RISE Placement Test Practice Page
For RISE Placement Test Practice Exam questions, please scroll down to the next section.
The RISE Test (Reinforced Instruction for Student Excellence) has components in both English and Math. The English section is quite different than that of other standardized tests.
While you can simply identify and correct errors on most other exams, you need to use grammatical language to identify errors on the RISE test. Have a look at the sample English exam questions in the next section.
RISE Placement Test – Practice English Exam
Introductory Phrases
Which of the following sentences correctly punctuates the introductory phrase in the sentence?
A. Covered in chocolate frosting, the cake fell from the table onto the floor in front of all the guests.
B. Covered in chocolate frosting the cake, fell from the table onto the floor in front of all the guests.
C. Covered in chocolate, frosting the cake fell from the table onto the floor in front of all the guests.
D. Covered, in chocolate frosting, the cake fell from the table onto the floor in front of all the guests.
Parallel Structure
Which of the following sentences uses correct parallel structure?
A. My brother likes to tell stories as well as reading.
B. My car was damaged on the hood, fender, and on the bumper.
C. She brought along cookies, as well as cake.
D. My mother, friend, and the neighbor congratulated me on passing the exam.
Pronoun Usage
Which of the following sentences uses clear pronouns?
A. Although Terry had a fight with his brother, he was not hurt.
B. They should not have made a law against parking here if it is not going to be enforced.
C. Many people go to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, which is really beautiful.
D. All of my family members bought me birthday presents, even though I had told them not to do so.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Which one of the following sentences uses correct-subject verb agreement?
A. The students in the class who were studying advanced chemistry was required to attend a special presentation.
B. When people go out alone after dark, they needs be alert and careful.
C. Each and every vote counts.
D. A bit of the furnishings were scratched and damaged.
Comma Splice
Which of the following sentences contains a comma splice?
A. Other factors may have influenced the decline in attendance at evening classes, so the attendance policy needs to be changed.
B. Other factors may have influenced the decline in attendance at evening classes, the attendance policy needs to be changed.
C. Other factors may have influenced the decline in attendance at evening classes; the attendance policy needs to be changed.
D. Other factors may have influenced the decline in attendance at evening classes; so the attendance policy needs to be changed.
Adverbs
Which one of the following sentences correctly uses an adverb for extra emphasis?
A. The teacher asked me to speak up because she could not hear me.
B. The teacher asked me to speak up loud because she could not hear me.
C. The teacher asked me to speak louder because she could not hear me.
D. The teacher asked me to speak more loudly because she could not hear me.
Answers to the RISE Placement Test Practice Exam
Introductory Phrases – Answer
The correct answer is A. The introductory phrase in this sentence is “Covered in chocolate frosting.” When using an introductory phrase at the start of a sentence, the comma should be placed after the last word of the introductory phrase. So, the correct answer is as follows: Covered in chocolate frosting, the cake fell from the table onto the floor in front of all the guests.
Parallel Structure – Answer
The correct answer is C. This question is about correct parallel structure, also known as parallelism. In order to follow the grammatical rules of parallelism, you must be sure that all of the items you give in a series are of the same part of speech. So, all of the items must be nouns or verbs, for example. In other words, you should not use both nouns and verbs in a list. Where verbs are used, they should be in the same tense. Answer C is correct because “cookies” and “cake” are both nouns. The other sentences mix different forms.
Pronoun Usage – Answer
The correct answer is D. For questions on clear pronouns, look at each sentence to see if there is any doubt about what the pronoun refers to. In sentence A, we do not know if “he” refers to Terry or his brother. In sentence B, we have no way of knowing who “they” are. In sentence C, we do not know if Washington itself is beautiful or if the cherry blossoms are beautiful.
Subject-Verb Agreement – Answer
The correct answer is C. For questions on subject-verb agreement, remember that you need to be sure to use a singular verb with a singular subject and a plural verb with a plural subject. Sentence A is incorrect because “students” is plural, while “was” is singular. Sentence B is incorrect because “they” is plural, while “needs” is singular. Finally, sentence D is incorrect because “a bit” is singular, while “were” is plural.
Comma Splice – Answer
The correct answer is B. A comma splice occurs when two complete sentences are joined with a comma, instead of correctly ending the first sentence with a period and begininning the next sentence with a capital letter. Remember that a sentence needs to have a subject and a verb. Our comma splice was : Other factors may have influenced the decline in attendance at evening classes, the attendance policy needs to be changed. In the first part of the sentence, the subject is “other factors” and the verb is “may have influenced.” In the second clause of the sentence, the subject is “the attendance policy” and the verb is “needs to be changed.”
Adverbs – Answer
The correct answer is D. The word “speak” is a verb, so it needs to be used with the adverb “loudly.” Answer choice A uses a phrasal verb (speak up) instead of an adverb. Answer choices B and C are not grammatically correct. “Loud” and “louder” are both adjectives, and an adverb needs to be used with the verb.
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