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“Democracy—Always a Good Thing?”
In the contemporary world, we tend to think that democracy is always the best form of government. We are enchanted by the idea of self-governance for it seems to affirm the maturity of the citizens of a nation. Instead of being ruled by benign-monarchs or the landed-aristocracy, the citizens of a democracy are people who exercise self-mastery in a fully human manner. Well, at least this is what we tend to think of the matter.
Really, however, democracy is an ambiguous affair. Often, we use such single terms to name two different types of social arrangements. Such an equivocation is understandable. Whenever all (or at least most) of the people take part in political life, it seems like we have a kind of democracy. However, it is important to make a clearer distinction.
On the one hand, there can be a community that aims at the common good. In such a group, the people come together to have a political community that aims to fulfill human goals that could not be done by isolated individuals. Such a group will come together to establish educational institutions to preserve culture, regulate commerce in order to help normalize economic interactions, pass many laws that regulate our social interactions, and undertake many other affairs. Although all of these things benefit the individuals in the given society, such a group of self-governing people do not aim merely at the private satisfaction of the people. This kind of “democracy” works together, for common political goals.
On the other hand, there can be a community that merely aims at the private goods of the citizens. The Greek philosopher Aristotle remarked in his text, the Politics, that democracy was a government by the numerous poor people for the sake of those same people’s private goods. Clearly, he was using “democracy” in this sense. If the people of a nation only come together in order to assure their own private freedom and to receive benefits for themselves, a given society is this kind of so-called democracy.
Of course, it is difficult to say what is the state of any particular nation today. Often, elements of each of these kinds of governance is found in a given country at a particular time. Still, it is important to be aware that such an “equivocation” is possible. Otherwise, we will end up saying rather foolish things like, “Democracy is always a good form of government,” or, “democracy is a horrible form of government.”
Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded and underlined portion of the passage. If the bolded and underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
The word "equivocation" is merely being used in its proper sense. An equivocation is committed when someone uses one word to indicate two meanings that are different. In the sentence, the author is merely discussing equivocation as such. There is no need to use quotation marks whenever you are discussing matters in a direct manner like this.
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“Democracy—Always a Good Thing?”
In the contemporary world, we tend to think that democracy is always the best form of government. We are enchanted by the idea of self-governance for it seems to affirm the maturity of the citizens of a nation. Instead of being ruled by benign-monarchs or the landed-aristocracy, the citizens of a democracy are people who exercise self-mastery in a fully human manner. Well, at least this is what we tend to think of the matter.
Really, however, democracy is an ambiguous affair. Often, we use such single terms to name two different types of social arrangements. Such an equivocation is understandable. Whenever all (or at least most) of the people take part in political life, it seems like we have a kind of democracy. However, it is important to make a clearer distinction.
On the one hand, there can be a community that aims at the common good. In such a group, the people come together to have a political community that aims to fulfill human goals that could not be done by isolated individuals. Such a group will come together to establish educational institutions to preserve culture, regulate commerce in order to help normalize economic interactions, pass many laws that regulate our social interactions, and undertake many other affairs. Although all of these things benefit the individuals in the given society, such a group of self-governing people do not aim merely at the private satisfaction of the people. This kind of “democracy” works together, for common political goals.
On the other hand, there can be a community that merely aims at the private goods of the citizens. The Greek philosopher Aristotle remarked in his text, the Politics, that democracy was a government by the numerous poor people for the sake of those same people’s private goods. Clearly, he was using “democracy” in this sense. If the people of a nation only come together in order to assure their own private freedom and to receive benefits for themselves, a given society is this kind of so-called democracy.
Of course, it is difficult to say what is the state of any particular nation today. Often, elements of each of these kinds of governance is found in a given country at a particular time. Still, it is important to be aware that such an “equivocation” is possible. Otherwise, we will end up saying rather foolish things like, “Democracy is always a good form of government,” or, “democracy is a horrible form of government.”
Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded and underlined portion of the passage. If the bolded and underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
Whenever you have direct quotations, as you do in this sentence, you must place a comma before the quotation and capitalize the first word of the quotation. As written, the sentence does not capitalize the beginning of the second quotation.
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“Intellectual Virtues”
Whenever someone talks about being “virtuous,” we immediately think of someone whose very moral. Perhaps we even think of people who are a bit boring for virtuous people can appear to have no fun at least in the popular imagination. Whatever the case might be, almost any reader would be surprised to see the expression “intellectual virtues.” What could this expression mean to designate! At best, most people would say, “Such virtues must describe people for who knowledge is combined with devotion and rigorous discipline.” That is; they would seem to describe the person who has a disciplined character in addition to being intelligent.
However, in ancient and medieval philosophy, certain intellectual capacities were considered virtues. These character traits were not quite the same as moral character traits or virtues. To understand this idea, it can be helpul to consider two example people, one whose skills are the fruit of a so-called intellectual virtue and the other whose skills are not.
It is easier to start with the person who does not have a given intellectual virtue. We all know someone who is not very good at math, that is, someone for who math is difficult even though he or she might be quite skilled at many other tasks It makes sense to say that this person doesn’t have an intellectual virtue. Likewise, think of the person who is only able to memorize formulas. Such a person is often very good at working through many problems with deft skill. This person seems to be a “wiz” at geometry and algebra, quickly solving equations and proofs.
However, this latter person might suddenly be presented with a difficult, new problem. When we notice that he or she does not have the creative skill and insight to solve the problem, we realize that he or she does’nt have a so-called “intellectual virtue.” This person merely has a habit—a particular skill that is helpful but does not indicate true and complete mathematical knowledge. The person who is able to understand the mathematics and creatively apply this knowledge to solve new problems. This person has a true intellectual virtue. They have a particular ability for intellectual insight, able to probe the difficult domain of this topic. This is much more noble as the mere habit of being able to balance equations and repeat facts about geometric figures!
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the passage. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
The main problem in the sentence is the error in "doesn't," which is spelled here as "does'nt." The apostrophe for this contraction always goes between the n and the t. Now, do not be tempted to change the subject to they. This would shift you from a singular referent to a plural pronoun. That would be an error too—even though those options do fix the apostrophe (in a way, at least). Also, ignore the inconsistency regarding quotations marks for the expression "intellectual virtue." Given the other errors in the various options, this alteration doesn't factor into the evaluation!
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the underlined choices repeats the answer as it is written.
"What if the lost puppy really does belong to Jane," we thought as we drove to the veterinarian.
The error in this sentence comes from the fact that the underlined phrase is a question and therefore should end with a question mark, even when it is inside double quotation marks; therefore, the correct answer is "What if the lost puppy really does below to Jane?"
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Passage adapted from Around the World in Eighty Days (1873) by Jules Verne
Two men were promenading up and down the wharves, among the crowd of natives and strangers who were sojourning at this once straggling village-- now, thanks to the enterprise of M. Lesseps, a fast-growing town. One was the British consul at Suez, who, despite the prophecies of the English Government, and the unfavourable predictions of Stephenson, was in the habit of seeing, from his office window, English ships daily passing to and fro on the great canal, by which the old roundabout route from England to India by the Cape of Good Hope was abridged by at least a half. The other was a small, slight-built personage, with a nervous, intelligent face, and bright eyes peering out from under eyebrows which he was incessantly twitching. He was just now manifesting unmistakable signs of impatience, nervously pacing up and down, and unable to stand still for a moment. This was Fix, one of the detectives who had been dispatched from England in search of the bank robber; it was his task to narrowly watch every passenger who arrived at Suez, and to follow up all who seemed to be suspicious characters, or bore a resemblance to the description of the criminal, which he had received two days before from the police headquarters at London. The detective was evidently inspired by the hope of obtaining the splendid reward which would be the prize of success, and awaited with a feverish impatience, easy to understand, the arrival of the steamer Mongolia.
