ALCPT - American Language Course Placement Test Grammar and Sentence Correction 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: 'Each of the soldiers _______ required to submit a report.'
- are
- is (Correct answer)
- were
- have been
Correct answer: is
'Each' is an indefinite pronoun that always takes a singular verb. Even though 'soldiers' is plural, the subject is 'each,' so the correct verb is 'is.'
Question 2: Identify the grammatically correct sentence.
- The general, along with his aides, were present at the briefing.
- The general, along with his aides, was present at the briefing. (Correct answer)
- The general, along with his aides, have been present at the briefing.
- The general, along with his aides, are present at the briefing.
Correct answer: The general, along with his aides, was present at the briefing.
Phrases introduced by 'along with,' 'as well as,' or 'together with' do not change the number of the subject. The subject is 'the general' (singular), so the verb must be 'was.'
Question 3: Select the sentence that uses the correct verb tense.
- By the time reinforcements arrived, the unit already left.
- By the time reinforcements arrived, the unit has already left.
- By the time reinforcements arrived, the unit had already left. (Correct answer)
- By the time reinforcements arrived, the unit was already leaving yesterday.
Correct answer: By the time reinforcements arrived, the unit had already left.
When one past action happens before another past action, the earlier action uses the past perfect tense ('had left'). This correctly shows that the unit's departure preceded the arrival of reinforcements.
Question 4: Choose the correct pronoun to complete the sentence: 'The award was given to _______ worked hardest during training.'
- whomever
- whoever (Correct answer)
- him who
- whichever
Correct answer: whoever
'Whoever' is correct because it functions as the subject of the clause 'whoever worked hardest.' The entire clause acts as the object of the preposition 'to,' but the pronoun's role within its own clause determines whether to use 'whoever' or 'whomever.'
Question 5: Identify the error in this sentence: 'The instructor told the recruits that they should of studied the manual before class.'
- 'recruits' should be 'recruit'
- 'they' should be 'them'
- 'should of' should be 'should have' (Correct answer)
- 'manual' should be 'manuals'
Correct answer: 'should of' should be 'should have'
'Should of' is a common spoken error. The correct form is 'should have,' because 'have' is the auxiliary verb used with a past participle. 'Of' is a preposition and cannot function as an auxiliary verb.
Question 6: Select the sentence in which the adjective and adverb are used correctly.
- She performed exceptional well on the language evaluation.
- She performed exceptionally good on the language evaluation.
- She performed exceptionally well on the language evaluation. (Correct answer)
- She performed exceptional good on the language evaluation.
Correct answer: She performed exceptionally well on the language evaluation.
'Exceptionally' is an adverb modifying the adverb 'well,' and 'well' is an adverb modifying the verb 'performed.' Both words are correctly placed. 'Exceptional' is an adjective and cannot modify an adverb or verb.
ALCPT - American Language Course Placement Test Grammar and Sentence Correction 5
Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: 'Each of the soldiers _______ required to submit a report.'