb. change is to arec. change too to tod. change radios! to radioes!

a. is correct. This is a simple homophone question. If you do not know these homophones, make sure you get them. There, their, they're, to, too, two, its, it's, and your, you're are commonly found on the EOC. b. is incorrect. This is confusing since "There" is a vague noun. Is it singular or plural? Well, look at the antecedent - noise. That is singular so we treat there as singular. c. is incorrect. Simple homophone question - learn them!d. is incorrect. Never make three vowels in a row when making a plural.

Grammar 10

Read the following passage:

Avatar was a killer movie. The special effects are one thing, but I could not believe what they could acheive with the 3-D technology. Amazing!

What correction needs to be made: a. change Avatar to "Avatar“b. change effects to affectsc. change thing, to thingd. change acheive to achieve

Grammar 10 Answer

Avatar was a killer movie. The special effects are one thing, but I could not believe what they could acheive with the 3-D technology. Amazing!

a. change Avatar to "Avatar"b. change effects to affectsc. change thing, to thingd. change acheive to achieve

a. is incorrect since you should italicize (or underline) movie titles b. is incorrect - affect is a verb, effect is a noun c. is incorrect - you need the comma before butd. is correct - remember the i before e rule! Can you state the whole

thing?

Grammar 11

Read the following passage and correct the problem:

(1) Its a shame that their team has lost again. (2) That is what they get for being Carolina fans.

What change should be made to sentence 1 to make it correct?

a. change Its to It'sb. change their to they're c. change their to there d. change has lost to had lost

Grammar 11 Answer

Its a shame that their team has lost again. (2) That is what they get for being Duke fans.

a. change Its to It'sb. change their to they're c. change their to there d. change has lost to had lost

a. is correct since "Its" should be changed to make it mean "It is" which would be the homophone "It's"

d. is incorrect since "had" changes the verb to past tense. All other verbs are in present tense. Keep verb tenses the same - D is the best wrong answer

b. and c. are incorrect because "their" is being used as a possessive (the team belongs to them - in a way). "Their" is the correct possessive homophone.


Read the passage below from anecdotage.com:

Young Bruce Willis: Wild ManBruce Willis was a wild man even in his high school years. Despite serving as student council president, he was expelled for three months for his role in a school cafeteria riot. And, at the height of the streaking craze, Willis was the only kid in town brazen enough to run naked - right down Main Street.

The author chose to put the bold-faced phrase into the story because the author:

a. does not like the student council.b. feels like a student council president should know better.c. feels it makes Bruce Willis's actions seem even wilder since he was student council president.d. needed more information to make the story long enough.

http://anecdotage.com/


Young Bruce Willis: Wild ManBruce Willis was a wild man even in his high school years. Despite serving as student council president, he was expelled for three months for his role in a school cafeteria riot. And, at the height of the streaking craze, Willis was the only kid in town brazen enough to run naked - right down Main Street.

The author chose to put the bold-faced phrase into the story because the author:

a. does not like the student council.b. feels like a student council president should know better.c. feels it makes Bruce Willis's actions seem even wilder since he was student council president.d. needed more information to make the story long enough.

These types of questions are common on the EOC. They require that you stop and think about what the author was trying to do. This can be difficult at times. In the case, the correct answer is c. because the author is trying to point out that this isn't just the class clown, this is the student council president. To the author, this makes Bruce Willis's actions seem even wilder.


Read the following passage:

We were watching this horror movie and saw the killer climb into the house through an open window, pick up a huge knife laying on the kitchen counter, and go into the closet of the little kids' room. Later, the babysitter and her boyfriend (who is NOT supposed to be over) send the kids to bed. Right as they are about to do things that should not be done by unwed teenagers, the little kids start crying that there is a monster in the closet. The babysitter is frustrated and goes up to their room to make them go to sleep. She says, there is no such thing as monsters. To prove it, she went to the closet and opened the door. Of course the killer leaped out and stabbed her to death. It was very scary.

What is the purpose of showing the killer enter the closet before the killings?

a. to provide specific detailsb. to create enriching imageryc. to create suspensed. to develop the rising action


We were watching this horror movie and saw the killer climb into the house through an open window, pick up a huge knife laying on the kitchen counter, and go into the closet of the little kids' room. Later, the babysitter and her boyfriend (who is NOT supposed to be over) send the kids to bed. Right as they are about to do things that should not be done by unwed teenagers, the little kids start crying that there is a monster in the closet. The babysitter is frustrated and goes up to their room to make them go to sleep. She says, there is no such thing as monsters. To prove it, she went to the closet and opened the door. Of course the killer leaped out and stabbed her to death. It was very scary.

What is the purpose of showing the killer enter the closet before the killings?

a. to provide specific detailsb. to create enriching imageryc. to create suspensed. to develop the rising action

c. is the correct answer. This is called dramatic irony (we know something the characters do not know). Since we know he is there, the suspense builds up waiting for the killer to attack.

