WKCE Diagnostic

Practice Test
GRADE 10
Language Arts
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WKCE Diagnostic Test

Directions: Read each passage. Choose the best way to write each numbered section and mark the letter
for your answer. If the section needs no change, mark the choice “Best as is.”

Feathered Dinosaurs? 1 A prove once, and for all

B prove: once and for all
[1] C prove once and for all,
D Best as is
Dinosaur fossils unearthed in the mid-1900s
1
in China may prove, once and for all, that birds
2 A 150 million years, ago scientists
B 150 million years ago, scientists
are the direct descendants of dinosaurs. The C 150 million years ago; scientists
D Best as is
proof is in the feathers. Thanks to the fine-

grained sediments in which the animals were 3 A of feathers other feathers

2 B of feathers and other feathers
buried 150 million years ago scientists today are C of feathers; other feathers
D Best as is
able to see the anatomy of the two specimens

in stunning detail. One fossil is of a three-foot 4 A tightly, interlaced strands

B tight, interlaced strands
dinosaur, its neck and tail bowed toward each C tight-interlaced strands
D Best as is
other. Extending from the tail is a peacocklike
3
fan of feathers, other feathers form fringes

under the arms. The fossil clearly shows long,

4
tightly interlaced strands splitting off from a

central spine, like the flight feathers of a

modern bird. The body was covered with fuzzy,

downy structures, but in reality,

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WKCE Diagnostic Test

5 5 A they
the body of this animal looked much more like B he
C it
a Velociraptor than a chicken. The evidence was D Best as is
there, however.
6 A feathers covering
[2] B feathers have covered
C feathers were covering
6 D Best as is
Apparently, feathers had covered dinosaurs

long before birds arose. The new species was 7 A However,

B Consequently,
named Caudipteryx, meaning “tail feather.” C Moreover,
D Best as is
[3]
8 A the feather’s function
7 B the feathers’ function
Although all of the characteristics that have C their function
D Best as is
been historically used to distinguish birds from

dinosaurs are found in Caudipteryx, it was far 9 A insulation, as added protection from the
wet or cold
too primitive to be considered a bird. Certainly
B insulation
it could not fly! What was the purpose of the C insulation: as added protection from the
wet or cold
feathers? D Best as is

[4] 10 Which of the following sequences of sen-

tences will make Paragraph 4 most logical?
A 2, 3, 4, 1
Scientists, of course, can only speculate as B 3, 4, 1, 2
8
to the feathers function. They do know for sure C 1, 3, 4, 2
D Best as is
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that it would be a very long time before the

first protobirds adapted them for flight. Some

say that they provided an extra layer of

9
insulation as added protection from the wet or

cold. Others think that the feathers were

plumage for courtship display. 10

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WKCE Diagnostic Test

[5] 11 A , taken with the evidence already
gathered,
Many experts believe that this latest find, B OMIT only the commas
11 C OMIT the underlined phrase
taken with the evidence that has already been D Best as is

gathered by researchers and scientists in the

12 A remain
field and in the laboratory, finally settles the B remains
C are remaining
30-year argument. But a few scientists D Best as is
12
remained unconvinced. They argue that the
13 13 A number of fossils is
number of fossils are still too small to make B fossils are
C fossil is
such a bold claim. 14
D Best as is

14 Which of the following provides the most

logical and succinct conclusion to
“Feathered Dinosaurs”?
A They must find more fossils to be sure.
B More compelling evidence is needed in
order to say that birds descended directly
from dinosaurs.
C Scientists find new fossils each day.
D Best as is

15 The writer intends to add the following

sentence in order to clarify and emphasize:
The growing body of feathered fossils being
established throughout the geological
record supports the theory that today’s birds
are the direct descendants of dinosaurs.
In order to accomplish this purpose, it Copyright © McDougal Littell
would be most logical to place this
sentence after
A the last sentence in Paragraph 1.
B the last sentence in Paragraph 2.
C the first sentence in Paragraph 4.
D the first sentence in Paragraph 5.

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WKCE Diagnostic Test

Directions: Read each passage. Choose the best way to write each numbered section and mark the letter
for your answer. If the section needs no change, mark the choice “Best as is.”

