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Guide to Accuplacer Success WHAT’S INSIDE: • Arithmetic Assessment • Algebra Assessment • Reading Comprehension Assessment • Sentence Skill Assessment • NTC Services & Online Study Guides

W elcome Con gratulations on your decision to continue your education – what an exciting jou rney you are embarking on! As a piece of the admission process at No rthcentral Technical Coll ege (NTC), and to ensure you are cu rrent in the skills needed to be successful in your area of stud y, we invite you to complete the Accuplacer assessment which will measure your kn owledge in arithmetic, elementa ry alge bra, reading comprehension and sentence skills. The Accuplace r, a computer based assessment, is not a pass or fail test; rathe r, the results will help dete rmine what classes best fit you and your academic needs. The foll owing pages contain info rmation r egarding Accuplacer scoring, testing regulations, and confidentialit y. Additional ly, you can read through descriptions of each of the testing areas and t ry a f ew sample questions. Be sure to check out the recommended online study guides for additional prep aration materials .1 Special testing accommodations are availa ble for students with documented disabilities. For additional info rmation, please contact the NTC Center for Students with Disabilities at 888.682.7144, ext. 1085. It is our pleasure to assist you in preparing for the Accuplacer assessment. We wish you all the best on Accuplacer and look for ward to seeing you at NTC in the future! – NTC Career Coaches admissions @ntc.edu 1Materials for this guide reprinted by pe rmission from the Accuplacer Online Student Guide at http://ww w.coll egeboard.com/student/testing/accuplacer/ and TestPrepR eview.com at http:// ww w.testprepr eview.com/accuplacer_practice. htm . The Basics Before you can b egin preparing for the Accuplace r, you ’ll want to understand the basics of the assessment. Untimed Assessment Accuplacer is an untimed assessment, meaning (unli ke ACT) you do not need to complete the various sections within a specified time limit. Take your time and real ly think through the an swers. This is not a race. There are no prizes for being the first to complete the test and no penalties for being the last one to le ave the room. General ly students who ta ke longer to complete the test obtain higher scores. Administe red by Computer As opposed to a standard pape r-pencil test, the Accuplacer is conducted online via a compute r. With pape r-pencil tests you typical ly h ave the oppo rtunity to bypass questions and come back to them late r. With Accuplacer you will need to an swer each question at the time it is presented. This is another reason you will want to ta ke your time and real ly think through the questions. Accuplacer o ffers a thorough tutorial on h ow to use the computer functions to complete the test if you would li ke to enhance your comfo rt with taking the assessment online. The tutorial is prom pted for you to use prior to loading your assessment. Multiple Choice There are no ess ay or long -answer questions. Each question will h ave three to four multiple choice an swers from which to choose. Adaptive Exam You will be presented with a question you must an swer before a n ew question will appea r. Once you h ave submitted an an swer, a n ew question will be pulled from a bank of 120 possi ble questions. You m ay not skip questions, nor can you retu rn to a question pr evious ly answered. For this reason, questions should be considered careful ly before an swers are submitted. Immediate Results Your Accuplacer score is dete rmined by the number of questions you answered correct ly and the difficulty level of the questions. Immediate ly after you h ave completed testing, your Total Right Score and Percentile Rank will be displ ayed on the computer screen. Unli ke ACT, you do not need to wait for your test results to a rrive in the mail.

1 Accuplacer Success ntc.edu a. 368.573 b. 210.536299 c. 109.41539 d. 99.9975 e. 80.8769543 Sco re Reporting When you h ave completed testing, you will be pr ovided with a printout of your scores similar to the foll owing: Test Results Date Sco re Percentile Arithmetic 01/01/2020 80 83 Elementa ry Algebra 01/01/2020 100 87 Reading Comprehension 01/01/2020 107 90 Sentence Skills 01/01/2020 113 91 The “Score” sh ows h ow ma ny of the questions you could expect to an swer co rrect ly if you took a test that consisted of 120 questions. The “ Percentile” compares your score with the scores of typical students entering coll ege who completed tests composed of similar questions. For example, a Percentile of 90 means your score is equal to or higher than those of 90 percent of the students who completed the test. Your scores or percentiles will be evaluated and compared to the admissi on guidelines for your pr ogram of interest. If you are testing at your home high school, contact your NTC Career Coach to discuss your scores and plan your n ext step in the admission process. If you ta ke your assessment on the NTC campus, you will be i nvited to meet with someone immediate ly after completing your test. Confidentiality Your test scores and info rmation you pr ovide when taking the test will be used by NTC for counseling and admission pu rposes. It m ay also be used by NTC for research pu rposes. Your test info rmation will not be used for a ny other reason without your pe rmission. If the data is used for research pu rposes, special precautions will be ta ken to ensure your identity is kept confidential. Co re Tests Depending on your pr ogram of interest, you m ay complete Accuplacer in one, some, or all of the core test areas: arithmetic, algebra, reading comprehension, and/or sentence skills. Once you h ave submitted an application for admission we will advise which tests you need to compl ete. Please note for the math tests a calculator m ay appear on the screen for you to use on some questions. That is the on ly calculator all owed. Scratch paper will be pr ovided by the Testing Center for use during the test and will be collected at the end of the exam session. Textbooks, notebooks, dictionaries, or other papers of a ny kind are not all owed. Arithmetic Assessment The arithmetic test measures a student ’s ability to perfo rm basic arithmetic operations and then sol ve pro blems that involve fundamental arithmetic concepts. It consists of seventeen questions from the foll owing three content areas: • Whole Numbers and Fractions - Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and d ivision with whole numbers - Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and d ivision with fractions - Rec ognizing equ ivalent fractions and mi xed numbers - Estimating • Decimals and Percents - Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and d ivision with decimals - Percent pro blems - Rec ognition of decimals - Fraction and percent equ ivalencies - Estimating pro blems • Applications and Pro blem Solving - Rate - Percent - Measurement pro blems - Simple geomet ry - Distri bution of quantity into fractional pa rts Questions from all three cat egories are a lways presented to the student, although the number of questions from each cat ego ry varies with the student ’s skill l evel. For example, if the student ’s responses sh ow minimal arithmetic skills, presenting too ma ny applications pro blems is pointless. On the other han d, a student exhibiting good skil ls with whole numbers and fractions will be presented with more of these types of pro blems. Thus, the po rtion of questions in the various cat egories will automatical ly vary according to the student ’s responses. Try a f ew sample questions. An swers are located in the back of the book. 1. 0.98 + 45.102 + 32.3333 + 31 + 0.00009 2. Find 0.12 ÷ 1 a. 12 b. 1.2 c. .12 d. .012 e. .0012

ntc.edu 2 Accuplacer Success a. 12 b. 15 c. 24 d. 28 e. 36 a. 2.4 b. 5.3 c. 6.2 d. 7.3 e. 7.5 a. 5, 7, 9, 11 b. 7, 9, 11, 13 c. 9, 11, 13, 15 d. 11, 13, 15, 17 e. 13, 15, 17, 19 a. 64 b. -84 c. 65 d. -75 e. -66 a. 72 b. 96 c. 108 d. 112 e. 124 a. 4.1 b. .41 c. .041 d. .0041 e. .00415 a. 1/10 b. 1/12 c. 1/14 d. 1/15 e. 1/16 a. 1, 1 b. 6, 36 c. 8, 64 d. 10, 100 e. 11, 144 a. 6/8 b. 9/12 c. 12/18 d. 21/28 e. 27/36 a. 0 b. 1 c. 2.33 3. (9÷3) x (8÷4) = a. 1 b. 6 c. 72 d. 576 e. 752 4. 7.95 ÷ 1.5 = 9. There are 12 more apples than oranges in a bas ket of 36 apples and oranges. How ma ny apples are in the bas ket? 10. Which of the foll owing correct ly identifies 4 consecut ive odd int egers where the sum of the middle two int egers is equal to 24? 5. (-37) + ( -47) equals: 11. What is the n ext number in the sequence? 6, 12, 24, 48, . 6. 41% equals 7. Describe the foll owing sequence in mathematical terms. 144, 72, 36, 18, 9 a. Descending arithmetic sequence b. Ascending arithmetic sequence c. Descending geometric sequence d. Ascending geometric sequence e. Miscellaneous sequence 8. Which of the foll owing is not a whole number foll owed by its square? 12. Which of the foll owing numbers could be described in the foll owing way: an int eger that is a natural, rational and whole number? d. -3 e. none of the ab ove 13. 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, . 14. Which of the foll owing is not a fraction equ ivalent to 3/4?

