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Robotics Competition: The Modifier Desk

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Robotics Competition: The Modifier Desk

Place phrases and clauses where readers can follow them.

Read and Notice

Read the finished report. Then examine how phrases and clauses connect to the people, objects, and actions they describe.

One Round, Several Adjustments

1Carrying a silver toolbox, Zadie entered the competition hall ahead of the rest of the school robotics team. A volunteer directed the students to a numbered worktable. Their robot, built to move wooden blocks into marked zones, needed a final inspection before the opening round. Beside the toolbox, Zadie set a notebook containing the team's practice records. The notebook's bent corners showed how often the students had consulted it during weeks of preparation.

2Before the first round began, the students checked every wheel. Harun tightened a loose bracket while Tessa reviewed the route with Zadie. During the round, a block slipped from the robot's gripper near the final zone. The robot stopped short of its target, leaving the team with fewer points than expected. Watching from behind the boundary line, the students could see the fallen block but could not move it. The rules required the machine to finish without their help.

3Between rounds, the team studied a recording of the attempt. Tessa noticed a turn that sent the gripper too close to a barrier. Instead of replacing the gripper, the students adjusted the route. Harun tested the revised program on the practice mat beside their table. With the new route loaded, the robot carried a block past the barrier without dropping it. The students repeated the test before returning to the competition floor.

4In the final round, the robot delivered every block it picked up. The team did not win the competition, but its final score was higher than its opening score. After the results were posted, Zadie recorded both scores in the notebook. She also listed the route changes so next year's team could understand the adjustment. Packing the toolbox, Harun asked whether they should save the recording too. Tessa added the file name beneath Zadie's notes, and the students left with a record of what they had changed and why.

1.
Which statement correctly explains the placement of “Carrying a silver toolbox” in paragraph 1?
Question 1 options
2.
Underline the sentence from paragraph 1 that supports your answer to question 1 by placing the person carrying the toolbox immediately after the introductory phrase.

3.
An earlier draft said, “Built to move wooden blocks, the students inspected their robot.” Why does the introductory phrase dangle?
Question 3 options
4.
The editor wants a sentence explaining that the notebook contains the practice records. Which revision places the describing phrase most clearly?
Question 4 options
5.
An earlier draft said, “Watching from behind the boundary line, the fallen block was beyond the students' reach.” Which revision fixes the dangling modifier while keeping the students as the watchers?
Question 5 options
6.
Consider this draft sentence: “The team studied a recording of the attempt between rounds.” The editor wants the timing phrase to clearly describe when the team studied, not when the attempt occurred. Which revision best does this?
Question 6 options
7.
Which sentence clearly places the practice mat beside the team's table, rather than placing Harun there?
Question 7 options

Edit the Drafts

These additional draft sentences belong to the same reporting project. Use the stated meaning to choose or write the clearest revision.

8.
The reporter means that the route was the one thing Tessa changed. Which sentence expresses that meaning most precisely?
Question 8 options
9.
A draft says, “Harun almost tested every wheel.” The reporter means that Harun tested most of the wheels but missed one. Which revision expresses that meaning?
Question 9 options
10.
An earlier draft said, “After reviewing the recording, the route was changed by the students.” Which revision fixes the dangling phrase while keeping a passive main clause?
Question 10 options
11.
A draft says, “Tessa told Zadie after the final round she would save the recording.” The editor wants to make clear that the conversation happened after the round. Which revision places the time clause most clearly?
Question 11 options
12.
Which draft sentence has a correctly placed introductory modifier and needs no repair?
Question 12 options
13.
The reporter means that the students standing near the exit received the printed results. Which revision attaches the describing phrase to those students?
Question 13 options
14.
Revise this sentence to fix both modifier problems: “Walking toward the worktable, the notebook was handed to Zadie with bent corners.” The intended meaning is that Harun was walking and the notebook had bent corners. Then explain how your revision connects each modifier to the right word.