PSAT Writing and Language Practice Test 34: Effective Language Use Questions

Questions 1-8 refer to the following information.

Test anxiety has become an increasingly 1 prevalent and widespread problem among standardized test-takers. 2 While some measure of anxiety is to be expected. For it is in fact welcome in order to sharpen one's focus, so many students today find that their anxiety hinders their ability to perform on high-stakes tests. What are some things that can be done to alleviate test anxiety?

First, students should strive to have realistic expectations. It is becoming more and more competitive to earn admission to highly selective schools. 3 Online applications and common essay prompts make it as easy to apply to ten schools as it once was to apply to only one. With the increased competition, students should set themselves up for success by striving to go to the school that is the best fit for them, 4 rather than just chasing the most highly ranked school.

Second, students can think through worst-case scenarios 5 to help calm their nerves and relieve internal tension. If the very worst outcome that could happen is not actually that bad, students' fears about mediocre test performance will decrease greatly. Suppose a major test doesn't go well. In all likelihood, there are many other times one can take the test to demonstrate one's knowledge and skills. Even with the all-important PSAT, which determines National Merit Scholarship eligibility, there are many more opportunities to take the SAT or ACT 6 , which play a major role in determining academic scholarships.

The bottom line is that if someone wants anything too badly, he or she will be 7 lesser in likelihood to obtain it. It is the same idea as when an overeager salesperson keeps pestering a customer in an attempt to make a deal—such desperation will turn him off, making him less likely to make a purchase. 8 To do the best on major tests, students should set reasonable expectations and think about worst case scenarios so that their minds are focused, not panicked.

8 questions 6 minutesAll test questions

A. NO CHANGE

B. prevalent

C. spread from near to far

D. wide-ranging and quite impactful

2. How could the two sentences most effectively be combined?

A. While some measure of anxiety is to be expected, for the reason that it is in fact welcome in order to sharpen one's focus because many students today find that their anxiety hinders their ability to perform on high-stakes tests.

B. While some measure of anxiety is to be expected and is in fact welcome in order to sharpen one's focus; many students today find that their anxiety hinders their ability to perform on high-stakes tests.

C. While some measure of anxiety is to be expected and is, in fact, welcome in order to sharpen one's focus, many students today find that their anxiety hinders their ability to perform on high-stakes tests.

D. While some measure of anxiety is to be expected because it is in fact welcome in order to sharpen one's focus, the fact remains that many students today find that their anxiety hinders their ability to perform on high-stakes tests.

3. Which of the following statements, if inserted here, would provide the most specific and relevant support for the statement made in the previous sentence?

A. College admission is a process that is carried out by teams of admissions representatives to ensure a thorough and reasonably objective process.

B. In your application, be sure to state your grade point average, SAT and ACT test scores, and major extracurricular leadership positions.

C. For example, at the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League institution, the admissions rate in 1991 was 47 percent—in 2015, it was less than 10 percent.

D. Average salaries for those graduating in math and science programs can often be 30 percent higher than the salaries of those graduating from humanities programs.

4. Which statement provides the most precise and relevant contrast with what comes before in the sentence?

A. NO CHANGE

B. and doing what feels right.

C. and struggling to achieve their childhood dreams of college acceptance.

D. while bearing in mind the financial consequences of academic missteps.

A. NO CHANGE

B. to calm their nerves.

C. to break free from the tension and anxiety that plagues them.

D. to achieve an internal equilibrium of peacefulness.

6. The author is considering deleting the underlined portion. Should it be kept or deleted?

A. Kept, because it provides a helpful elaboration.

B. Kept, because it details what the tests assess.

C. Deleted, because it contradicts information presented elsewhere in the paragraph.

D. Deleted, because it is irrelevant to the focus of the sentence.

A. NO CHANGE

B. far, far less likely

C. for better or worse less expectedly

D. less likely

8. The author is considering inserting the following sentence at this point in the essay:

"It is also similar to when somebody acts desperate in interpersonal relationships—no one wants to hang out with someone who is too intent on doing so."

Should he do so?

A. Yes, because it continues the metaphorical discussion from the previous sentence.

B. Yes, because it introduces a new way of framing a topic critical to the argument of the essay.

C. No, because it repeats an idea already expressed in the previous sentence.

D. No, because it shifts the essay's focus away from the business practices of sales professionals.

PSAT Writing and Language Practice Test 34: Effective Language Use Questions

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