QUESTION: 233 Topic Exam A: Section 1 (English)

DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

The Personality of Superman

[§1] In the original Jerry Siegel and Joel Shuster "Superman" stories, Superman's personality is rough and aggressive. He was seen stepping in to stop wife beaters, profiteers, a lynch mob and gangsters, <1> with rather rough edges and a looser moral code than we may be used to today. In later adventures he became, softer, <2> and had more of a sense of idealism and moral code of conduct. Although not as cold-blooded <3> as the early Batman, the Superman featured in the comics of the 1930s is unconcerned about the harm his strength may cause, tossing villainous characters in such a manner that fatalites <4> would presumably occur, although these were seldom shown explicitly on the page. This came to an end when Superman vowed never to take a life.

[§2] Superman is an extremely moral person, believing it is immoral to kill anyone under any circumstances, and will do whatever he can to avoid it. Clark's upbringing in the Midwest largely contributes to this, as his adoptive parents raised him to do the right thing. <5>

[§3] In Superman/Batman #3, Batman says, "It is a remarkable dichotomy. <6> In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then... he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him."

[§4] Superman is also a bit of a loner, in that, <7> for much of his life, he doesn't reveal his true identity and powers to anyone, not even his closer friends. <8> Many times they come close to figuring it out on their own, but often he will arrange an elaborate deception to trick them into believing Clark Kent and Superman are entirely separate. He's known to collect mementos <9> of his adventures and his life in the Fortress of Solitude, and has even been known to have wax statues of all his friends their. <10>

<8>:

NO CHANGE
not even his more close friends
not even his most close friends
not even his closest friends

Answer(s): D

Explanation:

D is correct. The wording here should emphasize that Superman keeps even his most extreme confidantes at arm's length, thus necessitating the fullest comparison, of which "closest" is the choice over "most close" since
the root word "close" is a single syllable. Rare exceptions to this rule good/better/best and bad/worse/worst.

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QUESTION: 234 Topic Exam A: Section 1 (English)

NO CHANGE
momentos
mentos
mamentos

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

A is correct. The word is spelled correctly in the passage.

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QUESTION: 235 Topic Exam A: Section 1 (English)

NO CHANGE
there
they're
they are

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

B is correct. "Their" is a possessive pronoun. "They're" is the contraction for "they are." You want the use of the word that refers to a place, hence "there."

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QUESTION: 236 Topic Exam A: Section 1 (English)

DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

The Glass Castle (excerpt)

By Jeannette Walls

[§1] I never believe <1> in Santa Claus. None of us kids did. Mom and Dad refused to let us. They couldn't afford expensive presents and they didn't want us to think we weren't as good as other kids who, on Christmas morning, <2> found all sorts of fancy toys under the tree that were supposedly left by Santa Claus.

[§2] Dad had lost his job at the gypsum, and when Christmas came that year, we had no money at all. On Christmas Eve, Dad took each one of we kids <3> out into the desert night one by one.

[§3] "Pick out your favorite star", Dad said. <4>

[§4] "I like that one!" I said.

[§5] Dad grinned, "That's Venus," he said. He explained to me that planets glowed because reflected light was constant and stars twinkled because their light pulsed.

[§6] "I like it anyway" I said. <5>

[§7] "What the hell," Dad said. "It's Christmas. You can have a planet if you want."

[§8] And he gave me Venus.

[§9] Venus didn't have any moons or satellites or even a magnetic field, but it did have an atmosphere sort of similar to Earth's, except it was super-hot about 500 degrees or more. <6> "So," Dad said, "when the sun starts to burn out and earth <7> turns cold, everyone might want to move to Venus to get warm. And they'll have to get permission from your descendants first." <8>

[§10] We laughed about all the kids who believed in the Santa myth and got nothing for Christmas but a bunch of cheap plastic toys. <9>

[§11] "Years from now, when all the junk they got is broken and long forgotten," Dad said, "you'll still have your stars." <10>

<1>:

NO CHANGE
believes
believed
believing

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

C is correct. This is a main verb. Its form should match the rest of the passage, and the rest of the passage is in past tense.

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QUESTION: 233 Topic Exam A: Section 1 (English)

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QUESTION: 234 Topic Exam A: Section 1 (English)

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QUESTION: 235 Topic Exam A: Section 1 (English)

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QUESTION: 236 Topic Exam A: Section 1 (English)

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