Practice Exam Study Set

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. Just below China on the list of the most populous countries _____ India. sits / sit

sits- The subject of the sentence is India, which agrees with the singular verb sits. The word countries is the object of the preposition of and does not affect the verb.

What is the correct verb form to fill in the blank in the following sentence? Once Nora is out of college, she wants _______ to Spain and Portugal. to travel traveling to traveling

to travel- The verb wants calls for the infinitive form (to travel) as its object.

Choose the correct words to fill in the blank in the following sentence. Peggy is the only one of my students who _______ research papers ahead of the deadline. turns in / turn in

turns in- The phrase the only one always takes a singular verb.

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. What do you think we should do if the consensus on the city council _______ to fall apart? was / were

were- The information in the if clause is speculative, so the mood of the verb must be subjunctive (were) rather than indicative (was).

Select the sentence that is neither a comma splice nor a fused sentence. 1. In clinical psychology, the therapist tries to treat mental disturbances without prescribing drugs; therefore, this branch of psychology often carries the label talk therapy. 2. In clinical psychology, the therapist tries to treat mental disturbances without prescribing drugs, this branch of psychology often carries the label talk therapy. 3. In clinical psychology, the therapist tries to treat mental disturbances without prescribing drugs therefore this branch of psychology often carries the label talk therapy

1- Answer 2 contains a comma splice; Answer 3 is a fused sentence.

Select the sentence that shows correct parallel structure. 1. To do well on final exams, students should not only study every day but also be getting enough sleep. 2. To do well on final exams, students should not only have studied every day but also sleep enough. 3. To do well on final exams, students should not only study every day but also get enough sleep.

3- In the correct answer, the verbs study and get are parallel. For parallelism, you need the same verb tenses.

Select the sentence that best shows the relationship between the two ideas expressed in the sentence. 1. When the side effects of antidepressant drugs range from dizziness to sexual dysfunction, these drugs can save lives. 2. Side effects of antidepressant drugs range from dizziness to sexual dysfunction; obviously, these drugs can save lives. 3. Although the side effects of antidepressant drugs range from dizziness to sexual dysfunction, these drugs can save lives.

3- In the correct answer, the word "Although" correctly indicates that the drugs' side effects do not outweigh the fact that the drugs can save lives.

In the following sentence, the words in italics are what kind of phrase? $$Selling more than 500 million records$$, Elvis Presley was the most successful solo recording artist during his lifetime. 1. prepositional phrase 2. appositive phrase 3. participial phrase 4. gerund phrase 5. infinitive phrase

3- Remember, a gerund phrase is when the "-ing" verb functions as a noun. This participial phrase functions as an adjective, modifying Elvis Presley.

Select the sentence that contains no shifts in either verb tense or point of view. 1. To understand the Korean War, which started in 1950, you have to know that the Soviet Union backed the northern occupation zone. 2. For one to understand the Korean War, which started in 1950, you have to know that the Soviet Union backed the northern occupation zone. 3. To understand the Korean War, which started in 1950, you have to know that the Soviet Union is backing the northern occupation zone.

1- Answer 2 incorrectly shifts the point of view from one to you; Answer 3 incorrectly shifts the verb tense from the past (started) to the present (is backing).

Choose the sentence that is most ambiguous. 1. The psychologist quickly realized that the husband liked golf more than his wife. 2. The psychologist quickly realized that the husband liked golf more than he liked his wife. 3. The psychologist quickly realized that the husband liked golf more than his wife was ever going to like the game.

1- In the correct answer, it is unclear whether golf is being compared to his wife or to an implied meaning of his wife's enjoyment of golf.

Select the correct pronoun to fill in the blank in the following sentence. Besides Hadley Richardson, _____ else did Hemingway marry? who whom

whom- Remember whom/her, who/she. We can answer this question with, "Hemingway married her."

Does the following item contain a fragment? If it snows, I might try cross-country skiing. And maybe downhill. Yes, it contains a fragment. No, it does not contain a fragment.

Yes- The group of words And maybe downhill is an additional object of try; it is a fragment because it contains neither a subject nor a verb.

Select the passage that expresses the idea most clearly. 1. Real estate developers want to build residences and offices on some vacant land in our town. The community objects to them. 2. Real estate developers want to build residences and offices on some vacant land in our town. The community objects to this use of the land. 3. Real estate developers want to build residences and offices on some vacant land in our town, which the community objects to it.

2- The phrase "this use of the land" clarifies the sentence's meaning. Them (1) and it (3) are unclear pronoun references.

Choose the correct words to fill in the blanks in the following sentence. Each of the students on the committee _______ hard, so most of the teachers only _______ to supervise them. works; has / works; have / work; has / work; have

works; have- The indefinite pronoun Each is singular, so it takes the singular verb works; the indefinite pronoun most is plural, so it takes the plural verb have.

