GED Language Arts (RLA) : Syntax
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Example Questions
Example Question #61 : Syntax
1 Grasshoppers are intriguing insects that have both served as potent symbols in literature [Question 1]. 2 Also called locusts, [Question 2]. 3 Grasshoppers may be best known from the Aesop’s fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” in which ants and grasshoppers [Question 3].
4 Yet grasshoppers have also caused terrible famine [Question 4] Ancient Egypt, China, and the Rocky Mountains. 5 Farmers today attempt to control grasshoppers swarms [Question 5]. 6 On the other hand [Question 6] is sometimes used as a term of endearment. 7 What do you think about grasshoppers?
Which of the following phrases best completes Sentence 1?
and caused great destruction to human agriculture.
, and caused great destruction to human agriculture.
but also caused great destruction to human agriculture.
, but also caused great destruction to human agriculture.
while causing great destruction to human agriculture.
and caused great destruction to human agriculture.
Here we have a “both ___ and ___” construction, which we can tell because of the key use of “both.” We can therefore eliminate all the choices that don’t match this construction. We can also eliminate the choices that contain a comma, since commas are only needed before conjunctions when that conjunction is separating two independent clauses (not the case here).
Example Question #62 : Syntax
1 Grasshoppers are intriguing insects that have both served as potent symbols in literature [Question 1]. 2 Also called locusts, [Question 2]. 3 Grasshoppers may be best known from the Aesop’s fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” in which ants and grasshoppers [Question 3].
4 Yet grasshoppers have also caused terrible famine [Question 4] Ancient Egypt, China, and the Rocky Mountains. 5 Farmers today attempt to control grasshoppers swarms [Question 5]. 6 On the other hand [Question 6] is sometimes used as a term of endearment. 7 What do you think about grasshoppers?
Which of the following phrases best completes Sentence 2?
grasshoppers have appeared in Dutch painting, English poetry, and Latin American and Asian cuisines
Dutch painting, English poetry, and Latin American and Asian cuisines, in which grasshoppers are all featured
Dutch painting, English poetry, and Latin American and Asian cuisines all feature grasshoppers
grasshoppers appearing in Dutch painting, English poetry, Latin American, and Asian cuisines
grasshoppers have appeared in Dutch painting, English poetry, Latin American, and Asian cuisines
grasshoppers have appeared in Dutch painting, English poetry, and Latin American and Asian cuisines
“Also called locusts” is a phrase that must modify “grasshoppers,” so we can eliminate all those answer choices that don’t begin with that word. Those incorrect choices are known as misplaced modifiers. Moreover, since “Latin American and Asian cuisines” is one item in the list and not two, it should not have a comma in the middle of it.
Example Question #41 : Completing Sentences
1 Grasshoppers are intriguing insects that have both served as potent symbols in literature [Question 1]. 2 Also called locusts, [Question 2]. 3 Grasshoppers may be best known from the Aesop’s fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” in which ants and grasshoppers [Question 3].
4 Yet grasshoppers have also caused terrible famine [Question 4] Ancient Egypt, China, and the Rocky Mountains. 5 Farmers today attempt to control grasshoppers swarms [Question 5]. 6 On the other hand [Question 6] is sometimes used as a term of endearment. 7 What do you think about grasshoppers?
Which of the following phrases best completes Sentence 3?
execrate the contrasting human traits of diligence and inference
execute the contrasting human traits of diligence and insolence
exemplify the contrasting human traits of diligence and indolence
indemnify the contrasting human traits of diligence and insolence
exorcise the contrasting human traits of diligence and indolence
exemplify the contrasting human traits of diligence and indolence
This question is dependent on your vocabulary recognition. In the Aesop’s fable that this sentence discusses, ants and grasshoppers provide examples of, or “exemplify,” human behaviors. The sentence also explains that the two human behaviors are contrasting, which leaves us with “diligence” (hard work) and “indolence” (laziness). None of the other pairs contrast.
