Below is our Level D TABE Language practice test. The TABE 11&12 Language test assesses your skills in grammar, mechanics, usage, sentence formation, and paragraph development. Items are presented in the context of writing that is used in daily life. This level is difficult, so expect more challenging questions in this section.
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Question 1 |
Read the sentences. Then answer the following questions.
Whenever Shawna _______ her best, she does well. This is how she will became one of the best runners in the state.
Which word best completes the sentences?
try | |
work | |
works | |
tries |
Question 1 Explanation:
Answer choice (D) is correct. The singular noun, Shawna, needs a singular noun, which eliminates answer choices (A) and (B). Answer choice (C) might be tempting, but the word “works” doesn’t really fit with the rest of the sentence, “her best.”
Question 2 |
Whenever Shawna _______ her best, she does well. This is how she will became one of the best runners in the state.
There is an error in the second sentence. Which of the following is the best way to fix the error?
“This is how she will becomes one of the best runners in the state.” | |
“This is how she has becomes one of the best runners in the state.” | |
“This is how she has become one of the best runners in the state.” | |
“This is how she is one of the best runners in the state.” |
Question 2 Explanation:
Answer choice (C) is correct because it is the only one that grammatically makes sense. The phrase “has become” is the correct present perfect form of the verb “become.” In each of the other choices, the verb is incorrectly conjugated and/or inaccurate based on the context of the sentences.
Question 3 |
Which sentence is written correctly?
The dark, red truck turned the corner too fast and almost hit someone. | |
The bright, morning sun was blinding in the sky. | |
How many times do I have to tell you not to touch the dangerously, hot stove? | |
When the dense, fog rolled in, the couple couldn’t see very far in front of themselves. |
Question 3 Explanation:
Answer choice (B) is correct because the comma in the sentence is separating two adjectives that describe the sun. In each of the other sentences, the comma is separating an adverb from the adjective it is describing.
Question 4 |
Which sentence contains a misspelled word?
The only way to get through the crowd without looking suspicous was to blend in. | |
The policeman warned Mark that if he didn’t show them his bank records, he could be charged with withholding evidence. | |
The university loved Juan’s activism so much, they gave him an honorary degree in political science. | |
Adolescence is a very tough time for most children, and the other children at school only make it harder. |
Question 4 Explanation:
Answer choice (A) is correct because “suspicous" is spelled incorrectly; the word should be spelled “suspicious.” None of the other sentences contain errors in spelling.
Question 5 |
Which sentence is written correctly?
When the alarm goes off, its time for Marco to wake up for work. | |
The violinist’s in the orchestra overshadowed everyone else during the concert. | |
The cat sat quietly in the corner, licking it’s tail. | |
The runner’s shoes became untied, making him have to stop in the middle of the race. |
Question 5 Explanation:
Answer choice (D) is correct because the apostrophe in “runner’s” correctly shows that the runner has possession of their shoes. In answer choice (A), “its” should have an apostrophe because it’s a contraction of it and is. The opposite is true in answer choice (C), where “it’s” should not have the apostrophe. In answer choice (B), the apostrophe in “violinist’s” is incorrect because the word should be plural, not possessive.
Question 6 |
Read the sentences.
Maria was excited for ________. She had hit a homerun and won the game for her team.
Which word best completes the sentences?
themselves | |
itself | |
himself | |
herself |
Question 6 Explanation:
Answer choice (D) is correct because the blank is looking for a pronoun that refers to Maria. Based on the pronouns used in the second sentence, the best word to use in the blank is “herself.” It may be tempting to choose “themselves” (A) because grammar has shifted to allow for “them” to be a gender-neutral singular pronoun, but the second sentence uses “her,” so “herself” is a more consistent pronoun to use in the blank. The other answer choices don’t fit.
Question 7 |
Read the passage. Then answer the following questions.
1. ____________________
2. The Cy Young Award is given to the best pitcher in the MLB each year. The award recipiant is often chosen based on his wins for his team, and his ERA, or earned run average (the average number of runs a team earns against him).
