PSSA Review

Read the paragraph:

1) Everyone filed into Philadelphia's City Hall except Sarah and me. 2) Us two classmates wanted to look at the building for awhile longer. 3) She and me gazed at the amazing structure. 4) The giant statue of William Penn gazed back at Sarah and I , reminding us of the history of our state.

Which underlined pronoun is used correctly?

• me in sentence 1

• Us in sentence 2

• me in sentence 3

• I in sentence 4

Read the paragraph.

1) The science museum itself was holding and exhibition of students' science work.

2) The opportunity to attend for free was granted to science teachers themselves.

3) Before the teachers attended the exhibition, the school secretary herself arranged for some refreshments to be served. 4) Myself was planning to attend.

Which change should be made to correct the error in the paragrpah?

• Change itself to it in sentence 1

• Change themselves to ourselves in sentence 2

• Change herself to she in sentence 3

• Change myself to I in sentence 4

Read the paragraph:

1) Yesterday we spend a social studies class period learning about flight, and most of us thought it was fascinating to learn about. 2) First we saw a movie about the famous Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, and their early experiments flying airplanes. 3) Then a guest speaker told us about her job as a jet pilot. 4) After that, we made paper airplanes and launched it to see whose airplane stayed in the air the longest.

Which change should be made to correct the error in the paragraph?

• Change it to them in sentence 1

• Change their to our in sentence 2

• Change us to me in sentence 3

• Change it to them in sentence 4

Read the sentences.

1) Last year the art club participated in workshops, hosted exhibits, and visited local art galleries. 2) This made being in the art club enjoyable and rewarding.

Which revision best corrects the vague or unclear pronoun in sentence 2?

• These activities made being in the art club enjoyable and rewarding.

• Which is why being in the art club was enjoyable and rewarding.

• It was what made being in art club enjoyable and rewarding.

• That made being in art club enjoyable and rewarding.

Read the paragraph:

1) Last year our teacher assigned us the task of making a class book. 2) We complete the last few pages a week before the book was due. 3) The only piece that remained unfinished was the cover. 4) Stephen volunteered to design it, but he never finished it.

Which sentence in the paragraph contains an error in verb tense?

• sentence 1

• sentence 2

• sentence 3

• sentence 4

Read the paragraph:

(1) There is an easy way to improve your ability to remember a person’s name. (2) When you are introduced to someone, repeat that person’s name. (3) For example, if you have just met Joy, say to her, “It’s very nice to meet you, Joy.” (4) Now you are more likely to remember Joy’s name it is a simple but effective trick.

Which sentence is a run-on sentence and should be written as two sentences?

• sentence 1

• sentence 2

• sentence 3

• sentence 4

. Read the paragraph.

(1) The Portuguese water dog, a working breed was once a valued companion to people who fish. (2) In fact, these dogs worked on boats that fished along the coast of Portugal. (3) The Portuguese water dog, a highly skilled swimmer, herded fish toward fishing nets. (4) They were also messengers, which meant they delivered news from one boat to another.

Which revision should be made to the paragraph?

• Add a comma after breed in sentence 1

• Add a comma after boats in sentence 2

• Remove the comma after dog in sentence 3

• Remove the comma after messengers in sentence 4

Which sentence contains a mistake in comma usage?

• The play about immigrating to the United States was inspiring, educational, and entertaining.

• The squirrel leaped from one branch to another, scrambled quickly, down the tree, and raced across the yard.

• We walked along the lakeshore, stopped at a small park for lunch, and then went swimming at a beach.

• Hiking, biking, and canoeing are some popular outdoor activities in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.

Read the paragraph.

(1) Many plants provide food for us to eat. (2) We may eat the fruit or the leaves of a plant. (3) Some plant stalks that grow underground have swollen, thickened parts that can be eaten. (4) These parts of the stalk are called tubers. (5) Other plants produce roots that can be eaten. (6) A few plants that produce food underground are carrots, beets, and potatoes.

Which revision that combines sentences 3 and 4 into one sentence best improves the style of the paragraph?

• A. Growing swollen, thickened parts of a stalk underground, the tuber is food for us to eat.

• B. Some plant stalks that grow underground have swollen, thickened parts called tubers that can be eaten.

• C. We can eat some plant stalks that grow underground and have swollen, thickened parts, and these parts are called tubers.

• D. Some plant stalks that grow underground have swollen, thickened parts that can be eaten, and those parts are called tubers.

Read the paragraph.

The painted turtle is a common reptile in North America. This reptile can most often be found in water. With its webbed feet, the painted turtle is an effective swimmer.

Which sentence could be added to best fit the style of the paragraph?

• A painted turtle can eat lots of plants and stuff.

• It’s totally easy to spot a painted turtle on a rock.

• A painted turtle will lie in the sun to warm itself.

• This critter gets to be only about 10 inches long.