ntc.edu 3 Accuplacer Success 15. Sol ve: 0.25 + 0.65 a. 1/2 b. 9/10 c. 4/7 d. 2/9 e. 5/16 16. Find the square of 25/9 a. 5/3 b. 3/5 c. 7 58/81 d. 15/2 e. 650/81 17. There are 8 ounces in a 1/2 pound. H ow ma ny ounces are in 7 3/4 lbs? a. 12 ounces b. 86 ounces c. 119 ounces d. 124 ounces e. 128 ounces 18. Whic h of the foll owin g fraction s is the equ ivalen t of 0.5% ? a. 1/20 b. 1/200 c. 1/2000 d. 1/5 e. 1/500 19. Which of these numbers is a factor of 21? a. 2 b. 5 c. 7 d. 42 e. 44 20.) If the average person drinks eight 8 oz glasses of water per d ay, a person who drinks 12.8 oz of water after a mo rning exercise session has consumed what fraction of the dai ly average? 21. You need 4/5 cups of water for a recipe. You accidental ly put 1/3 cups into the mixing b owl with the dry in gredients. H ow much more water in cups do you need to add? a. 1/3 cups b. 2/3 cups c. 1/15 cups d. 7/15 cups e. 7/16 cups 22. 3/4 - 1/4 = a. 1/4 b. 1/3 c. 1/2 d. 2/3 e. 2/5 23. 7 1/2 - 5 3/8 = a. 1 1/2 b. 1 2/3 c. 2 1/8 d. 3 1/4 e. 3 24. Art realized he had 2 more qua rters than he had original ly thought in his poc ket. If all of the change in his poc ket is qua rters and it totals $8.75, h ow ma ny qua rters did he original ly think were in his poc ket? a. 27 b. 29 c. 31 d. 33 e. 35 a. 1/3 b. 1/5 c. 1/7 d. 1/9 e. 1/10

ntc.edu 4 Accuplacer Success a. $240 b. $480 c. $720 d. $960 e. $1,200 Algebra Assessment The elementa ry algebra test measures a student ’s ability to perfo rm basic algebraic operations and to sol ve pro blems that i nvolve elementa ry algebraic concepts. During the algebra test, the student will rece ive t welve questions from the foll owing content areas: • Int egers and Rationals - Computation with int egers and n egative rationals - Absolute values - Ordering • Algebraic Expressions - Evaluation of simple fo rmulas and expressions - Adding, subtracting, multip lying and d ividing monomials and po lynomials - Evaluation of posit ive rational roots and exponents - Simplifying algebraic fractions - Factoring • Equations, Inequalities and Word Pro blems - Linear equations and inequalities - Solution of quadratic equations by factoring - Solving verbal pro blems presented in algebraic cont ext - Geometric reasoning and graphing - Translation of written phrases into algebraic expressions Questions from all three cat egories are a lways presented to the student, although the number of questions from each cat ego ry varies with the student ’s skill l evel. Algebra Practice Questions Try a f ew sample questions. An swers are located in the back of the book. 1. If Lynn can type a page in p minutes, what piece of the page can she do in 5 minutes? a. 5/p b. p - 5 c. p + 5 d. p/5 e. 1 - p + 5 2. If Sal ly can paint a house in 4 hours, and John can paint the same house in 6 hours, h ow long will it ta ke for both of them to paint the house together? a. 2 hours and 24 minutes b. 3 hours and 12 minutes c. 3 hours and 44 minutes d. 4 hours and 10 minutes e. 4 hours and 33 minutes 3. Empl oyees of a discount appliance store rece ive an additional 20% o ff of the l owest price on an item. If an empl oyee purchases a dish washer during a 15% o ff sale, h ow much will he p ay if the dish washer original ly cost $450? a. $280.90 b. $287.00 c. $292.50 d. $306.00 e. $333.89 4. The sale price of a car is $12,590, which is 20% o ff the original price. What is the original price? a. $14,310.40 b. $14,990.90 c. $15,290.70 d. $15,737.50 e. $16,935.80 5. Sol ve the foll owing equation for A: 2A/3 = 8 + 4A a. -2.4 b. 2.4 c. 1.3 d. -1.3 e. 0 6. If Leah is 6 years older than her siste r, Sue, and John is 5 years older than Leah, and the total of their ages is 41, then h ow hold is Sue? a. 8 b. 10 c. 14 d. 19 e. 21 7. Alfred wants to i nvest $4,000 at 6% simple interest for 5 years. H ow much interest will he rece ive? 8. Jim is a ble to sell a hand -carved statue for $670 which was a 35% profit over his cost. How much did the statue original ly cost him? a. $496.30 b. $512.40 c. $555.40 d. $574.90 e. $588.20

ntc.edu 5 Accuplacer Success a. $57 b. $90 c. $104 d. $112 e. $122 a. 2.7 b. 2.8 c. 3.0 d. 3.1 e. 3.2 a. 12 b. 25 c. 33 d. 47 e. 86 a. $120.25 b. $160.75 c. $173.75 d. $180.00 e. $182.50 a. $5.20 b. $7.35 c. $13.40 d. $19.95 e. $21.25 c. 12 a. $3,225 d. 13 b. $4,350 e. 16 c. $5,375 d. $6,550 9. The city council has decided to add a 0.3% tax on motel and hotel rooms. If a tr aveler spends the night in a motel room that costs $55 before ta xes, h ow much will th ey city rece ive in ta xes from him? a. 10 cents b. 11 cents c. 15 cents d. 17 cents e. 21 cents 10. A student rece ives his grade repo rt from a local community coll ege, but the G PA is smudged. He took the foll owing classes: a 2 credit a rt, a 3 credit histo ry, a 4 credit science, a 3 credit math, and a 1 credit science lab. He rece ived a B in a rt, A in histo ry, C in science, B in math, and an A in science la b. What was his G PA if the letter grades are based on a 4 point scale? (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0) 14. If 300 jel lybeans cost you x dollars, h ow ma ny jel lybeans can you purchase for 50 cents at the same rate? a. 150/x b. 150x c. 6x d. x/6 e. 1500x 15. Lee worked 22 hours this week and made $132. If she works 15 hours n ext week at the same p ay rate, h ow much will she ma ke? 16. If 8x + 5x + 4x +2x = 114, then 5x + 3 = 11. Simon arrived at work at 8:15 am and left work at 10:30 pm. If Simon gets paid by the hour at a rate of $10 and time and 1/2 for any hours worked over 8 in a day, h ow much did Simon get paid? 17. You need to purchase a textbook for nursing school. The book cost $80.00, and the sales tax where you are purchasing the book is 8.25%. You h ave $100. H ow much change will you rece ive back? 12. Grace has 16 jel lybeans in her poc ket. She has 8 red ones, 4 green ones, and 4 blue ones. What is the minimum number of jel lybeans she must ta ke out of her poc ket to ensure that she has one of each color? a. 4 b. 8 18. You purchase a car making a down payment of $3,000 and 6 month ly p ayments of $225. H ow much h ave you paid so far for the car? 13. If r = 5z and 15z = 3 y, then r = a. y b. 2y c. 5y d. 10y e. 15y e. $6,390

