CAEC Language Arts, Grammar, and Mechanics 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error?
- The students are working on their assignments.
- The team plays its best game on Fridays.
- Neither the teacher nor the students was prepared. (Correct answer)
- Each of the candidates has submitted a form.
Correct answer: Neither the teacher nor the students was prepared.
When 'neither...nor' connects a singular and plural subject, the verb agrees with the closer subject ('students'), so the correct verb is 'were,' not 'was.'
Question 2: Which punctuation mark correctly separates two independent clauses without a conjunction?
- Comma
- Semicolon (Correct answer)
- Hyphen
- Colon
Correct answer: Semicolon
A semicolon joins two independent (complete) clauses that are closely related, without needing a coordinating conjunction.
Question 3: Identify the type of error in this sentence: 'Running to catch the bus, the rain began to fall.'
- Subject-verb disagreement
- Dangling modifier (Correct answer)
- Comma splice
- Incorrect tense
Correct answer: Dangling modifier
The participial phrase 'Running to catch the bus' dangles because it modifies 'rain' rather than a person who is running.
Question 4: Which word in the following sentence is a pronoun? 'She gave the report to him yesterday.'
- report
- gave
- She (Correct answer)
- yesterday
Correct answer: She
'She' is a personal pronoun that replaces a person's name and acts as the subject of the sentence.
Question 5: Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?
- The dog's bone was buried in the yard. (Correct answer)
- The dog's were barking all night.
- The dogs' were fed on time.
- Its' collar fell off.
Correct answer: The dog's bone was buried in the yard.
"The dog's bone" correctly uses an apostrophe to show possession — the bone belongs to the dog.
Question 6: What is the function of an adverb in a sentence?
- To name a person, place, or thing
- To modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb (Correct answer)
- To connect two clauses together
- To show ownership or possession
Correct answer: To modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb
Adverbs modify verbs (ran quickly), adjectives (very tall), or other adverbs (extremely quickly) to add detail about how, when, where, or to what degree.
CAEC Language Arts, Grammar, and Mechanics 1
Which sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error?