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Accuplacer Reading Diagnostic Practice Test

23 total questions (5 free)

Question 1 of 5

Extract:

Unstable world of danger апатога сотарoon (3) Dark Shadows, breaks of bright light, ano, -balance compositions were all typical of the visual style. (4) These elements created an effect of disillusionment and bitter realism. (5) Many of these elements were brought to Hollywood by German directors fleeing their war-torm land.
(6) Many of the stories and a lot of the attitude of classic film noir come from the hardboiled school of detective and crime fiction that became popular in the United States during the Great Depression. (7) American writers such as Dashiell Hammett, whose novel The Maltese Falcon was made into one of the first big-budget film noirs, and James M. Cain being particularly influential. (8) Film noir can include a wide range of plots: the main character may be a private detective, a plainclothes policeman, an aging boxer, a con man, or a law-abiding citizen lured into a life of crime. (9) Betrayals and double-crosses also play an important role in many of these plots.
(10) Famous examples of film noir include Double Indemnity (1944), directed by Billy Wilder, The Big Heat (1953), directed by Fritz Lang, and Touch of Evil (1958), directed by Orson Welles. (11) Billy Wilder also directed many famous comedies, such as Some Like It Hot. (12) Although classic film noir is associated with American productions of the 1940s and '50s, many films from around the world and from the 1960s onward share many classic film noir traits. (13) For example, the films of Quentin Tarantino such as Pulp Fiction though, shot in color, have been heavily influenced by the genre of film noir.

Which sentence should be deleted because it contains irrelevant information?

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Sentence 11 about Wilder's comedies is unrelated to the focus on film noir characteristics and examples.

Question 2 of 5

Extract:

…black-and-white cinematography, often with nighttime settings and menacing themes, suggesting an unstable world full of danger and moral corruption. (3) Dark shadows; streaks of bright light, and, off-balance compositions were all typical of the visual style. (4) These elements created an effect of disillusionment and bitter realism. (5) Many of these elements were brought to Hollywood by German directors fleeing their war-torn land.
(6) Many of the stories and a lot of the attitude of classic film noir come from the hardboiled school of detective and crime fiction that became popular in the United States during the Great Depression. (7) American writers such as Dashiell Hammett, whose novel The Maltese Falcon was made into one of the first big-budget film noirs, and James M. Cain being particularly influential. (8) Film noir can include a wide range of plots: the main character may be a private detective, a plainclothes policeman, an aging boxer, a con man, or a law-abiding citizen lured into a life of crime. (9) Betrayals and double-crosses also play an important role in many of these plots.
(10) Famous examples of film noir include Double Indemnity (1944), directed by Billy Wilder, The Big Heat (1953), directed by Fritz Lang, and Touch of Evil (1958), directed by Orson Welles. (11) Billy Wilder also directed many famous comedies, such as Some Like It Hot. (12) Although classic film noir is associated with American productions of the 1940s and '50s, many films from around the world and from the 1960s onward share many classic film noir traits. (13) For example, the films of Quentin Tarantino such as Pulp Fiction though, shot in color, have been heavily influenced by the genre of film noir.

In context, which of the following is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 3 (reproduced below)? Dark shadows: streaks of bright light, and, off-balance compositions were all typical of the visual style.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: shadows, streaks of bright light, and' provides clear, grammatically correct punctuation for the list.

Question 3 of 5

Extract:

