HiSET: Language Arts - Writing : Writing Conventions
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for HiSET: Language Arts - Writing
All HiSET: Language Arts - Writing Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Writing Conventions
Harrison had math test last Wednesday. He studied really well and thought that he did really good. When he walked into school today, Harrison’s teacher looked at him strangely. Harrison started to sweat, because he assumed the teacher’s expression meant he did poorly on the test. Harrison began to wonder wear he went wrong. The teacher walks around the room and handed out the graded assessments. Then the teacher, who had been walking around the room, paused in front of Harrison’s desk, and Harrison thought that he must of performed worst on the test than the rest of the class had. Then, to Harrison’s surprise, the teacher smiled, exclaiming that Harrison had scored one hundred percent.
What is the best way to correct the bolded and underlined portion of the passage?
he performed very good
he did really well
he did really good (no change)
he did very good
he went really well
he did really well
The answer choice "he did really good" is incorrect in that it makes no change to the original statement in the passage. There is, however, a problem with this statement. The word "good" is an adjective. Adjectives modify nouns. In this statement, however, the word "good" is used to modify the verb "did". A word that modifies a verb is called an adverb, and the adverb version of the word "good" is "well". So, the answer choices using the word "good" as an adverb are incorrect. The answer choice "he went very well" is also incorrect because the word "did" and "went" are not synonyms. Harrison "did" well on the test. The test "went well". The statement "he went well" (referring to Harrison with the pronoun, but the test with the verb) does not make sense.
Example Question #52 : Hi Set High School Equivalency Test: Writing
Harrison had math test last Wednesday. He studied really well and thought that he did really good. When he walked into school today, Harrison’s teacher looked at him strangely. Harrison started to sweat, because he assumed the teacher’s expression meant he did poorly on the test. Harrison began to wonder wear he went wrong. The teacher walks around the room and handed out the graded assessments. Then the teacher, who had been walking around the room, paused in front of Harrison’s desk, and Harrison thought that he must of performed worst on the test than the rest of the class had. Then, to Harrison’s surprise, the teacher smiled, exclaiming that Harrison had scored one hundred percent.
What is the best way to revise the bolded and underlined portion of the text?
performed worse on the test than the rest of the class had
performed the worst on the test than the rest of the class had
performed worst on the test than the rest of the class had (no change)
performed worse on the test
performed worst on the test than the rest of the class did
performed worse on the test than the rest of the class had
The error in the original passage is the usage of the word "worst". The word "worst" is a superlative adjective, meaning that it implies that Harrison is of the lowest standard. As such, this word requires no standard of comparison, because it implies finality in regards to every set of people. The proper word to fit into the bolded sentence is "worse". The word "worse" is a comparative adjective, so it makes sense to include the phrase "than the rest of the class had" as a basis of comparison. The word "worse" requires a standard of comparison, which is why the answer choice "performed worse on the test" is also incorrect.
Example Question #53 : Hi Set High School Equivalency Test: Writing
The media center is a very helpful place on campus if a person is in need of information. Newcomers to the library, who do not know to whom they should address their questions regarding the center, should simply approach the information desk. There are over one thousand books here, and anyone with a library card can access it. The media center can have a very positive effect on any student's grade. (no error)
Choose the answer choice containing a grammatical error.
who do not know to whom
(no error)
address
can access it
effect
can access it
In the sentence "There are over one thousand books here, and anyone with a library card can access it," the subject of discussion is the collection of one thousand books. The implication of the sentence is that a student with a library card can access the books. When a noun is replaced by a placeholder pronoun, such as "it" or "they" the placeholder must agree with the original noun. The word "it" does not agree with the phrase "one thousand books" because while "it" is singular, "one thousand books" is plural. The correct sentence would have been "There are over one thousand books here, and anyone with a library card can access them."
