1.  The paper was clear, pertinent, and well written.
Place commas to divide items in a series; "well written" would be hyphenated only if it preceded the noun.

2.  Harry and Donna's honeymoon was just as frantic as their wedding.
Use only one apostrophe when showing joint possession of a compound subject.

3.  She won the race easily; in fact, she set a state record.
    She won the race easily -- in fact, she set a state record.
Use the semicolon to join two independent clauses using a conjunctive adverb; "in fact" is an interrupter; a dash would also be acceptable because it leads into a surprise ending.
 
4.  I am recalling his story, I believe, as accurately as I can.
"I believe" is an nonessential interrupter, so use commas to separate this from the rest of the sentence.

5.  The last year of the twentieth century was 2000, not '99.
You must use an apostrophe to show the deletion of the "19" in the year 1999; use a comma to show negation of your previous thought.

6.  My brother-in-law, an ex-lieutenant, is turning thirty-six today.
You must hyphenate compound phrases such as "brother-in-law" as well as numbers between 21-99; use commas to separate the appositive phrase ("an ex-lieutenant") from its noun that it describes.

7.  All the men's tuxedos boasted fragrant carnations in their lapels.
The original word is "men," an irregular plural, so add an apostrophe to show possession; then add the "s" to give the possessive word the necessary "s" sound.

8.  I expected a package this morning; however, I waited all day for it to arrive.
Use the semicolon to connect two independent clauses with a conjunctive adverb (see NC 716).

9.  Rainy days aren't all that bad: they provide the water crucial for all life.
(alt.) Rainy days aren't all that bad -- they provide the water crucial for all life.
The colon is used to connect an independent clause with an explanation that follows; a dash would also be acceptable here; use apostrophes to indicate the use of a contraction (which should not be used in formal writing).

10.  She witnessed a crime on her street; she promptly locked her doors.
(alt.) She witnessed a crime on her street -- she promptly locked her doors.
The semicolon simply connects two statements together to show their closeness; a colon would be inappropriate because the second part does not explain the first part; a dash, however, would work because it progresses from a statement to an immediate, frantic action.

11.  We traveled to Rome, Italy; Athens, Greece; and Paris, France.
Normally, you would use commas to separate these items in a list; however, we need a stronger comma to separate the cities/states from the other cities/states, so use the semicolon to represent a "super comma."

12.  Shakespeare said it best: "All's well that ends well."
Use the quotes to encompass Shakespeare's statement; use the colon to lead into the quote because you have just stated an independent clause; explanations follow colons, and this quote explains what Shakespeare said very directly; use the apostrophe to signify a contraction used in the quote.

13.  The question remains as to whether or not the SAT should be replaced with another, more comprehensive test.
You need to place a comma to separate coordinating adjectives (adjectives that can be listed by placing the word "and" between them); abbreviations such as "SAT" does not take periods between the letters, according to MLA.

14.  He is not well liked, although he says he is everyone's friend.
Do not hyphenate "well liked" because it follows the noun that it modifies; use comma to separate the two independent clauses; use the apostrophe to indicate possession of a singular noun ("everyone").

15.  Sarah -- she had always loved animals -- took in the stray kitten.
Use the dashes to indicate an abrupt change of thought, as in this example where the speaker changes his mind about the direction his sentence would take; the dashes also help to organize the subject with its verb.

16.  Certainly, you may borrow my book, Gary.
Use a comma to separate introductory elements; use another to separate the recipient of the direct address ("Gary").

17.  Patty Paige sang the novelty song "How Much is That Doggie in the Window?"
Place the song title within quotation marks since it is a minor title that can be compiled in an anthology; be sure to place the question mark inside the quotes, since the title asks a question; you do not need a comma to separate the word "song" from the song's title -- it is essential information.

18.  I was shocked when I saw his new pet: a seven-foot boa constrictor.
(alt.) I was shocked when I saw his new pet -- a seven-foot boa constrictor.
Use a colon (or a dash) to indicate that an explanation is coming for the independent clause; hyphenate "seven-foot" because it forms a compound adjective that precedes its noun ("boa constrictor" is a compound noun, not a compound adjective, so it should not be hyphenated -- some compound nouns are hyphenated under special circumstances, but all can be discovered by double-checking the spelling of the noun in a dictionary).

19.  Nearly all Americans own a Bible, but few, including scholars of literature, have read it.
(alt.) Nearly all Americans own a Bible, but few (including scholars of literature) have read it.
Use a comma to separate two independent clauses joined by a subordinating conjunction; further separate the phrase "including scholars of literature" with either commas or parentheses to clarify that this information is nonessential.

20.  Forgetting little-known facts is not as crucial as forgetting your ABCs.
Hyphenate "little-known" because it is a compound adjective that precedes the noun that it modifies; MLA suggests dropping the apostrophes when showing the plurals of abbreviations (see NC 726).

21.  We all heard the boy cry "Help!" but we also knew from his past behavior that he was really crying "wolf."
(alt.) We all heard the boy cry "Help!" but we also knew from his past behavior that he was really "crying wolf."
Place "Help!" inside quotes because it is a direct quotation; use an exclamation point to indicate the boy's emotional word choice; place "wolf" or "crying wolf" in quotation marks to indicate that this is a slang expression.

22.  Hmmm ... it's a tough decision, but I'll take the red one.
You can use an ellipses to indicate a thoughtful pause or the passing of silent time (see NC 744); use apostrophes to signify that two contractions are being used in this very informally written sentence; use a comma to separate two independent clauses used with a conjunction.

23.  The Senate needs a two-thirds majority to pass the bill -- I don't think it stands a chance of happening.
(alt.) The Senate needs a two-thirds majority to pass the bill; I don't think it stands a chance of happening.
Join these two independent clauses with a semicolon because no conjunction is offered; you can also indicate a more abrupt change of direction with a dash that stabs into the critical commentary given on the initial statement.

24.  Tuesday, July 25, 1967, is my birthday.
Use commas to separate days from dates, dates from years, and years from the rest of the sentence; you would need to place at least two commas no matter what two parts of this complete date you used:
Tuesday, July 25, is my birthday.
July 25, 1967, is my birthday.

25.  I do the laundry, make dinner, and pick up the kids -- I should receive a medal for all of these chores!
(alt.) I do the laundry, make dinner, and pick up the kids; I should receive a medal for all of these chores!
Use commas to separate items listed in a series; use the dash (or a semicolon) to connect the two clauses; a colon would not work in this sentence because the second part does not explain the first part (actually, if you look carefully, the first part explains the second part, but this is not the way we use a colon); you may use an exclamation point here because this person seems to be shouting -- keep in mind that this sentence is informally written, so you can get away with exclamations here.
 

I will answer any questions you have on this practice test -- all you do is ASK!
Good luck on the real punctuation test.