Diagnostic Quizzes for AC2

Select the sentence that shows correct parallel structure.

Plants throughout the garden should receive water regularly and get plenty of sunshine.

In the following sentence, the words in italics are what kind of phrase? So, if reporters are allowed to do their work—conscientiously reporting the whole truth about where the candidates stand—the public will be able to vote rationally.

gerund phrase

What are the subject and the verb of the independent clause in the following sentence? Ignorance of the issues, even if reliable information is unavailable, fails as a good reason for people not to vote.

ignorance; fails

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. Ted _____ voted differently if he had known then what he knows now.

would have

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

"Fired up!" cried the woman at the political rally. "Ready to go!"

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

In medieval Europe, contrary to common belief, the arts flourished under the patronage of the Catholic Church; it is in modern Europe that the arts seem to be floundering for lack of guidance.

Choose the most effective sentence.

As soon as Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) and Rick (Humphrey Bogart) see each other, they rekindle the passion of their time in Paris.

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

Cackling deliriously, the warlock's minions danced around the boiling cauldron filled with newts' eyes, bees' knees, and coriander.

Which of the following sentences has no problems with verb tense?

Before the passengers went through security screening, they had left their baggage at the airline counter.

Choose the sentence that uses commas correctly.

Bill Monroe (1911-1996) was, as country music fans everywhere are well aware, the originator of the music that came to be called "bluegrass," after his lifelong band, the Blue Grass Boys.

Choose the answer showing the correct use of italics.

Caryl Churchill's play Top Girls

Choose the best sentence.

Casablanca is the best suspense movie ever made.

Select the choice that most clearly combines the information in these two sentences: "Flowering perennials are easily cultivated" and "Roses and orchids are flowering perennials."

Flowering perennials, such as roses and orchids, are easily cultivated.

Choose the answer showing correct use of capital letters.

Gale W. McGee, formerly a senator from the state of Wyoming and an ambassador to the Organization of American States

Choose the clearest sentence.

Growing up near Fenway Park, Martin dreamed of playing left field for the Red Sox, just like his idol, Ted Williams.

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

In her introduction at the commencement ceremony, the college president declared that "for a whole generation of young women, she [Senator Hillary Clinton, the keynote speaker] serves as an inspiring reminder that the only limits on what we can achieve are the limits we impose on ourselves."

Choose the sentence that uses commas correctly.

In the most famous lineup of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, Lester Flatt played the guitar, and Earl Scruggs played the banjo.

Choose the sentence that is most appropriate for academic writing.

More and more, social psychologists are drawing upon breakthroughs in neuroscience to illuminate the differences in male and female behavior.

Choose the most effective sentence.

Most simple banking transactions can be conveniently accomplished at an ATM.

Choose the answer showing correct use of capital letters.

Mount Monadnock State Park, in southwestern New Hampshire

Choose the sentence that uses abbreviations correctly.

Mr. Fenstermacher never entirely forgave himself for failing to see a doctor when he felt the first symptoms.

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

No, I never said you stole the money, did I?

Choose the most precise and effective sentence.

Research consistently shows that students learn more in schools that accommodate a broad range of student interests and abilities.

Choose the sentence that is clearer.

Roscoe explained that he fed the pets more than his wife did.

Choose the sentence that is most appropriate for academic writing.

School authorities should strive to create an atmosphere that balances discipline and freedom.

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

September 11, 2001, is, as President Franklin Roosevelt said of December 7, 1941, "a date that will live in infamy."

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

Seventeenth-century England, faced with open rebellion by Parliament itself; the United States of the 1860s, torn between the federalist North and the secessionist South; and modern-day Iraq, wracked by the rivalries between Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds, have all suffered fratricidal civil wars.

Choose the answer that shows how the word intellectual would be hyphenated if it had to be divided at the end of a line.

intel-lectual

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. One of the best new security systems, already in use in many airports, _____ also easier on passengers' frazzled nerves.

is

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. The passengers are finally strapped into their first-class seats, and their baggage with designer labels _____ safely stowed in the plane's cargo bays.

is

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. Nothing feels better than _____ down after a hard day of work.

lying

Choose the answer that uses and/or omits hyphens correctly.

ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall

In the following sentence, are the words in italics an independent clause, a subordinate clause, or a fragment? Although that particular source may not appear reasonable and accurate, it is.

subordinate clause

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. What should an airport security screener do if she _______ to encounter a passenger with a hunting knife?

were

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

The U.S. Treasury depends, for the bulk of its revenues, on the tax funds collected by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Choose the best sentence for publication in a public document: • The fire department stipulates that every newly hired fireman receive rigorous physical training before he is posted to a firehouse. • The fire department stipulates that all newly hired firefighters receive rigorous physical training before they are posted to firehouses. • The fire department stipulates that every newly hired firefighter receive rigorous physical training before they are posted to a firehouse.

The fire department stipulates that all newly hired firefighters receive rigorous physical training before they are posted to firehouses.

Choose the sentence that uses commas correctly.

The guitar, which has six strings, and the banjo, which has five, are the two most common instruments in bluegrass music.

Choose the sentence that uses abbreviations correctly.

The historian Titus Livius, known to English readers as Livy (59 BC-AD 17), presented the emperor with the great history of Rome, Ab Urbe Condita.

What is the correct verb form to fill in the blank in the following sentence? The vast majority of the security contracts had ______ to firms with suspicious ties to political operatives.

gone

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. In fact, Connie is the only one of the players who _____ to join with the others in presenting the petition to the principal.

refuses

Choose the sentence showing correct use of capital letters.

"Gravitation," Albert Einstein once said, "cannot be held responsible for people falling in love."