Reading Comprehension 7In the book, 1001 Arabian Nights, there is a sultan that hates women and likes to marry one and then have her killed the next night. After killing many women this way, he finally marries a woman named Scheherazade who tricks him into letting her live by telling him stories each night, but not finishing them. That way he must let her live to hear the end of the story. In the movie version, the sultan was betrayed by his first wife and is planning on killing the next, which is Scheherazade. He has never actually had a wife killed and because she saves him from his madness, he never does.

What was the director's purpose in changing the story in this manner?

a. to create an indifferent toneb. to focus on the irony of the situationc. the director probably never read the original story.d. it makes the sultan a more sympathetic character


In the book, 1001 Arabian Nights, there is a sultan that hates women and likes to marry one and then have her killed the next night. After killing many women this way, he finally marries a woman named Scheherazade who tricks him into letting her live by telling him stories each night, but not finishing them. That way he must let her live to hear the end of the story. In the movie version, the sultan was betrayed by his first wife and is planning on killing the next, which is Scheherazade. He has never actually had a wife killed and because she saves him from his madness, he never does.

What was the director's purpose in changing the story in this manner?

a. to create an indifferent toneb. to focus on the irony of the situationc. the director probably never read the original story.d. it makes the sultan a more sympathetic character

a. is incorrect. An indifferent tone means that the director doesn't care one way or the other. Since he made the change, we can assume he cares.b. is incorrect. There is no irony in this situation. Many students automatically pick the irony answer since it sounds intelligent. Don't fall for that trick.c. is incorrect. d. is correct. If the sultan is killing women, it makes it hard to accept him as a guy who deserves to get the woman at the end of the movie.

Grammar 12

Read the following sentence.

In order too go too the store, you will need too get too dollars from my wallet and my car keys too.

This sentence should look like:

a. In order to go to the store, you will need to get two dollars from my wallet and my car keys too.

b. In order too go to the store, you will need to get two dollars from my wallet and my car keys to.

c. In order two go too the store, you will need too get two dollars from my wallet and my car keys to.

d. In order to go two the store, you will need too get too dollars from my wallet and my car keys two.

Grammar 12 Answer

In order too go too the store, you will need too get too dollars from my wallet and my car keys too.

This sentence should look like:

a. In order to go to the store, you will need to get two dollars from my wallet and my car keys too.

b. In order too go to the store, you will need to get two dollars from my wallet and my car keys to.

c. In order two go too the store, you will need too get two dollars from my wallet and my car keys to.

d. In order to go two the store, you will need too get too dollars from my wallet and my car keys two.

a. is correct. Here is the breakdown for each to:In order to go {infinitive verbs use to} to {preposition - to} the store, you will need to get {infinitive verb} two {the number two} dollars from my wallet and my car keys too {also}.


Read the following poem by Shel Silverstein from Where the Sidewalk Ends:

ALICE She drank from a bottle called DRINK ME And up she grew so tall, She ate from a plate called TASTE ME And down she shrank so small And so she changed, while other folks Never tried nothin’ at all

The rhyme scheme of the poem is AB AB CB. Why does the author change the rhyme scheme in line 5?

a. He couldn't find another rhyme for ME.b. To draw attention to the poem's meaning.c. Because it is an allusion to Alice in Wonderland.d. To change the pace of the poem.


ALICE She drank from a bottle called DRINK ME And up she grew so tall, She ate from a plate called TASTE ME And down she shrank so small And so she changed, while other folks Never tried nothin’ at all

The rhyme scheme of the poem is AB AB CB. Why does the author change the rhyme scheme in line 5?

a. He couldn't find another rhyme for ME.b. To draw attention to the poem's meaning.c. Because it is an allusion to Alice in Wonderland.d. To change the pace of the poem.

a. is completely incorrect. Poets are very resourceful and can find a rhyme for almost any word.b. is correct. The poem is about not being afraid to try new things.c. is incorrect. While it is an allusion, the change in rhyme has nothing to do with it.d. is incorrect. While changing the rhyme scheme may change the pace in some poems, it does not in this one.

Grammar 13

Look at this picture from Cake Wrecks:

The cake decorator failed the EOC. To correct this cake, the wording needs to be:

a. Happy Boss's Day! Your the Best.b. Happy Bosses Day! You're the Best.c. Happy Boss's Day! You're the Best.d. Happy Boss's Day! you're the Best.

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Grammar 13 Answer

a. Happy Boss's Day! Your the Best.b. Happy Bosses Day! You're the Best.c. Happy Boss's Day! You're the Best.d. Happy Boss's Day! you're the Best.

The problem with this cake is threefold - the word "Bosses" need to be possessive - not plural, so it should be written as "Boss's." That rules out answer b. The word "Your" need to be made "You're" since it is a contraction of "you" and "are" so answer a. is incorrect. Also, "you're" starts a new sentence so it needs to be capitalized, so that rules out d. The correct answer is c.

Documents

EOC Practice