THE ENGLISH (SENTENCE SKILLS) TEST

This test has two components. The first includes the computer test (Accuplacer). A detailed description of this test is given below. The second component is a written essay.

THE COMPUTER TEST:

Two kinds of questions are given in this test. You will be asked to correct a sentence by choosing a word or phrase to substitute for an underlined portion of a sentence. In the other type of question, you will be asked to rewrite a sentence in a specific way without changing the meaning. You will be presented with a total of 20 questions.

You will be asked to fill in a blank with a word/ phrase, or to combine two sentences. Writing skills, which include the proper use of nouns and verbs, are covered on this test

This test also measures your understanding of English vocabulary. The sentences come from a variety of different subjects. You will be asked questions about basic and important idioms (particularly terms of beauty, age, greatness and size), adverbs (such as before, after, during), and prepositions of direction and place (from, to, at, etc.).

Each student receives 20 sentence skill questions of two types. The first type is sentence correction questions, which require an understanding of sentence structure. These questions ask students to choose the most appropriate word or phrase to substitute for the underlined portion of the sentence.

The second type is construction shift questions. These ask that a sentence be rewritten according to the criteria shown while maintaining essentially the same meaning as the original sentence.

Within these two primary categories, the questions are also classified according to the skills being used. Some questions deal with the logic of the sentence; others with whether or not the answer is a complete sentence, and still others with the relationship between coordination and subordination.

THE ESSAY:

Your performance on this essay will be instrumental in determining if you are ready to take English 101. It is, therefore, important that you give full consideration to what you will say and how you will say it.

You will be asked to choose a topic and write an essay of about 250 words. Please make sure that you have done the following:

• stated your main idea
• used specific examples to support your position
• written complete sentences
• used correct verb endings
• made your subjects and verbs agree.

HERE ARE SOME SAMPLE ESSAY TOPICS:

Mayor Guiliani has criticized CUNY for offering a variety of remedial programs to its students and has called for the abolition of such programs in the city school system. Should remedial programs in state, city or community colleges be curtailed or even abolished?

Some professors lower the grade on an assignment which is not submitted on time. Do you feel that this is an acceptable procedure? Why or why not?

Megan’s Law stipulates that, should sex offenders move into a community, members of that community would be notified of their presence in the neighborhood. Some people feel, however, that these offenders have paid for their crimes and are entitled to the same privacy that ordinary citizens enjoy. Do you agree or disagree?

Explain and illustrate your response from your own experience, what you have heard and/or what you have read.