ntc.edu 6 Accuplacer Success a. 300 of t wo prima ry types: b. c. 459 648 • Consists of a reading passage foll owed by a question based on the passage. Both sho rt and long na rrat ives d. 999 are pr ovided. The reading passages can also be e. 1099 processing require d, including explicit statements 19. Your supe rvisor inst ructs you to purchase 240 pens and 6 staplers for the nurse ’s station. Pens are purchased in sets of 6 for $2.35 per pack. Staplers are sold in set of 2 for $12.95. H ow much will purchasing these products cost? a. $132.85 b. $145.75 c. $162.90 d. $225.25 e. $226.75 20. If y = 3, then y3(y3-y) = Reading Comp rehension Assessment The reading comprehension test measures a student ’s ability to understand what he/she has read. There are five content areas on this test: • Identifying Main Ideas • Direct Statements and Seconda ry Ideas • Inferences • Applications • Sentence Relationships Examinees are presented with a series of t wenty questions classified according to the kind of info rmation related to the main ideas, explicit statements related to a seconda ry idea, application, and inference. • Sentence relationships – presents t wo sentences foll owed by a question about the relationship bet ween these t wo sentences. The question m ay ask, for example, if the statement in the second sentence suppo rts that in the first, if it contradicts it, or if it repeats the same info rmation. MAIN IDEA In order to become a better and faster reade r, rec ognizing the main idea is the most impo rtant skill you can d evelop. Think of the main idea as an “umbrella” idea. It is the author ’s prima ry point about a topic. All other material in the para graph fits under the main idea. In a para graph, authors often present the main idea to readers in a single sentence called the topic sentenc e. Consider this example: TV violence a ffects people in n egative ways. Frequent TV watchers are more fearful and suspicious of others. He avy TV watchers are less upset about real -life violence than non -TV watchers. TV violence increases ag gress ive beh avior in children. You will see the word topic used in t wo di fferent ways. First, topic can be used general ly to mean the subject of the reading. Secon d, it can be used as a pa rt of the phrase, topic sentence . In this example, the first sentence tells the reader the general subject, or topic, of the passage. The second sentence is the topic sentenc e, and in this case also g ives the author ’s main idea. This sentence tells the reader what the passage is about and g ives the main point the author is making.

ntc.edu 7 Accuplacer Success SUPPO RTING DE TAILS Suppo rting details are reasons, examples, steps, or other kinds of factual evidence that explain a main idea. Consider this example: Main idea: Our g overnment should phase out the pen ny in the econo my. Suppo rting detail 1: Pennies take up mo re space than th ey are worth. Suppo rting detail 2: Pennies a re a nuisance to the business communit y. Suppo rting detail 3: Pennies cost the nation as a whol e. In this case the suppo rting details g ive reasons to suppo rt the main idea. RECOGNIZING IMPLIED AND STA TED IDEAS Sometimes a selection lacks a topic sentence, but that does not mean it lacks a main idea. The author has simp ly decided to let the details of the selection suggest the main idea. You must figure out what that implied main idea is by deciding upon the point all of the details ma ke when th ey are all added t ogethe r. Passages that imp ly an idea give suppo rting details first. The reader must extrapolate (or ma ke an “educated” guess) in order to understand the main idea. In these so rts of passages the main idea is the general statement that all of the details ma ke when th ey are considered as a whole. The main idea must be general enough that all of the details fit into it. Consider this example: 1. The smaller a group is, the more oppo rtunities we h ave to get to kn ow other people well and to esta blish close ties with them. 2. Two-person groups are the setting for ma ny of our most intense and influential relationships. 3. In three -person groups, coalitions become possi ble, with two members joining force a gainst a third membe r. 4. Five-person groups are la rge enough so that people feel they can express their emotions free ly and even risk antagonizing one anothe r, yet th ey are small enough so that members sh ow r egard for one another ’s feelings and needs. Which statement best expresses the unstated main idea of the ab ove sentences? a. Two-person groups are an impo rtant pa rt of our l ives. b. A five-person group is better than a two-person group c. The number of people in a g roup affects relationships within the g roup. d. Groups pl ay a central pa rt in every human act ivit y, within fami ly, the workplace, and the g overnment. Explanation: a. An swer a is too na rrow to be the implied idea. It is based on on ly one of the four suppo rting details, statement 1. b. An swer b c overs on ly statements 2 and 4; therefore it is too na rrow to be the implied main idea. In addition, it is a conclusion that is not based on the g iven facts, which say nothing about one group a lways being better than anothe r. c. An swer c is a general statement about the number of people in a group and h ow that number a ffects a group. It is illustrated by all four of the suppo rting details. So an swer c is the implied main idea. d. An swer d is t rue, but it is not what the suppo rting details are about. The suppo rting details do not address the pa rt that groups pl ay in societ y. If you have trou ble focusing in on an implied main idea, remember that finding the topic may help. For instance, you proba bly soon realized that the topic of the suppo rting ideas ab ove is the number of people in a group. Then you could h ave as ked yourself, “What are the suppo rting details s aying about the number of people in a group?” As you thought about the four statements, you would try to find a point about the number of people in a group that is general enough to cover all of the specific details. UNDERS TANDING REL ATIONSHIPS TH AT INVO LVE ADDITION AND TIME To help readers understand the main points, authors use t wo common methods to sh ow relationships among ideas and to ma ke ideas clea r. These t wo methods are transitions and patte rns of o rganization. Transitions are words or phrases that sh ow relationships bet ween ideas. Two fo rms of transition are words that sh ow: • addition, contrast, exception • time or sequence Addition words tell you that writers are adding to their thoughts. The writers are present ing one or more ideas that continue along the same line of thought as a pr evious idea. Addition words include: fu rthe rmore, additional ly, n ext, in addition, etc.. Contrast words sh ow di fferences bet ween t wo or more items being compared. Contrast words include: on the other han d, in contrast, despite. Exception words point out an unusual or unique feature of one item that is otherwise pa rt of the same main cat ego ry. Exception words include: h owever, n evertheless, with the exception of, in the case of. Time words pr ovide chronol ogical o rganization to writing. Time words include: late r, during a specific time period

