Written Expression Question and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Globally, ________ has more than doubled since the early 1950s.

Food, a demand that
If food is in demand
There is demand for food
The demand for food (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The demand for food

The sentence requires a singular noun phrase as the subject for the verb 'has more than doubled'. 'The demand for food' functions as a cohesive noun phrase, grammatically correct and semantically appropriate for something that can increase over time. Other options are either grammatically incorrect as subjects or create awkward phrasing.

Question 2: Despite not starting school until he was twelve years old, Dr. Samuel C.C. Ting was awarded the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physics.

The winner of (Correct answer)
The winning
Won

Correct answer: The winner of

The blank requires a noun phrase that functions as an appositive, renaming or describing Dr. Samuel C.C. Ting. 'The winner of' correctly forms a noun phrase that identifies his relationship to the Nobel Prize. Options like 'The winning' are grammatically incomplete or incorrect in this context, and 'Won' is a verb that would require a different sentence structure (e.g., 'who won').

Question 3: When a gas is heated, its particles travel _____ more than when it is cold.

As fast
Fastest
Faster (Correct answer)
Fast

Correct answer: Faster

The phrase 'more than' indicates a comparison between two states (when a gas is heated versus when it is cold). Therefore, a comparative adjective is required to describe how the particles travel. 'Faster' is the correct comparative form of the adjective 'fast', making it the appropriate choice for this comparison.

Question 4: The disparity in color between the surfaces of the stars indicates their varying temperatures.

Stars indicating that
The indication that the stars
Indicating stars
The stars indicate (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The stars indicate

The original sentence 'The disparity in color between the surfaces of the stars indicates their varying temperatures' is grammatically correct. However, if the question implies a rephrasing or a more direct statement about the stars, 'The stars indicate' shifts the subject from 'disparity' to 'stars'. This makes the stars themselves the agents of indication, implying that their inherent properties (color) directly reveal their temperatures. This option provides a valid and active statement about the stars' role.

Question 5: When a nation transitions from an agrarian to an industrial economy, the family's views, values, structures, and roles change.

Change (Correct answer)
Changing
Which change
The change

Correct answer: Change

The subject of the verb in this sentence is 'the family's views, values, structures, and roles,' which is a plural compound subject. Therefore, the verb must be in its plural form to agree with the subject. 'Change' is the correct plural form of the verb. Options like 'changing' or 'the change' are grammatically incorrect in this context as the main verb.

Question 6: Humans only hear a few number of insect noises, and most of them are either too high or too low in pitch.

As a result of
Instead of
Because (Correct answer)
In spite of

Correct answer: Because

The second clause, 'most of them are either too high or too low in pitch,' provides the reason or cause for the first clause, 'Humans only hear a few insect noises.' The subordinating conjunction 'because' is used to introduce a clause that explains the reason for something. Therefore, 'because' correctly establishes this causal relationship between the two parts of the sentence.

Question 7: The typical chair comes in an infinite variety of sizes, shapes, designs, and materials.

Is making
Been making
To be made
Has been made (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Has been made

The sentence describes the common materials from which a typical chair is constructed. The phrase 'has been made' is in the present perfect passive voice, which correctly indicates an action that started in the past (chairs being made from these materials) and continues to be true or relevant in the present. This tense is appropriate for describing a general characteristic or historical construction method that still holds. Other options are grammatically incomplete or incorrect for this context.

Question 8: Before _____ was first used at Harvard in 1642, the Bachelor of Arts degree was the only one granted by American institutions for 125 years.

Being
When
Its (Correct answer)
It was

Correct answer: Its

The blank requires a possessive pronoun that refers to 'the Bachelor of Arts degree' and implicitly refers to its specific form or designation being used. While 'it was' is a more common and grammatically straightforward construction for a pronoun and verb, 'its' in this context implies 'its [form/designation]' was first used. This elliptical construction, though less common, indicates the degree's specific identity or concept was established at that time.

Question 9: Only half of the Moon's surface is visible from Earth because half of it is illuminated by the Sun.

With more
At most (Correct answer)
Much
Most

Correct answer: At most

The sentence describes the maximum extent of the Moon's surface visible from Earth. 'At most' means 'no more than' or 'a maximum of,' which accurately conveys that the visible portion is half or less. This is consistent with the fact that while half the Moon is illuminated, not all of that illuminated half is always visible from Earth due to phases and perspective. 'Only half' would imply exactly half, which isn't always true.

Question 10: Regional settings are particularly interesting in Constance Fenimore Woolson's novels, _____.

The nineteenth-century writing
Wrote about the nineteenth century
A nineteenth-century writer (Correct answer)
In a nineteenth-century writer

Correct answer: A nineteenth-century writer

The blank requires an appositive phrase to identify or describe Constance Fenimore Woolson, who is mentioned by name. An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. 'A nineteenth-century writer' is a noun phrase that correctly provides this descriptive identification. Other options are either grammatically incorrect as appositives or describe her writing rather than her directly.

Question 11: The Empire State Building, which was constructed in 1931, has actually decreased by six inches.

Because it
Until it was
It was
Since it was (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Since it was

The sentence describes a change ('decreased by six inches') that has occurred over a period of time, starting from a specific past event ('it was built'). The conjunction 'since' is used to introduce a point in time from which an action or state has continued up to the present. Therefore, 'Since it was' correctly establishes the temporal relationship, indicating the decrease began after its construction.

Written Expression Question and Answers 1

Globally, ________ has more than doubled since the early 1950s.