Unit 4 Progress Check: MCQ
The writer wants to add a sentence after sentence 1 to provide factual support for the introductory claim and focus the audience on the argument of the passage. Which of the following sentences best accomplishes this purpose?
A recent study found that 86 percent of Americans are stressed out from constantly checking their smartphones.
The writer wants to change sentence 3 (reproduced below) to provide a more specific preview of the passage's argument. While previous theories speculated that people can only acquire a new language at a young age, new research supports a different perspective. Which of the following pieces of information is most appropriate for the writer to include in the new version of the sentence?
An overview of the new study's claim that optimal language acquisition can occur up to age 30 and that even older adults should remain hopeful about their language-learning prospects
In context, which version of sentence 5 (reproduced below) provides the most effective explanation of the "critical period" mentioned in sentence 4? Such a period also exists for the development of eyesight.
It designates the time in one's life during which the capacity to absorb the rules and structure of a language is maximized.
The writer is considering deleting the underlined portion of sentence 7 (reproduced below), adjusting the punctuation as needed. Our brains are aroused each time our phones buzz because of the unpredictability of what pops up on the screen: since any alert might signal something extraordinary, dopamine is released each time even though most alerts don't amount to much. Should the writer keep or delete the underlined text?
Keep it, because it adds information that helps clarify the contrasting relationship identified in sentence 6 between anticipation and reward.
The writer is considering deleting sentence 15 (reproduced below). Letting go of a desire for complete mastery of a language's grammar can enable an adult learner to strive for basic competence in communication—an outcome best achieved, the researchers note, via educational programs that immerse students in the experience of a second language rather than ones that focus on rote learning. Should the writer keep or delete sentence 15 ?
Keep it, because it draws on information discussed throughout the passage to suggest that the audience take a different, more practical approach to language learning.
Which of the following best describes the function of the first two clauses of the passage's final sentence ("It is natural . . . despised") in the context of the passage as a whole?
They urge a change in attitude that should follow logically from the author's argument.
The writer wants to add information to the end of sentence 2 (reproduced below) to preview the line of reasoning in the passage. Unsurprisingly, neuroscientists warn that the constant use of smartphones alters the brain. Which version of the underlined portion of sentence 2 most effectively accomplishes this goal?
brain, with potentially serious physiological and emotional costs
In the final paragraph, the author concludes her argument by
highlighting the context in which women may choose to embrace femininity's restrictions
In the first two paragraphs, the author describes experiences from her girlhood and early adulthood primarily to
introduce two different attitudes toward femininity
In the second paragraph, the author develops a comparison between life and "a thousand arrows shot from the same point and aimed at the same object" primarily to suggest that
people exhibit remarkable diversity in their development over time
The discussion of the "greatest of poets and philosophers" in the third paragraph suggests that the author believes the audience of the speech will
recognize an implicit reference to Shakespeare and agree about his importance
In the context of the passage as a whole, the author's comparison between the qualities of people and of metals (paragraphs 5-6) primarily serves to
reinforce the author's overarching claim about ordinary people's capacity for success
In the second paragraph, the author defines femininity as a "challenge" primarily to support which of the following points?
Reconciling the demands of femininity with her ambition presented difficulties.
Which of the following statements most directly expresses the author's thesis in the passage?
"Femininity was a challenge thrown down to the female sex, a challenge no proud, self-respecting young woman could afford to ignore" (paragraph 2, sentence 2)
Which of the following statements most directly expresses the author's thesis in the passage?
"[R]eal excellence often comes unheralded and from unexpected quarters." (paragraph 1, sentence 5)
Which of the following versions of sentence 2 (reproduced below) most effectively sets up the main claim of the passage? But when exactly in a person's life does it become difficult to master the rules that govern a language?
(As it is now)
The writer wants to add a sentence that introduces the topic of the passage. Which of the following sentences, if added to the beginning of the first paragraph, would most effectively accomplish this goal?
Language experts have long observed that children are better than adults at mastering a second language.
The writer is considering deleting the underlined portion of sentence 3 (reproduced below), adjusting the capitalization as needed. Most people can't resist immediately checking their phones each time they buzz, chirp, or chime, and scientists believe that compulsion is caused by a brain chemical called dopamine. Should the writer keep or delete the underlined text?
Keep it, because it provides sensory details that help the writer illustrate the concept being discussed in the paragraph.