Example Question #12 : Writing Conventions
Jimmy is annoyed at the video game that he was playing. For one thing, there was not nearly enough interesting characters suspenseful moments or exciting escapes in the game to satisfy him. For another, it was incredibly hard while playing the game to control the cars. It always wanted to veer to the left when he tried to steer to the right. But the ending of the game was worst. By the time he got to the end, the hero had decided to stop chasing rogue spies and therefore marry his girlfriend, a surprise attack resulted in her being kidnapped, and the hero must go on a final mission to save her before the game can be completed. That would of been fine, except it involved tracking the enemy using a helicopter, and Jimmy much to his chagrin never mastered flying the helicopter.
Choose the option that best corrects the bolded and underlined section of the text.
They
Jimmy
The game
(no change)
They
The previous sentence makes it clear that it is the cars that Jimmy cannot control. "Cars" is a plural noun, so the pronoun should be changed to the plural "they."
Example Question #1 : Grammatical Agreement
Jimmy is annoyed at the video game that he was playing. For one thing, there was not nearly enough interesting characters suspenseful moments or exciting escapes in the game to satisfy him. For another, it was incredibly hard while playing the game to control the cars. It always wanted to veer to the left when he tried to steer to the right. But the ending of the game was worst. By the time he got to the end, the hero had decided to stop chasing rogue spies and therefore marry his girlfriend, a surprise attack resulted in her being kidnapped, and the hero must go on a final mission to save her before the game can be completed. That would of been fine, except it involved tracking the enemy using a helicopter, and Jimmy much to his chagrin never mastered flying the helicopter.
Choose the option that best corrects the bolded and underlined section of the text.
there were not nearly enough
there had been not nearly enough
there is not nearly enough
(no change)
there were not nearly enough
The verb in this phrase needs to agree with the phrase that follows it, which is a list of plural nouns; thus, the phrase "there were not nearly enough" is most appropriate.
Example Question #56 : Hi Set High School Equivalency Test: Writing
After attending a performance of a local jazz band, a blogger wrote the following article.
1 The Mahoney Performing Arts Center played host to a truly inspiring performance by the William Eastwood Quintet last Saturday evening. Although Mr. Eastwood and his fellow musicians have a songbook comprised solely of jazz standards, many of them are over 50 years old, the Quintet breathes new life into each song they play. The works of jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington were certainly in competent hands throughout the two-hour performance.
2 Eastwood departed from jazz tradition by beginning his set with a ballad, You Must Believe In Spring. While this choice meant that the audience was not as energetic as it might be had he chosen a more upbeat number, it also gave listeners a chance to appreciate the outstanding interplay between the members of the Quintet. Audience members who wanted to snap their fingers or clap along with the beat were rewarded by several livelier songs in the middle of the performance, climaxing with an incendiary rendition of Gillespie’s classic, Salt Peanuts.
3 While the focus of the show was clearly the outstanding saxophone playing of the band’s leader, Eastwood gave ample opportunities for his fellow musicians to shine. In particular, pianist Devon Semien, who took the spotlight for a 5 minute solo during the classic Body and Soul.The entire band were in synch throughout the performance, signaling that William Eastwood is going to a force in the jazz world for years to come.
Which is the best choice to replace the bolded and underlined phrase?
may be
might have been.
(no change)
had been
might have been.
The sentence is written in past tense (first verb is "meant"). In order to maintain tense consistency, the correct conditional verb phrase should be "might have been".
Example Question #57 : Hi Set High School Equivalency Test: Writing
The following sentence contains one error. Please identify the underlined word or phrase that should be changed in order to make the sentence correct.
After learning that her father was allergic to dogs, Becky gave the puppy to Tom and I.
gave
allergic to
learning
her father
Tom and I
Tom and I
The sentence contains the wrong pronoun case. Since the speaker of the sentence is receiving the action, the object pronoun "me" should be used. It should read "Tom and me." When there are two people receiving an action, in this case "Tom" and "me," it is called a compound object. An easy way to make sure that you are using the correct pronoun form (either "me" or "I") is to remove the other person, in this case "Tom." This trick relies on your grammar ear. Reading the sentence as "After learning that her father was allergic to dogs, Becky gave the puppy to I." sounds and is wrong. Reading it as "After learning that her father was allergic to dogs, Becky gave the puppy to me." sounds and is correct.