3. In addition to never receiving the Cy Young Award Ryan never achieved a perfect game a feat accomplished by 23 different pitchers in the modern era of the MLB. A perfect game is a game in which a pitcher gives up no hits, no walks, and the pitcher’s team commits no errors. In other words, nobody on the other team reaches base during a perfect game, which all but ensures a win for the perfect pitcher.
4. Ryan never had a perfect game because he was always known as a power pitcher, not a pitcher with amazing control.
2. The Cy Young Award is given to the best pitcher in the MLB each year. The award recipiant is often chosen based on his wins for his team, and his ERA, or earned run average (the average number of runs a team earns against him).
3. In addition to never receiving the Cy Young Award Ryan never achieved a perfect game a feat accomplished by 23 different pitchers in the modern era of the MLB. A perfect game is a game in which a pitcher gives up no hits, no walks, and the pitcher’s team commits no errors. In other words, nobody on the other team reaches base during a perfect game, which all but ensures a win for the perfect pitcher.
4. Ryan never had a perfect game because he was always known as a power pitcher, not a pitcher with amazing control.
Paragraph 3 contains a grammatical error. Which of the following is the best way to fix the error?
“In addition to never receiving the Cy Young Award Ryan never achieved a perfect game, a feat accomplished by 23 different pitchers in the modern era of the MLB.” | |
“In addition to never receiving the Cy Young Award Ryan, never achieved a perfect game a feat accomplished by 23 different pitchers in the modern era of the MLB.” | |
“In addition to never receiving the Cy Young Award, Ryan never achieved a perfect game, a feat accomplished by 23 different pitchers in the modern era of the MLB.” | |
“In addition to never receiving the Cy Young Award, Ryan never achieved a perfect game a feat accomplished by 23 different pitchers in the modern era of the MLB.” |
Question 7 Explanation:
Answer choice (C) is correct because it uses two commas to effectively break up the sentence. The first comma separates opposing ideas, which are set up by phrase, “[i]n addition to” at the beginning of the sentence. The second comma separates an independent clause from its dependent clause. Answer choice (B) misses the second comma, while answer choice (D) misses the first comma. In Answer choice (A), the commas are in the wrong place.
Question 8 |
1. ____________________
2. The Cy Young Award is given to the best pitcher in the MLB each year. The award recipiant is often chosen based on his wins for his team, and his ERA, or earned run average (the average number of runs a team earns against him).
3. In addition to never receiving the Cy Young Award Ryan never achieved a perfect game a feat accomplished by 23 different pitchers in the modern era of the MLB. A perfect game is a game in which a pitcher gives up no hits, no walks, and the pitcher’s team commits no errors. In other words, nobody on the other team reaches base during a perfect game, which all but ensures a win for the perfect pitcher.
4. Ryan never had a perfect game because he was always known as a power pitcher, not a pitcher with amazing control.
2. The Cy Young Award is given to the best pitcher in the MLB each year. The award recipiant is often chosen based on his wins for his team, and his ERA, or earned run average (the average number of runs a team earns against him).
3. In addition to never receiving the Cy Young Award Ryan never achieved a perfect game a feat accomplished by 23 different pitchers in the modern era of the MLB. A perfect game is a game in which a pitcher gives up no hits, no walks, and the pitcher’s team commits no errors. In other words, nobody on the other team reaches base during a perfect game, which all but ensures a win for the perfect pitcher.
4. Ryan never had a perfect game because he was always known as a power pitcher, not a pitcher with amazing control.
One of the paragraphs in the passage above contains a spelling error. Which passage contains the error, and which word is spelled incorrectly?
Paragraph 2: “recipiant” | |
Paragraph 3: “receiving” | |
Paragraph 3: “feat” | |
Paragraph 3: “accomplished” |
Question 8 Explanation:
Answer choice (A) is correct because “recipiant” should be spelled “recipient.” In each of the other answer choices, the words chosen are spelled correctly.
Question 9 |
Read the sentence.
The coach looked at the abundance of field players on his bench and wished that just one of them knew how to play goalie.