(1) The term "film noir, meaning "dark cinema," or "black film" in French, was first used by French film critic Nino Frank in 1946 to describe a type of Hollywood film of the 1940s and '50s. (2) These films featured black-and-white cinematography, often with nighttime settings and menacing themes, suggesting an unstable world full of danger and moral corruption. (3) Dark shadows; streaks of bright light, and, off-balance compositions were all typical of the visual style. (4) These elements created an effect of disillusionment and bitter realism. (5) Many of these elements were brought to Hollywood by German directors fleeing their war-torn land.
(6) Many of the stories and a lot of the attitude of classic film noir come from the hardboiled school of detective and crime fiction that became popular in the United States during the Great Depression. (7) American writers such as Dashiell Hammett, whose novel The Maltese Falcon was made into one of the first big-budget film noirs, and James M. Cain being particularly influential. (8) Film noir can include a wide range of plots: the main character may be a private detective, a plainclothes policeman, an aging boxer, a con man, or a law-abiding citizen lured into a life of crime. (9) Betrayals and double-crosses also play an important role in many of these plots.
(10) Famous examples of film noir include Double Indemnity (1944), directed by Billy Wilder, The Big Heat (1953), directed by Fritz Lang; and Touch of Evil (1958), directed by Orson Welles. (11) Billy Wilder also directed many famous comedies, such as Some Like It Hot. (12) Although classic film noir is associated with American productions of the 1940s and '50s, many films from around the world and from the 1960s onward share many classic film noir traits. (13) For example, the films of Quentin Tarantino such as Pulp Fiction though, shot in color, have been heavily influenced by the genre of film noir.

Which is the best way to revise and combine sentences 4 and 5 (reproduced below)? These elements created an effect of disillusionment and bitter realism. Many of these elements were brought to Hollywood by German directors fleeing their war-torn land.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: This version smoothly combines the sentences with a clear, concise structure while retaining all key information.

Question 4 of 5

Extract:

Read the following early draft of an essay and then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.
Passage
(1) Calling someone a rat may be complimentary. (2) In one experiment, University of Chicago neuroscientist Peggy Mason placed 30 pairs of rats in pens. (3) One rat was caged in the middle of the pen, while the other was free to run around. (4) Eventually, 23 of 30 ratis liberated their peers by pushing the cage door open with their heads or leaning against the door until it tipped over
(5) In another experiment, Mason gave rats access to two cages: in one cage was another rat, in the other was a pile of chocolate chips. (6) The rats eating the chocolate themselves. (7) Instead, most of the rodents opened both cages and shared the sweets (8) "In rat land, that is big." Mason says, claiming that this study is the first to show altruistic behavior in rodents.
(9) Not all scientists agree with the conclusion Mason drew from the experiment, however. (10) The jailbreaking rats might have only been trying to silence their cohorts' distressing alarm calls. (11) Mason counters that the alarm calls from the caged rats were not frequent enough to motivate their peers, but both parties are speculating at this point.
(12) Mason's new study is one of many that are changing how scientists think about empathy and altruism, namely: that such characteristics are not limited to people, as they once thought. (13) It now seems that many animals have evolved instincts to help others.

In the context of the passage, what sentence should be inserted immediately after sentence 11 (reproduced below)? Mason counters that the alarm calls from the caged rats were not frequent enough to motivate their peers, but both parties are speculating at this point.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: This sentence logically follows the speculation mentioned, suggesting a need for further study to resolve the debate.

Question 5 of 5

Extract:

Passage
(1) Calling someone a rat may be complimentary. (2) in one experiment, University of Chicago
neuroscientist Peggy Mason placed 30 pairs of rats in pens. (3) One rat was caged in the middle of the pen, while the other was free to run around. (4) Eventually, 23 of 30 rats liberated their peers by pushing the cage door open with their heads or leaning against the door until it tipped over.
(5) In another experiment, Mason gave rats access to two cages, in one cage was another rat, in the other was a pile of chocolate chips. (6) The rats eating the chocolate themselves. (7) instead, most of the rodents opened both cages and shared the sweets. (8) "In rat land, that is big." Mason says, claiming that this study is the first to show altruistic behavior in rodents.
(9) Not all scientists agree with the conclusion Mason drew from the experiment, however. (10) The jailbreaking rats might have only been trying to silence their cohorts' distressing alarm calis. (11) Mason counters that the alarm calls from the caged rats were not frequent enough to motivate their peers, but both parties are speculating at this point.
(12) Mason's new study is one of many that are changing how scientists think about empathy and altruism, namely: that such characteristics are not limited to people, as they once thought. (13) It now seems that many animals have evolved instincts to help others.

Which is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 12 (reproduced below)? Mason's new study is one of many that are changing how scientists think about empathy and altruism, namely: that such characteristics are not limited to people, as they once thought.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: altruism, namely,' correctly uses commas to set off 'namely' as an appositive, improving clarity.

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