Accuplacer: Sentence Skills Practice #1

There are 2 types of ACCUPLACER Sentence Skills questions. The first type are sentence correction questions. These test your understanding of sentence structure. You need to choose the best phrase to replace the underlined portion of the sentence. The second type are construction shift questions. With these you must rewrite the sentence according to the criteria shown, while retaining the same general meaning of the original sentence.

Directions for questions 1–10: A portion of each sentence is underlined. Select the best version of the sentence. Answer (A) is always the same as the original sentence.

Directions for questions 11–20: Choose the best way to rewrite each of the sentences. The new sentence must be written correctly and retain the meaning of the original sentence.

1

To swim, to jog, and spinning are my aunt’s favorite ways of maintaining her health.

1

Although he was quite accomplished in playing the violin, he had some work to do when it came to playing the piano.

1

Returning to his old job, everything there looked the same as John remembered.

1

Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania, being the highest mountain in Africa.

1

I was alarmed by the noise looking through the window to see who was outside.

1

Scientists have found evidence that acid rain was a major cause of the largest extinction on Earth 250 million years ago.

1

Rushing to the scene, the frightened cat was stuck high in the tree and had to be pulled down by the firemen.

1

Since blank it appeared to the naked eye, a piece of paper that contains a message written in invisible ink is clever.

1

Double-checking her timer, the chef turned the beef wellington in the oven.

1

For a lizard, losing their tail in an accident is not detrimental to their health since they can grow back.

There are 2 types of ACCUPLACER Sentence Skills questions. The first type are sentence correction questions. These test your understanding of sentence structure. You need to choose the best phrase to replace the underlined portion of the sentence. The second type are construction shift questions. With these you must rewrite the sentence according to the criteria shown, while retaining the same general meaning of the original sentence.

Directions for questions 1–10: A portion of each sentence is underlined. Select the best version of the sentence. Answer (A) is always the same as the original sentence.

Directions for questions 11–20: Choose the best way to rewrite each of the sentences. The new sentence must be written correctly and retain the meaning of the original sentence.

1

Although the horse is easily startled by sudden noises, it can be trained to ignore distractions and remain calm even in parades.
Rewrite, beginning with:
The horse is easily startled by sudden noises,
The next words will be:

1

If I had enough money, I would buy an enormous mansion.
Rewrite, beginning with:
I cannot buy an enormous mansion
The next words will be:

1

Though rattlesnakes do not bite humans out of a malicious nature, most rattlesnakes will attack if they feel threatened.
Rewrite, beginning with:
Rattlesnakes do not bite humans out of a malicious nature,
The next words will be:

1

It began to snow, and all the children ran outside to build a snowman.
Rewrite, beginning with:
All the children ran outside to build a snowman
The next words will be:

1

After a five mile hike, the couple felt in need of a break.
Rewrite, beginning with:
The couple felt in need of a break
The next words will be:

1

Carl felt an amazingly warm feeling when he met his son for the first time.
Rewrite, beginning with:
Meeting his son for the first time,
The next words will be:

1

If I want your advice, I will request it.
Rewrite, beginning with:
I won’t request your advice
The next words will be:

1

Thanksgiving dinner was over, and everyone began to fall asleep on the couch.
Rewrite, beginning with:
Everyone began to fall asleep on the couch
The next words will be:

1

Mary didn’t notice much bass guitar in the rock song when she heard the band’s encore.
Rewrite, beginning with:
Hearing the band’s encore,
The next words will be:

1

It is unusual to see many squirrels at the dog park, since they are often chased by dogs.
Rewrite, beginning with:
Often chased by dogs,
The next words will be:

To swim, to jog, and spinning are my aunt’s favorite ways of maintaining her health.

Although he was quite accomplished in playing the violin, he had some work to do when it came to playing the piano.

Returning to his old job, everything there looked the same as John remembered.

Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania, being the highest mountain in Africa.

I was alarmed by the noise looking through the window to see who was outside.

Scientists have found evidence that acid rain was a major cause of the largest extinction on Earth 250 million years ago.

Rushing to the scene, the frightened cat was stuck high in the tree and had to be pulled down by the firemen.

Since blank it appeared to the naked eye, a piece of paper that contains a message written in invisible ink is clever.

Double-checking her timer, the chef turned the beef wellington in the oven.

For a lizard, losing their tail in an accident is not detrimental to their health since they can grow back.

Although the horse is easily startled by sudden noises, it can be trained to ignore distractions and remain calm even in parades. Rewrite, beginning with: The horse is easily startled by sudden noises, The next words will be:

Rewrite, beginning with:

The horse is easily startled by sudden noises,

The next words will be:

If I had enough money, I would buy an enormous mansion. Rewrite, beginning with: I cannot buy an enormous mansion The next words will be:

Though rattlesnakes do not bite humans out of a malicious nature, most rattlesnakes will attack if they feel threatened. Rewrite, beginning with: Rattlesnakes do not bite humans out of a malicious nature, The next words will be:

It began to snow, and all the children ran outside to build a snowman. Rewrite, beginning with: All the children ran outside to build a snowman The next words will be:

After a five mile hike, the couple felt in need of a break. Rewrite, beginning with: The couple felt in need of a break The next words will be:

Carl felt an amazingly warm feeling when he met his son for the first time. Rewrite, beginning with: Meeting his son for the first time, The next words will be:

If I want your advice, I will request it. Rewrite, beginning with: I won’t request your advice The next words will be:

Thanksgiving dinner was over, and everyone began to fall asleep on the couch. Rewrite, beginning with: Everyone began to fall asleep on the couch The next words will be:

Mary didn’t notice much bass guitar in the rock song when she heard the band’s encore. Rewrite, beginning with: Hearing the band’s encore, The next words will be:

It is unusual to see many squirrels at the dog park, since they are often chased by dogs. Rewrite, beginning with: Often chased by dogs, The next words will be:

Although the horse is easily startled by sudden noises, it can be trained to ignore distractions and remain calm even in parades.
Rewrite, beginning with:
The horse is easily startled by sudden noises,
The next words will be:

If I had enough money, I would buy an enormous mansion.
Rewrite, beginning with:
I cannot buy an enormous mansion
The next words will be:

Though rattlesnakes do not bite humans out of a malicious nature, most rattlesnakes will attack if they feel threatened.
Rewrite, beginning with:
Rattlesnakes do not bite humans out of a malicious nature,
The next words will be:

It began to snow, and all the children ran outside to build a snowman.
Rewrite, beginning with:
All the children ran outside to build a snowman
The next words will be:

After a five mile hike, the couple felt in need of a break.
Rewrite, beginning with:
The couple felt in need of a break
The next words will be:

Carl felt an amazingly warm feeling when he met his son for the first time.
Rewrite, beginning with:
Meeting his son for the first time,
The next words will be:

If I want your advice, I will request it.
Rewrite, beginning with:
I won’t request your advice
The next words will be:

Thanksgiving dinner was over, and everyone began to fall asleep on the couch.
Rewrite, beginning with:
Everyone began to fall asleep on the couch
The next words will be:

Mary didn’t notice much bass guitar in the rock song when she heard the band’s encore.
Rewrite, beginning with:
Hearing the band’s encore,
The next words will be:

It is unusual to see many squirrels at the dog park, since they are often chased by dogs.
Rewrite, beginning with:
Often chased by dogs,
The next words will be: