Practice Tests - 9 Free MCQ Practice Test with Solutions

Practice Tests - 9 - Question 1

Adapted from “Emerson’s Prose Works” in The Works of Orestes A. Brownson: Philosophy of Religion by Orestes Brownson (ed. 1883)

Mr. Emersons literary reputation is established and placed beyond the reach of criticism. No living writer surpasses him in his mastery of pure and classic English; nor do any equal him—neither in the exquisite delicacy and finish of his chiseled sentences, or in the metallic ring of his style. It is only as a thinker and teacher that we can venture any inquiry into his merits; and as such we cannot suffer ourselves to be imposed upon by his oracular manner, nor by the apparent originality either of his views or his expressions.

Mr. Emerson has had a swarm both of admirers but also of detractors. With many, he is a philosopher and sage, almost a god; while with others, he is regarded as an unintelligible mystic, babbling nonsense fitted to captivate beardless young men and silly maidens with pretty curls, all of who constituted years ago the great body of his hearers and worshipers. We rank us in neither class, though we regard he as no ordinary man. Indeed, we believe he to be one of the deepest thinkers as well as one of the first poets of our country. Indeed, by long acquaintance have him and us been in mutual contact—if only from a distance at times. We know him to be a polished gentleman, a genial companion, and a warmhearted friend, whose' kindness does not pass over individuals and waste itself in a vague philanthropy. So much, at least, we can say of the man, and this do we base not only upon former personal acquaintance and upon our former study of his writings.

What is the best form of the underlined selection, "whose' kindness does not pass over individuals"?

A.
whom kindness does not pass over individuals
B.
who's kindness does not pass over individuals
C.
whose kindness does not pass over individuals
D.
NO CHANGE

Detailed Solution for Practice Tests - 9 - Question 1

The relative pronoun is being used here in a possessive sense, describing the "kindness" mentioned in the clause and linking it to "friend" by noting that he has a kindness of a certain quality. The appropriate form for "who" in this case is "whose"—not "who's" or (the very strange) "whose'."

Practice Tests - 9 - Question 2

Adapted from The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (1902)

In the matter of religions, it is particularly easy distinguishing the too orders of question. Every religious phenomenon has its history and its derivation from natural antecedents. What is nowadays called the higher criticism of the Bible are only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view, neglected to much by the earlier church. Under just what biographic conditions did the sacred writers bring forth their various contributions to the holy volume? What had they exactly in their several individual minds, when they delivered their utterances? These are manifestly questions of historical fact, and one does not see how the answer to it can decide offhand the still further question: of what use should such a volume, with its manner of coming into existence so defined, be to us as a guide to life and a revelation? To answer this other question we must have already in our mind some sort of a general theory as to what the peculiarities in a thing should be which give it value for purposes of revelation; and this theory itself would be what I just called a spiritual judgment. Combining it with our existential judgment, we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bibles’ worth. Thus, if our theory of revelation-value were to affirm that any book, to possess it, must have been composed automatically or not by the free caprice of the writer, or that it must exhibit no scientific and historic errors and express no local or personal passions, the Bible would probably fare ill at our hands. But if, on the other hand, our theory should allow that a book may well be a revelation in spite of errors and passions and deliberate human composition, if only it be a true record of the inner experiences of great-souled persons wrestling with the crises of his fate, than the verdict would be much favorable. You see that the existential facts by itself are insufficient for determining the value; and the best adepts of the higher criticism accordingly never confound the existential with the spiritual problem. With the same conclusions of fact before them, some take one view, and some another, of the Bible's value as a revelation, according as their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differ.

Q. What is the best form of the underlined selection, "determining the value; and the best"?

A.
NO CHANGE
B.
determining the value, and the best
C.
determining the value; therefore, the best
D.
determining the value and the best

Detailed Solution for Practice Tests - 9 - Question 2

While it could be appropriate to use a comma to separate these two clauses, some consideration of the context of the author's statments can give us a better form even than this. The author states that the existential facts are insufficient. He then mentions the "best adepts" of higher criticism in order to say that they do not confound the two problems. The key word for linking these two clauses is "accordingly." This means consequently. The "and" is thus not a simple conjunction joining two ideas. Instead, the author intends to say, "Therefore, the best do not . . ." While the insertion of "therefore" does create a semi-redundancy with "accordingly," it is best to be clear that this is the connection between the two independent clauses.

Practice Tests - 9 - Question 3

Adapted from The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (1902)

In the matter of religions, it is particularly easy distinguishing the too orders of question. Every religious phenomenon has its history and its derivation from natural antecedents. What is nowadays called the higher criticism of the Bible are only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view, neglected to much by the earlier church. Under just what biographic conditions did the sacred writers bring forth their various contributions to the holy volume? What had they exactly in their several individual minds, when they delivered their utterances? These are manifestly questions of historical fact, and one does not see how the answer to it can decide offhand the still further question: of what use should such a volume, with its manner of coming into existence so defined, be to us as a guide to life and a revelation? To answer this other question we must have already in our mind some sort of a general theory as to what the peculiarities in a thing should be which give it value for purposes of revelation; and this theory itself would be what I just called a spiritual judgment. Combining it with our existential judgment, we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bibles’ worth. Thus, if our theory of revelation-value were to affirm that any book, to possess it, must have been composed automatically or not by the free caprice of the writer, or that it must exhibit no scientific and historic errors and express no local or personal passions, the Bible would probably fare ill at our hands. But if, on the other hand, our theory should allow that a book may well be a revelation in spite of errors and passions and deliberate human composition, if only it be a true record of the inner experiences of great-souled persons wrestling with the crises of his fate, than the verdict would be much favorable. You see that the existential facts by itself are insufficient for determining the value; and the best adepts of the higher criticism accordingly never confound the existential with the spiritual problem. With the same conclusions of fact before them, some take one view, and some another, of the Bible's value as a revelation, according as their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differ.

Q. Which is the best form of "best adepts"?

A.
NO CHANGE
B.
best practitioners
C.
best attempts
D.
best interpreters

Detailed Solution for Practice Tests - 9 - Question 3

The word "adept" can be used to mean someone skilled at a given practice. Since the word does have overtones derived from the adjective form, meaning very skilled, it would be better to avoid the semi-redundancy of saying, "best adepts," as this potential redundancy could be distracting for the reader. It would be better to use another word like "practitioner," at least to prevent the reader from becoming distracted by the potential reduplication in "best adepts."

Practice Tests - 9 - Question 4

Adapted from The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (1902)

In the matter of religions, it is particularly easy distinguishing the too orders of question. Every religious phenomenon has its history and its derivation from natural antecedents. What is nowadays called the higher criticism of the Bible are only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view, neglected to much by the earlier church. Under just what biographic conditions did the sacred writers bring forth their various contributions to the holy volume? What had they exactly in their several individual minds, when they delivered their utterances? These are manifestly questions of historical fact, and one does not see how the answer to it can decide offhand the still further question: of what use should such a volume, with its manner of coming into existence so defined, be to us as a guide to life and a revelation? To answer this other question we must have already in our mind some sort of a general theory as to what the peculiarities in a thing should be which give it value for purposes of revelation; and this theory itself would be what I just called a spiritual judgment. Combining it with our existential judgment, we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bibles’ worth. Thus, if our theory of revelation-value were to affirm that any book, to possess it, must have been composed automatically or not by the free caprice of the writer, or that it must exhibit no scientific and historic errors and express no local or personal passions, the Bible would probably fare ill at our hands. But if, on the other hand, our theory should allow that a book may well be a revelation in spite of errors and passions and deliberate human composition, if only it be a true record of the inner experiences of great-souled persons wrestling with the crises of his fate, than the verdict would be much favorable. You see that the existential facts by itself are insufficient for determining the value; and the best adepts of the higher criticism accordingly never confound the existential with the spiritual problem. With the same conclusions of fact before them, some take one view, and some another, of the Bible's value as a revelation, according as their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differ.

Q. Which of the following is the best form of the underlined selection, "We might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bibles’ worth"?

A.
we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bible's worth
B.
we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bibles worth
C.
NO CHANGE
D.
we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to a Bible's worth

Detailed Solution for Practice Tests - 9 - Question 4

As written, the sentence incorrectly uses the plural form of "Bible." This is indicated by the placement of the apostrophe after the word. The noun that is indicating possession is thus, "Bibles," as though to say, "A judgment regarding the worth of the Bibles." Throughout the passage, the author is speaking of the Bible in the abstract as a single book. Therefore, the judgment is about "the worth of the Bible (singular)." This is formed by adding "'s"" to the end of the singular form.

