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Diagnostic Exercise One: Prison Population Climbing
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John Davenport, Houston Chronicle

Before you dig into Brush Up, you may want to test your language skills to see which are working and which need attention. Here is an exercise that will help you find your strengths and weaknesses.

Choose (a) or (b) in each of the following sentences, then click the "Score Test" button to evaluate your work.

1
Although crime totals (a) is (b) are steadily declining, incarceration rates are climbing.
A)is
B)are
2
Authorities say the situation is the (a) effect (b) affect of a demand by the public to keep violent offenders out of circulation.
A)effect
B)affect
3
The (a) higher(b) highest incarceration rates are in Southern and Western states.
A)higher
B)highest
4
The states with the leading incarceration rates are (a) comma (b) colon

Louisiana 824

South Carolina 538

Texas 793

California 502

Oklahoma 656

Georgia 492

Mississippi 582

Nevada 472

Alabama 542

Arizona 374

(Incarceration rates are the number in prison per 100,000 population of the state.)
A)comma
B)colon
5
Authorities say (a) it's (b) its no coincidence that 7 of the 10 states with the highest rates have the lowest high school graduation rates.
A)it's
B)its
6
The (a) existence (b) existence of severe sentencing laws also contribute to the high rates.
A)existence
B)existence
7
In some states, convicted criminals are not allowed parole (a) comma (b) semicolon this makes time served much longer.
A)comma
B)semicolon
8
Each of the states has (a) its (b) their own sentencing laws.
A)its
B)their
9
"The system cries out for change (a) ", (b) ," said David Gonzales, head of the Freeport Fortune Society.
A)",
B),"
10
"If we spent more on teaching (a) grammer (b) grammar and reading and mathematics than on prisons, there would be fewer in those prisons," he said.
A)grammer
B)grammar





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