English Test 12

Until three years ago, I had never considered

myself to be athletically talented. I have never been able

to hit, catch, throw, or kick a ball with any degree of

confidence or accuracy. For years, physical education

1

being often the worst part of the school day for me.

1

Units on tennis, touch football, volleyball, and basketball

were torturous. I not only dreaded fumbling a pass, so I

2

also feared being hit in the face by a ball. However, at

the beginning of my freshman year of high school, my

attitude toward sports changed.

Somehow, my good friend Gretchen convinced

me to join our schools swim team. Knowing that I

3 4

enjoyed swimming, over the course of two summers, it

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was with Gretchen that I practically had lived at the

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pool. My mother had insisted that I take swimming

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lessons every summer since I was seven, so I was

entirely comfortable in the water. I also was eager to

start my high school experience with a new challenge

and a new way to think of myself.

Of course, I had no idea what I was getting into

when Gretchen and I showed up for the first day of

practice. The team was made up of twenty young

women, most of these swimmers had been participating

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in the community swim team for years. I couldn’t do a

flip turn at the end of the lane without getting water up

my nose. I contrast, most of the other swimmers, who

had been swimming competitively, since elementary

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school, were able to gracefully somersault and begin the

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next lap. By the end of the first hour of practice, I was

exhausted and waterlogged.

However, I had no intention of giving up, which

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would mean quitting. I came back the next day and the

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next day for practice. Things begun to get serious in the

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second week, when we started the regular schedule of

four early morning and five afternoon practices. Our

coach, whom had led the team to several state

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championships, demanded dedication from everyone on

the team. The hard work eventually paid off. by the end

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of the first month, I had discovered that I was good at

the butterfly, a relatively new stroke that was first

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introduced in the 1930s, I rarely won individual races,

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but I made a solid member of our team’s medley relay.

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After that intimidating first season, I continued

swimming. I even will have earned a varsity letter last

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year. Now I’m hoping to earn a spot in the state

competition my senior year. [15]

1. Question 1

   1. NO CHANGE

   2. education, was

   3. education was

   4. education,

2. Question 2

   1. NO CHANGE

   2. and

   3. but

   4. though

3. Question 3

   1. our schools’

   2. our school’s

   3. ours school

4. Question 4

   1. NO CHANGE

   2. Because we had spent two summers practically living at the pool, it was Gretchen who knew that swimming was enjoyed by me.

   3. Having practically lived at the pool over two summers, the two of us, Gretchen knew it was swimming that I enjoyed.

   4. Gretchen knew I enjoyed swimming, as we had spent two summers practically living at the pool.

5. Of the four choices, which is the only one that does NOT indicate that the narrator’s mother decided that the narrator must take swimming lessons?

   1. NO CHANGE

   2. suggested

   3. required

   4. demanded

6. Question 6

   1. NO CHANGE

   2. women, the majority of them

   3. women most of them

   4. women, most of whom

7. Question 7

   1. NO CHANGE

   2. had been swimming competitively since elementary school,

   3. had been swimming, competitively since elementary school,

   4. had been swimming competitively since elementary school

8. Question 8

   1. NO CHANGE

   2. giving up and resigning myself to failure.

   3. giving up and quitting what I had set out to do.

   4. giving up.

9. Question 9

   1. NO CHANGE

   2. had been begun

   3. had began

   4. began

10. Question 10

    1. NO CHANGE

    2. for whom

    3. who

    4. which

11. Question 11

    1. NO CHANGE

    2. eventually paid off, so, as a result

    3. paid off eventually, however, by

    4. paid off, eventually, by

12. Assuming each of the following creates a true statement, which provides the information most relevant to the narrator’s experience on the swim team?

    1. NO CHANGE

    2. a difficult stroke that interested few other members of our team.

    3. which is faster than the backstroke but somewhat slower than the crawl.

    4. which is still sometimes called the dolphin because it incorporates a two-stroke dolphin kick.

13. Question 13

    1. NO CHANGE

    2. team’s medley relay (it consists of four swimmers).

    3. team’s medley relay, which the person swimming the backstroke always begins.

    4. team.

14. Question 14

    1. NO CHANGE

    2. would have earned

    3. earned

    4. earn

15. If inserted here, which of the following would be the most appropriate sentence to conclude the essay?

    1. My coach continues to schedule demanding practices, but I have come to enjoy the early morning swims.

    2. For someone who thought she didn’t have any athletic talent, I have come a long way.

    3. Gretchen is also still on the team, but she does not swim the medley relay.

    4. I’ve always enjoyed swimming, so I’m not all that surprised by my success as an athlete.