Practice Tests - 9 - Question 5

Adapted from The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (1902)

In the matter of religions, it is particularly easy distinguishing the too orders of question. Every religious phenomenon has its history and its derivation from natural antecedents. What is nowadays called the higher criticism of the Bible are only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view, neglected to much by the earlier church. Under just what biographic conditions did the sacred writers bring forth their various contributions to the holy volume? What had they exactly in their several individual minds, when they delivered their utterances? These are manifestly questions of historical fact, and one does not see how the answer to it can decide offhand the still further question: of what use should such a volume, with its manner of coming into existence so defined, be to us as a guide to life and a revelation? To answer this other question we must have already in our mind some sort of a general theory as to what the peculiarities in a thing should be which give it value for purposes of revelation; and this theory itself would be what I just called a spiritual judgment. Combining it with our existential judgment, we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bibles’ worth. Thus, if our theory of revelation-value were to affirm that any book, to possess it, must have been composed automatically or not by the free caprice of the writer, or that it must exhibit no scientific and historic errors and express no local or personal passions, the Bible would probably fare ill at our hands. But if, on the other hand, our theory should allow that a book may well be a revelation in spite of errors and passions and deliberate human composition, if only it be a true record of the inner experiences of great-souled persons wrestling with the crises of his fate, than the verdict would be much favorable. You see that the existential facts by itself are insufficient for determining the value; and the best adepts of the higher criticism accordingly never confound the existential with the spiritual problem. With the same conclusions of fact before them, some take one view, and some another, of the Bible's value as a revelation, according as their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differ.

Q. Which is the best form of the underlined selection, "According as their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differ"?

A.
NO CHANGE
B.
their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differs
C.
their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of value differ
D.
according as their spiritual judgments as to the foundation of values differ

Detailed Solution for Practice Tests - 9 - Question 5

As written, the issue with the selection is the lack of agreement between the subject of the dependent clause and its verb. The subject of the clause is "judgment" and the verb is "differ." As a singular subject, "judgment" requires an "-s" as the ending of the verb. However, do not make this change! Since the author is contrasting a set of judgments, it is better to make the subject plural, which will make the subject and verb agree as well.

Practice Tests - 9 - Question 6

Adapted from The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (1902)

In the matter of religions, it is particularly easy distinguishing the too orders of question. Every religious phenomenon has its history and its derivation from natural antecedents. What is nowadays called the higher criticism of the Bible are only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view, neglected to much by the earlier church. Under just what biographic conditions did the sacred writers bring forth their various contributions to the holy volume? What had they exactly in their several individual minds, when they delivered their utterances? These are manifestly questions of historical fact, and one does not see how the answer to it can decide offhand the still further question: of what use should such a volume, with its manner of coming into existence so defined, be to us as a guide to life and a revelation? To answer this other question we must have already in our mind some sort of a general theory as to what the peculiarities in a thing should be which give it value for purposes of revelation; and this theory itself would be what I just called a spiritual judgment. Combining it with our existential judgment, we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bibles’ worth. Thus, if our theory of revelation-value were to affirm that any book, to possess it, must have been composed automatically or not by the free caprice of the writer, or that it must exhibit no scientific and historic errors and express no local or personal passions, the Bible would probably fare ill at our hands. But if, on the other hand, our theory should allow that a book may well be a revelation in spite of errors and passions and deliberate human composition, if only it be a true record of the inner experiences of great-souled persons wrestling with the crises of his fate, than the verdict would be much favorable. You see that the existential facts by itself are insufficient for determining the value; and the best adepts of the higher criticism accordingly never confound the existential with the spiritual problem. With the same conclusions of fact before them, some take one view, and some another, of the Bible's value as a revelation, according as their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differ.

Q. What is the best form of the underlined selection, "criticism of the Bible are only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view"?

A.
criticism of the Bible are, instead, a study of the Bible from this existential point of view
B.
criticism of the Bible is only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view
C.
criticism of Bibles are only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view
D.
NO CHANGE

Detailed Solution for Practice Tests - 9 - Question 6

To see the problem with this sentence as written, first simplify the structure to get "What is . . . called . . . higher criticism . . . are." The issue here is the ambiguous nature of the pronoun "what." It can be plural or singular depending on its usage in a given sentence. Here, it is singular, as shown by the "is" that links it to "higher criticism." This whole relative clause ("what . . . criticism") is the subject of the main clause. It is a singular subject, which means that "are" is wrong as the main verb of the main clause of the sentence.

