Question

writing and language test
35 minutes, 44 questions
turn to section 2 of your answer sheet to answer the questions in this section.

directions
each passage below is accompanied by a number of questions. for some questions, you
will consider how the passage might be revised to improve the expression of ideas. for
other questions, you will consider how the passage might be edited to correct errors in
sentence structure, usage, or punctuation. a passage or a question may be accompanied by
one or more graphics (such as a table or graph) that you will consider as you make revising
and editing decisions.

some questions will direct you to an underlined portion of a passage. other questions will
direct you to a location in a passage or ask you to think about the passage as a whole.

after reading each passage, choose the answer to each question that most effectively
improves the quality of writing in the passage or that makes the passage conform to the
conventions of standard written english. many questions include a “no change” option.
choose that option if you think the best choice is to leave the relevant portion of the
passage as it is.

questions 1-11 are based on the following passage.

survival in the hostile environment of nw rota-1

1 sixty miles north of guam and more than
1,700 feet under the ocean’s surface is the summit of
nw rota-1, an undersea volcano discovered in 2003.
2 surprisingly, the volcano appears to have been
continuously active; it even grew 130 feet in height
between 2006 and 2009. 3 yet despite the hostile
environment created by the constant volcanic activity, life
is thriving there. 4 special adaptations are the key to
survival. 5 at that depth, water pressure suppresses the
explosive force of the volcano’s eruptions, allowing
scientists to ▁ watch and observe them up close via

a) no change
b) watch
c) observe to see
d) visually watch

Explanation:

The underlined phrase "watch and observe" is redundant as "watch" and "observe" have very similar meanings in this context. Option B ("watch") is the most concise and effective choice as it conveys the same meaning without redundancy. Option A keeps the redundancy, Option C ("observe to see") is wordy, and Option D ("visually watch") is also redundant and wordy.

Answer:

B) watch