HSPT Language Skills : Clarity, Relevance, and Scope
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for HSPT Language Skills
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Clarity, Relevance, And Scope
Which of the following sentences expresses its ideas most clearly?
By catching and eating small birds and rodents, hawks can survive in cities, and they are also amazing predators.
By catching and eating small birds and rodents, hawks are amazing predators that can survive in cities.
Hawks can catch and eat small birds and rodents and this makes them amazing predators. They can also survive in cities because of this.
Hawks are amazing predators that can survive in cities by catching and eating small birds and rodents.
Hawks are amazing predators that can survive in cities by catching and eating small birds and rodents.
The clearest option is "Hawks are amazing predators that can survive in cities by catching and eating small birds and rodents." This answer choice avoids the use of the passive voice and connects the idea of catching and eating small birds and rodents to hawks being amazing predators and their ability to survive in cities in a single sentence.
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, __________.
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
it is important to make sure they are cooked thoroughly
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."
Example Question #1 : Ordering Sentences Logically
[1] Of all the different types, black teas usually contain the most caffeine. [2] There are many different varieties of tea. [3] So, if you’re drinking tea late at night, you might want to choose a red or herbal tea instead of a black tea if you don’t want to be kept awake by caffeine. [4] Teas can be grouped into a few major categories: black, green, white, red, and herbal teas. [5] On the other hand, red teas and herbal teas can be almost entirely caffeine-free.
Choose the order in which the sentences shown above create a paragraph that as a whole is clearest and makes the most sense.
2 - 4 - 5 - 1 - 3
4 - 1 - 5 - 3 - 2
4 - 2 - 3 - 1 - 5
2 - 4 - 1 - 5 - 3
2 - 4 - 1 - 5 - 3
Example Question #2 : Ordering Sentences Logically
[1] Of all the different types, black teas usually contain the most caffeine. [2] There are many different varieties of tea. [3] So, if you’re drinking tea late at night, you might want to choose a red or herbal tea instead of a black tea if you don’t want to be kept awake by caffeine. [4] Teas can be grouped into a few major categories: black, green, white, red, and herbal teas. [5] On the other hand, red teas and herbal teas can be almost entirely caffeine-free.
Choose the order in which the sentences shown above create a paragraph that as a whole is clearest and makes the most sense.
2 - 4 - 1 - 5 - 3
4 - 2 - 3 - 1 - 5
4 - 1 - 5 - 3 - 2
2 - 4 - 5 - 1 - 3
2 - 4 - 1 - 5 - 3
To answer this question correctly, we need to figure out how the sentences most logically relate to one another. Since we're not given any sentence that is already in place, it makes the most sense to work from general to specific, introducing a topic in a general sense before following up with more details about it. The most general sentence in the paragraph is Sentence 2, "There are many different varieties of tea." This sentence logically needs to precede Sentence 4, which lists the different varieties of tea. It wouldn't make much sense to list the many different types of tea and then say "There are many different varieties of tea." This would be providing the reader with information that has already been conveyed. It would be extraneous.
If our paragraph starts with 2 - 4, this narrows down our answer choices from four options to two. To pick out the correct answer, we need to figure out if the logical order of the remaining sentences is 5 - 1 - 3, or 1 - 5 - 3.
Let's take a look at these two options:
5 - 1 - 3:
[5] On the other hand, red teas and herbal teas can be almost entirely caffeine-free. [1] Of all the different types, black teas usually contain the most caffeine. [3] So, if you’re drinking tea late at night, you might want to choose a red or herbal tea instead of a black tea if you don’t want to be kept awake by caffeine.
1 - 5 - 3:
[1] Of all the different types, black teas usually contain the most caffeine. [5] On the other hand, red teas and herbal teas can be almost entirely caffeine-free. [3] So, if you’re drinking tea late at night, you might want to choose a red or herbal tea instead of a black tea if you don’t want to be kept awake by caffeine.
1 - 5 - 3 is the best option. In 5 - 1 - 3, the introductory phrase "On the other hand" in Sentence 5 doesn't make sense; the transition is unclear and confusing. In 1 - 5 - 3, this transition relates Sentence 5 to Sentence 1 in a logical way, comparing the vastly different amounts of caffeine in black and red teas. The correct answer is "2 - 4 - 1 - 5 - 3."