ntc.edu 8 Accuplacer Success such as a decade, a year, a month, a week, or a centu ry (e.g. the 90s, the nineteenth centu ry). Sequential words pr ovide step -by-step o rganization to writing. Sequential words include next, first, secon d, afte r, before. UNDERS TANDING REL ATIONSHIPS TH AT INVO LVE ILLUSTR ATION, COM PARISON OR CONTRAS T, AND CAUSE AND EFFECT Illustration is one method of clarifying our ideas. Writers often use examples and illustrations introduced by a phrase such as for example or for instance to demonstrate the point they are t rying to ma ke. Which of these t wo statements is easier to understand? 1. Even very young children can do household chores. Th ey can run a duster along baseboards or fold napkins for dinne r. 2. Even very young children can do household chores. For instance, th ey can run a duster along baseboards or fold a napkin for dinne r. The second item is easier to understand because the phrase “For instance” tells the reader that there is a relationship bet ween the first and second sentence. The second sentence offers an example of the point the author ma kes in the first sentence. COM PARISON AND CONTRAS T: Comparison sh ows similarities. Contrast sh ows di fferences. Writers often use comparison and contrast t ogether as a way of explaining and/or ana lyzing the relationship bet ween or among items, ideas, or people. Consider the relationship among these sentences as an example of h ow comparison and contrast can be used together and notice the role that the underlined transitions play in making this relationship clear to the reader: 1. Ad vertising is pa rt of the strat egy manu facturers use to sell their products 2. Manu facturers use ad vertising as a way to ad vertise esta blished products as well as new products. 3. New products are general ly ad vertised different ly from esta blished products. 4. New products are often introduced with “info rmational” advertising telling what the products are, why th ey are neede d, and where th ey are availa ble. 5. Esta blished products, on the other han d, can re ly on “reminder” ad vertisements, which pr ovide little hard info rmation about the product. The first sentence of this para graph gives the general, or main, idea. The second sentence uses “as well as” to signal that the writer is sh owing a similarity bet ween the way new and esta blished products are ad vertised. The word “di fferent ly” in the third sentence and “on the other hand” in the fifth sentence shows that the writer is also showing differences in the way these t wo types of products are advertised. Cause/E ffect Info rmation that falls into a cause -effect patte rn addresses itself to the questions “W hy does an event happen?” and “What are the results of an event?” Often authors t ry to tell about events in a way that explains both what happened and why. Consider how this passage reflects the relationship bet ween cause and e ffect: In 1970 about sixty small and medium -sized factories in the United States adopted a fou r-day work week. According to the plan, workers work fo rty hours but instead of the usual five-day week, they now work on ly four days. Workers are enthusiastic about the three -day week ly vacation. According to management, product ivity has increased about 18% since the inception of the n ew plan. Absenteeism has dropped by 69% and lateness is almost non -existent. What are the e ffects being discussed in this passage? a. sho rter work weeks b. sixty small and medium -sized factories decided to t ry the fou r-day work week c. the s eventies were a time of change d. inc reased p roduct ivity and dec reases in absenteeism and ta rdiness Explanation: a. An swer a g ives the topic of the passage but does not discuss cause or e ffect. b. An swer b explains who was i nvolved in this experiment, but does not sh ow a cause/e ffect relationship. c. An swer c is t rue, but is not discussed in this passage. d. An swer d explains the results of the fou r-day work week. TONE A writer ’s tone r eveals the attitude he or she has t oward a subject. Tone is expressed through the words and details the author selects. Just as a spea ker’s voice can project a range of feelings, a writer ’s voice can project one or more tones, or feelings: ange r, sympat hy, hopefulness, sadness, respect, disli ke and so on. Understanding tone is then an impo rtant part of understanding what an author has written. To illustrate the di fference a writer can express in tone, consider the foll owing commen ts made by workers in a fast food restaurant:

ntc.edu 9 Accuplacer Success “I hate this jo b. The customers are rude, the managers are idiots, and the food smells li ke d og ch ow.” ( Tone: bitte r, angry.) “I have no doubt that flipping burgers and toasting buns will prepare me for a top position on Wall Street .” ( Tone: mocking, sarcast ic.) “I l ove working at Bu rger Ba rn. I meet interesting people, earn extra mon ey, and get to eat all the chic ken nuggets I want when I go on break .” (Tone: enthusiastic, posit ive.) Words that express tone reflect a feeling or judgment. Some words that describe tone include: amuse d, an gry, ashame d, praising, and excited. Reading Practice Test The foll owing contains 20 questions and a section with Reading St rategies that pr ovides explanations of all pro blems included on the test. An swers are located in the back of this book. 1. ANSWER E ACH OF THE 20 QUESTIONS 2. SCORE YOUR TEST WITH THE KEY TH AT IS PROVIDED AND E VAL UATE YOUR SCORE USING THE SCALE. 3. IF YOU SCORED LESS THAN 70%, USE THE SECTIONS F ROM THE READING STR ATEGIES SECTIO N, IN PARENTHESES, FOLL OWING THE CORRECT ANSWERS ON THE KEY TO REVIEW THE QUESTIONS YOU MISSE D. 4. AFTER YOU H AVE COMPLETED THE REVIE W, TAKE THE TEST AGAIN 1. Read the statements bel ow and then choose the best answer to the question from the list of lettered choices that foll ows. Sometimes when we don ’t get enough sleep we become very sho rt-tempered. It is impo rtant to set a time to go to bed that is realistic. How are these t wo sentences related? a. The first sentence explains the meaning of the second. b. The second sentence explains why a lack of sleep affects us. c. The second sentence contradicts the first. d. The second sentence proposes a solution. 2. Read the statements bel ow and then choose the best answer to the question from the list of lettered choices that foll ows. Most people collect Star Wars toys for sentimental reasons. Some people collect them strict ly to ma ke mon ey. What is the relationship bet ween the t wo sentences? a. cause & e ffect b. contrast c. repetition d. statement & example 3. An swer the question based on what is stated or implied. There are t wo kinds of j ewelry that I do. There is commercial j ewelry— class rings, necklaces, the kinds of things most people wear. I sell these items to meet my expenses for r aw materials, supplies, and to ma ke my living. The othe r, more creat ive work I do ma kes me feel that I am d eveloping as a craftsperson. The author of this passage implies that: a. artists are poo r. b. there is no mar ket for creat ive work. c. rings and necklaces can not be creat ive. d. commercial and creat ive work fulfill different needs for the a rtist. 4. Read the passage bel ow and choose the one organizational patte rn from the lettered choices foll owing the passage that best describes the way the autho r o rganized this para graph. Did you kn ow that the U.S. postal se rvice handles 40% of the world ’s mail volume? Japan is the second la rgest carrier of cards and letters, but it handles on ly 8% of the world ’s mail. Perhaps the reason that the U.S. handles such a la rge volume of mail is the la rge number of personal letters American citizens write. Personal letters do not require a strict fo rmat, but th ey do h ave a f ew guidelines. The date should be written at the top of the lette r, either in the center or in the right -hand co rner. The salutation, “Dear ,” should b egin the letter and should be foll owed by a comma instead of a colon which is used in the salutation of a business lette r. The body of the letter should sound li ke you and s ay the things you intend to s ay. Unli ke in a business lette r, you can use slang words, dashes, smil ey faces, sentence fragments, and other kinds of casual fo rms of communication. Closings for personal letters are also a matter of personal preference. While a business letter requires you to use more fo rmal closings such as “Sincere ly,” “R egards ,” or “Best Wishes ,” a personal letter can end with more casual phrases such as “Late r,” “ Talk to you Soon ,” or “B ye.” As with the rest of the lette r, the closing should express your own feelings. a. Cause and E ffect b. Example c. Comparison and Contrast d. Humor

