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Section 5: Sample Selected-Response Questions
TX PACT: Essential Academic Skills Subtest II: Writing (702)

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This section presents some sample exam questions for you to review as part of your preparation for the exam. To demonstrate how each competency may be assessed, sample questions are accompanied by the competency that they measure. While studying, you may wish to read the competency before and after you consider each sample question. Please note that the competency statements do not appear on the actual exam.

The correct answer is provided for each sample exam question. The sample questions are included to illustrate the formats and types of questions you will see on the exam; however, your performance on the sample questions should not be viewed as a predictor of your performance on the actual exam.

Competency 001—Understand purpose, audience, organization, and development in writing.

1. Read the passage below; then answer the question that follows.

Note: One or more errors of grammar, mechanics, or organization have been included in the passage.

1The human body depends on feedback systems. 2These systems are self-regulating, allowing the body to maintain critical life-supporting functions, such as constant body temperature and the proper balance of blood sugar, water, and minerals. 3When these and other functions are in equilibrium, the body is said to be in a state of homeostasis. 4Humans and other living creatures regulate their bodies through a series of carefully timed chemical and biological adjustments that keeps their internal environments stable.

5The body's regulation of temperature is a classic feedback system and illustrates how living organisms maintain equilibrium. 6All mammals are warm-blooded creatures which means that their internal temperature is held constant even when the external temperature varies considerably. 7The body has several mechanisms for maintaining this temperature. 8 blank , when a person is outside on a very hot day, the brain will sense even a tiny increase of heat in the blood. 9At such moments, the brain activates nerves that induce sweating, which cools the skin, blood, and internal organs. 10 blank, when a person is cold, the brain sends signals to make the body shiver and develop "goose bumps." 11Both these responses help the body's core stay warm. 12In this way, the body's internal temperature is carefully controlled through a complex, but highly efficient, feedback system.

Which words or phrases, if inserted in order into the blanks in Parts 8 and 10, would best help the reader understand the sequence of the writer's ideas?

  1. As a result; Consequently
  2. However; Nevertheless
  3. Therefore; For this reason
  4. For example; On the other hand
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct. This question requires the examinee to select appropriate transitional words or phrases to convey sentence structure and to help readers understand the sequence of a writer's ideas. Parts 8 and 9 provide information about the body's response to heat, while Parts 10 and 11 provide information about the body's response to cold. The phrases "For example" and "On the other hand" help guide the reader through these opposing but closely connected explanations of how the body maintains a constant internal temperature.
Competency 002—Understand problems in sentence formation.

2. Read the passage below; then answer the question that follows.

Note: One or more errors of grammar, mechanics, or organization have been included in the passage.

1The human body depends on feedback systems. 2These systems are self-regulating, allowing the body to maintain critical life-supporting functions, such as constant body temperature and the proper balance of blood sugar, water, and minerals. 3When these and other functions are in equilibrium, the body is said to be in a state of homeostasis. 4Humans and other living creatures regulate their bodies through a series of carefully timed chemical and biological adjustments that keeps their internal environments stable.

5The body's regulation of temperature is a classic feedback system and illustrates how living organisms maintain equilibrium. 6All mammals are warm-blooded creatures which means that their internal temperature is held constant even when the external temperature varies considerably. 7The body has several mechanisms for maintaining this temperature. 8 blank, when a person is outside on a very hot day, the brain will sense even a tiny increase of heat in the blood. 9At such moments, the brain activates nerves that induce sweating, which cools the skin, blood, and internal organs. 10 blank, when a person is cold, the brain sends signals to make the body shiver and develop "goose bumps." 11Both these responses help the body's core stay warm. 12In this way, the body's internal temperature is carefully controlled through a complex, but highly efficient, feedback system.

Which part contains an error in subject-verb agreement?

  1. Part 3
  2. Part 4
  3. Part 5
  4. Part 6
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct. This question requires the examinee to identify errors in subject-verb agreement. In Part 4, the verb "keeps" should be changed to the plural "keep" so that it agrees in number with its plural subject, "chemical and biological adjustments."
Competency 003—Understand conventions of Standard Written English grammar, usage, and mechanics.

3. Read the passage below; then answer the question that follows.

Note: One or more errors of grammar, mechanics, or organization have been included in the passage.

1The human body depends on feedback systems. 2These systems are self-regulating, allowing the body to maintain critical life-supporting functions, such as constant body temperature and the proper balance of blood sugar, water, and minerals. 3When these and other functions are in equilibrium, the body is said to be in a state of homeostasis. 4Humans and other living creatures regulate their bodies through a series of carefully timed chemical and biological adjustments that keeps their internal environments stable.

5The body's regulation of temperature is a classic feedback system and illustrates how living organisms maintain equilibrium. 6All mammals are warm-blooded creatures which means that their internal temperature is held constant even when the external temperature varies considerably. 7The body has several mechanisms for maintaining this temperature. 8 blank, when a person is outside on a very hot day, the brain will sense even a tiny increase of heat in the blood. 9At such moments, the brain activates nerves that induce sweating, which cools the skin, blood, and internal organs. 10 blank, when a person is cold, the brain sends signals to make the body shiver and develop "goose bumps." 11Both these responses help the body's core stay warm. 12In this way, the body's internal temperature is carefully controlled through a complex, but highly efficient, feedback system.

Which change is needed in the passage?

  1. Part 2:  Insert a comma after "temperature."
  2. Part 3:  Delete the comma after "equilibrium."
  3. Part 6:  Insert a comma after "creatures."
  4. Part 9:  Delete the comma after "moments."
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct. This question requires the examinee to identify and revise errors in standard punctuation. In Part 6, a comma should be inserted after "creatures" because the noun is followed by a nonrestrictive adjective clause that provides additional information but is not essential to the meaning of the sentence.
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