Practice Tests - 9 - Question 7

Adapted from The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (1902)

In the matter of religions, it is particularly easy distinguishing the too orders of question. Every religious phenomenon has its history and its derivation from natural antecedents. What is nowadays called the higher criticism of the Bible are only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view, neglected to much by the earlier church. Under just what biographic conditions did the sacred writers bring forth their various contributions to the holy volume? What had they exactly in their several individual minds, when they delivered their utterances? These are manifestly questions of historical fact, and one does not see how the answer to it can decide offhand the still further question: of what use should such a volume, with its manner of coming into existence so defined, be to us as a guide to life and a revelation? To answer this other question we must have already in our mind some sort of a general theory as to what the peculiarities in a thing should be which give it value for purposes of revelation; and this theory itself would be what I just called a spiritual judgment. Combining it with our existential judgment, we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bibles’ worth. Thus, if our theory of revelation-value were to affirm that any book, to possess it, must have been composed automatically or not by the free caprice of the writer, or that it must exhibit no scientific and historic errors and express no local or personal passions, the Bible would probably fare ill at our hands. But if, on the other hand, our theory should allow that a book may well be a revelation in spite of errors and passions and deliberate human composition, if only it be a true record of the inner experiences of great-souled persons wrestling with the crises of his fate, than the verdict would be much favorable. You see that the existential facts by itself are insufficient for determining the value; and the best adepts of the higher criticism accordingly never confound the existential with the spiritual problem. With the same conclusions of fact before them, some take one view, and some another, of the Bible's value as a revelation, according as their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differ.

Q. What is the sense of the underlined selection, "if only"?

A.
if undoubtedly
B.
limited to
C.
instead that
D.
as long as

Detailed Solution for Practice Tests - 9 - Question 7

The broader context helps to understand the author's meaning in this somewhat difficult sentence. In a more direct form, we could render what he is saying as: "If our theory could allow for errors (so long as the text is a record of the inner experiences of a great-souled person), then matters would be more favorable for retaining the meaningfulness of Bible."

Practice Tests - 9 - Question 8

Adapted from The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (1902)

In the matter of religions, it is particularly easy distinguishing the too orders of question. Every religious phenomenon has its history and its derivation from natural antecedents. What is nowadays called the higher criticism of the Bible are only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view, neglected to much by the earlier church. Under just what biographic conditions did the sacred writers bring forth their various contributions to the holy volume? What had they exactly in their several individual minds, when they delivered their utterances? These are manifestly questions of historical fact, and one does not see how the answer to it can decide offhand the still further question: of what use should such a volume, with its manner of coming into existence so defined, be to us as a guide to life and a revelation? To answer this other question we must have already in our mind some sort of a general theory as to what the peculiarities in a thing should be which give it value for purposes of revelation; and this theory itself would be what I just called a spiritual judgment. Combining it with our existential judgment, we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bibles’ worth. Thus, if our theory of revelation-value were to affirm that any book, to possess it, must have been composed automatically or not by the free caprice of the writer, or that it must exhibit no scientific and historic errors and express no local or personal passions, the Bible would probably fare ill at our hands. But if, on the other hand, our theory should allow that a book may well be a revelation in spite of errors and passions and deliberate human composition, if only it be a true record of the inner experiences of great-souled persons wrestling with the crises of his fate, than the verdict would be much favorable. You see that the existential facts by itself are insufficient for determining the value; and the best adepts of the higher criticism accordingly never confound the existential with the spiritual problem. With the same conclusions of fact before them, some take one view, and some another, of the Bible's value as a revelation, according as their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differ.

Q. What is the best version of the underlined selection, "the too orders of question"?

A.
the too ordering of the question
B.
NO CHANGE
C.
the to orders of question
D.
the two orders of question

Detailed Solution for Practice Tests - 9 - Question 8

The error here is the use of "too," which means also or more than is necessary or wanted. However, the author wishes to go on to enumerate a set of distinctions, calling not for "also" but for the simple numeric adjective: "two."