ntc.edu 10 Accuplacer Success 5. Read the statements bel ow and then choose the best answer to the question from the list of lettered choices that foll ows. Jen ny does not li ke ca ke. She does not li ke to ba ke it, to ice it, or to eat it. What does the second sentence do? a. It states the cause of the first. b. It emphasizes what is stated in the first. c. It compares the three things Jen ny does not li ke about cake. d. It dr aws a conclusion about Jen ny. 6. Read the sentences bel ow and then choose the best answer to the question from the list of lettered choices that foll ows. When we write a check that we kn ow is going to “bounce ,” we are in fact perfo rming a criminal act. It is a crime to kn owing ly write a “hot” check, one we kn ow we don ’t have sufficient funds to cover. What does the second statement do? a. It provides suppo rting evidence for the first statement. b. It draws a conclusion from the first sentence. c. It restates the central idea of the first sentence. d. It pr ovides a contradicto ry point of vi ew. 7. Read the statements bel ow and then choose the best answer to the question from the list of lettered choices that foll ows. The n ew Dance Tunes CD has pr oved to be very popula r. It has sold 80,000 copies over the last year. How are these t wo sentences related? a. The first sentence explains the meaning of the second. b. The second sentence explains why the CD is popula r. c. The second sentence provides evidence of the first. d. The first sentence contradicts the second. 8. Read the passage bel ow and then choose the best an swer to the question from the list of lettered choices that foll ows. Before the i nvention of automobiles and ai rplanes, travel was a sl ow process. When tr aveling long distances families would be out of communication until the travelers reached their destination. Sometimes people lost touch with each other pe rmanent ly. The author would most li kely continue the passage with which of the foll owing sentences? a. Ad vances in communication h ave helped tr avelers stay in communication. b. Ai rplanes ma ke tr avel more fun. c. Dr iving a car helps families st ay in touch. d. Cars can be used to tr avel comfo rtably. 9. Read the passage bel ow and then choose the best an swer to the question from the list of lettered choices that foll ows. Scuba d iving is the most exhilarating experience I h ave ever had. The first time I went, the dark mi rror of the water bec koned me to drop from the side of the boat. I jumped feet first and entered a bright ly colored world populated with fish, plants, and objects I had never dreamed of. Which of the foll owing best describes the mood of the author after h aving this experience? a. Bored b. Anxious c. Excited d. Serene 10. Read the passage bel ow and then choose the best an swer to the question from the list of lettered choices that foll ows. Did you kn ow that a half -gallon milk container holds about $50.00 in pennies? While all i nvestment counselors realize that we must accumulate mon ey in order to s ave, most recommend di fferent kinds of investments for people who are in di fferent stages of life. Older i nvestors, those with limited funds to i nvest, or people with greater financial and fami ly commitments, should ta ke f ewer risks. Younge r, healthie r, and unma rried i nvestors can a fford to venture into the unkn own. Which of the foll owing best describes the main idea of this passage? a. A pen ny s aved is a pen ny ea rned. b. Our ages and stage of life are pa rt of what dete rmines the i nvestments that are best for us. c. Old people h ave the most mon ey. d. Young people should concentrate on collecting pennies. 11. Read the passage bel ow and then choose the best an swer to the question. An swer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in this passage. Experienced t ruck drivers often tr avel in a co nvoy— a group of t rucks that are tr aveling to the same pa rt of the count ry. Co nvoys can help t ruckers to st ay ale rt.

ntc.edu 11 Accuplacer Success The author implies that professional long -distance t ruck drivers m ay avoid tr aveling alone because: a. they might dr ive too fast. b. they want to a rrive before a nyone else. c. accidents happen more frequent ly to lone t ruck drivers than to car dr ivers who tr avel alone. d. long -distance tr avel can cause dr owsiness. 12. Read the passage bel ow and then choose the best an swer to the question. Huge beasts such as the dinosaur h ave n ever real ly become extinct. Mothra, a giant cate rpillar who later becomes a moth, destr oys Tokyo and stars in the 1962 Japanese film named for him. Mothra is bo rn, dies, and is rebo rn r egular ly on classic m ovie channels. In Japan Mothra is one of the most popular films ever made. Mothra has su rvived the creation of more cu rrent sca ry creatures such as giant apes, extrate rrestrial beings and swamp creatures. More than 30 years af ter his creation, Mothra still l ives. The main subject of the passage is: a. the reasons that fads do not endure. b. the lasting appeal of Mothra. c. the difficulty of mar keting good ho rror movies. d. old models for creatures are still used because making n ew monsters is expens ive. 13. Two underlined sentences are foll owed by a question or statement. Read the sentences and then choose the best an swer to the question or the best completion of the statement. Anxious to ensure that America would depa rt from European traditions r egarding religion and r oyalt y, the ear ly U.S. could be described as a place that focused more on work than on the ente rtainment o ffered by spectacle and ceremo ny in the Old World. However, national celebrations such as the lighting of the White House Christmas Tree and the ceremonies used to swear in new federal officials give the American people some experiences that are based upon national tradition. What does the second sentence do? a. It cancels the meaning of the first sentence. b. It provides an example of the first sentence. c. It adds more detail to the first sentence. d. It o ffers an exception to the info rmation g iven in the first sentence. 14. Read the foll owing passage and choose the best an swer to the question. The Ea rth’s past climate — including temperature and elements in the atmosphere — has recent ly been studied by ana lyzing ice samples from Greenland and Antarctica. The air bub bles in the ice h ave sh own that, over the past 160,000 years, there has been a close correlation bet ween temperature changes and l evel of natural greenhouse gases carbon di oxide and methane. One recent ana lysis from Greenland sh owed that at the end of the last glacial period ( when the great ice sheets began to retreat to their present position), temperatures in southe rn Greenland rose from 5 to 7 d egrees in about 100 years. Air bub bles are not the on ly method of dete rmining characteristics of the Ea rth’s ancient climate histo ry. Ana lysis of dust l ayers from an cient volcanic act ivity is another such metho d, as is the study of ice cores, which inte rpret past solar act ivity that m ay h ave a ffected our climate. This passage states that: a. the Greenhouse e ffect is destr oying the planet ’s atmosphere. b. temperatures in Greenland h ave been unusual ly sta ble over the past 100 years. c. there is more than one kind of info rmation that scientists can use to dete rmine the characteristics of the Ea rth’s ear ly climate. d. solar ene rgy is the wave of the future. 15. Two passages are foll owed by a question or statement. Read the passages and choose the best an swer to the question. Before video cameras were wide ly use d, home and business owners had to re ly on ly on written repo rts and photos as a way to document their valua bles for insu rance pu rposes. This fo rm of documentation was difficult for some insurance poli cy holders. Th ey found it was easy to lose lists, fo rget to add n ew items th ey purchase d, or delete items th ey no longer had. As a result, these insurance i nventories were often inaccurate. While video taping is not an option for every home or business owne r, this kind of insurance documentation is helpful for some. How are these passages related? a. Th ey repeat the same idea. b. Th ey contradict one anothe r. c. Th ey compare t wo fo rms of written documentation. d. Th ey present a pro blem and a solution. 16. Two underlined sentences are foll owed by a question. Read the sentences and choose the best an swer to the question.

