Writing and Communication Skills

Which is the best way to combine sentences (5) and (6)?

Which of the following, if placed after sentence 11, would be the most effective concluding sentence for the paragraph?

Which of the following words could best replace the word 'deplorable' in sentence 8?

Which of the following is the best revision of underlined part of sentence (2)? 'the inclination for the thorough going equalitarian will be reasoned to say that they are not important'

Which of the following topics if added to the paragraph would most likely weaken the writer's argument?

In context, which of the following sentences would best fit between sentences 4 and 5?

Directions for the question:

The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answer for the question that follows. Keep in mind that some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask to consider organization and development. In choosing the answer, follow the requirements of standard written English.

[1] Art probably owes more to form for its range of expression than to color. [2] Many of the noblest things it is capable of conveying are expressed by form more directly than by anything else. [3] And it is interesting to notice how some of the world's greatest artists have been very restricted in their use of color, preferring to depend on form for their chief appeal. [4] It is reported that Apelles only used three colors, black, red, and yellow, and Rembrandt used little else. [5] Drawing, although the first, is also the last thing the painter usually studies. [6] There is more in it that can be taught and that requires constant application and effort. [7] A student should set himself to acquire well-trained eye of which he might be capable of; for the appreciation of every form of art. [8] It is not enough in artistic drawing to portray accurately. [9] But to express any form one must first be moved by it. [10] There is in the appearance of all objects, animate and inanimate, a hidden rhythm that is not caught by the accurate, painstaking, but cold artist. [11] This form is never found in a mechanical reproduction like a photograph. [12] You are never moved to say when looking at one, "What fine form." [13] It is difficult to say in what this quality consists. [14] The emphasis and selection that is unconsciously given in a drawing, done directly under the guidance of strong feeling, are too subtle to be tabulated. [15] But it is this selection of the significant and suppression of the non-essential that often gives to a few lines drawn quickly, and having a somewhat remote relation to the complex appearance of the real object, more vitality and truth than are to be found in a highly-wrought and painstaking drawing, during the process of which the essential and vital things have been lost sight of in the labor of the work; and the non-essential, which is usually more obvious, is allowed to creep in and obscure the original impression.

What is the best way to deal with sentence 9?

Directions for the question:

The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answer for the question that follows. Keep in mind that some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask to consider organization and development. In choosing the answer, follow the requirements of standard written English.

[1] Art probably owes more to form for its range of expression than to color. [2] Many of the noblest things it is capable of conveying are expressed by form more directly than by anything else. [3] And it is interesting to notice how some of the world's greatest artists have been very restricted in their use of color, preferring to depend on form for their chief appeal. [4] It is reported that Apelles only used three colors, black, red, and yellow, and Rembrandt used little else. [5] Drawing, although the first, is also the last thing the painter usually studies. [6] There is more in it that can be taught and that requires constant application and effort. [7] A student should set himself to acquire well-trained eye of which he might be capable of; for the appreciation of every form of art. [8] It is not enough in artistic drawing to portray accurately. [9] But to express any form one must first be moved by it. [10] There is in the appearance of all objects, animate and inanimate, a hidden rhythm that is not caught by the accurate, painstaking, but cold artist. [11] This form is never found in a mechanical reproduction like a photograph. [12] You are never moved to say when looking at one, "What fine form." [13] It is difficult to say in what this quality consists. [14] The emphasis and selection that is unconsciously given in a drawing, done directly under the guidance of strong feeling, are too subtle to be tabulated. [15] But it is this selection of the significant and suppression of the non-essential that often gives to a few lines drawn quickly, and having a somewhat remote relation to the complex appearance of the real object, more vitality and truth than are to be found in a highly-wrought and painstaking drawing, during the process of which the essential and vital things have been lost sight of in the labor of the work; and the non-essential, which is usually more obvious, is allowed to creep in and obscure the original impression.

Which phrase, if inserted at the beginning of sentence 11 (reproduced below), best fits the context? This form is never found in a mechanical reproduction like a photograph.

Directions for the question:

The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answer for the question that follows. Keep in mind that some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask to consider organization and development. In choosing the answer, follow the requirements of standard written English.

