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OFFICIAL ACT Form E25 · April 2022

English

43 questions ~9 min recommended
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=== Deborah Sampson: A Revolutionary Hero ===
US history books have traditionally chronicled the actions of male Revolutionary War heroes such as George Washington, Paul Revere, and John Paul Jones. Increasingly, such books include accounts of the many brave women which also contributed—as spies and soldiers—to the effort to gain independence from British rule. Deborah Sampson of Plympton, Massachusetts, was one of these women. In 1782, despite the fact that women weren’t allowed to serve in the military, twenty-one-year-old Sampson joined the colonial army. She disguised herself as a man and enlisted under the name of Robert Shurtliff. For fourteen months Sampson served in the army, she acted with exceptional bravery and fortitude. Her commanding officers quickly recognized these traits and sent her on several special missions. On one such mission near West Point, New York, Sampson was part of a scouting party whose assignment to track and capture a British convoy. While pursuing several British soldiers into a swamp, Sampson was shot in the leg. Fearing that her true identity would be discovered, she did not report to the hospital. Instead, Sampson removed the musket ball by herself. On another scouting mission, Sampson’s party was ambushed by British soldiers. To escape the scouts had to wade across a river. A fierce current swept Sampson into deep waters. It was the weight of her heavy backpack and musket, Sampson struggled. For instance, a colonial soldier standing on a sandbar threw her a rope. Summoning her strength, Sampson plucked from the air that which was to save her and made it to shore. Sampson survived the winter and spring with her secret undiscovered. In July 1783, however, she was found out. While this meant that she could no longer serve in the army, her exemplary record as a soldier was officially recognized. Later, she was awarded a military pension as a sign of gratitude from the young nation she had helped found.

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1. In the right-hand column, you will find alternatives for the underlined part.

2. Which word or phrase would be the most appropriate for standard written English?

3. Given that all the choices are accurate, which one most clearly signals that the paragraph will focus on Sampson’s Revolutionary War experience?

4. Which choice most clearly suggests that Sampson’s actions were unconventional for women of her time?

5. Which choice provides the clearest and most direct relationship between the actions of Sampson and her command?

6. Given that all the choices are accurate, which one maintains the style of the passage?

7. Given that all the choices are accurate, which one most clearly states the challenge Sampson faced?

8. Which choice maintains the correct possessive form?

9. Which choice provides the clearest transition in the narrative?

10. Given that all the choices are accurate, which one most effectively advances the narration of events in the paragraph?

11. Which choice provides a clearer view of Sampson's struggle?

12. Which choice adds the most effective additional detail to the sentence?

13. Which choice clarifies how Sampson caught the rope?

14. Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion would NOT be acceptable?

15. The writer wants to add the following sentence to the essay: When she was hospitalized for a severe fever, authorities discovered that she was a woman. The sentence would most logically be placed at:

16. What is the best pronoun here?

17. What best captures the action taken by Honan?

18. What best describes the current status of the insects?

19. What best follows with the contrasting idea here?

20. Where would the writer best fit this new information into the essay?

21. Of the sentence?

22. The code can also be spoken aloud, with the words dit-and dah substituted for dots and dashes, or rendered rhythmically, allowing people to communicate via handheld buzzers.

23. Which choice most effectively leads into the new subject of this paragraph while summarizing a main idea of the preceding paragraph?

24. The news is relayed by them, by which they can keep people safe and informed.

25. The writer is considering deleting the preceding sentence. Should the sentence be kept or deleted?

26. Morse code, with its lack of sophistication, could remain just as effective an asset.

27. The writer is considering adding the following sentence to the essay: Even laundry hung on a clothesline can relay a message, with thin and wide pieces of clothing representing dots and dashes.

28. Suppose the writer’s primary purpose had been to discuss how a new technology revolutionized communication around the world. Would this essay accomplish that purpose?

29. On a concrete pillar just a few meters from the Eiffel Tower, painted letters spell out, “This is not a photo opportunity.”

30. On the sands of the Bristol Channel, a large, spray-painted, “X” promises buried treasure.

31. Which choice best completes the rhetorical pattern established in the preceding sentences?

32. Blending sharp-tongued social commentary with humor and whimsy British-born artist, Banksy, has made a name for himself by challenging people’s perceptions of the relevance of street art.

33. British-born artist, Banksy, has made a name for himself by challenging people’s perceptions of the relevance of street art.

34. In the beginning, Banksy’s fame originated on the streets of Bristol, England, in the early 1990s.

35. Given that all the following statements are true, which one, if added here, would best conclude this paragraph and introduce the subject of the next paragraph?

36. Concerned residents argued that Banksy’s work was simply graffiti that encouraged vandalism.

37. Which choice most clearly indicates the enthusiasm people had for Banksy’s art?

38. England’s strict anti-graffiti policy meant that most of Banksy’s pieces were destroyed within mere hours of their completion.

39. Given that all the following statements are true, which one, if added here, would provide the most effective transition between this paragraph and the next paragraph?

40. Seemingly he is everywhere and nowhere at once, Banksy had the full attention of the art world.

41. Museum directors organized Banksy exhibitions, and auctioneers sold actual pieces of buildings that bore Banksy’s artistry.

42. Which of the following quotations attributed to Banksy best suggests why Banksy has not revealed his identity to the public?

43. Suppose the writer’s primary purpose had been to explain a common debate about the definition of art. Would this essay accomplish that purpose?

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