Practice Tests - 9 - Question 9

Adapted from The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (1902)

In the matter of religions, it is particularly easy distinguishing the too orders of question. Every religious phenomenon has its history and its derivation from natural antecedents. What is nowadays called the higher criticism of the Bible are only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view, neglected to much by the earlier church. Under just what biographic conditions did the sacred writers bring forth their various contributions to the holy volume? What had they exactly in their several individual minds, when they delivered their utterances? These are manifestly questions of historical fact, and one does not see how the answer to it can decide offhand the still further question: of what use should such a volume, with its manner of coming into existence so defined, be to us as a guide to life and a revelation? To answer this other question we must have already in our mind some sort of a general theory as to what the peculiarities in a thing should be which give it value for purposes of revelation; and this theory itself would be what I just called a spiritual judgment. Combining it with our existential judgment, we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bibles’ worth. Thus, if our theory of revelation-value were to affirm that any book, to possess it, must have been composed automatically or not by the free caprice of the writer, or that it must exhibit no scientific and historic errors and express no local or personal passions, the Bible would probably fare ill at our hands. But if, on the other hand, our theory should allow that a book may well be a revelation in spite of errors and passions and deliberate human composition, if only it be a true record of the inner experiences of great-souled persons wrestling with the crises of his fate, than the verdict would be much favorable. You see that the existential facts by itself are insufficient for determining the value; and the best adepts of the higher criticism accordingly never confound the existential with the spiritual problem. With the same conclusions of fact before them, some take one view, and some another, of the Bible's value as a revelation, according as their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differ.

Q. What is the best form of the underlined selection, "does not see how the answer to it can decide offhand"?

A.
NO CHANGE
B.
do not see how the answer to them can decide offhand
C.
does not see how the answer to them can decide offhand
D.
does not see how the answer to they can decide offhand

Detailed Solution for Practice Tests - 9 - Question 9

As written, the only issue with the sentence is the agreement between "it" and its referent. Notice that earlier in the sentence, the author speaks of the questions that were asked earlier. In the second independent clause (i.e. after the "and"), the author uses the pronoun "it" to refer back to these "questions." However, since "questions" is plural, the pronoun must be plural as well. Therefore, "them" is a better option. Note, however, that the option containing "they" is incorrect because the pronoun is the object of the preposition "to." "They" as the object of a preposition or verb must take the form "them."

Practice Tests - 9 - Question 10

Adapted from The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (1902)

In the matter of religions, it is particularly easy distinguishing the too orders of question. Every religious phenomenon has its history and its derivation from natural antecedents. What is nowadays called the higher criticism of the Bible are only a study of the Bible from this existential point of view, neglected to much by the earlier church. Under just what biographic conditions did the sacred writers bring forth their various contributions to the holy volume? What had they exactly in their several individual minds, when they delivered their utterances? These are manifestly questions of historical fact, and one does not see how the answer to it can decide offhand the still further question: of what use should such a volume, with its manner of coming into existence so defined, be to us as a guide to life and a revelation? To answer this other question we must have already in our mind some sort of a general theory as to what the peculiarities in a thing should be which give it value for purposes of revelation; and this theory itself would be what I just called a spiritual judgment. Combining it with our existential judgment, we might indeed deduce another spiritual judgment as to the Bibles’ worth. Thus, if our theory of revelation-value were to affirm that any book, to possess it, must have been composed automatically or not by the free caprice of the writer, or that it must exhibit no scientific and historic errors and express no local or personal passions, the Bible would probably fare ill at our hands. But if, on the other hand, our theory should allow that a book may well be a revelation in spite of errors and passions and deliberate human composition, if only it be a true record of the inner experiences of great-souled persons wrestling with the crises of his fate, than the verdict would be much favorable. You see that the existential facts by itself are insufficient for determining the value; and the best adepts of the higher criticism accordingly never confound the existential with the spiritual problem. With the same conclusions of fact before them, some take one view, and some another, of the Bible's value as a revelation, according as their spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differ.

Q. What is the best form of the underlined selection, "what biographic conditions did the sacred writers bring forth"?

A.
what biographic conditions has the sacred writers bring forth
B.
what biographic conditions do the sacred writers bring forth
C.
what biographic conditions does the sacred writers bring forth
D.
NO CHANGE

Detailed Solution for Practice Tests - 9 - Question 10

Two things can be considered in answering this question. First, the author clearly wishes to speak of the biblical writers in the past tense. He does this in the second question following this first one. Additionally, notice that "does" does not agree with the subject: "the sacred writers." Do not be fooled in sentences like this in which the subject is in an inverted position. This point aside, however, the main matter is the choice of tense.

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