[1] Art probably owes more to form for its range of expression than to color. [2] Many of the noblest things it is capable of conveying are expressed by form more directly than by anything else. [3] And it is interesting to notice how some of the world's greatest artists have been very restricted in their use of color, preferring to depend on form for their chief appeal. [4] It is reported that Apelles only used three colors, black, red, and yellow, and Rembrandt used little else. [5] Drawing, although the first, is also the last thing the painter usually studies. [6] There is more in it that can be taught and that requires constant application and effort. [7] A student should set himself to acquire well-trained eye of which he might be capable of; for the appreciation of every form of art. [8] It is not enough in artistic drawing to portray accurately. [9] But to express any form one must first be moved by it. [10] There is in the appearance of all objects, animate and inanimate, a hidden rhythm that is not caught by the accurate, painstaking, but cold artist. [11] This form is never found in a mechanical reproduction like a photograph. [12] You are never moved to say when looking at one, "What fine form." [13] It is difficult to say in what this quality consists. [14] The emphasis and selection that is unconsciously given in a drawing, done directly under the guidance of strong feeling, are too subtle to be tabulated. [15] But it is this selection of the significant and suppression of the non-essential that often gives to a few lines drawn quickly, and having a somewhat remote relation to the complex appearance of the real object, more vitality and truth than are to be found in a highly-wrought and painstaking drawing, during the process of which the essential and vital things have been lost sight of in the labor of the work; and the non-essential, which is usually more obvious, is allowed to creep in and obscure the original impression.

Of the following, which is the best way to revise the underlined portion of sentence 6 (reproduced below)?

There is more in it that can be taught and that requires constant application and effort.

Directions for the question:

The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answer for the question that follows. Keep in mind that some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask to consider organization and development. In choosing the answer, follow the requirements of standard written English.

[1] Art probably owes more to form for its range of expression than to color. [2] Many of the noblest things it is capable of conveying are expressed by form more directly than by anything else. [3] And it is interesting to notice how some of the world's greatest artists have been very restricted in their use of color, preferring to depend on form for their chief appeal. [4] It is reported that Apelles only used three colors, black, red, and yellow, and Rembrandt used little else. [5] Drawing, although the first, is also the last thing the painter usually studies. [6] There is more in it that can be taught and that requires constant application and effort. [7] A student should set himself to acquire well-trained eye of which he might be capable of; for the appreciation of every form of art. [8] It is not enough in artistic drawing to portray accurately. [9] But to express any form one must first be moved by it. [10] There is in the appearance of all objects, animate and inanimate, a hidden rhythm that is not caught by the accurate, painstaking, but cold artist. [11] This form is never found in a mechanical reproduction like a photograph. [12] You are never moved to say when looking at one, "What fine form." [13] It is difficult to say in what this quality consists. [14] The emphasis and selection that is unconsciously given in a drawing, done directly under the guidance of strong feeling, are too subtle to be tabulated. [15] But it is this selection of the significant and suppression of the non-essential that often gives to a few lines drawn quickly, and having a somewhat remote relation to the complex appearance of the real object, more vitality and truth than are to be found in a highly-wrought and painstaking drawing, during the process of which the essential and vital things have been lost sight of in the labor of the work; and the non-essential, which is usually more obvious, is allowed to creep in and obscure the original impression.

In context, which of the following is the best way to phrase sentence 7 (reproduced below)?

A student should set himself to acquire well-trained eye of which he might be capable of; for the appreciation of every form of art.

Directions for the question:

The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answer for the question that follows. Keep in mind that some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask to consider organization and development. In choosing the answer, follow the requirements of standard written English.

[1] Art probably owes more to form for its range of expression than to color. [2] Many of the noblest things it is capable of conveying are expressed by form more directly than by anything else. [3] And it is interesting to notice how some of the world's greatest artists have been very restricted in their use of color, preferring to depend on form for their chief appeal. [4] It is reported that Apelles only used three colors, black, red, and yellow, and Rembrandt used little else. [5] Drawing, although the first, is also the last thing the painter usually studies. [6] There is more in it that can be taught and that requires constant application and effort. [7] A student should set himself to acquire well-trained eye of which he might be capable of; for the appreciation of every form of art. [8] It is not enough in artistic drawing to portray accurately. [9] But to express any form one must first be moved by it. [10] There is in the appearance of all objects, animate and inanimate, a hidden rhythm that is not caught by the accurate, painstaking, but cold artist. [11] This form is never found in a mechanical reproduction like a photograph. [12] You are never moved to say when looking at one, "What fine form." [13] It is difficult to say in what this quality consists. [14] The emphasis and selection that is unconsciously given in a drawing, done directly under the guidance of strong feeling, are too subtle to be tabulated. [15] But it is this selection of the significant and suppression of the non-essential that often gives to a few lines drawn quickly, and having a somewhat remote relation to the complex appearance of the real object, more vitality and truth than are to be found in a highly-wrought and painstaking drawing, during the process of which the essential and vital things have been lost sight of in the labor of the work; and the non-essential, which is usually more obvious, is allowed to creep in and obscure the original impression.

