VCLA Test Information & Practice
If your are going to take the VCLA Test, you will need practice materials and further information.
The VCLA exam is the Virginia Communications and Literacy Assessment, which is an exam that teachers need to take to get a license in the state of Virginia.
VCLA Practice Writing Test
Instructions – Each of the sentences below has four italicized parts. Read each sentence and determine whether any of the italicized parts contains an error in grammar, punctuation, capitalization, or use. Where an italicized word includes or is next to punctuation, you also need to consider whether the punctuation placement is correct.
If you find an error, select the part that contains the error as your answer. If the sentence contains no error, then select “No error.” No sentence contains more than one error.
Sentence 1
One of the first skyscrapers to be erected in New York, at the site where its television mast would be most effective, the Empire State Building was constructed in the Art Deco style around 1930. No error
Sentence 2
Even though chicory is usually cooked, their leaves can be eaten in various ways, including as a raw ingredient in salads or as a dried and ground substitute for coffee. No error
Sentence 3
Many composers promote nationalism in their work, but what is different about Mussorgsky’s compositions are the overt patriotism in his operas. No error
Sentence 4
Lymph glands, masses of tissue that form part of the lymphatic system, filter bacteria and organisms from organ’s in the body and allow lymph to flow into capillaries and from them into lymph vessels. No error
Sentence 5
Scientifically speaking, almost any positive electric charge can produce a unit of energy from which a volt of electricity is derived. No error
Sentence 6
It is difficult to know when people first began to grow sweet potatoes, because early settlers often did not differentiate this vegetable to other tubers. No error
Sentence 7
Although companies try to price their products competitively, they often cannot, in spite of their best plans, introduce no new merchandise into the market at a profit. No error
Sentence 8
Commencing in 1847 and for nearly 16 years thereafter, Mexico City was occupied by U.S. troops until it was conquered by Maximilian, a ruler whose name originates from the roman word “maximus.” No error
Sentence 9
Ratified at the end of 1992, the North American Free Trade Agreement eliminated trade barriers among Canada and the United States in order to increase trade and to enable each of the counties to find its unique market position. No error
Sentence 10
Scientists have discovered that most comets in orbit around the sun, seem to be composed of rock and dust particles embedded in ice. No error
Sentence 11
Since Christopher Columbus believed that he had established a route between the East Indies and China, subsequent explorer’s journeys were impeded by all other theories requiring them to think otherwise. No error
Sentence 12
Some residents of East Germany opposed the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, while others despaired of its very existence because many residents die when attempting to cross it. No error
Sentence 13
Originally focusing on suffrage, the Women’s Rights Movement expanded to include much more than the right to vote and effected the role of women in many countries around the world. No error
Sentence 14
The Inca migration from the Peruvian highlands to the area west of the Andes constitute an example of the consolidation and extension of the tribe’s empire in South America. No error
Sentence 15
When a government establishes a public sector borrowing requirement, it raises money through the issuance of stocks and bonds, which not only increases its available funds and also forms part of the national debt. No error
VCLA Writing Practice Test – Answers and Explanations
1. You should select: No error. The sentence contains no errors in grammar or usage.
2. You should select: their. The antecedent is “chicory,” which is singular. So, the pronoun “it” should be used before the grammatical subject, rather than “their.”
3. You should select: compositions are. The grammatical subject of this clause is the word “what.” Therefore, we need to use the singular form of the verb (is).
4. You should select: organ’s. The plural form “organs” is needed. The possessive form “organ’s” is incorrect because there is no corresponding noun for the possessive.
5. You should select: No error. The sentence contains no errors in grammar or usage.
6. You should select: to. The verb “differentiate” takes the preposition “from”, not “to.”
7. You should select: no. The sentence contains a double negative since the word “cannot” is used earlier in the sentence. So, “any” should be used here.
8. You should select: roman. Roman is a proper noun, so it needs to be capitalized.
9. You should select: among. Only two counties are mentioned, so the word “between” is needed.
10. You should select: the comma. The comma is incorrect since it unnaturally divides the subject and verb of the clause.
11. You should select: explorer’s. The second part of the sentence is describing more than one explorer since the word “them” is used later in the sentence. Therefore, the plural possessive is needed (explorers’).
12. You should select: die. The sentence is written in the past simple tense, so the verb form “died” should be used.
13. You should select: effected. The verb form (affected) is required since the sentence is talking about the changes that were a result of the Women’s Rights Movement.
14. You should select: constitute. The subject of the sentence is “migration” so the singular verb form (constitutes) should be used.
15. You should select: and. We can see the use of “not only” earlier in the sentence, so we need “but also,” instead of “and also”
More VCLA Exam Help
Click on the links below to get help with VCLA reading and math.
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