Accuplacer Writing Exam Sample
The Accuplacer writing practice exams on this page are up-to-date for the new exam.
Free Accuplacer Writing Exam
Instructions: Read the Accuplacer writing text below and then choose the best answers to the questions that follow.
Organic Farming
(1) Organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment. (2) Most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
(3) The first drawback that consumers perceive is of course the cost. (4) Organic food often costs 50 to 100 percent more than food produced using traditional farming methods. (5) Consumers with higher income levels can afford organically-grown food, but many people simply do not believe that these are worth the added expense.
(6) There are also concerns about the safety of organic food due to the use of cow manure and other animal waste as fertilizers. (7) Take the case of windfall apples, which are apples that fall off the tree. (8) These apples can be contaminated by the cow manure. (9) This contamination occurs because manure contains a virulent bacterium known as e-coli.
(10) Some people are reluctant to purchase organic food because they believe that it spoils too quickly. (11) Therefore, it may be quite some time before the purchase of organic food becomes the norm in American households.
Questions
1. What is the best way to revise and combine sentences 1 and 2?
A. Organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment, most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
B. Most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food; yet organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment.
C. While organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment, most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
D. Organic farming and organic produce create many positive outcomes for the environment, even though most mainstream American consumers have reservations about organic food.
2. What is the best way to punctuate sentence 3?
A. The first drawback that consumers perceive is of course the cost.
B. The first drawback that consumers perceive is, of course the cost.
C. The first drawback that consumers perceive is of course, the cost.
D. The first drawback that consumers perceive is, of course, the cost.
3. Which is the best version of the bold portion of sentence 5? Sentence 5 is provided again here for ease of reference.
Consumers with higher income levels can afford organically-grown food, but many people simply do not believe that these are worth the added expense.
A. Leave it as it is
B. those are worth
C. it is worth
D. they are worth
4. Where is the best place to insert the following sentence?
Consumption of the contaminated fruit can lead to serious food poisoning or even death if the produce is not washed correctly.
A. After sentence 5
B. After sentence 6
C. After sentence 7
D. After sentence 8
5. Which one of the following words or phrases would be best inserted at the beginning of sentence 10? Sentence 10 is provided again here for ease of reference.
Some people are reluctant to purchase organic food because they believe that it spoils too quickly.
A. Namely,
B. For instance,
C. Last but not least,
D. In general,
Accuplacer Writing – Answers & Explanations
1. The correct answer is C. This is an example of how to subordinate two sentences correctly.
2. The correct answer is D. The phrase “of course” needs to be preceded and followed by commas when used in the middle of a sentence like this.
3. The correct answer is C. “Food” is a singular noun, so the singular pronoun “it” is needed here.
4. The correct answer is D. We are speaking about the contaminated apples at this point in the Accuplacer writing essay, so the new sentence must be placed after sentence 8, which talks about how the contamination to the apples occurs.
5. The correct answer is C. The text has talked about the disadvantages of organic food. We are talking here about the final disadvantage, so we need a phrase to indicate that we are drawing the discussion to a close.
Writing Test Content
The Accuplacer writing test contains draft essays with mistakes.
You will need to read the essay and choose the correction from the answer choices provided.
You will see questions on grammar, punctuation, and style.
Next Generation Writing
The writing test includes:
– 1 literary nonfiction passage with 5 questions
– 4 informational passages with 5 questions each
– 25 total questions
Next Generation Accuplacer Writing Practice Tests
These are the skill categories on the Next Generation writing test, so there are questions on:
– Development
– Organization
– Effective Language Use
– Sentence Structure
– Usage Conventions
– Punctuation Conventions
Accuplacer Writing Download
Exam SAM’s Next Generation Writing Download help you learn how to answer all of the questions on the Accuplacer Writing Exam.
The material includes 4 complete online Accuplacer writing exams with answers and detailed explanations.
The material is new and up-to-date for the new version of the test.
The practice tests are in the same format as the actual exam and covers all of the skills on the real test.
Our free study guide gives specific examples and help with sentence subordination and coordination.
It will help you learn the advanced grammar skills which students often find troublesome on this part of the exam.
More Writing Help