ntc.edu 12 Accuplacer Success Pu blic speaking is very di fferent from everyd ay conversation. First of all, speeches are much more structured than a typical info rmal discussion. How are these sentences related? a. Sentence t wo o ffers suppo rt for the statement made in the first sentence. b. Sentence t wo contradicts the statement made in the first sentence. c. Sentence two shows an exception to the first sentence d. Sentence t wo compares t wo kinds of speeches. 17. Read the passages bel ow. An swer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in these passages. French p hysicist Charles Fab ry found ozone gas in the atmosphere in 1913. At room temperature, ozone is a colorless gas; it condenses to a dark blue liquid at -170° F. At temperatures ab ove the boiling point of wate r, 212° F, it decomposes. Ozone is all around us. After a thundersto rm or around electrical equipment, ozone is often detected as a sha rp odo r. Ozone is used as a strong oxidizing agent, a bleaching agent, and to sterilize drinking wate r. This gas is also high ly react ive. For example, rubber insulation around a car ’s spark plug wires will need to be replaced eventual ly, due to the small amounts of ozone produced when electricity flows from the engine to the plug. These passages imp ly that: a. Ozone is the result of pollution. b. High ozone l evels in the atmosphere will cause la rge numbers of people to buy n ew car batteries. c. Ozone has no practical uses. d. Ozone is a natural pa rt of the Ea rth’s atmosphere. 18. Read the passages bel ow. An swer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in these passages. Ma ny people who h ave come close to death from drowning, cardiac a rrest or other causes h ave described nea r-death experiences — profoun d, subject ive events that sometimes result in dramatic changes in values, beliefs, beh avio r, and attitudes t oward life and death. These experiences often include a n ew clarity of thinking, a feeling of well being, a sense of being out of the bod y, and visions of bright light or mystical encounters. Such experiences h ave been repo rted by an estimated 30 to 40 percent of hospital patients who were r evived after coming close to death and about 5 percent of adult Americans in a nationwide poll. Nea r-death experiences have been explained as a response to a perce ived threat of death (a psychol ogical theo ry); as a result of biol ogical states that accompa ny the process of dying (a p hysiol ogical theo ry); and as a foretaste of an actual state of bliss after death (a transcendental theo ry). The prima ry pu rpose of this passage is to: a. ente rtain b. persuade c. info rm d. express disbelief in the afterlife 19. Read the passages bel ow. An swer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in these passages. In most cases little birds l ay little eggs. The kiwi is an astonishing exception to this rule — it is a smallish bi rd that lays a big egg. The kiwi, a flightless bird found in New Zealan d, weighs about four pounds, and its egg weighs, beli eve it or not, about one pound. That is one - fou rth of the bird ’s body weight! If an ostrich laid an egg that was in the same propo rtion to the ostrich as the kiwi egg is to the kiwi, an ostrich egg would weigh a whopping seventy -five pounds instead of the usual three pounds. Which statement bel ow best describes the o rganizational method used in this passage? a. description b. comparison /contrast. c. chronol ogical d. cause/e ffect 20. Read the passages bel ow. An swer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in these passages. The rise in personal debt in recent years is due la rgely to ag gress ive and un warranted hustling by credit -card companies. Bet ween 1990 and 1996, credit card debt dou bled. Tod ay it is still rising. Credit cards with interest rates reaching near ly 20 percent are a remarka bly lucrat ive part of the loan business. Debtors p ay an average of $1,000 a year in i nterest and fees alone, mon ey that could instead h ave been used for a coll ege or retirement fund. Using subtle tactics to tempt un wary consumers to bo rrow, credit -card companies h ave led consumers to hold more cards and to fork over a bigger and bigger fraction of their income to the companies. Which statement best reflects the organization used in this passage? a. cause/e ffect b. comparison/contrast c. description d. explanation

ntc.edu 13 Accuplacer Success Sentence Skills Assessment The sentence skills test measures a student ’s understanding of sentence st ructure --- how sentences are put t ogether and what ma kes a sentence complete and clea r. There are three content areas measured on this test: • Rec ognizing Complete Sentences • Coordination and Subordination • Clear Sentence L ogic Each student rece ives t wenty sentence skills items of t wo types. The first type is sentence correction questions, which require an understanding of sentence st ructure. These questions ask students to choose the most appropriate word or phrase to substitute for the underlined po rtion of the sentence. The second type is const ruction shift questions. These ask that a sentence be r ewritten according to the criteria sh own while maintaining essential ly the same meaning as the original senten ce. Within these t wo prima ry cat egories, the questions are also classified according to the skills being tested. Some questions deal with the l ogic of the sentence, others with whether or not the an swer is a complete sentence, and subject -verb a greement. In a manner similar to Reading Comprehension questions, these questions are varied a c- cording to cat egories to pr event bias because of a student ’s particular kn owledge. These cat egories include social sci - ences, natural and p hysical sciences, h uman relations and practical a ffairs, and the a rts. Sentence Skills Review Before you b egin, work the t wo sample questions to get the feel of the inst ructions. The co rrect an swers are indicated. Some questions on the r eview will ask you to select the best version of the underlined part of the sentence. The first choice is the same as the original. If you think the original sentence is best, choose the first one, for example, Mr. Wilson planning to teach a course in p hysics n ext fall. a. planning b. are planning c. with a plan d. plans The co rrect an swer is d. plans. The r evised sentence should read “M r. Wilson plans to teach a course in p hysics n ext fall .” In other questions, the r eview will ask you to think through the sentences and the an swer choices for a good r evision. A new sentence b eginning is pr ovided. Your n ew sentence should be well written and should h ave basical ly the same meaning as the original sentence. R ewrite the foll owing: Using the spell chec ker, she eliminated a number of e rrors on her pape r. Rewrite, b eginning with: She eliminated a number of e rrors on her paper… The n ext words will be a. on account of she used b. by her using c. because she used d. being as she was using The co rrect an swer is c. because she used. The r ewritten sentence should be “She eliminated a number of e rrors on her paper because she used the spell chec ker.” Sentence Skills Practice Test For the first three problems , select the an swer that is the best version of the unde rlined pa rt of the sentenc e. The first choice is the same as the original. If you think the original sentence is best, choose the first on e. 1. Working as a receptionist for my uncle ’s business taught me to handle customer complaints, an swering the telephone, and h ow to maintain a Rolod ex. a. to handle customer complaints, an swering the telephone, and h ow to maintain a Rolod ex. b. how to handle customer complaints, an swering the telephone, and maintaining a Rolod ex. c. how to handle customer complaints, an swer the telephone, and maintain a Rolod ex. d. handling cu stomer complaints, an swering the telephone, and maintenance of a Rolod ex. 2. Judy is dating a man that has a s even hundred -acre ranch near the foothills outside of t own. a. a man that has a s even hundred -acre ranch near the foothills outside of t own. b. a man, that has a s even hundred -acre ranch near the foothills outside of t own. c. a man, who has a s even hundred -acre ranch near the foothills outside of t own. d. a man who has a s even hundred -acre ranch near the foothills outside of t own. 3. These books, which was pu blished in the late eighteenth centu ry, are very valua ble. a. books which was pu blished in the late eighteenth centu ry b. books in the late eighteenth centu ry c. books which were pu blished d. books, which is pu blishe d, in the eighteenth centu ry