Example Question #1 : Developing Topic Sentences
Choose the sentences that best develop the topic sentence shown below.
Succulents are a type of plant, and they have much in common with cacti.
Growing cacti at home is easy. They are a great starter plant for someone who is not very confident in their gardening skills.
Like cacti, succulents require very little water and are well-adapted to desert environments. Many types of succulents also produce flowers when they bloom, like certain types of cacti do.
Unlike cacti, succulents do not have sharp spines. Succulents are also much smaller than many cacti.
Desert animals rely on cacti for water; that is why cacti have evolved sharp spines to protect themselves.
Like cacti, succulents require very little water and are well-adapted to desert environments. Many types of succulents also produce flowers when they bloom, like certain types of cacti do.
The first sentence of the paragraph that we are given introduces succulents to the reader and compares them with cacti, suggesting they have several similarities ("much in common"). The best answer choice will focus on succulents but also continue to develop the comparison between succulents and cacti in a way that stresses their similarities.
"Growing succulents at home is easy. They are a great starter plant for someone who is not very confident in their gardening skills." -
"Desert animals rely on cacti for water; that is why cacti have evolved sharp spines to protect themselves." - This sentence talks about desert animals and cacti, but it doesn't mention succulents at all. The first sentence focuses on succulents more than cacti. This answer choice is incorrect because it only mentions one of the two things being compared in the first sentence.
"Growing cacti at home is easy. They are a great starter plant for someone who is not very confident in their gardening skills." - This answer choice only mentions cacti. Like the last incorrect answer, this one only mentions cacti, but the first sentence is about succulents, a topic not mentioned in this answer choice. This answer choice is incorrect as well.
"Unlike cacti, succulents do not have sharp spines. Succulents are also much smaller than many cacti." - This answer choice compares succulents to cacti, but it does so in a way that emphasizes their differences, not their shared features. This isn't the best answer choice, because it clashes with the first sentence's claim that the two types of plants "have much in common."
"Like cacti, succulents require very little water and are well-adapted to desert environments. Many types of succulents also produce flowers when they bloom, like certain types of cacti do." - This is the correct answer! It mentions succulents and cacti, and focuses on succulents a bit more than cacti. It also compares succulents and cacti while emphasizing their shared features.
Example Question #1 : Omitting Irrelevant Sentences
[1] The Boston Tea Party was a protest that occurred in Boston during the buildup to the American Revolution. [2] The event was provoked by a period of tense relations between Britain and the British colonies that would eventually become the United States. [3] The colonists were angry that they had to pay taxes on items they imported from Britain, like tea, without having representatives in British government to voice their opinions and vote on whether or not to levy such taxes. [4] This was the issue summarized by the now-famous phrase, “No taxation without representation.” [5] If people don’t pay their taxes today, it is a crime called tax evasion, and they can get in big trouble with the government and go to jail. [6] Taxed tea was sent back to Britain in many colonies as a form of protest, but in Boston, the Governor refused to return the tea. [7] In response, Bostonians boarded a ship carrying taxable tea and dumped it into the harbor on December 16th, 1773. [8] Britain responded by tightening control of the colonies, but eventually, the country fought its colonies directly in the American Revolution after they declared independence.
Which of the following sentences should be omitted from the paragraph?
Sentence 5
Sentence 4
Sentence 7
Sentence 6
Sentence 5
Sentence 5 should be omitted from the paragraph because the information it presents is irrelevant to the topic of discussion. Sentence 5 reads, "If people don’t pay their taxes today, it is a crime called tax evasion, and they can get in big trouble with the government and go to jail." The passage as a whole focuses on the causes and effects of the Boston Tea Party. Sentence 5's shift to a present-day tax issue is outside of the passage's scope, making the sentence irrelevant.
Example Question #1 : Adding Relevant Sentences
Ancient Egyptian pharaohs weren’t always men: Hatshepsut, for example, is a famous ancient Egyptian female pharaoh. She accomplished a great deal while on the throne. She created trade routes and tried to import foreign trees to Egypt to grow there. [1] She died after reigning as pharaoh for twenty-two years. Afterward, someone tried to erase all mention of her in hieroglyphics and destroy any monuments dedicated to her. Luckily, some mentions of her still survived, which is why we still know about her rule today.