16 Which of the alternatives makes the most

About Aspirin
[1]
16
To combat a fever in the times of the
ancient physicians, they would prescribe a
powder made from willow bark.
17
This remedy that contained a natural salicylic
18
compound related to aspirin, was very effective.
For hundreds of years willow bark remained a
effective opening to the passage?
A Combating a fever in ancient times,
willow bark was often used.
B To combat a fever in ancient times,
physicians often prescribed a powder
made from the bark of a willow.
C Willow bark was used by ancient
physicians.
D Best as is
17 A remedy contained
B remedy, which contained
C remedy which contained
D Best as is

commonly used medicine throughout the world. 18 A effective and for hundreds
B effective, for hundreds
[2] C effective for hundreds
D Best as is

By the early nineteenth century,

19 A have been made
19
improvements had been made. Salicin, an B are made
C made
extract derived from willow bark and the D Best as is

meadowsweet plant, was the most popular

20 Substituting which of the following con-
drug of the day for fevers and inflammations. junctions for “While” will eliminate the
fragment and make the meaning clearer?
Then, in 1853, Alsatian chemist Charles
A However,
B Because
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Frederick von Gerhardt first synthesized

20 C And
acetylsalicylic acid in his laboratory. While D Since

Gerhardt did not think his new compound to be

significantly better than Salicin. For forty years,

acetylsalicylic acid was forgotten.

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WKCE Diagnostic Test

[3] 21 A a good drug
B some sort of drug
It was rediscovered in 1893 by a chemist C a more effective drug
D Best as is
with Germany’s Fargenfabriken Bayer drug

company. Felix Hoffman was searching for

22 A synthetic; and in desperation
21
B synthetic, and in desperation;
a more better drug to ease his father’s crippling C synthetic; in desperation
D Best as is
rheumatoid arthritis. He had heard of Gerhardt’s
22
synthetic, in desperation he prepared a batch 23 A but it also alleviated the pain.
B his father felt no pain.
and tested it on his father. To his surprise, the C the drug was also effective.
D Best as is
drug not only moderated the crippling effects of
23
the disease, the pain was gone too. 24 A Thus the
B And the
24 C Yet the
The Bayer company immediately recognized D Best as is
25
the importance of the drug and made plans for
25 A for manufacturing.
its manufacture. To come up with a brand name B for it’s manufacture.
C to make it.
for the product, they took “a” from “acetyl”,
D Best as is
“spir” from Spiraea ulmaria (the scientific name
26 26 A for
for meadowsweet plant), and “in” due to the B because
fact that it was a popular suffix for medications.
C seeing as how
27
D Best as is
Aspirin was first marketed in 1899 as a loose
27 A a loose powder, in 1915,
powder: in 1915, Bayer introduced Aspirin
B a loose powder in 1915
tablets. Continuing to own C a loose powder; in 1915
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D Best as is

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WKCE Diagnostic Test

the brand name until Germany’s defeat in 28 A aspirin was given
28 B Bayer surrendered the name
World War I, the name was surrendered by C Bayer gave aspirin
D Best as is
Bayer to the Allies as part of Germany’s war

reparations. 29 29 The writer wishes to add a more effective

conclusion to this paragraph and to the
paper as a whole. Which is the best
alternative?
A Bayer aspirin is still the best.
B The Allies’ headaches were over.
C Aspirin then became even more popular.
D Shortly thereafter, capital “A” Aspirin
became lower-case “a” aspirin, and it is
still the most widely used drug in the
world today.

30 The writer has been asked to write an essay

assessing the significance of aspirin as a
useful drug for humans. Would this essay
fulfill this assignment?
A Yes; the writer focuses on how long
humans have used aspirin.
B Yes; the writer focuses on how humans
have improved aspirin.
C No; the writer focuses on the history of
aspirin.
D No; the writer focuses on the chemists
who made aspirin.
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WKCE Diagnostic Test

Directions: Read each passage. Choose the best way to write each numbered section and mark the letter
for your answer. If the section needs no change, mark the choice “Best as is.”

