3MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
The multiple-choice questions are made up of Sentence Corrections, Error IDs, and Improving Paragraphs.
The Writing section is supposed to be arranged in terms of order of difficulty, but it is a bit more randomized
than that. You can be assured that the first couple of Sentence Corrections are easy and the last few Sentence
Corrections are trickier. The same goes for the Error Ids: The first few are a breeze, and the last several are
pretty tough. But from there, ETS may scatter easy, medium, and hard questions throughout. The Improving
Paragraphs section is made up of easy and medium problems; pace yourself and make sure you have enough
time to complete the Improving Paragraphs section, as it tends to be the easiest.
Sentence Corrections require you to determine if there is an error with the underlined portion of the sentence,
and if so to pick the answer choice that corrects that error without creating new errors.
Below is a typical Sentence Correction question. Don’t worry about working through the problem; you’ll have
a shot at that later. This example is here to familiarize you with the format.
- Although he wrote over 2500 years ago, the Greek
playwright Sophocles is still being read, his plays
are performed on stages all over the world.
(A) read, his plays are
(B) read; his plays being
(C) read: his plays are being
(D) read; his plays are
(E) read, yet his plays are
Correct Answer: (D)
Error Ids require you to determine if one of the four underlined portions of the sentence contains an error.
Always given is the option, (E) No Error.
- During the 14th century, classical antiquity
A
gained renewed importance when both writers
B
and artists turned to ancient Greek culture
C
for inspiration. No error
D E
Correct Answer: (E)
The Improving Paragraphs section begins with an essay written by a student, and in the questions that
follow, your job is to correct the student’s errors.
Take a look at a sample passage and an Improving Paragraphs question on the next page. Don’t worry about
reading the passage or working through the question; I’m just providing a visual so you can easily notice when
you are on the Improving Paragraphs section.