Which of the following words/phrases could best be substituted for “abundance” in the sentence above without changing the meaning of the sentence?
small amount | |
significant number | |
variety | |
lack |
Question 9 Explanation:
Answer choice (B) is correct because “abundance” means “great amount of.” In the context of the sentence, the coach has too many field players, and not enough goalies. “Abundance” can sometimes closely mean “variety,” but “variety” wouldn’t make sense in this sentence.
Question 10 |
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?
Mikal past by the window as he went to the shed to get the lawnmower. | |
The more that Sanai thought about it, the more she wanted to by the sweater for herself. | |
Everyone in the crowd waved as the firetrucks passed the bleachers. | |
The baseball team was starting to get annoyed buy the rain; all they wanted to do was play. |
Question 10 Explanation:
Answer choice (C) is correct because the firetrucks are driving by the crowd in the present tense, so “passed” is the correct form of the verb to use. This is why answer choice (A) is incorrect. Similarly, answer choices (B) and (D) are incorrect because they use the wrong forms of “by” and “buy,” respectively.
Question 11 |
Which sentence is written correctly?
Tanisha was able to get a new car because she had less than 2 F’s on her report card. | |
The sedan has better gas mileage than the SUV, which means it can travel further on a gallon of gas. | |
Sheila usually wins our fights because she always wants to take the argument farther than I’m willing to go. | |
Regina got into the express lane because she had fewer than 12 items in her cart. |
Question 11 Explanation:
Answer choice (D) is correct because “fewer” refers to number, while “less” refers to amount. For example, “Mark has fewer water bottles” is a correct statement, but so is “Mark has less water in his glass.” This makes answer choice (A) incorrect. Answer choices (B) and (C) are incorrect because they use “further” and “farther” incorrectly. “Further” refers to degree, while “Farther” refers to distance. Since the cars are going an actual distance in answer choice (B), “farther” is appropriate; in answer choice (C), the fight is taken to a larger degree, so “further” is appropriate.
Question 12 |
Read Maela's essay. Then answer the following questions.
1 As the global refugee problem continues to grow, so do the debate among host countries about how to handle this influx of refugees. While some argue refugees represent a potential threat and put a strain on a host country’s economy, host countries need to do whatever they can to help refugees.
2 All human life is valuable and refugees are simply looking for a place where they can live freely. Turning them away for a vague sense of “safety” means potentially dooming them and leading them to their deaths.
3 There is little evidence that refugees pose a serious threat, and those who argue that they do are often just fear mongering. A refugee arriving at your border from an area that is controlled by a terrorist state might seem like a threat, but they are running from the same threat you’re afraid of.
4 Regardless of what lines divide us, they are all people. When one of us is in need, we deserve assistance. Turning refugees away because of some vague threat or economic concern is dehumanizing them and prioritizing protection and money over human life.
2 All human life is valuable and refugees are simply looking for a place where they can live freely. Turning them away for a vague sense of “safety” means potentially dooming them and leading them to their deaths.
3 There is little evidence that refugees pose a serious threat, and those who argue that they do are often just fear mongering. A refugee arriving at your border from an area that is controlled by a terrorist state might seem like a threat, but they are running from the same threat you’re afraid of.
4 Regardless of what lines divide us, they are all people. When one of us is in need, we deserve assistance. Turning refugees away because of some vague threat or economic concern is dehumanizing them and prioritizing protection and money over human life.
Section 1 from the essay contains a grammatical error. Which of the following is the best way to fix the error?
As the global refugee problems continues to grow, so do the debate among host countries about how to handle this influx of refugees. | |
As the global refugee problem continues to grow, so does the debate among host countries about how to handle this influx of refugees. | |
As the global refugee problem continues to grow; so do the debate among host countries about how to handle this influx of refugees. | |
As global refugee problems continue to grow, so do the debate among host countries about how to handle this influx of refugees. |
Question 12 Explanation:
Answer choice (B) is correct because the verb “to do” needs to be singular since it is referring to a “problem,” which is singular. Answer choice (D) seems to solve this problem, but the essay is discussing one “problem,” not multiple “problems.” The other answer choices create additional errors in the sentence.