A Life of Grace 31 A they’re

B their
[1] C all
D Best as is
Long before the entrepreneurial visionaries
31
of today’s computer industry built there silicon 32 A lay
B had lain
empires, the true believers in the computer’s C had been lying
32 D Best as is
potential contribution to humankind laid the

foundations to effectively integrate it into daily 33 A Bill Gates owe a debt

B Bill Gates did owe a debt
life. Individuals such as Thomas Watson, Steve C Bill Gates owed a debt
33 D Best as is
Jobs and Bill Gates owes a debt of gratitude to

those pioneers who transformed the computer
from a big, sophisticated calculator into the
compact, multitasking machine we know
today. 34
34 Which sentence, if added at this point,
would provide an effective conclusion to
Paragraph 1 and a good transition to
Paragraph 2?
A Computers certainly are not what they
once were.
B In the history of the computer there are
a lot of these.
C One of these pioneers was Grace
Murray Hopper.
D Grace Murray Hopper invented many
things for the computer.

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WKCE Diagnostic Test

[2] 35 A considering
B considered as
Grace Murray Hopper, nicknamed C is considered
D Best as is
“Amazing Grace” by her friends and
35
co-workers, considered the mother of
36 A has with her very vast
B has; with her vast
computing. Few women in the world of C has, with her vast
D Best as is
technology receive the kind of recognition that
36
she has. With her vast and significant 37 A from Yale Hopper
B from Yale; Hopper
accomplishments in the computer field. C from Yale she
D Best as is
[3]
38 A Reserves, eventually
After earning her Ph.D. in math and physics
B Reserves and later on eventually
37 C Reserves; eventually
from Yale, Hopper joined the U.S. Naval D Best as is
38
Reserves. Eventually becoming the nation’s first
39 A Hopper had the vision to see what
woman admiral. During World War II, she was computers could become.
B Hopper had vision.
the third programmer for the Mark I, the first C Hopper thought about computers.
D Best as is
large-scale computer. After the war, employed

by private industry to work with UNIVAC, 40 A business’

39 B businesses
Hopper had the vision to see the future and C business’s
D Best as is
think about what computers could become in

the next fifty years. She sought to provide 41 Which alternative, inserted at this point,
40 provides a better transition to the next
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businesses’ with computers that were both paragraph?

programmer- and application-friendly.
41 A She knew a great deal about computers
and sought to share her knowledge.
B Computers were to become the back-
bone of American business.
C She focused all of her talents and energy
on achieving that end.
D Best as is

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WKCE Diagnostic Test

42 A developed
[4] B has developed
C is developing
42
In 1950, Hopper develops the world’s first D Best as is

compiler, a program that would translate 43 A machine language. This allowed

43
symbolic math codes into machine language,
this allowed programmers to store codes on
B machine language this allowed
C machine language, allowed
D Best as is

magnetic tape and retrieve them as needed.

44
44 A COBOL, the computer
Later, she created COBOL. The computer B COBOL; the computer
C COBOL the computer
language still widely used in business today. D Best as is

45 The writer intends to add the following

sentence to the essay:
Her expertise in programming and computer
interface made her invaluable to the military
in the war.
The most logical and appropriate place to
put this sentence would be after
A the second sentence in Paragraph 3.
B the first sentence in Paragraph 3.
C the first sentence in Paragraph 4.
D the last sentence in Paragraph 1.

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WKCE Diagnostic Test

The Renaissance 47 What would be an appropriate title for this
piece of writing?
The Renaissance, which literally means
“rebirth,” began in Italy in the thirteenth and A Inventions that Changed the World
fourteenth centuries, and spread throughout B The Renaissance and Its Contributions
Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. C How to Train to be a Renaissance Artist
The Renaissance brought with it a new attitude D The Voyage that Made All the
toward life, which emphasized the development Difference
of the individual, a greater freedom of thought,
and a curiosity about the world. It was an age 48 Why do you think the invention of the print-
in which art and scientific research were ing press and gunpowder changed the world?
honored. The accomplishments of this age are Please write in complete sentences. Check
comparable to our own time. your work for correct spelling, capitalization,
During the Renaissance, there were major dis-
and punctuation.
coveries that changed the world forever. Two of
them were gunpowder and the printing press.
There were also voyages of discovery that
changed the way scientist viewed the world.
Christopher Columbus discovered America and
that the world was round. In addition to scien-
tific research, the Renaissance produced some
of the world’s most accomplished artists and
architects. Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci,
Giotto, and Bottichelli were just a view of the
accomplished artists of the time.
The heart of the Renaissance was Florence, Italy. 49 Choose the sentence that is written correctly.
Many of the architects, writers, artists, and musi- A The Renaissance given us many
cians live in Florence and worked there. There amazing paintings.
were many trade schools devoted to training B Architects, artist, writers and scientist
young men to become artists. Every well-known could of changed the world.
artist had a shop called a bottega. A boy could C The human mind was of great interest
apprentice there when he was ten or twelve years to the Renaissance.
old. He spent his time grinding the colors, prepar- D None of the above
ing the gold, transferring the master’s preliminary
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drawings to the panel or wall, and preparing the 50 Revise the following run-on sentence:
panel of seasoned wood for a painting. The Renaissance was a time of invention and
imagination it changed the world forever.
46 In several sentences, write a conclusion for
this piece on the Renaissance. Check your
work for correct spelling, capitalization, and
punctuation.

