Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Lead poisoning in children is a major health concern. Both low and high doses of paint can have serious effects. Children exposed to high doses of lead often suffer permanent nerve damage, mental retardation, blindness, and even death. Low doses of lead can lead to mild mental retardation, short attention spans, distractibility, poor academic performance, and behavioral problems.

This is not a new concern. As early as 1904, lead poisoning in children was linked to lead– based paint. Microscopic lead particles from paint are absorbed into the bloodstream when children ingest flakes of chipped paint, plaster, or paint dust from sanding. Lead can also enter the body through household dust, nailbiting, thumb sucking, or chewing on toys and other objects painted with lead–based paint. Although American paint companies today must comply with strict regulations regarding the amount of lead used in their paint, this source of lead poisoning is still the most common and most dangerous. Children living in older, dilapidated houses are particularly at risk.

The word "dilapidated" is closest in meaning to which of the following?

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions.

Food prices have raised so rapidly in the past few months that some families have been forced to alter their eating habits

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.

It turned out that we ______ rushed to the airport as the plane was delayed by several hours.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions.

Having finished his term paper before the deadline, it was delivered to the professor before the class.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

You never really know where you are with her as she just blows hot and cold.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions.

My advice is that you get straight to the point in the next report.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.

Tim graduated with a good degree. He joined the ranks of the unemployed

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

Adding a garage will enhance the value of the house