Student@ competition

Reading Comprehension

Terri’s English class was given an assignment to write letters to the principal about suggestions for the school. The following is a rough draft of Terri’s letter. It contains errors.

School Landscaping

Dear Principal Jones:

1 I am writing to you about an idea I recently developed after taking a trip with my family to a local botanical garden, Natural Springs. We were all in awe of the breathtaking varieties of plants and flowers. It was amazing how drawn we were to the stunning views, and we all felt that it was a very comfortable and soothing place. I never envisioned that the phenomenon of nature could so rapidly elevate a person’s mood. Although I certainly realize that we cannot turn the exterior of our school into a botanical garden, absolutely we can surely add more beauty to its surroundings.

2 I know that purchasing plants for landscaping is expensive, so I suggest that we try my proposal. Many homes and apartments in our neighborhood have a lot of landscaping. After doing some research, I learned that many of these plants must be divided and transplanted each year, otherwise, they will become overgrown and will bloom less intensively. We could host a plant swap this spring. The residents could swap plants from their own gardens; they also could bring two plants to donate to the school. It would be a wonderful opportunity for community members to visit our school, to meet new people, and to get some different plants to improve the look of their own yards.

3 We hope we will succeed in our goal: gaining an abundance of perennial plants to beautify our school. We will also be performing a service to our community. I have talked to many students who would like to form a garden club to care for the plants. Mrs. Meer, chair of the biology department, has agreed to supervise us. The garden club could assign shifts for members to care for the plants both before and after school. Some members may not want to take certain shifts. All who attend and visit our school will most likely appreciate the benefits of my beautification project. If you agree to allow us to put my plan into action, I can guarantee that you will be pleased.

4 Please let me know when we can discuss this further.

Sincerely,

Terri Olsen

1. Read the following sentence.

Although I certainly realize that we cannot turn the exterior of our school into a botanical garden, absolutely we can surely add more beauty to its surroundings.

What is the best way to improve the structure of the underlined part of the sentence?

A absolutely we can add more beauty to its surroundings.

B we can surely add the most beauty to its surroundings.

C we can surely add more beauty to its surroundings.

D we can add more beauty to its surroundings absolutely.

2 Read this sentence.

Many homes and apartments in our neighborhood have a lot of landscaping.

Which word would best replace the underlined words in the sentence and make it more precise?

A broad

B extensive

C sweeping

D spacious

3 Which sentence is not consistent with the overall tone of the letter?

A We could host a plant swap this spring.

B We will also be performing a service to our community.

C Some members may not want to take certain shifts.

D Please let me know when we can discuss this further.

4 Terri has noticed that she has used variations of the word beauty frequently in her letter and made a list of synonyms she might use instead. Which word below has she spelled incorrectly?

A lovliness

B attractiveness

C fairness

D handsomeness

Answers:

1. C

2. B

3. C

4. A