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Flashcards: ACT Compass Writing
Please refer to the following passage to identify any errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and style in the selected sentences.
(1) It was my first day of high school and I have couldn’t been more nervous. (2) The bus ride in the morning was the scariest part because I had no idea where it was acceptable to sit for freshmen. (3) Most juniors and seniors didn’t need to take the bus since they typically had cars, but there were still many older students around me who had more clout to sit where they wanted. (4) Avoiding any possible conflict was what I wanted, so I grabbed an empty seat next to an old classmate who I knew was my age. (5) He understood, I figured, more about the rules of the bus than I did.
(6) My morning classes weren’t as bad as I had expected them to be, although I did sit in the back of each classroom in hopes that the teacher wouldn’t call on me. (7) The only time I spoke up was when attendance calling. (8) Otherwise, I stayed quiet. (9) The lunch period arriving was when I was finally relieved to see my friends. (10) Seeing them gave me a sense of comfort that was lacking from my classes. (11) Moreover, we were happy to find out that a few of us had some afternoon classes together. (12) I was so excited to have some familiar faces with me for the rest of the day. (13) Once that final bell rang that indicated school was out, I felt much calmer than arriving that morning. (14) Looking back, I was realizing I didn’t need to be so nervous about high school.
Sentence 7
The only time I spoke up was when the teacher called attendance.
When the teacher called attendance, was the only time I spoke up.
The only time I spoke up was when calling attendance.
Attendance calling was when the only time I spoke up.
The only time I spoke up was when attendance calling.
All ACT Compass Writing Resources
College-bound students know about tests. They’ve taken academic tests their whole lives. But, in the weeks leading up to the beginning of classes, they may have to take an exam or two in order to determine what classes they may be placed in. One such placement exam is the ACT Compass Writing Test. The untimed test is not specifically graded, but is used by educators to determine what an incoming student’s writing skill level may be.
There are two ACT Compass tests in writing. The ACT Compass Writing Skills Diagnostics Test is meant to measure an individual’s understanding of different areas of writing, including spelling, word usage, punctuation, capitalization, verb agreement, construction shifts, and overall organization of passages. The second test in writing is the E-Write, an essay exam. In this test, students are asked to read and analyze a specific passage. They are asked to provide a response to a question about the provided passage. Educators can use the essay writing exam to judge a student’s skill in organization, style, and use of writing conventions. Students will find that they receive a holistic score from their test overall, as well as scores in focus, content, style, organization, and writing conventions.
For some, grammar and word choice can be tricky topics to master. For others, organization and punctuation may be issues. Those students may benefit from a little extra study before they sit down to take the writing placement exam. Varsity Tutors’ Learning Tools Flashcards for the ACT Compass Writing test can help a student to prepare for these tests, whether they have a large chunk of time to devote to studying, or just a few minutes. Users can flip through the various flashcards and answer the ones they choose or skip others without penalty.
Each Learning Tools Flashcard for the ACT Compass Writing exam lays out a specific passage with numbered sentences. Below the passage, students will find a question, typically about a specific sentence. They will then have to choose an answer, from four possibilities, about the specific sentence. Once a user chooses an answer, they will get immediate feedback and learn whether their answer is correct or not, as well as an explanation of what the correct answer is and why it is the correct answer. Some of these flashcards ask users to examine passages for word usage issues, writing style, or punctuation. Others focus on comprehension and ask a user what the passage means.
Although these flashcards focus on word choice and comprehension-type topics, answering the different questions and exploring the topics can help students to prepare for the writing skills exam as well because they may better understand the reasoning behind certain aspects of writing.
In addition to the flashcards for the ACT Compass Writing placement exams, Varsity Tutors’ Learning Tools also offers a Practice Test and Question of the Day series that helps students to focus on specific areas of writing. These tools are available to students who feel they need to practice before they sit down to take either of the ACT Compass Writing exams.
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