Question 13 |
1 As the global refugee problem continues to grow, so do the debate among host countries about how to handle this influx of refugees. While some argue refugees represent a potential threat and put a strain on a host country’s economy, host countries need to do whatever they can to help refugees.
2 All human life is valuable and refugees are simply looking for a place where they can live freely. Turning them away for a vague sense of “safety” means potentially dooming them and leading them to their deaths.
3 There is little evidence that refugees pose a serious threat, and those who argue that they do are often just fear mongering. A refugee arriving at your border from an area that is controlled by a terrorist state might seem like a threat, but they are running from the same threat you’re afraid of.
4 Regardless of what lines divide us, they are all people. When one of us is in need, we deserve assistance. Turning refugees away because of some vague threat or economic concern is dehumanizing them and prioritizing protection and money over human life.
2 All human life is valuable and refugees are simply looking for a place where they can live freely. Turning them away for a vague sense of “safety” means potentially dooming them and leading them to their deaths.
3 There is little evidence that refugees pose a serious threat, and those who argue that they do are often just fear mongering. A refugee arriving at your border from an area that is controlled by a terrorist state might seem like a threat, but they are running from the same threat you’re afraid of.
4 Regardless of what lines divide us, they are all people. When one of us is in need, we deserve assistance. Turning refugees away because of some vague threat or economic concern is dehumanizing them and prioritizing protection and money over human life.
Which of the following is helpful evidence that the writer could use to support her claim in section 3?
Studies done in 2017 support the fact that less than 2% of refugees entering America after 2002 were involved in potential terrorist threats. | |
A study conducted in 2018 showed that 15% of refugees entering Germany after 2005 were involved in some sort of terrorist threat. | |
A 2016 study showed that the biggest global origin country for refugees is Syria. | |
Since 2015, 20 refugees who were turned away at American borders have been killed or died within a year of being turned away. |
Question 13 Explanation:
Answer choice (A) is correct because it supports the writer’s claim that refugees do not pose a major threat to host countries. Answer choice (B) suggests the opposite, and answer choice (C) is not relevant to the writer’s claim. Answer choice (D) might be tempting because it would help support her essay, but it does not directly support any claims she makes in section 3.
Question 14 |
1 As the global refugee problem continues to grow, so do the debate among host countries about how to handle this influx of refugees. While some argue refugees represent a potential threat and put a strain on a host country’s economy, host countries need to do whatever they can to help refugees.
2 All human life is valuable and refugees are simply looking for a place where they can live freely. Turning them away for a vague sense of “safety” means potentially dooming them and leading them to their deaths.
3 There is little evidence that refugees pose a serious threat, and those who argue that they do are often just fear mongering. A refugee arriving at your border from an area that is controlled by a terrorist state might seem like a threat, but they are running from the same threat you’re afraid of.
4 Regardless of what lines divide us, they are all people. When one of us is in need, we deserve assistance. Turning refugees away because of some vague threat or economic concern is dehumanizing them and prioritizing protection and money over human life.
2 All human life is valuable and refugees are simply looking for a place where they can live freely. Turning them away for a vague sense of “safety” means potentially dooming them and leading them to their deaths.
3 There is little evidence that refugees pose a serious threat, and those who argue that they do are often just fear mongering. A refugee arriving at your border from an area that is controlled by a terrorist state might seem like a threat, but they are running from the same threat you’re afraid of.
4 Regardless of what lines divide us, they are all people. When one of us is in need, we deserve assistance. Turning refugees away because of some vague threat or economic concern is dehumanizing them and prioritizing protection and money over human life.
What purpose does putting quotation marks around “safety” in section 2 serve?