Select the instruction for editing the following passage. Wendy Wasserstein's play Uncommon Women and Others follows a group of women friends who attend a women's college and stay in touch after graduation. Each friend has her own strengths and weaknesses. 1. Leave as is. 2. Change her own strengths and weaknesses to their own strengths and weaknesses. 3. Change her own strengths and weaknesses to his or her own strengths and weaknesses.

1- The context here indicates that "Each friend" can refer only to a woman. "Their" is wrong because it is plural, while his or her is wrong because "Each friend" cannot refer to a man.

In the following sentence, are the italicized words an independent clause, a subordinate clause, or a fragment? The snowstorms came one after another, $$yet the fires burned brightly in the cabin$$ where Josie read Mark Twain's novels to her favorite uncle. 1. independent clause 2. subordinate clause 3. fragment

1- The italicized words are a clause because they contain a subject, fires, and a verb, burned; they are an independent clause because they can function alone as a sentence. Here, yet functions as a coordinating conjunction, so the clause is not subordinate.

What are the subject and the verb of the following sentence? Issues considered worthy of debate include health insurance and the environment. 1. Issues; include 2. health insurance and the environment; include 3. Issues; considered

1- The phrase "considered worthy of debate" is a participial phrase modifying Issues; health insurance and environment are the direct objects of include.

Which of the following sentences contains no fragments? 1. Agnes de Mille (1909-1993) choreographed not only ballets based on American folklore but also dances for Broadway musicals. Among the latter, Oklahoma! 2. Agnes de Mille (1909-1993) choreographed not only ballets based on American folklore but also dances for Broadway musicals. Among the latter, Oklahoma! stands out.

2- In Answer 1, the group of words "Among the latter, Oklahoma!" is a fragment because it has no verb.

Which of the following sentences has no problems with verb tense? 1. By the end of tomorrow's race, Annie will run more than forty miles. 2. By the end of tomorrow's race, Annie will have run more than forty miles. 3. By the end of tomorrow's race, Annie has run more than forty miles.

2- The phrase by the end of tomorrow calls for the future perfect tense (will have run), not the simple future tense (will run) or the present perfect tense (has run).

Select the passage that contains no shifts in either verb tense or point of view. 1. The North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong staged the Tet Offensive in 1968. American and South Vietnamese troops won the battle but lost in the arena of public opinion. 2. The North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong were staging the Tet Offensive in 1968. American and South Vietnamese troops won the battle but lost in the arena of public opinion. 3. The North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong staged the Tet Offensive in 1968. American and South Vietnamese troops win the battle but lose in the arena of public opinion.

1- In 2, "were staging" implies that the staging of the battle was not yet complete when the battle was won or lost; in 3, "win" shifts the verb tense to the present.

Which of the following sentences contains neither a comma splice nor a fused sentence? 1. Winslow Homer (1836-1910) excelled in painting dramatic seascapes, one example is On a Lee Shore. 2. Lonely streets, buildings, and interiors dominate the canvases of Edward Hopper (1882-1967) his work has influenced a 21st-century photographer of street scenes. 3. Robert Indiana (born 1928) produces pop paintings and sculptures, such as his Love series, that sometimes look like large signs.

3- Answer 1 contains a comma splice; Answer 2 contains a fused sentence.

The following sentence is in the passive voice. What are the subject and the verb of this sentence? The World Series was finally won by the Boston Red Sox in 2004. 1. Teams; won 2. World Series; was won 3. Boston Red Sox; won

3- In a sentence with a passive verb, the subject acts. In this case, the Boston Red Sox are the ones winning, not the World Series.

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. The current population of only two countries, China and India, _______ one billion each. exceeds / exceed

exceeds- The subject of the sentence is population, which is singular, so the sentence takes the singular verb form, exceeds.

Choose the correct words to fill in the blank in the following sentence. The jury _______ order their lunches from various nearby take-out restaurants. has to / have to

have to- Although jury can be understood as either singular or plural, here the words their, lunches, various, and restaurants all signal that jury refers to the multiple members of a group, so in this case, jury is plural.

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. One of the contemporary novels that _______ deeply affected me is Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. has / have

have- The singular subject of the independent clause, One, agrees with the singular verb is; the subject of the subordinate clause, that, refers to the plural noun novels and requires the plural helping verb have for subject-verb agreement.

Choose the correct word to fill in the blank in the following sentence. Peanut butter and jelly _______ a popular American sandwich filling. is / are

is- The phrase Peanut butter and jelly forms a single unit, so it agrees with a singular verb, is.