These are original Marlbridge practice questions, not past exam questions. Passages marked “Marlbridge passage” were written for this resource; quotations from historical texts are from public-domain sources with author, title and year. The rubrics are a suggested Marlbridge rubric, not an official scoring guideline. Allow about 45 minutes.
Question 1 (multiple choice · core)
Read this passage (Marlbridge passage).
A library is a promise. It promises that a child with no books at home will find them; it promises that a jobseeker with no computer will find one; it promises that a lonely person will find company.
What is the main effect of repeating “it promises that”?
- (A) It shows that the writer ran out of ideas.
- (B) It presents three different groups as equally served and builds a rhythm that makes the library’s role seem dependable.
- (C) It defines the word “promise”.
- (D) It introduces a counterargument.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). The matching clauses make the three groups equal in status and give the sentence a steady rhythm that suggests reliability.
- (A) The repetition is a deliberate pattern, not a lack of ideas.
- (C) The passage uses “promise” as a metaphor; it does not define it.
- (D) Nothing in the passage opposes the claim.
Question 2 (multiple choice · core)
Which revision best fixes the unclear pronoun in this sentence? “The mayor told the engineer that he would approve the plan.”
- (A) The mayor told the engineer that he, the mayor, would approve the plan.
- (B) The mayor told the engineer that it would be approved.
- (C) The mayor told him that he would approve the plan.
- (D) The mayor and the engineer would approve it.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). It names the person who approves (“he, the mayor”), so the reader knows who “he” refers to. (An equally clear alternative would be to use a quotation.)
- (B) replaces one vague pronoun with another (“it”), and changes the meaning.
- (C) makes the reference even less clear.
- (D) changes who approves and keeps a vague “it”.
Question 3 (multiple choice · core)
Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly?
- (A) The new library will offer free internet, to have quiet rooms and open on Sundays.
- (B) The new library will offer free internet, quiet rooms and Sunday opening.
- (C) The new library will offer free internet, quiet rooms and it will be open on Sundays.
- (D) The new library will offer free internet, having quiet rooms and Sundays.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). All three items after “offer” are noun phrases: “free internet”, “quiet rooms”, “Sunday opening”.
- (A) mixes a noun phrase, an infinitive phrase and a verb phrase.
- (C) ends with a full clause (“it will be open on Sundays”).
- (D) mixes a noun phrase, a participial phrase and a bare noun, and the last item does not make sense.
Question 4 (multiple choice · core)
In the Gettysburg Address (Abraham Lincoln, 1863), the speaker says: “we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground.” What does the choice of three different verbs after the repeated “we can not” contribute?
- (A) It shows the three verbs have exactly the same meaning, so repeating them is wasteful.
- (B) It builds a progression, since each verb suggests a higher degree of sacredness, so the speaker’s denial of the living’s power grows stronger.
- (C) It shows the writer cannot decide which word is correct.
- (D) It changes the subject from “we” to “the soldiers”.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). The synonyms escalate in solemnity, and the repetition of “we can not” holds the pattern in place.
- (A) The words are close in meaning but not identical, and the progression is deliberate.
- (C) The sequence is a rhetorical choice, not indecision.
- (D) The subject is “we” throughout the sentence; the soldiers are introduced in the next sentence.
Question 5 (multiple choice · foundation)
Which statement about linking devices is most accurate?
- (A) Repetition, synonyms, pronoun references and parallel structure can indicate or develop a relationship between elements of a text.
- (B) Synonyms always keep the exact meaning of the original word.
- (C) A pronoun is clear whenever it appears after a noun.
- (D) Parallel structure requires repeating the same words.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (A). This is the central idea of the topic.
- (B) Synonyms differ in connotation and sometimes in meaning.
- (C) A pronoun is clear only if there is one obvious antecedent.
- (D) Parallel structure requires matching grammatical form, not identical words.
Question 6 (constructed response · core)
Revise this passage (Marlbridge passage) to fix vague pronouns, needless repetition and faulty parallelism. Then explain two changes you made.
The teacher met the head and she said that they should change the timetable. This was a good change that made the timetable better. It surprised the students, which they didn’t like. The head wanted pupils to arrive on time, to be more focused and that lessons should start promptly.
Answer and explanation
Sample revision (Marlbridge).
The teacher met the head, who said the school should change the timetable. The change improved the school day, though it surprised the students, who disliked it. The head wanted pupils to arrive on time, to be more focused and to start lessons promptly.
Two changes. (1) “she said that they should” had two unclear pronouns; “who said the school should” names the subject and removes the ambiguity. (2) “to arrive on time, to be more focused and that lessons should start promptly” mixed infinitives with a clause; I made all three items infinitive phrases (“to arrive…”, “to be…”, “to start…”).
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Repairs the vague pronouns (“she”, “they”, “This”, “It”, “which”) |
| 1 | Removes the needless repetition (“a good change that made the timetable better”) |
| 1 | Makes the list of the head’s wishes grammatically parallel |
| 1 | Explains at least two changes with reference to the devices |
Question 7 (constructed response · core)
Read this passage (Marlbridge passage).
We say that a river divides a town, but the opposite is also true: a river joins what it divides. Every bridge is a sentence in a long conversation between the north bank and the south, and every ferry is a pause in that conversation. A town that wants to talk to itself will build bridges; a town that wants to be left alone will count on the water.
Explain how the writer uses repetition, parallel structure and synonyms or related terms to develop the relationship between the two banks.
Answer and explanation
Sample response. The writer repeats “divides” and “joins what it divides” to turn the opening claim into a paradox, so the same word holds both ideas. The parallel clauses “Every bridge is a sentence… and every ferry is a pause” present the two kinds of crossing as equal parts of one metaphor of conversation. “Conversation”, “sentence”, “pause” and “talk” form a chain of related terms that sustains the metaphor and links the sentences. The final sentence contrasts two towns with matching clauses (“a town that wants… will…”), which makes the choice between bridge and water seem like a choice about community.
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Identifies repetition (for example, “divides”) and says what it does |
| 1 | Identifies parallel structure and says what relationship it shows |
| 1 | Identifies related terms (conversation, sentence, pause, talk) and the sustained metaphor |
| 1 | Connects the devices to the passage’s idea about the two banks |
Question 8 (constructed response · stretch)
Write two or three sentences about a school’s lost property box that use parallel structure to present three items of equal weight, and one sentence that uses a pronoun with a clear antecedent to link to them. Then underline or name the devices.
Answer and explanation
Sample response (Marlbridge).
The lost property box holds a single glove, a half-finished lunch and a water bottle with someone’s initials on it. It holds the things that students put down and leave behind, the things that nobody claims and the things that nobody can quite throw out. These objects, taken together, are a record of what the school’s days have been like.
Devices: the list “a single glove, a half-finished lunch and a water bottle” (parallel noun phrases); “the things that… the things that… the things that…” (repetition and parallel clauses); “These objects” (a pronoun-like demonstrative with a noun, referring clearly to the earlier items).
Suggested Marlbridge rubric (4 points).
| Point | Award it when the response… |
|---|---|
| 1 | Includes a series of three items in the same grammatical form |
| 1 | Uses a clearly linked pronoun or demonstrative with a clear antecedent |
| 1 | The sentences are coherent (the later sentences follow from the earlier) |
| 1 | Names the devices accurately |
How did you do?
- If you missed questions 1, 4 or 5, revisit “Four tools that link” and Worked example 2 in the study guide.
- If you missed questions 2, 3 or 6, review “Pronoun references”, “Parallel structure” and Worked example 1.
- If you missed questions 7 or 8, review “Using the devices together”.
- Then tick off the checklist and revise with the revision notes.