STAAR EOC Test: Writing : Improving and Correcting Sentences
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for STAAR EOC Test: Writing
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Improving And Correcting Sentences
Are you trying to stick to a budget? Using coupons for purchases, also known as “couponing” is a great way to save money on groceries. Coupons are a little piece of paper that can give you a discount on what you buy. You will be amazed at the great bargains and amazing savings you can get!
It’s easy to get started. When you open up your daily newspaper, one might find a glossy insert full of coupons. Some of the coupons will be for things you don’t buy, some will be for things you buy all the time. Go through the coupons and chop out the ones you can use.
The key to successful couponing is getting multiple copies of coupon circulars. Ask your friends, your neighbors, and family if they have any extras. Some coupon users even go through the recycling at their office to find more coupons! Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life! Completely devoted, these circulars help coupon users to get even more savings.
Couponing might sound like hard work, but for many people, it’s also a hobby. Not only does it help them save hundreds of dollars per year, but also it gives them a fun challenge every time they do their shopping.
Select the answer that would best correct the underlined and bolded portion of the passage.
Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life;
Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life.
(no change)
Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life...
Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life?
Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life?
This is a questions querying you knowledge of punctuation mark usage. Generally, exclamation points should be used to give emphasis to an interjection or to express a strong feeling. An interjection like this could end with an exclamation point if it were a statement, but since it begins with the interrogative form "Have you," we know that it is a question. Even when it is an interjection, a question should always end with a question mark, not an exclamation point.
Example Question #2 : Improving And Correcting Sentences
Are you trying to stick to a budget? Using coupons for purchases, also known as “couponing” is a great way to save money on groceries. Coupons are a little piece of paper that can give you a discount on what you buy. You will be amazed at the great bargains and amazing savings you can get!
It’s easy to get started. When you open up your daily newspaper, one might find a glossy insert full of coupons. Some of the coupons will be for things you don’t buy, some will be for things you buy all the time. Go through the coupons and chop out the ones you can use.
The key to successful couponing is getting multiple copies of coupon circulars. Ask your friends, your neighbors, and family if they have any extras. Some coupon users even go through the recycling at their office to find more coupons! Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life! Completely devoted, these circulars help coupon users to get even more savings.
Couponing might sound like hard work, but for many people, it’s also a hobby. Not only does it help them save hundreds of dollars per year, but also it gives them a fun challenge every time they do their shopping.
Select the answer that would best correct the underlined and bolded portion of the passage.
great bargains or amazing savings
(no change)
great bargains
most amazing bargains and savings
amazing, great bargains and savings
great bargains
In writing, it is important to avoid redundancy. The phrases “great bargains” and “amazing savings” have the exact same meaning in this context, so it is unnecessary to use both. Simply using “great bargains” conveys the same meaning without the redundant phrase usage.
Example Question #1 : Correcting Grammatical Errors In A Sentence Fragment
Are you trying to stick to a budget? Using coupons for purchases, also known as “couponing” is a great way to save money on groceries. Coupons are a little piece of paper that can give you a discount on what you buy. You will be amazed at the great bargains and amazing savings you can get!
It’s easy to get started. When you open up your daily newspaper, one might find a glossy insert full of coupons. Some of the coupons will be for things you don’t buy, some will be for things you buy all the time. Go through the coupons and chop out the ones you can use.
The key to successful couponing is getting multiple copies of coupon circulars. Ask your friends, your neighbors, and family if they have any extras. Some coupon users even go through the recycling at their office to find more coupons! Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life! Completely devoted, these circulars help coupon users to get even more savings.
Couponing might sound like hard work, but for many people, it’s also a hobby. Not only does it help them save hundreds of dollars per year, but also it gives them a fun challenge every time they do their shopping.
Select the answer that would best correct the underlined and bolded portion of the passage.
(no change)
When they open up your daily newspaper, they find a glossy insert full of coupons.
When you open up your daily newspaper, one finds a glossy insert full of coupons.
Upon opening up your daily newspaper, one might find a glossy insert full of coupons.
When you open up your daily newspaper, you might find a glossy insert full of coupons.
When you open up your daily newspaper, you might find a glossy insert full of coupons.
The highlighted sentence features an ambiguity caused by a subject shift. The first part of the sentence uses the second-person subject, “you,” but the second part of the sentence switches to the third-person neutral subject, “one.” This reduces the clarity and consistency of the text. To correct this error, replace “one” with “you.” Subjects need to remain consistent throughout a sentence in order for that sentence to be grammatically correct.
Example Question #2 : Correcting Grammatical Errors In A Sentence Fragment
Are you trying to stick to a budget? Using coupons for purchases, also known as “couponing” is a great way to save money on groceries. Coupons are a little piece of paper that can give you a discount on what you buy. You will be amazed at the great bargains and amazing savings you can get!
It’s easy to get started. When you open up your daily newspaper, one might find a glossy insert full of coupons. Some of the coupons will be for things you don’t buy, some will be for things you buy all the time. Go through the coupons and chop out the ones you can use.
The key to successful couponing is getting multiple copies of coupon circulars. Ask your friends, your neighbors, and family if they have any extras. Some coupon users even go through the recycling at their office to find more coupons! Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life! Completely devoted, these circulars help coupon users to get even more savings.
Couponing might sound like hard work, but for many people, it’s also a hobby. Not only does it help them save hundreds of dollars per year, but also it gives them a fun challenge every time they do their shopping.
Select the answer that would best correct the underlined and bolded portion of the passage.
your friends, your neighbors, and your family
(no change)
friends, neighbors and your family
friends, your neighbors and family
your friends and neighbors, and your family
your friends, your neighbors, and your family
In parallel structure, items on a list are in the same format to increase clarity and convey the equal importance of all items. The original phrasing of this highlighted sentence, “your friends, your neighbors, and family,” does not follow a parallel structure. To improve it, we can add the word “your” in front of family, so that the list reads, “your friends, your neighbors, and your family.”
Example Question #3 : Improving And Correcting Sentences
Are you trying to stick to a budget? Using coupons for purchases, also known as “couponing” is a great way to save money on groceries. Coupons are a little piece of paper that can give you a discount on what you buy. You will be amazed at the great bargains and amazing savings you can get!
It’s easy to get started. When you open up your daily newspaper, one might find a glossy insert full of coupons. Some of the coupons will be for things you don’t buy, some will be for things you buy all the time. Go through the coupons and chop out the ones you can use.
The key to successful couponing is getting multiple copies of coupon circulars. Ask your friends, your neighbors, and family if they have any extras. Some coupon users even go through the recycling at their office to find more coupons! Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life! Completely devoted, these circulars help coupon users to get even more savings.
Couponing might sound like hard work, but for many people, it’s also a hobby. Not only does it help them save hundreds of dollars per year, but also it gives them a fun challenge every time they do their shopping.
Select the answer that would best correct the underlined and bolded portion of the passage.
hack
attack
cut
break
(no change)
cut
This question asks you to correct a word choice error. The use of the word “chop” is awkward in context, and it is a stronger word than necessary to describe an act most likely being done with household scissors. The best choice to replace “chop” is “cut,” which better describes the act of clipping out coupons in the home.
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