Which of the following, if placed after sentence (14), will be the most effective concluding sentence for the passage?

Directions for the question:

The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answer for the question that follows. Keep in mind that some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask to consider organization and development. In choosing the answer, follow the requirements of standard written English.

(1) There is something humbling to human pride in a rustic life. (2) It grates against the heart to think of the tone in which we unconsciously permit ourselves to address a rustic. (3) We see in him humanity in its simplest state. (4) It is a sad thought to feel that we despise him; that all we respect in our species is what has been created by art; the gaudy dress, the glittering equipage, or even the cultivated intellect. (5) The mere and naked material of nature we eye with in difference, or trample on with disdain. (6) Poor child of toil, from the gray dawn to the setting sun one long test of endurance. (7) No ideas elicited, no thought awakened beyond those that suffice to make him the machine of others, the serf of the hard soil. (8) And then too, mark how we frown upon his scanty holidays, how we hedge in his mirth, and how we turn hilarity into crime. (9) We make the whole of the gay world, wherein we take our snares and perils to him a place of pleasure. (10) Do we not mistake the idyllic, unaffected rustic charm for uncouth, inelegant artlessness? (11) Why not look upon the whole issue from the other angle – the viewpoint of the ‘observed’? (12) How did the rustic view the uptown gentry? (13) The view will surely not be very flattering. (14) The ‘rustic’ has the civility to ‘waive off’ such ‘reckless’ opinions about the urban folk and restrict himself to the upkeep of values only on his own part.

Which of the following could be inserted at the beginning of sentence (14) to clarify the relationship between sentences (13) and (14) below?

Directions for the question:

The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answer for the question that follows. Keep in mind that some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask to consider organization and development. In choosing the answer, follow the requirements of standard written English.

(1) There is something humbling to human pride in a rustic life. (2) It grates against the heart to think of the tone in which we unconsciously permit ourselves to address a rustic. (3) We see in him humanity in its simplest state. (4) It is a sad thought to feel that we despise him; that all we respect in our species is what has been created by art; the gaudy dress, the glittering equipage, or even the cultivated intellect. (5) The mere and naked material of nature we eye with in difference, or trample on with disdain. (6) Poor child of toil, from the gray dawn to the setting sun one long test of endurance. (7) No ideas elicited, no thought awakened beyond those that suffice to make him the machine of others, the serf of the hard soil. (8) And then too, mark how we frown upon his scanty holidays, how we hedge in his mirth, and how we turn hilarity into crime. (9) We make the whole of the gay world, wherein we take our snares and perils to him a place of pleasure. (10) Do we not mistake the idyllic, unaffected rustic charm for uncouth, inelegant artlessness? (11) Why not look upon the whole issue from the other angle – the viewpoint of the ‘observed’? (12) How did the rustic view the uptown gentry? (13) The view will surely not be very flattering. (14) The ‘rustic’ has the civility to ‘waive off’ such ‘reckless’ opinions about the urban folk and restrict himself to the upkeep of values only on his own part.

What is the best way to deal with sentence (12)?

Directions for the question:

The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten. Read the passage and select the best answer for the question that follows. Keep in mind that some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask to consider organization and development. In choosing the answer, follow the requirements of standard written English.

(1) There is something humbling to human pride in a rustic life. (2) It grates against the heart to think of the tone in which we unconsciously permit ourselves to address a rustic. (3) We see in him humanity in its simplest state. (4) It is a sad thought to feel that we despise him; that all we respect in our species is what has been created by art; the gaudy dress, the glittering equipage, or even the cultivated intellect. (5) The mere and naked material of nature we eye with in difference, or trample on with disdain. (6) Poor child of toil, from the gray dawn to the setting sun one long test of endurance. (7) No ideas elicited, no thought awakened beyond those that suffice to make him the machine of others, the serf of the hard soil. (8) And then too, mark how we frown upon his scanty holidays, how we hedge in his mirth, and how we turn hilarity into crime. (9) We make the whole of the gay world, wherein we take our snares and perils to him a place of pleasure. (10) Do we not mistake the idyllic, unaffected rustic charm for uncouth, inelegant artlessness? (11) Why not look upon the whole issue from the other angle – the viewpoint of the ‘observed’? (12) How did the rustic view the uptown gentry? (13) The view will surely not be very flattering. (14) The ‘rustic’ has the civility to ‘waive off’ such ‘reckless’ opinions about the urban folk and restrict himself to the upkeep of values only on his own part.