ntc.edu 14 Accuplacer Success For the foll owing th ree p roblems, think th rough the sentences for a good revision. A n ew sentence beginning is p rovided. Your n ew sentence should be well written and should h ave basical ly the same meaning as the original sentenc e. 4. The hi kers were at the bottom of the ca nyon, and th ey disc overed an abandoned mineshaft. Rewrit e, beginning with: After the hi kers were… The n ext words will be a. at the bottom of the ca nyon, and th ey disc overed an abandoned mineshaft. b. at the bottom of the ca nyon, th ey disc overed an abandoned mineshaft. c. at the bottom of the ca nyon th ey disc overed an abandoned mineshaft. d. at the bottom of the canyon when they disc overed an abandoned mineshaft. 5. Good mon ey managers control their present expenses, and th ey i nvest su rplus dollars to meet their future needs. Rewrite the sentence using because The best choice will be a. Good mon ey managers, because th ey control their present expenses, th ey i nvest su rplus dollars to meet their future needs. b. Because good mon ey managers control their present expenses, th ey i nvest su rplus dollars to meet their needs. c. Because good mon ey managers control their present expenses th ey i nvest su rplus dollars to meet their needs. d. Good mon ey managers control their present expenses, beca use th ey i nvest su rplus dollars to meet their future needs. 6. In a large cit y, you may have mass ive traffic jams on your dai ly commute to work. Rewrite this sentence omitting you. a. In a large cit y, a person may have mass ive traffic jams on your dai ly commute to work. b. In a large cit y, a resident may have mass ive traffic jams on his dai ly commute to work. c. In a large cit y, mass ive traffic jams may be part of the dai ly commute to work. d. In a large cit y, mass ive traffic jams may be part of the everyd ay commute on the way to work. In the next th ree p roblems, select the best version of the unde rlined pa rt of the sentenc e. The first choice is the same as the original. If you think the original sentence is best, choose the first on e. 7. Panting, the cab pulled away just as Judy a rrived. a. Panting, the cab pulled away b. The cab pulled away panting c. Panting, Judy a rrived d. Just as Judy was panting 8. We could watch the stars sitting on the balco ny. a. the stars sitting on the balco ny b. sitting on the balco ny, the stars c. on the balco ny, the stars sitting d. Sitting on the balco ny, 9. If a person wants to succeed in school, they h ave to stud y. a. they h ave to stud y. b. he or she has to stud y. c. they has to stud y. d. he or she h ave to stud y. For the foll owing th ree p roblems, think th rough the sentences for a good revision. A n ew sentence beginning is p rovided. Your n ew sentence should be well written and should h ave basical ly the same meaning as the original sentenc e. 10. We ordered lobster since it was our ann iversa ry. Rewrit e, beginning with: Since it was our ann iversa ry… The n ew sentence should read a. Since it was our ann iversa ry; we ordered lobste r. b. Since it was our ann iversa ry, we ordered lobste r. c. Since it was our ann iversa ry we ordered lobste r. d. Since it was our ann iversa ry, and we ordered lobste r. 11. Tornadoes are winds which rotate in a counterclockwise direction and look li ke a funnel at the bottom of a clou d, as a nyone who is familiar with Oklahoma weather kn ows. Rewrit e, beginning with: Anyone who is … Your n ew sentence will include a. kn owing to rnadoes b. and kn ows to rnadoes c. has kn owledge of to rnadoes d. kn ows that to rnadoes…. 12. Our supe rviso r, Betty White, handles all of the personnel pro blems that arise because she is an extreme ly diplomatic person in working with people. Rewrit e, beginning with: Being extreme ly diplomatic in working with people, The n ext words would be a. all of the personnel pro blems…. b. our supe rviso r, Betty White, …. c. and that …. d. pro blems arising with personnel….

ntc.edu 15 Accuplacer Success In the next th ree p roblems , select the best version of the unde rlined pa rt of the sentenc e. The first choice is the same as the original. If you think the original sentence is best, choose the first on e. 13. Chief Ha rrigan was i nvited to our safety meeting, he can demonstrate the correct use of fire extinguishers. a. Chief Ha rrigan was i nvited to our safety meeting, he can demonstrate the correct use of fire extinguishers. b. Chief Ha rrigan was i nvited to our safety meeting, therefore, he can demonstrate the correct use of fire extinguishers. c. Chief Ha rrigan was i nvited to our safety meeting; therefore to demonstrate the correct use of fire extinguishers. d. Chief Ha rrigan was i nvited to our safety meeting so that he can demonstrate the correct use of fire extinguishers. 14. Coming in from Fou rth Street, the Student Union is seen by students who are a rriving on campus. a. Student Union is seen by students who are a rriving on campus. b. students who are a rriving on campus see…. c. the students h aving seen the Student Union…. d. the Student Union is being seen …. 15. Because mode rn machine ry can function unattende d, the unempl oyment rate m ay increase, this could possi bly cause the p overty rate to be highe r. a. this could possi bly cause the p overty rate to be highe r. b. possi bly causing a higher p overty rate. c. the possi ble raising of the p overty rate will be the result d. this causes the p overty rate to increase. For the foll owing four p roblems, think th rough the sentences for a good revision. A n ew sentence beginning is p rovided. Your n ew sentence should be well written and should h ave basical ly the same meaning as the original sentenc e. 16. Due to the fact it was raining on the scheduled d ay of the picnic, the drama club had to cancel and reschedule a new date for the event. Rewrit e, beginning with: The drama club had to… The n ext words should be a. due to the fact it was raining on the scheduled d ay of the picnic, cancel and reschedule a n ew date for the event. b. reschedule the picnic because of rain. c. cancel the picnic and reschedule it because of rain d. reschedule a n ew date for the picnic because it was canceled due to rain. 17. While it was raining, we decided to pl ay cards. Rewrit e, beginning with: We decided to pl ay … The n ext words should be a. cards while it was raining b. cards, while it was raining. c. cards; while it was raining. d. cards; but while it was raining. 18. While we were in Illinois, we visited General Grant ’s home. Rewrit e, beginning with: We toured General Grant ’s … The n ext words should be a. home, it is in Illinois. b. home, and it is in Illinois. c. home; in Illinois. d. home visiting in Illinois. 19. Tornadoes are made up of winds with speeds of 30 or 40 miles an hour or highe r, and th ey cause the most deaths. Rewrit e, beginning with: Since to rnadoes are made up of winds with speeds of 30 or 40 miles an hour or highe r, … The n ext words should be a. and th ey cause the most deaths. b. causing the most deaths. c. the to rnadoes causing the most deaths. d. they cause the most deaths. In the next p roblem , select the best version of the unde rlined pa rt of the sentenc e. The first choice is the same as the original. If you think the original sentence is best, choose the first on e. 20. If you want to create a beautiful room, h aving a la rge sum of mon ey is not near ly so impo rtant to the finished setting as is the kn owledge of basic decorating. a. as is the kn owledge of basic decorating. b. as kn owing the basics of decorating. c. but the kn owledge of basic decorating. d. like the kn owledge of basic decorating.

ntc.edu 16 Accuplacer Success NTC Services and Online Study Guides Ma ny successful lea rners find studying eases the anxiety and pressure associated with exam taking. The Accuplacer is no di fferent and requires a ce rtain amount of preparation for your success. NTC Services College Prep Center A College Prep Center is located at each of our campuses: Antigo, Medford, Phillips, Spencer, Wausau, and Wittenberg. Our College Prep Centers are available to strengthen your skills in bas ic math, reading, and writing. High school seniors who are on track to graduate a nd have applied to an NTC program, but did not meet program requirements with their ACT score, will need to connect with a College Prep Advisor to customize a plan for meeting program requirements. It is recommended to take the TABE test at a College Prep Center instead of taking the Accuplacer. NTC Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) Please bear in mind assist ive fo rms of testing are availa ble through our CS D. Accommodations m ay include inte rpreters, taped t exts/materials, enla rged print materials, and alte rnat ive fo rms of testing. For additional info rmation, please contact the Center direct ly at 1.888. NTC.7144, Ext. 1085. Online Study Guides The foll owing websites and study guides m ay g ive you a better understanding of the Accuplacer a nd the skills on which you will be tested. The Accuplacer Online Student Guide http://ww w.coll egeboard.com/student/testing/accuplacer/ . This site pr ovides a brief description of the exam with sample screen shots of the test and directions. Additional ly, there are sample test questions and an explanation of h ow the Accuplacer is scored. Math.Com ww w.math.com Often the areas of testing where students feel the most apprehension are arithmetic and algebra. Math.com can prepare you for both po rtions of the assessment. From basic and everyd ay math to pre -algebra and algebra; on to geomet ry, trigonomet ry and b eyon d, this site pr ovides online tutoring, worksheets, step -by-step explanations, and much more! Study Guide Zone ww w.studyguidezone.com/accuplace r.htm This fantastic resource pr ovides a description of the exam. It then looks at each of the test sections from a di fferent point of vi ew than the other preparation sites. Review sample questions and lea rn tips/tricks for succeeding on the exam. Test Preview Prep ww w.testprepr eview.com/accuplacer_practice.htm This extens ive site pr ovides a description of the Accuplacer (and various other coll ege entrance exams) with self - assessment modules to help you dete rmine areas in which you should complete additional studying prior to testing. After completing the self -assessments, use the self - impr ovement directo ry to raise your skills in those areas needing assist ance. A Few Final Tips… Suggestions on How to Prepa re • Spend some time visiting and r eviewing the resources we’ve made availa ble to you. The best way to be prepared for an exam is to kn ow your material. • Rest and relax the night before the test. You don ’t want to be staring at a computer screen about to fall asleep as you ’re working through math pro blems or t rying to comprehend what you ’ve just read. • Be sure to eat a healt hy meal (break fast or lunch) before you a rrive for the test. Nothing is worse than concentrating on your hunger during an exam. H aving a healt hy meal will g ive you ene rgy and help you focus on your questions. • Ma ke sure to set an ala rm (and an extra ala rm, if necessa ry) all owing you plenty of time to get ready and travel to the assessment. Running late will on ly put you into panic and rushed mode. • Be sure to visit the restroom before you b egin the exam. You don ’t want to waste a ny of your concentration thinking about your bodi ly needs. • While this test is impo rtant and you should ta ke it serious ly, kn ow it is not a pass or fail test. It ’s simp ly to measure your cu rrent skills, and it all ows us to work with you to bring those skills to the desired l evel for your pr ogram of interest.

