Revising and Editing
Directions Read the passage and answer the question that follows.

(1) The pressure to get good grades in high school has gotten out of control. (2) The need to meet requirements considered essential for admission to a college has caused students to take on exhausting challenges. (3) Some students enroll in summer classes. (4) A full-year's load of material is crammed into a six-week course. (5) Others enroll, or are enrolled unwillingly, in advanced-placement courses for which they are unprepared or unfit.

(6) Some students resort to more desperate measures. (7) Cheating in the classroom has increased dramatically in recent years. (8) Students buy and sell papers that others have written. (9) They hire professionals to write term papers on spec. (10) Materials found on the Internet are plagiarized. (11) Some students even steal tests and answer keys from their teachers' files.

(12) When it comes to applying for admission to a prestigious university, the stakes are high and the competition is fierce. (13) Good grades are a must. (14) Additional credits earned in advanced classes are a significant bonus and usually are expected. (15) Often, however, this is not enough. (16) Students who excel in a sport, who demonstrate artistic abilities, or who actively involve themselves in community activities have an added and distinct advantage over others. (17) To ensure success, the ideal college applicant will meet many requirements: good grades, advanced-placement credits, and an enviable record of extracurricular achievements. (18) Not surprisingly, many students go to bed at night haunted by the following question: "Have I done enough?"

(19) Increasingly, parents are saying that: "Enough is enough!" (20) Many believe that the time has come to put a stop to the ever-escalating demands placed on students today. (21) A variety of solutions has been suggested. (22) They address various aspects of the problem. (23) School officials recommend closer monitoring of classrooms. (24) They suggest tighter controls on Internet use and the installation of security cameras in teachers' offices. (25) These measures might help reduce cheating.

(26) Recommendations that address other aspects of the problem include the creation of a curriculum-counseling program, a relaxation of college-admission standards, and the aggressive promotion of state and community colleges as alternative higher-education options. (27) Implementation of some or all of these recommendations would no doubt be beneficial. (28) The problem, however, is not completely addressed by them. (29) For the present, students will continue to be burdened by the pressures placed on them. (30) A permanent solution to the problem needs to be found.

Combining sentences 1 and 2 using a colon would be an effective way to
Select one:
a. show the relationship in meaning between the two sentences.
b. eliminate an unnecessary dependent clause.
c. vary sentence length and structure.
d. shorten and tighten the paragraph.