Grade 8 Writing - 2006 VDOE Released Items

1. organize the events in her story
2. edit her story
3. decide on a title for her story
4. decide on action words to put in her story
How can Heather best combine sentences 6 and 7 without changing their meanings?
1. The popular local police band, The Blue Badges, coming to play a concert promoting Law Enforcement Week at a school assembly.
2. The popular local police band, The Blue Badges, was coming to a school assembly to promoting Law Enforcement Week, and playing a concert.
3. The popular local police band, The Blue Badges, was promoting Law Enforcement Week and was coming to play a concert and the concert was at a school assembly.
4. The popular local police band, The Blue Badges, was coming to play a concert at a school assembly to promote Law Enforcement Week.
In which of the following sentences does Heather use the most vivid, descriptive language?
1. ‘‘This will be a good day,’’ she thought.
2. One was a student sitting at a desk across the room, and the other was an adult who stood near the new student.
3. The quick, fluid hand motions went back and forth between them like some secret code.
4. “I’d like to introduce Patrice Jones, our new student, and her sign language interpreter, Ms. Brown.”
Which of the following sentences does not belong in Heather’s story?
1. Sentence 5
2. Sentence 9
3. Sentence 15
4. Sentence 16
In sentence 19, how is students pored correctly written?
1. student’s pored
2. students’ poured
3. students poured
4. As it is
In sentence 21, how is streight correctly written?
1. straight
2. strait
3. strate
4. As it is
In sentence 23, how is you’ll correctly written?
1. you will
2. You’ll
3. Youll
4. As it is
In sentence 29, how is remembered correctly written?
1. rembered
2. rememebered
3. remebered
4. As it is
In sentence 30, how is a real quick good-bye correctly written?
1. a real quickly good-bye
2. a really quickly good-bye
3. a really quick good-bye
4. As it is
In sentence 31, how is she thinks, annoyed correctly written?
1. she will think, annoyed
2. she is thinking, annoyed
3. she thought, annoyed
4. As it is
In sentence 32, how is can’t hear none of correctly written?
1. can’t hear any of
2. can’t not hear none of
3. can not hear none of
4. As it is
In sentence 36, how is who were swaying correctly written?
1. who are swaying
2. who was swaying
3. who is swaying
4. As it is
Jana is considering writing about whales and dolphins. What should she do next?
1. Read entries in a thesaurus
2. Start writing her rough draft
3. Narrow her topic
4. Ask if others have chosen this topic
Which of these should Jana do to organize the information she has gathered for her report?
1. Read her science book
2. Research her topic on the Internet
3. Take notes
4. Make an outline
What is the best way to combine sentences 2 and 3 without changing their meaning?
1. In zoos and at aquariums they have been observed by scientists and also in the wild to see when and how they sleep.
2. To see how and when they were observed by scientists, they sleep in zoos, at aquariums, and in the wild.
3. Observing them in the wild, scientists observed them to see when and how they sleep in zoos and at aquariums.
4. Scientists have observed them at zoos, at aquariums, and in the wild to see when and how they sleep.
Which of these sentences needs to be revised because it is not a complete sentence?
1. Sentence 5
2. Sentence 7
3. Sentence 16
4. Sentence 19
What is the best way to rewrite sentence 9?
1. To breathe, consequently, being conscious and alert.
2. Consequently, they must be conscious and alert to breathe.
3. Being conscious, consequently, to breathe and also be alert.
4. Consequently, they must be alert. And conscious to breathe.
Which of these sentences does not belong in Jana’s paper?
1. Sentence 7
2. Sentence 12
3. Sentence 17
4. Sentence 20
In sentence 21, they can hold their breath is correctly written —
1. they can hold there breath
2. they can hold they’re breath
3. they can hold thier breath
4. as it is
In sentence 24, more larger than most animals, is correctly written —
1. more larger then most animals,
2. larger than most animals,
3. larger then most animals,
4. as it is
In sentence 26, while its mother swam is correctly written —
1. while its mother was swimming
2. while its mother swimmed
3. while its mother swims
4. as it is
In sentence 28, fat, on their body is correctly written —
1. fat, on our body
2. fat, on your body
3. fat, on its body
4. as it is
In sentence 30, to breathe dolphins and whales is correctly written —
1. to breathe dolphins, and whales
2. to breathe dolphins and, whales
3. to breathe, dolphins and whales
4. as it is
In sentence 32, other life processes dolphins is correctly written —
1. other, life processes dolphins
2. other life processes dolphins,
3. other life processes, dolphins
4. as it is

Grade 8 Writing - 2006 VDOE Released Items

Multiple-Choice ExerciseContent © 2006 Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Education; Permission to Use Granted by VDOE; Author of Activity: Tami Maloney; All rights reserved. No commercial, for-profit use of this material is allowed. E-mail comments and questions to Tami Maloney.

Multiple-Choice Exercise
Content © 2006 Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Education; Permission to Use Granted by VDOE; Author of Activity: Tami Maloney; All rights reserved.
No commercial, for-profit use of this material is allowed. E-mail comments and questions to Tami Maloney.