The dramatist was despondent over his lack of funds and inability to sell plays, as reflected in unhappy letters to his wife. Maya was meticulous rather than her typical careless approach when writing her personal essay, paying close attention to every detail. Most of the world's sharks live in temperate and tropical regions, though some species live in cold Arctic or Antarctic waters.

1. The dramatist was ------- over his
lack of funds and his inability to
sell any of his plays, and his
letters to his wife reflected his
unhappiness.
(A) despondent
(B) supercilious
(C) prudent
(D) encouraged
(E) fortified

2. Listening to good storybooks sharpen
children’s awareness and appreciation
for the sounds of spoken language.
(A) sharpen children’s awareness
(B) sharpens children’s awareness of
(C) are what sharpens the awareness of
children
(D) sharpens the awareness of children
(E) is to sharpen children’s awareness

3. Often inattentive when it comes to
schoolwork, Maya was
uncharacteristically ------- when she
wrote her personal essay; rather
than taking her typical -------
approach, she paid extremely close
attention to every last detail.
(A) thorough . . cautious
(B) painstaking . . precise
(C) inconsiderate . . thoughtful
(D) nonchalant . . efficient
(E) meticulous . . careless

4. Most of the world’s sharks, living
A B
in temperate and tropical regions,
though the Greenland shark lives
C
in the cold Arctic waters, and the
huge basking shark is at home in
the seas around Antarctica. No error
D E
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)

5. To some scholars of medieval
Britain, the legendary King
Arthur is a genuine historical
figure, while to others he and
his Round Table are nothing
more than ------- of myth and
romance.
(A) harbingers
(B) trifles
(C) spoilers
(D) figments
(E) inventors