So you say, consul, asked he for the twentieth time, that this steamer is never behind time?
"No, Mr. Fix," replied the consul. "She was bespoken yesterday at Port Said, and the rest of the way is of no account to such a craft. I repeat that the Mongolia has been in advance of the time required by the company's regulations, and gained the prize awarded for excess of speed."
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the passage. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
The correct answer is, "So you say, consul," asked he for the twentieth time, "that this steamer is never behind time?"
As demonstrated by this answer, only the dialogue should be surrounded by quotation marks.
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Adapted from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (1861)
As she applied herself to set the tea-things, Joe peeped down at me over his leg, as if he was mentally casting me and himself up and calculating what kind of pair we practically should make, under the grievous circumstances foreshadowed. After that, he sat feeling his right-side flaxen curls and whisker, and following Mrs. Joe about with his blue eyes, as his manner always was at squally times.
My sister had a trenchant way of cutting our bread and butter for us, that never varied. First, with her left hand she jammed the loaf hard and fast against her bib, where it sometimes got a pin into it and sometimes a needle, which we afterwards got into our mouths. Then, she took some butter (not too much) on a knife and spread it on the loaf, in an apothecary kind of way, as if she were making a plaster. She used both sides of the knife with a slapping dexterity and trimming and moulding the butter off round the crust. Then, she gave the knife a final smart wipe on the edge of the plaster and then sawed a very thick round off the loaf: which she finally, before separating from the loaf, hewed into two halves, of which Joe got one and I the other.
On the present occasion, though I was hungry, I dared not eat my slice. I felt that I must have something in reserve for my dreadful acquaintance, and his ally the still more dreadful young man. I knew, “Mrs. Joe's housekeeping to be of the strictest kind,” and that my larcenous researches might find nothing available in the safe. Therefore, I resolved to put my hunk of bread and butter down the leg of my trousers.
Which of the following is the best form of the underlined selection?
There is no need for the set of quotation marks in the passage. Almost always, "know" is used with indirect quotations or statments. Later in the sentence, the author introduces an indirect statement by using "that." This thought is also indirectly mentioned, though there is no "that" used. Therefore, no quotation marks are necessary.
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
“Words like prejudice and bigotry are too negative for this publication,” she said.
Double quotation marks are conventionally used to indicate speech, and commas are conventionally used inside the quotation marks to separate a line of speech from its dialogue tag. Double quotation marks (without commas) are also conventionally used around a word or term to indicate discussion of that word or term in speech. However, because “prejudice” and “bigotry” are already within a set of double quotation marks here, single quotation marks must be used.
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
“I can’t believe he ate the entire cake,” she said, “Can you?”
Double quotation marks are conventionally used to indicate speech, and commas are conventionally used inside the quotation marks to separate a line of speech from its subsequent dialogue tag. Because “‘Can you?’” is a separate sentence from “‘I can’t believe he ate the entire cake,’ she said,’” there must be a period after “she said” to separate the two sentences.
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the underlined choices repeats the answer as it is written.
Did Larry just say, "I'm going to go see the Queen?"
The error in the above sentence is in the placement of the question mark. Larry's statement is not the question—the question is if Larry said the statement. Therefore, we need to remove the question mark from "I'm going to see the Queen?" and place it outside the second quotation mark to properly denote the correct question (Did Larry just say, "I'm going to go see the Queen"?)
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
I told my friends that “I was too tired to go out,” but really I just wanted to catch up on my favorite TV series.
“I was too tired to go out” is an indirect quotation; we know this because it’s preceded by the word “that.” Since indirect quotations don’t require quotation marks, and since a comma is needed before the conjunction (“but”) to separate these two independent clauses, the correct answer is “I told my friends that I was too tired to go out, but really I just wanted to catch up on my favorite TV series.”
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
“Why does your so-called ‘fact sheet’ list obvious fallacies,” she asked?
