DIRECTIONS:
In the passage that follows, certain words and phrases are bolded and numbered. And you will find alternatives for the bolded part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is best, choose “NO CHANGE.” You will also find questions about a section of the passage, or about the passage as a whole. These questions do not refer to an bolded portion of the passage, but rather are identified by a number or numbers in a box.
PASSAGE The Snowflake Man
Part 1
Science can attribute the notion that no two snowflakes are alike, to the work of Vermont farmer (1) Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley. As early as 1610, scientists had begun studying the basic structure of the snowflake. But Bentley made history in 1885 (2) when he produced a “photomicrograph” of an individual flake. For the first time, the intricacies and variations of snowflake structure could be documented [3].
1.
A. NO CHANGE
B. alike, to the work of Vermont farmer,
C. alike to the work of Vermont farmer,
D. alike to the work of Vermont farmer
2.
E. NO CHANGE
F. history in, 1885,
G. history in, 1885
H. history, in 1885
3.
At this point, the writer is considering adding the following true statement:
In the 1600s, Johannes Kepler published the treatise “On the Six-Cornered Snowflake.”
Should the writer make this addition here?
A. Yes, because it establishes a timeline for the study of snowflakes throughout history.
B. Yes, because it establishes that Bentley was influenced by Kepler’s work.
C. No, because it detracts from the essay’s focus on Bentley and his photomicrographs.
D. No, because it detracts from the essay’s focus on Bentley’s farm in Vermont.
Part 2
From the time he was fifteen, Bentley used a microscope and examining snowflakes during snowfalls (4), finding seemingly infinite variations of their basic six-cornered structure. He tried to document the snowflakes by drawing them (5), but they tended to melt before he could finish. He soon abandoned drawing in favoring (6) photography.
4.
F. NO CHANGE
G. examining snowflakes during snowfalls and
H. to examine snowflakes during snowfalls and
J. to examine snowflakes during snowfalls
5.
A. NO CHANGE
B. and record the six-cornered snowflakes by drawing
them by hand,
C. and record the six-cornered snowflakes by handdrawing them,
D. the snowflakes, hand-drawing them by hand
6.
F. NO CHANGE
G. favor of
H. favor for
J. favored