Free College Composition Modular Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the College Composition Modular practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1Which verb correctly completes this sentence? “The violinist and the cellist ___ before every concert.”

   1. A.rehearseCorrect answer: A
   2. B.rehearses
   3. C.is rehearsing
   4. D.has rehearsed

   Explanation: The textbook states, "Compound subjects combined with and take a plural verb form." The two performers form a plural subject, so rehearse agrees. The other choices use singular verb forms.

   Reference: Writing for Success — University of Minnesota — Section 2.2, Compound Subjects, printed p. 66

2. 2A draft paragraph describes how a school garden supplies vegetables to the cafeteria, gives students a place to study insects, and provides compost for science experiments. Which opening sentence best introduces this paragraph?

   1. A.The school garden serves several educational and practical purposes.Correct answer: A
   2. B.The school garden’s main contribution is supplying cafeteria vegetables.
   3. C.The school garden offers science lessons but no practical products.
   4. D.The school garden is chiefly a source of compost for experiments.

   Explanation: The source states, "provides an accurate indication of what will follow in the rest of the paragraph." A encompasses food, insect study, and compost. B/D reduce the focus to one contribution; C denies the food contribution.

   Reference: Writing for Success — University of Minnesota — 6.2, p. 281

3. 3A researcher is studying how residents described a flood as it happened. Which source provides firsthand evidence for that question?

   1. A.A textbook chapter written fifty years later
   2. B.A diary entry written by a resident during the floodCorrect answer: B
   3. C.A recent review of books about the flood
   4. D.A documentary’s summary of several historians’ views

   Explanation: The text defines primary sources as "direct, firsthand sources of information or data." The contemporary diary records a resident’s own experience. The textbook, book review, and historians’ synthesis are later interpretations.

   Reference: Writing for Success — University of Minnesota — 11.4, p. 516

4. 4A relief appeal describes a child waiting in the cold for a safe place to sleep and asks readers to imagine that child as a member of their own family. Which appeal is most prominent?

   1. A.Ethos through professional credentials
   2. B.Pathos through sympathy and family attachmentCorrect answer: B
   3. C.Logos through a cost comparison
   4. D.Kairos through a stated deadline

   Explanation: OpenStax defines pathos as "appeals to feelings and emotions shared by an audience." The appeal invites sympathy and identification with a vulnerable child. It supplies neither credentials, numerical reasoning, nor an explicit timing argument.

   Reference: Writing Guide with Handbook — OpenStax, Rhetorical Strategies — 9.3, Rhetorical Analysis: Key Terms — Rhetorical Appeals

5. 5Which verb agrees with the subject? “Neither the technicians nor the supervisor ___ the missing key.”

   1. A.have
   2. B.hasCorrect answer: B
   3. C.are having
   4. D.were having

   Explanation: The source specifies, "The verb must agree with the subject that is nearest to the verb." Supervisor is nearest and singular, requiring has. The other forms agree with a plural subject.

   Reference: Writing for Success — University of Minnesota — Section 2.2, Compound Subjects, printed p. 66

6. 6An essay draft argues that the city should improve pedestrian safety. One paragraph discusses crossing signals, curb ramps, the mayor’s favorite restaurant, and painted crosswalks. Which detail should the writer remove to improve unity?

   1. A.The discussion of crossing signals
   2. B.The discussion of curb ramps
   3. C.The mayor’s favorite restaurantCorrect answer: C
   4. D.The discussion of painted crosswalks

   Explanation: The text states, "When a piece of writing has unity, all the ideas in each paragraph and in the entire essay clearly belong". Crossing signals, ramps, and crosswalks concern pedestrian access and safety; the restaurant preference has no stated connection to that controlling idea.

   Reference: Writing for Success — University of Minnesota — 8.4, p. 384

7. 7Which source is secondary for a paper analyzing a novelist’s work?

   1. A.The novelist’s original manuscript
   2. B.A letter in which the novelist describes writing a chapter
   3. C.A critic’s essay interpreting the novel’s imageryCorrect answer: C
   4. D.The published novel itself

   Explanation: The book explains, "Secondary sources discuss, interpret, analyze, consolidate, or otherwise rework information from primary sources." The critic interprets the work. The manuscript, author’s letter, and novel supply original material for this research purpose.

   Reference: Writing for Success — University of Minnesota — 11.4, p. 516

8. 8An editorial supports insulating public buildings by comparing installation costs with projected energy savings and calculating a seven-year payback period. Which appeal does that calculation primarily develop?

   1. A.Pathos
   2. B.Kairos
   3. C.LogosCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Ethos

   Explanation: OpenStax describes logos as "credible information—facts, reasons, or examples—presented as evidence". The cost–savings calculation reasons toward an economic conclusion. It primarily offers neither emotional identification, timely opportunity, nor the speaker’s character.

   Reference: Writing Guide with Handbook — OpenStax, Rhetorical Strategies — 9.3, Rhetorical Analysis: Key Terms — Rhetorical Appeals

9. 9Choose the verb for this sentence: “The collection of rare maps ___ in a locked cabinet.”

   1. A.remain
   2. B.have remained
   3. C.remainsCorrect answer: C
   4. D.are remaining

   Explanation: The source explains, "the subject and the verb must still agree." Collection is the subject; of rare maps is an intervening phrase. Remains is singular; the other choices are plural.

   Reference: Writing for Success — University of Minnesota — Section 2.2, Separation of Subjects and Verbs, printed p. 67

10. 10A draft paragraph explains that a new library room offers quiet seating, reliable internet, and longer evening access. Which final sentence best provides a sense of completion?

    1. A.The room’s next improvement should be a reservation system.
    2. B.Together, these features make the room useful for evening study.Correct answer: B
    3. C.The room’s reliable internet deserves an additional technical description.
    4. D.The room’s seating arrangement should now be redesigned completely.

    Explanation: The source states, "draws together all the ideas you have raised in your paragraph." B synthesizes the established benefits. A/D start new recommendations; C starts further development of one detail.

    Reference: Writing for Success — University of Minnesota — 6.2, p. 290