Writing and Language Flashcards

Read the following sentence: "The committee's findings, which contradicted the earlier report, was presented to the board alongside a supplementary analysis of the methodology flaws." Which revision best corrects the grammatical error while preserving the intended meaning? A) The committee's findings, which contradicted the earlier report, were presented to the board alongside a supplementary analysis of the methodology flaws. B) The committee's findings that contradicted the earlier report was presented to the board alongside a supplementary analysis of the methodology flaws. C) The committee's findings, contradicting the earlier report, has been presented to the board alongside a supplementary analysis of the methodology flaws. D) The committee's findings, which contradicted the earlier report, are presented to the board alongside a supplementary analysis of the methodology flaws.

Answer: The committee's findings, which contradicted the earlier report, were presented to the board alongside a supplementary analysis of the methodology flaws.

The subject of the main clause is 'findings' (plural), so the verb must be plural: 'were presented.' The relative clause 'which contradicted the earlier report' is a non-restrictive modifier and does not change the subject. Option B uses a restrictive clause but keeps the singular 'was,' still wrong. Option C introduces 'has been,' a singular present-perfect form. Option D switches to the present tense 'are,' which is inconsistent with the narrative past-tense context established by 'contradicted.'

A student is revising a passage about architectural preservation. The current sentence reads: "Restoring historic facades is expensive; moreover, many municipalities lack both the funding and the political will to undertake such projects." The student wants to replace 'moreover' with a transition that more precisely signals the relationship between the two clauses. Which choice best accomplishes this? A) consequently B) nevertheless C) in addition D) by contrast

Answer: in addition

'Moreover' and 'in addition' are both additive conjunctive adverbs that introduce a second point reinforcing the first — making 'in addition' the closest precise replacement without altering the logical relationship. 'Consequently' would imply that the lack of funding is a result of the expense, which is not stated. 'Nevertheless' signals concession (contrast), reversing the logic. 'By contrast' introduces an opposing idea, which the second clause does not provide.

In the sentence below, which underlined portion contains an error? "Neither the lead researcher nor her assistants [A] was able to replicate the results, which [B] suggested that the original methodology [C] had relied on variables [D] that were not adequately controlled." A) A — 'was able' B) B — 'which suggested' C) C — 'had relied' D) D — 'that were not'

Answer: A — 'was able'

With 'neither…nor' constructions, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it (the proximate rule). The closer subject is 'her assistants,' which is plural, so the verb must be 'were able,' not 'was able.' 'Which suggested' is correct — 'which' refers to the entire preceding situation (a valid use). 'Had relied' correctly uses the past perfect to indicate an action prior to the discovery. 'That were not' correctly uses a relative clause with a plural verb matching 'variables.'

The following sentence contains a punctuation error. Identify it. "The novelist's three most celebrated works — a sparse debut set in rural Appalachia, a sprawling postcolonial epic, and a novella about grief — has each been adapted for film." A) The em dashes around the appositive list should be replaced with commas. B) The verb 'has' should be 'have' to agree with the plural subject modified by 'each.' C) 'each' should be removed because it contradicts the plural subject. D) A colon should replace the first em dash to introduce the list.

Answer: The verb 'has' should be 'have' to agree with the plural subject modified by 'each.'

The subject 'works' is plural; the verb 'has' is singular. While 'each' can sometimes take a singular verb when it follows the noun ('they each has' is wrong), the construction here — 'works…have each been' — requires a plural verb because 'each' is a post-positioned modifier, not the head noun. The em dashes correctly set off the long appositive list (commas would create ambiguity with the commas inside the list). Removing 'each' doesn't fix the subject-verb disagreement. A colon is incorrect here because em dashes properly interrupt mid-sentence.

Read the paragraph below and select the sentence whose placement is logically inconsistent with the paragraph's argumentative flow. [1] Proponents of ranked-choice voting argue that it reduces negative campaigning. [2] When candidates must appeal to a broader electorate to earn second- and third-choice votes, attack ads become counterproductive. [3] Critics, however, point out that ballot exhaustion — when voters do not rank all candidates — can skew results toward frontrunners. [4] Maine and Alaska have adopted ranked-choice systems for federal elections. [5] This exhaustion effect disproportionately affects communities with lower civic literacy, raising equity concerns. A) Sentence 2 B) Sentence 3 C) Sentence 4 D) Sentence 5

Answer: Sentence 4

Sentence 4 ('Maine and Alaska have adopted ranked-choice systems for federal elections') is a bare factual statement that does not connect to the paragraph's argumentative thread — the debate about benefits versus drawbacks of ranked-choice voting. It neither supports the pro-argument nor the critique; it simply names adopting states without analysis. The other sentences are logically chained: Sentences 1–2 build the pro-argument, Sentence 3 introduces the counterargument, and Sentence 5 deepens that critique with an equity concern.

A writer has drafted the following sentence and wants to ensure precision: "The professor inferred that students who struggled with the prerequisite material would likely have difficulty in the advanced course, implying that an additional review session might be warranted." Which revision, if any, corrects a word choice error? A) Change 'inferred' to 'implied' and change 'implying' to 'inferring.' B) Change 'inferred' to 'concluded' and leave 'implying' unchanged. C) Leave the sentence as written; both words are used correctly. D) Change 'implying' to 'suggesting' and leave 'inferred' unchanged.

Answer: Change 'implying' to 'suggesting' and leave 'inferred' unchanged.

'Inferred' is correctly used here — the professor drew a conclusion from evidence (students' prior struggles), which is exactly what inference means. The error is 'implying': the subject performing this action is still the professor, but the professor is not hinting at something indirectly — the professor is reasoning and suggesting a course of action openly. 'Implying' means to hint at something indirectly, which doesn't fit. 'Suggesting' is the precise, neutral word for openly putting forward an idea. Option A reverses both words incorrectly. Option B's 'concluded' is weaker and redundant with 'inferred.' Option C incorrectly accepts 'implying.'