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WKCE Diagnostic Test

Listening to Mozart and Beethoven 51 In your own words, write a thesis statement
for this piece. Write in complete sentences
The recorded compositions of Mozart and
and check for correct spelling, capitalization,
Beethoven present the listener with a wonderful
and punctuation.
study in contrasts. They are both recognized as
preeminent figures in the history of music, and
the talent of each is apparent even now, more
than 200 years later. However, in style and the
realization of the music, they could not be more
different. In them we find classical music’s sense
and sensibility.
In the musical compositions that Mozart com-
posed, there is a delicate—almost lacy—quality.
Strands of notes are interwoven; intricate pat-
terns and themes are constructed and then
repeated again and again throughout the piece
in almost mathematical fashion. Much of the
beauty of his music lies in this complexity and
emphasis on form and structure. So precise in
timing, so perfect in tone. It might well be
thought of as “auditory architecture.”
Listening to a piece such as the famous “Eine
Kleine Nachtmusik,” one hears many of the ele-
ments that Mozart regularly employs. It opens
with a marchlike cadence that quickly evolves 52 Describe what the author means about
into nimble little themes and variations that are “intellect and emotion” in the music of
repeated throughout. Simple melodies are flour- Mozart and Beethoven. Write in complete
ished, reworked, and reused. Though repetitive, sentences and check for correct spelling,
listeners are never bored. capitalization, and punctuation.
Beethoven’s music, on the other hand, evokes all
the chaos that great emotion can engender. The
cool, calculated precision that Mozart exhibits
gives way to a fiery, unpredictable passion in
Beethoven. Simple three- and four-note themes
blossom and flower into heartfelt outpourings of Copyright © McDougal Littell

anger, or sadness, or reflection, or love.

One of the most famous lines of music in the
world is the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth
Symphony. There are just two notes: the first is
repeated three times and the second is held with
great intensity. Anyone who hears those notes is
provoked into feeling something.
The music of Mozart and Beethoven reflects
the two great qualities of humanity: intellect
and emotion. They represent the best we have
to offer.

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WKCE Diagnostic Test

53 In paragraph 2, there is a fragment. Which 57 Rewrite this sentence in your own words.
sentence is it? Simple melodies are flourished, reworked,
A Much of the beauty of his music lies and reused.
in this complexity and emphasis on
structure.
B So precise in timing, so perfect in tone.
C Strands of notes are interwoven; intri-
cate patterns and themes are con-
structed and then repeated.
D It might well be thought of as “auditory
architecture.”
58 Combine the last two sentences into one.
54 The writer wishes to add this sentence to
the essay: The music of Mozart and Beethoven
reflects the two great qualities of humanity:
The flawless craftsmanship makes the intellect and emotion. They represent the
music intellectually stimulating and best we have to offer.
spiritually satisfying.
The most logical and appropriate place for
this sentence is after
A the first sentence in paragraph 3.
B the first sentence in paragraph 2.
C the first sentence in paragraph 6.
D the last sentence in paragraph 3.

55 What is the best way to revise the last

sentence in paragraph 3?
A Though repetitive, the music bores
listeners.
B Though the music is repetitive, listeners
are never bored.
C While repetitive, listeners are never
bored.
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D Best as is

56 Write down the topic sentence in

paragraph 4.

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WKCE Diagnostic Test

59 Many people have different ideas about what constitutes a good movie. In an essay, please
describe the elements you think are necessary for a good movie versus a bad one. Please be as
specific as possible in your response, and try to give examples to prove your points.

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