Which of the following sentences is neither a comma splice nor a fused sentence?

In spite of the predictions of pollsters and pundits, the voters were unswayed by the well-financed challenger's personal attacks on the popular incumbent.

Select the instruction for editing the following sentence. With the entire fraternity ridiculed after the incident, each member has his own motives for avoiding any further publicity.

Leave as is.

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

Pastor Thorn thundered, "You'll get exactly what you deserve—if not in this world, then in the next!"

Choose the sentence that is most appropriate for academic writing.

Students are most likely to excel in schools that make judicious use of tracking and assessment.

Choose the correct word or words to fill in the blank in the following sentence. _____ far too many reasons not to be wary of the motivations behind his reluctance to testify under oath.

There are

Choose the words that best fill in the blanks in the following sentence. The first shock occurred _____ precisely 5:04 PM _____ a beautiful, cloudless afternoon _____ May.

at; on; in

The following sentence is in the passive voice. What are the subject and the verb of this sentence? Before the passengers boarded a plane that day, they were extensively—some would say carefully; others, intrusively—screened by security officials.

they; were screened

Choose the sentence showing the correct use of italics.

The quintessentially American rodeo, like the word itself, has its origins in the Mexican charreada, a festive event in which charros, or riders, compete to demonstrate their prowess in handling horses and cattle.

Select the passage that shows the best use of pronouns.

The traditions of the college demand that the students who perpetrated the outrage be held accountable for their actions, which have no place in an institution of higher learning.

I promise before God that I am taking this quiz without access to The Little Seagull handbook or other external resources.

True

Select the correct pronoun to fill in the blank in the following sentence. _____ do you think should take over the dean's duties, now that she is obviously incapable of fulfilling them herself?

Who

Select the articles (or no article) that best fill the blanks in the following passage. Everyone seemed to have _____ different opinion as to _____ best outfielder of the 1940s: Ted Williams or Joe DiMaggio. Even all _____ leading sports writers of the era were divided on the subject.

a; the; the

Choose the correct words to fill in the blanks in the following sentence. I feel _____ when I see an animal mistreated; I feel _____ when I recover from a cold; I feel _____ about my love of animals and my robust health.

bad; well; good

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. Oh, you don't need to dress up; just wear your _____ clothes.

everyday

Choose the correct words to fill in the blanks in the following sentence. Each of the teammates _____ that the coach was unfairly singled out for the loss, and most of them _____ signed the petition declaring their continuing support.

feels; have

In the following passage, are the words in italics an independent clause, a subordinate clause, or a fragment? Each candidate will have exactly the same rights to formulate his or her policy proposals. But not to compel the media to pay attention.

fragment

Choose the title that is punctuated correctly.

the novel Fear of Flying by Erica Jong

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. Either the president or his advisors _____ to appear before the investigating committee if we are to avoid a political crisis.

have

Choose the sentence that makes the best use of commas.

"Hillbilly music," "the high, lonesome sound," and "old-time string band music" have all been used to describe bluegrass, though none of these terms is quite right.

Choose the sentence that uses italics correctly.

"I never said you stole the money," said Mr. Jenkins, pointing at Roderick.

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

"Somebody said 'No' to me!" wailed the three-year-old boy in desperate frustration when the scissors were taken from him.

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

"The misuse of language," said Socrates, "induces evil in the soul."

Which is the best revision of the following sentence? After September 11, 2001, airline passengers were subjected to ever-increasing inconvenience, actual security may not have been improved.

After September 11, 2001, airline passengers were subjected to ever-increasing inconvenience, although actual security may not have been improved.

Choose the most effective sentence.

Although the transit papers are hidden in Sam's piano, Rick remains calm when the Gestapo search the café.

Choose the sentence that is most appropriate for academic writing.

Despite some intriguing differences in neural circuitry, males and females seem to be equally suited to the complex cognitive challenges presented by the game of chess.

Choose the sentence that makes the best use of commas.

Earl Scruggs's technique was so distinct and innovative that, in fact, today every bluegrass band has to have a banjo player employing "Scruggs style."

Select the sentence that contains no shifts in either verb tense or point of view.

Every time a girl tries out for the school chess club, she has to overcome the prejudice that "girls don't play chess."

Choose the sentence showing correct use of capital letters.

Malcolm Lowry's novels include Lunar Caustic, Dark as the Grave Wherein My Friend Is Laid, and Under the Volcano.

Choose the sentence that presents numbers correctly.

Many people would say that 1968 was a pivotal year in American politics, music, and technology.

Which is the best revision of the following passage? Many voters were dismayed when each candidate turned more and more to attacking the motives and methods of the other candidate. Not to matters of policy. And not to the substantive issues voters cared about most.

Many voters were dismayed when each candidate turned more and more to attacking the motives and methods of the other candidate—not to matters of policy nor to the substantive issues voters cared about most.

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

Men everywhere say they want to know: what do women want?

Choose the item that is punctuated correctly.

My favorite ice cream treat? It's the It's-It, available only in its hometown of San Francisco. What's yours?

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

My favorite joke begins, "So picture this: I'm naked in this refrigerator hurtling down the side of a building . . ."

Select the sentence that uses commas correctly.

Nevertheless, many other well-known bluegrass musicians began their careers as Blue Grass Boys.

Select the choice that contains no shifts in either verb tense or point of view.

No sooner had the marigolds blossomed than a sudden hailstorm destroyed all of my annual flowers.

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

Until I met her, I never thought to wonder what's in a name.

Choose the sentence that shows the best use of punctuation.

When I asked the famous spy what kind of paper he wanted for his printer, he answered, "Bond—white bond."

Choose the most correct sentence.

Which ballpark has the deeper outfield—Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium?