This document provides directions and sample questions for a structure and written expression mock test. The structure section contains incomplete sentences with four options to choose from to complete each sentence correctly. The written expression section identifies sentences with one underlined part that needs correction. The test is designed to measure the ability to recognize standard written English and identify grammatically appropriate language.

1. STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION
MOCK TEST

2. Time – 25 minutes
(including the reading of the directions)
Now set your clock for 25 minutes
• This section is designed to measure your
ability to recognize language that is
appropriate for standard written English.
These are two types of questions in this
section, with special directions for each type.

3. Structure
• Directions: Questions 1-15 are incomplete
sentences. Beneath each sentence you will
see four words or phrases, marked (A), (B), (C)
and (D). Choose the one word or phrase that
best completes the sentence. Then, on your
answer sheet, find the number of the question
and fill in the space that corresponds to the
letter of the answer you have chosen. Fill in
the space so that the letter inside the oval
cannot be seen.

4. • 1 – ____ on the first Saturday in May at
Churchill Downs.
• For the running of the Kentucky Derby
• The Kentucky Derby is run
• To run the Kentucky Derby
• When the Kentucky Derby is run
The sentence does not have a subject and verb, so
they are necessary to make it complete. Observe it is
in the passive voice.

5. • 2 – According to ____ quantum mechanics, it
is normally impossible to pinpoint the orbit of
an electron bond in an atom.
• the related laws
• the laws are related
• the laws of
• the laws are related to
To complete the sentence, we need a noun and a
preposition. Observe how the preposition OF is
necessary to connect LAWS and QUANTUM
MECHANICS.

6. • 3 – Chicago is home to more than four million
people ____ as many as fifty-four languages
and dialects.
• speak
• they speak
• spoke
• speaking
SPEAKING is the reduced form of WHO SPEAK. ING
forms are very common in reduced adjective clauses.

7. • 4 – When Mexico ceded California to the
United States in 1848, signers of the treaty did
not know ____ had been discovered there.
• golden
• that with gold
• that gold
• with gold
The verb phrase HAD BEEN DISCOVERED needs a
subject. Since the preposition WITH is part of a
prepositional phrase that cannot be a subject and
GOLDEN is an adjective, only the noun GOLD can be
a subject.

8. • 5 – Rubber came to the attention of Europeans
____ found Native Americans using it.
• explorers
• after explorers
• when explored
• after explorers they
This is a complex sentence – main clause + adverbial
clause – which calls for a subordinator (AFTER). Also,
the verb FOUND needs to be accompanied by a noun
(EXPLORERS).

9. • 6 – Most asteroids are located in ____ called
the asteroid belt.
• what is
• what is in
• is what
• is it
In this sentence, the verb CALLED is part of a passive
voice structure, so the verb to be (IS) needs to be
used with WHAT – the indefinite subject.

10. • 7 – About three-fourths of the books published in
the United States are put out by publishers ____
in New York City.
• locates
• located
• they locate
• they are located
LOCATED is the reduced form of WHICH IS LOCATED.
Past participle forms are very common in reduced
adjective clauses for passive constructions.

11. • 8 – The physical phenomenon ____ use to
obtain water from the soil is osmosis.
• plants have roots
• that plant roots
• what plant roots
• plants are rooted
USE is a verb and it needs a subject (PLANT ROOTS).
THAT only connects the principal subject and the
adjetive clause. This structure shows an appositive.

12. • 9 – More books have been written about the
Civil War ____ any other war in history.
• that there is
• about
• of
• than about
The word THAN is needed because MORE indicates
there is a comparison in the sentence. The word
ABOUT modalizes the affirmation.

13. • 10 – A sheet of clear glass, ____ with a film of
metal, results in a luminously clear mirror.
• when backed
• it is backed
• is backed
• when it is backed
There is a need for a linking word WHEN and the
preposition WITH needs to be preceded by a verb
(BACKED). IT should not be used because it would be
redundant with the subject (A SHEET OF CLEAR
GLASS).

14. • 11 – The Liberty Bell, ____ its own pavilion on
Independence Mall, hung for nearly a century at
Independence Hall.
• that now has
• now has
• when does it have
• which now has
Since the subject is a thing (THE LIBERTY BELL), the
adjective clause should begin with THAT or WHICH,
but because of the COMMA (,) which is the
appropriate word.

15. • 12 – Not until about 8.000 years ago ____
come into use.
• bronze tools for weapons
• bronze tools for weapons have
• bronze tools for weapons were
• did bronze tools for weapons
This sentence calls for an inverted structure because
of the negative expression (NOT UNTIL..) in its
beginning. Negative expression + auxiliary + subject
+ verb.

16. • 13 – The state of Michigan can rightfully claim to
be a “Water Wonderland” on its license plates
____ has a 3.121 – mile shoreline.
• because
• that
• in that it
• that it
The verb HAS calls for a subject (IT) and the first
clause, which is the principal one, needs to be
connected to the adverbial clause by a subordinator
(IN THAT).

17. • 14 – ____ glacial sediment, the moister the
surface soil becomes.
• it is thicker
• in the thick
• the thicker the
• the thick
The structure being assessed is the Double
Comparative: THE + comparative, THE +
comparative. “The more, the merrier”.