It shows that the writer is quoting from another source. | |
It provides humor to an otherwise serious topic. | |
It shows that the writer doesn’t believe that safety is the real concern. | |
It shows that the reader spoke this work out loud. |
Question 14 Explanation:
Answer choice (C) is correct because the writer is criticizing people who think their safety is endangered by refugees. Answer choice (B) might be tempting, but there’s no indication that the writer finds this humorous, only that she finds it inaccurate.
Question 15 |
1 As the global refugee problem continues to grow, so do the debate among host countries about how to handle this influx of refugees. While some argue refugees represent a potential threat and put a strain on a host country’s economy, host countries need to do whatever they can to help refugees.
2 All human life is valuable and refugees are simply looking for a place where they can live freely. Turning them away for a vague sense of “safety” means potentially dooming them and leading them to their deaths.
3 There is little evidence that refugees pose a serious threat, and those who argue that they do are often just fear mongering. A refugee arriving at your border from an area that is controlled by a terrorist state might seem like a threat, but they are running from the same threat you’re afraid of.
4 Regardless of what lines divide us, they are all people. When one of us is in need, we deserve assistance. Turning refugees away because of some vague threat or economic concern is dehumanizing them and prioritizing protection and money over human life.
2 All human life is valuable and refugees are simply looking for a place where they can live freely. Turning them away for a vague sense of “safety” means potentially dooming them and leading them to their deaths.
3 There is little evidence that refugees pose a serious threat, and those who argue that they do are often just fear mongering. A refugee arriving at your border from an area that is controlled by a terrorist state might seem like a threat, but they are running from the same threat you’re afraid of.
4 Regardless of what lines divide us, they are all people. When one of us is in need, we deserve assistance. Turning refugees away because of some vague threat or economic concern is dehumanizing them and prioritizing protection and money over human life.
Section 4 from the essay contains a grammatical error. Which of the following is the best way to fix the error?
Regardless of what lines divide people, we are all people. | |
Regardless of what lines divide him, he is all people. | |
Regardless of what lines divide them, they are all people. | |
Regardless of what lines divide us, we are all people. |
Question 15 Explanation:
Answer choice (D) is correct because it fixes the disagreement between “us” and “they” in the most efficient and effective way possible. Answer choice (C) also fixes this problem, but using “they” instead of “us” would undercut the point that the writer is making. Answer choice (A) also technically fixes the error, but it creates an overly wordy and ultimately ineffective sentence.
Question 16 |
1 As the global refugee problem continues to grow, so do the debate among host countries about how to handle this influx of refugees. While some argue refugees represent a potential threat and put a strain on a host country’s economy, host countries need to do whatever they can to help refugees.
2 All human life is valuable and refugees are simply looking for a place where they can live freely. Turning them away for a vague sense of “safety” means potentially dooming them and leading them to their deaths.
3 There is little evidence that refugees pose a serious threat, and those who argue that they do are often just fear mongering. A refugee arriving at your border from an area that is controlled by a terrorist state might seem like a threat, but they are running from the same threat you’re afraid of.
4 Regardless of what lines divide us, they are all people. When one of us is in need, we deserve assistance. Turning refugees away because of some vague threat or economic concern is dehumanizing them and prioritizing protection and money over human life.
2 All human life is valuable and refugees are simply looking for a place where they can live freely. Turning them away for a vague sense of “safety” means potentially dooming them and leading them to their deaths.
3 There is little evidence that refugees pose a serious threat, and those who argue that they do are often just fear mongering. A refugee arriving at your border from an area that is controlled by a terrorist state might seem like a threat, but they are running from the same threat you’re afraid of.
4 Regardless of what lines divide us, they are all people. When one of us is in need, we deserve assistance. Turning refugees away because of some vague threat or economic concern is dehumanizing them and prioritizing protection and money over human life.
Which of the following is NOT a specific reason that Maela uses to support her stance?
Refugees don’t pose as much of a threat to host countries as some argue. | |
People in need deserve help, regardless of where they’re from. | |
People who argue that refugees are a threat are fear mongering. | |
Helping people in need is an important lesson from The Bible that all Christians should learn from. |
Question 16 Explanation:
Answer choice (D) is correct because Maela never mentions religion in the passage. Unless she was writing to a specifically Christian audience, this would limit her audience and make her argument less effective. She explicitly discusses each of the other options in her essay.