ntc.edu 17 Accuplacer Success Suggestions for During the Assessment • Keep a posit ive attitude throughout the whole test and try to st ay rela xed. If you sta rt to feel ne rvous, ta ke a few deep breaths to calm your ne rves. Remembe r, the test isn ’t timed! • Scratch paper will be pr ovided at the b eginning of the test. Feel free to write d own impo rtant fo rmulas, facts, definitions, and/or keywords first so you won ’t worry about fo rgetting them. • Don ’t rush, but pace yourself. Read the entire question and then look for keywords. If necessa ry, re-read the question s everal times before looking at the an swers. • Stay focused on the question at hand. Don ’t all ow your mind to wander on to other things. • Always read the entire question careful ly. Don ’t ma ke assumptions about what the question might be. • Don ’t worry if others finish before you. Simp ly focus on the test in front of you and continue an swering the questions at your own pace. It ’s not a race. Appendix – Answers for Sample Questions Arithmetic 1) c. 109.41539 2) c. .12 3) b. 6 4) b. 5.3 5) b. -84 6) b. .41 7) c. Descending geometric sequence 8) e. 11, 144 9) c. 24 10) c. 9, 11, 13, 15 11) b. 96 12) b. 1 13) e. 1/16 14) c. 12/18 15) b. 9/10 16) c. 7 58/81 17) d. 124 ounces 18) b. 1/200 19) c. 7 20) b. 1/5 21) d. 7/15 cups 22) c. 1/2 23) c. 2 1/8 24) d. 33 Algebra 1) a. 5/p 2) a. 2 hours and 24 minutes 3) d. $306.00 4) d. $15,737.50 5) a. -2.4 6) a. 8 7) e. $1,200 8) a. $496.30 9) d. 17 cents 10) c. 3.0 11) c. $173.75 12) d. 13 13) a. y 14) a. 150/x 15) b. $90 16) c. 33 17) c. $13.40 18) b. $4,350 19) a. $132.85 20) c. 648

ntc.edu 18 Accuplacer Success Reading Comp rehension 1) d. (Cause/E ffect) 2) b. (Comparison/Contrast) 3) d. (Implied and Stated Ideas) 4) c. (Comp./Cont.) 5) b. (Suppo rting Details) 6) c. (Main Idea) 7) c. (Suppo rting Details) 8) a. (Main Idea) 9) c. (Tone) 10) b. (Main Idea) 11) d. (Main Idea) 12) b. (Main Idea) 13) d. (Exception) 14) c. (Main Idea) 15) d. (Cause/E ffect) 16) a. (Suppo rting Details) 17) d. (Main Idea) 18) c. (Main Idea) 19) b. (Comp./Cont.) 20) a. (Cause/E ffect) Sentence Skills/English Review 1) c. Parallel fo rm is needed for expressing similar ideas. Repeating “h ow to” with each action accomplishes this. 2) d. When refe rring to a person or people, use the relat ive pronoun “ who .” Since the clause b eginning with “ who” is essential to the meaning of the sentence, a comma is unnecessa ry. The reader needs to kn ow “ who” Judy is dating. 3) c. Use “ were” for subject -verb a greement. “Which” LVSOXUDOEHFDXVHLWUHIHUVWR³ERRNV .” 4) b. Introducto ry dependent clauses need a comma to set them o ff from the main clause. Sentences beginning with “afte r, when, if as, before, because, etc .” usual ly need a comma after the introducto ry dependent clause. 5) b. Sometimes sentences contain ideas that are unequal. If one idea explains the othe r, it is put in a subordinate (lesser) position. This idea should be expressed in a subordinate clause. A dependent clause at the b eginning of a sentence must be foll owed by a comma. 6) c. Avoid using ambiguous references to “ you .” Also, const ruct sentences for clarit y. People don ’t h ave traffic jams; cars do. 7) c. A misplaced modifier is a word or word group that is improper ly separated from the word it modifies making the sentence sound awk ward, ridiculous, or confusing. An introducto ry verbal must modify the subject. 8) d. Modifiers should be close to the word they modify; otherwise, th ey are misplaced (see #7). 9) b. A pronoun must a gree in number with the antecedent ( word it modifies). “Person” is singular; “th ey” is plural and this causes a shift in numbe r. To avoid s exist language, both “he” and “she” are XVHGWRUHIHUWR³SHUVRQ´ since “person” is not gende r-specific. 10) b. When a dependent clause introduces a sentence, a comma is needed after the clause. 11) d. The n ew sentence up grades the dependent clause” as a nyone…kn ows” to an independent clause ³Anyone …kn ows .” The n ew sentence includes “kn ows that to rnadoes are” — subordinating the main idea, “ Tornadoes are winds… .” 12) b. The dependent clause has been reduced to an introducto ry verbal phrase modifying the subject. 13) d. This sentence contains the e rror of a comma splice (two independent clauses separated by a comma on ly). One way to co rrect this is to subordinate a clause. When the dependent clause is at the end of a sentence, a comma is usual ly not necessa ry. 14) b. An introducto ry verbal phrase must modify the subject of the sentence. 15) b. The last t wo clauses contain a comma splice. To correct this, the last clause can be reduced to a verbal phrase modifying “increase .” 16) b. Avoid unnecessa ry words which can jum ble the flow of the sentence. 17) a. When an independent clause is foll owed by a dependent clause, a comma is usual ly unnecessa ry. 18) b. Two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (an d, but, so, o r, fo r, no r, yet) need a comma after the first clause. 19) d. When a dependent clause introduces the sentence, a comma is needed after the clause. 20) b. For clarit y, use parallel wording: “h aving a la rge sum of mon ey…kn owing the basics of decorating .”

ntc.edu 19 Accuplacer Success NOTES

ntc.edu 20 Accuplacer Success NOTES

ntc.edu 21 Accuplacer Success NOTES

Guide to Accuplacer Success www.ntc.edu