Example Question #137 : Language Usage And Grammar
1 Grasshoppers are intriguing insects that have both served as potent symbols in literature [Question 1]. 2 Also called locusts, [Question 2]. 3 Grasshoppers may be best known from the Aesop’s fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” in which ants and grasshoppers [Question 3].
4 Yet grasshoppers have also caused terrible famine [Question 4] Ancient Egypt, China, and the Rocky Mountains. 5 Farmers today attempt to control grasshoppers swarms [Question 5]. 6 On the other hand [Question 6] is sometimes used as a term of endearment. 7 What do you think about grasshoppers?
Which of the following phrases best completes Sentence 4?
most notably with
most notably in
; most notably, with
, most notably in
None of these other choices
, most notably in
If we plug in any of these answer choices into the sentence, we can see that the result is an independent clause (“Yet grasshoppers have also caused terrible famine”) followed by a dependent clause (“most notably in Ancient Egypt, China, and the Rocky Mountains”). The correct punctuation to separate these two clauses is a single comma.
Example Question #138 : Language Usage And Grammar
1 Grasshoppers are intriguing insects that have both served as potent symbols in literature [Question 1]. 2 Also called locusts, [Question 2]. 3 Grasshoppers may be best known from the Aesop’s fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” in which ants and grasshoppers [Question 3].
4 Yet grasshoppers have also caused terrible famine [Question 4] Ancient Egypt, China, and the Rocky Mountains. 5 Farmers today attempt to control grasshoppers swarms [Question 5]. 6 On the other hand [Question 6] is sometimes used as a term of endearment. 7 What do you think about grasshoppers?
Which of the following phrases best completes Sentence 5?
with a mixture of fire, pesticides, with natural fungi species
with a mixture of fire, pesticides, or natural fungi species
in a mixture of fire, pesticides, and natural fungi species
with a mixture of fire, pesticides, and natural fungi species
including a mixture of fire, pesticides, or natural fungi species
with a mixture of fire, pesticides, and natural fungi species
Because we are listing the components of a mixture, we need to use the conjunction “and” and not “or” or “with.” Because the idea that precedes the bracketed part of the sentence is “control grasshopper swarms,” the word “with” fits better than “in” or “including.” These two rules eliminate all but one answer choice: “with a mixture of fire, pesticides, and natural fungi species.”
Example Question #139 : Language Usage And Grammar
1 Grasshoppers are intriguing insects that have both served as potent symbols in literature [Question 1]. 2 Also called locusts, [Question 2]. 3 Grasshoppers may be best known from the Aesop’s fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” in which ants and grasshoppers [Question 3].
4 Yet grasshoppers have also caused terrible famine [Question 4] Ancient Egypt, China, and the Rocky Mountains. 5 Farmers today attempt to control grasshoppers swarms [Question 5]. 6 On the other hand [Question 6] is sometimes used as a term of endearment. 7 What do you think about grasshoppers?
Which of the following phrases best completes Sentence 6?
, young grasshopper
: “young” grasshopper
, “young grasshopper,”
: young grasshopper,
, “young grasshopper”
, “young grasshopper”
“On the other hand” is an introductory clause that requires a comma to separate it from the main part of the sentence. Since the term “young grasshopper” is being discussed as a term, quotation marks are the best choice of punctuation. Lastly, since the words “young grasshopper” are integral to the meaning of the sentence’s main (independent) clause, we don’t use a comma between “grasshopper” and “is.”
Example Question #63 : Syntax
1 Overfishing is a serious threat [Question 1]. 2 Essentially, it means that humans are depleting the ocean’s supply of fish, crustaceans, sea mammals, kelps, and other [Question 2]. 3 The problem [Question 3] when sailors killed vast numbers of whales for their valuable blubber. 4 Since then, industrial fishing fleets and increased consumer demand have led to [Question 4] everything from sharks to blue fin tuna. 5 Even species that are not typically eaten [Question 5] have become accidental “bycatch” and are thereby threatened with endangerment. 6 If the process is not reversed soon, [Question 6].
