HSPT Language Skills : Clarity of Expression: Sentence Completion

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for HSPT Language Skills

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Example Questions

Example Question #2 : Clarity, Relevance, And Scope

Which of the following completes the sentence shown below so that it expresses its ideas most clearly?

When baking cookies in the oven, __________.

Possible Answers:

cooking them thoroughly is something it is important to make sure of

their being cooked thoroughly is something it is important to make sure of

thoroughly cooked is what they should be

it is important to make sure they are cooked thoroughly

Correct answer:

it is important to make sure they are cooked thoroughly

Explanation:

The correct answer choice is "it is important to make sure they are cooked thoroughly." The correct complete sentence is "When baking cookies in the oven, it is important to make sure they are cooked thoroughly." This answer choice uses the phrase "it is important" in a location that avoids wordiness and confusion. It also avoids unnecessary complex verb forms (e.g. "their being cooked thoroughly") and wordiness combined with ending the sentence with the preposition "of."

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