Assuming that all of the following statements are true, which would make the most sense if added to the paragraph at Location [1]?
Some sphinxes portraying Hatshepsut are adorned with false beards to show she held the title of pharaoh.
Hatshepsut is recorded as having worn eyeliner.
One female pharaoh that we know about who preceded Hatshepsut is Sobekneferu.
She also commissioned many temples, monuments, and other buildings throughout Egypt.
She also commissioned many temples, monuments, and other buildings throughout Egypt.
The best answer is "She also commissioned many temples, monuments, and other buildings throughout Egypt." This sentence provides another example supporting the claim that Hatshepsut "accomplished a great deal during her reign." The use of "also" helps the reader recognize that like the sentence preceding Location [1] it is providing an example.
"Hatshepsut is recorded as having worn eyeliner." - This answer choice's detail is off-topic in the context of Location [1], which occurs when the paragraph is talking about Hatshepsut's major accomplishments.
"One female pharaoh that we know about who preceded Hatshepsut is Sobekneferu." - While female pharaohs are discussed at the beginning of this paragraph, Location [1] occurs in the middle of a discussion about Hatshepsut's accomplishments. Introducing another female pharaoh, Sobekneferu, wouldn't make much sense at this point in the paragraph.
"Some sphinxes portraying Hatshepsut are adorned with false beards to show she held the title of pharaoh." - While this sentence discusses both Hapshetsut and female pharaohs, it would be out of place at Location [1].
Example Question #1 : Clarity, Relevance, And Scope
[1] Before the printing press and moveable type were in use, copyists had to spend a great deal of time hand-printing books. [2] This made books time-consuming to produce, relatively rare, and very expensive. [3] Books printed using a printing press relied not on human writers to spell out their messages, but on arrangements of metal or wooden blocks with letters on them. [4] Printing a book was much faster than hand-copying it.
The following sentence would make the most sense if added to the paragraph at which of the following locations?
"These blocks are known as 'type.'”
Location [2]
Location [1]
Location [4]
Location [3]
Location [4]
The sentence "These blocks are known as 'type'" would make the most sense if added to the paragraph at Location [4]. Consider how the sentence to be placed starts with the word "these." This word references back to something that was just mentioned; if it can't do this, it is ambiguous and confusing. So, this sentence needs to be placed in the paragraph at a location that immediately follows something that "these" can refer back to—specifically, "these blocks." At what point does the paragraph discuss the blocks that form type? The sentence preceding Location [4] ends with the phrase, "arrangements of metal or wooden blocks with letters on them." Even if you don't know what "type" refers to in this context, you can tell that the sentence to be placed makes the most sense at Location [4], where "these blocks" can refer to the phrase "arrangements of metal or wooden blocks with letters on them." Location [4] is the correct answer.
Example Question #1 : Clarity, Relevance, And Scope
Which of the following is an appropriate topic for a one-paragraph essay/theme?
Birds I've Seen in My Backyard
Ancient Ruins of South America
The Architecture of Performance Venues
The History of Libraries
Birds I've Seen in My Backyard
The correct answer is "Birds I've Seen in My Backyard." This topic could be addressed and explained fully in a few sentences, whereas the other topics are much broader and would not be able to be fully discussed or explained in a single paragraph.
Example Question #2 : Relevance And Scope
Which of the following topics would be most appropriate for a one-paragraph essay/theme?
The Importance of Public Parks in Major Metropolitan Areas
The Declaration of Independence
The Culinary History of Cajun Cooking
How I Celebrated My Birthday
How I Celebrated My Birthday
A one-paragraph essay/theme needs to have a relatively small-scale topic in order for the writer to be able to discuss the topic with an appropriate level of detail. Trying to discuss too large-scale of a topic in a single paragraph would mean that a writer would have to leave out important information and wouldn't have the space to discuss all of the key points about the topic necessary to covering it effectively.
The answer choice that would be most appropriate for a single-paragraph essay/theme is "How I Celebrated My Birthday." This is the smallest-scale topic of the ones presented. The topics presented in the other answer choices are far more expansive and would require the room provided by a longer assignment in order to be treated effectively.
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