18. • 15 – _____ cut away, the wheel could be
strengthened with struts or crossbars.
• were large sections of a wheel
• large sections of a wheel
• large sections of a wheel were
• large sections of a wheel to
In conditional sentences, IF can be replaced by
WERE. It is the same as: If large sections of a wheel
were cut away... This is an inversion process.

19. Written Expression
• Directions: In question 16 – 40, each sentence
has four underlined words or phrases. The
four underlined parts of the sentence are
marked (A), (B), (C) and (D). Identify the one
underlined word or phrase that must be
changed in order for the sentence to be
correct. Then on your answer sheet, find the
number of the question and fill in the space
that corresponds to the letter of the answer
you have chosen.

20. • 16 – Various achemical belement have more than
cone disotope.
• The noun should be plural - ELEMENTS
• 17 – Top management must atook a hard blook at
cits current dproduct lines to see if resources can
be reallocated.
• The verb should be in base form: TAKE
• 18 – aToday, the glaciers of the world boccupies
cabout 10 dpercent of the Earth’s surface.
• The verb should agree with glaciers: OCCUPY

21. • 19 – Polystyrene acomes in both a bhard form cor a
lightweight dfoam.
• The coordinator that agrees with both is: AND.
• 20 – Although the bow and arrows were afirst
invented in the Mesolithic period, bit continued to
cbe used for dhunting in the early Neolithic period.
• The referrent is ‘bow and arrows’: THEY
• 21 – aAn understanding of latent heat bbecame
cimportantly in the dimprovement of the steam
engine.
• ‘Became’ is a linking verb and calls for an adjective:
IMPORTANT.

22. • 22 – aOnly a few bmineral can cresist weathering
by rainwater; dwhich is a weak acid.
• ‘A few’ calls for a plural count noun: MINERALS.
• 23 – The Stanly brothers abuilt btheir first small
steam car in 1897, and 200 cwere dsell by the
end of the first year.
• The correct participle for the passive is: SOLD.
• 24 – All of the Great Lakes ais in the United
States and Canada bexcept Lake Michigan,
cwhich is dentirely in the United States.
• To agree with the plural ‘Lakes’: ARE

23. • 25 – Kangaroos sometimes arest or groom
bthemselves while they are sitting on cthem hind
dlegs.
• The appropriate possessive adjective is: THEIR
• 26 – aDespite the turmoil of the Civil War, the
brelative new game of “base-ball” cattracted great
dnumbers of spectators.
• An adverb should precede ‘new’: RELATIVELY
• 27 – Anyone awho btakes the Rorschach test for
personality traits care asked to interpret a dseries
of inkblots.
• Anyone is singular: IS ASKED

24. • 28 – Alexander Hamilton’s financial program
aincluded a bcentral bank to serve the Treasury,
provide a depository for public money, and
cregulation of the dcurrency.
• To have parallelism, use the verb: REGULATE
• 29 – In 1890, the city of Pasadena ahas bstarted
sponsorship of the Tournament of Roses Parade con
New Year’s dmorning.
• For specific dates, simple past: STARTED
• 30 – The Louisiana state alegal system is based
bwith the clegal system destablished by Napoleon.
• The correct preposition after ‘based’: ON

25. • 31 – The White House was adesigned by James
Hobar, ban Irishman cwhom the proposal in the
design competition dwon $500.
• WHOM is used as referrent to the object (the
man to whom she got married). To indicate
possession the correct is: WHOSE.
• 32 – Fuel cells, aalike batteries, bgenerate
celectricity by dchemical reaction.
• ALIKE is used as a predicative or in the
expression ‘look alike’. To compare one thing
and another, use: LIKE.

26. • 33 – The Virginia Company, awhich founded
bcolony at Jamestown, sent over glassmakers
from Poland with the intention cof developing
the glassmaking dindustry in the New World.
• There is an article missing: A COLONY
• 34 – Of the more than 1.300 avolcanoes in the
world, bonly about 600 can cclassify as dactive.
• A passive construction should be used: CAN BE
CLASSIFIED.

27. • 35 – Ben Franklin, aneeding one set of lenses for
bdistant vision and cother for near vision, ddevised
bifocals in 1784.
• It refers to ‘set’; the correct pronoun is: ANOTHER
• 36 – Key West traces aits modern bsettlement to an
American cbusiness who dpurchased the island in 1882.
• A noun person is called for: BUSINESSMAN
• 37 – The Indianapolis 500 race ais run beach Memorial
Day weekend on the two-and-a-half-cmiles Motor
Speedway track doutside of Indianapolis.
• The noun is being used as an adjective: MILE

28. • 38 – The streets of Salt Lake City were alaid out
bwide enough for an ox cart to cdo a turn dwithout
brushing the curb.
• The appropriate collocation is: TAKE a turn
• 39 – aMost of the vertebrae bhave two flanges, or
wings, one on each cside, dcalling transverse
processes.
• The reduced adjective phrase is a participle: CALLED
• 40 – aOverlooking the Hudson River in New York,
The Cloisters bincludes cparts several medieval
monasteries and chapels dbrought from Europe.
• There is a preposition missing: PARTS OF