Section 2: Writing and Language
SLP, OMG!
1. B Notice the question! It asks for a choice that would best introduce the main subject. The
rest of the paragraph is about the spoken word, so (B) is correct. The other answer choices
do not introduce this paragraph’s discussion of the spoken word.
2. C Keep the verb tense in this sentence consistent. The other verbs are is and write. Choice
(C) is the only choice that uses the present tense (speak) and matches the parallel structure
set up by the comparison: most younger people write...more than they speak.... Therefore,
(C) is the correct answer.
3. B Check the answer choices against the graphs. Choice (A) can be eliminated because SLPs
do not overwhelmingly work in hospitals; the percentages for non-residential health-care
facilities and schools are both higher than for hospitals. Choice (B) is correct because 53%
is about half. Choice (C) can also be eliminated because the number of SLPs working in
schools cannot be determined from the graph provided. 53% of SLPs work in schools, but
we don’t know the total that 53% is out of. Choice (D) can be eliminated because the
percentages provided don’t represent budget amounts.
4. D Understatement is the more appropriate choice because the rest of the passage details the
wide range of duties that a speech-language pathologist could undertake; therefore, the
sentence should be kept as is for the reason stated in (D).
5. D Notice the question! Choices (A) and (C) do not combine the sentences together. Also, (C)
has a period separating a complete idea and an incomplete idea, which is incorrect. Choice
(B) flows essentially the same way as (A) by inserting a semicolon in place of the period,
so you can eliminate (B). Choice (D) incorporates the two ideas together in one fluid
sentence, connecting the incomplete idea (particularly the components...) to the phrase it
describes (attention and memory). Therefore, (D) offers the best combination and is the
correct answer.
6. C Possessive pronouns do not use apostrophes, while contractions do. Choices (B) and (D),
therefore, are both contractions for one is and it is respectively. Since a possessive
pronoun is needed in this sentence, eliminate (B) and (D). The respiratory aspects belong to
speech, which is singular. Thus, (C) is correct because its is the singular possessive form.
7. A The correct phrase should convey that the SLP and medical doctor working together could
restore an infant’s esophageal function to proper working order. Choices (C) and (D) do not
convey this idea. Choice (B) is an idiom that could express this idea but could also simply
mean that something is neat and tidy, which wouldn’t express the intended meaning. Choice
(A) clearly conveys the right meaning, so the sentence is correct as written.
8. A Notice the question! It asks for a choice that would best maintain this sentence’s focus on
the actions an SLP might take to address a swallowing disorder. Only (A) details a