What is the correct way to rewrite Sentence 3?
has been occurring since the 19th century,
, occurred as early as the 19th century
occurred first in the 19th century
, which was occurring in the 19th century,
, occurring since the 19th century,
has been occurring since the 19th century,
Both “occurring since the 19th century” and “which was occurring in the 19th century” would lead to sentence fragments, so they are not good options. Both “occurred first in the 19th century” and “occurred as early as the 19th century” lack a crucial final comma to separate the independent clause from the dependent clause, so those choices are not good options, either.
Example Question #64 : Syntax
1 Overfishing is a serious threat [Question 1]. 2 Essentially, it means that humans are depleting the ocean’s supply of fish, crustaceans, sea mammals, kelps, and other [Question 2]. 3 The problem [Question 3] when sailors killed vast numbers of whales for their valuable blubber. 4 Since then, industrial fishing fleets and increased consumer demand have led to [Question 4] everything from sharks to blue fin tuna. 5 Even species that are not typically eaten [Question 5] have become accidental “bycatch” and are thereby threatened with endangerment. 6 If the process is not reversed soon, [Question 6].
What is the correct way to rewrite Sentence 4?
the deliquescence of
the delineation of
the decimation of
the demarcation of
the deliberation of
the decimation of
This is a vocabulary question. The entire passage is discussing the killing of ocean species, so we should choose the word that best fits that topic. “Decimation,” or the killing/destruction of a large percentage of something, is the only word here that fits the context.
Example Question #65 : Syntax
1 Writer’s block is a challenge that faces many creative people [Question 1]. 2 Inventors and theoreticians alike have long speculated about the possible [Question 2]. 3 Some people believe that it comes from lack of preparation [Question 3]. Recently, neurological and psychological studies have identified potential underlying causes of creative block [Question 4]. 5 Still others assert that a lack of resources (including time, money, and community) [Question 5].
6 People faced with writer’s block [Question 6] may take comfort in the fact that many of the world’s greatest artists have struggled similarly. 7 Take Ludwig van Beethoven, Vincent van Gogh, and Frida Kahlo as just a few examples of individuals who [Question 7] prevailed in creating lasting masterpieces. 8 [Question 8] then an artist can always try consulting with peers, taking a break, or turning their attention to a new art form altogether. 9 After all, through [Question 9] a person can overcome almost any artistic impediment.
Which of the following phrases best completes Sentence 7?
— despite immense, bouts of writer’s block —
— despite immense bouts of writer’s block;
, despite immense bouts of writer’s block,
despite immense, bouts of writer’s block
: despite immense bouts of writer’s block,
, despite immense bouts of writer’s block,
As with the previous question, we can see that the non-bracketed parts of this sentence are a standalone independent clause. We thus know that what’s inside the brackets must be offset by a pair of commas, parentheses, or em dashes. Since “immense” is an adjective immediately preceding “bouts,” a noun, no comma is necessary between those two words.
Example Question #66 : Syntax
1 Overfishing is a serious threat [Question 1]. 2 Essentially, it means that humans are depleting the ocean’s supply of fish, crustaceans, sea mammals, kelps, and other [Question 2]. 3 The problem [Question 3] when sailors killed vast numbers of whales for their valuable blubber. 4 Since then, industrial fishing fleets and increased consumer demand have led to [Question 4] everything from sharks to blue fin tuna. 5 Even species that are not typically eaten [Question 5] have become accidental “bycatch” and are thereby threatened with endangerment. 6 If the process is not reversed soon, [Question 6].
What is the correct way to conclude Sentence 1?
, in the face of our planet’s fisheries
, faced by our planet’s fisheries
being faced by our planet’s fisheries
None of these
facing our planet’s fisheries
facing our planet’s fisheries
This question requires you to choose not only the grammatically correct option but also the most efficient option. No comma should be used in this sentence, as it’s one uninterrupted independent clause. Both “facing our planet’s fisheries” and “being faced by our planet’s fisheries” are grammatically fine, but the former is more concise.
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