Double quotation marks are conventionally used to indicate speech, and question marks are conventionally used inside the quotation marks to indicate the end of an interrogative sentence. Double quotation marks (without commas) are also conventionally used to indicate skepticism about a word or term, as with “fact sheet” here. However, because “fact sheet” is already within a set of double quotation marks, single quotation marks must be used.
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
Did she say, "I'll take the car?"
This question is asking whether or not a phrase was said, and that phrase itself is not a question. If a question ends with a quoted statement that is not a question, the question mark will go outside the closing quotation mark.
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Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
"Don't walk there"! I shouted! "It's not safe."
Since the author admits he was shouting, we know to keep the exclamation point in the sentence. Secondly, the quotation marks go outside the punctuation mark, not outside of it, for all quotation marks except semicolons. Finally, "it's" requires the apostrophe because it is an abbreviation that can be replaced with "it is" in the sentence.
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Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
"I know you're in there?" I said: "I can hear your footsteps."
There is no question in this statement, so there is no need for the question mark; instead, a comma can be used, and it must go inside the quotation marks. Secondly, the colon after "I said" is unnecessary because it is not relating two sentences or preceding a list, so a comma can be used instead.
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Passage adapted from The Mysterious Key and What it Opened (1867) by Louisa May Alcott
"Trevlyn lands and Trevlyn gold,
Heir nor heiress e'er shall hold,
Undisturbed, till, spite of rust,
Truth is found in Trevlyn dust."
"This is the third time I've found you poring over that old rhyme. What is the charm, Richard? Not its poetry I fancy. And the young wife laid a slender hand on the yellow, time-worn page where, in Old English text, appeared the lines she laughed at."
Richard Trevlyn looked up with a smile and threw by the book, as if annoyed at being discovered reading it. Drawing his wife's hand through his own, he led her back to her couch, folded the soft shawls about her, and, sitting in a low chair beside her, said in a cheerful tone, though his eyes betrayed some hidden care, "My love, that book is a history of our family for centuries, and that old prophecy has never yet been fulfilled, except the 'heir and heiress' line. I am the last Trevlyn, and as the time draws near when my child shall be born, I naturally think of his future, and hope he will enjoy his heritage in peace."
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the passage. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
The best revision is, "This is the third time I've found you poring over that old rhyme. What is the charm, Richard? Not its poetry I fancy." And the young wife laid a slender hand on the yellow, time-worn page where, in Old English text, appeared the lines she laughed at.
Only the first three sentences of this paragraph are dialogue, and thus, they are the only three sentences that should be surrounded by quotation marks.
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the underlined choices repeats the answer as it is written.
"I don't believe you really wanted to drop the cake," Elena said, "In fact, I think it was totally an accident."
The error in this sentence is the incorrect punctuation used to separate Elena's first sentence from her second sentence. Since both sentences are complete thoughts, we should change the comma after "said" to a period ("said. 'In fact, I think it was totally an accident.'")
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Adapted from The Life of Christopher Columbus by Edward Everett Hale (1891 G. L. Howe and Co. ed.)
At last all was ready.That is to say, the fleet was so far ready that Columbus was ready to start. The vessels were small, as we think of vessels, but he was not dissatisfied. He says in the beginning of his journal "I armed three vessels very fit for such an enterprise." He had left Grenada as late as the twelfth of May. He had crossed Spain to Palos, and in less than three months had fitted out the ships and was ready for sea.
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the passage. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
Quotations are properly separated from the clause that identifies the speaker with a comma before the first quotation mark. When closing the quotation, the period must be placed before the second quotation mark (inside the quotation).
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Adapted from Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley (1855)
"There!" whispered he, trembling from head to foot. "Can you excuse me now?"
Which of the following alternatives to the sentence above would NOT be acceptable?
The second quoted phrase ("Can you excuse me now") is the beginning of a new sentence and requires the attributive phrase to end with a period, not a comma. Grammatically, an exclamation point or a comma is correct within the first set of quotation marks.
