Oganization struture questions 6 pps

of it. (4) In winter this pond was frozen over, and he

had taken his daughter Abigail there when she was

small and tried to teach her how to skate. (5) She

hadn’t been able to catch on, and so after two or

three lessons Abigail and him had given up the idea.

(6) Now there came into his mind an image of such

clarity it caused him to draw in his breath sharply;

an image of Abigail gliding toward him on her new

Christmas skates, going much faster than she should

have been.

23. Which of the following changes needs to be

made to the passage?

a. Part 6: Change the semicolon to a colon.

b. Part 4: Remove the word and.

c. Part 3: Change the semicolon to a comma.

d. Part 5: Change the comma to a semicolon.

24. Which of the following changes needs to be

made to the passage?

a. Part 4: Remove the comma after over.

b. Part 6: Replace Christmas with christmas’.

c. Part 5: Change him to he.

d. Part 3: Replace their with there.

Questions 25–27 are based on the following passage.

(1) If a building is to be left in a safe condition after

a fire is extinguished, firefighters must search for

hidden fires that might re-ignite. (2) Typically this

process known as overhaul, begins in the area of

actual fire involvement. (3) Before searching for hid￾den fires; however, firefighters must first determine

the condition of the building.

(4) The fire’s intensity and the amount of water

used to fight the fire are both factors that affect a

building. (5) Fire can burn away floor joists and

weaken roof trusses. (6) Heat from the fire can

weaken concrete and the mortar in wall joints; heat

can also elongate steel roof supports. (7) Excess

water can add dangerous weight to floors and walls.

(8) Once it has been determined that it is just

fine to enter a building, the process of overhauling

begins. (9) Firefighters can often detect hidden fires

by looking for discoloration, peeling paint, cracked

plaster, and smoke emissions; by feeling walls and

floors with the back of the hand; by listening for

popping, cracking, and hissing sounds; and by using

electronic sensors to detect heat variance.

25. Which of the underlined words or phrases in the

passage should be replaced by more effective or

appropriate words?

a. just fine

b. heat variance

c. elongate

d. re-ignite

26. Which of the following numbered parts contains

nonstandard punctuation?

a. Part 8

b. Part 6

c. Part 9

d. Part 3

27. Which of the following changes needs to be

made to the passage?

a. Part 2: Insert a comma after process.

b. Part 9: Remove the comma after paint.

c. Part 6: Replace the semicolon with a comma.

d. Part 9: Replace all the semicolons with

commas.

Questions 28 and 29 are based on the following passage.

(1) The Competitive Civil Service system is designed

to give candidates fair and equal treatment and

ensure that federal applicants are hired based on

objective criteria. (2) Hiring has to be based solely on

a candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities (which

you’ll sometimes see abbreviated as KSA), and not

on external factors such as race, religion, sex, and so

–THEA PRACTICE EXAM 3–

265