Question 17 |
Which words best complete the sentence?
Please take out ________ homework from last night and get together with ______ study groups.
your; your | |
you're; your | |
your; you're | |
you're; you're |
Question 17 Explanation:
Answer choice (A) is correct because both blanks require a version of “you” that shows possession. “Your” is an adjective that means in your possession, while “you’re” is a contraction of the phrase “you are.” “You’re” doesn’t fit in either blank.
Question 18 |
Which sentence is written correctly?
However the girl scouts were very resourceful and found a way to sell their cookies. | |
Regardless of the owners’ intentions, they still mistreated the whales when they were in captivity. | |
When I went to the store to buy cereal there were too many options and I couldn’t decide what to get. | |
When you go to Marcy’s house tell her mother to call me because I have something important to tell her. |
Question 18 Explanation:
Answer choice (B) is correct because it’s the only option that correctly puts a comma after the introductory phrase of the sentence. There should be a comma after “however” in answer choice (A), a comma after “cereal” in answer choice (C), and a comma after “house” in answer choice (D).
Question 19 |
Read the sentence.
City Hall still needed to approve the gathering, so the date that the group chose was still _________.
continuous | |
canceled | |
suspenseful | |
tentative |
Question 19 Explanation:
Answer choice (D) is correct because the date has to be temporary; if City Hall doesn’t approve the gathering, the group will have to change the date. “Tentative” means “not certain or fixed,” so it fits perfectly in the sentence. While waiting for City Hall’s decision may be “suspenseful” for the group (C), the date itself isn’t suspenseful. The date also isn’t “canceled” (B) because the group is still awaiting City Hall’s decision.
Question 20 |
Which sentence is written correctly?
With all of the problems in this world. | |
The more I think about the reasons that I left home. | |
Overall, I think that I made the right choice. | |
Although the cows were too large for their barn. |
Question 20 Explanation:
Answer choice (C) is correct because it’s the only sentence that isn’t a sentence fragment. Each of the other choices represents a dependent clause that doesn’t work by itself.
Question 21 |
Read the sentence.
Instead of crying, though, Eunice glared at her sister and calmly said, “I’m going to tell mom.”
There is a grammatical error in the sentence above. Which of the following sentences best fixes the error?
Instead of crying, though, Eunice glared at her sister and calmly said, “I’m going to tell Mom.” | |
Instead of crying, though, Eunice glared at her sister and calmly said: “I’m going to tell mom.” | |
Instead of crying though Eunice glared at her sister and calmly said, “I’m going to tell mom.” | |
Instead of crying, though, Eunice glared at her sister and calmly said, “I’m going to tell mom”. |
Question 21 Explanation:
Answer choice (A) is correct because “Mom” needs to be capitalized when it is used as a name. Here, Eunice is using “Mom,” as a substitute for her mom’s name, so it must be capitalized. If she had said, “I’m going to tell our mom,” then “mom” would not be capitalized.
Question 22 |
Read the sentence.
The librarian looked up at the student and said, “I’m sorry, but if you want to check out a book, we only _______ library cards.”
Which of the following words best fits in the blank section of the sentence above?
deposit | |
except | |
accept | |
exclude |
Question 22 Explanation:
Answer choice (C) is correct because the “accept” is the only word that makes sense in the sentence. Answer choice (B), “except,” might be tempting, but “except” means “other than,” while “accept” means to “willingly take.”
Question 23 |
Read the sentence.
Not only did the blue team win, but the vote from the crowd was ___________.
Which word best fits in the blank?
inconclusive | |
divided | |
unanimous | |
passionate |
Question 23 Explanation:
Answer choice (C) is correct because a “unanimous” vote would mean that everyone voted for the blue team, which makes sense for the tone of the sentence. The voters may have been “passionate” (D) when they voted, but that word doesn’t fit in the sentence.
Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items you have not completed will be marked incorrect.
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