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There once was a shepherd boy whom sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. He was hot and exhausted fanning himself, rapidly in a feeble attempt to cool himself down. On top of that, he had never been so bored before.
To amuse himself, he decided to play a joke. He put his hands around his mouth and yelled in a loud voice, "Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is chasing the sheep!”
They came running. They asked the boy, “What’s going on? Did you yell ‘A wolf is chasing the sheep?’ ”
The boy laughed. “It was just a joke, everyone.”
The people fumed, but they all returned to their homes.
The next day, the boy bored again decided to amuse himself again. He bellowed, “Wolf! Wolf!”
Again, the townspeople came running. Once they arrived and witnessed the laughing boy, they realized they’d been tricked a second time. Nonetheless, they returned home and irritated resolved to never fall for the trick again for third time.
The next day, the boy was watching his sheep. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wolf appeared from behind the bushes. With its teeth bared, the boy cowered as the wolf approached the sheep. Terrified, he called, “Help! A wolf! A wolf is here!”
The people ignored his cries. “That mischievous boy,” they all said to one another. “He must think he can fool us again.” But not one of them came running.
No one was there to witness as the wolf ate every last sheep on the hillside, as the boy helplessly cowered behind a bush. As the boy hid, he shook his head. “I shall never fib again,” he resolved to himself.
Choose the best replacement for the underlined sentence "...Did you yell ‘A wolf is chasing the sheep?’”
The "outer" quote ("Did you yell...?") is a question, but the "inner" quote ('A wolf is chasing the sheep') is not. Therefore, the question mark does not go inside the "inner" quotation marks (' '), but inside the "outer" quotation marks (" "). Putting a question mark outside both pairs of marks would make the entire phrase (They asked the boy...?) a question, which is incorrect. Putting it inside both marks makes the boy's phrase (A wolf is chasing the sheep?) a question, which is also incorrect. Only having an exclamation point at the end makes the whole phrase an exclamation, which is incorrect. Putting a question mark then an exclamation point makes no sense (it sounds as if the townspeople are asking the boy "Did you yell?" then yelling themselves "A wolf is chasing the sheep). The only correct answer is the choice in which the punctuation is as follows: '?"
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Passage adapted from Anna Sewell's Black Beauty (1877)
I was now beginning to grow handsome; my coat had grown fine and soft, and was bright black. I had one white foot and a pretty white star on my forehead. I was thought very handsome; my master would not sell me till I was four years old; he said lads ought not to work like men, and colts ought not to work like horses till they were quite grown up. When I was four years old Squire Gordon came to look at me. He examined my eyes, my mouth, and my legs; he felt them all down; and then I had to walk and trot and gallop before him. He seemed to like me, and said “When he has been well broken in he will do very well.” My master said he would break me in himself, as he should not like me to be frightened or hurt, and he lost no time about it, for the next day he began.
Every one may not know what breaking in is, therefore I will describe it. It means to teach a horse to wear a saddle and bridle, and to carry on his back a man, woman or child; to go just the way they wish, and to go quietly. Besides this he had to learn to wear a collar, a crupper, and a breeching, and to stand still while they are put on; then to have a cart or a chaise fixed behind, so that he cannot walk or trot without dragging it after him; and he must go fast or slow, just as his driver wishes. He must never start at what he sees, nor speak to other horses, nor bite, nor kick, nor have any will of his own; but always do his masters' will, even though he may be very tired or hungry; but the worst of all is, when his harness is once on, he may neither jump for joy nor lie down for weariness. So you see this breaking in is a great thing.
Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded and underlined portion of the passage. If the bolded and underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
The appropriate way to introduce a direct quotation is to place a comma after "said" and to keep the punctuation at the end of the quotation inside the closing quotation marks. Note that colons cannot follow verbs to introduce a list or quotation, so since "said" is a verb, a colon cannot be used in this instance. Note also that punctuation, like period, must be placed within quotation marks.
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