Example Question #2 : Grammatical Agreement
What is the best way to rewrite the given sentence?
Its a shame that the tree lost most of its leaves.
Is a shame that the tree lost most of its leaves.
It's a shame that the tree lost most of it's leaves.
It's a shame that the tree lost most of its leaves.
Its a shame that the tree lost most of it's leaves.
Its a shame that the tree lost most of its leaves. (no change)
It's a shame that the tree lost most of its leaves.
This answer uses the contraction "it's" (meaning "it is)" and the pronoun "its" (indicating possession) correctly. A good way to check whether you are using the correct form of either "its" or "it's" is to expand "it's" to "it is." Saying "It is a shame that the tree lost most of its leaves" still makes sense. However, "Its a shame that the tree lost most of it is leaves" does not.
Example Question #61 : Hi Set High School Equivalency Test: Writing
Harrison had math test last Wednesday. He studied really well and thought that he did really good. When he walked into school today, Harrison’s teacher looked at him strangely. Harrison started to sweat, because he assumed the teacher’s expression meant he did poorly on the test. Harrison began to wonder wear he went wrong. The teacher walks around the room and handed out the graded assessments. Then the teacher, who had been walking around the room, paused in front of Harrison’s desk, and Harrison thought that he must of performed worst on the test than the rest of the class had. Then, to Harrison’s surprise, the teacher smiled, exclaiming that Harrison had scored one hundred percent.
What is the best way to revise the bolded and underlined portion of the passage?
The teacher would walk
The teacher was walking
The teacher walks (no change)
The teacher walked
The teacher had walked
The teacher walked
The original phrase "The teacher walks" is incorrect because the tense of the verb does not agree with the rest of the passage. The rest of the passage and the other verb in the sentence are in the past tense, but the verb "walks" is in the present. As such, the statement must be revised to include the past tense. The answer choices "The teacher was walking", "The teacher would walk", and "The teacher had walked" are all incorrect because though they indicate some form of the past tense, they are in the imperfect, conditional, and past perfect respectively. These grammatical forms all differ from the other verb in the sentence, which is in the basic past tense. As such, they do not agree with the rest of the sentence and are incorrect.
Example Question #62 : Hi Set High School Equivalency Test: Writing
The rules of English grammar and writing are important to some poets. Proper grammar can help get the meaning of writing across to a wide audience. That is why many people were shocked with the inventive poetry of E.E. Cummings. He took risks and did all he could not to write in a single comprehensible English sentence. He E.E. Cummings lived an interesting and productive life. He is most widely known as “the poet who didn’t capitalize his name,” and his life, like his poetic style, was unique.
Edward Estlin Cummings was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1894. He grew up with lenient, liberal parents. They supported his writing at an early age. Unlike many poets, he liked his parents and enjoyed his childhood. He attend public schools in Cambridge fore attending Harvard University, like his father. At Harvard, Cummings received a M.A. for English and Classical studies and graduated magna cum laude. He also helped found the Harvard Poetry Society.
How should the following sentence be corrected?
"He attend public schools in Cambridge before attending Harvard University, like his father."
He went to public schools in Cambridge before attending Harvard University, like his father.
He was going to public schools in Cambridge before attending Harvard, like his father.
(no change)
He did go to public schools in Cambridge before attending Harvard, like his father.
He went to public schools in Cambridge before attending Harvard University, like his father.
As written, the sentence "He attend public schools in Cambridge before attending Harvard University, like his father" is grammatically incorrect. The best choice is "He went to public schools in Cambridge before attending Harvard University, like his father" because it uses the singular past tense verb went. The other options use verb forms that are not consistent with the rest of the paragraph or are also grammatically incorrect.
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